Hola fam,
It’s been another hot week in Barranca. It’s also been another hot transfer in Barranca. Another 6 weeks is all over and that means more changes in the mission. This transfer there were 20 missionaries leaving and 20 new ones so lots of changes in the mish. Here in Barranca there have been a few. Elder Williams got transferred to Bogotá (I’ll miss him) and tomorrow his replacement from Paraguay comes. Elder Jimenez, my good buddy from Argentina also got transferred to finish his last transfer in San Gil and tomorrow Elder Furmanski (Utah) comes to be Elder Zari`s companion. And last of all, my son Elder Ravanales has been transferred. He is getting shipped off to San Luis (Bogotá) and my new companion comes tomorrow. His name is Elder Moreno. I am pretty sure he is from Bolivia. When I was the AP I got to know the new missionaries coming in so I already know him. He seems like a really humble, good guy. Now he has about 7 months or so in the mission so he should be a good help. It will be sad to see little Ravi leave but transfers are a good thing and always a good learning opportunity. I imagine he is a hard worker so I think we will do very well.
Some branch members got to go to the temple. They have been saving up by selling tamales (not like the Mexican ones) and actually a really good group went. There were at least 20 and two couples went to be sealed :) I did some last minute interviews for a few that went and then we wished them off on their bus from the church. It was great to see what an exciting and spiritual experience it was for them. They say the youth did baptisms like crazy and they were all excited and you could really see how happy and uplifted they were from the trip. Unfortunately they got home really late Saturday night (early Sunday morning) and some didn’t make it to church.
It was one of the most spiritual Sundays we have had. The individual faith and commitment of our members really help. We finally have all the organizations and classes organized. With the uplifting experience of the temple attendance and the increased enthusiasm of the members now working, our branch is doing great. As we went around Sunday and spent time in some of the classes etc. it was just really rewarding to see people teaching and participating in the class and planning activities and being friendly with each other. Comparing it with 2 1/2 months ago, it really seems like a new branch and the attitude is so positive. I love the people here. It is great getting to know them and listen to them and talk with them and participate in the activities etc. There are people here who are actually doing things like the Savior in his church. So our plans will be to continue visiting them and serving them and looking for those who are lost and keep on keeping on.
Investigator life is stiiiiiill hard. Marissa is seeming like she isn’t going to leave her boyfriend yet and we find investigators but they don’t seem to progress. I think now that the branch is looking better we are going to start working harder with the members to get references from them instead of knocking on so many doors. We have a mission challenge to finish the BoM before March so I’m using every spare second to read and it’s great. It’s amazing how you pick up new things and feel the spirit every time you read it. I really do know the Book of Mormon is true, with tough time like there have been here, it’s been a big help to me. I love the great examples of missionaries in the Book of Mormon.
In the good news of the week... after 2 transfers of living in bad apartments and hotels and far away houses, we finally have a house in our area. I don’t remember if I wrote last week but there are some members who have a house here that they rent out and the people who were there just left, so we got the contract done right away. They fixed it up a little and now we are all moved in. It’s about 12 minutes to walk to the chapel and it’s in a decent, quiet neighborhood. It’s not the nicest house and it’s little but it’s what we need. There are3 little bedrooms, 1 bath, a tiny kitchen and a place to hang up the clothes. But there is a park nearby to do exercise in the mornings so we are very happy. Also the mission let us put in AC so we now have nice air conditioners in the bedroom and study room. I guess when things are too easy they aren’t worth it. I know this will be a great lesson / experience for me to remember throughout my whole life.
Well I am about out of time. And so we start another transfer in Barranca. I want to make the most out of it. I want to be a really helpful Branch President and give my best effort. I’m excited to see how things go with my new comp and get started working with him. Thanks for everything fam, I will talk to ya next week. Love Elder B
Monday, January 25, 2010
Monday, January 18, 2010
January 18, 2010
Hey there good old fam.
It’s been another week here in Barrancabermeja, Santander, Colombia. Just when I thought I was getting used to the heat I think we got struck with the hottest week yet. So we have drenched shirts every day but that’s life.
