What is this, Utah?

Hey family! Not to complain or anything, but the past few days have been COLD! Wow. A week ago it was in the 80's and I was sweating a little bit. Yesterday morning when we left for church there was an arctic wind blowing and the car said it was 33 degrees outside! What the? And then Elder Call and I left our sweaters because we were in a hurry. But that's ok because it made us thankful for them, toughened us up, and helped us prepare for Utah when the time comes. I think I have officially become a Floridian weather-wise - I do not like the cold.

Elder Randy Taylor Call is my new companion! He is from West Jordan, UT. He is a stud! I love Elder Call. I haven't ever served around him, but have been seeing him @ ZLC and other meetings for a while now so we knew each other before the transfer. It is weird though, starting to be one of the oldest in the mission it seems like I hardly know anyone anymore!

This has been a great week! V will be getting baptized this Saturday. It has seriously been just a huge miracle/tender mercy to work with him. He is the father in a part-member family, and has been coming to church for a long time. Now he feels it is his time, and has just really opened up since I've been here. I know that the Lord has softened his heart and is helping him accept the gospel :) The Ss are doing great! B has committed to stop smoking! Yeah! We have been helping out with that as best we can, providing encouragement and follow-up, etc. It has been one of the most uplifting things ever just seeing the change that has come into this family as they have accepted the gospel in their lives. And it's amazing to see the Gift of the Holy Ghost already affecting K & B; they are just continuing to grow more and more each day! K is going to have her neighbors over this week for FHE ha ha :) When she told me that I was thinking Woah woah woah, let's get B baptized and then start the missionary work outside the family lol! She is on fire though, and I know that it will help their family continue to grow in faith. Sa, a non-member daughter in a great family we have been working with in the ward has decided she wants to be baptized! Woot! She is another blessing that the Lord has been so wonderful to let us work with her. Every time we go over, she always has read the pamphlet we left, most of the time making notes on the pages summarizing the main thoughts! It is amazing. She is 13 years old and understands the gospel better than a lot of members do! We are hoping her dad will be able to baptize her, but he said that if he's not ready in time then she shouldn't wait for him. The Atonement is real. The power of Jesus Christ is what can heal us personally and as families! His gospel is the only thing strong enough to hold us together in this increasingly darkening world. The war is moving forward, and the grey areas are fleeting. Whose side are we on? I know =] Christ is our Savior, our Redeemer. I love Him. He wants us to be happy, to grow, to reach our goals and become our best selves. But it's only possible through Him, with His help, in His way. I am thankful for the Holy Ghost, Who leads and guides us to that happiness. We had a neat experience yesterday, that really reemphasized for me the importance of having faith in the Lord that nothing happens by chance. We went to visit a part-member family in the ward, and they werent' home. It was freezing cold outside, and so we were hurrying back to the car to get to the heat when we remembered that the Lord never places us anywhere without a reason. We decided we'd better find that reason before we left, and so we picked a house across the street. We knocked on the door, and a lady and her daughter answered. We started explaining who we were, when she told us that she knew who we were. Her dad was a member in a neighboring ward! And they had just moved into that house yesterday. We got their phone number, and will hopefully be seeing them again sometime soon :) Everything happens for a reason, sometimes we just have to look around and figure out why whatever happened happened. I love you all, have a great week!

love, Elder Andrew Beckett

Connecticut, huh? Coincidence? Nah... =]

Hey family! Hope all is going well. I am doing pretty good, but kind of sad because we just found out that Elder Schmutz will be leaving :( The cool part though is that he will be going to be a zone leader in Eustis with Elder McClatchy! He will be his last companion... aaaah! I have never been with my immediate companion when I go to a new area for more than one transfer... except for when I whitewash/trained. And even then it was only two! Sad. But now I will be with Elder Randy Call! He is the man and was a zone leader in Hunters Creek and will now be coming here. I am looking forward to being his companion. He will be my 10th companion, not including MTC. That's a lot! I guess I'm just hard to get along with... ha ha.

K and B were confirmed yesterday! It was wonderful. I love that family so much, and they are just continuing to progress. B is really understanding the Book of Mormon and the things we are teaching. We are hoping and praying that he will decide on a baptismal date to work towards before the end of this week.

