Elder Van and I had a sweet time!

Yes I have my drivers license, but its at our mission home in a safe, so I cant tell when it expires. wow thats a lot of news from home! I wont get trunky, just don't tell me too much about home. Right now I feel the weight of the zone on my back, because my new companion is going to be learning the zone leader stuffs so it keeps me awake and on my toes. Elder Van finished very strong, so I will follow him and do the same.

This week Elder Van and I had a sweet time following the spirit. When we were at a point in our day that was not planned for, such as all appointments bounced us, we would pray and after seeking the spirit and paying close attention to its promptings we found two families this week. It would be funny to see ourselves from a third person point of view: sometimes we would pass a street, and I would be prompted to go back, and we would, but we must look a little crazy turning around which must look like for no reason to others. Its not bad, I am willing to look a little crazy to do the lords work. Elder Van Finished hard. Even today while he was traveling to the mission home he contacted someone and sent his information 
to us.

Me and Van!

FM (code for "free meal")

Zone business!

My New companion is from South Africa. He is one of the district leaders in our zone. I haven't been to the temple since I left the MTC, but I will go at the end of my mission, actually in a few weeks I think.

This week we have a baptism and we are happy and our candidate is happy.

We had a zone conference this week with 3 zones, we met at our chapel, so we were scrambling to make sure everything was in order and ready.

Whelp thats all.

Elder Beckett

Oh boy, I cant believe they are home!

Mom I am doing really good! I am so sorry that this is short. This is Elder Vans last week on mission, and his last p-day, so the market kept us long and we are just now coming. 

Oh boy, I cant believe they are home!

Cody's good friends Max Moncur and Zak Morgan gave their return mission talks together 

 Thank you for all your support. This week we have a zone conference, so we have to set all of that up, and last week we had MLC, so we went to Accra for training. This week I had a man ask me about the restriction of black people from the priesthood. That was the first time I have had the question. I am glad that just a day earlier it was discussed about in MLC and I had an answer for him. I don't like that part of history, but I am glad for how things are today.

Mom love you and the family. Next week ya!

Letter from Cody's Mission President to our stake president regarding his return - this is about to get real! :-)

We lit off fireworks this week!

I cant belive the faces that I am seeing in these photos|!!!!! What do you call that orange rice(spanish rice - oh okay, we call it jollof here)? Our home looks unreal sometimes. The pics are nice! Life at home doesn't seem real. BTW: you sent me a letter about what I want to eat when I come home. I was thinking I have missed 4th of july and thanksgiving. So if we could have a bar-b-q for forth of july, and a small thanksgiving dinner that would be so sweet.

I was looking at my Instagram on a members phone who wanted to see my Instagram and boy have I changed. The things I thought were funny and the style I was having are not me again. 

 I was singing our national anthem this week of course, and the second and third verses are my favorite. The third verse talks about how we should praise the power that has preserved us a nation, and our motto in God is our trust.  

Blest with victory and peace, may the heaven-rescued land

Praise the Power that hath made and preserved us a nation.

Then conquer we must, for our cause it is just,

And this be our motto: "In God is our trust."

It doesn't seem as though we (U.S.) are having too much trust in God for him to preserve us as a nation when I hear about all this gay marriage approval and the white house being lit up in rainbow.

Any ways we light off fireworks this week. Well some of our members did, they were more than happy to do it for us. There was a Chinese store in our area, so we bought them there. There are lots of Chinese people in Tema because of the port but the Chinese really know how to make Roman candles! 8 shots, with mortar power, for 75 cents a stick. 

4th of July fireworks 

We got a new ward mission leader this week and we are so happy to work with him. Almost all our ward mission leaders have been young single adults, so we are happy to work with an older sealed family man. His name is brother Kufualor.

Well God Bless the USA and the Church.

Elder Beckett

Alcohol had ruined her life and she wanted to fix it all!

Wow I didn't know it was that short. I guess thats right, I thought I had 10 weeks. Well, its going by quick, and I don't think about it too much.

