TRANSFERS and one CRAZY week!

Ok, so we got an email from Collette today! It basically says everything... so I'll let her do the talking:

"Hey everyone!!

Hope you're all doing well!! Everything's going really good here! It's been such a crazy crazy week!!! 

So it's transfers...... and..... ME and WIDDISON are getting doubled out of Metairie! Ahhh! I can't even! I feel like I've only been here for 5 minutes!  I have no idea where I will be going next!!! It's so crazy! I really love Metairie and I feel like the work here was just starting to pick up... I called all my people yesterday... and they couldn't believe we were both leaving! I'm going to miss everyone here so much! Every one of the people that I have met so far has definitely changed my life and I am so grateful for the opportunity I got to serve the crazy people of New Orleans! I am so excited to maybe be going to a CAR area though!! I did not want to bike in the summer and I think Heavenly Father knew that!! haha!"

And then she gave us the update on the crazy week:

"Monday (3/9/14):

It was P-day and Sister Widdison and I decided we just wanted to spend the whole day together! Widdison is seriously my best friend. Heavenly Father definitely sent her to me for a reason. I have really loved learning from her, and she has really helped my testimony grow this past transfer! She is so amazing and I love that I can just be real and, best of all, she just lets me be myself and helps me shine! I love her so much and I'm going to miss her with all my heart!! 

So on Monday, we went to Panera Bread! It is the best! I can't even describe how wonderful it is! Just go there! Then we went to Plato's Closet and I got the cutest shirt! Then to finish off the day, we got lost in Old Metairie and it took us two hours to get home! haha it was just peachy, but we finally made it and found a woman we know's house it was crazy! She was so drunk, but we sang church hymns and had a wonderful testimony meeting on her living room floor! Her testimony turned into a prayer to God, but ya know, it was wonderful. It was the first time I really felt the spirit in that house! And to finish off at her house, we sang Frank Sinatra and did the Can-Can in her kitchen! It was a party!  All around that p-day was crazy, but it was such a beautiful day and I'm so glad I was with my best friend! 

Tuesday (3/10/15):

It was district meeting and we had the best time with our elders ever!!!! We all ran out in the pouring Louisiana rain!!! It was so fun! I love this district so much!!!! Then we topped off the day with some IHOP Pancakes! We were at home for the rest of the night because we couldn't bike in the storm!! 

Wednesday (3/11/15):

It was pretty slow, but it was a good day! We went to Kimberley's and found out that Big Rick, her husband, wants to get baptized!!! We were sort of getting that impression that he would be doing it just for us because he LOVES us! But I really do love that family with all my heart! I wish them the very best!! Kimberley truely was our southern momma!!! 

Thursday (3/12/15):

Happy Birthday ERIN!!!!! I love you so much! Don't you even think for one minute that I forgot your B-day! Me and Widdison even sang Happy Birthday to you!!!! Hope you had a wonderful day!!!

So the rest of our day was pretty good! We had inspections and we passed! Our house was so clean!!! It was so great! We have been really trying to keep it clean... There have been four Cockroaches in our house so far and they are the most disgusting thing; I can't even! But Widdison is scared of bugs even more than I am so I was the one to take care of it! It was awful!!!!! I Hate Cockroaches! 

Then we went to Laufenere Park to contact people; it was so fun!!! That is my favorite park! I'm taking all y'all there!

Friday (3/13/15):

Mental Health Day! They are real things; I promise! But Me and Widdison had a 'Catch Up On 12 Week Party'! We were so behind, so we ordered pizza and did 12 Week and it was quite the party! It's always a party with Widdison! But I was so happy. I am getting better at role playing so... wahoooo!!!! 

Saturday (3/14/15):

We had dinner with Kimberley and her family! It was so fun, but we are so sick of the bike ride to her house. It takes us at least 45 minutes to bike to Kenner, where she lives! It's such a long bike ride, but dinner was wonderful and she just talked our ears off, ya know, the usual Louisiana same old, same old! 

Then we traveled over to Harahan to help those elders with an investigator. She is really sweet but she has a lot of big things going on in her life and needs female role models and just really needs good influences to help her move on with some things! So we have been helping with that and it's going pretty good, but she's not really keeping her commitments, so it's hard, but I have faith that she will be okay and come unto Christ! It'll be so great! 

