OLA FAMILY!!

this week was pretty sweet!! sounds like you guys had a really sweet week aswell!! Wow first Off with Jacob jumpin right in the game! haha thatºs the way to do it! and with BYU doing work, thatºs always sweet to hear! Then with the soccer going on with Ash, love ya ASH! , and then mandy just being Mandy, love ya pants!... sounds like it was a good week! ha This week with our investigators was a rollercoaster! ha we have a lot of people, but our church is really far away, and you have to take a metro so itºs hard for them to come to church, but the elects will come we know! ha and we had Castro in church with us this week, and he is awesome! Castro is the father of two girls who are members but the wife of him is a catcholica, entao we have two helpers with us already, and we know he has felt the spirit, and he knows these things are true. We taught a lesson Saturday night and the spirit was so strong, and he came to church with us the next day, and really like it! We plan on marking him this week, so that will be sweet, to see how he progresses! and also Manuel, he came once, but with him he has a really tough life, and work is hard... and itºs hard to get a hold of him, but we have faith we will find him this week and be able to teach him! He also lives literally right on the beach so that is pretty sweet!! haha and I finally will be able to send pictures today to show you guys just how sweet this area is! itºs so sweet that we spend a lot of time contacting tourists... but we are starting to pick up the signs of who is a tourist and who isnºt so that we can contact people in our area!" ha It makes it more interesting! Portuguese people are awesome! ha we have our ward mission leader, Tino, and he doesnºt have a whole lot but everytime he hears us walking by on the street he runs out of his house and invites us in and gives us juice... and is the nicest guy, and he is really converted to the Gospel, and has already been a member 3 years, and he likes telling people that! ha Thatºs so cool that you guys had that time to hang with the stratfords!! itºs kinda sad I do see Elder Strat anymore... but we still will in the future for sure, just not every week like it was! ha Thatºs sweet that Iºm serving close to those people Dad baptized forever ago! ha It would be awesome to be able to pass by and see them. Itºs crazy that its already Setember... time is going really fast, and we need to make the most of everyday, because this time will pass too fast, not just my time on the mission but our time here on earth! itºs crazy! like just during my time here on the mission I have realized that our lifes really arenºt that long, and that we need to make each day count because each day really is the first day of the rest of our lives! So many people we talk to say if God existed there wouldnºt be so much bad in the world. and thatº exactly what Satan wants us to think, to only focus on the bad. But I canºt remember who said it... but donºt let us be overcome with evil, but letºs overcome evil with good... thatºs wisdom! ha and there is good in the world, and this is the church of Jesus Christ, and he is the head, and itºs our job to share this message with the world. Thanks for being awesome, and for your letters, i always look forward to them! have an incredible week, and make it count! Thanks for your examples, and stay awesome!

Com amore, Elder Beckstrand

July 1st

OLAAA! FAMILIAAA!

