Week 2: Lots of GERMAN & LEGOS

Holy cow this week flew!  (Well compared to last week hahaha.) It has been a good week, i have had lots of ups and lots of downs, but it has all in all been a good week. I mean how can it not be when you're wearing this badge lets be real...

So on Wednesday we had a devotional and it was so incredible. It was about the Atonement (my absolute favorite.) The speaker related the atonement to a little kid cleaning up a room full of legos. The child may not be able to get every piece because come on... we all know how little kids clean, but thats where the lord comes in. Elder Phillip said "He will get on his hands and knees and help us clean up the legos." I have never thought about it like that. The Lord will literally get down to where we are and lift us up. I loved that analogy even though i probably just totally butchered it... Bottom line is the atonement is THE most amazing blessing we have.

Thursday was awesome we committed our investigator to baptism.... IN GERMAN. Hahaha the lessons in German are rough... it feels kind of like I have a handicap because i know what i want to say to them but i cant form the sentence so i sit there looking at them with my mouth wide open and nothing coming out... it is super frustrating but i had a cool moment this week. I don't know why but i got a feeling that i cant teach in English. meaning that what i need to say for the next 18 months has to be in German.  Strange right?  Like I wouldn't be able to get the same message across in English or something?  I don't know how to describe it,  but it was the coolest feeling ever knowing that I'm exactly where I'm supposed to be. I have to serve my mission speaking German. that's what I was called to do.  That's what the Lord needs. I saw a little glimpse of hope that day. There was  a light at the end of the tunnel. I was understanding more and my pronunciation was better and i could see myself doing this. It was awesome haha!

              

Her Miranda Face :)

I think I can .....  I think I can!!!!!!!

After hours and hours, days and days of studying German! :P

Friday we did the weirdest thing ever... we taught a TREE. My teacher had us teach the first lesson to a tree outside in German. To be honest it might have been the best lesson we've had so far hahaha! it was nice not to be afraid to mess up or afraid of the investigator answering and not being able to understand or respond. It was bizarre, but it helped a lot hahaha - as if missionaries aren't socially awkward enough, now we are talking to trees lol.

Saturday was rouuugghhhh... It kind of hit me that I'm going to be doing this for a year and a half. I got really homesick and missed my life. We got 2 new investigators that day so now we teach lessons every single day and i was just super overwhelmed. We had lasagna for lunch and it reminded me of my moms famous lasagna and that was hard. Funny how just food can make you miss home hahhaa. It was just not a good day all around... BUT THEN THERE WAS SUNDAY. Sundays here are always amazing so I felt so blessed to be able to have that day next haha. I think that it was the best day I've had here so far... After a rough day Saturday, it was just what i needed. We talked about patience in relief society (lol right?!) and i swear everything we talked about was what i needed to hear. After lunch we had personal time and I TOOK A NAP. THAT'S RIGHT!!  I TOOK A FLIPPIN NAP. It was the best nap i have ever had... Soooo needed. haha I am sooo tired all the time here!! After that we had a devotional and we sang the EFY medley "As sisters in Zion" as a whole MTC (so 108 elders and sisters) and oh my gosh i thought i was going to die with how many chills i got. We sang the words "we are now the lords missionaries" instead of "we will be the lords missionaries" and that got me... I bawled my eyes out. It was amazing ill never forget that. (yes mom, i did record it, but you have to wait 17 1/2 more months to hear it sorrrryyy) after that we watched the Joseph Smith movie as an MTC and talk about tears. I think everyone was crying- even the "tough elders" haha It was so great.

 So the best part of the day for me was ANOTHER devotional we had on Elder Holland's The Atonement in missionary work talk. If you cant tell i love the Atonement lol. Okay that was when the real tears came. The full on ugly cry hahaha if you havent heard that talk go listen to it it will change your life.

Yesterday was ehh.... A train wreck of a lesson with our new investigator but hey, you win some you lose some. And I learned a lot from it so i guess that's all that matters. The lord answered a serious prayer for me that day. We were sitting in language study and everything was just going straight over my head. I felt like i was drowning. I got a feeling to say a prayer. So right there in class i bowed my head and said "Heavenly Father, i don't think I can do this. I cant learn this language. Please help me believe i can." Not even 10 minutes later one of my favorite sisters from another district (sister Shultz shes from Germany.. i know ironic right ;) came into my class and dropped a note on my desk. She told me how amazing i was and how the people of my mission are going to love me. She also said not to worry about my German skills, they will understand what I'm trying to say. I just about died... I have never in my life experienced something like that. She was such an answer to my prayer! Ahhhh it was so cool hahaha.

Indescribable!

I think its amazing how the Lord works. Nothing has made me think about that more than being a missionary. He really knows EXACTLY what each of his children needs at that exact moment. My love for my Heavenly Father has grown more in these last 2 weeks than it has in 19 years. I love learning about the gospel and gaining a stronger testimony of things I thought i had a strong testimony in. I love this gospel and i LOVE being a missionary. Again, there is so much more i want to write but i could never fit it all in 1 email.

Know how much i love each of you, you will never know how much of an impact you have had on my life. Keep the emails coming, i need them!!!!  lol. I can read all my emails throughout the week i just cant respond until Pday so if you're feeling extra generous shoot me a quick sentence or somethin ;)

Thank you all for the prayers and support, you guys mean the world to me. until next week!!

