Faith

Dear Friends & Family

This District Leader stuff is quite interesting. I won't say that there's a direct correlation between my call to district leader and success, but I feel in some ways that the Lord is blessing me purely because I'm a leader and am supposed to be an example. Maybe, Maybe not.

Either way this week has been extremely blessed. As far as a District, I think we're working well together. I feel there are a few issues with Faith to keep certain Commitments, which I believe come from shattered expectations and an experience gained from original entry into the mission field. I won't lie, I was disappointed with my mission for the first 6 months (and quite possibly even discouraged)... but I've seen how my faith grew out of that, and I'm hoping to lead the district out of a world of doubt and into a world of faith. I mean, I remember coming out into the mission field expecting everyone to know nothing about what I was sharing with them and for them to be extremely delighted and just astounded to hear what I had to tell them. I expected thousands of baptisms, and for the land of Ireland (& Scotland, now) to take drastic turns in spirituality as a result of my influence there. Now, I'm not saying that I don't still have these expectations, because I do, but I think when you first hit the mission field, you miss just important principles of how to work with people, and you feel like your success isn't good enough (taking for granted what the Lord blesses you with is never a good thing). So... I believe the Lord is waiting to just throw down mountains of blessings upon us... but, we have to believe that, and we have to believe that even when the rest of the world may not, even when our experience we're having may seem to the contrary. I believe that's a big part of Faith in Christ, rather than Faith in our current experience. If we believe in what we've always got, then we'll never change what we've done, and if we don't change what we've done, we'll never change what we've got.

I mean, if I Believe (Faith) in a thing, then I will follow that thing and I will never Change (Repent) to following something else, therefore my path will remain my same with the results the same.
Like if I chose to place my Faith in my experience here in Ireland, and say "Oh you don't baptize in Ireland" then of course I won't baptize. But If I chose to place my Faith in God's words which tell us that it doesn't matter where you go, that every missionary in every mission can baptize (President Uchtdorf said something to this effect)/ or in the Bible that tells us "With God, nothing is impossible, and continue to put my Faith in that, despite my experience... then God will bless me with that.

Think about the basic principles of the Gospel: Faith, Repentance, Baptism

When we have Faith, we Believe we can do something

When we Repent, we Change according to our belief

When we are Baptized, we Commit to the change we have made

I think it's easier for us to see when we Sin and tell a Lie about something, and then through the process of Faith and Repentance, believe we can change, perform the change (stop lying), and then commit ourselves to that change (by never lying again).

But...have you ever thought you were applying the basic principles of the gospel when you believed you could change your weight, started making changes in your diet & exercise, and then committed yourself to that program?

The scriptures are clear concerning the power of true belief (Faith): "And whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, which is right, believing that ye shall receive, behold it shall be given unto you." (3 Nephi 18:20)

It is our Faith in the Lord's promises that will obtain us the righteous desires of our heart. It is our Change or Repentance that we make which will allow us to reach our Desire, and it is our Commitment to that change (Baptism) which will keep us in that right road.

Anyway, enough for now :D

Love you all!

-Elder Stephen C Beacham