New investigators, baptism and talked someone from jumping off the electrical pole....

I have had an interesting week! We stopped a guy from committing suicide yesterday. He had climbed up one of the towers that keep up the big power cables and was going to throw himself off. He was drunk and saying his life was worth nothing! We shouted at him to come down and come talk to us and that we could help. He came down and we talked for a bit then one of his friends came and then the cop but nothing dramatic happened after that. 

We found 2 more investigators who are really good ladies. A mother and her daughter named Jenny and Mary. They just lost their son and older brother and are really distraught. They talked with their neighbor who is a member and invited us to come and talk with them and give them blessings of counsel and comfort. They calmed down and we came back2 days later. She was having another panic attack so we shared a message with her and she calmed down. She is really hard of heart but recognizes that what we are sharing will help her to feel better. Their names are Jenny and Mary. I also baptized a convert of some sisters in my district, which not gonna lie, was really cool! I also interviewed him. It was cool to see his repentance process and to be able to baptize him for the remission of sins, it made me feel like a tool in the hands of the lord. 

Love,

Elder Barlow

  Hannah looks like a tiny Jessica and all her friends are tall!!! What the heck? Meg Sorensen is a giant!!! My niece is really cute! 
  Not a whole lot happened this week. There was another earthquake here a couple nights ago but nothing happened and no one got hurt because it was in the middle of the night and it was just a 6.8, so nothing was damaged! We found some new investigators and placed some baptismal dates but no  one came to church so we are going to have to talk to them about keeping commitments. 
  I am so excited to be able to go to the temple with you guys. I have always liked the temple but I never understand the need, the absolute need that we as children of God have for the temple, the covenants and the peace it brings.  I  have a burning desire to be able to visit the temple and more then anything I want the people I have taught to be able to make it there. 

  My comp is terrible about exercising so the only way I can get him to run is by playing football in the mornings. I run routes and he plays QB. When I can`t get him out of bed I jump rope too, for about 10 minutes before I do a bunch of other workouts. I have been really good about working out here and I think that has helped me a lot with stress. I wake up excited to workout then I am excited to drink mate! Then I am excited to study the scriptures and go out and teach.

   I have really enjoyed my mission and I need to thank you guys for that because there are lots of guys who struggle with the concept of what the mission is or how hard it would be or just keeping your head in the work. I do have moments obviously of when I get distracted but  thanks to you guys I have been able to work hard all my mission. You and mom taught me how to work.  I may not be the smartest missionary or the best or the most spiritual but I do know how to work thanks to you guys. 

Love Elder Christopher  Ryan Barlow

Working hard to stay focused, Worth of souls is precious....

   Our investigators are in the words of the Chileans, "alli no mas."   I got pretty sick the other day but after getting  a blessing and a couple hours of sleep I felt perfectly fine. Thank you for saying something about staying focused! It has been kind of hard lately to try and keep my mind focused. I do work hard and I try my best to keep my mind in the work. I have learned here on the mission that there is a time and a place for everything.   Although sometimes I struggle in trying to keep my mind on the work I know that I am going to fight and work hard till the end. Mostly the the thoughts that distract me are thoughts of marriage and family, I never think about school or other things. I know its not bad to have these desires. I work hard to shut them out of my heart for right now because not only do I refuse to be trunkie, I know that I need to learn to control the desires of my heart and put the lord first in everything. Those that lose their lives shall find it, I want to find my life. I have seen miracles and grown so much in my knowledge of the gospel but I still haven`t completely lost my life. ha ha. I talk with Lindsey all the time and Mitch.

 
Something I have thought about  is that I would like a lot  after finishing my mission is to be able to visit all the people I have been able to meet with you guys. They are amazing! Meeting the missionary from Logan today and seeing all the love he has for all these people made me think about all the people I have met. I pray they are active and living the gospel. I have started to gain the vision of the worth of their souls. There is a scripture in Alma, 31:35 and Alma is praying so that he might have success to teach and preach. I felt that that yesterday thinking about the people I have met. Oh lord their souls are precious and many of them are precious, therefore, give unto us, lord wisdom and power to bring them unto you again.

Charity is pure love of Christ...

