Monday, February 24, 2014

Week # 17
Good news...


Ok then let's start on Tuesday! We just did some contacting downtown - fairly normal nothing crazy. We then ate some lunch and went contacting for another 3 hours, no one listened that day but it was really cold out side so that was one of the big reasons. Then we taught a lesson with Patrick to a lady named Margarita.  Then we just did some porting and that's all that happened that day. Wednesday was super sweet! Cabrina left for the MTC that day and that was super mind blowing. It was Zone Conference/ Interviews. Cool side story; we had to all catch this train if we wanted to make it there on time. The Sisters were running late and the train started leaving... I sarcastically said the church isn't true if they don't catch this train - joking. Then (not kidding) the train came to a dead halt and had a 10 minute delay and they got on board. So good news the church is still true! Anyway, Elder Karl and I bought each other some pretty cool gifts and did a gift exchange, I felt terrible because his was 10 times cooler than mine. I am awful at getting gifts! Pretty crazy day in all honesty. But after all that we just went porting and did some missionary stuff. Thursday we had a RDV with a recent convert and taught a really good lesson on church callings. Turned out that he had been offered a church calling and he was super scared to say yes and the lesson helped him to better understand why we have callings. We had an appt with a  guy, and it turned out to be a fairly decent lesson! We had DMP meeting with the ward. We watched a video on indexing and it was like 30 minutes long. Friday started off the day kinda bad, one of the families we had dropped us. So we just went contacting, but didn't teach any lessons. Weekly planning next. We went to the other Elders church and gave amis a church tour (that's what the picture is of) they are all super cool. Really good lesson too! Saturday was pretty much the same thing, we did a ton of porting and contacting that day. No lessons though. We got home and made like 5 pounds of fried chicken it was really good! Then we had a really good lesson with a guy in our ward and an ami named Luc. Really nice guy! We taught the Plan of Salvation and he has a really good understanding!  Then we just taught some lessons - that's really all that happened this week! Love you guys!!!! Thanks for all your emails! 
-Elder Beck
(#PackingSomeHeat)






Monday, February 17, 2014

Week #16

Amis

BONJOUR everyone!!! Had a super fun week this week. On Tuesday we had District meeting, and an apartment inspection! We passed - Woot Woot! Then right after that I went on a split with the District Leader he is so tight! We just pretty much hung out the whole day we went out to eat and had a super fun time! Taught 2 good lessons as well! Then we both realized that we both needed to go to Brussels together for Legality stuff. So we went went on an exchange the next day to Brussels! We went into Elder Karl's sector and Elder Karl's Companion is friends with the DL so we all went out and ate together and stuff. It was so much fun! I got to go to Mons - it's so pretty there! It got voted the prettiest ville in all of Belgium! (That's what the picture is of) On Thursday my companion was sick.  We stayed inside for almost the whole day. But we taught a lesson to one of our new amis (Ami means investigator I'm going to start using that now because it's a ton easier) anyway his name is Achile he is soooo sweet and so is his family! So glad we went to it. Then we just went knocking on doors that night and this old man lost it at us and tried hitting me with is cane haha it was so funny. At the time it was a little scary though! On the 14th Elder Bates was sick again. We went to the church so I could  work on a Power Point I am making for the ward so they can actually learn how to Index. Then we just stayed inside all day again because my comp is still sick. We taught a lesson to an inactive family. Happy Valentines day to me! Then on Saturday we went contacting for a long time because I really want to find some new amis. We visited this dude who lives in our sector taught a way good lesson on faith! Come to find out his 9 year old son has never been baptized and he said he wants to be now! SOOOO good news everyone - probably going to have another baptism soon. Sunday was awesome! We went to church and after we taught Dario and 3 other young men 18 and up the importance of missionary work! They all committed to start preparing for missions - so freaking awesome! Probably the best lesson on my mission. The bishops son was baptized so we got to go to a baptism it was really good! Funny side story, when the bishop was walking up the steps after he just baptized his son, the littlest boy yelled out "Dad you're NAKED" because he could see is underwear hahahah so funny. Today I got a hair cut and its not as bad as last time. So there is some good news for ya! Love you guys thanks for all your emails! 
-Elder BECK
(phots one is of mons, other one is me and Elder Karl in Brussels)









Monday, February 10, 2014

Week #15

Day 100 of my mission! Time flies-I kid you not.


