March 25, 2013 Seven Miracles in Nova Granada

I could also title this "Suffer the little children to come unto me."  Read on to find out why.

Five miracles and counting...

So this week (Oh, Hi everybody!):  Our zone’s goal was to have 7 miracles be baptized, and while as a zone, we didn’t have seven miracle baptisms, Elder Lucas and I did have 7 miracles happen in Nova Granada.

#1 – We are teaching a woman who just two weeks ago said (I’m translating into English): “Okay, Elders, you’re great and I like what you’re teaching me.  But just to be clear, I am not going to be baptized, understand?”  So what did we do?  We planned a special lesson on baptism (teaching that Jesus was baptized, He showed us the way, etc).  And you know what?  When I invited her to be baptized she said yes – that she wanted a change for the better in her life and it felt like the right thing to do.  Wow.

#2  – Elder Lucas and I are strengthened beyond our capacity.  Who would have thought that an American gringo and an Argentine newby – both learning Portuguese – would be doing the Lord’s work together in Brazil?!  Life is so good.

#3 and #4  – We’ve been teaching two families: “Family A” and “Family B.” Daughters in both families wanted to be baptized, but Mom A and Mom B were both apprehensive about it.  We had the baptismal interview with Girl A, and found her to be completely ready, but her mom declined permission, saying no, she would not approve (which is her right, and the Church respects parents’ wishes).  As we explained the concept of baptism, the mother’s heart softened and she decided to sign the permission form after all.  Mom B supported her daughter in her choice, and also signed the permission form.  So…both young ladies were baptized this last Saturday.  3 Nephi 11: 37-38: And again I say unto you, ye must repent, and become as a little child, and be baptized in my name, or ye can in nowise receive these things.  And again, I say unto you, ye must repent, and be baptized in my name, and become as a little child, or ye can in nowise inherit the kingdom of God.

#5  –  I was able to confirm one of these girls, in Portuguese, and did so fluently, without making some horrible language mistake.  I love the power of confirmations!

#6  – We were walking down the street close to the church, and this man on crutches came up to us…(well, actually he staggered up to us because he had been drinking).  He asked us if we had any money because he was hungry.  We couldn’t give him any money, but we told him that if he’d wait we would get him some food.  We ran to the church and were looking for someone who might be able to help, when lo and behold, we found a giant platter of tuna sandwiches!  In the church! (Insert heavenly voices here :D !!)  Elder Lucas and I took a few back to the man.  Isn’t that awesome?!  The Lord provides in unexpected ways.

#7  – Repentance.  It is such a humbling experience to see the miracle of true repentance as it transforms the lives of people.  Christ lives and He loves us so much.  We can change our lives for the better though faith in Him, and a sincere desire to come closer to Him.  The church I represent isn’t just another good church, I testify that this is THE Church of Jesus Christ – the one He organized and ordained. 

I love you all.  Share your testimonies. 

Until next week, with all my love, Elder David Bean

Putting on white

March 18, 2013 Helping others take baby steps to the non-smoking elevator...

The news is old...but newly posted...so new to all you BeaninBrazil Blog readers!

Hi, everybody! Elder Lucas and I had a great week.  It was a super busy, a little stressful, kinda painful totally worth it, awesome-sauce week.  So what’s new?  Well, I’ll tell you:

Scriptural thoughts attached to cigarettes -
helping good people break a bad habit

1.  We’re working with some people who need to overcome their smoking addiction before their baptisms, and we are coming up with the craziest ideas! We've written scripture references on their cigarettes, made fake cigarettes for them to hold and encouraged them to tally how many cigarettes they smoke in a day on a picture of Christ.  It’s crazy, but the results are good!  From 3 packs a day (about 60 cigarettes) to ½ pack (10 a day) — They’re really progressing!  It’s so cool seeing people trying to “leave the world” behind.

2.  We don’t have any credits on our cell phone, so to talk to anybody we’ve been having to go there “ by foot” and talk face to face!  Ahh!!

