Missionary Monday - Last letter from Alma/Ithaca/St Lois area
So transfer calls were this Friday. I'll give a brief wrap up for our investigators first though. Duane really likes how much our church doesn't do anything that is against the Bible, but he said he has been talking with Jesus and feels like he is supposed to go back to the Catholic church and point out all the things they are doing wrong and fix them. I threw down the boldest testimony I've ever given. I basically told him that Jesus Christ gave Joseph Smith the priesthood (I know it was Peter, James, and John) and that he wouldn't have had to do that if the Catholics had the priesthood. But he still wants to give reforming his local Catholic church a shot.
Cecilia got that job and we haven't been able to get over there to see her since.
Dean is awesome. We had a sweet lesson with him this week. I have no idea when he'll be baptized, but its a pretty safe bet.
And I'm being transferred! To Marshall, Michigan. It was pretty unexpected, but I'll take the change of scenery. There are 3 of the original 7 visa waiters that I came out with left. E. Anderson is getting sent to open a second area in Saginaw, which is so lovingly called Sag-nasty by the Ganders. I guess it is in the top three for homicides every year. E. Paulson is in the 1st Saginaw area and will be his District leader. E. Oler is getting two greenies to train. One of them is another Visa waiter. My companions in Marshall will be E. Ferris and E. Bean. E. Ferris is halfway through training E. Bean, which means I will have been out longer than him. That's messed up. The city of Albion will be in my area too.
Its kind of weird being transferred after only 3 months. It felt like I got to know everyone in the branch really well, but I'm not sure how much they got to know me. Most of them had a pretty sizable impact on me, but I'll probably just be a fart in the wind for them after I leave. You kind of have to take it on faith that you are making a difference as a missionary, because not a whole lot was noticeable. Especially since there have been three of us. I'm not sure anything happened here that wouldn't have happened without me. And even then its just a matter of how good of a seed you planted because nothing panned out. To be honest, the most change in people that I saw was with the less actives that we worked with. Which is fine. Their souls are of the same worth. Maybe its even more important because they are under greater condemnation, I don't know.
Anyways, we are having a party today to end the transfer. We played tennis for like 3 hours this morning and then after this we are going to go bowling and have a barbeque back at the Itha-crib (nickname for our house. because we are the Ithaca area.) Then We'll go to Darnel's and I'll get a painting! I'm stoked for that. He paints a painting for every missionary that serves here.
Tell Kota that Jackson Hole shirt is awesome.
If you want to send anything this week send to the mission office at:
And they'll forward it to me. Then I'll have my new address by next Monday.
Have a great week! Can't wait to tell you about Marshall.
Elder Beck
Joe Zavaglia (recent convert) I love this guy. One of the most charitable people I've ever met.
Doc Anderson (Branch Mission Leader)
Don and Dean Bohjanen
Sister Smith
Sister Muncaster
The District
One of the less actives works for the fire dept and hooked us up with some glamour shots.
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