Epistle - 4.28.10

Good Wednesday Everyone!

I had a renewed correspondence with an old love this week.

This past Sunday Sandra Turley came to the Visitor's Center. Sister Turley lives down in Virginia, she was Cosette in the original Broadway cast of "Les Miserables", and she was in one of my all time favorite off-broadway shows, "Children of Eden".  Needless to say, we made sure we had an investigator willing to go with us =] Then, when we showed up to pick him up and he was so sick he could hardly stand, we frantically called everyone we could think of to find someone to go with us (We can only go if one of our Investigators, Recent Converts, or Less Actives wants to go). We ended up taking Sister Tom and her kids, and she had a great walk around the temple, she's hoping to go in a couple  months, then we went in to the Visitor's Center for the performance.

She was VERY good. She sang songs from most of my favorite shows, and all the ones she picked were ones that had spiritual meaning to her. She'd sing a song then say, let's take this out of context. In the show it means THIS  but, let's just look at the words, think about this song talking about God.

It was a really neat show, and reminded me how much I LOVE to sing. Being out hear and focused on other things I had sort of forgotten how much fun singing Musical Theater is. I'm positive that whatever might be in my future in my life, singing will be some part of it.

On top of that my companion and I were asked to sing a duet at the upcoming Night of Music and Inspiration in May. We found a beautiful peace called "Because He Lives" by Sally Deford. Gorgeous peace that I look forward to singing.

Other then that, Elder Smith blew out his ankle really bad playing football on the mall today, we're hoping it's just a sprain and Missionary Medical has ordered him to bed rest for 48 hours with ice. If it's not better by then we try the hospital.

Tasha and Jaymie are both still on track for their baptisms, the area is great, and time is flying by.

I love you all!

-Elder Ted. E Bear

Epistle - 3.14.10

 

Good Wednesday Everyone!

 

The weather has been a bit of a rollercoaster lately. Got very hot, then cold and wet, now it's sort of evened out to very pleasant and partly cloudly. Just about where I like it.

 

The green is finally returned to the forests also. The shade is still a little bit too light for a washingtonian, but whenever I'm near a couple pine trees the aroma gives me my fix!

 

 We have two investigators right now who are on date for baptism. Both are really neat people.

 

Jaymie is an interesting kid. When you first meet him he doesn't seem like the type to have any interest in God. He's been shot in the head before and his brain works a little interesting now, but he's still very intelligent, and completely there. He's the only investigator I've ever taught who completely on his own bikes ~8 miles to church on Sunday, pretty cool kid.

 

Tasha is a very nice lady. Her 2 year old daughter Tashae (Tah-Shay) (Welcome to the Ghetto people!) is a sweety. Tasha has been to a ton of churches, but says that right about the time she was about to join each one she felt like she lost the spirit and left. We explained that was because each had good things to teach her, but did not have the fulness, so as soon as she had learned everything that church had to offer, the spirit told her to move on, but that the full gospel was restored and she could have that in her life. She has been trying to hard to read the Book of Mormon, even though it's difficult for her and continues to pray every day. A very neat lady to work with.

 

Things are great out here. Life is indeed what you make of it, and we're making it out to be something akin to teriyaki chicken. Which for anyone who knows me equates to pretty darn good =]

 

I love you all!

-Elder Ted E. Bear

Epistle - 4.8.10

 

Hello Everyone!

 

So general conference was last weekend, and I had a very unusual experience.

 

As I was watching conference I sat tapping my foot, and my foot landed on something. That felt sort of weird, so I looked down and saw that my shoe had come untied and one of my brown shoe laces was laying off to the side of my shoe. I wasn't sure how in the world my shoe got untied so that was strange. Then I looked closer and saw that, in fact, my shoe WAS tied. So what is that brown thing?

 

Upon lifting my foot what do I see but a pretty dazed looking little brown snake (The harmless kind for any snake fearers out there)

 

However, even knowing he was harmless my first reaction upon seeing a snake right under my foot was to jerk both of my feet off the ground. The Elder sitting next to me saw my quick movement, At first thought I had a charley horse but looked over at me and I pointed at the snake. He grabbed a piece of paper, together we coaxed him on the paper and escorted him forcefully back outside where he belonged.

 

As I settled in to enjoy the rest of conference, my brain sort of pondered over the snake incident.

 

We know in the story of Adam and Eve the snake represents temptation. Temptation to sin or transgress the laws of God. My first reaction upon spotting the snake was to jerk back. How often do we forget that this ought to be our first reaction to temptation! How often when we spot a temptation do we lean right on in to see if it's something we actually might want to try? It should not be so. We should jump back so fast a cobra itself couldn't catch our toes. One of those close to me saw my distress and instantly jumped in to help me, and immediately we set about casting this unwanted thing from where we were.

 

Spot. Jump Back. Forcefully remove from our presence (By either moving it or moving ourselves).

 

I dare saw if we could all do that consistently, the Devil and his angels would be pretty bored all day with very little to do.

 

-Elder Ted E. Bear

Epistle - 3.24.10

Good Wednesday Everyone!

