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

40th Letter: "Hey Y'all!! :)"

Dear Family, 

RED SOXS ARE GOING TO THE WORLD SERIES!!!!!!!!!!!! :) :) :) :) The Lord truly is blessing me in all aspects as I have been serving a mission!! haha I LOVE IT!! I found out yesterday as we were eating at a members house, it was the greatest news ever!! Anyways haha glad to hear that y'all are doing well! I have been doing pretty great myself! Things have been pretty crazy as the Stake totally changed up all of the boundaries, which is caused a lot of work for Elder Weber and I. Our area actually got changed quite a bit and we lost a lot of investigators and less actives which is kind of a bummer, but you adjust to whats been given you and go forward. It definitely is an exciting time here in ABQ stake though as another ward has been created!! This church is really booming in this area!! We have had 35% growth in the last 5 years which is incredible!! I love being apart of such a wonderful movement. So I have been amazed with myself since Elder Schneider left, I had confidence that I could run the area pretty well after 6 weeks, but things have been going really well. We taught more lessons last week in this area than it has since it got split, It was a great week!! The Lord is really blessing us with success throughout all of our busy ZL responsibilities.

One such exciting thing that has happened is our investigator with a baptism date for the 2nd of Nov.quit smoking this last week. On Tuesday we went over planning to teach about Faith or something and I had a huge prompting to read Matt. 19 with her about the young rich man. We invited her to do what the young rich man did not, and give up her cigs and follow the Lord. Needless to say we were pretty bold with her. And she wouldn't throw them away on the spot.... So we left kind of discouraged, but the spirit was still really strong and I knew that they could feel the promptings. Anyways so we go back on Thursday and we could tell that there was something different about them right when we walked in. Both of them were happy they were radiating the spirit. So I proceeded to ask him how things had been going, and they said that after we had left they threw away there cigs and have been off since!! They both came to church yesterday and are doing great!! :)

We have a couple other investigators that are really close to baptism and we are super excited for the way that things are going. Definitely a lot of potential!! Hoping to set 4 more bap dates this week!!

Well Elder Weber has been great I have really enjoyed being his companion so far, we have a lot of things in common, and teach super well together. I am pretty sure that he is going to be called to be the next assistant, but I wouldn't mind if we are comps for a while.

I am trying to think of some other exciting things that have been going on, but cant really. This next Sunday is SMCM (Meeting we have with the Stake Pres.) so we will be in the library a lot putting those reports together for our Zone..... It is a lot of work along with figuring out the new boundaries for the missionaries. I am so looking forward to playing some basketball today!! It is such a stress reliever!! :)

I wish you all to have a great week!! Know that I love letters and packages in the mail too!! :) So don't be shy!! haha I am so grateful for such a wonderful family who has set an amazing example for me. Keep doing what you do!! :) I LOVE YOU ALL
Love,
Elder Barrus

My Scripture this week is to WATCH Elder Hollands talk: "Safety for the Soul" It is a life changing talk to me.

39th Letter: "NEW COMP!! :)"

Hey Family, 

Here I am again!! I cant believe how crazy fast everything has been going for me. So I dont have too much time because we have so much to do today, with getting new missionaries settled in and just a bunch of other fun stuff that comes with being a Zone Leader. So I got a new comp this morning, his name is Elder Weber and he is from Lebanon Oregon, he is way sweet!! I am excited. I loved Elder Schneider a lot and will miss him a ton, but I am really looking forward to what is to come. So I will just tell you a couple of things that have been going on as of late. Yesterday was awesome! Because we are the ZLs right next to the assistants we help them out alot, and we were privileged to help alot with picking up the new missionaries from the airport and were with them all day helping them out. It was super cool. There was 24 new missionaries and our mission just hit its max number of missionaries in the mission of 250! So also another thing is that we are having a special Stake meeting this Sunday and they are splitting a ward and redoing a lot of the boundaries, which means there comes a lot more work! Our Zone also got 1 more comp so we now look over 14 companionships... yay! ha

Sorry family that this letter is so short. I really wish I had more time!! But know most of all that I love you tons and miss you like crazy. I am so grateful to be apart of this wonderful work!! I know it is true with all of my heart!!

Love Elder Barrus

Also got a flat tire on an exchange last week.... :(

38th Letter: "Family!! :)"

Dear Family, 

Well my family I cant believe that conference has come and gone!! I am always very sad to see it go, but it sure was amazing. The spirit that they teach with is undeniable that they are prophets and apostles and truly called of God to lead us in the way that He would want us to go. I am so grateful that our Heavenly Father is the same yesterday, today, and forever! He is unchanging He has worked the same way always, He speaks to us just as He has spoken to His children in days of old. Truly is a testimony to me of His great plan of happiness that he has for all of His children not just those that lived in the days of Moses or Noah, but rather ALL. I loved all of the talks this conference but I especially caught on to those repeating topics. Of such included that of a sin is still a sin even if it is legalized by man. Definitely a topic that a lot of members of the church still question and try to justify I feel. Also the topic of the importance of all members and missionaries being united in this great hastening of the work. It is so important that we are all looking for these wonderful missionary opportunities and are taking advantage of them. The Lord is preparing so many of his children at this time! Never has there been a greater need to do missionary work than now!! We may give our selves excuses saying that oh I live in Idaho and everyone is either Mormon or else they have been bugged by Mormons before, well they haven't been bugged by this Mormon!! Now that I look back on my life before my mission I realize how many wonderful opportunities that I had to share the gospel, but I just didnt speak up and do it!! Please dont make the same mistake that I did, you miss out on too many blessings!!

Well I have been doing great! I have still been super tired, but I have learned how to just deal with it and keep going, which isn't easy but the blessings are rewarding. I promise you that I wouldnt be doing this if I didnt know that this gospel is true with all my heart, and that the priesthood power truly has been restored to the earth! If I didnt know that this was true trust me I would much rather be watching the Red Soxs right now, but I know that this message carries an eternal importance and can change lives because I have seen it change mine.

As far as whats been going on here..... Umm not too much we neglected getting our exchanges done with the DL till later now and we have to have them done before transfers so we have been hustling to get those done. I will actually be on one tomorrow and I will be with an Elder that they email on Tuesdays so I will write more to you tomorrow.

I love you so much eternal family!! GO spread this wonderful message!! 

Love 
Elder Barrus