No email....but a baptism

Mason was not able to email this week because there was no data left at the ward building.  

Dayehrenda Seti Leitupo posted these pictures from Faafaga's baptism on FaceBook.  

I broke my bike chain.

T​​​​​​his week we didn't get a baptism sad to say! We taught our super awesome investigator Saimone but he ended up telling us that he drinks coffee. So we had to push his baptism date back to this next Saturday. But he is doing awesome! I love it over here! 

The work is seriously going crazy out here! I am seriously so surprised every day because it seems that every day we are either picking up someone new or someone just tells us hey this person isn't baptized and they go to church, so we walk over there and next thing I know we are talking to them and they tell us heck yeah they want to be baptized! 

I am super pumped because the Lord is truly blessing us out here every single day! We have been working super hard and have been seriously loving every second of it! 

Yea yesterday I broke my bike chain so we get to walk for the next week until it gets fixed. Blessings of working so hard.

Thank you all for the love and prayers they are all greatly appreciated! I continue to pray for your constant safety! 

Alofa atu

Elder Bethea​

I am in Upolu

Member missionary

Dayehrenda Seti Leitupo

Sorry for last week, our ward clerk used all of the data so I wasn't able to send a super long email and stuff. But yeah all is good and the work is progressing as well. We are covering a big area which means a lot of walking...(due to the bike tire being popped). It has been a very big blessing to walk and to talk to everyone who is on the street.

This week we have been working with a young man who is now on date for this Saturday!!!!! I can truly testify of the blessings from working hard and being humble in the work. We found this young man from the Elders who were last in this area. His name is Saimone and has been going to church for the past couple of weeks with a member family. He loves the gospel and is sooooooooooo ready to be baptized! As well as another man form another village who is being baptized this Saturday as well! His name is Faafaga. He was taught by Elder Sheffield and Elder Vest and now is being baptized this Saturday. Just 100% blessings from Our Heavenly Father.

Other than that we have just been working walking and just "gettin er dun"! The area is awesome and has been a true blessing to me and my companion as well.

I just love this work and all that comes out of our true and honest labors every single day. God blesses us only after the trial of our faith. Continue with strength nothing wavering and all WILL work out.

Thank you for the love and support! I love you all and hope you all have an awesome week!

Alofa atu

Elder Bethea

Mason only got to send a short email from a member's phone......here is what I asked, and what he had to say.

From Mom:  So tell us who your soa is, where is he from, do you get along (like that is even a question), etc

What about your area?

What is your apartment like (pictures)?

Have you, in the last week eaten anything interesting?

What is the climate like on Upolu?

Is there a different accent to the language?  How is that?

From Elder Bethea:

Sorry mom today is quick. I got transferred to Satapuala Upolu. My companion is Elder Sheffield he is new and I am finishing his training. We cover three big villages and its fun. The clerk used all of the data do this is a quick email from a members phone. So i wont be able to send a big email. So maybe please let everyone know what is going on. The area is good and the people are sooooo funny! They see me and my companion walking up to the house and they immediately pull out what ever english they have snd rey to speak. It is funny to see them when i speak to them in samoan. We have around 30 investigators in the three wards we cover so we are always busy. Some of our pdays as well are taken up teaching lessons as well. Our house is a tiny house behind the chapel and is awesome! Nice and private very small. Nope nothing interesting just the same fried chicken and taro. Upolu is VERY poor so we dont get nice stuff to eat. Upolu is the same as tutuila i dont see anything different from the teo islands. Kinda a different accent but not bad enough that it shocked me ehen i got here. I did have s super cool experience with the gift of tounges i will have to tell you on sundy. My sunday. We are planning on calling at 3-3:30 on your saturday. Nothing else sorry this is fast. I love you and hope all goes awesome in this next week! Know oyr savior loves you and your family. Thank you for your email. See you on your saturday! 

No email this week because of transfers between islands. Here are a few pictures from other Elders and members.

"NO"

This week was awesome! I seriously couldn't of asked for a better week! We were able to baptize a special young man, a young man that I have worked with sense I first entered into this area. His name is Lopati and man was it awesome to see his smile as he entered into the water! I am so grateful that I had the opportunity to be here to see him be baptized and see how much his life has changed sense the first time we taught him! 

We also were able to find another investigator named Ma. She is awesome and very funny! She took lessons in Savaii with other Elders, finished, then was unable to be baptized due to some village problems. So then she moved here, and asked if we could finish her lessons and then baptize her. She is awesome! Her testimony is the best that I have heard in a while! 

Funny story time.

So we went to teach this amazing Ma about the restoration. I went in thinking I was on top of the world. I was confident in my language in my teaching and my ability to do the work. So the lesson began and everything was going well, she would ask questions and I was able to answer and teach her why that was the answer. I was getting a little prideful because there were some members there and man I was impressing them way good. As the lesson went on we got to Joseph Smith and the First Vision. I taught well and Elder Vele gave an amazing testimony. Then she asked, "How do you know that the true church that God and Christ told Joseph was the Mormon church?" I gave her my answer and thought it was really good. Then I heard her ask again. So I explained again. Then I thought she was asking if Joseph Smith was the one who created the Mormon church. I then said specifically to that question, "NO!". Then everyone started laughing. I was confused and explained why I said no. 

After the lesson Elder Vele starts laughing hysterically. I asked him what was so funny and he told me that she was telling us that she had received and answer and that she knew this was the true church, and I responded to her statement with "NO!" So yeah you can imagine my embarrassment. Lesson learned, don't be cocky with the language or you will get a moment like this to humble you down greatly. All is good though she is on date now for next week so we are excited to teach and to help her make that sacred covenant with her Heavenly Father.

Other than that we are hopefully looking forward to another baptism this week of a man who has been investigating for 20 years! Yeah he is awesome and SOOOOOO prepared. Hopefully that happens and we can help him make that covenant.

All is good in this area! I love the people and love this work! Thank you for the love and your prayers! 

Continue in faith!

Alofa atu

Elder Bethea

Onosa'i

This week was fun and hard. I have gained a new love for walking....The only thing that has happened this week is calls telling us to reschedule for another day or another week but the best one was rescheduled for next month. That was a fun call to receive. But we do have a baptism coming up this week and a few that will follow in the next few weeks. It has been fun to receive some of the hardest times of my mission but also find the most amazing solutions to others problems so that they can be baptized. I am so glad to be out here working and enjoying the Gospel and being able to bless others lives as well. This is an amazing area and an amazing experience to be here and going from square one to the last square. I have loved the opportunity to be humbled. I have learned to love the word humble/onosa'i. I have been able to study learn different meanings and enjoy trying them all out. God is our loving father and knows what we need when we need it. I truly am grateful for the love and joy that has been given to me through my tough times and many challenges. Jesus is our Savior. He lives and is our teacher and brother. I am always willing to listen and obey his guidance. Yeah life keeps going. This week was just like any other week were we walked, talked, taught, and listened. Truly was a hard week, but also the most rewarding. Continue in faith and know God is always there to guide us and bless us according to our works and desires.

Thank you for your love and support! Continue in Faith

Alofa atu

Elder Bethea