Wednesday, March 21, 2018

Week 31 Deadliest Trio There Ever Was



This week was awesome! I love my companions and it’s such a blessing being able to work along side them and learn from them. Such homies. Being in a trio with these guys is so much fun! Love em.

This morning we went to the temple, bless up. Love going to the temple, such peaceful and wonderful feelings come from the temple I love it.

Here’s a quick update on investigators

Diana-Diana was baptized this Saturday into our ward! She has investigated the church for 40 years and was baptized Saturday. She was taught by Sisters by her request but we’ve been working with her in Gospel Principles class in church and are going to start recent convert lessons with her and the Sisters this week.

Ed- Ed is such a crazy fool! He talks so much and loves telling stories it’s so funny. He came to the baptism and pretty sure he was drunk as a skunk at the baptism haha. Anyway he still loved it and we went over Saturday night and taught him the word of wisdom. He said he’s scared to quit smoking and drinking and wants to eventually but kinda on his own time. He’s been smoking since he was 13!! But it was cool he came to church for all 3 hours and was sharing about what we taught him in Elders quorum. After Elders quorum someone came up to him and told him that he can quit smoking and that they recently just got over smoking.

Levy & Jana- Jana is progressing really well and reading the Book of Mormon on her own. She took the challenge to read and pray about being baptized!! Levy is solid and would already be baptized if it weren’t for his probation haha.

Darron Arnold-Watched Joseph Smith Prophet of the Restoration with him this week and he really liked it! He wants us to help strengthen his relationship with God before we start focusing on baptism.

Dennis Newberry- Dennis and his family are friends/neighbors with the Durtsche family in our ward and we made contact with him a couple weeks ago but taught our first lesson yesterday with Bro Durtsche there. It was so cool, we showed up and he had an older Book of Mormon on his table and said it was one his buddy from the Navy gave him 25 years ago and he’s held onto it since. He said “I’ve been through 5 moves in that time and still have it so there must be something special about it” That was so cool to hear! The lesson went great and he wants his family to have a strong relationship with Christ. We’re going to try and meet with all them in the Durtsche’s home this week.

RJ- RJ is so awesome! We met with her last night in the Williams home and she is so pumped for her baptism! She was getting the program all together and we went over the baptismal interview questions with her and everything went great! It’s been incredible watching her progression.

I love Loveland and the people here. The work is going amazingly! It’s pretty crazy to see the progression of this area since Elder Treanor and I got here. There hadn’t been a lesson taught in over 100 days and no progressing investigators. We’ve been blessed and it’s gonna be sad to leave here.

Much Love y’all
🤟

I  Love Jesus

Elder Bennett aka yoboigator
1715 N Wilson Ave. Apt. #308
Loveland, CO 80538

                                 Freshest Trio

 

                                My girl Carol

                                         Ed
   
                                      Diana after getting Confirmed

                                     Mean Squad pics at the temple


m                 My boi Elder Reiswig goin home Saturday




Wednesday, March 14, 2018

Week 30 Were Training!


So this week was so amazing!! My heart is so full and feel so blessed. Absolutely high off missionary work and being a missionary I love it! So President called us up Sunday night and told us there was a new missionary coming inMonday and we’re going to train him. His name is Elder Thacker and he’s from Highland, UT, 18 years old. He was originally assigned to the England, Birmingham mission but went home after a couple months and was then reassigned to our mission! He’s such a stud and we’re so pumped to have him with us!

Do y’all believe in miracles?!? CAUSE RJ COMMITTED TO BE BAPTIZED MARCH 31ST!!! Throughout the whole week she’s been calling us telling us about her reading the Book of Mormon and what she’s getting out of it. She has just been flipping to random pages and reading. One night she flipped to Moroni 6 which talks all about baptism. Then she did it again later in the week!! Then while we were teaching our lesson Monday night she did it again and was like this isn’t coincidence haha it was great. We read the Title Page and Introduction to the Book of Mormon with her and then she wanted to continue reading the Testimony of the Witnesses and it all just clicked with her. She stopped and was like, “Wait, so The Book of Mormon is ancient history and stories that really happened?” And we were all like yes RJ and it just clicked for her! RJ who is the same woman that laughed at me a month ago when we invited her to be baptized on the 31st of March, committed Tuesday to be baptized on March 31st. Miracle. I know the only reason why this is happening is because we are doing the lessons in members homes and using them in teaching RJ combined with the spirit testifying of the truthfulness of this gospel to her. The difference the members make is incredible.