3.  I’m the stroganoff wizard!  I’ve become really good at making rice and a good ol’ stroganoff.  Cool, huh?

Elder Groesbeck and Elder Bean

4.  We had a wonderful conference on Tuesday with a few other zones, and I learned a ton!  Our zone leaders (Elder Groesbeck and Elder Young) taught a great workshop on our purpose: to baptize.  Really, everything we do points to baptism, and I learned how to preach baptism in all I do.  Sometimes missionaries don’t want to invite people to be baptized because they don’t want to offend, be rejected or feel uncomfortable.  But when we treat baptism like a normal necessity (which it is), the people also see it as normal.  We learned a lot of other cool stuff, and as we’ve started applying it in our day-to-day work we’re seeing major differences already!  It’s super.  I also got to see Elder Petersen (my first trainer and companion in the field) at the conference. :)

5.  The “mantle” of responsibility I’ve been feeling is still heavy, but it’s also happy.  I love this work!

6.  If you had told me four months ago that I’d be teaching an Argentinean the Portugues language, and taking the lead in the lessons and making decisions for the work, I would have said you were crazy. I’m in Brazil, folks, on a mission, and so happy to be here!

Until next week!  Elder David Bean

Love, Elder David Bean

Mar 11, 2013 I stayed!

J

 I’m still here in Nova Granada and it feels so right that I have a little bit more time in this wonderful area with these fantastic people.  I am excited, too, that I’m training!  An Argentinian!

Elders Lucas and Bean

Yes, I now have a “son” [nickname used by missionary trainers for those they train]:  Elder Lucas from Argentina.  J  It’s super cool, and a little scary being the senior companion with responsibility to lead and teach/train, but still, I love it!  I’m learning a lot—sometimes I think I’m learning more than my new companion.  I’m trying to set a good example and show this new elder what missionary work is all about. It’s awesome being reminded of what I was experiencing and how I was feeling only four months ago.  Time...wow.

Anyway, what I learned from Elder Nielsen was to be bold, really friendly, to conjugate in all the weird tenses (subjunctive, imperfect, conditional, etc.) and to simply do your best every day.  We had a great nine weeks together – thanks, Elder Nielsen J.  He and ten other people left out zone this transfer. And guess who is now in my zone?  Elder Barton, my companion from the CTM!!  J  Cool, huh?!  And!  I got a letter from Sister Whitaker (also from my CTM group) and Elder A. Wheatley. Thanks J. 

My twin sister Emily is going to enter the field tomorrow, and I hope and pray that she gets through the hard times and loves the good times!  She is so cool.  It’s so cool having a twin on a mission at the same time as you.  Andrew, Matthew, am I right or am I right?  Baha.  But yeah, good luck out there, Sister Emily!  J 

Well, that’s about it for this week.  Here’s some profound advice for anyone who wants a better life:  

Do what is right.

Hey, I love y’all, and I mean it.  Until next week - Love, Elder David Bean

March 4, 2013 “1/4”

Hi, everyone.  As of today I’ve been on a mission for six months.  Six months!  That’s one fourth finished, fulfilled, done!  It went by so crazy fast...

Anyway, this entry will only be ¼ the usual length!

We had a special conference with Elder Mazzagardi.  Foi ótimo – It was great!

I got letters from Mom, Sister Emily, and Aubrey S—Thanks much!

The work is so great (I probably say that every letter, huh...?!) – I just love it here.  Elder Nielsen and I met a lot of new people this week.  We’re marking baptismal dates, doing all we can to invite souls unto Christ.  It is interesting that a portion of our investigators include kids (pre-teens).  That makes me think of 3 Nephi 9:21-22 where the Savior says, “Behold I have come unto the world to bring redemption unto the world, to save the world from sin.  Therefore, whoso repenteth and cometh unto me as a little child, him will I receive, for of such is the kingdom of God.”

