22 weeks in. Another great one. Much growth and prosperity from the Lord, Jesus Christ
Monday and Tuesday- exchanges with Elder Overly and Elder Png in Johor Bahru. Very good exchange. Went with Elder Png (pronounced Pung, with a hard P sound) and Elder Gabbitas, of course. Love being in a trio because even when you do exchanges, you're still gonna be a trio haha. Last transfer me and Elder Barker just served every day together and now it's me and Elder Gabbitas. Love em. We went over to our old On Dates house that we took Off Date due to complications. We were surprised they were at their house, and they invited us in and Elder Gabbitas gave their entire family blessings. The Spirit was super strong. It was awesome.
Tuesday went with Elder Overly (for I think our now 5th exchange together already, crazy) feels like I've typed his name so much already in my emails. Out of all the seven other Elders in my district in the MTC, I'm happy the Lord keeps placing me and Elder Overly together. We didn't get along a ton in the MTC just because he was locked in and me and Elder Stevens and Elder Annison kinda goofed off a li--not gonna lie. He didn't appreciate our way of having fun, I guess and I don't blame him. I'll never forget our first exchange together in Bintulu. It was our second week in the field, and I remember before we hopped on our bikes to start the day, I said to him, "I know why the Lord has placed us together to be able to do this exchange today. I have been sufficiently humbled (understatement of the century) by this last week and a half. I barely made it through my first week. So, I apologized for my shenanigans in the MTC, I will be better" (something along the lines of all that) Admitting my goofing off to him lifted a burden that at the time I did not need. Saw him as this Peter priesthood guy, not gonna lie, found him stuck up and I'm sure he thought the same of me. But over time we've grown really close. I'll never forget that exchange of my first time humbling myself and recognizing that this is not possible on my own. Now the Lord continues to move us together. Clearly, I still have more to learn from him.
I hope by the end of my mission I can do an exchange with each of my guys from my district. Because I know the eight of us were put together for a reason. We became super close, and I have already learned a ton from Elder Stevens my MTC comp. The Lord knows I needed to learn from Elder Overly the most first. Just writing some thoughts down and trying to make sense of God's amazing plan for me and others. Nothing is a coincidence and every time I'm with Elder Overly I'm reminded of the small and simple things the Lord does for each of our successes. Amazing grace. Anyways, Tuesday was solid.
Wednesday- solid day, lot of contacting on our phones. Messaging, setting up lessons and members participating in our lessons. Ate at this really fancy restaurant to finish the night off. Really good food. Taught her about the falling away and the Holy Ghost.
Thursday- another solid day. Did our weekly planning. Sat at this KFC for 2 and a half hours planning the week. Had two lessons at night at the church. Ended the night at like 9:15. Did some flat finding that day. Biked a lot too. I think now finally rainy season is starting to hit. It's been raining a lot more. I saw a little bit of the arctic vortex stuff going on in America right now, hope yall are good with that haha. Grandma sent me this picture about raining iguanas😭 the picture sent before the email, so I was SO confused, and I saw it right when I woke up so I'm like, "Why are iguanas falling out of the trees😭" So funny! Thank you, Grandma, for the updates. Love you.
Friday- exchanges with Elder Workman was so hype‼️‼️ That's now 2/7 Elders in my district I've now served with. So hyped. Elder Workman is awesome--he's from North Carolina, hard worker, we get along so so easily. Easy to build off our chemistry from the MTC together. Friday was a fun fun day. Elder Gabbitas carried us with all the Mandarin he was speaking because me and Elder Workman know none😂 had a lesson all in Mandarin and we had a member help us big time also with the Mandarin for that lesson. Me and Elder Workman just sat there smiling. All we know is hello, good morning, and "is there anybody home" in Mandarin😭 great day. Taught English class. Continue to progress our On-date.
Saturday- Saturday was solid, very basic day, lot of finding, went back to our old On Dates house that went Off Date, that Elder Huish and Elder Gabbitas are a lot closer with because they both taught this family a lot more. It was cool.
Sunday- Sunday was great, always love going to church, taking the sacrament, being with the members, feeling the Spirit, they held a Primary program and it was kinda hectic. The kids are just restless lol. But regardless they are happy and will be even more happy when they hopefully realize what information they have already. What a blessing to have the restored gospel in one's life. So many people we talk to just cannot realize what they are doing when they reject us. It's sad. It's frustrating. God is calling.