FOGO! este Semana fui BEM QUENT! haha it was so hot! Like St. George is hot.. CLaro but here itºs like Wet hot... I miss the St. George Hot... haha! When your out talking to people you can literally feel the beads of sweat coming out of your head... Inspiring! há! It sounds like Everyone at home is doing awesome!! A little scary with Elder Beckstrand in Japan! I hope your feeling better Bro! your such a rock for me to cling to in my life, and I canºt believe that you only have a few weeks left of your Mission, and I really wish I would be able to fly home to see you for a little or maybe you could have a lay over in Portugal... haha! No Iºm just messin even tho that would be awesome! It will be such a special reunion when you return with our family, and Itºs funny how excited I am for you guys to see each other! haha This really is the work of the Lord, and If I had one wish em este moment.. it would be to serve one Transfer with my Bro! Itºd probably only take a week for him to pass me in POrtuguese! haha But really that would be cool, but I served with Elder Strat whoºs bro served with him, which is a pretty big milagre também! Sorry... About this week! há It went real well! Except still No baptisms here in Guimarraes... NUNO passed the interview and wanted to be baptized last saturday but it was short notice, and we wanted to make it a little more special for him so we are very excited for this weekend because we will have a double Baptism with Nuno and Tatianna!! they are so cool, and definitely ready to enter the waters of Baptism. We have been seeing Miracles out here in Guimarraes, and we have another marked for the next week on the 14th, his name is Fernando, and he is awesome we just gotta help him come to church, and then we have David who is BEM SUAVE! há but he is out of town alot but once we get him to church... haha! I was really stoked to hear about how Ash is doing with BBALL!! and also with Mandy getting stung with a bee... that doesnºt sound too much fun Pants... but hang in there! This place is really incredible, and me and Elder Ricks are doing all we can to push through the heat each day to try and bring souls to Christ, and we are seeing Miracles! Another thing is that Iºm really starting to like the Portuguese Language! Like I speak Portuguese probably more than english now... and I sometimes get upset if my comp responds in english... haha not upset.. but ya know. Porque realmente este língua e incrível e eu sempre quero falar com meu pai em este língua depois este missão porque.... este bem suave.(This language is BEM SAUVE-real smooth) haha Also we are still playing soccer with Nuno in the Mornings and itºs pretty fun... except Iºm not all that great, and just want to BALL but itºs good! há Oh I totoally forgot... also we had a big broadcast that we watched last night and now MIssionaries are going to be USING A LOT more technology!! FACebook... Ipods... Ipads! oh ya! haha Estou Brincar... I joke probably it will be the same for a while but we will see! Well you guys are all amazing! Mom keep being awesome, and always be the amazing exemple that you are to me, and Dad you are awesome, keep going on those walks with Mom so you can eat your ice cream! haha Estou brincar contigo pai, você sabe já, porque realmente quando eu voltar, vamos jogar basket cada dia. Itºs sad to think me and Elder Beckstrand only have a few weeks left, and I know he will finish like he started, na incredible Elder, and an amazing BRO! but I will still be out here with GMA AND GPA! haha

GUARDAR A FE!

Guimaraes, Portugal

OLA FAMILIA!!! Como VAi!!

WOW! this week was pretty crazy!! Where to start... WE started off hooping it up with the Jovens and I realized I should probably stick with basketball because we played soccer after and that was just rough... these kids were just doin work, and me and my comp couldnºt do anything! haha but The language is definitly coming along, and each day I learn so much more, and I really do love speaking the portuguese language. My trainer says I am doing really good, but I am still working on understanding, but the same is true there that each day I can understand more, and carry on conversations with less and less help... Whenever we walk past school aged kids they always yell I AM AMERICAN.... or English... but itºs funny and we always laugh about it. This really is the most beautiful place in all of Portugal, and Iºm not just saying that! haha Itºs true everyone who I have talked to have said that, and itºs not hard to see why... incredible. Ya with our investigators things are going pretty well... itºs always a little sad when they donºt show up or arenºt home... but you just gotta keep pushing through that and with faith things will work out. We have 7 or 8 progressing Investigators right now... and we have one Marked for Baptism!! WOO! Que FIXE! he is super cool, his name is João! We were also going to mark two other ladies named Maria, and Anna Maria... somthing about maria here in Portugal,.. haha but both there husbands want nothing to do with us, but through the help of the spirit they allowed us to continue teaching them, and they both know this is the true church we just need to pray for their Maridos to come around... I know now what dad meant when he talked about the beautiful streets and the tiny roads and all the skiny cobblstone roads... they are so sweet!! itºs awesome... I definitely need to take more pictures on another pday or something like that... and at night the light the place up... like every window on some roads.... LOCO! haha itºs crazy to think that we only have 3 weeks left until transfer... like seriously!! I really hope I get a few transfers here In Gumaraes.... The Members have kinda lost their fire, and we are really trying to get them excited about bringing more members into this Gospel. So me and Elder Tucci have just been talking with anyone and everyone trying to find more people who are interested in their Savior Jesus Christ. This week we have found 21 new investigators, and we have faith that there will be some with real growth, and who will progresso towards the waters of Baptism... Ideally they all will! haha One problema we have aswell is that we have NO GAS! haha no stove no oven... and worst of all No hot WATER!! haha itºs been like 8 days... FOGO! But itºs alright because at least we have water! haha so all of you at home be grateful for the little things that arenºt really that little!! Also me and my comp arenºt the best cooks so we throw down cereal like itºs nothing! which is nice because it leaves less dishes to clean and itºs quick! haha Itºs getting pretty hot here... and we walk ALOT, but thats a really good thing because I eat a lot of food, and I would be gaining weight if we didnºt ! haha Dad did they have incredible pasteries when you served here aswell.. because they are seriously sooo good.... But it sounds like Elder Beckstrand is doing awesome as always in Japan!! I canºt believe he is almost to his last transfer!! I have loved the time we have been serving together, and I feel this connection with him as we serve even tho we are in diferente parts of the world, and I look forward to the time we have left to serve together. I love you bro, and letºs make this time we have together count! I know this Church is true, and Iºm so grateful for the opportunity we have to serve these Missions. We have an opportunity that only comes once in a lifetime, and itºs hard but itºs the best. I love you all so much, and keep being awesome!! Ash keep hoopin! MAndy keep on keepin on! haha your awesome, and Dad you need to update me about the FInals!! haha you canºt die on me just because the Lakers are out! I still need to root against the heat! haha Thanks for the letter Mom, and keep on feeling better!

