Elder Beckett: What kind of a guy are you?

Hey fam! Ha ha Allie's quote has been running through my head all week long. I think on the next tape that you send, you should record that Allie! I told Elder Jensen about how you would always say that and now we ask each other in that cute nasally voice, "What kind of a missionary are you??" Ha ha. I see potential for a zone theme... ;)

This has been a fantastic week! The Lord has blessed us so much with some awesome people. We have also received some great referrals! Monday was a blast too; we got to go play racquetball (sp?) with J, C, and their dad C at the YMCA for P-day. It was a lot of fun and I kind of started to get the hang of it. I kept putting a lot of top-spin on the ball though ha ha, it was apparent that I miss tennis. I bet Nate and Seth are just champs by now aren't you guys?

We met and taught this golden beyond golden guy this week nam

ed G! We were walking around an apartment complex doing some finding, and stopped and talked to him. He was like, "I've been looking for the mormon church and I want to become a mormon. I just haven't been able to find it around here." Heh, well we can help you with that my good friend. It was neat to see though how he is an amazing person and recognized and acted upon the promptings of the Holy Ghost in his life. He is from Peru originally, and has an LDS girlfriend up in Maryland, as well as some LDS friends in the Clermont area. His friends had given him a copy of the Book of Mormon, and he had began to read on his own. He is so solid! We taught him Tuesday, set a baptismal date for August 20th (which is probably actually going to be the 21st or so), and then went back again on Friday with J H (the bishop's son) to teach him again. Both G and J play soccer so we thought he'd be awesome fellowship for him. Our next lesson (Fri) went so good too! He had

read and understood the whole Restoration pamphlet. He had read from the BOM and said his prayers every night. We were sitting there in awe, just almost wondering if it was some

kind of joke. But, I know, and am coming to know more each day, that this is what an elect person is like.

I think one of the hardest things I have had on my mission, and am

still learning to overcome, is to leave behind the "nice, but not quite ready" people for the truly elect. I feel such a love for everyone that I feel like I never want to give up on them, but there are people right now, like G, that the Lord has prepared to be taught and baptized. I think I am finally starting to understand that concept. As hard as it is, that is something Elder Jensen and I are going to focus on more is finding the elect. Please pray that we will be led to them, or that they will be led to us and recognize us as the servants of the Lord.

Yesterday at church was kind of a bummer day... it was an AMAZING meeting all centered on missionary work, but all of our investigators bailed :( The C weren't able to come, G wasn't able to come (we knew that he wouldn't be able to this Sunday beforehand though, and he'll be there), and nobody else. That's ok though, we are going to redouble our efforts and this week will be better.

This area is very affluent, and we have been praying a lot to figure out ways to be more effective. One area we are going to start focusing on more is member-missionary work. Any ideas on what you have seen to be effective in helping members do their missionary work? We have some very missionary-minded members, and now it's just a matter of harvesting those that the Lord has prepared at this time. Please pray for us to be able to find the elect.

Just fyi, the "perfect storm" is over. Whew. That was SO many numbers... Anyway.

I can't believe that the summer is almost over! Aaah and then everyone will be back to school and Mindy @ BYU and everything. I loved hearing about how you enjoyed Sunday as a family! Oh man I miss that. I am looking forward to spending next summer's sundays with the fam :) Well, I love you all so much! Mom, I hope that this letter was a little bit longer than last weeks ;) I will be writing some of you a letter today (I meant to last week, but then some mishaps came up and our racketball ride wasn't able to bring us back until right close to 6). I will repent! Love you all so much! =]

-Elder Beckett

p.s. Another quick miracle - We were stopping by the H family (an awesome missionary family in the ward) and talking to them about some of their friends they have that they are working on sharing the gospel with. They told us about a friend M who has been to church and everything and wants to be baptized, but his mom won't let him. Well, right as we are sitting there, someone knocks at the door. It's M and his mom! Ha ha they came in, talked to Bro H a bit in Spanish, and he found out that M was grounded or something. W

ell his momtold him that she wants him to take the lessons and take to us so it can help him out! =] So basically maybe he was inspired to get in trouble and become grounded all for that very moment, so that now he can be taught the gospel =] The Lord works in mysterious ways indeed! Ha ha I love you!