Spiritual Explosion

 

April 8, 2013

 

Dear Family,

This past week has been really spiritually uplifting and somewhat challenging at the same time. We had so many meetings, exchanges and planning to do that it ended up meaning that we didn't work in our area as much. The meetings were so packed with revelation that it made me exhausted each night....I just felt like a spiritual explosion went off multiple times this week. It was hard to collect my thoughts because there was so much to take in. On Monday night and Tuesday morning we went to zone leaders’ council. We've been one time before, so President Castro just taught us a lot and basically was raising our vision of the mission so we can raise the vision of the other missionaries. Then, on Wednesday we had dinner at the Castros' and then had a meeting to plan for the Sisters' Training Meeting that we're having on Tuesday. That was a really fun night. I just love being around the Castros so much. That meeting was especially great because we were just sitting there at the Castros' table with the other traveling sisters and we were receiving revelation for the sisters in the mission. I can't explain how cool it was. The spirit there was so strong and the love in that room was just as strong. I felt very connected with the other sisters and President and Sister Castro. I repeatedly felt that the Lord is very aware of me and that He is guiding me to understand, more fully, the things that I need to do to reach my potential as a missionary. I'm really grateful for the guidance that He has given me through the Holy Ghost and the trust that He has put in me to not only teach the people in this area but also to be a leader to the other sisters. I know that He is here laboring with me and that He loves me. I know He loves me.

This week we taught Lisa, Jose, Asuncion, Brother McIntosh, Julia, the Evangelistas, and Richard.

We had a really great lesson with Jose. We met him at the church and Sister Ruiz came with us. She's great! I love having her at lessons because she has so many great life experiences to draw from and she's good at explaining things simply. Plus, she's super excited about the gospel and you can't help but be excited, too, when she's around. At the beginning of the lesson we talked about prayer and receiving an answer about what we've been teaching. We asked what he feels about the things that we've shared. He said that he hasn't gotten a sure answer, but he feels like what he's been learning is right. The thing about Jose is that he is a very good listener. He doesn't let you know that he really cares that much, but he's taking in everything that we teach. I really feel like he has felt the Spirit, or I know that he would've told us that he doesn't want to meet with us anymore. He's young and if he really didn't care he wouldn't spend another minute of his time listening to someone talking about Jesus Christ. I'm excited for him to progress. I feel that it will be slow and we'll really need patience, but I can really see what he can become. The saddest part is that he is 27. That will be yet ANOTHER investigator that we will need to pass off to the young single adult ward elders. That can be hard. I'll be honest, that's been really hard for me especially in this area. We've found some amazing investigators that I have loved so much...and then we had to pass them off to the other missionaries. However, I know that it's what's best for them.

Well, we had our first exchange this week. We went to Dos Vientos, in Newbury Park, to work with Sister Tagaloa and Sister Randall. I worked with Sister Randall for the day and we worked hard. She is a 19 year-old missionary! She's from Centerville, Utah, and her twin sister is also serving a mission in the California Riverside mission. Pretty great, right!? Well, I wanted her to see what is expected in this mission, so we were on the go the entire day. I wasn't sure if she would keep up, but she did really great. We didn't have any actual "sit down" lessons, which was sad. I wanted to see her in that setting, but we did have a lot of opportunities to talk to people. That was good because her goal was to teach more in declarations. She said that she testifies a lot, but isn't always teaching the restoration. She's a brand new missionary, so that's understandable, but I was very impressed with how well she did. She stepped up and took the lead on talking to a lot of people. I think she was surprised at how much I let her talk. I just waited until the very last second when people were about to shut the door and then I would pick up where she had been. I really felt like it was important to help her see how qualified she already is. I knew that from companionship study with her. She was really good at teaching the restoration to me, so I wanted her to recognize that she can do that same thing with people out on the street. I talked to her about what she wants as a missionary and how she can reach the goals she has. She's going to be really great. She's actually a lot like me. She demands a lot from herself, so I talked to her about patience. She needs to remember that she is a new missionary and that she can't compare herself to other, more seasoned, missionaries. That's what made things hard for me - I would compare myself to sister Tippetts. When I finally got over that, I felt so much better and I grew so much more. Anyway, Sister Randall is doing great. She just needs to smooth out those "new missionary kinks" and she'll be ready to go. I'm just very impressed with her.

