🕺🏼😁😂👋😀👂👋😴 gosh, it's been a week...

Wow, this was a crazy week! It was also really hot, the temperature said it was in the 90's but the heat index was in the 100's, and we were out in it all week! We had a leadership training meeting on Tuesday where we got to know or mission president and his wife better. Man! They are inspired! Wow, I learned so much from them. It was great. And then all that afternoon evening in we walked and just talked to people and met quite a few cool people, and one interested person said we could come back. And then we met some pretty neat people from India on our way back.

Wednesday we had a great miracle of a new investigator. We have had this potential we haven't been able to see in a long time, but we've found people to teach in her neighborhood in the meantime. So as we were driving to go contact some of those people, we dropped her. Then we saw that her car was home, and none of the other people were, so we decided to just try her. And we had a beautiful lesson. We both felt very prompted to teach tithing. So we taught tithing. She totally accepted our challenge for her to pay tithing.  It was really cool, and we immediately un-dropped her.

Then that night we went on exchanges with the Jackson Sisters. I went to Jackson with Sister Tyree. We had so much fun, and again, it was soooooo hot. But, of course, that lead to one of our best miracles that day. We were contacting a bunch of people, and standing out in the hot sun for several hours. So we decided that we should get ourselves some ice cream or something for standing in the heat so long. At first we couldn't find anyplace to go for ice cream, so we decided that we'd pay attention as we drove to the next person we needed to see and go there after we saw them. So as we were driving we saw a snow cone place and we got to go there after we found the referral's house and talked to some people. The guy at the snow cone place is amazing. We taught him about the Book of Mormon, and then we taught him about keeping the Sabbath day holy. He was super nice, and they are totally going to go back and keep teaching him now! It was neat.

Snow cones!!! (Sis Tyree & Sis Beckstrand)

My old home

Then we exchanged back that evening and went straight to bed. Then on Friday we had weekly planning, and then another exchange. This time in Southaven to help our with the ASL, so I went to be in Southaven with Sister Fifield. We had so much fun! We contacted some deaf people, and we had a lesson with one deaf lady, and it was amazing because I totally understood pretty much everything she said I could follow our conversation!!! That was a miracle. It was great. We also had dinner one family's house, the same one as last time, that I found and then they got baptized in December, with the cute little kids. We had so much fun teaching them, the two little girls are preparing for their own baptism now. They gave us some fun art project things they made. That inspired us, so we went home and made our own with nail polish. Sister Fifield made Snoopy and I made a fancy jar. It was fun.

Our art projects!

Then the next day we went to ASL class where we were going to exchange back, and Sister Anderson and Sister Vaitai were a little late getting back to us, so I got to interpret for the deaf member that comes to the class. It was so fun to interpret again! Gosh! I've missed sign language.

Two exchanges this week was super exhausting, but we had so much fun. On Saturday we got to see this amazing less active in our ward. She's the one that we miraculously found a few weeks ago. She love it when we come over, and we have so much fun talking to her. She's so cute!!!

And then yesterday was the best and hard. The best because we got to go to church and take the sacrament. Yesterday was so good. Everything at church was amazing and I felt the spirit so strong. It was hard because nobody came to church, and we were both exhausted by our long week. But we had one really good lesson, and then a really good contact with a guy we found a couple weeks ago.

It was a long week, but we had so much fun with all the people we saw and met and all of our exchanges. We learned a ton, and loved a lot. It was so fun!!

Love y'all!
Kimber
Sister Beckstrand

18 Months!
(ASL "18" on the left)

...walk...Week

Happy birthday Relief Society!!

This week was so busy! And long and exhausting! It was walk week, and since everyone was out of town, we walked a ton! One day we were in the middle of the city, and we walked for several hours to contact some people, no one was home, but we got some good exercise! But then we got to a point where we had to walk home, a two and a half hour walk straight. Along freeways and such. We were way too exhausted for that so we decided to try out the bus system. It worked great. We did accidentally go out of our area to get to the right bus to get us home, but we immediately told our district leader and he said to get back when we could. Then we went home for another lesson with our recent convert, who literally lives next door to us, so it worked out great! That was a tiring day, but it helped us out when we had an appointment with someone way out on the edge of our area with no ride, we got permission of a short jaunt out of our area to ride the bus to the nearest stop and then walking back in to see them, and it was a great lesson, and then back home to do more work. It was a fun experience. And I am so grateful for my previous experience on the bus system to apply here.

