43rd Letter: "Heeeey!! :)"

Dear Family, 

It is always so great to write you my wonderful family!! :) I cant believe that I am coming up on 10 months this week... It just blows my mind!! As I look back over my mission to this point I just stand in amazement of all of the blessings that I have been given in my service. It kind of makes me sick to think that I am almost half way through my mission already. I have no idea where time has gone!! Man though I really miss you all though!! It is incredible the family that I have been blessed with as well. I definitely have plenty of blessings to be counting!!

Well all in all I have been doing very well!! The work is going amazing, Josh got baptized this last weekend and we set a baptism date with a man that has been investigating the church for 26 years! His wife is a member and he just hasn't recognized his answer that the church is true until this last week... It has probably been the biggest miracle of my mission so far!! So the Mckay Family is doing great they are looking solid to get baptized within the next two weeks which is awesome!!

So this is the final week of the transfers and so there is always a little bit of a possibility that I could get transferred... I hope not but you never know! So if I email a little later than usual next week then you will know why.

Well I best be going! We are going bowling as a zone today! I knew I took that bowling class at BYU-I for a reason!! :) should be fun!!

Love you all so much!! 

Elder Barrus

Ward Halloween Party 

Josh Villanueva

Elder Figgens (Las Vegas) One of my favorite missionaries ever!! (DL in our zone) We matched on exchanges 

19 dollars in quarters! Thats how we roll!!! :)

42nd Letter: "YOLO Family!! :)"

Dear Family, 

Happy Veterans day!! Sorry I pulled a fast one on all of those that thought I was emailing yesterday!! We didn't email for two reasons, 1st it was Veterans day, and 2nd because or P-day was changed from Monday toTuesday!!! It is super weird, I have just been so use to it being on Mondays!! President Miller announced it last week at our monthly MLC (mission leadership council) he said he changed it because too many libraries and businesses are closed on Mondays, makes sense. Anyways, Family I have been doing great!! This last week has been another turning point in my mission I have recommitted myself to be better at a lot of things that I have been struggling with, and I have already seen the blessings come from it. Truly is amazing when we just turn to the Lord with our weaknesses!!

So as far as an update on the missionary efforts here in the Academy Heights Ward. Things are going magnificent. Josh is looking pretty solid for his baptism on Saturday as long as he passes his interview with President tonight. Ruth and Fredrick Mckay are probably the two of the greatest people I have ever taught on my mission. Ruth has been so prepared for the gospel and Fredrick just kind of follows Ruth. There baptism date is for the 30th and are looking pretty solid to make it. There are tons of other miracles that are going on in our area right now that would take me all day to explain. We have quite a few people that we see have great potential to get baptized in the near future!! :)

The Albuquerque Zone has been behaving itself pretty good as of late which is really good!! Makes our job a ton easier!! This transfer a lot of drama has been worked out and there has been a great moral within the Zone, which definitely could be accredited to our success as a Zone as of late. We had Zone Training (which is every first friday following the first thursday of the month) this last Friday that went great!! It is a 3 hour meeting that we present to the zone on the things that we learned at MLC the day before. It takes a lot of mind work to be able to prepare a 3 hour meeting in less than 5 hours usually!! I have really seen myself grow because of it though. 

Just a quick awesome note! I email the Crofts each week as well and they just let me know that Charlotte and Billy Joe Guerro went and did baptisms for the dead this last week!! That is so great to hear!! :) Missionary work is an eternal work!! Also I wrote Anita and she wrote me back, she is doing great, really misses me and struggled there for a bit but she is loving her calling as Relief Society secretary. 

Well Family know that I really really miss you!! I have been thinking about you all a lot as of late. I know that you all are facing challenges and decisions daily, I pray that Heavenly Father is strengthening and guiding you in whatever it may be!!

Love
Elder Barrus

“I Will Not Fail Thee, nor Forsake Thee”

By President Thomas S. Monson

Group Pic from MLC

Pictures

We got more pictures from Elder Barrus today! It's a mix of pictures from Alamo and Albuquerque 

41st Letter: "NOVEMBER?"

Dear Family, 

So emailing has been so crazy lately... they just recently changed the way that we input numbers for the Zone so we have to put all of the in electronically before we can email, so that definitely cuts into the hour that we have to email. No fun. So I will try my best to quickly give you an update. 

So the missionary work in our zone is taking off!! We went from 9 bap dates 2 weeks ago to 22 as of last night!! The work definitely is being hastened here, and missionaries are starting to be more obedient! :) Definitely makes my job a little easier.

This Saturday we had a wonderful baptism, the spirit was super strong as Joy was baptized. I have just been thinking a lot about how truly blessed I have been throughout my mission!! It amazes me. We should have at least 3 more baptism before the end of November. Josh is looking solid for the 16th and Fredrick and Ruth Mckay, and awesome couple should be baptized on the 23rd.

I am doing great, I don't think I have been more happy on my mission than now. It scares me how fast time has gone, I am cherishing this time. It has been such a blessing. :) It has definitely been anything but easy, but life isn't meant to be easy. We are here on earth to be molded and shaped into that person that our heavenly father wants us to be, and that involves trials and exercising our faith. Which is anything, but easy in the time of the trial, naturally being human we want to find this grand solution to our trials by our self, and that is the number one lesson in life that we need to grasp, THAT WE CANT DO THIS ALONE. That is why pride is the number one sin, and there is so much of that with missionaries lately that it is driving me crazy.... too many times we think we can just handle whatever we have by our selves and that is anything but the case. And for those that think that both on the mission and in life are humbled very quickly, and the reason I say that is because I have experienced it. I testify that there is only joy and peace that comes when we rely on the atonement of our Savior and when we allow our Heavenly Father to lift that burden off of our back. I have been reading through the Old Testament, I started from the beginning about 5 weeks ago and it has been such a difficult read, but I have gotten through it faithfully. I just started Job this morning and it really hit me hard, made me put myself in his shoes. I would ask you all to do the same read the beginning of Job and think of your life and how you have been tried. I thought it was super inspiring how much faith Job had and also how much trust Heavenly Father had in him that he would stay faithful to him.

Sorry for my little vent, but I felt it is super important for me to share that with y'all. What a crazy life we all live! It is so GREAT! :) Life is to be enjoyed, not just endured. Find joy in the journey and as Elder Wirthlin once said, "Come what may, and love it." I love you all and pray for your happiness and success!! Take Care.

Love, 

Elder Barrus 

Scrip: Read Job

Great Baptism: Danny and Joy Scott

He thought he broke his toe but he didnt. My first DL when I was born in Alamo. Now a DL in our Zone