You Shouldve Seen the Rain.

No really you should have... It was probably the most drenched i have ever been in my life.
There we (Elder Sudweeks and I) were, finishing up our lunch and getting ready to take the world by the horns. Our last 5 minutes were ticking by as we labeled our new ward list, when we heard the intrepid pitter patter of the rain being hurled at the side of our apartment. I just smiled, I ignored the temptation to believe today would be "one of those days" and I suited up. a little fire started up in my heart, and I knew it would keep me warm.
The rain was nothing too abnormal yet, as we knocked on a few potentials, and talked to a brave young lady waiting for a ride in the rain. As we did so, the rain just kept falling, harder and harder it seemed. We weren't swayed however, our water resistant coats could handle this and a little more, so we pressed on. We knocked some doors on our way up to talk to some more people on the top of Mountain gate. No one was too interested, and the hiss from the rain just got louder and louder. After the few houses we tracted, we made our ascent to the Mountain Gate summit to contact a referral and visit a few members... and Let me tell you..even as hard as it was raining, we could NEVER had expected the amount of water that hit us over the next 15 minutes.
There must have been some really funny firefighters in the sky who thought it'd be a hoot to spray the heck outta a few missionaries trying to do the work of the lord. We were soaking. Literally it wasnt even worth holding up our umbrella. I felt the cold dampness of my slacks meander across my thighs, untill it drenched my calves, and flooded my socks. Within seconds, my entire body, weather proof jacket and all, were sopping wet.
I remember looking up to the sky and thinking, there is nothing I can do about this rain.. I can't hide, I can't run, I just have to be wet...I looked at Elder Sudweeks, and I knew he was thinking the exact same thing...
We were 100% hosed. Pun Intended. So what did we do? We started laughing. I mean REALLY laughing..We were just so entertained by how unfortunate we were at the time. It was hilarious to us, to see each other sopping wet knowing "that was just the way it was gonna be!" We smiled and made the best of what we had. After we gathered ourselves once again, we headed up that hill. The rest of the day was filled with tracting, and contacting, with success here and there. I think to some people we had a very miserable day. However Ill be the first to tell you... we were happy :)
You've all heard it before, Your life is all about your attitude. Bad things happen to us, and unfortunate events seem to follow us around. Sometimes in life you lose an eye, or get laid off from a job. The point is how you deal with it, is a large measure of where you will find happiness.

"If youve got a faith, you can handle Difficulties" -Russel M Neslon

The gospel of Jesus Christ is a Fix all to all of our problems in life, if we let it be. The Saviors Atonement makes all that is unfair about life fair...If we keep our hopes high, and turn to the Savior, we can handle the torrential rain, and learn to even enjoy walking in it.

Mosiah 3:19
 For the natural man is an enemy to God, and has been from the fall of Adam, and will be, forever and ever, unless he yields to the enticings of the Holy Spirit, and putteth off the natural man and becometh a saint through the atonement of Christ the Lord, and becometh as a child, submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love, willing to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon him, even as a child doth submit to his father.

May each of us become more like little children, to endure, and make the best of every situation, knowing God has in mind what is best for us.

Teach me to WALK in the LIGHT.

Howdy friends! This week we had a WONDERFUL experience going on what The other Elders and I called an "Adventure" this past Monday. We went to a part of our area where we had a gorgeous view of a big snow covered mountain at the mouth of a lake! 
However when we reached the destination, we found a dismal foggy wasteland in place of the clear beautiful scenery we had thought to find. 
It was just gray, the fog was so thick, and it was cold..



In the dense fog, our party huddled together, took a few pictures and waited for the fog to clear. However, our hopes were in vain, because time passed, and there was no break in the fog.. It stayed dense, and it stayed cold.

Some of the Elders we were with decided they were going to leave and go back into town, and that they would have to see the view another day. However a few of us stayed back, driven by an unseen knowledge that if we pressed through the fog upstream, We would find the sun! We were sure we would see something beautiful. 

So the few of us who were left let this unseen desire work in us, and we started hiking upstream! We hiked and hiked and eventually a little blue light illuminated the corner of the mountain.. We knew what it was, right when we saw it! It was the Sky!