 I have been studying a lot these last couple weeks about charity and the need that we have for it in our lives. I was reading in Moroni 7 and its amazing how much we must change to reach exaltation. Its also amazing how much Christ really changes us without us noticing, unless we make a strong effort to try and see it. His grace is an amazing tool we as missionaries must use to over come our weaknesses. I have been thinking that charity is an attribute that we must posses it is something  we need to have toward  all people everywhere. I was reading a talk given by  President Holland and I realized that only Christ`s love is perfect. We can love all people, that is possible but  we can`t love them perfectly because we are not perfect yet.  I think Moroni is trying to teach in his sermon about charity and  that through our hope and faith in Christ we will be humble enough to the point to where the pure love of Christ, through praying with all the energy of our hearts for others and for ourselves, will fill us and in the last days we will recognize that Christ loves us, that we have loved him sufficiently to be changed by his grace.  We will appear to be like him because we will  have worked all our days trying to do what he would have done. So in the end its true what the scriptures say, only through the merits and grace of the holy messiah, shall in the end we be saved. Its very humbling for me to see how literally we are nothing.  our heavenly father sent his only begotten son, the creator of all things in heaven and earth and countless other worlds and people, to live, teach, suffer all the human condition asks us to suffer, to descend below all the lowest that anyone can possibly  go, and the to die a painful, long death.  He lives, and because he lives I know I will live. I will be changed by him from nothing to something so beautiful I  can`t even image it. I can only dream of it and try my very best to work towards it everyday. I love my savior and his love is real. I have felt it so many times when he has helped and comforted me. You mom are one of the ways the savior allows me to feel his love and for that I am eternally grateful. You have raised me with such care, patience, long suffering!, mercy, and above all charity. Keep trying to be better everyday. because just like Elder Holland said mothers are unique and amazing.  

Check out this cool sword and my shoes! This is the second time I have gotten these same wholes in the sole! 

Elder Christopher Ryan Barlow!

Holy Shoes!!!

I loved conference, thinking about my future goals, love you so much dad....

Hey dad! I don`t have a lot of time today but I wanted to let you know that I love you so much! I need to tell you that your a wonderful father, that has instilled the gospel of Jesus Christ into the heart of your son. You have and will continue magnifying the greatest calling that you will ever receive as a father. I know that our heavenly father is very proud of you and all the efforts that you have made to teach the daughters and son that were trusted to your care. I know you did your absolute best and I will raise my sons and daughters in righteousness as you have raised me. You did what Jacob did to Enos, you taught me in your language and in discipline before the Lord. Blessed be the name of my God because of you. 

Love Elder Barlow

Whoa! How did you recognize that it was president Kahnlien??! He is super tall it's true. What is he doing in the states? I thought he was working for the church? 

Thanks mom for everything you do! Gonna be honest, I thought of you during the conference talks when they talked about moms but more then anything I took notes about the type of characteristics I want my wife to have. Its really strange to think about but I am down to less then 9 months but I am positive I won`t be getting married in my first year home but for sure my second year. I am not trunkie

 or anything like that but Its just interesting how  goals   have started to come to mind lately such as having  children, how I will raise them comes to mind once and a while, where should I live while I go to school? Do I want to marry a convert, a sister missionary, a member from a different country. That last one has only been a thought like 2 times.... 

I love conference!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I could barely stay awake during one session of conference before the mission and now 2 days isn`t long enough!!!!!!!!!! I need more! I am an addict to revelation and feeling the spirit. I know I feel it constantly but I love the sense of feeling when the spirit confirms something to me! I want that to happen all the time in every moment of everyday for the rest of my life because its such a wonderful feeling! Its beautiful and sacred and somethings only I can understand that our father is telling me personally. My favorite talk was from Elder Eyring, about how our efforts will be multiplied by the lord. I also really enjoyed the talk by Elder Larry R Lawrence about centering our lives in Christ. 

I love the gospel Of Jesus Christ and I learned something really interesting which, yes I already knew. I was reading in Doctrine and Covenants in section 130 that Our father is obligated to bless us for our obedience to certain laws and that the greatest blessing or gift he can give us is eternal life. I have always thought we will be changed from corruption to eternal life but I realized that it doesn`t matter. God has said that if we obey the gospel of Jesus Christ we will receive eternal life. Good enough for me. I decided I would be obedient to all things without question to the lord and his servants because that's the point of the earth life to see if we will be obedient in all things that the Lord God has commanded, no matter what the loss is. I know I am not perfect, I am going to mess up but I will put in my very best effort to doing everything I possibly can to be obedient and loyal to my Father in Heaven and my savior Jesus Christ.

