December 23, 2013

 

A little p-day fun

 

 

Dear Everyone,

Merry Christmas to all of you!

 

This has been a good week of GOOD hahah. SO much has taken place that I can not even begin to think where to start. Well I will start with something that has really helped me out this week. It is a pattern of thinking and preparing that can be found in almost every aspect of life and when it is applied there is no way that you can be unprepared! It goes like this: 1. Review, 2.Discuss (step 1 and 2 help you obtain a vision of what needs to be done and what your standing is) next 3. Set goals, 4. Make plans. When you apply these 4 simple steps to something that you want to accomplish (whether it is preparing to teach, teaching, cooking, cleaning....whatever) you will be successful. You may think that you do these things already (so did I) but once you take the time to do it step by step you change the way you perform! 

Some of the blessings that I have received this past week range from finding people that have been prepared and led right into my lap (this may be my favorite missionary experience/feeling that we missionaries get to experience) all the way to an amazing turn out at our first annual Christmas caroling event. This week we found two very solid investigators that we met with and taught. We taught them a "new way" that was shown to us by the Head of Proselyting at Zone Leader Council. It works like a charm when applied and prepared correctly! It uploads the Spirit as opposed to downloading the doctrine! That is the key to success as a missionary.

The two people we found this week that are prepared are both Native American and have some strong ties already to the church! They have had their hearts softened to the message of the Restoration. I have no doubt in my mind that they were just waiting for my companion and I to learn how to "really teach" the Restoration by the Spirit. We found one of them while shoveling snow. Ok a little background to this story. The day before our HUGE blizzard I prayed and asked for it to snow like crazy so that I would be able to know if there was someone that needed to be found by us shoveling or doing service. Well that prayer was answered!!! The other investigator we found by shoveling snow as well. God is really aware of us and sometimes allows us the opportunity to look forward with a perfect eye of Faith! :)

I am sorry that I do not have more time to explain and answer all your questions but I hope to be able to talk with most of you and answer questions as we are skyping! I love you all and pray for you everyday! I just pray that the Spirit may be always with you to keep you in the right path!

Love,

Elder Bevan

 

 

 

Yes I am in my slacks and everything :) 

 December 16, 2013

Dear Everyone,

This has been the fastest week of my entire life. There has been a little bit of everything! To start this week off we had a blizzard that pretty much blew us away. My companion and I were on exchanges with the Zone Leaders when it happened (of course) so all four of us were cooped up in our little apartment for the day. Of course, we did not stay cooped up for too long. We had a little bit of fun in the snow but after things started to clear up and the roads were plowed we went back to work. As we were driving to do some (last minute) finding in Angola I received a call from the Assistants to the President (APs). They invited me to Zone Leader council all the way down in Rochester that next morning! This is really weird for a few reasons #1 because I am a district leader #2 because there were only three other district leaders asked to go. Anyways it worked out perfectly because I was already with the Zone Leaders and all I had to do was pack my stuff and head out! Sounds simple, right? Well, not really because the storm came back as we were driving to Rochester (which normally is a 2 1/2 hour drive). The drive ended up taking close to 4 hours! We could only go about 20 mph for most of it because we could not see anything! We did however see our fair share of accidents. They seemed to follow us all the way to Rochester.

 

After we finally arrived, all of the Zone leaders (and the 3 other district leaders) slept at the mission home. It was a pretty fun night. The next morning was the interesting part however...we were on our way to the meeting when all of the sudden we went through the intersection and got T-Boned!! It was a pretty unreal experience.... Mostly because none of us felt anything when the Van hit us and it was probably going at least 30 mph. To add on to that, the truck we were in had minimal damage. Talk about a miracle. We were definitely watched out for and preserved for a good reason.

 

 It is safe to say that we experienced a lot of opposition on our way to this meeting. Maybe because it was one of the most insightful and uplifting meetings I have had. It has changed the way I look at missionary work. We learned a lot of information about physical things and spiritual things pertaining to missionary work. I wish I had a way of showing it to you through email but that would be impossible. However if we will just BE STILL and trust in God all that He has in store for us will happen. I have had many experiences this week that I believe are preparing me for what is to come.

As you can tell I spent a lot of time away (3 days total because of inclement weather) from my companion. This made our week a lot less productive in our actual area but we have the tools now to make it better than it ever could have been before. Good things are happening in this area. Many hearts (both member and nonmember) are being prepared and we are being led to those who are ready to receive. I am so grateful that I do not have to shoulder alone all of my responsibilities.

 

Life is good and I am happy. What more could you ask for? I have a strong testimony that this is the last time that our Father in Heaven will send us out to prepare the vineyard for His coming. We need to watch and pray always for ways that we can fulfill our responsibilities as His servants. 

O be wise; what can I say more? Jacob 6:12

Love you all! Have a merry merry  CHRISTmas season

Elder Bevan

December 9, 2013

 

Dear Everyone,

It has been a rewarding week! We had such great success finding people and teaching them! We have been blessed exceedingly. If I had to choose a part of missionary work that I liked the best and felt was the most rewarding...I would probably say finding new people after following an impression from the Holy Ghost. There is nothing better than that.

 

Some other cool things that happened this week.... This week for district meeting I gave a training on Success and setting Goals. At first I was a little timid about this one because we had something similar the other month for a Zone Meeting. However I felt impressed to give it this week. So I did and it went really well. We were able to even set some District Goals. Which I feel, will allow God to work more powerfully through us. The goal involves us opening our mouths and teaching which will help us find more people and increase the Baptisms in this area. Back to the District meeting...we had an awesome experience setting goals and discussing what success really was. Following this, in our next Branch Council meeting, we received a letter from the Stake Presidency that said we needed to set goals to increase the number of converts and bring more people back to activity. Ironically enough we also talked all about what success was. It was a pretty sweet experience to feel the Spirit testify and give me a witness after the trial of my Faith that I was led by the Spirit. God is good. 

On to the bad news...I have been pretty itchy this past week all over my ankles...yeah you know what that means...FLEAS. I realized this while I was reading the ensign a little bug hopped onto the page I was reading. I tried squishing it, well, they are pretty tough boogers to squish! When I did it squirted blood all over. I guess it had a good snack. I would say that I was pretty grossed out and scared to sleep in my bed but I really was not bothered too bad, I must be pretty by the time I get home or something. We have not yet found a solution to the problem so until then I will have to deal with the itch. We are thinking one of those bug bombs!? Aside from that all is well. I am rolling with the punches as they come and learning a lot about my Savior and His plan for me. I sometimes get a little nervous about the future and what challenges are ahead but the phrase Be Still and Know that I Am God comes into my head. Sometimes we need to just be still and know that He has a plan and it is one of EXTREME Happiness.

