March 31, 2015

Austin Barrus	10:35 AM (44 minutes ago)
to me, Randall

Im training an american, so now theres two americans walking on the streets of brazil. So I arrived in the area and the members here are super cool, we went on our first night to a family where the son had gotten baptized the week before and we ate a bunch of goose it was awesome. We arrived in the area opening the area, so we looked through the area book and found some people to teach but the other elders put the adresses of some of the people wrong! So we went up going to houses that didn´t exist... So we just started talking to everyone we saw and knocking lots of doors, we found and taught some cool people but none of them went to church so that was kind of sad. We found a guy who is a little crazzy and he accepted to get baptzied this week but we´ll see. We found a cool family last night,we taught them the first lesson and they accepted to pray and be baptized and then made us hotdogs so that was pretty sweet. 

Traing an american is hilarious, we messed around with him a bunch, we told him to say for one of the lunches `` eu estou gravido`` when he is full, but it really means `` I am pregnant`` haha so that was fun, I also told him that chimarrão that drink with the grass is crack and he freaked out cause everyone here drinks chimarrão so that pretty funny as well. His name is Elder RItter and he´s from Missouri, he already speaks Portuguese well, were going to do lots of practices this week to improve his teaching and were going to have an awesome transfer, its gonna be aweosme. 

As a distict leader I have to call all the sets of missionarys each Thursdayand Sunday to see how they are and collect numbers. Also every thursdaymorning I give a training about how to teach effectivly and set goals and show how to accomplish the goals. My district is compossed of three sets of missionarys, My companionship, and the other set that lives with us and a set of sisters. One of the sisters who is in my district was with me when we were in the mtc she´s going home in two more transfers which means that in two more transfers I´ll have a year and six months on the mission which is crazzy! 

IN our house we have to dogs that are always running around and there awesome its cool to see normal dogs and the ones that are covered in fleas, the area here is nicer its not as run downs as  some of the other parts where I was in Carazinho. I think until now on my mission Carazinho is my favorite area, it´s where I found alot of special familys and made powerful friendships. 

Today we´ll be going to the temple so that´ll be a fun experience. Were going to go into porto allegre and eat at the big shopping mall probally burger king or somthing I havn´t eaten burger king in a long time! Then we will get at the temple like 2 and then arrive in our area at like 7:30 and then go hangout with a member and teach a lesson. I didn´t have pday yesterday because our pday gets moved to the day that we go to the temple so today will be the day that I have pday so im tired its weird not having pday on a monday. 

Weird things that happened this week:

All the animals here have fleas

Got attacked by a cat during a lesson 

Got lost being lead around the area by a kid with 13 years old my first day in the area

Taugh an american to drink chimarrão

Eating goose made me sick 

March 23, 2015

This week was awesome we went and visited Lucas who was baptized last week and told us he wants to serve a mission! We gave him a preach my Gospel and he started reading every day, we continued teaching Gostavo one of my best friends in this area we had him interviewed to be baptized he passed and was super excited to be baptized! He wants to wait until this Sunday because he wants his mom to see the baptism he´s 19 and also wants to serve a mission! I told him that at the end of my mission in more 8 months perhaps I can come back and visit he´s awesome and I´m going to miss this area alot. I saw powerful miracles that happened here and I gained a perfect knoledge of the truths of the gospel. I became endowed with a powerful testimony.

Before I arrived in this area, Carazinho I had gone 6 months with not much success, people couldn´t understand my portugues, people wouldn´t go to church, people didn´t accept us after the first lesson and I felt like I wasnt doing somthing right. I prayed for strengh that I could be better. I made a promise that if I went to a new area I would do all I could to serve and to help the people.

When I arrived in Carazinho the members told me that there was somthing different about me, that I was different that I had a powerful desire and a sincerity that hadn´t been seen for a long time. Many members told me that I was the nicest missionary that had ever enter Carazinho, I thought that the memers were strange but then I realized that I had been able to develop a christ like love for the people and my investigators I had learned to become closer to my savior.

Although I am far from the things of the world, from my family, I have been able to become closer to him, to Christ. I know that he has a great love for those who follow his gospel, I have seen him work miracles among mem, both phisical and spiritual. I´m thankful for the oputunity I had to serve and work here in Carazinho I know that I was sent here for a reason.

I will now be going to my next area, I was told that I will be a distict leader opening an area and training. I´m excited for my next designated assighnment, I know that I have many people to help in times ahead. Its going to be a great experience to train and to help my new set of missionaries. 

