68th Letter: "Easter!"

Dear Family!!
Happy Easter! What a wonderful week it has been! I hope each of you took the time to ponder the significance of this week an reflect on the atonement of our Savior Jesus Christ. What an incredible blessing that our Savior has given to all of the world. As we had many opportunities to teach people about the atonement it kept ringing clear in my ears that our Savior has suffered so that we dont have to, but that is dependent upon us accepting and using the atonement in our lives. Not only the cleansing power of the atonement but the enabling and strengthening power of the atonement. What an amazing blessing that I have to be able to share this with the world. You can think of how much the atonement means to you personally, can you imagine not knowing that? There are millions of people that dont! Or if they do they still choose not to use it mostly because they dont know how. That is our role to help them know how!

Things are going really well here in Cruces! Ezequiel will be getting baptized on Sunday!! What a blessing it has been to teach him! He has been prepared to receive the gospel, he absolutely loves the Book of Mormon and has already shared it with many people. Once again guarantee that he will be a Bishop one day. Cynthia is progressing well for her baptism the following Saturday, she has faced a challenge of working on Sundays that we will discuss in our appointment tonight, but she has such a wonderful testimony of the gospel that I know she will get baptized. Beatrice is scheduled to get baptized on May 10th and she is looking pretty solid as well, she has been taught for ever, hopefully we can seal the deal and get her in the water. Along with them Elder Figgins and I have continually been humbled with the people we are finding, the work is exploding here. We are teaching more than this area ever has and we equaled the total number of baptisms in this area last year, by last weekend alone. What a miracle and blessing it has been!

Love you all so very much, thanks for your continually emails and love that you give to me! I really appreciate it! 

Love Elder Barrus

67th Letter: "Week 3 in Cruces!"

Dear Family,

Everything is going great here in the desert! We have been so incredibly busy that I dont have anytime to do anything! It makes emailing home really difficult for me because I have so much to tell y'all but no time to do it. And my mind doesnt function well enough to be able to put it all into words. Ha and I actually have to go write now but here are some quick highlights:

1. Reese and Sarah got baptized it was awesome! Super converted couple that is already sharing the gospel. We go over and see them daily it seems like.

2. Brenda got baptized she is 19 and has a 2 year old and is pregnant. She lives with her boyfriends family who are active members, unfortunately her boyfriend is in prison, but that is also fortunate because now they cant break the law of chastity.

3. We are finding the most prepared people ever to teach. Two individuals that are just amazing that we have found lately are Ezequiel who is a postman and was a pastor for 12year. He has basically read the whole book of mormon in the last 3 weeks and knows it better than most members. I guarantee he will be a bishop one day! He is 50years old. He will be getting baptized on April 27th. The second individual is Cynthia she is in her 40's she loves God with all of her heart and is super super close to the spirit. She asked us to be baptized and when we invited her to church she said yes faster than a "bullet". Last night we taught her and read Moroni's promise as she read it she started crying and said over and over again... yes I know its true, I know its true. She is getting baptized May 3rd.

Family I love this work! It truly is a very humbling experience to be able to one of the Lords tools for these 2 years, and for the rest of my life. I know this work is true and it is directed by our Heavenly Father to bless lives. This weekend is stake conference and a member from the quorum of the seventy is coming and requested to take the last hour of all meetings, he must have something pretty important to talk about. We are super excited for that. Well Love you all and have a great week!

Love
Elder Barrus 

 

 

Baptism of Brenda Rocha (one holding the baby)

Baptism of Reese and Sarah Dawson

 

66th Letter: "Week 1 in Cruces!"

Dear Family,

Hello Hello Family! Just continuing to get a solid tan down here in Las Cruces! Things are going great for me, the adjustment to the new area has been good and very tiring. Between driving to ABQ and Las Cruces and doing training and trying to learn a new area, I have been pretty tired! It has been a blast though! Our area is really starting to explode as we are having 3 baptisms this weekend! Reece and Sarah Dawson a couple with two little kids who are super solid and very much converted to the gospel! Along with the baptism of Brenda who is a super nice very timid 19 year old lady who has a little 2 year old girl and is pregnant. Along with them we are teaching some super prepared people and are working towards having 6 baptisms in these next 6 weeks together!

