GRINGO TRIO

In our Gringo Trio this week we got stuff done!! - Elder Beeston, Elder Measles, & Elder Criddle

WEEK #10 WACK WEEK BUT A GOOD ONE

Well this week was just one of those weeks you know? haha. So Monday night after p day last week and after eating like 20 baleadas (best food here) I started to feel a little sick and could feel something coming on. That night I got super sick with a really high fever. I feel like it's the most sick I have ever been in my life. Definitey the longest night ever. I could not sleep and everything was in so much pain. I finally just went out of our room and sat down on a chair and I was doing everything I could not to throw up cuz I hate throwing up. Ahhh it was the worst. Elder Measles was up all night with me trying to help me, and he offered to give me a blessing. So I said yes and we read a few scriptures. Then he gave me one of the best blessings ever. I felt the Spirit so strong even being sick. He blessed that I would be able to go to sleep and get some rest to feel better and immediately after I went to my bed and just crashed. Woke up the next day still in pain, but felt a lot better. We werent able to work for 2 days and it set us back a bit. It was a good experience though believe it or not. My faith of the Priesthood has grown. All things are possible according to our faith. Good little experience for the week. 

So finally a couple days later when I felt I had strengh to go out, it started raining sooooo hard. It rained from 6 30 am to 4 00 pm. All the streets were so flooded and it just smelled so bad. It's bad news here in Honduras when it rains ha. The sewer system here is very bad. All the water just starts coming up out of the sewers. It's nasty ha. So that whole day we weren't able to work again cuz we couldn't walk anywhere. We were able to go out that night at like 5. 

Other than that things are going good here. Elder Measles and I have been informed that we are staying together!! They were going to close our area but Pres likes the work we are doing here. The Lord is blessing us greatly each day with many miracles. We like this area a lot. Measles teaches me a lot every day and is helping me learn this language and be a better teacher. Everyday is a new adventure it's awesome:) We are in a crazy house too. I guess the house we are in is where a dude got shot just a lil bit ago and the blood stains are on the floor. Makes us feel hard. Every one else was too afraid to live there:) Super big house for Honduras but it does have it's down side ha. Our shower is kind of a struggle. I shower with a cereal bowl and a bucket...and water that's not clear. But other than that it's great. I am so grateful for all of you and your love and support. I love hearing from you guys it's fun. Have a great week and be safe. 

Love Elder Beeston

Green shower water!

WEEK #9 JUST KEEP SWIMMING...

Measles says I'm good at sweeping cockroaches:)

This week was super tough and im glad its over. Ha. Not much success on my part and I had a tough time feeling like a good missionary. satan works really hard. This was by far the worst week in my mission and I hope this week can be better. We still have one person set for baptism so that should be good but I hope we can get more. Dont worry about me though things will get better. I am learning a lot. I still dont know a lick of spanish but it will come one day. I never thought my mission would be like this ha but you never know what God has in store for you. I know I have to continue to just trust Him and rely on the Grace of our Savior's Atonement. I will just keep trying and trying. Honduras is a tough mission ha. I dont think I will ever get used to the heat but I just accept it:) We walk for hours everyday and thats pretty tough too. And its really tough when you just walk and listen to Elder Measles

talk to everyone and then just walk some more and have no clue what to say. It will come one day though. This week is gonna be better.

I love you all so much and am grateful for each one of you in my life. Oh and guess what! they got choco all over the place here. you probably know dad. they are little stores just in peoples houses called pulperias and they sell just basic stuff and little goodies you need thoughout the day. They have stuff called chocoleyde its sooo good. i drink about 3 a day:) im also eating way too much hah its crazy. Im gonna get fat but I wont let that happen. I work out every morning now. Well i hope you all have a great week. Thanks for all your love and support. Things are gonna get better. Love you!

Elder Beeston

WATCH THIS!

                   The bus ride.                                      A little African influence in Honduras.

WEEK #8 THIS WEEK WUZ NUTS!

(Note from the mom...I know this is a long post but it's worth reading, especially the last story, courtesy of Elder Measles, and especially if you need a good laugh.)

Man I don't know where to start with this week it was absolutely nuts. ha so Elder Measles and I are in an area called Independencia, one of the richest areas in the mission and also the "hardest" area according to everyone. So at first me and measles weren't too thrilled about it. This week kinda changed everything though. First off though we moved into a new house which is super nice...except it has billions of cock roaches. We bought this spray stuff and it's the funnest game when we see a little dude running for his life and we go and spray him down and kill em:) We also don't have a fridge and because we're in a new area no one knows us really and we don't get dinner so last night I ate some granola for dinner....

