Happy Birthday AZ

Email Dated February 14. 2011

Hello hello hello.

Missy got her mission call!!! I just barely got her letter. She's going to Washington Everett mission on April 27th!! I am so happy and excited for her. She is going to do so well there. I knew some sisters in the MTC who went there. I will have to write them and tell them to get ready for Sister Gibson! Oh I am so happy!!

Anyway, how are you all?

Thanks for all of the support and love and prayers. I have felt a lot of them this week. Thank you.
Today was good. We had a Sisters meeting in Richmond today and now I'm on exchanges with the sisters from Hampton. Sister Brown is here with me in Gloucester. YES. I am here. On my own, kind of, with Sister Brown who doesn't know the area at all. So, I'm in charge. Yeah, it's pretty crazy. haha
My hands are shaking. Partly because I'm excited about Missy, partly because I got to DRIVE here! And I haven't in such a long time. And partly because I have so much responsibility right now. But Sister Brown seems nice, she's from Orem. So, we'll have a good time. I just don't really know what we're going to do tonight because our appt just canceled. haha oh missionary life. It's great!

Williamsburg Was WONDERFUL!!! Oh my goodness. Mom, we are definitely visiting after my mission. And we'll have a free place to stay! haha Oh it was just great!

But before I forget,
Did you know that we all shrink everyday?? We are taller in the morning after we get up and then throughout the day our bodies compress so that we are shorter by the end of the day. I measured myself right after I got out of bed and then at night and I shrunk a WHOLE INCH!! So, really, I'm 5 ft 7 1/2 in.

Also, we have brown reclouses in our house.

And I saw a bobcat. Real and alive. Yep. I'm out in the middle of nowhere. And we were looking through our county newspaper we got in the mail for service opportunities and it had an article about increased coyote dangers. Great.

Ok, back to Williamsburg. It was wonderful! We saw the armory.... could have skipped that.... the Blacksmith, got to listen to Martha Washington talk about her life, went to the Apothecary, the Silversmith/Jeweller (who I asked to fix the dent in my silver ring that I bought at the farmer's market last summer and he DID!!), the bookbinders, we went to the coffee house and got a free cup of hot chocolate (like how they make it in Mexico-- spicy! and delicious!), and toured the capital, and the Governor's Palace! It was so cool! I got a picture outside the post office(!!!) and thought of Cabot Murray (even though I shouldn't have because I'm a missionary) and outside the Raleigh Tavern (it's being renovated.) But I thought about all of the important people who walked/rode those streets and went into those buildings and lived there! It was amazing. So much history. And they do such a wonderful job with all of the details and everything. It was just perfect! And it was a rather warm day.. (50's) :) And it was just great. I'll send pictures home next week.

Mom, Dad, you are the best. I love you both so much. Thanks for everything. Thanks for being married in the temple. And for making us read the scriptures and teaching us the importance of the scriptures. Many people out here don't read their scriptures. The members, I mean. And they just don't understand what they have! It's really sad.

And where does To Kill a Mockingbird take place? Please tell me.

And EVERYONE should go onto mormon.org and familiarize yourself with it and tell everyone about it. It's wonderful.


The Steward's were supposed to get baptized yesterday but they all got sick. I just can't believe all of the things Satan uses to keep people from being baptized! But I think they are all better now and hopefully we can teach them everything so they can get baptized this Sunday.

I said goodbye to S Dickson today. It was sad. But I'm excited for her to go home and move onward in life! She is sad. But excited. You know. It was really good to see her though. I love her so much. I'll find out next Sunday what will happen with the next transfer. We found out that our Zone Leaders "transfer suggested" that S Ward and I both stay here in Gloucester! We don't really understand that, considering all of the new sisters that are coming in and the fact that S Ward has been here for about 6 months... So, we'll see what Heavenly Father wants us to do.

We are going to start teaching this wonderful couple! Donna and Robert. I love them! They fed us fajitas last Saturday and came to church on Sunday. It was wonderful. Her birthday is today, so we'll probably go heart attack her.

Also, we had dinner with a member from Thailand!! We helped her make fresh spring rolls! And then we also had egg rolls and beef, peanut curry! SOOOO GOOOOOOOD! Oh my. I ate so much food. And she sent us home with the left overs! Yes. It was so good. Oh man.

Anyway, I know the church is true. And that the scriptures and the Atonement can change lives. I know that we will be greatly blessed as we keep the commandments. Don't forget that. Read about it in Doctrine and Covenants 130.

I love you all! Have a great week!
Love Sister R. Barney