COM AMOR;

Elder Beckstrand, Gaurdar a Fe ate o fim!

Familia!!!!

OLAAA!

Como Vai!? Primero quiero resposta as perguntas de Mai. The first night we stayed in a hotel porque there were so many of us, and the Missao casa would not fit us... haha It was really cool, and the hotel we stayed in was where the first Church meeting was ever held in Portugal! President Fluckinger is awesome, and his wife is great too! Ya he came around and talked to all of us that first night, and he is really motivated to prepare the people of Portugal for their temple, and so are we! this is a very exciting time to be serving in Portugal. My trainer has been out a year and we both like basketball a lot so we are going to head over and play at the park right after these emails! haha podemos receber pesquisadors por meio nos abilidades para jugar basket... tu nunca sabes! haha YES I feel really tal here, and people keep shouting American at me like I donºt already know that I am, or they just like stating the point... haha either way itºs kinda of funny. The plane flight over was really sweet just because right after they fed us I was out until we were 45 minutes away from England, and I only woke up because they were ready to serve me breakfast which was a treat! haha England was pretty awesome, and we were only there for like 1 hour... but it was still cool to see things there for a minute, and continue to Portugal. When we flew into Portugal it was incredible. SUCH a beautiful place, and I know that the Lord has a work in store for this área. One thing I donºt like all that much are the trains! TRAINS Everywhere! haha the only way to get around... but I am getting to like them more, it just isnºt fun to drag your luggage from train to train... haha Dad, tu sentir mesmo o no? But we have also been out teaching and out of no where WE GET dumped on by massive rain storms, and honestly we may as well be standing in a pool... hahah but Itºs AWESOM! I thinke my shoes are still drying out from thursday! Gumeraes is so incredible, but we are White washing the área which means we have no leads, except the ward list, so we have only been here three days, and have no idea where anything is, but each day gets better, and we have a plan for this week which I will tell you about next week if it goes well! haha We only have 6 investigators... but also there are a lot of innactive members in our ward who we will try to teach aswell. I feel like I am understanding more and more each day, and I have crossed some people who speak english which has been cool to use at times as well. WE have BBAL today which is sweet!!! Oi Pai! Serio esse lugar eº muito incredivle, e eu somos gratos para servir aqui em Gumaraes. Os pessoas podem difícil para falar com, porque estão ter diferente areditas para eu amo os pessoas de Portugal. Sei que Deus tem um plano com esse povo. I know that through Christ we can do all things, and we will be able to do whatever we are meant to do here in Gumereas. Thats really cool Butch served really close to here.. Iºm sure he will agree it is the setting of the Lord of the rings, or something epic like that! haha I love you all so much! thanks for everything, and love you forever!!!

TE Amo Muito!

Com Amor, Elder Beckstrand. Gaurdar A FE!

WOOOO!!!!

Familia!!

I am in Portugal!!!! This is insane and so amazing" haha I am serving Guimaraes, and itºs sooo amazing here!! Holy Cow"!!! I love the people here so much, and there have been already been so many cool experiences its unreal<"!!!! My language is a little rough but thats understandable, beause everyone talks so fast here, but holy cow Dad this is a great place, and we have a lot of work to do today, and i love you all so much!!!! Congrats on Ash catching her toad, and all that! haha looks pretty large, We have a sweet balcony where me and my companion are staying in and from the balcony we can see 3 Castelos!! ha QUE FIXE eh! itºs a little frio aqui para esta bom. I know that this is where Iºm supposed to be and my Trainer is awesome, his name is elder Tucci an Austrillian!! haha Que Fixe.

I love you all so much, have an amazing week! plus my pday is on monday!

