" And now I say unto you that this is the order after which I am called, yea, to preach unto my beloved brethren, yea, and every one that dwelleth in the land; yea, to preach unto all, both old and young, both bond and free; yea, I say unto you the aged, and also the middle aged, and the rising generation; yea, to cry unto them that they must repent and be born again."
Alma 5:49

Saturday, December 27, 2014

Made it to Facebook


Over 2,400 likes from Ecuador - Merry Christmas Everyone!

Thursday, December 25, 2014

Feliz Navidad de Ecuador




Wishing everyone a Merry Christmas from Esmeraldas, Ecuador!

Wednesday, December 24, 2014

Hola Familia y Amigos

Hola familia y amigos,

Christmas here is alot like in the US, except alot warmer. Lots of comercialization and all that jazz, meeting up with family, and remembering the birth of Jesus Christ. It is wonderful to be a missionary this time of year because of the opportunities that we have to talk about Jesus Christ in such a natural way. I too am enjoying this time of year that helps us to remember of all that Christ did for us to help us return back to our Father in Heaven together as families. 

We are teaching lots of different people, so I won´t go into detail about all of them. Monday, I was working with Elder B. We talked to a 25ish year old man outside of his house. He had gotten baptized years ago in another city but was not currently attending church regularly. He has three kids and lives with his "wife". He invited us to return yesterday, which we did. We taught about the restoration of the gospel and invited the wife to get baptized if she found out that the Book of Mormon is true. She was a little hesitant when we extended the invitation for a specific date. The husband chimed in though. I´ll let dad translate for you what he said. "¡Bautízate, pecadora!" (According to google translate:  "Be baptized, sinner!" ) It was quite funny, and she agreed to prepare for that date. I love this opportunity to help another family come unto Christ. 

I hope that you have a very Merry Christmas!!!

Con amor,
Elder Bahr




Tuesday, December 16, 2014

The Lord in Our Lives

This week was really hard for me. Alot of appointments fell through (including two that we had asked others to accompany us). We lost alot of time trying to effectively figure out how to work between the two sectors, and I felt a little sick on Friday too. Friday night, I was so tired that my legs hurt from every step that I took. I felt better on Saturday, and now I am back to normal. I really could see this week the help of the Lord in my life. I could tell how much He did to help me keep pressing forward. I don´t know that this next change of assignments will bring, but I do know two things. 1) It isn´t going to be easy. 2) Through the Atonement of Jesus Christ I can do all things. I know that He lives and I am grateful for the opportunity we have this time of year to remember Him. He truly is the greatest gift that has ever been given.

I´ve learned alot this week about the importance of learning with love. I really like the way that Paul puts it in 1 Cor. 13. I´m really trying to apply the teachings from that chapter. I know that as I do it, I will feel the Spirit more and I will be able to more readily help those I am teaching feel the love of God in their lives.

I´m glad to here that you are all doing well and that you are enjoying the wonderful season of planning parties and taking finals ;) More importantly, I am glad to hear that you have been able to see the hand of the Lord in your lives.


Wishing you all a Merry Christmas,

Elder Bahr

Sunday, November 30, 2014

Training is Almost Over

Life here is going well. I´m enjoying me time with Elder P., and we are working really hard. Next week we have changes. I finish my training (what?!... I´m going to be normal!) and have no idea if I stay or go (to another area in Ecuador).  I hope I get to stay this change, but I want more whatever the Lord has in store for me. I´m sure it will end up being better. 

One of the groups we are teaching is the Alacón Family. She has been a member of our church her whole life, and he is investigating. He asked us this week to bring someone who wasn´t born into the church so he could learn how to experience this "change of heart". He has a hard time accepting that there could be one true church, but is preparing to get baptized on the 6th. Yesterday, the really-awesome-recent-convert Elders´ Quorum President joined us on an appointment with Diego (the husband). It was a really great lesson. He focused on how it is through the Book of Mormon that we can learn for ourselves if the church is true.


