November 13, 2017 - Blessings Poured Out From Heaven

Salibonani everyone!!

I hope you are all doing well! You are all in my prayers, whether you realize it or not and I'm grateful for each one of you! This week was full of awesome experiences and I am full of gratitude to my Heavenly Father! Plus the weekend came with abundant rainstorms (more on those later).

One of the biggest blessings that I saw this week was that Elder Magoha and I were getting along better. We spent a lot of time telling funny stories and I listened to him about his experiences. He is actually a really smart guy and is great to be around when he opens up. We were able to teach in unity and with the Spirit, which is a blessing in itself. For all those who have been praying for me and my companion, we have felt the blessings and I am so thankful!

Me and the Shona Bhuku raMormoni,

bound in cool leather

On Tuesday we went to go see Nonceba, a 22 year old girl who had kind of told us off when we contacted her, but we still managed to get a return appointment. When we got there, 3 of her friends joined her and they were actually interested. We could tell that they weren't quite ready to dive into a gospel discussion, so we just started by introducing everyone and talking about who they were and what they wanted most in life. Elder Jeffrey R. Holland  once said that we don't have to plan out what we want to say because the Spirit and our friends will give us exactly what to testify of. They started talking about wanting a good family, so we bore testimony of how trying to live like Christ helps us succeed in family life. Before we knew it, we were teaching about the Apostasy, answering prayers, and got another return appointment. I sincerely hope that they will progress. I love teaching young adults because it's easy to connect with them, and I'm excited to teach them again this week! We also had a cool experience with some other new investigators. Trinity (18), Albring (16), and Elroy (13) are a sister and 2 brothers that we started teaching this week and they have had some interesting questions for us. Trinity missed the first part of the lesson on the Book of Mormon and the Restoration so when she came she had a lot of questions. Albring came to the rescue, explaining everything we had taught and then some. Elder Magoha and I just sat back and watched excitedly. Later she asked a question about drinking, and after we responded, Albring quoted another scripture that answered her perfectly. It was so awesome to watch our investigators teach each other.

On Friday I went on exchanges with Elder Goronga. He's waiting for his visa to go on his mission to Cape Town South Africa, and I actually served in his branch in Kadoma. He's a humble and cheerful elder who knows a lot for being a missionary for only 4 weeks. We had a great day together and I enjoyed his company. This week we found 13 new investigators, nearly doubling our goal for this week! The Lord placed a lot of people in our path and I can't wait to continue teaching them. We taught Andile and her mom about the Plan of Salvation, and Andile is so happy in the church. She reads everything we give her and does all her chores beforehand so that she can come to church! Oh, and she's only 12. Her mom only speaks Shona and Ndebele, which tests my translation skills but it has been a cool experience to teach her as well. Yesterday we went to go teach another woman who mostly speaks Shona. Her aunt was there and said she lives in Victoria Falls. The Victoria Falls. I think it's the first time that I've asked someone to take me back with them, which is ironic because everyone who finds out that I'm from the USA asks me to take them back with me. Haha Zimbabwe is awesome!

Like I mentioned earlier, the rain came back this weekend. At first it was only sprinkling, but we felt the full force Saturday night on the way home from visiting a member. We were walking on the road when a huge storm caught us. We were sprinting along the road, and we passed a congregation of madzibabas (a more traditional "apostolic" church that wears white robes and goes and prays in the bush) singing in a field off the road. I turned to my companion and told him how much I love our church and he was cracking up. We made it home soaked but safe. Being on a mission is definitely an adventure sometimes and I love it!

With former Elder Mpisa,
who just returned from Mimi and Papa's mission in Ghana

Today we played basketball as a zone at the church in Mpopoma and it was a ton of fun. And then the rain came again. Haha I forgot how inconvenient the rainy season can be sometimes. 

