It's Just the Rain "Es Que... La Lluvia" ⛈☔️

So this week we had a lot of good stuff happen. To start, Karla, Carlos, and Yadira all passed their interviews so they are good to go for their baptisms on Wednesday! As well on Tuesday we had our Spanish Leadership Council and President dropped some fuego on us as a Spanish program. He showed us a chart that portrayed the baptisms in the Spanish program since 2014, and there has been about a 12 percent increase since then. It has grown, but he shared with us his feelings about how we are not where we should be. So we talked about showing more faith to find and being more unified across the board. It was a pretty remarkable meeting to be a part of. President has this fire and passion that is kinda scary but at the same time builds so much faith. I don't even know how to explain it but I am grateful to be a missionary in the THM at this time because of the great things happening here.

As well, on Thursday we were eating with an English family that referred us to their Hispanic neighbors, so we stopped by and they let us right in and fed us. Then they told us that they wanted their kids to start coming to church and mutual, and wanted us to share a message with them. We didn't have time but we are going back there tonight with a member so we are excited!

As well, on Saturday we stopped by another family that let us in and gave us food also. During all of this they were asking a ton of questions which is always good. So it's nice to have that happen for a change instead of a plethora of excuses as to why they can't listen to us.

But all in all things are so good. I'm so grateful to be a missionary.

Elder Barrus

Exchanges with Elder Tidwell

The Fruits of Repentance

This email is from January 9, 2017

Finally got around to posting a picture with the great Christmas tree the ward sent. Tell them thanks!

We had a double baptism on Sunday, so that was pretty cool. Francisco and Elizabeth came through in the clutch and passed their interviews in time so they could both be baptized in the same service. Great things are happening here in Waller and I am so grateful to be a part of them.

Double baptism:  Francisco and Elizabeth. Elder Marquez came up from Cypress to do the baptism.

Elizabeth's baptism

The Coll family came up from Katy for the baptism

Anyways, highlights from the past week:

On Tuesday we had a lesson with Elizabeth and she let us take her coffee and tea from her kitchen so it wouldn't be a temptation for her. As I think of an investigator that is sincerely showing the fruits of repentance, I think of her. She kept every single one of the commitments that we gave her. No hesitations, no complaints, no justifications, just pure faith and determination to do what the Lord would have her do. It has made me think of my personal discipleship, and how dedicated I am in doing everything the Lord would have me do. As well, she's already doing missionary work, which is such a blessing. We'll probably have her go knock doors for us and teach the people she finds. Next up are her 4 kids. They are a little rebellious, but one of them came to the baptism and I think we can reach all of them, it will just take a little bit of time and patience.

Francisco has been meeting with missionaries off and on for a little over 2 years. At times he has been a little bit difficult to work with because he has some personal beliefs that have been hard for him to change, but over time the Spirit has softened his heart enough to get baptized. But we can't really take credit for his baptism, nor any other baptism because it's the Lord that's doing His work in accordance with His timing. As well the members of the branch have been instrumental in working with him. Last Sunday, after our branch mission leader Hermano Alvarenga took him home from church, Francisco told him he wanted to be baptized on Sunday, January 8th. So we asked him what had changed, set up an interview, he passed, and was baptized on Sunday. Really truly a miracle.

That's about all that happened this week. Y'all should send an email my way when you get a minute, It'd be cool to hear something about the outside world that isn't related to politics or religion. 😅

Elder Barrus

The famous Weller baked potato. I promise there's a potato under there somewhere.

P-day with my old district who I will miss dearly.

This is His Work

Note to everyone: Josh's snail mail address is Elder Josh Barrus, PO Box 1113, Waller, TX 77484  

Also, this email is from January 2, 2017

Tuvimos una semana muy buena porque muchas buenas cosas están sucediendo aquí en Waller pero desafortunadamente pocos pueden entender esto. (We had a very good week because many good things are happening here in Waller but unfortunately few can understand this.) But anyway, we got the transfer news and Elder Wells and I are going to be staying together for another transfer! Really pumped because we work well together and we'll be able to see the fruits of our labors in the next few weeks. But here's an update on those with baptismal dates:

Elder Wells and I in Waller

Elizabeth is doing really well. Last week she told us she wanted to change her baptismal date to the 8th of January instead of the 24th so we kicked it into high gear and taught her 5 times. Teaching the plan of salvation to her was kind of weird because she's already been to the Spirit world once before in her life so she was able to teach us what it was like. Pretty cool. She is definitely showing the fruits of repentance and has the desire to keep all of the commandments in order to have a closer relationship with Christ. As well she's been sharing her testimony of the Book of Mormon with people who are going through a rough time about how it brings peace and joy to her life as she reads it.

