Elder Riley Bennett: Week 99 Land of The Free

’m getting transferred to Longmont/Firestone, CO (South of Loveland, North of Boulder) to be in the Peak View ward w/ Elder Petersen from Texas. So for 1 month I’ll be out there haha. Not the way I expected to nor wanted to finish out my mission but I’m doing my best to, “Trust in the Lord” and have a good attitude about this. My ways are not HIS ways.

We had an incredible week over here in FOCO! We taught Alena many times throughout the week and she is just absolutely amazing!! Her faith is so inspiring to me. She came to church on Sunday and even fasted for the 1st time in her life & prayed to know if The Book of Mormon was true, if Joseph Smith was a prophet, and if she should be baptized on July 20th. When we asked her how she had felt while fasting, she said, “JOY!” She said she knew it was the Holy Ghost confirming to her the truths of all these things and that she should be baptized July 20th. We taught her the Word of Wisdom and she said she was giving up coffee & weed so that she can prepare herself to be baptized & have the Spirit w/ her. She amazes us more & more everyday. We taught her yesterday & she asked me to be the one to baptize her, what a great honor I feel, I love her so much! We’re going back tomorrow to finish the lessons with her before I leave the area.

Tuesday night we were able to meet this lady named Toni and do some landscaping for her. She was a referral from a member in our ward. The member talked to Toni at a garage sale and Toni told her how her husband died in February and she’s been struggling to manage working, parenting, and keeping up with the yard. She told us her story while working in the yard & it was really sad, my heart aches for her. It was nice to help her out physically but I only wish she would let us heal her spiritually. We tried to set up a lesson but she was hesitant, but Elder Hansen will continue going back to check up on her!

We did another Hot Pot dinner with Sulan! She is so so sweet & always prepares so much food! We never come close to finishing it and she always gets frustrated with us it seems for not eating all of it but it’s so much haha.

We also were able to do some service for Sulan after the dinner which she was very grateful for. It was beautiful weather, nice temperature, but you could see storm clouds coming. We went back in for some cake and then the storm of the century came thru and wrecked us. Some of the hardest rain I’ve ever seen which later turned into hail. Tons of thundering, it was really cool to see Mother Nature do her thing. However, 5 minutes into the storm I realized that I left the car window down so we took our cake to go and took off but it was too late the whole car was just soaked. As I hop into the car the cake and all it’s whipped cream falls into my lap haha. It was the most hectic scene ever, being pelted by rain, trying to start the car with whipped cream on my hands, lap, and the seat, all while Elder Hansen keeps yelling at me to roll the window up haha. Oh it was great.

It’s been tough doin the whole farewell tour. The Saints here are some of the best & have changed my life & vision of things. No doubt a piece of my heart will always be in the Harmony Park & Kechter Farm wards in South FOCO. I know anytime I visit here it will feel like home. I love the Saints here greatly & am saddened to leave them, I wish I could stay & finish out here. However, my ways are not HIS ways.

Peace & Love,

Elder Bennett aka YOBOIGATOR