Wow. I feel like I've already said this quite a bit. But...
I'm leaving Poplar Bluff! And I'm heading to the Oakville 2 area.
I have a lot of emailing today, so this email probably won't
be that long, even though we're at the community college again (thank
goodness!). Plus I have to pack and shop and do all sorts of things today!
Geez, leaving is so complicated! But I have lots of pictures this week, so I'll
send a handful.
That's me with my birthday present stuff :) haha. Thank you
so much Mom and Lyvia and Quinn and anyone else who wished me happy birthday. I
really appreciated it! I wore the scarf yesterday, so it'll be in lots of
pictures of good-byes. I've used a lot of the stuff already, actually. I made
some cupcakes with some of the mint chips for the greenie who's coming into
Poplar Bluff. (Sister Reed is training)
Dress swap day! I'm going to miss Sister Reed's dress...
Sister Reed after we got transfer calls... She was a basket
case. Haha for puns!
I'm taking lots of pictures with members/investigators, so
I'll probably send some of those as well soon!
Highlights from the week...
We helped our recent convert prepare for her husband coming
home. We helped clean out her father in law's trailer... and I have never
smelled anything worse than that sink. I was literally gagging every time I got
a good whiff of it. I cleaned dishes for two hours and I felt like I made
barely a dent, geez. But we got the trailer looking a lot better, so that's
good!
We went to a Relief Society service project on Saturday with
a member, and helped make things for women's shelters and hospitals. One of the
things was tote bags, so Sister Reed and I got to melt the ends of the draw
strings so they wouldn't fray. Don't worry, we did it outside... no open flames
in church buildings!
I had a lovely birthday on Sunday. We went out to dinner the
night before, at a Mexican restaurant in town. Then I ate leftovers + eggs for
a breakfast burrito, delicious. I made myself a dump cake. Waffles at a member
house for lunch. Teriyaki and cheesecake at a member house for dinner. Lots of
great food! Big day at church though, with it being my birthday and my last
Sunday. Lots of happy birthdays/goodbyes. I'm definitely going to miss so many
people here!
In my personal study, I've been reading a lot in Isaiah
lately. Crazy, right? But once again, my Book of Mormon reading and Bible study
have coincided, so I reached Isaiah in both places at the same time. I will say
this: Isaiah is tough to understand, yes. But I understand it SO MUCH better
this time around than last! I don't know if it's just because I'm older, or
because I've been immersed in the scriptures for the last six months, but wow,
I am understanding so much more than before. Still not that much, haha, because
it is Isaiah, but much better than before.
I liked this scripture from Isaiah 10:15: "Shall the
axe boast itself against him that heweth therewith? or shall the saw magnify
itself against him that shaketh it? as if the rod should shake itself against
them that lift it up, or as if the staff should lift up itself, as if it were
no wood."
It reminds me of a scripture from The Book of Mormon:
"Yea, I know that I am nothing; as to my strength I am weak; therefore I
will not boast of myself, but I will boast of my God, for in his strength I can
do all things; yea, behold, many mighty miracles we have wrought in this land,
for which we will praise his name forever." (Alma 26:12)
We really are just tools in God's hands. When we try to set
ourselves up to be more than that--when we feel that we are the ones causing
miracles, or we're the ones converting people--we are completely wrong. I
myself am nothing. I am a tool in God's hand. My job as a missionary is to work
my hardest so that God can work miracles through me. This transfer's theme is
Miracle Madness, so here's going :)
Love you all! Only a couple of months before we get to Skype
again, time flies!
Sister Barret
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