"Thank you Father for sending these two ladies to bring happiness into my life." -Rex

This week was much better than last week, thank yall for the prayers!

On Wednesday our Zone got together to watch an international missionary broadcast from Salt Lake! They haven't done one of these in about 10 years, so that's probably why I had no idea they happened. But it was great to hear  Apostles and leaders of the Church talking directly to those of us wearing the name tags all around the world :) Singing Called to Serve with every missionary everywhere was pretty neat. The whole program was a reminder of how great this work is, how important our purpose is, and the Lord is truly directing us.  Now I wish I had brought my notes.. sorry. But I'm so grateful for this chance I have to serve the Lord and help strengthen the faith of the people here in Mississippi! The Spirit of the meeting has helped me rededicate and re-motivate myself. It came in perfect timing!

Also on Thursday there were tornadoes in my area! It was my first time hearing the sirens and we ran to the Church for cover. There was a really crazy storm, some people crazy enough to stand by windows said they saw hail..  The only damage I've heard of is in Sumrall (the far away small town in my area) and they have been taken care of! 

Sorry this email is super short, I promise I had a good week! We found 7 new investigators (record!), and we met a slightly crazy old man named Rex in Sumrall who is a hitch-hiking, song-writing spy for the CIA. If you've heard a good song lately, he probably wrote it. 200 of his songs were stolen 30 years ago at a carnival and he is still very upset.. He also owns several well-known businesses but has never seen a penny from them. Yes, life has been very unfair to this man and the Gospel will really bless him! Never a dull moment out hur in Mizippee! 

I love you all! Have a blessed week :)

Sister Bartsch

"Don't MAAM me!! Thats like puttin a uhh, a toilet out in the barn!! .......it just don go thur." -Miss Kay

WHAT A WEEK! 

Sometimes weeks feel like months and that was this week. But I have some funny stories if yall have a minute to read them :)

First, Khua (pronounced Qua). Khua lives three doors down from us and has shown up for church twice now! He is in his 20's and his English is not very strong. He says he understands better than he speaks. One evening at around 9:00 Sister Kelly and I are getting ready for bed when our doorbell rings! "What? NO ONE comes here, who in the world could that be?!" It was Khua. He just kind of walked into our apartment. We kept telling him "sorry! you can't come in here!" and we stood in the doorway, but he just kept getting closer to my face! Do I let him get closer or step back? This poor kid is confused, so I step back, he comes inside and tells us that he has a question about our church. He wanted us to come by tomorrow night to talk about it. OKAY KHUA GOODNIGHT NOW. The whole time my District Leader was on the line even more freaked out

 than any of us were. So that was weird. 

And then the next day we talk in our driveway and after a good minute we understand that his question is about TITHING! He said that in other churches if you like something you give money, but was confused how to give money to our church because we don't pass an offering plate like he is used to. He wrote all over his hand 1/10 and $2000/200 to explain. He even used scriptures from his Bible (in a language I have never seen before) to clarify his question. This guy did his research. We told him we would show him our tithing envelopes next time he is at Church. As he was leaving he told us that he would be working next Sunday. Yall guess what he does for work? MAKES SUSHI. I haven't had Sushi since I went out with friends in Logan before my mission. This sweetheart brought us Sushi on Sunday night and made our whole week a little bit better :) Don't worry, we will be finding someone who can teach Khua over Skype.

On Wednesday we helped Miss Kay renovate her trailer. Miss Kay is someone that has been taking lessons from missionaries for a really long time. She is older, has no teeth, and tells the funniest life stories I have ever heard. (We found out the other day that she was 45 and were absolutely shocked.) I have never felt more like I was immersed in Southern Culture than I did that afternoon. Man. we painted a wall and laid some flooring over her older laminate flooring. There were so many good quotes for me to choose from, I hope yall like the one I picked :) I'm sure there will be more from this fine lady! 

We went to a Mardi Gras parade! Pretty much they just drive trucks and trailers down the streets and throw beads at crowds of people. It was pretty fun. I got a couple pictures. People say Mardi Gras in Hattiesburg isn't too crazy. I've never celebrated it before! But we have been fed lots of King Cake :) 

We haven't seen Russell since the 6th. He has been pretty sad and then he got sick, we are praying for him, and members of the ward are waiting to help him out as soon as he is ready. Keep him in your prayers! Quitting smoking has been a real struggle for him. 

