New comp: Elder Giron/Transfered to Cedeno

I had to go read Ether 12. It made me feel better too!! Mitch got some bad news from home last week, and I was worried he would be down and out. Wow quite the opposite!! (this is one happy missionary) I was hoping that he would get to baptise in the ocean-it could happen!!!
To those who sent him uplifting letters and e-mails I thank you very much!!! Thank you for all of your prayers in his behalf. My testimony of prayer has again been strenghtened. . . Love

Well, put your seatbelts on and get ready cause this week I have some really really good news.
So you know how every missionary has this crazy dream of being the cool missionary that gets the really, really crazy calling all the sudden and gets sent to some remote place to open an area and a branch and start the church in unknown lands???
Well Tuesday night I was anxiously waiting for my new change, I previously knew that I would be leaving an area. So after waiting anxiously for an hour or two I finally recieved my change. The assistence told me that I was going to a place called Cedeño to open up the area with Elder Giron. So let me explain to you all a little bit about this change.
Cedeño is a beach here in Honduras, so my new area is the beach, and my job is to open up the area and form the church here in Cedeño, I have a head start though because the branch President from another ward lives out here. So were going to start a branch here on the beach the three of us.. which is a really amazing calling, and suddenly I don't want to go home anymore, not at all. I love my new area!!! The branch president lives right on the beach and that is where we eat lunch everyday, sooooo every day I eat seafood which involves fish, shrimp, crab, oysters and other such things, on the beach while looking out towards the ocean. I think dad would enjoy this area a lot. but it gets even better, and a little bit harder. I'm still a zone leader so I have to manage the zone as well, but get this. Im opening a new zone as well, as in We are opening a zone here in this new area and I'm in charge of managing it and making sure everything goes smoothly. WOW, I was shocked, President told me the next day that he trusted in me Alot, enough to do that. So I have quite a huge responsability, which is good cause of all the fun things that are going on at home, speakin of which. I only want happiness at the airport, everyone and everything that causes drama and problems is not included in that.
So thats whats going on here, I'm not one to boast, but I think you really can be proud of me for this one, Opening an area and a zone is a really big responsability, especially if your area has never had missionaries before. CRAZY.
So thats whats going on here, Its perfect cause Im learning that things change, and sometimes not for the best. So instead of dwelling on these changes, that I can't control, Im just gonna take what I have and run with it. Its what we all have to do, and never forget who we are and what we stand for!!!
So yeah, And thank you soooo much for keeping the contact with all those coaches, I was worried for a while that I wasnt gonna be playin football when I got home, hopefully everything works out.
Well my testimony keeps growing as well here, its true what is said in Ether 12, it only will make me stronger as well as all of us.
Well I love you all and hope that everything is going better there in the states. Peace out and have a great week.
Elder Beckstead

Changes on Wednesday

Whats up family?? Hows goes the battle there in the states??? I'm guessin pretty good cuz the states are pretty stinkin cool.
Well here everything is going pretty well, were still working and trying for success, o hey, just so you know, I sent you a tape that I made in return for the one you sent me so watch for it in the mail, you should be gettin it here any day now.
So wow, I cant believe the Whimpey twins are going to USU to play football, thats kinda crazy. Who knows, maybe I'll end up there too. That would be pretty stinkin cool i'd say. Have you talked to them recently or anything??
Well acceleration sounds pretty good I guess so I'll keep you updated on that one.
So thats too bad the boys lost in Preston, I would probably get pretty mad if I was there!!haha
The weight gainin powder is holding up really well so don't worry about that either. We're good, I actually weigh like 230 pounds right now, so I'm happy about that. I just hope that they don't send me to the south this change, cuz thats where I always seem to lose weight. But if they do, i'll be happy to go.
I'm excited though cuz I will probably be going into my last area of the mission so thats gonna be pretty intense. I never though that would happen, and i've almost officially been away from home for 20 months. WOW it's just crazy, I think it's true what they say about time, it just goes soo fast here in the mission It feels like I just got here a few weeks ago. Its CRAZY
I'm thinkin i'll be home before I know it. WEIRD!!!! but yeah, I dont know what else to say, ill send you a good e-mail next week with some cool news.
I love you all and talk to ya later.
Eder Beckstead

This place is going to Flourish-it's going to be great!!