Well, I don't know what else to say. I'm having a hard time collecting my thoughts right now for some reason....

I love you! Sorry this letter was kind of lame.

Love,
Sister Bennett

 

                                Exchange with Sister Randall

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                                                           

Please....Just Get in the Water

April 1, 2013

Dear Fam,

This week was a stretching week for me, personally. I felt a little bit overwhelmed and apprehensive at the beginning, thinking about all that is to come for me throughout the remainder of my service as a missionary. Time is going by so quickly, and I want to be able to do all that the Lord would ask of me. I was sad to say goodbye to Sister Lillywhite. We had become so comfortable in our teaching and had seen so many miracles together in these past three months, not to mention that she became one of my closest friends. The way that Sister Lillywhite works is inspiring. She truly came to the understanding of what it means to represent our Lord, and Savior, Jesus Christ. She did even more, however, than understand, she became. Everything she did was to fulfill her purpose as a missionary, to bless the lives of those in her stewardship. She really instilled that in me - we are always representatives of Jesus Christ. I am just so grateful for her and for the example she set for me and especially for the sisters in this mission. I believe that she is a big part of why the culture of the mission, among the sisters, has changed so much in a positive way. 

As I've pondered on the things that she's taught me, I recognized the magnitude of my calling as a traveling sister. The way that I affect these sisters, ripples outward to their future companions, the members in the wards that they serve in, to the other missionaries they serve near, and especially to those that they teach. I take it very seriously, and I've seen the Lord work through me to help those I serve, and He will continue to do so. This past week was overwhelming because I felt that so many more weaknesses were coming to my fore-vision and I didn't realize that they were there. When we had a meeting this past Thursday with all of the traveling trainers and the assistants, Elder Cary shared something that brought me a lot of comfort, and it came from a scripture that had previously impacted me and that I've held onto for my entire mission. The scripture is Ether 12:27 and I have reflected very often on a time during my very first transfer when I read that scripture and it gave me peace. Elder Cary shared that in that scripture it teaches us that when we are recognizing our weaknesses, we have come unto Christ - "if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness." I believe that I have come closer to Jesus Christ in this last transfer. I've had a few experiences that have really helped me feel the power of His atonement in my life and I've felt encircled in His arms. I didn't realize how truly grateful I am for Him. At transfer meeting this past Tuesday, I was pondering on my testimony of Jesus Christ as the departing missionaries went up one by one to share theirs, and I felt the Spirit as if it was washing over my body. I just felt this deep, potent gratitude for my Savior. He did so much for me, and I'm grateful to put a cross on my back and share His gospel with others whom He has sacrificed for. It's a blessing to be able to meet people on the street and declare to them that He lives and that I KNOW it. 

I am also very excited to be working with Sister Burwell. She is amazing. She's so full of energy, and especially, love for this work. She really wants to learn and grow and I hope that I can help her do so this transfer. I have a great deal of respect for her and I really love her. I want to help her reach her goals and improve in the areas that she'd like to. She has talked a lot about how she is ready to learn from me. I'm not sure what there is to learn, but I'm ready to learn together from the experiences we'll have this transfer. The sisters are going to love going on exchanges with her and she'll be a great influence on them. 

