"And he inviteth them all to come unto him..."

This email is from August 7, 2017

Que onda y'all? This week was definitely the most gratifying of my mission thus far. Pascual and his sons Oscar and Angel were baptized on Saturday and was a baptism that I will not soon forget. I had the honor of baptizing Pascual and Elder Garcia baptized his 2 sons. Pascual has come a long ways since when we first knocked on his door about a month ago but he was very prepared and progressed very rapidly. It was an especially happy day for his wife Yami who had been praying for him to change for awhile before we showed up. I already know that the Oropeza family will be a strong family in this church that will be leaders and will send their boys on missions. It was days like Saturday that made all of the sacrifice, frustration, and hard work of the mission worth it. I've been extremely blessed and fortunate to be in the position I'm currently in and to have had the

experiences I have had thus far on my mission. Just makes me want to continue to do my very best because you never know who may be on the other side of that door.

The Oropeza Family

Elder Barrus, Pascual, and Elder Garcia

The District 

Besides the baptism we've been working hard to refill the teaching pool so we can continue this wave of momentum. On Sunday we stopped by a guy we talked to about a month ago named Kevin who we gave a Book of Mormon to. He came out a little bit drunk and started going off on how everything related to Mormonism was wrong because there's a depiction of a white Jesus appearing to the ancient inhabitants of the Americas in the pictures section. He talked about racism and how we are racist and how he will grow up telling his son that Mormons are racist and not to associate with them. And then he said "Your belief in a white Jesus is ruining the future of this country!"  We honestly didn't say much to him, we both were just shocked by how bold he was. I wanted to point out a Book of Mormon verse that says:

"...And he inviteth them all to come unto him and partake of his

goodness; and he denieth none that come unto him, black and white,

bond and free, male and female; and he remembereth the heathen; and

all are alike unto God, both Jew and Gentile."

But ni modo, I wasn't upset, just amused at how passionate some people can be about simple things.

That's about all from here, look forward to hearing back from y'all next week!

Elder Barrus

THM

Transfer Calls--We're Both Staying!

This email is from July 31, 2017

Last night we got the transfer calls but Elder Garcia and I are staying together for one more transfer so I get to continue imparting my wisdom with him. 😀 We've got things rolling here and are excited to reap the harvest over the next 6 weeks.

To start out we finished teaching Pascual and Oscar the lessons on Friday and he understood and liked the commandments. He's been listening to the Book of Mormon every day at his job as a welder and is now in Jacob. We've seen such a change in him. His whole countenance has changed since we first met him. He came to church for the fourth week in a row and is ready to be baptized this Saturday with his son Oscar!

Also on Friday we visited a Venezuelan family that had been coming to English class and it went super good! They talked about their transition from Venezuela to here and how they had to start at square one economically and socially. But we shared 2 Nephi chapter 1 verse 6 that talks about how those who come to this country are brought by the hand of God. Neysi, the mama of the family loved that scripture and how after it talks about the Lord prospering those that keep His commandments. They committed to come to church and Neysi actually ended up coming and loving it.

That's really all the noteworthy things that happened this week but I'll try to include some better stories and stuff next week.

Elder Barrus

THM

Exchanges with Elder Hunt. I love this guy!

"Why I Believe" Fireside

This email is from July 24, 2017

Well, this week I think I officially hit 6 months til I get home. Elder Garcia's been whipping me into shape and we've been going running 2 miles every single morning for the past week. It's been rough but it's made a difference already.

This week was business as usual and Pascual is still the man. He's been telling us about the changes he's seen in himself since we started meeting with him and even his wife agreed. The wife never lies! As well we met his oldest son Kevin this week. He's really shy but he's super open to learn more and change his life. He'll come around. Pascual even referred us to his neighbor Jose though! He told us he's not much of a church person but that Pascual raved about how we were helping him change his life and be a better husband and father and he said he was down to learn more. So we'll go back this week to see what's up.

Today we got a text from the Honduran family telling us that they didn't feel ready to be baptized and are going to discontinue receiving the discussions and coming to church. They didn't really tell us why but we'll try to stop by this week to get the story.

