The song Silent Night...in Spanish it is....... Night of Light; Night of Peace!

Gah! It was so fun talking to you. I love you all so much! Sorry I was all blubbery and weepy. My emotions were all over the place! You all look/sound so good. I miss just sitting around and chatting with you, BUT honestly I feel zero homesickness. I was talking with the Elderes and they were talking about how trunky they were. I cried for about 5 minutes after hanging up, and then everything went back to normal. We had to go help some sisters out, so it was back to business hahaa. I just feel that I have a lot to take care of here in Canoga Park so I can't be home!

Here is the transfer scoop. I AM STAYING! 5 transfers in Canoga Park! And my companion is leaving! And I was released as Sister Training Leader!  President called at 10:15 last night and said, "With great lament I am releasing you as a STL, but I am sure you are going to be one again..." Also me and my new companion (Hermana Henzi from Utah) are being moved to an english district meaning we are still spanish missionaries but our district consists of Korean and English missionaries. So there is still a district with all the rest of the spanish missionaries, but for some reason Presidente moved us out of it. I trust him though. I know there is something I am going to learn! You can never predict transfers. Never. Nunca. I am excited for what this transfer will bring. What 2016 will bring!?!

Christmas Day and Christmas Eve consisted of:

1. District meeting where we watched some Mormon Messages and exchanged gifts

2. Lunch with Hna G......and her two kids. We sang Christmas songs and ate lots of yummy food (no tamales though...)

3. We saw Hna M........ and chatted with her as she expressed some sadness about her mother's death and other family concerns.

4. We spent Christmas Eve night in our members salon. She needed some help getting some presents together and she feed us more yummy food (no tamales...)

5. Christmas day we ate with the C.......... Family (no tamales...) and decorated gingerbread houses with the M.......... family!

6. Then we skyped! Weehoo

Yesterday we ate tamales! It was about time :)

I had a small mental breakdown that my only Christmas on the mission has passed. Time is a crazy thing! I will never forget this Christmas. It didn't really feel like Christmas. Well not the Christmas I am used to with snow, finishing finals and being with family, etc...but it was a Christmas that was filled with Christ and service!

 As we were driving home Christmas Eve it was dark and the roads were empty but I felt so much peace. 

I felt the assurance that Christ lives. 

That I am where I am supposed to be. 

I was thinking of the the song Silent Night...in spanish it is Noche de Luz; Noche de paz.

 Night of light; Night of peace! 

Rejoice, smile, be happy, and share the good news: Christ was born! 

The light of the world came to bring peace to the world!

! I love you lots and lots, and I should have a lot more to report next week.

Can't wait for 2016! 2016 is going to be awzzzzome :) LOVE YOU!

Hermana Moo

 

"Chewy dies, and Han gets his head cut off."

I found a poem in the Liahona that I really like

Windows of Heaven

Merrijane Rice

When the sky was blue,

My heart was brittle,

Dry to bittered souls

Seeking drink,

So God hung black clouds low,

Let loose his floods

And poured forth more

than I could hold.

I sputtered and choked

He wrapped a hand around my heart

and wrung out sustenance

for others.

The sky is gray

But my heart is soft

In drier day,

It would have

Crumbled.

I really like this poem. Skies may be gray, but our hearts are softened by the floods that fall and the winds that blow! It may feel like too much. Like we can't handle anything more. It may even feel like we are drowning, choking, or sputtering in responsibility, pain, or confusion, but God knows what He is doing! Trials teach us empathy, and empathy unites us as humans. I am learning to be more grateful for my trials. 

Sorry to hear about all the people who have passed away. What a hard time to lose a loved one, but I know God has prepared a plan for us! The plan of salvation is a perfect plan. I know there is a life after this. I knew it as I looked at Grandpa's casket. I knew that wasn't him. I knew his spirit had moved on! I am so grateful for the knowledge that we have, and I hope those families have a very merry Christmas!