We are also teaching the Elders´ Quorum President´s son. He is twenty, and has recently attended church with us three times. For some reason that I don´t completely understand, he wanted to acompany us on the visit yesterday, which we gladly let him do. We then went back to his house and taught the Plan of Salvation. He accpeted a baptism date for the 13th. He´s really cool, and definitely has enough support from the ward. He´s one of the best players on the soccer team that is going to the Stake finals ;)  (In the US we typically have basketball tournaments).

I hope that you all had a great Thanksgiving.

Love,
Elder Bahr



Monday, November 17, 2014

Needing Some More Practice




This week was really hard for me. I need to stop telling people at home that my Spanish is getting really good, because the moment I tell people that, it starts to stink again :) Short story is, I´ve seen how much I need the Lord´s help this week, and I am beginning to see just how true the scripture in Alma 26:12 is. "Yea, I know that I am nothing; as to my strength I am weak; therefore I will not boast of myself, but I will boast of my God, for in his strength I can do all things; yea, behold, many mighty miracles we have wrought in this land, for which we will praise his name forever."

Even though this week was really difficult, I am so grateful for the things that it has taught me. Even though I am sure I will need to be reminded of this several more times before the end of my mission, I am beginning to see just how little I can do on my own, and just how much I can do when I let the Lord work through me. Fortunately, I learned that lesson before my talk on Sunday in sacrament meeting, and through the help of the Lord, I was able to share the message I wanted to share clearly and with what I assume was fairly good Spanish (I didn´t see anyone doing the I-have-no-idea-what-he-is-saying look up at me :)

My mom said I need to send some more pics.  The one above is of my "zone" or the other missionaries who work with me nearby.  Below is one of my new favorite foods:  red bananas.

Love,
Elder Bahr



Monday, November 10, 2014

The Spanish is Coming Along

¿Comó están ustedes? Espero que la familia esté bien y disfrutando el frió :) Lo extraño un poco :) 

I´m really happy with how my Spanish is moving along. It´s most definitely not perfect, but I can converse fluently with all of the Latino missionaries, and I even participated in one of our recent convert family´s readings from the Book of Revelation this week (I´d had a hard enough time understanding that in English :) It made me feel really good when Elder V. (he´s from Chile and he was the trainer from someone from my group last change) told me that he was really impressed with my Spanish. I went on splits with him Saturday for an hour while our companions had their leadership meeting.

I´m really grateful for the time that I am getting to spend with Elder P., my companion and trainer.   He is not perfect, but he is one of the most loving and sincere people that I have ever met. He is a wonderful example to me of charity, and I will be trying as hard as I can for these last three weeks to learn as much as I can from him. He has taught me to not judge myself harder than the Lord is judging me, and that I should have charity to ALL men. I remembered a story I read in the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People that talked about how focusing on the strengths of a person helps them to grow. Last night, as I prayed, I listed off what I thought were some of my "strengths". I felt the Spirit tell me that the Lord was proud of the efforts that I was giving. I could see how much I have already allowed him to change me while I have been here on the mission.

¡Les quiero! Yo sé que nuestra Iglesia es la iglesia de Jesucristo que ha sido restaurado otra vez en la tierra. Yo sé que mediante la Expiación de Jesucristo, podemos llegar a ser perfecto, si estamos mejorando paso por paso cada día. Yo sé que esta obra es la obra del Señor, y que voy a ser bendecido si yo doy mí corazón al Señor. No soy perfecto, pero estoy mejorando. 

Con todo mí amor,
Elder Bahr 

Sunday, October 26, 2014

Becoming a Better Missionary



Well, I just got a new companion today. Elder M. got sent to Ibara (it´s in the mountains close to Quito) to be one of the zone leaders there. My new companion´s name is Elder P.. I haven´t met him yet, but everything I´ve heard about him is that he is a really great missionary and that he has a ton of experience being a trainer. My companion called him "gordo feliz" when he was telling me about him. (That translates to about "fat happy"). Oh, and he happens to be a gringo, which means that I´ll really need to focus during my language study time :)

The baptisms went well. Fortunately, Alexander was one of the two that we were able to baptize. It was an absolutely amazing experience to help him enter the waters of baptism. It is amazing to see the light that the Gospel of Jesus Christ can bring into the lives of those who accept it. 

