"That Was the First Time You Lied To Me!"

 August 27, 2012

 

 

HI!

How is my family this week? I hope you're all doing great. I'm excited to give you an update this week because it's been a really great one! I'm excited for Cortz to get started back up at BYU-I. I'm sure she's been aching to be back with her people. Being at home in MN gets to be a bit hard after all of the excitement of being out at school with things going on everyday and being around your best friends all the time. I hope she's taking some fun classes! I keep telling all of the young people in the ward that they should be friends with Cortz. Jade Akina, a member, is going to go to BYU-I - but not for two years. I told her that she should go now so she has the chance to meet Cortz. I always tell Kayli and Caitlyn about Cortney too because...well, because Cortney is so cool and I love her! Anyway, don't be surprised Cortz if anyone named Kayli, Jade, or Caitlyn add you on Facebook. They all want to be your friend because I told them you're a lot like me but even cooler.

Mom, I'm glad to hear that there are some more pianists that have moved into the branch. The Lord is blessing you for always giving of yourself to help with the music! That's so great. I need to be more willing to play the piano here. I don't feel confident about playing hymns because I'm not very good. You know me. I like to practice the songs a ton before I will play them. I am not as confident when I play piano as I am with sports or playing the drums, but I know that I need to do it. I shouldn't hide my talent.

Oh, I don't know if I ever told you about Charlie Alpert. He just got to MN for his mission. Before he left, he did a lot of missionary work with us and he is so great! He is serving in Colerain -  it's right outside of Grand Rapids. I read his email (his mom printed it off for me) and I laughed a lot because he described Minnesota so well. He talked about how he has to drive SO MUCH. Haha. I love Minnesota! I told Sister Alpert that she needs to send his emails to you, Mom, so you can forward them to me throughout my mission because I want to know where her serves and such. I also told Sister Alpert that if he ever gets close to where we live or if he serves in the Metropolitan area that I would send you, Mom and Dad, to take him to dinner or something. I hope that's ok. He is so great! The people in MN are lucky to have a missionary like him serving there.

Quick questions for Britt -  How did you know the Hunters  when you were at BYU? I talked to Brother Hunter, and he said he thinks he knew a Britt but couldn't remember. He said he knew you at King Henry? Is that right?

Thanks again to Uncle Brent for the package you sent to me. That was so nice. I am so blessed to have such a wonderful family that gives me so much support as I serve. I really have felt so much love from all of you through your letters and in other moments when I remembered that I have many prayers that are said on my behalf.

This week we taught the Matweyew family (Stephanie and Gavin), Amanda V. (less-active), Mario and Murrae, Nancy, Kayley K., Heena, Tonya and Caitlyn, Paula and Carol, Tyler, and the Caudel family (less-active).

We started the week on a high note with Sister Matweyew and Gavin. Brother Matweyew recently became active again in the church and his wife, Stephanie, has been coming to church with him almost every week. We've had trouble getting an appointment with them because they've had a lot going on with their oldest son. Finally, on Monday, we were able to go to their home for dinner and a lesson. It was so great! Sister Matweyew has the best personality. She is really fun and so sweet to us. Gavin is one of the nicest little boys ever. He is 13 years old and he actually went to scout camp this past summer. He comes to church every once in a while, so we're working on helping him come each week with his family. We taught them about the restoration of the church and the lesson went really well. We were able to answer Sister Matweyew's questions and help her connect the dots between everything her husband has been telling her and the things she has been learning at church. Brother Matweyew bore his testimony about Joseph Smith and it was really powerful. We invited sister Matweyew and Gavin to be baptized on the 22nd of September and they accepted that invitation. They said that they had been talking about being baptized and talking about the temple and being sealed, so we know that their ultimate goal really is the temple. It was just really neat to see that they had been thinking about these things even when they weren't able to meet with us. Brother Matweyew had actually been telling them all about the second coming the night before, and Sister Matweyew told us that she kept saying "Gavin, don't listen to him because the Sisters will come over and tell us what is true or not. Your dad doesn't even know what he's talking about." That was funny. She said that she told them she didn't know why he was telling them about the second coming when they barely know about the 1st! We are really excited to be teaching them again.

On Tuesday we had dinner with Mario and Murrae. It did not go as we had hoped. When we got there the meal wasn't ready, but Murrae told us that it would be about 10 minutes. I kept thinking to myself that we should leave and go tracting while she was finishing so we could use the Lord's time the best way possible. Well, I ignored that prompting and I learned my lesson. It took her a lot longer than 10 minutes to prepare the meal, and I just felt terrible sitting there talking to her. I felt like we weren't helping her understand our purpose as missionaries. We aren't here to "chat" with those that we teach. We are here to teach them about the gospel and help them increase their faith unto repentance. The worst part of the night was that dinner took so long that we didn't even get to teach them what we planned, which was the plan of salvation. We just had to share a scripture and leave. I guess that was something that needed to happen for me to learn from. Even if my companion is ok with sitting there and chatting, that is never something that I want to do again. This time is not my time, but it is the Lord's. I need to use every minute the way that he sees is best. I know that I need to take more control of different situations so that I am always fulfilling my purpose as a missionary.

We got to teach Nancy again this week. The day that we taught Nancy was the day that I was on exchanges with Hermana Clark (a traveling sister). As we taught Nancy about the word of wisdom, I realized that she won’t be ready to be baptized on the 1st of September. She has no problem with obeying the word of wisdom, but she hasn't been reading in the Book of Mormon. The reason for that is most likely because she can't really understand. She doesn't read English very well, and it actually seems like she doesn't read Spanish either, so the Tollivers are going to get her the Book of Mormon on CD so she can listen to it. Our main focus with her right now, that we think is what will help her prepare for baptism the most, is to get her to come to all 3 hours of church. She comes to sacrament meeting but usually leaves right after. I talked with Hermana Clark about it afterward and really felt like we would need to reset her with a different day to be baptized. I shared that with Sister Wilkinson and she agreed. Nancy will get there, to baptism, but it's most important that she really understands the covenant that she is making and the importance of it. I believe that she would get in the water tomorrow, just because she believes what we teach her, but she needs to know for herself.

On Thursday we caught Heena again, the Indian lady. She is so funny. She is so honest with us. She always just tells us when she has been screening our calls or ignoring us. The funniest thing is that when she calls or leaves messages it's always directed at me. She always says "Hello Sister Bennett." It's hilarious because she has an Indian accent Just imagine it in your mind. Well, when we saw her on Thursday she invited us in and was really nice. She told us that she was going to call us because she realized that whenever she doesn't see us she has a bad week. Duh, Heena! You receive blessings as you learn from us! She is held up about baptism because she talked about how she was raised Hindu and that's all that she has ever known. She said that she really believes what we have taught her is true, but she doesn't know if she should leave what she was raised in to become Christian. I bore my testimony to her about the power of prayer and how she can know if this is what she is supposed to do at this time. One of the coolest things about being a missionary is that when we promise things to people, we know that if they do what we invite them to do, that promise will be fulfilled. The Lord backs up every promise. I promised Heena that if she prays with a strong desire to receive an answer, and most importantly to act on the answer (real intent) that she will come to know that she should be baptized and she'll feel a great urge to do so. That was really cool. I just felt the Spirit so powerfully as I promised her that. At the end of the lesson we invited Heena to a baptism, and she said she couldn't go but we also invited her to church. She got a funny look on her face and then said "Ummm, the air conditioner man is coming on Sunday." I'm pretty blunt/bold with the people we teach, I mean it's me, right? So I said "Ok Heena, but church is at 9 a. I know you can come!" She laughed and said that the air conditioning man was coming at nine. I was not going to just take that! I said to her "Heena! I can't believe this! That was the first time you lied to me!" She burst out laughing and then quieted down and said that he seriously was coming then. Ohhhhh Heena. Right before we left, she said "Wait, I have to get something!" Then she ran upstairs and came back down and gave each of us a scarf from India. She said that she had wanted to give it to us last time we came over. That was so nice! It's weird how much stuff people give missionaries. Oh well, I'm ok with it!

