Munashe and Katie were Baptized!!!

Highlights of the Week:

1. Munashe and Katie (Natasha's mom and Nomatter's grandma) were baptized on Saturday!!

2.) I ate Madora (caterpillars) .... kinda nasty. They cook it in oil and its super crunchy.

3.) The Kuwadzana sisters got matching African dresses!

4.) Rainy season is coming!! It rained all night last night and the weather seems to be cooling down!

5.) MY NEW COMPANION IS AMERICAN AND SHE IS FROM UTAH I LOVE SISTER WALBECK ALREADY.

Alan is powerful and he said something earlier this week that has been running through my mind. We were talking about the Book of Mormon and asking him how he was doing reading it and praying about it and he said, "I think it's true." Such a simple statement but I admire his faith. It reminded me of a General Conference talk I had read in the Liahona earlier this week titled, "Lord, I Believe" by Jeffery R. Holland. Alan was basically saying, "I can't say I know the Book of Mormon is true yet, but I believe it is." Belief is always a step forward. So we encouraged him to keep believing.

Faith may mean following the example of Jesus Christ and being baptized. Faith may be faith in ourselves and the Savior's Atonement to heal us. Faith may be praying to our Heavenly Father even when we feel like He is distant. It could be the courage of walking away from bad friends knowing our Heavenly Father has something better in store for us - the list is endless. What was once a tiny seed can grow into a tree if we but only believe. 

And now, my brethren, I desire that ye shall plant this word in your hearts, and as it beginneth to swell even so nourish it by your faith. And behold, it will become a tree,springing up in you unto 

everlasting life. And then may God grant unto you that your burdens may be light,through the joy of his Son. And even all this can ye do if ye will. Amen.

I had a wonderful week! I hope everyone else did and has a wonderful week this week! I love you all!

-- 

Love,

Sister Beckstead

The Almost Bite...

This upcoming week is my last week of training!!! Yay, I won't be a baby missionary for much longer. ;) Hitting 12 weeks out in the mission field.

Crazy Story:

My companion and I were walking home late at night after a dinner appointment at a member's home. We got fed cow trife and intestines which was interesting. Anyways, we get to a dark alley filled with many stones and garbage covering the ground. After a long day in the heat and October being the hottest month in Zimbabwe, we were tired and were rushing to catch a kombi (bus) home. As we started walking through the alley I spotted a snake very close to my feet and if I took one step further I would have stepped on its tail. My companion who also saw it shouted, "Stop! You almost stepped on a snake!" We then backed up from the snake filled with anxiety. Neither of us have seen a snake here yet!!! A man came by and saw what was happening and took care of it for us. He said it was a very dangerous, poisonous snake. I am thankful that Heavenly Father always takes care of His missionaries. I know that He is always watching over me. 

I absolutely love my mission. I love the people. Even though it is hard every day, I know this is the best thing I could be doing right now. It was a huge sacrifice but I know my Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ are proud of me every day. As well as my family and friends. I feel the love. :) I know this church is true and that the Book of Mormon is Another Testament of Jesus Christ and it can bring us so much happiness in our lives!

I love you all! Have a great week. 

-- 

Love,

Sister Beckstead

Seeing Others as Christ Does

Makadii hama neshamwari!,        

Highlights & Funny Stuff:

1.) I think I found my perfect investigator because he doesn't speak Shona-only English. The Shona speakers are usually stubborn and don't want to speak English!

2.) I like sadza a lot now. It's weird because now I crave it when before I had to force it down..

3.) This kid at church asked me if I was Chinese....what?

4.) I have terrible memory but I have been able to remember scripture verses so well. The Lord definitely qualifies the called.

Miracle:

Nomatter was baptized on September 24th. The sweetest ten year old girl you could meet and she is always smiling. She was baptized along with her aunt Natasha who was raising her. This past week we went to go see them and Nomatter was not around. Natasha told us that Nomatter's dad came unexpectedly and took her five hours away to live with him. My companion and I were sad because we didn't see this coming at all. We are so thankful that she was baptized just two weeks prior. God's timing is miraculous & He knows all! This was an amazing miracle.

