St Lucia 8

Lieve vriendjes en vriendinnetjes,

All I can say is that I love my mission. The walking in the burning sun, companions that get burned and sudden pouring rain I simply love it! The work of bringing souls into Christ is wonderful! Nothing I've ever done in my life before is as rewarding as missionary work. All though sometimes "the  outward results" are not there  I can always feel the inward result. Which is pure happiness. God created a plan and if we stick to that plan we can find happiness, eternal happiness. Right now in my life I can say I enjoy the love of God in my life. I pray that you do feel the same. 
This week was great! Met a lot of new people and it's wonderful to help them understand what this life is all about. We are not here just to do good and die, or to live as we please, but we are here to prepare to meet our God. And by doing so preparing ourselves to receive exultation (or living with God). Doesn't that sound great?! You and I can go and live with God if we want to. 

Shoot time flies when you're on a mission.. Till next week!

Elder Tolman + Elder Larson + Elder Bechan

St Lucia 7

Lieve vriendjes en vriendinnetjes,

Was quite the week. Transferweek in this mission is intens. Omdat de mission zo groot is duurt het een dag om van area te wisselen, and you usually take a plane to do so. So wednesday everybody came in. Mijn nieuwe companion Elder Larson is net 6weken op zending en hij komt uit een of ander boerendorp in Utah, USA. He's a nice kid I like him. Missionary work is iets wat niet alleen vanuit de missionaries moet komen. Het is the most succesfull when members are involved. When they bring investigators to the missionaries and join in with the teaching baptism and church growth will explode. But how do you, as a member, do missionary work? Do you go out and knock on doors or talk with people on the street? I won't stop you if you want to, but there is a far more effective way. This last sunday I was asked to give a talk about missionary work. So I did, and I would like to share what I talked about. You, the member, are kind of like Nephi. We all know that the Lord aspects from us that we do missionary work, we all know Nephi was commanded to go get some records (1Nephi chapter 3). I believe that the most of you are like Nephi: you want to go and do as the Lord commands. You want to do missionary work, you want to help people come unto Christ, you want to help the people around you experience more happiness. So just like Nephi you go and do. But you might have no idea how to do it. Nephi had no clue, all he knew was that he had to go back to Jerusalem and go get those records. How he was to obtain them, he did not know. So the first time the try, they fail.. second time the try, they fail.. Maybe you also tried, just like Nephi, but it didn't quite go how you expected it to be. But then how does Nephi figure out what to do? exactly in 1 Nephi 4 we read that he was let by the Spirit. Nephi had no idea, but the Lord knows it all. He followed the promptings of the Spirit and was able to obtain the records, to do what the Lord has commanded him. So let's apply this to you and to missionary work. Here in the West-Indies the people also receive guidance of the Lord, trough the mission president. He is their "Spirit" that shows them what they should do to succeed. the mission president has given us (as west-Indies) two laws that we need to keep to missionary work or to do "as the Lord commands". Keep the Sabbath day holy and keep the Law of the Fast. Today I have no time to type out what it means to do that. But I do know that the blessings that come will be more peace in your life, more happiness in the family and a real growth in the church. For that are the blessings the Lord has given trough the mouth of one of his servants!

Need to go, have a nice week!
Love, 
Elder Thomas Bechan

St Lucia 6

Lieve vriendjes en vriendinnetjes,

Did you enjoy General Conference?! I surely did! Deze week was stress week. Er was een emergency transfer, of in andere woorden een ongeplande overplaatsing. 2 Elders konden niet meer met elkaar opschieten, zo ipv het te fixen gooiden ze de handdoek in de ring. Nou dat geeft dus redelijk wat hoofdzorgen als zone-leader. That in combination with General Conference and other Elders coming down to watch it is also not helping. Maar eind goed al goed! De toespraken waren wonderful and uplifting. Is het niet een prachtig voorrecht om te mogen luisteren naar een apostel of profeet vandaag de dag! In vroegere tijden zouden sommige mensen dagen reizen om dit mee te maken. All we have to do is go to a church building or turn on the internet! Geweldig! Wat heeft u geleerd deze conferentie? What can you do better? I know for myself what I need to work on. Daarom hebben we zo'n conferentie om de heiligen te helpen vervolmaakt te worden. Go work on yourself, we are all not perfect yet! 
Heb ook mijn transfer call ontvangen dit weekend tussen alle hectiek door. Komende transfer zal de St. Lucia zone voor meer dan de helft veranderen. Er zullen 6 zendelingen binnen komen. Mijn nieuwe collega wordt Elder Larson! klinkt Scandinavisch of zo? maar zal waarschijnlijk een Amerikaan zijn. Hij is bijna nieuw nieuw, dit zal zijn 2de transfer worden. Misschien ruikt hij zelfs nog nieuw. Dit betekent ook dat ik geen collega zone-leader zal hebben. Ik ben vanaf komende week dan de enige zone-leader verantwoordelijk voor alle zendelingen op St. Lucia. That's another new challenge, I hope I'll survive!

Tot volgende week maar weer!
Love,
Elder Thomas Bechan

• Pizza @ Sister Shermien Mansion‏

  

  • playing badminton in a mansion!‏

    
    
    
    

• P-day activity!‏