A Week Full of Miracles

I'm starting to really realize how lucky I am to be able to serve a mission. It’s been the happiest and most fulfilling part of my life. Even though we aren't really seeing as much success as my last area right now I'm pretty happy with everything.

Yesterday we had a FHE with a family from Venezuela who are housing our investigator who's from Caracas. He is really humble and had to leave his family so he could come here and afford to bring them here.  I'm not sure if you know but Venezuela is just really horrible right now, they don't have anything, like literally they have nothing there now. And it's just getting worse. 

In Elders Quorum we had a lesson on Pioneers, it's so amazing that in the Spanish wards and branches there are so many converts. And almost all of them used to be Catholic, so when they leave the church their parents basically disown them. On top of that many of them had tons of crazy struggles just to get here in the states. It’s pretty crazy right now with all the deportation stuff that's going down, and lots of families are really scared. The thing is though that all these people were sent here by God so that they could accept the Gospel and live a better life.

So here's a crazy story, so on Friday night we got a call from our Zone Leaders saying that they needed my companion to give a baptismal interview. They had gone to drop an investigator that was really flaky and not progressing and in the middle of explaining that they were dropping him he told them he wanted to be baptized! So Saturday we got to go to his baptism, which was in Westland 5th (my first area). When we got there the Elders Quorum president asked me to come with him to give a blessing to a sister that was hurting. So that was really fun to see him again and help him out. So we did splits and I went with him to some apartments Elder Bottari and I used to visit like every day. At first I was excited that I might see someone I know, and then all of a sudden we were at the apartment of one of the recent converts Elder Bottari and I used to teach all the time and we ended up really close with. When the woman saw me she got super excited and kept trying to give me a hug. It was a really neat experience because in the blessing it mentioned how she would be able to kneel and ask Heavenly Father for help. And later on we found out from some other sister that was there that she was having really bad knees and couldn't kneel like she used to when she prayed. So that was really an amazing experience.

Later on when we returned to the baptism I ran into Elder Mayer from the airport/CCM. He and his companion were visiting because the investigator getting baptized was about to move into their ward, which is in the West Mission. Anyways that was my crazy Saturday evening, lots of miracles! 

Elder Bessey with Elder Mayer (Flew with him from Missouri to the CCM)

All of the missionaries that have served in the Westland Stake with President Barlow

A Missionary Broadcast and a Transfer!

I have really amazing news! On Saturday I had the awesome opportunity of going to the baptisms of one of my investigators from Westland.Way back in Westland we taught this sister, when I got there her daughter was already baptized and we had lessons there often. Elder Bottari and I had worked with this sister so much and eventually she dropped us because she was having so many trials.

Well fast forward one transfer and I'm on exchanges with Elder Sandino and we were able to find a really old former that they could never contact. We had a great lesson and put her on date and everything. Eventually she fell off because she couldn't come to church and she lost the desire.

 Fast forward another transfer and now it's Elder Bottari in the area of Elder Sandino and they're teaching her quite often and she says she wants to be baptized now because she's seen how much the Gospel has changed her sister. Well it turns out her sister is actually the sister from Westland and preparing to get baptized! And she actually got baptized Saturday and next Saturday will be the baptism of her sister! It was such an amazing and happy experience, especially since now all the members of her family are members now.It's so amazing to see the grand plan of God be fulfilled and especially since now it's a full member family. It's so awesome to see the way the Gospel truly changes lives for the better.

Today was transfers and I'm finally leaving West Jordan! I'm going with Elder Villanueva from Chicago to Mountain View 4th which is just a little south of here. More exciting is that I'm finally going to be in a car. I love biking but the 15 minute bike uphill to our home everyday was starting to get kinda old.

The missionary broadcast was really amazing, there was so much good stuff. At first I thought  it was just the opening bit and then the talks came later and I really liked it. Normally our mission gets to go and from last year's video you can see a lot of missionaries from our mission. I loved how much Bednar talked about the principles of the Gospel and how connected they should be. 

The work is moving forth amazingly, I love being able to help out these families in need and being an instrument in the hands of our Heavenly Father!