I worked on my birthday

Beck Family!

Holy cow did i have a crazy week. For my birthday, nothing happened. I mean i woke up on time, went out to work on time, worked hard the whole day, came home on time, went to bed on time. I did nothing to waste any time that day like going out to eat or taking an after noon nap, it was pure business. And that is just what I wanted to do, keep on working. But i did have a member give me a soccer jersey. Its for Arsenal, which i dont really know anything about, but it looks pretty cool, and it was defintley expensive. So that is pretty cool. But other than that, it was a totally normal day.
 The work is going great out here. We had another person confirmed yesterday, and we had 11 investigators come to church! Some of them were people that we hadnt talked to in 2 weeks, but they just decided to show up yesterday. How awesome is that, this is gonna mean many baptisms to follow. The work is just moving along out here. So things are going awesome. I get to stay in Compton for atleast another 6 weeks and we are just tearing it up out here. My companion  actually goes home at the end of this transfer, so I am going to be the one to kill him. And today we actually say goodbye to one of the elders in our Pad. He has been the one that ive been working out with, and he has absolutley been killing me.  I had to buy a saudering iron to burn to hole in my belt cause im getting so skinny. That is a combination of working out with him, and just walking around all day in this heat. I am still eating a ton, i mean literally a ton of mexican food, but im just getting skinny. I guess 14 hours of physical excersize is what it takes to combat the food from the Mexican culture. But for real, I have already had to burn 4 more holes into my belt.
Mom, dont think that the member arent feeding me out here, they feed us realy good. send you a . Im not sure what I weigh, but i left the MTC at about 204, yeah the MTC did me no favors, and i am definetly a lot less than that now. I am in the Long Beach 16th ward, which is a unique ward among all other wards. In my ward there are 19 missionaries. Yep,19, cause somebody is in a trio. No other ward in the world has that many missionaries in it. Its a few weird circumstances that made this happen, large boundries, tons of inactives, a need to put all the spanish missionaries somewhere. Its pretty fun, but we missionaries basically run the whole ward. We teach every class, that means form primary to elders quarum. We organize every activity, even the father and sons stuff. And we talk in sacrament meetingevery week. So now we are focusing on a lot of re activation, which is working. Church attendence is staring to overflow the chapel, and we are baptizing like crazy. Now we just need some preisthood. But it is a blast. Well love you family, keep enjoying your summer.

 

Beck out,

Elder Beck

This is my area

My ZONE

Here's a look at Compton



And yes, everyone has a pit bull
 

4th on July...Compton Style

Beck Family!

My goodness have I had a crazy week. So the 4th of July here in Compton is like nothing else I have ever seen. Or experienced. I imagine it is close to what a warzone is like. From the hours of 9-11, there was a completely constant sound of explosions, not all of them fireworks. We were driving through a pretty sketch neighbor hood on our way to pick up some other elders, and our car got surrounded by fireworks. For real, some guys came in the street and lit fireworks all around our car, so we could reverse or drive forward. Then some others started shooting arial rockets at us from down the street while we couldnt move. They were jsut trying to be funny, i guess, but they were drunk out of their minds, and they accidnetly shot each other, and missed out car. Then we hauled out of there, only to continue to get shot at by other fireworks. And some fireworks sound an awful lot like gunshots, so for moments I wasnt sure if it was just Primo fireworks, or side arms that were being shot at us. We were unharmed, along with our car, but it was crazy. People ran out into the middle of the streets to light of fireworks under street lights at intersections. There was a low lieing cloud of smoke across the whole city, and the entire place smelled like an explosion. It was the most wild night I have had here, and that is saying something for being in Compton for 5 weeks.

 I also went to a quincineta for the first time last week. Some investigators invited us, so we showed up for a 1/2 hour, and man do Mexicans know how to party. It was wild, super fun, and very expensive. And for the highlight of my week, we had a baptism yesterday.

 She is the most prepared person I have ever met. We met her on the street 3 weeks ago, taught her every lesson with a member present, and she was baptized yesterday. For real, that is like on of those miracle baptisms. It was so cool, God has just prepared her so well to hear and recieve us. So that was super awesome. Pictures will be sent, no worries. Thanks for the B-day package, that just made the baptism day all the better. That is a sweet looking tie, and i am really going to look good in it. Thanks for everything family, love ya'll, have a good one.

 

Beck out,

We are called to Serve

Awesome family that just loves us!

Wonderful baptism
 

They are our grandpa and grandma out here
 

Elder Beck

I can eat hot things now!

This week has been pretty fun, we got a new Elder In our apartment from Israel.
 I have to let you guys know that my tolerance for spicy and hot things has gone through the roof. Literally everytime we eat at a members house, they always like to test the missionaries, espescially the gringos. They like to test to see if we are really becoming part of the culture. This is usually through making us eat incredibily hot things. I have now moved up from Habeneros, last Monday I tried a pepper that was hotter than a habanero, and it thought it was going to kill me. My mouth was in the fires of Mordor, and im pretty sure I could have struck a match on my toungue. For 30 minutes it took all of my will power to not cry, which I didn't, but still it was hard. The next 5 hours my mouth cooled down a little bit, about to the level of constant tabasco on your tongue. My stomach inside me was on fire, and lets just say the next morning was not pretty.

