Good things happening!

Hey it was a solid week here! Continuing to have great things happen.

Janice is doing so great! Baptism will be in March, hopefully we don't get transferred next week so we can still be here! She came to witness two baptisms last week and she loved both of them.

Rene is doing well, if things work out he is going to be baptized this Saturday!

We have really been gaining a lot of member trust in the wards and it has been really cool. Getting more referrals and opportunities to teach! I really hope Elder Payne and I stay together next transfer! I will let y'all know what happens next week!

Love y'all,

Elder Bean

Me, Elder Payne, Sister Boyce

Me, Elder Payne, Sister Samuelu

From Darkness to Light

So I won't be writing much today, but things are going great in Idaho.

Janice is really progressing great. Her conversion is such a sweet experience to witness. God really loves her and she has felt that from the Spirit for sure. She bore her testimony and witness to us in two lessons this week, and her countenance continues to brighten :) She came from a very rough life in darkness, and now she is full of the Spirit of light. 

I have developed a deep testimony of God's love and His Spirit! Mainly through seeing Janice and her experiences and the changes she has made. God really does want all of His children to succeed and we all have such bright futures ahead of us! I have felt more of God's love in my own life now in knowing He truly has a perfect plan. Life is tough though, bad things happen, and we all face adversity. It is through the gospel that we maintain peace through those moments and that we can with a 'surety hope for a better world' (Ether 12:4) 

We all are in darkness at times! We may not immediately reach the 'light', but we progress from darkness to bright light in small increments. Sometimes so small we may not notice, but if we will choose the light we will always be on the path to true joy and happiness! 

Love y'all!

Elder Bean

Many Miracles this Week

Dear Fam and Friends!

It was a turn around week for sure! We experienced many miracles in our work. Very very busy week for us! 

#1 Janice

We had met her at Salvation Army, doing service a couple weeks ago. She called us Monday and wanted to meet with us. We taught her 3 times last week, and by Sunday at church her countenance had changed so much. When we met her we saw despair and sorrow, but now she is full of hope and light. The Spirit changes people in a very powerful way. I have developed such a love for her and her little 4 year old girl, Olivia, who is so funny and outgoing! Janice is set to be baptized on the 20th, however she might be moving before then to another missionaries area.

#2 Rene

This guy Rene, called the Mission and wanted to be baptized. When meeting with him we find out that he has been investigating 5+ years and is finally ready. He is set for the 20th as well. He got up yesterday and bore his testimony! It was great.

(****Another investigator, Samuel from Congo, also got up and bore a powerful testimony yesterday!) 

#3 Josh/Corie

Josh and Corie have investigated in the past, but while we were there we just got to know them and their lives. By the end they had tons of questions that they wanted answered, and they said they are ready to be 100% honest with the missionaries. We went back and taught them and answered a majority of them, and they loved it. The Spirit was very evident in this! It had softened their hearts and allowed them to be open, and we were able to have the words to say and the questions to ask them.

With everything we are staying very busy! Robert/Kinsey are back in town so we are picking up that again!

I have such a love for this work, and seeing people change through the Spirit of God and how much joy and light that is brought into their lives because of it! This is the only way to true and lasting happiness! 

-Elder Bean

With Elder Payne my newest companion

The sister missionaries in our district

Time is Flying

Another week gone! Whoever made up the phrase "Time Flies" really did know what they were talking about!

Despite a lot of challenges this week, we still made it great. We were able to go to the Temple on Tuesday and had a great Stake Conference this weekend. New Stake Presidency due to the Stake President going to be a Mission President in Chile in June! 

We taught a family from Congo yesterday! Bishop McKee and his family are mentors to them, and they came to Stake Conference with them too. The lesson we had was awesome, Samuel the dad knows English pretty well. He was a pastor for a Christian church in Congo and Uganda. When we taught about Joseph Smith he got really interested and said "If you have a book about this I will read it to know it is true".... perfect intro into introducing the Book of Mormon to them! Very sweet and fun family! 

Joy! This is not just joy for happiness, but Joy as in the person! Very sweet lady that is going through some tough stuff in life. We had lunch with her during the week and taught her in Bishop Maxson's home yesterday! Very powerful Spirit there and she accepted to be baptized when she knows this is true and receives that answer! I could really feel how much God loves her and has prepared her for this.

We are still figuring out how to balance working in both wards especially since the boundaries don't touch so we have to cross another ward, which uses time and miles!

I love this work and we have a busy week ahead of us. We have set some high expectations in faith that things will come together :)

Love y'all, Elder Bean

Before Elder Leon left with Austin, he is going on a mission to Turkey in a couple weeks.

 

Austin's siblings

With Brother Gearing a recent convert.

Matching Peruvian ties thanks to Elder Leon with Elder Maggard and Elder Dickerson