Aloha!

Whew! This week flew!! It has been quite the week!! I think that my system of explaining things last week worked pretty well, so I think I'm going to try to do that again this week. Hopefully I can organize my thoughts enough for it to make sense.. Here we go:

1. Transfers: So, Wednesday we had transfers! It was very bitter-sweet. 

• Bitter: A lot of my good friends were transferred... yeah.
• Sweet: They all went to really awesome places, we have some really great new missionaries in the zone, I'm still here!!

     2. New People: So, we were able to meet a few new people this week! We went on exchanges with the Sisters from the Samoan ward this week, and we were able to meet some new friends!

•  I was able to meet a lady named Storm. She has had a crazy hectic life, and she has many Word of Wisdom problems, but she has a heart of gold. She wants to be baptized, but she has a lot she needs to do before she can. 
• Sister Blackner went with Sister Carlson in our area. They were able to meet a kid named Martin! Martin is 15. He told them that he knew a boy from our ward and that he would probably see them on Sunday! He also told them that he was reading the Book of Mormon every night! What??? 
• We were also able to go to meet with a part member family! The mom and oldest daughter are members, and then the dad and younger children are not. We met with the dad today with Brother Iosefa. The dad is Samoan. His name is Tau. He is super super nice, and he had lots of questions about Joseph Smith and the church. Sincere questions. :) I am so excited to get to know them better.

         3. The General Women's Broadcast: Mann.. it was so amazing! I cried, Sister Blackner cried, everyone cried! It was beautiful! Seriously though, the spirit was so strong in the room. I learned so much from the talks and from the spirit that was present. I am so excited for General Conference next week! 

  Something I have been really focusing on this week is the Book of Mormon. I know that the Book of Mormon is so essential for us to gain a testimony of, because it is the "keystone" of our religion. I have studied it under a completely different light, as a missionary, and I am so so grateful for that. This week we met with a less-active member who struggles with reading the Book of Mormon. He told us that it is so hard for him to read, because he doesn't understand the language or context of anything. So, I tried to break it down for him as much as I could. As I explained it and bore my testimony of it, I realized how much I truly do love it. The Book of Mormon is such an amazing tool for us to use! It is part of my testimony of Heavenly Father's love for all of His children. I love this quote by Jeffrey R. Holland about the Book of Mormon: he said, "No wicked man could write such a book as this; and no good man would write it, unless it were true and he were commanded of God to do so." That is so true. I love the Book of Mormon.

   I am so grateful for Joseph Smith, the good man who knew it was true, and translated it because he was commanded by God to do so. I am grateful for this gospel. It has blessed me so much throughout my life, and I have seen it bless the lives of so many, as they apply the principles that it teaches to their lives. 

  I love all of you. I hope that you are all well, and that you are doing your best to be who Heavenly Father wants you to be. I will talk to you next week!

Love, Sister Sydney Barber