So earlier in the week we had a visit with this dude named Jorge. Jorge is an interesting creature. He has been shot 17 times, stabbed 7, poisoned twice. we didnt believe him at first but then he shows us all his scars. The dude is nuts. we asked him how it feels to be stabbed and he said, and i quote..."it's nothing man, the movies are always making it so dramatic. The people here don't know what they're doing and so I just grab their wrist, break it, leave the knife in and take it out at the hospital. It hurts a little bit then." hahah he also said that getting shot is nothing. He says you don't even feel it cuz of the adrenaline. This dude has also gone to 22 years of school. Not to have a good career, but just cuz he likes to learn and loves expanding his knowledge. This dude firmly believes that knowledge is all power. He's also dang rich. The only reason he's in Honduras is cuz he writes books and wrote one about how Honduras needs to change. He's trying to help the crime problem here. So me and measles visited him and taught him in english thank gooodness...and he is very interested. He stumped us a lot though cuz of his knowledge. He knows everything about the bible ha. We just bore pure testimony though and he told us he would read the Book of Mormon in one day and pray too. CRAZY. We haven't talked with him since cuz he wasn't there for our next visit but I cant wait to see what he thinks. 

So this week has been filled with miracles. God is putting people in our path everywhere we go. We had a super contact on Friday and we now have gotten 17 new investigators. 6 of them are progressing right now and we committed one (her name is Karla) to baptism. Also one day as Elder measles and I were walking he said dude let's go this way (which was the longer way). as we were walking some dude comes out behind us and say "Elders!!" we kinda freaked out at first but then went ove to him and he took us into this house and introduced us to this family who he said was golden haha. This guy is a stake pres in teguciaglapa. The family said they are ready to be baptized and want to learn more! and the stake pres set a date for us to come and said hed be there. so nuts. Everyday we find a new miracle. one of our investigators at church bore her testimony in class and said she doesnt need to read cuz she already knows this is true. I have no clue what anyone is saying here but Elder Measles tells me everything after. he is a great helper. I look at him after everything people say. this language is so tough. ha but I trust that the Lord will help me. 

(Insert from Elder Measles email) This week me and Elder Beeston decided to be 100 percent obedient and diligent and yeah, it was nuts. normally President wants us to have 35 investigators. They pulled the sisters out of this ward 8 months ago cuz they only had like 8 and there had only been 4 baptisms in 8 years. When we got there, we didn't know a single person and we had a fat 0 investigators. 0! Our area book was empty! Now our district leader is freaking out cuz this area hasn't had success in YEARS and we are exlpoding it, only with the help of the ward. Sunday we didn't think anyone was gonna come to church. The sisters have only had the same guy in church for like a year straight. Everyone says that this is the hardest area in the mission. Well we invite the neighbors and they are like sure. We go to church and Karla is waiting for us with her son! Yes! Then our two neighbors show up! Yes! One other dude we found showed up after working from 7 at night to 8 in the morning and then went straight to church! Yes! Then a member showed up with a 19 year old kid that looks like Shaun White and he's like yeah I wanna change and get baptized. Yes! Absolutely insane Sunday. I taught gospel principles and in the middle of the class Karla stood up, first time at church, and says, I know all this is true. I want to testify to everyone that this is 100 percent true and I don't have a single doubt. She said that she knows it is true cuz she has felt it in her heart. Our two neighbors love church and want to go back. 

I want you all to know that I know this Gospel is true. It's hard sometimes...A lot of times. but God knows each of us individually.  I gotta just keep relying on the Atonement. it really is the only way. And I know through forgetting myself, I can gain strength and peace in my mind and heart. He knows our weaknesses and promises if we humbe ourselves and follow Him and our Savior, STRENGTH. Thanks for all your prayers and support. This has not been easy but i can feel your love. love you all. peeeeeeace

Elder Beeston

ps. I hate an onion soake 

(more info courtesy of Elder Measles...) 

So we went to buy some baleadas and the people selling them are members. Yess, free dinner! The guys asked Beeston if he wanted some spicy chile onion things. He said seguro? pican? which means that they are really hot but I guess that poor little Derik didn't understand cuz he ate them and his face lit up.  He started jumping around and his tongue was so numb that he couldn't even talk en english to me. It was sad. He went to the wall and banged his head against it for a couple minutes, punched himself in the face a few times, drank a couple bags of water, screamed, wanted to take off running, still couldn't talk, drank a bag of lemonade, still screaming, and the whole time was straight up crying. He cried for 15 mintues cuz it hurt him so bad. Poor lil guy is new to hot stuff. It was so freaking funny and I'm sure after a couple days he will laugh at it, but in the moment he wanted to die. I can't even explain it right, but it was hilarious. I think he is doing better now. Hahahhaha so funny.

:) this little guy is nuts hahah                                                                  

WEEK #7 LOST LITTLE BOY...BIG CRAZY WORLD!

