Another great week!

Hello Everyone! I love you all so much!This week has been another great week at the MTC. I have been so happy and I have felt so much peace. There have definitely been some times of frustration, but I know that the Lord is preparing me and helping me to become better. I love Ether 12:27. The lord will make weak things become stong unto us if we humble ourself and have faith in him. I have truly been humbled much in the last two weeks.So we had a really awesome fireside on Sunday night. I'm kicking myself because I don't have my notes to tell you the speakers name but he was from the General Missionary Board. He was awesome! He was funny but powerful! I hope to be like him in my teaching. He was telling a story about he and a little boy at the drinking fountains in a church building. You know how the pressure when they are both being used is a little funny.... the little boy was taking a drink and the man would push his button. The pressure would go way down and so the boy would put his face closer to the water; when he did that, the man would let go of his button and the water would hit the boy right in the face. This was repeated about 8 times. The poor little boy never knew the source of his grief even though it was the stake president standing right next to him haha. The man related this to our lives and to satan. Sometimes we are experiencing much grief and anguish in our lives, and we don't realize that it is satan. He surrounds us; he is in our music, he is on our televisions, he can be in our thoughts. But we know the source of our relief! It is only made possible throught the magnificent atonement of our savior Jesus Christ. I am so grateful to him; insomuch that I can't adequately express my gratitude. It is a sacrifice to be out here on a mission, but it is the least that I can do for my savior who has done so much for me.At this same fireside he had about 10 elders stand up and name one thing they had given up to come on their mission. One elder stood up and in front of 2000 + people told us that he had given up marriage. The man asked him if he had been engaged and the elder replied, "Pretty much" then the man asked him, "Has she Dear John'd you yet elder? Or is she still writing?" It was super funny but the best part was that the elder replied, "No, she is here too. We are both serving missions". Then the man who was speaking made the sister stand up and she was BRIGHT red! It was hilarious!!! We had a good laugh at that, it couldn't have been planned any better than that. You had to be there to get the full effect, but it was awesome! I truly love this work so much! I miss you all so much, but there is no where that I would rather be than right here, serving the Lord. It's such an amazing feeling and the spirit is so strong! One thing that he said was that he used to sit in south america and watch the planes flying to the United States. He and his companion were sitting there one night and his companion said, "Elder, I challenge you. Live your life and serve your mission so that when your time comes to sit on that plane you will feel the spirit of the lord whisper to you, ' Well done thou good and faithful servant'". Wow! The spirit hit me so hard and that is my continutal goal! I am so excited to be able to do his work. I'm so sorry to hear about Grandpa Delmer passing away. I know that must be so hard on everyone, especially grandma clea. Please pass my love to her. Let her know that she is in my prayers. We have been studying about the plan of salvation this week and I think that it was perfect timing for me.I was called into the district presidents office on Monday, I had no clue what for. We were speculating about what it could be: Maybe a calling, maybe I was going to be asked to learn a language ;) haha. When I got in there and he let me know that Grandpa had passed away it hit me really hard because I wasn't expecting it! Then as I sat in his office and pondered what I had just heard, a great sense of peace came over me and I felt like he was with me in my heart. I am so grateful that grandpa and grandma were able to come to my farewell and able to come with me to the temple. They told me so many times how much they loved me and how proud they were of me and I feel like the lord was preparing me. I have felt the spirit bear testimony to me of the great family heritage that I have been born into. I'm so grateful for my Barfuss side and my Reynolds side. I have felt so much love and support and strength from both. It's so neat to wear the name of "Sister Barfuss" over my heart while I serve. It's funny sometimes when people ask my name, they get that look on their faces like, "Is she being serious right now" haha but I know that as I wear it, I'm bearing the name of not only our savior, but also of my family. I gain great strength in knowing that I am becoming a representative of them and their great family legacy. It definitely helps me strive with all my heart, might, and mind as I try to live up to the great names of Barfuss and of our savior.I hope and pray that you each will be able to feel the spirit bear testimony to you of the great plan of salvation and the purpose of each of our lives while here on this earth. I bear testimony to you that the lord has a plan for each of us and if we "experiment upon his words" that he will guide us in the direction that he would have us go, which will lead to eternal life with our father in heaven and with each other. My companion, Sister Hansen, shared a great scriputure with me this week in Genesis 21:6. it says: "And Sarah (substitute your name here) said, "God hath made to to laugh that all who hear will laugh with me". I hope that you can keep this in mind as you experience trial and tribulation and sorrow. The lord has made us to be happy and to share that happiness with all that we come in contact with. I testify that that happiness is founded on the gospel of jesus christ. I testify that the scriptures and prayer can help us to answer every question of the soul that we might have. Please read the scriptures. I promise you that the moment you begin a serious study of them that the lord will POUR out his spirit upon you. So I have my travel plans. I cannot believe that I fly out in a week from today! It has FLOWN by! I can tell already that the mission is going to go by way too fast.Whoa! I have less than 5 minutes. I have to hurry.I fly out on February 3rd. My flight leaves at 11 ish so I will be calling sometimes between 9 and 11 mom and dad. I will write more detail in a letter but I better wrap this up. Thank you all for your letters and love and support! It means so much to me! I love you all! The church is true!!!! I know that with all of my heart!I will write again next week. Love forever,Sister Barfuss