This week was a litte different. On Tuesday I did divisions with one of our zone leaders (Elder G.), and we spend the entire day in his sector. On Wednesday we had a meeting with President for all the missionaries in the coast. That night, one of the assistants came with us and spent the night in our house. It was really great to learn from him and also to see that you don´t have to be perfect to be an assistant (even they burn the rice sometimes :). The next morning Pres. and Sis. Richardson came to inspect our house. They were really impressed and said that we were doing a really good job on keeping it clean, etc. We then had our weekly district meeting and then afterwards we left for Quito for the new missionary verification. That was Friday morning (it was more for the trainers than for us), and then we returned late Friday night. Saturday we had the baptisms, so pretty much Sunday was our only "normal" day. 

During the meeting on Wednesday, President gave a message about an article that was written by an old mission president called the "Fourth Missionary". It talks about four types of missionaries. The first is disobidient and is sent home. The second is also disobedient, but he does just enough to stay on his mission for all of the 2 years. The third missionary is obedient, does everything right, etc. The only problem is he does not really want to be doing those things. He is constantly focusing in the past or the future (the times when he doesn´t have to be doing missionary things). As a result, he does not change nor receive many personal blessings from his mission. Only the fourth missionary wants to be there, wants to be working, wants to be changing and improving. He wants his will to be the will of the Lord. He is the only missionary that will personally benefit from his mission. The mission president also reminds us that our most important investigator, our most important project, is ourselves. If we are not changing from the work we are doing, we are not being successful missionaries. 

This message has taught me that I need to always be searching for ways to better appy the teachings and example of Jesus Christ in my life (whether they be about charity, humility, faith, how to teach, etc.).

Monday, October 6, 2014

Why I Decided To Go On a Mission

Friends,
     I imagine that there are some of you who wonder why it is that I have put my life on pause for two years to share a message thousands of miles away from home. I hope that this following post will help to answer a few of those questions. Also, attached is a link to a talk that was given by one of the leaders of my church this past weekend. I think that he is able to beautifully explain why it is that there are 88,000+ Mormon missionaries around the world that are doing the exact same thing I am.

     My purpose as a missionary is to "Invite all to come unto Christ by receiving the message of the restored gospel through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and His Atonement, repentacne, baptism, receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end." This is my message, as we follow the principles of the gospel of Jesus Christ, which have been restorted by a latter-day prophet named Joseph Smith, we will grow closer to Christ and feel the peace and joy that He can bring into our lives. I am here because I know this message is true. I have felt the joys of living the principles of Christ`s gospel in my life, and I wish to share these same joys to the people of Ecuador. 

    Now I am sure many of you are thinking to yourselves, "I am happy in my church", or "My beliefs already bring me joy". And to this I say, "Wonderful!". I am amazed by the service that the many churches around the world give and how many people have a firm faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. This brings happiness to my soul. I am only here to invite people to find out if my church, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, can offer them even more. I will attempt to use an example, and if it doesn`t make sense, I apoligize. 

    A family of 6 is on a road-trip, and while they are driving, they see an advertisement for a Chipotle at the upcoming exit. "Buy 1 get one free". The family pulls off, buys 6 burritos (for the price of three) and enjoys what is obviously a nice deal. When they have finished their lunch, they get back into the car, and continue their trip. Not 15 minutes later, they see an advirtisement for a different Chipotle. "Buy 1, get 5 free". The father exclaims, "I wish somebody would`ve told us about that earlier!"

   Obviously, both are very good deals, but something tells me that if you were given the choice, you would prefer the second promotion too. Well, this is how I believe it is with all of the churches in the world too. There are many great organizations that do many great things, but there is only one that is the exact same as the church Christ established while he was on the earth. 

   Again, I would imagine that many of you are thinking, "Elder Bahr, are we just supposed to take your word that your church is the right one?" Absolutely not! I don`t want anyone, whether at home or in Ecuador, to join my church because of my testimony. I want them to do it because they have gained a testimony of their own. As I have been studying and teaching, I have found there are three fundamental ways to learn whether or not my message and my church are true.

