Wow, and wow! Wow. O.o

Hey! I love you! That was some big news this week. I am so thankful to know that you are ok and things are fine. Heavenly Father sure loves us a lot! I am thankful He has shown and continues to show that love through other people around us. I am amazed at the outreach and support for our family.

I'll admit I was completely taken off-guard with that one! Thank you for loving me enough to wait to tell me, that probably was for the best. Although I wish I could've been praying with you through that whole time! I always pray for you, but I know my prayers would've been a little more in-depth and fervent with specifics. Now I have just been thanking Heavenly Father so much for the blessings He has given me. I'm so glad everyone is ok. Please don't spend any more money on me the rest of my mission! I am doing just fine :) You don't need to send me letters or anything; email is great. I will be happy no matter what =]

Leadership Training was this week, I learned so much! That is most likely the last time I will see Elder McClatchy until this summer. How weird... we got some good pictures together. He wrote me a really nice note, just when I needed it. He has been such a great example and friend to me, and a strength to be serving together in the mission! I love him. For the trainings they assigned at the training each zone a specific topic, and then we had an hour and a half to prepare an hour long training. It was awesome! I was pretty stressed at first, but as we prayed the Lord brought it all together right at the end. I think it's interesting just how much the Lord lets us struggle and feel stress and sweat and work hard before he gives us the solutions to things. Apparently it is really good for us and helps us grow and progress =] I think I have learned to not stress so much about things.

Guess what... so the training was from Wed-Thu in Orlando, and so for the outer zones like us we stay over somewhere. Well, the Lord in His goodness let me switch up some things and I ended up being able to go to... LAKE REAMS! WOOT! Oh my goodness, it was sooooo good. I got to go see the R family! Aaaah! It was the best. And they didn't know I was coming =] It was so much fun. I was on exchanges with Elder Mullen for the night, and it was just like old times! We had fun. I also got to see J, who I will see at BYU too (guess what, he's rooming with Elder Grimm, who replaced me in Lake Reams)! J is doing great, and has been called as a ward missionary. And then I got to stop by the W, but Bro W wasn't home. I got to see Sister W and their cute new baby Allie though! And Bro W's parents were there from Arcadia, CA (I think..). They know the Hansens in our ward! Small world.

Know that I love you all so much! Things are going great here; don't worry the least about me. Have a great week and keep doing the Lord's work! I know that He places us where we are for a purpose - to bless the lives of those around us. In the process we are blessed. We are here, after all, to BLESS, not IMPRESS. Catchy, eh? ;) Have a great week!

love,

Elder Beckett

p.s. sorry it's short, I'll fill you in on more details about the area next week. Love ya!

Didn't see the Phelps' ha ha

Hey fam! Nope, didn't see the Phelps' on their honeymoon here. That's ok though, that probably would've been weird. IF you're wondering if the worker guy said the exact same thing again today about "Another day, another nickle!" He did. I'm going to see if he does for the rest of my time here. Every week. Which could be until June ha ha. Maybe he'll catch on, or maybe next week I'll just be like, "Look Mister, there's more to life then nickles. Let us teach you about the restored gospel!" We'll see.

We were blessed to see some miracles here in the Viera ward. I will tell you of one, a miracle for the ward, that happened yesterday in fast and testimony meeting. Well, it was a good meeting, and things were going well. The Spirit was there as the testimonies were being borne. Sister Allen got up to bear her testimony, and did a wonderful job. Soon after her, one of her & Sister Me's investigators, M, got walked up and sat on the stand. I didn't know what to think at first, and kind of shifted in my seat - anticipating what would be said. M was in shorts and a T-shirt, and hadn't shaven for a day or two. He stood up and began to testify of the Spirit that he was feeling in that meeting. He told how he had met the Sisters a few weeks back, and at first didn't think much of it. He then started to listen to what they were teaching someone he was acquainted with, and got pulled right in. His last parent on the earth had just passed away about a month before, and he said that he had always felt his main purpose was to take care of them. Now that they were gone, he didn't know what to do. He wondered why he was still here on earth, and would often wake up angry at God for allowing him to still be here. M was born into a Jewish family, but wasn't too involved with that growing up. As