One week down in Honduras and boy has it been loooonnnggg ha. I come home every night feeling more tired than I have ever felt after any football or basketball game. It is so exhausting haha. This whole week we have just been figuring out the area. We have yet to teach a real lesson cuz we literally know nothing about the area. Everyday we walk for miles in the blazing hot just trying to figure out where things are ha. It's a little frustrating but we have sparked something in this area and I think were gonna have some serious success this week. President said he's taking all of us out of this area in a month unless things get going here. It's cuz we're in one of the hardest areas in the mission and a lot of missionaries are going home this next change. Elder Measles and I are pretty determined to turn things around. He is a great trainer for me. I literally look at him after everything someone says to me cuz I have no clue what anyone is saying here. He is fluent though and he knows so much. He is the best! He has grown a lot as a missionary. I am just a lost little boy here in a big crazy world. Honduras is nuts! It's so hot too but I ain't ever been a baby. 

I hope you all enjoyed conference. It was so refreshing to listen to Apostles and a true Prophet of God. I think the over all theme of this year's conference is that now is the time to build your testimony. Don't wait to build it later. Get to work now and show God that you are willing and really desire to receive of His help. My misson has not been easy but I gotta just keep relying on my Savior and I know He will strengthen me. All of my weaknesses have really been shown to me on my mission. I got a lot of them ha. But in all it has been a good first week. 

We have a family that feeds us every day, the Tursios, and I have been eating rice and beans and guineos errrrrrrday:) I love it though. All the little ninos love to make fun of me cuz I don't know anything they're saying, haha, but they give me language lessons all the time:) The biggest food here besides rice and beans is Baleadas. They are these tortillas filled with beans eggs, strange cheese, and this sauce, but boy are they yummy. I also had pupusas which come from El Salvador and they are super maciso as well! 

Well I hope you all had a gnarly week and have a gnarlier week this week and apply the words of conference in your lives. Love you all!

Elder Beeston

p.s. I don't have time for pics but I will next.

WEEK #6 BIG NEWS!!!! LA CEIBA, INDEPENDENCIA

I made it!! I am in Honduras! FINALLY. It was the most beautiful thing flying over. It's just filled with mountains and rivers and ocean. So sick! The humidity punched me so darn hard in the face the second I got off the plane and it just made me happy. We met Pres. Klein at the airport with some other missionaries and they were very welcoming. Pres. Klein is the coolest cat I've ever met in my life. He told us straight up all the dangers here with a big smile on his face and hes just like talking to a friend. It's so rad. We drove from the airport to the church and had a big orientation for the new misioneros. After that and interviews with all of us we went out contacting. It was crazy haha I had no clue what was going on. I was a lost little boy. Dogs were just chillin everywhere in their little friend groups. It was a good experience to get started. That night we stayed at the mission home...20 somethin dudes all in one home with no AC en honduras. No bueno. I got some decent sleep though.

So I got some HUGE news....MY COMPANION IS ELDER MEASLES!!!!! President took me in for an interview our first night and said he felt good about it and I just smiled so big and couldn´t stop. I probably made things a lil awkward cuz I wouldn`t stop smiling. I didn't see Elder Measles till the next day though at the big transfer meeting where like all the missionaries come to find out their new comp and their new area. We freaked out when we saw eachother and I told him cuz I couldn't keep it from him. We just hugged forever and it felt like a big dream seeing him here. I still can't comprehend it. Its just a crazzzzzzyyyy few days and its gonna take while to settle in ahhhahhh:)

Our area is in La Ceiba called Independencia. This area has been shut down for 8 months and Elder Measles and I are opening it back up. Its like 4 hours away from san pedro and its one of the nicest areas in the mission hahah. (The drive there was the most beautiful thing of my life but the bus was soooo caliente. Just your average school bus with a billion Elders on it ha). Elder measles in trippin cuz it's so much different than where he has been. The people are rich and the houses are big...to him. There is still a ton of dirt poor area but majority is pretty wealthy. Im actually in the mall here writing its weird. Our house is little and there are 4 of us in it for 10 days but Measles and I are looking for a new place cuz its tough with 4 people and were supposed to only have 2 people per house. We're all settled in though but I'm gonna have to get used to settling in and packing up quick here ha. 

So the area has not had missionaries for a while and we are literally starting from scratch. The people will probably be very welcoming though cuz they`ve been without us for so long. Its gonna be super tough cuz no one knows the area and the past missionaries left us the worst info haha. We're determined to get it going though. Were gonna meet with the bishop today some time and discuss with him. 

Man this is just nuts. haha I cant even say how stoked I am!! As for spanish it is gonna be tough learning with a white companion but he is super good and were trying to speak as much spanish as possible. The Lord knows we will work well together and that's why He`s giving us the opportunity. I'm pumped to learn from him too cuz he is a great missionary and knows what he's doing and how to work. Well I hope everything is going great with everyone. So grateful for all of you. Chow!

Elder Beeston

MADE IT TO HONDURAS!

(From Sister Klein, the Mission President's Wife)

Hello there,

Just a short note to let you know your missionary arrived safely in Honduras.  We are so excited to have them join us here in the San Pedro Sula East Mission.  They will begin today to share their testimonies with the people of Honduras.  Thank you for your faith, in sending your missionaries here to serve.  They will probably have an opportunity tomorrow to email you personally.

Best wishes,

Hna.  Kristin Klein