Monday, November 24, 2014

Nov 24th
Happy Thanksgiving!
What’s going on for Turkey Day? How is the break treating everyone? On a scale of 1 to Essential, how do you feel about the post Thanksgiving Meal nap? What kind of deals are out there this year? It is so good to hear from everyone! I am so thankful and each and everyone of you! Another email, I am so spoiled! Thanks for all of the Birthday Wishes and Surprises! It was a magnificent day! Y’all even ordered Elder Kopischke for me, what more could I ask for?! Thank you for making it such a magical day! I felt so much love and it means the world to me! Thank you, thank you, thank you! Love you all so much! Allow me to run you through the happenings!
Up: Elder Kopishcke is incredible! I don’t even know where to start. I know for a surety that the Priesthood Authority has been restored! He spoke by the tongue of angels! He challenged us to write down some questions of ours and he promised that they would be answered either by him through the Holy Ghost, or by the Holy Ghost alone! Me being me, I wrote down six questions, to put it to the test. The Lord always delivers. He unfolded scriptures, explained doctrine, and the notes I have are worth so much to me. Personal revelation is absolutely essential! The greatest thing that I took away with the questions that I had was to increase in charity. I need more of it! I have a lot of changes to make but I am happy to do so! You had to be there to really feel the power, but wow, my testimony was built! 
Down: I am pretty sure that I will be losing both of my companions this transfer. Elder Kennedy has his visa, departing on the 2nd.  These two are incredible!
Up: Chocolate Covered Strawberries?? Pizza?! Gifts!! It really was more than I could have ever asked for! I have to get a shout out to the amazing Lee family! Grandma and Grandpa Barnes! Grandma and Grandpa C! The Adam’s! My birthday this year will be one that I remember for a good minute!  
Up: We had an appointment with a lady named Janay, who was extremely interested in meeting with us. We showed up for the appointment and she was nowhere to be found. However, when we first met with her, she had an uncle, whose best friend was a member. Tony, had been taught by missionaries, but had some concepts that didn’t gel well with his beliefs. Our first encounter with him was one of disinterest, but he came to the door Saturday Afternoon. He told us Janay was not home, the Spirit took over, and I asked and said that maybe we were sent to see him today. He was a little shocked and stepped right out. He later explained to us that he just barely got out of prison. He spent eight years there on charges that were apparently false. He had lost everything, his wife, family, and business, all gone! We listened and the Spirit taught that lesson. We wept with him on the door step and his heart allowed us in. He accepted to be baptized as he gets his life back on track. We will meet with him tomorrow. Not super often do we get the chance to truly mourn with those that are mourning, but I truly cherish that instance, because it turns me to our Savior and how much he had done for us! Truly, it is a remarkable thing to represent Him!
That is about all I have! Y’all are truly incredible! Angels even! Please keep being happy! Fight the good fight! Have another super thankful and blessed up week! I cannot express it enough! I am so grateful for everyone of you! Every little thing! Please let me know what I can do to better help anyone of you! Love you all so very much!

Love,
Elder Dallan Barnes


Our purpose is to invite all to come unto Christ, by Helping them.

Monday, November 17, 2014

Nov 17
The Day has come!
Hello from rainy Georgia! I don’t even know what to talk about…. Why is it that the weather always comes up? In case you were wondering, it is supposed to get down to the ‘teens tomorrow. Hotlanta, going into hibernation! It was a superb week! God was very mindful of me on my escapades in the Lost Mountain Ward. It was gone in the blink of an eye, or several thousand if my calculations are correct. So let me tell you about the times that have passed as if it were a dream! Thanks for all of the Birthday wishes as well!
Up: I was able to reconnect with so many people! The Pestana family and Maria were some of the more prominent ones! It was so great! They came all came to church too! What was surprising was that these people hadn’t been seen in a good minute! Once again, half déjà vu half dream come true!
Up: We were fed by some of my most favorite families! The Shells, Barnes, Millers, Kroghs, Wiblins, Carnells, to list a few! I now recognize how I put on the kind of weight that I did! It was oh so worth it though! I love these families so much and many that aren’t even listed! Powder Springs is truly a blessed land!!
Down: I had to leave the great Carnell Basement again…
Neutral: I am getting older, yet wiser, that is what they say at least.
The most exciting thing that we get to do on the 20th, is actually hear from a member of the Seventy, Elder Kopischke! He is doing a fireside at 7:00 at the Temple! So that will be a unique birthday right there!
That is about all I got, thanks for the birthday wishes! Y’all are too good to me, even in my advanced age. Thanks for everything you do! Every prayer, thought, email, etc. It all adds up to so much to me! Please let me know what I can do to help! Fight the good fight! Have another super blessed up week :)
Love,

Elder Dallan Barnes……People die in bed, and so does ambition, so get out and make it happen!

Monday, November 10, 2014

Happy Halloween!!!



