PICS!

BTW...we did service this week! But I'll tell you more about that tomorrow (in person) and I'll show you the pics if you want to see them lol. Some people might not want to see.... It was a chicken service project ;) But here's a preview pic....

Elder Rodriguez and I on our second and last night as companions lol.

I love you all!!!
Love, Elder Beck

THE LAST ONE!

Hola mi querida familia!!!!

This is the last time that I will be writing to all of the family as a missionary in Ecuador!!!! The next time we communicate with each other we will be face to face!!!!!! I can hardly wait for tomorrow...in Sky Harbor in Phoenix....with all of you that I love so much!!!!!!

I received a call last night saying that I need to be in the mission offices tonight at 8 pm... I'm not sure what I'll do from then until midnight. But I don't care too much cause I know that I will be on a plane back to the USA very soon!!!!! lol I packed up all of my stuff last night, and gave away some more stuff, and threw away some more stuff. Now both of my suitcases are about half empty haha. My companions were very happy to receive my dress shirts, that are still whiter than their shirts ;) They also liked my ties...I had A LOT of ties! haha I'm only going to bring 1 tie home..the one that I'm wearing. I got rid of all of my dress pants. I got rid of A LOT of stuff lol.

Thankfully at this point in my mission I don't have a lot of 'stuff' because last Wednesday I had transfers AGAIN! haha Elder Rodriguez is training now, so they had to get rid of me in that house ;) I am really going to miss that house cause it has HOT WATER!!!! I thought all of my showers in the last week of my mission would be in hot water, but I ended up only getting 2. And now I have been in Pascuales Stake, Pascuales Ward. The same stake I was in when I was with Elder Barrientos. I have been with 2 companions, Elder Giron from Colombia and Elder Machuca from Peru. This house is the cleanest and nicest house I have seen in all of the mission...cause they recently moved to this house like 2 months ago haha. I have met and taught a lot of people this week..and I imagine that I will never see them again lol. But I'm kinda glad I finished my last week in an unknown sector....it makes it easier to leave Ecuador cause I don't know anybody in this part. The hard part was leaving Portoviejo and that's over already ;)

Now, I just get to wait until midnight tonight to get on a plane and head back home!!!!!! I am on my way home ;) I am SOOOOOOOOOO excited for tomorrow morning...and you all know why ;) I am trying to hold in the excitement and control all of the butterflies in my stomach. But it's not very easy.... Sometimes I just imagine tomorrow and I get a HUGE smile on my face!!!! I love all of you SOOOOOOOOO much! Like you don't even imagine. You are the best family. We have been SO blessed in these 2 years, right? I'm sure there are some things you haven't written me about....just like there are some things I haven't written YOU about ;) But I'm also sure that the blessings have been greater than any other things in these 2 years.

I'LL SEE YOU ALL TOMORROW!!!!!!!!!!!!! I AM COMING HOME!!!!!!! I LOVE ALL OF YOU SOOOOOOOOOOOOO MUCH!!!!!!!!!!!!! IN LESS THAN 24 HOURS WE WILL SEE EACH OTHER!!!!!!! I'M PRETTY SURE I CAN WAIT THAT LONG ;) I LOVE YOUUUU!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Love, Elder (for now) Beck

PICS!

3 Generations!
The Zone Portoviejo...happy and funny ;)

Love you!
Elder Beck

Cambios....HUH?!

1

Hola mi querida familia!!!!!

I just can't hold in all of my excitement!!!!!!! Especially after reading all of your letters.....talk about trunky! lol But I've still got 1 more week to work hard...and get to know a new companion AND new sector!

First, we had 4 baptisms this week!!!!! Lorena Medina got baptized on Friday and her 2 daughters Milena and Ximena (the X is pronounced like an H). And Rossanna Rivera was baptized on Saturday too. They were both such great baptismal services. And all of 4 of them were SO prepared when we found them. Lorena was a contact that my comp. did when I was in Montecristi. They just started talking with her a gave here a Book of Mormon. And then when I was back, we talked with her and her daughters and they said they wanted to get baptized. They went to Elian's baptism that week, and to Church the next day. And they went to Church the past 2 weeks too. It was almost too easy with them...they were definitely GOLDEN investigators! And now they are golden converts ;) Lorena is a widow..they killed her husband last year. And Rossanna showed up at Church 3 Sundays ago with a member-family that had recently moved to our ward and we thought she was a member too. But the next week (Last Sunday), she told us she wanted to be baptized....and she was baptized the same week! A very golden investigator/now-recent-convert too. She is a single mom, 20 years old....with a 6 year old..crazy right? She's younger than me and has a 6 year old. But she immediately wanted to change and she did it! It is incredible how the Lord prepares people so quickly. To be baptized, we just need the desire and we need to obey the commandments. Lots of knowledge isn't that important. I love the mission!!!