This week I've thought a lot about charity. Moroni 7:47 tells us about how charity is the pure love of Christ that endures forever and that we will be blessed for having that love. And then verse 48 tells us that we must pray with "all the energy of heart" to be filled with this love so that we may be pure even as Christ is. I've always wanted to be more charitable, to love unconditionally and to see others as God sees them. I know that as we pray for the gift of charity, we will find greater joy in each day and we will treat others as Christ would treat them. If you also read in 1 Nephi 11, we learn that the great and spacious building (the pride and wisdom of the world) will fall no matter how many people are drawn to it, and that the love of God will remain forever. I love the gospel so much because I know that no matter what happens, what choices we make, or how alone we may feel, our loving Heavenly Father is watching over us. Have an amazing week!!

Love Elder Barlow

November 6, 2017 - Trick or Tracting

Hey everybody!!

My improvised Halloween costume

I hope you all had a fantastic Halloween. Some of you, like my younger siblings, collected enough candy to feed a missionary in Africa this week, so if any of you are feeling generous you can add some to your food storage (I'm sure it won't expire by August 2018). The holiday passed pretty quietly because that's not really a thing here, but you wouldn't believe it if you were in Zimbabwe because you see many potential costume contest winners walking the streets every day haha. Of course, for tradition's sake, I threw together a Nephite costume with what little resources I had. My companion passed on taking a picture with me; whether it was because of embarrassment on my behalf or another reason, I'm not sure haha.

This week we worked hard to prepare Perseverance for baptism, and we had the opportunity to teach her about the temple. She of course had lots of questions, but it was a very spiritual lesson. As I bore testimony to her of the sacredness and blessings of the temple, I felt such an immense gratitude for the Lord's house and the eternal blessings that my family and I have receive because of it. These amazing people will soon have their own temple, and I cannot wait for the day when that sacred structure will be available to all of Zimbabwe. 

Perseverance's baptism!!!

We also met with Faith again. It was her birthday, and we sang for her. Elder Magoha fulfilled the African tradition of splashing water on the birthday person. However, the excitement wound down when she told us of the struggles she is having with her living situation. She is only 16 years old and is going through so much, and Elder Magoha both discussed our wishes to do more to help. However, I know this gospel can change lives and enables us, through our faith/diligence/patience (see Alma 32), to gain greater peace and blessings in this life. Even though it doesn't seem like it, the gospel of Jesus Christ is the solution to our problems. The Savior can heal us when we are broken and set our sights on higher blessings if we only put our trust in Him.

Perseverance got baptized on Saturday!! It was incredible. Her testimony was so awesome and I'm so excited for the journey that she's begun!! One of her little sisters, Charmain, told Perseverance later that she would follow her and get baptized when she was older and their dad would let her. That made it all the more awesome!! Perseverance was confirmed yesterday during a very spiritual fast and testimony meeting. The Spirit was so strong and the uplifting and peaceful feelings were so needed. I have a huge testimony of keeping the Sabbath Day holy every week because it recharges our spiritual batteries, allows us to renew our covenants through the sacrament, and gives us the peace we need to take on the coming week.

We cut down a banana tree in our back yard

At the end of this week, we had a tough time finding people to teach. Nearly all of our appointments fell through Friday-Sunday, so we spent lots of time talking to new people and contacting them. Not many of them really seemed interested, but if there's anything I've learned about missionary work, it's that you can't use your own judgment to decide who will receive the gospel or not. I have faith and hope that we will find among those people someone who has been prepared for the truth. We got to teach Adrian on Sunday as well. He's a track sprinter that's finishing up his schooling exams and struggles with feeling discouraged about life. Elder Magoha and I helped him with some of his geography questions and then taught about the Restoration and the Book of Mormon. I also got to share Elder Hugh B. Brown's story of the Currant Bush (which my Aunt Sarah sent to me last week, thanks!) and I taught him about how sometimes the Lord loves us to enough to cut us down so that we can become what He knows we can be. I know it's hard to accept God's will in our lives because sometimes we think we have a better plan, but I know that our Heavenly Father has the very best in mind for us if we're willing to humble ourselves and trust Him. 

The transfer also ended and I will be staying in Tshabalala to finish training Elder Magoha. I look forward to all that it will bring!! Love you all!! Have a wonderful week!!