he grew up, he would go from church to church and ask questions, but felt somewhat discouraged as others would tend to criticize his thinking. Well, as he met with the Sisters they taught him things that he already believed! He knew it was true. M held up the Book of Mormon in front of everyone and said, "This is the key. This is what they have given me, and I am reading it. I am learning so much, and I know that this will continue to teach me truth about who I am and why I am here." Everyone was glued! It was one of the most powerful testimonies I have heard my whole life. I got a tear in my eye as the Spirit testified to me that that is why I am here. There are people out there searching for the fulness of the gospel, and they are only kept from it because they don't know where to find it. How important that we pray and then do all we can each day to find these people! It

was an absolute miracle, and there couldn't have been a better way for the members to catch the spirit of the work of the Master. Member after member after member came up to Marc after the meeting and thanked him for his testimony. Both him and his acquaintance will be coming back to church again next week!

We've been blessed to be able to teach the people we have been working with (B, S, D), but we need some more people to teach. We have been working with the members lately, and things are really getting rolling. After Marc's testimony, things should get going here :) I'm loving life! Elder Call is great. He has an awesome memory and is always telling me funny stories from his mission so far. He is a great Elder, and I'm thankful to be able to teach with him. We had ZLC this past week and I got to see Elder McClatchy again, but thankfully not for the last time on the mission. This week is leadership training, and I'll get to see him there. But then he's gone... :'( MAn that's so weird! He is such a great missionary! He is always so humble and brings the Spirit right into the meetings. Him and Elder Schmutz seem to be doing great together.

Well, I'm going to send some pics. Love ya!

-Elder Andrew Beckett

How to make a Hill Cumorah Cake!

1. Bake a Cake and cut out a square in the middle.2. Outline the square hole with chocolate bars.

3. Put a baby Book of Mormon in it with scriptures written inside! Cover up hole with the other part of the chocolate bar and frost it. HOW CUTE!

Elder McClatchy and Elder Beckett

"Another day, another nickel"

Hey family! It's been another awesome week in Viera! But, if you haven't noticed, every week is awesome here. Nothing that I can think of that was super crazy or unusual happened this week. Just another great week :) OH! Actually guess what? Today is day 9 of B being a non-smoker! He hasn't slipped up once yet. Please continue to pray for him; he is doing great. Elder Call is doing great, he is so funny. We have a lot of fun together doing the Lord's work. Of course, you have to find the balance, and always be dignified, but it is still fun. There is nothing that brings more joy or satisfaction.

Hey Mom, in response to your email don't worry about anything for my birthday. My needs are all provided for! I am very blessed. Maybe you guys could just pray for me =] That would be great. Pray that we will be able to find new investigators who are prepared for baptism - through the members! Thanks. Oh yeah, if you are wondering what the subject line is about... let me tell you.

I was sitting here on the computer thinking about what I could title this email (I try to come up with something different than just the same ol' thing week after week), and then one of the workers for Polo-Glen apartments walks in. He has glasses, and a pony tail, and wears short shorts. Well, I asked how things are going and he said, "Another day, another nickel." At first I was thinking to myself, "Huh, that's what he's said for about the last 4 weeks in a row when I ask him that question." And then I was realizing just how important it is to make each day a great day =] The gospel really gives us an eternal perspective; we aren't just here to go through the day-to-day routine and then die. Thank goodness, that would be boring. One thing I have been trying to do is listen to the Holy Ghost better, and take time to think and ponder throughout the day. Sometimes I feel so scatterbrained that I feel like it downs my effectiveness in different things. Writing in my journal has helped me clear my mind and focus better, and that way I have less stress and can instead focus on listening to the Spirit. I am also going to start carrying a little pocket notebook with me to jot down little thoughts or things I want to write in my journal entry.

