Rely on the Atonement

Hello Everyone!

 

Well, another great week has passed here in the great city of Wichita. We have seen some pretty amazing things happen, and we have been really blessed though it has been pretty tough.

 

This week, we had a great meeting with Maxine to transition to the Sisters in our ward doing the primary teaching. It was really cool because she just accepted them right in starting talking to them forever. She is such a grandmother, and totally will take care of any of us missionaries who go over to visit her.

 

One other thing we were able to do this week was find out how quickly we can walk through slush, while wearing boots. The weather totally warmed up and all the snow that we got last week melted into slush and water everywhere. On Thursday, we were out walking and realized we only had an hour to make it 4 or five miles back to the apartment for our ride. So, we started back, and thanks to my parents, my long strides got us back (Elder Lott jogged a little too) Plus, we even had a little bit of extra time to talk to some people we met on the way! The Lord provides constant miracles!

 

Love you all!  If you can find the time, about an hour os so, I would like you all to watch two vidoes (found wither on BYUTV, LDS.org or Youtube or something; I'm not sure exactly where)  hey are: "His grace is Suficient" by Brad Wilcox (45 min.), and Missionary work and the atonement (15 min.)  The second one is amazing, and has made me cry both times our misison President has shown it to us.  I really recommend it.  I know that our Savior lives, and that He helps us every day, if we let Him.  I know that true, lasting hapiness comes from becoming more like Him by living His gospel.  I love Him, I love His gospel, and I love this work.  And, I love you all, very, very much!

 

Elder Beckstead

Let it Snow, New Companion and Weekly Miracle

Hello everyone! 

 

This week has been an adventure! We were transferred midst receiving a good nine inches of snow, followed up by another few inches later this week. The snow sure made it fin to get around! Thankfully, I have some Utah experience under my belt, and that helped us arrive safely at our destination at all times. On that we, we were always blessed with drivers around us who knew what they were doing enough to not get in an accident with us too.

 

My new companion Elder Lott, is pretty funny. He just came in from Guyman, Oklahoma where he was covering the whole panhandle, and loving it. It was sure funny to see his eyes get all big when we went to church and there was a full chapel and overflow (normal for our ward) as opposed to the branch of 30 he was used to. We are still trying to figure one another out for sure, but we know that this next transfer is going to be great!

 

We had a major miracle this weekend in that Sister Scott, one of the less-active ladies we are working with, signed up to feed us dinner. She has told us that we are literally and answer to prayers in our timing of knocking on her door and in helping her find fellowship and come back to church. Anyway, her son who has been disinterested thus far sat in on the entire lesson, and asked questions and totally got involved. He didn't make it to church this week, but he is really coming out of his shell. Not only did we get a meal, but we were working to save some souls. It was great!

 

It has been a while since I have sent a list of people to pray for, so here is a new updated list:

Lt. Parson, Sister Scott, Brother Hull, Maxene, Stacie, Heather, the Larson family, Treeva, Katie, Mike and Christy, Sis Koppa, Bro Van Dusen, the Sheppards, and Deanna and Jeff. Thanks a ton!

 

Love you all so much! I know that our Savior lives and that He can and will give us the energy, knowledge and power to do whatever we need to. I know that if we focus not on what we want, but rather on what He wants, we will be so much happier. 

 

You are all amazing!

 

Elder Beckstead

Heartland Facts, Frozen Feet & Reactivation!

So this week has been one with lots of learning experiences filled with new facts and all sorts of stuff that has been just fun. First of all, Kansas turned 183 this week, as the 34th state in the United States. I also learned that the geographical center of the United States is in Kansas...but about 2 miles outside of my mission boundary. Guess I'll have to hit that attraction in a few years or so. We learned that biking after a major freezing rain storm is nie unto impossible, but if you do it right, you can freeze your shoes to certain porches while tracting. That will sure give you the motivation to have a good conversation, or wait for them to shut the door on you so you don't have to look like a fool chiseling your feet off the ground!