But since I have eaten all of these crazy hot things now, things that were hot before the mission don't even get me. Last night was eating some Cheetos, and I didn't even realize it until I read the bag that they were the flamin hot kind. They didn't even register on my tongue. I can eat Chili de Arbols like they are candy now, and habeneros I put on everything if I can. My nose is always clear and my system is always running, sometimes a little to fast, thanks to all of these spicy foods. Super fun, a little painful, but mostly fun.

 Also, my apartment is becoming infested. I had a roach crawl out of the shower drain, while I was Showering today!! Not cool, not cool at all! Also there are ants now in our apartment, and the hallways to our apartment smells like you firmly planted your face between the cheeks of a race horse. That is about as poetic as I can put it. But it is super fun still, got to love it all. Have a good week family, take care, and keep cool. Love ya'll.

 

Beck out,

Elder Beck

Yup, there's a sweet ride!
 

Waazup ya'll!

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There's always a first for everything!

Beck Family!

 That looked like so much fun, the water, the forrest, the fire, all these things that i miss a ton! I am surrounded only by concrete and thugs. Its a little bit different than the great out doors, but its pretty exciting still. The work is going super well here in Compton. I am one of only 4 missionaries, that is 2 companionships, that actually work in compton. Every body else works close to it, or right up to the border, but i am the one that actaully gets to work in it, and it is so much fun. I live in a 4 man pad and it is a blast, we get a long so well, its just super fun. There are plenty of things that are in Compton that i have never really seen before in my life.

Like pimps, legit pimps, thugs that have honestly killed people, fired chicken shops every where, and constant gunshots. Honestly, from the hours of 6-6, there is a steady sound of gunshots and police choppers. super fun right. And yesterday in church I got to confirm the lady who got baptized , shes the one that i send picutres of last week. I was kind of nervous to confirm and bless in front of everybody, espescially in spanish, but it was one of the best spiritual expereinces of my mission. just getting up there and letting the spirit do all the talking, it was super cool. There are just tons of those crazy spiritual experiences out here on the mission, its awesome.

Today i helped push a mans car a 1/2 mile down the road to the gas station, so right now my quads are on fire. We then gave him a card, and he wants to come to church this Sunday. Crazy things like that happen all the time out here, just people put in our path that are ready to hear our message. I get along super good with my new companion, he dirt bikes and was a nearly pro BMX racer, so we get a long just fine.  Have an awesome week family, love ya lots.

Beck out,

Elder Beck

I'm in Compton!

Beck Family!

Holy cow life is awesome here. I am in Compton, and it is freaking fun.

There are so many people here all the time its crazy. Just people on the streets all day long. I actually live in Long Beach, cause no missionaries actually live in Compton, cause that would just be a little to dangerous.

Cool bike name!

 

One Awesome member

 

Add caption

 

missionaries at work

 

yup, this was in my apartment
 

So i live about 1/2 a mile from the city. But my area is fully in the heart of Compton. It is crazy here, a little sketchy, but crazy fun. My new companion is a fun loving guy and we get along great. He is really good with people, and so we make friends with everybody, and hes really good at being a missionary. My apartment is not nearly as nice as the one i just left. There are roaches and week smoking neighbors, and gay people. Honestly, we have a big "Section 8 welcome here" sign on the front of our apartment complex. not a good sign. But still, its a blast. I think i sent you enough pictures, and sorry if i make a few spelling mistakes, but i just have to work really fast. On saturday we got a lady married so she could finally be baptized. Which she finally was on Sunday. So it was a great start to the work in this area. Compton is honestly like no other place i have ever been to, seen, or even heard of. There is a nearly constant noise of police helicopters out looking for people, lots of sirens, the whole sha-bang. It is just to fun, i love it here.

 

Beck out,

Elder Beck

 

My first baptism!!

Beck Family!

So, Life if literally the best right now. Yesterday I had our baptism for xxx and her son xxx, and it was the greatest moment of my life. Honestly, when she was baptized, it had to be one of the highlights of my entire life. She was baptized by her father in law, Hermano xxx , and I actually have a funny story with him. He was my first Contact on my first day as a missionary. My comp. had me contact him even though he was a member and he knew it, but he still had me contact him. Needless to say, it was terrible. But now it is a funny story and since then I have learned a ton of my Spanish and accent from him. He is from Mexico city and he literally has the greatest accent I have ever heard. He looks like the Dos Equis man, and sounds like the man that all other men want to sound like.

He is flippin awesome and when he baptized his daughter in law and grandson, it was just one of the best moments of my entire life. Also, in other news, I am getting transferred. Yes, I am super sad to leave Hunting Beach North, this is my birthplace and I absolutely love it here. but since I am done being trained as of right now, it is time for me to go off into the big bad world. So guess what, I am being transferred to Long Beach North. In other words, I am going to Compton! yep, legit, I am headed to the hood. I leave tomorrow, and I am super excited. I have heard from some people who were in that area of a couple shootings that happened around their apartments in just the last week. So yeah, it is gonna be flippin sweet. Honestly, I love it out here, and I feel like I have a real spiritual recharge from yesterday. I am trying to send lots of pictures right now, but the email really isn't working. I might have to send home the SD card so you can get all the pics. But if I do that, please send it back as soon as possible, cause I want those pictures. Have a good week Family, I love ya'll.

Beck out,

Elder Beck