FLYING....tender mercies, being grateful, serving

Another week flies by..... WOW..................This week was great let us remember what happened.

Ethiopian food

Anticipation!

Food!!!

yum!!

So on Tuesday I was on exchanges with E. Asare. HE is from Ghana and he loves Ghana. haha. I am starting to love it too! He is on his first transfer so that was fun to be with a greenie again! We had an awesome day. It even started off that we got bounced, but we decided to knock on this door nearby and guess what...... They let us in and we taught a great lesson! The Lord takes care of his boys! Then we had Rolex and Daddies for lunch......(I will tell you what daddies are later) haha. Then we just had a good time. We had some time at night and so we decided to do some contacting. We said a prayer and truly 2 Nephi 32:8-9 is true. The Lord Consecrated our time for our benefit. WE met some great people and E. Asare is a beast! haha. 

On Wednesday we had a nice day and I felt prompted that I needed to testify of the book of Mormon today and that someone would have a desire to learn more about it! Well I testified to this one person and she wanted us to come back on Friday and teach her! I love the Book of Mormon. We also visited Juma and he told us about another story from his time spent in Japan! it was hilarious and this guy is the best.

ON Thursday we had another exchange. This time E. Magumura came to my area. He is from Zimbabwe. Well we come back to the apartment after switching companions and we find that the floor of our apartment was flooded.......... SO we got to clean that up. It was actually fun and a tender mercy because we didn't have time to mop the floor on monday. hahaha. Also There was the manager guy of the apartments helping clean and I started talking to him and even set a time to meet with him and his family. The lord works in mysterious ways! We had a great day and even found this man as we were knocking doors. He is a born again and has been saved, but he we invited him to prayer to come to know if it is true and he asked "if I am answered what do I need to do?" This guy is prepared! and he is willing to act upon the answer he gets. It was a powerful day! 

squeegy patrol

swimming pool?

Oh boy

On Friday WE had a good day with a lot of bounces mixed in. But on the bright side another member of the church is working on getting married and his future wife wants to be taught the gospel! Marriage is great!

On Saturday. We had a powerful day. We had some great lesson's early in the day and we visited some Less Actives in the evening. WE also taught our security guard about the word of wisdom and he accepted to live it right on the spot! He is powerful!

Sunday was great. Church was awesome and we have some really great investigators right now. One shared with us that MAN means, Make Action Now!. hahaha. it is true. We are here to be agents unto ourselves and to act and do and not to be acted upon! ha. We visited with some members and even some of our investigators are doing missionary work for us and gave us 2 people to teach in the evening! wow! Today we had a chill day,. but we got to enjoy some Ethiopian food! (I will send pictures).

This week was great and read a talk by DIeter F. Uchtdorf "the Greatest Among you". I love this talk because it talks a lot about selfless service and even about leadership. As we give of ourselves we become more and more like the one who gave his all for us: the Savior. I love that quote. To become the greatest in the kingdom of God we have to serve. We need to serve because of a love for our savior and for the people. I have been so blessed to been able to serve as a missionary and so I know how important and great everyone's service is and it is always recognized by God! Let's follow the example of the Master and serve! Have a great week. Love you.

Love Elder Beck

sun and clouds

sunrise in entebbe? driving on the wrong side of the road!

MOM QUESTIONS: (to SIri)
1. Hey Siri...How many days til September 28th?

Siri....88!!!  
Me....88 days!!  say what??  88 days!  woot!

2.  Hey Siri...what's my favorite number?

Siri....  I can do many things,Angelita, but reading your mind is not one of them.
Me.... ha ha... my favorite number is 88!!! anything with an 8 in it!

On finding, being found and committing to ALL IN!

Hello! 

Elder Beck rabbit ears strikes again!!!  :)

go Jazz!!!

This week was great and we were able to find the elect and also the elect were able to find us!

So some different things that happened this week.......... Wednesday we had Zone Conference! It was amazing. The spirit was strong and the unity was powerful! President Collings is a great man! We have great missionaries right now. There is a different spirit of Desire to work and Unity that was not in Zone conferences 8 months ago. IT is cool to see the mission as a whole change for the good!

Entebbe beauty!

On Thursday we were able to work with a Less Active brother named Boscoe! He is huge and is so awesome! He loves the gospel and he knows it is true. He even came to church on Sunday again and he was wearing some really nice cowboy boots. I wish that I would have taken a picture with him. haha. We have also visited a ton of members this week and it has been amazing to help and get to know the members. They are true pioneers and are such strong disciples. They are few here and have many problems and things come up in their lives, but they still come through!

On Friday we were able to do some finding and we have been really focusing on finding the elect. I have been trying to get up everyday and have the faith that there are 5 people right now that I specifically need to teach and are ready for baptism. I read a bit of the book "member missionary work" it is a great book!. We said a prayer and we did some finding. We were able to teach 2 lesson's in the finding time that we had. The second lesson we taught was to a brother that was about 18 year's old. He gave up schooling and getting a job and becoming rich because he wanted to focus on God. He wants to teach and share with others. SO we said we can teach you how you can do that and at the same time share with you this unique message of truth! He listened and accepted baptism and came to church on SUnday! He is prepared!