Yesterday we had 8 investigators come to church and it is very possible that 7 of those will be baptized by the end of January. We are still working as hard as possible so we can help build the kingdom of God in this area as we help the Spanish branch become a ward. I actually gave a talk in the Spanish branch yesterday and it lasted 20 minutes. The gift of tongues and the Spirit is real because I never talk that long in front of people. Not historically at least but I guess that has changed.

One thing that I really enjoy about each new area I arrive in is the opportunity I get to ask the members about their conversion stories. Our branch president told me his last week and it's pretty remarkable to see how far he's come because he got baptized only 6 years ago. He told us about how missionaries came to his door when only his wife was home and she told him about it and he wanted to listen because he always listened to people talk about God. He worked a lot so he canceled a lot of appointments but the missionaries were persistent and kept trying to invite him to various activities. He always told them that he would go to church, but was always drinking on Saturday night, and Sunday was his only day to go shopping and spend time with the family, so he almost never went. Eventually they invited him to a baptism and he went and really felt the Spirit strongly. He eventually agreed to be baptized, but didn't really have a testimony of the Church, Book of Mormon, nor Joseph Smith. But he had a testimony of the Spirit the missionaries brought, so that was enough to lead him to the waters of baptism. 

Eventually he gained his own testimony but talked about the challenge new converts face, especially those who are Hispanics just because of the different lifestyle they lead in this country, which is mostly focused on working, partying, and sending home money to their families in other countries. But I continue to be amazed at how God truly is bringing to pass "a marvelous work and a wonder" in these the latter days. Seeing lives change as sons and daughters of God make necessary sacrifices in their lives in order to follow the Savior is something that has changed me. I know with all of my heart that this is His work and that Jesus is at the head of this Church.

Elder Barrus

This is pretty typical of our area.

Our Zone

King of Kings (Rey de Reyes)

This email is from December 26, 2016

Honestly had a superrrr great week out here in Waller. A lot of great things happened and we saw some Christmas milagros (miracles).

The District with Christmas Tree

On Wednesday we had our mission Christmas conference and it was a blast. President Mortensen gave an inspired training on shepherds that blew my mind. He walked us through the story of the nativity in the Bible and had us call out the attributes of the shepherds. There were a lot, but mostly talked about how we are like shepherds and shepherds lead sheep to water. So helping people progress towards baptism is symbolic of shepherding. He also shared a diagram that I will attach below that shows how critical it is to help people understand the covenants that they have made or are planning to make with God. He also showed us how we finished the year with 550 baptisms as a mission, which was 50 short of our goal but still a huge improvement compared to the last few years. But other than that we watched The Nativity, ate good food, and played some fun games.

The Mission at Christmas Conference

Christmas Conference games

New socks for Christmas!

Thursday we got a text from the Benedicts, a senior missionary couple serving in the branch saying that they set a baptismal date with the 3 Hernandez kids for January 18th! So that puts us at 4 heading into January with potential to set 2 more with Enrique and Deseret. Some really great things are happening in Waller.

On Saturday we visited a lot of people and ate Christmas Eve dinner with the Contreras family.

Sunday, I was able to talk to my family and it was good to see them. We visited a lot of people and got fed barbecue by a really nice couple when we were out knocking doors. All in all it was a good Christmas and I am so grateful for the opportunity I have to serve our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ full time for 2 years. I hit 11 months tomorrow and I am striving to give my all every single day so that I can look back on these 2 years with no regrets.

Merry Christmas!

Elder Josh Barrus

A Savior is Born

This email is from December 19, 2016

This Texas December weather has me confused. Saturday was really hot, and then on Sunday it was like 36 degrees. But all is well here in the land of Waller, Texas.

It was cold

But anyway, we had a huge miracle happen this past week. We received a referral from a member in Pasadena and she was as golden as the calf the children of Israel worshipped while Moses received the 10 Commandments. We taught her on Wednesday, and she told us of her experience she had while she went to church in Pasadena. She felt the Spirit very strongly when she took the Sacrament and felt a peace come over her that she had only felt once before, when she had an out of body experience. She wanted us to teach her kids so we did on Saturday and they were receptive. She came to church on Sunday and had been reading in the Book of Mormon, so we gave her a baptismal date for January 24th! We are hoping to be able to baptize all 4 of her kids with her as well but we'll see.

