Email 4-24-12

Hello all,  

This week has been a very very wet one.  It has been raining practically every day.  And then the sun would come out and make it very very hot.  This week was more of a God testing me week to see if I would keep working.  It was very very difficult in that hardly anyone really wanted to talk to us.  But hey it ended great.  WE GOT 3 investigators in church and 2 will be baptized in about 2 weeks.  Perla and Kevin are coming along great.  It’s a little frustrating with the mom though.  The dad is way way cool.  He used to be the branch president here and then moved to Argentina to work for a while but now he is back to help out with his kids.  His wife is a totally different story.  She is a member that has gone through the temple, but she just doesn´t want to give up the little things in life that supposedly make her happy.  She drinks, smokes, and listens to loud music ALL day.  I just really want to ask her if she is happy or not.  Of course she will probably say yes but really I look at her, she is never smiling, she doesn´t talk with her children, she is always yelling, she is always drunk and saggy eyed.  It is really sad because we want to help her so bad, and so does the Lord, but she just doesn´t want to put the effort into changing her life.  Kevin and Perla had a few doubts because the baptism would be so soon but he helped them see that we were going to be along the entire spiritual journey helping them gain their own testimony of the truth.  So that they can feel within themselves that a baptism is the right thing to do.  It’s really good to have the him (the dad) there with us.  He can help us explain certain principles as well as it helps us in helping him stay active in the church especially soon when he will receive his calling. 

We also got this other kid into church called Miguel.  He is way cool.  He is about 16 years old and wants to change his life so that people won’t think of him as a bad kid anymore. He smokes and drinks and parties and gets home every day at like 6 in the morning.  He came to church but was super tired from the party that he just came from.  He has good intentions but he really isn´t being sincere about the changes that he wants to make.  He isn´t changing his friends, he still goes and parties, he doesn´t listen to his parents.  I´m sure that he will continue to progress but in the end the decision will be his.  We can´t make him change his friends, but we can help him feel that it’s the best thing to do for him.  

Other than that this week has been really slow and really wet, and HOT.  I got to do divisions with the other elders from our ward because I’m a district leader now.  It was actually way fun.  I got to go into a totally new area and just completely cover it.  I didn´t care if they had already clapped a house before; I would clap it again. It was cool because we just got to talk to so many different new people and to see a new place.  I´m really excited to go and do divisions with the other elders this week.  Despite the rain the district is doing awesome.  There is an area in our district that really hasn´t been seeing anything success for the past few months but this last week they got 5 people in church.  More than anyone else in the district.  Its so great to see that maybe I’m helping other missionaries raise their goals and go for the gold.  

We really do have an awesome district.  We have really come together this last week because we had a district activity.  It was pretty chill we just played some soccer and had a ping pong tourney.  I made it to the championships and then got destroyed by Elder Oberg.  We are all just chugging along and trying to do the best we can.  We all just need to remember that the success is given to us by the Lord.  Trust in him and he will guide us to the prize…  a successful missionary.

Just a last closing thought.  I was thinking a lot this week about the dream that Lehi had.  The tree of life.  In the scriptures it says something along the lines that when the people ate of the fruit they were filled with joy.  From what I can tell, is that they were filled with joy because of a few things.  First, because they got to the tree of life and partook of the fruit.  One of the other reasons I want to think so, is that they could REMEMBER their journey to the tree.  Following the rod.  Ya I’m pretty sure it was hard.  There wasn´t some magic carpet that just picked them up and carried them while they sang “A whole new world”.  I´m sure that they were sweating and crying and crawling.  But in the end they held strong.  They could remember their journey and that made it even sweeter because they could see the progress and sacrifice that they had made to get there.  

Our life here on earth is our journey.  It’s not always the easiest.  We crawl, we cry, and we sweat; trying to be the people that we need to be.  We hold fast to the rod.  HOW SWEET WILL BE THE FRUIT IN THE END OF THE JOURNEY.  HOLD FAST!!!!!! Keep moving forward, one step, one crawl at a time.  But never go backwards or let go of the rod.  And always remember the journey!!!  Love you all

rohyhu

Elder Beatty

Email 4-17-12

Hello all,

This week has been quite the week.  So to start it all out on Saturday or Sunday or somewhere along there our phone broke and so this whole week we have been living without a phone.  Ya I am pretty sure that a lot of you are asking why do I have a phone anyway, but to really tell you the truth without a phone it was actually pretty hard to function and have success as a missionary.  We wanted to try and get some members to come to our lessons but we had no way to get in contact with them so it was a little hard this week to get some good lessons in.  Another joy is that we found out today that still we won´t have our phone yet another week. ahhhhhhhh Office elders.  We make jokes that office elders were less valiant in the pre earth life and so that’s why they are in the mission office.  It good for a laugh once in a while but its ok.  I know that they have their own stuff going on so I will just have to learn to be patient and have success without the phone. ahhhhhhh

Anyway, so this last week we really have been focusing on finding some new people to teach.  Its crazy because we found this Italian guy who is as big as Coach Cullimore.  He is huge!!!!!!!! But he is sooo funny and so cool.  We will have to see how he turns out.  

