Carrisa's Baptism (Sister Glad, Carrissa, and me)Angela's Baptism (Sister Ryder, Angela, Me, and Sister Schmidt)

If Bryce gets a road kill picture, i do too. "I think the Elders ran this one over?"Stephanie (Investigator) and Eli at the mall. Don't worry it was our P-day

Green Peppers?

Angela Kelly (an investigator from my old area) just got baptized on the 19th. Angela was just driving around and felt impressed to call the number on the outside of the building. She came to church and met Bishop Long and us sister. As soon as we meet her we felt joy and her eagerness to know the truth. I felt the spirit of peace and I knew that her desirous were pure. We started teaching her and the power of the Holy Ghost bore witness to her. She knew and said “God wants all of his Children to know about the gospel and wants all of his children to know that it’s true.” Angela knew that she wanted to partake of this gospel and be baptized/confirmed as a member of the true and living restored gospel.

She earnestly prayed and the power of the Holy Ghost bore witness to her of its truthfulness. She said that “The role of the Holy Ghost comforts, witnesses and testifies of Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. Also reveals and tells the truth.” Angela was way excited and we were also. She made sure that I was a part of it and ask me to talk at her baptism. So on Saturday we are driving up to Parkersburg (old area)for Angela’s baptism then driving back down to Charleston for Carrissa’s baptism. Carrissa is really special it even proves it in her name with the extra “R” and “S”. At least that’s what she told us. When Carrissa was only five year old she had said that her Papa would baptize her. Her papa was not even a member. She held on to what she had said when she was five and her papa did join the church a couple of years ago and was able to perform his first baptism on Carrissa. These two sisters were both smiling the whole time; we could not get them to stop. I t was wonderful to be a part of both of their new life’s.

Stephanie Hendersen our gator is amazing she’s reading so much and has notice how much better she feels when she reads. We got some of the best ice cream with her at Maggie Moo’s. Oh it was the best ice cream I have ever eaten. It was kind of like cold stone but better.

The Elders are happily giving us one of there investigator because she was getting a little attached to one of them. She’s hard of hearing and has some incest problems. It’s a sticky situation one minute she knows everything and wants to get baptized then the next minute she flipping out and saying she doesn’t want to learn any more. She called us really late last night. (If you want to say 10:30 is late) well it is to a missionary. We are worn out. Anyways she called last night and said it will only take a minute but it ended up being an hour and some. Man I don’t know if I’m the same person anymore because I don’t know if I like talking on the phone as much as I use too.

Oh something else that is new is I ate a whole green pepper and I had never eaten them before. I always thought they were hot so I stayed away from them but I got some really good ranch dip and sat and ate the whole thing. I’m so proud of me with trying all these new foods. You will not even know what to do with me.

Love ya all
Sister Barrand
P.S. We work with a senior couple in the office and Sister Reddish reminds me of Grandma Hogan. So that’s great.

Look its up to my knees
Dead tired

A Frog

This is what a EEG(sleep test) looks like and what I looked like during it
Sister Glad being Glad
Presidents Cowler 68th B-Day Celebration

Sister Glad and I in the Office

Grass...Hair???

Hey there

Being a media sister is a little different. It’s nice to help out the other missionaries, do office work, be so close to President and still have investigators. Love my new comp. Sister Glad she really can be expanded by her last name. Her and I both came out together. We like to get the work done around here, so I think this will be a great companionship.When I got up here to South Charleston we went over to President’s house and celebrate his 58th Birthday. He started getting teary eyed when we stated sing to him. He is the best President I could have asked for with the biggest heart.Brenda in the ward wasn’t able to mow her lawn because she didn’t have any gas for her lawn mower because she didn’t have any money since the gas prices are up to $3.24 per gallon. Crazy uh. When I first got out here on my mission it was $1.98per gallon. So we fixed her up with some gas and I mowed her foot and half long grass.

I have never sweated so hard and much in my life. I was all excited to cut the lawn because it’s similar to cutting hair. But it’s a little different. Instead of cuts on my fingers I have blisters on my thumbs. I hope you don’t think I’m complaining just explaining why women stick to the heads of hair not lawns of grass. Not to mention pulling the gas to get it started uses a little more muscles than flipping a switch on the blow dryer. Again I’m not complaining. I would be more than thrilled to mow the lawn again. But there is one more thing instead of dandruff jumping out at you; you have to be cautious of cute little frogs.Stephanie (investigator) is amazing.

