Moving, President Wakolo our Companion, and a baptism!!!!!

Guess what we got yesterday (Saturday afternoon)?!

Hey, I'm emailing today, right now, cuz Sister Evans goes home on Monday...

This week has been crazy!! Monday was nuts! We finished emailing, and were driving up with our groceries when the office elders called, and told us we were moving. The next day. So we rushed home and started putting everything in ziplock bags and garbage bags. And we had to vacuum and lay out all our drawers and get the whole apartment ready for spraying. Our plans went down the drain and we cleaned and packed all evening. The elders came and sprayed the apartment. We slept without sheets because we didn't want to get them dirty (get bed bugs on them and have to wash and dry again, like we've been doing everyday since we've had them).

Giant garbage bags!

Then on Tuesday we had to cancel most of our plans. We did get to see Donna and Chelsea. So two lessons all day. Yay! They were really good at least. Then we had to go to the laundromat to dry ALL of our clothes and kill any bugs still on or in our stuff (that took two days). Then we actually moved to our new temporary apartment while they look for a new one for us to move into. It's a nice apartment. It's the apartment meant for transfers/trainers. So next week there are going to be six sisters there, (if we're still there). 

Wednesday was cool. Seriously. We had a great lesson with Donna. She has changed so much! You wouldn't believe how different she is now. She laughs and she smiles. She loves it when we come over. Then we went to the church and had a great lesson with a less active couple with President Wakolo. That was a wonderful lesson. It's so inspiring to be with President and to watch him teach. The Spirit there reminded me of the temple. It was amazing. Then Donna came to the church to have her interview. We were seriously with President pretty much all day because after that we had to go back to the laundromat and then the apartment to catch up on 12 week. (?)

Thursday was another adventure. Just before studies we read an email about MLC (missionary leadership training) and found out that we had to be at the church to get two sisters who weren't part of it for the end of the morning until mid afternoon. So we went there and studied with them. Then we found out that we had to do some more cleaning in
our apartment and get ALL of our stuff out so they could spray again before they shut down the apartment. So we had to go on splits with Sister Lange and Sister Kirby (the two sisters we had to be with). Sister Esplin and I cleaned while Sister Evans took the other sisters to our lesson. After that we went to a lesson that fell through, so we went back to the church to figure stuff out for today. We got to see all the leaders on the mission. I saw Sister Hirschi!! And Sister Decker! And Sister Pochop (who goes home with Sister Evans)! It was so great. We also saw President again. Super fun. 

On Friday we ran around trying to meet people, but not much happened. Then we had a lesson with Donna and her home teacher and visiting teacher. It was so good they are perfect for her. They have so much in common. Then we went and had dinner with a less active. We went home and did preventative measures against bed bugs at the temporary apartment.

Today Donna got baptized!!!!! It was so good. There were a lot of people there. What a great way for Sister Evans to end her mission. Donna is the best. There were so many people there to support her. There would have been a lot more, but a lot of people went down to Louisiana to help with the flooding this weekend. It was a really good baptism. I love Donna.

It has been such a good week. So much has happened, and we have all learned so much. It's going to be so hard when Sister Evans goes home. We have had so much fun. I just love it here! And I love learning so much from the scriptures and being able to read them so much. Every verse truly does apply to us. It's so cool. The other day I was reading Alma 19:36, and I was just thinking that right there it tells us how to get that blessing to "pour out his spirit upon them,...his arm is extended to all..." That whole chapter just describes ways of receiving those blessings. It says "and thus..." It just tells us what to do! I love it. So many learning opportunities.

Love Kimber
Sister Beckstrand

This is the best one. Donna!

Our district

Little Rock Arkansas Capitol

Our Threesome Companionship

Beautiful Arkansas 

A cute southern home

Transfers...boo hoo...

This has been a really good, and super crazy week. Last week we got the call that Sister Hirschi is leaving and is going to trio train. She was going to have all week to say goodbye to everyone and pack up her stuff. Then Wednesday morning Elder Cunningham called and said that because the companions of the sister she's training with are going into leadership positions she needed a companion right away, so she has to leave Thursday morning. So we tossed all our plans for the day and started texting people to be able to visit them so she could say goodbye. We ran around all day, packed everything that night, and sent her off with a member because we had to go to a teaching appointment that day morning. We were all very sad about it. Then I was made the designated driver. And I had to drive everywhere. I don't really know the area at all, even though I've been here since January. (This, our directionally challenged daughter!)