I got to see Brenna on Tuesday at transfer meeting. I emailed her on Monday and told her she HAD to bring the Moorpark sisters, since they were required to get a ride to Ventura anyway. When we got to the stake center on Tuesday morning there was Brenna in her car with Sister Stoker. I was soooo happy to see her, seriously. She said that it was funny when she got my email because she had already planned to bring them. Same mind. She just seems like she's grown up so much since I was in Moorpark. I guess being called to serve a mission will help do that. I had to go to a meeting, so I wasn't able to talk to her very long when I first saw her, but she just made me so pumped and excited for the day! When we got done with our meeting, we walked into the chapel and all of the missionaries were already seated. When I sat down I was trying to figure out where she went. I got a little nervous because I thought maybe she went somewhere and was going to miss out on transfer meeting. Then I saw her, she was sitting in the row with all of the missionaries. She fit right in. Honestly, that made me a little bit emotional. It was so weird. I just felt so glad that I met Brenna. She's the best friend I've made on my mission, and I am so excited for her to have these experiences that I'm having. Now I know why Brandice always wanted me to serve a mission so badly. I never want anyone to miss out on the opportunity of serving a mission because of how sacred my mission is to me. I'm so proud of Brenna and the person she is. I feel like she's just an old friend that I've been reunited with, and I'm grateful for the impact she has had on me. She's helped me to open up more and to go forward in life without fear. She has a really great perspective and that's something that I've definitely gained from my friendship with her. President Castro actually had her come up and bear her testimony, since he had heard from her two nights previous at her stake conference. She did great and the best part was when she told all of the missionaries what I had told her - "obedience is bliss." That-a-girl. I've taught her well. ;)  After transfer meeting, we went to Chipotle to eat with Brenna and the Moorpark sisters. I loved every minute talking about how she's preparing to go to the temple and for her mission. The gospel is so great. It brings people together on such a deeper level than the world can ever try to manipulate and recreate. 

This week we taught Julia, the Biglers, the Evangelistas, Brother Dumond, Brother Wages, the Heaths, Sister Rous, Jessica, Lena, Bob, Lizette, and Cryshauna. 

Let me share a great miracle that Sister Lillywhite and I had on our last day together. I'll start about 5 weeks ago, at the beginning of last transfer. We were walking down by the harbor and were talking about how we could do better in talking to everyone. We made a resolve that we'd talk to everyone no matter if they were getting into their car or walking into their house - we were going to stop them and talk to them about the gospel. Right after we made that decision, there was a man walking down the street....so we talked to him. His name was Carlos and we taught him about prophets and the restoration of Christ's church. He had a lot of questions about prophets and asked "What have these modern prophets brought to us." Hmmmm, we had just the thing. We taught him about the Book of Mormon and he was very receptive. He said that he would like a copy. We gave him one and asked when we would be able to meet with him again. Sadly, he told us "I'm sure we'll see each other again down here" and he went on his way. Sister Lillywhite and I both didn't want to push him, so we, a little bummed, continued on our way. Well, I really wanted to meet Carlos again, because I really felt that he was being prepared for us to teach him, so Sister Lillywhite and I prayed throughout that entire transfer that we would see Carlos again. Last Monday, Sister Lillywhite and I were eating yogurt with the traveling hermanas and discussing ideas that we would want to share with the sisters if we have another sisters conference soon. We were sitting on a bench that looked out over the ocean. We were going to take a picture, so as Sister Lillywhite looked around for someone to ask to take our picture she saw Carlos sitting behind us! All four of us got up and went to talk to him. We declared to him again and shared a little bit about the plan of salvation. To my dismay, he again wouldn't give us his address or set up a time to meet with us! I couldn't believe it. I felt the Spirit just as strong this time as I had the first time we met him. He was wearing the same clothes as he was the first time, so we decided that he may possibly be homeless, and that might have been the reason that he didn't want to share where he lived. I will be continuing to pray that we can meet him again. That was a huge miracle that we found him and talked to him again! What a blessing! 

