Hey from your brother!

Kia Ora Xane,

It sounds like a good week for you over there. I like that gravitron ride and I miss those scones the grandpa so expertly makes. I glad the weather sure shaped up though. I wish it would here as well on days other that sunday :)

I remember digging the hole for the basketball hoop and thinking the same thing. I hate rocks. I think that that there is so many changes happening at home that I won't recognize it especially the people there. I heard Korin is taller than Tara now. Jeez louise.

Things are algoods out here except for getting the people we are teaching to come to church. It's always a challenge!

Anyways, have a great week and I will try to do the same. Keep up the good cooking.

Love you heaps,
Elder Beckstead

Xane Beckstead wrote:
Dear Elder Trevor Beckstead                       Sunday, June 12, 2011

This week was pretty fun. At the end of the week, on Friday, I got to take the kids to the summerfest thingy. We rode the gravitron ride in memory of you, and I think it was the first time I had the chance to ride it with Sam. It was fun to see his reactions and all of that. It was still something like $1.50 per ride, so that was all we did.

Yesterday, we had a huge celebration for all of the birthdays in June. It was Grandpa’s 80’th birthday so we made it a pretty big deal. Plus, it is the last one of these celebrations that Tara will be coming to because she leaves soon. We had a cook-off like we usually do, and this time it was cupcakes, which was appropriate for the occasion. I basically made our cupcakes, although mom did help me with some of them. We made rainbow cupcakes that are layered different colors, ROY G. BV style (I left out indigo). We ended up winning (hurray) and got to keep the traveling trophy and a Minnie mouse cupcake that everyone wants me to put on my bike, and a new cookbook. It was a lot of fun.

For Grandpa’s birthday present, we gave him a flag pole that is twenty feet tall. I had to dig the hole and fill it in with the cement that helps anchor the pole. It was terrible because it had to be about 12” diameter and 26” deep. There were so many rocks that it seemed like there was two parts rock to every one part dirt. It probably wasn’t that bad, but it sure seemed like it when I was digging it. It now looks awesome though.

Keep up the good work. I am excited that you get to do such an amazing thing. Elder Faifai (or something like that) has a cousin, Sister Fafai (not necessarily that spelling) in New Zealand, so if you see her, tell her your family likes to feed her cousin. I saw Nate Mansanarez on Friday and he said to tell you hi for him, so hi!

Love,
Your Cupcake-baking brother Xane.