Os Melhores Dois Anos

Olá!

Well, it looks like my time has come! This time next week I will be in Lisboa ending my service as a full-time missionary of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I can hardly believe that two years have gone by already! It really seems like no time has gone by at all, but at the same time, I feel like I have been here in Portugal for so long.

Over these past two years I have:

Served in five different cities-- Leiria, Abrantes, Castelo Branco, Machico, and Viseu

Served with ten different companions (and learned something from each of them)--

Elder Cardenuto( I learned to love to feel the Spirit),

Elder Nascimento(I learned the importance of loving the members),

Elder Santos, (I learned not to give up on people)

Elder Tavares(I learned the importance of loving the Holy Bible),

Elder Rodrigues (I learned how to have fun activities)

Elder Burt (I learned how to prepare more effectively for lessons and how to be more creative in our lessons),

Elder Romano(I learned how to teach and testify to someone right as you start teaching them), Elder Franco( I learned that the mission isn´t about what I want, but what the Lord wants),

Elder Alves (I learned how to plan something for every hour of the day)

and Elder Hirschi ( I learned that it is important to be a friend with the people before you even start teaching them)

Seen five people that I taught be baptized--Rosa, Claudia, Manuel, Susana, and Pedro

Seen six people taught by missionaries in my district be baptized-- Carla, João, Albertina, João Siva, Tomás, and Susana

Had two mission presidentes-- Presidente Amorim and Presidente Fillmore

And seen and experienced so much more!

I am so grateful that I have been able to serve this mission!

I have gained a love of the Portuguese people. They are such wonderful people! When I think about next Sunday when I have to leave Viseu and say goodbye to the members here in Viseu, my eyes start leaking again. The people here in Portugal are so giving. The members of the Church in Portugal love the missionaries. Even though I have been rejected so many times on my mission, many of the the rejections have been polite. I love the Portuguese language and accent! Apparently I am funnier when I speak in Portuguese than when I speak in English haha. Portugal is such a beautiful country! For my last P-day, we went as a district (six missionaries) with our Ward Mission Leader to seem some cool places in the mountains of Portugal, and the views on the way there were breathtaking.

While on my mission I have strengthened my testimony so much. I have learned so much about the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and I know that there is much to learn still. I love being a member of this Church! So many people are looking for the truth, and they just don´t know where to find it! So many people want to have peace and true happiness in this life, and the place to find it is within Christ´s restored church! I know this. I know that my Savior lives. A lady was being very rude with us on the road a few days ago, and she even said that we don´t even know who Jesus Christ is. But we do. I do. I know that he is our brother. I know that he submitted to God´s will to come to earth and to give his life for us. I know that he suffered not only for our sins, but for our weaknesses, for our sadness, for every hard thing that we have to go through. He felt everything, and because of that, he is able to comfort us. Because of Him, we can repent and be forgiven. Because he died on the cross and resurrected three days later, we will all live again. I have come to know Him and I have searched to become like him these past two years. I know that I am not perfect and that I have so much more to learn and go through, but I am trying. When we fail, we just need to get back up again, and He will be there with His hands stretched out to help.

Once again, I am grateful to have served a mission, and for all that I have learned and experienced. I have gone through good and rough times on my mission, but everything has worked out to make me a better person and strengthen my testimony.

I love all of you! This is my last group email that I will send! See you all in a few weeks!

Love, Elder Barker

Olá de novo!

Olá!

This last week was pretty good! 

We were knocking on some doors to try to find someone new to teach when we found a woman named Sara. When we first started talking to her, she gave us the excuse that she was busy preparing dinner (everyone uses this one on us, haha.). But we were able to start a conversation with her, and found out that she was born Catholic, and had studied with the Jehova´s Witnesses for a little bit, but now she doesn´t pertain to any religion. She told us that she thinks that religion is something someone should choose for themself and that they feel a confirmation inside them that it is true. We told her that we believed that as well! 

We both then felt prompted to offer her the Book of Mormon. For some reason my companion had been carrying it in his hand all day instead of in his backpack, so it was easy to show her. As we started talking about what the Book of Mormon was, I could feel the Spirit pretty strongly, and I know that Sara could as well. When we offered her the Book of Mormon she was pretty happy. She accepted it without delay and asked us where the church was and what days she could go there. She said that she felt like she connected with this Book, and that she wanted it. She also said that when she says that she wants something, she really means it.

