7 Months!

Hello Everyone! Lots happened this week!

On Tuesday we had a companion study with the Zone Leaders Elder Flake and Elder Webster. We talked about comp unity and teaching more out of the scriptures. That is something our mission has been trying to get better at doing. We have been spending a lot of our studies finding and memorizing scriptures and we have seen it help so much around here with the work and our finding efforts. Jamie texted us that night saying she had a breakdown at work but we could come see her for a minute so we dropped everything, went and bought her some cheesecake and headed over. She has a date for March 10th and is super excited. We are just as excited for her!!

 

On Wednesday we found another investigator named Gabrielle. She is a mom and has been looking for a church. She is so sweet and just loved everything we talked about. We went to see her a little late though so we were a little late to Book of Mormon class that night. The AP's came with their investigator. We are in the Isaiah chapters right now so we are just treking through. But it is a lot of fun to see everyone's insights on different verses.
 

On Thursday we were yet again awakened at 3am by the fire alarm. The fire department was there quicker though and we were back to bed quicker so that was nice. That morning we helped some of the members from the sisters ward move. It was a lot of fun to get out and be moving and lifting stuff again. It reminded me of lifting palm trees from the Hurricane. Crazy that was 6 months ago I was doing that. We had district training that afternoon and interviews with President Garns. I love him so much. He answered some questions that I had without even needing me to ask them. I believe that you are called to the Mission President. Not the mission. That night we were able to meet with Jamie again. She is just doing awesome and we love her so much!

 

Friday was temple day!!!!! It was a very need mercy. We woke up early to be seated by 7:45 and it was worth every second. I have missed that place so much and I am so grateful we were able to go. If you haven't been in the last week. GO! I promise you that you will never regret going to the temple. It will always give you the added strength that you need to keep going. I can testify of that. That day was thrown off a little cause that took up our morning but it was worth it. So we didn't do much that day. 

 

Saturday morning we met with Jamie again. She is getting better at her smoking habits and doing better every day. We taught her the Plan of Salvation and she loved it. I felt prompted to give her the picture that uncle Jared sent me at Christmas.  With everything that has been going on specifically in our mission lately, I am just so happy for the Plan of Salvation and the comfort and peace that it brings to each of us. Later that day Jamie testified of the same thing in a text she sent us. We had a blitz later that day and got to knock with our whole district which was really fun. Sister Noftle and I had to run from a dog but that's a different story. That night we went to the chapel for a baptism!! The Elders met Ninie a few weeks ago and she is just so awesome. She kept saying that she felt so good inside. We are proud of her. 

 

Sunday was awesome. Jamie came to church and President Turini and Claudio were able to give her a blessing to help her with her smoking. It was super cool to watch. Claudio gave her some awesome advice and she is getting better! That night we went to Claudio's house so we could try pig's feet. It honestly wasn't bad. Until he told us what we were eating. Then I mentally couldn't do it anymore. But you have to try it all right?

I love being here and being able to experience new things. I love the challenges our Father in Heaven give us so we can learn from them. I love the peace and hope this gospel brings. I love the added strength that comes from striving to attend the temple. I love being a missionary. I love the FFLM. I love my Savior. And I love all of you!! Keep being awesome and doing what the Lord would have you do! Have a great week!!
 

All my love,

Sister Beckstrand

Florida Sunshine: Drawbridges!!! They are everywhere in Ft. Laud. This one is right next to the chapel so we get held up there all the time.
Temple!!!

Ninie's baptism

Jamie's text 

Also, a sight I thought I never thought I would see on my mission

PENNY - These are some picture's I got this week from Claudio when he had Sophie and her companion over for dinner.  They had PIGS FEET!  He took a picture of her napkin drawings.

 

 

Would you be a Stranger?

Hello all!!!  It seems like so long since I emailed. We went to the temple so we had p-day today. Because it has been so long I am going to just email about everything that happened last week and then I will email about this week on Monday.