Ok...what even happened this week? EVERYONE has been sick...except me (knock on wood) The 24 hour flu has been going around and a nasty cough. My companion has had the nasty cough, but I have been feeling great. Thankfully (but not so thankfully for her) one of the other sisters down the hall from us was sick, so her companion and I went on a split so we weren't stuck in the apartment with the sickies :)

We did a zone service activity this week that was part of Just Serve. We painted fire hydrants and cleaned up weeds and leaves all up and down Ventura Avenue! It was lot's of fun. I was on fire hydrant painting duty. So they gave us a big can of bright yellow paint and we went to work! 

I got my hair cut, and I accidentally cut more than I intended. I guess you will have to see it this friday muahaha...don't worry! I only cut about 4 inches. And my companion got her arms waxed haha

We went caroling as a district! Sadly it was pouring rain that night, but we did it anyway. All the people seemed to really like it. They kept trying to give us money! I literally had to dodge a guy throwing me a 20 dollar bill. We don't want your money! We are your missionaries!

Random Things

1. I convinced one of the sisters that I have a boyfriend named Charles Barkley hahaa...it was the first name that came to my head

2. I was just wearing a sweater one night and a member told me, "Don't try to be Tarzan. Wear a coat!"

3. I had to tell a little 8-year-old that saying "Damn-gosh" was bad. Her mom doesn't know any English, so she was getting away with it for a while. Mean Hermana Barfuss had to tell her to stop :)

4. I have been told multiple times that, "Chewy dies, and Hans gets his head cut off." People are raving about Star Wars!

I hope everyone has a Feliz Navidad!!!

 I am very thankful for my Savior Jesucristo.

 I am thankful for the obedience of Mary and Joseph. 

What a beautiful night in Bethlehem: stars were gleaming and angels were singing! 

We can be just like the angels and share the good news with everyone!

 We have a Savior that lives! 

He loves us, and if we follow Him we will be able to live a life full of love, joy, and purpose!

LOVE YOU!!!!!

Hermana Moo

I see Bernie 2016 bumper stickers everywhere! Whoever he is..........

 So we will skype you Christmas morning...not sure how early yet. We are still figuring that out! I will have all the details next email! We love the decorations and treats! Our apartment feels like Christmas now. I love it!!!

                             

                          Selfie with the Christmas Tree

Transfers will be a few days after Christmas. I think I will be leaving, but then I also feel like I could do 5 transfers here...pretty much I have no idea! Hermana Vega goes home in February so maybe they will keep us together for her last transfer. Who knows!Oh                                                      

                                       oh Christmas Tree oh Christmas Tree

Huge thank you to the 7th ward for the gifts! I love you all so much. I cannot wait to open them all!

I went to the temple twice this week! Weehooooo! Friday was the mission temple trip. It was great to be united in the temple with the mission and Presidente and Hermana Henrie. Then our ward did a trip to go see the lights on Saturday. We tried very hard to get an investigator to come, but no one was able to. We were a little bummed because without an investigator we were not able to go, but

  *MILAGRO ALERT* we got a phone call Saturday afternoon from E......... who is 10 years old, and she said, "Hermanas...no one in my family can go, but I really want to go. Can you find me a ride?" Of course we can! So went went with E........... and she was able to run around with the other ninos and see the lights. We talked to her a little bit about baptism and how she feels about it. It was really great to have some one-on-one time with her. The ward brought Champurado (I have no idea how to spell that) it is a hot, chocolately drink that is really thick and delicious! I will make it next Christmas ;)

This week was kind of a roller-coaster. My mind was wandering a little bit since my companion goes home in 7 weeks she has been talking a lot about home. Plus the holiday season brings a lot of family memories. Then it seemed like everyone wanted to talk about Kim Kardashian and Justin Bieber and Adele....hahaha I learned that the Kardashians live in our mission! They live like 20 minutes away from me. Anyway my mind was just all over the place! I haven't been homesick; my mind has just not been really focused completely in the work! Then I read the new Ensign and I looooooved Elder Christofferson's message. He said,

 "Just think about that baby in the manger. Sit quietly with that little baby and come away spiritually strengthened and better prepared for all that is going to come later. Just sit with the Lord and let Him warm you like a fire in the winter."

