I'm getting a new Comp!

Beck Family!

Alright, let me break it down for ya. This week was a great one, a for real great week. We had tons of good lessons, and saw some crazy progression with some people. First, this was the last week of transfers, and tomorrow starts the new transfer. So drum rolllll please. I am staying in Pico Rivera as a zone leader, but elder W is leaving. For reals, im super sad about that, he goes home in 4 weeks, mid transfer, so i thougt they were just going to leave him with me, but they are moving him to long Beach for his last little bit. I am getting a new companion up here and ZL, his name is Elder N, he is from the Dominican Republic, and has only been a missionary for about 7 months, which is super young to be a ZL, but the word is he is a flippin good missionary. I'm super excited, i think my spanish is going to take off with him, he has only been learning english for about 7 months, so i bet we are going to speak a lot of spanish. So i'm excited for that. Our zone has been doing awesome, we repeatedly making our member present lessons goal and finding like crazy as a zone. I'm super excited for everything, our zone is sick. But i am really sad because the elders that i live with elders jensen and hansen are getting white washed out, so i am going to be the only elder left in the apartment out of the 4 of us. It was super suprising, because their area is on fire and they are baptizing, and yet they are both getting moved out at the same time. Crazy right. Guess there is just a lot of change headed my way.

But for the real bestest part of the week, last night elder W had his departure fireside. They only have those at the end of transfers, and cause he wouldnt be here for the next one he gave his testimony at this one. At missionary departure firesides, you invite all of the members and recent converts and investigators that you can to come and hear you give your last words before you return home. It is always one of the most spiritual meetings that exists. And if you came to mine, you would understand why. Its incredible. But last night at the fireside we had B come, the one that we have been teaching for a while. When elder W went up and shared his testimony he shared one of the most impactfull moments that we ever had together, and it was while we were teaching B. He shared a little thing that B said to us after we had a lesson with her and had read 1 nephi 11 with her. She said "be persistent with me, dont give up on me... dont let me get lost." It was one of the most incredible moments of my mission when she said that to us, because i could see that from her eyes she truly viewed us a Jesus Christ, and that we were her only way back. Elder W shared that experience at the departure fireside as his testimony, and B who was there broke down in tears. I was talking to he afterwards while elder W was saying his many goodbyes. She started the conversation by saying "I have made my decision." I asked her what decision she had made, trying to get her to say it. she said " im going to be baptized as soon as possible. I dont need anymore signs from God." and then through tears streaming down her face and pointing to her heart she said "this is my sign, i dont need any more proof." She will be baptized on the 29th. It was an incredible experience, one that i dont think i will ever be able to forget. Yesterday and tonight is the time to say goodbyes. Transfers can be hard, but we trust God knows where he needs us to go.

Also, elder W family came to his Departure fireside. And elder W didnt even talk to them, which was awesome. He say them, smiled and waved, but never talked to them, cause he stayed strong, and missionaries dont talk to their families yet. But i talked to them. They told me about how proud they were of their son and they all cried their eyes out as they heard his testimony and said how strong in spirit he is now. They were really cool, and it was a really cool experience for them to be there and see that all. I introduced them to Brenda and to the other members there from our ward, so they got to meet tons of people from elder W mission. Cool stuff.
Anyways, tomorrow i get my new comp, the work is still going great here in Pico, and i am just so happy to be a missionary. i Just want to get better so i can help more people come unto Christ. this is the best thing i have ever done, and i love it. Love you family, take care.

Beck out,
Elder Beck

 

 

 

Our zone!



Miracles happen!
 