So on Tuesday the 13th we had Zone Conference! We had a guest speaker come and talk to us about the Word of God. The Word of God is the Iron Rod. It is the Sword of the Spirit. It is the peace we find every day. It is the only way unto salvation. It is how we must learn and grow and teach. In our mission we are starting to memorize scriptures to use at the door that can testify of principles. It has been a little challenging but I know that it is inspired and I have already seen it do wonders. We also watched a million videos about Safeguards for using technology. I was not excited about getting phones but now I am so happy we have them. We have to re-learn how to use them but I have a testimony that if technology is used the right way we can hasten the work of the Lord. I invite you all to post something gospel related on your favorite social media before Sunday and share your testimony or favorite scripture. It will make you feel good and I promise it will bless someone else's life too.

Wednesday was Valentines day!! We just had a normal day up until about an hour after we left service. We got a call from Claudio informing us about the school shooting in Coral Springs. Our area is about 40 minutes straight south of the high school. It was a very solemn day as we reflected on our lives and just how protected we are as the Lord's servants. The message we carry really is special and I have seen it change lives. These are the last days and we have to do everything we can to prepare for anything and everything. Living in Florida I have had to live through a Hurricane. But I have very quickly learned that Hurricanes are one of the only disasters that you can track and be prepared for. You can never be ready for a school shooting, for an earthquake, for an avalanche, for a plane crash, or for the Second Coming. No one knows when he will come so we have to be ready every minute of every day. And it all starts with within us. If Christ came today, would you be ready?

Thursday we got our smartphones! Ah they are so big and it is so weird to have another Samsung in my hand. I didn't think I would see one of those for another year but here we are. That day we went over to Shernette's house to help her clean out a closet. We cleaned for her and she made us Jerk Chicken!! Uncle Kyle was right. One of my favorite foods so far out here in Florida. We somehow got on the topic of lemonade stands and Shernette was so amazed that we actually have those in Utah so she is going to come check them out sometime.

Friday was a pretty normal day. We had service that day and then we had a Blitz with our zone. I love Fort Lauderdale. You can seriously drive for 5 minutes in any direction and feel like you are in an entirely different mission. It's quite fun. That night we had dinner with Claudio at Ihop. We accounted with our district leader that night and he challenged us to ask more inspired questions so that is something we have been working on as a companionship. It has really been working wonders. I love expanding what I know.

Saturday we started adding everything in our area book onto the phone. It is going to take such a long time but will be such a blessing when it is all on there. If we ever have an awkward amount of time or a lesson falls through, we can just open the app, see who is close, and go see them! Now we don't have to waste as much time trying to type them all in the GPS to see who is closest. We had a BBQ at the church that was pretty fun.

Sunday started way earlier than we wanted it to. At 3am sharp, we were promptly awakened by the fire alarm. We all rolled out of bed, put on some sandals, and headed out to the parking lot where we waited for the fire department to show up. It took them 25 minutes to find out nothing was wrong and then it took us another hour to fall back asleep. Lets just say it was a pretty long day for all four of us. Church was awesome though. Sister Reidhead gave an awesome talk on service to others. Another Sister talked about serving those who are new. Sometimes we go somewhere and we are a stranger and we want someone to welcome us but sometimes it doesn't happen so we can't let that happen to others. If you ever see someone you don't know in your ward, go find out who they are. Chances are, they don't know anyone there or anything about what church even is. They need a friend. She also talked about how we don't need to be a stranger to anyone. She then asked the question, "If Christ walked in right now, would you be a stranger?" It really got me pondering. Sometimes we all get caught up in the world, because no one is perfect, and we lose a little of that relationship with Christ. We all need to be as close to him as we can so if he were to show up, we wouldn't be strangers. We could just be friends and embrace and feel the love we each have for each other. Christ will never distance himself from us so if we feel distant, we need to find out where we are.

I love you all. I love this gospel. I know that as we live it we are blessed. I know through earnest prayer and scripture study we can build a relationship with Christ that we didn't know we could. I invite you all to start now to build that relationship with him. I know mine has definitely grown here on my mission. Find the time to go to the temple and always count your blessing. Keep your chin up and keep being awesome!!

All my love,

Sister Beckstrand

Florida Sunshine: Frogs!! They are all over the place! This is the smallest of the 6 we saw this week but it was the only one we got a picture of. They are fast little jumpers.

Sisters

District

The Burdicks! They go home soon:( We will miss them so much

 Happy Valentines Day!

  SMARTPHONES!

