E-Mail #48

 

E-Mail #48

May 7th, 2012

 

 

 

 

Man, i just don't even know where to begin.

This week has been just off the charts amazing. Mainly this weekend....but man, i just don't know where to start!

 

I think I'll just start with the beginning of the week and leave the BIG WEEKEND for the end. Last Tuesday was pretty awesome. Our Tuesday dinner family the Hamilton's, things always go good, but this week was even better. One of them decided she was going to start working her way to baptism. And the daughters boyfriend came back for dinner, which means he LIKES US!!! and we got to talk about some churchy stuff with him too! it was really great! This week we are finally going to start into the lessons and we are way excited! On Tuesday we also went and painted this old ladies nails that live in a retirement home, she is hysterical, we painted them bright purple. I am sure she is just rocking those nails! Wednesday we went out to the Deardeuffs and helped sister deardeuff garden for a little over an hour. It was super fun. I found the biggest worm i have ever seen, i think it was 6 inches. It was crazy! i was very grossed out by it!

 

Okay lets just face it, all i want to talk about is this weekend, so forget everything else that happened this week, lets talk about the most amazing thing that can ever happen to a missionary in one weekend!!!

So Saturday was the BIG CULTURAL EVENT for the Kansas City Temple! We got a ride with the deardeuffs. They took us to the Marriott where we as missionaries are supposed to meet and practice and get the run down on what we will be doing. We get dropped off and run across the street in front of a few cars before the light changes. As we are walking to the Marriott sister Larson is in front of me and i am looking around at all the security and thinking to myself DANG this place is hopping right now. (we were told there were SEVERAL events going on in the city that night, and ours of 10,000 people event was the smallest) so i was just thinking wow, lots of people are here for the weekend. Well i see this security guard from the church that i knew from the temple open house go up to sister Larson and say 'dont make a scene' and then he says the same thing to me. I look around and see Elder Walker, who is the BIG guy in charge of all the temples, and realize it has to be either elder Holland, Scott, or the prophet!! I look in the car and see PRESIDENT THOMAS S MONSON sitting right there, like 2 feet from me. So i am not making a scene and go after sister Larson and tap her and under my breath tell her, its the PROPHET, he is HERE! right there! so we keep walking and slyly turn around and watch him get out of the car. We go into the lobby where sister Jensen, a senior missionary who is directing us where to go and tell her the prophet just got out of the car! So we all sit there and wait for him to come in! He comes in with this big smile and stops and waves at everyone and says 'howdy howdy' Oh man, i wanted to just freak out, but all i could do is just stand there smiling!! We then stood there for like 10 more minutes just in shock of what just happened and replaying it over and over and over again! SOO COOL!!! it was just a beginning to the most amazing night. Then all 200 missionaries are upstairs practicing our song, and the sound of 200 missionaries singing is possibly the most amazing thing ever. Sister Keyes and President Keyes just cried the entire time we were singing. It was so touching. And then president keyes told us that as he was doing the run through with all the youth that they did something he didn't know they were going to do. And as all of us missionaries walk into the stadium singing, the youth all kneel for us!! He was crying, everyone was crying. He talked about how much we are a light to the youth and how they look up to us so much! It was just the best thing EVER! We were all so excited to see it all happen. We also were originally told that we would be standing the entire time watching the event from the very top. But elder deshler an area 70 made it possible for all of us to be seated watching it! It was just the most amazing cultural event i have ever seen....yes, its the only one...but it is AWESOME! The performances were amazing. The youth are so talented and just had such a fun time.

My favorite, and the tear jerker one was the joplin stake put together a dance in memory of the tornado that hit them a year ago this month. They had wood house frames laying on the ground, and trash, dolls, blankets just scattered to represent the mess of the tornado. They had this video play of youth talking about that day, and then showing picture of the mess. Then as the youth started their dance it was so emotional, at one point there came families running from different directions searching for each other and then found each other and hugged each other and held on, representing them being lost and confused after the tornado hit. I started bawling at that part. And then the helping hands of the church came in, youth wearing those t-shirts. They gave all the other kids blankets to warm and comfort them. Then more came in to help put the houses back together. At the end all the houses were standing on the floor, and families came back out and were just hugging and standing there. Oh man, seriously SO EMOTIONAL!!! After that was a few more performances that we had to miss because we had to run from the VERY top of the stadium to the bottom where we would be at singing. So we all book it down the ramps and go and go and go. Well among the running and going quickly my cardigan got stuck, and i got stuck, and had to get unstuck and catch up. It was just craziness. Well then as we are standing prepared to walk out on the floor i realized that my badge was gone. It got thrown off while i was stuck. I started crying of course because i felt like the worst missionary ever, who is about to sing in front of the prophet without my badge!!! Oh man! i felt so awful inside. But i had to suck it up. Then it was time for us to walk out and sing! It went by so fast, but it was so amazing. You could just feel the spirit booming out of that place!!!!! It was down right the best experience ever. As we left we heard the crowd cheering i think for at least 5 minutes. They whole stadium was standing and screaming and clapping. It was just the coolest thing. Even the prophet stood up and was cheering. It wast just awesome. I can not wait to see the video of the whole thing, so we can see how it all happened from the camera's view. I bet it was just so neat to see all the youth kneel as we walked in. As we were walking in, i was looking at the youth, and one girl turned around and was so excited as we were walking in, she hit her friend and was bouncing and was saying its the missionaries, its the missionaries, and she started crying. I think that was just a tiny taste of how the whole place felt. I mean, its really true that missionaries carry and amazing spirit, and when you have 200 singing about serving our father in heaven, it just gets 200 times better! After the whole event we went to look for my name tag. couldn't find it. So we went to find our ride. I knew that junction city was there and particularly the caprons were there. Who i just LOVE from junction city. So i went on the hunt for them. Of course i found them and just gave them all hugs for like EVER! i didn't want them to leave, i love that family so much! But it was so great to see them again! Man, overall it was the most amazing night EVER!!! EVERR!!! EVERRRRR!!!!!! WE didn't get home until like 1130 that night and had to get up way early to head to the temple dedication. Which i wasn't completely alert for, but even that was amazing. President Monson was just GLOWING in the temple. It was down right amazing to see that glow around him.

It was the most spiritual and exciting weekend of my mission, hands down. I am so thankful for the blessing to be a part of this mission at this time. I know it was a divine blessing from my heavenly father to have me be a part of this! I am so thankful for this church. I am so thankful for the knowledge of this gospel, of eternity, of temples and what a blessing they are. I can not wait to go to the temple, its been a year, and i just cant wait to feel that spirit and peace that is in the temple. I know this church is true, i know that the best things come to those that live it valiantly, and obediently. I know our father has blessings upon blessing to hand out to us, we just have to do our part. I am thankful every time i do my part, and thankful for the lesson i learn each time i don't do my part. I could do this the rest of my life, even though i miss my family terribly, and would give ANYTHING to hug my nephews and my mom and everyone....i wouldn't give this up. Thank you everyone who has kept me in their prayers and in their heart, who has helped me out financially so much! i know it is a burden, but i also know you will be blessed because your helping me! I love you all!!!!

I guess before i end the update i should tell you, we went and checked on barson, and his owners came and found him, so he is home safely. Which is very good! Oh and i didn't even finish the lost badge story. I just got an email from the elder in my mtc district who just so happened to be the one to find my badge!! he sent me a picture of him with it, and said he found it and will make sure it gets to me!! Which is really good news because that was my favorite badge, it glows in the dark, and it has the best stickers on the back!

I love you all so much!

Sister Barnum :)