June 22

Mi Familia y Amigos!

Some people out there may wonder how do we sleep when our beds are burning, yes, in case you were wondering, Nyquil of course. Thankfully everything but our beds were burning! It was a retreat to come back to the apartment and indulge on some popsicles! Three digit degrees are happening here in A town! Too hot for me! We survived, thrived,  and strived! Miracles were wrought this week, this Father’s Day week! Happy Father’s Day to all those Father’s and Father Figures out there! Let me outline the week!

Transfer news: I will be remaining in place and so will Elder Hanson! We will not be getting a new companion with us. Kind of saddening, I was hoping to train one more son here in the great Georgia Atlanta Mission! What is also crazy is that the Harding’s are on the way out! We get our New Mission President come Monday! The Harding’s are legendary people! I love them so much! They have helped me so much to become who I am now! I owe so much to them! I hope y’all can meet them, maybe even make it to their homecoming! 

The Miracle of the week had to of come around as we were finding 10 minutes before meeting up with a member! We went to a house where people were outside and began speaking with them! Three families were there and we had the opportunity to teach all of them, set return appointments with, and leave a blessing with them. They all have been looking for a church home to go to! They haven’t found a church that fits them! Chanelle, Kiesha, and Charlie and all of their families are reading the Book of Mormon now and are wanting to be baptized! They even asked us after the teaching when they could be baptized next! Surely the Lord is preparing many! Too, through, and on our way to members is ordained of God!

We also found another young lady, Chaniel, from Jamiaca! As we were driving by, we felt inspired to go speak with her as she was sitting outside. She is in her early 20’s, has two kids, and has been in the States for 2 Years. She expressed to us how she wants to come closer to God and she has seen how her life has decayed as she hasn’t been putting God first. She was in tears and told us that she would be a member of our church soon! We are all reaching for our Heavenly Father, it is such an honor to represent Him and be the means to get others to him! She will be baptized in August!

We had been praying and asking Heavenly Father for more people to teach. He delivered, and when it rained, it poured! We found 27 new people to begin teaching this week! Every time we turned around, there were more people! We were in the right place at the right time! Miracles come to the faithful!! We are excited to see these new people progress! Isn’t it crazy how much God trusts us with?

This is about all she wrote. Well, he, what a dumb saying. Thanks for staying tuned! Thanks for the email, prayers, and ever other little thing! I am truly grateful for all that is done in my behalf! Have an amazing week this week! Love you all so very much! Fight the good fight of faith! Endure the course! Smile a little bigger, laugh a little longer, love a little deeper! Have a blessed up week! I will hear from y’all soon! 

Love,

Elder Dallan Barnes 

What’s the difference between Heaven and Hell? A/C.

June 15

It is a beautiful day in the ‘hood!

It has been fantastic! Beautiful on all accounts! If I had it my way, I could do with some cooler weather but it all works out in the long run! A little sweat, well for me a lot of sweat, didn't hurt anyone. It may have killed a few from heat exhaustion, but that is a different scenario all together! Needless to say, we are thriving and surviving! It is a day to day thing! Georgia is still the greatest! I also heard that peach shakes are back at Chick-Fil-A. It’s a must! On that note, here’s the must hear news from our week! 

Today, we got a new companion! Elder Oviatt is getting sent back to Canada, where he is from, to wait for his visa to the Czech Republic. So, we got  his companion. Elder Beckstead! We have been on a few exchanges and he is the man! He is really down to earth, happy, and easy going! He also knows Spanish so we can confound some Hispanics, or teach them for that matter! I totaled it, I have had 17 companions! Time has sure flown! 

Our top miracle this week was involving one of our investigators, Lamoine! We had two powerful lessons this week with him! The latter was the most powerful. We had a member with us Saturday afternoon and went to Lamoine’s home.  We taught and testified of the Sacrament and Church Attendance. The member committed him to come to church and offered a ride! Lamoine was in attendance at church and connected with many members, he already knew several from school! He is pressing forward towards baptism here in July! He mentioned in Priesthood that he would be visiting with us from here on out! The members are the way to help investigators progress! We could not do it without high caliber members!! 

We reconnected with a former investigator, Gorne. He has had 4 heart attacks and 2 strokes. He was in rehab the past several months for a stroke. We felt prompted to go see him the other day. He got home that very day! He accepted to be baptized now that his health is a little more on track! The Spirit is so central in life!

Sis. Turner, the member we have been bringing back to church, brought her whole family to church! She absolutely loved it and her kids did too! Her faith is growing! All it takes is that little inkling of desire and miracles happen! She found a job a couple days after she came to church last week! She also had a few other items fall in place in her life! God immediately blesses us when we do what he asks! 

That is a wrap! Thanks for the email, the love, and prayers! It is always the best to hear how everyone is doing! Thanks for everything! Keep fighting the good fight! Have a blessed up week! I will hear from y’all soon enough!

Love,

Elder Dallan Barnes

The only difference between winners and losers is attitude.

                         
                            Goodbye Elder Anderson!