This is from Shawn:
The trips sounds like so much fun. honestly, im just in awe looking at the pictures. I want to be there so bad. All of that stuff just looks like a blast. granted, i am pretty used to 90 degrees, or really over 100 degree heat. Well, not really used to it, but it is just my life.
We also had stake conference this last week, and the thing that we talked about a lot was also missionary work, and acutally our mission president came and spoke. And he said that one hting that we can all do, is just like missionaries do, is talkt ot everyone. If we want more people to join the church, we have to invite more people, and more people have to know what we do. He said something simple would be if someone asked you what you did that weekend, tell them about church before the kids soccer games and nfl game. say how great church was and how uplifting it was. Start more of the conversations we already have with the gospel, bring it up causally in more scenarios.
I like the pic,  i can see that my style is catching on. Cool guys dont look at the camera.
I love being a missionary so much. Its crazy, i honestly didnt think i would ever love it like this. But i have never been so happy in my entire life. I love everyday out here. And the more i am out here the more i realize how blessed i have been with great parents. thank you for everything you have done. Yesderday was fathers day. Dont think i forgot. I tell you dad that you are the best father that has ever been. You somehow have done it just right. You are my hero and example in all things. I strive to be like you and to make decisions like you. Thank you for everything that you have done for me, love you dad.

Beck out,
Elder Beck

I just love being a missionary here!

Yes, this is the most awesome tree house ever!

Beck Family!
So i have almost no time, but i sent some pictures so that should make up for this.
First, we had a great week, we taught a member present lessson ever day and found a ton of new investigartors to teach. WE find by talking to everyone we see and expecting that some one we talk to will let us share something with them. We are pretty bold, i talkt to gang bangers and the sketchy looking type all day long. But guess what, they all love us. One, cause they can feel the spirit. 2, cause we are white guys that they respect.

Keep praying for B everybody, she needs it. She is doing so well, and she is accepting the live the commandments that we teach her about. But for some people there are just obstacles in the way that need heavenly help to get over. Be that help.

Love you family, love all of you, and sierra, good job on the 4.0

I liked how you said the last 2 days were a joke. the last 4 weeks were a joke for me.
Love you all.

Beck out,
Elder Beck

So i might get a minute of more on this other computer. Public libraries, you cant stop me from emailing my family!

for real, i hate public libraries, im gonna avoid these places like the plague for the rest of my life, they stress the crap outta me cause i have to type so fast and wonder if i will ever get a computer. Its the worst.

Anyways, hyrum, you look pretty crazy living in your reptile room. But you all looked sharp for the graduation. You are gonna make fine missionaries the 2 of you if you dress that sharp.

This is my favorite quote from President Tew this last week.



You are looking at running water!

We have been talking about establishing a mission culture a lot lately and this is what he said.

And yes the tree house was built around the tv

"Mission culture does not get established is meetings like this. It gets talked about in meetings like this. It gets established when a junior companion spends a day with a senior companion and say 'we really do that here dont we.'"

We are focusing as leaders on establishing a culuture of this mission, something that is permanant. It will be a culture of achieving goals, effectively planning, talking to everyone, and other things. I am excited for it.

Last thursday we gave a zone meeting on the culture we want to establish and it went really well, i love giving trainings now, and espescially something that i believe in. I love the vision that we are establishing, and i just love being a missionary here.

 

Beck out,

Elder Beck

 

This is a response to Shawn from Dallin:

Yeah, elder Ballard talked to us in the MTC and now just last week. Both times have been awesome, and its been cool to get 2 trainings from the same apostle, i can see what he is consistent on, and one of those things is 10 daily contacts, or going out of your way to talkt to an extra 10 people every day. I do that every single day, because he challenged us to do it at the MTC, and it has brought so much success.
I want to do more family history when i get home too, i feel like its something i would like.
Its weird, but i feel like im even better musically now than before. I dont get near the opportunities to play, like hardly ever, average 5 minutes of piano a week, but i just make those 5 minutes count. ITs crazy, but i cant wait to go home and see what i can do now, i feel like for some reason i can do it better now. But we will see, im also pretty seperated from my whole world of music.
We taught a member present lesson every day this week, we found a ton of new people to teach. Our area is awesome, but it really isnt different from a lot of areas where people struggle. It is the expectations that we have that is the difference. Whem me and elder W go out, we expect to find and to teach and to bring people to baptism, and that is what is happening. I love missionary work. take care dad.