I’m so happy serving a mission.  It is very fulfilling.  Also, I love this area!  I’m really nervous about this next transfer...I don’t know what will happen, but I know the Lord is in it.  Tomorrow I discover my fate—will I stay?  Or will I go?  Stay tuned and find out next week. J Love y’all.  I’ll be home before you know it.

Love with all my heart,

Elder David Bean    

Feb. 25, 2013 Happy Birthday to you! Happy "birth"-day to me!

First things first:  HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MOM!  J  Sure love you, and I’m so grateful for you, your example, your support and love.  Hope you had a fantastic day! 

Second things second:  I was baptized twelve years ago on the same day as my mom’s b-day.  J  It was cool talking with our investigators about what my baptism was like and how special it was.  I remember so much about that day from so long ago. 

Our district leader has challenged us to invite someone to be baptized every day, and that has helped us keep our focus and purpose in mine:  share more about this special ordinance/covenant which Jesus showed us by His example and Word is a commandment. 

Elder Nielsen baptized a woman this week, and she has a miracle story that is super cool!  She had been investigating the church for about a year, and had never felt like it was her time to get baptized.  She and the missionaries had been praying that she would be able to find work, which she found, but worked on Sundays.  Elder Nielsen and I challenged her to find a job where she didn’t have to work on Sundays.  So, one day last week, she left her house to go our and find a new job…which she found!  She showed her faith, and that same day she found a job that was better than the first, and that didn’t required her to work on the Sabbath. J  I believe in miracles!  And it gets better!  As she was riding the bus home after finding the new job, she said a prayer to thank God, and as she opened her eyes, she saw us, the Elders, walking down the street.  She felt a strong prompting that she should move forward with baptism, and the next day, asked us if she could be baptized!!!  We were like, “Wha--at?  Are you serious?”  And then we realized her faith and God’s hand in both her new job and her decision to be baptized. Wow –very powerful, and so cool.

Know what else is cool?  Getting letters from my family, Maren (good luck in the MTC!) Sister Olivia, Bao. Ashley M, Seth M, Aunt Jody, cousin Will and my wonderful Grandma.  Thanks, too, for two packages from the best mom in the world!  A new Preach My Gospel, some candy and muffin mixes definitely made this missionary feel loved.  And seriously, guys -  all of you people writing -  you’re so great!  Your letters really keep the spirits up. The love is real.  J

So…we have an investigator who owns a restaurant, and he’s going to invite all his employees to listen to our lessons!  How cool!  I accept. J

We also had interviews with President Martins a few days ago.  Our time was scheduled for 11:00 am, but we didn’t get to meet with him until 5:00 pm.  Ha – six hours waiting in the same chair for two minutes speaking with him!  Baha—but I got to know the other members of my zone really well.

So…to wrap it up:  The work is super good!  The ward is starting to get really involved, and we’re teaching a lot of people with potential to move forward in accepting the Gospel. As missionaries we are called to find and teach people who want to come closer to Christ.  It is a little sad that not everyone progresses to that point, but all of Father’s children are under His care and watchful eye.  In general, Nova Granada is progressing super well. It’s exciting to see the momentum of this “stone cut out of a mountain” as it begins to roll forth. J

Hey, I sure love and miss you all.  Be good.  Search for opportunities to sever, to be better, to grow.  Until next week, Love, Elder David Bean

Feb 18, 2013 “And I say, ‘Hey! What a wonderful kind of day!’”

NOTE from Elder Bean's Mom:  We finally got a whole bunch of "blog" letters!!!  I'll post them as fast as I can (they come handwritten and I get to type them).  You will recognize from the news he recounts the background stories to some of the pictures I have previously posted.  Have fun matching the pictures to the blogs!]

