"Are you happy?" "Yeah, I'm too happy!" and.. HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!

C was baptized! Woo hoo! It was such a great experience. It was Elder Charbadze's first baptism (with him actually performing it) and he was nervous, but he did really great! C is always smiling, but he was smiling even bigger and more yesterday! It was wonderful. There were 3 baptisms yesterday so it was kind of hectic - C's at 4:30, one at 6, and one at 7. We were helping out with the 7 o clock one too so it was a very uplifting day! I learned some neat things about baptism as I was studying it recently - like it does mention the age of accountability in the bible - see the JST in the back for Genesis 17:11. Also in the Bible Dictionary it says something along the lines of "Baptism is beautiful in its symbolism.... It is the gateway to personal sanctification" I don't have the scriptures in front of me, but I learned a lot. I am so thankful for that sacred ordinance that we are able to be a part of.

I'm sorry to hear about Grandpa Beckett :( I have been praying for him & Grandma often, and will continue to do so. Please send them my love. I hope Uncle Pat continues to recover quickly as well!

How cool that you were able to meet Elizabeth Smart! Did you tell her that I served in her uncle's ward in Florida? ;) I'm glad to hear she is doing wonderful. Please tell David & James hi for me! And everyone else getting home ha ha. And thank you James for the postcard! That was super fun to get :)

I got to go on exchanges with Elder Jaron Tolman this week. That was a lot of fun! He is good friends with the Bakers and knows the Phelps' and Allens. Good times.

We also had President's Interviews this week. He trained us on looking at the big picture, and unifying our work with the ward's. Our ward is headed in the right direction step by step. I know that this is the Lord's work, and He is the One behind it all. We don't even see most of what He does. I am thankful to be a part of it. I came across an inspiring/somewhat scary ;) quote by Elder Richard G. Scott:

"Just when all seems to be going right, challenges often come in multiple doses applied simultaneously. When those trials are not consequences of your disobedience, they are evidence that the Lord feels you are prepared to grow more. He therefore gives you experiences that stimulate growth, understanding, and compassion which polish you for your everlasting benefit. To get you from where you are to where He wants you to be requires a lot of stretching, and that generally entails discomfort and pain... This life is an experience in profound trust - trust in Jesus Christ."

Just like President Eyring said, sometimes we need to pray for mountains! I know that through all of our trials, they can be consecrated for our good if we continue faithfully following the Lord. I love you all!

love, Elder Andrew Beckett

p.s. Thanks so much Mom and Dad for being the examples you are of how a marriage should be =] For eternity!

We have battles sometimes with the others in the apartment. We win.

 

Baptism pics! And then my C quotes collection :)

Lake Reams Reunion @ Bumby

(Hahah. This is Allie...sometimes I think he forgets to mention what the title of his letters has to do with his actual letter. He forgot to mention!!! :])

Happy Day, right Al-Bal? Ha ha I love when you say that. How is my family? Hope you are great! This Sunday C will be getting baptized! He is 20 years old and a part-member family. Normally a 20 yr old would go to YSA, but this is a special circumstance. C is great =] It's cool because he will be able to be confirmed on his birthday! It has been a miracle seeing his Mom and little brother come to church faithfully each week, and do their best to live and learn the gospel! C is so funny. I will share a couple of quotes.

We were sitting in gospel principles class a couple weeks back and the teacher was like, (hmm, maybe I shared this one already) "If you haven't already, get baptized!" C just kind of says under his breath, "Uhh... I hope I don't drown!" Ha ha it was so funny. When we were teaching him about the Spirit world he was like, "That sounds nice, but can you fly in the Spirit world? Flying sounds fun to me. I hope we can fly!" When we began to teach him about Adam and Eve - "Why did they eat the fruit? Were they hungry or somethin?" I love C. He has shown so much faith and taught me so much as we've been able to work with him. That is one of the miracles of a mission - being able to see others learn and grow and exercise their faith. I feel so faithless sometimes when I see the steps people take to come closer to Jesus Christ; they are great examples to me.

Pres. Shill, the Stake President, spoke in church yesterday (it was ward conference). He is such a good man, and the Spirit was very strong. I am thankful for inspired leaders who help encourage, lift, and inspire us to be and do better.

