I love a piano...‏ June 23, 2014

Okay, so going from here on out, I haven't a clue of how to start my e-mail.  Yesterday was p-day, but p-day was a month ago.  Time is a human invention.  We'll see what I can do.  Its been a pretty good week all in all.  Nothing crazy, nothing different, all just fine and dandy.  As for our investigators, its spelled Rosemery, not Rosemary.  It took me forever to learn that, but that's a superficial detail.  We haven't gotten to see her this week, but we did stop by and give her brownies.  Brownies are a very effective way at making people like you.  We expect to bake more this week.  Maybe I'll go day by day to see how the week was.

Monday- We taught the husband of the Relief Society President, Hermano Alcaraz.  He just needs to get baptized.  He goes to church every week with his family finally, boosts our investigators at church number, and just needs to decide to get baptized.  He always says "Algun Dia" Which means - "Hoy, no."  But he's been progressing, and we've been helping him by helping his wife read the B of M every day with her husband.  He just needs to recognize he has that answer.  Then that evening we taught an investigator that accepted a baptismal date! Mario, and I don't expect you to remember all these random names I send, they probably don't mean too much to you, but I'll make sure to get pictures today!

Tuesday- I love our district meetings.  We took a hurricane prep quiz!  And mom, no worries, we are pretty far away from the coast.  Most people that live here are advised not to evacuate if we ever get one.  But we could have a hurricane, and that would make for some fun journal entries.  But anyways, that's besides the point.  We had a wonderful day, and even taught a baptist that is willing to read the Book of Mormon.  Isn't that something?

Wednesday- We ate at a Less Active's house.  She fed us mole (Mol-ay).  Maybe I'll have to learn to make it so I can make it for you guys when I get home.  I think I'll start probing for recipies.  But she has been less active and says that she doesn't want to come back to church.  She has nothing against the church she says.  She loves what the church does, but doesn't want to come back for some reason we can't seem to see.  We asked if she's reading the Book of Mormon, and her reply was she's already read it.

Thursday- Weekly planning, our weekly raspa session for comp inventory.  I hade a limon flavored one.  That was good.  Saw Mario again, taught Hermana Alcaraz and committed her to read daily with her husband.

Friday- Have I ever told you about the Guevara family?  They're a less- active family that's coming back to church bit by bit.  They're super cool.  Oh, and while I'm thinking about it, I was told that you guys are following the ward facebook page or something.  I didn't even know they had one.  But hermana Guevara is super cool, and super crazy worried about her kids, but lessons with her are always super good.  We then went to the ward Father's Day activity, which started at seven.  That meant that people started arriving at about 7:15, and it started at 7:50 or so.  And you though Mormon Standard time was bad.  So much for the "terminally tardy Barlows" As Chloe used to call us.

Saturday- Hooray for Less Actives!!! and the Martinez family of course.  They just love us to death. It makes it very hard to teach, but what can we do.

Sunday- Church- this is the fun story now!  And the story of why its more important to listen to advice from your stake president instead of try not to offend someone.  Its just funny.  So sometimes I play organ in church right?  Well there's another girl that plays piano before I came, and who is often late, and doesn't play all to well.  Well she was on time today, so she got to play the piano.  (A few weeks ago the stake president told bishop to just let me play the organ).  But still I'm just the if she shows up late man, because we don't want to offend anyone.  (If you want to do that in a Spanish ward, don't even blink, cuz if you do, someone will take offense).  Well she can't play the last sons at all.  It was the "Never leave us, never leave us," which has completely different lyrics in Spanish about the Plan of Salvation.  But she couldn't play it, so half way through the first verse, the stake president taps the microphone and stops the music and says lets try that again, but with fervor.  And we think he told her not to play the piano.  So we just sang a capella.  It was awkward, and I laughed inside.  This is why you let me play the organ ;)  But all was well.

 

 

Your favorite elder,

Elder David Austin Barlow

At Jaime's birthday party.  This is how I celebrated your anniversary.

At Houston Texas Temple with Bishop and others

Downtown Houston- On the way to the temple.

This is our good friend Ted the toad.  He is always in this mold circle when we come home at night.

Suddenly there is music in the sound of your name.....‏ June 16, 2014

Hello family!!!  Where's my picture of Daphne?  Oh yeah, how are you all doing today?  Hope you had a wonderful anniversary.  It sounded like fun, taking a nice thirty minutes out of a hectic day.  You two should go on a mission sometime.  And my picture of Daphne?  All Hispanics have are puny yipping chihuahuas and little monsters.  All everyone else has is German Shepherds, Pit Bulls, and Huskies.  But I digress, Daphne is amazing.

