10/29/18 - God Has Commanded Me To Be Baptized

Leticia was supposed to be baptized this week but she got sick so that was postponed. Tudo bem. Lucan and Luzia will go to the Cartoro this week to mark their wedding! Yesterday in gospel principles we talked about the commandments and shared 1 Nefi 3:7. Luzia almost burst out of her chair saying "GOD HAS COMMANDED ME TO BE BAPTIZED SO I'M GOING TO DO WHAT EVER IT TAKES!" She's the cutest thing and just kind of happy cries through all our lessons with her. Lucas is warming up to the idea of baptism. He said he really wants to have a child but he wants to find a church first because he thinks it's important to raise kids on a good path. They're so special. We have a handful of others that are progressing but the progression is slow. All in the Lord's time right?

I get teased here because now that i've been here for 7 months (WHAT) I have a darker skin tone than some Brasillians including my companion. Too funny!

The São Paulo temple president and his wife live in our branch and we got to have lunch with them twice this week. It's amazing how you walk into their house and it has the same feeling that the temple does. #GOALS. I love them! 

I'm now teaching ukulele lessons to some of the young women in the branch and their friends as a way to find people. It's a blast.

Voltareli and I taught Primary yesterday about sharing testimonies and it was so fun!

I've been thinking a lot lately about how my prayers have changed since I came on the mission. I've spent more time on my knees these last few months than ever before. I crave to have time to be still and talk with my Father in Heaven. Gordon B. Hinkley said, "The trouble with most of yor prayers iis that we give tham as if we were picking up the telephone and ordering groceries. We place our order and then hang up. We need to meditate, contimplate, think of what we are praying about and then speak to the Lord as one man speaketh to another." It's so true! When we really take the time to make our prayers thoughtful and truly have a conversation with our Father they become so much more meaningful and you really feel the sprirt more strongly. WITHOUT A DOUBT HE LISTENS TO OUR PRAYERS. HE CARES PEOPLE! I have such a strong testimony that if we truly ask Him in faith, doubting nothing, He can and will work miracles in our lives. Ah I love praying gente! 

Anyway, amo vocês tanto! 

Sister Barlow

1) This is our view from Sinto do Morro. The city in the front is Alphaville (I found out Alphaville and Aldeia are the richest neighborhoods in Brasil), and in the back is my beautiful São Paulo. It's truly a sea of concrete and you can't see then end. I'm in love with this city folks.

2-3) Sister Larson is my homgirl from San Francisco. We had to go on divisions with her and her comp today because of a medical emergency of another sister. LONG STORY. Anyway, she's a makup artist and instagram famous (@karitrickster) so she did my makup today just for fun. We also ate a giant sushi boat.

4) Zone friends!