HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

It's funny to talk to people here about thanksgiving, because the only thing they know about it is that we eat turkey. Turkey here is really expensive, so we're going without it today, but that's okay with me because the best parts about thanksgiving can still be celebrated, even from far away. I was really touched by your 5 kernels of corn, so I'll start with mine--

1)I'm grateful for a Heavenly Father who loves me and hears and answers my every day prayers.

2)I'm grateful for a family that I love more than anything else. I'm so excited to live together forever!

3)I'm thankful for living prophets and apostles who guide our church. Without them this couldn't be Christ's church, and we would know and laugh a lot less, and struggle a lot more.

4)I'm thankful for little small and simple things which bring a lot of joy. Ranging from morning jogs, to snail-mailed e-mail updates from happy missionaries across the world, to funny things my companions say, to investigators who call you because they want to meet, to weekly homemade pizza, to pump-up EFY songs,to awesome scriptures that involve the numbers 12 and 3 and everything else in between.

5)Finally I'm grateful for the atoning grace of Jesus Christ. Like Elyse said, I don't understand completely, but I know that He lives and died for every individual person, and will make up for us when we do our best.

As I was planning out my kernels, I realized that they all tie pretty close into Gospel. It kind of looks like a lesson plan. But at this point in my life, these are the things that I think about most all of the time. I forget what a blessing it is to be on a mission sometimes, until I realize that wow I'm on a mission! I really do love serving, there is nothing else I'd rather be doing. And right when I start to miss home cooking, boom I get a package from home, (which came today!). Thank you! I love and miss you.

This week has been so magical. I don't know if magic is the right word but it's been really good and everything is just working out. Firstly, I love my companions. Even though we can't fully understand each other when we pray or teach, we are getting along really well and are united in what we're doing. Both Elder Hatch (lithuanian-WA) and McLaren (latvian-ID) are starting to study Russian so that's been fun pulling out the MTC materials and starting all over. They both have the alphabet down, and are working on the cases. I'm not exactly sure how to explain cases but it's a good thing we don't really use them in English.

We had our last zone conference in Estonia last Friday and it went really well. Elder and Sister Senkans are so amazing and really understand and live the gospel. Like every other general authority I've ever met (which is three, but still) Elder Senkans is always happy and cracking jokes, even when everyone else is stressed out. We were trying to find an address in Tallin and didn't know the street name or something, and Elder Senkans kept saying, “why don't we use the GPS?” Haha, I dont know if everyone in the car thought it was funny, but I was cracking up, on the inside. When he speaks he just teaches doctrine, knows the scriptures so well and really invites the spirit. In Estonia, he mentioned how we shouldn't worry about the language because if someone wants to hear perfect estonian/russian, they can go talk with anyone else. What we need to focus on is our calling and just being happy. He also said that as representatives of Jesus Christ we don't have the right to get offended. That was way powerful.

The theme of zone conference was working with members, so while driving home we realized we should put the new knowledge to use and Saturday was miraculous! We had two solid lessons with members, one to Juris with Petris from Australia and the other to Luba Valiolova (woman who cleans the church-- so saintly) with Katya and Tatiana. We're going to give Juris a break for a while, because his family is really opposed and he's swamped with work. But Katya and Tatiana are good to go! We knocked into them our first night together (Nov 12th, jeah) and they told us to come back on Saturday. So we came back and the first lesson went smoothly, it was clear that they were interested and looking for truth. We returned the following week and Katya had already read up to 2nd Nephi and was just beaming. So at the end of the lesson we invited her to be baptized on December 12th and she was all for it! So excited. Tatiana is her mother, mid 50's and (Katya is 31) is the sister of a man who had been investigating the church in Riga for over a year with his wife and 2 kids. They recently moved to Canada but are still in contact with the missionaries, and had given Tatiana and Katya a Book of Mormon and everything. Tatiana has yet to start reading, but is happy to meet just not as quick to act. But this last Saturday is when we brought Sister Valiolova and the lesson was perfect and she testified the whole time and Katya came to church the following day and Sister Valiolova had already told a lot of members so they all came up to her and were hugging and kissing her and giving her nicknames and they whole ordeal. It was awesome. We've taught her again this week with some other members and she is flying through the Book of Mormon and really excited to be baptized. Her husband is working in Finland
right now, so we haven't been able to talk with him, but she says he's perfectly okay with it all. I should send his address to Sister Richey and then she could teach him! Hey, that might actually work. He is from Azerbazjan and Muslim, so that might be pretty interesting. I'll ask where he's living right now, and maybe we can work something out! But Katya and Tatiana are such kind, good people and very prepared for the gospel. I love prepared people.

Another quick miracle for this week is Ilvars! He's the man we found on Halloween, and he called us last week to come to church. He has been reading a lot from the Book of Mormon and says that since he's met with us, he thinks about God a lot more and good things have happened. For example the other night he said he lost his wallet with all his cards and about 60$ cash and within half an hour someone called him and returned everything! That is a big time miracle. He actually just called a little while ago because he doesn't have to work today and wants to meet up. He's also very prepared and working towards being baptized on December 12th. That is going to be one happy day.

We had a district thanksgiving lunch hosted by the Senior missionaries today who made all different kinds of soup. It kinda reminded me of our annual Christmas party! Just a lot more formal and not so much free time. But it definitely reminded that we are big time blessed!

I love you all a whole heap, and wish you a happy thanking feast!

Love, Elder Barnes #12