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