angels' footsteps

Hola!!

This week was good, it started out busy but once it calmed down it was fine. My trainer left to train my friend Hermana Taylor since her companion has to go home this week. It was a bit of a surprise for all of us involved but it's working out nicely. It is so much easier to have just one companion, plus I actually get to talk more. Everyone is wicked surprised by my Spanish and people are always asking me why I don't talk more . . . I remind them about my trainer and companion and they just smile and nod their head. So this week we focused on finding less-active members and trying to help them back to Church. What we learned is that some just don't want to be found. We would knock on doors, see people and they wouldn't answer, or they would claim that person doesn't live there. It was frustrating but that's life. We just have to focus on finding those who want to hear the Gospel and who are ready for it.

     On Thursday I also got a bad migraine that progressed to a sinus infection. I got medicine for it and it is helping a lot but it is still there. Hopefully it will go away completely! I think when I stopped taking the medicine in the MTC, I hadn't gotten rid of it fully so it just came back. Oh well! 

     In other news, with only two of us in the apartment, it is so much easier to get ready in the morning and we rearranged all the furniture in the bedroom. We now have space to exercise!! And today we played soccer as a district. We were playing on this Astroturf that was walled in (really nice to not have to worry about kicking the ball too hard) but so many people were stopping and yelling things at us (the white ones) so we had to go back to the Church. For the 20 or so minutes we played, it was great. I miss playing sports and being active. Walking all day just isn't the same.

The sisters' apartment is newly arranged. Look at that space!

This week I have been working on being more humble. Ether 12:27 is a great scripture about humbling yourself before the Lord and asking for His help in strengthening your weaknesses. I have many faults and it seems like the mission is pulling them all out. It has been hard to accept but it is getting easier and hopefully I will be able to overcome some of them before I leave.

     The subject line is from a poem Mom included in my mission notebook. It reads:

"I will not wish thee riches nor the glow of greatness, / but that wherever thou go / some weary heart shall gladden at they smile / or shadowed life know sunshine for a while. / And so thy path shall be a track of light, / Like angels' footsteps passing through the night." (from a church wall in Upwaltham, England)

This quote has really been on my mind this week, and serves to describe my mission. We have the knowledge of the Gospel, and what we need to do to prepare ourselves in this life for eternal life with our families. We bring light and knowledge to those who are ready for it and accept it. And sometimes, all we can do it smile and greet people who otherwise want nothing to do with us. Some seem to recognize us as missionaries and smile when they see us, even if they don't want to learn more, they at least seem a little happier after our passing. Sometimes that is all we can hope for, to comfort and bring joy into the lives of others, even if for a moment.

I love you all and am so grateful for your prayers and encouragement!

Love,

Hermana Bennett

Katherine's friend Hermana Taylor sent her a letter with a unique address.

going to get married (and a surprise)

So this week has been crazy. Remember how one of the hermanas in the mission was in the hospital? Well, we went back and forth all week, exchanging hermanas so no one had to stay for long. I was the only one who didn't have to stay at the hospital and I'm pretty sure it's because my Spanish isn't great. But oh well. It takes about an hour each way and we went there and back at least ten times last week. It was exhausting. 

     Anyways. We had a few lessons last week, one of which I fell asleep in . . . It was after we had gone to the hospital and I was just exhausted. Good news is I don't think anyone noticed. We were teaching some older people and they were just talking while my companion tried to get a word in. When I woke up I found I had doodled all over my agenda and scribbled out some names. Oh well! And this week we had some great food. I also finally got two recipes!! They are for white flour tortillas (which I made from start to finish last night) and for a sweet tortilla/cookie thing. I finally tried churros and they were so good! Crispier than in the States but so tasty and cheap. One member this week fed us entire fish. She fried them and served them with lime—amazing. Lime is definitely becoming a favorite fruit here :)

Learning to make tortillas with Hna. Juarez.

So to explain a little more about down here, I have some random observations. Everyone has dogs, but no one keeps them inside, nor do they allow them inside; at least not when we are there. Mexicans do not believe in light fixtures and they adore flavored water. Some of it I love, but some it's all I can do to finish one glass. Lastly, everyone loves Hollister; parents, little kids and everyone in between all wear the brand. 

