Monday, September 23, 2013
Dear Family!! 

Okay so listen to this!!!! Last week during extra internet time I was determined to send you all some pictures!! So I brought my converter and everything . . . but when I started plugging it all in, the computer started to freeze and it wouldn't work!! I dunno why it was like that. I guess the computers at this internet cafe aren't that great for transfering pictures. So I'm sorry to say that you might have to wait a little while longer for some pictures!! SORRY (GILLY!!)

So besides pictures, things are going pretty good. Yeah I'm glad that you got that picture that Davis took of me!! It's definitely crazy how there are connections to mormons everywhere around the world!! You can find us anywhere!!! Sibiu is great!! The city is beautiful and everything just seems nicer than the other places I have served at here in Romania. We just walk everywhere here in Sibiu. So we have to walk between 5-10 minutes to get to centru. I haven't yet spoken in church yet, but we will see when I actually give a talk!! My guess is that it will be sometime soon. 

Well that's about it for me family!! I wish I could send pictures!! I will try again soon!!! I LOVE YOU ALL!!!

Monday, September 16, 2013
Dear Family!

Well hello there family!! I just want you all to know that I miss you all so so so much!! The mission is going great though. Nothing really much has changed, but things are just good. This week has been a lot of finding efforts (as every week seems to be). We have been trying to talk to many people about our english classes so that more people can come. And again, I don't have my converter for pictures. I'm sorry momma!! I will try to remember to bring it when I come next time to internet. Well we haven't really conducted any meetings. I think the branch president just does it everytime. It's funny because the branch president conducts, I'm sitting at the sacrament table by myself, and Slemboski is playing the piano. Then when it comes time for the sacrament the branch president comes and sits next to me to bless and then Slemboski has to get up from the piano to head over on the other side of the sacrament table so that he can pass. Then after the sacrament is done we all get up and sit up in front of the congregation. Ha ha it's like we play musical chairs or something for church! Well speaking of baggage stuff, one of my suitcases has been broken basically since I have been in the country. The wheels on the bottom just got destroyed so I basically drag it instead of having it roll on wheels. But so far all my stuff has been fitting in them so that is good! We only have two other companions to do exchanges with and so we just have to figure out when we are going to do that this transfer. Actually one of the companionships are going to come to us this week. So it's not like we are really going out and about to do exchanges and stuff like that. Yeah Elder Slemboski and I are having a great time! This transfer is going to be a lot of fun! My language skills are still coming. My time in Chisinau has really hurt my language skills mainly because I had no opportunities to speak in Romanian in Chisinau. So speaking right now is actually harder than it was but I'm slowly getting back to par. Yeah I have no idea what is going to happen for general conference. We will just have to see what happens! 

Well you could say hello in many different ways. You could just say Alo (Awe-low). But usually when I say hello to someone I say Buna Ziua (Boo-nuh Zee-Wah) which means Good Day. So will let you pick which one you want to choose. 

This week there was something totally crazy that happened!!! We were just walking along in centru talking to people about english classes when all of a sudden we hear this shout of "Elders!". So we turn around to see who called us and we find that there are this group of like 30 americans, all from Utah, who are here on some type of tourist trip or something like that. It was super crazy because the next thing we know they started treating us like we were celebrities or something like that!! They were asking us where we were from, asking about the work, taking pictures of us, and they even managed to give Elder Slemboski 20 dollars so we could go buy a dinner!! It was super crazy!!! We were talking about it after the group left and we had to "regroup" and realize what just went down!! ha ha It reminded us on how different cultures are from america to here in Romania. Like, never has a romanian come up to us and like talked to us in such a friendly manner about the work we are doing and such. It just reminded us about how americans really are and such. Oh and then the next day we were walking towards the church and there was an american couple (see picture below) and so the same thing happened again!! Took pictures with them and they gave us money so that we could go buy some food!!! Gosh I'm sure that missionaries in Utah get their whole missions paid for by just walking down the street and going out to eat all the time. ha ha 

I LOVE YOU ALL SO FREAKING MUCH!!!!!! 

Elder Josh Barney

Picture taken and emailed by

 Steve Davis, Rainbow Sign and Banner, St. George Utah

Monday, September 9, 2013
Dear Family!!! 

This week was a pretty good week! We were in Bucharest for most of the time because of transfers and meetings. It was pretty fun though! I'm back to being a zone leader. Being a zone leader is pretty fun . . . sometimes! Ha ha We have a lot of work that we have been doing because we have meetings to plan and things to do. Actually something that are mission is going to start doing is we are going to start recording the amount of hours we contact and the amount of BOM that we give out. We are adding those numbers to the key indicators. Apparently President Hill recognizes that we hardly get any numbers during the week. Like there have been many weeks where we get all zeros and such. So he is adding these two numbers to the list so we can see how much work we are actually doing. We will see how that goes. But things should start getting not as "workfull" soon. We actually didn't take a train ride to Sibiu (pronounced Sea-Be-You) because they are working on the trains or something like that. So we took a bus there. Sibiu is a beautiful place!! I will have to take some pictures of the centru area today if we go pass there. The buildings that are here just seem more nice and clean. The branch is pretty small . . . small enough to where I got called yesterday to be the first counsellor of the branch! We have a branch president here but us Elders get put as his counsellors. So my companion is the second counsellor. Yeah that letter from Moldova was written by the Schwartz. They are the missionary senior couple who are in Chisinau. I'm glad it put a great smile on your face momma!!

Monday, September 2, 2013
Dear Family!!!!

I LOVE YOU ALL SO SO MUCH!!!!! 

Hello family!! So this week was pretty good! My last full week here in Chisinau has ended!! I found out that both Elder Reid and I are leaving Chisinau!! So any guesses about where I'm going?! 

Well if you guessed somewhere in Transylvania then you are totally correct!! I'm going to go to a city called Sibiu!!! I'm actually really excited because I have heard that Sibiu is an awesome place! My companion is pretty awesome too!! His name is Elder Slemboski! I'm excited to go to Sibiu, but to be honest I'm kinda sad to be leaving Chisinau! I have had such a great time here. We have had tons of fun with different activities and stuff like that. This second time being here in Chisinau has been a lot better than the first. Actually speaking of my first time in Chisinau, Elder Hollist (my companion the first time I was here) is actually going to come back here and train a new missionary here in this area! So that's kind of cool that both Elder Hollist and I were able to come back to Moldova for a second time. Yeah so sorry about taking some pictures. I haven't really thought about taking a lot of pictures yet. I will probably do it today though just cause it is my last day here. I will definitely have to send you a letter in Romanian!!! That would be great language study for me and then you guys can try figuring out what it says ha ha :) 

Lizzy has been meeting with Elders Farnworth and Westover. Lizzy was meeting with the sisters here, but now she wants to meet with the Elders. Anywho, so when the other elders have had lessons with her they usually ask us to go and help them out with the lesson. So this past week we have had 2 lessons with them. They have been some pretty good lessons actually!! Lizzy was being taught about stuff when I was here in Moldova the first time. Back then she only believe in some "greater power". But now she actually believes that God exists! It's kind of cool to see how different of a person that she is and how much she has progressed. I can definitely see her getting baptized someday. Hopefully she continues to progress with Elders Farnworth and Westover! 

from Chisinau, Moldova to Sibiu, Romania