86 is the record of the year!

11/28/16

Family & Friends,

Highlights:

1. Yes!! My mission hit our highest baptismal record this month of 86! Out of the 86, 56 were the Harare Marimba zone. Awesome!

2. Brian, Clayton, Cynthia and Lolo were baptized on Saturday!

Conversion Stories:

Brian- Came to church one Sunday and we got his contact information to go and visit him sometime during the week. When we went to go visit him, he wouldn't even talk to us and hardly made eye contact with us. My companion and I look at each other and say, "This is going to take awhile!" Brian started opening up to us over time and telling us his life story & how he needed to forgive his dad and also his ex-wife. He also told us he was taught by missionaries in South Africa 5 years ago but didn't accept it. Now his heart is changed and he was ready. He is a very happy and faithful member.

Clayton- A recent convert gave us a referral. We went to visit him & got to know him a bit but he didn't seem very interested. Then, the following Sunday he came to church! After church, he was like, "I've been searching for a good church to go to! How can I be baptized?" Funny thing about Clayton: he thought my name was Steadbeck for like 2 weeks.

Cynthia & Lolo- Remember that story a few weeks ago about playing soccer with kids then one little girl led us to her house and we met with her mom who's husband recently passed? That girl is Lolo and the mom is Cynthia. They are so converted to the gospel. Cynthia's testimony at the baptism was very powerful. She shared the story about how we found her & how that was like a message from God telling her that he still loves her.

I had a wonderful week this week! I love you all! I hope you enjoyed your Thanksgiving and Black Friday weekend. :)

-- 

Love,

Sister Beckstead

Happy Thanksgiving! :D

11/24/16

Hello family and friends!

Highlights of the week:

1. Watched our ward missionary eat termites (ishwa.) Not sure how to feel about that.

2. 2 JW's came to church on Sunday. what up. 

3. Friday night it was raining like crazy and my companion and I were soaking wet from head to toe but we had an appointment we had to get to. When we got there, this sweet woman finds us a change of clothes, serves us warm milk & sugar and cleaned our muddy shoes for us. TRUE CHRISTIANITY!

Gratitude. Something we all try to cultivate in our lives. Just today, I was overwhelmed when I heard Clayton say the closing prayer to end the lesson. In the prayer he said, 'I believe you have sent these missionaries to me Lord, and I don't know how to thank you.' I hope and pray we can all see the blessings in our lives with such a powerful feeling that we 'don't even know how to thank Him.' I felt gratitude last Sunday at church when I saw some recent converts passing the sacrament. I am so thankful to be here in Zimbabwe serving God's children.

P.s. Tonight my household is having a Thanksgiving feast. I am very excited.

I hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving and a great weekend! I love you all!

-- 

Love,

Sister Beckstead

Simplicity is beautiful.

11/14/16

Forgive me now, but this internet cafe is not working well right now
so please forward this email to anyone that you know who didn't
receive it! Thanks. I also can't get back to a lot of personal emails
today, but I will soon! Love you all. Also, pictures hopefully next
week! I have a lot to send! :)

Big, heavy drop of cool rain with roaring thunder and lightning which
strikes throughout the whole sky is what best describes an African
rainstorm. Definitely a wondrous sight to see. Yeah, whenever it rains
our electricity goes out and we mostly come home soaking wet from head
to toe but I love it. Something that I have come to know about myself
is that I love beautiful scenery. The beach, flowers, mountains... it
all makes me very happy! Although, we can look at the majesty &
grandeur of the world around us and ask ourselves, "Who am I in
comparison?" We are the very reason that our universe was created.

Moses 1:39 says, "For behold, this is my work and my glory to bring to
pass the immortality and eternal life of man." We are everything to
Him.

Highlights:
1.) Everyone in Kuwadzana calls my companion and I, "Sister
Walbeckstead." It is sort of legit.
2.) When you are teaching a preacher and it starts raining he will
say, "The heavens have opened!!!" Hahaha
3.) THE BIGGEST HIGHLIGHT OF MY WEEK:
The elders had a very beautiful and spiritually uplifting baptism on
Saturday. The simplicity of it is what made my heart warm. The font
was outside amidst lush trees (looked like it was in the middle of the
jungle) and the water in the font was very low- the church had no
water to fill up the font but it ended up working nonetheless. The
humble circumstance made me deeply realize that it doesn't really
matter where we are, as long as we all have the same purpose. I still
can't quite pinpoint what made it so beautiful to me. Maybe it was the
sweet birds singing in the trees. It was so peaceful. I really, truly
felt God's love for all people, whatsoever land they may be in. I know
that Our Heavenly Father loves all of his children in every land. I
really have a strong testimony of that. (Alma 26-end of chapter.)

Well, I love you all! I hope that everyone has a wonderful week.

--
Love,
Sister Beckstead

I Get Paid in Happiness :))))

Hello family and friends!

I have the best job ever because I get paid in happiness. :) This week I have been focusing on having a positive, optimistic attitude no matter what! When we focus on the blessings we see so many miracles in our daily lives.

Highlights:

1.) The two marriages and baptisms on Saturday were incredible. It could have been a crazy, stressful day but instead everything went smoothly and seemed so organized. Our ward really stepped in to make it all happen which made me soooo happy and relieved. 

2.) We started teaching this sweet lady Bridget & her family because they showed up to church one Sunday! Found out her husband's brother is an elder serving here in the Zimbabwe, Harare mission. Pretty cool. 

3.) Sister Walbeck and I are working so well together and we want to hit our goal of 9 baptisms this month!!

Saturday was a special day. I loved seeing the two families come together. Magret was married and baptized along with her two kids. Her husband Fadzanai, is getting baptized at the end of this month. Melody, (who also got married and baptized on Saturday) her husband, is interested in learning more about the gospel. I really love this quote from Julie B. Beck, "In The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, we have a theology of the family that is based on The Creation, The Fall, and The Atonement. The Creation of the Earth provided a place where families could live...The Fall provided a way for the family to grow... The Atonement allows for the family to be sealed together eternally." I know that families can be together forever as long as we stay true and faithful to the covenants we make. I am thankful for my own family at home. :) 

I love you all! Have a great week.