Thanks for the emails, those of you who emailed me today. Cortney and Nan both used the same subject title "hello seeeeester!" That's right, I'm Seeester Bennett! How is everything going for all of you? It sounds like Brandice had a really great baby shower! The picture from the shower was so cute. Those cupcakes looked delicious! It sounded like you three (Cortz, Nan, and Mom) had a fun time together for the weekend. Baby McGee is already a spoiled little girl, I can tell. How many baby showers are you going for, Nan? Sorry I'm not there to throw you another!
This week I got a nice package from my amazing friends from BYU! Jay, Sarah Beth, Kate, Sarah G, Adrianne, Ben, Quin, Tyler, and Mike all recorded messages for me on a voice recorder. They sent it across the US just so that all of them could record a message for me. I loved listening to their messages! They were really sweet and it was fun to hear about their lives and get caught up on what's going on with them! I was thinking, before I got that from them, about how I wish we could do that as a family. Think about it. It's a cool voice recorder thing that doesn't use tapes or anything. I think you can get them at Best Buy or even Walmart, probably. Then you can record messages for me and send it and I can record some back! How fun!
Halloween was really great this week! At around six we went to our investigators' homes and trick or treated there and gave them a treat back, a spiritual treat! We decorated little cards and put a scripture on each one to give to our investigators for their Halloween spiritual trick or treat. Haha. It was really fun. I don't know where I got that idea from, but they all seemed to love it! Then at 7 we went to some members' home for dinner. They fed us rat shaped meatloaf. GROSS. I hate meatloaf. That was the second time this week that we were eating it. Don't worry Mom, I ate it…well most of it. It was even more gross because it really looked like a rat. haha. It was fun though. Then after dinner we went in for the night, at 8pm, because they wanted all missionaries in early. Sis Putnam and I played Jenga together. It was left behind by some elders who lived there before Sis Tippetts and I got there. That was fun, just playing and munching on our trick or treating candy. Mom thinks I'm too old to trick or treat, but see, I even found a way to do it on my mission! Hah! Thanks for the Halloween card, by the way, Mom. It was soooooo cute and I literally laughed out loud at it. Haha.
This past weekend the BYU womens' soccer team was playing at Pepperdine. The Lutz family, the ward mission leader in the 2nd ward, loves BYU soccer because Sadie, 13 years old, plays soccer. She is way good and is planning on playing at BYU someday. Anyway, they told me about the game coming up and sis Lutz was talking about how she and Sadie were planning on going to the fireside that the team was doing that Friday night. They knew that I know a ton of girls on the team, so I wrote a note for Erica Owens, the goalie, and told Sadie she could use that to go and talk to her. Well, we went over last night for a lesson and Sis Lutz was so excited while she told me about Sadie giving Erica the note and freaking out because Erica loves me. Haha. It was cute. Sis Lutz was very impressed by the soccer girls and what great young women they are. Plus, they beat Pepperdine, apparently, and are currently ranked 5th. Sweet!
We had "round 2" dinner with the Barkers this week. Laura Barker is the girl that I played football with and last time we ate with them she said my name a ton. Well, Laura did great this time! I can't say that she didn't say my first name at all, but she did way better. It was fun eating with her family because they're really great. It was fun to catch up with Laura and hear about her plans and get an update on some of our friends. Good work, Laura! I didn't feel like I was in a weird limbo this time as I ate with them. Haha.
Now for the update on the work.
This week we didn't have as many lessons as we usually have, and actually did a lot more tracting. It's not my favorite, but I pushed ahead as we did it because I know that as we work hard, the Lord will place his people in our path so that we can teach them.
We taught the Matweyews, Mathew, Nancy, Heena, Kelsey and Nanci B, Sean, Sergio, the Bergs (less-active), the Eatons, Cameron Caudel (less-active), and Brother Peters (less-active).
We actually picked up quite a few new investigators this week as well, and I'm really excited to teach some of them. I think we got 7 new investigators this week. That obviously made me feel great, because I felt like our hard work in tracting has been paying off. I fasted, yesterday, that we could work diligently and be obedient and as we are, that we can find someone very elect this week. Now we just have to go
and do those things and I know that the Lord will carry through on His part!
Teaching the Matweyews is always such a delight. I love that family more than anything. I'm so excited for them to get baptized this Saturday! On Monday we went over and had our usual dinner with a lesson. We taught them about the Law of Chastity and Sis M really loved it because she was talking about how that's something so important to her for Gavin. She wants him to be pure and respect others. Gavin was great throughout the lesson. He asked any questions that he had, and he kept saying "yea, that makes a lot of sense." He's always so funny because when we extend commitments, I always used to tell him "I want an audible 'yes' Gavin!" Now, he knows what I want to hear. When he hears a "will you" statement he replies, "Yes, Sister Bennett - I will!" Hahah. He's a cute kid. We also taught them on Friday night, to prepare them for their baptismal interview on Saturday. We went over the baptismal questions with them and it made me so happy as they both bore their testimonies to us when they answered each question. It's amazing to see the difference in Sis M, especially. She is so ready to be baptized. She has a strong testimony. She doesn't know everything, and she understands that, but she knows that this is Christ's church and she has seen the blessings in her life as she has learned and kept commitments. Gavin was so sweet when he talked about keeping the Sabbath day holy. He said that he hasn't ever seen his mom so happy like she is on Sundays. He said "she's even happy right away in the morning while she gets ready for church, and then after church she is happy all day." That was cute. We then had their baptismal interviews on Saturday, which was fun for me because while Sis M was in her interview I felt like I got to know Gavin even better. He's really excited to be baptized and he said he knows it will really help him feel like he's a part of the church. Yesterday, we had dinner at a family's home, the Manwarings, and they invited the Matweyews to come to dinner as well. It's been fun seeing them so much this week and it was so nice to get them more integrated into the ward by having dinner with the Manwarings. The ward members here really are so wonderful! They're so willing to help in the missionary efforts.