Love Elder Barlow

October 30, 2017 - Another Great Week in Tshabalala

Hey friends and family!! I hope everyone has enjoyed their week. It's been another great week for us here in Tshabalala. The Lord has blessed us a lot for our efforts and it's been incredible to witness!!

The weather has been unreal this week! We started off the week with the normal blazing October temperatures. Elder Magoha keeps complaining about how he's about 3 shades darker than he was 5 weeks ago. I always chuckle a bit because he's still got nothing on my wicked farmer's tan. That's the Zimbabwean summer for you, at least that is, until the weekend. By Saturday, clouds had overshadowed the entire landscape and the wind chill was brutal. Then on Sunday, the rains came and made it even colder. Zimbabwean weather at its finest. One of our investigators said they need to fire all the meteorologists because even they can't predict the weather here. Oh, and then there's today, where the same frigid weather prevailed until 11 am, when the sun finally came back and brought perfectly fair weather. I don't even know how to explain it haha.

Elder Horlacher and I on exchanges

On Tuesday evening we ate dinner with the Ngungunyane family (their daughter Bernadette just came home from Mimi and Papa's mission a few months ago). They're an awesome family and super active. Before the meal, Sister Ngungunyane asked Elder Magoha if he eats rabbit. His face falls and he turns to me. I smile and nod my head, and he starts to panic. And then it came to pass that we ate rabbit. It was delicious and I was proud of my companion for eating it. Yet another thing to add to the list of Zimbabwean foods that I've consumed. That night we started a companion exchange and Elder Horlacher joined me in Tshabalala. He's from Centerville, UT and has been out for a year. We set up the study desks and played ping pong and had a good time. The exchange was great. He's a great missionary with a desire to do what's right. We taught Sister Netsai, who speaks only Shona, and she was able to understand through our limited abilities. She even came to church this week with her kids!! After that, a crazy guy in his car called us over. We didn't realize how drunk he was until he stumbled out of the car with a half empty 32 oz. bottle of beer. Now mind you it was 11 am. Yeah. We reluctantly followed him inside and met his wife, who was a nice enough lady and thankfully sober. He proceeded to tell us that this was his wife, and that the other two women in the house were also his wives. They just laughed, and so did we. Then he told us that he had to translate for them because they don't understand English. So we introduced ourselves as missionaries, and then the guys proceeds to translate our English---back into English. Elder Horlacher and I just looked at each other. It was too funny to be real. The day was great and we taught some wonderful lessons. I'm grateful to be serving around powerful missionaries!

Elder Magoha and I

On Thursday we met a young woman named Bethel. She invited us in and we just talked with her. We found out that she struggles with depression and is occasionally suicidal, and my heart just went out to her. We bore testimony to her about God's love for her and the Savior's sacrifice on her behalf. Jesus Christ died for ever single person on this earth. If you feel unloved, unwanted, or alone, know that Christ took your place. He loves you, and always will. His arms are always open to receive you. Never lose hope, because there is always hope through the Redeemer of the world. Later in the day we watched the Restoration video with Perseverance and her mother. It was incredible, and she was visibly moved. There was a moment of sacred silence after the video finished, and the Spirit just bore witness that the restored gospel is true. It was amazing. I cannot wait for her baptism next week!! 

Faith's baptism

On Friday we spent the day doing baptismal interviews. Our district baptized 7 people this week, and it was special to meet each one of them and help prepare them for the sacred covenant of baptism. Of course, good old Mother Nature sent a crazy lightning storm during the afternoon, but all the interviews went through!! Saturday was Faith's baptism!! The taxi driver we hired to take us never showed up, so we managed to get a kombi to make it to the baptism. It was incredible and Faith was so happy!! The church is the good thing going for her in her life and it is incredible to see the journey that she's made. In the evening we met a young man named Munashe, who was a referral from a member who had been working on our house. He's 21 and a sharp young man, and we taught him in the chapel alongside our ward mission leader. He showed up to church on Sunday too,and we are so excited to meet with him again!! Sunday was awesome: 11 investigators at church!!! That's the most since I've been here in Tshabalala, and it's incredible to watch this area bear fruit after we've been working so hard. We even had a few new investigators come. It was just amazing. Even thought the weather was punishing us throughout the week, the Lord has been blessing us so much.