If you noticed I am writing from a different email address. The church changed the whole system and now instead of dinky novell email with 50 mb inbox, we have myldsmail thru gmail with 7400 mb inbox. So that means all my contacts and organization stuff is much better and now I have room for all the pictures and letters in the world (whereas before I had to delete anything big) so that’s cool. the addresses were automatically generated so they stuck me with William instead of Will but oh well. They have it set up so that all the mail that gets sent to the old one will be automatically forwarded to this one at least for a while, but you might as well just start writing here. But no worries I got all the letters from this week.
Now as far as the work in this neck of the woods. We had another hot week of work. Lots of time looking for new investigators and lots of time preparing for the branch activity. We used an idea my comp got from a young men’s thing. We spent the whole week inviting people etc. and on Friday we had "Noche de los talentos". First we gathered everyone together in the chapel and told them we had gathered together ppl from all over the world to teach us their international talents. We invited the other Elders to help us. We then made copies of monopoly type money and gave everyone 10 pesos. In each classroom of the church we had different activates set up to spend your "talents" on. We set it up so that there was productive activities (in which you gain more talents) and unproductive activities (which cost talents to participate in) Elder Williams from Las Vegas had a "casino" with dice and checkers that you had to pay to get in and play. Elder Jimenez from Argentina had a tattoo shop (you pay and he draws something on your arm). And Elder Mura from Chile had a Chilean bar (pay for cups of pop). Then we set up Elder Zari from Peru (studied medicine) to teach some first aid and Sister Serrano (from the branch) to teach how to make little craft things. Those who participated in the productive ones gained money at the end. So we gave them 20 minutes to go wild. In the end all the little kids went crazy and wasted their money while the adults did the productive things and got more talents at the end. Haha it was supposed to work out so that at the end we could compare it to the parable but Elder Williams started gambling with the little kids and some left with like 200 pesos. Ha but anyway everyone really enjoyed it and it was a good time to raise unity with the members. After we watched a little ces video and had refreshments (potato chip mix, little sandwiches and juice) that we bought and the relief society helped us prepare. So at the end of the day there was a good turnout and it was a good opportunity to get together and have a good time as a branch.
Things were also going well with Marisa until our last lesson... we arrived to the dramatic moment, invited her to be baptized on the 23d and she accepted, but then said she wanted to clear up one thing first. She really isn’t married to her "husband", they just live together. Basically he works away from home 2 out of 3 weeks and is not very good to her. She wants to separate from him but it’s tough economically etc. so she said she would think about what she was going to do and have a decision the next time we meet. Obviously she can’t get baptized if she lives with a guy she isn’t married to so hopefully she will leave him but we have to just wait and see what she says. We just gotta keep looking and doing our best to help the investigators we have.
Sunday was another very good day in church. We had 54 people come which is less than last week but the drop off was very small and every week the enthusiasm seems to go up. We figured out that last year the average was 39 and in the last 4 weeks we have now had 50, 42, 60 and 54 so there are definitely more people encouraged and remembering their testimony. Usually the counselor in the district is there but yesterday he wasn’t so it was the first time I presided over a church meeting in my life. I gave a talk about the book of Mormon and why it’s so important and why I know it’s true. It went very well. Also we continue fixing up the organizations and finding assignments and giving attention to everyone possible. So on that side of the work I am very excited to see how far we can go. We are doing the best we can to help prepare Brother B and he seems to have come a long way also.
Another crazy thing on Sunday was that we had to rush and get tithing settlement done. They had told us about it a while ago but just barely explained to us how to do it with the computer system etc. So I used the advice President Hacking gave me about it and used what was in the manual and it went through well. It’s amazing how much some people just want to be listened to. It’s like a magic button when you invite someone into the office or shut the door or visit their house. People just need to talk to someone and tell them what’s going on, or what they’re lacking or what they need. It’s been really an experience to see the trust people put in you when you sit down with them and how much the spirit guides you to say what they need to hear and help them. That’s not just a Branch President thing, it's a missionary thing or a friend thing also. But having the chance to interview people has made me realize just how important it is to really listen to people. Just let them talk and take a load off their shoulders and then follow what the Spirit says to help them. So this is a big testimony builder, I can see how much the Spirit really can guide when you look to help and how it literally just puts words in your mouth.