And anyways, I have had a wonderful week.  After a baptism is when you have to go find new people, which is hard.  Its nice because there are people to see and potentials to visit, and lots of things to do.  The word tracting doesn't really exist here at all.  I've read in a few of my friends e-mails about tracting a bit.  Well we don't do that.  We can like knock on people's doors to ask about neighbors we are trying to visit, but that is as tractful as it gets.  We just Open our mouths and speak to people.  That's always fun.  We got a few new investigators this week which is good because we haven't found any for a few weeks.  We'll see who can progress the fastest right now.

The fastest progressor we have is a girl named Rosemery.  She dropped off of the face of the earth for a few weeks.  Her kids were baptized in March.  She just wasn't progressing as fast for a lot of strange reasons. She finally opened the door for us about a week or two ago.  She even came to church! Which took a lot of courage on her part because she came with Pablo, the guy she supposedly broke up with a while ago.  We used to hate him.  Tate and the elder before him would call him the devil.  But everybody has potential, and even the devil was once an angel of light.  Pablo hurt his leg, so that should keep him grounded.  We'll get her baptercized.  The kids are awesome, and its just super amazing that they all came to church.  Also, their dog reminds me of a mix of Jasmine and Daphne.

Then Saturday we went to the temple with the Flores family!  They are amazing!  I forgot my camera today, so I really do have good pictures to share (and some good pictures of Houston downtown) but I have yet to get them sent because my camera is forgotten.  Please forgive me.  But the temple was really quite amazing! It always is, but this was an interesting trip.  There was one guy worker there, and one of the first things he said is that missionaries can't get in the water.  We were at zone conference a while ago and an elder brought up how in the temple they wouldn't let them baptize girls, and president was just like "That's kind of dumb."  He's had conversations with the temple president and stuff, and it doesn't make sense that you can baptize someone in the font at the church, but not at the temple.  And not even being allowed to enter the water?  That's some crazy interpretation of a D&C 61.  The temple worker was just rough with everybody, the family didn't mind though which was good.  So we all complained about it in the car (Bishop, wife, and me and Tate).  Yet it was still a good experience.  We then went to a chinese buffet.  I'm going to be super sad when I leave this area and don't have a cool bishop like Bishop Martin.  He's super great.

Lets see, I'm doing great, we went to church yesterday, I played organ again (with super hard hymns... but Hispanos can't notice).  I don't really know what else I can say here, except that I realized that I haven't gotten an e-mail from Bethany since she got a boyfriend.  Oh, and I don't think I ever mentioned this, but yesterday was the baptism of an older couple in the other elder's area.  They have a crazy story.  They came to church and were suddenly super ready to get baptized, just by coming to church and loving everything.  They came twice, they were unsure if hermano's medical coffee (which turned out had no coffee whatsoever) would let him get baptized, they needed to get married, so they were working on that when the third Sunday, they suddenly couldn't find him anymore. Well what had happened is that Francisco (the hermano) had been stabbed 20 times by his step-son Saturday night, and somehow he survived, until he finally got baptized yesterday.  Its just a crazy story.  They should make the district a reality TV show.  Probably better than any other show out there.

Well on that note, I'm outta here.  I'm gonna go preach the gospel, or if I ever become a zone leader, preach the gospel to a bunch of 18 - 23 year old white young adults.  I'd rather preach to Hispanics. But I digress, I love you all and the gospel, and it is the power of salvation unto every man that believeth.  To the Jew first, and also to the Greek.  I don't know about Romans and Barbarians though.  This scripture does after all teach us that the gospel only goes to Jews and Greeks.  But now I'm just being sarcastic and typing words as they come out of my head.  I love y'all!

Elder David Austin Barlow

 

 Gracias.  Le extraño.  Doy gracias a Dios por esta pictura.  Quiero imprimir esta pictura para dejar en mi apartamento.  Ella esta muy bonita, y pienso que ella es perfecta.  Y yo no tengo otras personas para enviar correo, entonces estoy escribiendo estas palabras en Español sobre ella.  Gracias otra vez, y me gusta esta pictura.  Te quiero Daphne!  Y tambien ustedes mama y papa.  Yo tengo una carta para el dia del padre, pero no cabo en el buson en nuestro complejo.  Estoy buscando un buson para enviar esta carta para papa, pero creo que voy a enviar mi carta por el dia del padre en Deciembre o algo asi.

 

English Translation:

 

 

Thank you. I miss her. I thank God for this picture. I want to print this picture to leave in my apartment. She is very pretty, and I think she's perfect. And I have other people to send mail, then I'm writing these words in Spanish on it. Thanks again, and I like this picture. I love Daphne! And also you mom and dad. I have a letter for Father's day, but not out in the mailbox in our complex. I am looking for a Mailbox to send this letter to Dad, but I think I will send my letter the day of the father man December or something.