Ricardo and I go to visit a less active family in Canales

 10/10/11    

Hola familia

Thats excellent news!! Im so excited for the ward now! I need to get to know these missionaries. Thats excellent that Gerrick Eakin is helping out. I was a little worried about him for a while. Things are changing so fast it seems like everyone is getting so old and im just stuck in the same time that i left for the mission.

I finally got the fotos of the baptism that we had after general conference. The stinking website hasnt been working all this morning so it has taken me super long to be able to write you guys. So i dont have a whole lot of time. But i wanted to share an experience that we had on saturday. There is a super less active family that lives super far away in this place called las cañales and it takes a while for us to get there. But i felt like we needed to go and visit them. We went on divisions and i went with a future Elder that is super powerful in our ward his name is ricardo. Anyway so Ricardo and i get to the house of this family and we get there right as the wife is ditching the husband. i didnt really understand what was happening at first. we get there and she was just finishing up packing. And so i asked if there were going to go visit family or something and i was trying to be really nice about it and then it dawned on me that she was leaving with the four oldest kids to ditch the dad with his two 2 year old twins. I felt so bad. So now he has no food and cant work now because he has to stay in the house and take care of the little kids. So we went yesterday with the Elders Quorum President and they took a little bit of food and stuff for 2 or 3 days. But it was just like in the mission you just need to forget yourself because i know that we had to go to that family at that time in order to help this brother. If we could only live all of our lives like that not thinking about the problems that each of us have personally have we can be able to be angels in the lives of other people. Im so looking forward to Christmas this year because i want to do some really big service project for someone and see the joy that comes into their lives, thats better than any gift that we can give for Christmas.

I love you guys so much. sorry that my time has run out. I cant believe that i only have seven weeks left in the mission.... Im looking forward to seeing you guys but at the same time i dont want to leave. Its kind of hard to explain. I just love these people here being able to see the gospel change there lives its the best.

I love you all! Have a great week!
Elder Bever

On Sun, Oct 9, 2011 at 7:21 PM, Jim and Sandy Bever <jsbever@molalla.net> wrote:

HI Thomas!!

This week was good. I ran the mile on Friday and I beat my time by a lot. I got 6:11. The weather is finally starting to get back to normal Oregon weather L it’s cold wet and rainy. I had a game on Saturday! We won 3 to 1 and I scored a goal! Emily hurt her knee this week on the Madras game on Tuesday so she didn’t play Thursday and it was against Gladstone L sadly they lost. Dad says it was because Emily wasn’t playing. BYU is doing good. I am sooooooooo excited to go to their game against the Beavers next weekend! They played Utah state and won last weekend and this last weekend they played San Jose I think and we won. They are now starting Riley Nelson as their new quarter back. He runs the ball a lot.  Anyway I can’t think of anything else to say now so have a wonderful week!

Love Always,

AUDREY

Hello Thomas, it’s Emily.

                I really liked your e-mail last week and I have felt the same way recently about different things kind of like you were saying about managing time, following up on ideas and never being able to judge someone, even a drunk guy. As Audrey already mentioned, my knee was hurt from Tuesdays game so I couldn’t play on Thursday and that was torturous for me because I really wanted to get out there and help our team especially since we don’t like Gladstone very much. Although our team did not win, the boys soccer team is doing very well and Jory has let it go to his head just a little bit hahaJ their team is currently ranked #1 in state and league. Anyways, I learned some exciting news today about Garrick Eakin and his girlfriend who happens to be my age which is a little weird but oh well. His girlfriend named Autumn Piersal is getting baptized on November 5 and furthermore, Garrick is baptizing her! she is in my Spanish class and I am nice to her but I would not say that we are friends so I will try harder to be friends with her. I know that when you get back here you probably going to try and get all of your old friends convertedJ Thank you for being a great example.

 Love, Emily

 Hi Son!

 How are you?  I’ve been thinking about you a lot this week  hoping you are having all the success you desire on your mission, and that you will have felt you’ve done all you can serving the Lord before its time to come home.  If not, just know the missionary work will continue on as you come home and you can pick up here where you left off there.  I know there are people here who might be ready to hear the gospel from you.  I went over to Shaunna  Falkenberry (Dusenberry/Gunter)’s house, who married a guy named Jack who has a daughter named Lyndon who is in my primary class.  (did you get all that?)  The missionaries are teaching her the new member discussions so Dad and I went over there as he is their home teacher.  Lyndon is great to have in my primary class and she is eager to learn the gospel.  She even baked cookies for me!  Anyway, I was talking to our missionaries Elder Curtis and Elder Allred and they said they might still be here when you come home.  I wish you could meet them.  They are great missionaries.  Another great missionary is your sister Emily!  She bore her testimony in sacrament and did a great job. (of course she got a little emotional because she is my daughter!)  She shared how important it is for her to continue setting a good example to those around as she knows they are looking to her as an example all the time.  I’m so amazed that Heavenly Father gave me these fantastic children!  They teach me so much and I’m so grateful for each one of them in my life!!  I was just about to bare my testimony when Emily “popped” up  so I guess I will save and bare it when you come home.  I hope you always know how much I love our Savior Jesus Christ and Heavenly Father.  I know they know me personally and have always been at my side whenever I’m going through trials.  This church is so true, Thomas.  It is the only thing on this earth today which will bring us true happiness.  One of the talks in conference was from Elder Callister who was asked If the Book of Mormon is true, then it must be from God, if it is False, then it must be from the Devil.  As I read the Book of Mormon each day, the only possible answer is that it is true.  I know it and feel it every time I read it!  Knowing this is true, then everything else I know about this gospel—Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ, Joseph Smith, Thomas S. Monson, missionary work, temple work---everything I’ve been taught regarding this gospel is true and is the one true way to complete happiness.!!! J  Anyway, that’s what I was going to share in testimony meeting today before Emily beat me to it.  But you know, it was so worth it to hear how she felt about the gospel!  I’m so proud of each of our kids.  I love you very much!!    Love always,  MOM