After we saw the sky we picked up our pace, and began to run towards the light, over rocks and gravel to stop us in our path.. and we made it! We found a beautiful patch of blue sky, and a great excess of light! 

     I thought a lot about what we had achieved while we sat up at the mouth of the lake enjoying our "moment in the sun" When I realized that the whole experience reminded me SO much of a gospel principle I treasure! In the beginning we saw the master plan in its glory! The beautiful knowledge that we could live with a God who loves us, and to enjoy the blessings he enjoys forever. We saw the big beautiful picture if you will. Well, we were sent here to earth, and when we arrived at our destination we all experience this fog. this dense mist that blocks our view of the great grand picture. Some of us may even forget the big picture we came to see, and will leave the place. We assume we will be able to see it again later, perhaps even forgetting how much it really matters.
     However some of us stick through the mist because we remember the beauty of it all! We hope and pray we can return to it, so we act on that faith, or unseen desire. 
     In the "Book Of Mormon" Alma chapter 32: verse 27 states "But behold, if ye will awake and arouse your faculties, even to an experiment upon my words, and exercise a particle of faith, yea, even if ye can no more than desire to believe, let this desire work in you, even until ye believe in a manner that ye can give place for a portion of my words." This is how we felt while we were stuck in that fog! We had a mere desire to believe we would see the light, and we acted on it! 
     Finally, after a bit of patience we saw a glimpse of hope... that piece of blue sky! Our lives are the same, as we act in faith, through the thick fog of adversity, Heavenly Father will give us pieces of blue sky, to let us know that were going the right way..

     Alma 32 continues later to say..."Now, we will compare the word unto a seed. Now, if ye give place, that a seed may be planted in your heart, behold, if it be a true seed, or a good seed, if ye do not cast it out by your unbelief, that ye will resist the Spirit of the Lord, behold, it will begin to swell within your breasts; and when you feel these swelling motions, ye will begin to say within yourselves—It must needs be that this is a good seed, or that the word is good, for it beginneth to enlarge my soul; yea, it beginneth to enlighten my understanding, yea, it beginneth to be delicious to me." This relates too to our little story, because when we had seen the glimpse of light, we RAN for it. We pushed over life's rocky roads, and uneasy gravel, so we could reach the light! Until finally we made it. Just as in life when we feel the "swelling motions" of our faith, and we see the blue skies Heavenly Father sends to us, we must commit! Letting nothing stop us from achieving the beautiful sight we once knew, and eventually, we will have our glory day in the hot sun.

     I thought a lot about our little adventure and I am so grateful for the knowledge faith has given me of my Heavenly Father. I feel as if I am in a dead sprint to the heavens, and I wont let anything stop me. However it is SO important to share the beautiful message with others. 

     This LAST thought I have is probably the most important. The Elders in our party, who left without seeing the sun drenched mountain we got to enjoy...Had never seen the great picture in the first place. For most of the Elders whom left it was their first visit to the great lakeside we ventured too. They had no idea what beauty it held.. they were not only blinded by the fog that engulfed them, but also had no recollection of the picture in store. This is such an important parallel to the Plan Of Salvation, because many of our brothers and sisters have no idea about the "Big Picture". The one we all agreed to before the world began. Our brothers and sisters deserve to be informed about that "Big Picture" and I bear testimony that it is Our job to share it! 

May we all teach one another to "Walk in the Light"

In the sacred name of Jesus Christ Amen.  

    

If Thine Eye Be Single!

So I want to tell you about my favorite scripture in the world! and how I came to love it!

It is 3 nephi 13: 22 and it reads:
"The ^alight of the body is the ^beye; if, therefore, thine eye be^csingle, thy whole body shall be full of light."

Now you might be asking yourself... "Elder Bethea are you nuts? Why is this your favorite scripture?" Well to break the news.. the answer is NOT "because I have one eye..." although that explanation seems legitimate! The answer is:

It is an Explanation of how to be happy in our lives

"The light of the body is the eye" lets break down this phrase. Lets say that "light" Is Fulfillment, or happiness that we all seek in this life. Of course the eye, Is our vision, or wich way our head is pointed, what occupies our thoughts, and directions. In other words...what we are looking at.
The phrase becomes:
"The fulfillment of our lives is where we are looking at."