Yesterday V came to church again, as well as S and her dad. V is a great guy; super nice. He is pretty smart, and enjoys learning. He is one of a kind =] S is a 13 year old girl in our ward; her family has been less-active in the past, but they are wanting to come back! S is such a good girl and really getting excited about continuing to learn more. She reads all the pamphlets we leave, and answers questions in lessons like you wouldn't believe. V is still on track for Feb 18 to be baptized! He just got back in town last night from a cruise. He is solid, and his family is doing a great job helping support him!

A cool story: So last P-day we decided to wash our shower curtain. We put it in the washer, but we must have put it in wrong or it wasn't the type to wash... when we got back that night and took it out it was torn in pieces. We didn't have time to get a new one. Well, we decided to put up what was left with it - it covered like 1/3 of the normal space a shower curtain does. We used it for a few days, and just had to point the shower head directly at the wall, and then decided we might as well just grab a new one - it wasn't worth the mess it was making. Well, we stopped by the store to grab one one night as an appointment fell through, and while we were in there a lady said hi to us! She introduced herself as Sister B, a member on the records we had been trying to get a hold of for a while. We met her son Matt as well, and he read my name tag and was like, "Beckett... hmm. Hey wasn't that the same as the missionary in our ward in Connecticut?" I was like... WAIT! DJ served there! "Was his name DJ Beckett?" Yeah, that's him! I was like what?!? Wow... what are the chances of that? So DJ had served up there in their ward, and they remembered and loved him. Had only good to say about him! And Loralee =] Matt said Loralee really helped him out growing up and was an awesome example and helped him go to seminary and stuff. They love you both. And it was like an automatic in for me... thanks guys! Ha ha so we got an appointment to go back yesterday and we went and had a good lesson with them. Brother Brooker came, who is their home teacher, and it just so happens he too was from the Ellington ward in CT! And he too knew and loved DJ & Loralee & her family. What a small world... I wouldn't be surprised if the whole reason that our shower curtain got ruined was to be able to meet them and help them come back into the church =] They have testimonies and are super nice people. I am excited to see what the Lord has in store. Being a missionary is amazing... there are so many little blessings and miracles that happen every day. I love being able to see that more clearly than ever before.

I love you all! Thanks for your prayers and letters and all that you do. I'm just going to keep giving it my all here and smiling AMAP (as much as possible) ;). Love you!

Happy Birthday Seth! =]

Happy Birthday Sether! Woot! Finally I can now say that I can't believe you are 11 years old. Even though now I feel like I actually can believe it since I thought you have been 11 for some time now. Ha ha you are just so mature... love you!

What a wonderful week the Lord has blessed us with. First of all, K and B S Jr. (B) were baptized yesterday! It was such a special day. Elder Schmutz baptized K and I had the privilege of baptizing B. The Spirit was so strong! They were just beaming. K was baptized first, and as she came back up the steps so that B & I could go down, B was like, " How do you feel? How do you feel?!?" Just really excited and nervous at the same time =] It was such a great experience, and the ward had great support. Best part: B Sr and M and her boyfriend S came and loved it too! Such an uplifting week preparing for that, and despite the opposition that came, it went through! I'll send you some pictures so you can see. Their family is continuing to make great progress. I love seeing them come into the gospel step by step! They have asked Elder Schmutz & I to confirm them this coming Sunday, so that will also be a great experience.

Yesterday for church we had Stake Conference, and it was a broadcast for like 48 stakes in the South-Eastern region of the U.S. It was really good, Elder Ballard and Bishop Edgley and Elder Gonzales and Sister Cheryl something (Primary Presidency) spoke. It was very family-themed, I enjoyed it. V, one of our investigators came to church for his first time yesterday! Also S and her dad (S isn't a member yet) came for her first time in a long while. We are going to be teaching them this week. The Lord is blessing us so much. I am so thankful for His help and guidance. I know this is His work, and that He really is a part of our lives - every one of His children. So much more than we know too.