Our area is going good this week. We had 3 members bring their friends to us, and we have been teaching all three and all three came to church. Their is an older woman in our ward who brought a friend to church, and the friend was totally wasted and I hear of this happening in other churches in Ghana, but I've never seen it at ours. Well at first I thought that the woman wouldn't listen to us, and that the member just picked this woman off the street and brought her to church. The member just handed the woman to us and said we should teach her, then walked away... on Wednesday we decided to go and see the drunk woman and the member,a and I was super surprised to see that the woman had not had any alcohol since Sunday. Ends up that she had a really wonderful life, with a husband, 4 kids, and a nice house. Now she doesn't know where her children are (probably with the husband) and she stays with friends at night. She was in tears on Wednesday because alcohol had ruined her life and she wanted to fix it all. So we gave her the Book of Mormon in TWI and we have a member read it for us and translate our words into twi. Its so sweet to see people who are so humble and want to change their lives and what better than the gospel of christ, that pushes all for good and righteousness.

My MTC trainer. I never thought I would see him again!

I will most likely finish here and elder Van will go home in 4 weeks so he will finish here too.

Yes I heard  few "Happy Father's Day" wishes at church. Not as big as mothers day. They have some similar holidays, and some that are unique to Ghana

huh good old summer.

Love you mom! Happy Fathers Day dad! Thank you for all your support.

Elder Beckett

We have had lots of adventures as companions!

It doesn't seem real to me that I have almost two months left. Max will come home in two weeks. Wow, that will be quite a Sunday with him and Zak speaking.

I am really happy about my mission. This week I went through my journal that I started at the beginning of my mission. I wont able to go through all of it, but how much joy I had in reading about the experiences I had in my mission. I hope I can read them to the family when I get home, and look at pictures. I am having such a great time!

I don't know if you have seen the movie "Ephriams Rescue", but we watched it today and it really inspired me to do what is right and have faith.

One thing from last week is that we went to the new town apartment  for exchanges  but because it was late we both stayed in the area. I'll send a pic, but we took the soft church chairs and slept on them with our mosquito nets. It was a great sleep over.

So in Ghana almost all people have an additional name, that is given, based on the day you are born. So I am Kwamie (saturday) and elder Van is Kwabena (tuesday). So we tell a lot of people that that is our names, because many struggle to say our names. So its funny to walk down the street and hear people calling for us "kwamie and kwebena". We have had lots of adventures as companions. As zone leaders we do a lot  We go to Accra once a month to receive training as leaders. We go on exchanges, we give sister missionaries blessings, and any other random stuff that comes up.

I am happy to be here, and I have realized so much that this is the lords work.

Love you mom and dad. I hope all is good at home.

Elder Beckett

 Kwebena and Kwamie working in the rain!

The elders were a big part of the choir!

Dear Beckett and Van Wagoner Families,                                                                5-27-2015

My husband and I are serving as public affairs missionaries in the Africa West Area.  We live in Accra, Ghana and work in the Area Offices here.  At the time, we are assigned to attend the Tema 3^rd Ward on Sundays and to teach a Temple Prep class there.  Also assigned to that ward are a couple of the greatest missionaries!  We have had the opportunity to associate with your sons on Sundays for the last month or so and will be there for at least another 6 or 7 weeks.  We have really enjoyed the chance to get to know these two fine elders!  They seem to love the members and the feeling is returned!  They are always so upbeat and uplifting. 

Last Sunday was the Ward Conference.  The ward music chairperson had undertaken quite an involved musical number.  It brought several hymns together in a way that was unusual.  It turned out wonderful!  Your sons, The Elders, were a big part of the choir.  They started the number with just the two Elders singingBrightly Beams Our Father’s Mercy.  It was beautiful and so fitting!  They added so much to the choir that day and they always do. 

I just wanted you to know that they seem happy and they look great (and healthy).  You can be proud of them and know that they are anxiously engaged in The Lord’s work.   We love seeing them on Sundays.

Sincerely,

Sister Peck

Cody and VanWagoner

Dear Sister Beckett and Sister Van Wagoner,                                                         6-1-2015                                                                                   

I just wanted to report on your missionaries after the flooding here in Ghana (news story  here  and an inspiring story of a missionary who rescued people during the flood here ). Tema, where they live, is a high part of the Greater Accra area.  There was lots of water but no real flooding in Tema.  We talked to them yesterday at church.  They're doing great.  The Tema 3rd Ward is a great Ward.  The bishop looks like he could be in the priests quorum and he is an awesome bishop!  He is so loving and reaches out to the members in such a wonderful way.  When we finish the Temple Prep. Lessons there, we will probably be assigned to another Ward and it will be hard to leave, but that's the nature of missionary work.

