Week 6- Welcoming the new Thai speakers this week!

Missionaries watching the fireworks shot from BYU Cougar Stadium!

 From inside the MTC windows. 

God Bless the USA!

 Overlooking Jerusalem =)

Weekly Update:

Gosh only 3 more weeks. I am learning a lot, but I really can't wait until I get to leave here and actually go to Thailand! I know that when I go there I will not know nearly enough Thai, but it's okay I will learn more when I actually get to start speaking with the people there.

I am super excited for tomorrow because the new group of Thai speakers are coming in and I got to see pictures of all the new elders coming in to start learning Thai. They look like a great group of guys! While I was looking at all the pictures I noticed a familiar face! Stewart Ryberg is going to be coming in and I will get to see him a lot! If Stewart somehow reads this, I can't wait to see you Stewie!! (He is a friend from Bentonville!)

Not many different things happened this week. I still go to class a lot and study all day. I got to see my good friend Neil Loveland here in the MTC. (Another friend from Bentonville. He is headed to Brazil.) I have fun whenever I can see him! Great guy!

I heard an interesting quote this week. It basically said- if you can't keep simple rules in life, (I have to wake up on time at 6:30 every day). And if God can't trust me with simple rules like waking up on time, how can he trust me to go to Thailand and do the job of inviting others to the gospel of Jesus Christ? I challenge everyone to do the small things like listening to your parents, or going to church so that God will give you blessings in the big areas of your life.

Love You All, Elder Barron

Week 5- 4 left in the MTC!

 We scored some awesome 4th of July packages!

 Elder B making his offering....? 

Or just playing around..

The sunglasses have really added to the missionary outfit...8)

This is me with my cousin Marcus!

Weekly Update:5 Weeks down. 4 to go in the MTC...

This week was awesome. I have made large strides in learning Thai and I love it! I have of fun when I can see myself getting better, and I can't wait until I can go be immersed in Thailand and teach the people of Thailand about the gospel of Jesus Christ.

I love everyone in my zone and district that I get to learn with and have fun bonding with. We all have the same purpose. I am thankful for my companion Elder Benteti. I have gotten to know him very well because we stay together all the time. =) We eat together, study together, work out together, pray together. He is a very smart guy and I am glad I have him to help me be a better person in everything I do. Plus, he’s funny. 

I can't believe it has only been 5 weeks here at the MTC. Every day is so productive and I have learned so much. It doesn't feel like I could possibly learn this much in such a short amount of time, but I have, and it is all because the Lord has blessed me to do so. I know the Lord blesses everyone of his children here on Earth. We sometimes can't see the blessings until later in life.

I challenge everyone to think about all the things you have in life that are blessings and also think about some of your challenges or burdens that are blessings in disguise. 

Talk to y'all later,

Elder Boston Barron

Week 4- My cousin Marcus got here!

 Celebrating a birthday. 
Can you find me in this picture?

 Emailing our families.

 I always wondered what I 

would look like with glasses....

What the Thai language looks like.

Email Update:

This was a good week. I am getting better at the language. It is crazy hard and I have never been good at memorizing vocab and such, but I know that God is helping me with every step of the way. Since my Companion and I are zone leaders for our zone, we have to go to a lot of meetings to report how our zone is doing. It makes me happy to know my Mission President trusts us with the responsibility. It’s been cool.

I'm having fun with my companion Elder Benteti (still sounds like Bendesi) because here in the Missionary Training Center there are athletic records for 12 different events and my companion and I want to try and beat the vertical jump and long jump. The vertical record is 36.3 inches and I got 35.1 inches and Elder Benteti got 34.9 inches. We are both really close on the long jump record too, so we are both gonna try to beat one each of those records by the time we leave. We are also doing 100 pull ups every other night and 400 push ups on the other nights. 

In basketball we can only do half court and we can only play 2v2 or 3v3. It’s kind of lame. But they don’t want anyone injuring them selves right before leaving to go out in the field so I can understand that. You aren't allowed to touch the rim, net, or backboard. I have gotten in trouble for doing a lay up and slapping the backboard. Every once in a while if I can't see the instructors I sneak in a 360 dunk though. It is still getting easier to dunk.

We are teaching some lessons to fake investigators to practice for when we have to do it for real. It is getting harder each time because they are starting to speak faster like how they will in Thailand. There are a lot of times when we don't know what they say, so we just have to improvise. 

I got to see my cousin Marcus Krommenhoek! ( I will try and get a picture next time I see him!) He entered the MTC this week and is headed to Russia in a couple months. It has been fun seeing him around. I am very grateful to his mom, my Aunt Emily for sending me a package of cookies! I didn't know how to thank her so I guess this is the only way :) THANK YOU!!!

I would like to urge everyone reading this this week to think of your family this week. Family is a very important part of Heavenly Fathers plan for us. " The family is central to the Creators plan for the eternal destiny of His children." This is a quote directly from one of our former prophets President Gordon B. Hinckley. You should read the rest of it at this link

https://www.lds.org/topics/family-proclamation?lang=eng&old=true

Always keep your family in mind and let them know you love them often because we are all on Earth together and nobody else would rather help you along the way other that your earthly family and your Heavenly Father.

With Love, Elder Barron