   The first is through prayer. In James 1:5 it reads, "If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, who giveth to all men liberally and abraideth not, and it shall be given him." Jesus taught in His "Sermon on the Mount", "Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you." We do this asking through prayer. God is our Heavenly Father. He loves us, and He wants to hear from us. As we pray to Him and ask Him to guide us down the right path, we will feel His Spirit telling us the right way to go. I would invite each of you to pray this evening, asking God if my message is true. I know you will get a response if you ask in faith.

   The second way to learn whether or not my church is true is by reading the Book of Mormon, and again praying to find out if it is true. The Book of Mormon is the "keystone of our religion". If it is true, then our church is true. If it is false, our church is false. I again invite everyone to read, ponder, and pray about the message of the Book of Mormon. I know that it is true because I have done these things many times, and each time the Spirit of the Lord has testified of the truth of it unto me.

   The final way is by attending our church services. You cannot say you truly desire to know if our church is true without first attending. I invite you all to find a chapel near where you live and attend. If you have any questions, there will be two missionaries there to help you answer questions, just as I am doing here in Ecuador. 

   I pray that you will do these things, because I wish that everyone could find more peace and happiness in this ever-darkening world. I know that the Gospel of Jesus Christ will bless all men in whatsoever circumstance they may be in. Thank you for taking your time to read, and I hope that you at least understand a little bit more of why I have paused my life to serve here in Ecuador.

Elder Bahr

Video:
Elder David A. Bednar's address at the October 2014 General Conference.
https://www.lds.org/general-conference/watch/2014/10?lang=eng&vid=3822608486001&cid=10

Saturday, October 4, 2014

Learning and Teaching




The attached pictures of our zone´s trip to a local light-house today. The view from the top was amazing, but the hike there and back was quite interesting. There was no trail. We walked for who-knows-how-long through grass that was taller that our heads to get there. (Let´s not forget that the grass wasn´t exactly soft and my companion forgot to mention that I probably shouldn´t wear gym-shorts until after we started). All in all, it was a fun experience that I don´t plan on having again.

It´s been really nice to have Elder C. in my district. He was my district-leader in the CCM (training center in Mexico) and we lived in the same apartment. It´s been nice to talk to someone about the mission and know that I´m not the only new missionary that´s trying to adjust. 

This past Saturday, Elder C. and his companion had a baptism (the only one for our zone this month). It was held at our chapel, and Elder M. and I had the oppurtunity to attend. It made we want to work hard so that I might be able to have that same experience. 

It turns out, that earlier that day, Elder C. was feeling really sick, and that his companion was close to canceling the baptism. Through what I am sure was the help of the Lord, Elder C. found the strength to attend, and he even preformed the baptism. Afterwards, he felt sick again, and because our apartment has better conditions than theres, I did splits (a term to say that we switched companions for a night) for the evening. It made me grateful for the things that I had, and I learned that however hard my mission is, there is someone else out there who has it worse (like needing to use a bucket to shower). (Elder C. is feeling much better, and it was fun to talk with him during our little adventure today).



My apartment is really nice compared to alot of places here. It always has running water, and it ventilates very well. There is plenty of room and we have everything we need to make the typical missionary foods. (Oatmeal, toast, eggs, french toast, etc.) 

I´m really looking forward to General Conference next week. I feel like it will be an oppurtunity to do something different and be filled with the Spirit that only comes from the word of God. I know that we have prophets who live on this earth today, and that their counsel will help us be happy more that anything else in the entire world. (Oh, and it´s a weekend that I get to listen to people talk in English).

I´m really grateful for my companion. He is really patient with me, and I am sure that I do things that just drive him up the wall. He´s a really great teacher, and I´m learning alot on how to teach more like the Savior. He´s also really trying to make me speak, which is helping me in so many ways.

We are currently teaching several people.  One of whom is JC.  He is the 20 year old son of a family that was baptized just a few weeks before I got here. He has a true desire to learn about which church is true, and he told us in our last lesson that he would pray about it. He then thanked us for our kindness. I didn´t understand everything, but I understood that he genuinely was grateful for our willingness to sincerely help him. I felt the Spirit very strongly during that lesson. 

