CHRISTMAS IN JUNE

Wow sounds like you all had a massive week! I love everything you said about Elder Webb! And mom you seriously got the tooth brush out to clean with!? Hahaha! That's my mamas right there! :) I love when you get to see people's true character. When they come home and don't have to be super professional and such. Then you know who they REALLY are! And to whomever put the 20 bucks in the shorts I asked you to send.. You are a little stinker! :D I love you so much!

Fun facts of the week... every night we hear the firework show that goes off at Sea World! From 10:00-10:05 they go off and every night it sounds like someone is playing basketball in our ally! Haha!

 I've been studying a lot about Joseph Smith this past week because the anniversary of his martyrdom is in a couple of days. He is truly amazing. Anyone want to take a trip to Nauvoo -  October 2014?? Sweet! Let's go! So before companionship study everyday Sister Strasser and I sing a hymn. We started at the beginning of the hymn book and we work through one each day, well this week we have been in the Christmas hymns and you know that I have gone wild with that! I LOVE CHRISTMAS MUSIC! In honor of our Christmas hymn week we have also been listening to Christmas music in the car and it's made me so happy and smiley! We should be celebrating Christ every single day, so why not do it through our music, too!? 

Another fun fact! I'm turning into quite the reader! I know, I know, I know, you're rolling your eyes (especially emily Haha!) but seriously! I can't get enough of reading! Right now I'm in the Book of Mormon, the June Ensign, True To The Faith, the Bible dictionary, the conference Ensign, and Our Search For Happiness! BAHHH! They're all so good and enlightening! So now I need to declare to the world (and especially everyone that I've told that I don't like reading to) I LOVE READING! It's so good for you! Tell me what your favorite books are right now! Why do you like them? What are you learning? What do you want to read next!? Where do you like to read? What time of the day is your favorite?

So remember how I talked about how I loved that we were going to garden this week!? Well man did we garden! We had 3 different service projects outside and we got our sweat on like crazy. I even mowed someone's lawn!!! YES! :D One of my proudest moments as a missionary thus far. We also did a lot of pulling weeds and clipping palm trees. We had truck loads going to the dump. It was so awesome. Plus, we had our whole district there once, so there was an army of missionaries! Nothing softens a heart quicker than a bunch of dorky 20-somethings transforming your yard in an hour or two! *tahhhhduhhhh*

This week we had the opportunity to volunteer at the Bishop's Storehouse in Linda Vista! What a good thing for me to do... Heavenly Father knows that I have always had a little bit of a beef with just giving things to people and trusting that they have good intentions. Well that's terrible Sister Barfuss!!! We got to work in the front with the people who came with orders to get food. We helped them find it, bag it, and then put it in their cars. And the whole time I got to learn what true charity was. The people we were helping were all pretty quiet and self conscious. I imagine that they wished they could provide everything for their family, but that week they could not. I got to witness first hand what the Savior would do if He was on the earth right now. He would give someone diapers for their baby! He would give someone milk and cheese. He would let them take as many bell peppers as they wanted, and He would throw in a free broom! My eyes were opened to my often judgmental heart. I was so embarrassed at the things I was thinking about the people there. But by the end of the day I had learned the lesson Heavenly Father intended for me... that we do not know what people have been through and are currently going through. We HAVE to give them the benefit of the doubt and choose to see them as child of God who is trying to find the path or get on it. People don't need people to judge them, just love them.

With that being said, man the leadership training meeting was amazing right!? What a cool time to be in the mission field! We haven't heard anything from President yet, but my zone has Zone Conference with him tomorrow! So perfect! How exciting! I'm sure he'll say something about the new things we've heard. The main thing I gathered from the evening is that IT'S TIME TO GET DOWN TO BUSINESS! (to defeat the huns!! heed my every order and you MIGHT survive!!!! sorry. i had to. Hahaha) When the Lord wants us to do something, let's just do it! :D Together we can be so helpful to Him. What a huge blessing we could be! Tell me how you are going help the Lord out this week... I'd love to heart about it! I'll pray for you to be brave if you pray for me ;) Sounds like a plan! Israel Israel God is calling!

I LOVE YOU!

Sister Barfuss