The Ps are doing great! They had us over for lunch on Sunday, and we had a wonderful lesson while we ate, and finished up after lunch. They are on fire right now, and the Lord is really just opening their minds and hearts to the gospel. We just need to help them accept a baptismal date now =] They have committed to come to church this coming Sunday, so we are looking forward to that. We had an experience with them that just helps me realize how well the Lord knows us and our concerns: A few weeks back we went over and were teaching them, and got talking about modern-day prophets and apostles. They weren't so sure about it, and didn't really think much of it. They really wanted to know how one is called, and how we know they are Apostles, etc. Well, we bore our testimonies, but nothing too huge came from it. Well, last Thursday we were over there, and before we left I just felt like I should leave the Mormon Messages dvd with them to watch a couple, and I wrote down on a post-it the ones I felt like would help their family out right now. Well, yesterday when we showed up for lunch they were just finishing the last one on the dvd. They had watched them all! And they loved it. E couldn't stop talking about how good it was, and both he and L said they were amazed at the words of the Apostles! They could feel the power in their words, and knew they were men of God. Isn't that amazing how the Lord just took care of that concern without us even realizing what was happening? I love this work so much. It is so uplifting and exciting just to see little miracles like that on a daily basis. The wonderful thing is that we all have those miracles. Sister B, the friend who referred the S to us, gave a talk at the baptism on the Holy Ghost. She told how before she even met the S, she had just been praying that Heavenly Father would lead someone to her who is prepared to receive the gospel. She was crying as she looked at their family sitting on the bench after just getting baptized, and told them, "The Lord brought you to me. I know that you have been prepared. I am so thankful for you, you are the first that He brought to me after praying for that." It was so powerful! I know that as we seek to do good and help Heavenly Father's children, and ask for those opportunities, He will bless us with them. And as we do our part, we are blessed to see families have their lives changed for eternity.

I know this work is true! God lives and loves His children. He has done everything He can for us to help us be happy, and continues to do so today. It is up to us to accept His love, His ways, His gospel, His commandments. He only wants what is best for us =] I love you all so much and wish you the best week yet of your lives!

love, Elder Andrew Beckett

p.s. Thanks so much for the letters! From the Hansens, Mom, Allie, the Stones, and Seth, and Mindy! Sorry I'm so bad at replying... I'm hoping to write some today. Love ya!

p.p.s. Thanks as well for your emails! I love seeing those when I get on =] Just little updates to let me know how you are doing. Thanks! And Dad, as missionaries you know we are told to stay out of the politcal stuff, so we don't know/notice a whole lot, but most people like Romney here. There are campaigners (mostly members from the ward =) and signs and stickers everywhere. The members here are super supportive of him, and most other people we meet like him too! The view here is that he will be the next President. Interestingly some churches here are teaching about how this really is the end of the world because "there's going to be a Mormon President!" Ha ha we shall see I guess ;) Also... I forgot to get the gps model! Oh no :( I think it's a Tom-Tom XXL 540 or something like that.. I'll have to double check. Did you still need it or did Mom find one on a receipt or something?

p.p.p.s. I know Mom you mentioned something about a mystery 6th roomate; did they have someone sign up or are they looking for an opening? If so Elder Schmutz is the man for the spot! He will be coming in halfway through the semester, so I'm not sure how that would work. But he would love to if there's a spot. His phone # is, if there is a spot and you want to call and get that set up that would be great. If there's not room though no worries, he will get something else worked out! Thanks and love you all so much!

The Cumorah Cake Strikes Again!

God is so good! He lives and loves us all. This is His work, and I am so thankful to be a part of it! This week has been tough. Super tough. Not only in our area either; we felt like the adversary has been making a serious attack on the whole zone. Of course he's always attacking, but it was like he doubled up his efforts this week. There was lots of discouragement from different things, and it seemed like lots of investigators dropped us. It's kind of weird how you notice the waves of spiritual attacks he seems to wage more than ever before.

Hey, quick question, I was looking at a paper I had in my scriptures and it says I was baptized on May 1 and confirmed May 2. Is that right? Maybe it's just been too long, but if I remember correctly it all happened on the same day? I don't know. Also my other question that maybe you could shed more light on - what exactly is the process by which new Apostles and Seventys are called? And the new President of the Church? We seem to have been asked that a lot recently, and I tell what I know, but I want to make sure that what I'm saying is actually true lol. We don't really have a whole lot to go off of (that I'm aware of) in the missionary library, other than what it says in Acts about Matthias being called.

Anyway, back to Satan attacking... of course after we fall and feel down and start to wonder what is going on the Lord always lifts His children and reveals His arm in their behalf! I have this quote on the back of my planner from an Ensign article on Joseph in Liberty Jail - "In the cold, lonely hours, Joseph says let us do all we can and do it cheerfully. And then we can justifiably turn to the Lord, wait upon His mercy, and see His arm revealed in our behalf." That is true. Even though the week seemed in somewhat of a downward spiral the Lord pulled us right out of it and worked some miracles!