Exchanges in Chi-Town:

On Friday I went on exchanges with Sister Otieno in Chitungwiza. Sister Otieno is from Kenya and is a sweetheart. One family we visited really touched my heart. They have been struggling for a long time and their lives are finally becoming brighter through learning the gospel and repenting. The mother is very sick with HIV/AIDS and the two daughters did immoral things to support the family. They knew it wasn't a good lifestyle and are now changing their lives through the Atonement of Jesus Christ. They are searching for jobs and even though they are struggling with no income they have faith God will provide a way for them. Sister Otieno and I sat, cried and listened to them for a good three hours. When we left I felt a new sense of hope developing in their lives.

 Missionary work is more than teaching lessons and extending baptismal invitations. It is mourning with those who mourn. Listening with patience and open ears. Serving with all of our hearts. It is charity, the pure love of Christ and I love it. In His mortal life, Jesus sought for those who were judged and cast aside - those who seemed different. In Luke 19:1-7 it says,

 1 And Jesus entered and passed through Jericho.

 2 And, behold, there was a man named Zacchæus, whichwas the chief among the publicans, and he was rich.

 3 And he sought to see Jesus who he was; and could notfor the press, because he was little of stature.

 4 And he ran before, and climbed up into a sycomore treeto see him: for he was to pass that way.

 5 And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up, andsaw him, and said unto him, Zacchæus, make haste, andcome down; for to day I must abide at thy house.

 6 And he made haste, and came down, and received himjoyfully.

 7 And when they saw it, they all murmured, saying, Thathe was gone to be guest with a man that is a sinner.

We read about Zacchaeus who was a publican which made him unpopular and considered a sinner. His heart was in the right place because he didn't care what anyone else thought of him, only what Jesus Christ thought of Him. He climbed a tree to have a special and unique experience with the Savior that set him apart from everyone else. The Savior saw the intents of his heart. Let's strive not to judge and focus on what really matters. Charity is withholding judgment because oftentimes we look at others with inaccurate or incomplete eyes. Charity enables us to see the potential in others.

I hope that everyone has a wonderful week! I love you all. Zim is treating me well! 

-- 

Love,

Sister Beckstead

I Did All That For This.

Hello family and friends!

It has been a wonderful week. I have a few stories like the usual...

The chapel in Kuwadzana has clean water for everyone who comes. Whether you are a member or not, hundreds of people come and get buckets and buckets of water and carry them home. One woman in particular was all alone with a baby and had BUCKETS of water. We asked her, "how are you going to get these home?" Turns out she takes several trips back and forth just for water. My companion and I offered to help. The woman probably gave me the smallest bucket to carry (smart choice) and I lifted it onto my head just to see what it was like... I laughed so hard because I made a fool out of myself and couldn't balance it on my head and ended up spilling some of the water on me hahaha. So I decided to carry it like a normal person and wow that woman lived far. Even though my companion and I hardly made it to her house without dying, it made us SO grateful. We take so many of our basic necessities for granted.

Alan's occupation is letting people weigh themselves on a scale for ten cents. I pass by where he works frequently and one day he stopped me and said, "Aren't you from America? So why out of all of the beautiful countries you could have chosen did you choose a country full of poverty...and corruption. Why?" Gives the perfect opportunity to share the gospel and is our newest investigator!

All of those fall-throughs, long days in the heat and sore feet are worth it. I sat at the beautiful baptisms on Saturday and thought, "I did all that for this." (September 2016 Ensign) But in reality, He, Our Savior Jesus Christ did all of that for us. He is the one that spent His life in the service of others and then to take on all of the sins and afflictions of the world and be crucified. Jesus did this so we could be with our families for forever, repent of our sins and keep trying. "Our present circumstances may not change, but through God's compassion, kindness and love, we will all receive more than we deserve, more than we could ever earn, and more than we could ever hope for. We are promised that, "God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away." (Revelation 21:4) How thankful I am for the Atonement of Jesus Christ. It is there to strengthen us and remind us that He understands our present circumstances, He is there to lift, help, and guide us. I know that He is always there for us and He is happy with our efforts as long as we are doing the best we can. 