We also found this family that just moved back from Argentina and they are members.  The DAD actually used to be the Branch president here in this area when it was smaller.  And so we talked with him and he has 2 kids that are 12 and 14 that he wants to get baptized and so we have been talking with them.  They are so nice and love the church.  They were sad when they went to Argentina because they couldn´t find the church there and so they couldn´t get baptized.  But now they are here and want to be baptized.  I think we can help them with that hahaha.  The hard thing is the mom.  She is a member and she went through the temple, but she is having a ton of doubts as far as her testimony and that spiritual things are important in this life.  She is the one that doesn´t want her kids to listen.  I think it’s mostly because she has fallen away from the church and doesn´t want to waste the energy to change her life from the ways that she has gained (drinking, smoking, going to church)  Ya who said that the gospel was easy to live but really it is what sets us free and gives us the true happiness.  So we are going to be working with that family a lot this next week.  

This last week during our hardcore search of amazingly awesome people who are going to progress; we were bombarded with lots of trials and stuff.  We got a TON of mandarins thrown at us.  It was a group of maybe 12 or 15 kids who were playing soccer and they saw us coming and so they ran away and so we kept walking and we passed the point where they were at and then they all just started throwing mandarins at us.  Well at first I just would pick them up and throw them back, but then they started picking up rocks and so we just bounced right out of there.  It was crazy.  My comp wanted to tear them apart but I had to help him just let it go.  So that was a little funny. We had a bunch of people just really yelling at us this week and I don´t know why.  Usually people here are really non aggressive even in a vocal way.  But this week everyone just decided to pick on us and make sure that we knew that we didn´t belong here.  

We ran in a SUPER racist guy.  He was soooo pissed that we were here in his country.  It was super hard because he said that he wanted us to teach him but he wouldn´t stop baggin on the Americans.  He said that Paraguayans were the best because they loved everyone and that Americans are selfish because they won´t let anyone in their country.  It was pretty interesting because in the end he kept saying that he was super humble and loved everybody but he most definitely didn´t love us hahaha 

We had interviews this week as well with President Callan.  It was crazy when he told me that I was coming up on a year in the mission.  It truly has been amazing to see the growth and experiences that I have had.  He asked me a lot about where I see myself going as a missionary.  I told him a few of the goals that I have and he said that there are two types of missionaries that he has seen.  The missionaries that really just turn on the gas the second part of the mission or those that just turn on the cruise control and just ride out the rest of the mission.  After seeing a few of the older guys that are in the district I can tell that it is totally true.  I want to be the missionary that really just takes off and starts having a ton of success.  I guess it will just be a result of the desire that I have.  I’ve just got to keep moving forward and keep looking and teaching with power.

This last Sunday we had a Hermana speak in church.  She got back from her mission in Ecuador this last week and she gave her homecoming.  Really it wasn’t sad or exciting or anything it just made me think about all these experiences that I’m having in the mission.  Will I let these experiences change me forever or will I just forget and return to being the person I was before.  We all have been giving the chance to change.  Not only here in the mission do we progress and become better, not only when we become adults do we have to start being responsible and gaining knowledge from our errors and faults.  Now is the time to see what we can improve.  There were a lot of lessons that I could have learned about life if I would have just taken a little time in the moment to make myself better.  We sometimes think that life is fast that we don´t have time to learn, relax and ponder on the miracles of God.  But really that is WHY we are here.  We are here in our mortal life to help us learn and progress to become to the nature that God wants us to be, but if we don´t look around us, learn from the Lord´s miracles, and become better then there is no purpose.  We need to become humble and learn.  Become as a child.  When we can see this world around us with the eyes of a child, and with the vision of God, we gain so much more hope, peace, and love.  But it all starts with us, and our desire.  No one can make us change, no one can tell us to do anything.  The decision lies with us in the end.  We need to decide why we do the things we do.  