I love you all!

Elder Bevan

P.S. Shout out to My Fellow Sister! I was pretty excited for her when I heard that she received her VISA (Christmas Present:) GOD is Good! Am I right?

December 2, 2013

Dear Everyone,

Happy late Thanksgiving!! It has been an awesome week. I loved getting all of your emails about what you did and seeing how much fun you had! That was something I was really thankful for this week. MY FAMILY! I am not going to lie I missed being at home and having a thanksgiving with family but only for about 2 seconds haha. We were so busy this week that there was no time to feel homesick or anything like it. So I will tell you a little bit of what happened around Turkey Day. So in the morning before we had our feast we had District Meeting which was really great! (I still stress over them every week and even get a little nervous but it is good practice for me!) After District Meeting we went over to a members house for a thanksgiving feast! She is a recent convert of about 2 weeks! She is pretty awesome and reminds me a lot of mom (because they have the same RED HAIR). It was a great time but we did not spend a lot of time there. We promptly left the meal and went about doing the Lord's work. 

My companion and some other elders had an idea to go around and shovel snow for people as a way of finding new people to teach (Shovel tracting). This was a way awesome experience! I do not know if it was because of thanksgiving or what, but people seemed to love us!!! (maybe because we were shoveling a foot of snow out of their yards?) It seemed like everywhere we went we found a warm welcome and an invitation to come in and have hot chocolate and pie! It may have been one of the happiest tracting experiences I have had :). We found 2 new investigators because of it and 2 or 3 others with some REAL potential. It is amazing what can happen when you go around and just DO GOOD. I think people were more open because they felt more like they were working with us as opposed to us working ON them. It is so important to see people as your family and to treat them as such. I know as a member of a family that I do not like being told what to do but would rather work with someone and learn from their example.

This week was also the week of our long awaited FIRESIDE!!! It was so much work to put together! I prayed a ton and stressed even more, for about 2 weeks, creating a presentation that would be easy to understand and invite the Spirit. We planned on this fireside being directed toward nonmembers and encouraging members to invite their friends. Well it worked! Our prayers and efforts were answered with an outpouring of the Spirit. It was nothing but the Grace of God that allowed this to come together so perfectly. We, along with the Sisters, (from Orchard Park) were able to teach the Restoration in a way that involved the people and taught them the most important message that, we as missionaries, have to share. The greatest thing that resulted from our efforts was that the people who needed to hear this message came to the fireside! We had planned, of course, on having all of our investigators come (we have about 21 investigators) and only 1 came. Of course we were disappointed but, come to find out, the Lord had different plans. What I came to realize was that the members needed to hear this message more than anyone else in this area. They were the ones that needed the light of this wonderful message in their lives. For the sole purpose that, they could have something to share with their friends. We also needed to gain their trust and support in moving this work along. The only way this was ever going to happen was for them to see us in action. 

I have really been strengthened this week to do more than I could ever hope or aspire to do on my own. I know that this was only possible because of the Atonement of Jesus Christ. His ability to overcome all things has added strength to my physical capacities as well as my emotional, and Spiritual and has led all my trials to be swallowed up in the Joy of Christ just like Alma says in Alma 31:38 And the Lord provided for them that they should hunger not, neither should they thirst; yea, and he also gave them strength, that they should suffer no manner of afflictions, save it were swallowed up in the joy of Christ.Now this was according to the prayer of Alma; and this because he prayed in faith. I know that things are true and that we are able to overcome all things if we can just recognize our dependence on our Brother Jesus Christ and ask Him in Faith to strengthen us. 

I hope you all have a great week and really prepare yourself for this wonderful CHRISTMAS season! I am so excited for CHRISTmas! By the way...we just found out that our whole mission is getting together for Christmas eve and having a day long "event" (aka party) I am very excited but not as excited as I am to teach and testify! :)

Thanks again!

Love you all,

Elder Bevan

11/25/13

Dear Everyone,

  

Driving in the snow - 10 & 2

Life is good, REALLY GOOD. I don't think I have ever planned so much in my entire life or thought so much about things that are coming up. The things that I have been thinking about are "good things" so don't be thinking I am distracted. My district has been planning a way to get the members more involved, as you all know by now. We have been really trying to get these members fired up! We have been thinking of ways to do this and we have come up with a few ideas, with the help of the Branch President. The first and foremost plan that we have established is a monthly missionary fireside put on by the missionaries. We are planning on teaching the members and their friends the basic doctrines and principles of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. In a sense we will be giving them a motivational talking to haha. We (the missionaries) have created a powerpoint that is going to rock their world and really help them and their friends understand the WHY'S of us "MORMONS". So, if you were wondering, that is what has taken over a good majority of my thinking and planning time. I am not going to lie it has been pretty stressful trying to prepare and teach something so vast in such a short period of time but also giving enough time on the important principles. Thank goodness it is not up to me to convert these people!

 

Some of you (mom and dad) may know that I never really took a lot of time or thought to planning. I sort of just did things as they came, for example a math or english test, a date (not always! sorry girls...who needs to plan or study? Well, I did not need to, until I became a missionary. When it comes to teaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ you had better be prepared! However all we have to do is put enough time and effort into obtaining truths so that the Holy Ghost can testify and do the hard work! I can already tell that this fireside is going to be a real success. The biggest reason why that is, is because we are having some Site Sisters come down and teach the Restoration part of the first discussion. For some reason people just like the Sisters better! hahah That's ok...they need the attention :) 

Aside from the madness of this fireside we have been doing our best work when it comes helping people come unto Christ (and by "our best work" I mean following the promptings of the Holy Ghost and doing the will of Heavenly Father because this is not "our work" at all!!). The Spirit is so important to have in this work. For example it is really "the power" in missionary work, because "we of ourselves could do nothing" to move this work along. However when the Spirit is present we can do anything. There is nothing better than being a hand tool for the God of Israel. The Spirit for example has changed the heart of our investigator. They are ready for baptism and will be baptized Dec. 14th instead of Dec. 1st. The experience I have had while teaching has been amazing. I have been there since the very first lessons and have been able to teach everything and see the change! I always thought that missionaries played a big role in the conversion process of investigators but that is not the case. Sure the investigators may learn to love you but the real change takes place as they develop a relationship with their Heavenly Father on their own time and in their own way! That is what makes all the difference in a person. All we have to do is give them enough of the light that is in us, which can only be given if we have it, so that way they can start their own personal journey to Christ. It has been a tender mercy to be a part of something so life changing. 