I love you all, and pray that you have an incredible week! I know that the Savior lives!!

Love Elder Barlow

With Elder Tuimaseve

October 23, 2017 - One Step at a Time

Hey friends and family!!!

How's your week been?? I cannot believe how quickly time is flying. This week has been an incredible one, and I don't have much time to write about it so I'll get right to it!

Our new house

On Wednesday we got moved into our new house. It's a two man house in Tshabalala and it's actually pretty nice. I'm not a huge fan of living in two man houses, but things are looking pretty good. They split the Nketa elders because there are a bunch of Zimbabwean missionaries that are waiting for their visas to go on their missions elsewhere that are now on hold in our zone, so now our district has 10 missionaries. It's pretty crazy, but mission life is all about adapting to new circumstances. 

We taught Perseverance about a couple of the commandments this week, specifically the Law of Chastity and the Word of Wisdom. She is so powerful and is such a joy to teach because she reads the scriptures and teaching materials and basically teaches us all the principles! Hopefully she will be baptized in two weeks!! She really has been a shining star in our teaching pool. On Friday we had exchanges and I went with Elder Tuimaseve. He's from Missouri and he visa waited in the California Fresno mission for a few months before coming here. He has a great desire to be obedient and is killer at the ukulele. He even taught me a few chords and we wrote a song, which was awesome. Brother Bongani also came and worked with us. He has been less active for the past little while but has become more active as we have taught him and he asked us out of the blue if he could come teach with us! He was a huge help to us and was really powerful and it's so incredible to see the changes that are happening in his life! On our visit to Perseverance, she had told us that she had an amazing singing voice, so I told her I'd sing for them if she sang for us. We were blown away, she's phenomenal at singing and basically put me to shame. One of the awesome parts of my mission has been meeting so many talented people in Zimbabwe!

Bulawayo Town

This week we found 10 new investigators, and on Sunday we had 8 investigators come to church!! That's that's the most that I've ever had during my time here in Tshabalala. There's a 12 year old girl named Andile that we've been teaching, and she brought her mom and cousin sister to church with her yesterday!! Things are really starting to look up and it's incredible. It has been a journey here in Tshabalala. It has been difficult to help people progress in the gospel here, but through our diligence and obedience we've seen some miracles. Life itself is a journey where we are trying to become more like Christ, endure hardships, strengthen our weaknesses, and serve others. I love Ether 12:27, which teaches us about how our weaknesses and shortcomings are there to humble us, and that if we turn to Christ He will make us strong! It reminded me of Elder Holland's talk at the most recent general conference about eventually becoming perfect and not beating ourselves up because we aren't flawless yet. The path back to God is there and all of us are trying to find our way back to Him, no matter what trials and struggles we face. The Savior suffered for all of us so that we don't have to walk this mortal life alone. The Holy Ghost has been sent to comfort us and guide us throughout the storms of life. And I testify that as we put our trust in God and face life's challenges with faith rather than fear, we will truly progress. 2 Timothy 1:7

The undefeated soccer team:
Elder Lamb, Elder Barrus, me, Elder Tuimaseve, Elder Makalio

I love you all, have the best week ever! you don't know how much you mean to me!!

Love Elder Barlow

October 16, 2017 - Elder Barlow and Volleyball: Reunited

Hey everyone!!!

VOLLEYBALL!

I hope everyone has enjoyed their last week! It's been a pretty interesting week and it's gone by very quickly, so I guess I'll just get right to it! Oh, and we played volleyball today, which was incredible (hence my title). I am definitely a bit rusty after not playing in over a year, but it was so nice to play again!!