Love,
Elder Bahr


Thursday, September 18, 2014

So, I'm not in the US anymore


The above picture is of Quito.  I was there for a few days as I entered Ecuador.

Now, I`m in the coast in a city called Esmereldas. It`s really hot here, I`m sweating like crazy. I hear that stops after the first few days once your body adjusts. Right now I`m just trying to drink a ton of fluids. 

My "padre misional" (trainer) is Elder Mazzerelli. He is from Chile and he is an awesome trainer. I`m really enjoying being here with him, I`ve already learned alot and I know that he can help me become a truly powerful missionary if I choose to listen to him. He speaks a little English, but less than I do Spanish.

The food here is really good, lots of fish, rice, and soup. I like it alot. The weirdest thing I`ve eaten so far is chicken-foot soup... it was pretty intersesting, but I enjoyed it. 

We live in a third stroy apartement that is one of the nicest homes I`ve seen while I`ve been here. Other than the church and super market, I don`t know if I could name a nicer place to live.  Scary thing is, it still doesn`t compare to anything in the US. We found a little lizard today that was living behind our trash can, that suprised me a little.



There are dogs and cats everywhere here. Katelyn, my little sister, would love it (except we are supposed to get near them in case they are rabid). 

My Spanish is alright. The people understand when I speak, and for the most part, I can say what I want. The only problem is I have very little idea what they are saying. We will be in lessons, and my companion will speak 90% of the time because I dont know how to answer the questions that I haven`t understood in the first place. 

I love the people here, they are really receptive. Almost everyone that we talk to is willing to let us come and speak with them. The only problem is they have a really hard time to keep commitments. 

Yesterday we were walking down the street contacting, and we decided to talk a family that was in their casa. (It turned out that we mostly taught three "hermanas" who are friends and one of their sons. Despite the fact that I have limited Spanish, I felt the Spirit during the lesson. I was actually able to participate more than I had in any other lesson, I felt the Spirit alot during the lesson, and I know the Lord can help me teach those He has prepared.

I am so grateful for the Atonement. I know that this work is not going to be easy (that`s why they call it work). Yet, I also know that there is nothing greater that I can be doing with my life. Even though this is the hardest thing I`ve done in my life, I know that the Lord will give me the strength. I love the scripture Phillipians 4:13 "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me". These two years will be the hardest of my life, yet I also know they will be the Best Two Years for my life. 

Tuesday, September 9, 2014

Made it to Ecuador



I made it to Ecuador. I´m really tired, and I´ve been wearing the same clothes for 32 hours. It was great to talk to you last night... hopefully nobody´s too tired for school today.

The city of Quito is a lot drier than I thought it would be... reminds me a little of Beijing when we visited (except a few more mountains). That´s probably because they are about to end the rainy season.

Talk to you again soon,
Elder Bahr"




Monday, September 8, 2014

As I Complete My Training


"Today, I leave the CCM in Mexico City to go to my mission in Ecuador. The CCM has been a wonderful experience for me, and I would like to share with you one of the biggest lessons that I have learned here. 

I would like to center my message around the scripture Matthew 11:28-30. It reads, 

28 ¶Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.  
 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.
The first thing I learned from reading this scripture is that Christ is always there, and that he wants to help us. He has suffered for us that we might not have to suffer. Alma, a prophet in the Book of Mormon, taught this about this about our Savior,  " And he shall go forth, suffering pains and afflictions and temptations of every kind; and this that the word might be fulfilled which saith he will take upon him the pains and the sicknesses of his people." (Alma 7:11) Because of Him, we can overcome the trials that face us in this life. I have felt this power in my own life. I know that every struggle I have ever had, whether it was at school or on the track, it has been He that has helped me to get through it. And I know that He can help you too if you are willing to come unto Him.

This leads to my second observation... to receive His help, we must also act. We cannot sit idly by and expect for him to do everything. He is willing to help, but He does not come to us, rather, we must come unto Him. This requires that we come before him being "meek and lowly of heart". This process is called repentance. Repentance is when we show sorrow to God for the things that we have done, and the opportunity to repent is one of God´s greatest´s gifts. 

