Snuggies

Well goodness gracious. I can't believe it has been a whole week. If feels like just yesterday that I was here emailing you last. Time really truly does go by so fast. Time is a precious gift and we have really been trying to use our time wisely. Sometimes we aren't as effective, but we are always trying to improve. And I have noticed to that when I just get out there and do the work with EVERYTHING I have the time just flies by and I can't even believe it. :) I'm so glad I had the opportunity to come and serve a mission. It is everything I thought it would be and so much more. I have truly noticed how much of a change has happened in me. I am growing and learning and trying to improve and become the best that I can be and Heavenly Father continues to bless me. I'm so grateful to be able to have this consecrated time to serve my Heavenly Father for these short 18 months. It isn't a sacrifice at all, yes its hard but the blessings are too great. I wouldn't change this experience for the world. 

Well this week has been good. We met with one of the new investigators we got this week and he literally was so prepared to hear the message. We taught him basically all of the Restoration and the POS in 45 minutes because he just wanted to keep hearing more and learning more. He has a strong belief in God and he really is so prepared. He accepted a BOM and committed to pray about a Baptismal Date. And I felt so good after that. To see the light come into his eyes, it was truly amazing to watch. But after that we haven't had much contact with him, we saw him once and he was super busy and he didn't really want to talk to us. We don't know if he heard something about the Church or if Satan is just really working him. But hopefully he will still be interested. But if not I did my part, the spirit was there and the seed was planted. and I know that Heavenly Father is pleased as well.

We also have been working with another investigator. She has been taught by the Elders in Coffs Harbour which is about an hour away from Grafton, and she has been investigating the Church for months now. She hasn't really ever been to Church or anything like that. But we did a lot of service with her and we have had a lot of really great lessons. She has lost both of her parents and siblings recently and she is really sad, but we have taught her about the resurrection and she really wants to believe it which is incredible. She has such a desire to believe and we have told her that that is the first step to having the faith that she needs. We saw her Saturday and she really said she was too tired and that she couldn't come to church but then she called us Sunday morning and said she was coming. She came and she had a wonderful experience. It was so wonderful! I was so glad she came. She also had some concerns about tithing and we learned about that in Relief Society and she said that she believed it. Heavenly Father truly is preparing her. We saw her yesterday and encouraged her to pray to receive revelation if her baptism date is right for her and she said she would. She really is wonderful, and I hope she will be baptized but if not we are doing everything we can with her to help her succeed. I'm so grateful that Heavenly Father trusts me enough to teach these people, even though I mess up sometimes and say the wrong things, he helps to bring the spirit and it still works out. Heavenly Father really does care about all of his children and he wants the best for them and I am so grateful I get to be a part of it.

Something I have really been trying to improve on is listening. Listening like the Savior did. I feel like I just dominate the conversation and I want to just share with them all my knowledge of the Gospel and show them how it can bless there life and blah blah blah...but if the spirit isn't there and i'm not trying to discern their needs and learn more about them the spirit isn't going to tell me what to say because I won't want to listen. So I have been trying really hard to improve on that. It certainly hasn't been easy but I know that Heavenly Father will help me to be better and improve. 

Also my first transfer ended this week. I've been in Aussie land for 6 whole weeks. Nutso! It feels so much shorter! Crazy. And I'm staying here in Grafton another transfer, and that means I'm staying in the North. The mission is splittling come July and because of that this transfer will only be 4 weeks because they want the 2 missions to be on different transfer routes. So I truly have to make the most of these 4 weeks because who knows how long I will be in Grafton. And that also means that my mission is cut short by 2 weeks, so I don't even have a full 15 months left. Crazy. The time is way too short. 

Well i know this Church is true. I learn so much every single day and there is no way the Church could not be true. I know that my Heavenly Father is real! He loves me and all of his Children. I know that my Savior is real that he lives and that he did suffered all my pains and griefs and all the mistakes I made and will make, so that I can change and become better each day. I know that the BOM is the word of God. There is no doubt in my mind. I read it every day and it blesses me so much! I'm so grateful to have a living prophet here on the earth today to lead and guide this church. I love you all and I hope you have a great week!

Love 

Sister Benjamin