Walk Week

This was a beautiful week. The weather was great. Super hot, pretty cool, tons of rain, light drizzle. It was great. We met a lot of great people, and had some really good Spirit led lessons. We have this one man we are teaching who wants to get baptized sooooo bad, but he kept missing appointments so we had a talk with him about that, and it really helped. I love how the Spirit is able to guide us to say exactly what people need to hear to help them come closer to Christ through the restored gospel. It is beautiful. Also, we keep finding more amazing people at his house. I love it! And I had exchanges this week. I went with Sister Zollinger again. And we had fun. The most crazy part was when we came home for dinner, I slipped off the curb and scraped my ankle. But that wasn't the worst part, my sticks (The Holy Bible that I've been marking for the last nine months, and the Book of Mormon) and my iPad fell out of my hands. Now the reason I slipped was because I was standing over a different section of curb than normal. This one had a big hole right where I tried to put my foot. His big hole went into a storm drain sewer thing. My heart stopped as I saw the blue books sliding under the curb. Luckily Heavenly Father is in charge and my iPad landed on its corner against the ground and the tops of the curb, it stayed where it landed, but my poor Bible and Book of Mormon kept going. Then I heard something hit the bottom of the tinned underneath. I quickly squared down to look under the curb, my heart leaped when I saw the Book, but then I realized it was just my Book of Mormon. My bible was the one that fell. It had my beautiful plan of Salvation card in it. My commandments cards. Some things I've been working on memorizing. And all my marked scriptures. We moved the car, and Sister Zollinger pulled out the Book of Mormon (her arms are longer). And Sister Wakolo was on the phone parked in front of us. (Ok, so the STLs live with members, and they are in the Wakolos Ward, and the Sister they live with teaches Jasmine Wakolo piano). We looked around for an idea, and saw a manhole in the ground right over where it fell. Idea!! Let's open it and get my bible back. We couldn't lift it. So we went and asked the Brother they live with for a tool to lift it up. So we got it up and looked down. There was my Bible. In a small stream of water because it had rained in the last two days, oh well, but my plan of Salvation cards were ok, they were in ziplock bags and we could see them on the rock. Then Sister Wakolo came out to see what was happening, and she joined in on figuring out how to get it out. Then the Brother climbed into the hole and got the Bible and passed it up to us. Then we had to figure out how to get him out. He couldn't get back up the ladder on the wall, so we went and grabbed a ladder from his garage, it didn't work, so we grabbed a step ladder and he got out! Then we had to get a hoe to get out the step ladder. It was so fun, and Sister Wakolo was there to join in. And I scared the members' dog because my ankle started to bleed a little from my fall. It was fun, my Bible was completely soaked, but the papers were ok. There was no way to save the Book so I made an art project out of it. I'll just have to start over my marking.

But also this week, the power went out. Some of the traffic lights are still out. Saturday night there was a huge storm and it knocked out our power, and the power at the church. So we had to change where we were meeting, but at least we still got to go take the sacrament. Is was sad though because the man who is super excited about being baptized didn't come because we were in a different building. That was hard, it then we had an amazing lesson last night, so we're not worried.
It was a fun week. We learned a lot. And I want to say that I just adore Sister Brumett. She is amazing and we have so much fun teaching together. I love it!

Love y'all!
Kimber
Sister Beckstrand

My art project!

Who's Counting?

My thirteen month mark...it snuck up on me. 

This week has been fun! We've met some interested people, and some people that are not willing to talk to us. This week we met a couple guys who had some questions about what Mormons believe, and we were able to answer them and help clear up things they've heard before, and they were really nice. One of them accepted a return visit. We were on walk week so we didn't get to see a lot of our investigators who don't live very close, and one day we decided to try biking, (I borrowed an elder's bike), but we had to bike for about two to three hours to get to our dinner appointment. Then Sister Fifield fell and got scraped up a bit, but she's all fine now. 

Sis Fifield & Sis Beckstrand.
"Crazy us!!"

Overall, I just love Sister Fifield. We have a lot of fun together!

Sis Zollinger(?) & Sis Beckstrand

This week we had exchanges, and I went to The STLs area with Sister Zollinger and we had a fun time. We had some really good lessons with people and some successful finding. We found a cool guy who actually lives in our area, and he texted us a question after we left. We told him to read chapter one in the Book of Mormon because it answers his question. I had a goal to share doctrine in first contact. I did better that I usually do, and I'm trying to continue that every time I talk to people. 

Yesterday I interpreted in church! (ASL) I was fun, and a lot of people were surprised that I could sign. But it was fun to interpret again. We do language study every day, usually, and we've had two language studies over Skype with another companionship who are also doing some ASL work. It was really fun. And then I went and and played piano for the Spanish branch (it wasn't very pretty) but that was fun. 

And, this Saturday, we have an investigator getting baptized!!!! He is such an amazing mad, and he has a lot of fun stories. Last night we went to talk to our top investigator who is getting baptized the Saturday, but he was already asleep, so we talked to his grandsons out side, they are super less active. We were talking about the gospel and about how they know things, and he got onto us about how we were raised in the gospel and that it was easy and we didn't know anything because of that. I've been getting similar statements from a lot of people ever since I got here last January, and I've always known it wasn't true that I didn't know life, and I never felt that it counted against me that I grew up with it, but those comments always made me wonder how to describe that it was a very good thing that I grew up with it. At that moment I finally understood why I felt that way. I understood how to explain to him so my point of view on how that does not count against me was a good thing. This is sort of like I said it, but in my studies this morning I was thinking about what I said and decided to write it down in my journal because it is an answer I've been searching for ever since the first time it was mentioned. 

'I have been raised in this gospel. I have never strayed far from the path. That doesn't mean that I haven't messed up, and it doesn't mean I know everything and it doesn't mean I don't know any different. Enos 1:1, "...my father...was a just man--for he taught me in his language, and also in the nurture and admonition of the Lord--and blessed be the name of my God for it" I do not regret being born in the Gospel. I do not feel like I'm missing anything, it is not less sweet to me because I am used to it. I don't have to mess up to understand. I can be the smarter one, and learn as I observe others mistakes in the lessons they learned from it. It's like the concept in Alma 32:14–15, "...because ye were compelled to be humble ye were blessed, do ye not suppose that they are more blessed who truly humble themselves because of the word? ...Yea, much more blessed than they who are compelled to be humble" In most cases these people are smarter, wiser. They don't have to hurt as much in the process. Again, that doesn't mean I don't mess up, but I like this less painful route, and it has been a blessing in my life, and I wouldn't trade it for anything. I am grateful for the opportunity to serve a mission, to see people from all walks of life, to talk to them and learn from them. It is a beautiful blessing that I will never let go.'

Love y'all! 

Kimber

Sister Beckstrand