     So my subject line. On Friday (Valentine's Day) we took a less active and an investigator to get married. They are really poor and he, Miguel, wanted to be baptized but they have been living together for over a year and have one daughter and another child on the way. So we paid for their wedding! It was an interesting experience for sure but a cool one. Then on Sunday, Miguel got baptized. He was so prepared for the Gospel and they are doing great. It's days like those that make being here totally worth it.

Just married!

Preparing to be baptized.

After we went bowling today at the mall and were back picking our stuff up at the Church, my trainer got a call from the President. Because Hermana Gutierrez (the one that was in the hospital) has to be on bed rest for a week so my trainer is switching to Aculco and will be in a tri-companionship with Hermana Taylor and Hermana Gutierrez for the last two weeks of her mission. It was kind of a surprise but at the same time, I figured if anything got changed, it would be this. It's going to be really weird to only have one companion, and one who only has six weeks more than I do! Next week's email should be an interesting one! :)

     Anyways. Helaman 14:30–31. This is a great scripture and one to remember as we make our decisions. We have the chance to learn for ourselves and make our choices, knowing full well the consequences. Choose Christ and receive eternal life—our purpose in being here is to achieve exactly this. I'm glad for the chance to teach people about this, to see them hear and watch their faces change with understanding. The Gospel is true and though it is hard, I'm glad to be here and for the experience. I love you all!

Have a great week!

Love,

Hermana Bennett

The entire Mexico Mexico City Southeast Mission together for mission conference.

awkwardness

So this week has been really fun and also really awkward. I continue to do things that my companions find hilarious and we continue to get to know each other a little better. Now that we're halfway through, it's weird to think my trainer will be leaving soon. I feel like I hardly know anything and we continue to study hard but the last few days have been crazy busy. On Monday we went to Walmart, which took forever! We went to the mall beforehand for the bank and food court. Domino's has never tasted so good. Also, I really want to go shopping there; it is enormous and has loads of American stores and others I've not heard of. I think the mall is called Parque Tezontle. Anyways, Walmart. Oh gosh was it busy. We stood in line for an hour, not moving. I still don't know why it took so long but we are going again today so my companion can print some pictures. Hopefully there won't be so many people. It was as if I were back in the States with all the Latinos in Virginia crammed into the store. 

     On Saturday we had a mission conference with Elder Christensen and his wife. They both speak Spanish which was nice. I also got to sit next to two of my MTC district hermanas. My companions and I couldn't find seats together so I volunteered to sit somewhere else (I recognized Hermana Lopez's bag) and then Hermana Gurley's companion was in the choir so she sat with us as well. We also took a massive photo of all the missionaries and it took them forever to organize it. We were standing in place for at least an hour waiting. My last MTC friend was at the hospital with her companion who is not doing so well. If she doesn't get better by the end of this week, she might have to go home.

MTC friends reunited at the mission conference.

We went and visited them at the hospital and did splits so Hermana Taylor (my friend) could get some rest. Hermana Mercedes stayed behind at the hospital for a day. And oh goodness is the heart of Mexico City different from where I am. It is better-kept and reminds me of European cities. Where we are living and serving is quite run-down compared to it. But I do love it. The people make it worth living here. 

     So my awkward encounter of the week . . . Last Thursday we came out of an awesome lesson and saw a couple walking down the street. We had been told there was a Dominican man who wanted to speak with us and we thought it was him. My companions contacted him and all he says is "what?" Turns out he is from London and doesn't speak any Spanish. So I contacted him, got his information and planned to call him Saturday morning to set up an appointment. We didn't have any minutes left so I texted him instead which is why we have this great record of what went down. Let me just say that I was trying to make the best of a bad situation . . .

Me: Hi Roland! This is Hermana Bennett from Thursday. Is there a time we could meet tonight or tomorrow to talk more about families?

Roland: Hi Bennett, happy to hear from you. Sorry to ask you a question. Are you married or do you have a boyfriend?

Me: No I'm not. As missionaries we leave all that behind for the duration of our mission. We teach the doctrine of Christ which focuses on families and how to prepare for the life after this one.

Roland: Okay Bennett. I'm not going to hide or shy away anything from you. The girl you saw that night was my ex-girlfriend, she is getting married soon. I'm alone, I really need a relationship and that is why I asked if you are single, so we can get along dear. Thank you and God bless you dearest.

Me: Well, we're here to help others come unto Christ, so if you change your mind, there are missionaries in London who would be happy to teach you. Mormon.org is also a great resource for any questions.

Roland: Okay dear, I'm with Christ already in my life, just needed you to be complete. Thanks a lot dear.