On Sunday we had a Southeastern Stakes Conference Broadcast! We heard from General Authorities and Apostles in Salt Lake City. It was really cool! There was a really good message about the Prodigals Son. Sister Reeves reminded us not to compare ourselves to others. "Just because God is smiling on someone else, doesn't mean he is frowning on you!" Too often when someone else does something impressive or receives recognition, we think down on ourselves. God doesn't compare His children. He loves us perfectly and individually.

This week was rough for us down here in Mississippi, but we are still alive and still determined to keep trying. Pray for us and the people here, please! 

 Anyways this week is going to be better because I am here for a REASON! That reason is to be creative in finding. To do different things. To get involved in other churches by serving them and building friendships. To share the gospel by living it right in front of others! And I'm here for these sweet sisters. Because I need to learn to be better friends with girls. I am in a wealthy area because it is the exact opposite of what I wanted for myself, so it must be exactly what I need! I'm here for Russell, who I haven't seen in almost two weeks, because I can really empathize with some of what he is going through. I'm here because many need support with addictions and I guess I am good at that or maybe I need more practice. And, lastly, I am here right now in this area because it is REALLY HARD FOR ME. I struggle to be motivated to work almost every day! This situation has brought me to my knees much like being a new trainer did. That's a lot of praying. I'm simply trying to stay myself and not sink into a generic, boring, missionary. I have a lot to learn here. That is why I'm here! And as I learn, I hope I can teach others and have opportunities to tell them the truth. 

My transfer schedule shifts a week next transfer, it's going to be 7 weeks long!!! WANT TO KNOW SOMETHING CRAZY MY HALFWAY MARK IS NEXT TRANSFER WHAT?!?!

I love you all! Have a blessed week!

Sister Bartsch

Southernism: FINNA. 
If you need to say something really fast, 'finna' is the replacement for 'fixin to.' 
It is usually barely squeezed into an expression and you almost don't even hear it.
"oh, WOAH! I'm finnaget out the way!" -Miss Kay

I think I will leave that one out of my vocabulary. 

"...let us cheerfully do all things that lie in our power..." Doctrine and Covenants 123:17

Hello Beautiful People!

I have had a great week :) Remember how I said we were trying every suggestion in the book for finding people to teach? Well, I am loving it.  Some things don't work too well, like leaving a card with a really confused lady at a funeral home - telling her to give it to a sad person. But other things have worked great! With our new emphasis on members and making our dinner appointments more purposeful, we have had some success. Members have invited Russell to their homes, we helped the ward write their mission plan for the year, and we got some great referrals! We contacted one of them a couple days ago and we have another family to teach. YAY.

 In my scripture study, I have been very impressed with Ammon and his willingness to serve people. His service led to great relationships and trust! That is what you try to build with people as a missionary.. SO, Sister Kelly and I walked into the local thrift store and asked if they would allow us to do volunteer hours! THEY SAID YES! Last week we did about six hours of service there, going through donations, pricing, cleaning, and talking to people :) The thrift store is owned by a local baptist church, and we have been able to talk a little bit about our religions, and even clear up some common misconceptions about our beliefs. We are planning on attending their Sunday service this month and getting to know more people there. Working with other churches is one of my favourite things to do down here, I get to know so many wonderful people. This service opportunity has been great, and to make it better they give us employee discount and first look. Got a skirt for $.25 and a Duck Dynasty shirt for $1. Score. 

Did I tell yall Duck Dynasty is in my mission? I can't remember. 