These past investigators Levy and Jana messaged the old missionaries from this area and told them that Levy wants to get baptized! So they got them in contact with us and we met up with them to start teaching them! That doesn’t just happen! Miracles!! So Levy and Jana are dating and Jana is pregnant with their son. Levy is an ex gang member and just got out of jail a month ago and said he found peace and God by reading the Book of Mormon in jail. He’s leaving for a rehab in Wellington in like a month and wanted to get baptized before he leaves. Unfortunately he’s on probation for the next 2 years so can’t until then but when we told him that he said that he wants to make the change and wasn’t phased by it! He’s such a humble man. Jana is 7 Day Adventist but she likes reading the Book of Mormon and is taking the lessons as well, we are seeing her progress a lot. Levy said something so cool the other day while reading the Book of Mormon. He said “All my life I’ve tried reading the Bible and been confused, but the Book of Mormon and the stories all just make sense and relate to me.” It was so awesome I was so happy!

Ed who showed up at church last week we taught this week and things went good there, he’s humble and has a sincere desire to learn. He was there at church on Sunday, suit and tie, such a baller! Ed is a crazy funny character!! He called us up Sunday night and told us he wants one of us to date his daughter cause we got our focus on the Lord and she needs a man like that in her life hahaha. Love Ed, such a character!

WE GOT MOONED!! Funny story from when we were out tracting, we met this older guy out in his driveway doing yard work and talked to him, gave him a copy of the Book of Mormon, offered to help out and he said he was okay. Then told us he’s had 7 back surgeries and proceeded to show us the scar on his back. He lifts up his shirt, and on his lower back you can see the scar already but he just pulls his pants down for whatever reason and straight up mooned us in broad daylight! Like cmon bruh! I looked over at Elder Treanor after and his face almost made me lose it, so dang funny.

We got to clean the temple on Monday which was so sick! We got a tour afterwards and got to go in the attic and down in the baptistery with the oxen. It was such a cool experience!
Today for District P Day we went to Zephyr Hats which was dope. Then we went to the park afterwards and played a bunch of games. Reminded me of being at the beach at Leo Carrillo playing poison and whiffle ball. Tender mercy cause I know I’m missing out on that trip with my family but at the same time I had an epiphany that I was with my new family in Colorado playing all those games and it’s like a wasn’t missing anything. Weird but it was special for me and just connected. God’s got his hand in all our lives and he finds unique ways to touch us that’s special to us individually and that’s because he knows us all individually and we are his children. Sorry bout the long email but honestly this week was so amazing I could’ve gone on a lot longer and I left a lot out haha. 
Love y’all. Make the time to sincerely read the Book of Mormon. It will change your life.

I  love Jesus

Elder Bennett aka yoboigator ðŸ’›

Temple cleaning squad




Rolled up on some horsies


Zephyr Hats...Elder Thacker is to my right in the picture

District Squad Pic



Thursday, March 8, 2018

Week 29 High On My Mission


This week was so amazing!! So many miracles and tender mercies. To start off Elder Treanor and I taught seminary this morning and it was so fun! Reminded me of when I used to be in seminary and brought back a lot of funny memories. Our lesson went really well and the spirit was strong. The teacher came up to us after and told Elder Treanor and I that we teach so well together, so grateful for my companion and how well we get along and how much he teaches me, he’s so awesome! Then we went and hooped and my homie Elder Halladay, who’s in another zone, was at the church cause he had to take his comp to our building for a meeting so we got to hoop together, tender mercy seein that boi.

This week Colorado was having some beautiful weather, reminded me of Cali. Made it easy to go out and talk with people cause lots of people were on walks or doing stuff in their garages, we had a lot of success talking with people this week and got some solid potentials we’re looking to follow up with this week.

We were fasting and praying Sunday for our investigators to progress and an increase in our missionary work. We were blessed with a miracle. After sacrament someone came up to us and said there were some people in the foyer looking for us. We went out to find 2 guys in jeans and button up shirts. 1 was named Steve and he was a returning member who had just moved from Greeley, and the other was his friend Ed who’s not a member. So we talked with them a while and they came to gospel principles with us and Ed was loving it and participating and cracking jokes the whole time it was great! Then we gave him a Book of Mormon and he was excited to read it and was already calling it the word of God. We’re going to meet with him this week to start teaching him. WHAT A MIRACLE!!!

In sacrament meeting I sat next to Joe and RJ and RJ was asking me questions about going to the temple and I was like chill girl you gotta get baptized first. Nah just playin but I was hype that she was already talking about going to the temple like she knows it’s gonna happen! And she stayed all 3 hours which was huge for her!!
We taught RJ Monday and she told us about how she had been praying about baptism and that her neighbor Lucy, who’s a member in our ward, called her and told her that she had a dream where RJ was baptized and then she had a baby! This was HUGE to hear, cause Joe and RJ have been trying to start their family a while now and haven’t been able to. So that was incredible to hear!! The lesson went really well and now RJ is praying about being baptized March 31st!

