just to see how well it works and see if I could use it to write an
email. Since I'm doing all of this so far just by talking to it, I'm
guessing it's doing pretty darn well. This past week is been really
really good. We were able to go and see a great many people and have
members of the church with us as well. Our mission presidents can't
emphasize enough how important it is to go and have members and
investigators homes and less actives homes to help and again
progressing in the gospel of Jesus Christ. Elder Thomas and I have
been really taking the stuff for the past week and I've been doing all
that we can to have people with us when we go and visit people
especially nonmembers. In part, because of our efforts that we've done
this past week we are very blessed to be able to have five people to
church, including a family that the sister missionaries here had found
some weeks ago. J*** and her two daughters were the ones who came in
addition to A***and A***. Just a sidenote, it's a minor miracle in
and of itself that A*** is able to come to church with us as often
as he does. He's working very long hours in the night sometimes not
getting back from work until about 7 o'clock in the morning. At times
it is a little bit discouraging to see him fall asleep during the
priesthood portion of the meeting, but honestly we're just glad that
he's there. AnyWho J*** and her two daughters were able to come to church with us for the first
time and they thoroughly enjoyed it. We were
able to go over and talk with J*** again yesterday evening and just
ask her about any questions or concerns that she might have about the
church service. She had some concerns that were to be expected from
someone who would never come to church with us before but she did say
that she wanted to come with us again, and both of her daughters are
very eager and excited to go to church with us again. I think they
really enjoyed the primary class. We are going to go and see J***and
her family again this Saturday.
Later today we need to drive down to Conway to go and pick up Elder
Thomas' bike. He was able to get it delivered to him by the Parks
family when they were just passing through his hometown, but it was
still a little bit messed up from a previous incident back home. We
dropped it off at a bike shop in Conway last week to begin the repairs
and we're hoping that it will be finished when we go down to pick it
up later today. At the very least we're going to see if we can beat
those in the zone leaders down in Conway in a game of basketball. One
of the zone leaders, Elder Wahl, actually came out with me from the
MTC to Arkansas. I also think it's interesting that one of the APs,
Elder Johnston, also came out with me.
For the remainder the day will be going shopping, probably finishing
up emailing if we don't get done right now, and maybe spending a
little bit of time over at A***'s. I'm just not quite sure yet. Elder
Thomas also wants to go and hit up the thrift stores here in Arkansas,
and I think that be interesting to do at the very least. I have not
yet been able to go and try shopping at thrift stores so far on my
mission, and if it's anything like the DI back in Utah I'm sure it's
going to be interesting.
This Friday, the 12th, we will have the opportunity to go down to
North Little Rock and hear Elder Kopischke speak to us as an entire
mission. I think it's cool that we will have been able to get together
as a mission multiple times in the space of less than a month. I've
been out now for for almost 3/4 of my mission, but these are the first
times we've been able to do this. It certainly helps out and being
able to go and see old companions that you haven't been able to see
you for a while, and also be able to see some on the other side of the
Mississippi River that I would otherwise not be able to see before
they go home.
It's rather bizarre being able to use an iPad for general proselyting
purposes now. I've got to admit though, there's a lot of uses to an
iPad, even if it is ridiculously locked down. even Google is blocked
on this iPad. But that's okay; we have still have access to all the
most important things.like Mormon messages. Or LDS.org. Or all of the
church hymns. Or even email. Really, any thing that is able to be used
to help another progress in the Gospel of Jesus Christ we are not only
able to use but are encouraged to use as frequently as possible. Just
the other day we were able to talk with a recent convert and her
nonmember children about what it means to have faith and to build a
foundation on the Savior Jesus Christ. Toward the end of this lesson
Elder Thomas was inspired to share a Mormon message with them titled
The Refiners Fire. I would share here if I could, but unfortunately
email won't let me allow me to be able to send videos the long through
email. You can go and find it on LDS.org though, and I would really
encourage you to do so.
Just to wrap up this email, Elder Thomas and I have been reading the
Savior's qualifications for baptism every morning as part of our
studies. His qualifications are found in D&C section 20 verse 37.
Doing so every single morning is helping us be able to keep our
mind set on inviting others to come unto Christ specifically through building
faith and being baptized as a part of his church. I sincerely doubt we
would be as focused on helping or on inviting others to be baptized
had we not been doing so, and I also doubt that we would've had so
many people to church had we not done so. The missionaries in Conway
have had extraordinary success in doing the same things, as have had
the other members of the Morrilton district. I personally know that it
is through building a foundation on the true principles of Jesus
Christ's teachings that we can help others and help ourselves received
the most blessings that come from belief in his gospel. Without that
foundation of faith, repentance, baptism by immersion for the
remission of sins, receiving a gift of the Holy Ghost by the laying on
of hands, and then enduring to the end, we would not be able to truly
partake of Christ salvation. It simply would not be possible.
I wish I could send home a great many pictures to everybody, but I
forgot the camera cable back home so all I can send you was the couple
things I've taken with this iPad. I hope everyone back home or
wherever else you may be right now is having an absolutely wonderful
day, and I look forward to hearing from you again next week!
– Elder Jayden Barker
This is a panoramic picture taken with the Ipad of an exceptionally long roll of paper the ward used for an activity. When asked, what it was for, he replied, "I honestly don't know. She just told us that she
needed paper and told us where it was and to go and get it. We said
"yes ma'am" and that was that. Haha"
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