Hope you all have a great week!

Elder Barrus 

March 16,2015

THis week was prety normal but we started working in a neighborhood called Princesa and we found alot of new investiagors. We started teaching some lessons there with a member called Renato he´s super awesome and always likes to work with us. He told us he had a friend named Lucas so we started teaching him and he had already been taught by missionarys one time but he told us they never returned and that he had waited for them but they never showed up. We invited him to pray and ask god if these things are true and he told us that he had received a powerful answer. He then started even going to seminary with the other members and liked it alot. He told us that he would change everything in his life to get baptized. This past sunday was an awesome day, we had his freind Gabriel baptize him and it was an awesome experience, I know that the two of them will help one another and they will stay strong in the gospel. He told us that he wants to serve a mission as well. Right now he has 18 years so in one more year if he feels ready he could serve a mission a little after I get home. Its amazing to see the differences in the lives of the people who accept the gospel. Many of the recent converts in this area that we were able to baptize are still active and going to church and are developing powerful testimonies. One meber named Luciano couldn´t move his shoulder after a surgery he told us that he had faith in god and that with time he would be able to  regain his strength, the doctors told him that for him to move his arm again would be impossible.

I visited him last week he could move his shoulder again. I know that through our faith miracles are real, sometimes they´re small  and we don´t realize them but in the long run those small miracles will make the final outcome. Know that faith without works is dead James 1:27

I know that before the second coming comes the lord is preparing his field and many people are learning and following the gospel. I know this gospel is true I´ve seen the good that it has brought to many people.

Have a wonderful week,

Elder Barrus 

March 9, 2015

This week was awesome, we started working in a neighboorhood I had never worked in before and we started teaching a guy named Lucas, he´s a friend of a member named Renato.  Renato is aweome he always buys a 2 liter coke when we go and teach lessons. We started teaching his friend Lucas and he accepted to be baptized for this next Sunday he´s super excited. He went to two activities in the church and then on Sunday he came with his friend Renato and liked it alot he already knows alot of people. Were going to visit him again on Tuesday. Also Gostavo one of my best friends in this area told me he wants to get baptized as well! He gone to church 8 times, we just never had the opportunity to teach him because he´s always working, we were able to teach him the first lesson last week and he like it alot because now he wants to get baptized! Were going to have a very special baptism meeting for them with cake and stuff after church if everything goes well, there will be two baptisms its going to be aweosme! 

Last week some interesting things that happend:

Got sick with a swollen throat

Took a picture with a drunk guy

Got yelled at by a drunk guy

Talked to a dog

Walked through the ghetto

Learned that rain in spanish is lluvia 

Ate rice and chicken two times in one day

Helped inactives move, and learned how to use a brazilian moving truck

Ate purple ice cream it was weird 

So that was my week hope you guys get some heat!

Austin Barrus	Mar 9

Haha I didn´t drive but I learned how to load and unload it and the trucks here are similar to the tractors we used when would go look for pumpkins. The front part is similar to a semi and the back part is similar to a tractor like thing when we would look for pumpkins it was strange

February 23, 2015

This week was awesome! Last week at church we had a girl named Jenifer who is 17, she liked church alot and we ended up baptizing her! She told us that she had alot of difficulties and problems but when she asked God if our message was true, she told us that she felt somthing she couldn´t explain that it was a warmth that she could feel in every once of her body pretty cool right? We explained about the holy ghost and she progressed I think faster than almost any other  investigator that I´ve had until now! Wow she was awesome! We had a great week and today were going to teach a great family, they recieved a book of mormon 15 years ago and were the first missionaries that had appeared their after, so I think now is the time for this family to progress. Were going to go and vistit them today and its gonna be awesome they have a daughter who is 16 and she loved when we taught them the other time so were going to make a cake and bring it to them to help break the ice a little bit its gonna be great! 

One night we were trying to sleep and we were hearing noises behind the dresser and we looked behind and we saw a nice family of cockroaches! So we stayed up until 2 in the morining cleaning the place and killing cockroaches and spiders!!

This week we were eating lunch with a family with alot of problems and they asked us to say a prayer for there family and on Sunday their oldest son was at church it was pretty sweet, then we started teaching the neice of Mario another investigator and she went to church also and it was great to see people having faith sufficient to follow the answers they´re receiveing. 

I know that it wasn´t a coincedence that I was sent here, I´ve had a great oppurtunity to find many great people here to help. Being here in Carazinho is awesome! 

Love you guys hope you have a great week and enjoy the snow!! 