[Super condensed version]: Friday we decided to make a Cumorah cake for the Ps. We went over to drop it off, and told them not to open it and cut it until everyone could be there. Lisa was super thankful and excited, and we left. We had an appointment with them yesterday, and something had just clicked for them! I know I use that phrase a lot, but I don't really know how else to describe it. Obviously it was the Spirit that facilitated this growth and understanding! It was so cool though, they had this great desire to read the Book of Mormon and had been reading the rest of the week! We were planning on teaching the Restoration, and we started asking them some questions and then E just started telling us how it all made sense now. He comprehended the apostasy and restoration like it takes most members of the church years to be able to explain! I haven't ever seen anything like it. He pretty much taught and testified the whole lesson of what we were going to teach :). The Holy Ghost is the true teacher, and that was probably the most extreme example I've seen yet of someone being taught the doctrines of the Restoration. It was incredible. Then they told us some of the "behind the scenes" miracles that had happened along with the cake. Friday afternoon we had an appointment with a potential. The appointment fell through, and we were disappointed, but we just decided to drop the cake off at that time instead. So we went over, and apparently right before then Lisa had been on the phone with a friend who wasn't being the best influence and she was about to make a wrong choice. Well, we showed up and she just knew that Heavenly Father was aware of her, and wanted what was best, and was encouraging her to make a good choice. The timing couldn't have been more plain to her. That night as they were gathered as a family for pizza and family game night, she told Eric about it and he wasn't too amazed or anything; probably just coincidence right? Well, for some reason right when he got home from work that night he felt like he should read the Book of Mormon. So he went straight to his room and read for a bit before changing and coming out. They cut the Cumorah Cake and find the mini Book of Mormon that we wrote the scriptures on, and Dean (8) excitedly shares that he realizes it was just like Joseph Smith and the plates! That was impressive, 8 years old? The Spirit is teaching him too. Reminds me of Alma 32:23 (I think that's the reference... maybe 25? About little children). Anyway they read the scriptures and it "just happens" to be something that Eric had just read! And he was like, "No way!" And then he knew exactly what was going on, and explained things about it to his family, and it was just incredible. They can't deny that these things are true =]

Wow, ok, so that is just one of the miracles we have been blessed to see this week. The amazing S family has also been seeing miracles! They are uniting, and B is being such a great example and father to the family. The Spirit has touched his heart too, as well as the rest of the family! They came to church yesterday (B was sick, and M had work I think), and they just loved it. We met with B, K, and B last night and it was wonderful. We went over the Sabbath day and the baptismal interview questions and they were down with it all! They just happily accepted everything and said we will do it! As we finished the baptismal q's, the last line says, "Are you ready to make this covenant and strive to be faithful to it?" B shouted out, "I am SO ready!" I love this family so much. K and B will be baptized this Sunday, and B and M should follow soon enough. What a miracle to see a man, who his whole life was atheist, to find faith in God and His Son Jesus Christ! And to see him find that faith through experiencing the blessings that come from it is beautiful. I know that He truly is the healer of our souls, and our families. I love Him.

These really are the best days of my life. I am so happy right now. I know that the Gospel of Jesus Christ blesses families. God is our loving Heavenly Father. Think of it! What a precious truth. I am so thankful to know that, and to understand what that means. I know that as we keep the commandments of God and make covenants with Him, we can receive more fully in our lives the blessings of the Atonement! He is hoping and waiting to bless us, we just need to do what He asks. I love you all so much, and know that we will be an eternal family =] Thank you for who you are, I look up to each of you more than you know! I love you!

love,

Elder Beckett

p.s. Unfortunately A dropped us. We have him down though, so he will come around at some point in the future :) They say it usually takes about 7 times coming in contact with the church before someone receives conversion.

p.p.s. Wow, hmm sorry about that whole deferment issue! Man, I can't even believe that. I want to say that I did defer, but seeing as to how there is no evidence of that I must not have. Or at least must not have done it correctly. Thank you so much for taking care of that, and yes, please let me know what and when I need to take care of scholarship essays or choosing classes or whatever it may be. I believe I can get permission from President to write those on a P-day if I need to, or to get on to work out schedules or whatever. If you have any recommendations for classes or a schedule or anything like that please let me know. One I do want to take (aside from all the awesome religious classes... can't wait) is I think they have like a math refresher that covers Calc 1 & 2, specifically for RM's? I think so. They did when I was there. That's one I'd like to get into, I'm possibly thinking of doing something with math. Who knows =) Also, Jared McBride would be a great roomate! I'm down :)

p.p.p.s. Dad, I didn't have the Gps model w/ me, I thought Mom said she found it? That's ok, I'll check and let you know. Thanks for your emails and letters, I love them!

