Elder Riley Bennett: Week 41 Fast Pass to Goliath

If y’all know Goliath at Six Flags, you just be trekkin up forever, and you just climbin, and you peak, then you take a fatty drop and go from supah high to a quick low real quick.

Well I’d say this has been the biggest rollercoaster week of my mission yet. Straight highs and lows haha, lemme break it down for ya.

Monday we went and read with Deb & Mike and invited Deb to be baptized, she said she’s been thinking about it. Thursday we go back over to read with her. She tells us she’s thought a lot about baptism and feels like she’d be ready in 4-6 months. So we opened up to Mosiah 18 in the Book of Mormon with her and read. We told her that she was ready for baptism already and talked more about repentance. We shared some really good scriptures about repentance with her, Alma 5:33, and told her that when she repents, her sins are forgiven and forgotten. She said it was exactly what she need to hear and she felt ready to be baptized! We set a date for June 24th. We talked with Deb about bringing her 9 year old granddaughter Nevaeh to our lesson on Saturday so we could start teaching her as well and she loved it cause she already goes to church all the time with her friend!

Saturday we went over and helped Mike & Deb as well as their neighbors/fellowshipper, the Jeffery’s, with yard work for a couple hours, then had lunch together and came back later for a lesson. We came back and Deb & Nevaeh came over to the Jeffery’s for the lesson. We taught the Restoration and Deb was testifying of it to Nevaeh...then we taught the Word of Wisdom, and Deb started testifying of that to Nevaeh too! Deb committed to stop smoking and drinking coffee and live the Word of Wisdom that moment. Nevaeh also committed to be baptized on June 24th same day as her grandmother!

Now this is probably when I was the most hype I have been my whole mission. Seriously one of the highs. Watching Deb testifying to her granddaughter was amazing and then for her to commit to love the Word of Wisdom! Just couldn’t ask for more!

Sunday morning we get a text from Deb saying that her & Mike talked for hours last night and that she wasn’t ready to commit to a church as well as Nevaeh. She was going to come to church today but afterwards wouldn’t come anymore and didn’t want to meet but she would continue to read the Book of Mormon.

Now after reading this text I was the lowest I have ever been on my mission and truthfully in a long time. So in a matter of 24 hours high to low. The mission be out here playing with emotions like it’s nobody’s business. Anyways, we were all pretty distraught after reading the text and so we hit our knees, and we prayed for a miracle that day(hoping a miracle for Deb)

So Church was amazing! We had a referral we contacted the day before who came to church, as well as this soon to be 9 year old were teaching w/ her less active mom, AND right when we walked into the chapel, there’s this younger guy in shorts and a t shirt sitting in the back. So we go up and introduce ourselves and check this MIRACLE! His name is Connor, he’s 23, he moved out here from Virginia, said he hasn’t been to a church since he was 6 and he lives across the street from ours and has been driving by our church and felt like he just needed to come in. He’s been going through a super rough time, knows no one really, just had a break up and lost his job, and said the people he lives with aren’t good people. So we grabbed him and introduced him to people and had him sit with us. He left after sacrament and we walked him out and he kept thanking us cause he felt so welcomed and loved and said he’d be coming back next week. We got his info and are going to try and teach him this week! Such a sweet miracle! Heavenly Father answers our prayers!! Deb & Nevaeh also came, we talked with them after and it was really sad. Deb said she loved church and started crying as she said she was struggling with having to leave this. We told her she didn’t have to and she just kinda continues crying saying she was struggling. We don’t know what happened but have a good idea. So please pray for Deb and remember her in your fast this week.

We saw tons of miracles this last week, so many more I can’t include or I’d have to start goin into MLA format and make this thing an essay haha! Christ church has been restored in its fullness to the earth today! The Book of Mormon is TRUE! Don’t believe me? Read it & ask God. He’ll tell you wassup. Love y’all 🤟

Elder Bennett aka yoboigator