Barrett and I were able to visit Barrett's mission in San Antonio, Texas with his parents. It was such a good experience! I will try to recap through the pictures I have on here. Barrett's aunt and uncle, along with a few cousins live there as well, so it was fun to stay with them and hangout together.
We were able to see many of Barrett's apartments in his areas: San Antonio, Austin, and Eagle Pass. This is one from his first area in San Antonio.
This was his apartment while he served on the border in Eagle Pass. Most of the apartments still have missionaries living in them, which we could tell because of the picture of Christ on the door or windows. If you look closely you can see it in this picture. We loved driving around Eagle Pass! It was different from everything else we saw and it was fun to see more of the Mexican culture. Plus, Barrett greatly enjoyed serving in this area.
The coolest part of visiting Barrett's mission: learning about the many stories you just don't hear unless you're there... and the people! I felt so blessed to be able to talk with the people he served and had an impact on! It was emotional and spiritual. The man in this picture had been inactive for many years and had had a lot negative interactions with ward members. After looking on an inactive member list Barrett was determined to teach him, and everyone thought he was crazy for wanting to try. This was in his first area. Even while visiting with this man he mentioned how persistent Barrett was. After a few months he returned to church and Barrett ran into him at the temple a year later. He is solid and contributes a lot to the ward.
The Spanish branch in Eagle Pass! Another exciting aspect of Texas was hearing Barrett speak Spanish! We were able to attend their sacrament meeting and Barrett saw many people he knew, including the Branch President's family. This picture is of his wife and two of his children. They are a cute family! The two boys, especially the 16-year-old on the left, were so excited to see Barrett! You can tell they looked up to him and respected his time there. The boy even teased the other missionaries because they weren't getting as many baptisms as Barrett's group had when he was there. Shannon and I sat in sacrament meeting clueless listening to the Spanish. We would occasionally get translations from Barrett and Jeff, but I loved being there! It touched me that even though I could not understand the words I still felt the Spirit strongly. The Church is true and the Spirit testifies regardless of your language or understanding of the Gospel!
And yet another great experience! In order to understand this man's conversion you have to hear the bike story, which he seems to slip into most conversations, ha ha. Again in Barrett's first area, in fact I think he said he had only been in Texas two weeks, he was riding back to his apartment with his companion and it was dark outside. He turned a corner and almost hit someone who was waiting for the bus: the man in the picture. The man thought it was funny and they quickly shared a message and gave him their card not expecting a phone call. But a few days later he called and explained he knew he needed something more in his life. After many months he was converted. Many missionaries were able to be a part of the process and attended his baptism. He was fun to talk to and had a great sense of humor!
A trip to the border, literally. This is a picture of the bridge between Texas and Mexico. Barrett played soccer all the time on the fields near the bridge. Despite Shannon's fears that we were going to get sniped by Mexicans (ha ha, you're awesome Shannon), Barrett took us down to see the border. We were able to walk to the Rio Grande and see across to Mexico.
We also had the opportunity to attend a session at the San Antonio temple. It was dedicated in 2005 and is full of symbolism related to the San Antonio area. There are also beautiful stained glass window throughout the temple which you can see on the outside in the next two pictures.
Besides visiting areas of Barrett's mission we also spent time with family. I wish we would have gotten more pictures, but this is the cousin table while eating dinner one night.
The Alamo and the Riverwalk. It was really cold (surprising for Texas this time of year, and we honestly thought it was probably warmer in Salt Lake) when we first arrived so we didn't spend as much time here as we had hoped. But we saw the inside of the Alamo and walked along the Riverwalk.
Thanks again to Shannon and Jeff for their willingness to spend time and money on us! I know Jeff, Shannon, and I were grateful to spend the time learning about Barrett's mission and Barrett was touched by the people he was able to see. And thanks to the Johanson's and their kids for hanging out with us and letting us stay in their home! I will always remember San Antonio, Texas and hope we can go again someday.
There are many highs and lows in jobs where you work one-on-one with people trying to help them change. Sometimes you see more than they do how their life would benefit from changing. I have definitely been blessed not to have to deal with many of the crises my coworkers have had to deal with, but have experienced the heartache of what families go through. Putting all this aside I look forward to working with those families who have a desire to receive help and want to implement anything they believe will benefit them or their family. The flowers I received from one family I finished with in May reminded me of why I chose to become a social worker. I was humbled by the changes this Mom had made and was overwhelmed at first when she brought out these flowers for me. Such a simple token of gratitude, yet it had such an impact on me. I thank Heavenly Father for the gifts he has blessed me with in this life and look forward to helping people throughout my journey. I took a picture of the flowers to help me remember the blessings of this job, because sometimes I do forget :).
Another year come and gone. Barrett and I celebrated our second anniversary this past Monday, May 24. I wanted to post this picture from our honeymoon to remember where it all started. On our anniversary we shared details about what we remembered on our wedding day and it was fun to reflect on that amazing day! I am grateful for the support Barrett gives me and hope I can always support him in his endeavors. I think the best part of our 2 year anniversary is realizing how many anniversaries we still have to celebrate throughout our life. I love you honey!
I love this picture of my mom! It shows her great smile, caring personality, and love for her grandchildren. She is the person who is there to listen to all my problems, concerns, and successes. While I was growing up she was there to comfort me when I was sick, praise me when I excelled, and give me confidence when I felt down. I love spending time with her and I look forward to building a stronger and stronger relationship as my life continues. I can't wait until I start a family of my own and I can learn from her wisdom on raising children. Thank you mom for all you have sacrificed for me in my life!
Where do I begin with Shannon? What a great example she is to me of a supportive wife, a loving mother, and a great friend. I look up to her many qualities and I am always amazed at her concern for her family. She made me feel comfortable in their family from the beginning and I am grateful for that. Thanks for your positive attitude!
I did not want to leave out my two sisters as I thought about Mother's Day, because they are great examples to me as well of how to be a mom. I have always looked up to Brittney and will always strive to follow in her footsteps. From her dedication to the Gospel to graduating from college to teaching piano or raising her children I want to be her. I miss her all the time and look forward to times when we can talk on the phone or spend time together. Thank you Brittney for showing how great life can be!
Sorry Melissa, I had to put this picture on. :) This is the most awkward picture I have seen and we laughed so hard when we saw it. But that's why I love it... because it reminds me of how much fun we have together. We often have deep, introspective conversations, but I always know we will have a good laugh as well. Melissa has always been there for me as a great friend, a mentor, and a good example. I am grateful that we live near each other and can't wait for the day when I don't work, have children and we can spend more time together like we always talk about.