When we taught Amanda V. this week, we were able to talk to her about prayer and about how answers come through the Spirit. Amanda really wants some big event to happen with her to make her know what she needs to learn from the trial she is going through at this time. I know that it isn't going to happen that way, because the Lord needs her to learn to be diligent and keep the commandments. I always feel the Spirit when we teach Amanda, and I know that we are supposed to be helping her at this time. She told us about an experience she had this past week when she was talking to her mom about Joseph Smith. Her mom isn't a member, and Amanda was explaining about how Joseph Smith was really passionate about what he taught because he knew it was true. She then said to her mom, "You know how I'm getting really excited and really passionate as I tell you about Joseph Smith, well that's because I know and believe this!" Bam! It hit her right then that she does know that Joseph Smith was a prophet and she does know that this is the true church! How cool is that? That's exactly how I first had my own testimony of Joseph Smith, it came through bearing it. That was so cool to hear about her experience. Now we're just working with her to help her read in the Book of Mormon and come back to church. She knows the truth, but she is still waiting for some big event to make her want to go back to church. Another cool thing that happened when we taught her was that she really didn't want to pray, but we talked to her and helped her realize that it was important for her to say the closing prayer at the end of our lesson. As she prayed the Spirit filled the room and I could feel our Heavenly Father's love for her. It was a beautiful prayer, and I am so glad that we followed the Spirit in urging her to say the prayer. Prayer is so important in our lives.

We got to teach the 21 year-old named Tyler again this week. We taught him about the plan of salvation and it was an amazing lesson. It was probably Sister Wilkinson and my best lesson since we've been companions. We taught with such great unity, and the Spirit was there the entire lesson. Tyler is always so focused as we teach him. He really just hungers so much for more truth. He asked many great questions that helped us see that he truly wants to know for himself if the things we've taught him are true. We invited him to be baptized on the 29th of September and he accepted. Before either Sister Wilkinson or I had the opportunity to invite him to church, he said "And I'll need to come to church. When is it?" That was so great! We'll be passing him off to the YSA elders soon which makes me a little sad because we won’t get to see him progress, but it's great because I know that he will. The YSA elders are so great, so I'm not worried in the slightest.

Now, the baptism! Tonya's baptism was wonderful. The Spirit was there in great abundance, as it is at every baptism. It was even more special than usual because Sister Tippetts came from Vegas and she actually spoke at the baptism. I was so happy to see her again. I was just so grateful that she made the effort to come down, because Tonya really appreciated it and it meant a lot to me, as well. I just can't believe that Tonya is baptized now! I felt like that day was taking forever to get here because I was so excited for her! Now she is getting ready to go to the temple next week to do baptisms for the dead for her first time. She is so excited because she just has such a love for temples. Whenever we see her she talks about how she was looking up stuff about the temple on mormon.org or lds.org. She is so great! I'm just so grateful that I was able to be a part of Tonya's conversion. What a blessing it has been for me to have taught her as well as Caitlyn. I got to have a nice chat with Caitlyn on Thursday, because Tonya was in an interview for baptism with President Castro, so while we waited I got to talk with Caitlyn. Sister Wilkinson was talking with some elders that were there. Caitlyn talked about how she has a hard relationship with her older sister and I could tell that she really wished that she had a good relationship with her. She told me that she always thinks it's so cool when I talk about my relationship with Cortney. She said she wished she had a big sister like me that she could be best friends with because, she said, it is so obvious how much I love Cortz. Well, I told Caitlyn that I'll be her big sister, because I already feel that way. I just want to look out for her. Caitlyn said she is really worried that I'll be transferred next Tuesday, but I know whatever happens is what's best. She said that she's going to write to me for my entire mission, and I believe her so that made me happy. Anyway, I just think it was good for Caitlyn to talk to me about her concerns and it was a good experience for me.

Having Sister Tippetts here was awesome! You never know what you have until it's gone, and that's how it has been with Sister Tippetts. I didn't realize how much I've missed her until I saw her again. She was just such an amazing missionary and really helped me have a running start for my mission. I love her! We'll be really good friends after the mission, I'm sure. Cortz, you'll have to look out for her at BYU-I and say hi to her for me, so look at the picture of her from Wendy's baptism, ok?

Exchanges with Hermana Clark were great! It was too short for me, however. I wished that I could have been with her all day because I know that I can learn so much more from her! Even though it was short, I did learn a lot. Hermana Clark is such an obedient missionary who has the Spirit with her at all times. The way that she interacts with people is so wonderful. You can just tell how much she cares about every single person we meet. I learned a lot from her. I really want to work hard to ask more questions when we are tracting. Hermana Clark is so good at that. She gets them to talk about their faith and what they believe and then it's so easy to know what restored truth to share with those that we meet. That is one thing that I'm working on because a lot of the time with Sister Wilkinson she just gets going on sharing the restoration like we're an audio recording. I saw such a huge difference when Hermana Clark would ask them a question, and then cater the message to what the person needs to hear. She is so great at helping them see why it will matter to them. I just really liked being with Sister Clark because it made me have a great desire to work really hard so that when I get to that point in my mission I can be like her. She just has it all put together. It was so cool to see. It just reminded me so much of Sister Tippetts.

Well, I hope this email wasn't too long. I had a lot to say! I'll leave you with a scripture to look up - Alma 26:13. This really hit me this week when I read it. The power of Christ's word is truly in us. We need to strive to represent Him in our lives and bring others unto him through being examples. I hope you all are doing some kind of missionary work, because it is our duty to share this blessing that we have.

I love you all!

Sister Bennett

 

 

 



                                                             Tonya's  Baptism

 

 

 

 

 

 

                               

                          Sister Wilkinson, Tonya, Sister Bennett, Sister Tippetts

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Gospel is TRUE!

August 20, 2012

 

Dearly Beloved,

Kayli V. got baptized yesterday!!!!!!!!! I am so happy! When we finished up at the stake center and were walking to the car I raised my hands in the air and shouted “The gospel is TRUE!!"  More on Kayli in a bit.

I am so excited for Jacob Cheadle to come to the great California Ventura Mission! It is the best mission in the world, for him and me, that is! This is where the Lord has called us to serve! I am so excited for him to be in the MTC, right this second! The MTC is still the happiest place on earth as far as I'm concerned, but the mission field is so much more rewarding! Tell Sister Cheadle that she has nothing to worry about when it comes to Jacob. He now has the best mission president. President Castro is so inspired and just loves us so much. We are well taken care of here in the California Ventura mission.

I'm not sure why your emails aren't coming through. I don't know if it's from this end?  We email in the family history center, so yes we email at the church. Oh, and I always print the emails that I receive so that I can read them later when I actually have time. Tell Dad that he can say however much he wants because I don't use my computer time to read the emails.  You too, Mom. You're never just babbling on, I love hearing about everything! Sister Tolliver is just too sweet. She and her family are such great missionaries! Her daughter Heather is home from BYU-I and she served in Canada. It was great having her present for our lesson with Nancy this week, which I'll talk about more in a bit, but I love the Tollivers. They are really good to us.

Baby Eilish is so cute. I showed the pictures to all of the missionaries here that email with us, and they said that she is a way cute baby. I don't even think newborns are cute, remember, but Eilish is definitely cute! Good work Erin and Zach. Also, I can't believe how big Erin's kids are. They must not realize in the womb that their mom is only like 10 pounds and shouldn't be having such huge babies. Haha. I think it's so funny that the littlest woman has such big babies. Tell Ammon and Cortney "hi." Oh and Damian, Erin, Britt, Brandice, Colin, Jordan, Dad, Grandma, Uncle Brent, and everyone. Hello.