This brother has one tricked out tree house!

Elder Ballard Rocks!

Beck Family!

If this week goes well this will be the last email that i have to send without a picture attatched to it. Thats good cause i hate not having a picture or sending anyting with the email. But we move on.

Gues what happened this week? Ok, ya'll took to long. Elder M. Russell Ballard came and visited our mission! and theres more, he gave a private training to us missionaries on Saturday for about 2 hours. Freakin incredible. WE all showed up early and we all got to shake his hand. He came with elder Acosta of the area seventy and elder Switzer of the first 70. They all talked, but elder Ballard talked for about 1 hour to us. It was incredible. But the building we were in the AC was not working. So because elder Ballard is a man and understands, he had us all take our suits off and he did too. Apostles do what they darn want to. Only an apostle can call together an entire mission together, no other meetings in the mission involve every missionary at once. So it was awesome cause i got to see all of my old companions and talk about our old areas and how everybody is doing. Elder Ballards training was great and it was on how we need to understand and internalize the simple things to teach them powerfully. He answered questions and he was super funny. He said 'i just tried to give 2 general conference talks in a row to get the members to help out you missionaries.'' Direct quote. Point- elder Ballard thinks its really important that the members and missionaries work together. And aftwerards our mission president got to speak to us, he is out of the hospital and doing great. He then said some of the most powerfull words of love i have ever heard, and that was following an apostle. My mission president, pres. Tew is the biggest spiritual giant i have ever seen, and i say that after recieving a direct training from an Apostle. He is the man.

In other news, B came to church yesterday. We had her come to a bbq ealier in the week with a member, and that member then offered her a ride to church. She accepted and that member and her are now like best friends. the ward is doing a great job at making her feel welcomed ,and she is continueing to progress. This last week she said "I feel that the more i have been talking to you and reading the mormon book that i have been changing for the better. I want to make those changes so i can keep these feelings i have." The spirit is changing her and it is because she is putting in the work and is so prepared. Keep praying for her, its working everybody.

This last week we had to do a ton of stuff, like meetings and taking people to the doctors, but the time we did have to work was really blessed and we just had solid lessons with solid peoplel. I feel such a good spirit and joy for missionary work right now, i guess thats what follows a visit from Elder Ballard. Just in case you dont remember, but elder Ballard was also the Apostle that came and talked to us in the MTC, so now i have had 2 in person missionary trainings from the same apostle who is all about missionary work. Super lucky.

I love you family, thank you for everything, and keep praying for those missionary opportunities.

 

Beck out,

Elder Beck

I love America! and the habenero challenge part 2

Beck Family!

So how are ya'll doing? Good? Good, cause i am doing pretty dandy myself. 

First off, it is memorial day, that means it is a great day to all fly your American flags and drink a Coke, and listen to some Journey. AMERICA!!!

I love America.

Now for my week. It has been pretty good. I dont know if i told ya'll, but our mission president has been super sick for a long time. This last tuesday he finally got out of the hospital after 17 straight days in there. He had major surgery on his intestines, but now he is doing better and is recovering, and is already back to working and interviewing. Cause our mission president is John Wayne, better known as Mountain T, he dont play. Hes a boss, and we are all really happy that he is doing better.

In other great news, this last week for district meeting, we had our normal meeting, but afterwards we all as a district did the habenero challenge. That is an elder Beck specialty. It means that everyone eats a whole habenero pepper and then does not eat or drink anything for 3 minutes. It really lets the spicyness sink down into your cells. The whole district did it,and a couple other elders, so all together about 10 elders. It was one of the funniest things i have seen in a while. I have bought a box of habeneros every week for a couple weeeks and have just been pounding then whole everyday, so it really wasnt even a challenge for me. not gonna lie, i took it really cool, calm, and collected, like a boss. I dont even flinch when i eat those now. what is wrong with me? Many others did not though. thhey were crying and spitting and sweating like crazy, and throwing up, and one of them almost fainted, he got really pale and we sat him agaisnt the wall. All in all it was a definite success and a higher level of mancard was earned by everyone that day. Thats what its all about right.