On Wednesday we had interviews with President Mkhabela.  Interviews with President get better the longer that I am on my mission. I feel like he knows and trusts me and that I'm not just a name on the transfer sheet to him. He's very willing to help and his scriptural knowledge is so powerful. I always feel uplifted and encouraged when I meet with him. Interviews took most of the day, so we only had time to go meet with Perseverance. She told us everything she loved from conference (pulled out her notes and everything; so sweet) and we had an awesome lesson on the plan of salvation with her and her mom. Her mom asked about rumors that she had heard about the Church and ancestors (so many crazy rumors I could share), so we taught about family history work and baptisms for the dead. It was such an awesome lesson and we could tell that they were visibly touched by the message we shared. I can't wait for Perseverance to get baptized! It's people like her that make serving my mission such a joy!!

Chitown district reunited

On Thursday we got up early and got on the bus to Gweru for zone conference. This time we had the meeting at the Gweru stake center, which is in Mkoba right next to my first area! It was super weird but cool to see where my time in Zimbabwe began. The conference was awesome! We were instructed on obtaining knowledge, the power of the Book of Mormon, and the importance of teaching investigators about families and the temple! I always feel so inspired during zone conference and it really is an amazing time to refresh and recharge spiritually. I also had the opportunity to play the piano during the meeting; it was stressful but I was so grateful that I got to play the piano for the first time in forever.

Elder Taloa and I went on exchanges on Friday. He has been one of my best friends on the mission and he is such a fun person to be around. He grew up in Oakland and San Francisco and played football in high school. It was fun to relate, to tell stories, and talk about improving as missionaries. It has been such a blessing to have him in my district. I got to interview two people for baptism as well, and that is always a special experience for me.

Elder Taloa and Elder Barlow hit the streets

Our baptism on Saturday never materialized because of some problems with Faith (the 16 year old girl we are teaching) , and we found Mandla still at his church....awkward. It's ok though! Faith is back on track and we hope to baptize her in a couple weeks!  On Sunday we had lots of less actives come back to church, including Bongani, who we have been visiting a lot! Only a few investigators came, but one of those that came was a young girl named Andile that we had only taught the day before! Hopefully she will continue to progress! Elder Magoha and I are going through some rough patches here and there, so I'm going to do my best to humble myself and help him with his needs. I have a song on my MP3 called He Walked a Mile in My Shoes, and it talks about how Jesus Christ atoned for all our difficulties, sins, griefs, etc. It has been so comforting to listen to the words about how the Savior can comfort and strengthen me because He has been here before. If the Savior loved me, and the rest of us enough to suffer and die so that He could relate to us and forgive/strengthen us, then I can try a little harder to love Elder Magoha and empathize with him. I testify that Christ has power not only to forgive sins , but to heal broken hearts and lift up the hands that hang down. If you haven't read Alma 7: 11-13 recently, I would encourage you to do so. The Savior is there for us, and He has truly walked a mile in our shoes. I love Him more than I can express, and I am beyond grateful for the opportunity I have to serve Him each and every day as a missionary! Have a great week!!

Love Elder Barlow

October 9, 2017 - The Voice of the Lord to Us

Hey friends and family!!

I hope you all have had an amazing week! These past few days in Zimbabwe have been full of ups and downs, including some crazy weather. The October heat finally arrived at the beginning of the week, but it was surpassed by the heavy rains that came in the latter half of the week. Well...that's Zimbabwe for you!

Nketa district:
Elder Barlow, Elder Magoha, Elder Taloa, Elder Richardson,
Elder Tuimaseve, and Elder Horlacher

We had our first full district meeting together on Tuesday, which was pretty awesome. All the elders in our district seem willing to work hard, and I'm excited to serve around them. Elder Magoha, my trainee, is doing better and better each day. I love teaching with him, and he has a great testimony of the gospel. He's also a graduated civil engineer, so it's cool to here about his knowledge and experiences. One of the best blessings of being on a mission is that you meet all kinds of people and learn all about them! Later in the day, we met a man named George. He had a big smile on his face, even though he insisted that he was miserable because of currency issues and other struggles of Zimbabwe life. We stood on the street and talked to him for 30 minutes about how there are always things to be grateful for (life, health, family, shelter, a knowledge of Christ, etc.), how happiness is a choice, and how if we truly know God and His plan for us, the challenges of this life come second to the divine potential that we have as God's children (Romans 8: 18). He kept shaking his head and going back to the issues he insisted were too difficult to overcome, but I truly hope that he has thought about what we shared with him. I truly know that if we trust in the Lord with all our hearts, we can and will find lasting joy and peace in this life and in the next!

