First off I can't
believe Cameron is receiving the priesthood this week. Wow he has grown
up fast. It is a big responsibility along with a great blessing. I
suggest having him read about it and learn about it before he receives
it on Sunday. It is too often taken for granted.
This
last Sunday (yesterday) was a little crazy. We were asked to speak . . .
about a minute before sacrament meeting started. One of the speakers
was ill, so bishop approached us and asked us to each take 5 min or so
and speak about faith. So I did, and I said a few words concerning the
source of our faith, which comes directly from the Spirit as we ask and
seek, and also what a life looks like that has faith in Jesus Christ. It
was short and sweet but I was able to stretch 5 min out of it. We also
gave a portion of the lesson in priests quorum. I love attending priests
quorum as a missionary. We talked of the importance of preparing now,
showed a Mormon message, bore testimony, and that was it. So we
participated a lot at church. Which is fine with me, I love
opportunities to teach.
We had a miracle
happen on Friday. We were walking down a random street and came across a
family who was outside working on a truck. We asked if they needed
help, they said no. But they needed a truck because they were moving
across town. We continued to talk with them and come to find out the
wife is an inactive member (an awesome lady who is very friendly to us)!
It was very unexpected. She invited us to come help her paint her new
house, we set up a time, and left. That night we called the elders
quorum and organized a move for the next morning. We told her to be at
her house early in the morning, but we did not tell her why. We had
about 4 trucks and even more members show up in the morning and we were
able to pretty much clear out her house. She was very grateful, and
invited us to come back this week to help paint and possibly have
dinner. I am so glad the Xenia ward members were such a big help. We
have an awesome ward here. 300 active members, and lots of kingdom
builders.
Also Saturday night, was the ward
chili cook off. Lots of our investigators came and the members were
great about fellow shipping them. The same less active whom we had
helped move earlier that day, came to the cook off with her nonmember
son. I have great hopes for that family.
Another
highlight from this last week was another part member/less active
family. In fact it was last year when I was here that I met them and
they began bringing their son to scouts every week (however they have
yet to come to church, although they are regularly coming to scouts). We
met with the father, a British guy with an awesome accent, after he
dropped off his son for scouts. We sat down in the chapel and talked
with him about his family. He really wants to get back into church and
raise his family in it but his wife is holding them back. The spirit was
almost tangible as he expressed his desire to bring his family here. I
invited him to say a kneeling prayer in the chapel for his family, and
for the first time in 1 year, he said a vocal prayer which has become
one of the greatest prayers I have ever heard. He plead with God that
his family would come. I also have great hopes for this family.
There is lots of work to do, the field is white, time to reap with your might.
I love you, happy b-day Cameron, and congratulations.
Love,
Elder Beutler
p.s.
my back is improving, I have been strengthening my back muscles through
specific exercises in the morning as suggested by a doctor in the ward
and it is helping substantially.
