Barbados 12

 I just love being a missionary it's the best :) No worries about anything it's such a good life! Teaching people, meeting people, serving God, there you got three ingredients to a happy life. The vibes that are on Barbados are amazing, I love the people here so much. It's hard to put it into words what I truly experience. Try thinking about some of the best memories you have and how you felt. Then put it in a row for 2years, that might be a indicator of how I feel. Even walking through the burning sun is a blessing. Had a great experience yesterday of how missionary work brings that joy into life. We took a member with us teaching yesterday. Mainly because his dad told him it would be a good idea. He had been kind of lacking on church and the desire to come was slowly disappearing, so his dad volunteered him to come out with us (great idea by the way). So we showed up at the house and he just walked out without any form of happiness. Checking his watch twice every second, and just not very motivated. Kind of tried to get him excited or to open up. After the first appointment, which went really well, he seemed more excited. Good thing me and Elder Smith are good at being ridiculous and at one point I think we really got him to open up to us. I think he really liked coming out with us. From being unwillingly volunteered to having a great time. When we asked him when he could come with us again his response was: "Any day besides Monday". The Spirit that missionary work brings is miraculous. I testify to you that it is real. I experience it every single day, my life is wonderful. And I see it happen to other people. My invitation to you is to "catch the wave", get excited, it truly is one of the greatest blessing you can have. Do you have a struggling family member who finds it hard to keep the faith? Send them out with the missionaries, they will love it!! Do you feel you could use more God in your life? Or get a boost? Go do missionary work. It is the greatest blessing in my life and I love every single aspect of it 
With love,
Elder Thomas Bechan

Barbados 11

Dear friends and family,

What a week! My last week with Elder Hale, sadly enough. His two years is up, Thursday he'll be back home in Arizona. Really loved serving with him, he is a great guy. New companion will be Elder Randon Smith, he was in my zone in St. Lucia and he is a great guy. It will be wonderful.
Yesterday Desmond got baptized! He is a 72 year old man with a troubled past. But somewhere within those long years he decided to change and turn to God. In a miraculous way we got in contact with him and now 5 weeks later he is baptized. Every single thing we invited to do, he did it. Simply because he truly believed we are send by God and whatever we teach him is God words. He has such fire when he prays and that's how he figured out everything must be true. The happiness that started radiating from his countance grew every single time we would visit with him. It is a great blessing, perhaps even the greatest at the moment, to witness such a miracle happen before my own two eyes. 
I am simply happy. I feel great, nothing in my way. I truly know that the Gospel is true, because of the simple fact that I live it. Only way you can find out if something works, is to try it.I testify that keeping God's commandments is what gives the greatest joy, it truly does. 
This week was just wonderful, that's about the only way to accurately describe it. And we even beat Spain 5-1, how glorious is that. Not that I saw anything of it but it's still great. 
Hope everybody will have a great week! Love and enjoy, that's a key to happiness.
With love,
Elder Thomas Bechan

Desmond Joseph's Baptism‏

Barbados 10

The nine year old

 Deborah baptism

Spending some time on St Vincent

Week was amazing! You know that you are in the best mission in the world when you get flown in to a training meeting. Spend three days in Trinidad to attend the mission leadership conference, it was glorious. 
Made a week a bit short but it was great! Deborah got confirmed and church was great! Hope everybody is doing great! Want to invite everybody to be more grateful. THis Sunday I ended up sitting next to a 9year old in sacrament meeting without any parent around. Had a wonderful time entertaining him. I made him a paper airplane and he was in seventh heaven. If only I could be more able to appreciate things as he does. Would make my life even more wonderful then it already is. Maybe that's one of the reasons why God wants us to become like a child. I testify that showing gratitude allows you to recognize blessings, and also to receive more. Count your blessings, count them one by one, count your many blessings see what God has done!
Till next week,
With love,
Elder Thomas Bechan

 Me and president Mehr

 Our Vincy group

With my boy elder Jex

 Plane to Trini

Eating Trini Doubles

Barbados 9

Lieve vriendjes and vriendinnetjes,

This week was Glorious! That's I think the only proper word I can think about right now to describe it. We did a puppet show to educate primary school age children about the dangerous consequences of using tobacco. It was great! I got volunteered to be the spokesman so I had to entertain the children in between the five short fragments we performed. First group was a about 100 4-5 year old children, was wonderful. Shouting all over the place yes and no questions, was great. Second group was 8-11 so had to work out a less childlike act. All went well! Made one little mistake by calling a boy a girl (he really looked like a girl a lot), but I think he got over it. Next day we went to an all-boys school and even the news showed up! Have my face in the Barbados news papers! Was really fun to do the things. Deborah also got baptized this weekend! Oh how I love baptisms, that should be a new pass-time activity. Who cares about going to the movies if you could witness a baptism right? Feel such a wonderful Spirit during the performance of the ordinance that I simply cannot walk out with a smile on my face. Dear friends, being a missionary is so wonderful! If only I could give you a small piece of what I experience you would be in the clouds all day. It's being lead/nurtured/fellow shipped/guided/loved/corrected/taught/etc. purely by the Spirit of the Lord. It is so wonderful! Wish it would never end! The wonderful part of it is that you as well may experience what I have! It's so simple: Just do missionary work! Blessings will flow freely! I promise you that! Tomorrow we'll fly to Trinidad for a next mission leadership training! I am so excited. This mission simply is the best in the whole world, I mean who can say they were flied in to attend a meeting!
With love,
Elder Thomas Bechan