Elder Pearce, Elder Beckett, and Elder Schmutz
"I want to be like you Dad!"
CUTE!
Jamie Merrill (A MLB player!)
Bishop's Fam!
The "R" Family!

Random Notes 'n Miracles

Good morning! Life's great as always =] Sounds like you guys are doing pretty well too!

Church was wonderful yesterday, the Lord has been blessing this ward so much. The whole S family came to church together and loved it! B and K are possibly getting baptized this Saturday, but things may get pushed back a week or two if the whole family would like to do it together. They are such a miracle family and have been awesome to get to see progress and have the light of the gospel fill their home. The dad, B, has really made progress this week and just had a complete change of heart. Now he is learning and reading the Book of Mormon, and leading out in helping his family! It is incredible to see the transformation that is coming upon them. I will never forget the picture I had in my mind as I saw the S family walking out the church doors, together as a family after church. They were all smiling, laughing, and B & K (Mom & Dad) just held hands as they walked out to their car. It was so... picturesque! Is that the right word? Idk. It was great though, and made me just think of the day when they will be sealed as a family, and walking out of the temple together. I am so thankful to have been able to get here right in the middle of them being taught, they have been such a blessing and inspiration. Oh, something else that was way fun and helped them open up a lot more was what we call the "Cumorah Cake." This was the coolest idea ever that some missionaries told us about! What you do is bake a cake, and have it be kind of round shaped. Then you cut out a square in the middle of the cake (once it's cooled). In the square you take a Hershey's chocolate bar and break it up and make a "stone" box in the middle. You make a mini Book of Mormon out of the pass-along card pictures, and even make some mini pages to put inside. We wrote some scripture references and quoted some scriptures in there. Then you put it inside, put on the lid, and frost the cake so that they can't even tell anything is different. We then took a Testimony of Joseph Smith pamphlet and highlighted all the references to the plates and the Hill Cumorah, and gave it to them with the cake. It was so much fun, and they loved it!

V M, a part-member whose whole family has been members except for him for years, is doing great =] Something clicked for him too, and it is his time. He is preparing to be baptized on Feb 18. He came to church and enjoyed it, and is really starting to click and open up more with the different members. Unfortunately A wasn't able to make it this week, he has slowed down a little. The devil has been jumping all over him, please keep him in your prayers and pray that he will be able to recognize the Holy Ghost as he has been learning more about the restored gospel. We aren't giving up on him just yet :) We also have another amazing family the Lord has been blessing us with, the P, who have been meeting with missionaries for months now. They have some great member friends, and even went to the Hill Cumorah! I think I already told you that. Anyway, they are progressing but moving kind of slow.

Ok, random notes real quick, then I wanted to share a faith-promoting experience :) Ever heard of Aldi's? We have one here and it is like the greatest thing ever. It is a grocery store chain that has done everything they possibly can to cut costs. And so you get great food for really cheap! That's where we shop. Anyway, just wanted to say that if they have those in UT you should check it out. At Wal-mart I found this new contact solution disinfecting stuff with hydrogen peroxide that I decided to give a try. You put it in this weird case and it cleans them with bubbles from a platinum reactor thing! It's really cool. Anyway, it makes your contacts feel almost brand new again. I love it. Hey, does Aunt Karrie still have access to that teeth whitener stuff? Could I buy some from her or something? I'm thinking it would be great to just whiten up my teeth right before I see you guys again, you know? ;) If not that's ok. Or should I just grab some stuff from Walmart? Also do you know what the cause/solution is for those dots you get on your arms? At least I do. I don't know if it's because of my shirts or garments or what, but yeah. Ok, well, here's the experience (I shared it with Pres. Hall too, so luckily it's already all typed up :):