I love you all so much and hope that have a super awesome fantastic sunny bright and happy week.  The Lord is my light.  I LOVE THE MISSION!!!!!

ROHYHU FAMILIA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

--
Elder Beatty

Email 4-9-12

Hello everybody it’s been too long.  I have a tragic story to announce in that Elder Bingham did not stay.  My child was taken away from me to go to Paraguari.  Which I hear is actually a really really beautiful place that is kinda in the middle of the south of Paraguay.  It’s a great city where the work is progressing very very well.  Elder Bingham will be a great missionary and a great friend to all those he comes in contact with.  

My new companion is.. drum roll.................................  Elder Dockstader from Arizona.  whooo party.  He is coming from dead smack in the middle of Asuncion.  Where all there is is old crummy houses and lots of cars.  OH he came from an area with all asphalt.  So the drada and the sand is a bit of a change for him.  He is great elder.  He actually just got done being companions with Elder Rios.  Who was my first Latin companion.  So we have a little bit to talk about as far as the time we both had with Elder Rios.  This is Elder Dockstader´s second area and I’m his 3rd companion.  So it looks like I’m gonna be staying in Ytororo for just a little bit while longer.  Its actually really crazy because every companionship in the district had a change and so there is someone new in every part.  Its gonna be exciting too because most of the people that are coming I already know so it will be great that we can skip the introductions and get straight to work.  I actually got called to serve as district leader for Zone 3 District 2 YEAH!!!! I´m exicted for the chance that I get now to serve other missionaries and to be an example to everyone.  I hope that I can live up to the calling and that the Lord will help me be a worker in his hands for the missionaries in my district.  Other than the changes there really isn´t anything NEW.  but we still have a lot of exciting things going on.  Jorge and Ivan got confirmed this last Sunday.  It was sooo coool to finally see the end of this long journey that we had seen together.  It was a little sad when Elder Bingham wasn’t here to see it as well but I’m sure that he will be writing soon to make sure and keep the communication going on between them.  Now it’s a kinda like............... Whats next?  It’s great though because Elder Dockstader and I just hit the deck running.  Since the first day we had been just talking to everyone and just trying to find some new people to teach and since then we have had some crazy experiences.

We had just finished teaching these people who were super super super active in their own Pentecostal church and we finished testifying that there was only one true prophet on the earth today.  Then the guy and the lady go off on how they too are prophets and that the spirit comes over them and they can tell the future.  They said that they believe that Joseph smith was a prophet and they too had the power of God to act in His name.  So we just wanted to get away from these crazy people.  So we started to leave and as we were standing up the guy started to come forward and he said  ¨before you leave I wanna give you a blessing by the laying on of hands¨ my heart just dropped in its place.  I was so scared.  So we just said that we were super super late for a lunch appointment, which we were, and we had to go in that instant.  He tried to just give us the blessing, but we escaped.  Wow it was actually a very scary experience that some dude was gonna call on some unknown power to give us strength.  Ahahaha  I just shiver thinking about it.  After that we were kinda shaken up for a bit but after a while we just laughed about it and moved on.  

Also we just had to keep going on with all the weird experiences.  I don´t know if Elder Docksteader is just bad luck but we had nasty food this week.  We had mundungo 3 times.  I had no idea why, but I was thinking that people would be making steaks and stuff for Easter but I guess I was wrong in that they just whipped out the good ol mundungo.  After the 3rd time that we ate it I just didn´t want to have it or see it anymore.  I hope that I don´t see it for a while because I don´t know if I will be able to eat it again.  We also ate a number of breads that had special types of bugs in it.  Yes bugs.  I guess that it was supposed to be traditional or something.  

One other thing that happened this week was that about a month ago I tripped on a branch and a huge thorn stabbed me in the leg on my calf.  So I stopped and pulled it out.   It was a HUGE thorn.  And so when I got home I put some triple anti biotic on it and called it good.  It was sore for a few days but got better.  There was a scab on where I pulled the thorn out and it never really quite healed over.  On Thursday I was feeling down on my leg and where the thorn had gone in was really bumpy and I was like humm thats weird so as a boy I thought it was some sort of infection and I was gonna squeeze it out.  As I squeezed it.  A part of the thorn just popped out.  I was amazed.  This thorn had been in my leg for about a month.  It was crazy that my body had just pushed it out little by little.  Crazy I know. hahaha  