 

200 Days in So-Flo!

Hello everyone! I hope you have all had a great week so far out there in the real world. This week has been a great one. I officially hit my 200 day mark this week! It is crazy to me that I have been out here this long. It sure doesn't feel like it. 

Last Tuesday we had a super awesome District Training. We talked about the importance of setting a baptismal date with our investigators. It isn't just so we can count them but it gives them a goal to lean towards. A vision. In swim at the beginning of every season we would set goals of times we wanted to hit throughout the season. If we wouldn't have done that then there wouldn't have been anything to work towards. A baptismal date is the same thing. We have all been scared to set dates for some reason but we have been called to the Florida, Fort Lauderdale Mission to teach repentance and baptize converts. So that is what we need to do. 

 

Wednesday we had service in the morning at the food bank. That is always fun. The staff there is just so fun to talk to. When I get transferred out of this area at some point I will miss them just as much as I will miss my little branch. We ate dinner with one of our members that night. She lives right in the middle of a street called Sistrunk. Sistrunk is a red zone in our mission which means no one is allowed to tract there but we can still visit our members. It is basically the ghetto of Ft. Laud. It's a great street to drive down. We saw a family of raccoons before we went to see her so that was fun. Our member, Sister Whitney, is from Peru and Latins just love to feed the missionaries. Too much. We started with a bowl of chicken noodle soup and thought that was going to be it. It definitely filled me up. But then she brought out a huge plate of salad and potatoes and meat. And then to top it all of she made us eat a bowl full of horchata for dessert. I thought I was going to burst. That night we had our Book of Mormon class. Claudio showed up late but walked in with a huge smile on his face. Afterwards he showed off his new vial of oil and told us that he was just called as the new Young Men's President in our branch. We were so excited but he had no idea what that meant. 

 

Thursday we went on a mini exchange with the sisters to knock doors and then we ate lunch with them in the park. This is Sister Noftle's last transfer and Sister Tyrrell goes home next transfer so we have just been trying to have the best time that we can while we still have them. That night we went and got ice cream with Claudio and explained to him what it meant to be the Young Men's President. Needless to say, he is pumped about it and the boys are just going to love him. 

 

On Friday one of the ladies at service asked us exactly what it is we do as missionaries. We explained what we are and do and she loved it so much that she ordered us pizza haha. That night while we were knocking we met some cool people and taught some awesome lessons. One of the girls we found that night is named Shadade. I will talk more about her when we get to Sunday. She said she was having a hard time with her mom for the last week and just wanted to have a good relationship so we taught her the restoration and said a prayer and told her we would come back.

 

Saturday was a full day of fun experiences. We started the day with a comp study with our district leader Elder Mell. I love our leaders. He told us everything that we needed to hear that day. Then we went and finally had a lesson with Jamie. She has wanted to get baptized for the longest time but can't figure out how to give up smoking. We told her that if she really wanted to get baptized then we could help her stop and so could Christ's Atonement. We gave her two dates to pray about and then we were off. After we ate some lunch we headed to the park for an inter-faith event. Basically all the churches from the area set up booths and people could go around and ask questions and just learn more about everything. We had a family history booth there. It was a lot of fun. Before we left everyone got in a big circle in the middle of the park and held hands and we had a big prayer circle for a solid 15 minutes out in the sun. An experience I will never forget. That night we made a pit stop at Walmart to buy some biscuits and gravy because Sunday was Sister Noftle's birthday and that's all she wanted. We found out very quickly thought that we aren't moms and only know where sandwich stuff, tortillas, and ramen are in Walmart. So we had to find a mom and ask her where we could find gravy. It made me a lot more grateful for all the moms out there in the world. Especially my own mom. 

 

Sunday morning we woke up a little early and made biscuits and gravy for Sister Noftle. She loved it. Then we headed to church. Claudio got to come in to Branch Council with us. It made that meeting a lot more exciting. He is going to be great. Our church was double the size it usually is because we had a lot of people going on a cruise this week. I love when we get cruisers from Utah. They are so fun.  After church we got to meet with Jamie again.  She officially is going to be baptized on March 3rd and we are so excited for her!! But she is so ready and we are excited to help her. We came home and made a cake for Sister Noftle and then went knocking. We ended the night visiting Shadade. She hadn't kept her commitment but the Spirit told us we needed to read the pamphlet with her. So we took it page by page and explained it a little more. She loved it and she was the one that invited us to come back and can't wait to come to church next week. It was a great end to a long week. 

