Beck Family!
So this last week was super good. We have in our mission
what is known as a standard of excellence. It has to do with the key
indicators, which are like our numbers that we use to report our missionary
work. The standard of excellence is 12 member present lessons a week, 3 new
investigators a week, 2 investigators at church, 20 total member present
lessons, and being completely obedient and having perfect mornings. This last
week we reached the standard of excellence. To be honest, most weeks we always
teach and find enough to make it, but we have needed to get back to getting
over 10 member presents a week for a little bit. But this week we got it and it
was not to hard, just took some planning. We found some really good new
investigators this last week. Its these two brothers C and F, they are
in their 20's, and pretty cool. They are super funny cause they take anything
that we say and act like that is what they have believed for their whole life.
Like we were teaching about the atonement and we taught about how they can
receive forgiveness for their sins only through the atonement. After we
explained that C is like "well of course man, its only through Jesus
Christ that we do anything, and man that is just so true, I try and tell people
that all the time that its all about Jesus Christ, and that he died for us and
because he payed for our sins that is how we actually get rid of our sins, man
it just like i say, its just so true." This was funnier in person, cause
they act like anything we say has been their belief the whole time, even though
neither of them have gone to church like at all in their whole lifes and when
we met them they had no real beliefs in God. Its like teaching a kind Lamoni,
they basically said I will believe anything you 2 white guys say. They have
baptismal dates.
I also went on exchanges this last week into the english
area of a district leader in our zone. For real, working in a white are in a
white ward with white people is super weird. I am gonna have to culture adjust
just to the whiteness of my own family when i see ya'll again, being with white
people is just weird to me now. Like we ate dinner with a family and the food
was probably good, but it just seemed so bland to me cause there was no lime or
salt or chile to add to it. and the conversation was just different, like about
America and the Korean war, it had nothing to do with soccer or eating spicy
things, so i didnt hardly know what to do. White culture is gonna be a shock
for me, i think i forget how to be with white people. I am pretty much
recognized as a Latina by a lot of people here, if it werent for my blue eyes i
could just fully assimilate into their culture. But the blue eyes are a give
away, everybody knows im truly white because of them. But on the flip side,
they all really really do love my blue eyes, those money makers get noticed all
the time. Hispanics love colored eyes.
This last week we also went to MLC, or mission leadership
conference. its for the zone leaders and president and the assistants, and a
couple sisters go to. It was all about being bold. About being bold with
investigators, and about being bold with members, and about being bold with
yourself. I took it as an opportunity to reflect on being bold with myself. I
tried to think about the things that i have learned as a missionary, and how i
have grown. The biggest thing that comes to my mind is the attitude of looking
out for other people before yourself. This was re-enforced to me during this
last week. We were teaching a man named R. At first he was a little heard
hearted, and only really let us in cause we had taught his daughters before.
But that night cause his daughters werent there, we decided to try and teach
him. We shared a scripture with him, watched a mormon message with him just to
warm him up and see where he was. Then out of nowhere he opened up to us. He
said how he blames himself for the way his daughters have grown up doing bad
things, that he blames himself for the choices they have made. He broke down,
in absolute distress, not knowing anymore what to do and how to find any help.
Turning to the scriptures we shared a very populare scripture in 3 nehpi 27;20.
that is the on the cover of PMG. We shared it ,becasue it mentions how if we
follow jesus Christ, we can truly be held guiltless and spotless before God at
the last day. WE also shared the last verses of matthew 11, about the yoke of
the saviour. AS we shared this, suddenly the spirit started teaching R.
Suddenly he began to feel something, and wanted more. He said that he would
come to church on sunday, and bring his daughters, and that he would meet with
us to show them an example. He got it. This was while I was on exchange in the
english area, but it was still powerfull, because before we walked into his
house i literally knew nothing about him. I didnt know who we would teach or
what to teach them. But because i had studied that morning, because i had used
my time to prepare for others, and not just study for myself, i was able to to
let the spirit help R. Studying in the morning is what we like to call
'paying the price.' We have to put in the effort and study in the morning to be
able to help people that day. The attitude of helping others before yourself is
perhaps the greatest lesson i have learned on my mission ,and am still learning
, and will no doubt keep learning for the rest of my life. even in something
simple like our morning personal study, just studying for another person made
all the difference in the lesson that night. If i had wasted the time cause i
was tied (cause i am constantly exhausted) or if i had tried to find the
answers to some deep doctrine question that wouldnt have applied, i wouldnt not
have been able to help him, and our companionship would not have had the spirit
like it did. We are here to give everything to others, and I love it so much.
Love you family, have a good week!
Beck out,
Elder Beck
Beck out,
Elder Beck
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