Thoughts on Faith

There are people in the world who have philosophized that the only thing a person can know for certainty, with 100% assurance they are not wrong, is the reality of their existence. " I think, therefor I am." They asserted that we cannot know anything else beyond this. Everything that we know could be doubted away to that point. If I am not wrong, I think they might say "we cannot know if we are not simply the figment of someone else's imagination.... our perception of reality might be totally skewed."

It is a very "smart" idea... In a way it is true. Now, this might sound strange at first, but I kind of like this idea. I think it shows how much faith is a real part of everything that we do. Everyone uses faith, everyday, all-day. It is part of us. If this idea is true, than everything we do is based on faith.... I say faith, but this is not the same kind of faith that we talk about in church. That "Faith", is Faith in Jesus Christ. I am still thinking about this, but I think that these two faiths might work in about the same way. If you need faith to do normal everyday things and to carry out all of the tasks that we do all day. I think in the same way, we need Faith to carry out spiritual things. If everyday faith motivates us to try and do good in our work and our human relationships, then it would make sense that Faith in Jesus Christ would leads us to be much better than we already are. And if faith was what it took to send a man to the moon, or to make iPads, imagine what a real and vital faith in Christ could do to the souls of God's children!

I know that God lives, Jesus Christ is the Atoning One, and that the Book of Mormon is true by the power of the Holy Ghost.

Love to all, Elder Bevan

This is me and my "brother" and my "dad". Elder Harvey will be "dying" soon. .... gooofy picture :) I like it.

This is of our last zone conference. There are actually almost two zones in this picture... President and Sister Gustafson are right up front middle. I love them.

Still in Kumamoto... Mom's questions

Halo everyone!

I said last week was transfers but didn't say if I or my companion transferred.  I am still in Kumamoto. Elder Pettit is still my companion. We are getting along. I am still trainer. there are four missionaries in our ward, and I love the members here. Unlike America it is very rare to get member refferals, and it is kind of hard to work with peopls scheduls to teach with them, but that is no worry I love the people and they are fantastic. I love them becuse they are all so strict to give ear to the word of God. They desire to do what is right, and work hard, and are concerned for the lives of those they work with. Of course, as is everywhere thre are many who go less active.. how I wich that were not so! but there is smuch good in the hearts of the people here.
my arm is all healed up and no one is the wiser for it. We are on ou bikes all of the time that we are not teaching or studying. Today we went though a kind of country like area... that means that there are a few fields... and I could smell the manure and felt at home... it smelt like good old work.:) But even the most country areas of Japan I have been in are more suburban than Emmett.

I have been studying that for the past while  about the strengthening power of the Atonement of Jesus Christ. I will have read the Book of Mormon through, studying about that subject, by the end of my mission.
I have though a lot and prayed about filling the responsibilities that I have been giving as  a missionary.... how can I do the things that I have been given to do? I have been able to see a little clearer that I will be able to do the things that I have been asked to do in one way or another if I will rely on the Lord.
I have been reading through 2Nephi lately and have come to learn a lot about the power of the Atonement of Christ through the Isiah Chapters. What wonderful lessons! Christ is our light and our water, He is our food of life. If we will rest on him he will give us the things that we stand in need of.... Those symbols are used over and over in Isiah (in one form or another) and I love it! One of the ways that Christ enables us to do his work is mercifully giving us knowledge... and I think all good missionaries have seen themselves be guided be revelation to do things that they needed to do. He doesn't just do this but He is our sustenance. When we rely on him we are given strength to go forward.

I love you all!Thanks for everything,
Elder Bevan'

New and Old Transfers

This was from Baily: How is your mission?Do you like your it so far? When are you finished with your mission?Are you amazing at speaking Japanese? Have you baptized a lot of people?

My mission is awesome. I love it. I am super grateful that i am able to serve here. I love the People and love to speak the language, (although I am not very good at it). I have baptized four people. I love theme all very much. I am sad that I don`t always get to stay with them, but I am glad that I know them. I have a long time to the end of my mission.

We just finished the numbers for the last transfer. It has been such a good transfer! I am so excited to keep working this way for the rest of my mission. It has been a great help to me to be able to work withe the Spirit and to plan well. I think that learning how to better apply our plans into our schedule has helped me a lot these past six weeks. Instead of just writing notes on what we need to do I have been writing notes in the day and time that we should do them, and that seems to help a lot. We have seen some really awesome miracles this transfer.

