While in the MTC, Haley was able to have contact several times with our family friends, Elder and Sister Bartholomew. The Bartholomews, who are former members of the Marshall Branch, will be serving in the Texas McAllen Mission with the assignment to work in the Rio Grande Texas Employment Resource Center as employment resource specialists.

Haley with their daughter, Stephanie.

Haley with Elder and Sister Bartholomew and Stephanie.

Haley's MTC companion, Sister Greer.

June 7, 2012 - 4 Years Later... After 2 Weeks

Hello family!

 

I've had an amazing week here at the Missionary Training Center. A lot of good experiences are being had and also some good learning/humbling experiences as well. Thank you all so much for the DearElder letters that you have been sending to me. It's really nice to take a break from missionary life through reading letters about your lives back at home. Thank you to Sarah Beth and Brandice for sending me packages this past week with some really yummy candy. You both know me way too well, because if I could've chosen something to have sent, you both sent those things to me. Good work! Cortz, I'm still waiting on my cupcakes. I keep seeing other Elders and Sisters walking by with their Cocoa Bean cupcake boxes and I find myself coveting them. Not good.

 

I see the Bartholomews all the time here. On Sunday, when we went on our temple walk, I saw them again but this time Stephanie was with them! It was fun to see her. She looks a lot different, and is super cute! I told her I was jealous of her heels because I'm still not loving walking around in dress clothes wearing flats. It just doesn't feel right. I keep seeing a bunch of people I know from BYU and such, and Sister Greer gets mad because she thinks we are ALWAYS stopping so I can be "popular." She's funny. Sister Greer is doing a lot better. I think she has been able to have some good experiences as we've been teaching progressing investigators and teaching the TRC that have really built her faith and helped her to realize that it's not a matter of speaking eloquently, but it's all about relying on the Lord. At the same time, I've been struggling to help her really understand that concept. I think she wants to teach by the spirit, but she doesn't totally think she can. Sometimes I just feel like she is info loading the people we are teaching and being more interested in covering as much as we can and placing a Book of Mormon with them rather than wanting to teach to their needs. Obviously I'm not perfect at teaching, but I am really starting to understand that it's all about relying on the spirit. I don't know these people like the Lord does, and He has been preparing the people that I will teach in California. I just need to help them make that connection with the Lord so that He can teach them through the spirit. The spirit is what converts people, not the missionaries. I'm amazed at how much I feel like I've grown just in these two weeks here the MTC. It's also very intimidating how much further I need to be to really fulfill my purpose as a missionary and agent of the Lord.

 

Although it was a really good week, it has still been hard. It's hard to be learning and growing so much because you're reminded of how inadequate you are as well. I have never desired to be the person and teacher that I want to become until now. As that desire grows I find I'm being harder on myself than I know I should be, but I just want to be the best that I can be. I've really been thinking a lot this week about obedience. How important is obedience to the Lord? I promised when I accepted my call that I would be completely obedient and by doing so the Lord promises to be with me as I teach. I am striving to become more obedient. Obedience can be hard, but why would it be hard when you really come to understand the blessings that come from it? That's what I am really trying to understand better - that the blessing of obedience far outweighs the instant gratification of sleeping in, not exercising, going to bed a minute late, or anything like that. It's not worth it. That's what I've learned.

 

This past week when I was teaching in Zone teaching (we teach alone without our companions), I taught my friend Elder Munns (I think I mentioned this before) who was being an investigator named Mike. Before my last teaching appointment with him I was really praying and really desired to be able to teach by the spirit and help facilitate a spiritual experience for him. I had faith that the Lord would help me teach him and help me gain a better understanding of teaching by the spirit. I'll share what I wrote in my study journal immediately after I taught him:

"Today, as I taught Mike, I was really trying/striving to have the spirit touch him and help him know the things which were being taught were true. I wanted him to have a connection with the Lord through feeling the spirit. I think that as I was truly striving for that, I was ready to be guided by the Lord. As I was teaching Mike, I felt the spirit speaking to me and I knew exactly what he needed to hear. It wasn't ME that knew, but it was the spirit that knew exactly what he needed spiritually. As I taught him, I felt so much love for him that I have never felt before. I know that I was feeling the love that the Lord has for him. Mike felt the spirit and I know he felt that love from the Lord through the spirit that he was feeling. Immediately after teaching him, I went into a room and knelt down and thanked the Lord for letting me have that experience which taught me how important the spirit is in the conversion of His children."