That's what I did. I just thought of that little baby. Nothing else. Just that baby that grew into a man and sacrificed so much for me. I love my Savior. The world is loud. Really loud! And taking that time to ponder the birth of Jesus Christ turned my whole week around! Then I was reading in True to the Faith and it said,

 "Just as reverence brings you closer to God, irreverence suits the purpose of the adversary. Satan will tempt you to follow the world's trend to more noise, excitement, and contention and less to restraint and quiet dignity. Like a commander mounting a military invasion, he will try to jam the channels of communication between you and the Lord. Beware of such tactics and strive to be reverent in all you do."

I really have been reflecting on what is hurting my connection with God. What is making my connection weak and fuzzy? My answer was that I needed to better prepare for the Sacrament and stay true to my covenant to always remember my Savior. What is your answer!? I guess that is my challenge for you all this week :)

Random Stuff

1. I see Bernie 2016 bumper stickers everywhere! Whoever he is...he is pretty popular in California

2. I played the piano for our ward choir and the primary kids yesterday at the Stake Christmas Musical Devotional. It was way fun! 

3. I am getting hair cut today...just a trim 4. I got the bag! It is perfect. Muchas Gracias!

 

CAN'T WAIT TO TALK WITH YOU! I love you all so much!

Hermana Moo

WE LOVE THE HATS!

So I sat there, ate my bowl of ice cream, and jammed to the Motab.

This week was lot's of fun. We had Mission Leadership Council and Zone Training Meeting. My training was on "Knock-Out" Everyday from 4-6 we knock doors. It is a mandatory rule that President Henrie started. Since I came in just after President Henrie knocking doors for two hours is all I know, but a lot of other missionaries have struggled with the change. The goal with my training was to change the attitude about knocking doors! Honestly I enjoy knocking doors. We run into a lot of people who are not interested...some are nice...some are mean...but every once and a while we knock a door, the door opens, and the person standing there has a heart that is open and prepared. That is worth knocking a 1,000 doors.

I also went on an exchange with  Sister R. who is deaf. She (and me) were a little concerned about communication, so we brought another sister that could sign to interpret. Sister R. is pretty good at reading lips, but we wouldn't be able to communicate while I was driving, so we brought another sister. It was such a cool experience. I really was introduced to the totally different world of deaf culture. We went to a member's home and everyone there signed except for me. They put on The Mormon Tabernacle Choir featuring David Archeleta and blasted it because they can feel the vibrations. So I sat there, ate my bowl of ice cream, and jammed to the Motab. It was heaven hahaha. The deaf member asked me to sign the prayer for the food, not sure why, so they taught me how to sign a prayer right then and there. It was a little embarrassing, but such a cool experience! Missions are the best.

We also watched the devotional last night in English. We weren't able to make it to the Spanish showing. I loved it. Mostly I just love the music :) I love the song that said, "What can we give him? Give him our heart!" The best gift to give our Savior is an open, humble heart.

I liked studying this scripture this week: Hebrews 12:29 "For our God is a consuming fire. 

OUR God, OUR Heavenly Father is a God that can fill our souls with a consuming fire.

He can change us. 

He can cleanse us.

OUR God can change men and changed men can change the world!

Have a great week. Enjoy the holiday happiness! Share a little happiness with everyone!

Hermana Moo 

 Here is Simi Valley! It is about 15 minutes away from my area. That's where Uncle Brock served right?

"And the spirit came down in the form of a moth."

                                                                         WEEHOO!

 Empanadas yummmm

I found the black jacket i am wearing in the closet in our apartment! Sweet!