I'd like to share a neat experience I had this morning. I learned a lot about how revelation through prayer and the Book of Mormon works. I was thinking last night about how I could help lift the zone, maybe give them some encouragement and get everyone off of focusing so much on the numbers. We have had several areas who are getting way too caught up in the numbers, either to impress or getting discouraged because their numbers aren't saying anything. It's getting them distracted from our purpose. Well, after praying the thought that came to my mind was to be thankful. I wrote it down and then fell into bed.
This morning as I began my studies, I felt like I needed to read in the Book of Mormon. I did, and read Alma 37. As I was reading I couldn't seem to focus too well because my thoughts were on the R family, a family I had been blessed to be able to find and teach back in Lake Reams. They are scheduled to be baptized as a family this Sunday, at 9 am. I wish more than anything that I could be there. However, as I've prayed and thought and tried to figure out how to make it work, I feel like I shouldn't go or try to go because we have things we need to take care of here. Especially on a Sunday morning. So really I was just kind of feeling sad and asking the Lord why they couldn't have just been baptized while I was there, or why we couldn't have found them just a little sooner so they could be prepared before I left. Well, I got the impression that I just needed to be thankful. I still hadn't realized the theme that the Lord was trying to teach me, but I decided to start preparing for companionship study and what we were going to be going over there. For part of it we were going to review our Leadership Training notes, so I opened up my study journal and there on the first page was a talk I had been asked to give. The title? "Being Thankful"
I read through my talk outline, and it was in that moment that the Spirit brought together everything that I had been taught the previous night and that morning, the message the Lord was trying to get across to me. I felt peace and happiness as I reflected on the many blessings the Lord has given me. I remembered that when we are thankful we can deal with all of our problems and stress in a positive way. We can have more of an eternal perspective. I know that Heavenly Father loves me, as He does all of His children. He cares about each one of us so much that He places us in the exact circumstances and situations that we need to be in to best help us. I know that He has all wisdom and all power, and knows me better than I know myself. We just need to trust in Him (Mosiah 4:9)! I was thinking about my personal study and how it went, and I started feeling selfish because I was wondering what I had learned to help our investigators. That's when I realized that I had experienced, so as to understand, revelation through prayer and the Book of Mormon. So many times as I have been reading the Book of Mormon prayerfully, I will have thoughts come to my mind and feelings to my heart that are solutions to the "problems" I am facing. However small and insignificant my situation may be, my Heavenly Father cares enough to answer my questions and help and guide me. It isn't even always what I read in the Book of Mormon, but what happens and what I learn as I am doing that.

Thanks for all of your prayers, they really help and lift me up! I especially felt them this week in Leadership Training as we gave our training and as I accompanied the meeting. It went well :) Thanks. I sure love you all, and will try to send some pictures now! Have a great week =] And Mindy, be careful snowboarding! You should... ski... ;) Even ask President Hall ha ha. We are going to go skiing someday. Love you all!

Elder Beckett

p.s. Thanks for the letter mom & newspaper article! Loved it :)

Miracles =]

Hey! First off:

I don't know if I told you, but for Christmas from Pres. & Sis. Hall we got these really neat pictures in a frame. It is a picture of a workhorse, chained up to a load, with its head down just moving forward. That has been one of the themes in the mission - we are not show horses, not race horses, not ponys (to the Sisters ;), but we are workhorses! We just keep going day after day and serve the Lord with everything we've got! So in the hard times we can just look at the picture and remember who we are. You should google the picture; it's pretty inspiring. I guess it was taken of a blind horse that worked in the mines its whole life or something like that? I'm not sure, I heard that from another missionary. Either way though, the message is pretty neat. I love President & Sis. Hall so much, I have really learned a lot from them. They will probably always be like my 2nd mom and dad ha ha ;) I can't wait for you to meet them!

2nd: What is the facts behind anti-persperant deoderant? Is it ok? Is it bad for you? Some missionaries only use deoderant because they say it's bad for you or something. Do you know?

3rd: This coming week is leadership training, and Elder Schmutz & I have been asked to give a training on helping our missionaries help our investigators understand the role of the Holy Ghost in their conversion. Please keep us in your prayers so that we can get across the things that the Lord would have us say!

4th: I am fine with whatever! I think all of those guys would be great roomates. Does Nolan still want to join in the mix too? I trust you to do whatever is great Mom =] You have my permission to do what you feel is best. But yes, I would love to room with those guys.