There is this super sweet less-active lady that we have been meeting with that came to church with us this week. Her story is truly amazing! She first joined the church after going on a tour to Salt Lake City and temple square. While there, she felt the Spirit, so when she got home, she bought herself a Book of Mormon, and read all the way through it. She read the promise in Moroni, applied it and prayed, and found it to be true, before trying to figure out what church used the book. Eventually, after some searching she was able to meet with the missionaries. Over time, she moved several times, and her records did not always move with her. When she came into our area, she had been less-active for years. She was praying one day that she should be told what church to go to, and a few minutes later we knocked on her door! She has accepted everything again, and is forming friendships with the members, and now she wants to go through the temple and receive of the blessings that are given there. It is AMAZING! She is sooo cool.

I know that just like Sister Scott (the wonderful lady mentioned above)  people are being prepared for each of us. Sometimes all it takes is a little bit of faith and action. The Lord has commanded that we share the Gospel and help others be happy, and so we need to believe he can and will use us to do so. It is amazing to see the difference out knocking doors when I am just doing it because I am in an area with nothing else to do, or if I really want to help someone and have the faith that by tracting, I will be able to find them. The latter is immensely more successful! Have faith in any and every aspect of your lives, and miracles really will come. I promise you that.

Love you all!

A Week in Wichita

Hello everyone!

It can be truly crazy how much work we can do here in Kansas. We have been able to talk to a TON of people, and sadly, so many of them reject the truth that can help them so much! I have sure learned that keeping a positive attitude is definitely key in any work, but especially missionary work.  I know that if you let yourself get discouraged and down, you will not be as successful because you will not give as much as you could have.

To me, being successful does not mean you have ton of numbers or that you have outward results, but that you can talk to the Lord and tell him that you have tried. The more honestly you can say you have given your all, the more successful you have been. The Lord uses these times to help us to grow to, and as we stretch ourselves to try and reach goals and work as hard as we can, He will be able to lift us and make it so that next time we can do even better. It is like working out. If at first, you can only lift a 20lb weight six times, but you do all you can, and get that weight up six times, several days in a row, you will soon be able to lift it 8, then 10 times, or you will be able to lift a 25lb weight six times.  The same is true for other kinds of work. If you feel super nervous to talk to someone in the grocery story next to you, but you still do it every time you can, it will soon become much more natural and easy for you.

I think that all of us should take the advice of President Uchtdorf and choose now to plant our trees. The month of January is almost over, so evaluate your new years resolutions, see what you can do to be a little more successful, and get going again. If you aren't yet perfect, don't worry about it. Worry about one thing you can do better, one thing you can change, and start there.

I love you all!
Elder Beckstead

Spirit is Guiding

Hello Everyone!

I want to take this email to testify that the Lord is truly guiding this work. Really. I promise. We have had more experiences this week that have shown that we need to rely on the Spirit than I can remember, including failures and successes.

One such experience occured last Tuesday. We attmepted to go to a lesson with this sweet lady, who just happened not to be home that morning. Elder Schaffer and I had obtained a ride from a young man who is preparing to serve his mission, and we knew we needed to help him have a wonderful opportunity to keep him exctied. That was in the Lord's plan as well, and we all felt inspired to go knocking on a door two homes down. We ended up running into a fellow named Lt. Parson. He let us in, heard out the first lesson, and committed to baptism. It was not the first time we had knocked on his door, but it was the right time. Although we went out planning to teach someone specific, and had a lesson prepared just for her, the Lord used the opportunity to bring us into the life of someone who needed to hear what we have.

Another experience we had this week was very humbling. We have been asked by our ward to teach a Sunday School class on how to do member missionary work. We have been planning our lesson for a while, but we didn't role play very much, and we went in with false confidence. This time, the Lord allowed us to flop. It wasn't awful, but both of us felt terrible after the lesson, and very discouraged. We had to go home after church and plead for forgiveness for teaching what we wanted to teach, not what the Lord needed us to teach and what our friends in the ward needed to hear. We then proceeded to be taught exactly what it was we are supposed to do next time, guided by the Spirit in an incredible planning experience.