Lunch with this cool family--the Arredondos

Boris at the "Why I Believe" Fireside

Also on Sunday we went to an English "Why I believe" fireside that was pretty darn cool. At the end I noticed a Venezuelan guy from the audience that looked kind of familiar and he came up to me and said he remembered me! His name was Boris and way back when I was in Katy, Elder Sellers and I visited him once and then could never get back in because he was super busy. Come to find out that he's going to be baptized this Saturday. I guess you'll never know the impact of your missionary service until later sometimes. That taught me how critical it is to know our role and be true disciples day in and day out, regardless of the numbers or immediate results.

Elder Barrus

THM

Bowling with the District

Another Super Good Week Here in the Heart of Texas

This email is from July 17, 2017

Hey y'all we had another super good week down here in the heart of Texas. We definitely saw the Lord's hand and were able to set 6 baptismal dates in our area for the month of August. First was with Pascual and his son Oscar. They were both really excited to accept the date of August 5th. We can definitely sense that they are changing and showing fruits of repentance. When we asked Pascual's wife what this meant for her family, she told us that she had been praying for her husband to change and a few days later we showed up knocking at their door. We are also working with 2 of their other sons, Kevin who is 18 and Francisco who is 14. They have expressed interest, it's just a matter of helping them know how to receive an answer from God.

As well we were able to set a date for August 12th with Reyna, Tatianna, Angie and Antony. We held off on officially setting one with Nelly and Horacio just because they still aren't super set on getting married. Nelly told us on Saturday that if she sees a change in Horacio, she'll marry him.

Zone Leaders at MLC

On Friday I went on an exchange with my ZL comp Elder Cammack and it was awesome! He's from Idaho and we have a lot of the same interests. We knocked doors for 3 hours in the 100 degree heat and definitely felt the heat. But this summer doesn't feel as bad as last year. Maybe I'm just used to it. People out here are usually pretty nice and offer us water bottles even if they're not interested in what we have to say.

Norberto

On Saturday I went back up to Waller to attend Norberto's baptism. He's come a long way since when I taught him. He's definitely shown a lot of faith and humility, even if plenty of family opposition and challenges during it all. I already know he's going to be a great leader in this church.

And to top it all off, on Sunday we had 8 of our investigators come to church which amounted to 13 people who came if you include the children under the age of 8. It was a really rewarding sight especially after having worked so hard during the week. I'm really enjoying the mission and know that these last 6 months are going to fly by as we continue to pound the pavement and build relationships with the members in the ward.

-Elder Barrus

THM!

One of the best weeks I've had as a missionary.

Hey everyone! This week went by lightning quick! We saw some amazing miracles and can't wait for what's in store this week. Our week was one of the best I've had as a missionary. 

To start off, on Monday we had a lesson with a guy who we knocked into named Pascual. He mentioned the previous Friday on the doorstep that he was looking to grow closer to God. We came back for the return appointment on Monday to find out that his wife is already a member! She was baptized in a El Salvador but never went to church when she got to the United States. As well they have 5 boys, Kevin, Francisco, Oscar, Angel, and Eric. We taught all of them except for Kevin and they already have a special place in my heart. They fed us after our lesson with them on Wednesday and Pascual brought 3 of his sons to church on Sunday! He loved it and so did they. Next week they're planning on the whole family being able to get work off so that they can go to church. We are going to set a baptismal date with them this week. Their last name is Oropeza, so if you could keep them in your prayers I would appreciate it!

The family from Honduras that came to church the week before is doing well. They weren't able to make it to church because they worked, but they said that won't happen again because things didn't go well because it was on the Sabbath day. We are working on getting the Horacio and Nelly married. They don't want to, but we are praying and fasting that their desires can change!

As well on Thursday we met President Petersen and his wife and they were super awesome! Really great sense of humor, genuine, warm, down to earth people. I know that they were called of God to lead this mission and will do a great job.

Anyways, that's all for this week folks. Hasta pronto!

Elder Barrus

THM

Miracle of the Year

Hey everyone, this week was super awesome and full of tender mercies from the Lord for sure! To start out, on Tuesday we had our last MLC with President and Sister Mortensen and it was really inspiring. Tears were shed as it was the last time we saw them. 

Also on Tuesday Leo was baptized by Elder Garcia. It was a beautiful service and our obispo (bishop) told a story about the first baptism he had on his mission in New Jersey. It was a 60 year old woman and he dunked her on the short side of the font, but she hit her head on the wall and let out a scream. She still got baptized.  But Leo and his mom Daniela were super happy so it was a special night. 

