October 3, 2011

HELLO!!!!! Wow I am so excited to be typing this email and this time I did come prepared, I promise!!!! This week has been such a great week here in Buena Vista!!! I hope everyone has had a great fantastic week and I hope everyone's family's are doing well!!! I pray for you all and I hope you all know how grateful I am for you. Thank You so much for your support and I pray that I may be able to help you all in some way come closer and be able to feel of the sweet spirit.
So I will start off with an awesome story. This Thursday Elder Parker and I were sitting at the table weekly planning, when all of a sudden our phone starts vibrating. We get a text message from this girl that we are teaching ( the one I have been telling you all about) who had a baptismal date scheduled for October 7. Anyways we read the text. And she said " Elders I know I have finished the lessons and I was talking to some friends and I was wondering is there any way we can move our baptism closer to this Friday. As in like tomorrow?? or would I be crazy!!! Immediately we started calling. We got everything approved and guess what we had the most amazing baptism this last Friday!!! Everyone I can even describe the happiness that came to my heart as I watched her be baptized a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. She was one the most prepared person I have ever meet. It seems like every time we went over to teach her, she had a bigger smile a bigger light around her. Its been such an amazing thing to watch her life center around the gospel and see the happiness that comes from it. There was not one lesson with her that the spirit was not present. She had the opportunity to bear her testimony at her baptism and she gave the most amazing testimony ever. I know that her testimony will bless the lives of many. Its funny it seems like every time we taught she already knew the answer to everything. Its been such an amazing blessing to me to watch the happiness that comes from this gospel. Aren't we so lucky as members of the church to have the wonderful blessings of the gospel. As I think of my missionary purpose I don't just think of it as just for missionaries. It should be members of The Church Of Jesus Christ Of Latter Day Saints purpose:
" our purpose is to invite others to come unto Christ by helping them receive the restored gospel through faith in Jesus Christ and his Atonement, Repentance, Baptism, receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost and enduring to the end."
Don't you just love our purpose as members of the church. To help others feel of the blessings of the gospel. I can't describe the joy and the happiness I feel as I witnessed that baptism. It was something special and I am so grateful I got to be apart of this special covenant that this girl made. I know that it inspires me to be better and it gives me more motivation every time to continue to find others who are waiting these special blessings from our father in heaven. So anyways this girl is now giving a talk this Sunday in Stake Conference about her conversion story I am so excite to hear her speak.
General Conference was amazing!!! I learned so much as a missionary I learned the importance of obedience, the book of Mormon, and I know all of us men can say that Elder Hollands talk was amazing. But the thing that stuck out to me the most was the blessings that will come as we do what our prophet and apostles say. As I was sitting there taking notes during the sessions, something just seemed to catch my attention every time they promised blessings during there talks. And the blessings were specific to and It made me have a motivation to follow there teachings. This general conference was amazing for me and its only getting better. I am so thankful as I know we all are that I had the opportunity to sustain Thomas S. Monson as our prophet, seer, and revalator. I know that he is the prophet on this earth to day and I am so grateful for his sacrifice that he gives to this church. May we all remember what he told us to do for him. simply keep him and the other general authority's in your prayers always!! I hope we all had found blessings that will help not only us but our family and those around us. I thought it was amazing the talks on the book of Mormon. that was really awesome to listen to especially Elder Eyring talk yesterday morning. I cant wait to get the ensign and study it from cover to cover!!!
In closing I would just like to share with you all my testimony. I know that this is the Church of JESUS CHRIST!!! I know that its his church , he stands at the head of it and guides it by his prophets and apostles and church leaders. If there is one things I gain a deeper testimony of it is the blessings of this gospel. I know that happiness comes from as we help others feel of the same joy that we have as we live this gospel. I know that Joseph Smith saw God the father and Jesus Christ in the grove a tress. I know that there is no more important relationship we can have than that with our father in heaven. Like Thomas S. Monson promised us if we better our relationship with him we can recieve inspiration and guidance. Just by simply communicating with our father in heaven isnt that amazing. I love my savior Jesus Christ. I know this is a sacred work that we are doing to bring people closer to him. I pray that I may be the missionary he wants me to be and fufill all that he expects me to do. Just like 3 simple words that stick out to me in a hymn " GO, SAY, BE"!!! may we all go and say and be and help other feel this same happiness as they live this gospel is my testimony in the name of my savior, my redeemer Jesus Christ. Amen.
DAD I hope you have a great birthday. I hope you know how much I love and miss you. I hope you have such a great day and know that I pray for you everyday.
" I am mindful of you always in my prayers, continually praying unto God the Father in the name of his Holy Child, Jesus, that he, through his infinite goodness and grace, will keep you through the endurance of faith on his name to the end." Moroni 8:3
I love you all so much thank you for all your prayers of support. I hope you all have such a great week and know that I miss you all. LET US ALL PRESS ON IN THE WORK OF THE LORD!!!
love Elder Bentley!!!