Just thought you might like to see how happy your sons look!  Notice how clean their shirts are! Very impressive! They're doing a great job!

Sincerely,
Sister Peck 

"Sister Peck has been super nice to us! She gave us a box of cereal on Sunday! Which was awesome, I always love cereal  Yes our bishop looks young, but not too much, because I can see most of the ages now a days." 

Sister Beckett,                                                                                                      6-8-2015                                                                                                                                

We are from Pocatello, Idaho.  We have been in Ghana a little less than 5 months.  We have really enjoyed the opportunity to get to know many of the wonderful people here.  The members here are so devoted and so full of faith.  One of the things we do as Public Affairs missionaries is keep up the mormonnewsroom site for Ghana.  It might be interesting to you go on and see some of the things that are happening here.  If you are interested, go to  www.mormonnewsroom.com.gh     Be sure and look at the resource article that is located below the headline articles.  It is entitled, Emerging with Faith in Africa.  It’s really inspiring.

Sister Peck

Mom,
Can you send me a recipe for Rice Krispy treats? Sorry about this, I typed a big, sweet email about the week, but the internet crashed before I could send it, so we had to move computers. To answer some questions.. I come home on August 20. We have had a rough time here, but we have our shoulder to the wheel. I am doing sweet.

Love Elder Beckett

                                                             

It really is a small world! The nurse in the picture, Nancy Kraus, is good family friend of ours who was on a medical mission in Ethiopia and happen to cross paths with a former missionary that Cody lived and served with in Sierra Leone before they were evacuated out and this missionary is now serving in Ethiopia  Cody's response when I showed him this picture: hahaha that is Elder Dramadri!!! e na MI bra! (he is my boss!) that is too good. My Uganda man!

Nancy's Facebook post with this picture: Part of yesterday. Missionaries came at 9 to help with cargo...cargo arrived at 2. They helped with other things and I gave them some money and told them to go out to lunch and they returned and worked for a good two hours unloading the truck here. Loved meeting them. Their families should be proud of their service #eldertjorntonkamasutah #elderburnetteoregon#elderrobinsonutah #elderdramudriuganda@beckettbunch he was with Cody in Sierra Leone ❤

We are doing our part of the work!

Hey mom,

In general conference, there was a mention of a family in Sierra Leone, the Turay family. There is a video on the church website about her and it shows her clinic. Her clinic is on the side of their house. I used to live in their house for the first 3 months of my mission. If you see the part of the video where there is a roa in front of the clinic, I used to pass there every day. They are a really sweet family! 

Click here to see the video Cody was talking about. Click here to listen to the inspiring talk from Henry B. Eyring who referenced the Turay family at general conference. 

WOW! Looks like lots is happening. Dallin came home, seminary looks great. Yes they have seminary here in ghana, and in sierra leone. They have early moring and evening. Jana's party looks like it was fun! Mom, did you make the cakes? Chad, and grandma look like they are doing really well.

Our week went well as we worked with the members.I was feeling that the members were thinking that we were not working with all of our effort, because we have very few people at sacrament meeting. This week we actually had 2 lessons with a member present, but we took members with us about 5 or 6 times. Many of the investigators that we planned to see with a member did not keep their commitment to meet with us. It was nice to have the members with us, they were really disappointed to not meet with the investigators, and it even gave them excitement to do missionary work. 

Tema is not all that easy, but we are doing our part of the work. I am trying to find the things that I can improve on so that I can be a better tool to do this work. Because missionary work requires the Holy Ghost and the Holy Ghost can only be present when we are clean an our desires are righteous, it makes missionaries to really seek the spirit and align themselves with the lord and do HIS work. 

I look forward to the day when I can work with the missionaries at home, are our missionaries serious about their work?

Mom thank you. I sent a letter to Jeff a while ago, did he get it? Dad, thank you for emailimg me each week. I have really enjoyed them. Thank you for all the care and concern.

Welcome to West Africa - "Swag up for Jesus"