Email 3/10/09

From: Bryan Barney
Sent: Tuesday, March 10, 2009 8:23 AM

Well, bad news first-- no baptisms or confirmations this week. I know you don't want me to get too caught up in it, but I am here to help people accept the Gospel, after all.

But that's all the bad news I've got. Nobody took the plunge this week. I'd like to ask the prayers of everyone within reach of this e-mail that someone will this week. If anyone is uncomfortable asking that, just keep me in your prayers.

Good news now: We had conference with Pres. Tobias this week, which is always REALLY AWESOME. I learned a lot of cool things, picked up Liahonas for Feb. and Mar., and we had a chance to do our interviews. Also, Elder Eliason and I got called to repentance.

"Elder Eliason, seu companheiro fala portugues quase fluente," Sis. Tobias said, "Vocês falam ingles na casa?"
"Sim."

(DEATH GLARE).

Which is to say, Sis. Tobias said I speak Portuguese really well, then reminded us, by means of our own guilty consciences, that since neither of us are a) Brasilians, or b) called to serve in English, we shouldn't be speaking it.

Also, I have 4 months on the mission. WOOO HOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yes, Elder Eliason came back swiftly from renewing his Visa, but did that allieviate the problem? No. Why? Because Pres. Tobias sees ALL. He made all the junior companions in our Zone switch with there Seniors. So I have been Senior Missionary for Tibery since Thursday, and while technically this comes to an end tomorrow, Elder Eliason and I are trying to arrange some splits so that we can get our zone leader, who happens to be a missionary GENIUS, over here, which would leave me the more experienced with the area.
The idea is that in June, 16 leader-missionaries are going home, and the new kids need to start getting ready for future callings.

But stress aside, we had 63 people at church on Sunday, and 5 of them were investigators! This means we could have about 3 or 4 baptisms this week, so everybody out there pray hard, okay?

Colin should go to those classes. He should really go! I wish I had gone. I had to be in Provo those two weeks to get my head in the game for being a missionary, and even now I have all this big sins I have to tear down to be a better Representative of the Lord. But seriously, being a missionary is, well, it's indescribably awesome. I can't think of what to say to him just now other than HEY. GET PREPARED. YOU'LL THANK ME FOR HOW COOL IT IS.
Also tell him he has to get called to a Brasillian mission, too, because then we can always talk Portuguese, which rocks. And ask him to send me a picture of him. People here really like blonde blue-eyed americans. Just playing.

I'm sorry my hand-written letters aren't spectacular. I admit they are kinda easily out-dated when they arrive. But hey, they could be epistles, too.

I'll try sending home the memory card, but I have to think about it. I have two, but the 2 Gig has some kind of bug, because it keeps erring. BUt I'm going to try and send home my pictures via e-mail, too.