CAMBIOS... :)

Hola mi familia!!!

Well...this has been quite an interesting week down here in Ecuador..But I'll start from the beginning :)

ERod and I did a bunch of interchanges in our zone last week cause he is Zone leader and he has to see how everyone is doing and how their house is and everything. One night, I stayed in the other house in our zone where EIGHT elders live! They all sleep out in the 'family room' and use the bedrooms for their clothes and for studyin and it is a little bit crazy lol. But, the best part about that house is that they have HOT WATER showers! I didn't realize how much I missed showering in hot water until I showered there. It felt amazing lol. But, where I am now, the water is freezing lol

Mom and dad, thanks for the package! It had letters from Cam, Kev, and Karl, a letter from mom that talked about th stuff that happens in sacrament meeting that was HILARIOUS, pics that emma and regan drew, a waterproofing shoe sponge, M&Ms (SO GOOD), pens, and toothpaste. Thanks a ton! Is that all that was in there, cause there was a sticker that said it had broken and there was a little hole taped up with ecuador tape? Hopefully nothing was lost :)

Trevor and Nicole, I got your christmas card and I loved it! Your fam looks great :)

I have now been in the mission for over 6 months and I cannot believe it! The time goes by so fast!!!!!!! A fourth of the mission is already over...wow! haha

The other day some investigadores were watching the last season of 24..... Wow, I didn't realize how much I miss watching that show lol. I propose that we do a 24 marathon in 2011 haha.

And last, but definitely not least, CAMBIOS!!! CHANGES!!! Well, I'm pretty sure that Pres. Gamboa doesn't want me getting too comfortable anywhere, cause I was just starting to get comfortable in La Florida and I was almost sure that I would be there at least one more change, but NOPE! HAHA I am now in Vinces in a BRANCH called Vinces 2 (there are 2 branches hear called vinces 1 and 2 and the 2 branches form a district). The APs called me on wednesday night at like 11 and told me that I was getting changed and that I had to be in the Bus Terminal at 730 am the next day...I love changes :) lol So I packed my bags up and slept for about 4 hours haha. The bus ride from Guayaquil to vinces is about 2 hours and of course the bus has no AC :) But I still slept the whole ride haha.

On sunday, there were about 20 people in church and 5 of them were Investigators lol. There are SO many inactives here that we are working with. Pretty sad..but people have their agency. My new companion is Elder Morataya and he is from Guatemala. He goes home after the Next change (in april) so I'm pretty sure that I will be the one to 'kill him' (That's what they say when your comp finishes the mission..that the one who isn't going home is the murderer. Mission language......lol) The nickname of Vinces is Little Italy and they have a little eiffel tower in the center (but the eiffel tower is in France, isn't it? lol) They also have a mini- Christ the Redeemer statue like the one in Brazil. This place needs to get more creative and come up with their own ideas! lol Next thing you know, they're gonna have a mini grand canyon! haha

Well, that's all for this week i guess. Everything is great here in Vinces and we are working hard. I love you all TONS TONS TONS TONS TONS and thanks for everything that you all do for me. Keep it up with the letters and prayers haha.

I LOVE YOU!
Love, Elder Beck in Vinces

Me and Elder Morataya and the Prosperina zone

Me and elder morataya and the Prosperina zone in front of the stake center that farrah's husband talked about that's made of stone :)

Love, Elder B

HOLA!!

Hola mi querido familia!

Well, the rain paid attention to me and it went away this week...so i have been thankful for that haha. But it has been SWEATY!!! lol Oh well...that's the life of a missionary in Ecuador.

Guess what?! Last week for our district meeting we met in a different chapel and they had a piano and....I played the opening hymn! haha There were only 12 people there...but still. I played Nearer My God to Thee--my favorite! :)

On monday when we were walking in the rain and buying an umbrella I started to think of the Rihanna song (under my umbrella ella ella eh eh eh eh) and that reminded me of that one episode of the office when Andy goes up to Angela and starts singing 'Angerella ella ella eh eh eh eh.' hahaha It made me laugh pretty hard..but Elder Rodriguez doesn't watch the Office so he didn't think it was so funny lol.

Random....I have lost 15 pounds since the MTC. I think It's cause I sweat nonstop..cause we eat ALOT lol.

Today is the last Pday of this change (can't believe that another change is almost over) which means it was super pday. That means that we cleaned the house REALLY good! (It still is dirtier than I would like, but oh well) hahah Some people have different Ideas if 'clean', I have learned :)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY THIS WEEK TO MOM AND ABY AND CARLIE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (Today-mom, tomorrow-aby, and the 24th-carlie) I love you and hope you all have awesome birthdays :) Only one more, and then I'll be home lol.

