Last Letter

Well I had a lot of motivation to write this until I got on the
computer and read through all my emails. I haven't had an ipad this
last week. So back to the library!

First of all, thank you for getting that (his release time) organized with President
Manwaring.  I really don't know what I want to do those first couple of
days.  I will get it figured out when I get there.  I do want to go on a
bike ride Thursday morning.

My thoughts about going home changes so much.  I will be in our
apartment thinking that I just want to be home already. Then five minutes
later, I will be thinking about how I don't want to leave.

So the big hightlights over the past few weeks:

The week before last Tuesday we had departing interviews. Just kind of
going over what my plans are.  It was good.  But it really just made me
realize how hard going home will be.

That next day I had my last exchanges of my mission with my MTC
companion Elder Wright.  We have become such good friends.  I want to go
visit him when Robbie and I go to California.  He lives in Monticello
which is a little out of the way, but we could go on a detour and go
there and the Grand Canyon...

Last Tuesday we had the departing temple trip. It was good. I sent
some names through the temple system up to endowments. Elder Wright
and I were able to do two names. I went through for Joseph Young who
was born on March 28th 1833. That was cool. Afterward our president
took us out to eat.  We got to walk around Manhatten a little. We saw
Times Square from a few blocks away.

Other than that it has been normal missionary work. Yesterday we had
one of the funnest lessons of my life. Two families that knew each
other in Colombia and one joined the church and the other just moved
here. Eating dinner with them felt like being at one of the Barker
family reunions. But in Spanish. That was so much fun. We were able to
have a good lesson at the end.

I get to get things set up for new elders. Elder Falcon is getting
transferred so two new people will be taking over our area. I get to
write a long note explaining who is who.

Well that's about it. Love you all. Talk to you Wednesday!

Elder Barker