Sunday (3/15/15):

We went to church! It was the best. I am so grateful for the sacrament and getting to just start fresh for the week; it's such a beautiful feeling! During sacrament, ya know, I was just sitting there with like 92 things on my mind... and then over the pulpit I hear, 'And one of the speakers didn't show.. so if we could have Sister Barclay come up and share her testimony with us....' 

Let me tell you, even as a missionary you get nervous! It was like one of those times where you just wish your name wasn't Sister Barclay, ya know?! But I put a big ol' smile on my face and walked up to the pulpit and I just bared my testimony. It was short and simple, but I'm so glad Heavenly Father gave me the courage to get up and share what I know! 

Elder McArthur, an elder in my district, gave the best example of what a testimony is. He said that a testimony is like gumbo.. you can throw whatever you want in it... everyone makes it differently and everything you throw in will taste good and make others happy! A testimony is definitely your own and you need to make it your own! Don't ever be afraid to share your testimony or help others grow from what you know! Remember the Lord is always there backing up every word you say through the spirit! 

Monday (3/16/15):

It was such a crazy day! We did service all morning, then we went and I had red beans and rice for the first time! It was quite the accomplishment! haha Then that night, we got transfer calls and off I go.... I'll keep all y'all posted! 

Tuesday (3/17/15): 

That's today! haha It's P-day... and a sad goodbye day! I'm leavin' Metairie.... the place I was 'born' and going off into the world... Ahhh it's crazy! I'm even done training and everything! I'm still a greenie, but it's still good! 

I know that this church is true and I know that wherever I end up, that's where the Lord wants me and I will do my best to make my Heavenly Father proud!

I hope y'all! Have a fantastic week! I'll let ya know my new address as soon as I know! 

Love all y'all and each of y'all!

Sister Barclay"

Mardi Gras!

Utah has their 24th of July parade to celebrate the Mormon pioneers, where kids on floats throw candy to parade-goers, and Louisiana has Mardi Gras parades to celebrate Fat Tuesday, where masked people on floats throw beads to parade-goers. 

...That's a good comparison, right??

Yes, you guessed it... This week, the missionaries were able to experience Mardi Gras in New Orleans! Sister Barclay sent home lots of fun pictures so you could try to imagine what it would be like to be there, although, I think I'd be alright in saying that the pictures don't do it justice!

Sister Widdison and Sister Barclay

Don't hate on the fact that I wasn't 100% sure of the purpose for the holiday before getting the email... instead, be happy with the fact that Google was kind enough to inform me that Mardi Gras is French meaning "'Fat Tuesday' alluding to the last day of feasting before the fast and penitence of Lent" which starts on Ash Wednesday.

Well, that was a good start, but that still didn't really tell all I wanted, so I found another site called Mardi Gras New Orleans which clued me into a few interesting things to note. To save you all from lengthy reading, here are some of the things I found out: 

• Mardi Gras is now an official holiday in Louisiana

• The first Mardi Gras was celebrated in 1703 near New Orleans

• In the 1700 and 1800's, secret societies were formed who would parade around the streets with either a huge bull's head on wheels or an actual bull draped with a white cloth to signal the coming of the Lenten meat fast

• Mardi Gras changed from elegant society balls into more of a carnival when New Orleans had parades of masked individuals with carriages, horseback riders, and dazzling torches

• A break off of the secret societies of old came in 1856, known as the Mystick Krewe of Comus, and they anonymously brought magic to New Orleans with extravagant floats and masked balls

They pull their floats with tractors!

Sister Barclay and Sister Widdison with another couple of sister missionaries at the parade

• 1870 was the first time different "krewes" started doing Mardi Gras "throws" which includes things like cups, beads, toys, doubloons (basically collectible aluminum medallions), and stuffed animals. 

• Two years later, they invented a "King of Carnival" to preside over the parade, and to impress a visiting Russian duke, the king presented the duke's family colors as the official Mardi Gras colors; purple for justice, gold for power, and green for faith

This is how people decorate for Mardi Gras

• Private social clubs make up most of the "krewes" today and since their members fund the parade organizations, the people of New Orleans call Mardi Gras "The Greatest Free Show On Earth!"