Thanks for this Grandma!! This is seriously amazing!!! I love you so much and know you are doing amazing things in Germany! I cant believe I only have three weeks left in this hallowed ground of the MTC!! love ou Forever! Thanks Again for EVERYTHING!

Love Elder Beckstrand

TO ELDER JADEN BECKSTRAND

The organ is softly playing

Each Life That Touches Ours For Good

We reflect upon your life

And know you helped all you could.

You reached out to the friendly,

The unfriendly and friendless,

You, indeed, made a difference

To the last, the least and the lost.

 

You’ve arrived at your day of “farewell”,

A day of reflection, of contemplation,

A day both bittersweet and happy,

A day of commitment, of determination.

 

Today While The Sun Shines

Work with a will!

Today While the Sun shines

Your duty fulfill!

The words of the opening hymn

Are sung loud and strong

As you look at the congregation

You see family and friends in the throng. 

 

You partake of the sacrament,

Renewing your covenants with Him,

Remembering the Atonement

He paid the price for Sin.

 

Your Bishop has you come forward,

He presents you with a tie,

Remember all of us back here,

We’ll pray for you…is that a tear in your eye?

  

 

Now it’s time for your thoughts…and…

Your testimony….you know this work is true!

You know you’ve been called of God….

This is what He would have you do!

You have been called to Portugal--

To speak your own “Pork n’ Cheese!

You will be blessed with the gift of tongues…

Through the Spirit you will testify with ease!

 

 You say Amen….but your adventure is just beginning!

You sing the final hymn.  A message in song:

 You have work enough to do

For yourself and kindred too.

You must speak the loving word,

You must let your voice be heard!

As you journey on your way

God’s commands you must obey.

Before the sun goes down.

 

I am Elder Jaden Phillip Beckstrand

I am a Son of God on High!

A Captain in His army

I Hold His standard to the sky!

My shield of faith, My sword of truth!

I’ve learned the gospel in my youth.

The Battle’s here.  It has began.

I’ll stand and fight!  I’ll never run!

 

Onward and Upward!

This is the Father’s Plan!

We love you and pray for you!

You are our best Elder Jaden!

 

Love you forever,

Elder and Sister Andrus aka Gpa and Gma

OLA FAMILIA!!!

ESSE Semana foi muito BOM!! Well every week is a lot of fun, but this week was amazing! Time is seriously flying so fast, and its crazy to think that in 2 weeks we will have our flight plans to portugal!! Plus just a heads up on this letter I cant do any pronunciations because the key board is set to some weird language äääöö. as you can see... haha It has been so good to hear how everyone is doing back at home and Elder Beckstrand doing work in Japan as always!! Thanks for everything Bro! I really am loving the MTC... Its weird because the first few days feel longer than the past 3 weeks... haha and the spirit is so strong here and so many people from BYU pile in every Wednesday we are seriously going to overfill! Theres no other way we would want it tho! The work is pressing forward with haste, and It is such a fun experience to be riding the wave as its happening!! I love the portuguese language! It is like the coolest language, and I dont know why everyone doesnt speak it! haha Im sure Jacob feels the same about japanese and Dad with portuguese. Also that was so cool to hear about how Cory is back down in St. George and hoopin it up a little bit with ash and them! Tell him to get the MTC ASAP! haha I second what Elder Beckstrand said when he was here, that it is the most spiritual place a young man can enter, and should be a goal for every young man to have the opportunity to enter the MTC. Even though at times it is a glorified college campus that we are not allowed to leave, there is one distinct difference. The spirit and the feeling that is ALways here! It is amazing! Also thanks for the chips and salsa mom those were amazing, I forgot how much I missed chips and salsa and so did our district and zone! haha we put good use to that in a matter of minutes! We were all talking the other day realizing that our time left here is so short... it is kind of sad. We all have grown really close together, and it will be sad when we leave but very exciting to began the next stage of our Mission in the hallowed ground of PORTUGAL!! haha Just a little up date on a few of our pesquisadors.... they are doing well, and one committed to baptism, now we just need to teach him the commandments and make sure all is good there! It was also really good to hear about Ashleys basketball tournaments, and how things are going there! Keep up the awesome work! The yard seems like it is doing well, and it would only seem fitting that dad gets someone to take care of the yard after me and Jacob are gone... didnt see that one coming! haha JK no, Im excited for pictures too see how things are looking. Thanks for the letter mandy it seems like your doing well as always! Keep up the great work, and learn lots and play hard! haha The Zone is doing really well and we welcomed in 2 new Districts last night! 25 NEW missionaries! All waiting on VIsas for Brazil... Crazy stuff!! THey are all awesome missionaries and we are excited for them! We went to the Temple this morning and it was awesome as always! After our session it started sinking in that we only have 2 more temple sessions for likely 2 years...! Wow! But we have a new teacher and he recently returned from portugal and he goes nonstop about how amazing of a Mission it is and how jealous and excited he is that we will be there in a short time! I would encourage Dad to brushin up on his portuguese, and I will try to learn as much as I can so when I come home in 2 years we can speak fluently to eachother without others understanding what we are saying.... haha. And also just because it would be cool. David took off to Chile a few days ago... and that was a cool experience seeing him off. The weather is really getting a lot nicer, and today is amazing here! The sun is shining, and this is the first week we didnt recieve any snow! I think we finally found out why it was snowing so much, it was because a missionary in our district is from Arizona and was secretly praying for snow behind our backs... and he finally told us he was one day when we were talking about how we want the sun! hahaha it was pretty funny. Basketball in the MTC is quite the experience! You never know what your gunna get, and our GYM time is intense! haha We have a couple new Elders here from Hawaii who can hoop it up and we have had some awesome games! The other day we had like 40 Elders watchin our game and it kept going back on the forth, because you play to 7 by ones and twos and the final was 17 to 19, we lost on a blown play but it was still inspiring! haha I love you all so much! and Thanks to everyone who has sent me letters, and packages. Also thanks to the 8th Grade Girls Boarder league team for sending me that sweet package! You girls are awesome! Keep up the great work and good luck with everything! Also, thanks to Roo and Emily for the awesome cookies and the Glassfords for the package! Tell Tyler to update me about his namurada... or gf. haha I love you all and hope you have an amazing week! Keep the faith and Love God. I will try to send picutres later as I do not have my camera on me and it is about to die... haha

