June 15th

Family,

Thank you for all your letters and support. 

Dad, I received your letter in the mail this past week and I'll be sure to look for the last remaining ones in the mail at some point either this week or next. And Karen, thank you for the offer on the new phone! I kind of feel spoiled lol but at the same time I am truly grateful and blessed:) Again, thank you guys.

I can't believe the time has come to this. I only have 2 weeks remaining... But because the Lord has blessed me to endure to the end, I will have the privilege to be a part of another baptism held in our ward this upcoming Saturday. This is for an ex-communicated member, ______, who has been faithful and worthy to re-enter into the waters of baptism. This is someone who the missionaries have been working with for a long time. And now he has finally been approved by Salt Lake City to become a member again. We are all excited for him! 

Everyone will find out their new companions this Friday, and then next week on Saturday (June 27th) is when we will hold our transfer meeting. It will be the farewell for President Packard, his family, and 30 other missionaries that are going home as well. I am grateful to have been companions with Elder Villar. He has strengthened my testimony and has helped me grow, even only during the 2 months that I've been with him. To be honest, I believe he has taught me more than I have been able to teach him. He has been one of my favorite companions by far! I know why the Lord has put us together during this time.   

As I explained in my last email, this will most likely be my final email that I will write to you all on my mission. Elder Villar, A___ D______, and I are planning to make the trip to Boston next week for my final P-Day. No better way to end the mission than being in the city I love, while being with Villar and my other best friend A____, who I had the opportunity to literally see change his life by accepting the gospel! It's a storybook ending for a roller coaster ride of a mission that I experienced. No doubt, we'll have a great time:) 

I will end it all with my testimony that I know that our Savior lives and loves us. I've come to a knowledge of these truths by the Holy Spirit. It is real. This gospel is real. People do change by accepting Jesus Christ in their lives, I am a witness to that. I am a witness to the power of the Atonement. I have been able to exercise it myself and experience the divinity and power of the atonement on my mission. At a certain point of my mission, I have felt the lowest I've ever felt in my life. Only coming to realize later on that it was only to experience true joy, in a sense. That is what this gospel is all about. The Lord humbled me to know this. It's not about me, it's not about the personal gain, or popularity, or any of that. No, it's about the Lord and being a  blessing for his children. This is my purpose as a Saint and a servant of the Lord. It is my humble testimony that I know this church is true. And how blessed I am to have been raised into this church by an amazing family to help me get to this point in my life! 

I accomplished His work as a Full-Time Representative of Jesus Christ here in New England by the hand of the Lord. And for this, I couldn't be any happier.

Pat, I will hopefully be seeing you and your family soon! Jazzy, I can't wait to give you a big hug as well:)

This is it. See you all in 2 weeks! Les Quiero mucho! 

​Go Sox! 

Elder BerthelsonBostonStrong

September 15th

Family,

Thank you for all your support! I am doing great! I can honestly say that I am at one of those "higher" points of my mission right now:) A lot of it has to do with the companion that I have and the work that is going forth for us in our area. Everything is almost "clicking" and we are receiving many blessings. Because of this, its giving me the motivation to be excited about all aspects of the work that I'm doing. Physically, Spiritually and Mentally I am being blessed.

So like I said, I received my new companion last Wednesday, Elder Lee. This guy is a stud. Reminds me a lot like Chase Richardson lol. Just a hard worker, an athlete (played ball in h.s.) and someone that I just relate really well with. And yes, both from AZ too! I can already tell Lee and I will be great friends here on the mission and later on. I am blessed to be working well with him and to know that the Lord has put us together for a reason.   

The work is starting to pick up a little bit more. We are making preparations for our baptism for our Investigator, B______, for the 27th of Sept. We are excited for him along with our other investigators, who are progressing little by little towards their baptism. Our goal is to schedule a set baptism date for M_____ and M_____ during this upcoming week.

An event that we have coming up is that we have our Stake Conference for us this weekend, so we are also preparing for that as well. This will be a big event for us knowing that our Stake Presidency, Mission Presidency, Temple President and a member of the 70 will all be speaking to us with the topic of Hastening the Work. We know that this will be a blessing for the members of our stake to help be a part of the work and to motivate others to share the gospel.      

Dad- Chargers look good man lol. Although the Sox weren't so good this year, its always nice to fall back on the football season. I miss the season, great time of year for sure! And whats up with K in the golf cart??? First the gym now the course... C'mon man:) You guys are funny! Looking forward to your letter too. And no I'm not THAT guy, at least not yet... haha.

Karen- I got your CD's in the mail a week or so ago. Thanks for that, along with the help with my debit card. I don't know how I'm doing with my balance so if you could email me my info from the U.S. bank account every week that would be great! Also, glad to hear that you were able to help the Christensen family. I'm sure they were very grateful for you guys helping them out. 

Jazzy- I don't normally get your emails till later in the day (my time). I will have to write you back with a separate email. Sigue adelante con todo! Te quiro hermana:)

Thank you for all your love and support guys. Like I said, I am happy and definitely blessed:)

Les Quiero Mucho! 

