Greetings from the Great OCM!
This
week, the blessings of the Lord have been poured out on us here in the
great Ohio. Many of the new people found in the last couple weeks have
begun to progress in this great gospel, and the forecast looks "wet." I
wish I could put into words what we experience daily here as the Lord's
full time missionaries.
This Sunday, we were greatly
looking forward to getting someone new to church (who has not been yet). We had it all locked in and planned Saturday night. He had a ride,
someone to sit by, it was perfect. Then Sunday morning everything
changed. . . As the adversary usually does, he never makes it easy to
get someone to church, knowing full well that it is a necessary and big
step on the road to baptism. The member cancelled on us, the person he
was going to sit by was not going to make it, and with just over an hour
before the church service began it seemed nearly impossible to get him
there. But the Lord provided away, in a last second scramble of phone
calls, and we were able to get this man to church!
Sunday for
missionaries, is game-day. Everything throughout the week builds up to
the time that investigators will come to church. We teach, invite, and
hope and pray that they will come knowing full well the importance of
it. If our investigators do not attend church, than baptism will mean
nothing. They will be baptized and then never be able to make it to the
temple because of a lack of testimony with coming to church. It is
absolutely essential to insure that they will come, and continue to come
to church.
I often marvel, now towards the end of my
missionary service, how wonderful it has all been and the many marvelous
blessings that have come to both me, and my family at home. I have no
regrets looking back, having strived every single day to wake up, show
up, and find my purpose. I have sought every day to change myself to be a
more consecrated missionary and disciple of Christ. The blessings are
there, the promises the Lord has given me he has kept, and there has
been nothing that has blessed my life more than this short amount of
time I have spent here in the great Ohio. The thought of leaving this
place troubles my mind. I am not yet ready to find a new home.
Love,
Elder Beutler
p.s.
Mothers Day: Skyping home; Sunday @ around 7 (my time) so. . . . around
5 (Utah time). Will need Cari's computer. I look forward to "bring you
to the mission field" with the short time I have to Skype. It will be a
small stepping stone between Skyping home and seeing you in person at
the end of this month.
