Hey mom! 

Sorry for not emailing so much. But Elder Ah Chee his ward is in my zone. I actually right now am emailing at his Chapel! Tell him I love him for doing the fathers work and know that the work is doing so well over here! Hey just a quick story, so we are teaching this investigator her name is Paese. She is blind. We have been teaching her for a while and she has expressed so many times how hard this is for her. But we just have taught her all of the lessons, but this last visit was very special. We walked in and sat down, and immediately after the prayer she started crying, we asked what was wrong and then she looks at us and says that ever sense she has started taking lessons, praying, and learning more that slowly she has been getting her eye sight back. I am not joking when I say she is getting her sight back because she has faith by our words that this gospel is true. I am telling you that this gospel is a gospel of miracles, and this is a miracle that we have been blessed to experience. 

My new companion is Elder Vaa Sioka. He is a Samoa samoa. And one of the best missionaries in the mission. I love it out here mom and don't ever think that I complain because with God nothing is hard. I want you to know this gospel is true God lives and that with His son we can overcome all things. I love this gospel and most importantly I love the people of Samoa! 

I hope you have an amazing week. I will try to write land to tell you more stories and I am starting on christmas gifts so if there is anything specific you would like from samoa let me know I am not scared to ask anyone for anything.

Alofa atu

Elder Bethea

-You sound like you are doing amazing.  If you see Elder Ah Chee's family, tell them to check FB for a message, and find me on FB.   I hope they got the picture this morning!!! What a blessing when I know I am switching sons with faithful people in Samoa.  

I am glad you get a long with Elder Vaa Sioka.  I hope you want to leave those islands in nine months ;)

-HECK NO I DONT WANT TO LEAVEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hey yeah no I had no thought in my mind that I would get transferred. The reason I did was because Elder Mouga told President that I was a good leader as well as my companion now told president that I was a good elder. My new comp is awesome he was the old AP and we are killing it out here. The area is huge and we are lucky to move around with a car. There are three sets of Zone Leaders on Savaii are we are one of them and Elder Mounga is another. We see each other a lot! I am having a good time but am pretty nervous still about how I can help this Zone produce how it needs to be! I love that I have this opportunity and that God has trusted me to look over all of these Elders but I am praying every day for guidance. I don't know how I did anything before my mission because I never asked for the Lords help. I see now how true and precious this opportunity is for us to use our Heavenly Father in our everyday life!!!!! I am so grateful for this opportunity I will write letters to make it easier for you all to understand how I really am doing but I literally have no time today! I love you mom and I did get those packages. Two of them. I will send that SD card in the letter I send to you. It will probably be a package...with some gifts from Savaii. Love you and keep staying strong!!!'

Alofa atu

Elder Bethea

I would like to first appologize for last week. No internet and yes this week I do, but it will be short. I am now in Savaii and I have a native companion. Don't worry mom he is the old AP. We are serving in Sili and I am a new Zone leader. The work has been going awesome and I am so sad I got transferred. We had three baptisms that we had planned for this week and two more in the coming weeks. But I am grateful for the opportunity I have to serve in this area. I hope that your week goes well! 

Alofa atu

Elder Bethea

The lower we go the higher we get.

We have been doing some serious fun walking these past couple of days. (due to popped bike tires). Although we have been just doing everything that we can to find the people that God has prepared for us. There came Saturday and we had our baptisms on Thursday so we were planning on a full day of walking. But when we woke my companion was feeling very sick. I thought that we would take the day so he didn't get worse. Turns out he showered then said no we need to go out today. He bore through such a hard day that literally when we got home he could barely stay up. Through his efforts and through his sincere desire to work we were able to find a new family to teach but not only that but were able to set 3 new baptismal dates. How humbled I was to see how the Lord works through His servants so long as we are WILLING! If we are not willing to listen, work, and to truly find the Holy Spirit in our days we miss out on opportunities like what we had on Saturday. The Lord truly works through us when we put ourselves below that what we think that we can stand. When we put ourselves lower the stronger the Atonement works in us and we are able to shine brighter. We were at district meeting this last Monday and our Zone Leader told us how our baptisms in the zone have been going down and how we should use fasting and prayer to truly allow all of our investigators or potentials come unto Christ through baptism. I decided to fast yesterday to truly find those that my Heavenly Father has prepared for us. We ran into a situation at the start of the day that caused me to break my fast early. I was upset and very down that I wasn't able to fulfill my promise to God. As the day went I had a prayer in my heart to truly allow us to find those that needed us. We had little success in that day until we were riding up a hill and a young woman was standing on the side of the road. When she yelled, "Hey Elders" I knew I needed to stop. We stopped talked and it turns out that she was a member but has been living with her family that isn't. And she asked that we go back to teach them the following week. How great was my joy as we rode away from that conversation knowing that because I had done all that I could that God was still blessing me because of my efforts. We are "looking forward with a steadfastness in Christ" every day so we can truly become better servants in his hands, and we have been blessed!