In other more spiritual news, B has been doing really well. She reads the book of mormon every day and has been doing really well. She highlights the book of mormon as she reads so that she can be ready for the questions that she thinks we will ask her about what she read. Cause she knows we are gonna ask her. She is so prepared, and i love teaching her. I love being a teacher of the gospel. It is one of the hardest things to do to teach someone about the gospel in a way that they will understand it and be able to put it into their own words. that requries that we teach simply and with inspired questions. I have been working a lot lately so that i can be a better teacher, so that people can stop trying to decipher the gospel message from me, and be more able to see and recognize the feelings that are in their hearts. I love the gospel, it is just so true.

Anyways, have a good week family, love ya'll, hopefully i get a camera soon so i can take some mroe pictures. Love you.

 

Beck out,

Elder Beck

I flipplin love that!

Beck Family!
This last week was so good. Like good enough to scrapbook the flip out of it.

So we had a really good teaching week. We met our weekly goals we had set of member present lesson, new investigators, and people with a baptismal date. Something we are getting really big about in the mission is achieving the goals that we set. We dont want to be just goal setters, but goal achievers as well. I flippin love that. Its one of my favorite things to train people on or talk about, how when we set a goal we set it with the determination to accomplish it, not just to inspire us when we set it. I love goal setting and goal achieving ,and that is what we did this week. But it required some miracles. By Sunday night we were still one member present short of our goal and one new investigator, and we had no set plans. But Me and elder W knew that we could achieve our goal because we set it prayerfully so we went out with full faith that we would be able to do it. We were guided to a part member family, and at another home we had a lesson where the investigator invited her friend in to listen to us. We were guided to 3 lessons last night ,and we were able to pick up a new ivestigator and teach a member present lesson, and meet our goals. That feels awesome. To not just be goal setters but goal achievers, im about that life.

We also had some great lessons this week. We have been teaching a girl named B who is doing really well. Honestly she is one of the most prepared people i have ever met. She has been reading daily and taking notes as she reads, and she prays with real faith. And she has accepted a baptismal date becuse she says she feels like she has recieved an answer. She needs a lot of help to make her date and be baptized so pray for her, cause prayer works, that is true doctrine.

I went on exchange with the english district leader in our zone. That meant i got to go to a white area and work with white people and eat white food. Havent done that in like forever. It was weird, my stomach did not like the foreign food of lasagna that i was putting in it. For real, i do not ever, i mean ever, eat white people food, im gonna have to re adjust all over again when i get home.
This week it has also been super hot, ever day has been over 100 degrees, with wednesday hovering over 105. That is to freakin hot, and its only getting hotter. But that s all good, the misisonary work goes forward. Love you family, keep praying for the missionaries, who they are teaching, and that ya'll can have missionary experiences. Love you.

Beck out,
Elder Beck

Dallin skyping on Mother's day!!!

Mother's day awesomeness!

Beck family

So i did just talk to ya'll yesterday, but still i loved getting your emails today. Email is the thing that makes this day different, and your emails is what makes it awesome. For real, shout out of thanks to everybody that emails me, i can always use more, but i am super appreciative of everybody that takes the time to do that.
This last week was really good for us. We had some great lessons with some people. One of the best people we are teaching right now is B. She is a young mother of 2 boys. We had a super powerfull lesson with her as we talked about the Book of Mormon. We taught it simply and with conviction. At the end we asked her what it would mean if the book was true. She said that it meant she could continue to have the peace that she felt right there with us. She recognized the spirit and that we brought it with us when we talked to her. She could feel it, and in that moment we could feel it testify to all of us so strongly. Something cool happens when we recognize the spirit, when a name is put to the feelings that we are all having. It was a great lesson, and she has the real potential to be baptized. Pray for her.