Love Elder Barlow

Oh Mom to answer your question! Matè is one of the greatest discoveries known to your son. It's delicious and I drink it almost every morning piping hot! 

Love this silly smile!

Ran into President Kahnlein at the conference center during general conference!

Earthquake In Viña del Mar, I'm good, it was so cool, didn't have any fear...

Hey Mom! 

I am perfectly fine!!! I was in the earthquake but nothing happened. It was so cool! I know that sounds bad because there was a lot of damage but from where I was in the moment it was super cool! I was in the street walking with my comp and my legs started shaking and everything started moving! I knew it was an earthquake so me and my comp put our arms across each others shoulders and started walking shoulder to shoulder in case wires and things started falling. I didn`t feel any fear to be honest, I was perfectly calm. I was more worried that something would fall and hit my comp and I was ready to push him out of the way or cover him if a wire or something fell. We started walking forward slowly. As we walked a lady started motioning and shouting at us to come and help her, so we went and asked her what we could do. During this time everything was still moving around us and she just hugged us and started shouting "Lord give me strength! Stop this terrible force give me strength!". It was kind funny and sad at the same time. She was fine and when it ended we started searching for all the members and investigators that we could find. Everyone was fine and no one was hurt.   We didn`t have  power, so we were walking around with flashlights. We are all good here except in Coquimbo where most the damage happened. I am sure  this week I will receive a call to go down and help as a zone. It hasn`t happened yet. I am fine though! I think you should watch this video that we have been sharing with everyone.  I am being dead honest about  how I felt.  Its called the hearts of man will falter by Elder Nelson. He talks about when he was almost in a plane crash. 

Finally have investigators, studying Miracle of Forgiveness, finally received my birthday package...

Hey dad!

I am still with Elder Gutierrez which is awesome! I have a pretty good streak going with my companions by having had a baptism with every companion and I don`t want that to change. We finally found investigators! We found 5 this last week and they are really good. One accepted a baptismal date but  didn`t come to church, so we are going to have to get him excited to go to church and make the changes that will help him get to baptism. Some of our other investigators are coming along as well. Camillo accepted a baptismal date but we have to help him strengthen his faith.  He thinks that if he gets baptized he will get kick out of his school and so does his mom. Its a catholic school but I don`t think that will happen. 

I had a really cool question come to my mind during my studies today. I was reading preach my gospel and  was reading about faith in Jesus Christ and how part of having faith in Christ is being able to achieve or accomplish what he wants us to do. I sat thinking about what Christ wants me to accomplish and now I have a new way of measuring if what I'm doing what I should be. "Will this help me accomplish what the lord wants me to do?" I think its pretty good, not gonna lie! I also started reading the Miracle of Forgiveness. It's super good and has kinda opened my eyes to the types of small sins that we commit everyday. I really like it. Have you read that book? I love you dad and hope you are doing well. I am praying for you guys and I also love that photo of the deer pajamas. Tell mama I love here and give her a big hug from me. Also tell Micheal to write me so I can talk to him.

 I got the package! Thank you very much for all the things you sent me! I love the shirts, the ties and the football. My comp loves the movies because at night he can watch them while I am making my calls. We climbed this huge hill with the zone today and launched lanterns from the top, representing the converts that we had in the zone this month. It was a little scary because some almost crashed into the ground and I was pretty sure it would  start a fire. 

Elder Christopher Ryan Barlow

Transfer day to La Serena

Zone activity

Breakfast of Champions

Estoy pasándolo chancho aquí en Chile! 

That's a Chilean phrase for "I am all good here". Like you said I am going through a slow moment on my mission and really trying to find out what the lord is trying to teach me and how I can consecrated more on him. I asked my mission president if my companion and I can get up earlier to study and start studying the Books of the apostles and prophets, like the doctrines of salvation and The Miracle of Forgiveness and other books like that.  Because we had lunch with a member the other day who is dying of cancer and he started talking about the experience of knowing your dying and how he has really just put himself in the hands of the lord. He goes to the temple as much as possible and reads and prays a lot. He is only like 40 and has 2 young kids so its been rough for him, but he says and I believe him, that he is truly at peace with his death coming. He said death is a privilege to him and is glad that he will be able to experience it. I have never heard anything like that before.  Death is a privilege. He is not afraid, he is at complete peace and it brought to mind a video that we share with investigators and less active members called Men's Hearts Will Fail tThem.  It's a video of Elder Nelson talking about an experience of  one of the many flights he has taken in his life when the engines caught on fire and the plane started to fall out of the sky to their deaths. He says he was completely calm. He says he was ready to meet his maker and that a women in the next aisle was freaking out and that he felt bad for her. I think we need to prepare better for these moments of life. I have no idea what will happen to me in my life apart from the promised blessings that I have from my patriarchal blessing. When I pass away I want to be able to say the same thing, that death is a privilege and I am ready to meet not only my maker but my savior and enter into his presence. I know I have to do much more, but Jesus Christ is the savior of the world. He made is possible for each and everyone of us to be able to change and not only become free from death but free from sin, imperfection and fear. I am so grateful for my savior and brother.

