The Elder Barr Blog

Thanks for the great letter. This has been a crazy p-day. My companion got transferred to up-state, and I am with a new companion, Elder Kunz. My old companion was great, but he had a few issues that he needed to work, and I think that where he is going (way up state to the boonies) will do him some good.

Elder Kunz is from a tiny town in Idaho. He’s a really good Elder, and has a good heart.

So, today we went to Costco and did all our food shopping for the month. It takes a lot of time but we shouldn’t have to do much shopping for the next couple of weeks. That will be great. So, I will send the memory card tomorrow, and some handwritten letters for the rest of the week. Today, we didn’t get to the library till 5:00, so we have just enough time to email, and then start proselyting by 6:00.

I can’t believe how fast time is going. I have had a lot of companions, and am “older” than most of the missionaries in the mission. The sisters that I came out with are going home at the end of this cycle. Crazy, huh? So, things are going great.

I can do a BYU app from here. I will get President Boren to write me a recommend letter. He is super busy, so I will call him tonight to make sure he has time. Handing off 100+ missionaries and 4 stakes to a new mission president will be quite the process. President Boren is done on the first of July, so he has less than a month. The new mission president arrives a week before next transfer, and he will interview a lot of people, and then do the transferrs. I am guessing that I will probably be doing some office work during that time, but I think that the senior couples have a pretty good grasp of things and they should be fine without me.

So, the area has been going great. We are still trying to get to know the members, and we always make sure to build good relationships of trust with them, and then ask them for referrals. That is the best way to get high quality investigators.

Oh, Mom, thanks for the CD. It looks great, but it is “unapproved", meaning the songs aren’t hymn’s or composed before 1900. Honestly, I would really love some opera music, or some great classical instrumental music. I love “LDS music” but I think I have heard the large majority of it and a change would be great. I love the Mormon Tabernacle choir, but I think I have heard every CD they have produced in the last 5 years. So, some opera or classical would be great, as long as it is composed before 1900.

So, the summer is here. I shouldn’t have any more dry cleaning bills, since I am not using my suit anymore. I know things are expensive. I will try to be as frugal as possible. We are going to try to eat the food from the apartment as often as possible, and that should save some money. I’ll see if I can borrow a cooler from some members to keep in the car so we don’t have to buy drinks during the day.

Grace, that science experiment sounds really cool. I would think that it would rot the tooth. That is pretty crazy though. Where did you get the teeth? Is it yours?

Bianca, it sounds like you are the master chef. I wish I could eat the stuff you cook. In a few months yes. It sounds so good though. I’ll have to show you some of the Italian deli stuff I have learned. That is the best food around here.

Tina, I can’t believe that you are going to the dinner dance. Not that it is bad. I mean I can’t believe in that it was just a few years ago when I went to it. I had a lot of fun. Those are good events. Send me a picture of you in your dance.

Andy, I don’t know too much about asking girls out, but I do know that it would have to be a very special someone who would appreciate 72,000 ladybugs in their car. I think that for 99% of girls that would be a not so great idea. But, you need to write me a letter and fill me in on all the details…stuff you can’t write in a family email. I like the classes you are taking. Why Italian? Just curious. I hear it all the time here. It is a cool language. I wouldn’t take more than 18 credits your first quarter. It is only 3 or 4 classes, but it takes a lot of time. It is worth the work though. As for math, take the class you test in to. I’m sure you could handle calc if you took it, but you might as well take the pre-classes just to make sure you are ready. I think it is math 120 pre-calc II? That is where I started. What you need to do is get the sheet that tells you all the classes you need for an associates degree, pick the degree you want, and do all the classes you need. So, you’ll probably have to take chem 142. You should get started on those, because there are some cool classes you can take if you have taken a lot of chemistry. And, some classes only are in the fall and winter quarters, so plan things out at least a whole year in advane. Make a chart that has every quarter, and the classes you will take, and make sure that you take all the classes needed to get an AA degree in 6 - 7 quarters. That is 3 full quarters plus 1 summer. That should be do-able. So, the best thing to do is to work off of that sheet.

Alright, I need to go. I love you so much. All of you.

Take care,

Love,
Your son or brother,
Elder Stephen J. Barr