This week started out kinda rough after the baptism to be honest. We rolled into district meeting with 0 new investigators, 0 investigators committed to come to church, and no one with a baptismal date. But our stellar district leader Elder Hunt pumped us up and promised us specific blessings so we left that meeting determined to get back on track. 

Well, we had an appointment at 5 with a potential investigator named Adali but she wasn't home so we started knocking the trailers around her house. We knocked on one door where a couple of little kids answered so we asked if their parents were home. They said their mom was in the bathroom, so we left them with a pass a long card and went on our way. We knocked a couple more houses, but when we turned around we saw the same kids we gave the card to outside with their mom, who was motioning for us to come over. So we walked over to their front porch and she said "Pasenle!" which means come in. So we did, and she asked us where the local Mormon church was. 

Apparently someone had invited her to church a couple of months ago and they looked online but couldn't find the closest one. So we gave her the address to the church and taught her,(Reyna) her daughter Tatianna, niece Angie, and nephew Anthony the Restoration. They all accepted it and said they'd be baptized once they know it's true. But don't worry, it gets better. They said they'd come to church and they actually did, in addition to Reyna's sister Nelly and husband Horacio. I went up to bear my testimony and saw Nelly in tears and all of the others attentively engaged. During second hour Gospel principles class the teacher asked if there were any questions and Nelly raised her hand and said "I want to be baptized in the Mormon church, but I was already baptized in the Catholic Church, is that a problem?" They are so prepared. So that's probably the miracle of my mission. We are going back tomorrow to see them.

Pues, God is good. Thanks for your prayers and support. And remember, faith precedes the miracle. 

Leo's Baptism

Leo and his mother, Daniela

Leo and Elder Garcia

Training a Brand New Missionary

(This email was sent June 26, 2017)

Hey everyone! I was notified on Monday night that I am training a brand new missionary! He's the freaking man, his name is Elder Garcia, he's from San Diego, California, and he's pretty much training me, he's a really good elder. He is a convert of about 1 year and 4 months, is the only member in his family, and has a really strong testimony. 

His best friend growing up was a Mormon and always set a good example for him. He met with missionaries in high school but never got baptized because he wasn't ready to make the change. He went to a year at BYU-Idaho as a non-member and one week when he was reading in the Book of Mormon he decided that he needed to get baptized. So he called his friend, who in turn called the missionaries and the rest is history.

Elder Garcia is paying for his own mission, he's a really hard worker, and we've hit the pavement hard early on out here. I already know he's going to be a really good missionary!

My new companion--Elder Garcia

New missionaries with their trainers

We've gotten off to a good start out here, I spent Tuesday and Wednesday with Elder Fitt and Elder Berry in a trio down in H6 and had a lot of fun. On Tuesday night the Spanish elders going home stayed with us and it was really cool to talk to them and hear their stories. 2 of my former companions Elder Curtis and Elder Sellers were there, so it was a lot of fun. We went to the trainer-trainee meeting on Thursday and I picked up my newborn hijo and got to work. We hit the pavement and found some really cool people. First was a lady named Nancy. We saw her mowing the lawn so we asked her if we could help. She asked us if we could take apart her plastic swimming pool and so we did, and then we sat down outside and talked with her for about an hour. She's from Honduras and is looking for ways to strengthen her family, so we explained the Book of Mormon and how it can bless her family. She was really appreciative of us and we're going back this week to see her.

As well we talked to a lady named Michelle on her porch for about 30 minutes on Saturday. She's from Brooklyn and has had some rough challenges in her life but she was really open to the message we brought and said she would love to have English missionaries over! So we sent them over and they've already met her and are excited to teach her.

2 for 2! About a month ago we knocked into a lady named Amanda who seemed pretty interested and so we referred her over and now she has a baptismal date for July 8th! Now I have the faith that prepared English people do exist, I never knew because most of my mission they've straight slammed the door in my face haha.

But anyways, all is well, tomorrow we have MLC and it's probably the last time I will see President and Sister Mortensen. I'll miss them a lot but I know that President Petersen will do well. He's inheriting the Texas Houston Mission at a really good time so things are on the upward climb. Love you all! Stay out of the heat!

Elder Barrus

THM

Dinner with the Stabios Family 

We saw a marijuana plant on someone's porch