The Humbling Power of Prayer and Song

This week has been awesome full of just getting pushed to the limits. I have no idea why but this week was just one for the books. I wasn't doing to well and everything I feel was just not on my side so I had to kneel down and ask for some sincere help. I have never felt such a sense of peace and love come over me. It was like getting filled with an energy that I have never felt before! I love the power of prayer and from that moment on I have been blessing with help in all that I do!

This week was not to interesting most was just walking and walking and walking. Don't worry Pai the walking is cutting the love handles! But it has been a very humbling week. Realizing that I am nothing without the help and love of my Heavenly Father. I have been learning that a lot on my mission but this week for some reason I learned so much through prayer.

But it was CHRISTMAS!!!!!!!!!!! That was an awesome time to be able to see my family even as blurry as they were and hear their love for me and for the work that I am doing! Sacrament meeting was awesome and was filled with love and power through song. The family who gave the talks also gave a special musical number! They all speak English so it was nice to be able to understand what was being said, but also made me really listen to what I was singing how powerful that truly was! I loved it and have found that when you sing and actually think about what you are saying the Spirit will testify to you of the love that our Savior has for all of us!

The pictures just include me on the beach trying to get a coconut, our christmas lights, Christmas day, and the Faleulu family. We baptized them in October and just had to snag a quick picture of them while we were there!

Love you all and thank you for the love and support this week! Remember that we will recieve all that we ask of our Father in Heaven so long as we are obedient and ask.

Alofa Atu

Elder Bethea

Truly Blessed

What a week. I loved every single day this week. Because it is so close to Christmas I decided to pray every day for an opportunity to become more like my Savior or to learn how to become more like Him. Be careful what you pray for! I was overwhelmed with opportunities, experiences, and blessings. I have never been more happy walking in the hot sun or the pouring rain! Everywhere I looked I found something that made me want to become more like my Savior! Here are the best ones.

This week we started off going to a house and performing a blessing/casting out evil spirits for a young woman who was having some problems. Her grandmother called us and we went over as soon as we could to help. We got there and she told us she was hearing things and wasn't feeling good. So Elder Redd gave her a blessing and some words of advice. After the grandmother asked for a blessing for her toe that just got amputated. After we blessed here I realized the power that Elder Redd and I both were holding, and how much it can bless other peoples lives. Whether that be through blessings or through allowing the Spirit to bring comfort to people through us. I was truly humbled to realize that everything we do is to help bring comfort to those we come in contact with! I loved that and realized how much our Savior brings comfort to us!

Then we went out to one of our converts houses and just started talking to him. He lives in a house no bigger than some of your bedrooms. And yet he was talking about how this whole week he had been searching for things he could give to our Relief Society so that they can help families who may not have very much. I was so taken back to see that a man who has so little is trying to give so much. My heart sunk to see how selfish I had been in asking for so much for myself this week and how little I had looked to bless others lives. Kinda a slap in the face...... But so awesome to see how you can learn so much if you truly listen to the spirit and try with all your might to look outwards.

Finally our BAPTISMS!!!!!!!!! We had the opportunity to baptize Laumata and Ken this week! It was sooooo awesome I loved to see how happy they were! Man this gospel is true and bringing someone into it just makes you want to scream it to the island! I love this work and how much it has truly blessed me! I love you all for your support and love!

Alofa atu

Elder Bethea

This is How Palagis Workout!

So this week Elder Redd and I have made it a goal to start working out every morning and going on a short run. Well the first day we were pumped and ready to go! (At least I was.) So we got up and started running. We ran past some kids walking to school, as we ran past I muttered this is how Palagis (white people) workout. I guess that wasn't very nice because right after that I totally turfed hard on the cement. We had to sit there for a second while Elder Redd caught his breath from laughing so hard! This is what exercise will do to you!

This week was awesome! We had the chance to go and do a family home evening with one of our investigators and her whole family. Elder Redd decided that we would do a lesson that I would do 10 pushups for everyone who has taken a piece of candy I don't know if everyone knows what that is but it was a super awesome experience for me. Everyone was kinda taking it as a joke and wasn't super into it. It was so hard for me to continue doing the pushups because I kept thinking, "Just understand what I am doing for you!" Then I finally realized how important it was for us to really take serious, our Saviors Atonement. I realized how important it was and how much love our Savior must have for us, realizing that some of us would take it for granted and even not use His amazing gift. Truly this gift is amazing. This time of the year is the time for us to recognize Him and how much He has truly done for us. I truly have a testimony of His love for us.

Questions for the week.
1- Do you ever get the chance to play the Uke? Have you found one for yourself yet?
No not yet and I have not gotten one our area is not close to the town so not a place to get it.
2- What are some of the Christmas traditions that are/will be happening in Samoa?
Dances lots and lots of dances performed by the family and different members.
3- Has the ward given you specific assignments as Missionaries?
Just to always be working nothing really. Lots of referrals but nothing super specific.
4- You said that the mosquitos are awful over there....do you sleep with a mosquito net?
Yes yes I do.
5- What has been your favorite type of service to be involved in?
When we do have the chance to serve I love to help clean up and rebuild the families house. I love it seeing how blessed I was back in the states and how much I took for granted.
6- What is your favorite discussion to teach? Can you give it all in Samoan?
Word of Wisdom. I love to show people how much just doing something simple can bless them soooooooooooo much! Almost pretty simple and not 100% but yes.
7- How has your own faith in Christ been strengthened by the investigators you teach?
The story above and I love to see how much by just learning and living the gospel and how much it changes their life. I love it and love to see how much it helps my investigators.

Love you all and I thank you all so much for all of your support. Keep on keeping on. Truly find something that helps remind you of Christ and look at it everyday.

Alofa Atu

Elder Bethea

Christmas came early this year!

SOO President Hannemann is going to all of the islands and doing individual zone Christmas so our "Christmas" conference was this Wednesday! It was sooo awesome! It was an amazing boost to my mission mentality! I was so excited to go out and work hard! After the little devotional we were able to go to the hospital over here and sing for the people in there. The emotions were so high! I could truly feel my Saviors love for everyone in the hospital! It was a very humbling to see all of those people there and how much we can do by just singing and sharing the love! 

Other than that this week has been crazy! Filled with no good fried chicken from an Asian grocery store.....(Never Again.) And full of many many moments that I was able to truly feel my Father in Heavens love for each and every person we talked too. I have never had a stronger desire to share the gospel than this past week. I have no idea if any of you are following the thingy they are doing on mormon.org but it is AWESOME! Through every single one of the ideas on how to serve Elder Redd and I have been able to come closer to our Savior as well as with the people we serve! 

We have one baptism set for next week and we are so excited! I love this work and love to see how it improves and strengthens families! I love you all and thank you for all of your prayers!

Alofa Atu

Elder Bethea

Pictures-

the beach we go to every p-day I know its hard...

a gigantic tree plant thingy Idk it was huge though! (yes i did cut my hair thanks for noticing)