 We asked if we could come back later this week to see how her reading has been and she said that she would like that. It was amazing to see how quickly she changed after we talked about the Book of Mormon. Both me and Elder Hirschi left that building feeling very grateful to have been able to find her. We also both feel strongly that she will accept the gospel and choose to be baptized. She will most likely have to be taught by the Sister Missionaries because she is probably living alone, but that´s ok with us. I will be so happy if Sara progresses and chooses to be baptized! This all happened as we were fasting as well!

The second person we met was a friend of a recent convert. The recent convert (Liliana) arrived to the ward party a little late, but she brought with her a friend named João. I was able to go up to them and start talking, and found out that João was super nice! We got along really well and I felt like he would be a person that I would be friends with back at home. After talking for a little bit I asked him if he was going to go to church the next day, and he said that he had never been invited. After talking a little bit longer, he found out that I only had three more sundays, so he said that he would for sure go to church one of those times! (He didn´t show up the next day, so we will follow up with Liliana to see what happened).

One thing that I have been learning is that an easy way to talk to people about the gospel is to just be their friends. We need to show true interest in a person and show that we care and that we are normal people too. As you become friends with someone, it´ll be easier and more natural to talk about the gospel or invite them to Church.

Yesterday was my last opportunity to bare my testimony at church on my mission! I had decided beforehand that I was only going to go up to bare my testimony if felt the spirit telling me to. I sat through most of Sacrament meeting without feeling anything telling me to go up there. I was happy listening to the members share their thoughts and their testimonies. But then with 7 minutes to go I felt my heart beating faster and I thought "well, I´ve been prompted enough times on my mission to bare my testimony to know that now´s the time" so I got up and walked to the pulpit. I knew that if I started off by saying that this would be my last testimony I would bare at church in Portugal, I would start to cry right off the bat. So I just spoke about what I believed and what I knew to be true. But at the end I finished by saying that I loved the Portuguese people, and that was where my leaky eyelids started to work, haha. 

I loved to hear the members share their testimonies and their stories. I love being able to serve this people and to be able to keep finding people to teach and help, even with only two weeks left. I talked with a missionary in Viseu who recently returned home from her mission in Australia and she said to take advantage of these last two weeks. To keep trying my best. That the best feeling is to be able to find new people to teach even in your last few days. 

I´m grateful that I can still be here! That I can still be a missionary and to share the gospel with so many people! I love this gospel and this church! 

I love and miss you all! Have a great week!

Love,
Elder Barker

Olá!

This week I had my last interview with Presidente Amorim! The Portugal Porto and the Portugal Lisboa missions are going to turn into one big mission at the start of July, so Presidente and Sister Amorim only have about two more weeks left on their mission. 

But before they go home, Presidente wanted to have one last interview with each of his missionaries. It also seemed like he wanted them majority of these final interviews to be in person, and not by video chat like he sometimes has done. So he scheduled to drive down to Viseu last Wednesday just so that he could interview the six missionaries here. One by one we went into the room with him, and one by one we left feeling really uplifted! This was one of my best interviews that I´ve had with my mission presidente! He was just so happy and positive and encouraging! I really felt like I was talking with a dad, haha. 

He asked that everyone come with a question to ask him, and he would base his final interview off of that. Because I am nearing the end of my mission, he gave me some advice on what I should do when I get home. He told me that when I get home, I should prayerfully make a list of all of the honorable, worthy things that I want to accomplish in the next ten years, and then do everything in my power to accomplish them. 

To end our "chat," we closed with a prayer, and in it he basically just prayed for me and for my safety and my success. It was a successful last interview with Presidente Amorim!

This transfer my companion and I have decided that we want to work more with the members. A few days ago we decided to go and pay a visit to a young couple (Vladi and Marta) that me and my last companion never visited. As we were walking there we passed a small group of people and just said hi to them as we passed. A few seconds later, when we were getting to the apartment building, one of the people from the group appeared behind us and asked us in English if we were looking for Marta. We said yes, and she said that she was her sister and also said "here, let´s go on in", and she went and unlocked the apartment building and then opened the apartment door and yelled inside "Marta! The Elders are here!", haha. 