 
Special Delivery from Aunt Marie & Uncle Jason!!!

June 8

Another Day, Another Blessing!

Or maybe like a frillion blessings! This is the work of the Lord! The windows of Heaven are open! I have seen, heard, and experienced this very effect! This week has been nothing short of that! Let me give you the synopsis of the week!

We had our Fasting pay off big time, in the dividends of a miscellaneous package full of Goodies! The Lee’s are incredible! We were so surprised! Our pantry was looking a little bare! The only thing was that we couldn’t feast when we got the package, we were still fasting, but that has been mended! Thanks for taking care of us, Lee Family!

Our miracle has to be our back to back baptismal date day! We felt inspired the night before to follow up with a man named Terrel and his family. He has a wife and a seven year old boy! He is a stunt biker and comedian, quite the combo! We left him with a Book of Mormon and committed him to read it! When we pulled up, it was as if he was there waiting for us! We asked about the Book of Mormon, he was 17 pages into it! He has been sharing it with other people too and has some coworkers interested! He accepted the date to be baptized of June 27th! He will be bringing his family to church next week! Right as we were about to back up we saw a man loading his car up. We both felt inspired, so we obeyed, and spoke with him! Eric has eight daughters, all baptismal age! He accepted to be baptized with his neighbor on the 27th of June! The Lord can do miraculous things with those that are willing and worthy!

It was saddening to send Elder Anderson off. It was reminiscent of sending Elder Kennedy to Brazil. I know he is up to some good things. It was a good reminder that my time is finite here in Georgia, and I need to make every minute of it count! 

We began working with this one member who hasn’t been to church for eight years! We finally got her squared away with a ride and everything, we even had the bishop meet her the other week. She made it to church and she physically changed! It was incredible to see a glowing ember of a testimony be fanned by faith and ignite. She asked us during the service, when and who was picking her up next! The Lord needs Sis. Turner back, and her kids! The gospel truly changes people’s hearts! 

The Lord totally grabbed my attention this week! I had been feeling a little disappointed with some of the progress of our investigators, even my progress as a disciple of Christ. At the very moment in the morning we’re it was hitting hardest, I went to grab a quote out of some of my notes. I stumbled across President Gordon B. Hickley’s statement to “Forget yourself and go to work.” Later in our companionship study we followed Sister Harding’s counsel to visit the Adjusting to Missionary Life Booklet every day. We “coincidentally” were on the very page that has the same quote and story. In that very moment of need, the Lord told me to forget myself and go to work! This is the best work to get lost in! I feel that the more we lose ourselves in His work, we grow so much, to the point where we can better find ourselves because there is so much of us to find! 

Thanks for all that y’all do for me! I can feel the love! Stay safe, get tan, stay hydrated,  fight the good fight of faith, and have a blessed up week! Love you all so much! Can’t wait to hear from y’all soon! 

Love,

Elder Dallan Barnes 

The man on top didn’t fall there.

June 1

The Time has Come!

The time came quickly too! It was almost as if I was emaling a few days ago! Who would have thunk?! The week has been well! I am glad to hear that all is well on the home front also! Miracles are coming forth even more! This rain, I tell you what, there is something in it! One of the biggest miracles we have enjoyed has been safety! The Lord is very mindful of his servants! I know that to be true! Every day is an adventure and I am thankful for every single one of them!

We may or may not have broken the Word of Wisdom. Not intentionally! A member offered to buy us some ice cream after we had seen some people. It was getting close to closing time for us missionaries and I spied some ice cream at Kroger that looked so appetizing! It was chocolate, with chocolate swirls, cookie dough, and oreos! It was called “Double Dunker”. When we made it home that night, I made it through a full bowl of it, it hit the spot that some would say couldn’t be hit! Elder Hanson loved it too! Elder Anderson makes it two bites in and tastes something odd. Upon further inspection, he discovers that there is coffee in it. On the front of it there is a big coffee cup with a oreos and chocolate chip cookies being dunked into it… We’ve repented… 

The Miracle of the week was the chance that we had to follow up on the family of six we found on Memorial Day, the Donat (I know, it’s a funny name) family! We have taught them three times now, all with members present! They were set to come to church, but they all woke up ill that day. They’ve met Bishop Nolden too! The girls are the best! They all expressed desires to be baptized! They left us with three drawings of Jesus Christ! The gospel will totally change their trajectory in this life and the next!

It saddens me to see Elder Anderson giving up the Ghost, so to speak! I am certainly going to miss him! He is a good example of how to finish strong through the mission! He is going to kill it back at home with football and school, while me and Elder Hanson fill some big shoes!

That is an official wrap! Thanks for all that y’all have done for me! Thanks for the time spent emailing! I look forward to hearing how things on the home front are! Keep smiling! Keep enjoying! Keep being amazing! Fight the good fight of faith this week! Have a blessed up one! I will hear from y’all soon enough!

Love,

Elder Dallan Barnes

“That’s thunder. See you later suckers!” Four year old boy we talked to just before a storm.