Barbados 8

This week was great! and also by far too
short, but that seems to be every single week lately. Met a great guy
with a most troubled past. Just imagine a sin and this man has
committed it somewhere along the lines of his 72 year old existence.
He realize it has not brought him anything, besides pain and sadness.
Makes him want to search more seriously towards what does give
fulfillment, something that lasts. Well good thing we bring the Good
News right. I testify that every possession we got here, will at
one point perish. The only thing you can keep is "you". All we ever do
in this life is being "stored" (kind og like a computer) into our
being. Then at the last day we will be able to witness who we have
become. For to God is far more important to noticed who you have
become than what you have done. Our actions are merely an indication
of our identity. If we have become what we are intended to be, which
is exalted through Christ, we can abide in an eternal happiness. How
wonderful does that sound :) The most wonderful part of it all is: you
choose your destiny. As I believe President Monson, the Prophet, has
said: "Decision determine destiny". To make the right decisions you
first need to know the choice. For without law no man can be judged.
The choice at the end of the day is either "liberty and eternal life,
through the great Mediator of all" or "captivity and death" (you can
make a guess through who that comes to pass). The only way that you
know how to make these decisions is by reading the scriptures. The
scriptures teach us "what men must do to obtain peace in this life and
eternal salvation in the life to come". So read your scriptures!
That's what outlines the way (or rod) that leads to eternal life. If
you don't have scriptures ask the missionaries, we hand it out like
candy.
With love,
Elder Thomas Bechan

Barbados 7

Lieve vriendjes and vriendinnetjes,

Weeks just fly by. Never have I enjoyed something as much as this experience that I am having. Almost in the literal sense of the meaning, I feel in heaven. Simply there are no worries, my mind is not troubled by anything. Nothing can hold me back and no one can tie me down. I feel free in the service of my God. People say: "Time flies when you're having fun" well it's more of a "Time flies with the speed of sound when you're on a mission". Make me feel sad that one day it will end. Sometimes wish I could keep going, never stop. I testify that doing the right thing, which means as priesthood holders to serve a mission, is the most rewarding, satisfying and glorious thing you can do. Nothing matches up to how I feel now, to how I experience life right now. It truly is the "best two years". 
To everybody, boys and girls, that have served missions I want to invite to dig out your old journals and relife it for a bit. Catch that wonderful spirit again, then call the missionaries and go life it, start flying. Yo ucan feel as if you are walking on a cloud agina.
On boys and girls who can serve a mission: Go fill out your papers. What are you waiting for? Don't miss out.
Love,
Ekder Thmomas Bechan

Barbados 6

Dear friends,

The Lord has worked through me this week. I testify of that, I was able to discover for myself how to receive pure revelation from the Lord. Not halve answers to problems, not guessing what could be correct. Direct unmistakable answers. The answers and words were as clear in my mind as these words are as clear on your computer screen. I have been pondering what my zone needs to improve here on Barbados. The idea missionaries have in our mission is that Barbados is "hard". So time to lift spirits and understand the greater purpose of God's work on this island. A story in the November Liahona kind of illustrates the purpose. It was given in a talk to the Relief Society by a Sister (don't know the lady's name of the top of my head). It spoke about a Shepherd calling in his five sheep. Four came running at the call of his voice. One didn't. This sheep was given away by her previous owner because she would always go astray. So the new shepherd tied her down, so she wouldn't run away and that slowly showed the sheep that he cared. In the story the sheep is no longer bound, but only has a little rope tied around the neck. I believe the one sheep didn't come running because she didn't trust the shepherd. She also didn't stay put because she was afraid something along the way could hurt she. The reason why I believe the Sheep stayed put was because the sheep thought it was still pinned down. The illusion of the rope around the neck made the sheep think she was still bound. So the shepherd lovingly walked to his sheep, petted her on the head and walked her inside the barn. 
Are we responding to the call of the Shepherd? Or do we believe we are still bound? Do we believe that miracles can happen or do we think that missionary work is "hard"? My dear friends please be better than a sheep. Don't "tie yourself down" by saying things as: "it is too hard", "I can't do it". When you do this you "handcuff" God. You tell Him I don't want a miracle. Faith proceeds the miracle. Please move forward, respond to the call of the Good Shepherd, there in lies safety and peace. I testify that the Lord loves you and that He is our Shepherd and we are his sheep. Trust Him, love him. There in is true joy.
With love,
Elder Thomas Bechan