Well, I still dont know where or if I will be transferred. We don't know until like the day before. But that is fine. We went to a family's house for dinner Thanksgiving. Their names are the ..... They were very nice and have been since we got here. This week I will not be able to write you a letter cause P-day is cut short about 2 hours cause we have to go see some investagators. But Ill just e-mail you a huge e-mail. So the area has been going very well. The city is already getting ready for Christmas season to be here. This week we were just like at home which was our cash was running on nothing but fumes. I tell you what, 5 week months I hate. But we got our msf refilled yesterday so I will live another day. I keep thinking about what I would do if I was home right now and I calculated that I spent umm 2592 hours on the computer which is a waste of 118 days of my life and that is if I only played 3 hours a day. I feel ashamed of that but am glad I came out here to break that cycle. We are still stoked about the baptism the 19th of December. Man I cannot wait till christmas so I can talk to you guys. O yeah I also got the cd's thankyou thankyou!!!!! They made life so much better. You know me with details-- so send me an e-mail with what you want to know about the mission and I will try to answer all questions.

Love you,

Dustan/Elder Barnard

I wish I could read with my favorite sister sierra. I miss huging her and playing with her. I'm glad you miss me cause that means you love me. You are a very good dancer sierra, and a very smart Big girl! you make me feel like a very proud big brother. Miss you.

Dustan

Hi Bro. I miss you. Its cool that you got to have thanksgiving with family. i thought about you while here. Your a big boy, and you will grow up to be a fine young man. Love you and miss you .

Dusty

Monday, 11/09/09 Email

Thanksgiving is coming up and I have so much to be thankful for. The weather out here is finally cooling down. It's at a nice 59%. Well it was last night. The work is amazing. Got to teach someone yesterday why it's so important to go to church and to pray, the spirit was droped like a bomb there. To go back to what I said earlier, Im so thankful to the rich heritage that we have as a church. Namely because it was founded by Christ, but also that the first saints who tried to build Zion endured to the end because they knew, as I know, that this is the true church of God. And nothing could stop them from accomplishing his will. In a way, they were like Nephi who said, "I will go and do the things which the Lord hath commanded, for I know that the Lord giveth no commandment unto the children of men, save he shall prepare a way for them to accomplish the thing which he commandeth them. The saints are that 100%, they could have given up and they didn't. So we must never give into the world, for only through the Gospel of Jesus Christ can we be saved. Be steadfast and immovable, abounding in good works and we will all see each other in the end.

Hello Aunt, hows it going? You know how you said to always be kind to your companion, I don't think there is any way possible for me not to be nice to Rupp. He's the perfect trainer. Loving the people is easy most of the time, and out here following the rules isn't hard at all because my trainer has taught me right. There aren't many, if any, bad missionaries out here. All of them know their purpose and love the work. The people out here are hard to teach because they are of 3 religions. They are Catholic, Cavalry Chapel, and no thanks-- I'm christian? (They don't want to hear that we are Christian too I guess...) But my hope and faith is still strong and a wierd thing that is cool is that God has made me forget about family. When I say that I don't mean that I don't remember them, I just never dwell on them because I'm lost in the work. Man the mission is the best thing ever. Weather is beautiful and such. Wow it's good!

Elder Barnard

November 2nd Email

Well today we were able to e-mail way earlier because we now have a car. We have a investagator who is close to being baptised. His whole family, except him, are members. But he is coming to church and believes in the doctrine of the gospel. So that's some exciting news. This week was the most filled week I've had so far in the mission field. We are starting to get candy out the wazoo because there are leftovers fromHalloween. My companion Elder Rupp is A Character. Our whole apartment got sick last night, I had a severe head ache, Rupp had a sick stomach, Davies felt weak and Sega threw up. So last night was very interesting. Our missionary funds have been refueled so now we won't die! Something funny to think about, I've had 7 popped tires, 1 for each week. Hopefully this transfer they will stay intact because I'll tell you what-- when you take 7 x 7 thats 49 dollars going to bike, Ick!! But other than that, the mission is a blast. We just got a car and now we can tract in a place called the preserves. On bike it would take us about 1 hour to reach it but in the car its like 15 min so we are super excited. It also helps us with shopping and things of that sort. Our mission president has put a stress on finding people to teach because numbers are low this time around.

Love you and write you soon.

P.S. Well, I just told you about all I can think of at the moment. Ohhh-- While out here I found out the importance of member missionary work. There are things that we as missionaries can not do, and the members are there to do just that. And by do, its just that I mean that they can relate to the investigator way more than the missionary. They can also befriend the investagator way more because as missionaries, our jobs are to find those to baptize, then the ward is supposed to take the reigns. Well, love you mom.

October 26th Letter

Mom,

Well, I'm in the same place for the second transfer! And I am still with my trainer, Elder Rupp. So we will be able to focus on 2 families we are trying to get to church. The really good news is that we are going to get a car now for our area. But we will still be using bikes too--it's kind of weird. Time flies fast when you are doing the Lord's work. We wake up about 6:30, exercise and eat, and shower by 8:00 a.m. Then we do personal and companion study till 10:00 a.m. After we go finding or tracting most of the time or we'll see appointments that we have set up. That goes till about 12:30 Then we eat lunch for 1 hour. After that we tract or see people till 5:30, then go the eat at a members house from 6-7:00 p.m. After that we go out till about 8:30 p.m. then we come home. Then about 9:30 we plan for the next days events. Then I try to get to bed by 10 pm. but it always ends up as 10:30. And that's the schedule for each day, except for Sundays and P-Day. Oh yeah, I'm in choir in the Cenntinial Ward. hehe. Got some cool songs we are singing. Not much time to relax, all about work and the wierd thing is I love it. I've also come to see how important the sacrifice of our Savior was. So many people are so far down the ladder, it's hard to see how they can live day to day without Jesus in their lives. People here are also very stubborn in their churches. Their pastors give them lies and say such bad stuff. It's hard to touch the life of one who thinks that they have everything they need. The work is all about temporal things now a days. While on my mission I have also had to learn certain scriptures to defend our religion from attackers. We never bash, only defend.

I started out with 5 ties coming out, I now have about 11 ties. I'm way cleaner than I have ever been. I have my own desk, which helped immensley. I recently started to write down blessings that I've received from God. I'm at 91 at the moment...I've been doing a lot of stuff I never have. For instance, I've been praying at some doors for my companion. Never thought I'd be doing that ever. Also out here I've learned the commandment to love one another.

I think we finally get to go to the temple next week but I'm not 100% sure. On November 22, we have to start reading the 4 gospels in the new testament, Mathew, Mark, Luke and John, which is 6 pages a day. It's a 30 day thing. You should do it with me. Oh yeah, today is the 26th day of October. I love you so much. I want you to know that I'm out here to serve my Lord and will do anything he asks me. He is our Father in Heaven. And I know that his son is our Savior and nothing shall ever waiver that faith. I Know that My Reedemer Lives. That song in now my testimony. Plus without him I am nothing. He is the way and light. We are in the true church of God. And I hope I can live worthily to live with you and the family in Heaven together forever......

Sincerely,

Elder Dustan Barnard