Last Monday, Sister Wilkinson and I went on a hike with Kayli V., Jade, and Caitlyn. Sister Burwell and Sister Opeka, who are serving in the Thousand Oaks 1st and 2nd wards came with us as well. Sister Burwell is awesome and hilarious. I really hope I can be her companion at some point. Last transfer, I told Sister Tippetts that I hoped that, but Sister Tippetts said it would never happen unless it happens early because we're both too good of missionaries. That was nice. I still hope for it to happen, because we would work really well together! We'll see! It's all up to the Lord! Anyway, I hate hiking, as you all know, but it was still really fun. It was fun to talk with Kayli, Jade, and Caitlyn. I've really connected with them and it's been a blessing because they are more open with us about their concerns when it comes to progressing in the gospel. It was fun to go out and do something for P-day. Usually we just like to sit in the apartment and I write a ton of letters and get carpal tunnel. I still did manage to write some letters last week, so I felt pretty good about myself. Anyway, enough with the small talk. Let's talk about the work!

This week was a good week, even though I feel like our numbers didn't reflect that. One thing that I've been thinking about a lot is always doing the best thing with the Lord's time while we are serving Him.  I can't remember if I've talked about this before in my emails, but it's something that is really important to me. This time is not my time, while I'm serving, but it's the Lord's time. I always feel like there is more for me to do, like I could be using every minute more fully, but I know that as long as I am following the Spirit that I should feel good about the work that I'm doing. Sister Wilkinson is helping me with that, with being confident in how much work we are doing because we really are working hard!

This week we were able to teach Tonya and Caitlyn twice, Eric and Cristina, Nancy, Kayley Krikoviac, Delfy, Kathleen, Tyler, Mario and Murrae, Kayli Vitale, and Heela.

Kayli was baptized yesterday! It was such an amazing experience for us! I am so, so grateful to have been a part of teaching Kayli and that to be able to be at her baptism. The Spirit was so strong for the entire time. It was so wonderful to see how many members of the ward came to support Kayli in taking this step. The room was packed and Sister Akina, Jade's mother(who introduced Kayli to the church), actually had Kayli stand up at the beginning of her, Sister Akina's, talk and look around at all of the people there supporting her. The best part was, that as she did that I knew she had the support of her Father in Heaven. I know how pleased He is with Kayli's decision. It's amazing to see the results of how the Lord works to prepare people to receive the gospel when they do. Kayli was raised in a way that she was ready at this time in her life to hear the truth and accept it. I know, without a doubt, that this was the time when she was supposed to accept this message, because the Lord knows what's best for each of us. He knows us personally and we are so important to Him. I felt that a lot during the baptism. It really was just the best experience for me. It reminded me of something Dad said to me, that throughout his mission he definitely had hard times, but he couldn't remember any specifics or anything. I remember him saying that he could remember the spiritual moments and that they all still stick out to him. Even just one spiritual experience, like Kayli's baptism, can erase an entire 18 months of hard moments, of that I am sure. This work is God's work. The gospel is true!

Tonya and Caitlyn are just becoming more and more ready for the moment when they get to make that same covenant at baptism and begin their journey on the strait and narrow path. I love this work because I not only get to see people change through the atonement, but I am also able to better see the blessings in my life. Those that find the gate that leads to the strait and narrow path are few, but how blessed are we to have found it! I don't know what I did to be able to have this knowledge, but I am so grateful. Once again, I must say how wonderful Tonya and Caitlyn are. They are so valiant. I love hearing them share their insights about the gospel, especially Tonya because Caitlyn is quiet, and I love hearing about the things they learn on their own. They both have amazing faith. Tonya is getting baptized this Saturday, if all goes well with her interview with the President this week, and Caitlyn is planning on getting baptized next Saturday. I am just so happy that they are finally going to be able to be baptized and receive the blessings from Heavenly Father! This past week Tonya and Caitlyn had a scary situation with Tonya's ex-husband, in which they were afraid for their safety, and it was so cool to hear Tonya talk about how she felt calm and guided by the Spirit. It was also fun to hear about an experience they had together in which they weren't sure what they should do, and after texting us and we didn't respond (because we were in zone conference) they both had the idea to call the Bishop at the exact same time. They have had so many experiences with feeling the Spirit. It makes me so excited for them to have the Gift of the Holy Ghost, so that they have the Spirit with them always. They are doing really well.

A definite highlight of the week was seeing Nancy again. We hadn't been in contact with her for two weeks! We had gone by her home almost every day last week, and called her every other day, but we never got in contact with her. Well, on Wednesday Sister Tolliver, who referred Nancy to us, called and said that Nancy had just stopped by her home randomly and talked to Sister Tolliver's return missionary daughter, Heather. Nancy told Heather that she wanted to meet with us again, but didn't have our number because her phone had been erased. What a miracle! We then met with Nancy on Friday morning and we set the date of September 1st for her baptism! She is doing really great! She has a really strong testimony and faith in the Savior. She came to church yesterday, as well, and we are so excited that we are able to resume teaching her and preparing her for baptism. The Tollivers have been so great, and it's just given me the greatest testimony of how important members are in missionary work. The work will always be more successful when members are involved, and especially as members bring their friends to be taught by us. I know that it's really important to help members in the wards we serve in feel the Spirit so they have a desire to share the gospel with their friends so that we can teach them.

Kayley K. is finally home from vacation! She actually went to church last Sunday with Laurel Bennett. We got to teach her on Wednesday about the Plan of Salvation. Laurel's other friend, Olivia, was there as well and we're planning on teaching both Kayley and Olivia this week again. The lesson went really well. Kayley just absorbs everything, but I always wonder if she is understanding everything. She is a very smart girl, but it always seems like she's just looking for more. I guess that's a good thing, because we have so much more to teach her! She's been reading in the Book of Mormon as well, and she talked about how she wished she could just sit down for a while and give it the time she knows she should be giving to read it. How great is that? We invited her to be baptized, again, but she expressed a desire to know first before she sets a date. She said she doesn't want to promise anything to herself unless she knows that she can keep it. We talked to her about how setting a date is just making a goal and showing Heavenly Father that you have faith that he will answer your questions, but she didn't want to set a date. We'll see what happens this week in our lesson. Kayley is going to have to choose, at some point, between the gospel and softball. Her family is huge into softball and she has it most Sundays. I know that as she reads the Book of Mormon her testimony will grow and she'll have the desire to be baptized. I just pray that we will have the Spirit with us in extra abundance so that we can help her know what to do and how to approach the situation with softball. I definitely know what it's like to have a great love for softball, but I know how much more important the gospel is. Hopefully the Lord will help me use that commonality between Kayley and I to help her out. I know that she'll be baptized.  She has felt the Spirit so strongly at Youth Conference and at many other times, and she is aware of that. Now it's up to us to have the Spirit so we can help her progress. She's just great!

Tyler is a 21 year-old that we tracted into. We'll have to hand him off to the YSA elders (Young Single Adults), sadly. I only say sadly because he is so great. He is searching for something right now, which we know is the gospel, duh. He's a really spiritual guy and it was so fun to teach him about the restoration. As we taught him about the great apostasy, we asked why he thinks it's important to know that there was a great apostasy. He said he thought it was because we're still in an apostasy because there isn't a prophet on the earth. I was so excited when I said, "Nope, we're not in an apostasy anymore." He was so intent as he listened. When we told him about the restoration of the church he was paying such close attention, it was great. Then we talked about the Book of Mormon and how it is the tool by which he will know that there is a prophet on the earth today. He basically reached across the table and snatched it out of Sister Wilkinson's hand! He was really excited to read it. I know that as he reads it he will gain the witness that it's true, which leads to the domino effect of knowing that the Church of Jesus Christ is on the earth once again with a prophet at the head. The power of the Book of Mormon is amazing, and I have 100% confidence in it's converting power when people read it will real intent and a sincere desire to know if it's true, through praying about it. I am really excited to teach Tyler again this week! We're meeting with him on Wednesday.