Mathew is doing well this week. He still says that he won’t come to church because it's just not something that he has ever done or will ever do. I'm trying to understand what he really needs. I know that church is unfamiliar to him and he probably feels uncomfortable with the idea of going and not knowing anyone or what's going on. We're working on getting him some fellowship, so hopefully that will help him feel more comfortable and ok with coming. We suggested the idea of doing a church tour with just us, but he even said no to that. Mathew is interesting. He's always really quiet when we first get to our lessons with him, but as we teach he opens up and I know he really enjoys having us come to teach him. He has strong faith, but says that he doesn't think he'll ever be ready for baptism. We told him that he needs to read the Book of Mormon and that it will answer all of his questions, because he said he has a lot that are unanswered at this point. Mathew was one of the people we visited on Halloween to give a "spiritual treat." He was happy to see us! We, of course, had given him a scripture about baptism to read and I hope that it hit home with him. I know that if he does pick up the Book of Mormon and read from it that he will have a great desire to be baptized.
We taught the Bergs, a less active family, this week. The Bergs are the family who haven't been sealed in the temple. Sister Berg, who is a convert, has hold ups about being sealed and brother Berg, who has grown up in the church, also says that he's not sure if that's their goal at this point. They're a young couple, in their late twenties, and they have a little boy named Cole and another little boy on the way. I just have a hard time understanding how they wouldn't want to be sealed to each other and especially to that sweet little boy. As we've taught them, it's become very obvious that Brother Berg doesn't have a testimony and probably never has had one of his own. Growing up, he most likely just leaned on his parents' testimonies and now we can see that he's leaning on his wife's. Sis Berg actually kind of got upset with him when we taught them this week. She started talking about how she can't do everything for him. He has to want to go to church even when she can't (she's on bed rest right now with her pregnancy) and that he needs to want to read the Book of Mormon for himself, not just to please her. It was the perfect moment to talk to him about gaining a testimony of his own, but right then Brother Fenn, their home teacher, knocked on the door to bring them dinner. Well, our goal is to help Brother Berg gain a testimony. He actually did come to church yesterday, on his own! That was really neat to see. I think what his wife said really hit him. I really like their family a lot. I just know how much happier they will be if they are able to be sealed in the temple.
One new investigator that we got this week is named Tina. She was a referral that we received from her next door neighbor. We had tried her more than 3 times before, so it had been a while since we last tried to meet her. When she opened the door she had the look on her face that every missionary knows, "this is weird and I'm definitely not interested." It was really amazing to see the Spirit work through us to soften her heart. As we spoke with her about the restoration and about her family she started to open up. I know that I had the Spirit, because I was asking questions that I know weren't coming from me. They were definitely inspired. As I asked these inspired questions, she slowly opened up more and more. It was such a HUGE testimony builder to me. Just like it talks about in D&C 84:85, the words are given to us in the moment that we need them. As long as we work hard, study hard, and are obedient, I know that the Lord will be guiding us. How do I know that? We are promised it over and over again throughout the scriptures. It's such a blessing to know that we are never alone in this work. We are working WITH the master of the vineyard to bring about great fruit (Jacob 5:71-72).
I felt like I've had a lot of great learning experiences this week that have built my testimony a lot and have changed my perspective on this work. I love being a missionary in the Great California Ventura mission! I love this gospel. Most of all, I love my Savior and the opportunity he has given all people to come unto him and be cleansed. How wonderful is it to be a member of His church - THE one and only true church of Christ?
I hope you all have the most amazing week, because I know that I will! I mean c'mone, the Matweyews are getting baptized on Saturday!!!! I CAN'T WAIT!!! AHHHH!
I love you!
Sister Bennett
P.S. - In other news, my watch broke on Wednesday and I've gone without all week! I've been going crazy! I am seriously obsessed with time, so it was really hard! Sis Tolliver always got mad at me because I looked at my watch so much. I can't help it! This is the Lord's time we're on here! Anyway, I'm going to buy a new watch today, just fyi. I want to get a nicer one that will last longer.
P.P.S. - Dumb story - for some reason, all week there have been so many dogs when people open the door to talk to us. The people just crack the door open and say "I have dogs. I can't hear you." Then the dogs would be quiet until we start talking, then they would bark overus! Then we'd stop and they'd stop. I hate dogs. Ok, "all creatures ofour God and king" should be loved, but it's HARD!
P.P.P.S. - One lady we talked to didn't speak much English, so Sis P and I just assumed she was Spanish and kept talking about Spanish elders to her and how mormon.org is in Spanish. Then right before we left, and we had gotten her info to give to the Spanish elders, she said "I'm Turkish, not Spanish, by the way." What the?
Halloween Candy!
No comments:
Post a Comment