God does and is doing, we are trying, we try our best. That's the thing. He sends us out here. These young kids just tryna do what's right, tryna help people realize how special this message is. It's God's message. We're God's servants. The message is only received and taught by the Lord's Spirit. Man, if only these people of Johor Bahru and Miri and all over the world would accept it. The world has so much confusion. Satan's locked in for real. Genuinely. Like this one Chinese lady comes up to and starts yapping about Jesus' "real name" and all this unimportant stuff and calls us Mormons and whatever. Telling us she's read the "Mormon Bible" and in the same breath tells us we don't need to go to church on Sundays and that it's not a commandment. She told us to study more, too. Man, I was heated. Of course, when I heard this, I was quick to be annoyed and angry at such a heresy as well. But Elder Huish calmly told this lady "that our time is precious." Instantly my heart softened. Man, Elder Huish what a missionary. Truly our time is precious. I only have 529 days of wearing this badge. It's only going down. By Christmas it'll be under 500. I only have 529 more days of tryna wake people up. Tryna fill their soul, I guess. With Jesus Christ. With God's message. I'm grateful to carry the trumpet. To wear the badge. It's my job and our job. And there's nothing more important. Back to the Chinese lady though, she had no desire to hear our message. We said to her, "We listened to your opinions and message, and we would love to share ours." The second we start about how the most basic fact of Jesus Coming down to earth as the only begotten son, she cuts us off. Instantly we put our hand out to shake her hand and end it. Just sad to see she had no desire to change her mind. Just seeing her projecting her thoughts onto us, of needing to study more, she had this panic in her voice. So confused, it's sad. Of course, she will get her last chance to accept the restored message. When that is, it mattereth not. Just like Moroni said.
"And I exhort you to remember these things; for the time speedily cometh that ye shall know that I lie not, for ye shall see me at the bar of God; and the Lord God will say unto you: Did I not declare my words unto you, which were written by this man, like as one crying from the dead, yea, even as one speaking out of the dust?"
Man, Moroni is so awesome. Man, I love the Book of Mormon so much. I wish everyone could just read a couple picked chapters AT LEAST once. It'll change their life. It's changed mine. Man, I didn't read a single chapter of it before my mission. Not really at least. Not ever seriously at least. I WISH I did at least once. Or had a decent study schedule of it or whatever. It would've made life so much easier because it would've made my "problems" not problems. Would've made my "worries" Not worries. It's all good. This is what the mission is for, I guess. The Book of Mormon is so special true. And no sane human soul can deny the fact that Joseph Smith did translate the records with the gift of God if they ever do read the Book of Mormon JUST ONCE. This past week I finished my 3-month long Book of Mormon study that they make you start when you get out to the field. Man, there is NOT ONE SENTENCE that is forged in this book or that is written by the hand of Joseph Smith. The ideas and themes and stories and names and cities and concepts are SO FOREIGN to the mind of a human being. Much less a 20-something-year-old with a 3rd grade education in the 1820 something. It doesn't even matter because it is so unspeakably impossible to form a book of this magnitude without LITERALLY the power of God. I couldn't spell the word book probably when I was in third grade. I was literally eating rocks as a youngin. If you've read this entire email and have yet to read the Book of Mormon, then GO READ THE BOOK OF MORMON, NOW. PLEASE. BUKU YANG SANGAT TERBAIK MEMANGLAH. I promise you nothing, intellectually wise or educationally wise, is more important than a daily study of the Book of Mormon.
Love yall. My testimony of the Book of Mormon has grown so much here on my mission and especially these last couple weeks. And it's not a coincidence. There's always the flashes of light. Gradually like the sunrise the Lord, line upon line, teaching upon teaching, hard time after hard time, is continuing to help me foster a growing testimony of everything he wants me to learn so I can become the person he wants me to become.
Most importantly my mindset has shifted on just tryna get these people ready. Tryna make sure that when it's time to take off the badge, that I did all I could. Obviously it's a group effort of course. But man, there's just no way to get real true truth outside of the Holy Ghost and man how are these people supposed to find the needle in the haystack if we don't go to them first? Every rejection is just a "dang man, okay that's a poor decision, keep it pushing we got more people to wake up" at this point. You can't even get mad honestly when as a missionary you adopt this mindset. Because most of the time they are great people. But the gospel and Jesus Christ and his atonement is even able to raise good/great people to saints. It's special to see my growth and I want others to have the same, of course.
Love yall, appreciate the videos, messages, emails, friends back home staying in touch, yall are doing yall's thing. Holding it down in the US. I forgot what the US feels like honestly by now. It's hard to explain. My brain Is so used to the look and feel of Malaysia that I can't picture well America idek but yeah. Love yall. If you took time out of your day to read this massive email then thank you, you're the best of course.
Juga, saya sebut semua ini, dalam nama Yesus Kristus, Amin🇲🇾🇸🇬
Elder Barlow⚜️
Israel! Israel! Canst thou linger
Still in error’s gloomy ways?
Mark how judgment’s pointing finger
Justifies no vain delays.
Come to Zion, come to Zion!
Zion’s walls shall ring with praise.
Come to Zion, come to Zion!
Zion’s walls shall ring with praise.