P.s... I am really, really excited for General Conference. I get to watch all of the sessions live except Sunday afternoon (I don't know why) .... so don't spoil it! I hope that everyone has a wonderful conference weekend listening to uplifting messages to guide us!

Pic 1: The spiders we find in our house.... oh my

Pic 2: Baptisms on Saturday!! Sekuru, Natasha, Nomatter, and Shantel.

Pic 3: Natureee

Pic 4: I finally found good ice cream in Zimmmm

-- 

Love,

Sister Beckstead

The Gospel Lifts Us!

This week my companion and I focused on having more family home evening's with members and investigators. On Sunday night we went to the Makondora's to celebrate Kuda's birthday as an FHE. Sister Ziqubu and I bought a cake and we played some really fun games! They loved it. We have an FHE this Tuesday with Brother Gavaza, one of our investigators. Brother Gavaza's wife died a few months ago and he is recently unemployed with many kids to care for. He cannot pay for their schooling at the moment and their spirits are low. Brother Gavaza's testimony is shaken because he doesn't see where God is amongst his trialsI know this gospel can lift us and it is the only thing that can! Being at these FHE's of course made me think of my own family a lot. I am thankful 

to have the knowledge that as long as we keep our sacred temple covenants, we can be with our families for eternity. That knowledge makes me burst with joy.

We recently have a new investigator named Paul. Paul is powerful! The way he found out about The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints was through social media and he contacted the church to ask them how he could know more. The lady he contacted (all the way in the states) gave him my companion and I's phone number and he called us saying he wanted to read The Book of Mormon. This is just a prime example on how much the church is growing in Zimbabwe and how God is preparing His children to hear the gospel.

Funny Story:

We finally got one of our investigators Brother Gavaza to come to church on Sunday. I could tell he was a little nervous so I told him what exactly we do in our service to calm him down a bit. Sacrament meeting starts and our bishop starts calling members up to the front to receive certificates. He calls, "Brother Gavaza." Our investigator looks at me with big eyes and says, "me??" Turns out there is a member named Brother Gavaza hahaha. We laughed for awhile.

When I first got here in Zimbabwe I went through a bit of a culture shock. Yeah, I have been to Zambia before but this was different because now I wasn't just visiting, I am serving God in Zimbabwe for the next 18 months... I loved the people and everything but the culture, food, language... it was all too different. I felt discouraged and wondered if I would ever feel at home, comfortable or safe. Seven weeks later and I am happier than ever. Zimbabwe is starting to feel more like a home to me. This is definitely the best but hardest decision I have ever made. I teach many people who are prepared by God and I am only a helping hand in His work. I feel blessed every day to be here! I can testify that our Heavenly Father knows us one by one. He knows our sufferings and is waiting for us to come unto Him so He can heal us and bless us. He watches over us, protecting us so we need not fear. Faith is always pointed towards the future. 

I love you all! I hope everyone has a great week. I feel bad because I can't always get back to everyone who emails me. Just know that I appreciate the kind, uplifting words and I will try to get back to you. :)

P.S. my address for letters & packages:

65 Enterprise Rd.

Highlands

Harare

Zimbabwe

I don't have a ton of time today but here is a quick email with some highlights from my week:

1. Gift and Prince got baptized!

2. Gave Sekuru a Shona Book of Mormon and he can understand it now! He said, "When I read my heart goes up and down so I know it must be true." So sweet. :)

3. Found out I am the only blonde girl on this mission hahaha

I hope that everyone has a great week this week. I love you all! :)

Love,

Sister Beckstead