July 16, 2018 - The Beginning of the End

Hey everyone!!

I still can't believe it, but this is the start of my final (half) transfer! Time has flown by so fast, and I want to make the most of every minute until it's over! Transfers are today, and as expected I will be leaving Southlea Park. I will be serving as a district leader in Domboshava, which is pretty close to Hatcliffe! My new companion will be Elder Wheeler from Idaho. I'm very excited for what these last few weeks have in store, and I truly want to give the Lord my all!

with the Tshabango family,
a less active family that we've been visiting
and reading the Book of Mormon

Elder Hansen and I had another great week! We kicked it off by having MLC (basketball and everything). I loved being taught by President Makasi. You can really tell how much he loves the Lord and us missionaries by the way he speaks and acts. We were instructed on leading others with a lot of love, but also with high expectations. When we lack in one of these attributes, it can result in rebellion, complacency, or even dishonesty among those we lead. The Savior was our perfect example during His earthly ministry. He had a perfect love for those He led, but He expected the most from them. As a result, those who hearkened unto Him were blessed beyond measure. It was an inspiring meeting and a great time to see our mission president and other missionaries. 

This week I also had the opportunity to go on exchanges with Elder Tshibamba. He's from DRC (Democratic Republic of the Congo) and has been on his mission for about 10 months. When he came to the mission, he didn't know English because at home he only spoke French and other languages. Now he can hold a decent conversation and teach simply. He told me about how others at home didn't believe that he could learn/speak English, and then shared about how he read from the book of Moses about how Enoch was also insecure about his ability to speak. The Lord made Enoch into a powerful witness of the truth, and Elder Tshibamba told me that the Lord could help him to speak English too. I was so impressed with his humility and trust in the Lord. I have no doubt that the Lord will reward him for his faith.

our beloved Nissan
(the poor thing has taken a beating in Southlea Park)

We were fortunate enough to have a few days of warmer weather, which was awesome. Elder Hansen and I took advantage of that and walked to Church again with our friends from the far part of Stoneridge. This time, 10 of them got up early to come with us! Though it took us about an hour to reach the meetinghouse, we made it on time. It was exciting to have over 10 new people at sacrament meeting for my last Sunday. Some people that haven't progressed in a long time finally made the effort to come to church, and it was awesome. I will really miss the members here in Southlea Park! They are so spiritually self-reliant and so excited about the gospel. It was a privilege to serve with them. I will also miss Elder Hansen a ton! We've become good friends and tackled many problems together as zone leaders. I'm grateful for his good example and desire to do right. 

I hope you all have a great week! I love the Lord and know that He lives, and I'm so grateful for every remaining second I have to serve Him!

Love Elder Barlow

July 9, 2018 - Chanda Chakadzoka...and Finding Like Crazy!!

Hey everybody!!

I hope you had a great week and a great Fourth of July!! We experienced the complete opposite of July weather this week! On Wednesday, the real winter weather finally kicked in. For the past few days we've had cloudy, windy, and cold weather with a few showers. Remember how I mentioned about it getting cold in Africa? It gets really cold.

On Tuesday we got to meet President Makasi and his family! He's from Bulawayo, Zimbabwe and has been serving in South Africa as an Area Seventy. He has a young family with four kids, ages 3-15, and they are awesome. President Makasi is very different from President Mkhabela. He's more outgoing, and has a kind, warm, and humble disposition. Although things are a bit different, I am very excited to serve with him for the last month of my mission!

KFC on July 4th with Elder Odunga,
Elder Hansen, and Elder Tambe

I went on exchanges with Elder Tambe on Wednesday. He's from Austin, TX and his parents are originally from Cameroon. It was cool to connect with him on a few things from Texas and from BYU (turns out we were both there during summer semester 2016 and knew some of the same people). I really enjoyed serving with him. We devoted some time to contacting new people, and almost everyone we contacted has either been taught by missionaries before or has some history of attending the Church. It was incredible to see the Lord's hand guiding us to those whom He has prepared. We celebrated our freezing fourth of July by stopping at KFC on the way home; nothing like a little American food on American independence day.

