Lauren Barden Mission Letters - April 29, 2013

Lauren Barden Mission Letters - April 29, 2013

Bill and Ellie Jones!!??

It was only a matter of time.... This Sunday, I had the opportunity to talk to our lovely Branch President's wife about how they met and fell in love. President and Sister Baker have just returned from a two-week vacation in China so we haven't had a lot of time to get to know them yet. As we chatted, she mentioned Burbank California at some point during the conversation. I told her that my grandparents had lived in Burbank many years ago and thought it was a beautiful area. When she asked who my grandparents were and I responded.."Bill Jones. Bill and Ellie Jones" her face lit up! "Oh, my husband knows Bill! We visited their home in Alpine some years ago!" I just smiled. "What a wonderful couple" she commented.

One hour later during our District meeting, President Baker burst through the door, pointed his finger right at me and said "Your grandparents are Bill and Ellie Jones." I could tell he really loved granddad. He continued to tell me that Bill Jones had been his priest quorum adviser before he married Nani. HE KNEW GRANDMA BLISS. He also said that Granddad had a profound influence on his life and greatly influenced what type of individual he wanted to become. I was overwhelmed by his genuine and kind comments. I love this family! Oh, how I love Granddad and Nani. *Mom, would you mind calling Granddad and sharing this news with him?  (and sending any news back through Dear Elder). I don't know if they've had contact recently, but President and Sister Baker have lived all over the world (Singapore and Hong Kong) and have also been mission presidents in Taiwan. They are marvelous!*

Also, President Baker told me that he highly recommends the March 2007 Ensign article by Gordon B. Hinckley about what to take home from your mission. Could you send it to me via mail or Dear Elder? I would love to read it. Thank You!

Also, Today we experienced a mini miracle! Our schedule has changed entirely and our preparation days are now on Mondays. Our scheduled temple time is now early Monday mornings. As we were leaving the temple locker room, a handful of us bumped into a sister who had JUST returned from the Taipei, Taiwan mission. She returned home on Saturday. Saturday! She was incredible! She gushed about the mission, about how much we would love it, about how constantly busy she was and how unbelievably excited the mission was to receive us. She had just met our older generation when they came in last week. Apparently all our pictures are already on the mission wall and everyone is really anxious for us to come! The sisters who just left the MTC and "our" Taipei generation are the first waves of young sisters to hit the mission. This sister said that every sister companionship is currently involved in training. So exciting! Talking to her made us so anxious to get to Taiwan.

On a less exciting note, an epidemic hit our zone this week! Everyyonnneee was ill... For days we were a chorus of sniffling, hacking, grunting missionaries trying to practice tones with chain-smoker voices. (Pretty funny..)  The worst is behind us. I feel badly because I think my coughing has kept the sweet sisters in my room awake all night long. Thanks to my entire stash of DayQuil, I think I'm finally getting healthy again.

Another great experience took place earlier in the week. We were practicing teaching in class and I played the "investigator" while our teacher, Brother Workman, taught me. The full lesson was in Chinese. Whew! It was intense. I was grateful to be able to understand a big part of what was said -with a little help from my wonderful tongban (companion)- There was a wonderful spirit in the room and I felt so grateful that God is helping me learn Chinese (slowly but surely)!

COOKIE update: Thank you, thank you dear Sister Lewis and the Dinner group! I am drowning in cookie love! Everyone was enviously eying the carefully wrapped, mouthwatering cookies I was sent.... until I shared them :) What else does a addict who already maintains an unhealthy level of cookie consumption do???!?! We LOVED them. Please imagine the grunting dinner scene from 'What About Bob?' for a mental image of how happy we were to eat those cookies.

Yesterday, Sister Bonnie Oscarson -new YW General President- spoke to us on her first official assignment. She is so lovely and I know she will be a marvelous leader for the Young Women of the church. She reminded us of the allegory of the olive vineyard in Jacob 5. We need to remember God will never ask us to labor alone, he will ALWAYS labor with us.

I love you all dearly. The mission is special, precious and powerful. I can't believe I've almost been here a month. I have so far to go and so many inadequacies I need to fix! The single word I would use to describe the mission is HUMILITY. As Kate always says, "God is the gardener" and for you to grow healthy and heaven-ward God needs you to be malleable; he needs you to lose the darker, grittier parts of yourself and submit. Yielding is a conscious effort.. what an unbelievable and difficult process it is. I love it. I thank God for it.

This is going to be a great week!

All my Love,

Deng JieMei

ps- sorry for recent lack of photos. I don't have a card reader and you need one at the MTC. I keep trying to borrow one. Next week maybe :)

FROM: Lauren Barden at the MTC - April 23, 2013

April 23, 2013
FROM: Lauren Barden at the MTC

Dearest family,

 What a week! Thank you so much for your Dear Elder letters! They are THE best! They are printed off and sent to us every day so we don't have to wait to Tuesday to read them. They always brighten my day!
SO much happened this week! On Tuesday, Elder Scott came and spoke at our Devotional. Unbelievable. He has so much power. It was a precious memory to sit in an auditorium filled with young, energetic missionaries all rapt with attention. He gave us a special apostolic blessing, particularly for those who were learning a second language. Extraordinary. His words were an answer to so many of our prayers. After he spoke, he leaped up again before the closing prayer for a final remark. He said that during our missions God would teach us things that we never knew about ourselves. He told us to remember we had been called of God. SO powerful.

Also.... My MTC teacher came up to me in class and said he was walking through the Kennedy Center on BYU campus when he saw a big collage of Instagram photos from around the world. He noticed a group of photos taken in Italy and saw the name 'Lauren Barden' next to them. Apparently, he couldn't put together how he knew that name until he remembered that Deng JieMei was Sister Barden! haha! At least one piece of me survives at BYU!