Thank you all for your love and support! Keep fighting the good fight!

Alofa atu

Elder Bethea

Stand in Holy Places

Many new things have happened this week and the most important is that we have three baptisms tomorrow! I am so excited to help these three enter into the waters! It seriously is the best thing that I can imagine! Nothing super interesting happened this week. I am loving it over here in Faleula! We are seeing success every single day! It is a little harder now that one of the bike tires is popped so we are enjoying walking!

Cool experience this week we went into a store and a drunk man comes up to me really intense and says we need to talk at my house right now. So I took it as this guy is wanting to talk about Jesus and how He can help him...until I saw him buy another bottle of Vodka. But we went anyway, turns out he was baptized and wanted to change his life. We met his friend on the road and immediately his friend said no we are not taking them back to the house, they are missionaries of God, they have been set apart with a holy spirit that should not be in a house with two drunk men. Then he asked us to come back another day so that we could talk when they weren't drunk. Oh this man was baptized as well and wants us to come over and help him get on the right path! It made me think when we were walking away from that conversation how important it is for us to always look for holy places to stand in. We all have a special spirit with us that will get offended if we are not doing all that we can to keep ourselves away from the appearance of sin. Just like in 3Nephi11:1 when they were all standing around the temple. Remember that a temple is a house of God. And they were talking about Jesus. There was not a better situation for Jesus Christ to come down and teach them. Just like us if we are always in a situation that is applicable to the spirit we can and will receive personal testimony builders and will be happier than ever before.

I know that we WILL receive guidance and blessings if we strive to stand in holy places.

Thank you all for all the love and support. Keep fighting the good fight!

Alofa atu

Elder Bethea

Be a Nephi

Mom! 

So sorry to worry you about those Hives. They have not come back and I am truly 100% okay! But the Benadryl would be lovely! To first answer your questions about the new way of doing our dinners. To be 100% honest they are not even supposed to be dinners. President wants us to be focused on the work so he wants us to switch from dinners to Family Home Evenings. Mostly for the family to invite someone who is not a member or less active to the Family Home Evening so that we can help strengthen the work as well as provide that specific individual with a fellow shipper. Mom this is a way that will progress the work. Many members are not happy with it, but because we have testified and promised blessings they are coming around and are more willing to fulfill the program. So it has been hard, but the Lord is blessing us every single day for our efforts! 

This week has been awesome! The Lord is blessing us like crazy according to how hard we work and our obedience to every rule! We got an amazing referral this week of a family who we could go visit! So yeah we made sure to contact them asap! We went up to the house and the mother (Tasi) tells us she is busy because this is her only day off of work. So I pull the quickest counter blessing and ask if we can speak for only 5 minutes so we can bless her family! She allows and we go in, start talking, turns out she has already finished her lessons but wasn't baptized, and has been waiting for another chance to get in contact with the missionaries! I am grateful that God put us in that situation, because we got to talking and committed her to start reading the Book of Mormon again. Then we left. A couple days later in church we see the most amazing thing. Tasi and her son Ben at church! We talk to her and come to find out her husband had been not allowing her to go to church until the day that we went to her house. After we left her husband came in and told her that it was time for her and Ben to go back to church and he would take them every week!!!!!!!!!!!!!! What a blessing that not only were we able to contact her but that her husband had a change of mind in the same day! Also forgot to add her and her son are now on date! It has been a true blessing to see how obedience and humility come into play in this work!

But nothing else has happened. Just blessings like crazy! 

Hope you have an amazing week and continue to work hard!

Alofa atu

Elder Bethea

ps- can you send some more razors. I am almost out....natives love to take stuff....

pps- is there a chance you could tell me some good workouts I can do to get rid of belly love.....

ppps- easy mac. I love that stuff. Elder Rivera was wondering about Kit Kats?

New area New blessings

HEY MOM!

So sorry you were unable to hear from me last week. Due to being transferred to a new area as well as training again we did not receive the chance to send out an email. I am alive and doing awesome! That is crazy that Tatiana is in Samoa. Let her know that I am staying in Faleula Uta chapel and not down at Faleula Tai. But I do cover that area as well. Easton is just a stud let them all know I pray for them and love them a lot!