Russell is our best friend, I wish I had a picture of him (goal for this week). Our last few appointments have been by a campfire and the Spirit has been really strong. He has such a great desire to change his life and circumstances so he can better live the commandments and follow the Saviour. He lives in a camper outside of his Uncle's house and his Uncle had the idea to have us over for a campfire dinner to start a fast for  Russell. HE BURNED HIS CIGARETTES! And made it through his first fast! His family and friends haven't been very supportive, but he is sincere and motivated to find better influences. Russell is our age, and that is a really hard transition to make. Pray for us and him this week as we try to help him!  Sister Kelly and I are really focusing on the difference between ministering and administering. Every once in a while it hits me really hard how real this missionary work is, how much of an impact I truly have on the people I teach....... I don't want to mess up :) I'm bearing my testimony with more sincerity, not giving up on people, and setting higher expectations for myself. Good things are happening :)

Funny Southernism: In apartment complexes, no one carries their trash to the dumpsters. They put their trash bags on the trunk of their cars and drive it around the corner to throw it away. I should take some pictures, we see it every day. Even if it's just one bag.. they drive it. SO yesterday Sister Kelly and I cleaned the apartment for 7 hours and had a lot of trash (missionaries leave so much behind when they leave) that we piled in, on, and hanging from the car to drive to the dumpster.  It was probably around 30 steps away. We felt very Southern. And can you say GHE-TTO!!! I love this place :)

Today is transfers so I have pictures of my Zone and my Sisters to send home. It has been a great six weeks in Oak Grove, I am glad that I am finally finding reason for me to be here :) 

On Sunday, everyone we have been working with came to Church. Joel and Dede (Joel recently came back to church and Dede just got baptized), Whitney and Paris (we have been teaching Whitney and dying to meet her boyfriend, he showed up at church!), Forest and Britney (Forest is a member, but hasn't been to church in years and Britney is his girlfriend who we have been teaching), Sister Curry (sweet lady who is coming back to church - my first lesson in Oak Grove!), and Sister Hunt (another sweet old lady who one day decided to quit smoking all on her own, has been feeling much better, and has been coming back to church). The only one missing was Russell, but we were thrilled to have so many great people with us!!!!!!!! Miracles, miracles, miracles. 

Thanks for the prayers, I feel them being answered!

HAVE A BLESSED WEEK 

Sister Bartsch

"Thank you, Jesus! Amen." -Jasmine, age 5

Merry Christmas, Happy New Year! Two weeks is too long, I've missed yall :)

I have a couple miracles to share! First is our Christmas miracle. Weeks ago, Sister Kelly was sent $100 from a friend at home to spend on someone in need. We stewed over that money for a long time and finally decided to call our good friends the Zone Leaders the day  before Christmas Eve. They have been preparing a family of 6 kids to be baptized and they wouldn't be having a Christmas. They were debating moving their celebration to January when their next paycheck came in :/ Long story shorter, we teamed up with them, let some members in the area know what we were doing, and ended up with $400 to spend on this family. We got each of them presents and

stocking and bought the family food for a nice Christmas dinner. Everything was wrapped and ready on Christmas Eve and we went to drop it off! We wished it could have been anonymous, but there was no way to get our two trunks full of gifts up to there apartment without all the neighborhood kids seeing... The Elders have told us how grateful the family is and we are so grateful for the Christmas Spirit we could feel while helping these beautiful people :) It was wonderful, pray for the Law Family :)

Our Christmas also included several dinners with families, Christmas jammies, TALKING TO OUR FAMILIES, and serving lots of people. I loved it.

For the New Year we played with sparklers, watched fireworks from the youth dance from our window, took some pictures, and watched a Pioneer movie :) On New Years Day we drove out to Jackson with the Zone Leaders for our Missionary Leadership Council. There was a little party there and we stayed the night for our all-day meeting on the 2nd. This was my first real MLC and it was exciting to be involved in bettering the mission, helping the missionaries, and pushing the work forward! I'm excited to apply everything we learned and teach the Zone so they can as well. MLC was exactly what I needed to start the year off rededicated to this work :) I'm pumped. 

Writing MJM with sparklers!

Second miracle: Prayers are answered. Finding people to teach in this area is extremely hard. (I'm pretty sure I've mentioned that) Tracting usually feels like a waste of time! We have been given plenty of other ways to find people and permission to spend more of our time doing them, but we decided to take an hour to knock on doors yesterday. Sundays are usually best to find families at home, usually after they have been to church, and they tend to be more willing to listen to us. We prayed together about where to go, picked streets on the map, and went to a street that both of us had been drawn to. Yall. Third door we knocked, Natasha answered and LET US INSIDE TO TEACH HER FAMILY. She is a single mom of 4 kids, all under 11, they recently moved to the area, and she raises her children with wonderful faith. In my 5 weeks here, this was the first person to let us into their house. We sat down, they turned off their TV, we taught a full lesson, and they were all engaged. Natasha accepted a Book of Mormon, and set up a time for us to come back! All of the kids wanted to say a closing prayer, Jasmine is in my subject line :) Little black kids are my favourite! When we left, Sister Kelly and I were speechless. God answers prayers! We REALLY needed a good lesson yesterday to lift our spirits and He knew that. 