I promise that each of you can be guided by the Spirit in all aspects of your life as well. Remember that every thing that persuades us to do good comes from Christ (see Ether 4:12 and Moroni 7:13). Use the Spirit of the Lord to guide your daily actions and you cannot fail. Trust in the workings of the Lord and you will always be able to fell joy.  Love the Lord thy god with all your heart and it will grow, so that you will be able to love all of thy neighbors, and so that you will have a desire to only do that which is the will of God.

I love you all!

Elder Beckstead

Love the Season

Hello Everyone!

This week has most definitely been one filled with thanks and with miracles. The wonderful season of Thanksgiving and remembrance of our Savior has shown as people are so kind. It is truly amazing to see how the Spirit is working its way to so many people through so many of us who are spreading the wonderful news of the Gospel.

We had a great experience on Tuesday when I was on exchanges with a great Elder named Elder Kartchner. We didn't have the car, so we were walking outside when it was about 30 degrees, with a good 15mph wind. Poor Elder Kartchner is from Arizona, so he was really feeling the cold, so, we stopped at a gas station so he could get some hot cocoa to help warm himself. We were the only ones there, except for a cashier who started to ask some questions. It was great, because we were able to talk and teach her right there in the station for a good half an hour, and get her information to send the Elders covering her area over. It was pretty awesome to see how the Lord guided us so that we could talk to her.

Another miracle was that on Friday, we were trying to contact this part-member family that has been nice, but pretty cold to missionaries in the past. They were home, and let us in, but were pretty quiet and it almost seemed like they didn't really want us there. As we tried to engage them in conversation, we got onto the topic of Christmas, and John, the father, joked that I could help them put lights on their tree because I was tall. We of course jumped on the opportunity to serve, and although they were surprised that we took it literally, they let us help! We were able to get it about half done (the bottom half of the tree) when they ran out of lights. While they were searching for more, Elder Chun and I played Christmas songs on their piano and sang to them. By singing and serving, they really opened up to us, and by the time we had to leave, we were joking and laughing and feeling the Spirit in an amazing way. They invited us to come back next week to see their finished tree and sing some more carols with them, followed by a lesson. It was amazing!

Well, even as we are using this wonderful season to spread the wonderful Gospel of Jesus Christ, you too can do the same. Remember our Savior in this wonderful time and strive to give him the best gift you can. And, where possible, do what you can to help one of our Brothers or Sisters to come into His fold and feel of his love!

We love you all so much!

Elder Beckstead

Dropping Temperatures and How Much Time?

Hello Everyone!

What do you do when the temperature drops and all your appointments cancel? You watch for the Lord to provide miracles! That is exactly what has happened this week, and the Lord sure knows exactly what we need, especially when we don't!

First of all, the temperature plummeted to single digits most of the week here. The little pond outside our home now has about four inches of ice, and of course, it was our turn to walk or to bike (no car!). So, trusting in the Lord to help us to work anyway, we watched the miracles come. Elder Chun found the clothing he used in idaho while he was at BYUI, and I got some perfectly times packages: a knitted wonderful scarf from Taylor and Brooke, and a package of warm sweaters to wear under my coats. I was comfy and cozy all week long! It was awesome!

With the drop in the temperature, we also watched our scheduled appointments drop off. Thankfully, we didn't give up on them and instead we were able to teach while serving, which is even better! Maxine let us rake her leaves and put up her Christmas tree (we started putting the lights on the top this time), and lots of people let us sing carols to them. It was awesome!

This week our President also sent out a very thought provoking message. He said, in a voice message sent out to the entire mission, "The length of service has been changed from 2 years to 18 months for Elders, and from 18 months to 1 year for Sisters. Hold on to your faith." It was not true, but he used it to make us think. We will still be serving for two years, but I think for us, those two years will be so much more precious.  If the Lord gave you a time and told you that you had to accomplish everything by then, what would you think?  What would you do? If the Lord told you you were going home to Him on January first, what would you accomplish between now and then? Would there be anything in your life you would change? Anyone you would want to help? That is the mentality our inspired President helped us gain. Every moment here on Earth is so precious, whether we are a full-time missionary, a loved father or mother, or a cherished friend.

I love you all so much! Take care of yourselves, and remember the Savior in this wonderful season!

Elder Beckstead