One Transfer Down

                    It has been a great week up here in Devils Lake! This week we have actually had some pretty good success. We have been teaching pretty consistently and the work is coming along! I was touched to read Jodie's letter about Grandma, I too know that Grandma was with her through those hard times! I did receive Moms long email and I loved hearing about the new baby and her trip down to Dallas. I did receive the package this week and I received the Credit Card as well as the thank you notes. The thank you notes might take a little while to write to everyone, but slowly and surely they will get to everyone! I did love the Duck Dynasty Band-Aids that Blake sent, and the Davis Darts pajamas those are pretty legit! I loved to read Dad's letter and it sounds to me as though Kaysville is changing. I really cannot stress enough how beautiful Devils Lake is on the morning jogs! This morning I was out on the trail around Ruger Park, and there was a thick morning mist out and every morning when the sun comes over the horizon it is red. It is impossible not to feel the spirit when you are surrounded by that kind of beauty. I don't know if I included in my last letter about Donnada she is now on date for September 21st and she is pushing towards baptism confidently, so I am really excited about that! Donnada has a great interest in our temples. We explained to her last visit how long the Salt Lake Temple took to build and she asked us very enthusiastically "have you seen it"? And to me that was a real humbling experience when I told her that not only have I seen it I have been in it. And it really showed me how much I took the Salt Lake Temple for granted. I grew up seeing the Salt Lake Temple quite frequently, but you have people not only here but probably all over the world who just wish to see it. So I really hope that Donnada can go see the Salt Lake Temple soon, and mostly I hope she can go inside it!

                  We have had plenty of dinner appointments this week with branch members. This week we got to go over to the Marshall's and have dinner. We get to go over there weekly for an amazing dinner. They live right on the shore of Devils Lake, and last time we had some fresh fried Wallai Fish. Devils Lake has some really good Wallai! Luckily for us Sister Marshall is a hair stylist and cut our hair last time we were over there! They are definitely a wonderful family to be around! On Thursday we drove fifty miles North to Cando, North Dakota. Unfortunately we didn't have much luck with appointments out there! But we did have lunch with the Mitchell Family, and also the Branch President had us over for dinner! On Friday the 15th we went to Fargo, North Dakota for a zone training meeting! It was really fun to see some Elders from the MTC, and get to know some Elders and sisters all across our zone! Our zone has a goal for ten baptisms for each month! Which is pretty crazy, but with great faith, hard work, and the Lords help I believe we can do it! On Saturday the 17th we went over to talk to ward members at the primary party they were having. After the party was over me and my companion always like to sing to hymns on the automatic player, and the branch presidents wife then figured out that we could sing. Long story short on Sunday the 18th they assigned us to sing "I'm trying to be like Jesus" with Sister Story in the ward. It actually went over a whole lot better then I thought it would! But then later my companion told the district leader about that, and he told us they are looking for a special music number in the Quin-Zone meeting. So my companion told them I could do a solo at the Quin-Zone meeting in front of a visiting General Authority. Yeah I am still debating if I want to do that or not! I hope all is going well at home, and in all of your lives! I hope Dad's new job is coming along well. And I have loved hearing from Uncle Mark! I am definitely going to try and write him today! I hope the dog is doing well, I was missing him a lot this week. Our Land Lords have a dog in their backyard his name is "Trump" he is a black lab. He is getting warmed up to me finally after six weeks. My companion will still be my companion until our twelve weeks together is up. He has train me for a required twelve weeks. But that is okay because we actually get along pretty good! The morning workouts are coming a long better with running, and I add a push-up a day I am now at forty one push-ups! The Lord has been watching over me, and I am loving the spirit out here in Devils Lake. I still miss you all and I think of Dad every time I see an RJ in Grand Forks or Fargo. I love you all, and I enjoyed the family picture I got and the pictures of the baby! Tomorrow on Tuesday the 20th I will have been out fifty days!  

Love, Elder Barber