The normal transfers will be announced next Sunday but they told us yesterday that because some of the new Elders are getting here early, about half of the transfers will be announced tonight. Traveling will be on Thursday.
In other news we found a member who is renting a little house finally in our area. We have wasted so much time looking for somewhere to live and there is NOTHING. So it looks like we will finally have a house. The last weeks we have been on the other side of the city with the Elders Zari and Jimenez in their house. At first we were in a hot room upstairs with a noisy fan. But now we found a way to get our mattresses into a little room downstairs that has air conditioning, so we have enjoyed that. It’s possible that we could be in the new house this week. We’ll have to see.
Today was a good pday. We went to the banks of the river here (like a dock thing) where you can see the river and they have fish restaurants all along the side. So we ate some good Rio Magdalena fish and got some good pics and then went and saw the big bridges that crosses the river. The other side is another area so we were on the very edge of the mission, and could even see the Colombia cali mission.
Well I don’t think I have anymore news or comments about this week. I hope we can have success here and I’m interested to see what happens in the next week with transfers and the new house etc. Thanks for everything fam, I love ya much and have a good week. Love Elder Barnard
It’s been another week here in Barrancabermeja, Santander, Colombia. Just when I thought I was getting used to the heat I think we got struck with the hottest week yet. So we have drenched shirts every day but that’s life.
If you noticed I am writing from a different email address. The church changed the whole system and now instead of dinky novell email with 50 mb inbox, we have myldsmail thru gmail with 7400 mb inbox. So that means all my contacts and organization stuff is much better and now I have room for all the pictures and letters in the world (whereas before I had to delete anything big) so that’s cool. the addresses were automatically generated so they stuck me with William instead of Will but oh well. They have it set up so that all the mail that gets sent to the old one will be automatically forwarded to this one at least for a while, but you might as well just start writing here. But no worries I got all the letters from this week.
Now as far as the work in this neck of the woods. We had another hot week of work. Lots of time looking for new investigators and lots of time preparing for the branch activity. We used an idea my comp got from a young men’s thing. We spent the whole week inviting people etc. and on Friday we had "Noche de los talentos". First we gathered everyone together in the chapel and told them we had gathered together ppl from all over the world to teach us their international talents. We invited the other Elders to help us. We then made copies of monopoly type money and gave everyone 10 pesos. In each classroom of the church we had different activates set up to spend your "talents" on. We set it up so that there was productive activities (in which you gain more talents) and unproductive activities (which cost talents to participate in) Elder Williams from Las Vegas had a "casino" with dice and checkers that you had to pay to get in and play. Elder Jimenez from Argentina had a tattoo shop (you pay and he draws something on your arm). And Elder Mura from Chile had a Chilean bar (pay for cups of pop). Then we set up Elder Zari from Peru (studied medicine) to teach some first aid and Sister Serrano (from the branch) to teach how to make little craft things. Those who participated in the productive ones gained money at the end. So we gave them 20 minutes to go wild. In the end all the little kids went crazy and wasted their money while the adults did the productive things and got more talents at the end. Haha it was supposed to work out so that at the end we could compare it to the parable but Elder Williams started gambling with the little kids and some left with like 200 pesos. Ha but anyway everyone really enjoyed it and it was a good time to raise unity with the members. After we watched a little ces video and had refreshments (potato chip mix, little sandwiches and juice) that we bought and the relief society helped us prepare. So at the end of the day there was a good turnout and it was a good opportunity to get together and have a good time as a branch.
Things were also going well with Marisa until our last lesson... we arrived to the dramatic moment, invited her to be baptized on the 23d and she accepted, but then said she wanted to clear up one thing first. She really isn’t married to her "husband", they just live together. Basically he works away from home 2 out of 3 weeks and is not very good to her. She wants to separate from him but it’s tough economically etc. so she said she would think about what she was going to do and have a decision the next time we meet. Obviously she can’t get baptized if she lives with a guy she isn’t married to so hopefully she will leave him but we have to just wait and see what she says. We just gotta keep looking and doing our best to help the investigators we have.