 

Elder BerthelsonBostonStrong

December 16th

Family,

 

I am doing well. I am going to keep this message short because I don't have too much time. The work is kind of slow for me and my companion, but we are still working hard nonetheless. One thing cool that happened this week was that we had a Christmas Devotional for the Prov stake last night that was performed by all the missionaries. I wasn't able to be a part of the devotional, but it was great to have all of our ward members, a few less actives and one of our investigators show up. I also enjoyed it because I was able to see all my good friends from the mission that were there as well, ex. Elder Collins.

 

Tomorrow we have our missionary christmas party, which means I will have the opportunity to go to Boston and do a session at the Temple. ...... Anyways, I love going to the temple. There's no other place that brings me such peace and comfort. I know that the temple is the most sacred and closest place we can be to our Heavenly Father here on the earth. 

 

Dad- ..... I saw the pic of you and shelby, mire flacco wey! jaja. I've also taken up your commitment. Not to lose weight, but to run. I actually enjoy running everyday. I was able to run 4 miles today, with only one break in between. Running is all I can do because our gym is really lame, there's no weights, only treadmills. It does the job though.

Enjoy the Charger game next Sunday! I can't believe they beat the broncos too. Maybe they still have a chance for the playoffs. We had so many great times in San Diego as well. I'm sure you and K will be living it up in Old Town as well. Great hangout place haha.

 

Karen-...... Thanks again for the packages. I forgot to mention the letters I received from Sis Moser and Sis Garcia. Let them know I say thanks. You're awesome! Congrats to Shelby as well. I'm sure you and dad had a blast with the Peck Family. Enjoy the trip with San Diego with dad this weekend too.

 

 

It's sad to get news of someone passing. And yeah I remember Brother Meier, good guy. I hope their family and the people in the Parkway ward are doing alright... I'll keep them in my prayers.

 

Glad to know everyone in the family and all our friends are doing great. Congrats to Devin as well. Keep up the good work. Les quiero! 

Elder Berthelson

BostonStrong

 

(Editor's note - this picture did not come directly from Elder Berto, but I love it)

 

 

 

 

 

November 4

First and foremost, The Red Sox are World Series Champions!!!! I'm blessed to be serving in an area of what most people call "Strong" or "BostonStrong," which means what happened back in April did not leave a negative impact to Boston, but rather built it up and strengthened the city. The victory for the Red Sox also symbolizes triumph over tragedy. That is why this mission in Boston is perfect for me; it's almost as if these events, such as what has all taken place in Boston since April, could represent me and what I've been going through with my own situation. As for me, by faith, I can overcome trials and be strengthened to also hopefully come out on top and be victorious, just like the Sox!


Not much has been happening since A____ was baptized from a month ago. I still get to work with A____ a lot though, and for me to continue to teach him the discussions is awesome! He is my friend, and if not my best friend on the mission right now:) I'm blessed to be able to witness his progression with the gospel and see his testimony grow as we have also talked about him serving a mission by next year! I'll be here in the NE area to hopefully see him leave and become a missionary just like me. I know he'll be ready to serve by then.

In my actual area right now though, it's been tough.  My comp and I do a lot of less active work in the central falls/pawtucket area of RI. We haven't been able to see progress in the less actives and the members recently haven't been able to work with us. The one investigator that we work with can't progress either, due to an odd marriage situation, he can't be baptized... Its really sad. It's just really frustrating working in this area. The work in this area has just been flat out dull. There's a lot of times where I really wish I could be transferred to the Boston area (first paragraph) or anywhere else for that matter. But then I think of how much I've been able to work with A____ (second paragraph). Again, not only have I been able to bless his life, but he has also been a blessing for me as well. I believe he is the reason why I was chosen to be sent to this random place in RI. It's important to take and recognize the blessings that Heavenly Father has given us.

October 21

As far as the work here is concerned, my comp and I invited a couple of our investigators to church this past Sunday and none of them showed up... so the work here is kind of slow and frustrating for us right now. As for me personally I've been doing good. Working out every morning and trying to eat healthy (its kind of tough, muchos frijoles, etc). I work out hard every morning and been working hard with everything else with studies etc.


How about the Red Sox!!! YES!!!!! I wish I were in Boston right now though...
 Although, I'll have to keep up with the games through one of the members of our ward who's a big Red Sox fan and tells me everything that goes on with baseball and football. 

General Conference Weekend and Transfers

So on Sunday, Oct 6 between the morning and afternoon sessions of general conference, I was able to baptize A______ (left of me) and Elder Stones, my good friend back from the mtc, was able to baptize F______. It was such an incredible experience! This gospel not only blesses the lives of others, but it is a blessing to us personally as well. D&C 18:15-16

 

I just wanted to share and remind you guys how grateful and blessed we were to hear such inspirational and powerful messages that were shared during General Conference! Honestly, this was probably the first time in my life where I actually had that "thirst" or desire to listen intently to the talks of each General Authority that were spoken. Not only because of the fact that I'm a missionary and we're required to do so, but with everything that's been happening, I really needed to be spiritually uplifted. And that's why I was so anxious to watch GC, it could not have come during a better time for me. I also can't tell you how blessed I was personally to hear the words from our beloved prophet, President Monson, especially the talk that he gave during the Sunday Morning session. I felt like he was talking directly to me. Definitely was an answer to my prayers, and I'm sure towards many others as well. 