Hey fam whats up???
SO whats going on there in the states, thanks soo much for emailing that coach for me, its good to know that they still think about me once in a while.
So just let me know about any new results or anything.
So Whats new there in the usa??? Hows my boys doing??? im thinkin pretty good, I hear that the basketball team is tearin it up right now, thats pretty cool!!! Peyton wrote me this week, sounds like he did pretty good in the basketball camp that he went to.
I cant believe its been over a week since I talked to you all on the phone, wow that was a fast week. CRAZY!!!
Ok so Elder Browns MOM might call you and mention something to you about a holey shirt, do not worry about it I have plenty of shirts. Elder Brown is LOCO haha!
So this week has been a good week, its kinda hard cause were in a little district and they need alot of help. Me and my comp are pretty much running the entire district, were trying to teach the leaders here how everything works and stuff but they seem to not care somtimes. So were just pushing along, its hard at times to get work done in our area and stuff, but its ok, were planting a lot of seeds and when the leaders finally figure out whats going on, this place is gonna flourish!!! Its gonna be great.
Well I love you all, and miss you more and more each day.
Peace out and I'll see you in 4
Elder Beckstead

Mitch needs new pants!!!

Hey whats up family,
How goes the battle there in the US??
WOW how amazing was it to hear your voices again, But you know it was quite the shocker to hear about several things that are happening there in the states right now.
I miss the crap outta yall but im kinda nervous to come home now. haha crazy.
So Hows Kade doing?? Is he liking the MTC?? That place was amazing, I cant believe I wanted to leave the whole time I was there, I wish I would have just enjoyed it instead. But oh well.
SO what else is new there in the states??? I really dont know what else to say other than that. We pretty much got it all out of us in the last talk, Oh so heres a sign that im gainin a little bit of weight, the other day I was here playin ping pong with the others from the zone for Pday and I bent over to pick the ball up and rrrrrrrrrriiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiippppppppppp a hole the size of a football ripped in my pants. So it was a very awkward rest of the day, I didn't have another pair of clothes so I just walked around like that the rest of the day, and that was about it.
pretty embarrassing though. haha
Well so was Grandma happy to hear from me or anything??? It sure was great to hear from her!!! she sounds awesome!!
SO dont worry about me, im concentrated on the work, the classes really never cross my mind until p-day or when Im talking to all of you, I just don't know what else to talk about anymore, plus I dont wanna get home and be stumped.
Just know that im working and i'm happy here in the mission and that I know that the Lord will take care of everything.
Well I love you all
Tell my boys I love them with all my heart!
Peace out
Elder Beckstead

Some funny stories that happen "Only in Honduras!"

Whats up familia??? como estan todos???
Well here in Honduras were gettin pretty excited to make that phone call home!! Im thinkin that i'm gonna call Saturday at like 3 in the afternoon. So if we're one hour behind, that means that at four your time i'll be makin the call, so be ready and have a list of questions ready!!! ok!!!!
So I hope you all have a great Christmas too, I do miss going to all the kids houses the day of Christmas and seein what they got from Santa, especially Toni's house cause she would always load up on those boys, I would end up playin with all their toys too so it worked out good for me, haha
So haha!! heres a funny, only in Honduras story, So most people here have outhouses.....still, well anyway we walked past some dudes house and got to have the pleasure of seeing him outside doing the number 2. it was sooo neat!! he even saw us and really didnt think anything of it, haha seriously everywhere you go there are people peeing on the side of the road, like even downtown people will just stop what they are doing and pee on the side of the road. It's a little wierd but I think I could get used to it, I've never been to fond of bathrooms.
So another thing that happened this week, I dont know if you all know this but people here are really really small, I tower over everyone here, and weigh like ten times as much as anyone. So the other day were sittin in a lesson and i'm sittin in some guys chair, and the leg of the chair just snapped in half and down I went to the floor. I would have been more surprised but thats happened to me many times in the mission, Im just surprised they don't get mad and make me pay for the chairs.
Oh yeah, another ONLY IN HONDURAS MOMENT, we were in church in the sacrament meeting and everyone is trying to be quiet and keep reverence right??? haha then suddenly I hear someone open a pop can. hahaha it was soooo funny, but something that happens every so often here only in Honduras in your usual sac meeting.
So I have a question, Has tyler called the new coach at ISU about my Scholly?? If he could do that it would be really really cool. I would like to know.

