New Companion and Silly Story

Excerpt from Megan January 20th:

"Hilarious moment for the week: After walking away from talking to a sweet old lady for a good 30 minutes i mastered the best pole encounter known to the history of Americas funniest home videos. I was so anxious to get away that as I was looking back saying goodbye I forgot that I do not yet have eyes on the back of my head. There was a short pole about 2 and a half feet tall, as I turned my head forward it was too close to escape, so I cleverly decided I would just walk right over it...that doesn't work very well with a skirt...actually it doesn't work at all...the poll caught me right in between my legs, luckily I did not fall over, but it did take me a second to back up and start walking normal again, my legs were fine, but my abs were sore the next day from how hard we were laughing. Everyone on the street looked at us and we just kept busting up, it took me a good minute or so to gain my composure. I pray the old lady didn't see us laughing and think we were laughing at her. Regardless, that story definitely made first page new in my journal that night.

Meg with new companion Sister Carter

From Chesterton to Logan Square

Update on Kim, she continued to serve in Chesterton until January transfers. Here are are few pictures she sent:

Burrrrr!

Winter in Chicago. Where's the Elder's when you need them??

Frozen Lake Michigan

Still doing caricatures.

Letter to President Woodbury, January 20th,

"I wasn't expecting to be transferred! I just want to say thanks for calling me to Chesterton; for allowing me the privilege of coming here. It's been nothing short of necessary for my salvation. The people I have met have changed my life. What great members to work with. I will miss every one of them, especially president Fowler and brother Caggiano. We have seen miracles begin to take off here. Prior to mine and sister Spackman arriving to open the area in August, certain members of the branch were doubtful about there being any work to do in Chesterton. But as we learned to work with the members then hit the baptist-laden streets with all our might, we reaped in unexpected ways. Sister Friday's baptism really helped the branch see that people do change. They are learning that missionaries are more obedient now than they were in the past, because they MUST be!! We simply have to raise the bar and they have come to expect that and trust us. Logan square will be a real metamorphosis for me.

Slow to Post But Worth the Wait.

I have to apologize for not updating blog. Here are some highlights from past two months:

Early January transfer, Megan stayed in Palma and gets a new companion. Here's what she has to say about that:

Excerpts from Megan January 13th
"To begin I just want to say that  I may have just entered into the best companionship of my mission. Hermana Carter is incredible! I have never worked so well with another person in my entired life. The most incredible thing to me is our ability to receive revelation together. We will be walking down the street talking about what we can do to help the leadership in the branch and we both receive revelation and we go back and forth, but I know what she is about to say before she says it. It is incredible and just keep pinching ourselves, We have been so effective this week its not even funny. I wish I could tell you everything that has happened, but I'll have to write a novel about it when I get home. The point is I feel like I am with someone I can work so smoothly and happily with because the focus is turning from the companionship to the missionary work, which is quite the contrast compared to last transfer for me. There is a lot of work to do here and it felt like the day Hermana Carter got here the Lord said, okay, lets move. The branch id now taking some turns and getting serious about the work, its like Hermana Catrer getting here flipped a switch for the whole area. I could not be happier to be a missionary that I am right now. "

"So here is a funny story for the week. Last week our gospel principles class, the class the investigators go to was completely empty except for 1 recent convert. This week the class was so full we had people without chairs because there was not room to put more chairs in (about 20 people), and half the class was investigators. We had three people who only spoke English and 3 newer missionaries doing their best to translate. So picture this tiny classroom with 3 missionaries talking in English during the whole lesson. Then add the fact that our teacher is still learning the gospel principles himself and we have a member who likes to go into deep doctrine who is there because he is the friend of our investigator. We started going into topics like a heavenly mother and my toes started to curl. Hermana Arana (who happened to be there with her investigator) and I did our best to redirect the lesson, but it was out of control. I couldn't decide weather to laugh or run and hide. Our investigator left afterwards with his head spinning saying he had a lot to go home and think about, gaaah! ha, ha, oh well, we were laughing with the other missionaries who were translating because they didn't end up translating half the lesson for the other English investigators who where there. We all had a good laugh about it."