 We went to teach Mario and Murrae on Saturday, but while we were there Murrae's friend came over with wine. She was ready to have a good time. Murrae felt bad because she had made plans with her friends before Mario  told her that we were coming that night. Murrae just loves having us over, and obviously we know that it's because she feels the Spirit when we're there. We decided that we would just share a scripture with them, set up another appointment, and leave. We shared Helaman 5:12 with them, and I bore my testimony about the Savior. As I was bearing it, I felt the spirit really strongly and felt that I needed to tell Murrae that she isn't alone. She and Mario are going through a really hard time. Her husband has really poor health and is basically dying. As I bore my testimoy, Murrae was in tears and I could feel the Savior's love for her and I knew that she wasn't alone in her trials at this time. I know that through the atonement, the Savior is able to lift our burdens and comfort us because he knows exactly how we feel. I love that I am able to help people feel of that love, through the Spirit. I just can't get over how amazing it feels to bring others closer to our Savior. I especially can't explain how good it feels when I can feel the Spirit working through me. It just goes back to what we learned last transfer when we had interviews with Pres. Castro, we know that the Lord trusts us when we feel the Spirit working through us. That is the best feeling in the world.

 Another highlight of the week was zone conference. That is seriously a spiritual high! It was so great to meet with the other missionaries in the area and to learn from them and feel of their spirit. I am so grateful for the things that  President Castro shared. I can't say it enough, but he is so inspired. It's amazing to see him follow spiritual promptings right there and then. He had the prompting to ask an elder to sing, who hadn't prepared in any way, but he agreed and the spirit was really strong as he sang. A few times while the assistants to the president were teaching us, President got up and interrupted them because he felt like he had to share something right then. Anyway, I learned a lot that I can apply so that I can better help those I teach receive the truth. One thing that really hit me is that we really need to focus everything on them, our investigators. We learned about doing baptismal maps. Our focus the last two transfers was to set people with baptismal dates, but now we have a ton of people with baptismal dates that aren't converting into actual baptisms. The point of a baptismal map is to help our investigators know and see exactly what needs to happen and what they need to do in order to reach their goal of being baptized. The whole purpose of a baptismal map is to really focus on them and how we are going to help them progress toward their baptism. That was something I really liked. We used the baptismal map with Nancy and it went really well. She now knows exactly what needs to happen for her to be baptized on the 1st of September. One of my very favorite parts of zone conference was definitely eating with Sister Castro. When Sister Wilkinson and I first arrived at the stake center, President Castro pulled me aside and asked that I save Sister Castro a seat at lunch because she wanted to sit by me. That was really nice! It was definitely a highlight. It was fun to get to know her better and to be with the all of the sisters at lunch. We, the 6 of us, all sat at one table with Sister Castro. Sister Castro has such a strong spirit about her and it's always a pleasure to hear her speak because she speaks with power. I hope that someday I can have as strong of a testimony and knowledge of the truth as she does. I think the thing that impacted me the most from zone conference was a quote that was shared by President Castro stated by President Packer that talked about how when we master our thoughts we become the masters of ourselves. That's something that I've been working on a lot, and it just reconfirmed to me the importance of focusing everything I have on others.

Well, I love all of you very much!

The GOSPEL IS TURE!!

Sister Bennett

Oh, and thanks for ordering me more journals! I feel like I have so many requests, but I'm glad you ordered them for me because writing in my journal is important. After a while I'll send my first one home and you can read it! That would be cooL!

 

 

 

 

 

Another Message From Sister Tolliver

August 18, 2012

Dear Rhonda,

Sorry no pics this time. Just words of love and appreciation.
I'm sure you have heard that Sister Bennett and Sister Wilkenson are
very busy sharing the gospel and that they have so many investigators on
date. 4 from our ward, and maybe more.
They came over twice yesterday. Nancy had another lesson and also my
return missionary daughter, who is home from BYU-I for just a short
time, had the Sisters come back in the afternoon to introduce them to
her friend, Jessica.
The only thing these girls were bummed about was that they couldn't play
basketball (new but temporary mission rule) with Jessica, who is 6'5",
and one of the coaches at the high school.
We also saw the Sisters today with two other investigators at the RS
super Saturday activity. And we'll see them tomorrow. So, fun to
witness the Lord's work. These girls are on fire.
Love, love, love your daughter's kind but direct personality. She's
getting the work done and the Lord is well pleased.
Our ward is so grateful for all these missionary blessings coming our way.
Thanks for sharing her, I know, truly know, how much you miss her.

Warmly,
Holley Tolliver

"WHO SHOULD PRAY? HALEY"

August 13, 2012

Hello FAMILY!

Yes, the title of the email. "Who should Pray? Haley." I will address that at this time. On Monday night we ate dinner at the Barker's home. Laura Barker is my friend from BYU who was in my ward at the Enclave and she played with me on my football team. Well, I knew that I was coming to Laura's mission but I had no idea where she was from. The 3rd week I was here in Moorpark someone brought up a girl that went to BYU and was really good at basketball, and said that her name was Laura. Well, the light flicked on in my head and I asked what her last name was and it was my Laura Barker! I saw Laura that week in church and it was so crazy. Well, on Monday we finally got to go to her house for dinner. It was really fun and kind of weird at the same time. I felt like I was in limbo between being a missionary and a BYU student. It was crazy. Well, the whole night Laura would call me Haley. I don't blame her, that's who I am to her. She was trying really hard to call me Sister Bennett, but I understand why she slipped up. That made it more weird for me. I was thinking "I'm not Haley. I'm Sister Bennett. Haley is dead right now." Haha. Well at the end of sharing our lesson we asked if we could leave them with a prayer, and Brother Barker said, "Who should say it?" Then Sister Wilkinson, my companion, answered and said "I think Haley should." AHHH!!! I couldn't believe it. That was so weird. Sister Wilkinson just slapped her hand over her mouth and I laughed so hard that I was crying. It was also not something I ever want to hear her say again while we're on our missions. That was super weird.

Anyway, that was fun. I haven't gotten an email from mom yet, so I don't know what questions to address. This week I got a letter from Cortney's old roommate, Nicki Infanzon. It was the sweetest letter I have ever read. I just wanted to say thanks to Nicki. That letter really made me feel the spirit of my calling as a missionary, and it gave me even more of a drive to be an obedient hard working missionary. I am really grateful for that letter. Thanks Nicki. I know you read my blog, so there's a shout out to you. :) I will write you another letter all for yourself, don't worry. Oh and getting that letter reminded me of something that I forgot to tell Cortz. I met one of your friends in the MTC and we were on the same flight to AZ from the MTC. I don't remember her name, but I think she is going to Brazil or something? I can't remember. She said she lived by you last fall. In the MTC she walked up to me randomly and said "Are you Cortney's sister?" I was like yes! She said that she saw my tag and I look just like Cortz so she knew I had to be your sister, Cortney.

This past week has been so hot here! I just want to die because it's so hot. As soon as we start walking around I'm sweating, and it's not even humid here. Don't worry mom, I've been wearing my sunscreen. We actually talked to a lady who was in her garage one day and she wasn't interested at all in our message and wouldn't let us say anything, but then all of a sudden she walked up to me and put her hand on my shoulder and said "I hope you're wearing sunscreen in this heat, young lady!" Mom, you must be praying that I remember to wear it, because everyone keeps reminding me. It's always people that aren't interested in the message that are so worried about me getting burned. That was the second time that's happened to me! Haha.

Thanks mom for the Mormon Tabernacle Choir CD. I love it so much. My favorite hymn these days is #221, and they have the best arrangement of it on that CD. I feel the Spirit every time we hear it in the car, which is a lot because I'm obsessed with it. Sister Wilkinson is probably getting sick of me listening to it. hahah. Also, I only have like 12 more pages left in my journal! It's ok if you don't want to send me one like my last one, because I bought one just in case. My goal is to write in my journal every day of my mission.  I feel like I'm always asking for things in emails, so feel free to disregard. haha. Oh, but one thing I really do need is a Jesus the Christ. I want to read it. Did you ever find Dad's mini version? If not, do you think you can send me one? I would really like that. It has a lot of good stuff in it, but I can't always read it because I've been using Sister Wilkinson's and she needs to read it sometimes, too.