Francisco texted us on Tuesday and said that he didn't feel ready for his baptism because he didn't want to receive financial help from anyone else. So we kept trying to help him see that it's a faith issue rather than a money issue but he's still pretty set on his way. So we will keep working with him and hope that he softens up and something gets worked out.

Other than that, not really too much happened besides the usual stuff but things are going really well and I am so grateful to be sharing the message of the Savior's Atonement this Christmas season.

-Elder Barrus

We got a new Toyota Tacoma truck.

"Wherefore We Labored Diligently Among Our People"

Buenas tardes everyone, it was another really productive week out here in Waller. Here's some of the highlights from this past week:

On Sunday night as we were out contacting, we stumbled across a group of five Hispanic men who were all very open to the message of the Gospel and English class. So we stayed and talked with them and they were really cool. They were good family men who work hard to provide for their families and they fed us carne asada which is where they throw tons of fajita, chicken, and salchicha(sausage) on the grill and serve it with a plethora of tortillas and salsa. After we ate we shared the message of the Restoration with them and they all liked it, so we are going to return whenever we're hungry. 

On Thursday Francisco had his baptismal interview and didn't pass. He explained to Elder Tidwell that he was paying a certain amount of money each month in order to pay off a debt to the bank. He said he would be able to pay his tithing when he finishes paying off the debt. So we explained the situation to the ward council and a couple members decided that they would help him budget his finances and help him with his light bill if he paid his tithing first. So we presented the plan to him yesterday and he accepted it without problem and is now good to go for his baptism on this upcoming Sunday! 

As well we started teaching Carlos, Yadira, and Carlos and it's gone really well. They are all really engaged in the lessons and have strong desires to receive answers to their questions. We are going to set a date with all three of them this week. 

We taught Deseret and Enrique this week a couple times and they still want to be baptized, which is a good thing. The only obstacle we can see is that their mom is trying to get papers so she can be here for the baptism. If she's not able to do that, then we will have to postpone the baptism until she arrives, which might end up being a good thing because she's not a member herself. 

On Thursday we stopped by a potential family named the Reyes and shared the why of the Book of Mormon with them and promised tons of blessings and they felt the Spirit and told us they would read. When we came back, they hadn't read, and didn't seem all that interested in learning more because they were celebrating the day of the Virgen Maria a little early, because that day is the 12th of December. 

But either way we are still on the lookout for even more people to teach and guide to the safety of the waters of baptism. In an area like this it is crucial that we receive member referrals and teach people in the homes of members. So we have been doing all we can to gain the trust of these fine members so that they can trust us with their friends. 

Something I've come to realize while I've been on my mission is how important it is to be persistent in persuading people to come unto Christ. Obviously I don't want to be overbearing when inviting others to learn about Christ, but at the same time, when someone opens their door, looks at us and says "No" without even hearing what we have to say, they need to be asked why. This is the most important message that anyone could ever hear, so it's our responsibility to make sure that they understand at least a little bit what they are rejecting and how we are only trying to help, not Bible-bash. I also came across a scripture in the Book of Jacob that drives this point home

7 Wherefore we labored diligently among our people, that we might persuade them to come unto Christ, and partake of the goodness of God, that they might enter into his rest, lest by any means he should swear in his wrath they should not enter in, as in the provocation in the days of temptation while the children of Israel were in the wilderness.

That's about it for this week. God bless you all. 

Elder Barrus

I Love Waller

This post is from Monday, December 5, 2016

I'm starting to love Waller more and more the longer I'm here. At first I thought that it would be kind of a slow area because it's the country and there's more cows than people out here, let alone Hispanics, but we have been blessed with a lot of teaching opportunities. We taught 15 lessons this week, which is the second most lessons I've taught in a week thus far in my mission. I wouldn't really say that the success can be attributed to us because this branch is incredible. It all starts with the priesthood leadership and they do a great job of making assignments and making sure that people are visited, fellowshipped, and spiritually nourished. As I was sitting in branch council I marveled at how the branch presidency mentioned how we as missionaries shouldn't be teaching lessons without members present in the lesson. It makes our job as missionaries a whole lot easier when we have members willing to fellowship our investigators and share their conversion stories with them because sometimes it's hard to believe a couple of 19 year old kids from Utah who haven't been around the block as much as them. So I am just so grateful for the members here and will cherish my time serving in Waller. 

