She's a barbie girl

This week....I hardly have words. It was incredible!!! I'll just go down my list of things I want to tell you on my sticky note :) ha I had an amazing experience while listening to a devotional by Elder Holland, he was talking about how being a missionary of distinction was having the ability to discern...I thought of a line in my patriarchal blessing about being a "mother of distinction" and felt so comforted that my mission is going to help me SO much with being a parent. This is really the best choice I ever made, and every day I feel like it's a miracle I'm here and I'm so blessed! Which brings me to my next story. We were practicing teaching about the Word of Wisdom, and I suddenly could just imagine missionaries teaching the lessons to Grandpa Benesch and thought about how if him and grandma wouldn't have made the decision to join the church and be sealed as a family..I wouldn't be here right now! Thank you Grandma and Grandpa for listening to the spirit so that I could be raised in the church, and now I can be sharing that message with others who it will bless in the same way :) I love you!

Also this week my teacher said something that really hit me hard during language study...and she said "you already knew this language in the pre-existence, now you just have to remember it." I KNOW Tagalog! It's honestly started to come a lot easier since I really took what she said seriously, I truly believe in the gift of tongues, because all the spiritual gifts we're receiving are things that we once possessed while living with God before. Also that day during our lessons my teacher was talking about angels being with us and I could clearly see Grammy Lue sitting with me helping me to learn the language and learn the things I need to teach these people...I know she's with me and helping me every single day!

On a funnier note...Elder Kiraren started randomly singing a song from a Barbie movie yesterday and all the sudden our Whole district was talking about Barbie movies and how much we really all like them! haha It was hilarious, and probably not way missionary appropriate, but it was just so funny to see these elders sing barbie movies, and all of us who are practically adults talking about how much we love those movies!! And Elder Liu. Always have a good story with him :) Yesterday he walks into the district room after using the CR (restroom) and goes "Oh my gos...LOOK!" And his belt loop had Totally busted off his pants and he was freaking out about it and I was laughing SO so so hard! He asked me to sew them for him! haha I didn't even know what to say...but I think he forgot about it. We were also teaching him how to say "chicken" and it was just so funny because he can't for the life of him make the "ch" sound...man I love asians so much! I wish you all could meet him and understand how funny my stories really are :) ha

NOW...for my BEST stories!!!!!!! I don't know HOW I forgot to tell you what I got to do this week, but we got to go out proselyting on Wednesday with the missionaries in the Manila mission!! Oh my gosh it was incredible. It was only for 4 hours...but I've now seen things I never imagined. These people live in cement houses with barred windows, and you just walk down these HORRIBLE smelling tiny alleyways (spell? ha I can't speak english!) but everything is just dirty and the houses have no AC and are tiny tiny with no doors even sometimes...it was amazing. I am so humbled comparing what they have to what I have, yet they're so positive and happy! We were able to go teach a little 10 year old boy named Christian and it was a blast! He was so adorable reading the Ang Aklat ni Mormon, and it just Amazed me how much he was really interested in the Gospel at such a young age...I love him so much and I only met him once! But we were walking around and you literally walk on the Crazy busy road like 6 inches from motorcycles and cars whizzing by and walk between cars and it's crazy...you have to be very aware! I also got to ride a jeepny! it was way fun, but I hit my head on the roof that's how small they are! ha It was just a big adventure..I can't wait to go into the field!! I love missionary work :) I do have one thing to say to Zach though...Learn to study HARD. Like harder than you have before! Then you Might be prepared for the work of a mission ;) ha It's really hard, but every moment is so worth it! I love you all SO much and thank you for all your support!! I MISS YOU, but I know what I'm doing is right and I'm completely happy here :) Happier than I ever have been honestly! Oh, and HAPPY BIRTHDAY Syd!!! I love you so much sissy, you make me so proud by going to nanny and being brave out there! I hope you have an amazing birthday :)

Donny, your emails make me laugh Every time I read them :) ha I'm real proud of you for that dog walking business...good luck and tell me how it goes!! :) Everything sounds normal at home...sometimes I miss the easiness of it..ha but I LOVE being here :) Oh and Elder Liu says "How are you? Good luck, please be wonderful every day (araw-araw)" hahah What a cutie! Man I'm glad he's going to my mission. In the next year I'll be able to actually communicate with him!! ha I love you and miss you all SO much!
LOVE YOU ALL!!!
Sister Benesch