The new area is really big and it is a true blessing to have bikes. We have been riding nonstop trying to get in contact with who is members and who are not members. Through our efforts we have been blessed, but only in the times when we are fully focused on the work and willing to step out of our comfort zones. We have had many opportunities to teach as well as strengthen. My testimony has been strengthened as I have worked, taught, and most importantly testified about our Savior Jesus Christ. He is the reason I am out here and He has not let me down. 

A special experience I have had in these past two weeks was we were biking (I was walking my bike because I got tired...#toomuchfriedchicken) but we passed a house that looked really new and no where close to finished but had a roof and people were in there. We passed and I received a prompting to go and not to worry about what to say, but that they would accept you and will love what you have to say. So hey I did what an Apostle of Jesus Christ said and I headed to the first prompting and immediately caught up to my soa and told him we needed to turn around and talk to this family. Turns out they had just moved there for about a month and they were not currently attending any church. As I looked for something to share I reached into my bag to grab a Restoration Pamphlet but found none, only pamphlets for the Plan of Salvation. Yeah God definitely had His hand in this visit. As we shared I was able to bear testimony that we have a purpose here and that after we leave this life we an truly be together as a family. As my companion (just started) bore with all the Samoan he could the family was touched. We were able to invite her to read and she accepted and wanted us to come back on Thursday so we could discuss with her family and so they could ask us questions. I testify that the Holy Spirit is with all of us, He prompts us everyday and if we are faithful and are always "opening our ears to hear (him)" we will find the greatest opportunities to testify, help, as well as share this gospel and the blessings that come from it. 

Other than that we have just been getting familiar with the new area and been finding through part member families as well as through the spirit. I love all of you and I truly do feel your prayers and love for me every single day. Always continue in faith, reach for the unreachable and let Jesus Christ fill the space in between. 

Anyway how is it all going? Tell me how I can bless someones life! Let me know all that I can do to help. 

(sorry no pictures this computer is weird so I will try next week)

Alofa atu 

Elder Bethea

This week has been awesome. I got an addition to my companionship and he is a missionary from Samoa! His name is Elder Tauiliili. A stud non the less and has taught me soooo many things about how I personally as a missionary can bless others lives through love more than just working. This week we had an amazing opportunity to bless another one of Gods children through the waters of Baptism! Ime has been an investigator for a while and we were able to get her married and baptized this last week which was to say non the less LEGENDARY!!!! She was so ready and so happy to finally after a couple months to receive the blessings of this gospel. Other than that we have been working, contacting, and most importantly blessing our brothers and sisters through this gospel.

Nothing else has happened this week. Just amazing opportunities for me and all of my Companions to bless others lives. I am so happy to be out here living this life, serving my Father in Heaven and blessing many.

Thank you for the love and support.

Alofa atu

Elder Bethea

I ate a fish head, pig feet, octopus, many others I can't think of right now. But I am out of time. I love you sooooooo much! Keep being amazing.

Hey mom just going to send the big email to you...not a whole lot of time.

This week has been awesome! We have gotten to go and find extreme failure to extreme glory...How? Through our Savior Jesus Christ. We have been working really hard on getting new people to teach and ended up fasting for help on Sunday. From the time we ended our fast to right now we have been receiving referrals and help from sooo many! The Lord is truly on our side and is always there to help us through the rough times.

This week was also hard due to my companion having a illness so we were stuck in the house for 4 out of the 7 days in the week. Sad but allowed me to truly find great lessons learned from the Book of Mormon!  There is not much to say about this week other than I am alive and well. With not a whole lot of time on the computer. So to all for this week just know that I worked hard and was blessed greatly! God commanded us to be obedient, as we listen and follow what He has commanded we will as I can testify be blessed greatly! Until next week!

Alofa atu

Elder Bethea

3Nephi11

MOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Holy cow! Seeing those pictures of Branten pitching threw me so far back to playing in those tournaments when I was his age. Man he is looking awesome! I am so glad that he is still willing to go where ever the coach wants him! Help him be better than I was and always be happy that he is playing the game that he loves as well as allowing other kids to experience and grow in their own way! Man he looks soooooo good! He is getting so big too! I forgot how big my brothers are going to be when I get home! I am so happy that he is healthy and has your looks, drive, love, compassion, amio (like attitude), and then has dads love for baseball like it all works out for that kid! Just tell him to keep it up and to always remember that if he is having fun and always looking for the good things in that game that there will never be a day/game that he leaves mad/sad.