It has definitely been a week to remember and that is the truth! It is funny the way that God works because just last week I was studying a lot about remembering and how important it is. It is even said by the Prophet President Kimball "that the most important word in the dictionary is REMEMBER". So, I was grateful for this tender mercy. That God would prepare me, before hand, to get the most I possibly could out of this week. It seems like the more we remember and think back on our lives the more we learn and the more we see the "significant but subtle blessings" as Elder Bednar would say. I encourage all of you to look back on some of the blessings or tender mercies you have received recently and to think about what God did to prepare you to receive them. What better time of year to do this than at thanksgiving. I know the more we remember the more we are grateful for what we have been given, no matter what our circumstances may be!

Love, 

Elder Bevan 

 

This isn't what your mom mean't , when she said,

"You need to eat what you kill".

November 18, 2013

Hello from NEW YORK!

Hope everyone is doing well and that no one is discouraged. There is no reason to be. This work is moving along and things are happening! It seems like every week, this past month we have been having amazing Spiritual Meetings. This week it was Stake Conference, and man is this area ready to flourish. There is an effectual door being opened and we are right in the midst of it! I say this because of some of the signs that I have seen this week. A lot of good signs and some bad. It was said that "the more our forces for good grow, the more the forces for bad will work on the good". Some of the things that happened this week are proof! 

Last night after having such an amazing conference a massive storm rolled in. We were sitting down planning when everything just went dark. We lost everything. We had no power, no water, nothing. It was kind of like camping yesterday :) Luckily it was not too cold outside so we did not freeze! 

 

 My companion and others in my district, bowling. The Elder to my left looks like Mel Gibson.

The Elder on the end to my right looks like Joaquin Phoenix,

and we call my companion smalls...sometimes :)

 

We went to the lake and got caught in a huge wind storm.



 

You can seem how hard that wind was blowing!!!

 



We have some good news about one of our investigators! Jessica has officially decided to be baptized and will be baptized Dec. 7th!!! I was so happy to hear that she had committed and was willing to do whatever it takes and let me tell you it is going to take a lot with all that her ex-husband puts her through. We had an interesting experience with this "relationship" while moving. Jessica's husband kicked her and her two boys out and would not let them get any of their stuff (left them out in the cold). They were unable to do anything until the divorce was final. Well it was official this Saturday so we volunteered to help her move. Little did we know what the outcome would be. We get there and find out that there needs to be a policeman there supervising while they break into the house (because he changed the locks). Anyways that was exciting. After about 30 mins her ex shows up and of course since it is the first week of deer season he has to have a gun! He starts walking promptly to us gun in hand! Luckily the cop was there to pull him aside while we finished moving. It got a little intense but for some strange reason I was never worried at all. I just felt really bad for Jessica and all she had to go through and all that she will still have to endure. However Good always triumphs evil because no matter how bad the odds seem there are more people on our side than we could ever imagine.

I personally know that all that has happened this week, good or bad, was for the moving forward of God's work. I have learned a lot and when I felt like I was not progressing I turned to the words of the prophets and immediately found the comfort and strength I needed to rise up again and again. There is such strength in knowing who we are and having our eyes set on Eternal Goals. When we do this there is nothing that we can not overcome.

We have been doing a lot of brainstorming and planning (thinking outside the box) and have come up with a lot of great, inspired ideas on how to get people more involved and move the work along. We are going to be starting with a Missionary Fireside December 1st that will get this work moving. I just want to urge all of you to really pray. Not just say prayers but pray to our Father in Heaven. We have a responsibility as His Children to know the mind and will of Him concerning ourselves. Always be worthy of the Spirit, Pray and ask for it, Listen to it, and Heed its promptings promptly. If we do this we will surely have Eternal Life!

Love,

Elder Bevan

Instead of Spiders in our new place we catch mice :)

Dear Everyone,

If I have anything to say I would have to say that I am learning! And learning sure is necessary in order to be an effective missionary. I have so much that I want to say! I will start off with Zone Conference. It was such a great Zone Conference this past week. I really feel they get better every time. We learned a lot especially from the stake president who came and addressed all of the missionaries in the buffalo stake. He is a man full of Prophecy and Revelation. This area is really on the verge of exploding with missionary work. We (the wards/branches) are constantly getting letters from the first presidency saying to do more and work harder because there are people ready! It is so exciting. We have been really trying to get the members involved and motivated. I have learned a lot for myself about the way we really get people to do things and...It is out of love. Unless someone can act out of love there is no point in acting. We really have to apply Moroni 7:48 into our lives and Pray with all energy of heart for charity! Then we can obtain success! Some of the things that I wrote down from Zone Conference were goals or acronyms the stake president gave for us to apply and teach. They are: CTR Conversion Temple Rescue, ETTE Endure to the Endowment. Also President Francis made us a really cool promise this Conference he told us that if we will be Faithful and diligent some time in our mission we will take some from baptism all the way to the temple! I can not wait for that day. I do not know if there could be a happier thing in this world to be a part of! 

A little update on the area...We are officially working with Jessica to have a baptism date. She is finally divorced and moved out and is now able to set a date!! We also have found 4 new investigators that are really prepared to receive the message of the Restoration. All they need to do now is to "Try the virtue of the word of God" Alma 31:5. We also had some snow last night. We got 5 inches which was pretty fun to drive in:) I am not really the most experienced winter driver but thankfully I got some good practice drifting at the go kart racing place (thanks Dad!!) hahah I am just teasing. I am a really safe driver especially after my ticket ;) 

Elder Hadley and I are getting along just fine. we have our differences but so is life. We have the same goals and are working in unity. As long as we have that we are unstoppable and God can really utilize us. I have been so blessed and can't thank Heavenly Father enough. Luckily all we have to do is to keep the commandments :)

Remember we must be Brave and to be brave we must have perfect love, which "perfect Love" casteth out all Fear! :) 

Kneel down and pray for missionary opportunities and pray for charity and they will come in a way that feels natural! I promise!

