December 11, 2017 - Time Flies in Zim

With Elder Taloa

Hey everybody!!

I hope everyone had a great week and that you are all enjoying the Christmas season! Here in Zimbabwe it essentially feels like the middle of July. We've had another good week just preaching the gospel and inviting others to come unto Christ, plus we got a little bit of rain!

On Wednesday I went on exchanges with Elder Taloa yet again. It's always good to work alongside a great friend, especially since we've served around each other since he came on mission. We walked all over the place but we taught a few nice lessons. We were able to go teach Skiki's family this week. Skiki is the only member in his family and in his neighborhood and this is the first time that his family has had continuous visits from missionaries. His parents are a sweet old couple that love God and are eager to listen to us, and it's my hope that they will be able to accept the gospel just like their son did!

This week we bumped into Kendrick again. He's a 19 year old kid that we were teaching but that disappeared for a while. He couldn't remember a single thing from what he read, but surprisingly he recalled the things we had last taught him almost perfectly. I guess he learns better by listening than reading, and I hope that reading the Book of Mormon will be a different experience for him. We also started teaching a girl named Sitheminkosi. She stays right next door to the meetinghouse and is 16 years old. We've only taught her once but she is super eager to learn and meet with us, even if her mom isn't as enthusiastic. She even came to stake conference with us this week and it was awesome! We've also started teaching a group of 13-15 year old kids that we met while playing soccer. We had a nice little discussion with about 6 of them and they seem willing to learn. When we teach kids, it can be difficult because their English is usually limited and they are often shy (often because of the first reason) but I have faith that the Spirit will touch their hearts and help them to understand. 

With Buhle and Chantel
(2 kids that are getting baptized this week)
and their friends

Stake Conference

On Thursday it was overcast and it only sprinkled a little, so when the same weather appeared on Friday we were confident that we would be ok. Well, we thought wrong. We got soaked and we found ourselves sprinting through Tshabalala trying to find new investigators and traveling to Nketa for baptismal interviews. Haha we eventually made it home safely, but we definitely were not dry. On Saturday we met a man named Christopher. He's a humble man who has had a lot of trials in his life but wants to learn. We bore our testimonies of the Savior and how living the gospel could bless his life. He then told us about some serious issues that he is having with his wife and how angry he has been, but as we testified of the Savior's Atonement and of the guidance that prayer can be, he said that all his anger left him. He was in tears by the end of the lesson and the Spirit was there. I pray that we will have the opportunity to teach him more about how he can find solace in the gospel of Jesus Christ!

This Sunday we had stake conference! They held it in a big tent at the Nketa chapel and it was almost filled to capacity. 9 of our investigators were able to attend and it was great to have them there! One of the speakers, a bishop of another ward, spoke on true conversion and having a mighty change of heart. He related a story once told by Spencer W. Kimball about a man who had an evil face, but put on a happy mask to marry the girl he loved. As time went on, he changed his habits and desires and found the simple joys of life. When the mask was torn from his face by old friends, his once evil face had become saintly and pure, just like the mask. I loved that story so much! The Savior Jesus Christ has the power to change all of us if we will but repent and turn unto  Him so that He may heal us. As Elder Holland once shared, it is impossible to fall further than the light of Christ shines. There is always hope to become better than we are and to find forgiveness. I know that through the Atonement of Jesus Christ, all of us may reach our potential, put off the natural man, and become a true son or daughter of God. I love this gospel and know this to be true because I have seen it in my own life!! 

I love you all, keep lighting the world and making a difference!!

Love Elder Barlow

#LightTheWorld