May 19, 2011 A new letter

A new letter from Cody has been posted at codypuertorico.blogspot.com. Please go there to get the latest!

Cody's mission blog has moved!

For various reasons we moved Cody's blog to a new location. Please find and follow it here. The new address is codypuertorico.blogspot.com.

There are a few new posts there already. See you there!

April 9, 2011 Provo MTC

This last week was really cool, especially General Conference! I so dearly wish I could have brought everyone over here to watch it! Also, every Tuesday is a "devotional" by important people and Wednesdays we go to the temple. So, yeah, things are still hard, but I'm strangely happy.
I think there was something important I needed to say as well...
Feel free to send cookies and stuff?? I don't think that was it, but that's important too...
Oh! and I found Elder Fitzgerald! (Ammon) It was totally weird.
That's all for now!
Elder me

Two weeks at the MTC

Two weeks at the MTC

It feels like I've only been here for one day! onE REALLY LONG DAY!!! But not a bad day. It's really hard to describe. It's like.... I DON"T KNOW! I want to say it's like being on drugs and skydiving while you try to learn a language as you fall. But I've never been on drugs, so I shouldn't pretend I can relate :P I definitely belong here though. they serve curly fries and A1 steak sauce!!!! THAT'S ALL FOR TODAY! I"M OUT oF TIME BYE!!!!

Letter Excerpts from Elder Cody Barnes, Written March 23/24, 2011

Today has been quite swell. No, really. It's been pretty rad. My companion doesn't drive me nuts or anything. Everyone is so happy! I can't help comparing this day to what Logan's told me of hist first few days at boot camp, and people keep asking me why I'm chuckling.
We wake up, no, "Arise" and "Prepare for the day" at six tomorrow--
Oh, it's time to "reflect on our experience today and rest". I'll write more tomorrow!

New day! I forgot my Super Special Card that gives me access to food, but they were nice enough to let me run back and get it :-)
All the elders are so full of brotherly love around here O.O So weird.
Oh, first day here I got a migrane! THAT was fun! I've never thrown up so much, 30 minutes of exercise! It's the lights in my classroom that give me migrains!! O.O not cool.
The second day has really helped me fortify my reasons to be out here, and my confidence in my usefulness.
The days really are long like they said it would be. We eat dinner at 4:30, but it still feels like I don't eat till evening! I keep looking out the window, expecting it to be dark and then find out it is only noon.
But the peace here makes it...ZEN. At least so far.

Drawing time!

three days left, mission farewell

The contents below is the speech I wrote for church at my mission farewell. Enjoy!

This, is a letter I wrote last night. For all of you, because I couldn't come today.

it begins:

hello everyone, and thank you for coming my not mission farewell :)

I'm sorry you all came and I didn't but I'm sure Brother Gardener, Brother Shumway, and Brother Gover were interesting enough.

I was asked to talk about agency, But I can't.

Oh, I wanted to, I spent two weeks agonizing over this, looking through scriptures and past talks for inspiration but it seems I can't talk about our great gift that is agency.

The irony is not lost on me.

This is why I've chosen to be sick today, and I apologize for not coming in, but really, even if you don't forgive me, I'm going to Puerto Rico, so... oh well!

Actually, to be completely honest, I'm not sure I was meant to give this talk at all, Maybe I did something wrong and God was mad at me, or maybe it was just DESTINY!

Yes, it was my destiny to fail at this talk about agency and prove to you and myself that I'm just not meant to be a public speaker.

So instead i'm writing this letter about... me- And maybe you. I want to talk about how each one of you, just by being you, saved me from losing myself.

I'm kind of a creep, I know that doesn't sound right to any of you, but let me explain myself,

I

Love

you.

each and every one of you. When I look into your eyes I am completely blown away with what you can be. I FEEL so much for each of you and Many of you don't even know my favorite color!

...Do you see the problem here? How do I convey to you ALL individually that I support you ALL and am willing to give anything if it means you'll find your way?