I had the privilege to go on exchanges with the Haitian-Creole speaking Elders in the ward this week! We were sitting in a members house. I couldn't understand anything, but she was making us food. She brought it out and we had this huge plate of rice! Then there was this sauce stuff with bits of meat in it and a bean sauce. It was really good. Elder Major was talking to the member in Creole while we ate, and all of the sudden he got kind of a funny look on his face and kind of gulped down his mouthful. He muttered under his breath to me, "Well, this is a new experience." I just hurried and ate the rest on my plate, and smiled and said thank you. I am amazed at the kindness people show to missionaries; they have hardly anything yet they are so willing to share what they have! Well, we got out and found out that the meat in the dish was actually chicken intestine, liver, and kidney. Mmmm =]

Another fun experience from the week:
We had been trying to contact this former investigator. Well, the spanish Elders ran into him on the street and called us from his phone. We set up an appointment right there to meet him at a bus stop at 6:30 that night. We were at the bus stop waiting, and he never came so we started contacting people. We were telling this 17 year old kid about the Restoration when this car with dark tinted windows pulls of the road. Two guys get out, one is black and the other Latino. They both had on these solid black combat type boots, and one was dressed completely in black - cargo pants, shirt, shades, bandana, and hat. They walked over and kind of just stood off to the side looking at us with that nice ghetto look you sometimes see here :) Could they be interested in the gospel? Maybe... "Hey, what's going on? I'm Elder Beckett. What's your name?" He was like, "I'm K, and we just wanted to hear what you guys had to say."

"Awesome, we were just teaching about the gospel of Jesus Christ!"
"What gives you the authority to do that?"
Anyway... long story short he just wanted to prove us wrong. We just smiled, shared our testimonies, and invited him to learn more. Unfortunately while we were talking to him his buddy pulled our friend away and we are pretty sure he got antied. Thankfully nobody got shot though! That's the good news. It was kind of sketchy. He said something about belonging to the Israelite Nation group... ever heard of them? I'll tell you about them sometime.

Well I sure hope Grandpa Beckett is doing ok! I am sorry to hear that he fell :( You are all in my prayers each day, and will continue to be. Thank you for your examples. I know this work is true, and it is how we can be happy. God loves us =] I love you!
love,
Elder Beckett

Isn't that a great name for a place to live? Here are some pics of the ghetto of ghettos here ;)

Fyi yes, people really live there. No worries, we don't really hang out there or anything. Elder Charbadze just snapped these pics one day driving through. You don't wanna forget some things, you know? :P I love my family!

Easter in Bumby!

Happy Easter to you too, and thank you so much for the wonderful package! That was such a tender mercy, more than you even think. We actually got it on Friday believe it or not! It was so much fun. Let me tell you just how inspired you were. That really meant a lot to Elder Charbadze and lifted him up so much :) He was so excited to open it up and see that things had his name on it! He was like, "How did your family know all of my favorite things?" It was a lot of fun. The Lord definitely helped that arrive here when needed, because as I told you his grandmother passed away last Monday. Well, mail from Russia takes about 3 weeks to get here and he got a letter from his mom. It was before his grandma passed away, and so it was kind of old news (he found out via phone from Pres. Hall). There was a picture she'd sent of Elder Charbadze and her when he was younger. It kind of made it real for him what had happened, and it was just a really hard time for him. Well, to finish the night off we opened that package together and it just made his night. We both went to bed laughing and smiling, and thankful to Heavenly Father and you for the blessings we have. Thank you so much for that. I loved the tape too by the way! And the pics and notes and everything. You guys are the best =]

This has been a wonderful Easter week! We were blessed to be invited to dinner yesterday and it was really good! Sister G in the ward had us over with some other members and the Haitian-Creole speaking missionaries in the ward. It was a lot of fun and she had a neat lesson planned out that she wanted to share. She is the Gospel Principles teacher and does a great job each week teaching.

