Good Times

Well I will be staying in okc south for another 6 weeks and I’m super excited I love the south. I love the people and the members. President changed the p-day schedule so now we get an extra hour of p-day ahah so stoked. This was a very strange week, with all the exchanges and stuff I kinda got homesick again and was kinda down the first couple of days but it’s gotten much better. 

On Monday we had a fun p-day, we got to eat dinner with one of my favorite families and she makes homemade tortillas that are sooo good. we then went to an appointment but he wasn’t home so we knocked doors and met some really cool people, we met a guy name garanamo and he has 13 kids ahahah. 

Oh Tuesday what a wild day ahhah so Tuesday we were knocking doors around on of our investigators and we knocked this one and this guy came out covered in tats and we start talking to him nice guy, kinda scary, tells us he 21 has 3 kids and has been in jail since he was 11. He then starts telling us we need to be really careful because we are white, and with all the stuff going on in the world and in our neighborhood we need to be really careful. We then asked him his name and he goes "Houston" I can’t give you my real name because of what’s going on around here. He is a blood and then he goes just be glad yall didn’t meet me yesterday and we were like well looks like its time to go but pretty wild. We watched the testaments with cecilio and it was soo powerful to me id never seen it and I felt the spirit so strong, it is so cool and excited that he will come again. 

On Wednesday we went and picked up the hermanas new comp, they are in a trio now and it is soo fun having them around the new sister is way cool. We got to have a lesson with bladdimir who is progressing so much he is on track to be baptized on the 30 of this month. We can now play basketball during dinner at the church so we got to play basketball with all the youth and it was I elder Barry and the three sisters vs. the youth and we destroyed them ahahh it was soo fun. 

Thursday we were inside planning legit all day, we got to have a lesson with Sergio, he thought the sisters were our girlfriends ahahhahah. We then got to have dinner and on the way to dinner I had to sit in the trunk because there are so many of us and the member didn’t have enough seats ahahha. We got to visit the Vargas family and the dad wasn’t there but we talked to the mom and she doesn’t work or have money but wants to pay tithing so cool to see that she is changing and wants to pay tithing. 

On Friday I woke up at 1:30 in the morning to the coolest storm the thunder was so loud and legit never stopped making noise same with the lightning it was soo cool our room was constantly bright because of the lightning it legit never stopped. I was sick all Friday but pushed through, we got to meet the new zone leaders at district meeting, we had a great district meeting, we had a good day, and we saw Benjamin who is progressing which is awesome. 

Saturday we didn’t does service sad face, we did family history at the library and I traced our family line back to Adam and ever, which was way cool. We had a good day. 

Sunday was awesome church was great we had bladdimir come to church he loved it, we then got in with the Vargas family again and had a great lesson. another great week out here in okc, I love the lord and the gospel so much anything is possible through the lord. 

much love elder barrett

Transfers

This week was really strange and all messed up because we had tons of meeting and stuff but very well. We got to meet President and his wife finally, the dude is soooo coool. He has such a big vision for us and is going to put us to work and make this place the bomb. I am sooo stoked to be working with him. So when we went to meet him, he has us come into the gym one by one and talk to him and his wife. I walk up to him shake his and his wife’s hands and tell them my name and his wife goes "oh I have a picture of you with long hair on my phone" ahhahahah I started dying hahahha. We then got to meet with cecilio who was about to get baptized but we started talking to him and he said he is going to be postponing his baptism. Super hard but the lord blessed and comforted me, things happen on the lords time not mine. 

Wednesday we tried to visit amber who was doing sooo good but she wasn’t home so we called her and she said she won’t be around for a while and is living in the north because of some problems so that was kinda hard and teressa who was doing soo good and came to church has just stopped talking to us and doesn’t answer our calls or texts. We knocked her door the other day and I saw here in the window and she didn’t answer haha. We then got to meet with bladdimir, he is sooo strong and is sooo sick. We had an awesome lesson and the spirit was sooo strong. We then had a going away party for one of our youth he is going into the marines. The food was amazing as usual. 

Thursday we got to meet with Sergio who is way cool and is super strong but can’t make it to church on Sundays and believes in these crazy prophets on YouTube which is too bad. Ahhaha we then went to visit our new investigator named Benjamin the dude just talks for ages and talks about the strangest things. Hahahaha we asked him to give the closing prayer and the guy said in the name of god in the name of Christ and in the name of the missionaries ahahhah I was soo confused. I’ve never heard that before. 

Well on Friday our A/C stopped working so our apartment is super-hot and smells like cigs soo gross. We had a great district meeting, I love district meeting I always learn tons. It rained soooo hard today I loved it, it also hailed and the hail was the size of really large jelly beans. 

