Glaglaglaglagla - Sister Beck's Weekly Email
moien alleguer!
Highlight of the week: We had a true American Thanksgiving! 🦃 There are a ton of Americans in the ward so they had a big Thanksgiving dinner and it was soooo good. I just figured I'd have to skip out this year since its an American holiday but God was looking out for me when he placed me here 🤍
The members are awesome. They've all served their missions in Europe too. During dinner someone was asked about their trip to Germany and that sparked an entire conversation where each member told a story about when they somehow found themselves at a nude beach, spa, river, or community during their missions... Even though it was so funny, apparently it's really easy in Europe to accidentally happen upon some nudity so I'm scared.
Next highlight: I found out that when the French are cold, instead of saying "brrrrr" they say "glaglaglagla" and it cracks me uuuuup. It's so much better.
On Saturday we got in the car with the Senior couple, the Willetts. (I'm probably going to reference them a lot. They've inspired me to serve a senior mission, they're amazing) Anywho, we got in the car and drove to Metz, France, to teach an Albanian refugee family. The Willetts came with us because it isn't the safest place to be. We had to take off our tags and try to dress down a little bit so we wouldn't attract attention. I'll be honest, I was pretty scared at first.
These families have to live in a super run down apartment building, with 3-4 other families in one apartment and they only get one room. So this family of 5, who has a devastating background, has to fit in one room with two beds. I wanted to cry when I saw it all. We sat down to talk and this mom was the kindest, most genuine person. She was so happy and grateful for us to come. As soon as we got in there she started telling us all the things she was excited and curious about in the Book of Mormon. She reads it every night after she puts her kids to bed. I kept getting choked up as she was talking because it was the perfect example to me of how everything can be going wrong around you and life can be so, so hard but with Jesus Christ you can still find joy. You can still find things to be grateful for. Her and her family have to go back to Albania soon but I'm grateful for the opportunity God gave me to meet her. She is amazing.
So the day before I came to Europe there was a primary program in the Lake Emma ward. It was cute and nice and everything but at one point they all started singing "The Church of Jesus Christ". I wasn't expecting it. I was already in an *emotionally compromised* state from having to leave Florida and move to another country all by myself and then to have that song be sang so confidently by the little kids I just started bawling (sorry Sister Belnap).
My mom chose that song for us to sing when we found out my brother wasn't going to make it. We sang it at his funeral. We sing it every time we go to his grave. It's always been a special song to me but I've never gotten as choked up about it as I did that Sunday in Lake Mary.
Well, yesterday was the primary program in the Luxembourg ward. And they sang I Belong to the Church of Jesus Christ and had the whole congregation sing it with them. Tears started flowing as I sang the words that seem to apply to me even more now as a missionary:
I belong to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
I know who I am.
I know God’s plan.
I’ll follow him in faith.
I believe in the Savior, Jesus Christ.
I’ll honor his name.
I’ll do what is right;
I’ll follow his light.
His truth I will proclaim.
It was such a comforting reminder to me that there are angels all around me. I've got my brother and my grandpa Tom and so many others doing missionary work along with me, just on the other side of the veil.
Tender mercies, they flow.
I've had a lot of realizations on my mission so far 😂 I feel like I'm standing in the middle of a road at night and slowly one by one the street lights turn on and I'm starting to figure out where I am (Bad analogy but idk how else to explain it).
My most recent realization has been building the whole time I've been out and finally it hit me on Thursday:
It's ALL about our will and what we align it with.
It sounds contradictory but we can literally have whatever we want if we just align our will with the Lord's. Because then we'll have righteous desires and want what He wants for us and we alllllll know that what He has in-store for us is always better than what we want for ourselves.. without fail.
Maybe you're saying: well what if what I want is to NOT align my will with His?
And I think that's where we get things all wrong. When we don't align our will with the Lord's, we're "kicking against the pricks". We're trading everlasting happiness with temporary contentment.
I've noticed that the hard that God puts us through is MUCH different than the hard we put ourselves through.
His hard = refining and strengthening.
Our hard = repetitious and unnecessary.
When we align our will with His, our hard can turn into his hard and become refining and strengthening. Have you noticed how when you are going through a hard time it isn't until the very last moment when you fully give yourselves to God for Him to help you that you actually get better?
"When the lives of the people are in harmony with the Lord's will, all of the essential factors that produce the blessings God designed to give us seem to come into line. Love and harmony prevail. Peace and tranquility endure. Industry and progress mark the lives of the people.
We have the Lord's assurance that He will bless and prosper His people if they will keep His commandments and remember to look to Him as the source of their blessings."
And that all takes FAITH. Man. Everything is traced back to Faith. I truly did not know what faith was until my mission. There is so much to it and so much that relies on it. Diligent faithfulness is essential.
Helaman 10:4-7
So anyway my mind is blown. The answer is so simple and plain, yet it takes everything in us to do it continually. The natural man is weird... and annoying tbh.
I know this email was more of a spiritual packed one rather than an experience packed one but to be honest my senses and brain are being overloaded with all the French and Europe things to get used to. I generally cant even remember the day I had when I hit the pillow at night. Pray for me that my head won't explode.
ech hunn Iech all gären 🤍
- Schwëster Beck
Ps. It's luxembourgish 🇱🇺
Pictures 📷
- sunrise view from our bedroom!
- the (s)quad 😎
- castles.
- Members here call this statue "Moroni's Wife" hehe