Sunday was another very good day in church. We had 54 people come which is less than last week but the drop off was very small and every week the enthusiasm seems to go up. We figured out that last year the average was 39 and in the last 4 weeks we have now had 50, 42, 60 and 54 so there are definitely more people encouraged and remembering their testimony. Usually the counselor in the district is there but yesterday he wasn’t so it was the first time I presided over a church meeting in my life. I gave a talk about the book of Mormon and why it’s so important and why I know it’s true. It went very well. Also we continue fixing up the organizations and finding assignments and giving attention to everyone possible. So on that side of the work I am very excited to see how far we can go. We are doing the best we can to help prepare Brother B and he seems to have come a long way also.
Another crazy thing on Sunday was that we had to rush and get tithing settlement done. They had told us about it a while ago but just barely explained to us how to do it with the computer system etc. So I used the advice President Hacking gave me about it and used what was in the manual and it went through well. It’s amazing how much some people just want to be listened to. It’s like a magic button when you invite someone into the office or shut the door or visit their house. People just need to talk to someone and tell them what’s going on, or what they’re lacking or what they need. It’s been really an experience to see the trust people put in you when you sit down with them and how much the spirit guides you to say what they need to hear and help them. That’s not just a Branch President thing, it's a missionary thing or a friend thing also. But having the chance to interview people has made me realize just how important it is to really listen to people. Just let them talk and take a load off their shoulders and then follow what the Spirit says to help them. So this is a big testimony builder, I can see how much the Spirit really can guide when you look to help and how it literally just puts words in your mouth.
The normal transfers will be announced next Sunday but they told us yesterday that because some of the new Elders are getting here early, about half of the transfers will be announced tonight. Traveling will be on Thursday.
In other news we found a member who is renting a little house finally in our area. We have wasted so much time looking for somewhere to live and there is NOTHING. So it looks like we will finally have a house. The last weeks we have been on the other side of the city with the Elders Zari and Jimenez in their house. At first we were in a hot room upstairs with a noisy fan. But now we found a way to get our mattresses into a little room downstairs that has air conditioning, so we have enjoyed that. It’s possible that we could be in the new house this week. We’ll have to see.
Today was a good pday. We went to the banks of the river here (like a dock thing) where you can see the river and they have fish restaurants all along the side. So we ate some good Rio Magdalena fish and got some good pics and then went and saw the big bridges that crosses the river. The other side is another area so we were on the very edge of the mission, and could even see the Colombia cali mission.
Well I don’t think I have anymore news or comments about this week. I hope we can have success here and I’m interested to see what happens in the next week with transfers and the new house etc. Thanks for everything fam, I love ya much and have a good week. Love Elder Barnard
Friday, January 15, 2010
January 11, 2010
Well fam it has been another good week here in Barranca :) We are doing very well right now and we had a good week of work even with the heat and humidity.
This transfer 18 Elders go home and 19 new ones arrive which means lots of changes. Last week I wrote Pres Hacking and told him a little of what was going on here etc, the challenges we’ve had and just asked for advice. So with perfect timing this week he came to Barranca to interview us all and then stayed until Sunday and went to our branch! The interviews went great. He asked what the challenges were here and about the church members. We have lots to do so we’ll just keep trying our very best. Pres Hacking really is great, he knows how to get you feeling good and inspired to do your best. He told me he knew I was under a lot of pressure here as Branch President in addition to being a missionary. He also said that I had and was gaining lots and lots of experience and when my first councillor was trained and ready to take over as Branch President, then he needed to decide at some point where else he could use me in the mish later on.
As far as the things here right now I would say they are at a high. As I said, President Hacking decided he would go to Pinos on Sunday for church, which is the first time in years a mish pres has gone to the little chapel house. So we didn’t have much time but we told a few ppl. Also our investigator Marisa and her 2 kids finally came to church and loved it. She is reading the Book of Mormon and is already in Jacob and says she really feels like it’s true. She feels peace when she reads. So we finally have progressing investigators.
Sunday was excellent. The attendance for sacrament meeting was up to 60! The average for all last year was 39 and the last 3 weeks we have had 50, 43 and now 60. The little chapel was about stuffed and Pres Hacking gave an awesome talk. As we were sitting there about to start he leaned over and said "What would you like me to talk about?" haha so I told him Unity and Love in the branch, because that’s what it needs. So he opened his scrips, took a few notes during the meeting and got up and gave a talk about unity and love in the church, cool. Then we combined Relief Society and Priesthood so he could give them the class and after church he got a few temple recommends taken care of. So in few words the branch is about at its high.