Gostavo is on the left he´s gone to church like 4 times and is liking it alot! He´s awesome were going to visit him this Tuesday!

On the right is Julio we visit investigators with him and he´s helping us out alot! He´s one of my favorite membros here 

February 16, 2015

This week was great! I received my new companion he´s from Peru. His name is Elder Berrocal and he´s awesome. We started teaching a lady named Belenise she had already been taught everything by the other missionaries and so we went over to her house and marked for her to be baptized  on the 22nd of Feb.to be baptized so hope it all goes  well. Then the family of Luciano and Vanderlise we baptized their son who has 9. And his brother Vitor who is 14 wants to be baptized also! I was super glad to be able to teach this very special family. Don´t have alot  of time to wright anything but I love you guys and have a great week!! 

 Sheron age 9.

February 9, 2015

ON monday we made tacos and I got to sleep a little bit

Tuesday we had a baptism of a couple. It was one of the most spirtual baptisms that I´ve had on my mission until now. The couple were friends of a member named Jair he was super happy as he saw his friends being baptized. It was deffiently a very special day! The husband Luciano told how he felt after the baptism and already has a very strong testimony. The wife Vanderlise said that her dream was that her husband and her would be  baptized together in a church. It hard to describe with words how happy the two of them were after the baptism.

Wednesday- We walked to a neighboorhood called Alvorada. Another man named Luciano who had gone to church the past week lives there and he told  us that he felt like he needed to keep going there and asked us to download hyms for him. I looked at my companion and I told him this guy is super elect he´s going to be baptized this weekend. Then we taught some people on his street. We found a family who told us they had received a book of mormon 15 years ago and that they had read it two times already! They prayed and recieved an ansewer but couldn´t go to church because they would be traveling. 

Thursday- we had our last district meeting for the transfer and it was the most spiritual meeting until now on my mission. Our district leader invited each of us to bear a testimony of what we had learned in our last six weeks and it was amazing to see and here of the experiences of the other missionaries. Then later that night we vistited a couple named Larica and Geovane they are super awsome and like the missionaries alot. Geovane was a member inactive but he started to go to church again. His wife, Larica we started teaching her about the book of mormon and she agreed to get baptized but they have to get married first! So we marked for Her to get baptized on the 22 of Feburary I hope it all goes well!

Friday- we got to eat in a restarant with a member so that was fun. Then we went to Alvorada and found some new people to teach. Then returned to the church and we grabbed some hot dogs. They were making hot dogs in the church to gain money for a camping trip so it was good to grab some food.

Saturday- the zone leaders came to our area to do interviews with Luciano. Luciano passed the interview and told us that he was super excited to be baptized! 

Sunday- we had a conference brodcasted in the chapel and it was cool to hear from President Wright and his wife they always give great speeches. THen we had the baptism of Luciano and I got to baptize him, the members were very excited and liked him alot. He already got assighned people to visit him so that was neat. I think he will help out the members and missionarys in this ward alot! 

This week was great and it was awesome to be able to find and teach so many wonderful people

Hope you guys have a great week!

-Elder Barrus 

February 2, 2015

This week we were working alot with a reference that a member gave us. We worked with them alot and set with them a date to get baptized yesterday. They passed the interview but when we went to pick them up they told us that they would be recieving vistiors. So we talked with the bishop and were going to try to baptize them today or tomorrow so I hope we can talk with them and continue helping them. They are a super awesome family. 

With us only being the only missionaries in the area, we travel between two sides of the city. We started working in the other elders area and found a guy named Geovani he smokes a little bit but was already in the church alot and wants to get baptized so were going to try to have him go to church again this week! 

Saturday night we had been teaching lessons but the people were kinda dumb or didn´t really have alot of interest. So we were walking back to our appartment and found this guy named Luciano. He told us that he wants more happiness in his life and he liked the message about the restoration alot. The next day on sunday he came to church and said that he liked it alot!! He wants to get baptized this next Sunday, I hope that we can help him to stop smoking so that he can acheive his goal. 

I was studying alot about faith this week and learned in Moroni 10:22 that iniquity is created because of a lack of faith. 

In Helaman 5:12 when we build our foundation upon Christ we will have the strenght to overcome the weaknesses and temptaitions in our lives. I know that when we say simple prayers, go to church, and read the scripures we will build our foundation upon Christ and over come the many weaknesses we have.

Also we will have obedience in our lives when we have faith in the things that we will receive. 