She has been reading and praying. She takes notes and loves being taught. She’s been out of town and hasn’t been able to come to church but she went to go find the church building and said it looked really friendly. Yeah!We were over at a 10 year investigators house Angela, who husband is a convert. Angela works hard and unfortunately always falls asleep during our lessons. We are working on keeping her awake, and helping her husband Robert recognize the spirit. For some reason he thinks he has never felt the spirit even being a convert into the church. We kindly shoved it down his throat about recognizing the spirit.Mother’s day was great. I loved hearing from home. It’s good to hear the voice of your own parents. Just wish I got to hear from the other mothers in my family. Even the bran new ones!!
Love ya
Sister Barrand
P.S. My new address is
888 Oakwood Rd. Ste. 310
Charleston WV, 25314

Me at the Hospital!!
Angela Kelley getting baptized by Bishop long on the 19th

Don't Worry

Don’t worryI’m doing a lot better.

On Monday around 9:40 a.m. I answered the phone and felt really dizzy and so I handed the phone to Sister Ryder. I laid down and it only lasted for about a minute until I felt better and the dizzy feelings went away. Went off to District Mtg. and it happen two more times. The elders gave me a blessing and we were off to lunch. During lunch it happened two more times. We went home and I had 7 more episodes of this weird feeling of dizziness and not really being all the way there. While I was on the phone with the doctor he tried figuring it out. Finally we just headed off to the doctors, luckily it was only 5 minutes away. They did some testing and were waiting for the result . While the nurses were out I had another episode. Sister Boning ran out to get the doctor and it was like I was passed out. I remember him pulling my eye lids open and pinching my arms. They said that I was having Pseudo Seizures caused by stress.

The weird thing is I don’t feel really stressed out. I love my companion, the area’s progressing and we have two baptisms coming up. Another weird thing is that I had these “Pseudo Seizures” about a year ago out in Utah. Megan thought is was constipation but its not. It was my first CAT scan and I had to be in the room with a young man with out my companion and it was really weird. When I got home I receive one of the most powerful blessings from Brother Hungate. He assured me everything was going to be ok. His mouth poured out and I heard everything I needed to and felt the saviors love wrap around me. The other Elders that were standing in both agreed that that was the most powerful and spiritually experience that they have had on their missions. I had a MRI and I have an EEG test tomorrow just to make sure that everything is ok. President wanted me to talk you my family and I’m glad I did cause I feel much better. Today at transfers President Cowley gave me a blessing to assured me everything will be ok. I feel better just a little weak. I’m staying here in Parkersburg till the testing is all done.

But before all this happened I was going to be transfer to the Media office. So I’ll be there at the end of the week. Yeah I am a media Sister!!!. Hey cool story while I was sitting here a man asked me if I was Judy and I pointed out my name tag and said no I’m sister Barrand. I started asking him some question and he started talking about the church. I guess he had the 12 lessons a long time ago and has some issues but we will get those all straighten out. I’m so proud of my little model nephew I knew he was the cutest little boy and that I might have a problem know that my kid are never going to be as cute. So if you can pray that everything will be ok and the test results come back positive and I will not get stressed out. I love you all. Thanks for all you do.

Love
Sister Seizures Barrand

getting dirty planting a garden
Cutting Genni's hair for her Wedding day
burning nylons for my 6 month mark
Crazy Elders

Parkersburg Pic's

This is Parkersburg and across the bridge is Ohio
Angela's experiment room with flowers, vegetables(tomatoes and waltermelons), swamp plants, mold, gupies and shrimp!
Can you believe this is their Highschool...
And this is where they live.

Loin Cloths

Well next week is transfers and this transfer went by quick. I think that I will be staying here in Parkersburg with Sister Ryder. Although there is talk of a threesome but I guess we will find out soon.Jennifer is a 13 year old girl nonmember that has been coming to church with Jessica D. since February. Every time we tried to set something up with her she would be upset because of Jessica uninviting her to activities and girls camp. Theses girls would get into physical fights and banter with one another. Jessica even though treated like an out cast would still come to church. The two girls were just better off not being friends.

Now that she been hanging out with other young woman and taking the lessons, her countenance has changed. She is not rowdy or rude, she sits peacefully with us and other families and her family saved up to buy her a shirt instead of the ripped jeans she previously had been wearing. Jennifer and has told the Hungates and us that she feels that this is the true church. After church she was asking about how she can become a member and what goes on if she is baptized. She also wants to go with the youth to the temple to do baptism for the dead. Wow what a change the spirit can have on a person. We have some new investigators, like Angela Kelley. She was driving around thinking about getting direction in her life and happened to pull up to our church building and called bishop Long.

