Monday, May 25, 2015

Farewell to the Great Ohio. . . my home. 

It is hard to say how I feel, as I write this email. I believe the best way I can describe it is I feel numb. It has been hard to recognize my feelings because there seem to be so many mixed emotions here. I do not know whether to laugh or to cry. I don't understand how I feel, I just know it is hard, hard to even imagine that all this will end. I can not even imagine what a regular day is like outside of the mission because this has been all that has mattered for the last 2 years: Wake up, show up, and find my purpose. 

On this mission, I have come to learn my mission in life, which is not only to make it back to live with Heavenly Father and Christ, but to in reality become like my Savior and feel comfortable in his presence. Every day is a day to become. . . there is never a point of perfection, a point where we can sit on the back pew and simply listen and not act, a point where we no longer have to become. I know that we have divine potential and it takes lots of work, but in the end we will see our Savior "as he is and be purified as he is pure." Christ made a huge investment in us when he atoned for our sins, not only a huge favor for us. We must strive to be devoted disciples of Christ. A full purpose missionary will become a full purpose member because it is the same purpose, "invite others to come unto Christ by helping them receive the restored gospel through faith in Jesus Christ and his Atonement, repentance, baptism, receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end." 

Having witnessed so many miracles on my mission, and having numerous confirmations from the spirit, my testimony is simply that we have a friend in our Savior, Jesus Christ. This is his work, and he we will lead it if we will let him. There is nothing that will bring us closer to Christ than the Book of Mormon, for it is true and it is from God to us. His church stands, and it will never fall. The greatest amount of happiness in this life and in the world to come, comes from consecration to our Father in Heaven. When we give our all, we will find that we gain more than we can ever give. We surrender and we find a victory. The mission has taught me how to be a devoted disciple of Christ, with and without the name tag, and I hope to help Him in any way I can in this great cause. 

How grateful I am to have served here in this great Ohio. This is my mission! "Everything I am and everything I hope to be, came to me on this 24 month portal to the rest of my life." I truly have gained more than I could ever give. For shall we not go on in so great a cause? There is nothing out there that could bring greater happiness and Joy that seeing our brothers and sisters come unto Christ, on both sides of the veil.

I love you all, I love my mission, and I love my Savior Jesus Christ!

Elder Beutler