I also got a little sick this last week.  Probaby from all the crazy food that I had been eating.  I of course got diarrhea.  I was thinking really that God gives missionaries diarrhea to help them be more humble in coming closer to the pain that the Savior felt when He suffered the sins of the world.  Ya we can never really experience the pain that He suffered, but man, sometimes diarrhea sure does seem close. hahahah

In the end, this week has been a big growing experience for me.  Finally I have Elder Docksteader.  One of the first elders that have actually been here to work.  We are working the hardest I´ve ever worked in my mission and I love it.  I love walking in at the end of the day and knowing that yes I gave it my all and I didn´t have to really have to motivate my companion to keep going.  I am soooooo excited for this change and the success that we are going to see.  The secret to missionary work is work.  And I know that we are gonna work hard this change.  I love you all and hope that you have the spirit of the Lord with you this week.  The Lord and Savior died for us.  But He lives!!  And because He lives, we all have the chance to live an eternal life IF we make the correct decisions and do what we need to do to be worthy of a divine mansion.  

Rohyhu

Elder Beatty

Just a note about the photos... I included these two photos so that you could see what a grocery store looks like, (Presten is pretending to be Harry Potter! the Paraguains probably think he is crazy), and little Ivan with his family in their living room, notice the humble conditions....  Yet they are happy!!!   

 

Email 4-2-12

Wow what a crazy week.  But it is a week for rejoicing because Jorge and Ivan got baptized.  YEAAAAHHHH  They got baptized on the Friday before conference.  It was a little hectic like baptisms always are.  We ended up having to make the cake because the Hermana who was supposed to make it didn’t have time.  We had to run to the store and then make it.  We decided to run by the church earlier to make sure that the church was clean.  We walked in and found that the fount was still full from the baptism that the other Elders had.  So I’m super glad the spirit told us to go by the church and clean the font because it was all stinking and smelly.  So we had to empty the font using buckets and in our church clothes.  After that we decided to make sure that the other elders would be bringing the baptism clothes.  We called them and they didn’t have the clothes so we had to find the baptismal clothes.  And to find out that the other elders in our district had taken the clothes we went to their area and had to get the clothes.  Thank goodness that they were clean.  The baptism was scheduled to start at 630.  All the members had shown up by about 645 but Jorge and Ivan still weren’t there.  We still had to get them changed and taken pictures and baptized all before it got dark, because people don’t walk around after it gets dark because its dangerous.  Finally they came and we got everything figured out and everything went well.  Jorge had to move out of his house so that he could get baptized.  He did.  He has such a strong testimony for the Lord’s promises for us.  He puts so much faith into the little things that its hard to believe that someone who isn’t a member yet; can sacrifice so much.  Now he is a member and he will be the example to his family.  He came to general conference and loved every second about it.  It gave him even more excitement about his family to know that the Lord really does care about what happens with his family.  Ivan, hahahah good ol Ivan.  He didn’t come but still he is a great kid.  He is going to be a great example to the rest of his family who came to his baptismal service.  It was the first time in years that the mom and the dad had been to the church.  His older Brother Fabbian baptized him.  He didn’t get it right the first time but after it all, they were sooo happy.  They just couldn’t stop hugging us and telling us thank you.  It made me so happy to think that through the baptism of this little kid the spirit of the Lord has touched the family and they are all coming to church again.  It just goes to show to me that the Lord works through us to bring out his designs for all people.  I’m so thankful to have been able to get to know both Ivan and Jorge.  They are both so special to my heart and have helped me become closer to God and his children.  

On another Note… wasn’t conference just awesome.  It really was such a blessing for me to be able to listen to the words of the prophets.  They had a little bit of technical problems so we didn’t get to listen to the priesthood session, but I’m sure that it was amazing.  I can’t believe how fast the time goes by when you are distinctly listening to try and hear Gods voice in the words that the apostles speak.  It fills me with love and peace to know that yes we are still guided by a true prophet who loves us, just as God and Jesus love us.  One of the talks that I really enjoyed was by the Donald Hallstrom guy. He talked about being active in the gospel of Jesus Christ and not just the church.  Being active in repentance is a daily process that takes time persistence and love.  I hope that we can all be professional "repenters" so that we can more fully come to enjoy the blessings of the spirit in our lives.  I love this gospel, I love this church, I love my God and my Savior.  I love my family, and my mission service.  I can’t image what my life would be like without this special time that I have now to fight for the Savior.  To be the Saviors hands.  To give service to others and help them come unto their eternal creator.  I love you all and hope you have a super fantastic week.

Rohyhu

Elder Beatty