Now let's talk about what actually matters. This week we taught Eric and Cristina, Olie Hamm (a recent convert) twice, Kayli V., Nadine, Fernando, Tonya and Caitlyn twice, Heena, Carol and Paula, the Eatons, and Wendy.

It was a busy week, but at the same time I felt that we could have done better. I really have been trying to focus on the goals that we make rather than setting them each week during weekly planning and not looking at them again until we call in numbers on Sunday night of the next week. One thing that I know has helped Sister Wilkinson and I is to really focus on our daily goals in order to accomplish the weekly goals we have set. We haven't mastered this idea to any extent, but that is something that I personally really want to work on because I know that we set goals for a reason and that as we focus on those goals and on reaching them  the Lord will help us.

We watched the Joseph Smith: Prophet of the Restoration movie with Eric and Cristina on Monday. I felt the Spirit so much during the movie, so much so that I know that it is impossible for them to have not felt it. I know that Eric was very interested in the movie and very focused on it, but Cristina always acts like she isn't interested or like she doesn't know what's going on. I know that she does. There is something that is holding her back from just doing the simple things, like pray, to know if God is there. She said she had lost her faith and I think that she is scared of having faith and "losing" it again. It's been hard to break through with her because she has felt the Spirit. Every time she does she just describes it as remembering feelings that she once had, and how it's nice but isn't real. Sister Wilkinson and I aren't sure what to do with them. We will probably have to drop them because they haven't been reading in the Book of Mormon, but it's hard for me to even think about doing that. I haven't had to drop anyone yet, and I just love them so much. The idea of them not having the opportunity to find out the truth at this time really makes me sad, but at the same time I know that Heavenly Father knows what's best for them. This may not be the time in their lives that they are prepared to receive the gospel. I know that because we've taught them what we have, that later they will be able to accept the gospel. I know that someday they will.

Kayli V. passed her baptismal interview on Saturday! We are so excited for her! She finally talked to her parents and told them that she is getting baptized and it went really well. She was really scared about how her dad would react, and he actually reacted better than her mom did. He said just said "Ok, it's your decision." I know that our fasting and prayers on Kayli's behalf, as well as the ward's prayers and fasting, have truly been answered. I know that the Lord softened her parents' hearts and that because Kayli showed her faith by going forward with the decision to be baptized that she was blessed. I can't even explain how much joy I felt when Kayli said that she would be baptized on the 19th. I just can't wait for her to receive the gift of the Holy Ghost and receive all of the blessings that come after baptism like going to the temple to do baptisms for the dead or getting her patriarchal blessing. There is so much that has yet to come for Kayli and baptism just opens it all up to her. How amazing is the atonement? I am so grateful to be a part of this work in which I am able to see people repent and change through the atonement of Jesus Christ. It is such a blessing to know what we know.

Fernando is a man who is a "prophet" at the Victory Outreach church. He said that he had prophesied of the earthquake in China and told us about other prophesies he has had that have come true. We had given him a Book of Mormon and invited him to read it. When we came back for our appointment he took the time to tell us that the Church is of the devil, but it was interesting because it wasn't mean. Fernando was sincerely concerned for us. I was getting frustrated, however, because he wouldn't give us the opportunity to share the message of the restoration. He talks a lot about the Holy Spirit and how it teaches him, and I know that it's true. I'm sure that the Spirit does teach him certain truths, but he doesn't have the fullness of the truth. I just wanted to scream "Read the Book of Mormon!" That would most likely not have been ok, but I know that he will receive a witness from the Spirit that it's the word of God. Teaching Fernando was still a really good experience to feel the Spirit as I shared my testimony with him right after he told us we are going to hell. That was a great experience for me. Sister Wilkinson was a bit for flustered about it, but I just felt calm the whole time. I just kept thinking, "Wow, I really do KNOW that the church is the church of Jesus Christ on the earth. It truly is knowledge."

Teaching Tonya and Caitlyn is always a treat. This week we ran into our first hiccup with them. Caitlyn told Kayli V that she doesn't want to be baptized on the same day as her mom because she wants her mom to have that be a special day for herself. I couldn't believe that. How would that day be any more special than getting baptized with your daughter? I don't know if that's truly why Catilyn doesn't want to get baptized on that day, but we're teaching them tonight so I just pray that we can resolve her concern about being baptized. After our lesson with them yesterday, Tonya texted us expressing her concerns about Catilyn. She is worried that Caitlyn is "bored" with the lessons because it all seems too simple to them both. It's seems simple because it is simple. The gospel isn't a blockbuster movie. We don't have it in our lives to wow us and give us entertainment. I know that it seems so simple to them because in their case they are recognizing that they have heard this before or that it's seems familiar because they are prepared for it. Tonight we are teaching them about baptism, reading the scriptures, and praying. I know that we need the Spirit with us always, but in great abundance tonight so that we can help Caitlyn. I know that she has felt the Spirit and that she is ready to be baptized, but she needs to know that for herself. I am so grateful to be teaching them. I talk about this a lot, but the love that I feel for them is amazing. I didn't know that I could feel so much for someone that isn't a member of my family. It really creates that burning desire within me to help them increase their faith in Jesus Christ and His atonement, and that is so important in this work. I'm just grateful to Heavenly Father for allowing me to feel that love for them and to have been able to be involved in teaching them.

Lastly, we taught Wendy yesterday at Brother Pierson's home. She is doing really well. She's just a powerhouse. That's the best way to describe her. She always comes to lessons having learned so much and is so excited to share insights or spiritual experiences that she has had. We taught her about the priesthood and I just love hearing her testimony of the priesthood. It is so strong. She really understands how important it is to have the priesthood on the earth leading Jesus Christ's church. She is just awesome. I hope that the Bishop calls her as a ward missionary because she would be so great!

Well, we really had a great week. I realize that now as I look back on all of the lessons that we had. For some reason I was feeling like we could have done more, because we only got 3 new investigators this week and I felt like I wasn't declaring with power. I have been praying a lot to have the Spirit with me and to recognize it working through me, because I truly know how important it is in this work. That if we teach with the Spirit then we are doing things the way that they are meant to be done, and that no matter what happens, if the people accept the message or not, that we have done all that we can.

One thing that I really have been trying to be more aware of is the balance between being myself and at the same time maintaining my mantle of being a missionary. I connect well with people, really well, and that was something that was talked about in my setting apart blessing, that my ability to make friends would be a great blessing to me. However, I need to make sure that I am not too casual with people. It's been hard and I am still trying to figure it out, but I need to always make sure that they know I'm a representative of Jesus Christ. Pray that I can understand how to find that balance.

Well, I hope everyone is doing well. Thank you all for your emails and letters. I love my family so much. Sister Wilkinson, during companionship inventory, told me that she loves how she can see and feel how much I love my family as I talk about them every day. I really appreciated that because it's true, I love you all. Be good.

Love,

Sister Bennett

BUMBO!

August 6, 2012

Dear family,

I saw a bumbo this week at a member's home where we were eating. For those that don't know, a bumbo is the coolest invention ever for babies. It makes it so they can sit up and seem like real people or something. Anyway, I saw it under their coffee table and it reminded me of being at Britt's house before I went into the MTC, because that's where she keeps hers. I then thought to myself, I really hope someone will get a bumbo for Erin, because Eilish needs one! EILISH! I can't believe she is coming tomorrow. I am so excited for Erin to finally have her so she doesn't burst. Tell Erin that I love her if she doesn't read this, and make sure that someone sends me pictures of Eilish. Also, thank you Britt for your email and the pictures you emailed me as well. Rowyn is so adorable, and Cortz looks so cute in the picture of them. The DeMill family pictures are ridiculously cute, as well, so send me a hard copy so I can look at them more than just once on the email.