Then on Friday night we were sitting at home and we get this call from former investigator that we had dropped. He said that a friend had come from the village and he wanted to meet with us! We were pumped and were surprised! We teach him the next day and have a great lesson with him and he asked inspired questions and he came to church the next day.

Then on Sunday we had a RC come with a friend to church. We taught her that night and she accepted baptism! The Lord truly blessed us to find some great people and for some great people to find us!

I love the talk by Gary B. Sebin this last conference. He talks about how we need to be all in! The Lord needs us to be willing and converted to him. We shouldn't be thinking of what is the least that I can do to get by or to go back to live with God. We need to be more willing to do more. To give of ourselves! To sacrifice for Christ! Because then the miracles will come, Then the change of heart, the change of life come. The power of God will flow in your life if you are ALL IN. It applies to everything! If we are not ALL IN we will miss some of the choicest blessings that God has in store for us. If we are ALL IN then we will receive the choicest blessings that God has for us! Alma 5:26. Have a great week.

Love you.

Love Elder Beck

goofing around!

Missionary bonding??  Looking good....finding...focused

Mom questions......
1.  Do you have a fav Book of Mormon person that you can really relate to?

It is hard to relate to such amazing people, but I really like Captain Moroni. He wasn't a prophet, but he was a mighty man in God!

2.  I love our comfy bed.  What's one comfort of home that you have missed?

I miss a nice bed, also a dishwasher, also a dryer, A/C, Hot water, oh sorry you only wanted one........

3.  What is the education system like there in Uganda?

The education system is really weird here. There are like 13 years of school. Primary 1-7 and Senior 1-6. A lot of people only go to Senior 4. It is confusing. College is different than University. Ya I am not 100% sure on the system still.

4. What helps you to stay focused on missionary work?

I think it is just thinking of Christ and having a reason and remembering why I came on mission. That was to do this work. SO why do I need to focus on anything else? That is what I think.

5.  Need anything?

Nope thanks. Love you.

Entebbe countryside

Lake Victoria?

Tiny frog

Missionary Fireside

Billy? and Brenda

Hello. 

This week was great and it went by really fast because of a missionary fireside we had. So it started out with some big news. We have been teaching this investigator named Brenda and we have been using a RM to help teach her and her brothers. She is the one that was baptized this Sunday. Well the Rm named Billy calls us and says that he is engaged and he wants to show us the video. SO we meet up with him and we watch the video and in the video he proposes to our Investigator.... Brenda! So They are going to get married. WOW............ We have a really good fellowshipper now. hahaha.  That was something exciting that happened. he is really happy and so is she. SO I hope all things work out for them and I am glad I was able to find Billy's wife for him. hahahahahaha. Eternal Marriage is important to salvation. hahaha   (I love this.... hilarious but awesome at the same time.  Elder Beck was so focused on teaching Brenda that he didn't see the love bug hit Billy and Brenda - - ha ha is right!)

Brenda's family

Smile Everyone!

Then on Wednesday we had an awesome District meeting with Kajjansi Elder's. there was a great spirit of Unity and love there and in doing the work. Gotta love the mission. Then we had a finding activity with 2 zones in Kabowa. It is where the missionary fireside will be taking place and so we went out finding from4-8pm inviting people to the fireside and even to teach them. It was good. It went by really fast and many people were contacted in a small amount of time. It is amazing how missionaries can be so willing to sacrifice their time in their area to go to another to try and help. It went really well though. 

On thursday we had an awesome day. We were able to get some new investigators and even set a baptism date with one of them!

On Friday we had the Fireside. IT was amazing! The spirit was great there! Many members came and even some visitors came! We had a powerful missionary choir and I was able to lead a discussion about using social media to share the gospel! IT went well even though I haven't used social media in like 2 years. hahaha. That is something I want to do back home. Is use social media to share more about the gospel with others. Also we heard from Bro Bill And Bro Raymond. They bore testimony about their experience of sharing and receiving the gospel! Represent Entebbe! Also a couple people that I remember contacting came to the event! It was an answer to my prayers because it seemed like most people have been rejecting what I have been sharing, but seeing those few people come to the fireside showed me that there are people that are ready and willing. ONe of those people was a guy named Shadrack. He is a cool guy. He only has one working leg because of Polio. He uses a stick to move around. It is amazing how he gets around. He came late, but we were sitting there and enjoying some refreshments and just talking. He said something that touched me. He said "I feel the love of God here". He talked about how there was something different and something great here that he could feel. It was the Love of God............ He said that this is the Love that can change people and even that he wanted to be apart of it. IT was amazing. It made me realize the spirit and love that was there at the fireside. This man felt it and he promised to come on Sunday and meet with the missionaries. Just a cool experience on Friday.

On Saturday, we had a lesson with Juma the blind man and also a member family. Both of them were just simple lesson's, but you could tell that the simple message we shared brought light unto them and just brightened their day. Again I felt the Love of God and the Light! 

