Sept. 29, 2013

Dear Family,
 
    October is here! I love this time of year and am thinking about you all as you prep for conference and enjoy the cooling weather. We won't be watching conference until the 19th and 20th. I keep thinking about our family General Conference traditions, particularly our cousin trips up to the Conference center each Conference weekend. I miss you all. Please tell Kate, Ben, Parker and John to each have a handful of chocolates in Uncle Craig's office just for me!
 
Also, Aubrey is now a mother! I cannot believe her baby is so beautiful. My favorite picture is the one where she is holding Nathaniel and just staring at him. She will be such a wonderful mother! Right now our life paths are different, but they will all lead to the same happy ending and I am so excited for her to begin this new adventure!
 
  Tuesday was our temple tour day. One of the temple tour sisters, Sister Tsai, has an injured ankle so we went on an exchange with them so her companion could proselyte in their area. I was able to be with Sister Tsai most of the day. I love her! We stayed in the mission office and sent referrals while talking about training and the mission life. It was a very relaxed day in comparison with our recent schedule and I loved the chance to reflect and ask her for advice. That evening I helped her walk to the temple because some of the workers said they had a spare pair of crutches they could loan her. I will never forget these sweet temple workers running around adjusting her crutches, teaching her how to use them, re-adjusting her crutches and helping her practice walking around. They were so attentive and sweet.
 
   On Thursday, we had the opportunity to attend a training meeting for all the first transfer training companion-ships. The church has invited all the missions to hold this meeting in hopes that it will strengthen some of the younger trainers and their trainees. It was such a great meeting! President Day began by having us watch the video linking missionary work and the Atonement of Jesus Christ. It includes excerpts from talks given by President Eyring and Elder Holland that point us to the Savior during difficult times in the Lord's service. It was a touching reminder for me that every day of my mission is giving me the chance to better understand what our savior felt and experienced during His ministry. My mission is giving me an opportunity to continually turn outward to others despite exhaustion, discouragement, and inadequacy. Elder Holland stated that missionary work "should require something of our soul" because "salvation is not a cheap experience". I feel as if my missionary service is requiring something of my soul, but as it taxes, it expands and magnifies. Capacities to love and understand are being stretched and deepened. It's a very tender and sublime experience... and I'm grateful for it.
 
  On Saturday night we met with a darling fifteen year old investigator named Lin Wen Yu. She is so bubbly and full of joy. We love her! This week, her cellphone broke and she had no way to contact us for our Saturday appointment. Distressed that she wouldn't be able to get ahold of us, she said a prayer that God would help her. On a bus ride, she told a friend about us and the friend ended up having our cell phone number!!!? So amazing!
 
 We are working hard and seeing little miracles as we go. This week helped me to realize that I need to seek "acceptance of the Lord" and in His peace and perfect wisdom know that all I am doing is sufficient. God fits tasks to our abilities and this beautiful work in JiLong has been fit to the abilities that Sister Tracy and I have been given thus far.
 
 We never stop learning and growing, we never stop seeing miracles. This is God's work - I'm so lucky to be a part of it!
 
Enjoy Conference and remember how much I love you!
 
Best,
Sister Barden