12/6/21 Family Letter

Hello Everyone! I hope you all had a great week!

Happy Light the World Season! I still cannot believe its December already. There's only a few little flurries of snow and it doesn't feel like Christmas Season yet. But that time will come...

We got a call on Tuesday that Sister Dupaix and I will be opening two new wards starting that day. So we had to scrap all our plans and start packing to move across town and that is majority of what we did this week. I have never opened an area before, let alone two, but we are super excited! In my 2 transfers I will have served in 4/5 wards here in Rapid City (check out transfer news farther down)

But this is cool... because now one of the areas I'm over is our beloved Sturgis! I'm super excited to be a biker sister! (not literally) but I did buy myself a good biker shirt an i'm ready to be in the Black Hills!

We have spent most of our time this week moving into another elders apartment. So we have been cleaning and cleaning and going through food storage which might I say, has been expired since 2019... But I did find a collection of old suites and ties and obviously the only thing to do is to try them on.. For that moment I was Elder Barlow.

We attended our new wards this last Sunday! Let me tell you... opening a ward as a Sister is the best. They are so happy to see you! This 6 year old girl named Koda came up to us and asked if we would sit with her for sacrament meeting. We joined her family and she crawled over all of them to come sit right in the middle of us both. She was SO stinken cute! She was trying her best to sit still but would get super excited to sit with us and then she would calm herself down whispering "not at church, not at church" and we love our friend Koda. We are super pleased to be in such sweet wards!

Saturday night was the Stake Christmas Devotional and they were low on music arrangements so they asked if us missionaries would throw some things together. For having less than a weeks notice we did just fine. But MY GOODNESS that was stressful trying to whip that all together. It ended up being two cello duets... we tried to get more variety, but that didn't work. But in the end, as it does, it always works out! We are so blessed to see things work together for the good favor of God!

Transfer news came as well. I'm staying here in Rapid to open up these wards with Sister Wessman! I served with her in Bismarck so I am excited!

I really do not have much to say this week. But Christmas time is finally here and this is prime time for missionaries to find and teach people! Please pray for us that we will find people in these new areas!

Go watch this video and go invite the missionaries into your homes!: https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/comeuntochrist/light-the-world-2021/missionary-visit

My own pondering of the week: Am I really willing to let God take complete control of my life? It is a lot to ask yourself, but do we trust that he knows what is best. After my week of thinking of this I have decided that though we may now be perfect we do try to trust him and that is all he asks for.

Love you all! Merry Christmas!

NEW ADDRESS

1301 Village Dr #206

Rapid City, SD 57701

Love you all!

Sister Barlow

pictures:

Gingerbread decorating after District Council

Smokey the Bear!

Rapid Misssionaries!
Alpine Inn in Hill City for Sisters Pday!

View at the end of our freezing hike

finders keepers while cleaning the elders apt.