Christmas is coming on the Islands

From Megan December 2:

Happy December Family,

The Christmas lights in the street are finally on and they are just as great as I hoped they'd be! Christmas trees are going up and everyone is surprised at how cold its getting.

Hermana Wallace and I finally bought a space heater (ours broke last week), we have discovered that tile floors can get really cold, I may have to invest in slippers.

I have been bragging like a proud soccer mom to all the Elders that Ricky was in the Saints and Soldiers: The Void Teaser Trailer. For all they know, he is the next Johny Depp.

This week we celebrated Thanksgiving as a district. It was obvious to see it was planned my missionaries the day before though. Almost all the missionaries from the islands were there. All we had was 7 chickens, one bowl of veggies, chips, and juice. We set up the tables into a long rectangle, got some Christmas tunes going, shared stories and tried to enjoy ourselves as best we could. I felt bad for one of the native elders sitting in front of me. You could tell he had no idea what people were saying, everyone was laughing, and he just looked like a fish out of water. I talked to him for a second afterwards and he had a good attitude about it and said it was a good chance to learn English. It reminded me of how I felt my first month of the mission. I cant help but feel for the natives a little though because they don't get to learn English as quick as we get to learn Spanish. Its like they get the band aid peeled off slow, ha,ha. I really enjoyed the dinner though, especially when one of the elders shared a story about how an officer got confused one and tazed him as he was walking out of a movie with his friends (think of that the next time your at the theatre) ha, ha.

I have finally gotten up the guts to buy and advent calendar for 1 euro. I figured on a limited budget there's only so much I can do to celebrate, and that will last my all the way up until Christmas (assuming I can wait till the next day to eat the next chocolate).

I love you all so much,

Hermana Bennett



Excerpt from Megan's Letter November 26:

It has been another amazing week in Palma.

Hermana wallace and I are doing good, we are getting a lot better at our communication skills. There is nothing more humbling than being with companions on the mission because its like you can't hide from your flaws. At home I can blame everything on all of you, ha, ha, but here you move companions and your flaws move with you...and become easier to pinpoint. I know its hard to believe that I have flaws everyone, I am pretty great, but believe it or not I am working on the pride factor (which we all know is secretly the root of all evil).

My funny story for the week: We are preparing Cielo to be baptized this Saturday and its been a little stressful because its like the last week is when you find all the bumps in the road. All the problems come out and adversary really kicks in. That being said we had some Jehovah's witness stop by during our last visit, which is always nice and awkward. They politely left, but now I am really wondering how serious Cielo is about all of this. I feel like it can be easy to get caught up in "We´re jus´sharin´the goood wurd!" as opposed to, "we have a message that will change your life, God talks to his children today just like he did in old times. No, the heavens are not closed. Yes, we have modern day revelation thru a living prophet. You are a child of God now come and partake of his love thru the atonement." (is my head I just yelled all that at Cielo just now, thanks for letting me vent a little ha, ha).

P-day on a small Machu-Pechu type island:

iPads, Care Packages and What Was Dropped is Now Picked Up.

Excerpt from Kim's Letter November 26:

Dear family, 
It is so fun to write you using the iPad!!! What a neat thing. The work is truly hastening. The brethren have recently said that this hastening is right up there with the major events of church history. That includes the restoration. Thank you, Mom and Dad! Thank you for helping lay the foundation for this hastening. The hastening is not only in what is going on out here in the front lines.... May I submit that the hastening is what happened when you both decided to serve your missions and when you raised us in righteousness? I can't thank you enough for everything you do for me.

Thank you everyone in South Jordan 7th Ward who made the care package! I crushed up a lot of the candy and put it in brownies and made a killer batch of brownies for some of our members. And all the notes that came with the package were really cute.

So, this week we did caricatures in front of CVS.  It was nice to be out in my element and drawing. We got to talk to people that normally would not have given us the time of day.

AND

Excerpts from Kim's Letter December 2:

You may enjoy hearing some of the amazing circumstances we are in here. It's been amazing to be so trusted by The Lord. We were dropped by an investigator family one month ago. We'll, we got into their home and they want to investigate again. Joe, the husband, even apologized for the awkward phone call he made to tell us they weren't interested. We'll, Rhiannon , the mom, is struggling with so many addictions. This issue is that she needs to rip herself from the grips of multiple addictions and she doesn't believe in her ability to do it. We feel honored to have this opportunity to come closer to God. I don't know what she is going through, and I can't imagine the fight with darkness that the next few months will hold for her. But I do know one thing- the atonement is more powerful than anything. It has irreversibly changed me.

