Christmas!

IT'S CHRISTMAS!!!

Being a missionary at this time of the year is legit so fun, especially with our Light the World video we are sharing with everyone. In finding, sometimes we just have the person pull out their phone, and watch the video right there and then. It immediately invites the spirit, despite what's going on around them. It's wonderful and amazing to see how the spirit works.

Not a lot to report this week because people are gone for the holidays, so it's a little hard to work with our investigators at the moment, saipei though. However, with Christmas this week, we've had so many members (I believe at least 7 members have come up to us, oh and an investigator) have invited us over for to spend Christmas and Christmas Eve with them. It blows my mind. Before my mission, I would have been so selfish and would want to just spend Christmas with my family, definitely NOT with a couple of ding dong missionaries. But this area is not like any other area! Or like me at all! Haha, thank heavens! The members are so Christlike! Yesterday as we were singing Away In a Manger at church, I reflected on the many members who have approached me and asked if we wanted to come over. I began to tear up as I had wished I could've been there to witness and see the Savior at his birth on that first Christmas day. But this Christmas, I actually see Christ in all of these people. I am overwhelmed at the generosity and love I feel from these people in Canberra. I hope the Lord blesses me and allows me to stay for one more transfer.

Happy Christmas everyone! Remember you Savior this Christmas day!

Love,

Sister Beck

-So yesterday the community had put together a walk-in Nativity scene and they asked the whole zone of missionaries to be the Angelic choir singing to the shepherds and sing Christmas songs. STRICTLY only Christmas songs, because we were singing in another church and other churches (along with ours) were pulling this together. So no proselyting was allowed, BUT cool story, one non member bro had one of our hymn books and was just flicking through the pages and asked us to sing a bunch of random songs like, "I Know that My Redeemer Lives", "Be still my soul" and the best one..."Families can be together forever"! How awesome is that! The Lord still blessed us as we were able to teach through songs :) But yes, we quite enjoyed our gospel choir sashes, and yes we were praising, swaying, snapping and hallelujah-ing haha.

-Dad, I did the traditional bike pic the family does! Oh and Sister Whaanga wanted to do one too hahaha. If you wanna print that out and add her to the collection she would appreciate that haha.

-We did a lesson with TJ on missionary work and service and made him a missionary name tag, he LOVED IT!

-His siblings wanted a pic with Elder Hippi haha

-Roman soldier-aka our Stake President haha

-And Sister Mariner!

David Archuleta and Elvis spicing up the season!

So usually in our mission we're only allowed to listen to Mormon Tabernacle Choir music but our President gave us a handful of Christmas music we are allowed to jam out to and my David and Elvis are on there! Blessings ya'll, blessings. Although Sister Mariner changes the songs when I start swooning over them haha. Crack up.

Well Theresa's son TJ is on baptismal date for the 31st of December!! Woot woot! Me and Sister Mariner prayed for what day the Lord wanted him to be baptized and I wasn't sure until I actually said it in our lesson. The spirit brought out the 31st and Theresa and TJ were so happy. Theresa just kept saying "Really? Really?" Haha. She said it was perfect because she wanted it to happen before the new year. Hopefully I don't get transferred before that!

Tammey is on date for the 31st as well and hasn't smoked in 2 WHOLE FLIPPIN WEEKS!

Another cool experience we were doing some finding and Theresa called us up and asked us to come over immediately. We did and she told us that she felt unsafe and wanted us to just be with her and her kids because she could feel God with us and feel that spirit in her home. It was very humbling to hear her say that. People recognize us as disciples of Christ not just because of our name tags. Hearing her say that has motivated me to be exactly obedient and to be worthy of the Holy Ghost at all times. Because if we're not, who would we be effecting? Our actions as a missionary not only effect us but the people we are meant to help.

One last thing before I finish this email was a lesson we had in Relief Society yesterday. It was about a pig and a chicken on a farm lolz. One was a contributor and one was a committer. The chicken contributed an egg and the pig committed it's life *hand motion of me slicing my neck...you get the picture right?* Liken that to your lives. Are you committed to this gospel or are you just a contributor? After church we had so many members come up to us and asked to have us missionaries come over for a feed, to come out with us in our appointments, and inviting us and our investigators over. It was awesome. So many committers! Ask yourself that tonight and show your commitment to the Lord by helping the work press forward and build up His kingdom with the missionaries.

I love you all! Have a jolly week!

Sister Beck

-Zone conference

-Teaching my sisters how to eat my unhealthy american snack food lol: Quesadillas, chips and salsa, oh and we were making mac 'n cheese at the time...Australian version, not so good.

Sister Whanga (from New Zealand), Sister Nilsson (Canada), Sister Mariner (Samoa)

-We had a ward activity on an island and got to ride in a ferry! Well they called it jetty lol. Sister Mariner and Elder Fifita 

- Last Pday we went go carting with the whole district (we got permission from President, no worries haha but it was soooooo fun) I got third, no big deal: Elder Fifita (Melbourne), Elder Murphy (England)

-The rejects...nah jokes haha the last three places though: Elder Paongo (Las Vegas) Elder Kapua (New Zealand)

 Helping to put up a tree at an investigator's house

 Tree in our apartment.  My stocking and Christmas stories under the tree.

The Field is So White!