Unfortunately Vladi wasn´t at home, so we weren´t able to enter and talk, but we combined a day to come back this next week. Me and my companion were both surprised at how nice Marta´s sister and mom were (her mom appeared right behind her), and we both feel really good that we will be able to start to teach them about the gospel! 

There is a new family in the Viseu Ward who just moved here from Brasil. They are so nice! They invited us and the other Elders and Sisters to eat dinner with them yesterday. I knew that they lived pretty far, so I was expecting them to offer us a ride to their house, but instead, they just described how to get there, haha. 

He (Antonio), told us a reference point, and then he said "Vai sempre em frente!" which basically means "just keep going straight forever!". And it was forever, haha. He said that the journey would be about 4km, just to get there. But we weren´t going to pass up a dinner with a Brasilian family, so we (the missionaries) met a little over an hour before the dinner appointment to start walking together over there. 

Haha, it was quite the journey! Especially because it was so hot out, and we were walking on the side of the road for a good part of it. But it was worth it because this family is such a great family, and the food was delicious! They live in our area, so we are going to go back more times (just us, that way we can have a ride!), and start to do missionary work with them. They love the missionaries, and I know that they will really be a great family to have in the ward! 

PS. I just looked at google maps, and it was actually 5.3 kilometers just to get there, which means we walked a total of about 10 KM, yesterday, which is about 6 miles!

I´m grateful that I can be a missionary, and that I get to meet so many different, kind people! I love the people of Portugal, and also of Brasil, haha! Even when the work seems to be going slow or it seems that nothing we do is working out, I know that if I just do my best, than that is enough. There is a part in Preach my Gospel that says that nothing that we do in the missionary work is in vain. Every smile that we give, every card that we pass out, every reference that we contact, nothing is in vain and everything is a part of Heavenly Father´s perfect plan! 

I love and miss you all! Have a great week!

Love,
Elder Barker

Vou ficar em Viseu!

Olá!

Sorry about my short, lame email last week! Usually we receive the news about transfers on Sunday night, but we got a text sunday afternoon telling us that we wouldn´t know until Monday around noon. But then around 11am we got a message telling us we wouldn´t find out until Monday at 6pm! I´m pretty sure everyone on the mission was so antsy to find out what would happen. I was especially anxious because this would determine who would be my last companion, and if I would be staying in the same area. Well... 

I´ll be staying in Viseu! I already knew  that I would probably end my mission here, but sometimes crazy things happen with transfers. My new (and last) companion will be Elder Hirschi, from Treemonten, Utah. He will actually goes home a few months after me, so he´ll be "killing me" and then he will receive his last companion as well. It seems that that tends to happen a lot in this area, haha. If this first week is any indication of how the rest of the transfer will be, then I will be grateful, because I will have a great last transfer! We get along really well, and he understands that I want to end my mission working well. 

We also received one more companionship of Elderes in Viseu, Elder Pina and Elder Howard. So now there are four elders and two sisters, and we all get along pretty well! I´m looking forward to serving with all of these missionaries these next five weeks, and I know that we will have success this transfer!

This last week Elder Hirschi and I decided to take a twenty minute bus ride to a small "aldeia" (village), that is in our area, because I have never been there, and we had a reference of a person that lives there. I´m so glad that we went! The people there are so nice and humble! I think its because the missionaries don´t usually go to this place (Vila Chã de Sá), so the people are as used to us, so they are actually curious, haha. This village seemed exactly how I pictured how all of Portugal would look like: tiny cobblestone roads and houses, and lots of farms. I know that there are plenty of people that live there that will listen to our message, we just have to go back and find them! I unfortunately didn´t bring my camera, but the next time we go, I´ll be sure to take a few pictures!

For our first day as a companionship, we went to a funeral . There was a member who had been sick for several years, who just passed away the day before we got back to Viseu. His name was Irmão Cardoso, and I had never met him, but I had gotten in the habit of praying for him because all of the members loved him and always kept him in their prayers. At the funeral, the bishop and a member of the stake presidency gave talks, based on the plan of salvation. They were really positive and full of hope. So many of our members went to the funeral, and it was really hard for me to seem them so sad. I have grown to love the members of the Church in Viseu (like in all of my areas), that when I saw them crying I started crying as well!

