Letter to President Gustafson

Dear Mom, 

I am sorry that I haven't been sending enough detail. I am not good with that sort of thing.
Here is this weeks letter to President Gustafson. I don't know whether or not you would want to share this, but at least maybe you would like to read it. 

"Kaicho,

The first things that I am to report to you on are: my responsibilities to represent the Lord in our area, and to obtain His direction in carrying out my assignments and blessing the people here.
"This week I was able to baptize Egawa Etsuko Shimai. It was a great experience. I really had so many people to help me. It was really rough to get this all together, but it is finally started and I feel like I can say that we have done the right thing. I really do love Egawa Shimai and hope that she will stay true for a long time, so that we can meet again in the faith after I have left here. I am so blessed to have been here to help her! I think I will always remember the words I said as I baptized her. What a great blessing!
"The next things to report are the status of the work and my personal progress.
"I have gained a greater testimony of the Atonement of Jesus Christ. As we struggled to know what was right and wrong, and as we worked to find out the will of the Lord, I was really stressed. It was hard for me to have the opposition that we had, but the Savior knows us, and knows how to succor us. In this time of great stress and trial, the Savior gave me support by good friends who care for me, good branch leaders, and even by friends and family back home. I did not know what power and what meaning could come from the loving hands and words of the people around us. Thank you for your support too Kaicho. Most of all, to feel the Savior's approval and love by them and through the spirit, was a blessing without measure. Partaking of the sacrament was so much needed.
"The work will continue here. I have a hope that it will speed up from here on out. I really have felt directed by the Spirit and am excited to know where we will be led.
Thank you for all you do.
Working hard and keeping the rules, love,
Elder Bevan"

Besides those things, I would like to ask if you might be able to send me a filled out "My Family" booklet, for showing investigators about fam. history.. That would be great.
Anyways, love you Mom. 

Sept. 8, 2014

We dont have a lot of time. Right now we are emailing from Nagos library because the one at the church refused to work.

I loved getting all of your emails! Thank you so much!

Things are going well. I am learning a lot and am very blessed.

Funny story; yesterday we had some time to knock on doors. At one door a man opened holding a misbehaving dog (middle sized) in his arms. He didnt seem super interested so I tried to hear a little bit about him by asking about his dog. I meant to ask how old the dog was (in Japanese you can often leave out the subject of a sentence) but he misunderstood and thought I was asking how old he was. He said 40 and I, astounded, said "wow! thats old!" before I had time to completely process what he was saying. Yeah... Whoops! :)

Anyways I love you all. Im out of time. Thanks

Elder Bevan

This was P-day, we had to wait for the computers to open up at the library and so we went out to the park outside. I thought that the tower behind me was pretty cool!

 This is looking North over Nago from the top of the tower

This is looking East

This is looking south onto the Ocean 

This is looking West.

 I think that gives a pretty good idea of what Nago is like. The weather is great just about now.

Us "young" missionaries in Nago

We see miracle everyday. We are not very good teachers and we are not good at Japanese, and Elder Robinson and I are still pretty young in the mission (between us we don't even have ten transfers total, sixteen transfers is a two year mission), but we still see miracles.  This week we got all of our goals for lessons taught, sacrament meeting attendances, new investigators, and member involvement visits. One of the investigators that came to church we met on the street. He said he had interest in religion (what!), we shared the first vision and invited him to church. He said he would, and true to his word he came in the pouring rain. Wearing a white shirt and tie none the less! The other investigator was Egawa Etsuko, who we have been working with for maybe a month or more now. (She has been basically our main source of food since we met her. She never sends us away without some food.) What a blessing! We have wanted her to come for so long! It is so wonderful to see the Lord working in us to fill our goals. I feel like if we can keep up the good work and continue to rely on Him we will see success. 

It is pretty hard on Elder Robinson, the little things that get at all of us sometimes are hard for Him. We have been working hard though and he is improving dramatically. His Language has gone from un-understandable to passable (a huge jump). He has improved in so many ways. It is so good to work with him and see him work so hard on things. I love all of my companions, and couldn't be happier :) 

I love the Mission!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I know this is the work of Jesus Christ, the son of God, the Savior.

With love to all,

Elder Bevan

2 Man Nago!

Last Tuesday was transfer calls, and since there was a big chance of someone leaving we all decided to go to Nago's famous Aquarium. It was a very long bike ride, we took at least an hour and a half of riding to get there. Just before we got to the gate of the Aquarium we got a call from Kaicho (usually it is not the mission president who calls, we were all excited). He told us that Nago was becoming a 2man area, that I and Elder Robinson were going to be companions, that Elder Conlon (our district leader would be sent to Yamaguchi, and that Elder Malen would be going to Hiroshima as a district leader. None of us expected that anyone would really leave so it was quite a surprise. 

Elder Robinson is now on his fourth transfer. He is the oldest of three boys, plays violin VERY well, and is talented in many other ways. I have had the chance to work with him before now, so that is a blessing. It should be a good transfer. 

The Aquarium was awesome. If I am not wrong, it is the 2nd largest in the world. It has three whale sharks. It is Awesome!

Before we came all the way back Elder Malen and I went to try and meet the same person that we did the other week, but still could not find her. Along the way there was a less active, so we had set up and appointment. When we got there, we were set down at a table until Sister Uechi could make it back. When she did , we had a good talk, and then, miracle of miracles; her friend, (who we had coincidentally met two weeks before, in that far corner of the island, when we had been doing the very same thing) came in. It turned into a lesson, and sister Uechi was testifying and the whole sha-bang! 

What a great last day with Elder Malen. We worked hard and saw miracles. I hope I keep it up with Elder Robinson this transfer. 

I Love This Work! I know that this is The Church of God, His kingdom on the Earth. I am excited to keep going!

This is from Elder Conlon, our last p-day, on the way to the Aquarium. E. Conlon is the one on the ground.

With all love, Elder Bevan 

4 Man Area

Okinawa Aquarium

                                                    Last few moments as a 4 man area.