How I look when I fix bike tires...good times

 We got a sneak preview of #HaNacidoUnSalvador (#ASaviorIsBorn) this past Wednesday. We had a little training about how to use the initiative and how to track how many new investigators come from it! It is a great tool for missionary work!

The baptism went great! So great! Her daughter gave the talk and she was very emotional and grateful to see the day where her mother was baptized. The musical number was her granddaughter singing "I Like to Look For Rainbows." I felt like mom arranging the musical number :) So the whole time I was nervous for Hna L........ because I knew the water was really cold in the font, this is going to sound bad...but she is pretty old and frail so I was worried she would be dunked in the water and go into shock from the cold. Thankfully everything went just fine!

 I talked to her after the baptism and she said, "It was cold when first got in, but when I went down, I was warm!" A small miracle for Hna Luz! A funny from the baptism was right after Hna Luz was baptized, this moth came out of nowhere and started flying around. Hno R............... who was conducting the meeting said, "And the spirit came down in the form of a moth." hahahah #baptismjokes

All in all it was a great day. Hna L....... was all smiles, and I couldn't stop smiling either! Presidente and Sister Henrie were able to come because they had to do interviews in the area. 

Random/Funny Things

1. This week we helped a member move out of her apartment that she has been in for 40 years. She only has one leg and is very weak so she hasn't been able to clean much. She has a bunch dogs...sooo it was pretty nasty. Rat poop. Dog poop. Cockroaches. Good stuff :)

2.We played soccer for Pday! All the latinos are so good. I want to get better! I can play volleyball, but my feet are definitely not coordinated. Watch out Todd and Peter! Imma school ya'll when I get back!

3. The exchanges are starting up again! I went on an exchange with Sister Arrington. She came and did Spanish work. We practiced saying a prayer in Spanish, and she was able to say one during one of her lessons! 

All is well in San Fernando :) 

I am excited for the Christmas season!

We have a Savior! 

He was born for us!

He lives for us!

Spread the good news!

Love you,

   Hermana Moo 

I looked in my side view mirror and saw the bike being dragged on the pavement..........

Thankfully everything went great for Hna L.... baptismal intereview .This week has been a roller coaster with her. We met with Hna L... 5 times this week, and one lesson lasted 3 hours. I know, I know that was way too long for a lesson, but it literally took us two hours to get her to pray. We taught her about the word of wisdom, and I asked her to end with a prayer, and she said no. We could tell something was bothering her, and about hour and a half later she finally expressed a lot of anger she has had with God about her daughter passing away. The lesson ended with her saying a very sincere prayer where she prayed for help to be ready for her baptism! The next time we saw her she told us she was ready for baptism. We finished up the lessons, and she had her interview. The day of her interview she told us she wasn't nervous like she thought she would be. When she came out of her interview I asked her how she felt, and she said, "Can't you tell? I'm happy!" Hna Luz really has been a light in my life (luz means light in spanish) I love her so much! It is crazy how much I love her. I am very excited for this Sunday :) I love being a missionary!

We had a pretty crazy week. Transfers were on Tuesday, so we had to take some of the bike sisters up to Santa Clarita, but when we woke up Tuesday morning we got a phone call that a sister needed an emergency root canal. So we got ready and picked up the sisters, and after a series of unfortunate events we were running pretty late for her appointment. We were on the 118 and missed our exit to the 405 so we had to do some flipping around (i felt like a true californian) anyway as I was getting on the 405 I looked at my rearview mirror and realized that only one bike was on our bike rack when there should have been two. In a panic I looked in  my side mirror and saw the bike being dragged on the road. Very quickly I pulled over haha and thankfully the bike is ok...the only damage is the handlebar was shaved down about half an inch from being dragged on the interstate! But through a miracle and some tactful driving on my part :) we made it to the appointment on time and she didn't have to pay a late fee! Milagro! At the end of the day we had driven to Santa Clarita twice. Lots of driving, but a missionary told me that I drive like a well behaved californian. I will take that as a compliment! 

We are excited for Thanksgiving! The two members we are eating with say that they don't eat turkey, so we will see what we eat. 