Thanks for all your love! 

Elder BEVAN 

November 4, 2013

Dear Everyone,

All is well in Cattaraugus. My companion and I have been doing really well together. Not without some divine guidance. We have been really focusing on always having the Holy Ghost to be our guide, in all phases of the work. It has been some of the most peaceful times yet probably because when the Holy Ghost is near that is just what happens. 

Don't go thinking that nothing bad has happened because that would be down right outlandish. The work is moving a long and people's hearts are softening. They are not quite softening at the pace that I have in mind but I know they are being softened according to God's will. I have really come to know that God's thoughts are not my thoughts and that His ways are not My ways! Talk about an important lesson to learn. 

We have our new senior couple this week! The McNeils they are from New Mexico. This is their 6th mission! They have served a lot of them on Indian Reservations so this is going to be a perfect fit for them. The other elders in my district are doing really well! They are really stirring the pot down in Gowanda New York ahaha. That is something missionaries in Western New York are really good at. I am not sure if that is because nobody likes us or because we are starting to have a lot of success or both? Who knows. All I know is no unhallowed hand can stop the work from progressing!

The leaves are almost gone and the cold air is finally here! We have had snow fluries but still have not quite had anything stick! 

I am sorry for the short email today but there is just so much going on today! 

Thanks for all of your emails and support I am glad to see the family is doing well!

Love,

Elder Bevan

October 21, 2013

Dear Everyone,

Another TRANSFER!!! 

First things first. The Progress in our area has been a little slow this week. Especially since two of the days we had to move out of our apartment by ourselves, into the (previous) Senior couples place. We also had to clean like I have never cleaned before! It was gruesome and exhausting. I am really thankful that is all done with. On top of that we (Elder Wood and I) had to make 130 Navajo Tacos for the youth Super Saturday. We got volunteered because Elder Wood is a pretty good cook and used to sell fry bread back home! So we spent all day Saturday making Fry Bread! I still smell like those dang things!

 

So when we did have time to do "real" missionary work we had some pretty good success! We taught our most progressing investigator and it went really well. She has agreed to fast and pray about setting a date for baptism! So I think we will be having another baptism sometime this month! I am super excited for her! Her name is Jessica, she is Polish and has had some rough times, she is in the process of separating from her husband with her two boys (5 and 7 yrs). She is very sincere and knows the Church is true! I really can't complain about not having success because I have been blessed so much since I have been out here. Success is a Gift from God, given when we prove ourselves worthy of it. 

I also had a lot of crazy things happen this week. By crazy things I mean Miracles. One of the miracles was while I was on an exchange with Elder Ivie. We were trying talk to a member about setting up a time for dinner that day. Of course the service on the Rez is terrible so it dropped our call! So we pulled into the first driveway we found, to turn around, and as we were about to flip around some man starts walking toward us. My initial thought was "great we chose the wrong driveway! Now we get to get yelled at by some big Indian." Well that was not the case! We rolled down our window to hear what he had to say. The first words that came out of his mouth were "Elders! I knew you would come!" Haha talk about a shocker! We just kind of went along with it and said "oh yeah, of course!" We asked him what his name was and found out a little more about him. It was a very interesting conversation considering the fact that he thought someone had told us to stop by or something like that. It was the strangest thing. As we drove away Elder Ivie and just started laughing at how we were both scared that we would get yelled at. It just goes to show that we really should not judge people, the Lord works in very Mysterious ways, and that when we are on the Lord's errand we have nothing to be afraid of! It was a powerful experience!

This week was the last week of this transfer! I can not even believe that I am on my 6th transfer! We got the transfer calls last night and I found out that I will be getting a new companion! Elder Hadley. I guess he is from Mesa, AZ? I guess President wants to keep the Arizona boys together to keep them safe from the Utah boys haha or something like that....

Along with this transfer "thing" that is happening I am a little nervous (more unsure than nervous) about how things will go without Elder Wood, my indian peacemaker with me! Elder Hadley has only been out for 1 month! So it is going to be an interesting but awesome experience! 

We are supposed to get our first official snow this week as well! I am trying to be optimistic  :) it will be easier now that I have my big winter Jacket! (Thanks Mom and Dad!) 

Well keep praying for Missionary Experiences! They will come and you will be blessed! 

Love

Elder Bevan

October 15, 2013

Dear Everyone,

It has been a hectic week for me. I have had a lot of events that were very irregular. One of these irregular events was an exchange with the Zone leaders. I am not sure if the purpose of these exchanges are for my benefit or for my district but I sure needed a break from my regular routine. I believe  this exchange was refreshing for me because I was not having to be the sole motivator and could really just focus on doing missionary work. I sometimes get a little overwhelmed when it comes to my companion not wanting to dig in. However, after the exchange was over there was a new attitude that attended our companionship. It was such a blessing for me. 

Preparation Day - Fishing at a members house

I have been studying a lot this week about breaking off your sins/weaknesses through righteousness. I even had this great district meeting planned out and everything but like I said earlier this week was a fiasco. Our senior couple goes home tomorrow and they were part of the problem when it came time for district meeting. They have been really awesome and helpful but boy were they trunky! It was almost hard to be around them because they were so ready to go hahah. That is something I do not want to be like when it comes time for me to go. 

We had another funeral this week...everyone is dying! There have been about 12 deaths within the past month! Maybe this is the Lord preparing some people to hear our message? That was another "thing" to add to this week since We...the missionaries...are the worker bees of this branch. Ryan told me that he was always helping people move...well we are always burying people!! 

Aside from all of this the missionary work is going along at a slow pace. We are working on a few people right now to get them into the waters of baptism, but however much I would love to spoon feed them everything that they need. I can't. I am just praying for their hearts to be softened unto repentance! The important thing is that we keep teaching and finding!

Palmyra Temple Grounds

I did not even tell you half of the craziness of this week but to add on to it I will be finishing up my exchanges with my district this week! I get to go down to Gowanda. I am really looking forward to it! There are a lot of challenges that come from leadership positions but the joy comes once we are able to minister and to serve those that we are responsible for. Keep me in your prayers :) I am so grateful for all of you! 