Sister Fifield is the best! I love having been her companion. We had a really good conversation last night about struggles she's had and her trying to overcome them. But she told me that I was really able to help her with them, and I'm glad I was able to do that. It's been wonderful to get to know her and work with her. I've learned a lot about ASL and she has taught me a ton about improving my missionary work. So, we got big news this week. This week we learned that I will be training a new ASL sister. We already knew that Sister Fifield will be training, but now we know I am too and we are training in separate places. Sister Fifield is going to Conway, I will be staying in Otter Creek. And, since it's ASL, and their transfers in the MTC are different, we will be transferring a week early. So Sister Fifield is leaving tomorrow! And we are doing the training stuff through Wednesday. Then the rest of the mission will have their transfers next week. It's going to be fun.

In my Studies I've been focusing more on people, and it has been really enlightening. I've also been reading (well listening to) the Old Testament, and the further I get in it the more I learn. A couple days ago I was reflecting on the things I was reading and the restoration, and it really hit me and I really understood better the need we have for prophets today. The Israelites continually needed prophets to stay on track, and they still often went off. I have a stronger testimony of how crucial it is for us to have a prophet today. People still get confused, they still stray, we are no different form the Israelites, so we need help too. I love that that is a thing. It was really cool to learn that this week.
It was a really great week.

Love y'all!
Kimber
Sister Beckstrand

In my followup conversation with her:

A TRUE Greenie - that should be awesome. Is she your first greenie? And straight from the MTC? She'll probably have some good ideas for you too, seeing how she's probably had a bit more "formal" ASL training than you, huh?  

Ya, it's exciting. No, she not my first, I started Sister Esplin too, but we were trio training. And I did finish [training] Sister Ellis, but she wasn't a true greenie. And I'm looking forward to her "formal" training to help me continue to improve. 

Remember the story from the week I got home from my mission? I was at home and my [best] friend...was at her mom's house (she was married with a baby by then) and my mom asked me if I wanted her to drive me over...WHAT? AROUND THE BLOCK? WHY? It was pretty humorous though. Things had changed a bit... :) 

Haha, true! 

Adventures with the bus! 

Love it!

I just love the south! Love y'all!

Fun, Fun, Fun!

This week was so fun! We baptized D__!! And he loved it. He said that he really felt the difference. It was so cool to see how much he recognized and felt what he was doing.

They are the best!

Also, this week when we went to visit him a couple nights before his baptism his grandson who lives with him that we are also kind of teaching was really drunk. It was a super funny experience. And it really strengthened my testimony of the word of wisdom. And then later that night we went and played volleyball and at one point a lady hurt her knee, and it was so amazing that we all just stopped and gave her a blessing right then and there and were able to do that. In no other church and with no other group of people would hat be possible. And all those that were prepared and worthy to give a blessing were just able to jump up and offer that. No warning or anything. I just love moments like that, except for the part where someone is hurt.  

When we were finishing and printing off the program for the baptism!

Sister Fifield is still super fun. We laugh at everything. It's super fun to work with her.

All week I've just been jumping around in PMG  (Preach My Gospel, the missionary instructions book) and the Book of Mormon. It has been so wonderful to read all over in PMG. I learned so much about everything, and I just wish I could talk like PMG does. I don't have anything specific that I learned, but I learned a lot about how truly inspired that book is. I loved it!

Also, on Thursday, all the exciting stuff happened Thursday except the baptism, w E__ a deaf day and went up to North Little Rock and Sherwood (my old stomping ground!) and saw a bunch of deaf people! And I got to see D__!! And even C__! (D__, the recent convert sister, and C__, a reactivated less active sister that I found) it was so neat to see them and say hi! I love those people. It was a fun week. 

Love y'all! 

Kimber

Sister Beckstrand

Also, I ran into sister Lloyd in NLR (we were both getting tiwi -?- replaced) 
and she told me that B__ got baptized!!!!!
It was so cool to hear that. I love her!

On FB from Sister Houston in K's ward - Loved having our sisters over last night --they joined us for dinner & a family night on family rules & order and shared some fun growing up stories :)Sisters Beckstrand and Fifield in Little Rock Ward (ASL Sisters)!  

Hats, Hats, Hats & Otter Creek sisters with the Otters!🐍🐢🐗🦅🦁🐸🐒

The area is seriously picking up. We have so many set appointments for next week, we are going to be so busy. And we saw and met so many amazing people. There is a lot of potential in those we are seeing. And we are baptizing DB this Saturday, and he is so excited. He is amazing and so ready for the blessings of the gospel, and his interview this week went really well.

Sister Fifield is great. She's such a good example, and really challenges me to be better. We get along really well, and have a lot of fun.