Tell sister Tait she literally is always in my prayers!!!

Elder Christopher Ryan Barlow

Transfer has been difficult, not very much success, went to the zoo...

MOM! 

Mate is delicious! Its not just hot dirt water. When you cook it you need to put in the liquid sweetener that makes it super good but only a couple drops. I am going to bringing home bags and bags of mate if I can`t buy it in the states because I love it! 

Today we had a district activity because my district had 6 baptisms this month. The mission president gave us permission to have an activity. We went to the La Serena Zoo. It was pretty cool not gonna lie and then we cooked there. I started the fire with help from one of the sisters and we had grilled choripan and tin foil dinners. There are some pretty cool animals here including a white tiger and an ocelot. I also got to touch a monkey. It was a good time to relax for the district because we are all pretty stressed out. 

When you pray for opportunities to strengthen your testimony, the lord will answer your prays. I have been praying for that these last couple weeks. This has been one of the hardest changes of my mission. We haven`t had a lot of success or a lot of progress so it has been kind of hard. I have had to trust that the Lord will continue to help me in every moment and I have had to learn to work in very creative ways here. 

I haven't gotten my package yet and probably wont till September but I will let you know when I do! I will be praying for you and for the girls! Tell Dad I love him. 

Elder Christopher Ryan Barlow

Going to help investigator read Book of Mormon, love mate....

Hey dad,

I am really glad that your trial settled and I love your quote as well.  We had the same lesson in Elders quorum yesterday on helping the elderly. It brought to mind when we would go give the sacrament to the sister who lived in the apartments who couldn't come to church. Here there are tons of old people and a lot of them have suffered a lot in their lives. because it's not the same as in the states here. There are many who can`t come to church because they can`t leave their beds and a lot more are inactive because they simply don`t have any one who visits them and haven't been visited by anyone for years and they feel abandoned and alone.  I am going to try and spend more time with them now and work hard so they will come back to church because they have been faithful for most of their lives.  We should help them so in the end they don`t lose their eternal families because they feel abandoned by the people that our heavenly father has placed in their lives to help them.

Tell Parker I said hi and to not get married to soon! 

Tell him to write me too!

Elder Christopher Ryan Barlow

Hello mom!

  My investigator didn`t get baptized yet... He wants to feel the desire to be baptised which is good and bad. He has a testimony of the gospel and wants to be baptised. What he doesn`t want to do is pick a day to do it. These situations are the bane of my being. You know how patient I am! I have gotten a lot better. Me and Elder Gut are just going to start reading the Book of Mormon with him because he has been struggling in that. He hasn`t read very much but of what he has read he believes its true. We are struggling with finding new investigators but I am not worried! I know I will find them and help them to receive the gospel. 

  My new mission president is completely different from my old one. He is a lot more relaxed then president Kahnlien, but his testimony is just as strong. He was in charge of all the seminary and institute programs in Santiago, so he has a huge knowledge of the scriptures and he really helps us to learn to love the scriptures! Its awesome! He hasn't changed the rules very much apart from allowing us to  drink mate now and its awesome! I love it! I drink it every morning ha ha. 

  I was thinking about this a lot and something that I have learned here is that I need to be obedient to my leaders. Here in the mission my first loyalty is to the Lord, then the Mission president and then my comp. Everything comes after while I am here. 

Elder Christopher Ryan Barlow

Elder Gutierrez is awesome, not many investigators....

Hello Mom!