Darron Arnold said he doesn’t think he’s ready to be baptized on the 10th but he wants to continue meeting and going to church, praying, and reading his scriptures before he is baptized. Please pray for him, the adversary is really working on him.

I got to interview a man named John on Friday for baptism and he is one of the most humble men I’ve ever met. He said the opening prayer for our interview and said, “Please bless my brother Bennett, I know I just met him but he my brother” He continuously bore testimony of Christ, Heavenly Father, The Book of Mormon, Joseph Smith throughout the interview. It was very touching for me and I learned a lot from him.

I love my mission. I love the people I’m serving. I love The Book of Mormon. I love my Savior Jesus Christ.

Please please please read the Book of Mormon if you haven’t! It is one of the single greatest decisions you could ever make. It is the word of God, and I know it was written for us today in these last days. It can bless and uplift you no matter what circumstances you’re in or trials you’re facing, it will always bring you the spirit and love of God unto your life.

Elder Bennett aka yoboigator ðŸ’›

                   1-This guy’s backyard we did service for
      
                  2-Beecher and Bennett

                     3-My main woman Carol who I sing with twice a week

             4-Dope service pic

              5-Zone Conference

               6/7-Squad


8-John’s Baptism and his brother Hue, love those guys. He was baptized by President McMurray 


Week 28 Mountain Lion District


Mountain Lion District is the name of the District I’m over and we’re
stack! Seriously so blessed to be able to serve with these
missionaries! They’re all so amazing and super excited about doing
missionary work, we tryna put up the best numbers in the mission this
transfer! We on the come up just wait.

This week was awesome! On Thursday we had dinner with the Hart family
who’s a less active family were trying to reactivate. We also want to
have the dad baptize his 2 daughters next month. Zoey who’s 11 and
Haley who turns 8 on Sunday. We had a great dinner with them and feel
like we’re really making progress with them! When we first got here we
struggled getting in the door with them but things are looking really
good now! They have come to church 3 weeks in a row now!!!

Saturday night we met with Darron and his wife Rachel and brought
Kayleigh(who’s a member and just got her mission call to the Illinois,
Nauvoo mission). We read 1 Nephi 3/4 with them and talked about going
forward with faith not knowing the outcome cause he’s still struggling
with committing to his baptism March 10th. But Kayleigh was able to
bear powerful testimony on going forward with faith which was awesome
that we could see really clicked with him! He started seeming more
comfortable about things and even said the closing prayer!! He
committed to pray the whole week about March 10th.

Monday night was a straight miracle! We had our lesson planned with
RJ, so quick background on RJ, she’s married to Joe. Joe is a convert
of 5 years now. She has been on/off investigating the church probably
3 years now. She’s a very prideful and independent woman. She is all
about “spirituality, energy, reincarnation” and practically laughed at
me a couple weeks ago when I extended the invitation of baptism to her
a couple weeks ago. So anyway, we were having dinner with the
LaMarr’s, and Joe has always talked about how huge Bro. LaMarr was in
his conversion. So Bro. LaMarr is basically Thanos from the Marvel
comics dead serious haha. Looks just like him, has a deep powerful
voice anyway, so while at dinner I just told him “You know Joe thinks
the world of you, and we’re having a lesson with RJ tonight and I
think it would be good if you could come with us” so he said he would
come. And I can’t even explain the world of difference he made. We do
the lessons in the Williams home, who are Joe and RJ’s close friends
in the church and that also is huge being in members homes for
lessons! We talked about the Plan of Salvation and RJ was throwing
stuff out that kinda had us unsure about how to counter it. But Bro
Williams and Bro LaMarr just related things so perfectly to RJ to make
things understandable to her and the spirit was there. And you could
see that she was starting to understand everything. It was so crazy to
see how things had gone from the start of the lesson to the end, RJ
had a complete change of heart. At the end she was starting to talk
about March 31st like it was actually gonna happen and asking about
who could baptize her! It was incredible to see. The impact that
members have is amazing. I basically realized during that lesson how
much easier it is having members there and having them teach.
Incredible.

Sorry no pics, love y’all 🤟


I ️ Jesus


Elder Bennett aka yoboigator 💛

1715 N Wilson Ave. Apt. #308
Loveland, CO 80538

Week 103 Trust In God & Never Give Up