The work is going forward in Bumby! We have been blessed to be able to work with some of the leaders this past week. That has been a great experience, and I feel like we are slowly gaining the trust of the ward. I don't feel like there has been a whole lot of that in the past, and I don't think the members understand or respect the missionaries a ton. There are a few who do, but for the most part I feel like we are just seen as some teenage boys.
Sorry my time is so short today, but things have been pretty hectic. Being a district leader again is fun, but you do have a lot of responsibilities.

I am so thankful for Jesus Christ and his resurrection! He lives, I know that is true. I felt that so strong yesterday through an experience at church. We were in Elder's Quorum, and the teacher was teaching the lesson. People weren't really listening, and at the end of the class he asked us all to write down our testimonies of Jesus Christ and then share them with the class if anyone would be willing. Well, it got to be where people were just kind of chilling and talking and laughing and stuff. I was nervous, but I felt I should share what I had written down even though I wasn't done. I am so thankful I did, because it was such a growing experience for me. I was the only one who shared their testimony, but that's ok. I love sharing my testimony of Jesus Christ. I am thankful for Him and what He has done for each of us. I know this is the restored gospel, and it is true! I will gladly share it with anyone in my path. I love you all so much! Have a great week!

love, Elder Beckett
p.s. Is milk bad for you?
p.p.s. Dad what is the doctrine behind consecrated oil, and how do you know when to use it?
p.p.s. We were in Gospel Principles yesterday with an investigator named C. He is from a part-member family, is about 20 years old, and is bi-polar. Sister G was teaching about the Atonement and baptism came up. She was testifying of baptism, and said something like, "If you haven't been baptized, do it!" You'd have to meet him, but it was so funny because C just turned to me and said, "I hope I don't drown!" I was laughing so much. He is a great guy ha ha. Love you all!

Wasn't. That. Great? =]

I am so thankful for Apostles and Prophets on the earth today! Wow, I sure have taken that for granted in the past. Repentance is a wonderful thing. It has been quite an interesting week, lots of ups and downs and all arounds! Really only two downs I can think of. The rest were all ups :) I am loving my time here in Bumby!

First of all, I have a question - do you know the word copesthetic? At least that's how it sounds like it is pronounced. I am wondering what that word is.. I know it means something like great, good, cool, etc. There was this 7 year old in Viera who had the same birthday as me, and we had dinner at his house once. Well, his grandma had taught him that word apparently and he said the opening prayer for dinner. He used it twice in the opening prayer ha ha - "We are thankful it has been such a copesthetic day.." Elder Call and I enjoyed that.

I saw Elder Tommy Eichelberger from the Lake Reams ward in there! Good to see him. I was laughing so hard when they showed Elder Archuleta! I could just see Mindy and Allie screaming out excitedly. That was really cool to see him though! Plus it was smart they did it at the very end so all the girls weren't distracted for the rest of conference thinking about him. The Church IS true. I am very happy for him that he is serving a mission. I can't believe that they let him be in the missionary choir after only being there for 3 days... like that's even enough time to practice. ;)
We got to go to the temple this week with our Ward Mission Leader! It was a great experience. They don't let missionaries here go to the temple anymore, unless a convert is going through, so it was like a super exception because our WML asked President Hall. I love the temple, and learned some important things.
Ok, so I know this is random, but I'm going to share the gems I caught from General Conference. Sorry, there are a few I just have to share:

