Wallet Stolen in church/ Letter to Mom!!

Hey there family, whats going on?
Well yet another week has gone by here in the mission and im still pretty darn happy here in Monjaras. I love my area still even though we're starting to see a few obstacles. We're still having a lot of success and i'm lovin it. This week was great too!!! other than the whole my wallet being robbed thing, some kid snuck into church and grabbed my wallet and ran out without me knowing, then he returned the wallet but it was missing the debit card, so thats what Friday's e-mail was all about.
Sorry about that, the truth is, that it was all my fault, I left the wallet out on accident and here in Honduras things like that happen all the time, you have to be really, really aware always and you really have to take good care of your stuff. But don't worry Im fine, I just am going to have to learn how to budget my money a little bit better. Which is a good thing so in all reality its an opportunity.
So sounds like the boys HS Basketball team did alright, its too bad, they should have won it all but they beat Soda so that is whats important. I do not like Soda or Aberdeen very much. In my time in high school Malad never posed too much of a threat so I was never to worried about them therefore I dont hate them as much.
So sounds like everyone of my boys are doing good, hopefully. I can't wait to see them and give them all a big huge, hug. I think Im gonna give them the first hug, Probably Peyton, That kid is soooo strong and I miss the crap outta him.
So this week i've been really working hard to contact, before we had some references that we were working with and were always busy with, but now we have a lot more finding to do, our best investigator was attacked by a bunch of catholics and no longer wants to get baptised, which is really really sad cuz she is awesome. But we'll see. We've been contacting like crazy this week, it hard cuz my comp hates to contact and stuff but I make him, hahaha he always goes into the houses totally quiet and doesn't talk much, but thats ok, I can do it just fine, besides he always ends up teaching with me before its over anyway, its getting him into the house thats the problem. But I love the kid, Hes had a lot of challenges in his life so its cool to see the change in him and the blessings he's bringing to his family. I love joking around with him and stuff.

Here there are a lot of naked babies, everywhere you go there is a naked baby standing there staring at you, haha. So here we play a game where, every time you see a naked baby, you punch your companion. So he gets hit a lot. Its pretty fun and it keeps our spirits up. I just cant imagine going to a place in the states and seeing so many naked babies! It's pretty funny actually.
Well so thats what's new here in Honduras, you all know im not way good when it comes to writing long letters, but im trying to get better.
Love you all take care of my boys and have a good weekend.
Elder Beckstead



Hey there Mom
just wanted to send you a quick letter telling you about how much I love you and am thankful for everything you are doing. A mom from here that has a kid on the mission just walked in and had me help her print off a paper of his last letter to her, She was soooo excited I wish you could have seen her happy smiley face after recieving that email. Thats kinda how I picture you when you get my email, all giddy and crazy about it. haha well at least I hope.
Its sad, that lady really doesnt have much, well in all reality all she has is the gospel and shes really, really happy. Why can't other people learn??? Why is it soo hard??? You know, it was hard for me to gain a knowledge of this gospel due to my ignorance, but now that I have one, it will be hard to lose it.
Love you
Elder Beckstead

Still in Cedeno-Setting up the Church!!

Hey there fam!!! whats up?
Hows everything going there in the US??
Everything here is great as usual. Were still havin a great time and the zone still looks really really great, weve been concentrating on finding familes recently cause were looking to turn this district into a stake here within a few months, but we need a lot more families. This place is chosen of God therefore we can do it, seriously if a missionary comes into this zone and just works hard, he has a lot of success. I love it here!!
So we had changes, Elder Brown left unfortunately, but a pretty good Elder took his place so were not too bad I guess, but it was an amazing change other than that. We lost a lot of the trouble makers and gained a ton of amazing missionaries!!! Im really excited, I didn't have changes though, which is OK cause I really like my comp and my area, but im thinkin I'll end my mission here in this area, well about 90 percent, if not ill be training and opening another area, but well see what happens. I think ill be staying which is ok.
So Tyler seems pretty excited, Im pretty excited too, Now I just got to get everything taken care of here and work really hard so we can have some baptisms and he can see what its all about.
I know that he's gonna love it here. This place is really, really cool.
So other than that nuttin much is happening here, just doing our best to find the hidden families that need and want this gospel. So far we've been pretty lucky, we have some amazing members here now so im happy, haha its weird cause everyone we baptise gets a calling right away, which is how its supposed to be. But we've had to baptise the presidents in every organization and their counselers, hahah so weve been doing a lot of training meetings and stuff, Its really fun though to see what its like to be setting up the church here for the first time. I really enjoy it but at times is easy to lose patience.
Well I love you all ~Take care of yourselves and well talk next week.
Elder Beckstead

18 Baptisms in the new Zone-A day with E Marecos!

About 9 of us missionary moms with sons in Honduras met together in SLC on Friday

We enjoyed a session at the temple and had lunch at the Joseph Smith Building

It was a great experience. The temple officiater told us that our sons would be blessed

because of our attendance. It was awesome!

