Email #2

June 14, 2011

Hey everyone!!

Sorry for waiting until the afternoon to email, its been a busy morning, we rushed through laundry and then off to the temple. But i doooo loooove PDAYS, because i can email you!!!

I partially hate writing these emails because i have SO MUCH to say and i never remember all of it, and there are these evil numbers in the corner counting down my time to email you all!

Well this week, as both weeks so far has had its ups and downs, but i am hanging in there, and its had more ups than downs which is nice. We are teaching this lady named Hely in the TRC, its been a struggle to teach her, every other progressing 'investigator' (which are really actors) we have had me and sister Beutler have done well with, but Hely, its been a struggle. I do love her lots and i know her heavenly father loves her, and to be honest i think Hely is a real investigator, but i am not sure. I leave the MTC next Wednesday, we have to be to the travel office in the MTC on Wednesday morning at 6 in the morning, which means we will be getting up WAY early to pack and say goodbye to our roommates who have to be there at 4!! I am NOT READY to say goodbye to my district, i love these people SO MUCH, we are such a bonded family, and i don't know what to do without them. I am our travel group leader for the travel on the 22nd, so basically I'm in charge of everybody, INTIMIDATING!!! As long as they behave like missionaries i will be glad, but if i have to keep someone in line I'm going to be super annoyed, they are representing Christ, and they all know it, so they better be good. I am so nervous about getting in the field, i question if I'm ready, but i just have to have faith! My companion and i have gotten to know each other better this week and its been great, she balances me out very well, and i know heavenly father put us together for a reason!

This week we have learned a lot in our classes, we learned how to teach people not lessons, we learned the chastity talk, we learned about prayed and inviting the spirit, we learned about the holy ghost' and its influence in conversion. Its so fun to learn all these things and then to PRACTICE PRACTICE PRACTICE them, we do LOTS of role plays. They tell us when we are playing an investigator to play like someone we know who is not a member. I always play Lacey and Danielle (if your reading this i hope you know i love you! and that's why i play you!) Our teacher brother Kearns tell us everyday we are his favorite district since he's been teaching at the MTC, none of us believed him, we thought he said that to everyone, but it has been confirmed, he doesn't and we really are his favorite!!! I love brother Kearns and i love his teaching methods. Our district was selected to be taught as other teachers watched and observed, I'm not really sure why, but it was pretty cool. AND we keep having teachers pop into our classroom and are always like, so your the district everyone is talking about. I guess we really are that great!! I don't know what we are doing to be so unique but i do know that i love our district and i think we are meant to be together!! We laugh and have fun, and we work hard, i think that's the best part! I still keep coming back to that i don't know what to do without them! IT MAKES ME WANT TO CRY!!

Side note: if you are sending a package, wait a couple days and just send it to my mission field, because i don't want to worry about getting stuff from here to there, and we leave in a week, so it'd just be easier if it goes there. ALSO......certs spearmint mints.....i love them!!! SO feel free to send me those, since we cant chew gum, basically any mind, but i really like spearmint.

I have taken lots of pictures and i cant wait for my camera card to get full so i can send it home and you all see the pictures I've taken. I did print some and will be mailing a few of them, to those select few! ;)

Ohhhh, what else to say, i feel like there is so much to remember, and yet i forget it all!!!!!
I'll just share how things have been for me, duh....well its been great, i really do love it here and i LOVE my district(as if i haven't said that a million times) I get super overwhelmed at times and feel very incapable of doing this, of being a missionary and being able to teach lessons, that i feel like i don't know, even though i do. I struggle with Satan getting me down, but i have great sisters who lift me up when I'm feeling down. I have asked elder Edmonds our district leader to give me a blessing before i leave for the field, that will probably happen on Sunday, i think a few of the sisters want a blessing. I am so excited to get a blessing from these elders who I've grown to love so dearly. I cant imagine saying goodbye to them and not being able to hug them. Me and elder Watson dream of the day 2 years from now when we can HUG!!!!! He has become my bff for the MTC. Other than the sisters of course. Sister pierce is like all of my family wrapped into one, i laugh SO HARD all the time when she is around, it makes me feel better, and less homesick. i wish you all could meet her. We plan on after the 18 months doing a switch-a-roo she's says at my house with my family, i stay with hers.

SO time for a funny story. So one day, we are getting ready to go to gym, i was running behind, i come out to go and sister F is missing, as we go to the door she JUMPS out of this HUGE laundry bin, i about said some bad things!! They got me good. So we decided to rush back from class before everyone else was coming back to the residents hall and she hid in the basket again. I pretended i was ironing, and sister pierce pretended like she was reading and we scared about 4 different companionships, its was AWESOME!!

Another side note, Sherrell Snogress, her classroom is 3 doors up from my class so we see each other every day, and her bedroom is 5 doors up from mine! I love seeing someone i know. Oh and elder Anderson, i see him every couple days during meal times, he's always speaking another language and confusing me, but its good to see him. There are a few people from hurricane here, Elder rich, one of Jody's boys is here, and and Elder Hinton, who i don't really know, but he knows Matt.

I honestly don't know what else to say, but I'll think of a hundred more things tonight when i cant get back on and add it.
Thank you to everyone who has been writing me so diligently, mail makes me SO HAPPY!! Don't forget once i leave the MTC dear elder wont work anymore so you'll have to still write me!
I love this gospel so much and I'm so thankful to be serving the lord for the next 18 months, it will be great!! My estimated(??) date to come home is December 19 2012. I don't know if that will change, but that's when I'll be coming home, around then. So it will be a great Christmas present for you guys. :)

Well i love you all so much and keep writing, its like Christmas when i get letters! NO LIE!!!!

Love you so much, thanks for all the prayers and the support you have been giving me, it really helps me want to serve the lord and be okay with being away from home. I cant believe how different things will be when i come home, but so will i, so i guess its not that bad! I honestly cant wait to meet up with my district in 2 years/18 months and be able to HUG EVERYONE!! I know i sound crazy talking about them so much, but they become your family when you're away from your family, and they are one great family!!

PS happy fathers day to all!!!! (I'll be putting cards in the mail today)
and another PS shoes were made by the DEVIL, my feet hurt so bad ALL THE TIME!!

Sister Brookie Barnum

In ending, i have an MTC pick up line for you 'is your name virtue, because you garnish my thoughts unceasingly!"

Oh and if you ever want entertainment watch a bunch of people in the MTC watch church movies, its HYSTERICAL!!

LOVE YOU!!!
BYE!