Working diligently and learning leadership skills...

Hello mother and father! I am very well. I have been working very diligently and this diligent has seen fruit.

WE HAD A BAPTISM YESTERDAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

THEIR NAMES ARE VICENTE AND TOMAS AND THEY ARE SOME OF THE SMARTS LITTLE KIDS I HAVE EVER MET!

They are part of a less active family and we started teaching them about 3 weeks ago. Teaching little kids is easy in the part that they accept just about everything you say but the hard part is getting them to understand and actually do the things which we teach them. Vicente was the little kid that prayed and had his prayer answered so he could get baptized yesterday and still go to his basketball tournament. 

Dad I think its cool that missionaries will always do the same things to over come the problems that we have. When I first started off on the mission I didn´t like contacting at all, so my comp Elder Arriaza taught me the word game too! We played it all day one day and had 25 contacts and got about 15 good future investigators from it! I haven´t tried the running from door to door or the praying but I will try it and let you know how it goes! Being a district leader is an awesome assignment not just cause I get to work with the other missionaries and help them when they have issues but I think it has really helped me push myself to be a better leader. I have been told again and again that if as a leader won´t do something then I can´t expect my missionaries to do them and they won´t. I know that this is true with any position of leadership and I think it has really helped me understand the need that we have to trust that what our leaders and parents and the Lord tell us is something that will help us right now and in the future. My favorite song in Spanish is Ejercito de Helaman (Army of Helamen) it is super good in the way that they didn´t change the lyrics to much from Spanish to English but it just gets to me. Especially in the part when it talks about being obedient to the lord.   I love the gospel and I love you so much mom and dad.

Elder Christopher Ryan Barlow

Heavenly father loves us enough to help us over come obstacles

Hey Mom!! I love you! We are going to have 2 baptisms Saturday maybe 3.  I am working very very very very very very very hard and praying hard for 3 because we have changes next week! There are 2 boys who are part of a family that is less active will be baptized this Sunday. I am pretty excited and so are they! I might have never had little brothers by blood but nothing is going to stop me from have little brothers here! Vicente and Tomas are both super super smart and praying and reading a lot, they are 11 and 8 and well Tomas isn´t technically a convert but we are counting him because we taught him everything and he is going to church because we started going by! Vicente is really really good at basketball and had a really cool experience.  he always has tournaments on weekends and they play Saturday and Sunday here in Chile.  He was praying really hard that he wouldn´t have anything the day of his baptism and he found out the day of the tournament got changed to Saturday and he will be able to be baptized this Sunday! I am so grateful that our heavenly father answers our prayers and loves us enough to help us over come the obstacles that we have when we are trying to do whats right. The third is an 18 year old girl who is progressing really well but still doesn´t have her answer.  She is praying and reading a lot and said if Heavenly father answers her prays she will get baptized on the 14th! 

PS: Tell Britt that I am going to date her friends just to bother her after the mission... jk 

Elder Christopher Ryan Barlow

Last month with President and Sister Kahnlein.

Must be cold in Chile! Chris is actually wearing a coat!!!

Need to learn more patience and love the people I serve more….

Translation to follow:

Hola Hola mama! Estoy bien y no Jhoel no se bautizó y hablamos de eso con el mucho pero yo estaba un poco desanimado cuando él fumo. Sé que necesito ser mas paciente con las personas que estamos enseñando y me cuesta hacerlo mucho pero con tiempo y si amo esta personas voy poder hacerlo. Me neuvo comp es genial, super humilde y chistoso. Super Nerdy que es genial tambien. Me siento bajo de estatura cuando estamos caminando en la calle que es raro para me. El es super dedicado. Les amo y se sienta mejor de salud! 

Elder Christopher Ryan Barlow 

Hi mom! I am well and no jhoel didn’t get baptized. We talked to him a lot and I was really disappointed when he smoked. I know I need to be more patient with the people I am teaching but sometimes it is hard. I know that if I love these people and give it time I will learn more patience. My new companion is great, super humble and super funny. He’s also super nerdy which is awesome too! I feel super short when we are walking down the street which is really strange for me. He is super dedicated! I love you guys and hope you feel better soon.

Well I only "get it" because of all the preparation that I had all my life thanks to you and mom. I seriously am so grateful for your constant counsel and help with all the issues and problems I had growing up. I know it is because of your example and the things that you taught me about the priesthood and my duties as a priesthood holder that I understand the things about the work of the lord.  Your a great father and I know your going to be rewarded well in heaven for magnifying your calling as a father. 