Love,

Elder Bevan

October 7, 2013

Dear Everyone, 

I hope that I will be able to say all that I have in mind to say and that I will also be able to answer any other questions you may have.  The weather here is very inconsistent, it is really cold and windy one day and hot and muggy the other, this goes along with the people as well. 

I have been asking myself what more can be done to move this work along. After many experiences this week I have learned to be grateful for the little battles that are won. I will tell you of the little battles that were won this week. The first battle that I had to over come was District Meeting. I have not yet mastered the art of feeling 100% comfortable with teaching. However, this is a good feeling because it humbles me and then I am able to have and feel the Spirit work through me. It was a good district meeting I know this because I was jotting down mental notes as I was teaching and testifying. 

The second battle came as we were teaching this lady who has a lot of questions and concerns. After applying the Preach My Gospel section on Concerns she was finally able to move on. This principle was put perfectly into words when President Thomas S. Monson quoted Abraham Lincoln about winning someone to your cause! (Check it out). The third battle came while trying to resolve problems with my companion...I had a lot of questions on what I should do and even more on how I should go about doing them! Lets just say things happen at a certain time for a reason.I say this because after all these challenges arose I was able to sit down in a monthly interview with President Francis and he gave an assignment to look for answers in Conference. Well this not only resolved my questions but it built my testimony of the power of inspiration given to those that speak at General Conference. I had written down 11 questions or concerns I wanted to have answered and all of the questions were addressed individually. It was just perfect. 

I have so much to say about conference, I would even go far enough to say I have too much to say! The over all theme that I felt kept coming up throughout all of the sessions was love. Whether it was love of God or of all mankind. It made me think about Jesus Christ and how he overcame the world through love and isn't that why we have Apostles and Prophets? They are here to help us in our path home by overcoming the ills of this world! I can tell you that they have shown me the way and the way is Jesus Christ and His Gospel. After one of the sessions I was reading the scriptures and pondering about one of the messages and I thought of this little saying that I have heard so often "It does not matter what you know but who you know" I thought about that and it is so true. That person that we need to know is Jesus Christ! So I took the liberty to add to that saying, "It does not matter what you know, but who you know, and what you know about Him". If we can just understand this more deeply what this really means to "learn of Him" we will never depart from the path home and our burdens truly will be taken away.

As for those that I am teaching we are having little progression, but like I said before you have to learn to recognize the little victories in order to really be prepared and worthy for the big ones. We have a lot of hope for one of our investigators. Her name is Jessica and she is in a tough spot with her husband. They are separated but now back together/separated again. It is tough, but she watched conference on Sunday and Loved it! The coolest part was when she was listening to the Prophet. Since she is a Jehovahs Witness she knows a lot about Prophets. After hearing the words of a true and living Prophet she was dumbfounded (for lack of a better term). She told us afterwards that she did not want conference to end and that she wished President Monson would have spoke more. She is making big leaps towards following Jesus Christ. We are so excited for the Faith and Testimony she is gaining! 

We may not be making a big difference when it comes to outward appearance but I have learned that not too many people wear their hearts on their sleeves especially in a world that we live in now. It is important to never get discouraged and to be steadfast in the Faith that we have. This Church is so true we must begin to plant the seed of Faith into the hearts of those around us and be patient and let the Lord succor His people. 

Well Cattaraugus is doing well colorful leaves are in no short supply. Trees are the most abundant resource Western New York has aside from dead opossums :) ahaha the leaves are falling and winter is coming. I am pretty excited to shovel the snow :) 

Thanks so much for all of your emails and letters. I am so lucky and have never felt without support! I am so blessed.

Love,

Elder Bevan

P.S. Mom we did watch Conference at the Church. And nope we did not get a dinner appointment but we went around bugging the members till they fed us ahaha :)

9/30/2013

Dear Everyone,

There is a lot going on right now in the Cattaraugus Branch! We have just about picked all of the apples out of our orchard. Talk about a lot of work especially because when we picked them it was pooring rain! However all the work was well worth it because from it came a lot of good. We are working with quite a few Less Active members and are really doing our best to get them involved and this event was perfect. 

We have been stirring a lot of pots (figuratively) and doing our best to get a lot of the stagnant members back into the circle of activity. To this point we have been without a lot of success but we had an awesome specialized training from President Francis which was just what we needed. It was centered on the Atonement but what really stood out to me was an analogy of a basketball player measuring his success as he went along practicing and how with each shot he would "see it go through". That was exactly what we needed to hear and do. 

We have been talking to a lot of people and working really hard but people don't change overnight and they definitely won't change if they are not held accountable. If you can't tell already, as a missionary you learn some really great life lessons in a shortened period of time. These two years are in a way an incubator for growth if we take advantage of it. I just want to let you know that when you do take advantage of it, it can be extremely rewarding. It is always the little things that are the most motivating. For example the other day we were teaching an in active, part member family who is investigating (re-investigating) the church something really cool happened after we taught...the inactive member (Nadine) said " I want to meet and learn more, sooner, because a week is too long to wait". Little things such as that just keep your fire burning. These little moments only come through our Faithful and Diligent efforts. We have to do the small and simple acts of obedience consistently in order to receive the blessing the Lord has promised us which is that He will encircle us in the arms of His love. These are the moments that I live for as a missionary. Whether they come after a long day of hard work and only one lesson to show for it, or they come after we have prepared ourselves Spiritually  to partake of the Sacrament and then feeling an overwhelming feeling of love, comfort, and peace, they always come! They lift us higher than life itself. 

I had a definite "first" this morning. A member of our branch passed away this weekend and since our branch lacks a lot of committed members, a lot of the responsibilities fall on the missionaries. So we were in charge of this funeral that was going to take place. This morning at about 8 o'clock I had to go out and plot out a grave site in the grave yard behind our building (our building has a graveyard instead of a baseball diamond) so this way the back hoe would know where to dig because last time they dug back there they accidentally dug up two graves.... I was also asked to dedicate the grave site at the Funeral which was a pretty cool experience I must say. All in all this area has been quite interesting when it comes to the things you are asked to do. I have learned a lot in these few weeks that I have been here. Probably more than I could have learned in my last area! So I can now see a little bit of the big picture of why I am here! I am so grateful for the hard times I get to have because boy do I learn a lot from them. I just pray everyday that I can keep this attitude :) 

Thanks for your prayers in my behalf I really do get the blessings!