This week was a pretty good week, in terms of growing and learning.  I am still new. That's what I say to myself about 2000 times each day. It's not really even when we get rejected or anything that I need to remind myself that I'm new, but it's when I have time to think about myself. I am still trying really hard to push thoughts about myself out and replace them with thoughts about my investigators. It's still a work in progress. I pray every day to be able to have more charity so that I can grow to love this work so much that I feel like I wish time would stop. I know that it will come, but the update on that is that I am still adjusting. This morning I was talking about this with Sister Wilkinson, about the fact that I am adjusting to a totally different lifestyle still, and that I need to recognize that I have only been here for 8 weeks. The cool thing was that she pointed out that it's great for me, because I can identify with the people that we are teaching because they are changing their lives just like I currently am. They are making the same type of adjustments. While they are getting used to feeling the spirit of God on their own, through reading the Book of Mormon and praying to know that it's true, I am getting used to feeling the Spirit in greater abundance and am also getting used to identifying the promptings, or things that the Lord wants me to do, for these people. That's one thing that I think about all of the time - the importance of the spirit in this work. The power of the Holy Ghost is so important. It is the feelings that people get as they learn about the truth and read in the Book of Mormon that is going to change them and make them want to come closer to Christ. I have really gained a testimony of that. I know that my fancy words or my "cool" personality isn't going to be what causes these people to make changes in their lives, but the Spirit teaches them of truth through their thoughts and their feelings. I pray so hard every day that I can feel the Spirit and understand better how  it works through me so that I can identify ways to be more worthy of it. We must have the Spirit guiding us in this work, because the Lord knows these people that we talk to, we don't.

This morning I was reading in Preach My Gospel about eternal marriage. Eternal marriage is possible through the priesthood by sealing man and wife to each other for time and all eternity in the temple, for those that read this and don't quite know what I'm talking about. We know that we can be with our families forever through the sacred covenant of eternal marriage. One thing that I read that I have been reflecting on is that happiness in family life is achieved when founded on the teachings of Jesus Christ. I know that that is true because that is what my life has been like. I am truly grateful that Mom and Dad raised us on the foundation of Jesus Christ and his gospel. I know that Jesus Christ is the way, that we, as a family, are  close and have been  happy in this life because of the teachings  we learned in the home. That is where we are supposed to learn these things, in a home with a loving mother and father. That really hit me and made me think about what a blessing it is that I was raised in the gospel and how important it is to teach the people here and help them gain the same witness that I have. As I teach different people and help them come into the gospel, I am helping these people create the foundation for their future families.

One cool thing that happened this last week was when we were eating at a member's home. We were at Sister Zapata's home. Her husband was gone, so we had dinner with her and her children. She is a return missionary who went to Taiwan way back when. Anyway, it was fun to talk with her and to hear about her experiences. She is actually working on sharing the gospel with her son's speech therapist, and I was just so impressed by her and her great example to me of always being a missionary and looking for opportunities to share the gospel - even when you aren't set apart as a full-time missionary. After we taught the lesson, I expressed to her how grateful I am for examples like her of people who don't stop being missionaries when their missions end. We then had a prayer, which I said, and after the prayer we looked up and she was crying a lot. She told us that she could just feel the Spirit with us so strongly, and that even when we walked into her home that it was almost like a force-field was around us of the Spirit. That really hit me. It went right back to what I was talking about before, about being worthy of the Spirit. I guess I didn't really realize that we do have the Spirit with us strongly, and that others feel that. It was nice to hear it from someone to help me recognize what it really means to be set apart as a missionary and to represent Jesus Christ.

This past week was kind of hard, as far as the work goes. We had 70 declarations, which means we declared the gospel to 70 different people (tracting or just street contacting), and we only got like 4 new investigators who are not solid at all. That was hard for me. I think the reason that it is hard is because I don't want it to be me who is hindering these people's opportunities to receive the gospel. I keep thinking about my obedience or worthiness, because I know if I am not being exactly obedient that it will affect the people I teach. I was really struggling with that, but as I prayed about it I felt at peace that I am doing what I am supposed to be doing, but I know that I need to be patient. I need to show my faith in the Lord and his ability to touch these people through the Spirit. I know that every door I knock on isn't going to be someone who is ready, but it was hard to have talked to so many people and not find one. However, I did learn a lot from that. It's all about pushing forward with faith in the Lord and knowing that he knows what's best for these people and in what situations it will be best for them to learn more about the gospel. Every door we knock on is one door closer to someone prepared, so we're 70 doors closer after this week. Waaaahoo!

We got a really great new ward mission leader in the 1st ward. His name is Brother Pierson. He is so pumped and excited about the work. He has really great ideas about how to get the ward members involved, and I just love that he wants to be super involved in the teaching and in all of the work going on in Moorpark 1st ward. He talked about how whenever we need, we can bring investigators to his home to be taught. He is really great, and he has the cutest little family. Brother Lutz, in the second ward, is really great too. He is really involved and is always making sure we are taken care of. I really love his wife, Sister Lutz, as well. She is such a great missionary, and whenever we need someone to come with us to appointments I know that she is willing to come. It really is a great blessing to have such dedicated ward mission leaders.

This week we taught Wendy at the Pierson's home. We taught her about the plan of salvation with a focus on the temple and family history work. It is always really nice to teach Wendy. She has progressed so much since her baptism. She seems like a completely different woman, which is crazy because she was already so great. She talks about how she doesn't feel any different, that there was no huge change in her since her baptism, but it is so obvious to me that she has changed. She is so much happier and when she is at church she talks to everyone she sees and is always sharing her insights in the classes she is in. I love it! I love teaching her because I learn so much from her. As we taught her about baptisms for the dead and family history work I was getting really excited because I know she's going to go wild with family history work. I know that she'll find so many of her family’s names and be baptized for them. How cool is that? She also said that she would be willing to come to appointments with us, which is a great blessing because she has such a strong testimony of how the Book of Mormon and Bible work together so well. I still just feel so blessed to have been able to teach Wendy.

On Tuesday we taught Eric and Cristina again. It didn't go well. I was really frustrated with myself afterward, because I felt like I wasn't fulfilling my purpose as a missionary. I allowed them to just go on tangents and I felt like we basically didn't even teach them a lesson at all. They hadn't read in the Book of Mormon, so we were going to read with them, again. Then Cristina said that she wanted to find a good scripture so we spent about ten minutes just finding a good scripture to share with each other. It was weird. I felt like we should have had more direction to the lesson and I felt like we didn't help them feel the Spirit at all. I never want to feel like that again. My purpose is to help people feel the Spirit. I am not on a mission to become friends with people and to help people know that I am cool, but I am here to help them build their faith in Jesus Christ. We are teaching them again tonight, and I am taking control of the situation, as guided by the Spirit, and making sure that we stay on topic. I just know that without the Spirit present, nothing is going to happen with them. They need something to take place so that they can feel it strongly enough to make them want to change, because they haven't had that happen yet. I know that they've felt the Spirit, but they still need something more to happen to have that increase of faith unto repentance.

We had our first lesson this week with Paula and her dad, brother Kalanzi. Brother Kalanzi is an active member of the church. He is from Jordan. We were supposed to be teaching both Paula (20 years old) and Carol (15 years old) but Carol wasn't there, so we just taught Paula about the restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ. As we taught Paula, I could really tell that she is a smart girl and that the things we were teaching her were making sense, which is really good. As we talked about Jesus Christ setting up his perfect church on the earth, I felt prompted to ask her how she would feel if she could be a part of Jesus Christ's church. She said that she would feel whole. That if she was a member of  His church, and knew that it was His church, that she could be whole because she would know that nothing is missing. That was really cool. We then taught her about the great apostasy, the time after Jesus Christ's death and the apostles' deaths when there was no authority from God on the earth to perform baptisms or to direct the church as instructed by the Lord. We then taught her about how Jesus Christ's church was restored to the earth in 1820 through the young boy, Joseph Smith. I love sharing his experience because I receive the witness from the Spirit, over and over again, that Joseph Smith did see God the father and His son Jesus Christ and that Joseph did restore the Church of Jesus Christ to the earth through the power of God. How cool is it to have your testimony reaffirmed every single day? As I study the scriptures every morning I strengthen my testimony because it is attacked every day. I am so grateful for the knowledge that I have. I love it when I can say to every single person I meet that I KNOW that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is Jesus Christ's church restored to the earth in these days. Anyway, we invited Paula to be baptized and she said that "of course" she would be baptized if she found that these things were true, and we set her with the goal of finding out and being baptized on the 15th of September. That was so great!