Well, now that those random thoughts are out of the way... tell everyone getting married congrats! And that I'm sorry I can't make it to their weddings and stuff.. but not really.. because it's their fault... ha ha. We have been working with some really great people who are progressing towards baptism. The S family is closest right now, they were going to be baptized this week but will be next week instead so that more of the family can be there to witness. We have had some wonderful experiences with them where the Spirit has just been so strong! It is amazing though how when a family is super close to being baptized, Satan jumps all over them. We always try to give them the best heads up we can, but they don't always realize how serious we are. K (Sis S) has! We were talking to her and she was telling us how random people have just started inviting her to their churches this week.. her family started asking questions about what she's doing with this church, and then someone gave her some anti about the church. She is so solid though :) She is like, "I know what the Church is, and what I want to do. It doesn't matter what anyone says or tells me. I have experienced it for myself." YES! When someone gains a true witness from the Holy Ghost, they can't deny it no matter what other kinds of witnesses are against it. There is a neat quote in the gospel principles manual I read this week about how the Spirit leaves indelible impressions upon our souls that are hard to erase. You'll have to read it. It's towards the start of the book. B, the 12 (soon to be 13) year old son is such a good kid. He wants to be a missionary, and was telling his family all about it! Oh man I love this family. That is something that makes me happier than even a baptism - someone being baptized who then wants to be a missionary. The gospel is that gift that continues to give throughout eternity, and that is how you know when someone truly receives it - is if they then continue to share it with those around them.

We were also blessed to find a great man named A. We were able to contact him right before we went into a member's house for dinner. We got a return appointment with him for the next day, and went back and taught him more about the Restoration and the Book of Mormon. He was pretty interested. We scheduled another return appointment for Saturday, went back with the member and had a great lesson, and then he came to church on Sunday! The member fellowshipped him and took him around to all 3 hours and answered his questions. He enjoyed church, and it sounded like he is planning on coming back again. He is just a good guy, you can tell. I really had my testimony of getting members involved strengthened through that experience. Member-friends is the new key word in the FOM. That's what it's all about! If we really love our investigators and want to help them progress, and want to experience real growth in the church, then we need to get them member-friends as soon as possible. We kind of organize the teaching and growing process for them, but it's the members who answer questions when we aren't there, be their friends, and just have fun with them! The members here are so great and really just reach out to the people.

Yesterday was a miracle day at church. Thank you so much for your prayers and fasting! The S (K, M, and B) came, A, and then 2 LA's we have been working with! It was way cool, because during our weekly planning session we were praying about who to work with. We picked a name, called her up on the phone, and she was just like, "Yeah, I've actually been thinking about coming back to church; it was one of my new-year's resolutions!" And so she came yesterday with her 11 year old son, and met with the bishop and is on track to coming back :) We will be working with her husband hopefully soon; he is a non-member. Another lady we have been working with who hasn't been to church in years came too! What faith these people have, I am so thankful for their examples and willingness to change and be better. When we follow the commandments of God we are allowing Him to bless us.

Aw man, my time is up, but I love you all so much! Thanks for everything :) I listened to your tape (finally) and I loved it! You guys are so funny. Oh man. I will reply asap, and am picking up my pic cd to mail home soon. I know I haven't sent pics in a while... sorry! Love you so much! =]

love,

Elder Andrew Beckett

Cocoa!

Happy New Year! Once again, holidays are so different as a missionary. You just wake up, exercise (I guess since it was a Sunday though no exercise), and go about the Lord's work like every day! It is the best thing ever :) I hope you had a happy new year! We had a miracle happen that evening. I will share that in a minute.

New Years Eve Eve we were up until about 12:12 a.m. Not being disobedient, but because some missionaries didn't answer their phone. So while we were waiting for that to play out we had our own little new years eve party ;) Whenever missionaries don't answer their phone, we have to have some others go check on them to make sure they are ok. So we had some go check on them, but the closest ones who would answer their phones to go check had only bikes this week, so they had to go bike to the other missionaries with the car, wake them up, go make sure the other missionaries are in and safe, and then head back. By the time that was all wrapped up it was about midnight. Half the zone was involved it seemed like ha ha, Cocoa zone only has two districts and nearly everyone in one district was up helping/being checked on, plus Sister Allen got roped into it too because nobody knew where the apartment was but her (the Sisters just got transferred out of that area, so she used to live there). Thankfully they were ok though and had just left their phone in the car.

Cocoa is great! The members here are wonderful, as in every area that I've served in so far. We have some amazing investigators, and I am so thankful to have been able to just jump in right now in the work in this area. The ward is super excited to have Elders and Sisters! It will be fun to see the missionary work really get rolling here. Sunday the Bishop asked Sister Melville, Sister Allen, and I to speak/bear our testimonies since we were new in the ward. It was a neat meeting because a bunch of the young adults in the ward who were back from schooling for a little bit also were asked to share their testimonies. Everyone laughed when Sister Allen mentioned that we were from the same hometown, and the same home ward to be exact. What are the odds ha ha? Everyone just keeps saying how crazy that is. It's pretty funny to think about :)

Elder Bailey David Schmutz is my companion! He is from Bountiful, UT and knows the fowers. There are lots of Elders who know who Nick is in the mission (Elders Bohn, Willey, Packard, and Montgomery) because they are from Bountiful. Elder Schmutz is so awesome. He is really positive and smiles a lot and just loves the people! He is easy going, but not lazy. He is a hard worker and dedicated to serving the Lord. I am really excited to see the miracles that the Lord will bring about here in the coming transfers; it already seems like He has set up so much potential here, and people are coming out of the woodwork left and right!