Oh well. We were super stressed all week because we knew Sister Hirschi was going, and then she did leave, we had to do everything without her all of the sudden, and we still weren't sure if either on of us were staying or going. But, we made it through. We got hold of ourselves and did it. Then we found out both of us are staying, and we are getting a new companion. We picked her up today, her name is Sister Wilson. I like her. This will be a fun transfer. Starting with walk week. We had a member take us shopping today, and she is totally one of my favorite people. I love the members here!! We got to see Sister Hirschi today when went to pick up Sister Wilson. That was really exciting. I also go to see Sister Pochop, which was also pretty exciting. So many exciting things today.

That's us, figuring out how to missionary without Sister Hirschi

It's been a crazy week. And a good one. I love all that people here. I'm so excited I get to stay and continue to love these people and get to know hem even more. there are so many people we are teaching. This week we walked into an investigators home and they told us that they had been organizing their closets separating their regular cloths form their church clothes. That was so cool!! They really love church. It's been so good this week.

Love Kimber

Trio Two

Super short letter this week, but I can't complain - we got a letter in the US mailbox this week too, with lots of news for everybody! If I get to it, I'll try to share some of that too.

Bye Old Trio!

This has been an interesting week. We had a lot of lessons with our solid families fall through. But we had a lot of good lessons with other people and awesome families. That is really it in a nut shell. Sister Pochop ("Pokeup") is gone as of today. It is transfer week, so she got a new companion and is back to her area, so we'll miss her. But , as it is transfer week, we got another companion! So we're still in a trio. Her name is Sister Havran, and she is an ASL missionary. So as far as I know, we are a zebra companionship now, (like English with ASL, or English with Spanish, or Chinese with German - just two languages in a companionship). It's going to be really fun. She's really cool. We went up to the temple today and switched around companions and said goodbye to the departing missionaries. We also got to take a 5 generational picture with me, sister Hirschi, sister Wood, sister Pochop and sister Zent. That's the order. It was great. Super fun. It was a fun week.

Five generations:

Sisters Zent, Pochop, Wood, Hirschi, Beckstrand. 

All in order too!

Love Kimber

Zone leaders, district leader and his companion, and us.

Like my t-shirt? It's from the sisters leftover bag.

From her letter to Mom & Dad about Sister Pochop - this mom is so grateful she's had this experience!

I've been struggling to be more comfortable talking to people, but I'm getting better. I still don't like it, but I am praying and learning ways to get over it. So while Sister Hirschi has no idea what it's like not to have something to say, it's nice to see someone who has been out for a while (14 months) and is just as good a missionary without being as outgoing. God knew what He was doing putting her here for a bit. She has some really good input for the work and has improved my confidence as a missionary.

So lots of learning and lots of fun here. And Trios are fun. I love you guys...

A Trio with Great-Grandma!

This is the three of us, Sister Pochop, me, and Sister Hirschi

So, this week has been interesting. And the same as before. Lots of work. Not much to tell. One time we visited a member who's husband is less active, and he is into ham radio, we talked for a while about it. It was really interesting. Mostly because Grandpa is into the same thing and I got to make that connection and we had a really good conversation about it. This week we have been in a trio. Our other companion is Sister Pochop. She is awesome, and her outside opinion has been very helpful. She is only with us for about two weeks. She is my "great-grandma," in mission life/mission lingo. She trained Sister Hirschi's trainer. And she used to be an STL, (I looked this one up - "sister training leader"- The sister who is over multiple sisters,) so if we ever have questions about things, she's got the answer, usually. Also, this week, I was in charge, as part of, and the end of, my training. It's stressful, and I usually don't like it, but I'm surviving and getting better at it. Also we have exchanges tonight and tomorrow, and I'll be the one taking over the area for that. It's going to be fun, and interesting. And all the leaders, zone leaders and STLs and APs, are being switched and moved around. Lots of things going on. And we are teaching three awesome families that are all totally prepared to hear the gospel. Life as a missionary is seriously busy. And really rewarding. We had a whole family at church yesterday. A WHOLE family! It was awesome. Lots of good things in the Southaven area.
Love you all, Kimber