Well I better bounce! I am super exhausted from running around on white sand so sorry about the lack of detail on the new area! The ward members here are super cool! Bring us groceries and do our laundry! :) Our apartment is the nicest I have had on my mission!

Love you tons!
Elder Barrus


Elder Figgins and I! We are pretty close haha! Its been a fun first week of the transfer!

65th Letter: "....Las Cruces!"

Dear Family and Friends!

Well this morning I found out that I will be serving for at least the next 6 weeks down in Las Cruces with Elder Figgins from Las Vegas who is one of my homies from the mish!! He was one of our district leaders when I was serving in Albuquerque we were already super close from serving together there. Totally didn't expect to see that one, but needless to say I am excited to be down south! I am serving in the Mesilla Valley ward which was Elder were Elder Lish served after he left Alamo. It is super hot here and is only going to get hotter so I plan on getting a pretty nice tan! Its going to be super weird not being around Albuquerque, but I am looking forward to it. Its like a 3 hour drive from ABQ to Cruces, but feels like 10 hours, its like the drive to Eli, Nevada all over again! haha a whole lot of desert. Once you hit Truth or Consequences it starts to green up a little bit though. We have to drive back to ABQ tomorrow and are going to stay at the AP's so that we can be at MLC on Thursday and then we have to drive back to prepare for Zone Training on Friday.... Its going to be a whole lot of driving!

Well I look forward to an awesome transfer in the heat of Cruces! Love ya!

Elder Barrus

My new address:

1000 La Fonda apt K, Las Cruces, NM 88001

64th Letter: "Bye Rancho"

Dear Family,

Well here were are with March almost behind us... Hard to believe that! So Saturday night was transfer news and all day Saturday I was feeling like I was probably getting transferred up until right before the call came, and I was like no I am definitely staying.... so when they named off the missionaries being transferred and I was at the top of the list, I was pretty surprised to say the least. Its hard to believe that I am actually leaving, it seems like I just got here! Time goes by so fast. These last 4 months have been some of the most difficult yet most blessed times of my life! I have grown so much and have felt the Lord enable me to do difficult things yet again in my life. So tomorrow morning I will go to transfer site and find out where I will be serving for the next 6 weeks and who my new companion is. So whats most crazy about this all to me is that I will still be serving as a Zone Leader. Most likely then I will be serving in either the ABQ-West stake or the ABQ-East stake, but we will have to see. I am excited for the changes and know that there will be new and exciting challenges that will still await me as I serve. 

I have been so blessed to have been able to meet so many wonderful people as I have served here and been able do create such strong friendships and bonds. It is always so hard leaving an area because of just that. That is one of the greatest blessings of serving a mission as you meet so many people that just touch your life for the better.

Well there is a chance that I will have the opportunity to email tomorrow and let you know where I am serving. 

Love you tons and have a great week!!
Elder Barrus

Mike and Cindy Pyne (the greatest Young mens president and Relief society president you could ask for) Love them to death!

My good buddy LeGrand Johnson, I got super close to him over the last 4 months! He is an active member of the church that is going through allot of trials. We were instantly best friends because he use to work with Elder Croft (Alamo), and so any friend of the Crofts is a friend of mine. He would bring us the best breakfast burritos every Friday morning. LeGrand will definitely be a life long friend. I'll miss him.

Dylan Salehian...Recent convert to the church (only member of his family) He would come teaching with us all of the time. He is leaving to the Birmingham England mission on Wednesday!

One of the GREATEST families that I have ever met!! The Bergstens!

Frank Nebus! I love this man! Elder Black and I contacted him about 3 months ago and we have taught him since. He is one Christian man! We got have gotten super close and I plan on emailing him and helping him progress towards baptism still. 

 

Emery Nelson! I am going to miss that kid! He promised me yesterday that he is going on a mission!! :)

 

63rd Letter: "Zoom zoom..."