As I mentioned before, the cold weather has definitely arrived. What's the best way to stay warm when it's cold outside? Missionary work, of course! Elder Hansen and I managed to find 28 new investigators this week! Throughout the course of the week we were led to so many amazing people who are willing to hear the gospel. It is a blessing to be able to share the restored gospel of Jesus Christ with so many of our brothers and sisters! One of the people we started teaching is Brother Chibwana. He's not yet 30, but he and his wife have lost all 3 of their children as infants. We taught him the plan of salvation, but he told us that he was tired of people telling him about the next life and how much these things have pained him. As we listened, I felt prompted to share Isaiah 53:3-5 about the atonement of Christ. We bore testimony of the healing power of Christ's atonement and how peace can truly be found through the Savior because He has carried our burdens. Brother Chibwana's countenance changed, and he seemed a little more comforted than before. It sometimes can take a while for one to understand that Jesus Christ truly has felt and overcome all things. However, once we realize that He has perfect empathy and can provide strength and healing in the midst of trial and tragedy, there truly is peace in Christ. I love the Savior and I'm grateful for his perfect love that can help us get through our difficult mortal journey.

I hope everyone has a great week! I know that God lives and that He loves each and every one of His children!

Love Elder Barlow

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July 2, 2018 - The End of an Era...and the Split!

Hey friends and family!!

Can you believe that it's July already?? Time is moving way too quickly! This week was great and full of emotions! President and Sister Mkhabela are heading home tomorrow and I can hardly believe it! It is difficult to see such amazing people go, especially because I've been so close to them for so much of my mission, but they have served well and will enjoy being home with their family. I couldn't be more grateful for the things I've learned from them; they have helped me grow so much during my mission and I know that I wouldn't be who I am today without them! I know that the Lord's plan is perfect, and that He knew that I would be strengthened by serving under President and Sister Mkhabela.

We did a ton of finding this week! We were able to find 16 new people to teach, which was awesome! I'll share some more about that later. I definitely have a testimony of the Lord blessing us with wonderful people to share the gospel with when we put forth our best efforts! 

With Elder Anderson

I went on exchanges with Elder Anderson this week! He's 3 months behind me and he comes from Idaho. I don't know why, but it seems like all of our plans always fall through on exchanges. However, we stayed diligent and had a great day. He's a cool guy and it was good to learn from one another. His companion is from the Democratic Republic of the Congo and speaks French (so he is learning English) and it's awesome to see how Elder Anderson is helping him progress. Funny story: we were visiting an investigator family, and we somehow got on the topic of there supposedly being a mermaid in a nearby dam. Elder Andersen and I looked at each other, like what? We told them that there was no way, but they insisted and tried giving us all this evidence. We asked them if they had seen the mermaid. They said no. We asked if there were mermaids in the scriptures. Again, the response was no. We rest our case. That's only a fraction of the conversation, but it was too funny. Sorry for any of you that still believe in mermaids.

At the Chikunguwo's house with all their friends

We had another cool experience this weekend. There's a member couple, the Chikunguwo's, that I knew in Seke and that technically stay in a far part of our area. They were once incredibly successful branch missionaries and pioneers for the Church in Mutare in the 1990's, and they are amazing. They stay far from the Church (they still attend every week), so they've been sharing the gospel with all their neighbors and friends. They invited us over to their home last weekend, and we taught a gathering of about 10 of their neighbors! It was unique and cool to teach so many people at once. The Chikunguwo's have a goal of getting a group started out where they stay, and if they keep doing great missionary work, that goal will definitely be realized sometime soon! 

The back of my planner: Harare and Bulawayo Missions

Also, there are now two missions in Zimbabwe! It is cool to be a part of this historical time for the Church in Zimbabwe! 

Have an amazing week everybody! I know that Christ lives and that this is His work!

Love Elder Barlow