This year is going to be a great one. I'll be able to spend every day but 10 out here serving the Lord :) I've made some resolutions that will help me to grow, to reach more people, and to draw closer to my Saviour. I'll be seeing many miracles this year, I can feel it! And they will change me :) Thank you for your prayers and support, I received many cards and things in the mail and I appreciate the thoughts so much!  I spent some time journaling and reflecting on this last year, and I decided that being a missionary is the hardest/greatest thing I have ever done and I can't imaging being here without you! 

Have a blessed week! Write me an email sometime :) 

Love, 
Sister Bartsch

"THIS IS HER PIG IF YALL NEEDTA PUT A STICKER ON IT." Me "Oh, sorry, uhh, I don't work here.. cute pig."

Somehow I missed posting this Blog post from DECEMBER 14, 2015.  Sorry!

CRAZY WEEK!

Elder Kopischke from the Quorum of the 70 came to instruct our mission :) He led a Zone Conference on Wednesday and our Mission Leadership Council meeting on Friday. He was so wonderful. He answered so many questions that had been on my mind for a while now. He motivated the whole mission to be better and gave us specific ways we can be. Even though he was speaking to hundreds of missionaries, I really felt that I caught the parts that were just for me. I definitely learned what I was ready to learn. He emphasized that Joseph Smith wouldn't have received such miraculous answers to his questions if he wasn't hungering, searching, and desiring the answers. This led into what he called the Faith Cycle, which would take too long for me to explain in an email. The Faith Cycle helped me to understand what I (and anyone I am teaching) need to go through to receive powerful answers to questions and great increases of faith. As I have said before, I struggle with my faith sometimes, and I went into Zone Conference searching for ways that I can strengthen it. I got my answers and I am applying this cycle in everything I do! I hope someday Elder Kopischke gives a conference talk on this, because the world would love it and when I try to explain it, it's far from the same. 

Basically, never tell yourself you don't have enough faith. We can't take the praise for miracles happening, so we shouldn't take the blame for them not! God's will will always be done. Even Jesus Christ, with perfect faith, didn't get the answer or miracle he asked for. Mat 26:36 says "And he went a little further, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt." Continue to act on the faith that you have, that faith will increase, miracles and power will come in His time :) 

Anyways, Elder Kopischke was very uplifting and he taught similar things in our MLC, but applied more to help those we have influence on in our Zones. Twas great and I'm much more confident in my new calling! I went on my first exchange in Laurel, MS! Sister Rodriquez and I worked in their area and I loved it. Laurel is a very humble town that reminded me of Bossier. So I felt right at home, and we had many opportunities to share our message with people. It was a breath of fresh air! 

We've been teaching Russell twice a week! He didn't make it to church on Sunday, but we have been able to share the whole plan of Salvation with him and he understands it well. We are working on helping him to APPLY the things we discuss in his life. I think that's sometimes a struggle for all of us. Learning something is one thing, but receiving a testimony strong enough to live it is another. We want Russell to feel the peace that comes from knowing where our loved ones go after they pass away. The world is such a dark place without this knowledge. Our Heavenly Father loves us and doesn't want us to be lost and confused! Knowing that there is a place for all of God's children to go after death eases my heart. For me, knowledge brings peace. And we think Russell is the same way. Pray that he will connect what we teach to his life and be able to gain a testimony for himself!!

Sometimes missionary life becomes too stressful and Heavenly Father sends you a tender mercy in the form of puppies. On Tuesday we were knocking on some trailer doors, a man told us he wasn't interested, same old, same old, and as we were leaving, our ankles were attacked by five fluffy little puppies!!!!!!! We sat in his yard and played with them for a good minute before moving on. It was much needed and well appreciated :) 

God loves you and I love you! 

Have a blessed week, everyone!

Sister Bartsch