We meet her and are teaching her. Is that the direction of the lord? I believe so. I’m sorry I know so. I just hope I stay here because things are going really well and people are progressing. On P-Day we went on a Beautiful killer 3 hour hike and I pulled two muscles in the first ten minutes and was kinda in pain the whole time, but it’s all good I kept going, but I will tell you something it’s a whole different ballgame when it hot and there is humidity. It’s really hott. The Elders were crazy they were jumping off cliff, throwing boulders, climbing trees, doing back flips off of trees, running down hill, and to top it off loin cloths to add to their attire. I’m just glad I’m not their mother. I kind of reminded me of Aussie.

I love you all
Sister Barrand

Testimony

The other day we set out to find all of the people that were interested but could never get a hold of. We prayed about getting a hold of them. We were able to get in and teach and the spirit was strong with both Kimberly’s. Any time we get to bare a solid testimony on the restoration I feel the spirit so strongly. We had an experience the other day where a less active member had some way different concerns. We bore our testimonies and even thought she had not been to church in over twenty years and her husband took his name off the records after being in the temple, she bore a simple but powerful testimony so simple that she did not even realize why she hadn’t been to church. She figures that that anti had a lot to do with it and regrets ever reading any of it. She worries about having lead her children astray.

Of course the Atonement of Jesus Christ plays a big part and can make her feel whole again. We gave her the official church website and we’ll pray that the testimony she has now will grow. From the first time she had the sister come over a couple of months ago, she was upset and didn’t want any other contact with any members. Her heart has softened; she is open and earning to fill her heart with the everlasting gospel of Jesus Christ again. You don’t know how much it means to me to be an instrument in the Lords hands, when all I do is heed to the promptings of the spirit. This is the best work anyone can ever imagine. I have so much to be grateful for. Beside that we had our first exchanges. Yeah! I went up to the Media office with Sister Quinton. I made sure she knew how much I loved her and was grateful for being such an awesome missionary. We helped start a clean up at this deaf ladies home who had no room at all to even just stand. We barley made a dent but at least it’s a start.I love you all soooo much

Sister BarrandI’m so proud of you AussieMom and Dad have a blast in Costa Rica. Dad: throw away all those plans and have fun with your wife!!!! Let me know if you are getting a new partner at work1Siblings: man I love hearing from you. And the rumor about getting no mail after 6 months is true.:( Oh I can’t wait to talk mission talk with you all!!!!!

Tracting?

Thing are good here. My comp and I are awesome together. The food is pretty good haven’t had anything gross lately and the weather has been awkwardly cold and everyone keep complaining about their plant being killed by the freezing weather but I think its going to warm up here pretty soon. Pretty sad about the whole Virginia Tec tragedy we are about 5 hours away but I knew a lot of the students and professors that attended there. I was able to call them to make sure everyone was accounted for so far so good.

My old Stake President, President Hendrix works as a professor down there. He was in his office and put his desk in front of the door so the gunman would not be able to get in. The gunman giggled the door and tried to get in, but I guess went for a different target. I’m grateful for the promptings we get from the Holy Ghost to protected us.Apparently the whole door to door knocking is not over with selling pest control was not enough. Our zone goal is to knock together in each of our areas from 6-7. Man when I heard this I wasn’t too excited. I think I might of tried to persuade them otherwise. I tried explaining that we usually have other appointments at that time and a bigger window of time to tract would be better. I felt bad all the next day and had a strong impression to go tracking no matter what even if it was our only time to eat.

Well on Friday the thirteenth we ate on the run so we could track from 6-7 cause we had interviews at 7. Something kept telling me that it was possible. We both had a feeling that we should track around the church building. We found a street and parked in the middle. We started at the last house on the street. Drew a 15 year old boy came to the door, in most cases I would have given him the whole shpeal but felt inclined to ask for the owner of the house, knowing that most member join from teens to mid twenties. Tonya came out, we were taken a little off guard when she said that she wanted to hear more. She told us that she had been talking with some people she works with about getting back to church. And that this was meant to be.

She said that the message was beautiful and that we were like angels. She wanted to meet again to hear more. She was looking for something like this to come along and she found happiness in what we had shared with her. She had never even heard about the church until we came along. To think that she hasn’t ever been introduced hurts me inside cause she only lives two second away from the church. We excited to share more with her and have been enjoying tracking. The not even on disabilities, she’s basically normal. We told the Elders that they win and that they were inspired. I love this work. It makes me so happy to see others happy through this gospel.

Love yaSister Barrand

P.S. I hope my talk went over well. At least I made them laugh twice about praying for a deer.P.S.S. o oe, ole Tama numela Tasi.