Love you Forever!

Elder Beckstrand

Dear Familia!!!

Como VI!? The MTC is awesome and we seriously have an amazing zone and our branch presidency is amazing! So first off, our Pday has been changed due to summer schedules and cordinating teaching times with our teachers! So good to hear how Elder Beckstrand is doing in Japan, and I love how he just gets down and goes to work! That's awesome and I will definitely try to follow his example while I am on my mission! Keep it up Bro! It seemed like your week was amazing and that's so awesome to hear about Ashley and her basketball tournament!! A big Congrats to all the Girls and especially for Beating Cedar at CEDAR!!! WOOO!! so sweet!! That is the best way the season could have ended! That's crazy to think that it's already all over for them! It feels like I was just coaching the first practice a few weeks ago.... haha! It sounds like Dad and Grandpa were quite the coaching Crew together!! I wish I coulda been there but The MTC is a pretty good place to be! haha The Language comes a little more everyday and we become more comfortable speaking it to each other and it's actually really fun! We all make the joke that because we are speaking Portuguese so much that our English is getting worse because it messes with our sentence structure.... So now we are just in trouble because our Portuguese is Bad and our english is worse! HAha! just messin but sometimes it feels like that and the important thing is just to forget about yourself and realize why you are here! The only reason we are learning Portuguese is to be a tool in the Lords hand for the people of Portugal, and when you take that into consideration there is NO way we can fail! We had an amazing Sunday Night Devotional about how we are literally at war with the Adversary and that they will do all they can to stop the work from progressing, and when we realize the reality that we are at war with Satan it makes us anxious to get to Portugal and fight him everyday with our testimonies and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. I know that we are on the winning side, but it's our responsibility to help as many as we can join the ranks through the power of the holy ghost. On another note, I was doing TRC on saturday, and for those who don't know who TRC is, it's just talking to members who come to the MTC and speak their mission language with the missionaries. Anyways.... We were talking and I thought she was married becuase she was talking about children and had a couple of rings on her finger... and at the end of the lesson I asked her how prayer has blessed the lives of her children... and she got really red and then we just lost it! HAHA Lesson learned never assume anything! and it was all in portuguese of course, but it was super funny, and it all worked out! Also thank you so much for the awesome treats you send me! your so sweet! With Pday being on tuesday now we only have 1 more until we depart for Portugal!! how Crazy is that!? haha so not the next time, but the time after that I will be emailing you from the hallowed land is Portugal, RIght Dad?! haha Also, our new Teacher is from Lisbon and returned a few months ago! He's so cool, and he knew Butch! his name is Elder Whitaker, he said they were never companions but said they knew each other pretty well. David, and Bry are out in the field and are loving it! Also Kevin seems to be really doing well! Strong they are in the Gospel. Investigators convert they will. .. haha our teacher said to try speaking like Yoda because that's similar to portuguese Sentence structure! other than that it's really fun! Thanks for all the pictures it's amazing to see how good everyone is doing, and that was a really sweet Trophy! haha Also, thanks to the Barkers for their letter this week! that was really sweet of them and it was awesome to hear how they are all doing! i'm sure mandy is still having good times with the tramp and the grass hasn't died yet because dad hired a guy! haha that's awesome! Keep up the awesome work back at home! To answer Jacobs question about if I am allowed to call him or not... i'm not sure but I will ask and find out by next tuesday for sure! Also thanks for dad writing a little back in portuguese it was fun to decipher what it was! haha Keep the Faith and love you all forever!