I had a wonderful birthday! It was kind of a rough week because we don`t have many investigators.  We are struggling with that as well as getting the members to go to the lessons with us. I'm hoping that now that we have identified a sister who was just recently baptized, who is more then willing to come out with us to teach and hopefully  we can start to getting the investigators that we have to make progress. 
  We have one investigator who is progressing super well. His name is Bastion. He is 16 years old and has been attending for awhile.   He's had his baptismal interview and passed, his only issue is that he won`t accept a baptismal date. I think he will accept a date this week. We took him to a baptism that the zone leaders had yesterday. He doesn`t like to talk all that much but I know the baptism really helped him.
  I am doing really well!  Elder Gutierrez is awesome! I hope I have a couple more transfers with him because he is a super cool guy. I think we will have one more transfer together which will be cool. I'm still a district leader, there are  zone leaders in my district and 2 companionship's of sisters, so I won`t be having a lot of splits but I will be doing a lot of baptismal interviews.
   I did 5 this last week. One was with a family of 4 and the other one of a man I will never forget. He is homeless and lives in a  place called Christ's home. He makes money by collecting bottle caps  and selling them. The zone leaders began teaching him and he has changed completely in 3 weeks. He cut his hair, he shaved, he started bathing daily and he is now looking for work just so he can pay his tithing. He is one of the most humble person I have ever met!  Not because of  his living situation but because of his nature. He's  just very loving and kind and I am very excited to see how he will keep progressing during my time here. 

  I love you mommy and I am very grateful for the efforts that you made to guide me onto the mission. The threats and blessings that you used helped me get here and I will never be able to tell you how grateful I am!

Elder Christopher Ryan Barlow

Happy birthday!!!! Transferred to La Serena, new companion Elder Gutierrez...

 For my birthday Heavenly father sent me to the best zone in the mission and I'm still a district leader. so I am getting lots of great birthday presents. I got transferred to a place called La Serena which is beautiful!  Its in the most northern part of the mission and its a region that's super pretty and really really clean. 

I am with another gringo, he is from Connecticut and  his name is elder Gutierrez. he is super chill and I am super excited to work with him. his parents are Peruanos so we are two false Latins walking around here!  We seriously have to visit this place after the mission.

 I'm in my first ward and its super big! About 125 members attend  regularly and its super nice! I am really excited! The bishop is super cool and obedient.  I really like it a lot!

 Today I will be able to buy my new suit and I am pretty excited about that. I am really pleased with how my second year on the mission has started! Not a lot happened apart from me traveling a lot. I got to my new sector at 2 in the morning from Viña. 

Also Even though you have a 20 year old son and a granddaughter you and mom aren´t old yet.

Love Elder Barlow 

Rough week, hard time staying focused, need a change...

Thank you mom for the stories!  Its nice to know I was a way better child then you and dad... jk but I really do enjoy reading them. I don't know why is started wondering about it. Either we had a lesson about family history or I was talking about it or reading about it during my  study time but I just realized I know nothing about my family apart from some stories and how dad worked at orange Julius! And well I knew you were born in California and that's about it. You grew up speaking Spanish and you lived in Guatemala for a year right?

It was kind of a rough week trying to stay focused on the work  because in my district all the Elders are finishing their missions and they were talking about crap they are going to do after the mission and girls mostly and well that made me a little trunky. It also doesn't help that I have been in this sector for such a long time and I have memorized every street in this city! I have transfers this Wednesday and I am almost positive I am leaving, if not this could be the longest change of my fetching life because I'm ready to go to be honest. I am very grateful for the chance I had to work here and I love this branch but I'm sick of the terrain more then anything. I have been thinking about it and do you know if at the end of the mission you guys will be allowed to come get me? I would really love for you guys to get to know some of the people that I have met and for you to meet the converts that I've taught and go through the temple with some of them. The brown pants I have are thrashed and the 2 other pairs of pants that I brought I gave to another elder because they didn't fit me because I am skinny and sexy now! 

I honestly can write and read really well in Spanish. My grammar is bad with writing but its the same way in English. My pronunciación is really good. I need to work on expanding my vocabulary but I am going to study Spanish with french so If you could send me Spanish to french books it would be better because when I study it and I don't know a word in french and Spanish I look it up in English in the dictionary I have. I have thought about it a lot. I am confident that I will be able to do both. 

I love you mommy!

Elder Christopher Ryan Barlow

I think I just realized how the truth cuts the "wicked"!  I think your right with focusing on Spanish. You can tell mom that too and tell her  to ignore the whole think about french in my letter. 