I was sitting in Sacrament meeting yesterday at Church, and I just felt a great love for the Viseu ward. The members here are so kind, and so strong in their testimonies. I truly am so blessed to be able to serve here and help them. I love Portugal so much! Everything about it is so wonderful, I just know that I am going to be so sad when I have to say goodbye.

I am so grateful that I can be a missionary! I love this Church and this Gospel so much! I know that my life has slowly been changed over the past two years, and that my testimony has grown. I love being able to wear my nametag everyday and have the opportunity to represent Jesus Christ wherever I go! 

I love and miss you all! Have a great week!

Love,
Elder Barker

Olá!

I know that you are all waiting on the edge of your seats to know who my new companion will be, and so am I! For some reason the transfer plans have taken longer this time around, so no one on the mission will know about transfers until today at 6pm... But, I am in Porto right now because I had to drop Elder Alves off because he is ending his mission, so I am kind of just floating around in Porto changing companionships every few hours haha. So, I´ll let you all know next monday what happens, lol. 

Also, once again I am with little time to use email today because there are about 8 missionaries that use the same two computers in the chapel in Porto, so I only have a few more minutes to write! 

So this week:

- We had a multi-stake conference with a satalite transmission for all of Europe

-We were called angels by another member because we were in the right place at the right time to help her carry a few boxes-

-We had Elder Alves´ "funeral" on Saturday

-A member told me and the other Americans missionaries in our district that we had chicken skin because we burn so easily, lol

-I´m starting my final six weeks on the mission

-I love Portugal in its people, and I also love the gospel and the Church!

Sorry that this email is so lame and short, but I will send some more pictures to make up for it :)

I love and miss you all! Wish me luck!

Love,
Elder Barker

Olá!

I don´t have too much time today to email, so I will only be able to write my main email, and not reply to the personal ones! But I´ll make up for it with a bunch of pictures!

This week Susana was baptized! The Sister Missionaries have been teaching her for  a little over a month, and she has come to church at least five times. She moved in with one of her friends  who just happens to be a member of the church, so that´s where it all began! Because I am the District Leader, I get to have the opportunity to interview the investigators being baptized who were taught by the sisters, so I got to interview Susana a few days before her baptism. I had never spoken to her too much, so it was nice to be able to get to know her and see the faith that she has. She has already read the Book of Mormon cover to cover, read all of the pamphlets (including how to prepare to go to the temple!), and was very happy to join the church. Susana also has breast cancer, which has been causing lots of pain for her these past few weeks. We actually gave her a Priesthood Blessing about a week ago, and the next day she called the Sisters to tell them that she had been able to sleep soundly through the night without any pains for the first time in months! She was so happy and she said she new that it was because of the blessing we gave her. She is supposed to have surgery, but she was putting off the day in order to be baptized this past saturday. I know that the Lord has seen her sacrifice, and that she will be greatly blessed. She has since had her surgery, and has to stay in bed for a few days now in order to rest.

Remember that Italian girl from last week? We went to "deliver" her Italian book of Mormon with our testimonies in it, and she happened to be walking down the road at the same time as us. When we gave it to her, she seemed very appreciative, and said that she would read the parts that we had marked for her to read ( we had marked several verses specifically for her and her questions, because she doesn´t quite believe that God exists). She didn´t agree to meet with us again, but she asked for our number in case she has any questions. Once again, planting seeds!

This morning we went with a member named Irmão Dias to help him on his "land". He owns a few acres of land out in the middle of nowhere, and every once in a while he invites the elderes to come help him for a few hours. It was a cool experience! Portugal is so beautiful, especially when you get out of the cities. Even though Portugal is a very modern, advanced country, they still have a very strong agricultural culture. Many people who live in the city, still have their "land" out in the middle of nowhere  where they grow their gardens, etc. It was nice to be able to help him. Afterwards his wife (Cidália), made us lunch! 

This is Elder Alves´ last week on the mission! We have stayed three transfers together (or about four months), which has been the longest I have ever stayed with the same companion. We have had our ups and downs, but in the end we have become friends. I hope that I can help him to have a great last week on his mission before he returns home to Brasil!