Love,

Elder Beckstrand

FAMILY!!!

This week has been truly an amazing one, and I have wittnessed many tender mercies of the Lord!! First off, I need to thank Mom again for making be bring the jacket because it snowed like 3 times this week!! CRAZY! haha Its almost MAY, but it´´s ok because there will be plenty of time to heat up in Portugal in a few weeks!! Well the Devotionals this week were incredible! Richard G Scott spoke to us on Tuesday night and Me and my companion were only 4 rows away from him!! HOW CRAZY! When he would look into the crowd you could actually feel him looking into your very soul! haha Quite the Experience and the spirit was So Strong!! I want to share a few things he said! He started out by saying that every good thing that has come in his life stems off his decision of serving a mission... pretty amazing... Also he said we may question our decision to serve but we WILL NEVER regret it.... pretty sweet aswell. He said learning a language is especially great, and then he said a few words in portuguese!!!! Eu falou um poco portugeuse! I speak a little portuguese! So clearly he loves the portuguese speakers the most!! hahah just kidding of course! Lastly I wanted to share that he said our mission calls are truly inspired of God, and that we are serving where we are serving for a very specific purpose, and we  need to make sure we find that purpose, reaching out to others that have been prepared for and waiting for us. Ok so our first district meeting was last sunday... and I had no idea what was going on... The branch presidency all came in and was like, we are ready for the meeting! I froze and looked at our district and then we all arose and began to sing and then had a prayer... I then rattled some things off about how our district is doing, and asked if they had any comments. They did... and then it got silent. They looked at me and I said nothing... haha The president said, Elder Beckstrand would you like to share your lesson... I said of course not having an lesson! haha I asked that the district open to chapter 3 of preach my gospel and I was going to somehow pull a lesson out of thin air! hahah The President said the lesson is supposed to be about of the Missionary handbook, but since I had prepared it would be okay not to for this week.... haha Now I had a choice to make... I was honest and said President, I have nothing prepared and was just going to make up a lesson from what I have been studying.... haha He said oh that´´s alright and we ended up having an amazing testimony meeting within our district that brought us even closer together. After the meeting he asked if me and my comp would come meet with him. I thought great I´m getting fired after a week! haha He called us in and asked if we would be the new Zone leaders after only being in the MTC 10 days... It was one of the greater shocks I´ve experienced and continues to be so! haha It´´s been a really great experience tho being able to reach out to more Missionaries and help them feel loved and welcomed. Our Zone is amazing and we truly feel blessed because when we meet and talk with them It feels like we are the ones being strengthened! A lot of people have been asking about the language and how it is going! haha Its going well, and I know I still have much to learn, but each day I feel like I am better to express myself and help our investigator come unto Christ. I know in the MTC they are all fake, but if you take them serious the Lord wil too. For Example we are teaching a man named Elison and he is an aweomse guy! Loves his family and is learning to love the lord. I have been working on memorizing the primero visao in portuguese. And we were teaching of the restoration in our upcoming lesson. I prayed that the lord would help me remember what I have studied so I could say the words from my heart and not a book. As I began the first vision, the spirit overcame me and I could feel the love of the savior filling the room. I was able to finish o primero visao e testificar these things were true, and that I knew the book of mormon was restored by a true prophet in Joseph Smith. It´s crazy to think I have about 3 weeks left until I get my flight plans to portugal, and time is just starting to go so fast already. I am anxious to get to portugal but also look forward to the time left in the MTC, There is all you can eat food! Basketball everyday! Temple Sessions once a week! Your never alone... constantly surrounded by 6 elders! haha that can be bitter sweeet.... haha Also that´´s awesome Joel and Brian got to go to that GAME!!! WHAT! so sweet! and shot on the Court at halftime! That is super awesome, and especially sitting that close! ha Major bummer about Kobe however... He will be back... and more focused this time! haha Also I want to thank everyone for the support! and Lori I did get your package it was awesome! thanks so much! and thank you roo and the glassfords for the package it was great! and to the lewis family for also sending a sweet package! be sure to tell them thanks! ha  Also Mom I have been recieving your treats as well and they are awesome thank you so much!! Dad it sounds like all is going great with basketball and you seem to be quite the Coach! No suprise there! It´´s always fun to hear how things are going at home with the family, ward,  basketball, the yard, NBA.... all the good stuff! haha I love you all so much! Mandy make sure you keep listening to Mom and Dad and working hard and playing hard! haha Ashley good luck in your tournanment this weekend! Have fun and be safe! Thank you all to your amazing exmaples! It was so good to get Jacobs letter! He is such a rock in the Gospel, and I know he probably speaks better Japanese than my english! haha I can´´t wait to come your way in a few weeks bro! The MTC is an amazing place and I love it, but your right the food has lived up to its nortorious nature! hahaha Keep up the amazing work in Japan and know we all love you and pray for you.