Left to Right-Lori, Paige, Jody, Sherry, Linda, Renee, Robin, Rina and Bernice
Left to Right: Bernice, Sherry, Robin, Renee, Linda, Lori, Jody Paige and Rina
The four ladies on the Left have sons in San Pedro Sula and the four on the
Right have sons in Tegucigalpa!!!


Hey guys whats going on there in the US???
Everything here is going really well. This weekend was a fantastic weekend, in the zone we had 18 baptisms, which is a pretty darn good number, well i've never seen a number that high before, so were pretty proud of the missionaries here, they are all workin really hard.
It was awesome, we were also fortunate enough to have a few baptisms here in Cedeño, I was really stoked cause I can see this place progressing alot already, it's really amazing how God does everything then just puts two missionaries in to witness the blessings. I'm still loving it.
This is kinda strange, after this week ill only have 11 weeks left in the mission and if you think about it, only 10 because Tyler is coming to get me a week early and that week is gonna fly by.
But yeah, I was able to do divisions with an ex companion of mine, Elder Marecos, this kid is probably one of my favorite comps that i've had too, he's had a pretty rough mission so it was good to go and help him out for a day and work with him. He's a real great guy, I told him that he should come to the states to study and room with me in college. I think he really wants to do it! I thought that was pretty funny but he has the way to do it so well see.
So what else is new there in the states, I guess by this time next week well know if West Side is on its way to state or not eh???
They better be, those guys have too much potental to not make it to the big dance!! So who are the posts they have there?? Tanner and who else??
So it sounds like you had a grea trip to Salt Lake, I didn't know you were such good friends with Elder Moores mom, thats crazy!! he's a real great guy and I bet an amazing missionary there in San Pedro, I do know that he is a ZL and has been for some time now so I imagine that hes tearing it up.
So that paper you sent last week, You should be getting that by today or tomorrow, I think one of the Aps is gonna call you and fax it to you or something, Why did you need that paper again????
And about the seafood, YES Im still lovin it, The fish is gettin a bit old, but its stll pretty good and I think this week were gonna be eatin a whole bunch of shrimp, so that is gonna be delicious as well. I think Im gonna make the mothers day phone call in March like the first week of March, so ill let you know with that one. I wanna talk to ya about all of that and finish it and move on here with the work to be able to finish really really strong. But make sure you apply me for classes there at ISU as well, especially psychology so I can get that class better.
But yeah, all is well here in Honduras, dont worry about me, I'm in a really really safe area and nothings gonna happen and my zone is really safe as well, everyone here loves the missionaries so all is well. Today was a weird day, I only received like 2 emails which has never happened before but thats not too bad. Well have a great day ok. I LOVE the crap outta each and everyone of you all-
Peace out until next week.
and thanks for all the information!!!!
Elder Beckstead

Success in the new Zone!!

Hey Mom,
Whats up? Thanks for everything that your doin for me therein the states.Well this week has been awesome again. Im lovin this area more and more, We had two baptisms this weekend so I'm very content with that. We have a few more for this next weekend too! This week has been really, really crazy, We've had to do a lot of crazy divisons in order to get all our interviews done in the zone and we've had a lot of little errands to do here in the zone.
This week we did get to challenge a few more people to baptism and they accepted:), so im really excited about that. Hopefully all works out. I really love opening areas cause it puts you pretty much in charge of everything. . It's really really intense and everything depends on you, you literally can't fail or the area fails for a long time. So I'm doing my absolute best. I love my comp, his soooooooo tight, really chill andwilling to work. We're getting along great and I'm thinkin that were gonna be together another change before I recieve my last comp here in the mission, crazy huh!!!

Im soooo excited about Tyler coming to get me, I cant believe it. It's gonna be way awesome, he will love it here. Tell him to bring plenty of white shirts and ties cause he will need them haha!!!. It's gonna be wierd having to translate for him too, but its all good, tell him to study some Spanish before he comes to get it down. Also tell Tyler to get the ticket for May 10th and I will be there waiting for him at the airport, but tell him to get to work cause he's gonna need to bring another few hundred dollars to spend on transport and little things like that.Well I love you all soooo much and can't wait to hear back next week.
Peace out and have fun with the other moms ite!!!
Love,
Elder Beckstead

Everything is going great!! Could Mandi be expecting??

Whats up MOM and familia and friends?