We have been all week with the list of neighborhoods visiting the less actives and although most aren’t even there anymore, we have found some and they are coming back. One brother who used to be branch president but went inactive has now attended two times in a row and it seems like enthusiasm is going up. Also for this Friday we have planned a branch activity. It is a cool idea my comp got from a young mens activity he did where you give everyone "talents" or coins etc. In the different rooms of the church we will set up activities where they can spend talents or earn new ones. Some of the bad ones are things like a tattoo parlor, a casino and the good ones are things like a first aid class or to learn other skills. So we are going to set up and decorate all the rooms to be different stations and then have a short message and snack. We put signs all over the church and have been giving little invitations to everyone with a line where they have to write the name of a friend that they will invite. So our hopes are that everyone possible comes and we fill up the little church and can build some unity and bring back some lost sheep.
So as you can tell it’s been an interesting week. We are very excited and things seem to finally be getting better. My little testimony for this letter is that adversity and trials really can serve to help us wake up and look for solutions and learn. I really am grateful that we can now see things improving in the branch as they have and I hope we can keep improving ourselves to keep them going.
I know the church is true. I love the gospel and my mission and the people. I’m learning a ton and I’m sure someday I’ll remember my time in Barrancabermeja as some of my best memories. You are in my prayers always and I know things will go well. Have a good week and we will talk to you next time. Love Elder B
This transfer 18 Elders go home and 19 new ones arrive which means lots of changes. Last week I wrote Pres Hacking and told him a little of what was going on here etc, the challenges we’ve had and just asked for advice. So with perfect timing this week he came to Barranca to interview us all and then stayed until Sunday and went to our branch! The interviews went great. He asked what the challenges were here and about the church members. We have lots to do so we’ll just keep trying our very best. Pres Hacking really is great, he knows how to get you feeling good and inspired to do your best. He told me he knew I was under a lot of pressure here as Branch President in addition to being a missionary. He also said that I had and was gaining lots and lots of experience and when my first councillor was trained and ready to take over as Branch President, then he needed to decide at some point where else he could use me in the mish later on.
As far as the things here right now I would say they are at a high. As I said, President Hacking decided he would go to Pinos on Sunday for church, which is the first time in years a mish pres has gone to the little chapel house. So we didn’t have much time but we told a few ppl. Also our investigator Marisa and her 2 kids finally came to church and loved it. She is reading the Book of Mormon and is already in Jacob and says she really feels like it’s true. She feels peace when she reads. So we finally have progressing investigators.
Sunday was excellent. The attendance for sacrament meeting was up to 60! The average for all last year was 39 and the last 3 weeks we have had 50, 43 and now 60. The little chapel was about stuffed and Pres Hacking gave an awesome talk. As we were sitting there about to start he leaned over and said "What would you like me to talk about?" haha so I told him Unity and Love in the branch, because that’s what it needs. So he opened his scrips, took a few notes during the meeting and got up and gave a talk about unity and love in the church, cool. Then we combined Relief Society and Priesthood so he could give them the class and after church he got a few temple recommends taken care of. So in few words the branch is about at its high.
We have been all week with the list of neighborhoods visiting the less actives and although most aren’t even there anymore, we have found some and they are coming back. One brother who used to be branch president but went inactive has now attended two times in a row and it seems like enthusiasm is going up. Also for this Friday we have planned a branch activity. It is a cool idea my comp got from a young mens activity he did where you give everyone "talents" or coins etc. In the different rooms of the church we will set up activities where they can spend talents or earn new ones. Some of the bad ones are things like a tattoo parlor, a casino and the good ones are things like a first aid class or to learn other skills. So we are going to set up and decorate all the rooms to be different stations and then have a short message and snack. We put signs all over the church and have been giving little invitations to everyone with a line where they have to write the name of a friend that they will invite. So our hopes are that everyone possible comes and we fill up the little church and can build some unity and bring back some lost sheep.
