Week 6!!

Hello hello hello!

 

I hope the rest of my mission goes like the past few weeks have because it just keeps getting better and better!

 

First of all, we got our new companion! Her name is Hermana Nord and she's from South Weber, Utah. She started learning Spanish six weeks ago in the MTC, so we have lots of fun! I didn't tell her that this happened because I didn't want to make her feel bad, but she said the funniest thing last night. We were talking to some investigators that work in a factory that processes fish (pescado) and she said, "Oh! Me encanta pecado!" (Pecado means sin). Luckily I don't think anyone heard her but me, but I about busted up laughing. Close, but also very, very far. But she is great. On one of our first days we both got dressed without noticing what the other was wearing and came out and we had on basically the same outfit! I'll attach that picture.

 

We also had a little miracle happen this week. There's a less active that has his records in our branch because he served a Spanish speaking mission, but he hasn't hardly ever attended for years. Well we finally got a chance to go visit him and he didn't seem that interested in talking to us at first, but we invited him to come to lessons with us and to read the Book of Mormon, and he said yes to both! So that was great. Then a couple days later he came to a lesson with us, but our investigator was busy so we went somewhere else, and they didn't answer, so we went to yet another investigator and he was there! We talked about the Gospel of Jesus Christ and it went super well! I think there was a reason that so many appointments fell through so that we were with this investigator. He is a very humble 19-year-old from Guatemala and has so much desire to follow the Lord. At the end of the lesson we were asking about how he liked to play soccer and he said he used to play in a league but doesn't play anymore because the games are on Sundays and since he wants to go to church, he doesn't have time to play. It was amazing! So much faith. I think that moment more than anything else impacted our less active. At the end after our investigator left he asked what time church started and volunteered to take our investigator! And they both came! It was so good. I realized that sometimes the Lord is working with us and setting things up and we don't even realize it until the end. During that whole lesson we just couldn't stop smiling because the Spirit was so strong and we had a less active AND an investigator sitting there talking to each other about the Gospel! Uh-may-zing.

 

We have another investigator, Hector, who's not doing quite as well. He has lots of desires to change but has a big drinking problem and that's really holding him back from progressing. For example he told us that he wanted to come to church yesterday, but then when one of our members went to pick him up he was sleeping off a hangover and didn't want to go. Then we went to visit him in the evening and he was raging drunk again... so frustrating. He also talked to some woman on the street that told him that if he got baptized in our church we would make him pay half his income in tithing, which really freaked him out. He felt like we weren't being straight up with him about everything, so we received the baptismal interview questions so that he would know what was coming and not be surprised when we talked about things like the law of tithing and the word of wisdom. I really hope that he sticks with us because he has so much potential! He just needs to ease up on the booze a little.

 

I also had a pretty spiritual experience during my personal study time this week. I was studying the premortal life and read a scripture in Abraham 3:22-23 that says, "tu eres uno de ellos; fuiste escogido antes de nacer." I'm not sure of the exact translation, but it means, "You are one of them; you were chosen before you were born." In that moment I felt a strong impression that I am here for a reason, that I too was chosen to be here at this time. Probably I don't have any large or visible purpose according to the world's strandards, but I am not here in this mission or on this earth by mistake. It was amazing to feel that confirmation from a loving Heavenly Father, and I know that it is true for each of us. He knows us and loves us and has great things in store if we will just turn ourselves over to Him.

 

Finally, thank you so much to everyone that sent me things last week! I got a blanket from mom, an AMAZING package from Megan, and letters from the Jim and Mary Gale family! (thank you Claira). I felt so loved :) I will write back promptly!

 

Love,

 

Hermana Bennett

 

PS. I think this thing is hilarious. It's an invitation to some activity for single adults ages 31 and over and at the bottom it says, "All divorces must be final." I would think that would be a given but apparently not...