Well everything here is great!! So your all killing me, you told that you have good news from Mandi, but I didn't get an email from Mandi. WHAT IS GOING ON??????? I bet shes with child. if I'm wrong let me know-that would be crazy. hahaha!! to get home to a fat Mandi hahaha.So everything is still awesome here in Honduras. I eat fish like everyday and beans still, but im used to it now and I really like them, you know that I can eat with tortillas now, I mean, I dont even need a fork anymore cause here we eat with pure tortillas. Hows neat is that!!!So yeah, Im pretty stoked about everything with the Packers too, I love that team and im soooo happy they beat the Steelers too because thats Jakes team, you should call and give Jake some crap for me. hahaha I hate the Steelers!
So talk more to Tyler about the whole trip, I really do want him to come and get me, See what Shellie says about the whole thing, he would love it, I'm not sure if he would like the food, but he would love where I would take him. Sounds like the boys teams is doing good, How they lookin for state this year,?? They better make it and win too or ill be pretty darn mad!!!!!That sounds pretty tight about going to SLC with those moms, I cant believe your all gonna do it. Your all gonna have a great time I believe. Good for you!!! Well I gotta go cause today im gonna send some college info, so ill talk to ya all later.
Love you
Bye
Elder Beckstead

Still loving Cedeno/Much success!!

Hey there family, well everyhting here is still great, I'm really loving this new zone and my new area, were seeing a ton of success as of right now. This Sunday we had 50 people in sacrament meeting, which isn't a lot I know but its the second Sunday we've had, so I don't think its too bad. I do know that we have to make it better, that is for sure.
I have a few sea shells from the beach already, but its hard to get them cause then we have to take time off to go look for them, so don't be too disappointed if I dont bring you all home seashells ok. Elder MaCallister is still in our last area in the Villa de San Fransisco, He'll be there for a while longer too I think. I miss that kid, we had lots of fun together. But hes doing good from what I hear.
I love my area, I love my comp and I love everything that's going on right now. Its so weird, before in the mission I used to look at my comps and find all the weaknesses in them and just dread on that forever and in the end just dread being around my comps, I've defenitly learned that you always need to look for the good in people, just like you've always taught me mom, So I am working on that. But yeah, this week We had a great week, were finding people like crazy, I swear they are just like falling off trees. haha I love it. Were doing our best to teach all of them. but yeah thats whats going on here.
I got an email today from coach Whitworth, which was really good, he did offer me a full ride scholarship which is really awesome and he did promise me playing time from the get go, So we'll see.
But yeah Whats new there in the yunais. I bet pretty good from what I hear, my Packers are in the super bowl. im pretty excited about that. I hope they win!!!!

So I got my flight plans more or less, I haven't seen them yet, but from what they tell me im going home the 17th of May and I will arrive home at exactly 11 p.m. In Salt Lake City..so I hope ur all gonna be ready, and I asked special permission for Tyler to come get me and My president gave it to me, so Tyler G can come probably like a week and a half before I head home, hahah ill show him what the mission is about and how awesome it really is. Hes gonna love it.Keep working hard there at home and I love you all.

Elder Beckstead

Loves it here the area is Fruitful~ Stung by a scorpion!

haha!! Don't even worry about the pictures, I'm taken too maybe pictures. I have a picture of me holding a hammerhead shark in my hands, It's really legit.
We would baptize in the ocean, but we dont have permission to do it. So were gonna call President and see what happens, maybe if were lucky we'll be able to do it.
So Elder Giron is from Guatemala, im pretty glad he's my comp.. he's way chill and we are working really really hard right now, keeping our minds towards the work.
The house I live in is pretty nice, We have water and stuff like that so im not gonna complain too much. But the other night while I was sleeping I felt a very very sharp pain in my fingers and woke up screaming in pain. I got up out of bed and there was a scorpìon on my shirt. WOW I was sooo scared, the sucker had already stabbed me once, but I thought it was gonna get me again, until my comp came over and knocked it off me and killed it. WOW but talk about an intense experience. Couldn't sleep the rest of the night. I HATE insects. Thats literally the only bad thing that has happened to me this week, everything else has been awesome. We're having tons of success already here in this area, the first week at church we had 33 people there, which is pretty good I think. We just gotta baptise them all now and get them to work. I hope we can get it done. Ive never been in an area so fruitfull!! I love it here.
So sounds like things there are cooling down a bit, I hope thats true, Kevin emailed me, that was pretty cool too, sounds like hes doing pretty good. I really kinda want to go to Utah State now, but like I said, no decisions yet.
I just want to end my mission working really really hard and being perfectly obedient. thats the goal for right now. I just hope I end the mission here in this area, I love it that much.
ha and yeah, Cole sounds really really good, We had a good chat, I forgot to tell you all about Elder Ballard. That was awesome, hes soooo smart and funny. I had a great time there.
Well time is about out and I gotta get going. So I love you all and hope everything is going well for you, keep stayin strong and keep and eye on my boys OK!!!!!!
Peace until next week.
Elder Beckstead