Keep the Faith, and keep serving the Lord! Love you all!

'Elder Beckstrand

This week has been soooo amazing!!!! :)

We had an amazing devotional on tuesday night given by Richard G Scott!!! He said some amazing things, and something that really stuck with me was that everything good that has ever came in his life stems off his decision of serving a mission!!! How Cool is that!? He also promised us that if we are learning a language we will all Be Masters of that language... which is a pretty awesome promise from an apostle! I love the MTC and my Companion and my district!! Also Me and My companion have been made Zone Leaders as of last week which is pretty crazy.... WE Definitely weren't expecting that!!!! haha It has been so good to hear about how everything is doing at Home and I am glad you are keeping the grass alive and growing!! haha that was 7 Years in the making!! ;) haha Our Zone is doing really well and we are so blessed with amazing missionaries that are willing and love to serve the Lord! The MTC is kind of an amazing awkward growing stage for all Missionaries!! haha It's so amazing because you can feel the spirit so strong all the time, but at the same time you really want to get out into the field and interact with people who you can really change forever. I know I need this time to truly prepare myself to be the best I can be tho! Everyone is asking about how the language is coming... and it's coming really good! I know I still have a lot to learn, but everyday I learn more and am able to better express myself through the hallowed language of portuguese! haha Also I am writing a letter to send home today of some of my written portuguese that maybe dad can help translate! ha So it should be there around tuesday! No crazy investigator blow experiences with me and my companion this week... However, a companionship in our district had quite the experience.... hahaha So anyways last night our district was teaching their investigators but me and my companion could'nt be there because we were welcoming the new district in our zone with the branch president... But when we got back they filled us in! ha So anyways, they were teaching the investigator how to pray... and they handed him a pamphlet showing him our prayer structure. He agreed he would pray and then he started reading the outline of how we pray. One of the Missionaries couldn't hold back his laughter and he started busting up in the middle of what the investigator thought was a prayer... like it was loud! haha and then when he pulled himself together still trying to stop laughing he said sorry I'm DISEASED! And the investigator just got really big eyes and rushed them out after a quick prayer..... hahahHAHA! Never a dull moment at the MTC! Also, we went to the temple today and it was amazing!! :) I have really gained an even greater appreciation for temples while serving in the MTC, and the peace and spirit of the Lord that is felt there is so real! We are so lucky to be blessed with Temples so close! It is really good to hear how basketball is going, and nice to hear how the team is doing! Make sure Grandma and grandpa know that I loved the poem! It was awesome! and I want to thank Lori, the Glassfords, and the Lewis's for sending awesome packages! Also Grandpa B. I ran into one of your Mission Companions! Elder Shirts! or something like that, he said you were his last companion and that you were his favorite and wanted me to say hi for him! It's crazy how the work of the lord is going forth at such a pace! Also that's awesome joel and brian were able to have the dream experience at staples center! not even fair! haha Also Dad, there are so many Disney fans here and whenever they hear that you were a Disney animator they freak out and think your pretty much the coolest person in the world and want to know everything you've drawn! ha And they think it's pretty cool that we are serving the same mission as well! Mandy make sure you keep listening to mom and dad and working hard and having fun! Your awesome and I love you. Ashley keep up the awesome work and be a good example like I know you are! You are the best sisters ever! My companion is Elder Fraser and he has brown hair and is about 6 ft! Hopefully you can find out who he is through the pictures. It's so crazy that I'm almost down to three weeks left in the MTC! It is starting to get real that I will be in portugal soon and that is such a crazy awesome feeling! Thanks to JAcob for his awesome exmaple for serving it up in Japan!! I see Missionaries here going to Japan and always tell them to look you up when you get there!! So you may be having a bunch of new missionaries coming to look you up!!! haha I love being updated with things going on there with family, ward, basketball, the yard! ha all the good stuff! Thanks for the support, and I really appreciate it from everyone!! Letters are the best and EVERYONE dear elder it up! haha Dear Elder is really nice because you get them the same day in the mail! haha I love your letter mom, and I appreciate you keeping me updated, and Dad I love it to, except for when you give me news that Kobe is out for the season!!!!! haha JK Maybe he will return for playoffs! ha Well just in closing the work is moving on at a rapid rate at the MTC and every Wednesday more and more Missionaries pour into the MTC and it's incredible! I love you all, and keep the faith!