 

Life here in the FFLM is awesome. Sister Reidhead is the best trainee I could ask for. I am pretty sure I learn more from her than she learns from me. That's okay. She's the best. I hope you all have a great week this week and find the time to go to the temple! I commit you all!

 

All my love,

Sister Beckstrand

Florida Sunshine: This little ladybug we found while knocking!! I have never seen a ladybug here and it really just made our day. 

p.s. I forgot. Real Quick. Next week we are going to the TEMPLE!! So our p-day will be on Friday because that is the day we are going. So next time you hear from me will be then. LOVE YOU ALL!!!

Our Zone

We are always next to water wherever we are and it always kills me

Us chilling at the park after dinner

 

Racoons we saw

Our booth at the park

The Elders playing tug of war at the park

 

Changes are Happening

Hello everyone! There have been a lot of changes going on here in the Florida, Fort Lauderdale Mission. 

Starting with last Wednesday I got a new companion! Like, brand new! Life of a trainer right here. Her name is Sister Reidhead. She is from Arizona and is just the sweetest, cutest thing known to mankind. I couldn't have asked for a better trainee. We went to the chapel Wednesday morning and we had a meeting where all the new missionaries gave their testimonies and then we found out who our new comps would be. Had a little training as new trainers and then had lunch and everyone showed up for transfers. It was a party to say the least. I am so happy that I get the opportunity to introduce her to the FFLM. She is going to love it.

 

Thursday we had district training and practiced some role plays. It was good. Everyone in our district is training in some way or another. Pretty crazy. We found a super cool investigator that night. We were talking to her through her window and thought she was just going to send us away but the spirit told us to stay so we just kept asking her some get to know you questions. She eventually came outside and we were able to share the Restoration with her. Alex is a cop who is out of commission because of an injury that she got during a chase and has really been looking for some guidance in her life. We were so happy that we listened to the spirit and stayed. 

 

Friday we met Shernette at the chapel to help her start her family history work and find her some names she can take to the temple. We all learned really quickly that none of us knew what we were doing. But the spirit is just awesome and we figured it out. If you don't know how to do family history work I highly recommend you figure it out, haha. While we were trying to do it she called her mom to find a date and her mom was "overcome with the spirit" and started speaking in weird tongues and kept saying "Lord have mercy!!" over and over. It was so funny to listen to. She ended up calling her sister instead.

 

Saturday morning we got permission to go to the chapel to buy smartphones! That's right. Our mission is upgrading. We are getting smartphones this transfer at zone conference. I am so excited because now we can show videos to people and don't have to fill out a million papers. It is going to be so nice. No more slide phones. YESS!  That night while we were knocking we knocked on a door and it sounded like there was a lady outside on the phone so we just waited for someone to answer. As we were walking away, this man started yelling at his bird!!  We were caught off guard. It was so funny and sounded just like a real person. We laughed about it for a bit. That night we ate at Flannigans with the sisters, John and Claudio and his son Claudio Jr. It was a great time.

 

Sunday was fast Sunday! One more down in the books. We got there and found out last minute that we were going to teach Gospel Principles because the sister that usually teaches it had surgery on her thyroid last week and can't really talk. So we winged a lesson on prayer and it went really well. 

 

All in all it has been a great week. We are excited to see what this transfer has in store for us and to continue learning from each other. I hope you all have a great week and make time to go to the temple! I promise you wont regret it. I love you all!!

 

All my love,

Sister Beckstrand

Florida Sunshine: FLANNIGANS!!  It is a super Floridian restaurant down here that everyone goes to. We drive past it every time we go to the chapel. Full of good food and good memories.
Florida Sunshine

Last Day with Sister Smith.  We went Sun-rising before we headed to transfers. It was nice and cold and windy but it was fun to just be together one last time.

 First time I met Sister Reidhead

Our 4 generation picture. My trainer, her trainer and Sister Reidhead and I 

Our District and the other sisters, Sister Noftle and Sister Tyrrell

Claudio Jr. and me