And last, but definitely not least, BAUTISMOS!!!!!!!!!!!! 2 people got baptized on saturday :) A 9 year old named Andreina and a 15 year old named Jonathan. Andreina is the sister of Oliver that got baptized in December. And Jonathan's mom got baptized a couple months ago. Everything went great and Andreina said 'I'm never going to repent for getting baptized in the true church.' It was funny :) Next week I'll send pics cause right now I am out of time!

That's all for this week. Thanks for EVERYTHING family! You are the best in the world! I love you tons! Keep up the prayers please :) And hope that E rod and I don't get changed this week. It's his birthday next monday and we want to go to this place called Gran Chef---a buffet that has food from like everywhere lol. LOVE YOU SO MUCH!!!

Love, Elder Beck

Rain rain....go away lol

Hola mi querido familia!

I hope all is well with all of you....and I hope you are a little bit drier than we are here. It started raining this week....and from what I hear it doesn't stop until april lol. Yesterday all of the streets transformed into rivers...and the dirt streets up in the hills transformed into mudslides :) It will be a fun couple of months with really dirty/wet shoes and pants lol.

Mom and dad...thanks for the package!!! :) I got the puzzletter from alexa (fun), Letters from Elder Beatty and Shoe, the Church News, Fruit Snacks (so good), the key chains (one for ERod...he says thanks), gum, and ALL of the pics! I especially loved the pics from Hawaii. Great times :) And mom...there was one pic where you seriously looked like a model. Not that you don't look great in the other pics...but that one was especially good haha.

I looked last week for boots in another mall....I think it's safe to say size 13 boots don't exist in Ecuador lol. Oh well :) haha

Read the chapters in Alma about Ammon...he is a STUD! haha He was a great example of a missionary. And I was thinking of those Book of Mormon videos while I was reading where Ammon says "I AM a man" hahah It made me laugh.

I was wondering....mom or dad...do you ever check myASU stuff? I was just wondering... :)

Sorry it's so short this week....but know that everything is going great. And maybe a little wet lol. I love you all SO much! And I love getting letters and emails and pics from all of you. You are the best family in the world!!! :) I am so grateful (is that how you spell grateful? lol) for our family....the majority of the families are missing a mom or a dad or something and it makes me so happy and thankful to think about how blessed our family is. Always Count Your Many Blessings :)

Love you all TOOOONNNS!!!

Love, Elder Beck

Tony romas and Merry christmas with Avena Polaca

Happy 2010!

¡Hola mi familia!

Feliz Año Nuevo...I can't believe it's 2010 already! Time is flying :) This has been a great week :) From thursday until yesterday, the parties for New Years kept going on and on. LOTS of drunk people lol. Gotta love Ecuador! We were in the house at 8pm on New Years eve and New Years day. :)

First, last week after I wrote, ERod and I celebrated the holidays by going to Tony Roma's!!!!! I was so excited when I sat down and started looking at the pictures on the menu. I felt like a fat kid in a candy store! hahahahahaha It was so good. ERod and I both got a rack of ribs with french fries and corn, and we split a big hamburger :) And for dessert he got a bowl of ice cream and I got a brownie sundae with chocolate ice cream and hot fudge.........SOOOOO good! haha Also, they were playing american music the whole time...Carrie Underwood, Black Eyed Peas, Rod Stewart, Taylor Swift, Leona Lewis, etc. Those are the ones I remember haha. Great way to celebrate!

The other day an investigator what else we can't eat besides alcohol and coffee so we started to teach the word of wisdom. We were teaching them with a member family. ERod said all of the things we can't eat and then said "Also, we can't eat rice." I wish you all could have seen the faces of all of them. I thought they were going to die...and then ERod said he was just kidding and we all laughed really hard. Lesson learned...don't joke about not eating rice with Ecuatorians lol.

Last week I looked in all of Mall del Sol for size 13 shoes...including the Rockport store. They don't exist here lol. I was looking cause people say boots are essential for the rainy season...which is coming soon! But I guess I'll just use my shoes that I have. I should be able to survive haha. I would ask you to send some, but I don't want you to send them and then have them not fit or something.... Oh well :)

Simon Dewey is one of my new favorite church artists :) Look at the picture "Why Weepest Thou" ...it's great.

Church in our ward is a 3 pm now....lame lol.

The word for stepfather and hangnail is the same in Spanish (padrastro). I thought that was SO hilarious lol.

I have one specific goal for this year. Finish reading the Book of Mormon in Spanish before my birthday...Right now I'm in Alma 8..I think I can do it :) I'll let you know how it goes.

Well, that's all for this week! I hope everything is great with all of you :) I love you all SOOOOOO much!!!! Keep up the prayers, please :)

Love ya!
Elder Beck