Back in the News!

I am so happy.

Newport News has had my heart since I left, and now I'm back! Hurrah. Simply driving down the streets brings back fun memories from being trained and training here. And yesterday I got to see Rosalio and Melina (the couple that got married and baptized last year) for the first time in eight months, which was the best. Melina and I both cried so much. They are doing GREAT. Melina is in the relief society presidency and Rosalio is in the elders quorum presidency and they are going to the temple to get sealed soon! <3 <3 <3

Other highlights from the week:

On Monday in New Kent we visited a media referral. A 23-year-old guy that ordered a Book of Mormon off of mormon.org. We brought a couple members and taught him the whole restoration. He seems golden. It's sad to leave that area right when things are picking up, but it's ok. The Lord wants me here.

I also had a really good experience with one of the youth in the New Kent branch before leaving. One of my goals up there was to help the youth, and especially the young women, see that being a missionary is really fun and that you don't have to be boring to be a missionary. I tried hard to interact with them a lot and share stories about our work, hoping to touch their hearts at least a little. Well, on Tuesday one of the 17-year-old young women came with us to a lesson and afterward told us that she has decided to go on a mission. Then she said, "All of the sisters, but especially you, Sister Bennett, made me actually consider it."

MUSIC TO MY EARS. That made me so happy. Even if all I did my whole mission was help one girl decide to go on a mission, that means that I will vicariously influence all of the people that she influences, which makes it so worth it.

On Thursday we had transfer meeting, and then I came to Zion! Life here as a YSA missionary is a lot like being a Spanish missionary. We have to tract a lot and seek out our investigators like needles in a haystack, but it's fun. All of the members are super nice and seem pretty missionary minded.

Anyway, that's about it! Lovin' life in the News.

Hermana Bennett

Transfer!

Well, the expectedly unexpected happened, and I'm getting transferred!

To.............

...............

...................

............................

......................

.......................................

..............................

..................

Guess. Think about my favorite place in the whole wide world....

Newport News!!!!

Saturday:

We are sitting in the apartment finishing our weekly planning, calm as could be. Just a few minutes earlier we had talked about how peaceful we both felt because we were ninety nine percent sure that we were not getting a call. That would be crazy.

Then the phone rings. I grab it: Main Office.

Me: "Hermana, it's the main office!"

She looks at me with a blank stare.

Me: "It's the main office, hermana!"

Still nothing.

Me: "Do you know what this means?"

Her: "Well, answer it!"

Me: "Oh, yeah. Hello, this is the New Kent sisters."

President Baker: "Hello, New Kent sisters, this is President Baker. How are you?"

Me: "Good, but I was not expecting this call at all!"

President: "Well, it's a bit of a surprise for me as well. Are you ready to hear the news?"

Me: "Yes."

President: "Sister Bennett, you are being transferred to the Virginia Peninsula Young Single Adult branch to be a sister training leader. Your companion will be Sister Bassett."

Me: "Woah. I was not expecting that AT ALL."

President: "Yes, well, it's a bit of an experiment. I've never done this before. You will be a zebra companionship. Will you accept this assignment?"

Me: "Of course!"

President: "Now, Sister Bennett, as a sister training leader you will be expected to be a strict Preach My Gospel missionary. Will you commit to do this?"

Me: "Yes, President."

Crazy. Crazy crazy crazy. My feelings are:

Happiness. I get to go back to Newport News! My home. I get to see Rosalio and Melina and all of the members from the Spanish branch that I love so dearly.

Nervousness. I will be a YSA missionary. That's so AWKWARD!

Inadequacy. Even after a year I'm still just barely figuring out this whole missionary thing. How in the world can I help anyone else?

Excitement. Sister Bassett is the bomb.com. I get to shop at Walmart again!

Sadness. I have really come to love this area and these people. I don't want to leave them.

Trust. The Lord will help me. If He thinks I can do it, I can do it.

So that's my big news! Who woulda thunk? Not I.

Here's my new address:

759 Bellows Way #303

Newport News, VA 23602

We also had interviews with President Baker earlier this week, set Raechel for baptism on August 23, and had exchanges with the sister training leaders. It was wonderful!

I LOVE YOU!!!

Love,
Hermana Bennett

This week.

This week is going to be a random jumble of a bunch of things. Sorry.

On Monday we had a sisters' preparation day at a member's house in Williamsburg. Here's the view from their backyard.

Yes, that is real life. Nice backyard, private beach and dock, and a beautiful view of the James River. Livin' the high life out here in Virginia :)

We started teaching our branch president's son's girlfriend, and she is AMAZING. Tons of potential. I am so excited. We are going to invite her to be baptized tomorrow.

It's HOT.

Yes, that is also real life. Ahhhhhh. I am blessed to be in a country with air conditioning everywhere, though, so it's not really that bad.

Things that people say in Virginia that I love:

"In Jesus' name we pray. Amen."

"Y'all be careful out there."

"Have a blessed day."

"Right much" and "right many." As in: "We had an activity and right many people came!"

"How y'all doin?"

"Honey" "Sweetie" "My love"

People here are so nice. I love it.

I saw an "I'm a Mormon" video the other day about an artist, and one of her paintings was called, "Be Where Your Feet Are." I loved it, and I've made that my motto. My feet are in Virginia on a mission, and that's where I want my head and heart to be too. There are lots of distractions out there, but I don't want any part of it.

Hermana Bennett is my name, and Hermana Bennett is my game :)

I LOVE YOU!!!

Love,

Hermana Bennett

Independence Day Week.

A week of crazy and miracles.

On Monday we made tacos, met a new less active couple, had a terrible lesson with Jeremy, and almost hit a deer on the way home. My first encounter ever with a deer on the road. Screamed like a little girl, but we didn't die, so that's what counts.

I also hit a rabbit a few days ago...

Sorry, Mother Nature.

Tuesday and Wednesday were good. Hot and sticky. We visited lots of people and helped a nonmember family move into their new house in Toano.

On Thursday we had another terrible lesson with Jeremy. It came out that he doesn't believe in the Priesthood. He said, "My son just broke his collar bone two days ago. If y'all really have the Priesthood, then call one of your men over here to heal him." Ahhhh. I wanted to whip open the Book of Mormon and read to him about Korihor and then quote Joseph Smith, who said, "He that seeketh after a sign is an adulterer."

But I refrained. Instead I just looked at him and said, "Jeremy, you know as well as we do that you can't ask God for a sign. It doesn't work that way."

We are going to have to drop him soon because all he wants to do is Bible bash. So frustrating.

That night we survived a hurricane! Just kidding. There really was a hurricane, but it didn't come anywhere near here and all we got was some rain and nice cool temperatures for the Fourth of July.

We got the day off from proselyting, so we went to Williamsburg to shop (first time I saw a Target in over six months), and then went to a member's house for dinner. We tried to go to Colonial Williamsburg to watch fireworks with them, but parking was a nightmare, so we ended up just going home. I was fine with it, though, because after spending the last three months in New Kent--far, far away from civilization--all of the cars and crowds were way overwhelming to me.

Yesterday we got three new investigators! Yeehaw.

Anyway, God is good. The standard of truth has been erected, and no unhallowed hand can stop the work from progressing.

I LOVE YOU!!!

Hermana Bennett