-The most important calling you will have is as a husband, wife, and parent. These callings will never leave you. That applies as a missionary companionship too - regardless of your calling as a District Leader, Zone Leader, Assistant, or even in your relationship with your investigators, your loyalty is first to the Lord, then your Mission President, then your Companion. I am so thankful for Elder Charbadze, and I hope to be as best of a companion as I can be.
-We need to not only teach our children the doctrine, but teach them to understandthe doctrine. It needs to become a part of their very beings that reflects in their actions and attitude throughout their lives.
-Mission experiences are a template for how we will serve the rest of our lives.
-"A religion that does not require the sacrifice of all things never has the power of faith sufficient to produce salvation." Something like that :P
- Am I being regularly changed by the ordinance of the Sacrament?
-What we are speaks so loudly that others may not hear what we are trying to say.
-Active study of the scriptures is a clear dividing line between those who hear the music of faith, and those who are tone-deaf.
-We can strengthen our relationships with those on the other side of the veil through righteous actions.
-A good sense of humor aids revelation
-Exercise, rest, and proper nutrition improve our spiritual senses
-Dreams can be a form of revelation, record them
-Our Heavenly Father did not put us on earth to fail, but to succeed gloriously!
-Communication with our Father in Heaven is not a trivial matter; it is a sacred privilege.
-The Priesthood is inherently active, not passive! To break the Oath & Covenant, one only needs to do nothing.
-"Just google it... be careful..." ha ha :)
-The what informs, but the why transforms
-Sometimes we must step with faith into the dark, knowing and trusting that the Lord will place solid ground beneath our feet.
-Inspired leaders help others see the why of the gospel. Then we roll up our sleeves and go to work!
-The value of an idea lies in the using of it
-The moment we judge another, we condemn ourselves
-Our degree of gratitude is a measure of our love for God
-"Could an explosion in a printing shop create a dictionary?"
-To return to God, through the gateway we call death, is a joy for those that love God
-The attributes by which we shall be judged one day are all spiritual
-If you come upon a person drowning, would you ask if they need help or just jump in and help?
-"Translate that!"
-In this fast-paced life, do we ever pause for moments of meditation?
-Values & Strong Families --------> Prosperity & Education
-The Church is the scaffolding with which we build eternal families
-Our missionary experiences have to be current
-We need to be seeking and recording sacred communication from Heavenly Father daily.
-"What thinks Christ of me?"
"I invoke the blessings upon each of you..."

I am so thankful for the things I heard and felt during General Conference. It has changed my mission, and it has changed my life. I know that we have a Heavenly Father who cares about us and blesses us to be where we are so that we can learn, grow, and progress. We are in the middle of His great plan for all of us, and he has foreordained us to succeed gloriously! There is no need to fear or hesitate because we are truly the offspring of God. Although we don't know how things will always work out, He does. His promises are sure as we obey His words and just do our best. Jesus Christ is the Savior of mankind, and it is only through Him that we can be forgiven of our sins, reach our full potential, and obtain exaltation. He has sent the Comforter to heal and purify us through obedience. I am so thankful for the guidance that our loving Father and His Son have given to all of us this past weekend, and I hope we can all continue to study and treasure up those words. I know that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the only true and living church upon the face of the earth! We are blessed with the Priesthood and the Gift of the Holy Ghost. Let us use these gifts to bless all around us :)
We have been seeing some incredible miracles and have some great people we are working with! The Lord has prepared many people in this area to accept the restored gospel. The work moves forward. Thank you for your support and prayers, I feel their power and influence! I love you all!
love, Elder Beckett
p.s. We had a new lady move into our ward, and we went and met her. It was P M, one of Elder McClatchy's converts from Poinciana! How cool :) She loves him.

B Got Baptized!

Hey family! I hope you are all doing great =] I love and pray for each of you daily. Thanks for your prayers and support as well. I'm glad you got to see Elder McClatchy and the James'! How fun. I love them all.

My highlight of this week was definitely Saturday... when we got to go back to Viera for B's baptism! I was kind of worried at first because we were trying and trying and trying all week to find a ride in the ward Saturday, but nobody could tkae us. I was praying like crazy, and then Friday we found a ride with a recent convert of four years - Bro. A. It was really nice of him to take us there, and he even bought us lunch!

The baptism was just incredible. It was probably the most powerful baptism I have been to my whole mission! I loved seeing the Ss just happy as can be as we all were there with B as he was baptized. It was such a great privilege to be able to baptize him; I will never forget it. I wish I could somehow describe the special Spirit that was felt there. Bishop G is so inspired! He had B share his thoughts and feelings after the baptism and it was just powerful. Then Bishop bore his testimony. I sure love Bishop G, I told him as I was leaving (the first time) that I'm probably going to be calling him the rest of my life asking him questions about different things lol and just to keep up of course.

Elder Charbadze is great, I am enjoying being his companion! We are having fun together already. I am so thankful to be serving with him; it is neat to be serving with a convert as well as a foreigner =] We have fun. He hasn't seen his Mom in a little over 3 years because she still lives in Russia and he came to the U.S. for high school in California. He went to a private school there. His Mom was baptized about a year ago :) Can you imagine not being able to see your Mom/son for over 5 years? That's what he will have been through after the mission. He is such a great person and I love him a lot.