If you don´t believe me, consider this. Without repentance, we could not enter into the kingdom of heaven. Isaiah taught us this about what happens when we apply the atoning blood of Jesus Christ. "Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool." But, just like our bodies can´t be clean without actually using the soap, our souls can´t be clean without actually repenting. And if we are not clean, we cannot enter into the kingdom of heaven. (See 1 Ne. 10:21, 15:34, Alma 7:21, 11:37, 40:26, Hel. 8:25, 3 Ne. 27:19) 

I would that all men would partake of the joy that comes from repentance. Alma explains the change repentance brought to his life in the chapter 36 of Alma in the Book of Mormon. A little background. As a young man, he "went about... seeking to destroy the church of God" (verse 6). He was visited by an angel, who boldly commanded him to "seek no more to destroy the church of God" (11). He was struck with "such fear and amazement" that he completely lost the ability to move (11). He says, "And now, for three days and for three nights was I racked, even with the pains of a damned soul.
And it came to pass that as I was thus racked with torment, while I was harrowed up by the memory of my many sins, behold, I remembered also to have heard my father prophesy unto the people concerning the coming of one Jesus Christ, a Son of God, to atone for the sins of the world.
Now, as my mind caught hold upon this thought, I cried within my heart: O Jesus, thou Son of God, have mercy on me, who am in the gall of bitterness, and am encircled about by the everlasting chains of death.
And now, behold, when I thought this, I could remember my pains no more; yea, I was harrowed up by the memory of my sins no more.
And oh, what joy, and what marvelous light I did behold; yea, my soul was filled with joy as exceeding as was my pain!" (16-20).
I know that we all can feel the same joy and peace that Alma was able to feel. I know that we can each become clean as we humble ourselves before the Lord. I know that through His help our weaknesses can become strengths. I have seen this in my own life, and I know that it is true. I would that you all would follow the advice of the Book of Mormon prophet Moroni and "come unto Christ, and be perfected in him, and deny yourselves of all ungodliness; and if ye shall deny yourselves of all ungodliness, and love God with all your might, mind and strength, then is his grace sufficient for you, that by his grace ye may be perfect in Christ; and if by the grace of God ye are perfect in Christ, ye can in nowise deny the power of God." (Moroni 10:32). 

I love you all, and I hope that you each can feel the truthfulness of my message. And I testify that as you kneel before God in prayer, humbling yourself before him, asking with faith, he will show the truth of these things unto you."
Love,
Elder Bahr

Sunday, September 7, 2014

Fun & Learning

This week has been really fun. On Friday night, the power turned out as we were getting ready for bed. My companion, who was showering at the time, thought we had just flipped the breaker in our room, and wasn´t very happy. We had a little district party in our room until the power came back on. The funniest part was when Elder C thought he heard something outside, so he went to go check it, and Elder V snuck up behind him and scared him. Elder C chased him back to the room and threw his water bottle at him. We were all laughing so hard. 

On Sunday, we heard an old devotional from President Scott about prayer. He talked about how we can have a personal interview with our Father in Heaven any time we want, and we should treat it as such. I´ve really been focusing on making my prayers more personal, and I can definitely see the benefits in my life. I feel the Spirit more, and I am able to see the things that I need to work on. 

I leave the CCM really early Tuesday morning, and then it´s off to the real work.  It's a little scary, but I´m really excited for it at the same time. 

I love you and miss you, and I hope all is going well,
Elder Bahr

Thursday, August 28, 2014

About a Month

It´s great to hear how everyone is doing and I´m glad to hear everything is going normally.  I still haven´t gotten any "regular" mail yet. I think MyDearElder or email would be the best way for everyone to contact me if they wish. 

My companion is such a great guy. He´s a great example of charity and humility, probably the two Christlike attributes that I need to work on the most. Especially this week, I´ve learned alot about how being united as a companionship is such an important part of teaching with the Spirit. We had a couple of lessons where our unity wasn´t very strong, and the lessons went poorly and it was difficult to feel the Spirit. When we (mostly me) focused on teaching in a united way; however, the Spirit has always been present and we have been able to give our best lessons. 

