Hey everyone. This week has been a good week. I got into the new area and i am now in a trio for one more week. Then one of the companions go home. I am back in ASL work!!!! That is good!! It is taking some time to adjust back...but all is well. This last week one of our investigators got baptized. Her name is Tara. She is deaf. She had a wonderful service. Here is a picture of the baptism. The one in the baptism suit is Elder Pierce. He was in my district in the mtc. he is now a companion. The other one is Elder Gerber (going home next week). Tara is the one being baptized. Sorry to keep this email short. We have little time today because we went to the temple. It was such a wonderful opportunity. Hope you all have a wonderful week!!! Love you lots Love Elder Betts

White Out!!!

So it happened!!! The baptism went super well!!! It was such a spiritual time and a great experience!!! Wow, it was so great! I was super nervous the whole time, but it went super good! So that was really the highlight of the week! It was super great!! We celebrated by going to Olive Garden and ate unlimited soup, salad, and bread sticks!!! It was fantastic!!! Randomly we got a text from Amy-the 12 yr old who got baptized- and she said of how she felt blessed after the baptism. It was so great to hear that! Other than that...nothing exciting happened. So for a spiritual thought. Well because it is the week of valentines day....i think we should talk about love. Whenever i think about love i think of the love of Christ. In the song "I stand All Amazed" it says: I stand all amazed at the love Jesus offers me, Confused at the grace that so fully he proffers me; I tremble to know that for me he was crucified, That for me, a sinner, he suffered, he bled and died. I marvel that he would descend from his throne divine To rescue a soul so rebellious and proud as mine; That he should extend his great love unto such as I, Sufficient to own, to redeem, and to justify. I think of his hands pierced and bleeding to pay the debt! Such mercy, such love, and devotion can I forget? No, no, I will praise and adore at the mercy seat, Until at the glorified throne I kneel at his feet. He loves us. We can do the same. We can show our love to others. #Charity I love you all!!! have a fantastic week and an amazing valentines day!!!! Love Elder Betts

THE HOLY GHOST IS THE TEACHER!!!

Did anything exciting happen this week? I think YES!!! Probably the most exciting thing that happened is all 3 of our main investigators had their baptism interview this last week...and they are all good for the 7th!!! Do you know what that means?!?!?!?!? Tri-baptism!!!!! Whoo hooo. They are all going to be baptized on the 7th. Ben is going to be baptized by his member friend Bro. Warne, and probably confirmed by him as well. Becky is being baptized by President Despain-ward member and 1st councilor of the stake presidency. She is going to be confirmed by Elder Weber. As for Amy, she decided for me to baptize and confirm her.....there is a first time for everything!!! So i am super stoked...but at the same time a little nervous to do this!!! But all will be well!!!! So that is the exciting news of this week! This week was an ok week! We have been focusing on the three being baptized and that is mostly all we have done is meet with them and help them out. For the spiritual thought for today I wanted to share a little of the email I got from our Mission President today. In his letter he said, " THE HOLY GHOST IS THE TEACHER: The key to becoming a great gospel teacher is to be guided and directed by the Spirit. With the Spirit, you will love those you teach and will teach people, not lessons. With the Spirit, you will listen intently and not be rushed. With the Spirit, the things you have studied and planned will be brought to your remembrance and you will teach with power and authority. While Sister Schmitt and I were in the MTC in June, Elder David A. Bednar taught us the following: "The Holy Ghost is the third member of the Godhead and a Revelator, a Teacher, a Comforter, a Sanctifier, and He brings all things to our remembrance. Elder James E. Talmage explained, “The Office of the Holy Ghost in His ministrations among men is described in scripture. He is a teacher sent from the Father; and unto those who are entitled to His tuition He will reveal all things necessary for the soul’s advancement.” Inviting the Holy Ghost to be the teacher is a central purpose in all of the Lord’s patterns for learning and teaching. A learner who exercises moral agency and acts in accordance with correct principles opens his or her heart to the Holy Ghost—and thereby invites His teaching, testifying power, and confirming witness. Learning with and by faith requires spiritual, mental, and physical exertion and not just passive reception. In the sincerity and consistency of our faith-inspired action, we indicate to our Heavenly Father and His Son Jesus Christ our willingness to learn and receive instruction from the Holy Ghost. Consider how missionaries help investigators to learn by faith. Making and keeping spiritual commitments, such as studying and praying about the Book of Mormon, keeping the commandments, and attending church meetings require an investigator to exercise faith and to act. One of the fundamental responsibilities of a missionary is to help an investigator make and honor commitments— to act and thereby learn by faith. Teaching, exhorting, and explaining, as important as they are, can never convey to an investigator a witness of the truthfulness of the restored gospel. Only as an investigator’s faith initiates action and opens the pathway to the heart can the Holy Ghost deliver confirming witnesses. Missionaries obviously must learn to teach by the power of the Spirit. Of equal importance, however, is the responsibility missionaries have to help investigators learn for themselves by faith. The learning I am describing reaches far beyond mere cognitive comprehension and the retaining and recalling of information. The type of learning about which I am speaking causes us to awaken unto God, to put off the natural man, to change our hearts, and to be converted unto the Lord and to never fall away. Learning by faith requires both the heart and a willing mind and is the result of the Holy Ghost carrying the power of the word of God both unto and into the heart. Learning by faith cannot be transferred from an instructor to a student, from a missionary to an investigator, through a lecture, a demonstration, or an experiential exercise; rather, a student must exercise faith and act in order to obtain the knowledge for himself or herself." Let us try to have the holy ghost be with us all the time! It is such a great feeling and definately worth it!!! Love you all!! Hope you have fantastic weeks!!! Love Elder Betts