Now comes the rest of the scripture: "If therefore thine eye be single thine whole body shall be full of light"

We know, that God expects us to "Keep an eye single to his glory" Or in other words align our purposes with his, and point our vision and keep our eyes pointed to the same things that Gods eyes are pointed at. If we do that our promise is "Our whole lives (Body) will be filled with fulfillment (Light)" 

Seems like a pretty good deal to me! 

Later on in the scripture It explains that we get to choose whether or not we have fulfillment or darkenss, in our lives. Heavenly Fathers promise to us is that if we are righteous. "All things will be added unto [us]." (3 nephi 13) Our lives will certainly be full of light :)

May we all take the challenge to have an eye SINGLE to the glory of god!

Christ Taught Me To Sing

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10202803455425280&l=2182008112029297788

Heres a video of a song I have loved all my mission! From the day I heard it in the stake choir directors house of Jacksonvillle, OR, I knew its message was true, and I wanted to share it.

I sing alot out here on my mission, and I get the question alot, "Where did you learn to sing?" Admittedly I have never given it much thought! But here on this post I want to tell you a story of where my heart was converted to the Gospel of Jesus Christ, through a song. Because Christ is who taught me to sing.
I was once an unruly, unmotivated, and uninterested 17 year old boy going through the motions of life, and trying to figure out who I was. My parents are really really smart cause they totally saw through all my little facades I would throw up, and knew I wasn't in the greatest place. Knowing that if they did, I wouldn't resist, they applied for me to go to the E.F.Y. (Especially For Youth) Program that The Chruch puts on each summer for teenagers! Though I accepted the opportunity to go I never in a milliion years thought I would get anything out of it! Boy was I wrong.
Well The time came and I went! I had alot of fun, won a dance competition, and I met some really great people. The time there included some friends I wont ever lose contact with, like Logan Pickett, who currently serves around me in the same Oregon Eugene Mission. The week went by like the blink of an eye, and I was reminded about the pure atmosphere, and unity of the church and its members.
However it wasn't until Friday, that my conversion was complete.
There we were sitting in the auditorium, as a group on our last day, when we were played the song that changed my life. As the auditorium became dark the speakers began to play the song "I AM" By an artist by the name Nichole Nordemann. At the time I had no idea what the song was called but I felt the holy ghost enter my deep into my heart, and as the Prophet Alma describes "penetrating to my very soul" (The Book Of Mormon Alma 36) Needless to say the song had my full attention. The song was accompanied by a slide show of pictures that correlated with the words.
The Artist sang about each phase of life, and how Christ loves us through each phase. To this day I still remember the lyrics I heard and the picture I saw that broke my heart, and gave me a spirit contrite enough to feel the love of our savior. The picture was of Christ, sitting on a park bench with a young man, about my age. The young man had everything he owned packed in a backpack, and it was clear that he had run from his problems and rejected all the people who loved him. His clothing was dark and his eyes were low, but he was looking at Jesus Christ who sat next to him smiling softly. It was as if he were listening.
The words that accompanied the picture read:

"Only 16,
Life is so mean.
What Kind of Kurfew,
Is at 10 PM?

You watched my mistakes.
You watched my heart break.
You heard when I swore Id never love again.

But when I was weak,
Unable to speak.
Still I could Call you By Name.
Id say, heartache healer
secret keeper
Be my best friend
and you said I AM"

I cant hardly describe the feelings that hit me in that moment as I watched the photo disappear. I felt as if I had been sitting on that bench myself, while Jesus Christ listened to me through my tears of my struggles and my pain that I figured no one on earth could understand. I felt as If it was me calling out to the savior: "Be my best friend." And his answer echoed in my heart. "I AM"

I went home a few days later, still in shock of what I had felt inside that auditorium. I looked up the song online, using the words, that kept echoing in my mind. Eventually I found it. I probably listened to that song 20 times start to finish, and cried possibly the hardest I ever have in my life.  All while I sang the words quietly to myself. I envisioned the savior and myself on the bench, and the more I saw the picture in my head, the louder the song began to play it seemed. It was a really strange out of body experience, but I realized that the music wasn't getting louder at all, It was simply my voice, calling out to heaven for the Savior to come to me and to be my best friend. I will never forget, how powerfully I felt the spirit as I sang those words, and It was there I claim that Jesus taught me to sing..