Dear Family,

Simply in amazement today at how fast time has been flying by, every single night now as I lay in my bed I just shake my head at how fast the day went by and the week and transfer!! I cant believe that next week is transfers already, with that said just a reminder that I will be emailing on Monday instead of Tuesday next week. This transfer has been the most difficult fastest transfer of my mission, but also the transfer that I have felt like I have grown the most and became truly converted to the work. I am not sure if I will be staying or leaving, you never know with transfers!! This last Sunday was SMCM and President Miller made a comment that made it sound like I might get transferred, but I dont believe him anymore after the whole Alamo experience. It would be pretty crazy if I got transferred and continued to be a Zone Leader, rarely does a Zone Leader serve in more than 2 stakes in this mission, but we will see what happens. I will be happy if I stay or if I go. 

Things around here are going pretty good, we have been terribly busy with Zone Leader business as of late with it getting close to transfers, and also with having to prepare SMCM for Sunday. The zone is doing great, as the missionary work is really picking up! We are going to have 8 baptisms total for the month of March as a zone which is going to be the most in Rio Rancho stake history! Which we are super excited for! The work is hastening and its amazing to be apart of! 

FYI: Emery Nelson is doing great! Hasnt missed a Sunday since his baptism and loves to say the prayers during our lessons. Also Kat Andrews is doing great as well she just got put in as Laurels president and is preparing to serve a mission in a few years! I talked to the Mckays back in ABQ and they are doing wonderful as well preparing for the temple in December. Havent heard too much from Roxanne and all of them but I know they have been going to church as well. Alamo gang is doing great too! Anita is rock solid talk to her every once in a while, it will probably be a few months before she will make it to the temple though. Norna and Hilbert are doing great, a missionary that serves around the temple texted me the other day and said that they met Norna and Hilbert on the temple grounds and they told him to tell me hi and that they will see me in June to go inside! :) Billy Jo and Charolette have been solid members as well and have been going to do baptisms with Anita for there ancestors at the temple weekly! 

Love you tons family! Take care!!
Elder Barrus

 

 

62nd Letter: "Happy St. Patrick's Day!"

Hey Hey Family and Friends!!
Hope everything is going well for all those that I deeply care about! Hope that your St. Patrick's day was full of soberness and fun! :) For about 90% of New Mexico it definitely wasn't sober or fun because wickedness never was happiness!! Yesterday was interesting for us we spent a majority of the day contacting people on our ward list that we dont know. Usually resulting in meeting less actives, part-member families, or active members that we just havent met. We went and saw one specific "unknown" named Rick Costello. He came and greeted us at the door and first appeared to be a nice guy. We shook his hand and introduced ourselves and said hi, then he started to get hysterical and asked us if we wanted to come in for a "drink" we said no that we were good in a "polite manner" then he said "then you cant come in" and just started thinking he as the funniest man on the planet! So that was how our day was yesterday! Meet allot of really weird people in New Mexico! Its fun!

Well I have been doing pretty great as of late! The work is going well in Rio Rancho, we have quite a few people progressing better than Rick haha We are currently teaching allot of people that are kind of on the edge, they know that we are there to baptize them and help them come to church, but they just arent keeping the commitments in order for the spirit to bare witness to them that these things are true. Its kind of frustrating when they dont follow through... especially when you really care and love them and know this is what will make them the happiest. There are allot of really great things happening in our area though, last week we received a media referral from a inactive member that said he and his two kids want to come back to church, but they want to meet with the missionaries first. We went over there on Saturday and met them. The Dad came to the door in a BYU shirt and called for his dog named Jimmer, in my mind I shouted for joy haha! Super cool family the Schofields, both of the kids 11 and 9 havent been baptized yet. We will go see them tonight! I am excited, and they are super into baseball!! NICE!! 

Hope everything is going well back home! I love you all!! Its hard to believe how fast the month of March is going by. I am looking forward to the packages and mail! Thank you! Take Care 

Love,
Elder Barrus 

ps this last week I talked to both Anita and Norna and Hilbert from Alamo on the phone! They are doing great! Anita is carrying the Branch out in Alamo. With the whole movement on women and the priesthood...(absolutely ridiculous) she will probably be the first Bishop in Alamo! haha jk It was super nice to talk to them though!