Love, Elder Beckstrand

Jaden's First Letter Home

Hello FAMILY!!!!

HOLY COWW!! the MTC IS SUPERRR GREAT!! I love it here and Pday today has been amazing!!! It's crazy to think I have already been here for 10 days but at the same time it feels like I've been here way longer than that! haha It doesn't really make a whole lot of sense!! We have been teaching investigators, well fake ones anyway... haha but it's been a real amazing and humbling experience to try to teach the gospel in the portuguese language! The first prayer I ever offered in a lesson I asked a blessing to be with the "fish" rather than our investigator and me and my companion just lost it, and so did the investigator! hahaha but it was the first lesson and we are improving everyday! The language is coming a long and I know we will be able to speak what the lord would have us say as long as we work hard and have faith in him. It was so good to get all the E-mails from friends and family! I love being informed of how things are going in your lives, and especially with the lakers and NCAA ;) jkjk of course! But anyways the MTC is pretty hard to describe... the food goes straight through you, the small living space is crammed, the computer rooms are border line contentious, full laundry rooms and everything else... hahaha BUT i wouldn't have it any other way! The spirit is always so strong, and it really does prepare for marriage... at least I'd imagine so! because if you can put up with a guy 24/7 the transfer shouldn't be all that difficult! make sure Tyler gets this! ;) haha but No in all seriousness the district and companions are amazing! I feel like we were all meant to be together for this time to prepare us for the mission field! It's also really nice having 6 sisters and 6 elders because they prevent us from getting to hyper during study time... haha We also went to the temple this morning for P day which was really amazing and the spirit was so strong!! The temple is such a beautiful and peaceful place. It also has already snowed up here again, and I'm actually glad you make me bring that jacket mom... haha I have used it a couple times! But anyways I really want to send you pictures but the computer I am on doesn't let me... and all the other ones are slammed... Hopefully I can get a chance to send a few! There really are so many people here, and it is always fun to see a familiar face. Just to point out that me running into Adam the first day I really believe was a tender mercy of the Lord... The only reason we found him was because we got lost and walked out a random door and we literally ran into each other and I haven't seen him since... haha And it sounds like he posted the picture and you were able to see that I was doing good sooner than you were able to because I forgot to put postage stamps on my first letters....... haha! rookie mistake! Anyways I'd love to be updated with how things are going there! Ashley... Mandy... Sounds like you two are doing great as always! :) keep doing your best and everything will work out! The Lord wants the best for us and all we need to do is humble ourselves enough to come unto him! I can't wait to fly out to portugal, but at the same time i only get 4 more temple sessions for 2 years! I love you guys so much, and know me and JAcob are doing the right things! The gospel is true and keep the faith!

Love Elder Beckstrand

ps. please update me with the yard... haha and I'll try to send picutres as soon as I can! or maybe I can send home the memory card? Just let me know what you'd like!