A sad thing from this week is that we had an appointment with Nancy, we were planning on doing it at brother Pierson's home, and she didn't show up. We have called her many times and have stopped by her home many times, but we haven’t talked to her since that day. It was weird because we called her the morning of our appointment and she said that she would be there. Then we asked if it would be ok to do it at brother Pierson's home and she said yes but never showed up. I don't know what's going on with her, but I'm worried. I think that maybe the Lord is helping me understand and see how much I really love these people, because I don't want to lose Nancy. That's not because I don't want to lose someone who is scheduled to be baptized, or because I want someone to teach so we are teaching a lot of people, but because I have seen how much Nancy has progressed and I know how much the gospel has already begun to bless her life and how much it will continue to bless her life. I have prayed so much for her and to know what we should do, so I will just have faith that the Lord is doing what's best for her and that things will work out according to what he knows is best.

OH! We also taught Kayli V today. She is the one who has been going to church for 3 years and is scared to ask her dad about being baptized, even though she could just be baptized because she is 19. Well, we taught her and told her that she just needs to be baptized. That we know that if she shows her faith and sets a date to be baptized, that the Lord will take care of her parents and he will soften their hearts. That may not be before she is baptized, but I knew, as I was talking to Kayli, that everything would work out with her family and I told her that. I told her that she needs to be baptized so that she can be the gospel link for her family and so that she can receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. She is a member already, basically, but she isn't receiving all of the blessings she would be receiving if she was baptized. Anyway, we were able to set her with a date of August 18. She said that it isn't set in stone, but she really wants to be baptized on that day. I know that she can be. Guess what? She actually talked to her dad and he said that it's up to her, of course, and that she is an adult and can make her own decision. He said he would prefer that she would wait a bit longer, but that it really is her choice. She said that she didn't tell him about the 18th. She just has to talk to her mom now and we'll see if it really will happen on the 18th. I have been praying especially for her, because she needs this.

I have a lot of funny stories for this week.

1. One day we talked to this guy while tracting, at his door, and he wasn't wanting anything to do with us. We did our best, but he was still rejecting us so I put out my hand to shake his hand and leave, but he wouldn't take his dumb phone out of his hand and put it in his pocket so he stuck out his pointer finger and I just shook his pointer finger. What the?

2. OH! At one house that we knocked at these people had cat graves all over their lawn! They had these little stones that looked like the paw of a cat and it had a name and dates on them (ex 1991-1997). They had 27 cat graves! I'll put a picture on this email so you can see it! It was so weird. And they had statues all over in the front area of their home of cats, even their doorbell thing had cats around it.

Kitty Paws

 

Pet Cemetary!!! 

3. At one door some little girls answered the door then ran off and we heard them saying "OH OH. It's the girl scouts! BUY SOME COOKIES, PLEASE MOMMY!"

4. One man, who's door we knocked on, wouldn't listen to our message but he wanted us to take his money. He kept trying to shove it in my hand and wouldn't let go! We were like "NO! We can't accept this!" It was pretty funny. He wanted to give us money so we could have a good meal, he said. So I told him that he could keep the money and just have us over for dinner. Hahah. He said "never." haha.

Well, I hope you all have a really good week! Keep praying for me, because I need it.

Love,

Sister Bennett

With Sister Tippetts

 

Sister Wilkinson, Sister Tippetts, Sister Bennett

 

 



Have wheels will travel. Yeah!

I WILL GO, I WILL DO, THE THINGS THE LORD COMMANDS!

 July 30, 2012

 HOLAAAH. COMO-ESSTA MY FAMILY-A?

How are my dear siblings doing this week? I haven't heard from my lovely brother Collie in a while. Colin, just know that I am going to try to write you a letter today, but I feel like I never have enough time on p-day. Plus, my hand always starts to cramp! Also, can someone smack the head redhead on the back of the head for me? I thought he was my brother. Guess not. Also, tell him I love him. I just want to say thank you so much to Uncle Brent for the email that he sent me. I must be feeling emotional today, because I started to tear up as I was reading his email. I am grateful for all of your prayers in my behalf. I truly think about that often, how I have such a loving family that is always praying for me, and when I feel like I can't do it I know that your prayers carry me onward. How is my dad doing this week? I haven't heard from him in a while, and yesterday in the car we listened to "Love is Spoken Here." Listen to that song today for me. I thought about kneeling in the entry way in the mornings before school with mom praying, and pictured that as I listened to the words, and I love when the men in MoTab come in and sing "Mine is a home, where every hour, is blessed by the strength of priesthood power." I am so grateful that Dad has always been a worthy priesthood holder. What a blessing that has been in our lives - to have that safety and security in our home. That is one thing that I definitely miss, so give Dad a hug for me and say thank you. Cortz, you can do that because you have red hair like me.

I didn't get a chance to tell you about Sister Wilkinson last week. Sister Wilkinson is my companion now. She is from Bountiful, Utah and she is 23 years old. She worked as a dental assistant before coming on the mission. She played basketball in Colorado 1 year at a Junior College, so it was fun to play with her last p-day. I have to be careful with her, because she can seriously stuff me. I will just have to use my speed and leave her in the dust. She also says "that's trash," so pray for me to not pick that up because it's annoying. haha. But seriously, pray for that because I don't want to say it. She's great. She is very patient with me and is teaching me a lot by her example.

I have just had a fire blazing under my bum this past week. Each morning when we would wake up I would have a pit in my stomach, because that was the time when my thoughts would wander to things that I don't want to think about, things that make being a missionary hard. That made me ITCH to get out of the dumb apartment and start talking to people. We taught 18 lessons this past week, not including member presents and LARCS. That's a pretty good week, but I think we can do so much better. We also talked to about 50 different people while tracting - well it's called "declarations." It's basically declaring the gospel to people on the door step or when we meet them in the street. We count those in the mission. Tell Jacob Cheadle to practice teaching the restoration in about 2 minutes and everyone will be impressed with him when he gets here. Anyway, that desire to work hard is just building in me. I read quite a few scriptures about declaring repentance to people and about how the great missionaries in the Book of Mormon basically couldn't stand the idea of one soul being lost. That's what I want. I know that as my understanding of the atonement increase, my desire to talk to and teach everyone will increase (as it says in Preach My Gospel).

Mom, I got those skirts! Thank you so much for sending them to me. I looked good in them, and they're a lot cooler than those thick ones we bought, so they are really nice to have. Thank you, thank you. I hope you got my request for the GPS. I hope that papa bear will grant that request, because they are so handy and make it so we don't waste any precious time trying to read a map and figure out where the heck we are! It sounds like Minnesota has been pretty hot lately, is that true? We don't ever get rain here.  I sometimes think we did in the mornings when I wake up, but then I remember that it’s just the sprinklers. One time last week when we went running it was really misty in the morning, that's about the closest we've been to rain though. That's really exciting that Joseph Cheadle is coming home! That's crazy to me! I'm so excited for his family, and even more excited for Jacob to come to the greatest mission in the world.

Well, I'm running out of time. Here is an update on the work!

This week we had a lot of success. We talked to a ton of people and were able to get quite a few new people to teach! On Thursday, we taught Cristina and Eric again. I have been thinking about them a lot, because we've taught them a lot but they still are not progressing. I really love them and I have such a great desire for them to progress toward baptism, but with them I have been learning that I need to have faith in the Lord and what his plan is for them. He knows what's best for them and whether that is that we teach them and help them be baptized or if it means that we teach them now and they exercise their agency to not accept, I know that the Lord is taking care of them. That's one thing I have felt a lot this past week, how important having faith is, that the Lord is going to do what is best for his children. I know that he is using us for some purpose with Cristina and Eric, because I have felt the spirit work through me. Cristina just always talks about how she lost her faith when she was 22 and how it was heart breaking and she doesn't want to go through that again. It's hard because I KNOW how much the gospel will bless her and her family. It kills me when they don't read or when she feels the spirit and she just relates it back to how she once felt, and how it is just a good memory. Eric didn't say much the last time we taught them, but we are teaching them tonight and I have been praying so hard for them to have a change within them, that the spirit will touch their hearts in a way that they can have even just a desire to know if these things are true. I just feel so much love for them that I cannot think about them not accepting the gospel without basically having tears running down my face. I know that through the spirit anything can happen, and that it is all in the Lord's hands.