Have I mentioned how much I love Can'bruh? These people man. They're so prepared. 

Tammey has gone a full week without smoking and is progressing towards her baptism! Stephanie, our recent convert, her sister came to our Relief Society and Ward Christmas Party this past week and said, "What do I have to do to be baptized?" Yeah. Mouth. Dropped. 

We're also working with a less active/part member family Theresa (member) who is a mother of 8 kids, her son TJ is 9 and wants to be baptized. About a week ago Theresa asked us to give her some space for a couple of weeks but then the other day she rang us and asked to come over. We dropped everything and came to her house and she was very distressed. We asked if she wanted a Priesthood blessing and she said yes. Brother Saddler, our member, came straight away and gave her and her daughter, May a Priesthood Blessing. In both blessings he mentioned that one day Theresa would be able to take her family to the temple and be sealed for time and all eternity. In her daughter's blessing he said that one day a worthy man would take her to the temple and be sealed for time and all eternity. I was just in tears. I began to realize that this missionary work is not just an 18 month work. It's an eternal work. And I'm so grateful to be apart of it.

I'll finish up this email with a dream that I had the other day. Yep, just call me Lehi. I feel like it's relevant to my family and to the world we live in today. 

I dreamed that I was in a running in a race. I was of course the slowest one and it felt like a long az race. Through the race I was in an out of my lane as I couldn't run straight because I was so tired. But, nevertheless, I finished. The person who had the stop watch told me my time at the end and congratulated me on finishing. After the Race all of the racers went under the track in some sort of basement. I heard a girl talking to the stop watch person and she was straight up trash talking me! Psh. she was saying that I should've been docked points because I was in an out of my lane lol. And that I was a terrible runner, pretty much putting me down after what felt like the race of my life. But I went up to her, looked her right in the eye, and then stole her medal hahahah jokes.I just brushed past them and walked up the stairs back to the main level. Up the stairs there was a huge ray of sunlight coming down on me. And then I woke up. 

That race is life ya'll. Running in and out of our lane is when we get off the straight and narrow path and life seems more difficult and harder to endure. And that punk of a girl was of course Satan trying to put me down even after I finished my race or endured through a trial, or discrediting me as a child of God. Don't let him do that to you! Just steal the medal and move on lol. And then Satan will stay behind in that basement while you climb those stairs back to your Heavenly Father. But we gotta finish the race and not waver from the straight and narrow path. 

I hope that all made sense but I'm so grateful to have the knowledge of this gospel. Without it I would be running in circles and definitely not on that straight and narrow path haha. I love my Heavenly Father and my Savior, Jesus Christ. I'm grateful that I get to testify of them everyday for 18 months. This is His work. I love you all!

Strength and Honor

Sister Beck

 

1. Our Recent Convert let us decorate her Christmas tree! Made my life.

2. Peta (Recent Convert's daughter) and Sister Mariner

3. We went to Questacon last PDay (place with lots of fun hands on science experiements, mainly a place for kiddos but oh well lol) I've gained some weight on the mish...actually true, the mirror is not deceiving you lol.

4. We had a sleepover at our senior couple's house, the Clarks, for Sister Rollins last PDay with us :( She's dying!)

So Much To Be Thankful For

Hello family! Tammey is doing super well, however she has a smoking problem so we're not sure about her 10th of December baptismal date. But we will work with her. She has a strong desire to quit smoking and wants so badly to follow Jesus Christ. The Lord has definitely been preparing her. We taught her the Word of Wisdom and her response through the list of things the Lord revealed for us to not do was "Yep, coffee, that can go, tea that can go, drugs, no problem I tried to quit smoking for the doctors before and couldn't, but for God I can!" Hahaha. I love her. She will be baptized. Whether it's with us or some other missionaries it doesn't matter. She's so golden. 

Saturday we had a lesson with Thandar, Angus and Clive about the Book of Mormon and they had a friend over, Josh. Angus and Clive were just little missionaries over here teaching him about the Book of Mormon, 3 Nephi 11 (when the Savior comes) and about baptism. I was just crying over here in the background, no big deal, the Spirit was so strong as I was looking at these future missionaries. I was teasing the boys, when they go on their missions, they gotta come to Iowa and teach my kids :) 

We also had our Zone Training Meeting this past week and it was very Jesus Christ oriented as the holidays are rolling around. The most popular question that is asked around Christmas time is, "Are you ready for Christmas?" and as missionaries, we're going around and asking everyone, "Are you ready for the Savior this Christmas?" Pretty crazy, aye? If the Savior came right now, would we be prepared? What's something that would hold us back or that's not aligned with what the Savior would have us be doing? I invite everyone to ponder that question tonight in their studies and think about one thing you could stop doing, and one thing you could start doing to prepare yourself for the Savior and for this WONDERFUL time of the year :) Oh and check out the church's new Christmas initiative video called "Light the World" at www.mormon.org I love you all so much!

Have a great week!

Sister Beck

1. My boys! My crazy boys!

2. Another Joey! He's like, "Don't touch me, don't touch me, don't touch me" hahah.

3. Pat and Hank! Pat is a member and Hank is the one with Alzheimer that I told you about awhile back who we've tried to get on date, but he keeps forgetting everything :( so sad. Pray for him! I love that kid, he's my best friend!