The rest of our week was also pretty good, we taught some other cool people, and got to help some elders out. That is one of the coolest parts about being a zone leader, is that we get to help the elders out in our zone and really be the people that they turn to.

Also, right now i am trying to send pictures, but my broken camera wont even let me do that. So if you want pictures you are gonna have to figure out this camera thing for me quick. Mom, i know you want pictures. Dont even pretend like you dont.

Anyways, i absolutley loved talking to all of you yesterday. yesterday was such a good day. After i talked to you the members who house we were skyping from cooked us a carne asada dinner, and it was amazing. literally, yesterday was a perfect day. I love you guys, you are the best, and i know that you support me and all the missionaries so much. Love you.

Beck out,
Elder Beck

Stupid Good Week

Beck Family!

So this last week had to be one of the really good ones. Lots of things went well, and like by well i mean super good. Like stupid good.

To start we helped J prepare to be baptized on Saturday, and he was. Many pictures to follow.

But the baptism was great. He was so ready to do it, and we could just all see it. He has been investigating the church for 3 years since the his wife and kids got baptized. But this was just finally his time to join them. The member that helped us teach him Hmo C got to baptize him, which was an awesome experience. It really was the member that made all the difference, and was a huge reason that jorge decided to be baptized. Members make a difference. Then yesterday Jorge was confirmed in church by the bishop and it was great as well. And after church we had a bbq at his home where he cooked us all the carne asada we could eat. For real, it was just meat after meat, with plenty of sides. so good, so mexican. I am getting back up to my level of heating really spicy things. Not a day goes by that i dont eat at least 1 chili, and i am warming up for something big. Details to follow.

But as good as all of that was, it still wasnt the only good thing. Last night i got to go to the despedida, or departing fireside for the missionaries going home. Zone leaders get to go to all of them to keep the peace. That is a perk to the calling. But anyways, the fireside was really good, lots of really strong testimonies were shared. I also got to see a lot of members from past areas there, who all come to see their missionaries off. I saw people from HB and compton. One of the members i saw from compton was Hna C, my favorite member, and newest grandma. I was so happy to see her, but even more happy to see that person that she brought with her. She brought with her C. She is a 15 year old girl that i taught back in compton, we taught her whole family but she was always the focus. I taught her for my entire 6 months in compton, which included some of the most spiritual lessons i ever had while there. But when i left compton, she seemed like she was personally hopeless, that she would never be able to get away from the things in her life and be baptized. Missionaries stopped going by her after i left, and they didnt go by that family until 1 month ago. Last night at the fireside C told me that she had just gotten baptized, and that is why her hair was still wet. She said that now she was just ready in her life to make that decision to be baptized. It was one of the happiest moments of my life to see her, and to hear that she had been baptized. I felt such a spiritual confirmation about the work we do as missionaries, and how it truly does affect people. Even though it was such a long time since i had seen her, she remembered me, and all of the lessons that  we had with her. She said she just kept thinking about all of the things we had taught after after the missionaries left her, and she started reading the Book Of Mormon on her own. And eventually she knew it was true. And that is when she decided to be baptized. I was absoluetly speachless when she told me she had gotten baptized, i couldnt form the words to express how happy i was for her. It was amazing. She also said that she is preparing to go on a mission, that it is all she wants to do in life to pay forward what she knows to be true. Again, i was speechless, i still am. I know this work is true, and i know that we do the Lords work, and because of that people do not forget it. They remember the spirit, and like C did, when they are ready, they can act on it. One of the best weekend i can remember, i just feel so good right now.

I am staying in Pico Rivera for another transfer with elder W, we are going to tear it up here, the field is white in Pico, and we are going to have a great time.

I love you family.

Beck out,
Elder Beck

Yes!

Baptism Power!

What an amazing day

Miracles do happen

Way to learn English my friend!