Easton! He is trying to play first! Oh my word that is like the perfect position for him! He is such a stud! I hope that he is all in all just enjoying being out there and having a blast every single day no matter where he is put! I know that he is because lets be honest you could put Easton in a room full of drug addicts and he would still find a way to have an awesome time with all of them and leave with a huge smile! That is sooo cool is he still with his little squeeze Rachel or are they "taking a break". LOL I can't believe that he is sooo old! Man I hope he is still doing awesome and just enjoying being awesome! 

Jaden! I think that it is awesome he is just enjoying soccer! One thing that I wish I would've played more while I was in the young ages.... ;) That is good he has a job! Getting all of that money so that he can pay to come back with me to Samoa one day! Is he excited to be on his last year of high school or is he just kinda whatever about the whole thing? Has he started to go to Mission Prep? Does he have a PMG? I really hope that he is studying that every day! I know I wish I would've done that my entire senior year! But in all reality is he constantly in focus of his mission or is his mind on other things? As I have been out here I have gained a desire to study constantly! I truly regret not having this spirit while I was home. I hope that he is taking the initiative to read the BoM every single day! No matter how much or what he reads I hope that he is constantly working to find a time to at least read one chapter every day! I know the power that the BoM has had in my mission just by simply reading it for one hour every day! Seriously everything runs so much better throughout the day! I hope that he tries to start making that a habit before he enters to the mission field.

Crazy! Layton is home (for once) and I hope he is enjoying the atmosphere of BLANDing. Tell him I love him and to keep doing good! I have no concerns about that child.

No I have not received my card yet and my money is now currently at 0. So I am just working off of what members give us throughout the day and just living the life, eating bananas, drinking coconuts, and living the island life. 

I love my new camera! It helps so much that it is waterproof. There have been many rainstorms as well as crazy children so it has been a blessing non the less. 

No I am still trying to fill the 32GB card! I am almost there just don't you worry! I will send it asaf (as soon as filled)

Shoes nah! I haven't gotten anything sense you sent the protein and the oatmeal! I am still waiting so don't you worry mom! 

That is awesome you all get to head out to Florida on Friday! And YES I WANT ALL THE PICTURES FROM FLORIDA I WANT TO SEE EVERYONE!!!!!!!! I can't tell you how excited I am to see everyone in Florida! So yes please send pictures!

Thank you for the love! I will take it and use it every day!

The work is going You will hear about it in my weekly!

Just know that I love you and I am working hard! 

Alofa atu

Elder Bethea

This week was an awesome one! We were able to set some dates with a couple of our families that we have been able to find. This is just one of the amazing experiences that I had this week.

We went over to a potentials house and she had the Matai (chief of the village) over at her house so she rescheduled. I constantly could not get her out of my head that entire day! So I prayed that night to help me know what I should do to help Fa understand our message the next day. We went over and she invited us for "just a second". As we sat down I asked her if she had a chance to read the Book of Mormon. She stated that she didn't but read the Restoration pamphlet...the entire day after we left. She compared everything to the bible and said that everything that we teach is in the bible! I testified to her that this is the true gospel of Jesus Christ, but then she interrupted and said that she thinks that the Mormons and the LMS church teach the same thing. I testified and taught her the differences for 20 minutes and she was unable to understand why our gospels were different. Then I told her about the BoM and how that was the evidence of the truthfulness of our gospel. She looked at me weird so I asked her to grab her Book of Mormon so we could all read together 3Nephi11. She stated that she would only listen to us read because her eye sight was pretty bad but she would try to follow along as well as she could. As me and my companion read I could see tears enter into her eyes. Then she stopped the two of us and asked if she could read. Then she read the last few verses of chapter 11. After she finished she looked at us and told us she knew what she had to do. She then told us she needed to be baptized by the proper authority! I invited her but she told us that she needed to talk to the old lady first but said yes! Her and her two daughters as well will enter into the waters of baptism. We are not sure when but probably in August. 

Christ is our Savior. He visited America and taught a perfect gospel. We have that perfect gospel in this lifetime and it is my humble privilege to donate two years of my life to focus on the progression of His Gospel. 

I love all of you and thank you so much for your love and support!