We got to help out with a group called "Love Orlando" this week on "Project Homeless connect." It was such a humbling experience. We went to this big church in Orlando where they had organized a big service project to help out all of the homeless people around in the area. They had free lunch, showers, haircuts, ID services, medical services, testing, job finding agencies, etc. Our part was to be their friend and show them around to all of the different things. It was a great experience, and I was able to help some wonderful people. I learned a lot from that - just about how we are all God's children. People want to be happy, and we all need God's love. It's amazing the difference that a simple smile can make.

There was one homeless couple there, and they had a newborn baby. It broke my heart to see them going through such hard times, and that pure innocent child having to go through that as well. I felt so much love for them, and just wanted to help them in any way possible. I am so thankful for the circumstances I am in, and the blessings God has given me. I also learned an important lesson about attitude... we met a man (homeless) who was just walking around complaining about the services, how things weren't good enough there, etc. We talked to him and tried to help him see the good, but he wouldn't have it. It was pretty sad, because it was plain to see that he was miserable. Attitude is so important, and I am thankful that Heavenly Father has given us our agency - to be able to choose happiness and eternal life through His Son, Jesus Christ. It's consistently making that choice to be happy and stay positive that will lead us to better places and to become better people

Hey, my current address is this:
2328 Midtown Ter. #1022
Orlando, FL 32839

I am excited to be serving here in Bumby; I love seeing growth. I guess they have been struggling a little bit, but I'm not going to focus too much on that. I will tell you one funny example though because I just started laughing when it happened. I guess in priesthood they hardly ever has a teacher.. someone always bails or doesn't show up or whatever and so they throw on a movie for the class. Well, yesterday that happened, and the teacher had us watch the Women's broadcast by Pres. Monson. It was really good, actually! The one about Believe, Obey, Endure. I just thought it was a funny choice for priesthood. Well, I love you all so much! Thanks for everything =]

love, Elder Beckett

Elder Beckett and Elder Charbadze
B's Baptism!
Sister Allen (from Grantsville!) and her companion, Elder Beckett and Elder Call

Wasn't. That. Great? =]

I am so thankful for Apostles and Prophets on the earth today! Wow, I sure have taken that for granted in the past. Repentance is a wonderful thing. It has been quite an interesting week, lots of ups and downs and all arounds! Really only two downs I can think of. The rest were all ups :) I am loving my time here in Bumby!

First of all, I have a question - do you know the word copesthetic? At least that's how it sounds like it is pronounced. I am wondering what that word is.. I know it means something like great, good, cool, etc. There was this 7 year old in Viera who had the same birthday as me, and we had dinner at his house once. Well, his grandma had taught him that word apparently and he said the opening prayer for dinner. He used it twice in the opening prayer ha ha - "We are thankful it has been such a copesthetic day.." Elder Call and I enjoyed that.

I saw Elder Tommy Eichelberger from the Lake Reams ward in there! Good to see him. I was laughing so hard when they showed Elder Archuleta! I could just see Mindy and Allie screaming out excitedly. That was really cool to see him though! Plus it was smart they did it at the very end so all the girls weren't distracted for the rest of conference thinking about him. The Church IS true. I am very happy for him that he is serving a mission. I can't believe that they let him be in the missionary choir after only being there for 3 days... like that's even enough time to practice. ;)
We got to go to the temple this week with our Ward Mission Leader! It was a great experience. They don't let missionaries here go to the temple anymore, unless a convert is going through, so it was like a super exception because our WML asked President Hall. I love the temple, and learned some important things.
Ok, so I know this is random, but I'm going to share the gems I caught from General Conference. Sorry, there are a few I just have to share:

