Elder Beck's African Adventure: Baseball, piano playing and trusting the spirit

This picture makes his MOM so happy.....look how happy he is!!

Bring it!

Tossing the ball around...missionary style

Baseball tossing partner

Hello!! This week was great. Some great things happened with our investigators and also got to see and even play some baseball. Ahh it was great.

Tuesday. happy birthday dad. Got a new shower, so no bucket showers anymore. Booyah! ha Then we met a new investigator named Ernest. He is a super awesome guy. He first talked to us because he wanted to to know more about the bible and how to study it. We taught him the first lesson. He is super smart and super interested. We gave him a book of mormon. He is awesome.

Wednesday we visited Benard and Anipha. They seem like they are gonna make it for the 10th of July. SO super stoked for that family. They are awesome.

Thursday we did some service in the morning. Did some digging and weeding and such at a school. It is funny what people think about americans. haha. Also love it when the spirit prompts you to teach something different than what you planned and it becomes a great lesson. Trust in the spirit! Also when we were teaching a lesson I looked out and saw a baseball field! (I was still apart of the lesson, don't worry). SO after the lesson I had to go check it out. Turns out that there are two teams here they are sponsored by the Indian sugarcane company. Not sure if they are the ones that went to the little league world series last year. It was sweet to see some people playing baseball and that they have baseball here in Africa. Also had to show some Ugandans that I can actually do push-ups. Then they wouldn't do it when I asked them to show me. haha.

On Friday we had a good day had a great lesson where at first she wouldn't commit to come to church, but as we bore our testimony her heart softened and she committed to come to church. Trust in the spirit.

On Saturday we had a good day. Got bounced, but we helped clean the church and after I played catch with one of our investigators he is on one of the teams here. SO that was Awesome. It has been a long time since I have played catch and had a conversation. Man...... Baseball.(he loves baseball!) Also had a good lesson with a new investigator in the evening. Then found out that Ernest had finished the book of mormon and had some good questions. What!!!??? This guy is crazy! 5 days. powerful.

Then on Sunday we had a good day 58 at sacrament. Sometimes it is hard to have such a young branch that still is figuring it out when it comes to organization and such, but it is fun helping them. Also I have playing the piano in sacrament meeting so I am learning some small piano skills.(What in the world??!!?? Who is this person?!!?) Also had some interesting lessons later in the day. Let us just say keep the Law of Chastity kids. It saves from a lot of problems in the future. Today, we had a chill day. Stayed around the house and played some soccer. My skills are getting pretty good as well. ha.

Also had an awesome week of personal study. Learned so many great things. I have been loving studying the Doctrine and Covenants. There is some powerful revelation there. One of my favorite sections is 19. I love when it talks about the atonement. Verses 15-19. Some of my favorite scriptures on the atonement. Go and study it. Something that hit me was that Jesus Christ suffered for each and everyone of us individually. He has hope and love so great for each of us. Even though he probablly knew some people wouldn't use his sacrifice. He still suffered for each and everyone of us. He provided each of us a way back to our Heavenly Father. Let us not waste it, but use it to strengthen us every single day and week. That we can find ourselves with our families and Heavenly Father again someday. I know Jesus Christ is our Savior and Redeemer. Love YOU. Have a great week.

Love Elder Beck

Mom questions..
1. Have you seen the influence of women who choose to accept the gospel in their lives and then their decision affect others in their family in bringing them into the gospel?
That is a good question, but I haven't seen that happen directly, but I think I have seen it happen with a couple families. Where the wife is the one that introduces it to the husband or the one that gets the husband interested, but I can't point out a specific time.

2. What's something in your life that you feel like has change for you or that you have grown stronger in As a result of being a missionary?
My testimony, my knowledge, my english, Listening to the spirit, Charity.

3. What would you say is harder being away from your home and family or learning to live with a complete stranger and becoming companions with them?

The harder one is leaving family. The stranger thing isn't that hard,
sometimes frustrating , but I am easy.

4. Where do you see the beauty in Africa? do you see it in the landscape, vegetation, animals, sky, people?
I see it in different ways in different places, but I always seem to
find it in the landscape or the sky wherever I go.

5. Spiritually, what has brought you the most happiness on your mission?
Finding and teaching a full family that is humble and wants to learn
the restored gospel. Also personal study. I love personal study each
morning.

Thank you mother. Love you.

Love Elder Beck

Here is the quote from president Monson...
> This is our one and only chance at mortal life—here and now. The longer we
> live, the greater is our realization that it is brief. Opportunities come,
> and then they are gone.
> "I believe that among the greatest lessons we are to learn in this short
> sojourn upon the earth are lessons that help us distinguish between what is
> important and what is not.
> "I plead with you not to let those most important things pass you by as you
> plan for that illusive and non-existent future when you will have time to
> do all that you want to do. Instead, find joy in the journey—now."
> Pres Monson.