Sister Autumn Barnes

Oi!

I have a new niece!!! Whooo!!!! I was so excited to hear about that! Lola Mae! She is beautiful! Congrats Derek, Amber, Tyson, and Eliza! Can't wait to see her (when she's about 10 months old). :)

So remember that one time when I said that a mission always pushes you out of your comfort zone? And remember how I said that I was really loving Sister Machado and was really content with her? Yeah.....received a phone call from the Assistants to the President that pushed me out of my comfort zone again. Emergency Transfer. Sister Machado would be transfered the next day, and I would receive a new companion. Don't take this the wrong way....I am not talking bad about my new companion.....but my new companion is the Sister that no one in the mission wants to be put with.  I really miss Sister Machado. I feel robbed because I only spent 2 weeks with her, but I know that being companions with this Sister will teach me a lot. I will learn a lot from her as well. Last week I received a reply email from President Wright. I want to tell you what he said to me. 

"Sister Barnes, if you only knew how wonderful you are! I would take a hundred of you any day. We love you so much. You will be great and the Lord will bless you with the language. My wife speaks so highly of you! Help your comp. learn English as she helps you learn Portuguese. Remember the Lord works with the humble in wonderful ways. Your weaknesses will become your strength. (Ether 12:27) I will need you to help out with other sisters who are struggling in other ways. 

Abraços, Pres. Wright"

So I read that email last week and thought......wow, someday in the future I will have to help out some sisters that are really struggling. I didn't know that this day would come so soon. But, here I am trying to be clay in the hands of the Lord. I am trying to let go of MY wants and wishes and let him mold me into the woman and missionary that he wants me to be, that he KNOWS I can be. I doubt myself. Always. But, I don't doubt the Lord. I don't doubt the fact that he can work miracles through me. I don't doubt that he can make more out of me than I can of myself. I don't doubt that he can give me divine power and help from on high to do the things that I have been called to do. I don't doubt that he can make me an instrument in his hands. 

So here is what happened. Something went wrong in an area of Elders. The Elders were pulled from the area. My companion and her old companion weren't getting along very well, so President separated them. Sister Quiara is here with me, and Sister Machado is now companions with Sister Quiara's old companion and are opening the area where the Elders were pulled from. Haha make sense? Sister Quiara is from Para......northern Brazil. She lives in the region that most people think of when they think of Brazil.............the Amazon Rainforest. We have very different backgrounds, personalities.....but we are both here united in the same cause! 

Good news! Just got an email from the mission. My zone has now received temple privileges! All the missionaries in the zone can go to the temple once every three months now! What a blessing! I could really use a temple visit right now! Thank you President Wright for making the temple more accessible! 

Oh....I have decided that winter here isn't that bad. Yet. I don't know if it will get much worse, but so far it is completely bearable. MUCH better from that flippin' heat that almost killed me! 

I love you all! I hope you all know that I have a testimony of this Gospel. I know that Jesus Christ is our Lord and Savior, our Redeemer and Exemplar. He opened the way for us to have peace and happiness in this life and forever after as well. Look to Him in all things, and you will never go astray! 

Sister Barnes