Yup. That happened. My companion knows enough English that she translated it for a few people and they all cracked up. It is pretty funny and while I expected some unwanted advances, I didn't think it'd come from an Englishman. None of the locals have been so forward, thank goodness. I later found out he is here for both work and vacation; he is a boxer/fighter from Croydon, London. I just hope I don't run into him again . . . that would be awkward. 

  The rest of the week has been busy with lessons and meetings. We did attend a baptism yesterday, and that was really nice. We also took some things to an investigator and less-active member who have an almost-2-year-old. They are not doing well financially so some women in the ward got some items together. We drove over and somehow managed to fit four of us in two seats. My trainer was in a car seat and the other three of us in the other seat. They don't really use seatbelts here, and as long as everyone fits, most taxis don't care how many people you cram in. It's always an adventure getting a ride from the members, I've never seen so many people in a small space!

How many sister missionaries can you fit into a car?

So this morning Hermana Taylor and I were talking about the 2nd Coming and what the scriptures say about it. A few days ago I was reading in Ecclesiastes 3, about how there is a time for everything. It hit me that right now is the time for missionary work. As one of my teachers in the MTC commented, the Church has only done two worldwide leadership conferences, the second was last year and focused on missionary work. Help the missionaries, think about those you can help with the Gospel, visit less-active members. Do what you can to reach out to those around you and share the good news of the Gospel. It is true and it will change your life and the lives of those around you, if you let it. So let it!

     I love you all. Have a great week!

Love,

Hermana Bennett

Celebrating a missionary's birthday.

Cleaning the apartment veranda.

3 February 2014

Hello!

I can hardly believe that I've been in the field for two weeks, and away from home for two months. They have flown by and I know the rest of my mission will go quickly. So last week I commented that we have a real shower ... Well our gas ran out last Tuesday and we still haven't been able to get anyone in to fix/start it up. I've gotten really good at showering with a bucket: I can shower/wash my hair in under 15 minutes. I'm pretty proud of that :) And we also got to wash some clothes by hand in a sink with a washboard type bottom. It was kind of weird the first time but easy enough to use.

     The people here are all so nice. They are always offering us drinks or snacks and I've learned it's best to just say yes, even if you're not hungry or thirsty. They can't seem to relax until you've taken something. Also, it's amazing the types of buildings people live in. Some (a lot of them) look like they are falling down around them and to me it's a miracle that they are still standing. And everyone has a fence/gate. You have to ring a bell and they will ask who it is before opening the door. I do love that everyone has some type of courtyard though I haven't seen any with grass, only concrete and stone.

     I found out this last week that all our prayers were answered. Out of our entire mission, I am in the safest zone, and within that zone, I am in the safest area. It's crazy to think that and I can only imagine what the rest of the mission is like. I know some missionaries have to be home by 8 or 8:30 because it isn't safe in their area. 

     Anyways! The work keeps on going. We teach a fair number of lessons—though not as many as our mission goal (55 lessons a week). People like canceling lessons, especially when you get there to teach them. On Saturday we were walking around for a few hours just trying to find someone to teach! Then there are days like yesterday, where we had two fantastic investigator lessons. It was our first visit with each and they are all really interested in the Gospel and basically just want to learn as much as possible. They have no problems with the word of wisdom, so if they continue and come to church, they could be baptized in as little as three weeks! 

     So I only have one picture this week. It is really unsafe to take pictures in the street or of anything really since if people see you have a nice camera there's a really good chance they will follow and rob you. The one picture I have is of our bedroom setup—it is quite crowded but we make it work! The worst part is exercising on our beds ... Ha ha it is a bit of a trial some days. I do love it here; the differences take a little getting used to (my stomach doesn't like the food), but the Gospel is the same and everyone can feel the Spirit. I love working with the members here and I am learning so much about myself and about working with others. I invite you all to get a hold of a copy of Preach my Gospel and go to the Attributes section. Take the self-evaluation and pick one thing to work on. This week I'm working on faith, as mentioned in Moroni 7:33, and having the faith to perform miracles, if necessary. My logical and realistic side often overpower my faith and I am trying to change that so I worry less about what makes sense or is likely, and instead focus on the Spirit. This Gospel is true and I am grateful for this experience to study, learn and help others understand. I love you all and am thankful for your love and support!

Love,

Sister Bennett

It's a bit crowded with three but it works!