What
a fantastic week! I received your package the day after Easter. I
absolutely loved all of your cards and the chocolate! Packages are
always highlights of the week. Cari also sent a package which I, and my
companions, enjoyed.
I know I mention it about every week but I
absolutely love the people here, mostly the Amish people. We saw a few
miracles this last week within the Amish community:
We have a
prayer group among the Amish saints where when we are going to see an
Amish family or just simply need some divine help we send out a text to
the saints of our little group asking them to pray that things will go
well with our visit. There is great power in this as we become united in
what we are doing, and surely there could not be a people more focused
on sharing the gospel with their fellowmen then these Amish converts.
The gospel is really everything to these families. Sacrifice has taught
them that. Anyways . . . we sent out a text asking them to petition the
Lord because we were going to contact a couple of Amish people and offer
them service. Shortly after, Brother Weaver (the first Amish Convert in
the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints), called us and
referred us to another name saying that he had felt prompted to have us
go there. He then drove us to the address of the Amish referral so that
we would find it later, (he could not contact the referral with us
though because due to the shunning the Amish people will not communicate
with them). Within the same hour that he showed us the address, we were
able to see the hand of the Lord. We first went to contact a referral
that is not Amish and we offered her service, since we were told she is
building a shed and needed some help. She told us that she would love
our help but that there was an Amish man that was heading the project,
and lo and behold it was the same Amish person that Brother Weaver had
referred to us earlier that day. She then suggested that we go and talk
with him and ask him if we can help. We did not need any other hints. In
our Jeans and t-shirts we approached this Amish home and found the man
working in the barn. He knew who we were (the Amish people have been
forewarned) and was a little stand-offish at first, but we told him that
we had been sent by his employer and were looking to serve. He agreed
that the service was needed, and we are now looking forward to working
with him this week on the other referral's shed.
From here we went to contact one more Amish person that was
actually referred to us by another Amish family we are doing service for
(the one's that fed us goat milk). When we arrived he was outside just
starting to dig a trench (no coincidences). We offered our service, he
accepted, and we spent the remainder of the evening digging a 3 foot
deep trench for some sort of pipe. It was hard back-breaking work but it
was so worth it. This Amish man happens to train horses for a living.
So after we were done serving he showed us his horses. His father and
the rest of his family came outside as well and commenced to brag about
how great their horses are. I of course enjoyed every moment of it
(Serving in this area has probably solidified my cowboy dream.). Making
connections with the Amish community is the best! We are afraid however
that once word gets out to the Amish bishops we will no longer be able
to serve. The Amish leaders are very nervous we are teaching people
right now without them knowing (the Amish saints were baptized before
anyone in the Amish community knew about it), so it will be interesting to
see what happens in the next couple weeks.
It has become very apparent the Lord is working along side us
here to bring these people to a knowledge of the gospel. Anyone can see
that. The Church is so true and it is so obvious.
Other
then that I am finally enjoying the spring. Hopefully I will not have
allergies, but there are a lot more plants in Ohio then in Utah. Oh, I
need to mention that on May 10th our mission is doing something that
they are calling the "Missionary Social Media Split" Where essentially
what is happening is due to the negativity of the "Book of Mormon Play"
that is coming to Columbus in May. We are going to combat it by blowing
up the social media. Members will be following us around all day taking
pictures of what we do and posting them on Facebook every 15 minutes. We
will probably have the members sign into our Facebook accounts as well
so that you can receive all the pictures. The idea is to like, and share
so that many, many people can see what we as missionaries do in our
every day life. We should be having a baptism on that day too so there
should be some good pics!
I love you all, thanks for your Easter letters,
remember that the Gospel of Jesus Christ is what makes us happy in this
life, and know that your son and brother is serving in the Greatest
portion of the vineyard that the world has to offer, with the greatest
people, the greatest companions, and with the Lord by my side.
Love,
Elder Beutler