And now the big news... Yes, that's right, I was transfered yesterday! Who could have predicted that?? Definitely not me...but it looks like Pinza's going to train, so I guess it's OK ;) So, on Sunday night I received the 'dreaded' phone call and started packing. And throwing away lots of stuff. And putting lots of stuff in a bag for Mamita Fanny to give away. And then Mamita Fanny came with her family to say bye to me and cried lol. And we talked for like an hour and a half...till almost 11pm. I'm going to miss Portoviejo SO much! She wants to go to AZ to visit me and meet all of you.....we'll see if that happens one day! She said this year she's going to Canada...maybe next year to AZ ;) I want you to meet her too.

So, on Sunday night I didn't sleep AT ALL and on Monday morning we were in a bus on our way to Guayaquil at 330am. We got to the bus terminal at 730am and they sent me and Elder Muhlestein to the Mission house. They told us to change in to our suits and we waited there for a little while and all of the Latins that finished this change were there. And all of the Latins went 3 by 3 to the Mission offices and had their "I'm-going-home" interviews with President Gamboa. Then a small bus (no, not the "short bus" lol) showed up at the house and we all went to President Gamboa's house. We chatted for a while with him and Sister Gamboa and then we ate..... A LOT!!! Remember when I talked about ceviche on the phone? That was the appetizer with some BIG shrimp..YUM! And then the main plate was a giant piece of really tasty fish, with some cheesy potatoes, vegetables, and homemade bread! And maracuyá juice (I'm going to miss that juice so much...they say it doesn't exist in the US cause the Americans do something with the seeds and turn them into drugs lol!). And dessert was a big brownie with chocolate ice cream. I felt like I was eating at home!!!! The only people that were missing were all of you ;) But soon we'll be eating like that ALL together ;)

After we finished eating, I felt like I wasn't going to be able to stand up...and apparently everybody else felt the same way, cause we all just stayed there and kept talking lol. And then I had my "I'm-going-home" interview with Pres. Gamboa in his home office and it went well. He said that if a missionary goes home and doesn't feel tired and worn out, it's cause he wasn't a good missionary and he didn't give it all he had. I think I have been a pretty good missionary then, cause I'm EXHAUSTED! lol And then we went to the airport in the small (not "short" lol) bus and dropped off all of the missionaries that were actually going home. There were 19 of them! And then Elder Muhlestein and I went back to the mission office and met our companions (for ONE WEEK) and went to our sectors. It looks like Elder Muhlestein and I go to Atlanta on the same flight.

My new companion, for now, is Elder Rodriguez (another one ;) ) from Nicaragua (from a neighboring stake of Elder Contreras). He's already been out 21 months, and we just found out that he's going to train too. I don't know when his 'son' will get here, and I don't know where they'll leave me if he gets here this week lol. I'm basically just floating around here until next Monday. The other missionaries say that I'm more dead than alive hahaha. But now you all know why I didn't write yesterday ;) I hope nobody got TOO worried..I know a little worried is inevitable lol.

I hope each and every one of you knows how much I LOVE YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I hope you all have a great week this week! Next week, I'll say that to you in person! I am SOOOOOO excited and can hardly wait to see all of you in Arizona, in person, and not just in pics...even though I really have loved the pics ;) I LOVE YOU ALL SOOOOOO MUCH!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Now is when you can seriously get trunky ;) lol

I LOVE YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Love, Elder Beck

PICS!!!

A few pics after Church yesterday ;)

Me and my comp with the Mamita Fanny Almeida
Me and my comp with the Guerrero family.
Me with Vilma Corrales and her niece that got baptized in Utah.

Love you Family!!!
Love, Elder Beck

SUPER P-day! My last one...

2

Hola mi querida familia!!!!

How is everybody doing this week? I hope everyone is great...and not TOO trunky. We'll still get to write at least 1 more time..and then you can get as trunky as you want ;) WOW..I can't believe we'll probably only get to write 1 more time....it's just weird (but SUPER exciting) to think about that! I can't keep thinking about that so much haha. 2 nights ago Sister Gamboa called and told me all of the stuff I need to know because it's almost time to go home. Just stuff like, don't leave things in the house. If you're not going to take something home, throw it away or give it away. Give away your mattress cover to somebody who needs it and throw away your pillow. ETC. I think that phone-call has the nickname 'Trunky phone call' ....I wonder why??? lol

Just one more trunky thing that I thought of this week... I need an appointment with Dr. Lavender when I get home ;) lol He is still working right? And we still go to him? I hope so, cause this week I have really been wishing for a nice 'atlas adjustment' ;) Thanks!