I had kind of a rough week this week with trying to stay focused and working. I am pretty excited for  a new area. 

I am going to start studying the attributes of Christ so that I can start to get refocused on the work. This was a really good change but it was hard in that most of the guys that are in my district are finishing their missions and won't shut up about home. I can't blame them and they still work hard but I made it more difficult as a district to focus. All the training meetings that we had in the district were about being obedient and focusing on the work. I think at this time in the mission it has been difficult because we got a new mission president and such. This next transfer will be much better in that I at least will be more focused and working a lot better. 

I have been studying a lot about charity and came to the realization that receiving the gift of charity is one of the most important things we can ever achieve in our time on the earth. Of faith, hope and charity, charity is the greatest. I could have prophesies, miracles, appearances of angels, speak in all manner of tongues and have all knowledge but if I don't have charity I am nothing. I have now started to realize that my teaching of the people is not to make them members of the church but to make them representatives of Christ. That comes with baptism, being confirmed and obeying all the commandments are just things that help us be more like Christ. If we obey the commandments but we do it in a way that doesn't help us remember Christ or help us become more like him then it doesn't really help us in the end because we won't have changes that are lasting for the eternity.

Elder Christopher Ryan Barlow

New Mission Pres, new baby niece, 2 baptisms, and teaching by the spirit...

July 6,2015
Hey mommy! I love you and I glad to hear that I am an uncle! I had an awesome week this last week. We got a new mission president on the first and I got a new niece, so it was a pretty good day! We found 7 new investigators last week and had the baptism of Karen Andrea Mencia Bruna! She will be confirmed next week. We actually have another baptism planned for that day too! His name is Matias Parkes and is the son of my convert Veronica. He was going to get baptized this week  but he was being kind of shy and wouldn´t tell us why. We then found out he didn´t want to stop drinking tea which is understandable but we talked about it. He is 9 and super smart! I held out my hands and said you can drink tea and held one hand out as tea or you can live with your mom for eternity but you can´t do both. He thought about it for a moment and decided that he loved his mother more then tea. During that lesson we were fasting and I know our words were guided by the spirit because I just knew what I need to do and say to help him understand that the commandments are for our eternal well being. 
Karens baptism was awesome and she was super happy after her baptism. I love teaching the gospel and seeing the peace that I can bring to people. It was hard and it felt like she took forever to get to the font. It took a little bit over a month, which is crazy but these people change their entire lives in a manner of months because they are filled with the spirit and can feel our love and the love of our heavenly father.

July 13, 2015

I know right I don´t feel like I have been gone for a year but apparently that's what has happened. We had another baptism yesterday. The son of one of my converts finally decided he wanted to be baptized, it was awesome!!! His grandmother came to the baptism and  loves the church now. She stayed for the gospel principals class and we talked about the sacrament and she bore her testimony of how good she feels when she is in church and how listening to the class made her feel so warm and close to Christ. It was a very cool experience and well she lives in another city that is in my mission and it is very possible that I could get transferred to where she lives and teach her as well. Another cool experience I had, but first off there are times on your mission when you doubt your ability to teach. The prophets of old did it and well it happens to missionaries now a days too. We had dropped this lady because she couldn't get married. One day I decided we needed to go  by and see her. It turned out she was listening to the Jehovah's witnesses and they had given her a bible and she liked it a lot. I was pretty sure when she let us in she was going to rail on us but she just started to explain some of the things that they had taught her. She waited for our response at first but I didn´t know what I should say. I will be honest I was scared that I would say something she didn´t like but I just started speaking. The spirit directed me in the way that we needed to go, we spoke about lesson 1 and how  all Church's teach of Christ and how they all teach good things but not all have the right authority. She basically ate it out of our hands because I started using the bible that the witnesses had given her and well their scriptures are different then the regular bible and they have changed quite a bit, so when I started reading from both bibles it made it easy to show her that the bible is not the way to receive a sure answer and how important the need of the Book of Mormon is. I love this promise from the Lord that we shall not be confused before the sons of man and that he will give us in the precise moment all things which we must say if we are paying attention to the spirit.

 I really enjoyed reading last weeks letter and getting to know more about you I actually printed it off and have read it a couple times. Tell dad to do the same! 