I don't know if it's possible, not without either turning my naivete' into meaningless tools for the lackadaisical or becoming a superhero -which would be awesome...

But that's not the worst of it. If this letter proves nothing else, it shows that I CANNOT give you what I wish I could show you with every fiber of my being.

My desire to help is far greater than my ability to do so, and For much of my life I was trapped by the conclusion that if I couldn't be there for all of you, I couldn't be there for any of you.

So I'm staying in bed.

This talk was meant to be my gift to you for all that each of you have done for me. For putting up with me when I came to class half asleep, when I didn't call you back because I forgot, for being nice to me while I was your home teacher, and for taking the time to listen to all the weird things I had to say.

They say it takes an village to raise an Idiot-or something like that-and I have to agree with them. I wouldn't be going on my mission, proud and happy, if it wasn't for your choices.

Thank you.

I'm sorry I couldn't tell you about agency, but I hope that knowing you helped make someone who's trying to save the world is cool.

Sincerely, Elder Barnes.

Well, Turns out I did find myself here, and I AM going to tell you that Agency is a gift from God from the premortal life that gives us the opportunity to find true and everlasting happiness, if we so choose it.

No, it's not nessecary for you to find it, you don't HAVE to do ANY of these things, but if I could give you one thing, I would give you the taste that I was given of what we can be.

Agency is the ability to choose our consequences, which I can understand if that comes across as quite limiting. Like a credit card, we can grab and hide with personal pleasures all we want, but If we didn't work for it and make it an honest part of ourselves, it will destroy us.

False claims to substance will only sustain us for so long.

But we're taught that if we can learn to work with the rules we've been given, we find there are higher laws that open up the world, and actually make the laws of physics quite beautiful.

I'm not going to lie, this mission is going to be a real test for me, to see if I really can walk the walk, as they say, but I'm really only nervous that they're going to make me talk more talks,

because I'm not afraid of wearing myself out. I'm counting on it! But I'm really going to be leaving my comfort zone out there.

But I'm not nervouse

... well, I hope you like 'em Short and Sweet, 'cause I don't have much else. But I want to testify to you that our decisions ripple out and touch many more lives than we think, and in turn everyone acts on It's like Billions of universes crammed on a ball and consciously

or not teaching each other what it means to be human. We're maturing as a people, and thanks especially to technology we are gobally connected. The truth is slowly becoming easier and easier to find, But we will always be dependant on eachother down here. I bear witness that those that seek to produce happiness are the ones that will be the happiest, and I humbly pray you all may come to learn this In the sacred name of Jesus Christ Amen

17 days left

These are the lyrics to a song I'm recording right now. I should be finished by the end of this week, and then you can hear the thing for realz!!


Anyway, *cough, it's a serious song, dripping with sarcasm and satire or something like that, I hope you enjoy it anyway!


ok, here we go.


Just Maybe by Cody-me


A Family fight in a happy home
It's just like a joke that just shouldn't be told :/
and maybe it's "all good" in the end
but I missed the punchline again...

And maybe I'm just crazy!
maybe I don't understand,
I guess I need to pay attention,
but something feels so wrong...
in here...


If I don't want a girlfriend, does that mean that I'm gay?
Why can't I just save MYSELF and live in a cave?
...Yeah it kinda hurts to be all alone.
But I'm doing better on my own!

And maybe I deserve this!
Well I hope it doesn't show
I'm shaky I'm so nervous,
I guess I'm reaping what I sow
well I'll do it with a smile...

And once again I've hurt myself,
trying to save the world
I seem to think that small and nice,
is better than being cool
And EVERYBODY knows that
intelligence is low and
the government's lying,
but what if it's our PERSONAL egos
that will kill us all in the end?

OR MAYBE I'M JUST CRAZY.
and maybe.. uh... i don't know.. O.O
Maybe I should shut up.
or better yet I'll go!
Far away
far away
I'll go so far away and I'll leave you with a smile.