Love,
Sister Barnett

CANDIDS~

Her Comp Posse

Enjoying some fresh air and studying, studying, studying!

We put motivational "Stickies" all throughout her luggage!  Surprise!!!

Gorgeous Hydrangeas - MY FAVORITE

Stairwell pic on the way to yet another class - Sister Richards from Whales -PEACE!

Week 1: SHE MADE IT!

K to be honest this email is going to be all sorts of all over the place because this week had waaaayyy too many things that happened for me to try and fit it all in 1 email so bear with me people...

First and foremost I would just like to start out by saying how much I love being a missionary. It truly is the most amazing thing in the world and Im so glad I get to be a part of this army

Okay so Tuesday morning I flew out of Utah at 8 am and took 3 flights to get to England on Wednesday at 8 am. haha! I flew for a total of 13 hours and I was awake for 48+ hours all together. No i didn't sleep on the plane... :(

So we got here and had a little intro to the MTC and i got my badge!!!!!!!!  It felt like i had super powers when I put it on!!   Best moment of my life so far!

Touchdown Atlanta!  Headed to London then onto Manchester and by buses to the Preston England MTC

SO thankful these darling Sisters were on her flight from SLC!  Sister Fairbanks and Sister McEwan

It was a LONNNNNNGGG Day!

1st Photo she sent from the MTC :)  "TAG"

She's been dreaming of this day for SO LONG!!!!!

We went to the room and got unpacked and then ate and went to a meeting where we got our companions and met our district. I am in a trio... The Lord is testing me right out of the gate lol. If putting me with 1 girl for 24 hours straight isn't bad enough now i have to do it with 2! haha  To be honest that has been the hardest thing about this week. I get along great with 1 sister and not so great with the other. Long story short, I am learning EXTREME patience and love for this girl. I pray every night to try and see her the way the Lord does because I cant go 5 more weeks and not get along with her. We are making it work!  We have what they call companionship inventories that help too. 

So anywayysss my district has 4 British elders and 5 american sisters. I love my district way too much we are a little family!

Thursday was a lot of learning.. We learned lots of German so it was good.  I really enjoy class! i love learning the language and its coming... just really slowly lol. My teachers are incredible they are Sister Schumann and Brother Hdlacky. Like Ladkey is how you pronounce it they are great :)

Class with her little Family

What the German??????????

Friday was an amazing day as well - we had a devotional on the gift of tongues and it was exactly what i needed! a total answer to my prayers. But as if that devotional wasn't good enough... BASKETBALL WITH THE ELDERS!!! :)  Finally!!!   I had been waiting for this forever hahaha and it was an absolute blast! Seriously, I look forward to playing basketball every single day because of how happy it makes me. I never realized how much exercising makes you happy until i have been stuck in a room for 13 hours every day... 

Some of her favorite Elders and Baller boys

Lettin loose! She says, "Don't ask" Typical Sam

Saturday was another great day! (there arent really "bad" days here...) K the food here is insane - i think i have gained like 20 lbs in 1 week. I'm super good friends with the head chef because his name is Brother Barnett hahaha! He is from Ireland :) So we had a conversation with the elders in our district about all the funny words they say and they explained to us that there are a lot of things that americans say that aren't really good to say in england... haha also the peace sign backward is like worse than flipping someone else off here... whoops... learned that one the hard way! they always make fun of americans but it actually is really funny and we kind of banter back and forth.

So Much  FOOD!

Sunday was AMAZING! Having sacrament meeting in the MTC is such an indescribable experience. The spirit was so strong that day... President Preston picks 6 random missionaries to speak so all the missionaries prepare talks not knowing if they are going to speak in the meeting (I hope that made sense) and the topic was on the atonement. It was the coolest thing ever. I have such an incredible amount of love and respect for the missionaries here. I love looking at everyone and thinking about how hard they worked to get here. Everyone is so great here were all like best friends. We walked to the temple grounds and HOLY COW the Preston temple is gorgeous!! We took lots of pics lol. After that we played a get to know you game kind of set up like speed dating... There are people from all over the world here - its insane!! There was these cute sisters from Fiji and China and Taiwan that all called me Rapunzel and commented on how pretty my eyes were hahaha they are so cute. 

Her dear friend Sister Richards from Whales

First of MANY Badge pictures!  Preston England Temple Week1

She Made it!  Preston MTC and Lovin it!

So yesterday was a hard day... I just wasn't in the best mood i guess. I was getting discouraged about the language and then being in a trio was hard yesterday and i just wanted to be alone.. I prayed for strength and to just be happy and The Lord answers prayers guys let me just tell you... I get such clear and perfect answers here haha! I changed my attitude around and i had a better night. 

Today we went to the temple and did a session and it was amazing. I really do love it here. My testimony has grown so much and it has only been a week. There is no where else I would rather be and I'm grateful for the opportunity i have to be a missionary. Thank you to everyone for their prayers and love towards me i really do feel them. I'm sorry this email was so scatterbrained I just cant fit everything i want and its frustrating!! also everything is kind of a "you had to be there moment."
Anyways I love you all and I hope you had a great week!!

Love Sister Barnett