Nothing Like the City‏ August 4, 2014

Its been a pretty awesome week.  Well every day is awesome as a missionary, but I feel like its been like a month since I've e-mailed you last.  But that is a mission for ya.  Things are going pretty good in Brazos.  We still only taught two investigator lessons, but we worked a lot this week and talked to lots of people!  Its a pretty fun time when you get to talk to people.  I mean, its nothing like the city, and I would never ever live in a place like Rosenburg, but God still watches for us.  We have a baptismal date now!  The girlfriend of a member accepted a date for the 24th of August.  Her name is Marlen.  A couple of weeks ago the sister missionaries were asking who should teach her because some members thought the sisters should teach her.  I knew it really didn't matter which missionaries taught her, so I kind of made sure we got to teach her.  Its cool what happens when we don't let life slide by.

Fasting is also super fun and my favoritest thing to do.  I'd do it every day if I could, but I like food too much.  The 24 hour fast seems so much better than the two meal fast.  Besides, 24 hours can still be two meals.  And it always makes my prayers so much better and God is much more willing to answer us.  As a zone, we set a goal for fifteen baptisms this month, and we just have to have the faith to make that happen.  Having that faith though, is the hard part.  Its sacrifice, endurance, prayer, hope, work, patience, and trusting in God to make up for what we lack, that is if we've put forth all our effort.  Grace doesn't really come if we don't do anything to let God bless us with it.  And when we get that blessing, it wasn't from our works.  I kind of get annoyed when people just start quoting "faith without works is dead" because the bible also clearly teaches that works without faith is dead as we read in Ephesians.  But yeah, most people in the world don't seem to have either. 

We live in an apartment.  Its just the two of us.  There are six missionaries in Rosenburg area, but the other four are all sisters.  So we're around sisters a lot and rarely around elders unless we go to zone meeting or something.  We don't have a face book page.  Just being in this branch makes me feel like I'm in a different decade or something.  I can't explain it, but Missouri City was "hip" and "modern" or something like that. Not that its stagnant or lost in the past here, no, its just different.  And we actually go to branch meetings.  We talked to a lot of people this week.  So we got quite a few potentials, now we just have to convert those potentials into news this week!  Someone is ready to be baptized I'm sure!  I think my goal I've made with God, is that we could baptize three in this area this month, or that what God seems to say, if I can do enough on my part, but we'll see what happens.

We eat more at home yes, we will cook spaghetti, or tacos, or hamburgers, or whatever.  I've got a good variety.  Our truck is a black Nissan.

I do like it here, and it is different, and even when I'm talking all negative, it doesn't really mean I have no faith.  Just honestly know my pessimism is very much "under the sun" as we see in Ecclesiastes.  I completely understand that the way things are is only just how they are now, and things will and can change.  We're doing pretty well down here.  We're working hard, and stuff.  But I'm almost out of time now and I know you want pictures.  Don't worry for me, If I've got a problem, I won't go off and make matters worse on my own.  Things are better than they were before anyways, and I've basically solved my complaints.  One week is only one week.  and that is nothing in God's eyes.

With love

Elder David Austin Barlow