We taught Anthony this week, as well. He had a friend over, named Andy, and we invited him to listen to us as we taught Anthony and he agreed. Anthony is currently trying to quit drinking alcohol because he has to take medication for psychological purposes and you aren't supposed to drink alcohol as you take the medication. That, in and of itself, is a blessing and a preparation for Anthony to be baptized. This is a very recent thing and as we spoke to him about the importance of reading the Book of Mormon and as we read in it with him, we talked about how as he reads he will have the strength necessary through the spirit to stop drinking. He always talks about how he can actually focus when we teach him, and he said it again last time as we read the introduction of the Book of Mormon with him. We've explained to him that that is the spirit and that he can have that same clarity as he progresses and is baptized. We invited him to be baptized last time, when I was with Sister Tippetts, and he had accepted to be baptized on September 15th. Now we just need to continue to help him grow his faith and his relationship with Heavenly Father. His friend Andy said that he would come next time we teach Anthony, and he also said that he would read in the Book of Mormon. That was another blessing from the Lord.

On Tuesday night we got to teach a woman named Samantha. She is a mother of two boys, one of which is about 9 months old. We taught her the restoration and I was so blessed to be able to feel the spirit working through me as I taught, and Sister Wilkinson felt the same way. She was a bit distracted at times as we taught her, but when I shared the 1st vision with her she was very focused on me and on the experience that I was sharing. I know that she felt the spirit and it was really cool because she told us that she had always felt like everything had "shattered," speaking of Christ's church during the great apostasy and that it totally made sense to her. We invited her to be baptized, and she said that she would if she found that these things are true, but we didn't truly set her with a date. I just really hope that she has been reading in the Book of Mormon, because I know how powerful it is and that it is truly the best tool for conversion. I know that if anyone reads the Book of Mormon, with a sincere desire to know if it is true, and prays about it that they will receive a strong confirmation that it is true. There have been a few times when we've talked to people while tracting and they have said that they read the Book of Mormon and prayed about it and received the answer that it is a lie, and I just wanted to tell them that I know that they didn't because I know that isn't possible. If they truly desire to know if it is true and read and pray about it, they would not receive an answer that it is not true, because that would be a lie from God. It is true. I know that the Book of Mormon is the word of God and that it contains the gospel of Jesus Christ that will lead us to eternal life.

We got to teach Delfy again this week. That was a great experience for me because I felt the spirit as I promised Delfy that Heavenly Father put us in her life so that she can hear this message and accept it. I love that as a disciple of Jesus Christ, I can promise the people we teach things, as guided by the spirit, and know that if they take that promise that it will happen. We talked about the importance of the Book of Mormon with Delfy. She talked about how she knows there is a reason that we met her, just like I had said, but that she wouldn't commit to being baptized until she reads the Book of Mormon. She talked about how she'll know if it's true as she reads it based on her feelings, and that was before we said anything about it. She is so great. I felt so much love and compassion for her as we taught her because she is going through some hard things. Her son is addicted to drugs, and she worries about him a lot. I know that the gospel will bring her the peace in her life that she needs, especially at this time, and I know that she has been prepared for us to teach her at this time in her life.

We taught Wendy her first "new member lesson" this week on eternal marriage! I love Wendy. She is so amazing. I always learn so much from her when we teach her and I often wonder if she's getting anything from us. Well, I know that she is because she still has a lot more to learn, but her faith and her increasing knowledge of the gospel is so inspiring to me. I just want to sit down with her and study the scriptures with her all day. She has such great insights on the Book of Mormon and especially on the Bible, and her testimony of the power of studying the Book of Mormon with the Bible has made me have a goal to really take the time after my mission to study both together deeply. I want to start doing that now, but it's hard when I am studying for investigators as well as trying to read through the Book of Mormon again before my 6 month mark. It's just hard for me to decide what to study each day because we only have an hour! Anyway, Wendy is doing really well. She is preparing to go to the temple, and next time we are teaching her about temples and family history work. There is a ward Relief Society temple trip coming up where the Relief Society are all doing baptisms for the dead, so we are going to help Wendy prepare to go to the temple then.

Tonya and Caitlyn are doing so well. We taught them yesterday after church about the Law of Chastity. I love them. They have helped me so much as a new missionary, not because they are so easy to teach, but because I have felt so much joy as I see them learn and progress. It has helped me understand what a mission is really about and how wonderful missions are/how great my mission will be because of those experiences. With them I have really learned how all of the hard things that happen are washed away by just one spiritual experience. Those experiences make the hard things absolutely worth it. They have both been so prepared to receive the message of the gospel. Caitlyn had already decided that she was going to abstain from having sex before marriage. I love teaching her because I really feel like I'm myself. As I've been adjusting to life as a missionary there have been a few times when I've felt like I've lost who I am, or like I haven't been myself, the true Sister Bennett, but when we teach Caitlyn, for some reason I am able to be myself, sarcastic, fun, but still spiritual. I am trying to find that balance between still having my personality while being a hard working missionary. Tonya is so great because she is so loving and caring. She is always so grateful to us for teaching them and it really makes you feel good when she talks to you. It was actually her birthday this past week, so we dropped off some candy and a card for her, secretly, because we felt like that would make her feel good, and she said that it truly made her day to read the card with our testimonies in it. That was a fun experience. I am just so excited for them to get baptized on August 25th. Caitlyn is a bit hesitant about the 25th because she wants everything to be "perfect" but I know that as we are guided by the spirit we can solve her concerns. She is actually going to Girls Camp this week, so that will be great for her to have some spiritual experiences there as she gets to know the other young women in the area.

My favorite part of this last week was meeting a 17 year old boy named Mario and his mother Murrae. We were knocking on their street and met a man named Buzz who said he was a "pro- religion atheist." He said that he doesn't have faith but that he thinks religions are great. After we talked with him for a bit and got nowhere with him, we asked if he knew anyone that we should go and talk to and he pointed to a house across the street from him and said that Murrae was having a hard time because her husband is sick. We went to contact Murrae the next night and met her son Mario. As we talked with him, he expressed interest in reading the Book of Mormon and seemed really excited. Actually, while we were talking to him at his door his mom, Murrae, came home and said hello and we met her, but she just kept on her way doing what she was doing. When we finished talking to Mario and asked when we could come back he said "How about tomorrow!?" Well, we went back last night and taught Mario and Murrae about the restoration. Murrae was crying after the opening prayer and she cried many times throughout the lesson. She would then make it seem like she was only listening to support Mario, but both Sister Wilkinson and I know that she was listening for herself as well. I was so full of the spirit as we taught them that I thought I would probably explode. Mario had already read in the Book of Mormon and had found a lot of things that really stuck out to him. He asked us about how he could know if this was true and he asked us many other great questions. When we invited him to be baptized he said that he wasn't sure if he really had "real intent," as we had taught him, because he wanted to study many religions. He said that it was just like what we said about the apostasy, a lot of churches have truth in them and he wanted to find the truths in all churches and then decide which one he would follow. We then explained, again, about how the fullness of truth is in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and that as he reads the Book of Mormon he will come to know that for himself. I was just on a spiritual high after that lesson. Those are truly the experiences that make everything worth it, and I can't wait to teach Mario and Murrae again.

Funny story: When we were playing basketball last Monday, the ball was going out of bounds and an Elder tried to save it by throwing it back in and I got NAILED in the head. It was pretty funny. haha. That's the funniest one I could think of.

Thank you all for your letters and prayers,

Sister Bennett