Love,

Elder Bevan

9/24/13

Dear Everyone,

What a week! I just now realized this week how much God has to teach me and well its pretty overwhelming. I was able to overcome this feeling of being overwhelmed through lots of prayer and fasting. It is good to know that Heavenly Father always provides a way out of a situation it just takes some effort on our part. 

I was most overwhelmed this week by all of the people that we were teaching and their lack of progress. It gets so frustrating especially when you think you are doing all you can to help them. Well God answered my prayers! We decided to go out and to try and find more people we could teach and who would accept the message of the Restoration. This is when the cool experiences started to happen. Since we have had very little luck when it comes to getting refferals either from members or non members we decided we were going to just do all we could do and let the Lord do the rest. 

So we went out and started walking, knocking, and talking to as many people as would hear us. We did this for about 4 hrs. We were in this little town called Farnham and we walked to the very edge of the town knocking on every door along the way. We got to the last few houses and decided since only two people had opened there doors we would do one more house and turn around. So I pointed to a house down the road and said "lets do that one" because there are actually vehicles in the drive way. So we went there and guess what! Some one answered. It was a guy named Guy. We immediately started teaching him about the Restoration and we stopped to see his reaction after we were finished and he just kept staring like he wanted to learn more! So he told us to come on back and we could teach him some more. It was a pretty neat tender mercy that we were able to find him. That after all we could do on the very last house God chose to bless us! 

It is just proof that God really does see the big picture and all we have to do is trust in Him and do all we can and He will accomplish His purposes through us. So when you feel like you don't know why things are happening and you feel like nothing you are doing is working just be patient. The time will come and all will be right. Its also important that we listen to the Promptings/thoughts that come as we are doing our best because if they are good they are from God! 

SO just a side note...I have become quite the singer since I have been out here. I have been in three special musical numbers in my last area and here, my companions and I have sung in church (by ourselves...and in a small mens group for a stake fireside...and now church choir). Not saying I am any good but it is just something I would not have done before my mission. It is weird what kind of stuff you will do while you are out here. What a life :) We are moving the work right along up here in NEW YORK. As my Mission President always says Green Ambition My Whole Mission! Nothing like being one of "those missionaries" that is always pushing the rest! My poor companion gets tugged out of bed a few days out of the week to go watch me run, I sort of feel bad but not really :) I am happier than I have ever been!

Thanks so much for all your birthday wishes! I had an awesome Birthday! 

Love,

Elder Bevan

9/16/13

Dear Everyone,

This has been a really good week to learn and to grow. I sure feel I have been tried and tested and put back in the place where I need to be. I had a rough few days in the beginning of this week but I know it was for my benefit since I was going to be giving my first Training as District Leader. Just another testimony to me that Heavenly Father does see fit to try and test us so that we can be equal to the tasks that are to come. I hope I did an ok job, but if not, I know that the Spirit was there and that's who should be teaching. So my biggest lesson learned came from 1 Corinthians 2:9. There is so much in store for us and all we have to do is Love God and keep his commandments and everything will go just right! 

The real highlight of this week was yesterday! I love Sundays more than any other day. Especially when we have firesides and priesthood meetings. Now before I came out here I don't know if you would have ever heard me say that but I love meetings. Every church meeting we have can be such a Spiritual experience (especially Sacrament Meeting) with the proper preparation before hand. We had a Stake Priesthood meeting and there was some pretty awesome things shared there. Our stake president out here is such a Giant literally and Spiritually (He and President Francis are 6'7"-6'8"). The meeting was all about Hastening the Work and really letting us know that the Lord IS hastening and the time is now to open up your homes and let people feel the Spirit that we have. Lots of scriptures were shared but a few really stood out to me. Proverbs 29:18, and 1 Peter 3:15. 

We all need to go out and get more knowledge and light so that we can have more to share! Because when there is no vision (revelation/knowledge) the people perish! Proverbs 29: 18

We all need to be praying and asking Heavenly Father the question "How can I share?!"

Well that was about it for this week! 

Love you all,

Elder Bevan

9/9/13

Dear Everyone,

Well it is official we received transfer calls last night. I will tell you a little bit of a background to what went on this week because it has been a roller coaster of spiritual highs and some definite opposition. I now know without a doubt that satan works the hardest on us just before and just after great spiritual experiences! It is evident as I go back and read through my journal and all of my thoughts feelings and impressions. However there is no way he can prevail if we are doing what we are supposed to! So early in the week we had an awesome lesson with a former investigator named Ray. I already told you a little of that experience in my last email I believe. My companion and I have been doing are best to keep up with the missions standard of excellence for new investigators a week (which is 3 every week). So we have been really seeking out people that are ready to hear our message. We have been focusing a lot on finding by the Spirit and when you are being diligent and asking with an eye of Faith there is nothing that you can not do! We have been finding at least 4 every week! We also had a baptism this saturday!

Jackie Jamieson was baptized and confirmed this week. It was such an amazing experience being able to be a part of her conversion and see such a change. She is going to be a great force for good and bring many people into the gospel because of her example she has set. Especially when it comes to her family. So it has been quite the amazing week for us! Heavenly Father allows us some room so that we can stumble and stay humble  ( yes that rhymes).

I learned a valuable lesson while teaching a lady the other day. I am a pretty confident teacher and feel really comfortable when it comes to explaining doctrines. So when I am teaching someone and they for some reason can not understand I really get down on myself. I know this is the opposite of what I need to do. I learned that if we will just pause and pray we can overcome any obstacle through the direction of the Holy Ghost. This was a humbling lesson for me however it was not a stumbling block but a stepping stone (I learned from some old guy in my last ward the only difference is 6 inches between your ears). I am so grateful that sometimes we get opportunities to learn how to Be still and know that God is there! I really believe that Heavenly Father has been preparing me with all of these experiences for something and now I know why! 

I was super exhausted last night, I had the worst headache, and was really emotionally drained (because sometimes it is hard to smile all day long!). I decided to just get and bed and go to sleep and not stay up and wait for transfer calls to come in. SO that's what I did! It was about 11:30 that night when they came in. Usually they just tell whoever answers the phone what is happening so I did not really wake up right away until Elder Wood gave me the phone and told me they wanted to talk to me. I answered and they assigned me to be the new district leader. Well try and sleep on that! I was up for quite a while after that thinking about all of my responsibilities. I sort of feel unprepared but am really excited to serve the missionaries in my district. 