Well, we are working hard, being obedient, and enjoying life! A mission is a great experience... you get to see everything and learn a lot. Except sometimes you don' t want to see everything, but at least you learn from it! It's just the small day-to-day things that you make an effort at that in the long run add up to being great things. I love you all!

I know that God is our Eternal Father, and that He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to atone for our sins. He set the perfect example and lived a sinless life. He can heal us if we come to Him. I know that They love each and every one of us, no matter what we have done or will do! They just want to help us. One way I had it explained to me this week is to think of how you feel about your own children.. even though they still make mistakes, you love them right? You want them to reach their full potential, and have everything that you have in your life. You want them to have more, and will do everything you can to help them get that. Why is that? Why do you want your children to be better than you are, to have more than you do? It is about love, and it's in our nature. Our Heavenly Father is the same way. That amazes me! Hope you all have a wonderful week!

love,

Elder Beckett

The M family is one step closer to being eternal =]

Miracles are great. There really is nothing like being a full-time missionary! I love it. I have never felt so sure that God is there and seen His hand in my life and the lives of those around me than I do now :) One of the highlights of the week was the baptism and confirmation of V M! It went great, and there was a good turnout from the ward to support him. He is so ready (he has been coming to church for years now, so of course he is :P), and recently has really just caught fire. He has just been studying the gospel like crazy, reading PMG, True to the Faith, the Gospel Principles manual, the Scriptures, etc. And taking a lot of time on his own to pray and ponder about things. I love seeing the Spirit touch him and the Atonement change his life. A prime example of how not only will the gospel make bad men good, but also good men better! It is only through the ordinances of the gospel and keeping the covenants made therein that we can truly unlock a fulness of blessings from the Atonement of Jesus Christ.

We made another Cumorah cake, this week for the B! Expect miracles soon. Just kidding, we've already seen tons of miracles with them! But seriously. Umm guess what? S is going to be baptized! We will invite them to set a date this week. I love their family, and the gospel light is filling up their home once more.

I have been thinking about the R family a lot this week. I had tried calling them on two of their different phones right after they were baptized, but nobody answered. I left them messages and said that I would call them back soon, or they could try getting a hold of me when they could. Well, this Friday I was planning to get permission to call them. Right as I was about to our phone rang, and guess who? The R family! It was so cool. I got to talk to all of them except for A, I think he was at work. Anyway, they are all doing so great! The ward is just loving them, and they are all so happy. I couldn't believe the joy I was feeling as I was just talking to them on the phone! I can't imagine what it will be like after the mission when we come back someday and you can meet all of these wonderful people! Anthony is planning on going to one of the BYUs, and serving a mission next year =] YES! The Lord is sooooo good.

We had zone conference this week and it was just amazing. Probably my favorite one so far in the mission. It was weird to see the departing testimonies and to realize that the next group giving theirs would be mine. :/ I really learned a lot though, the main two things being to do better at writing in my journal, and then how to really love our investigators. It was all about planning and setting goals. Elder Gregson was asked to give a talk, and did a phenomenal job. I always feel like I want to be a better person around him. I'm glad to be rooming with him, I know he will continue to be a great influence (as will all of them :).

How fun that you got to see David! He looks like he is doing great! Tell him he's still the man. I'm going to take guitar lessons from him someday. You can see the light of the gospel in his eyes! I wouldn't mind if you happened to send a picture of the family or whoever each week with your letters ;) Sorry, I'll try to do better with that myself.

Well, I'd better be off today. I love you all and will talk to you next week! Thanks for the letters, packages (thanks Hillary!), and prayers. I love you guys!

-Elder Andrew Beckett

p.s. I forgot to tell you some more things about Elder Call! Elder Call is great =] He is a really funny guy, and is great at telling stories and remembering things. He is really good at staying focused on teaching the doctrine too. More to come in the future :)

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!