Tornadoes and Miracles

Excerpts from Kim November 18:

As for tornado's, we are safe. We are not really affected by them, except the wind is MIGHTY! we were visiting a less-active on Sunday at the hospital and when we exited the hospital, we noticed it was raining. No big deal, right? WRONG! because as we went walking out into the storm, it was like the water cycle had declared war on Michigan City, and as we ran through the parking lot to the car it felt like nature was pelting us with a super soaker. It got to the point where I couldn't see because my glasses seemed to be a main target. Sister Villagomez was yelling, "ow, OW! As she was hit by raindrops a foot or two ahead of me. I yelled, "I can't see!" That only made sister Villagomez laugh harder! What a sight we must have been- her yelling out in pain as we ran to escape the watery darts, with me right behind her unable to see because my glasses were doused, and sister Villagomez looking back to see my lenses absolutely covered with the wetness. Little did we know we had sat in nature's spalsh zone and we were laughing like maniacs until we finally reached the car. Our makeup ended up running almost as hard as we did. It was a fun adventure.

We have seen fallen trees, we heard a tornado had touched down in Chesterton but we didn't actually see it (I am somewhat disappointed).

Miracles have happened almost daily but the experience with one sister stands head and shoulders above the rest. We have been praying for weeks to run into a lady named Sandy (yes, another Sandy). We first met her just walking around, and we had an amazing discussion about the Plan of Salvation; the most amazing thing about it is that we felt- as she related the sad tale of her daughter Sherry's passing- that her Daughter Sherry had apprehended us and made sure we went and talked to her mom. Unfortunately, All Sandy gave us to contact her was a phone number. She did not want to give us an address. We tried calling her so many times, with no response. So, we began petitioning the Lord for a chance to run into Sandy again. Our prayer was answered! This Saturday, we were walking and I had to stop and adjust my scarf or something when sister Villagomez said: "is that Sandy???" I threw that scarf on as fast as I could and we tried to catch up with her. she disappeared down an alleyway, and we knew that if we ran we could catch her as she exits on the other side. So we RAN! and we did catch her, and we did have an amazing discussion with her.

P-day Contacting

Excerpt from Kim's Letter November 11:

This p-day was a humbling experience! Sister V and I took our car to the dealership because the engine has been mysteriously acting up (and it is a NEW car!) The truth is, our car is new enough that if it is having a problem... it is God trying to put us somewhere. So sister V and I were trying to be ready for whatever the Lord put us there for. As we sat in the waiting room of the dealership, I thought maybe it was the guy on his computer across from us. So I prayed for some way to share the gospel with him (without being awkward). Then another man came in and sat down, and I thought: "maybe we should talk to him!" Then, the manager/ supervisor came in and said he was done working on our car and we left without sharing the gospel with any of them! So, feeling a little lazy, or like a failure to some degree, we got in the car to go to Wal-mart. Then, unexpectedly, a man named Orlando who had greeted us when we first came in, came walking toward us from out the back door of the dealership. I almost didn't see him as we prepared to drive away for Wal-Mart, but somehow we did see him and I rolled down the window for us to talk to him. He had mentioned earlier that he was a Marine a few years back, and he knew a Mormon guy and he thought Mormons were nice people. We didn't get the clue then, so Heavenly Father gave us a second chance to share the gospel with him! And this time it was a very blatant chance. Not wanting to let this one slip, we gladly accepted a business card from Orlando and set an appointment with him. And wouldn't you believe it, he wanted to come to church this Sunday! He even asked us what to wear! We are so excited and so pleased. as we drove off, sister V and I agreed it was a very eye- opening experience. How many of God's elect are we missing on p-day "because it's p-day and we have too many other things to do" or "because we don't want to proselyte in a business" or "because this is our one day to get everything bought and done for the week?" Heavenly Father knows what we need and he plans our p-days accordingly.