OK the funniest thing Ive ever seen, We had a district meeting last
Thursday and a drunk dude walked in and started making a mockery of things, haha it was soooo funny, we tryed to make him leave but he didn't want to, so we just let him chill there. It was soo funny, he tried to lead music and always wanted to make comments on the lesson. Funniest thing ever.
So yeah that was a little bit of my week, a pretty eventful week if you asked me. It was pretty fun I guess, for a week in Honduras.

But yeah Love you all and Ill talk to you on Monday!!!!
Elder Beckstead

Today is exactly 19 months!!

Whats up MOM and family,
SO how goes the battle, hows the winter and snow there in the good ole US?? I'm guessin that its getting pretty cold, how about a white Christmas, you gonna have it this year????
So wow, Kade is going out already, thats soooooo crazy. hahah hes just starting. Well it'll be over before he knows it.
So you all better be talkin to my boys about their missions, I'm thinkin that all 7 better get their butts out there, OR ELSE. tell them I said that. haha
So it looks like i'm gonna have to chat with Tori's husband a lil then, I know several people from that area, ive never had a comp from Panama, but I do know a bunch of people from that area. And I know several people that have been called to serve there.
SO you all excited for the phone call?? I hope so, So who do you think all will be there????
So Id send
Tukker a letter but I need his address or somthing, Tell the sucker to get out on a mission and that he'll never ever regret it.
OK so I got all the packages, and I loved them, I was soooooo blessed with 4 packages this week. Chris White sent me one too and I was in heaven eating those twix bars, Tell her thanks, I loved it and its great to hear from her and hear about the familia.
And Mandis package as well, loved that one too, haha tell Chuck to quit slackin eh??? hahah just playin I know she hooked me up with the protein, thanks by the way. I love it.
So I heard the tape....I couldn't stop listening to it. hahaha I loved the part when the little boys were tellin me their favorite book of mormon stories and Colby blurts out, DRIVE SAFE OK!! hahaha I died of laughter.. So was that Jace or Judd that was talkin to me??? I really couldnt tell the difference. hes sounds a lot different. My friends sound soooo weird, Jake sounds normal, and Jakes voice is the same. That was a great part of the tape too, loved it. And tell zac and kade thanx too, they said a lot of nice things and it meant a lot to me. Tell them boys I love them!! Thanks to everyone who talked tell them I love them.
And the photo album, talk about the best Christmas pictures ever, I couldn't stop looking at it. I loved it that much. Im still lookin at it, Kate looks real good. I cant wait to throw the saddle on her and go for a ride. I hope shes trained, Hows Chirp doin???
Well I hope everything goes well, next week we'll get everything set up for the phone call ite???
Love you all and peace out
Elder Beckstead

Whitewashing a new area: La Villa De San Fransisco

Howdy family,

Well its good to hear that your all missin me. I miss you all too, this whole Christmas spirit in Honduras makes me miss you all that much more, but at the same time I know that what I'm doing is the most important thing in this world. So that kinda helps a bit, but I'll be home next year so don't even worry about it.
So how are y'all doing, How bout them Pirates, and hows it looking for the basketball team this year???
SO you liked the connection letter huh??? well I think its gonna be my last one so I had to load it with some good stuff.
So its good to hear that the football tradition is still alive there at home, It's pretty interesting to see everyone and there opinions on where they want me to go, I didn't see to many people that said USU but thats all good. Well see what ends up happening there. Regardless the decision will be made after the mission. Like the week after the mission, ahaha
OK so about the changes, So here in Honduras I got a change, sort of.. I'm still with Elder Mcallster but we changed areas, we're whitewashing into a place called La villa de san fransisco. Its a cool little place and the members are really cool and willin to work. We just have to give them a little bit of a púsh and lead them into the right direction. Kinda like a blind person that has tons of energy. So this is gonna be really interesting..
I think well have a lot of success, and pray for it daily so I'm excted..
So I got your protein that you all sent me and I love it. Thank you all so much for that, I love it. But the clothes I havent gotten them yet, and I also got a package from Deon, I loved it by the way. Tell her thank you!!
haha I was pretty excited about Kade too, haha hes a neat dude. I bet he';s gonna love his mission there in So Dakota.
SO im soo excited to talk to you all on Christmas, only 19 more days, haha I guess, SO i'll fill you in more about that after, I would kinda like to chat with Jesse again too, that would be sweet. And of course the usual as well.
Well thank you all for the prayers and everything. Just know that I'm missin you all every day more and more. I love you all and hope things are going well. have A GREAT WEEK.
Love you
Elder Beckstead