TTTTTTRRRRRAAAANNNNSSSSFFFFEEEEERRR WEEK

Sorry for the annoying subject line of this email... But this is about how I feel right now.
I was expecting to stay a little longer in the Lost Mountain Ward, but that isn't in the plans for me! I will be heading off to my new area on Wednesday. I am a little bit sad because I grew quite attached to this ward. I am going to miss the Johnson family and the other people I have come to love. I know that my work and purpose in this area has been completed and I am a much better person for it. Hallelujah
Often while I have been on my mission I have wondered why I felt so prompted to do this when there are countless others who I know could have been ten times the missionary I am. But then I realize that Miss Emily Katherine Louise really really really needed a mission more than she even knew. I know the Lord is shaping me into the person that I need to be and I am grateful. I am pretty sure my future family is really grateful I decided to do this as well.
Do ya'll remeber the investigator that tried to "drop us" well.... She came to a baptism we had on saturday and she brought her son who then came to church the following day! They are both going to get baptized, I know it :)
It's amazing to see things come out of the wood work! I know that as I am obedient and diligent great miracles happen.
On Saturday night the Nashville Tribute Band came to our area and performed a show for everyone in the powder spring and neighboring stakes, it was an amazing missionary opportunity for members to invite their friends and neighbors. The coolest part of the whole thing was when the band had all the full time missionaries come up to the stage, they sang a song and we stood there while everyone in the audience applauded for us! The band then told everyone there to be nice to missionaries :) Ya'll should check out their CD's because they are awesome and the music is all about the restored gospel of Jesus Christ!
I am trying to think of what else to write about in this email...
Oh! I wanted to tell ya'll about all of the road kill! I have seen my fill of dead things on the side of the road... Luckily I haven't killed anything yet, I probably would be very upset if I did. Anyways that is a random weird/gross thing about Georgia.
The weather this last week has been a little cooler, which has been wonderful! I think Georgia has stranger weather than Utah sometimes. One minute it will be all sunshiney and then the next you look up in the sky and giant drops of water are about to fall on you without any notice of little rain drops first... I have almost given up having a strong aversion to umbrellas but I am still holding strong... I refuse to use them.
I am going to leave ya'll a verse of one of my favorite songs... I Believe in Christ by Bruce R. McConkie
I know that as we trust in the Lord we will be able to do all things! This I know!
I love ya'll
I believe in Christ- my Lord, my God! My feet he plants on gospel sod... He is the source of truth and light!
Sister Emily Barnett

p.s Give the Barney family my love! I am so sorry to hear about the sudden death of Gweny but I know she is in the rest of the Lord and she will come again with a perfect body because Christ broke the bands of death, what glorious news! God be with her till we meet again.

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Three Months!

Three months.
Oh how fast time flies... days are long weeks are short and months are even shorter. Next week is transfer week again. I am not sure what will happen but I know that what happens will be what is right. I will let ya'll know in my next email on Monday if I am leaving or if I am going!
This last week was wonderful! The Baptism went so well, everything flowed perfectly and the spirit was so strong. I don't think there was a dry eye in the whole room. I feel so blessed that the Lord allowed me the wonderful opportunity to get to know this beautiful family and to teach them, it has been such a privilege. Everyday I grow closer and closer to my Heavenly Father in a way that I believe only this mission could do for me. As hard as it was to leave on a mission I am so grateful to be here and I realize now that it wasn't really a sacrifice at all. I have been blessed far more than I have given, the Lord loves us all. This I know!
To tell ya'll  a little bit more about the ward I am serving in... In the northern part of the ward there is quite a bit of wealth but as you go more south it gets more into the sticks and the people who don't have has much money. I am serving in the south part of the ward right now so we work with a lot of people struggling financially, I feel a little bit more comfortable with this group of people for some reason, they are humble and they know that they must rely on God to keep them going.