 President Monson's Talk Sunday Morning, “I Will Not Fail Thee, nor Forsake Thee”

My new companion's name is Elder Santos. He's Mexican so he's a native speaker, but he's also almost finished with his mission so he knows pretty good English as well. I met him once, he's a good guy. I'll meet him tomorrow for sure in transfer meeting so I'll tell you guys more about him later and send pics as well.  

September 9th

Alex had a special request from me this week.  So I've been thinking about which of my friends would help him with his request.  If you are interested, please private message me.  Thanks. 

......
   Another favor that I would like to ask is if you could give me 1 email address of someone that you know (non-member) that would be willing to read a blog post that I made that will be posted on a new lds website that is called real life answers
I don't want to go into too much detail with this because I don't have too much time but its a new thing that they are doing with every missionary in the mission to share an experience they had or something that has strengthened their testimony and they post it on this website. It allows people who type up any question they have on-line and eventually it will take them to this link, which will allow those people who have those questions to have them answered using this lds web link. Pretty smart idea, right? I think its interesting, basically the future of missionary work is eventually going to go digital... During the meeting we had on this, I thought of you and all the blogs, pinterest and all the other stuff you do haha. 
.....
"The Message" by Lance Richardson. I read the whole book in one day last week and I can't tell you how much it has changed my view on life and how much it has also strengthened my testimony. If you don't mind getting me another copy of that book that would be great. Also, I would recommend reading that book before you send it off, it is truly amazing!
....
(this part of his letter was to Hermana B
Here in my mission, I've never done door to door contacting... If anything, its something that is not encouraged on my mission. Weird right? I thought that was part of the mission experience, but I guess not though... Missionaries here work through the members to get referrals for potential investigators. It's way effective too. I hope you can encourage the members to be involved in the work because it makes a huge difference! I know that you're working hard and I'm glad to hear about how well you're working with your companion and all the cool experiences you are having in Chile. Guarde trabajanda dura hermana! 
.....
Can you please let Savannah Hampton know that I got her letter and tell her thank you?!?!
.......  
So as for me and my comp we are always working hard!
.....
 I know that the Lord loves us and is always taking care of us. Alma 26:12

August 28th

(when Elder Berto uses "Rich" or "Elder Rich" - he is referring to Elder Richardson - his companion
...

I'll go ahead and share some positive things though. Basically my comp is a straight up stud! So J_____, the guy from one of the pics, wasn't really progressing and it was almost time for us to move on. But Rich had this idea where we could be relatable with the guy but also work with him spiritually as well. J____ is a pretty nutty guy (I have so many other stories about him as well haha) who enjoys running, lifting etc. So what we do, this is every other day, is we wake up at 5 am and meet him at his house early in the morning and work out and lift at his place till around 630 or so. Then we go on a run where we run about 2 or 3 miles till we get to downtown Providence (the city is amazing by the way, I gotta take some pics sometime). We run around the city for a while and then we eventually head back to his house where we have breakfast and where we have a lesson prepared for him and everything. It sounds crazy but it has actually worked! We have already set up another baptismal date for the guy for next month and now we're hoping he can be able to come to church with us this sunday. So yeah, what's awesome is that my companion is very good with being relatable with everybody. It's really important to have good relationships with the people that you work with. That's what I've really come to learn from Elder Richardson is how to relatable to people and to just be yourself.  

Another quick thing, about a week ago Elder Rich and I were riding our bikes and were doing a little street contacting on our way to one of our appointments. We handed this Puerto Rican guy a pass along card and he later told us that he used to be a member about 20 years ago. His name is B____. He has tattoos all over his body, crazy piercings, and owns a tattoo shop as well. W never would've thought he would've been a member before, just by the way he looked. He knew all about the church and told us that he had the desire to repent and now wants to step foot into church again, after not having gone in 20+ years. It was an incredible experience to work with him and to now help him get back into church and to be active again. He is going to come with us this Sunday.

....

Elder Berthelson's mission president called me today to let me know that he had interviewed Alex and learned what happened to Sydney during the course of the conversation.  Although it is uncommon for a mission president to communicate with a parent of a missionary, President Packard assured me Alex is ok (although heartbroken) and is committed to serving the Lord wherever he is needed.  President Packard also asked me for the Hathaway family's contact information.  You see, President Packard is from Beaumont and knows the Hathaway family and Sydney personally.  Indeed, it is a small world when it comes to the church. 

We were able to have a nice chat about Alex and what a great elder he is!

President Packard gave me information that Alex hasn't even received yet....his new companion (as of tomorrow, July 18th) will be Elder Richardson.  Elder Richardson was most recently a zone leader for the mission.  From what I understand, Elder Richardson gets up at 5:30 every morning so he can get in an hour workout every day.  Elder Berthelson should be in heaven!

I also learned of Elder Berthelson's first territory.  He will be in Providence Rhode Island.