This week we were at an investigator's house doing some service for her and she took us to a room to show us something she wanted us to do, but then we saw her fancy hats and got really excited about them. She was over the moon that we were so fascinated and loved her hats so much. So then she had us try them on and showed us all of them. It was especially incredible because when we first got here she was not happy that both of the last sisters were gone and hadn't even said goodbye, so she told us she didn't want to study with us anymore, but we were able to get in with her and do some service and she loved it, and we had a great time playing dress up with all her hats. She even gave us each a hat when we left. It was so fun.

Also, we went to the zoo today with the STLs. It was super fun.

P-Day at the Zoo

My studies have been a lot from PMG. I've loved reading the doctrine points and getting the important things from them even clearer. And it's interesting how every time I read them I learn something completely new that I didn't even realize. It inspires me to teach that point better.

It was such an incredible week, with a great zone conference thrown in the middle that really inspired us to do better! So much fun.

Love y'all! Kimber
PS The lion totally peed at us! And then roared a ton! It was incredible

Sister Beckstrand

Otter Creek sisters with the Otters!

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

The people are always golden on the Otter side of the Creek!

Sister Esplin is really good at these titles. 😃 (Asked her how she got a title from Sis Esplin already, and she said, "I just talked to her - we just talked on the phone - and asked her for a title, I've been doing it for all my areas since we got separated. ")

Sis Fifield & Sis Beckstrand

Also, this week has been so fun! Whitewashing is great! This Ward is great! We have a great guy we are teaching that is so excited for his baptism at the end of this month. And we have met so many great people! And we are going to be doing ASL work! We haven't been able to meet with many deaf people outside of church yet, but that'll probably change this week. And we found out yesterday morning that we were starting walk week right after church. So we are car-less. And so far it's been great 😅. At least we found a ride to grocery shopping this morning. So, ya, my area is a little section in SW Little Rock, and we can go outside of our area for ASL work, but we haven't done it yet. My new address is .... It's really nice that the church building is literally a five minute walk from where we live. It's like being back home again. Fun stuff!

And Sister Fifield and I have had a ton of fun already! This transfer is going to be so fun! We've gotten to know each other really well already, it doesn't feel like it's only been a week, it feels like it's been longer. And we are also in sync for our mission timeline! We will be going home together! She's from Kaysville Ut, and she does voice acting for people on YouTube. (Look up 'Bloctor Who' she's Scarlet). She does a lot of fun things. Lots of crafty artsy stuff, it's fun to watch her work! It's great.

Blessing this week:
Yesterday we were sitting in the foyer waiting for the bishop to text us back when I saw the Tithing slip and envelope on the wall, and decided to grab one, I was thinking why am I getting this now? I've got a couple weeks until the first of the month, but I grabbed it anyway and stuck it in my bible. Then last night we were teaching our investigator about Tithing and Sister Fifield started explaining how the slip looked and worked and then I remembered that I had one in my bible! So we were able to have that and to give it to him so he could see it and have one. It was so cool! And I loved to see how the Spirit was able to just make me grab one even though I didn't need it yet. It strengthened my testimony of following the Spirit, even if the lesson would have gone well without it, it made it better that we were able to have one.

It was a great week.

Love y'all!
Kimber
Sister Beckstrand

PS - And no, I'm not in the area of the mission office anymore, so I don't get to go there unless it's a big meeting or something. But one of the office couples goes to this ward so I get to see them on Sunday, it's fun. 

The following pictures appear to be from Sister Beckstrand's previous area, Mountain View:

The best people in the world!

Hiking! In our service project!

 

Driving in the car!

My district!

Once upon a time there was a really happy story and something really happy happened!

Hey, sorry my email didn't make it last week, there was terrible internet connection, I'll send it after this. 

Anyway, I've been transferred!!!! I'll miss Mountain View like you wouldn't believe, but I'm excited to learn the new area. I'm also leaving Sister Lloyd behind. And I'm whitewashing. Again. My new area is Otter Creek. It's in Little Rock, or somewhere near there. I don't know yet! Also, my new companion is Sister Fifield. And this is an ASL area. And she is an ASL missionary. And I don't know if my mission language is being changed or not, but I'm in an ASL situation now! And I'm so excited to be able to sign again! Ok, so we also have a bit of an advantage, Sister Fifield has been here before, but the teaching pool is going to be very different. So still a whitewash, but we have information.

This week was great. We had a really good district meeting. Some reminders on things that we can improve on in our teaching. And fun moments as a district. And then we had interviews with President. It was a good day. There were so many wonderful people there I am so sad to leave. We were teaching so many amazing people that were so prepared for the gospel it was so wonderful to be part of their lives as they embraced the gospel.  It is a privilege to serve here and be able to help people come closer to Christ. It's a beautiful thing! 

It was a fun week. 

Love y'all! 

Kimber