Heading out!

I need to stop loving my areas.

Every time I get to the point where I feel like, "Now I know why I'm here and I never want to leave," Heavenly Father says, "Time's up!" On Thursday I will leave Elizabeth City and head to New Kent, Virginia! I have mixed feelings about it: sad, excited, nervous, overwhelmed, etc. I love the people here, and the thought of leaving them in the hands of other missionaries is devastating. At the same time, getting transferred is an amazing opportunity to start over from scratch and reinvent yourself as a missionary if you want. I know that I will learn things in New Kent that I couldn't learn anywhere else, and hopefully touch some hearts along the way as well.

Let the packing begin.

Other than that, we had a good week. Highlights:

This dress. Essentially it's a polo that goes down to your knees, and I love it with all my heart. Got it at Salvation Army for two dollars and sleep in it every night.

Tuesday we helped our bishop's wife do yard work and paint the inside of their house. So fun.

Funny story on Wednesday. For dinner a member took all six of us missionaries out to dinner at Chick-fil-A (yummmm!). Both Hermana Brugman and I drank 32 oz cups of water while we were there, not really thinking anything of it. Well, about half an hour later we were driving in the car pretty far away from the city when it hit us. We needed a bathroom and we needed it quick. There were no gas stations nearby, so we decided to stop at the closest member's home to use their bathroom. Most awkward door approach ever: "Hi, nice to see you. We have a strange request. May we use your bathroom?" She let us in, though, and then we sat down and talked with her for a bit. Even though it's strange to say, I think we came at a perfect time. She is struggling with some family issues and we were able to share a few scriptures with her and help her feel loved. So... thank you, bladder! If it weren't for you we never would have stopped.

Thursday was Lola's birthday (she's one of our few Hispanic members), so we decided to do something really nice. We made two little signs, one in English and one in Spanish, that said, "Happy birthday! We love you!" and taped them on her door along with some Takis and Mamuts (yummy Mexican snacks) that we bought. She loved it. On Saturday we saw her in person for the first time in like a month and half and committed her to come back to church and prepare to go to the temple in April to do baptisms for the dead. Food never fails! :)Tonight we had the most spiritually intense lesson of my mission with Shelby. She didn't come to church yesterday, so we went in with the intention of telling her (in nicer words) that she didn't do her part to prepare for baptism and we were going to have to change her date or drop her. We didn't really know how to go about it, though, so we prayed and I asked the Lord to make us His mouthpieces because we did not know what to say. Well, prayer works. The Spirit worked through us and was incredibly strong throughout the whole lesson. I saw her cry and truly engage in the discussion for the first time. Amazing.

THE SPIRIT ROCKS.

And finally, these are the two companionships of elders that we share Elizabeth City with, pretending to be asleep on the bishop's couch. They drive me nuts and sometimes I want to punch them where it hurts, but they're also great elders. We have a special group here in Elizabeth City. I will miss them!

Elder Haight, Elder Harbertson, Elder Lainhart, Elder Lechtenberg

Next time you hear from me I'll be back in Virginia! Wish me luck!

I LOVE YOU!!!

Love,

Hermana Bennett