I would definitely say that I have been tested and prepared for this time in my mission. I have really been enjoying reading from the Teachings of Joseph Smith this past transfer and have learned so much. Something that has really stood out to me in there is that Heavenly Father always prepares His children to succeed in the tasks they are given. It made me think of how Joseph was not at first able to translate the book of mormon but he was told that he was to gain experience so that he could Be Equal To His Task. I know this is such a true principle and you can see it in every part of your life!

My companion Elder Wood is not going to be leaving this transfer and I know it is for good reasons for my benefit but mainly for the benefit of the people! 

I love this Gospel and Know every part of it is inspired  and more importantly that no unhallowed hand can stop the work from progressing! It does however progress according to the Lord's time table!

Thanks for all your support!

Love,

Elder Bevan

September 3, 2013

Dear Everyone,

I can not believe I am almost half way through with week six! It is all just going by way too fast! My companion is really nervous about leaving. Since he has been here for over 6 months and loves it here. I am not sure if I am ready for him to go since he is so good at talking with all the Indians! 

So the weather up here is beginning to change! The leaves are starting to change colors and the days are getting colder and colder! I have heard that this is supposed to be the worst winter they have had in a while so wish me luck!!! Our Corn Soup Project is really turning out awesome! We had three indian ladies stop in and have some and they said it was amazing! I dont know what that means? Either I am a good chef or a good indian haha. It was even cooler that they wanted to learn about our church and find out what we believed! We taught them the Restoration and gave them all a Book of Mormon and a pamphlet to go! I am not sure if all this publicity is a direct result of church attendance but it seemed like there were more non members at church on Sunday than there were members! 

I have had quite the experience this week. I have learned a lot of patience. I mean I kind of asked for it since that has been my focus for most of this week during my personal study! Heavenly Father sure has his ways of teaching you things however.

 

I know the spider stories are getting old well let me tell you that the first hand experiences are getting even older! Every single day for this past week I have found at least one spider in my bed. They really seem to love my pillow because I will pick it up really quick and low and behold one comes darting out from underneath. I am to the point were I am not even surprised. I sort of just laugh. This is what brought me to the conclusion that in order to be a great missionary you can not be afraid of Spiders.

One of the things I learned this week is there is a lot of power in listening. I guess this just kind of goes a long with my study of patience. My biggest flaw is I always have something good to say. Whether or not it is right for the person to hear is a different story. I had a really great experience about an hour ago as I was meeting with a former investigator. He has been investigating now for 5 years...He loves to talk and I am sure would talk all over you if you let him but for some reason I felt no need to talk. My companion and I sat and listened and really allowed what he said to sink into our hearts to the point where I really felt like I knew what he was going through and let me tell you this man has gone through a lot. The whole time I was focusing on him Scriptures just kept popping into my head however I would just acknowledge them and sort of push them aside. After about 45 mins of listening He stopped talking and I just felt the Spirit enter in the room as we began to speak. My tongue was loosed to the point where I was learning from the things I was saying! I really felt this man was loved and needed to feel this way since he had suffered so much.

Well the Gospel of Jesus Christ is the way, Faith is the power, Love is the motive, Obedience is the price, and Joy is the reward! Keep remembering the blessings you receive and pray always! 

Love,

Elder Bevan

August 26, 2013

Dear Everyone,

This has been a week to remember! So I have decided to start this off first with a story that I am sure all of you will enjoy hearing. Before I start however I want to let you know that being a missionary has really been a blessing and I have really gained more that I have sacrificed! Until now...So it was about 9:50 pm and I was just laying on my bed reading the scriptures getting ready to finish up a long day when I roll over to see a spider crawling on my bed! It was not small either... I have not moved that fast in quite sometime! I will attach a picture so you can enjoy the experience but lets just say I did not sleep well knowing that there was a good chance I may have one those crawling on my face at night... 

Aside from being scarred for life I have loved this week. The reason for this is because of all the work that was done. We officially started our Corn Soup/Open house at the church. We have done it for two days so far and have already found success! We had to work really hard to make it happen however.

This corn soup is not easy stuff to make and is actually really weird...(Indians...) You start by cooking it with water and ash left over from the burnings of hard wood. Anyways after all that prep work was done it turned out amazing. The Indians were shocked when I said I made it NBD! 

 

Another reason why this week was amazing was because we had Zone Conference so we were able to hear from President Francis. I will give it to that guy, he is the happiest man I have ever met! You wont find a second where he is not smiling. It was a great conference and I learned a lot. I even put in to action all of the commitments he gave to us and so far Elder Wood and I have had a ton of success and have found tons of people to teach by doing so. This work is really inspired and obedience is the price we get to pay for success. 

The last thing I have to say about this week is Elder Wood and I were able to go to the temple with some Recent Converts that have waited for a year and now they are sealed together forever!! It was the coolest things to see. I don't know if there is a happier place in the world than in that sacred place. We need to make sure that we are consistently partaking of the happiness that comes from participating in the work of saving souls in the temple. I have learned so much this week a few things that really stuck out to me this week came mostly from our Zone Conference. I learned that revelation comes as we prepare ourselves to understand the voice that is felt not heard. I also have learned how important it is to be a defender of the truth. We need to make sure we are always standing up for what we know to be true so that others can see our example and come to know the Savior and our Heavenly Father through us. Thank you so much for all your support and words of encouragement. I have really loved the feeling I now have every P-Day!

Love,

Elder Bevan

 

We went to the park last p day and played baseball.

We found these massive mushrooms that we went around smashing

August 19, 2013

Dear Everyone,

 

Another week has come and gone! I can not believe it! We are really keeping busy and are even teaching more lessons than normal (which helps a ton). The thing that I have really been stressing to those that I teach is the Book of Mormon. It is the most powerful thing that we as missionaries have to get people to not only feel the Spirit but to become converted to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I have pretty much laid down the law with some people we are teaching when it comes to keeping commitments. The way that I went about doing this was by painting in there minds the fact that this book is either true or it is not, we are either the only true church or we are the biggest hoax there ever was, and the book that they are holding in their hands is proof. So if they really want to know they need to read it. I have been really feasting in the Book of Mormon this week and boy have I grown to love it. It really is this important for everyone to know it is true not just those investigating. We all need to be continually reading, praying, and pondering before any good will come (Joshua 1: 8-9).