Another funny moment this week occurred on Sunday when we were watching 'THE TESTAMENTS' in Mandarin. Almost the entire Chinese branch was there. (We have one Elder in our zone who always volunteers to say the prayer at gym. He makes all the Chinese speaking missionaries laugh because he always prays that God will help us to "huigai" (repent) because we need to "huigai".) In the middle of the film, there's that kissing scene between the couple in love.... all of a sudden we all hear "huigai!" from the back of the room. Soo funny.

ALSO!!! We taught our first lesson in the TRC this Saturday (where you teach volunteers who act as investigators). We walked into our first appointment and who should be there?!?!?!?!?! Stephen Fabiano and his wife Allyson!!! SO HAPPY! She gave me a massive hug and as I was freaking out i tried to explain to Sister Hibbert that this was my MUN partner! What a blessing. We had SUCH a great time! They are funny.

Tell John best of luck this week in the EHS musical - he's going to be SO wonderful!
Please pray for me to learn Chinese. I need help!

I love the spirit I feel here every day. Missions are difficult, but they are such rare and precious opportunities to grow and serve. The spirit is real....I depend on it every day. I love being here, I love being a missionary.

Love you all dearly!
Sister Barden     

Letters from the MTC - Week 2 - April 16, 2013

FROM:  Barden Lauren A. <lauren.barden@myldsmail.net>
RE: Letters from the MTC - Week 2 - April 16, 2013

Week 2 - wow how time flies!
 
    Still in heaven here at the MTC... and its cookies. All future sister missionaries.. consider yourself warned. Our schedule is intense but fabulous. I love spending time with all
the Mandarin speaking missionaries, the sisters especially. Sister Burr is going to Taizhong and we love to run around the MTC outside during our morning gym time.(I'm so happy
she loves to run because NOTHING else can keep the cookie weight at bay) Utah weather has been so bipolar as usual.. with snow, sun, and rain all in the same few days. Love the MTC.

Love being a missionary.
 
    One of the most remarkable parts of being in the MTC is spending hours each day with our MTC teachers. I have decided no one is more amazing than an MTC teacher. They are spiritual mentor, friend, and missionary veteran all rolled into one. They seem omniscient when all you study day in and out is your mission language and how to be a good missionary. People have the potential to become extraordinary through the help of God. They know the scriptures and PMG like the back of their hands... they have answers to every question.. even complex grammar principles that your stellar 301 Chinese level companion throws at them :) I feel so inspired to be an amazing missionary so that one day, maybe... I can be as Christlike as they are. Elder Bednar's address "The Character of Christ" talks of being constantly and strikingly Christlike in all of our actions. MTC teachers don't follow this statement, they ARE this statement. So grateful for them.
 
    On Sunday, we were taught by Sister M. Edmunds (sorry don't remember the first name). She was hysterical. She has done so many things- including her time serving on the General Relief Society Board. We all laughed and cried with her until our sides hurt. You can tell she LOVED her mission to the Philippines and Taiwan! The Sisters absolutely died when she harshly admonished us "DON'T EVER TOUCH THE ELDERS!... but keep a list of the ones that you do want to touch" :) When you are a missionary.... anything that is remotely humorous leaves you in stitches. Let the awkwardness begin!
 
    I am feeling myself grow by leaps and bounds. To change you need to allow God to change you.. and sometimes that can be a painful and very uncomfortable process. But if you want it, it comes, and you feel the blessings from it. I love how God is saying to me right now "Ok you crazy MUN, politically minded, stubborn girl.... I need you to humble. I need you to not be able to communicate what you're thinking and feeling to an investigator so you can understand how much you need me. You think you're independent? I need you to be constantly surrounded by people so you can understand just how much they need you.... and you need them". God knows all. I have confidence in Him.... and so much trust. Without Him I cannot do this, but with Him I can do anything.
 
Love you all dearly! Remember God watches over you - always.
To all my BYU friends - Good luck with finals this week!
Sister Barden

Joining the Ranks

I’m starting to feel it again… the knowing, tingling sensation of anticipation laced with a hint of terror. I felt it the first time I faced a Model UN committee room in New York with hundreds of international students stretching out in all directions, walking up the long hall of a political rally before giving a speech to thousands of energized people, when I pounded my chalky hands together in a white puff before launching into a critical routine on the uneven bars…. There are moments that define us and sometimes, we feel their significance while in the very process of experiencing them.

Tomorrow, I’m taking a step into my new arena. This arena will be filled with more joy, heartbreak, frustration, and love then I have ever experienced before. And it will change me in remarkable ways. I’ve never been more thrilled, but because I’ve jumped with both feet into major growth experiences before I know a bit about what’s coming… !!!

While discussing growing pains and life challenges, someone once shared with me a comparison between trials and building muscle. When you exert your muscles beyond their current ability, the muscles tear and become sore and painful. However, after this phase of tenderness, the muscles build themselves up again, stronger than they were before.

My spiritual, emotional, and physical muscles feel tensed and ready to go. I know that exertion is coming and it will present itself in unexpected ways. But I also know I will come out much stronger, and that….. that is an incredible realization.

I’m ready to go –eager, and energized by the wonder and joy of what I get to do.

Tomorrow I zip up my suitcases and hand off my phone.

Tomorrow I give up politico.com, Swedish Fish, and Thai curry for 18 months.

Tomorrow I say a few goodbyes and many hellos.

Tomorrow I put on a neon dork dot and eat at the MTC cafeteria (while smiling!)

Tomorrow I temporarily sign off as Lauren Barden…

And report for duty.




here's to giving our best in all the extraordinary moments of our lives.