Old People (November 22 letter)

Hey family and friends! I love you all. What a great week it has been, although I can't believe how real Satan is. Everytime our investigators really start to progress and commit to following Christ, the devil starts working into their lives like crazy. That's where mighty prayer comes in! We have this little quote I like in our district - "Pray hard and make it happen!" When we give our very best effort in doing the work, then we can pray hard and ask for the Lord's help. He will fill in for the rest. We can know that we've done everything we can to help our investigators, and then He fills in the rest. See D&C 35:13-14; I think it has something to do with that. It is a really good scripture even if it doesn't lol.

Hey could you possibly send me a copy of "What I want my son to know before he leaves on his mission" from the May 1996 Ensign (p. 41)? That would be awesome. I can't remember where I heard it, but it sounded like a good talk for me to read. I am glad to hear that Benji is doing ok, I have been praying for him a lot. That is a crazy story. Wow. How many people will be able to say they got stabbed on their missions? And lived? Crazy.

This week we had a wonderful lesson with Sister G and the whole G family. We taught the Restoration and then watched Joseph Smith - Prophet of the Restoration (yes, the one they show only on temple square - I got hooked up with a copy :). The Spirit was so strong! I love that movie. Plus it's way cool to see Magarin. We talked with their family afterwards about how they felt during the movie, and Sister G definitely felt the Spirit. We talked about how she felt when she received a priesthood blessing. She knows that these things are true; she told us how she felt and knows it was the Holy Ghost testifying to her. We invited her to join her husband and children and to be baptized. She didn't accept :( We asked her what would be keeping her from being baptized, and her concern is that she has been Catholic her whole life and her family is too and she doesn't want to disappoint them. We talked to her about that for a bit, about how it's more important to follow God than man, and Bro. G talked for a while about how he wanted to be an eternal family and be sealed in the temple. It was so cool! She is really stubborn though and said, "I just need time." We aren't going to push her at all, we're just going to love and help their family along, and pray like crazy. I know that in time she will want to be baptized and receive the Gift of the Holy Ghost. Please continue to pray that her heart will be softened.

A, P, and W had bronchitis this week so they weren't able to come to church and we werent' able to teach them a lesson. We will be following up with and teaching them soon though. They are super awesome :) We are also teaching a Jewish man named E who is super smart and speaks like 4 languages and that's going alright. We just found a family to teach with 7 kids, but only like 3 of them speak English lol. I SO wish I knew Spanish :/ That's alright, we're going to be bringing along a spanish speaking exchange from the branch to help.

Yesterday in church I re-learned an important lesson that I had already learned in Leesburg. Funny enough I learned it in the same place that I learned it in Leesburg - P.E.C. We were reviewing the Progress Record, and I was telling about an investigator who we had committed to church named Alfonso. He is in his 50's and the only work he has is 3 days a week from about 2 in the morning to 7. He moves irrigation for some company. Anyway, I was telling them how it was looking iffy about him coming to church, and this is about what I said: "We are hoping to have him here, but with him being older and working that late there's probably a good chance he won't follow through." Bad word choice. The whole ward council looked at his age on the Progress record and when they saw it said 50's they were like, "What, 50 is old? No, no, that is definitely not old. What are you trying to say?" I was like shoot! My bad. I don't really think that's old heh heh... it was pretty funny. Anyway, during the sacrament meeting talks both of the speakers made comments about how even though the Elder thinks they are old... or even though the Elder thinks the prophet is old... and they were looking right at me! Lol I couldn't believe it. I specifically was referred to in Sacrament Meeting 3 separate times for that one slip I made. Total count of people bringing that up in sacrament meeting and classes: 8. Wow, ha ha. At least I won't make that mistake again :) Apparently 50 isn't old.

I am coming to love this branch more and more the longer I stay! There are such wonderful people here and it is awesome to really get to know everyone good. You can't really do that with a ward unless you are there for a really long time. It is much easier to do in a branch. I think everyone is really close because they have to be to keep the church going! Rather than having the work spread out over a whole ward, it is only a few people. It is awesome to be able to be a part of that and feel like I am helping them out by being a missionary here.

Thanks so much for all you do for me. You really are all a huge support. Sometimes I feel like I'm going crazy and that life before the mission was just a dream. I feel like a completely different person lol. On the flipside, I also have never been able to see things so clearly before; things like they really are (for the most part). I really feel like I have a more eternal perspective on things than I did before I left. Being a missionary is such a wonderful experience; it is something that you really couldn't have happen in any other way. There is so much concentrated growth and learning - spiritually, emotionally, and other ways too. It really does bring more happiness than anythign else I have experienced. Well, I have to hurry and write President an email but I love you all! Take care of yourselves :)

love, Elder Andrew Beckett

p.s. I attached some pics. The first two are just two kind of cool ones I thought ha ha. The next is a funny sign. The last is an awesome sunset (pics never do justice) :) LOVE YOU! =]

p.p.s the last pic didn't work; I'll send it later. love ya!