 Hey, everybody!  God is good!  And so was this week! J  I baptized a woman last Saturday, and it was super special.  She is the mother of two, has a good husband, and she is setting the example for her family.  Her story:  she has a sister in the other ward, and for some time now she’s been visiting that ward with her sister.  So what she needed, more than anything, was a friend in our ward, connections, etc., to have the desire to switch over [members of the church attend the ward within their prescribed geographical area].  And now, we experienced a miracle.  When we first arrived for her baptism, there was no one there. We went upstairs to find her  some baptismal clothing (a white jumpsuit), and we discovered the entire Relief Society from our ward finishing a meeting! J  We invited them all to come downstairs and watch the baptism,  and show their support, and they all came.  It was perfect!  The new member met the Relief Society Presidency, and many, many new friends, and other women who will help her with her kids, etc.  It was exactly what she needed – such a tender mercy. J  Her husband came to the baptism, and attended church the next day to watch the confirmation.  He really liked it, and he felt the Spirit. 

That same Sunday, another one of our investigators, with tears in her eyes, finally made the decision to go to church. She loved it and felt the Spirit, and said she is going back!  J  The recent converts I’ve been able to work with are getting stronger and stronger [in their faith in Christ], and they’re changing more and more [putting off the “natural” or worldly self, and becoming more Christ-centered].  It is seriously miraculous to see.

And!  I hear that my twin sister Emily is still keeping on, keeping on in the MTC in the Dominican Republic!  J  Like always, I’m so proud of her.  

The work here is progressing so well!  It’s Great (with a capital G)!

So…the night after the baptism of this woman, Elder Nielsen and I were about to do another visit before returning home, but just as we were about to enter, we got a call from some members who said that the woman who was baptized a few hours ago was suddenly super sick – and that we needed to help her, to get to her fast!  Without a second thought, Elder Nielsen and I ran (literally sprinted) twenty minutes to the other side of our area to her house (we were half expecting to cast out devils that had gotten hold of out convert), but when we arrived, we found her, her husband, her two children, her sister and other family members and friends all smiling and looking perfectly healthy.  They started to laugh as they revealed some pizza and soda.  Uh-huh…they had tricked us to get us to come to a party celebrating her baptism!  And they knew we wouldn’t have come if we had known it was a party!  It was kinda cute, a little funny, but mostly…painful!  [That was a long, frantic run to her house!].  Some people!  J Baha!  But the pizza here is really good.  There are like a million different types, too.

Okay, one last bit of interesting news:  We had a temple trip scheduled for this last week, but President Martins called the zone leaders to let us know that as a mission, we weren’t worthy to go to the temple.  He said that individually, there are many of us who are clean / temple worthy, but as a mission, we need to be more obedient.  Wow!  It was a shocker, but I think it’s cool we are going to be “raising the bar.”  Elder Nielsen and I have already made a list of the few rules we weren’t fulfilling with exactness, and started working on them.  We can already see a difference in our work.  Obedience = blessings.  Just be obedient, people!  This life is really simple: obey the commandments, and live the Gospel of Jesus Christ. J

It feels like we’re starting a new phase for the Mission Sao Paulo Norte.  J

Well, until next week, that’s all for now, folks.

Yours truly, Elder David Bean  

March 11 photos and news

Note:  Still no "official" blog letter, but Elder Bean sent these photos to his family on March 11th.  The big news was that he was not transferred during the previous week.  His email home reads:

Mom! :)
...I STAYED!!!!  Yahoo!!!  I'm super happy about it, and... I'm training!!! :D  I'm a trainer of an Argentinian named Elder Lucas.  I'm teaching him Portuguese, and  how to do this missionary work!  It's so cool!  I love it.  It's like DM,* just more personal.  We're working well and it's great.  It's so wonderful that I'm training him where I was trained!


Elders Lucas and Bean



March 6, 2013: Between "pai" and "filho."
Elder Bean saw his first trainer, Elder Petersen, while at the mission home
to pick up Elder Lucas.

* DM stands for Drum Major--a position in which David served while in his high school's marching band.  Elder Bean often mentions his gratitude for the ways band and scouting helped prepare him for his current service in Brazil.