Sister Emma Rose Barker (2023-2025)

  So much everything is always happening all at once. Tacna had to go and break my heart all over again. I miss my locas. Miss my belen fam even though they drove me nuts. But like they were so cool (the eq first counselor elmer always helped us and his phone ringtone was always "ThAt ARiZoNa SkYyyYy" so silly.)  Jesus jove got baptized which was like the craziest of them all...he told us he was never getting baptized. I told him I knew he would just that I would prolly be in the us when it finally happened. Proved me wrong by saying "you started to lose faith in me hermana Barker...I'm gonna get baptized". Wild.  That night I packed my life up all over again, realizing that this will probably be the last time I do until well it's the REAL last time.  And got on a bus (that left without me--had to chase it down the street)  and headed to ilo.  And I haven't stopped running since  To catch the bus to catch our friends to catch up with the time that some...

Youre going to do so good They need you God needs you there I love you so much Thats for you and me this week.  ^^one of my favorite people sent me this. How did I get so lucky to have God bless me so good with these people I adore!?! sun is setting on my time in tacna (cliche but true). Lowkey thought id be finishing my mission here but God and prezi had other ideas.  I'm headed to ILO to finish these last two transfers out with hna garzon again (could I be luckier?!!) It's been a mixed bag of emotions thinking about leaving. Again. Why do goodbyes hurt so much?  I always think they'll get easier. And they don't. It's like I have to breakup with my zone and my district and my comps and my area all at once. Worst breakup ever. And I can't even use it as an excuse to stay home and eat ice cream all day. So unfair.  had some awesome divis this week with some hermanas I just adore.  these little girls follow us around the neighborhood when we teach lessons and go d...

I spent saturday night sleeping on the bathroom floor. I was too tired to keep running from my bed to the bathroom so i could vomit/just visit the toilet if ya know what i mean so i decided to cut the travel time down and the tile was surprisingly comfortable. How did i end up in such a state?  Was it: a) getting a maximum of 4 hours of sleep tuesday night? #diviswithhnadehoyos  b) getting absolutely FRIED monday at the beach *i am the less red one don't worry...and apparently tomatoes are supposed to heal you...? Idek....Peruvian remedies...* c) waking up every morning and chugging a powerade instead of water with a handful of candy/cookies/whatever is available because im so flippin starving and too impatient d) my body took the day off in rebellion of my lack of care ^me but in dog form e) the flies that were in the garbage can (my comp is convinced its that one) f) the cow stomach that I REALLY TRIED TO GRIN AND BEAR IT but just couldn't get over the fact that it had taste...

This week was like a "grinchs heart grew three sizes that day" kind of week.  Let me count the ways my heart grew. 1. Some really good divis. Like really good. Ones that I prayed for that I could be there to love them and to learn and we did just that. ate ice cream for dinner in parachico so thats a plus. I loved it, being in this area that a year ago this Saturday I started in. Couldn't be happier to be with cute hermana franco, she LOVES life and being a missionary and shows it. I love her newness and the joy she sees in the little things, that's what I'm trying to do too, after 15 months on the mission there isn't TONS of newness but at the same time, why not look at every thing through new eyes?  2. JHON. we met him 3 weeks ago after he showed up too early to the elders ward. We taught him and turned out he lived in our area. He's so humble.  He knows that life is hard.  He lives in a little cerro house with his mom and his brother christian and step-...

Apparently when i was 5 years old i won a child pageant for saying a fun fact about me was that "I went to old navy and bought some new jeans". If only life was as easy as winning a pageant. It would be a lot more fun if we all walked around spouting our fun facts. The thing is I actually do that, but my fun facts are a lot more important now cuz they're about Jesus:)  We woke up AT 545FREAKINGAM because the elders wanted to go on the bus cama bus. And I didn't sleep at all because it was like world War iii (respectfully)(mostly). It was interesting because my brain is just different. Like we all think differently. And it was kinda like an aha moment because I realized I have to learn how to work with people who don't know my 20 years of backstory.  They don't know about that race sophomore year when I ate track and lost my chance for qualifiers. Or that one drive junior year. Or the time I couldn't take the chaos in my brain any more and just kept running...