 

This week in zone teaching I am an investigator. When we first got here we were told to think about a person who we know, that has shown interest in the church or has taken lessons from the missionaries, that we could be as investigators. The whole purpose of being an investigator is to feel what they feel as they are taught and converted. I picked the person I thought best. I thought it would be a good experience to allow the Lord to let me know how this person would feel or to better understand his/her spiritual needs so that I can possibly share the gospel with my person in the future. I was actually put in with Elder Prichette from my district, he was also being an investigator. We decided that we would be brother and sister because usually there is only one investigator per missionary. The first two lessons were good. I prayed before each one that I would really be able to become the investigator and understand my person's concerns and what he/she felt about what was being taught. Through those first two lessons taught by Sister Pauga, from Australia, I just felt interested. I felt like this was good information that I was receiving and it was fun to learn more about the Mormon church. It was all making sense to me, but I had no desire to really find out if it was true or to change. Then yesterday in the third lesson Sister Pauga started by talking about the atonement. In each lesson Evan (Elder Prichette) and I have asked a lot of questions, and I had asked how the atonement works because I felt like as the investigator I didn't really understand it. Sister Pauga explained it and once again it made sense to me, but that was it. Then she started to talk about the way the atonement has affected her life and how she knows that we are children of God. At that moment the spirit rushed into me, and I felt it in a way that I haven't ever felt it before. My heart started beating so fast and my chest felt like it was so full that it would burst. It was such a good feeling that I almost started to cry. I haven't felt the spirit that strongly since I have been here, and that's saying a lot because I have felt the spirit every day that I have been in the MTC. After that I, as the investigator, just had a strong desire to keep feeling what I felt. Sister Pauga invited both Evan and I to be baptized but I didn't accept because I felt like I wanted to know myself that these things are true, and that's what I felt like I would do was to go and pray about it and read the Book of Mormon. It was seriously such an amazing feeling and experience to be in the investigator's shoes and feel the things that they feel.

 

Well, once again I am quickly running out of time. Mom, I will call on Monday either before we fly out of SLC at like 6ish my time or on my layover in AZ.  I'm excited to go and get to work. I'm nervous, but it's a good nervous. I'm ready to really go and rely on the spirit to teach people and also to learn how to be an effective missionary. It's crazy that I feel like I've been here forever and at the same time these two weeks have gone by so fast! Nan, send me one of your missionary tags. I want to wear one. Also, I want to send you on a hunt to get me a cute shoulder purse thing that will fit my scriptures only. If you would Brandice. Because I trust your taste. Anyway, I love you all and I am happy! Don't worry about me, I'm better off than all of you because I'm a missionary. The Lord always has at least one eye on me. hahahaha.

 

Much love,

 

 

Sister Bennett

Kick 'Em Outta the Coop and Watch 'Em Fly

May 31, 2012

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

Sister Bennett in front of the popular world map at the MTC

Elder Simpson, Sister Greer and Sister Bennett are the Ventura missionaries in their district

Sister Bennet and her roommates who are going to Bulgaria

Called to Serve

March 22nd, 2012: I opened and read my mission call in front of my family (in person, on Skype, Facetime, and on speaker phones) and close friends.

As I read the long awaited for and greatly anticipated mission call letter, I got to the part that said "you will labor in the. . ." and my heart skipped at least two beats as my eyes came upon the words "California Ventura Mission"!

And so it begins. I report to the MTC on May 23rd to prepare there for 3 weeks before finally getting to begin my adVENTURAs in California!

Friends and family pinned their guesses of where I would serve on the map

Trying to set everything up with skyping two families, facetime, and phone calls

About to read it!!

After opening the call, my roommate Sarah Beth and I

Here I come Ventura California!