Missionary Monday on Tuesday - Week 5 in Michigan
Greetings and salutations. Happy Tuesday. Sorry to leave you hanging yesterday. (The library where they go to write their emails was closed for the holiday.)
I forgot to bring my list of things to write about on my desk so we'll see how photographic my memory is. There wasn't much to write about anyways. After the last two awesome weeks this one was kind of a bummer. Looking back on it, this week was actually just average, but after the last two it felt like a disappointment.
It has been raining pretty much all week. The first storm was on Monday and it was huge. Since there are no mountains when a storm comes in you can see the giant mass of darkness coming for miles. It was cool. It rained harder than anything I've experienced in Utah. Tree branches were falling down everywhere, power lines knocked over, and even some empty horse trailers got blown over.
Cecilia did not get baptized. Turns out that the rule for smoking now is two weeks instead of one. So I have no idea when she will be baptized. As far as missionary work goes, anything that can go wrong does go wrong. Which I'm not sure how I feel about yet, because on one hand, you should be having faith. And on the other, you need to be prepared for when things don't work out. My companions kind of suck at back up plans too, which doesn't help. I'm sure there is some sort of balance to be had.
Dean is still awesome. We taught him the Plan of Salvation last Friday, which was actually the first Plan of Salvation lesson I have given since I've been here. I have really grown to love the Plan of Salvation. I guess its one of those things I just took for granted. The whole Heaven-Hell, Pass-Fail doesn't make sense at all. Dean got it.
I went fishing again yesterday. Our branch mission leader told me that if I wanted to catch a pike I should catch a small bluegill or something and then put that on a hook under a bobber. I figured I might as well go big while I'm here. So I did. No pike. So that was a bummer. (Not to mention putting a hook through that little fish was a little mortifying.)
Cecilia and Dean live way out there so we are fried on miles this month. A member of our branch was kind enough to hook us up with some bikes yesterday, so we've been riding around the past two days. We only have to use the bikes until Friday, but I actually really enjoy them. I get to see a lot more things. And its a good work out. (and leaves less time for knocking...) We came to St. Louis today in the rain, which was a few miles, but besides my rear end being sore from the seat, I'm feeling pretty good. I think Elder Anderson wants to die though.
Transfer call are this Friday and Elder Baird is due to leave so that is exciting. I can't remember anything else I had written down to talk about so that might be it for this week. Thanks for everything. Sorry I'm a dirtbag about writing personal letters. I'll get to it.
Elder Beck
Pic #1 - Those are baby pheasants in that picture! Our branch mission leader raises them. So sweet.
Pic #2 - Acts 9:34 Peter raises this dude from the dead and the first thing he says is, "Arise, make thy bed" (Jax wrote that he's come across a few scriptures about making your bed so he's started doing it. A mission miracle.)
I forgot to bring my list of things to write about on my desk so we'll see how photographic my memory is. There wasn't much to write about anyways. After the last two awesome weeks this one was kind of a bummer. Looking back on it, this week was actually just average, but after the last two it felt like a disappointment.
It has been raining pretty much all week. The first storm was on Monday and it was huge. Since there are no mountains when a storm comes in you can see the giant mass of darkness coming for miles. It was cool. It rained harder than anything I've experienced in Utah. Tree branches were falling down everywhere, power lines knocked over, and even some empty horse trailers got blown over.
Cecilia did not get baptized. Turns out that the rule for smoking now is two weeks instead of one. So I have no idea when she will be baptized. As far as missionary work goes, anything that can go wrong does go wrong. Which I'm not sure how I feel about yet, because on one hand, you should be having faith. And on the other, you need to be prepared for when things don't work out. My companions kind of suck at back up plans too, which doesn't help. I'm sure there is some sort of balance to be had.
Dean is still awesome. We taught him the Plan of Salvation last Friday, which was actually the first Plan of Salvation lesson I have given since I've been here. I have really grown to love the Plan of Salvation. I guess its one of those things I just took for granted. The whole Heaven-Hell, Pass-Fail doesn't make sense at all. Dean got it.
I went fishing again yesterday. Our branch mission leader told me that if I wanted to catch a pike I should catch a small bluegill or something and then put that on a hook under a bobber. I figured I might as well go big while I'm here. So I did. No pike. So that was a bummer. (Not to mention putting a hook through that little fish was a little mortifying.)
Cecilia and Dean live way out there so we are fried on miles this month. A member of our branch was kind enough to hook us up with some bikes yesterday, so we've been riding around the past two days. We only have to use the bikes until Friday, but I actually really enjoy them. I get to see a lot more things. And its a good work out. (and leaves less time for knocking...) We came to St. Louis today in the rain, which was a few miles, but besides my rear end being sore from the seat, I'm feeling pretty good. I think Elder Anderson wants to die though.
Transfer call are this Friday and Elder Baird is due to leave so that is exciting. I can't remember anything else I had written down to talk about so that might be it for this week. Thanks for everything. Sorry I'm a dirtbag about writing personal letters. I'll get to it.
Elder Beck
Pic #1 - Those are baby pheasants in that picture! Our branch mission leader raises them. So sweet.
Pic #2 - Acts 9:34 Peter raises this dude from the dead and the first thing he says is, "Arise, make thy bed" (Jax wrote that he's come across a few scriptures about making your bed so he's started doing it. A mission miracle.)
Pic #3 - Deer
Pic #4 - Man eating squirrels...see I told you they were huge
Pic #5 - Me with Elder Nic Poulson. (Nic grew up just a few blocks from us but he and Jackson didn't become friends until they ran into each other in a class at USU and ended up weight lifting together several times a week. They got to spend some time together at a "half mission P day" last week. Jackson also ran into Elder Kingsford that day. He was a Sr at Highland when Jackson was a Sophomore and Elder Kingsford's dad was also Jax's Financial Literacy teacher. Elder Kingsford goes home this week.)
Pic #6 - Michigan storms
VISA update--still no progress on Jackson's visa but he found out that an Elder in his district has the green light on his visa so hopefully it's getting closer.