New car....Isn't she beautiful....brand new 2015 Fusion
Nov 10th
Dearest Beloved Family,
That is way too formal! The day is ours, so let’s cease it! It appears to me that this past week was taken by the horns, from Texas to Utah, and everywhere in between! The season of thanks rolls forth! It is surprisingly warmer than it was last year, although I will not complain! The leaves are changing now and my prayer is that we can find some of those whose hearts are changing too! Here’s the weekly update!
Up: The Zone Training Meeting at the Temple went well! We got a much larger portion of time to train and I actually had a similar experience to President Harding, in regards to some pain he felt Tuesday during a different ZTM. Thursday night, I had a series of back spasms and I was unable to even undress let alone to make it into bed. Breathing was even painful. I wasn’t even sure if I would be able to travel to the Temple. I turned and tossed all night, it amounted to less than an hour of sleep. All of this being said, the moment we hit the temple, sitting in the chapel, as I gazed into the Savior’s eyes, Matthew 11:28-30 came to my mind. The pain didn’t disappear, but it was almost nonexistent during our training segment. God definitely strengthened me to conquer my pains and afflictions. With God, nothing is impossible!
 Up: The top person I wanted to talk about was our investigator, Jatavius. He is doing so well! He was called into work this past Sunday (Satan’s a loser!). He is so close to be done and over with probation, it is crazy! He and his wife to be are going to have such a story to tell! He wants to come out and teach with us all the time when he gets the chance! He wants his kids to be missionaries! It is so amazing to see the light of Christ click on in people’s lives! We are still helping him work towards 11/29!
 Down: I’m sorry again, I don’t got anything for this…
 Up: I get to spend the next week in the Lost Mountain Ward, and do some damage that I left undone when I first served there! It should be a good run!
 Up: It was dusk, and turning dark quickly, as it seems to be nowadays. We knocked several doors, with no luck. No one wanted to hear from us. We persisted and were lead to the last door on the street. We knocked on the door and Christan came out, a little uneasy at first. We walked through the blessing approach and she opened right up. She expressed the pleas of her heart that we could include in this prayer for her. We later found out that she taught fifth grade and her Student Teacher is a member I know from the Lost Mountain Ward. The husband then pulled up and he had several employees that were members of the church. They think the world of the Church and have wanted to come and visit! They were unsure about baptism, but they already have so many positive experiences in their lives with the Church! Truly, we were lead to their home and we look forward to seeing them in the chapel this Sunday!
 Well that is about it once again! Another week in the history books! These are days never to be forgotten for sure! Please let me know what I can do for anyone of you! Thanks for the email! It makes the week kick off the right way! Have another super duper blessed up week! Fight the good fight! Enjoy to the end! Love you all so very much!
 Love,

Elder Dallan Barnes…………………The Principle of Obedience is Paramount

Monday, November 3, 2014

NOV 3
Spooky Days!
November is officially here! That spooks me a little! More spooky than Dad without facial hair ;) Glad to hear Halloween was well out there in Utah! It was another grand one out here in Georgia! And it has officially turned cold! It dipped below freezing for a time. We even some scattered flurries! We are in for a cold one! Cold as the rockies!
  Up:  Monday, we were fulfilling the expectation of making forty calls and by the 40th call we struck the one we needed to find. We spent the next 20 minutes mourning with Isha, bearing her burden. She weepingly informed us that she had just barely gotten off the phone with someone who has her in between a rock and a hard place. She had nowhere else to turn, yet the Lord prepared a way for us to truly represent Him. It was so touching to me to have this intimate moment with someone who I had never spoke to or known before. The Lord is certainly preparing people! He has also prepared me so that I could be ready when called upon!
 Up: Bro. Valvo from the Twin Oaks Ward, a member that I got to know really well, actually moved intot he ward boundaries. He was moved over here by the VA recently. It was really good to hear from him and how well he was doing. He won his court case and is almost out of the mess he was in when I first met him nine months ago! I also got to see John Steele at the Trunk or Treat! He is doing well!!
 Down: The Halloween costume, well, my companions copied me.  
 Up: Tuesday we had our team up coming out with us, our appointments set. The Lord had to steer us elsewhere, as we discovered. The meetings fell through, but in passing we met the neighbor of our investigator. His name is Jatayvious, and he actually started speaking to us. We quickly found out that he had been searching for truth for the past five years. He has an infant son who is 8 months old, and was recently married. They both have been looking for a church home where they can raise their family correctly! He told us he was pulled into talking to us and that he felt something he had never felt. He even asked us when he and his family could be baptized. To which we responded, November 29th. We are looking forward to meeting with them more. He was unable to come to church due to work, but his he has work off this next Sunday!
 Thanks for the email as usual! I am glad y’all are so reliable! Please let me know what I can do to help! Fight the good fight, keep the shield of faith up, keep the Armor of God on always! Have another blessed up week! Love you all so much!!
 Love,
Elder Dallan Barnes

 Imagine, Believe, Become -- This is the Doctrine of Christ!