 We work with a lot of African Americans, people I have come to love dearly. The problem we are facing is the lack of diversity of the individuals who are active members of the church, most of the people are wealthier white folks. When we do get people to church they are often upset because of the lack of outward diversity, then they struggle to come back again. This is a huge reason why this baptism we just had was so important and will dramatically help the missionary efforts in the ward... The family we just baptized is of African American descent. Because of the increasing diversity of the ward, all will feel welcome! The work will continue to go forward and less people will feel uncomfortable. We have already seen such a huge change in this ward as this family has come into the gospel, some of the less active members have already started to come back. It is so beautiful to watch!
This last week I have been trying to memorize the story of Joseph Smith found in JSH... I have never been super good at memorization but I almost have it down. I love being able to study and pray about the Book of Mormon over and over again. I have felt in my heart that it is true and that Joseph Smith was called to be a Prophet of God in this dispensation.
I love you all so much. Thank you for your love, kindness and support. I have truly been blessing with some amazing people in my life. I miss you all so much but I know that we will all meet again soon enough.
God be with you!
Love Sister Emily Barnett

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What a week

I often struggle to begin these letters, starting things has always been a difficult thing for me to comprehend I guess. I remember when I was little and I would watch movies, I had the hardest time figuring out how the heck people ever knew how to start a movie, It's a hard task if you think about it. Anyways, this week has been good here in the life of Sister Emily Barnett.
Each week in the mission field I learn so many things about myself as an individual and every week my love for other people grows a little bit more. I had an amazing experience with a receent convert the other day. We talked about trials and how God has literally delivered her out of bondage so many times, she reminded me a lot of my mom and similar struggles she has gone through. As I see other people in situations that I am so familiar with, the Lord allows me to recognize that change is possible. We are Human and we can change. Each and every one of us. The atonement is so real and I am grateful for this opportunity that I have to witness it in peoples life, and especially my own and my family.
I am so happy to hear that everyone is doing well, I pray for each of you like a million times a day. I pray that the Lord will continue to bless you all.
We were able to go to the Altanta temple this week for zone training, it was a wonderful experience and I can't wait to go again. My heart aches to be back within the walls of the temple. At sone training we talked a lot about the vision to baptize- as we view all people as they can become, dressed in white in the water of baptism! I left that day feeling edified and wonderful about the work of the Lord.  
We have had some wonderful lessons with the Johnson family this week! They will be getting baptized on Saturday!!!!! I get emotional just thinking about them and the changes we have seen with in them the last few weeks. They are amazing and I hope to be like them some day! I have loved watching their family grow closer through the gospel, they comment every day how much happier their life is now. Tonight we will be attending the 3 FHE with them, I am so excited :)
I know the gospel brings families closer together, and I know that the Gospel can bring my family closer together as well... It already has in so many ways.
I love family!
I should probably get going so I can write a few more emails... just know that I love all of you more than anything but more importantly I hope you know how much Heavenly Father loves all of you. Find ways to have missionary experiences!
Love,
Sister Emily Barnett

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August

Hello! How is everyone?
This last week was a very bitter sweet. We have an awesome family on date for baptism on the 17th of August but we also had one of our investigators "drop" us, which was super sad and hard to swallow. We pray that she will find happiness in her life and with the jehovah's witnesses that she worships with.
We have been a crazy kind of busy here in the lost mountain ward trying to find people to teach. I've got to admit... tracting isn't may favorite past time... Does this make me a horrible missionary? I hope not! I just know there are better ways to find people to teach and that is through memebers! The only success we have had with our investigators are ones who the memebers refer to us. If anything I think this mission will make me a better memeber of the Church, I have learned so much about how it works and every little thing that goes into making it run. It really is so wonderful, I am so happy that I have the opportunity to be a disciple of Jesus Christ my whole life, not just on my mission.
Today we are having zone p-day and we are going to play kick ball with all of the elders and sisters in our area. Later this week I get to go to the Temple with my zone as well for zone training. I am so excited! I miss the Temple so much because I do not get to attend as often as I did at home. I am grateful for the opportunities I get to attend when I do. It is my goal that when I get home I will go to the Temple every week. 
This week I was reading a lot in the Book of Mormon, in Mosiah 2-4 I love these scriptures and king benjamin. Ya'll should check out Mosiah 4:9... I know that I have a Father in Heaven who knows everything and who loves me just the same. I know that the Lord has a plan for all of us and that if we trust in him everything will be okay... That is somthing I have learned this week. Everything will be okay when we trust in God.
I am sorry this is so short today. I will have more things to write about next week. I love you all and I am so grateful for all of you!
Have a great week.
Love, Sister Barnett