Find us on Facebook
(but you won't haha) 

On Wednesday I went on exchanges with Elder Richardson. He's from Missouri and lives in an adopted family of 25 kids. That's a lot. He was born in Haiti and is a super outgoing and energetic missionary. I enjoyed talking to him and teaching with him throughout the day. At the end of the day when we went to Brother Taranja's house for dinner, we were in for an unexpected surprise. We found two guys that we didn't recognize inside the house. At first they started accusing us of some crazy things, but I discerned that one of them was a member. After a little his cover was blown and he told us that he was Brother Taranja's brother and an RM. Yet, the other guy kept going. He said that he was a Jehovah's Witness, and he started asking us a bunch of questions. We had a doctrinal conversation going back and forth on several points for an hour and a half and the guy was good. Eventually, it came time to eat and the guy (Bongani) was asked to pray. Afterwards he asked us, "Elders do you enjoy what you do?" Of course we responded yes. Then he said, "Good, because I really enjoyed serving in Durban." Oh no. You guessed it, the guy was a returned missionary that had served in SA. Man, he got us good. We were totally convinced that he was a JW, and we defended ourselves pretty well, I might add. It was crazy, but we had a good laugh about it. 

This week we met another Bongani, this one the brother of a member. He has been staying in South Africa and has been less active for a long time. We've had a couple of heartfelt lessons with him, encouraging him to do what's right and to improve. The Spirit was really guiding me as I felt prompted to ask him about and encourage him to receive the Melchizedek priesthood. I've truly felt a desire for him to reach a higher potential and make something better of his life. It has been awesome to teach him and get to know him. Perseverance also came back from SA finally. We taught her and she is just as powerful as I remember. She has so many questions, perfect questions, and I can't wait to keep teaching her! 

Pizza with the zone

General Conference was so amazing!! I couldn't get enough, and I loved every single speaker. Elder Holland is always powerful, and I thoroughly enjoyed his talk on becoming perfect but not being discouraged, as well as the themes of the Book of Mormon, Repentance, and Christlike service that were present throughout the conference. Perseverance also attended the sessions and was visibly moved by the things she heard, which was so sweet. Elder Andersen's talk on hearing the counsel from prophets and apostles at conference as the voice of the Lord to us really impacted me. When we truly apply prophetic counsel in our lives, we will find greater happiness, greater peace, freedom from burdens, and a stronger testimony of Christ and His gospel. I'd also  just like to share a quick thought from President Uchtdorf's talk in priesthood session. Light chases away darkness. That is how it has always been. The light that emanates from Jesus Christ influences all to do good, and we can invite that light more abundantly into our lives as we seek to become like Him. A shadow is merely a temporary absence of light, and we don't have to get caught up in times where darkness seems to creep in. When we look to Christ, who is the light of the world, we will be spiritually well throughout all our difficulties. Although this life can be hard, we aren't meant to walk unguided in darkness. Let us all let the light of Christ radiate through us and seek to be a light to others. I truly know that light always chases away darkness. So don't give up!! Instead, lighten up with the help of the Savior.

I love you all, have the most amazing week!!

Love Elder Barlow

October 2, 2017 - My Son, Everything the Light Touches is Our Kingdom

Hey everybody!!! I hope everyone's week has been kuhle!!! It has been a busy but awesome week with lots of new experiences. There never seems to be a dull day as a missionary in Zimbabwe!

On Tuesday I was in a trio with Elder Taloa and his new companion, Elder Richardson from Missouri. We taught some awesome lessons, but it seemed to be kind of a weird day, especially after our 3 person district meeting. We now have two more elders in our district, Elder Horlacher and Elder Tuimaseve. I'm glad that we have a bigger district and that I get to work together with some new faces! 