Sunday we had a baptism of Sister Brenda. It was awesome. The members were all excited, Brenda was excited, and especially Billly. haha.(he is cracking me up!!)   We also visited another member family that we had taken awhile since visiting and again felt the Love of God. They thanked us for what we did as missionaries. People even when they face challenges are able to be grateful and also to be happy and put God first. It is amazing and humbling to see. Today we had a zone activity and we have an awesome zone. We played some games and had some food and laughed a lot. It was great and my zone is the best for sure. Missionaries are the best and this mission is the best!

Biker dude!

YO!

We cool!

weeeeeee!

fun times!

buddies!

This week I read in D&C 11. 13. It talks about the Light of the spirit and how it fills us with joy and  hope. That is what I experienced this week was the Light of the gospel and the spirit in individuals lives. It is something that is so distinct and so special. Only the Light of the gospel can change someone on the spot! Only the light of the gospel can satisfy our souls! We should seek for more light in our lives and see the light everyday. Have a great week. Love you guys.

love Elder Beck

Brother? (Juma?) and Elder Beck

MOM questions....

1.  What do you enjoy the most about your mission? Least?

I enjoy the members and teaching. And also learning from the other missionaries. I don't like the excuses that people have.

2. What are some terms or phrases used in Uganda that you would never hear in Idaho?

They use words like Nane, Gundi Auntie. It means something that you don't know the name of. Also phrases like Ova!, or Alow! When I get back I will tell you what I mean. haha. IT is funny. Also they always say "Well Done" LIke a greeting! Also they say "Tell me"............ Without saying anything specific.

3..Do they have trouble understanding what you are saying in English?

Some people yes, but they understand me pretty well compared to other americans. so I guess I am clear when I speak........

EYES.....
SMILES......
HAPPY.......... :) 

Hallelujah!

African cloud....because who doesn't love clouds?
And look at those animals....goats?
and the city
and the sign

hello. This week was a great week here in Entebbe. "where dreams come true"........:)

To start the week we had a great day. We had a meeting with the district leaders in the zone to talk about what to focus on this transfer. It went really well and there is some great counsel that has come from the Mission President. We also had a really nice day. One of the appointments we had bounced, so we decided to pray and find the person we need to find. After praying at the first gate we knock, the lord helps us find someone. We teach the security guard. He was a bit stubborn, but we hope that it was him we were suppose to meet at that time. Later we had a lesson with one of the Recent Converts we shared with him the Restoration, but asked him to think of people that he can share the gospel and need this message in their lives. At the end of the lesson. He said that he had many people that he wants to share with! Tender Mercy.............. 

ON Wednesday. We had a good day as well we did the same thing with another Recent Convert and again he had many people he wanted to share this message with. Sweet! We also have really tried to talk to as many people as we can and we are meeting a lot of new people. Some are interested and some are not, but meeting a lot of people none the less.

On Thursday we had a great day. We have this area right now that we have 4 or 5 different people that we see. So we just are blessed to have these people close by each other. We are also teaching Thomson. HE is the security guard at the apartment. He is a funny guy and has a lot of stories. Some are probably not true, but very entertaining. hahaha. We also got bounced and we were wondering what to do when both me and Elder Phire seemed to see a guy sitting in the park and we both just started walking towards him. We had a great lesson and again the Lord helped us find the person we needed to find.  Friday was good as well. Just a little tired of people always saying they will call us and they never do............ I should be used to it by now......... ha

The weekend was good. Especially Sunday. WE had a nice service. Funny part was during Fast and testimony meeting. One of our investigators goes up and starts to tell a story, but also shouts Hallelujah and tells us to shout amen back to him! hahahaha    He is a great guy and still learning about the church. But makes for a good laugh............ We met a new guy. He is firm in his church, but he is willing to learn and pray about our message. That is all we can ask and then let God guide them. We then had nothing to do so we went to this area and knocked some houses and weren't finding much success, but we kept going. Then the last house we went to we found someone to teach! *(it is always the last house). The Lord again helped us find another person to teach. It was a great week. WE have 2 people progressing to baptism a should be baptized this SUnday. YEA! THings are good. WE have a missionary fireside this week. WE are looking forward to that and hopefully we can get a lot of people to go! Should be a great week.

This week I was studying about Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdry. The Lord tells them that they have been given gifts from God and they need to remember where they came from and to use them! Then I thought all of us have gifts and talents that have been given to us. Sometimes we forget where they come from and sometimes we forget that we have them! All of us are God's children. He has given each of us special gifts and talents to accomplish his work and help others. Use those talents and gifts and seek to do what God needs you to do. We are sent here to this earth at this time for a reason and purpose. God knows all of us and loves us all. Alma 26:37?  Have a great week

Love Elder Beck

MOM questions...

1. you need anything?

I don't think I need anything right now.

2.  How's the humidity there?

The humidity is here. It is good. I am pretty used to it by now, but I still sweat so I know it is here. haha

3.  do you get much winds because it picked up here tonight and about blew us off the hill??

Not much wind here. Usually pretty calm

4.  We are excited about the recent IF temple rededication and cultural event.  How excited are the members there to get a temple closer to them?

People are excited, but they wanted it in Uganda not Kenya. hahaha