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Sorry! A week late

Hello!
Another week has come and gone and here I am again sitting on the computer in the library writing a letter to all of you! How is everyone? Can ya'll believe that July is over?
This was a really great week for me, I feel like there was a lot of personal growth that happened for me. The lord allowed me to see so many miracles!
I want to tell you about a family who we have been teaching this last week, Shay and Rob. In the Lost Mountain Ward they have a history of really good key indicator numbers (how many lessons we teach each week, new investigators, baptisms, etc) except for three... Baptism, confirmation and investigators to sacrament meeting. This week our President promised us that as we refocused that we would be able to get two people on date for baptism. With this promise Sister Mataele and I got to work. We worked and we worked and we worked. Late last night we had one more appointment with Shay and Rob before we had to report our numbers, we just prayed that they would be the ones who the lord promised us we could get on date for baptism! We already had Shay on baptism but we were still waiting on Rob, he is such a strong man but he always tells us that he is just trying to figure everything out before he commits to baptism.
We finished the lesson with the family and then we again invited Rob to be baptized, he told us that he really wasn't thinking about baptism but he was just trying to live right and be obedient in keeping the sabbath day holy. We shared 3 Nephi 27:20 with him "Now this is THE commandment, repent all ye ends of the earth and be baptized in my name, that ye may be sanctified by the reception of the Holy Ghost, that ye may stand spotless before me at the last day." we then explained to Rob that being baptized is a commandment and that we must do it to live with our Father again. During this discussion the spirit was so strong in the room there was no doubt that it was there and Rob turned to us and said "well I guess this is really what I should be focusing on as I pray." We asked him that when he receives an answer for himself if he would be Baptized with his wife on the 17th. He said yes!
Through this experience I know that as we are patient that the Lord will allow us to see miracles. I know that the Spirit was the one speaking to Rob and that the things that came out of my mouth as I spoke to him were not my own. I am so grateful for the opportunity I have to be here on a mission. These haven't been the best two months of my life but they have already been the best two months for my life. The Lord is blessing me in so many ways, I truly believe that I will be a better person because of this mission.
I am trying harder to give my whole heart to this mission and to the will of the Lord, I figured out that I am kind of a stubborn person and that I like to do things my way. I am learning to do things a little differently now and man is it hard!
I would like to share a scripture with you guys before I close up this letter. Heleman 5:12- "And now, my sons, remember, remember that it is upon the arock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye must build your bfoundation; that when the devil shall send forth his mighty winds, yea, his shafts in the whirlwind, yea, when all his hail and his mighty cstorm shall beat upon you, it shall have no power over you to drag you down to the gulf of misery and endless wo, because of the rock upon which ye are built, which is a sure foundation, a foundation whereon if men build they cannot fall."
I know and I have felt that as I have built my foundation on the Lord that I am strenghtened and that I can do anything, this has been so evident to me as I have been serving a mission. I promise you that if you trust the lord and build on him you will be blessed beyond belief and most of all you will find Joy.
I am finding Joy in the Journey! This week I recieved the Song Book I asked for from Barbara Leary. There is a song in it called "Misty's song" I want to share a part of it that I love because I feel that as life gets us down we always need to remember to find Joy in the Journey, Joy isn't something for the future it is for us to experience now!
"tell me the reason I was born to roam, telll me the reason I am so far from home. How many mountains will have to climb, how many memories will I leave behind. There is a valley called Peace of Mind, there is a river running right by it's side, there is a moment of glory so new."
I want you all to know how much I love you! Thank you for everything :)
Grandma, thank you for getting that package together for me! I love you.
Sister Barnett

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