BONJOUR everyone! On Monday last week we started out the week super good! We had to go to Liege (in Belgium) for the night because we were leaving for Paris the next morning. We had to sleep over with the zone leaders because they had our tickets for the train. Anyways on the way up to Liege we contacted this guy on the bus.. super sweet guy. We taught him the whole 1st lesson on the bus. The only bummer was he doesn't live in our sector, he lives in the other Elders. We got all of his information and passed it. 2 days later the other Elder set a baptismal date with him on the 1st lesson!! So sweet! Then when we arrived in Liege we had 1hr until the zone leaders came and picked us up. So we got to walk around town and eat. It was super sick. Liege is a beautiful place! Then on Tuesday we had to wake up at 4 am to be able to get to Paris on time. The reason I went to Paris was for my French legality. I passed luckily. The process was weird though. I had to take off my shirt multiple times in public.  I got to see almost everyone in my old district which was super nice! It was really fast and we were out of there in like 2hrs so I didn’t get to see anything. I was super bummed. Then we came back to Charleroi and had dinner with a super sweet family in the ward! It was soooo good! On Wednesday we started making a Power Point for the ward to teach them how to do indexing. (thanks to my dads indexing Power Point back at home :). Some dude on the way there like flipped out at us for being Mormon. I’m still not sure why... Then we had another dinner with another super cool family in the ward that’s who I took the picture with they are so sweet. I got to play the guitar for them. On Thursday it was day 100 of my mission time flies, I kid you not. It was District Meeting that day. It was super fun our zone leaders came they are super cool and so is our new district leader. It has been pouring rain all week so contacting people has been pretty hard. But by some miracle people have taken time to listen to us! That day we got like 2 pass backs! We taught a lesson to a family on the bus! Friday was another pretty sweet day we taught this really cool man on the road his name was Achile, super interested wanted to come to church which like never happens! Then we went to a less active families house and the dogs were going crazy the whole time I wanted to kill them. But that’s all that really happened that day. Saturday day we had some really good lessons. We taught this family we met porting on doors. We taught them the first lesson it was good but I don’t know how interested they are. We had a really good road lesson. But she lives in Luxembourg so that was sad. We stopped by a referrals house and had a really good lesson! She is friends with members in the ward and I totally think she will be baptized! The only problem is she is really busy. But right after that the Hoffman family just stopped by randomly literally a minute after we left and she started crying because she felt the spirit so strong! We had ANOTHER good lesson with a dude that lives across the street from us he actually read the BOM like we asked which was a miracle in itself and he remembered what he read! Sunday was good as well! Church was super good we had 13 people in investigators class! Elder Bates had to give a talk. We taught Darios a short lesson. We had breakfast and lunch at Patricks house haha. Cabrinas farewell was that day and I was kind of sad I wasn't there! We we had two sweet miracles after. So we prayed for direction and I chose a road to go knocking on. Then I chose this random house. A lady with a family opens the door and was really interested. She told us to come back on Tuesday. I can’t wait to see her again! So that picked up my spirits! Then we are walking home and some random dude says you guys look cold come inside my house and have some coffee. So we went in and explained why we don’t drink coffee. He gave us water and told us that it was his Birthday! Gave us birthday cake and was just the nicest dude ever. It totally made my day. So thank you for the people that were praying for me because I know that’s the only reason why that happened. Today has been a sweet day too already! It’s Patricks birthday so we went and drove down to this super cool Charleroi castle haha Then we went BOWLING! So much fun!! And just went shopping so that explains the pictures.  I love you guys thanks for all your emails! 
Love
-Elder Beck







Monday, February 3, 2014

Week #14

3 month mark in Paris

I actually remembered my journal. I know it's a miracle! So I am going to start this one on Tuesday. We had a super weird morning. We had an appointment really early in the morning at 10:00. It was this guy named Gile. He is a dude from Africa. I contacted him on the street, and at first he came off as a really chill dude. But before we actually got in the apartment complex we were greeted by some friendly devil worshiper lady. She called the cops on us and stuff and was really vulgar and then slammed her door and broke it haha it was so funny. Then we had our RDV with Gile. He had over million questions. He did his studies. So it went nothing like what we practice taught for. Then the UPS guy called me and said that he dropped off my package to the wrong persons house and they are keeping it and there is nothing they or I can do about it so that stunk. And while we were porting I got attacked by a dog but he didn't rip my pants or anything so that was good. We knocked on 500 doors and got in 2 houses. Yea!  Wednesday was different as well because we went contacting for 3 hours, which feels like a whole day! Then we took a train to Brussels because we were staying over night to get ready to go to Paris on time. We had to wake up at 4am and sleep on the floor because there weren't enough beds.  They didn't tell us we needed to bring blankets! On Thursday I realized that I had been on my mission for exactly 3 months!! Kind of cool because it doesn't feel like that long. And we celebrated it in Paris!! Me and Elder Karl took the same train in the morning so we got to talk and tell stories for a long time until we arrived in Paris so that was really cool! I got to see almost everyone in my old district, that was super awesome! We heard a man in the quorum of the 70 speak. His name was Elder Kearon he did a super good job it was so awesome. We had Subway for lunch it was soooo good! This is a funny story so we missed our train on the way home (shocker I don't think I have ever actually caught a train 1st try) So we had to exchange our tickets and the only ones that were open on the next train were 1st class so we sat 1st class haha!!!   On Friday we had another RDV with Gile, it went better than last time. And to be honest nothing else really happened that day. Saturday it was my moms birthday!!!! A member showed me her facebook wall it was really cool! It rained like crazy that day and Patrick drove us around and we visited less active families! Then we gave a blessing to an investigators mom in the hospital. On Sunday Darios received the Aronic Priesthood! So cool the bishop gave him such a good blessing. I totally think he will serve a mission! Sunday was also national crepe making day so we made a bunch of crepes, they were so good! It has been warm here today! I will be going to Paris on Tuesday this week. It's about a 3 hour train ride from Charleroi to Paris. I love my mission president! I had an interview with him the first day I got here, and it was really good.  That's all though. I hope everyone had a good week! Thanks for everything, love you guys! Thanks for your prayers, I don't think I could do it without them. Remember to read your scriptures and pray :)

-Elder Beck
 Cool picture of the moon. Picture of the meat in Kangaroo and we bought it. I will let you know how it is.. 
Other one is all of us lost at the train station. haha.do it without them.