Update on Transfers: I
am staying in Xenia for the Holidays with Elder Patch! Thank goodness. I
am really looking forward to this transfer because we are teaching some
amazing people!
Elder Perkins: Yes Elder
Perkins came to the mission and spoke to us yesterday. He actually gave
me a personal interview as well prior to the training he gave. He
interviewed a few random missionaries so that he could gauge the needs
of the mission and what he needed to say in his remarks. I love him! He
wanted to be an architect before he changed his major so we talked about
that for a while. I was really amazed that he did not know what he was
going to train on until the meeting began, he just follows the spirit
and does an excellent job at it. Some of my favorite "take-aways" were
his stories about working with the quorum of the twelve apostles. He
would give us little glimpses of who the apostles are on a day to day
basis. They are so busy, yet I can tell from what Elder Perkins told us
that they love this work and are doing everything they possibly can to
Hasten the Work of Salvation. One experience he gave was about how the
apostles assign mission calls. A long time ago in conference someone
gave a talk about it, and Elder Perkins experience was very similar, but
with a little more insight: The apostle giving the call has a screen in
front of them where the picture of the future missionary, and their
home ward comes onto the screen. That is it. They don't see if we have
learned a foreign language, or any other experiences to persuade the
call. There are a variety of different ways the calls are given.
Sometimes the apostle will name the mission right off the top of his
head, sometimes the apostle will feel like the future missionary should
serve in a particular country and he will then analyze the missions in
the country until he feels inspired towards one of them, and sometimes
the apostle will say "this missionary needs a very special mission
president" and he will review the list of mission presidents until the
revelation comes. This happens about every 25 seconds. Elder Perkins
related his experience that he sat next to one of the twelve and
witnessed them give mission calls. He said that as the pictures would
come onto the screen, he too would receive revelation concerning where
that missionary was to be called and every single time, the apostle
would call them to that mission. This went on for 3 and a half hours.
Every call, every missionary, both he and the Apostle giving the call
would receive the same revelation for where the missionaries were to
serve. Missions he had never heard of before would come into his head,
The Lord does call us to specific missions.
He
gave a variety of different training throughout the day Monday, some
were about our purpose as missionaries, others were about teaching
simply and teaching people, not lessons. It was a revelatory experience
as we sat and heard him train and speak. President Daines as well gave
very inspiring words throughout the training. I really do love serving
around President. I am almost overwhelmed at the love the leaders of
this church have for a bunch of 18-20 year old missionaries.
The
work is progressing in Xenia and the adversary is stepping up his game
as well. The sheer amount of opposition that investigators and
missionaries receive is one of the greatest witnesses to me of the truth
and divinity of the message we share. We have an awesome family that
did not come to church because literally minutes before church, when
their kids were dressed and ready to go, something happened that
prevented them from coming. This family will be baptized! I can feel it.
I want them to go to the temple so badly! We just have to work through
this "mist of darkness" that is present when anyone begins investigating
the gospel. It is outright ridiculous what the adversary will do to
keep people from progressing. The good thing about this war though is we
already know who is going to win. In order to be a missionary who does
not get discouraged by all this opposition you must have faith in Jesus
Christ. When your faith lies in results, you will time and time again be
disappointed, but when Your faith is in Christ, you will never fail.
(training from President Daines)
This morning,
we had an appointment with a potential family (husband and wife) and we
were able to go into their home and teach the restoration. It was so
powerful, they accepted it, it made sense to them because the spirit was
there to make sense of it. The gospel makes so much sense unlike these
other doctrines of man that are in other religions. I look forward to
this family making it to the temple as well in the future, and I pray
that they will overcome the opposition that comes their way.
When
teaching the gospel of Jesus Christ it is never a matter of if the
opposition will come, it is only a matter of when and if they are strong
enough to face it. You can guarantee that the opposition will come to
everyone who truly wants to know the truth. It really is a battle. At
some point in everyone's conversion they have to face this opposition,
whether raised in the church or being introduced by it. I am talking
specifically about the many misconceptions, negative history, or other anti-Mormon tools used by the adversary. The best way to overcome this
is when these seemingly controversial things are introduced by
missionaries, parents, and other priesthood leaders before it is
presented by the great deceiver. And then they should be addressed by
the spirit, and personal testimony.
In
conclusion the Savior lives and this is his gospel, and the adversary
lives and will fight against it until the day he is finally defeated.
Satan hates Joseph Smith, he hates the restored church, and he hates
everyone who has or will try to find it.
next
preparation day will be on Tuesday I believe, due to a Christmas
devotional on Monday (which I have to sing at). I love you and wish you a
merry Christmas!
#Sharethegift
Love,
Elder Beutler