 

We had an awesome Zone Meeting this week. It was really inspirational! I am not sure if it is because they showed a clip from a football movie or what ahahhah but it was definitely inspiring. I have come to find that in order to inspire others we ourselves need to be inspired (spiritually and emotionally) and boy does this area need some inspiration/excitement! 

It is funny how the Lord works and how he secretly goes about fulfilling His purposes without you even knowing it. So what I am trying to say is that this lesson I learned was some major foreshadowing of what was actually going to go down here in Cattaraugus. My companion and I had a good long meeting with the Branch President this week and really got brainstorming on how we could go about inspiring those 240 inactive members! We feel doing this is the best place to start since our Heavenly Father is loving and all knowing and does not want to bring his children into a branch where they wont get taken care of. That is just now how he works.

 

So we came up with the idea to bring back the very activity that built this branch in the first place. We are now bringing back the Corn Soup Socials. These are what raised the money to build the church and also what brought so many into the church. We have a lot of work to do since the process of making the corn soup takes three days. However we are really excited to stay busy! I have been keeping a fire under the Branch President (I have been bugging him daily) and so either today or tomorrow we will begin making the soup and start taking it out to all of the inactive members who started this. I am really excited for the role that we are playing in bringing this all together and I know it can work! 

The last thing I wanted to share that happened this week was our trip down to the sites! I can not say how much I love these amazing spiritual sites that are basically in our backyard! They are so powerful! Especially in building a testimony of Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon. I mean how many people can take their investigators to the very place where Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ appeared to Joseph Smith, or to the very Hill where the Book of Mormon came forth and really feel that sacred Spirit that is still there?I mean every other missionary in the world only gets to talk about this and show pictures. I know I am bragging now but it is just so special and probably necessary for some people's conversion.

Anyways we took our investigator Jackie down to see these sites and she just soaked everything in. There was a Spirit that just seemed to follow us as we went to all these places. She could not stop crying! Which is really good! :) The site sisters are pretty incredible when it comes to making people cry ahah! There is a reason they are the ones giving the tours not us Elders. I was so impressed for some reason with how in tune with the Spirit they were. It was like they knew Jackie and all of her needs without even knowing her, the Spirit is pretty great!

Well that is it for this week. It is my companions birthday today so I have to think of something fun to do today for him! Thanks for all that you do! 

Love Elder Bevan 

The Spiders are out in full force! Especially as it gets colder and colder outside. I am pretty dang stoked about that! 

Dear Dad,

I am glad I can be of some help on Monday! I will begin to answer your questions. The tribe here is the Seneca tribe it is pretty big. It is only 1/4 of the area but the most populated part. Most of the 60 members come from the rez. So this branch covers the whole rez.

I am doing really well out here. It is hard to stay busy but we are doing the best we can! I am really trying my best to help motivate my companion. It is coming along and I am definitely seeing some improvements. He is from the Scottsdale rez 20 mins from our house. We get along well but have very different interests. He is not athletic at all. We drive a chevy colorado pick up 4x4. It is pretty nice especially being on the rez. I have all that I need as of now. I may need my big coat here in the next month or so!!

I have not really had anytime with my mission president! He is a great guy and has filled the shoes of Pres Christianson really well. He has not changed too much well atleast form what I hear way out here! He has some different focuses however when it comes to working with the wards and branches. I really think it is smart what he is doing. I am now in the Buffalo South zone while before I was in the Buffalo North zone. Most of my studying is in Preach My Gospel and the Scriptures. I am still using facebook but hardly as much as I did in Lewiston. We do not have tablets and probably wont for some time. It is good to hear that mom is doing so well and I really am glad she likes her job!

Love, 

Elder Bevan

August 12, 2013

Dear Everyone,

Well Cattaraugus is awesome.

 

There have been some physical, and spiritually challenging events this week. Everything has happened for the best however. One of the physical challenges that happened was when we decided to walk to visit with some less active members (so we could save some miles on the car). We left the house around 10 am and did not get home until 4 pm. It would not have been so bad if the weather would have cooperated. Instead it was the hottest day of the week and also the most humid. We walked a total of 13 miles. I ruined a white shirt and got the worst sun burn/tan lines. I am now in the process of shedding my skin so it is fantastic :) It was a challenging day but it always feels rewarding to go out and work your hardest and return home tired.

 

 

I have grown to love the reservation several reasons. The main reason is the dogs/puppies that roam around. I have made it my goal to teach every dog how to sit and stay. So far I have been able to train two puppies that were following us as we were walking around (I carry around slim jims, they seem to do the job). This past week we had the chance to organize a little basketball game (like we had going in my last area) it took place in the church on the rez, and we had about15 guys there (all non members). It was a great experience. I taught a quick gospel lesson before we played, we said a prayer, and then I smashed all of them hahaha. I just want to inform all of you that I was the only white man amongst a whole lot of Indians. I was a little nervous at first but it was a really awesome experience.

 

The last experience that I had this week was something I think Heavenly Father has been trying to remind me so I can be an example to my companion. Ever since I got to this area I have allowed my companion to take/keep the reins in hopes that I would be able to learn how he worked the area before. Well within this past week I have learned that he was not a "go getter". So that has required me to take charge and to be the leader. I was a little uncomfortable with this at first especially because he works so well with the natives. I just felt like not enough was getting done so after some divine guidance through prayers, studies, and a Sunday school lesson this past Sunday I now feel comfortable. I am so grateful for these challenges that I have placed before me so that I can better myself and hopefully help those around me. I am starting to see why I am having some of these challenges and seeing this only makes me want to do better.

 

Thanks so much for your letters and prayers I have been really blessed from the things that you have said. It seems as if the things that are said in your letters are just what I need to hear exactly when I need to hear it. So props to you and keep it up. Aside from all this everything is going well. The apartment is great! ahah I heard a mouse creeping around my bed last night so that was exhilarating! I heard mom was having a hoot while reading about the spiders! I am glad she is enjoying it. I have sprayed every window sill and every crack and crevice with bug killer in hopes that it will prevent them from entering in. Well it is great being a missionary. I wouldn't trade it for anything! 

 

Love 

 

Elder Bevan