-The most important calling you will have is as a husband, wife, and parent. These callings will never leave you. That applies as a missionary companionship too - regardless of your calling as a District Leader, Zone Leader, Assistant, or even in your relationship with your investigators, your loyalty is first to the Lord, then your Mission President, then your Companion. I am so thankful for Elder Charbadze, and I hope to be as best of a companion as I can be.
-We need to not only teach our children the doctrine, but teach them to understand the doctrine. It needs to become a part of their very beings that reflects in their actions and attitude throughout their lives.
-Mission experiences are a template for how we will serve the rest of our lives.
-"A religion that does not require the sacrifice of all things never has the power of faith sufficient to produce salvation." Something like that :P
- Am I being regularly changed by the ordinance of the Sacrament?
-What we are speaks so loudly that others may not hear what we are trying to say.
-Active study of the scriptures is a clear dividing line between those who hear the music of faith, and those who are tone-deaf.
-We can strengthen our relationships with those on the other side of the veil through righteous actions.
-A good sense of humor aids revelation
-Exercise, rest, and proper nutrition improve our spiritual senses
-Dreams can be a form of revelation, record them
-Our Heavenly Father did not put us on earth to fail, but to succeed gloriously!
-Communication with our Father in Heaven is not a trivial matter; it is a sacred privilege.
-The Priesthood is inherently active, not passive! To break the Oath & Covenant, one only needs to do nothing.
-"Just google it... be careful..." ha ha :)
-The what informs, but the why transforms
-Sometimes we must step with faith into the dark, knowing and trusting that the Lord will place solid ground beneath our feet.
-Inspired leaders help others see the why of the gospel. Then we roll up our sleeves and go to work!
-The value of an idea lies in the using of it
-The moment we judge another, we condemn ourselves
-Our degree of gratitude is a measure of our love for God
-"Could an explosion in a printing shop create a dictionary?"
-To return to God, through the gateway we call death, is a joy for those that love God
-The attributes by which we shall be judged one day are all spiritual
-If you come upon a person drowning, would you ask if they need help or just jump in and help?
-"Translate that!"
-In this fast-paced life, do we ever pause for moments of meditation?
-Values & Strong Families --------> Prosperity & Education
-The Church is the scaffolding with which we build eternal families
-Our missionary experiences have to be current
-We need to be seeking and recording sacred communication from Heavenly Father daily.
-"What thinks Christ of me?"
"I invoke the blessings upon each of you..."

I am so thankful for the things I heard and felt during General Conference. It has changed my mission, and it has changed my life. I know that we have a Heavenly Father who cares about us and blesses us to be where we are so that we can learn, grow, and progress. We are in the middle of His great plan for all of us, and he has foreordained us to succeed gloriously! There is no need to fear or hesitate because we are truly the offspring of God. Although we don't know how things will always work out, He does. His promises are sure as we obey His words and just do our best. Jesus Christ is the Savior of mankind, and it is only through Him that we can be forgiven of our sins, reach our full potential, and obtain exaltation. He has sent the Comforter to heal and purify us through obedience. I am so thankful for the guidance that our loving Father and His Son have given to all of us this past weekend, and I hope we can all continue to study and treasure up those words. I know that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the only true and living church upon the face of the earth! We are blessed with the Priesthood and the Gift of the Holy Ghost. Let us use these gifts to bless all around us :)
We have been seeing some incredible miracles and have some great people we are working with! The Lord has prepared many people in this area to accept the restored gospel. The work moves forward. Thank you for your support and prayers, I feel their power and influence! I love you all!
love, Elder Beckett
p.s. We had a new lady move into our ward, and we went and met her. It was Pat McMullen, one of Elder McClatchy's converts from Poinciana! How cool :) She loves him.

My final area is...

Bumby! Aaah! I am being transferred. Wowza ha ha, didn't see that one coming. I am sad to leave Viera; I was only here for 2 transfers :( I have prayed about transfers, and I know that President was inspired. SO I am actually really excited to go to Bumby. Here's what I know about Bumby - it's somewhat ghetto I guess you could say? Thug story. Like T- Swizzle! Ha, I wish. I will be a district leader there and be in a car-share! My companion will be Elder Charbadze from Russia! He is a great missionary, and I was his zone leader in O-South. President said the ward has been struggling with some things and he told me to "go work your magic!" I think he means the Lord's magic ;) I hope to be a profitable servant and give it my all until my dying day! There's actually nothing more fun than going to a struggling area/district and trying to help them out. It will be a lot of fun. I think I will learn to improve my prayers some more! It is kind of weird to be going back to being a district leader; I'll have to get back into the swing of things. President always says, "I'm promotoning you to be a district leader!" when he sends his zone leaders to be district leaders. That's usually what he seems to do when you have a couple tr

ansfers left.