Elder Christopher Ryan Barlow Valiente

Love President Kahnlien and I'm eternally grateful for all my leaders...

Hey Mama and dad! A couple of big announcements! We are going to have another baptism this Sunday of a guy that we are teaching named Jhoel!! He is going to have to go through this whole week without smoking to be baptized, so If you and the family could please pray for him to resist this temptation that would be amazing! We had 2 investigators attend yesterday and they are both progressing super well and reading The Book Of Mormon. On Thursday Jhoel has his interview for his baptism.  Wednesday will be the last zone conference with President Kahnlien which is pretty sad because I love him, he is awesome! It should be a very special Day. I was also a part of his last conference of district leaders. He started crying and I was seriously shocked to see that because he is basically a army Sergeant. It touched me a lot to know that he really does love us so much and I thought of all the other leaders I have had through my life so will you please  get in contact with as many as possible and tell them that I love them and that I am eternally grateful for keeping me on the path to salvation.  I love you too mom and dad, there aren´t words in Spanish or English to express my love for you and Dad! Les Quiero.

Elder Christopher Ryan Barlow Valiente

Veronica is baptized....

 This  Week was amazing!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We officially have one more sister who has opened the door to salvation! Veronica is super cool! Her baptism went great. And I am still on a good roll of never having to repeat anyone's baptism, which is awesome! But even more importantly she got baptized!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I love the gospel and I can´t really express all my feelings,  so your just going to have to wait until I get home and we can read my journals and go over all my photos. 

P.s. we learned yesterday that she was a model here in Chile for a couple years which is pretty cool not gonna lie. The strangest thing I have eaten here is called whateata! Its cow stomach! It's cooked in a real special way so that its really chewy, like gum! Its actually pretty good!

 I love you Mom and Dad! 

I love my mish!!!!

Veronica is going to be baptized!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We have an investigator that 3 weeks ago didn´t believe in god! And bam, she read what we left her, felt the spirit and will be baptized on the 26 of April! She is so dope! She is reading the Book of Mormon and has started to read it completely this week. She is already in 2nd Nephi! She still struggles a lot with prayer because it blows her mind that we can talk with God directly but she is trying very hard! She also has a 9 year old son named Matias who is super funny and really well behaved, which is really strange here  because the kids here walk all over parents! I love the mish!!!! 

Loved conferernce, Immense joy for bringing many souls...

First off Hannah got taller, what the crap! She is almost the same size as Jessica or is that you in the photo mom, I can´t tell.  Which well isn´t that tall but she was like to my hip when I left!! That is so weird!!! Jessica looks hermosa (beautiful).  I am glad that dad and Britt enjoyed my letters because I love writing them but I have just been trying to cram so much stuff into this hour and a half of writing. 

I loved conference and I will never watch conference again without taking notes because it helps so much. Not just with helping me focus on what the speakers are saying but with writing down the impressions the spirit has given me. I really liked the talk from Elder Anderson and how we live in this wonderful time when the gospel WILL fill the whole earth. It reminded me of a scripture in Doctrine and Covenants section 1 and its the last 2 versus. The Lord says: what i have said I have said, And I excuse myself not, and tho the heavens and the earth shall pass away my words shall be fulfilled. Heavenly father said that the gospel will fill the earth. We just have to make the decision of how many people we want to help in finding the gospel. Everyone will know. Now it just depends on if I will have much joy for bringing 1 soul to our father or immense joy for bringing many!!!!!!!!! I love the Gospel and I know I will be able to see my Savior again. I will be able to thrust my hands in to his side and feel the marks in his hand. I will be able to say to my Father in heaven that I was faithful until the very end and that I truly truly love him. I know Jesus is my savior and my Redeemer and that he loves me, you and each and everyone of us so much. I know I will be able to live with your future daughter -in- law for all eternity and your future grandchildren for all of time. Thank you for giving me the chance to return to live with my father in heaven. I love you so much and I know I will never be able to repay the Debt I owe you or dad but I want you to know I love you guys so much.

How are you on your scripture study? Are you reading the Book of Mormon cover to cover or  just opening it? I know it will help you so much more if you read with a purpose first off and do it cover to cover. 

Here are some goofy photos of your son/ favorite child.    

He thinks he's Samuel the Lamanite