It's good to see that you all are engaging in "discussions" now days... I thought Brennan and I were the only one who liked to "discuss" things,
but that has changed hasn't it!? ;) haha! Thank you so much again
for the clothes mamas! Both the shirts are perfect! And honestly the blue one is
my new favorite! I've worn it like 3 times since you sent it! And Sister
Strasser loves the perfume you sent... seriously we both are
smelling delightful these days!
THIS WEEKS HIGHLIGHT REAL:
1. We went to the Mormon Battalion a bunch this last week! It's really fun
because you get to feel the spirit AND get dressed up in pioneer gear! They
always ask for a volunteer to dress up and NOBODY ever wants to do it, so I
usually get volunteered for that one. Not sure why... Check out the picture of
me in all the stuff!
2. We gave out 2 copies of True To The Faith this week! It was seriously as
exciting as giving out a Book of Mormon because I LOVE THAT BOOK!!! My favorite
as of now :)
3. We only live 23 miles from the Mexico border! Seriously though. And
we're serving in the north part of the mission! One day I'm going to serve down
in Chula Vista. Some people call it "Chulajuana." :)
Haha
4. We went to a member's house this week and she made us a smoothie with
chia seeds in it... the same ones that are in a chia
pet (those one plants that look like super long hair on someone's
head) Hahaha It was awesome.
5. So one day we went to a person's house who was less active and we
parked. Then we came out and Sister Strasser was backing me while I
was in reverse. We got all done with that and she got in the passenger side.
THEN THIS COP COMES FLYING AROUND THE CORNER AND CUTS ME OFF SO I CAN'T MOVE.
The cop rolled down the window and so I rolled down mine. Here is what came out
of her mouth, "You have one chance to tell me why you are on my red
curb!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" I surveyed the situation and told her I was on it because
we were just backing up to leave, but then I got stopped by her so now I'm on
it. She then answered with, "Nice try. WHY ARE YOU ON MY RED CURB!!!!!!!!" I then
told her that I was being serious and that we were seriously just leaving. (I
was still even in reverse for goodness sake!!) Then, I'm not even joking, she
just sat there and looked at me. Skanked me out 100% and then said
"NEXT TIME IT'S A 80 DOLLAR FINE!!!!!!!!!" I told her thank you for the
information and to have a nice afternoon (and to get her panties out of a wad)
and we drove off without a ticket. BUT GOODNESS PEOPLE! Sister
Strasser laughed at me for a solid 20 minutes... it was SO
ridiculous. But now I know... NEVER touch that police woman's red curb.
6.This week was the ComiCon Convention in San Diego, so there
were weirdos running around everywhere! Comic Convention is basically when all
the comic crazies get together and party... and they ALL dress up. So one day we
saw Link from the Legend of Zelda at the bus stop. HAHAHA See
attached picture :)
7. So Sea World is in our area which means that Shamu
is in our area right!? I have decided that in a parallel universe I would
totally "sea contact" him instead of "street contact" :) hehehe Can
you even believe that though!? Shamu i a mile or two away
from me at this VERY moment. My life totally rocks.
Now for the cherry on top of the week! Dinner with Al! So here are the
details... Sister Strasser and I show up to the Smith's house and
Al is sitting there with the two cakes he made because he wasn't sure which one
we would like more. (And Al acts like he doesn't like us!?) We chit chatted and
then sat down for dinner outside on the porch. The conversation was light and
lovely. The people over 50 chose to talk about things that only people over 50
know about, so Sister Strasser and I just sat there and smiled and
nodded every few seconds. Every once in a while we would chime in and such,
things were going great. After we had some of Al's cake, Al surprised us and
said, "Well we all know why we are gathered here tonight. Let's get down to it!"
He then started asking us tons of questions about mission life and how it all
goes. It was fun for him to ask something about us because he seriously has
NEVER asked us one thing. We got all that out of the way and then he just said
"Why do you think you can cure me of my wife's death!?" "Why does everyone think
they can just fix everything with their new quick fix!?" "Why would God do this
to me!?" "Whatever happened to God hearing my prayers that she would live!?" And
then he just looked right me.
I'm not sure why Al seems to shout only at me, but
he does. It's very interesting and I'm still trying to figure it all out... But
I looked right back at him and then just sat there in silence for a bit. I
always say a very special prayer before we go and talk to Al and because of
that, I always feel the Spirit's comfort and guidance when we talk. I thought
for a bit and then gave him a pretty simple and quiet answer. He, like usual,
didn't address my answer and asked some more very important questions. Every
single time he would ask and then just stare at me waiting for me to tell him he
was right and that he is justified in everything. BUT THAT IS NOT TRUE. It is
not okay to be bitter at his wife's doctors and at God. It is not okay to hate
other people who have tried to help you. It is not okay to justify yourself and
say that you can never change. The reason it's not okay is not because he's
being a bad person or that he is being rude or something like that, it's because
he is denying the Atonement's very best resources. I basically told him that
Jesus Christ knows how it feels to have your heart crushed. He knows what it
feels like to be so angry that you can't even sit still. Jesus Christ knows what
it feels like to be alone every single night and to sit in your bed and relive
the memories of your past over and over. He is the only one that knows though. I
told Al that I had NO IDEA how much he has been through. I can't even for a
minute pretend to say that my heart has even been hurt that bad. I DON'T! But
the Savior does. He HAS to be your best friend because He is the only one that
can give you specific council and comfort to your very individualized
experiences. After I said this and some other stuff, he said some other stuff
and the night was over. But I think it was good for all of us. Al told us that
he was going to "mull" over our thoughts. I came away with a renewed trust in
Jesus Christ. Because honestly, that was a big promise that I gave Al. But I
know that My Savior will be Al's Savior too. There's no question about
that.
I love you. Thank you for your prayers and your love, it really means the
world to me!
Sister Barfuss
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