I Need to be Baptized, Do You Guys Do That?
Date
August 30, 2021
Area
Brunswick, Georgia
Companion
Elder Alekisanita Molisi
I Need to be Baptized, Do You Guys Do That?
This week went so fast! We made some really good progress this week. We have 4 (maybe 5 by the end of today) teaching appointments for this week, so I'm really hyped for that. The other day I prayed really hard that we'd be able to find someone new to teach, and the next day this super cool guy hit us up on Facebook asking for a bible. The day after that he texted us and said, "I need to be baptized, do you guys do that?" Ummm let me think... yes!!! So pray for James that he will continue to grow his faith in Christ! There are a lot of Christ loving people here in the south. Also, I've found that the sketchiest looking people and places are usually the funnest. Everyone is really kind! We also found this super cool country kid who said he'd take Elder Molisi and I fishing sometime in his pond, so I'm looking forward to that.
One of the funner things about being out here on the mission is seeing all the fun stuff that previous elders leave in the apartments. This week I got a new suit, 2 keyboards, lots of lights, and some other good loot. The elders in my district are really cool. On Saturday morning some of us built a ramp for this lady in a wheelchair. It took almost 5 hours and the first hour was in some heavy rain. It was really fun though! I feel like I could build anything now. The old guys there just sat in lawn chairs and directed us by pointing. Hopefully the ramp is built well enough to last a little while haha! The lady we built it for was super grateful and said that she hasn't been able to leave her house by herself for 3 years! If you want to get to know your savior, serve Him!
All the missionaries went to institute this week, and it was awesome! The teacher is from South Africa so he has a super cool accent, and he knows so much about the gospel! It was the coolest lesson about the gathering of Israel. I'm really excited to go to that every week. Also this weekend was stake conference, and it was amazing! One of the area 70s spoke for like an hour and it was so good! He was dropping spiritual bombs. He's been talking to the prophet a lot lately, and he shared with us a lot of what President Nelson has been telling him! He said the prophets current priorities are 1. loving God with all our heart and our neighbors as ourselves 2.having faith in Jesus Christ and embracing the gift of His infinite atonement. Christ is the savior of ALL of our pains, not just our sins! 3. Repenting daily and partaking of the sacrament regularly in order to have the Holy Ghost with us. Repentance is NOT punishment 4. Strengthening home centered and church supported gospel learning. What are you going to keep doing that you learned during the pandemic? (I really like that one) 5. Strengthen the faith of the rising generation 6. Gather Israel on both sides of the veil! The greatest work that we can be a part of! Love, share, and invite...in that order for a reason. 7. Focus on current prophetic declarations like using the true name of church, expressing gratitude, meaning of Israel (let God prevail), no racism, etc.
One thing I thought about this week was the simplicity of the gospel. Sometimes it's hard to realize because of all the different deep things we can study, but in the end the message of the gospel is simple! All Christ's asks of us is that we believe! The end of Mark 5:36 says "be not afraid, only believe." Believe in Him! Believe in His atonement and in the power we can draw from Him. I love when President Nelson said "daily repentance is the pathway to purity, and purity brings power." When we believe in the power of the atonement and choose to repent (change) everyday, not only do we receive joy and cleansing, but we receive power! Power to resist our temptations. Power to follow Him. Power to stand out in a world of darkness. How can you show you believe in Him this week?
I love you all and appreciate all the prayers!
¡Que tengan un día bendecido!
Elder Barker
~cool view from the other elders' apartment
~ a week late but the elders
~^^
~before the ramp
~after the ramp
~fun sign
~not quite Barker Park, but close
~playing catch with Elder Molisi
~tree hugger
~art
~cool dock
~put some lights up in the apartment
~new study desk setup
One of the funner things about being out here on the mission is seeing all the fun stuff that previous elders leave in the apartments. This week I got a new suit, 2 keyboards, lots of lights, and some other good loot. The elders in my district are really cool. On Saturday morning some of us built a ramp for this lady in a wheelchair. It took almost 5 hours and the first hour was in some heavy rain. It was really fun though! I feel like I could build anything now. The old guys there just sat in lawn chairs and directed us by pointing. Hopefully the ramp is built well enough to last a little while haha! The lady we built it for was super grateful and said that she hasn't been able to leave her house by herself for 3 years! If you want to get to know your savior, serve Him!
All the missionaries went to institute this week, and it was awesome! The teacher is from South Africa so he has a super cool accent, and he knows so much about the gospel! It was the coolest lesson about the gathering of Israel. I'm really excited to go to that every week. Also this weekend was stake conference, and it was amazing! One of the area 70s spoke for like an hour and it was so good! He was dropping spiritual bombs. He's been talking to the prophet a lot lately, and he shared with us a lot of what President Nelson has been telling him! He said the prophets current priorities are 1. loving God with all our heart and our neighbors as ourselves 2.having faith in Jesus Christ and embracing the gift of His infinite atonement. Christ is the savior of ALL of our pains, not just our sins! 3. Repenting daily and partaking of the sacrament regularly in order to have the Holy Ghost with us. Repentance is NOT punishment 4. Strengthening home centered and church supported gospel learning. What are you going to keep doing that you learned during the pandemic? (I really like that one) 5. Strengthen the faith of the rising generation 6. Gather Israel on both sides of the veil! The greatest work that we can be a part of! Love, share, and invite...in that order for a reason. 7. Focus on current prophetic declarations like using the true name of church, expressing gratitude, meaning of Israel (let God prevail), no racism, etc.
One thing I thought about this week was the simplicity of the gospel. Sometimes it's hard to realize because of all the different deep things we can study, but in the end the message of the gospel is simple! All Christ's asks of us is that we believe! The end of Mark 5:36 says "be not afraid, only believe." Believe in Him! Believe in His atonement and in the power we can draw from Him. I love when President Nelson said "daily repentance is the pathway to purity, and purity brings power." When we believe in the power of the atonement and choose to repent (change) everyday, not only do we receive joy and cleansing, but we receive power! Power to resist our temptations. Power to follow Him. Power to stand out in a world of darkness. How can you show you believe in Him this week?
I love you all and appreciate all the prayers!
¡Que tengan un día bendecido!
Elder Barker
~cool view from the other elders' apartment
~ a week late but the elders
~^^
~before the ramp
~after the ramp
~fun sign
~not quite Barker Park, but close
~playing catch with Elder Molisi
~tree hugger
~art
~cool dock
~put some lights up in the apartment
~new study desk setup
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