Greetings from the Great OCM!!!
So time is very very short since there is a mission activity (Winter Olympics!) in about an hour . .
Good
week, we saw some miracles as usual. One of which was when we were
walking down a street with our snow shovels on our shoulders when we saw
this guy smoking out on his porch. We asked if we could shovel for him
for free and he said yes. We shoveled for him and started up a
conversation about why we do what we do. He let us into his home and
called his mother downstairs saying "they are representatives of Jesus
Christ and they would like to share a message!" So we taught lesson one
to this man and his older mom and it was very powerful. I could feel the
spirit speaking through me and they both felt it too! So that was a
cool experience.
We have really been working with this ward and they
have been increasingly helpful. The members have been coming out with us
frequently, in fact we usually have a member out with us every day so
that has been awesome! This Wednesday the Zone Leaders are coming to our
area on exchanges so that will be a blast. We have some awesome leaders
who know what they are doing!
The weather has been, kinda better, it warmed up to
about 50 this weekend and rained, melting all of the snow. But on the
flip side it is supposed to be in the teens tomorrow and more snow.
So you decided to take down that rickety swing set! It is about
time! At least it gives you some fire wood for the wood stove. Are you
using that thing this year?
Really quick you mentioned
that you had family council this last week and I would like to give a
suggestion. Something I have been thinking about for a while is how
missionary work needs to be an item of business in any family council.
Create a family mission plan and enforce it in the home! They have a
really cool thing on one of the church websites now where you, the
member, can create and order your own pass along cards! That is just an
idea but hey definitely missionary work should be a topic to discuss in
family council. We are listening to a talk on a CD in the car today and
it is talking all about a family who decided to become better
missionaries in family council and they ended up baptizing 30 people!
Members often think that when we speak of member missionary work that
means teaching a friend about Joseph Smith or the Book of Mormon, but
really that is the full time missionaries' job. The members take care of
the social conversion by inviting people to come into their home and out
to church and to other activities. Did you know that 2/3 of all people
whom are invited into a members home to hear a lesson from the full time
missionaries get baptized! Lots of members feel like they don't want to
be preachy or they feel like if they bring up religion it will ruin a
friendship but really all you have to do is invite them and be cool
about it, or even just invite them over and then the missionaries can
invite them to learn more, that way they will hate the missionaries and
not you. That is just fine because we missionaries are going to be
transferred eventually anyways.
I know you are all wonderful missionaries anyways and I
love seeing you reach out to Michael and the other neighbors around us.
That is what it is all about! I love you all and hope you have a
terrrrrrific week!!
Love,
Elder Beutler