Julia got baptized this past Saturday! It was the most interesting baptism I've been a part of and I'm sure that won’t change throughout the course of my mission. She was SO excited when we got to the church and I was possibly as excited as she was. Then the baptismal service began. She still seemed really happy and excited, but as the time got closer for her to get baptized I realized that she kept looking at her mom with a very scared look on her face. Well, the time of truth came - she needed to get into the baptismal font to get baptized. Julia doesn't like to be in front of people, so having everyone there to support her made her super nervous. We could hear her in the bathroom crying and telling her mom that she didn't want to do it. I was getting pretty nervous. I was thinking "Oh great! She's going to back out! What are we going to do?" Then the thought came to my mind that we should just close the folding curtains that are in front of the font. Sister Burwell and I went into the bathroom and told Julia that we would close the curtains and just the Elders would have to come in so they could be witnesses. She calmed down and decided that would be a good idea, because she wanted to be baptized...she just didn't want everyone looking at her. Sister Burwell and I went back out and explained that Julia was just too nervous to have everyone watching her and that we would be closing the curtains to do it. They all thought that was fine and were very understanding. Sister Burwell and I, of course, got to see her get baptized, and I am so grateful for that experience. The Savior didn't have a beautiful baptismal service with all of His close friends and family watching Him, but He was baptized to be obedient to His Father. I know that the most important person was there at that baptism and saw Julia make that covenant and was proud - her Heavenly Father. That experience helped me gain a perspective of why we do the things that we do. It isn't for other people, to please them or make ourselves look good. We should do things to bring our Father in Heaven joy. Yesterday for the 3rd hour of church, the stake president spoke about how we can bring God joy. I know that when we follow the example of Jesus Christ, we can bring joy to our Heavenly Father. I also know that when we strive to bring Him joy, we will feel more joy than possible when we are only striving to bring joy to ourselves. That was a great baptism. I am so happy for Julia and what this means for her in her life and I'm grateful that I was able to be there to experience it and learn the lessons that I learned. 

It was a wonderful, growing week. I'm grateful for the Lord and His love for me. I'm grateful for the way that He continues to shape and mold me into the person He knows that I can become. 

I love you all. Thank you so much for your support. I know that I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for my family, and I'm just so grateful to be a missionary. I will be forever grateful for the sacrifices you've all made so that I can be here today. I love you.

Sister Bennett 

P.S. - Did you update the blog mom? :) 
P.P.S. - I attached a picture from Julia's baptism

 

 

 

 

 

Farewell Sister Lillywhite

 

With Brenna Lutz after Transfer Meeting

 

Julia's Baptism

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Step Up or Get OUT!

 

March 25, 2013

 

Dear Family!

When you read this email you may all be together! That's great! I'm so excited for Jordan and Amanda to get sealed in the temple this week. I am so grateful for Amanda and how good she has been to Jordan. He's a redhead, so he deserves someone great and Amanda is definitely great. She is a really great example of patience and faith...so it seems to me, at least. I'm excited to have a new addition to our perfectly imperfect family ;). Congratulations to you both! Wahhhhooo! 

We got a new missionary from temple square this week, but we also lost one. We said goodbye to Sister Lupashko on Wednesday morning. We, Sister Lillywhite and I, drove her to the airport early that morning. She's now back at temple square and her replacement is Sister Di Liberto. She is from Italy! She's amazing. We did some training with her when she first arrived and were able to drive her to her area. That gave us the opportunity to get to know her better and answer some questions. Sisters from temple square are amazing, so I'm grateful to have her in our mission. Plus, I'm so excited to get to go on exchanges with her this transfer. 

Well, we got our "transfer calls" this morning. My new companion is Sister Burwell. She is from Pennsylvania. I love her. I've worked around her a lot and I always wished that we would become companions at some point. Now my prayers are answered and we're going to be traveling together! That's so great!!!

On Wednesday, Sister Di Liberto was doing some paper work before we took her to her area so President Castro had me come into his office and we had an interview. He basically talked to me about my role as a traveling sister. He gave me a lot of good counsel and said that there is a lot riding on me and how I lead the sisters. Basically, he said it's time to step up. Yep. He talked a lot about how this is the moment that the Lord has been preparing me for and that it's my time to "shine." He also thought that I had said I wanted to go to the Bakersfield Mission. I almost threw up!! AH! But he said that is a good goal, it's ambitious, but the Lord has more in store for me than that. Man...President Castro is like a magic crystal ball. He basically KNOWS my future! I need to know! Haha. Well, you all know what this means....you REALLY have to keep me in your prayers now. Pray extra hard....especially Ammon because he's great. 

Ok, now onto more important things....aka THE PEOPLE AND THE WORK! 

