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