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