Here is my quote of the week,

"God does not begin by asking us about our ability, but only about our availability, and if we then prove our dependability, he will increase our capability." -Eler Maxwell

Let's all show God how much we trust him! Pray for opportunities to serve and then be alert because many people need spiritual, emotional, and physical during the holidays!

LOVE YOU MAMA,

    hermana moo

Jimmy Kimmel gave Operation Gratitude a shout out!

We had one guy talk to us about the new policy change. He was pretty mad! Listen...

we all just need to get on the old ship zion.

Hold on! God is at the helm!

Transfer update: I am staying in Canoga Park!!! This means I will be here until Dec 28. Christmas in Canoga Park! I am also staying with my companion Hermana Vega and we are still Sister Training Leaders! The ward is happy that I am staying because I have been practicing some Christmas songs with the ward choir and the ninos :)

 

 This is Hno R.........he is pretty much my grandpa here in Canoga Park. He makes fun of me all the time. ALL THE TIME! hahahaa

Operation Gratitude is awesome. Apparently Jimmy Kimmel gave Operation Gratitude a shout out on his show with the halloween candy pranks, so we made a video saying thank you that they are hoping will aire on the show. About 150 missionaries were at the event and we made 10,000 packages to send to the servicemen. It was a community event so I was able to talk with a lot of army wives and moms!
 

As of right now we have three Thanksgiving dinner appointments! This is why missionaries gain so much weight, but I am grateful that the ward wants to feed us so much. The ward is awesome with helping and befriending investigadores.
 

Good news! We have been teaching a lady named Hermana L.........and she has committed to baptism for November 29th! Her daughter is a member and Hna Luz has never been set in a religion...she has culturally been catholic her whole life, but her other daughter passed away recently and has been interested in our church! I really respect Hna L..... It can't be easy to believe one way for 75 years and then be taught be two twenty year old girls about the restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ, but she is so willing to learn! We made it very clear that we know she has a firm base/foundation in Jesucristo and his teachings, we are only here to build upon her foundation.
 

This week with had interviews with Presidente Henrie. Because we are STLs we stayed at interviews all day and drove sisters to/from interviews and did role-play/practices with the elders and sisters. It was fun! I got to know Sister Henrie a lot better. She is awesome. She is learning spanish and she has a way of being lovable and fun, but stern at the same time. Presidente and Sister Henrie also took us out to lunch! We went to Doghouse. Doghouse has really yummy dogs and burgers...I got a brat in honor of Papa Barfuss!
 

We also had to get an oil change this week. It took a lot longer than expected so we ended up just street contacting for 2 hours around the Pep-boys while the car was being fixed...we also took a quick icecream break yummmmm.
 

That was pretty much the week. It flew by as usual. I am really close to 6 months...that means

we get to skype soon :) We also get to go to the temple on Dec. 11 for Christmas! Happy Holidays!

The members always ask what type of tamales we want for Christmas...apparently tamales are a Christmas must! Good thing I loooove tamales

 LOVE YOU!!!

    Hermana Moo

"Either we are all in, or we are in the way."

I am very sad to hear about Marie. I just love Annie and her little family so much! We taught the plan of salvation to an 75 year old grandma that just lost a daughter to cancer. Such a cool experience! The gospel brings so much hope. Nothing can go permanently wrong when we follow the path of Christ! It is a cool thing to think of all the happy reunions that happen in Heaven :)

This week we had Mission Leadership Council and Zone Training Meeting! Busy, busy. I gave my training of loyalty, and being "All in". I took the scripture from the sermon of the mount about having an eye single to the glory of God. There is a quote that says, "Either we are all in, or we are in the way." It sounds kind of harsh but as disciples of Jesus Christ we have to be all in! We are first loyal to the Lord then to others. The Lord has always asked his followers to sacrifice whether it be their homes, their time, their will...etc. But if i have learned anything on my mission it is that the Lord honors sacrifice! When we complain and gripe about the things God has asked us to do it can dominate our thoughts, overtake our vision, and absorb our energy, and deprive us of the important experiences that Lord wants us to receive (TTTF). We should try to respond by asking

   What am I to do? What am I supposed to learn? What am I to change? Why is the Lord asking me to sacrifice this thing? How will the Lord honor my sacrifice? How can I learn to be grateful during this hard time?