Faith doesn´t make things easy it´s just what makes them possible- that was a quote that I liked alot about faith because it was somthing that I´ve applied every day on my mission. 

I love you guys! I hope that you will apply faith in your lives and I know many blessing will be coming your way! 

And this is how you open cheese sauce when you don´t have a can opener haha

January 26 - google earth links

https://www.google.com.br/maps/@-28.283938,-52.78749,3a,71.8y,25.12h,78.55t/data=!3m4!1e1!3m2!1sGio0o3KRaOU4OCr5BTISpQ!2e0

this is my apartment 

https://www.google.com.br/maps/place/Condom%C3%ADnio+do+Edif+Casablanca+-+Av.+P%C3%A1tria,+93+-+Centro,+Car%C3%A0zinho+-+RS,+99500-000/@-28.282335,-52.81598,3a,50.5y,25.63h,79.24t/data=!3m4!1e1!3m2!1smmi2OEbOIKxAKlmOgDlwlQ!2e0!4m2!3m1!1s0x94fd33e1da2f5acd:0xf0d14a7140fb2040 

I teach cows 

essa semana January 26, 2015

This week was awesome! We had a family home evening and we made a cake and played some card games.  We were working alot with a lady named Janete to help to get baptized but she was having problems with smoking and then later in the week she told us that she had stopped! Then when we went to visit her with the district leader for the interview she wasn´t there! So we called her and she told us that she had gone to a friends house! So we drove to the other end of the neighboorhood and the adress she gave us didn´t exist! The next day when we tried to take her to church we noticed there we boxes of cigaretes all over the floor! She had lied to us about not smoking so that was a little crazzy. And then she ended up not wanting to go to church so she was kinda crazzy. But we were able to find a person super awesome! Her name is Marlene, she had been taught by the other missionaries alot but had never been home so the other missionaries had stopped teaching her but we called her up and she told us that she wanted to be interview for the baptism so we went over and she passed the interview! She was bapitzed on Sunday and I confirmed her mom a member and gave her the gift of the holy ghost. Alan who we had baptized the last week went to church yesterday all by himself and arrived for the first hour he told us that he is liking church alot. This next weekend we are going to prepare him to recieve the aronic presthood. 

On Thursday we had interviews with the mission president and it is always very helpful to talk and listen to his council. He told me that my portugues is alot better haha, I still remember my first interview he talked in portugues and I would talk in English with a little bit of portugues! Then after the meeting we were able to receive our packages. I recieved 7 packages!! I almost died carrying all the packages to the bus station!! 

photo of the baptsim and another set of angel pig socks, yea they rock

Thanks also for all candy and chips and cheese sauce! I got the box from Grandma Lipton I imediatly ate one of the packages of mac and cheese that she sent me! Also I will be making lots of Tacos today! Thank you Grandpa and Grandma! Also thank you my lovly parents for sending me tons of candy!!! 

January 19, 2015

This week was awesome so me and Elder Farias made a goal to be super, super obedient to all the rules leaving the house at 11, doing exactling 30 minutes of exercizing to only one hour for lunch with members and it was super hard but we did it!  And many amazing things happened! The prievous week we found a guy named Alan who is 20 and was having a lot of problems with his house and had been praying for help. We found him and started teaching him and then we helped him rip apart his old house so that he could build a new one! And this next week if he wants more help we will help build him a new house so on the mission we definitely learn all kinds of things! He had been super sad and depressed before we had taught him and when we visited him on sunday he was smiling and super happy! It was great to see Alan as a living testimony of the miracles and the freedom of sin that come throught baptism! 

This week I was studying 3 Nephi 18 and I know that when we go to church and partake of the sacrement we can be strengthenee to overcome any tempation in our way and stay strong until the end. Mat. 10:18 

Saw a few :) 

Teaching this week a lady named Janete if she can stop smoking she will be baptized! 

We talked to 129 people this week, I was with 63 and my companion with 66

Somthing fun... I think it´s beem awhile since I´ve gone on an adventure 

Appartment is good no cockroaches and its a good size

I just live with my companion and its awesome its alot more quiet and we can focus alot more and its alot more easier to study

Haha thats funny you told everyone that you´re leaving and not coming back for awhile hahaha

Mason will be homeschooled? You got sick of all the dump projects?! Haha one more dog, dad will Love that! 

I have like 8 packages in the headquarters of the mission I have no idea how Im going to take all those packages back to my house! The zone leaders told me the presdent will be coming with mission supplies and Elder Barrus supplies haha I should get all the packages next week! Thanks for putting all the money in my account!!