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY ON SUNDAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Dad, I love you and thanks for being SUCH a great father! I couldn't ask for a better one ;) And Happy Father's Day to the other fathers in the family, even though you're not my father ;)

Yesterday in Church there were some more changes in leadership callings and something exciting happened. Vilma Corrales was called as 2nd counselor in the Ward Relief Society Presidency! She's an awesome convert and she is so ready and excited to work. She seems like she's been a member of the Church for many years ;)

Lately, I have been praying a lot for a miracle to happen before I go home. And last week something happened that I think could be an answer to those prayers. One day, we decided to walk down a street that we almost never walk down cause it's kinda out of the way. As we walked down the street 2 guys started shouting at us saying "Hey you! Come over here! We have to talk to you!" My comp. and I were a little hesitant to go talk to them cause they honestly looked like they wanted to rob us lol. But they started telling us that their brother is member of the Church in another part of Ecuador, that he served a mission in Bolivia, that his life is really good, and that they've always liked the Church and looked up to the missionaries. They said they had been observing my companion and me for a few weeks and they had wanted to call us over, but other neighbors said that they shouldn't talk to us. But finally, they just decided to do it. We taught them and they said they believed that all that we taught was true. We invited them to be baptized on June 25 and they accepted immediately and asked US when and where they had to go to Church. Yesterday we went to pick them up for Church and they were already waiting outside their house, all ready for Church with ties and everything! They participated a lot in the classes and afterwards they said they really liked it and that they wished it lasted longer. So, I'm thinking that this could very possibly be a miracle! Especially if they get baptized on June 25....there are very few people that get baptized on their first date, but I know they'll do it. Once again, I know that the Lord answers our prayers and that miracles still exist. I love the mission!

We've also got a few baptisms planned for this week ;) That's all the news for this week, family!!!! I love all of you SOOOOOO much! Soon, we'll be able to talk in person, and not have to send emails ;) But until then, I'll keep loving P-days and emails! I LOVE you family!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Love, Elder Beck

PIC

Me and President and Sister Gamboa

Love you tons!!!

Elder Beck

JUNE?!?!

3

Hola mi querida familia!!!!

How is all of the fam doing this week? I hope that everyone is great. I am feeling great and still loving my last couple weeks of the mission. But, I can't believe that it is already JUNE! That makes the 'end' seem WAY closer. I have a lot of mixed feelings at this point in my mission. For example... It's hard to leave, but at the same time I can't wait to be home lol. That's how I feel right now ;)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO GAVIN ON WEDNESDAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I love you so much, Gavin!! Enjoy your birthday :) I'll see you soon!

This might be kind of irreverent, but I laughed so hard when it happened that I just have to share it......lol. In this ward, we have to sing the hymns with a CD player hooked up to the sound system because there isn't a piano or a keyboard. Sometimes the member that is in charge of changing the CDs turns the volume WAY up and you can't even hear yourself sing. That's kinda how it was yesterday. Yesterday, we were singing the opening hymn in Sacrament Meeting and the first 2 verses were a little loud, but it was just fine. And suddenly, in the middle of the 3rd verse, the CD player started skipping and it sounded EXACTLY like it sounds in that one part of Mean Girls (I know everybody knows which part I'm talking about). All of the members laughed a little bit and stopped singing cause they got kinda lost, but I seriously could not control myself for a moment lol. The rest of the members started following the music director, but I could NOT stop laughing. NOBODY here has seen Mean Girls (at least from what I've been able to find out from companions...I've never asked other members lol) so I didn't have anybody to laugh about it with. It was a moment where I just needed to be with my family.

Now, on to more serious, spiritual, important things that really matter ;) On Friday we had Zone Conference in Manta with President and Sister Gamboa. It was a great Zone Conference. The last one for Pres. and Sis. Gamboa......and me, too, I guess! lol We still keep reviewing and learning about those 8 lessons that I mentioned back in August. I thought it might get old to keep reviewing the same thing, but every time I learn something new. It's great. And it looks like they'll keep reviewing those 8 Principles of Preach My Gospel for a long time. At the end, it got kinda trunky when Sister Gamboa started talking about how they were called and how quickly the time has passed. And they showed a pic of the new Pres. Amaya and his wife (also Colombians) and told all of the missionaries to be very obedient. And they mentioned a number of times that it was their last Zone Conference. Also, after the Conf. I took a picture with them (just in case I don't get to take one with them the day I go home) and then ALL of the missionaries wanted to take a pic with them. It was a really good Zone Conference...and just a little bit trunky ;) lol

Well, that's all the news for this week. It was a pretty normal missionary week ;) Thanks to all of you for ALL that you do. Thanks for being the best family! I LOVE ALL OF YOU SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO MUCH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Love, Elder Beck