 

Today was pretty fun. A family in the ward drove my companion and I up to the Mall. We we to the Museum of American History, had a picnic on the mall, threw a frisbee around with some other missionaries we met up with, and all in all just enjoyed the gorgeous weather the Lord gave us today!

 

Monday was a really neat night. I think I've mentioned the Pascarella family we've been working with. They're great. We selected a family in the ward we thought would be good Fellowshippers that lived close by, and set up a Family Home Evening for the Pascarellas at the Amorino's house. Very fun. The Pascarella's son and Amorino's son became best friends at the snap of a fingers and everything went great. They'll be at church on Sunday and I think they'll make a lot of friends. Great and exciting =]

 

Transfers is next week. It'll be very interesting to see what happens. There are a lot of possibilities this time, so I'm very intrigued to see what the Lord has planned.

 

I'll let you all know where I am next week!

 

Enjoy Life!

-Elder Ted E. Bear

Epistle - 3.31.10

Hello Everyone!

 

I've been transferred again. I'll be serving in the Capitol Heights area. It's a car area that covers the Maryland section of the Anacostia ward. That was the first ward I served in so I'm pretty excited to go see some familiar faces.

 

I've definitely enjoyed my time in White Plains immensely. It's been one of my favorite areas I think. Part of what made it so great is that I was thrown a couple challenges, and was able to overcome them with the help of the Lord. The area had a complete turnaround while I was there, from dead to quite good. My companions were both able to grow a lot too, which was fun to be a part of. Overall I am leaving with a good feeling and no regrets. Just the way it should be.

 

The cherry trees are starting to bloom in DC. So that is beautiful. One of the things Grandma Mary really wanted me to see in DC was the cherry festival. I think it was a tender mercy of the Lord that I lived right on Capitol Hill last year for all of the cherry blossoms. Or maybe Grandma was up there nagging him to put me there so I could see them =] Either way, as they come back this year I can't help but think of her when I see them. What a true example of Christian courage. The last time I saw her she could barely whisper, so she had to write on a white board, and her parting words to me were "Be careful and take care of yourself". Completely concerned for others. Amazing.

 

I love you all. I love this gospel. I'm so grateful for it.

 

Fare thee well.

-Elder Ted E. Bear

Epistle - 3.10.10

Hello Everyone!

 

Today has been a fun day. Every 6 months the mission President takes all the missionaries going home in the next 6 months to see the Arlington National Cemetary. We all meet just outside the metro stop, he takes us around and tells us about the history and we take pictures together and all that fun stuff. It was very neat. The changing of the guard and all that was pretty interesting to see.

 

It was very interesting to walk around in the cemetary and think. I couldn't help but notice that in that cemetary was preserved the ideals of honor and integrity and service upon which this nation was founded, and yet just accross the river... well, we won't go in to that.

 

We met a really great family last night. Carl and Melissa Pascarella. Her mom is a member, but went inactive when she was of baptismal age, then reactivated while Melissa was in high school, but she never got baptized. Carl used to be Catholic, but when they were going to make Melissa wait a year to take the classes to become Catholic because she missed the application date, he thought that was dumb and decided they would go find another church to go to, and currently attend a Methodist church.

 

We had a very good lessen. The spirit was very strong and they were open and willing to listen and pray about it. So that was fun.

 

Next week is going to be a stake converence with a regional broadcast from Salt Lake, the following week is Ward Converence, and the following week is General Conference!

 

SO we have a lot of spiritual outpourings in our future. Fun stuff.

 

I love you all, Till next week,

 

Elder Ted E. Bear

Epistle - 3.3.10

Good Wednesday Everyone!

 

Well I'm never quite sure what to report on. Life is good out here. We're teaching people. It's fun, and it's what I'm here to do and like to do.

 

I've been preparing a workshop for District Meeting tomorrow, and will just share my thoughts.

 

In this life we are to "Walk by faith, and not by sight". So we learn that our faith is the spiritual counterpart of our physical eyes. Symbolically speaking our faith is our spiritual eye, through which we can behold our path, and walk towards our great eternal destination.

 

Alma teaches that faith is not to have a perfect knowledge, but "To hope for things which are not seen, WHICH ARE TRUE."

 

Without knowledge of true doctrine, it is thus impossible for someone to have faith. Not knowing what to have faith in, they have no way to hope in and act in accordance with true doctrine.

 

In this sense, a vast host of humanity is wandering around spiritually "blind". Not posessing knowledge of true doctrine, they are incapable of spiritual sight. They are truly in a mist of darkness, as described by Lehi.

 

So it is our duty, having been blessed with knowledge of true doctrine, to impart of that doctrine to those around us, so that they, being bilnd, might see and behold their destination.

 

Being equipped with true doctrine, a son or daughter of God becomes capable of beholding not only their eternal destination, where they want to go, but also the path that leads there, and how they can excercise their faith to move towards where they want to go.

 

It is not mete that the blind be lead by the blind. Having sight, it behooveth us to lead, and to empower others to see as we see; to "See as they are seen, and know as they are known".

 

I love you all. Have another great week!

 

-Elder Ted E. Bear