Thursday, May 24, 2007

Things are going great up here in Timmins

We have a baptismal service this Sunday right after church. Where our recent convert
Wayne Ferrigan will be baptizing his two boys, Jake who is 15 and Jason who is 17.
they are very excited because they have seen the amazing change that has taken place
in their fathers and mothers life.
Also Liliane Gauthier will be baptized by her husband which is extremely exciting. There is
a young couple we are working with named Chris and Heaven they are set to be
baptized on the 10th of June, they are living together so Elder Hoffman I wish i had
time to answer all your emails individually!!! Tiana you rock thanks for being a great
example to me. Mom good luck on all your classes and your paper if it were me i would
try and eat all the elephant in one sitting just because i think it would taste pretty good.
Dad i wish i could have been there at state with you that would have been so much fun
but the things i am learning now will make me be such a better diver, student, father,
husband, friend, and brother. I almost started crying when i thought that Don may never
be able to go on a mission but there is always hope and thats all we can do is hope and
pray he has to decide for himself. Celeste congrats on your baby i cant believe you are
a mom thats crazy! You and Bard are going to be the best parents for her. Holy crap i
didn't know Bryce could get such amazing grades and be the valedictorian thats so cool!
Danica and Dave i hope everything is going well i haven't heard much from you guys.
Don email me tell me whats new in life My new companion is great! He is very obedient
and a very hard worker, and knows the scriptures very well, he has been out for 6 months
and i have only been outfor 3. and the president trusts us enough to be in Timmins its great!
Love you all
Elder Barrand


Wednesday, May 16, 2007


Dear family,

We baptized Raymonde Ferrigan on Saturday she
is an amazing women, both her sons Jake and
Jason came up to Elder Packer and I at church
and asked when can we get baptized. We told
them as soon as your dad receives the
priesthood. Earlier this week we had a dinner
appointment with a part member family, the
husband is a member and the wife has been Roman
Catholic all her life. Brother and Sister Gotea.
We invited her to get baptized and tell us on
Sunday when you would like to get it done, she
told us that she wants to be baptized on the
27th. We used the Who, What, why, when, that
elder Kerr taught us it was great! Things are
going amazing up here in Timmins, many of the
members were really sad to see Elder Packer
leave, I am too he is an amazing missionary,
I am so excited to start working with a new
companion, and progress the work.

Here is a really funny story, Elder Packer and

I decided to head down to Sudbury last nightfrom Timmins, because Elder Packer is get
ting transferred We were on such a spiritual high after having elder packer say
goodbye to the Tinney family and the Ferrigan family, We started driving down the
road and missed the one and only turn, we needed to make the entire way. We drove
for 2 hours, on the way many things were pointed out to me that we were headed the
wrong way but we were so engaged with the amazing conversation at hand talking about
the people in Timmins. Like towns that we had never past before or the forest had
been burnt and we have never noticed it before.
There are no mountain ranges in Ontario so that you are able to tell which way you
are going so it is not unusual to drive through the forest for hours and not know.
Then all the sudden we came to a stop sign just then I realized we had been driving
the wrong way for the last 2 hours, this was at ten o clock at night so we stopped
the car gotout stretched a little and got back in the car, I realized that we did
not start driving with a prayer so I said one and in it I said please let us not hit
any moose on the way back. So we start driving back to Timmins. Elder Packer sees a
moose in the road and we are about to hit it going about 85mph, he slams on the
brakes, and we come to a complete stop about 10 feet, with the moose right in front
of the car. Then the moose just keeps running down the road and then back into the
forest, then I say another prayer thanking God for our lives. Then we get back to
Timmins 2 hours later, to sleep for a few hours then start driving to Sudbury
needless to say we did not miss that turn again. And now with a stronger testimony
that there are angels watching over missionaries and that the power of prayer works
and that the church is true!!

Love Elder Barrand

Monday, May 14, 2007

April 25th

Hey Family
My First Baptism is this Sunday! For Wayne Enright Ferrigan. He received an answer to his prayers through a dream and also he had a similar experience to
Joseph Smith and the first vision being over come by then Devil with doubt,fear, and guilt, then calling upon Gods name for help then feeling the spirit
so strong and he knew this is what he needs to do is get baptized. So i gave him my old set of scriptures that i got when i was 12 and he said he would cherish
them forever, and i told him to get new ones in a couple of years because thats what i did when i came on my mission. That set of scriputers was barely used, i
remember Bryce came up to me and looked at my scriptures and said “these look brand new” and i said thanks then he said that is not a compliment, and that
priced me to the heart because i never really read or studied my scriptures much before the mission, but now i cant get enough i love them so much i don't know
how i will ever be able to go a day with out reading them. They are true words of God i know Joseph Smith translated them and that Christ
lives!