Alofa atu

Elder Bethea

Mother dearest that I love soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo much! Wow has it been long to hear from all of you! I am alive and yes I am still kicking! The extending is still in the air so there is nothing too much to worry about just enough that I am praying continually for help on making this decision. Any who I am doing awesome! This area this past week has blown up! we have been sooooooo blessed due to our continual efforts to be exactly obedient to the rules. We have been able to find a new investigator Ua'i. We found her through getting a referral from one of our investigators. We both decided we should go and visit her and figure out if she is interested. We met and sat down for the first visit and it ends up that she had met with missionaries before and had received a Restoration pamphlet. After receiving it she moved over here to Upolu. From the first day that she got it she was reading it every single day. EVERY DAY. We just happened to walk up to her when she was most ready to receive the message. She is now on date for the 22nd of July! She is awesome and we are very grateful! 

We also due to my AMAZING companion were able to find a less active/part member family. My companion received a thought to go visit a house that we hadn't been to in a while and I agreed. Turns out there was a new family that moved in and I was only able to talk to one of the sons of the family. Introduced the BoM and he was hooked! Told us to come back the next day! We went over and turns out the whole family dropped everything to listen to what we had to say! They all now are praying to know if Joseph Smith is a prophet of God and if the Book of Mormon is true! THE BLESSINGS DON'T STOP!

Little blessings include one investigator getting prepared to be married and baptized! As well as another investigator who was found who just needs to be married. 

I am loving this area mom. I love my Savior and more than most I love His Gospel and the path that He has provided for all of us to return to Him and the Father. 

Oh BTW met up with a drunk/evil spirit surrounded man who tried to climb our fense to our house. I asked him what he wanted and he told me, "you". Yeah you could just say that my Derek skills came out and I talked to him (and tried with all my might not to run into the house screaming like a 14 year old girl who just saw Justin Beiber) until the bad spirit left him and he was willing to leave.....or so we thought. Later in the night he climbs over the fence and starts asking who is home and walking around our locked house. Yeah told him strait up to go home. He left but stayed right outside our house most of the night cussing at us. Fun night. 

I am living mom and I am loving the Mission. Crazy to think that I am almost a year out huh! I am doing it! And I am glad to see that all is good at home! Can't wait to see the Florida pics in a couple of weeks! Language is still needing work but I am praying daily for help!

Alofa atu

Elder Bethea

I really don't have a desire to send out a group email. I am just going to send you a huge one that makes you and me happy. 

These past few weeks have been awesome and I am loving it over here in Upolu. We got two baptisms from the last time that I have talked to you. One was the young man who was drinking coffee. He is now a member and is passing the sacrament every week! He is a stud and I am 100% sure that he will serve a mission which is the best feeling ever! The other one was a man who was an old investigator that Elder Sheffield and Elder Vest both taught and finished lessons. He is a stud and is very active in the church. 

In the past couple of weeks we have been blessed beyond imagine. With investigators as well as with the language. My son (Elder Sheffield) is now able to help me in the lessons and is every single day working hard to improve! I on the other hand am still working on finding a way that I can improve my own language, as I feel that I have plateaued. The work continues and I love it soo much! I got your package as well mom with the protein and the oatmeal! I honestly thought it was better than Christmas! I loved the idea of the box as well.....and no I don't lift I work out;) 

The work is continuing and the people are coming. I had a really cool experience with going to the Visitors Center that our mission president has made for us to take our investigators to. So we took one of our investigators to the visitors center and she was soooo excited. When we got there the sisters started the tour and Tai'ese (our investigator) loved it...or so we thought. We got to the part about Joseph Smith and then she started to attack the doctrine. Elder Sheffield and I were shocked and didn't think that this would happen with Tai'ese but it did. We were able to answer her questions then we went to the part of the restoration of the priesthood. And again she attacked. At this point my frustrations was a little to high. I then stopped her while she was giving on of her statements and then asked her some questions on how Aaron (Moses's brother) got the priesthood, as well as the apostles of Jesus Christ. Then gave my simple testimony that this is the only way that we can hold the priesthood on the earth is by the laying on of hands. It helped smooth out the rest of the tour that at the end we invited her to be baptized and she said that she would pray and tell us tomorrow what her answer would be! It was crazy! I just hope that God will speak to her and show her the correct way she needs to go to receive all of these blessings. 

Its been awesome Mom being out here serving, learning to love these people and the culture as well. I love it sooo much out here and I can't wait to continue serving for the next year! Also, when do you guys all head out to Florida? Is the fam excited to head out? What are your thoughts of me extending my mission? How are all of the boys? I am loving the pictures! Continue to send them! 

I love you sooooo much but that is all I can remember from the week!

Alofa atu

Elder Bethea