We had a great week! A LOT of miracles! The work in the Second Ward is picking up fast, and I'm super excited about it. I'm sad that I'll be seeing Sister Lillywhite go because we've worked hard here together to get the area to this point that it's at now. I wish she could stay one more transfer and just see all of the fruits of her labors here in Ventura. I guess I'll need to keep her updated! I'm excited that my new companion will be Sister Burwell! I knew it would be her. I'm not sure why, but of course I was trying to think about who it would be and it just made complete sense to me that it would be Sister Burwell. We will have a lot of success together, I already know that. Getting a new companion always makes me excited because there are so many new things to learn from them. I'm excited to recognize the reasons that the Lord would like us to work together and to learn those things that He would have me learn from Sister Burwell. Yess! I'm just so excited for this new transfer! The work is picking up like crazy and I'm so blessed to be a missionary at this time. This is the most exciting time probably in the history of the WORLD to be a missionary! 

This week we taught Lisa, Rita, the Rabagos, Kristyn, Brother Dumond, Jessica, Brother Wages, Cryshauna, Julia, the Heaths, Lena, Sister Rous, Jose, Bob, the Pellums, and the Blanks.

As miracles have been happening here, there are still some hard moments. We had another lesson with Kristyn this week and she just isn't willing to make any commitments. It's heartbreaking to me because I have been there at her home many times when she has felt the Spirit and she knows that she has felt the Spirit. I can't imagine what our Father in Heaven must feel when some of His children get so close but they allow things in the world to keep them from Him. I know that she has a relationship with her Father in Heaven, but I also know that that relationship could be a million times better through the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. That's hard when you realize that you have to let someone go, but trust in the Lord that He will continue to prepare them and give them another chance to have the joy in their lives that you have in your own. Hard. I guess at this point I will just continue to pray for her....Alma 6:6.

We have gotten some great new investigators this week. On Friday we were talking to an investigator, Cryshauna, outside of her apartment and some lady leaned over her balcony and yelled down at us asking "Are you LDS missionaries?!" We answered in the affirmative. Then she told us that she is a member and just moved into that apartment. We told her about church and then continued to teach Cryshauna. As we were talking to Cryshauna, the member's little girls kept coming down the stairs wanting to say "hello" to us. I told them that we would come up and say "hi" when we were done....so they would stop interrupting our lesson. When we finished teaching Cryshauna, we went upstairs and met the Heaths. Sister Heath is a convert and she said she hasn't been going to church that often, but she wants to get back to going regularly. She then said that two of her 5 daughters are not baptized, one of which is 8 and one is 9, and that she would like us to start teaching them this week! We didn't want to so we just left....just kidding! We said, "Great!!" All of them came to church yesterday, including her 14 year old son, and Sister Heath seems very excited to start meeting with us. That was a major miracle and answer to our prayers because the night before I had prayed, before we went to bed, that we would see a great miracle the next day. I prayed that we would find someone new to teach that would get baptized and that would have an open heart to listen to the gospel. Amazing! 

We also had a really neat lesson with a less-active lady, Dawnia, and her two children who aren't baptized. Aubrey is 16 and she is actually deaf and Tyler is 10. Dawnia has been wanting to get back to church. There are two people in the ward who know sign language, but both of them were unavailable. Well, Sister Lillywhite doesn't know sign language either, and I definitely don't know it....so I was praying for the gift of tongues or something. When we got there we told Dawnia that she would need to interpret for us. She wasn't too excited about that because she said she struggles with interpreting. I was thinking "Yeah right, you're her mom. You have to sign all the time with her." Well, she struggled. We weren't sure what to do because Aubrey has no sense of God and who He is. We brought the restoration DVD with us, so we decided we would try that with the subtitles. When we got to the menu we realized that they have the movie in ASL....so there is a man signing with the movie playing in the background. That was such a huge blessing! At the end of the lesson we taught Aubrey how to pray and she gave the closing prayer. That was really neat. I'm really excited to keep teaching them and help their family come in to the church. 

Last note: Yesterday, Bob blessed the sacrament for the first time! It was so great to see him up there. He has changed so much from the time we started teaching him until now. The atonement can really change people's lives. 

Well, new week...new transfer...so much new stuff it's great. I'm excited.

Love,
Sister Bennett