Anyways, to give an update on Francisco, we went by on Thursday and he told us that he was all good to be baptized on December 11th, but there was one thing that might hold him back. He said that he is retired and receives a social security check from the government each month and with that money he is able to pay his bills, but he only has $20 left over after he pays his bills, which is much less than the 10 percent needed to pay tithing. He said that if it was acceptable paying $20 for tithing instead of 10 percent, then he would get baptized, but if not, we would have to delay the baptism in order to work something out. So we told him we would ask our mission president about it and get back to him. Knowing full well that he would have to pay 10 percent I dreaded our next lesson with him. As I studied, pondered, and prayed about how we were going to overcome this barrier, I reflected on why the commandment of tithing even exists. God doesn't need our money. He has super rich people like Mitt Romney paying tithing that could probably cover all of the church's expenses and leave some to spare. I came across this quote from Elder Tad R. Callister of the Seventy in a talk titled "Becoming a Consecrated Missionary" that explains the principle behind tithing beautifully:

"Years  ago  my  grandfather  was  serving  as  the  president  of  the  Rotterdam  Branch  in  Holland.  He told  of  a  woman  who  came  to  him  destitute,  who  had  earned  the  equivalentof an American quarter  for  the  entire  week.  She  asked  if  she  needed  to  pay  tithing.  He  looked  at  her  for  a minute  in  her  impoverished  condition,  and  then  said:  “Sister,  if  this  were  my  church,  I  would  not take  your  tithing.  But  it  is  not  my  church;  it  is  the  Lord’s  church,  and  tithing  is  a  principle  upon which  blessings  of  the  Lord  are  predicated.”  (LeGrand  Richards  Speaks,  P.  185.)  She  paid  her tithing. 

The Lord doesn't need our money. He needs our faith. Our faith to believe that even if logically we aren't going to be able to pay our bills if we pay our tithing first, that all of our needs will be taken care of. So we explained the situation to our ward mission leader Hermano Alvarenga and he and another member visited Francisco on Sunday after church. They helped him write his expenses down, make a budget, and helped him realize that the Lord will take care of him if he pays his tithing first. So after a stressful couple of weeks we got the news that Francisco was all good to go for his baptism, he just needs an interview first. 

As far as the rest of the week went, on Thursday we had our weekly planning but before that we went to a barbecue place to get baked potatoes. That's really all Waller is famous for but that's okay because they were really good. On Friday we had an inspiring zone meeting about faith and finding people to teach. The zone leaders talked about how sometimes the mission president and his assistants give us commitments that sometimes seem like they are too lofty. When I first entered the mission field I would receive these kinds of commitments from my leaders in the mission and resent them because I thought they were unrealistic. Over time I've repented and really put forth my best effort to fulfill those commitments. In zone meeting we discussed how we need to have the faith that these things can happen. One of the scriptures that hit me was 2 Nefi 27:23:

"For behold, I am God; and I am a God of miracles; and I will show unto the world that I am the same yesterday, today, and forever; and I work not among the children of men save it be according to their faith."

Sometimes we think that the miracles of the Bible can't happen today because God has already done his work. That is just not true. Biblical type miracles are happening every single day, we just have to have the faith to believe them and recognize them. Which brought us to the next point about finding those who are prepared. We need to be putting forth our best effort to ensure that we are bold and helping people understand what they are either accepting or rejecting. So we were able to put that to the test Friday afternoon after district meeting when we visited a potential named Gabriela. Early in the lesson, she mentioned how she had been looking to come closer to God and had prayed for guidance just a few days before we showed up. So she took that as a sign from God and we testified that it was. That was a real testimony builder to how God is preparing the hearts of many to receive the message of the Restored Gospel. Later that night we taught another lesson to someone named Tyreke who said he had prayed earlier in the week for guidance. So we showed up. 

Anyways, I think that's all for today, but I am grateful for the opportunity I have to be a missionary and to see the lives of others change for good. 

Elder Barrus

We made gingerbread houses with the Smuins and they made us missionary snowmen. ☃️

We had a good zone meeting