Saturday we got to do service again at the old burnt down house. I love doing service it makes me sooo happy. We had this member who is 19 that always come out with us and the dude is soooo cool, he wants to go on a mission but doesn’t want to leave his mom here alone. He is soo strong, he came back from a trip and brought us back the little bag polished rocks ahhha.  We got to visits cecilio with him which was good, cecilio said he is going to be attending the north now ahahah. 

Sunday was awesome bladdimir came to church!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! He loved it tooo. We then went to give this lady a blessing which was a media referral and we went to the address and there was no lady hahah. We then had a priesthood meeting which was soooo good. Well it was a great week not much time to write this but thanks for the love and support. 

Cucumber Water

These weeks are starting go a little faster.

Monday- we went to the zoo for p-day, it was way fun. We had a pretty fun group of elders and sisters who came. People were kinda looking at us like we were part of the zoo. I saw someone take a picture of us so that’s cool too ahhaha. After the zoo we had a way good lesson with one of the less-active families, they are super funny. Their son always gets mad at me cause I don’t play toys with him and then he starts calling me names, but it’s cool I can take it. We had dinner with the branch presidents family and we were sitting there and she starts cutting up cucumber and I was like ok its for a salad she then puts it in the blender and I’m like alright cool its salsa she then had salt and some lime and then starts pouring it in the cups on the table and I’m like wait a second that’s my cup where is my water. It was really strange and I thought I was going to pass out I was so thirsty but couldn’t get myself to drink it.

TUESDAY- today we had some sweet meeting in a different area so me and some elder from that area chilled and took naps on the stage while everyone had their special meeting. We then went to some Mexican restaurant and I tried to use my Spanish and just sounded really white and one of the workers was behind us cleaning a table and heard me say something and just turns around and laughs ahhahahaha I felt really white. We then went home and had an amazing lesson with Carlos, he is soo cool and interested but religion is new to him so he kinda struggles. We then got to meet this kid name fransico who is a karate champ and is going to the olympics for it. We then had a lesson with Hermana zemora she is a really nice lady but she had 50 dogs and cats and her house has tons of flies and smells really bad. We had a great lesson with her and she offered us expired cake which was really kind of her. 

WEDNESDAY- I love Wednesday because its service day and I love doing service. We also got to meet with amber who is just awesome and wants to change sooo bad it’s awesome to see her changing. We also got to meet with bladdimir, he accepted the baptismal invitation. He is a way cool kid and really wants the gospel. We then talked to our mission president about one of our investigators cecilio who was supposed to get baptized on the 2nd of July but we had to keep moving the date. He said we have to move the date again because of some other stuff, it’s been hard but a good lesson that things happen on the lord’s time not mine.

THURSDAY- Thursday are not my favorite day. Thursday it’s weekly planning which means we are in the apartment till 3 and I hate that. We got to teach Sergio who is our neighbor, he is way cool and knows tons. During the lesson I have to distract his nephew the whole time. The little dude started coughing and sneezing all over my arm hahah soo gross. We then got meet with Maria who is progressing tons. 

FRIDAY- today it rained super hard but was sunny, the weather her is really confusing. We had a super good district meeting today and learned CPR which stand for Church Pray Read. By doing these things everyday and every week we will never become inactive or leave the church. We then had comp exchanges, I was with elder butterfield I love this guy he is my fav. We had a sweet day planned but tons of people canceled. But we found tons of people to talk to and found new investigators and got to visit with people I’ve never met with so everything all worked out which was nice. One thing that is weird about eating with members here is that they never eat with us. So at dinner we were in the kitchen eating and the family was in the other room watching TV kinda weird ahahhal.

SATURDAY- today we woke up and went straight to service, service was helping this family who had bought this house that had started on fire, start to redo the house. It was super fun we got to into this house and just start tearing stuff down and got to take out a wall. It was super fun and they got us burritos which were really good. 

SUNDAY- we had a couple investigators at church today which was awesome and some less actives. No one came to church though there was like 40 people ahhaha. We had a great lesson with cecilio after church and got to eat with them.

MONDAY- This 4th of July was very different, we couldn’t email because everything was closed. So we went shopping and that was fun ahahh. We then went and played sports with all the other missionaries and the new presidents kids came so that was cool to meet them. We then had a lesson but the guy we were supposed to teach wasn’t there so we just went to our dinner appointment at cecilios. He has some crazy neighbors that are always fighting and when we got there they were fighting, the dude walks over to a window and breaks it with his head. Dude had a hard melon for sure, it made me laugh but also kinda sad because there are people like that all over the place here and they just don’t know how much the gospel and do for them. Dinner was great and we chilled with them for a while. President said he had to be in my 9:30 so we couldn’t go to fireworks with them so we rode home. We got home at 8:30 ahhahah kinda lame but that’s ok. I sat on the deck and listened to the fireworks ahahha.