Elder Magoha

Wednesday was busy! I had to get on a bus to Harare at 7 am, and we didn't get there until 2 pm because the bus broke down on the side of the road. For those who have never taken a long bus ride in Zimbabwe, it is SUPER hot and humid because the air conditioning is basically nonexistent. When we finally got to Harare, I got to see lots of missionary friends like Elder Whiting (who's now an assistant to the president) and Elder Horton. And of course, I walk into the cultural hall in the chapel and there's a volleyball net set up. A volleyball net. I about died, especially because they finally put it up after I left. Oh well, you can't have your volleyball and play with it too I guess. The trainers meeting with President Mkhabela was awesome. We read from D&C 121 and learned about principles of righteous leadership, especially those exhibited by the Savior. It is a sacred responsibility to train a new missionary and we got some really awesome counsel about how to fulfill the Lord's trust in us. After that I met my trainee, Elder Magoha. He's from Tanzania (so he speaks Swahili) and is 26 years old. He's a convert to the church from 2 years ago, which is so awesome. He is kind of a quiet guy, but he is super solid and I'm glad to be his trainer. We ate dinner at the mission home with President and Sister Mkhabela that night. It is always good to be around them, plus Sister Mkhabela made lasagna that was just about the best thing that I've eaten in forever. As  to my title, this quote from the Lion King was something my trainer, Elder Bamutesiza, would say to me as we would walk through the area. I thought about my experience of being a new missionary this week, and it seems so far away yet so close. I have grown so much since then and I have seen the Lord's hand so much in my life. He truly has been so merciful to me as I have gone throughout my missionary service thus far. It's strange now to be one of the older missionaries in the mission.

On Thursday we had our combined instruction from President Mkhabela. He is so concise and so focused in his counsel and I always love hearing his instructions. We discussed training, the schedule, and having the Spirit as missionaries and working together. I feel so inspired every time I gather with other missionaries and my determination to do the right thing increases. Christ said that where two are three are gathered in His name that He would be in the midst of them, and I truly believe that applies especially to missionaries. Following our meetings, we endured another 7 hour bus ride back to Bulawayo. I was fortunate to spend a lot of time talking to Elder Magoha. He has a degree in civil engineering and was telling me a lot about his work. He actually met the missionaries online and was taught on Facebook until the missionaries could meet him in person, and he really is converted to the gospel. As a bonus, I think he brought all the clouds with him from Tanzania because ever since we came back from Harare there have been clouds and even a little rain in Bulawayo, the first I've seen in my time here.

2/3 of the new district:
Elder Magoha, me, Elder Taloa, and Elder Richardson

Elder Magoha's first few days in the mission field have been interesting. I've been doing most of the teaching, and although his teaching skills aren't the best, he knows how to bear a heartfelt testimony and that is the best. Our lessons have been interesting, but I've felt the Spirit so much and felt so happy while teaching these people. I encouraged my companion to contact people as we go and he actually did!! It was a bit rough but he did it which was the important thing. I'm so proud of him. He is so humble in missionary work and always talks about how glad he is that we are companions and asks how he can do better. It's been interesting because he's not used to using US dollars or Zim bond notes, so I've been teaching about spending and saving money and also how to go about the area.  Overall, he's been learning hopefully and I have been learning how to be patient and to set a good example.

Church was awesome on Sunday. I have grown to really love fast and testimony meeting. It is such a great time to share our convictions of the restored gospel and to strengthen each other. Mandla came to church again, which was so awesome. When I brought Elder Magoha to teach him this week, he told us that he'd decided to be baptized, which was an unexpected answer but so awesome!!!! I am so excited to teach and prepare him to make that sacred covenant with the Lord. Overall, it's been a pretty sweet week, even though it has been difficult at times. I have realized time and time again that I don't know everything and that training a new missionary is a challenge in many ways, but I trust in the Lord. It is His work. I know that as we keep the commandments, the Lord will be able to help Elder Magoha experience the same tender mercies that I felt as a new missionary. It is a blessing to be a part of our Heavenly Father's work! Have a fantastic week everyone!!

Love Elder Barlow

1. Elder Magoha and I

2. 2/3 of the new district: Elder Magoha, me, Elder Taloa, and Elder Richardson.