I´m greatul that I can serve a mission and be able to learn how to be more like my Savior. I´m grateful for the opportunties I have every day to serve and teach other people. I love my mission and I want these last 7 weeks to be the best of my mission!

I love and miss you all!

Have a great week!

Love,

Elder Barker

One by One

For the past few weeks I have tried to start focusing more on one person at a time. I know that this is how Christ treated people and the Church has really started trying to get us as members to act this way as well! As I have done this, I have realized that I love people! Especially the people of Portugal! Everyone is so important, and everyone is special.

This last week we had divisions with the Zone Leaders in Coimbra. To be honest, I think out of all the divisions in my mission, this was the one where I learned the most! Maybe it was because I went into it looking for things to learn. I actually had a desire to improve my area. I was able to learn some new ideas on how to find new investigators, on how to work more efficiently with the members, and how to make the day more productive. We didn´t knock on a single door, but I ended the day feeling that I had worked hard! I am for sure going to bring some of the things that I learned in Coimbra back to Viseu!

A few days ago Elder Alves and I visited an area where we haven´t worked in before, and he mentioned that there was a less-active that lived nearby. We ended up passing by, and he was at home! This man (Carlos) has been a member of the church for many years, and just recently has stopped coming to church. He lives in a simple home with a lot of land, but he has lost his job and hasn´t been able to pay for electricity for a few months. He has been taking showers out of a bucket of water ever since. But as we talked with him, I realized how great of a person he is. We shared a scripture with him, and then he bore a very strong testimony of Jesus Christ to us. He bore his testimony of the Restoration of the Church and of the Saviour´s Atonement. He told us that he knows that the Church is true, just that he doesn´t want to come back until he gets his situation under control. We will talk with the bishop to see if there is anything he can do, but I am grateful that I could meet Irmão Carlos and could be strengthened by his sincere testimony! 

While in Coimbra, we were walking back to the house for lunch when we passed an older man who was very obviously struggling with his grocery bags. We went straight to him to offer our help, and he let us carry his groceries back to his home (which was another ten minutes away). While we were walking we got to know him a little bit more. He is a very humble gentleman, whose wife is struggling with cancer. As he told us about his wife (who is bedridden), he got all teary eyed. Then we got to his home, which reminded me of the home in "Up", because it was the only actual house in the middle of a bunch of tall apartment buildings. He let us enter to say hello to his wife, and they both started crying and thanked us for the help and for the visit. We asked them if the sisters could pass by later that day (because it was their area), to pay them a visit, and they said they could. I felt so much love within this house, and so much humility as well. I truly hope that the sisters will be able to teach them and help them to accept the gospel, because it will bring so much hope and peace to their lives. I love moments like this!

Saturday night Elder Alves and I contacted a referral from the sisteres named Paulo Ribeiro. When we knocked on his door, he was very friendly and let us in right away. He has been here in portugal for about a month (he´s Brazilian and will start studying in September). We were able to teach him the first lesson (the Restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ), and the spirit was super strong. We also showed him the new video of the Prophet Joseph Smith´s first vision, and it went well. We were able to bare our testimonies of the gospel, and invited him to be baptized. He didn´t accept baptism (yet ;) ), but he didn´t say "no" either. He wants to think about it and learn more. But I am so grateful that we were able to teach him, and I´m excited to keep helping him learn more!

After that, as we were walking home, we talked to a girl on the street who was from Italy but who also spoke english. We found out that she is an atheist, but was very nice. We asked her if we could deliver an Italian Book of Mormon for her to read, and she denied. But I felt strongly to bear my testimony (for the first time in English for almost two years!), about this Book. At the end, she consented to receive the Book of Mormon, so we will bring it to her tomorrow.

I´m grateful that I can be a missionary, and that I can help so many people, one by one! As we were offering to help a lady on the street, a family of members passed by. The ten year old daughter asked us why we always offer to help people, and her 12 year old sister  answered and said " It´s because they are missionaries. The Elders and Sisters exist to help people!" 

It´s true! We exist to help people. We serve missions to bless the lives of others, whether they be poor or rich, members of the Church, Catholics, athiests, the elderly or the young. We want to help everyone, and we especially want to share our message of the hope and happiness found within the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints!

I love and miss you all! 

Have a great week!

Love,

Elder Barker