I love you Mom and I have been very grateful for the chance to teach Veronica and Mathias because I can now understand the love that you have for me. He was very hard to teach, he got bored easily and he has the attention span of a goldfish but when we were talking with Veronica she told me about how much I remind her and resemble Mathias and it gives her so much hope ( which is sad if I am her hope) but thank you for teaching me how to be an example and to love the Lord. Te amo con todo mi corazon.(I love you with all of my heart)

Elder Christopher Ryan Barlow Valiente 

New mission president and continuing to learn patience...

Today is officially the last P day with president Kahnlien and I wrote my first letter to President Diaz. It was sorta strange because I had to include details about how much time I have served, where and stuff about the family. It will be really interesting what changes are going to happen, now that we have a new president and to see what rules he is more relaxed on. The changes probably won´t happen for probably 3 months because he will want to see what works for him and what doesn´t.  It was strange to think that I will finish my first year in the mission and that I will be burning a shirt in 3 weeks. I don't feel like I have been gone for a year maybe because I have only had 2 sectors and 4 comps. 
I chose a new study topic for this year next year and its a saying from president Packer.  "If you don´t chose the kingdom of God first in your life, in the end it won´t matter what you chose instead." I am going to start studying about how we can chose the kingdom of God in every action and I am hoping I change a lot. I'm starting to realize really how much people are going to rely on me as a pillar of faith and work. Tonight I was talking with one of the Elders in my district that has been in a rough sector for 6 months now, like me and is really struggling. When we talked I could feel his pain and the kind of hopelessness he felt. I know the lord guided me in giving him counsel to help him keep working hard until at least changes happen. I really like giving counsel to people but something that I have to work on is teaching with more love and patience because some of the members think of me as Elder pesado, which here in Chile is like grumpy. They all love me but I am very stubborn and I don´t take like the word no and I hate excuses and well I'm more then willing to ask questions that are uncomfortable and sometimes hard to answer. I want to be like our savior but its hard because I feel like sometimes our brothers and sisters are stubborn. They know what they should be doing things that will just bring them blessings but they procrastinate. Sometimes I want to shake them and yell and in English just so they can´t respond. Its terribly frustrating, but oh well it wasn´t easy for Christ so why would it be easy for any of us. 

Thank you mommy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Elder Christopher Ryan Barlow 

Taught a lesson that I will never forget...

Hi MOMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We are going to baptize the son of Veronica too! His baptismal date is set for the  5th of July.   He is progressing super well. He is kind of hard to teach because he has ADHD super bad and takes pills for it. Veronica always likes to compare me to him  and says that there is hope for him in the end! I guess we are very similar ha ha. I am going to finish my first year and have been in just 2 sectors, which is super weird and almost never happens but I am OK with it because are going to baptize a lot here in this next month.

 We will have a new mission president the first day of July and president Kahnlien will be in Argentina. I am glad that Britt and dad will be able to spend time together too. I have been thinking a lot about how when I'm home I will be able to strengthen our family. I want to be with you guys forever and if anyone thinks that they are going to skip out on our eternal family I will drag them to heaven by their nose hairs if I have to. I am obviously kidding but I am grateful for all the effort that you and dad have put into insuring our family can be together. I love you very much and here is one of the experiences I had yesterday with an investigator.

We had an awesome lesson with one of our investigators last night, her name is Karen and she is 18. She is progressing really well. She reads, prays and understands most of everything we teach and believes its all true but she still hasn't recognized her answer. She always says she feels really good when we come over and when she reads and prays. She kinda broke down yesterday and started crying. We found out she has had a lot of issues with depression and for a while she had to take medicine.  We talked to her about the atonement last night and how our brother Jesus Christ has suffered everything that we have suffered and that when we keep the commandments and read and pray, He promises to bless us with the spirit and we will never need to feel alone again. It was a lesson I will never forget.

I know Jesus is our savior and that he loves us. He promised us that we can continually have the comfort of the spirit if we are obedient to the commandments of our heavenly father.

John 14 23-28                                                                                                              

 23 Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.

 24 He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings: and the word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father’s which sent me.

 25 These things have I spoken unto you, being yet present with you.

 26 But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom theFather will send in my name, he shall teach you all things,and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.

 27 Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: notas the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be                                         troubled, neither let it be afraid.

 28 Ye have heard how I said unto you, I go away, and come                                      again unto you. If ye loved me, ye would rejoice,because I said, I go unto the Father: for                                              my Father is greater than I.

Elder Christopher Ryan Barlow