I am sad to be leaving Elder Call :( He is so funny and such a great missionary! I have really learned a lot from him. I know he will continue to lead the zone onward and upward with the Lord's help! Sister Allen got transferred out of the ward too; she is going to Buena Vista, which is the YSA ward that shares a building with Lake Reams! She will love it there =] How funny is that - they have both of us speak, and then the next week we get transferred out.

Thank you so much for the birthday notes and treats(both G-ville Becketts, Mindy, and all the others)! That was so fun to get. I will be set on candy the rest of the mission =] I loved just hearing how all of you are doing, and those tapes I recently received were just great. What a blessing to know the Lord is w

atching over our family. I sure love you all =] Thanks Mindy for those nice little specific things; it was fun to reminisce (sp?) on some of those times! Good times for sure. I loved hearing from Justin and your friends too!

I had a great birthday, you'll never guess what happened. Basically the Lord threw me a way cool birthday party, and there were friends from Viera and Lake Reams that came! Although not all of them knew it was my birthday - which is just fine; I'd rather have it that way because it's not about me. Ok, but what happened was Friday at Deseret Ranch was the church rodeo! They have it each year, and long story short we got to go =] President only selected a couple of areas. And there were tons of people from Lake Reams! The As, Ss, Gs, Js, and more. It was a treat for sure! Sister A was so nice, she said she wanted to get in contact with you Mom and tell you that I did a good job serving there. I forgot to give her your email though, sorry :s It was amazing at the rodeo; we got to sit in between a part-member family we have been working with (remind me to tell you the berrybella story after the mission, just use that keyword) and Burton! Get ready for a miracle story/news.

First off, B is scheduled to be baptized this Saturday, the 24th, and has asked that I baptize him! I am so honored. I love their family soooo much. We have been working with him, and he has been struggling with some word of wisdom problems. Well, last night we had a great lesson with them. We made it clear to him that with his baptism on Saturday, he can't afford to mess up this week, or it will have to be pushed back. We asked him to give the closing prayer and ask for Heavenly Father's help. He did, and it was such a wonderful prayer. He was so sincere, and just plead with the Lord for help and told Him he wanted to draw nearer to Him. Well, after the prayer (B had made it clear before that he was going to smoke one more that night, and then the next day he was done), I felt strongly that I needed to invite B to not even smoke that last one. I told him that Satan will just continue lying to him, continually dragging it out and telling him he can just have one more - right up to his baptism day. I looked him in the eye, and with all the love and courage and strength I could have I invited him to get them now and give them up. I wanted to see him get rid of them before we left! However, I was riding a fine line and the Holy Ghost helped me realize that at the same time I need to respect his agency - this was his choice aft

er all. He looked down and said he'd stop tomorrow. We hugged him, encouraged him, and promised him he could do it with the Lord's help. The Atonement is real. We left, and I just had a prayer in my heart for him because I was really starting to worry and wonder if he was truly repentant when it came to the Word of Wisdom. I know he wants to be baptized, this man has gone from being atheist to believing in G

od and attending church each week.

Well, as we are pulling in to our apartment complex, we get a call from K (his wife). She happily tells us that after we left, B was kind of thinking about the visit. He said, "You know, Elder Beckett was right. I just need to give them up now." He went and got his cigarettes and gave them to his family and told them to get rid of them! YES! It was such a miracle.

I know that God is real and loves His children! This is the best work ever =] I love you all so much and pray for you daily! Please pray for the people of Bumby (especially the ward leaders) to be ready for the gospel and to continue to progress! Thanks =] Have a great week!

love, Elder Andrew Beckett

p.s. I am sending some of my stuff home today, you should get another package.

p.p.s. Dad, Mosquito abatement with Mind sounds great, trek

sounds great, reunion sounds great, and campout sounds g

reat! I am fine with whatever =] I just want to be with you guys. Love ya!

"Tell Elder McClatchy I love him!"