It´s been cool to have Elder Page (a friend from home) here. I´ll see him occasionally during meals or devotionals, and we´ll talk for a few minutes. It seems like he´s enjoying himself, and even though he wouldn´t admit it, his companion says he´s doing really well on his Spanish. 

There´s been a cold virus that´s been going around this week. I caught it starting Sunday, and Monday it got bad enough that I had to leave our night class a couple of hours early, but it´s been getting better since. 

Other than that though, I´m doing great. It´s crazy to think that I´ve been our for almost a month. I´m really enjoying Tuesdays and Sundays because, instead of class, we get to go to devotionals. The best are the recordings of the ones given by the apostles. I love the Spirit that they can bring into our hearts. Last night we watched the Bible Video entitled For God So Loved the World. Watching that, a  feeling of gratitude washed over me. I know that He lives and that He loves us with all of His heart. He cares for us as individuals, and He suffered for us as individuals. And I know that as we come unto Him, we will be perfected through Him. 

I love you all, and I hope all continues to go well at home!

Con amor,
Elder Bahr

Friday, August 22, 2014

Visited the Mexico City Temple



Updated Contact Info

On the right hand side of the blog a list of the most accurate and update methods of reaching Elder Bahr.      Regular mail is definitely going at a snail's pace.  By far, the best way of sending messages is the DearElder.com website.  Scroll down to the Ecuador Quito North Mission and enter Elder Stephen Bahr.  This no cost method will have the letter to him in approximately 1-2 weeks - a significant improvement over the costly and terribly slow regular post.

Wednesday, August 13, 2014

Hey guys,
I´m doing great here in Mexico City. I love being here and learning how to teach what I know to be true in Spanish. It´s not easy, but I know through the Lord´s help I will be able to learn what I need to learn and say what I need to say. 

This week, I read a book called Our Search for Happiness by M. Russell Ballard. It´s a great book that describes what we believe and why we believe it. I would encourage all who seek to understand more about my church and what I will be teaching as a missionary to read it for themselves. The author is a brillant writer and has served several of his own missions for the church, as well as currently serving as a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. I hope you all take the time to read this wonderful book.

Hope all is going well back home,
Elder Bahr

Sunday, August 10, 2014

First Week


I have had so much fun (and have even learned some Spanish).

It`s been great being able to fit right in with the rest of the group, and we really are enjoying the Spirit and work we are able to experience here.

Last Friday night, my companion and I had our first opportunity to teach an "investigator", in SPANISH!! (I say "investigator" because he is actually one of the teachers that we are going to have in the next week or so.) It was really difficult, but we were actually able to speak for the entire 30 minutes on the Restoration. It made me hopeful that I could actually learn the language. 


Yo sè que yo necisito estar aqui. Yo sè que por medio la Expiaciòn de Jesucristo, yo poderìa todas cosas. Yo sè que tenemos un Padre Celestial, y que nos ama. Yo quiero con todo mi corazòn servir mi Señor y el pueblo de Ecuador. Lo digo en el nombre de Jesucristo, Amèn.

Con amor,
Elder Bahr






Wednesday, July 30, 2014

"I Made It!"

That was the subject line we received this afternoon.  Stephen left for the airport at 2:30 this morning.    Now the journey begins.


Sunday, July 27, 2014

Hey guys! I just wanted to thank everybody who came out to the open house last night and to hear me speak this morning. In just a couple hours, I will officially be set apart as a missionary of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Even though I will miss you all greatly, I know what I am doing is the Lord's will and that there is no where else I would rather be. Keep watching for updates and pictures that my mom will be posting, and I will see you all again in two years!

Tuesday, July 22, 2014

It's almost time.  I will be reporting to the Missionary Training Center in Mexico on Wed., July 30th.  After about 6 weeks of training, it's off to Ecuador.  Every few weeks my mom will keep this site updated with pics and news of my time in the Quito North Mission.  Thanks for following along.