• Although Mardi Gras is on Fat Tuesday, the party is known to start about a week before the actual holiday so tourists flock to New Orleans around this time to enjoy the carnivals

Elder Johnson loves his beads!

Sister missionaries displaying their "throws"

"I love this girl!" (Sister Barclay and Sister Widdison)

I asked Collette to tell me about it and she said, "Oh my goodness!! It was a freakin' party! They throw out beads and there's like 9 million people, so it's just crazy! And everyone on the floats are getting drunk and dancing (!) and everyone's fine with it! haha The pics are just not doing it justice... you need to experience this!" 

MLK Day

Hey all! It's a day late, but we did get email from Sister Barclay today!

Elder Teh visits zone conference

Turns out she has been sick for the last four days so be sure to send prayers her way for a speedy recovery. Not sure what she's down with but it's no fun to be sick!

Here's a few bits from her email to me:

"So it has been so super crazy, as always... but, Liz, I went to a Baptist church. It was for the Martin Luther King program they have here; we sang at it! And it was so different from our church! ...It was really intense...[the minister] She yelled so loud! Almost like she was trying to get her beliefs into your soul! Shoot! It was crazy!

Then yesterday, we went downtown (New Orleans) to march in the MLK Parade! We as missionaries were pretty much the whitest people ever! And people kept saying, 'Look! It's the Jesus people! Where are your bikes?' hahaha it was crazy and so fun! Then me and Sister Davis decided we wanted to stay downtown for awhile and just take the trolley home..."

Sounds like they had a very busy day with the holiday yesterday! How fun to hear from her.

Then my mom forwarded on the email she received from Collette:

"On Wednesday, we had zone conference and Elder Teh from the Seventy came and spoke to us. It was intense! He talked to us about being exactly obedient missionaries and it was really good. There is always something we can do to be better. He was awesome and I even got to have lunch with him and his wife! It was so cool!....

On Sunday, it was stake conference and Elder Parker of the area seventy spoke. You'll have to look him up; he is awesome! He talked to us about having faith and how blessed we are to be a part of the church.

Today is Tuesday, I know, but it is our p-day because of MLK Day yesterday! It was crazy; all the missionaries got to march in a parade!... After the parade some of the Denham Spring sisters came to New Orleans and we spent the day with them. It was so much fun! We went all over!...

We kinda got ourselves stuck downtown so we did some hardcore tracting! It was really fun. I smiled at this old man and he said, 'Well, thank you, baby, for your smile. I really needed that today.' Ahh, it made me so happy! So then we were all ready to get on the trolley and head home cause we had an appointment when a marching band stops all the traffic and all the trolleys! ...We finally got on the trolley then prayed so hard that we'd make it home in time and let me tell you, mama, Heavenly Father works in mysterious ways... and answers prayers because that was the fastest bus I've ever been on! And we made it on time to our appointment! Heavenly Father is amazing!...

One thing I really love about this mission: I think I'm coming out of my shy shell! Finally! I'm just being me and loving it! I know who I am and it makes me so grateful that people are so confident in themselves. I really needed that lesson; that being you is the best thing and being confident in who you are is ok! A lot of folks down here are a little on the heavy side and they are just fine with that. They look at every curve as beautiful and they have just taught me to love being me! How incredible!

Also, I'm going to send you the funniest picture; you're going to love it! Downtown there is a mall on the river walk hahaha and they have a whole store just for Crocs.... and I just about peed my pants when I saw it... they have crocs in boot form, ked form, little kid form, and I'm just thinking why????? hahah it's crazy!

....I'm doing really good and I know that even though Louisiana is crazy and different, I truly know that I was sent here for a reason. I know that only through Heavenly Father and through Jesus Christ's atonement can we return to live with him! I know that religion really does make you who you are and I'm so grateful I was raised in the Church of Jesus Christ. I know that families can be together forever and Heavenly Father loves us! I know how important prayer and scripture study is! I know this gospel is true!"

LOVE THIS GIRL! Send her some love in a letter this week, won't you??