Shoot, I don't know what to write about again. We met a Nepal人 a couple to weeks ago and He accepted the invitation to be baptized this week.  He also is keeping a commitment to pray and so we are happy for him. The family that we met last week is doing great, they all came to sports night on Friday, with friends. We were very happy that they overcome the hurtle of coming to the church building. I am very happy for them.  I think they will go far. They couldn't all make it to church because some things came up, but three of the sons did come and they all had a pretty good time. We are excited for them. 

The gospel is not a sad or a hard gospel, it is one of rejoicing. In D&C it says "lift up your hearts and rejoice, for I am in you midst and am you Advocate with the Father".  I never feel better that when I have said what I needed to say. When I have opened up my mouth and "declared the gospel".  

Well anyways my computer is being a little funny right no and I think that I will have trouble going back and fixing it, but that is OK... 

I think that this work is really awesome and I think that I need to improve in a thousand ways, I just want to do what Is right and I want to come out of this with friends that will stay true with me until the last day when we will stand with each other in the celestial kingdom of God and rejoice together. I look forward to that day very much. I hope that all of my efforts are those that they need to be in order for that to become reality.

Love to all,  

Elder Bevan

Another Accident

Ok, well, I will do my best to send a good email. first of all, events of the week; On last p-day at the end of the day I slipped on my bike and hurt my arm. Tuesday I went to the hospital and found out it might be broken, but probably not. Wednesday they found out it was not broken and put me in a splint. On Sunday Elder McLane, one of the Zone leaders in our apartment of four, got the flu pretty bad. Just a month ago they were hit by a car and spent a lot of time out of commission. Because of His being sick I ended up going to a lesson with a family of eight, with a member. They are so great! I have never taught a family like them before. Yesterday (wasn't pday) I took off my splint thinking it was going to be ok. For dinner we went to a really cool restaurant with a bunch of people that are a part of our English class here. On the way there i was hit by a car again :). I was just crossing the cross walk and then the car turned into me. If I had been just a little bit ahead of myself I would have been T-boned, but as it was I just kind of landed hard and I am all right. Today we hear transfer calls. 

Besides that (those are the small things) we see people reject of accept the gospel every day. We went to one family who would have accepted the gospel with pleasure , but the grandfather of the family would not allow it. If I can for a second talk about the hard things of the mission, I will. there are hard things like getting sick, or things like that, those things are not bad at all. Mostly it is just frustrating that they get in the way.There are also hard things where relationships are not going well, (I haven't had to worry to much lately in that area:) .) And there are the hard things of understanding and doing the will of God. This one is a thousand times harder that the others! but there is nothing so rewarding! I hate to see people reject the gospel, and I hate to see them turn away from that which would help them the most, but as long as I can know that I am doing what the Lord wants me to do, I have the comfort and the help of the Spirit. We are so blessed to have that Spirit! I love that gift. 

Love to all! 

Elder Bevan

The Strengthening Power of the Atonement of Jesus Christ

This week was really awesome. We had a seventy, Elder Whiting, come to the mission and do a mission tour, I really loved the talk, and was inspired by it. One of the main messages of the day, was teaching with power and authority.  We talked a lot abut power, and that is something that I myself have been studying. I felt that the Spirit had prepared my to learn in that meeting, and I was blessed to learn by the Spirit in the meeting. I have a lot to work on. I have recently focused my study of the Book of Mormon back onto these two questions concerning the strengthening power of the Atonement of Jesus Christ. First: "what is that power,"and second: "how do I use it?" I have learned a lot about the different strengths that Heavenly Father gives us. 

As I have thought about these things, I have come to understand that Strengthening power of the Atonement of Jesus Christ is the power that we need to be saved. It is the power that allows us to overcome sin and work to become better. It is the power that helps us overcome the fall of Adam and the natural man or woman in us. This power is the power by which we are enabled to do the work of God on Earth. It is the power that we need to receive and teach by the Spirit of God. It is the power by which we can have handle on the power of the Priesthood. It is the power that allows us to receive revelation from God. It is the power of God unto the fulfilling His covenants. It is the power that delivers us from captivity. 

How do we use it?