We went on a hike..........

Ok preaching over... :)

We started our first english class! It was so fun! We have two little ladies that came and they know barely any english. There are a lot of immigrants that have been living in the states for 10 plus years, but have not had the opportunity to take any kind of english class, so hopefully this can help out so people! it has actually been helping me with my spanish. I told the ladies that I will help them with their english only if they help me with my spanish! We would make them say sentences and then they would say, "Your turn!' and i would say it in spanish :) 

The weather has been soooooo nice! The sun goes down by 5 o'clock which is when we are usually knocking doors. I was trying to be Idaho tough and not wear a sweater, but i was freezing! California is weakening me...

We had to email at the apple store this week and I am typing next to a Christmas tree! What the!? Time is moving so fast. Transfers are next week! Who knows where I will be spending Christmas!?

Random story...yesterday we ate with a member and she feed us a vegetable, chicken soup with a ton of cilantro, and guess what!?! I loved it! It is a Christmas Miracle!

Have a great week. Love you all so much :) 

Hermana Moo

every UTE fan ever was at the LA visitor center!

Random Things

1. I think I experienced my first earthquake. I woke up in the middle of the night and my bed was shaking...it was on October 25 so maybe someone can investigate that for me haha

2. We had a service opportunity to paint a house last week! It was an english ward activity, so one of the member walked in and said to me,

      "Where are you from?"

      "Idaho!"

      "That's what I thought...you just have an Idaho look about you."

I am not sure what the Idaho Look is, but I took it as a compliment!

3. I forgot to tell you that last week when we went to the temple every Ute fan ever was at the LA visitor center! I guess the UCLA vs. Utah game was that day. Made me think of Brennan :)

 

 

Here's the update on the M............ family: D...... is still set on being baptized. The rest of the family is still wants to learn more, but they are consistently going to church and we meet with them twice a week! They have an uncle that lives in Arizona that they want to baptize them, so hopefully the uncle can come for Thanksgiving! We are still working that out. We taught the family about baptism yesterday. Near the end of the lesson we asked, "So what do you think baptism is?" Hna Montoya responded, "It sounds like baptism is just a beginning of something." Exactly! I never really thought of it that way. 

Baptism is the beginning to a new life. 

A step towards the temple. 
A beginning to a deeper relationship with The Lord. Hna Montoya expressed some concern about being baptized and then making mistakes, but we know that God has given us so much help. 
Every week we can partake of the sacrament and renew our covenants. We can have a fresh start every week. 
Also we have the gift of the Holy Spirit that can guide us through every decision we make.





So I went on an ASL exchange this week! I learned how to sign, "My name is Sister Barfuss and we are missionaries from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints." The ward the sisters serve in has about 10 deaf members, so we visited with a couple of them during the exchange. It was so cool! 

We had a booth at the mall! (this was who I exchanged with)

We did "knock-out" up the mountain. I was in heaven! It was the first time I got out the the pit of the valley and up into the mountain areas. The people who lived there had HUGE houses and most had horses and chickens...i still haven't seen a cow in 5 months hahha

 This was someone's backyard. They didn't answer their door so we took some pics

We had to stop by the other Hermana's apartment and we had a quick arm wrestle. I barely won haha

 We found a dead cockroach in our bathroom the other day. I disposed of it in the disposal. Ewwwwww. It's antennas started to move when I scooped it up...I may or may not have screamed.


 I had to take a picture...I knew Dad and Uncle Brock would be proud :)

That is about it. Just another week that flew by! I love being a missionary!

 

Hermana Moooooo