Sister Emma Rose Barker (2023-2025)

Turns out if you pray for miracles you'll start to see you already had them. And they won't be big huge miracles but they're there.  In our mission we talk a bunch about bringing our loaves and fishes to Jesus and he'll make it enough to feed the 5000. I don't know if I need Him to feed the 5000 but He sure has been feeding the barrio Alto Selva Alegre.  And speaking of feeding, my comp literally is a chef and she makes us cookies like every day so it's a good thing we walk everywhere otherwise I'd be a blimp.  We got to go to the temple this week to visit it with our friends Mapi and Valentina. Valentinas mom was baptized a long time ago when missionaries knocked her door looking for her less active grandma. Isabel (Valentinas mom) came out and asked what the heck these white guys were doing and ended up getting baptized. 15 years later, same house, we knocked looking for isabel and valentina answered. And this week she accepted a baptismal date. Pray for t...

Don't have much time but want to say God loves me and you and peru (hehe rhymes)  We spent August 15 (arequipa day) in the streets with all the missionaries of arequipa, inviting everyone to come to church. Ended up contacting 400 people which is rad, not sure how many of them were drunk but hey they at least have had contact with missionaries now! One guy sent us a video after of his cats who talk to ghosts so that's always a plus.  Got transfer news and we are staying here which is good cuz I love hermana de Hoyos but also hard cuz this area is *so* small but I'm finding joy in the journey hehe.  Found a car with a hat. Yayayay Más arequipa  Squeezing people in for church. I think that's probably how jesus likes it, let's just get as many in as we can.  Invited a bunch of friends to get baptized this week. They all accepted. One of them ended up to live in a diff ward, one of them ghosted us for Sunday and is now living arequipa, one of em doesn't speak (liter...

  We knocked the door of a lady who had been taught by missionaries before and she said we could come back and help her clean her house. So we came and she had so much STUFF. and all this random food and she tried to give us yellow water and when she wasn't looking we poured it down the sink. But the candy she gave us wasn't too bad, if I'm still here next week we'll know it wasn't dangerous. I have realized I'm actually not a very patient person. And I thought I was (not), or at least I could HAVE patience. And I just UGH I want people to just figure it out, like literally look at what God has in store for them. It's like a claw machine of blessings are waiting and they have unlimited turns. And it's so hard to win the stuffed animal that you want but not really cuz all you have to do is put in your two cents (ha see what I did there?) And then you can play forever and you'll win the stuffed animal eventually cuz God literally has rigged it in your ...

I couldnt get my email to send to everyone so if you see it this week count yourself lucky and respond in gratutude. The hermana Barker content is gonna be popping off this week (thanks mom for sending the emails..no for real tho) We've started a miracle wall to focus on the little things that go good. Which is good because if we had a wall of things that were not perfect, this week would've been the Great Wall of China sized. We laughed because on Saturday we had 4 lessons, which was more than the last 3 days combined.  Lots of miracles, laughs and the first time I've cried since Tacna this week. I seriously have barely cried on my mission so it was funny that PRESIDENT was the one to make me (almost) cry hehe. Had an interview with him that was literally 30 minutes (its supposed to be 15) of him imparting his wisdom to me. Let me give you a little play by play: Prez: Hermana Barker  Me: prez P: what im going to say is going to sound a little harsh HB: ya OK. Because hones...