We believe in or on Jesus Christ. We pray. We make covenants. We obey. W strive to keep our will in line with the will of God. We live the principles, and participate in the ordinances of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

I am so grateful for the infinite Atonement of Jesus Christ, which enables us to do become who we ought to become. I know that I have been changed by it. I like this study, but it is not the study that really helps me, but the mercy and love of Jesus Christ himself. How can we give words enough to explain His divine love ! How can we tell of His infinite and tender hand! I cannot say how grateful I am for my Savior Jesus Christ. I wish that all I meet could come to Him and understand His mercy. Try a little harder, and work a little longer to be the person that Christ would have you to be! 

Love to all!

Working Hard and Being Obedient, 

Elder Bevan

I love my mission!

OK, I have fifteen minutes to write and I don t know how this will turn out. So please be patient with me. I love this work. My friend just got a mission call and wrote about it! What a cool thing. I do not know of anything like a mission. I have to admit I am greedy of this time. I love to do this work. i love it because I love to talk to 日本人 and because there is nothing in this life that I value more. i love the Gospel of Jesus Christ, more that anything at all. I love it because it changes me from the weak and selfish person that I am into something better. I would rather spend all of my time in this service, with these people, than in any other way at all. I know that I can not possibly use my time one hundred percent to its fullest, because I am human. But I wish I could. I feel like I am at a feast and cannot eat enough. Perhaps now is the time most of all to remember President Uchtdorf`s counsel to take in the journey and remember that the joy of it is in the midst of the work. I know that the Savior lives and that He loves and guides us. I have been reading the book of Mormon about the Strengthening Power of the Atonement, and have loved to see the principles of truth I have learned in my life. This work, and this life are not to be carried out on the virtue of our own power, but on the power and the might of our God. It is His work. I have this week memorized DandC29:1-8, about the gathering of the Lords elect. Surly it is true. This week we were blessed to find a family who wants to learn more, and have taught so much! I am so grateful for the Lord and His mercy. I am thankful for Their plan of Salvation for us. 

I love the Savior.

With love, Elder Bevan

Didn't`t go to the post office. They always leave package slips if they have one, and I am really certain that if they had our package they would have delivered it. Sorry! that stinks!

Humanity

I have to admit. I don`t know what to write about. I guess I will just start writing and see where things end up.

Well Akiyama kyodai got the Aaronic priesthood this Sunday. That was good. He is such and amazing guy. I love him a lot. 

Besides that mostly we did finding, nothing really happened this week but that. We prayed one day to find someone at a 3:30 and to be able to give him the book of Mormon. At exactly the time that we had prayed about, we found someone. There were a lot of Potential investigators that seem to have a lot of potential. The mission, under Kaicho`s direction, is trying to focus on finding the elect of God and so that is what we are praying to do. See D&C 29:1-8. 

We pray to know where to go to find the elect by the Spirit. We pray that we will teach by the Spirit and we pray that we will plan by the Spirit. It is such a great work. I love the times when we know that we are receiving revelation, and when we know how to achieve the goals that we have set. (Just thinking about goals. I want to be really good at singing someday and also to be able to do Iron-man competitions.) 

Well, I am not very good at this writing thing, especially with these Japanese keyboards and my English suffering. Besides that I just don't know what to write. I like the fact that there is an international airport in Kumamoto. I think that it is really cool to see the huge jets fly overhead all of the time. What cool things have humans made! 

I think that of all creations on Heavenly Father`s hands, humans are the most interesting. We have an amazing history to each of us. Since coming to places that are so full of people, I have come to marvel at the Amazing Being that created us all. It is wonderful to think about all the people that God has made. When I think about it I feel that I might be able to grasp, in some small way, what God sees when He sees us. Each of us has our own weaknesses, strengths, likes, dislikes, abilities, and interests. It was God who in the beginning fashioned us from whatever we were before. I do not know how much is God`s direct work, and how much was left up to us to decide, but I think I have learned that God has a much greater roll in that aspect of our existence than I ever thought before. 

Like Job, God can give and He can take away, all that we are, or possess. In Ether 12:27 we learn that He gave, or gives, weaknesses. In the same way He can give us strengths. It is not upon ourselves that we ought to rely, but on Him who can make us mighty, or who will not. It is in His Justice and His mercy that this Work rests. We are free to choose the result of that great day!  I am excited to meet that day. I am excited to work, and live, and grow until that perfect day.

I love life!

I know this is Gods church.

With love, 

Elder Bevan