We had dinner with the Lintons in the ward, and it turns out they are related to Mrs. Linton the librarian and Amy and Angela Linton back in Grantsville. Such a small world! They are such nice people though and we had a great time. Their son Tanner is at BYU right now and is in a jazz choir; he was asked to speak and gave a great testimony. Something I learned to remember was that we are "here to bless, not impress." So often as missionaries we get nervous because we feel like we have to be picture perfect and get on everyone's good side in order to get the work rolling, and so you can worry sometimes about how to do that. Really though, when we just remember that we are here to help and love the people any way that we can, then it just happens naturally. If we are worried about impressing then we forget are true purpose and are thinking about ourselves too much. It's not about me, I'm here to serve, forget myself, and play my heart out in this final inning as Elder Holland said in his conference talk. So, I was thankful Tanner mentioned that in his talk. Brother Linton taught gospel principles on Sunday and it was an amazing lesson... our investigators were in tears and the Spirit was so strong!

So we are working with a family named the S (I love S! Ha ha remember the Sumterville S? How could anyone forget them :). Random fun fact - When I served in Sumterville we lived in a town called Bushnell. Taught the S while I was in Bushnell. Well, Sister S started investigating because of Sister B in our ward, an awesome missionary who teaches a zumba class and always leaves a spiritual thought and uplifts everyone. Kind of funny huh?

Anyway, the S have been learning, and Sister S and her son B are planning to be baptized on the 14th. Their daughter Maria is also learning and enjoying it, but she's not quite ready yet. Thus far the dad has been great with them learning about it, but he is an atheist and doesn't really want anything to do with it himself. Everytime the missionaries had come over before he pretty much would just leave. They had one neat experience where they were going through a hard time, and right then Elder Schmutz & Elder Jensen knocked on the door! He was pretty astounded and kind of took it as a sign.

Well, Sunday night was amazing. We went over, got inside, and you could just tell things were tense. Bro S had just left the house because he'd barely found out we were coming (we were trying to catch him there to invite him to sit in on the lesson). As we sat down, you could just tell the family was pretty shaken up and had been going through some really hard things that day. We talked with them and just listened, letting them tell us how they were feeling. After a few minutes the door opened, and B (Bro S) walked in! We were all kind of surprised. We started talking to him, just really focusing on him and what he is feeling. He sat down, and we continued to talk and to teach. We asked him if he wanted to join us for the lesson but he said no, he wasn't going to be able to. So instead we just started teaching him without him knowing it :) And teach him the Spirit did! His mind and heart are starting to be softened, and he is slowly coming to understand why the gospel is so important for his family. We had a member, Bro S, with us, and he bore such powerful testimony. B really related to him, and took a lot from it. We concluded by showing "Hope Ya Know, I'm Having a Hard Time" (mormon messages version). After that we had a kneeling prayer and invited B to call on someone to offer it. He asked K (Sis S) to say it, and she did. The Spirit was so strong there, and she said such a beautiful prayer. After the prayer B said that he was thankful to the Savior too, and walked over and just embraced his wife. It was SO neat to see... after the adversary had been fighting and railing on this family that day right before we got there, there is nothing like the peace of the Savior that is felt through the Holy Ghost. I am so thankful to have been able to see and feel that, and especially that their kids who are 18 and 12 could see that and how it was the gospel of Jesus Christ that brought that peace into their homes. I love their family so much. It is amazing how the Lord lets us feel His love for them, even though I have only been here a week now.

Well, my time is up, but that is what I wanted to share with you quickly. I love the Lord so much, and I know that as we do our very best to serve Him, He works miracles in our lives. I am thankful for the growth and learning that He is blessing me with on the mission. It is the best thing I have ever done. I love you all so much, I am thankful for you, and I pray for you daily, multiple times. Thanks for everything, I loved the letters and packages! I got the pics Mindy, and the notes, and the awesome BYU tape =] I will most certainly be putting that to good use! Love you all!

love,

Elder Andrew Beckett