So as you can tell it’s been an interesting week. We are very excited and things seem to finally be getting better. My little testimony for this letter is that adversity and trials really can serve to help us wake up and look for solutions and learn. I really am grateful that we can now see things improving in the branch as they have and I hope we can keep improving ourselves to keep them going.
I know the church is true. I love the gospel and my mission and the people. I’m learning a ton and I’m sure someday I’ll remember my time in Barrancabermeja as some of my best memories. You are in my prayers always and I know things will go well. Have a good week and we will talk to you next time. Love Elder B
Monday, January 04, 2010
Brand New Year
January 4, 2010
Hey Fam,
Its been quite another week here in Barranca. The new year went very well. We went to David and Shirley’s again and had a nice dinner with the other elders etc, and then just hung out and talked again with the other elders. There were also a few of the elders from my group that are in Bogota so I talked with them a little.
With the new year we set high new years resolutions to do everything we can. So the year is very new but we haven’t wasted any time since it started and have been working 100%. It is really hard to find investigators who will fulfill their commitments but we’re going to keep looking for them.
The attitude of the branch is improving a ton and we can already see the changes. Yesterday was fast Sunday, the attendance was up again to 40 something members there. The testimony meeting went very well.
Also after discussion and prayer we decided how to fill many of the empty callings here and so between the 3 of us (me, comp, bro Benavides) we spent Sunday interviewing ppl and extending their calls to them. It was quite an experience. The members accepted their callings and most seemed very excited to have a job to do in the church and I know it will help many more get involved. After we had ward council with all the presidencies and started to get things planned for the coming months. This Sunday we are going to have a training session with all the leaders to teach them exactly what they have to do and how. Next week we are planning a ward party to welcome in the new year and just to have a good time and build unity. We are learning tons about how to manage situations etc in the church but like I said we are seeing tons of progress in our branch.
We just have to find the way to get some new people because that is our first job as missionaries. But I finished the list that has every neighborhood and all the members (418) that live in each one so this week we are going to see as many as we can. I have faith that we will find some people.
That is what is so great about the mission is all the lessons you learn and my testimony has been strengthened so much. So I know I’m not perfect but I have promised myself that I won’t waste one second of my last calender year in the mish, I can’t believe how fast it’s going. So I’m going to try my best to improve for this new year and hopefully the Lord can help me.
I love you tons fam, you’re in my prayers. Thanks for everything, until next time, Elder B
Hey Fam,
Its been quite another week here in Barranca. The new year went very well. We went to David and Shirley’s again and had a nice dinner with the other elders etc, and then just hung out and talked again with the other elders. There were also a few of the elders from my group that are in Bogota so I talked with them a little.
With the new year we set high new years resolutions to do everything we can. So the year is very new but we haven’t wasted any time since it started and have been working 100%. It is really hard to find investigators who will fulfill their commitments but we’re going to keep looking for them.
The attitude of the branch is improving a ton and we can already see the changes. Yesterday was fast Sunday, the attendance was up again to 40 something members there. The testimony meeting went very well.
Also after discussion and prayer we decided how to fill many of the empty callings here and so between the 3 of us (me, comp, bro Benavides) we spent Sunday interviewing ppl and extending their calls to them. It was quite an experience. The members accepted their callings and most seemed very excited to have a job to do in the church and I know it will help many more get involved. After we had ward council with all the presidencies and started to get things planned for the coming months. This Sunday we are going to have a training session with all the leaders to teach them exactly what they have to do and how. Next week we are planning a ward party to welcome in the new year and just to have a good time and build unity. We are learning tons about how to manage situations etc in the church but like I said we are seeing tons of progress in our branch.
We just have to find the way to get some new people because that is our first job as missionaries. But I finished the list that has every neighborhood and all the members (418) that live in each one so this week we are going to see as many as we can. I have faith that we will find some people.
That is what is so great about the mission is all the lessons you learn and my testimony has been strengthened so much. So I know I’m not perfect but I have promised myself that I won’t waste one second of my last calender year in the mish, I can’t believe how fast it’s going. So I’m going to try my best to improve for this new year and hopefully the Lord can help me.
I love you tons fam, you’re in my prayers. Thanks for everything, until next time, Elder B
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