My California AdVENTURAs: Kick 'Em Outta the Coop and Watch 'Em Fly

May 31, 2012

Hello family!
I know that it's been more than a week since you have heard from me. Thursday is my preparation day, so now you know! I guess you would like to know how things are going here in the land of the missionaries. Well, I guess I will start from day one. After I was dropped off on the curb, and turned and watched Mom, Dad, Brandice, and Solon drive away I was starting to loose it. I did so well. I didn't cry even when mom hugged me. Is that insane or what? Yea, well I think it helped that I told her to not give me a "holding" hug, but a nice SQUEEZE. After that I was taken to my room and dropped off my luggage. That is where my "host'' sisters met me. They guided me around to the various places I needed to go; to get my tag (highlight), to take my picture, to get my id, to get my key and literature, and they dropped me like a hot potato in my classroom. While on this journey through this somewhat foreign, but not really foreign land, I was on the verge of tears about 99% of the way. Each time I thought those salt filled drops would hit my cheeks I saw someone I knew. First I saw Megan Spencer. That is the girl that we saw at Olive Garden after she received her endowments. I gave her a huge hug and then I was OK again, for a bit. Then I was about to let it go again and guess what? I saw my good friend Annie Moyes and she hugged me with so much love that I could not resist a smile. I made it through the rest of the day without breaking down. That doesn't mean that I didn't want to. It was all very overwhelming for the first, well, 3 days I would say. Then I started to really get the hang of it and understood what Nan was talking about when she said she loved it so much that she didn't want to leave.
My district has four sisters and six elders. That's a lot of sisters for one district. A lot of the other districts don't even have a companionship of sisters. Sister Greer is my companion. We became friends quickly and she really helped me get through those first three days that seemed almost unbearable. I wont lie, there were times when I was sitting in class and thinking ''How the heck did I get here?'' or "what am I even doing here?'' Don't worry, those thoughts were quickly run out of my mind as we watched videos of missionaries teaching investigators. It is crazy how from just watching a video of an investigator learning about the gospel that I can feel so much love for them and I don't even know them. I know that the Lord has already blessed me with a greater capacity to love others. I felt that with Sister Greer. She has really been struggling a lot and I was afraid that she was going to go home. I still wonder sometimes if she is just going to give up on the whole thing and leave me. I pray for her ever chance I get, that she will be able to be confident in herself and her decision to serve a mission. She struggles with teaching because she thinks that she needs to be perfect at it the first time. Well, it has been a humbling experience for all of us and I just pray that she will realize that. It is really nice having Sister Greer with me, but it has been a bit of a struggle the last few days. Getting used to having someone with you 24/seven is hard enough, add on top of that the fact that I am Haley Bennett and you have a situation on your hands. I pray that in those moments when I want to pull my hair out because I ''JUST NEED A SECOND'' that I will remember the things I love about Sister Greer and the comfort she has been to me in times when I have needed it. Now, back to my district. The two other sisters are Sister Kerns and Caffall. Sister Caffall and I have become good friends. In both of our companionships we are kind of the more steady and ''experienced'' even though we have the same amount as our companions. I have just noticed that Sister Caffall has about the same attitude as I do toward teaching, that as we go through and teach our investigators, the Lord is going to be humbling us but we will also be learning the most important thing about teaching, which is following the promptings of the spirit. The elders in our district are great. They are also nineteen. I have learned a lot from them and they are becoming good friends. We are a pretty close district. I have two teachers - Brother Miller and Brother Rasmussen. They are really awesome and just want us to learn so much! They are very good teachers, and I won't lie, Brother Rasmussen is pretty cute and he is 22. Note to self: look him up later. I mean, hey, I am still a girl. The elders and Sister Caffall in my district are going to the New Hampshire mission, one is going to Ventura with Sister Greer and I, and Sister Kerns is going to Orlando.
My roommates have been awesome. They always check on how we are doing and they are pretty fun girls. It is nice to get back to the room at night and laugh with them about dumb stuff, like I always laugh at. They are all going to Bulgaria. They have been here for 5 weeks and we will come and go before they get to leave the MTC. One of them, Sister Wild, is from England. I love her. She is absolutely hilarious without trying. Haha.
The MTC does things differently these days. They have a whole new teaching program that they have been doing since August. I taught my first ''investigator'' on the second day. Talk about kicking you out of the coop. I have now taught 12 times. I really love teaching and I think I am improving a lot. My study habits are improving and I really am beginning to understand my purpose as a missionary. One of my investigators, Mike, who is Elder Munns in my district is a pretty hard investigator. Elder Munns told me that he just keeps waiting for me to fall on my face, but I never do. He told me he is really impressed with the spirit I bring when I teach. I just have faith that as I teach, the Lord will really be doing the teaching through the spirit. At the same time as loving teaching so much, it is also the hardest thing I do here. I get so frustrated with it sometimes! I will have to tell you more about it next time I get to write because I seriously have a limited amount of time.
My favorite time of day is gym time, of course. All of the Elders in my zone have noticed that I am somewhat athletic so they like to challenge me in any sport they can think of. I've gotten to know a lot of the elders in my zone really well from that and they are all super nice guys. It is fun to talk with them because they have been here longer and they have a lot that they can teach me.
I have lost some weight. My jeans are too big for me, so mom, let your worries fade away. I have yet to have an actual appetite. I think it is just from the stress of everything. Even though I really love it here, it is still very stressful. I do wake up early everyday that I decide I want to shower. So that is an interesting thing. I never thought that would be possible.
I saw Kate and Sarah on Sunday in the cafeteria. They came with Sister Swenson. It was just the most wonderful thing to see them again, but it was very hard. When I saw them I immediately started crying. And when I hugged Kate, I just felt like I could breathe again. I loved seeing them so much and it was crazy how as soon as I walked away from them I was back in missionary mode. I wish I could say more about it, but I have like 30 seconds. haha.
I don't know if you knew this, but I get to call home when I am at the airport leaving I heard. So I will tell you more about that. I would like another pencil skirt if possible. Black. Maybe the same JCPenny one? I'll say more next time.
Anyway, I love you and I am happy. This work is the work of the Lord and I know that more and more each day.
Love,
Sister Bennett