After the experience, I found myself in many musical numbers at church, and I ended up joining a great production company, where I was able to sing out my testimony and stir up the same spirit I had felt that day when Christ gave me my voice. There have been many times since where I have felt the power of music, while singing and it has kept my testimony strong to date. I just want to say that I love this gospel, and I love our heavenly father who gave us music to touch our hearts in ways that words cannot. My invite is: to all our lives let Christ sing through us, for he being perfect, Is the greatest singer of us all!

Have a great week! and sing loud!

Elder Bethea.

Well This morning has been a great one so far! 6:30 comes early but boy do I love it. After excising, eating a little, then cleaning and washing up, Elder Ohlwiler and I dove into a GREAT personal study, followed by an also incredible companionship study. We've been talking alot about this new Revelation for the mission we've been introducing to the members of the mission. Its called MCV. (Members Catch the Vision) Its an awesome little list of techniques anybody can use to share the gospel!
it starts with
1. A Prayer.
Any miracle that has ever happened has started with a prayer! When we pray in the name of Christ we are always promised miracles as well. (Mormon 9:21)
2. Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
With faith all things are possible. Faith is the belief in things hoped for and not seen. Well I think I can say without reservation that most of us HOPE that some of our friends would join the church! The good news is, if we act on this faith and pray often and specifically about them, we will receive our answers.
3. Talking to Everyone About Our Beliefs.
I've come to grasp that we as members get reaaaallly nervous when it comes to talking to our friends about the gospel.. However to this concern, there is also an answer! How many of us get asked in a day, how we are doing? or How our weekend was? This provides an excellent opportunity to talk about our incredible lives as they pertain to the gospel. Which truly is the most important aspect of every members lives!
Ie: "I had a wonderful evening with my son at a baptism this Saturday! I love the spirit that always accompanies a righteous baptism." you might then proceed to talk about that persons conversion story, or their introduction to the church!
There was a stake conference here in the Oregon Eugene a few months ago, where President young invited us all to start using the phrase "What I love about my church is..." And guess what its true! We can use this phrase in almost ANY conversation. Go ahead try it, and watch your conversations become that of a masterful missionary!
4. Invite Invite Invite!
We need to show our love and Christlike charity to all those around us by inviting them to feel a part of our lives! Just think, what a better place to bring them, then into the walls of the Church of Jesus Christ Of Latter Day Saints? There is none!
The greatest thing I've ever taught members out here on my mission, is that our success is not measured in how many people say yes. It is how many times we continue to invite. All our success is in our invitations!
Here's a fun activity to do on a family home evening.
Rapid Fire Invitations:
Sit everyone in the family in a circle! and have the head of the household start off by inviting someone in the circle to come with them to an activity, pretending that they are a friend. Be Creative!
Ie: "Heidi, you make some good chili, and my church is having its annual chili cook off this weekend. Will you come and help me make some awesome chili?"
Heidi would reply with a big "YES!" and then would turn to a different member of the family and ask a new (and more creative) question like:
"Cienne, My son josh has built the COOLEST pinewood derby car I've ever seen in my life. He is going to race It against all the other neighborhood kids' cars at our church this week. Oh and he is going to beat em' all. You should come support him too!"
Cienne would then reply "YES!" and then repeat the process as much as you'd like!
see how fast you can switch between people. See how creative you can get with it, and get your families in the habit of INVITING! That is the key.


Missionary work is my life, and it is the greatest blessing I have ever received from the lord. It makes me want to share it with everyone! So Ill start off with an Invite. I Invite everyone who reads this to use this 4 step process to become a better disciple of our savior Jesus Christ. I am happy today, because I have another day ahead of me to invite all to come unto Christ. I cant wait to see what the rain of Oregon brings!

Don't do anything you wouldn't enjoy!

Well Its a New day in the Oregon Eugene Mission!
You'll have to forgive me, Iv'e never been the "Blogging" type However I figured I would get into it to share my experiences as a missionary a bit more with those I love. Feel lucky cause that's YOU! :)
Ill post day to day experiences I have, and hopefully ill crack a smile or two out of those who view. (that Rhymes!) I am excited and I hope the best to all! Keep on keeping on!