Hello, everyone, so excited to start this long and incredible journey, and I hope you're excited to be along for the ride! I'm planning on sending great updates home every other week or so, to tell all of you what I've learned and how I've grown. My hope is that each and every one of you who read this gets something out of what I've experienced and learned somewhere along the way.
These past two weeks in the Home Missionary Training Center have been fun. A lot of zoom meetings, then a lot more zoom meetings. I got to know the people in my district pretty well. My first companion, Elder Granados, is a very smart guy, and I am excited to get to know him even more in the weeks to come. To say I have learned so much from the people in my district is a great understatement. I had my doubts about some of them, to be honest, but they have more than impressed me with the spirit and intelligence they hold within them.
I want to share an experience I had. Throughout these first couple weeks, I felt a big responsibility to be the best I could possibly be. It was kind of overwhelming at times, and of course I'm not perfect, so I found myself feeling guilty when I didn't reach the high standards I set for myself. Near the end of Week 2, during my free time, I found a small piece of paper, about the size of my thumb. For some reason, I just started folding an origami crane, telling myself, I'll fold as much of it as I can then just stop when it gets too small. Amazingly, I found myself actually getting closer and closer to the end of the little project, so I thought I had to finish it. With a lot of patience and determination, I ended up actually completing my goal. I made an origami crane the size of my thumbnail with my bare hands, and I couldn't believe it. This has a point, I promise.
When I was done with this little project, I immediately found myself relating this to my mission. This task at first seemed impossible, but with the help I would receive throughout it, I would be able to accomplish the impossible. Patience and determination. Those are the two aspects that will help me, not just through my mission, but throughout our lives. I also know that I'm not alone in this. "I know in whom I have trusted... My God hath been my support" (2 Nephi 4: 19-20). I testify that God is on our side, and we all can call upon him in times of need. He will help us through our trials, as well as teach us things we need to know to grow stronger.
Love, Elder Barlow
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