My Sweaty Missionary?? --Eeeeww

Hey :) 

So yes, I got the money for the bike, and the bike is awesome. 

I want to talk a little bit about vision. In our mission we have a vision, which is a high end goal. Our vision is to build upon the rock. There was a missionary in Dublin that had a vision for his area, which at the time was just a branch, that it would become a stake. As he set forth with that area in mind, he labored diligently to create that vision. Just a few months before he went home, this little branch of Dublin had become a stake of Zion. It was a lot of hard work, had to work diligently, but it came about as he established his vision and love for the people.

In Yamhill, we are going to do just that. Right now, Yamhill, Carlton and Lafayette are all in the same ward. I have faith that the Lord wants there to be 1 ward for Lafayette, and 1 ward for Yamhill and Carlton. In one year, I know that this can be done, but it is going to be a lot of work. We have to begin with the members. There is no way that we can do this if the members are not on the same page as we are. We will begin with the Bishop, who holds the priesthood keys to all of the missionary work in those 3 cities. After we know he is seeing this same vision, it will spread to the ward council, to their counselors, to the visiting and home teachers, and finally to each member of the ward. By the end of the next 4 months, each branch of the ward (RS, Elders, HP) can have 80%+ home teaching if we do this correctly. That is how we will know if we are doing our job as missionaries. My job as a missionary, currently, is to teach my wards how to have their own visions for their ward.

Our Bishop is pretty much on board with this whole thing already. He asked me yesterday to help him create the agenda for ward council next week, which is pretty cool. 

I know that as we create this vision for our area, for Yamhill County, the Lord will inspire us to do the things that he would have us do. It kind of stinks to lose McMinnville 2nd ward, especially the Britts and the Greens, and the Markhams, but I am where the Lord needs me: he needs me to work and to labor exceedingly in the vineyards of Yamhill. [PB - quite literally!]

He will bless me and my new companion, whomever he may be, to do what he has commanded.

I am so excited to get going on this, you have no idea!

Your sweaty missionary,

~Elder Barrow