Hello family, I hope you are all doing great! Sister Surio and I are going to be best
friends forever and go on awesome family vacations together :) ha She's really
great. I had lots and lots of great experiences this week though, and I really
do know that being here is the Only thing for me right now-it brings me So so
much happiness. I am in love with missionary work :) It will test you to your
very limits...but the rewards truly are like in my call "happiness that I
have not yet known." It's amazing!
So a few funny things I'd like to share this week...I
learned the Filipino way to kill snakes!! haha We were walking down this road
when all these men stopped us, then we saw a big gross snake in the road. So
they throw a board on it and then call in all the jeepnies!! They run it over
one by one, and after each jeep they check to see if it's dead. They're all
checking it and yelling "Python iyan!!" and not letting us walk by,
but it really wasn't a python :) ha It was just so funny to watch them all
freaking out. But I think then Heavenly Father wanted me to see how it felt and
the other experience is ME freaking out! We were walking to an appointment the
other night and saw these 2 HUGE rats running around the streets and down the
gutters. I literally couldn't even walk, I had no idea what to do. Sister Surio
too...we were SO scared! Then she just takes off running down the road leaving
me there with the rats running around, so I couldn't even breath and was like
screaming running after her! This man was watching us and I'm sure he was very
confused about what was going on and the crazy American running around
screaming from a few rats... haha It was gross!!
We also had some really great spiritual experiences this
week that really helped me remember why I'm really here. There's a family in
our ward, the Tripoli family, and they are my very favorite!! My heroes really
:) They're so poor, but SO so strong. (I sent a picture a couple weeks ago with
one of the little girls) but we walked by last night and Pingky told us that
they were having some problems.. SO there's Nanay (the grandma) and then her
two daughters and son, and then all the grandchildren..all living together that
we visit each of them. Sorry if you're confused :) But we found out they were
having problems so we shared with Nanay, Grace (one of her daughters) and then
Pingky's kids and had the most spiritual lesson about the Gospel of Jesus
Christ. We talked a lot about Faith, and about the healing power of Repentance.
Not just for our sins, but also for all of our pains in life. I was able to
share this scripture that I had only found that morning in my studies and they
were crying and the spirit really was so strong. I know that I will love them
forever, and I know that those are the reasons why I've been called here. I am
so so grateful that I have this chance to be an instrument of the hands of the
Lord to bring such peace and happiness to people's lives.
Now about today...It's still morning but we've already been
partying hard here in the Philippines! ha We woke up this morning at 3:15...yes
3:15 am. The elders picked us up at our apartment and we hiked up this
mountain, we got to the top about 6 for the sunrise!! However...it was so
smoggy and rainy that we didn't even see it, it just was all the sudden light!
haha A little disappointing...and literally it was straight up for 2 hours..I
didn't think I'd be able to make it really! But we still had lots of fun, and
then afterwards we were able to go to the other missionary's bishop's house for
buko! Or, baby coconut! ha They got them down straight from the tree and
chopped them open then we drank the coconut water and scraped out the buko, and
they also had the brown ones that the coconut is a little harder, and that's my
favorite way to eat it! Anyway it was absolutely delicious.
So needless to say, I am doing fantastic. I know that this
is where God has called me to serve Him, and as long as I stay faithful and do
my very best I can be successful, and happier than I can imagine. I'm so
grateful for the knowledge I have of the Gospel and the light it brings into my
life. I know that this church is true, I know that God is our Heavenly Father
and loves us, I know that He truly has a plan for all of us. I couldn't be more
grateful for all that I have. I love you all so so much!!! Take care :)
Love,
Sister Benesch
PS this might just be the best picture so far on my mission
:) There was a way cool waterfall too up where we were but sadly the program on
this computer changed and my camera won't show up...So I'll have to figure that
out..
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