Happy Birthday Sydney

Hello everybody!!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY SYD!!! :)

I was with Sister Sene on exchanges, she's from Samoa and acts just like Sister Tupai!! I love her so much, we had a lot of fun :) Then the last night before we left we all had a big dinner together (six sisters) and it was fun making a bunch of food and we got sprite and just talking...then had to wake up early the next morning and travel and that wasn't quite as fun..ha But I really love exchanges! I learn so much, and they make time go by SO so fast!!

Other than that, we are still teaching Joan (our new investigator a few weeks ago) and I think she'll for sure be baptized on June 14. She's so awesome, and every time we teach she just has great comments. Like we were teaching on Sunday about the Book of Mormon and Joseph Smith as a review and she says "But he wasn't just any kind of man or prophet, he was one of the greatest there ever were and did amazing things for the entire world.." it doesn't translate perfectly in English..ha but she's just incredible! I'm excited for her :) Sadly our other investigator that was progressing (brother Bok) isn't so much now...he didn't come to church and he smoked again last week. We don't really know what to do anymore with him, but we're still teaching and hopefully something will happen...it's hard to see them when they start progressing and then just kinda die off again...Oh but speaking of him we had a very interesting experience this week with his mom who is a less active that's returning now.. But we went to a members house near them because we had extra time and saw her there, then realized that she was completely drunk. I guess her cousin had died the night before and she was just so sad she decided to drink, and so we got there and she was just acting so weird, then started throwing up on herself and went to the bathroom, then passed out with her head in the bowl and of course she couldn't really breath, so me and Sister Lorenzo bring her out and then Sister Lorenzo kinda took over (she's amazing..) I was just kinda standing there not knowing what to do since of course being a little mormon girl from Utah I have never been in these situations before..ha So she got her new clothes and water and then I was fixing her hair that was Everywhere and she just looked at me and then hugged me SO tight and Sister Lorenzo looks at me all nervous and says "what if she throws up on you?!" but she didn't :) So then we got a tricycle and took her home, but I was just sitting there thinking as we were driving how grateful I am for the way I was raised...that I've never had to deal with those problems, and just how much happier life is as we're obedient to the gospel. We still have challenges, but it's less and so much easier to deal with when you have the blessings of the gospel. SO that was interesting..

I'm so excited for this week though, because although we don't have exchanges, I get to go to my first MLC meeting! It's the mission leadership counsel with President Sperry, all the zone leaders and then the sister training leaders, and I hear that the workshops are SO great and the food is good too that they feed us :) That's on Thursday and I can't wait, and then on Saturday we're having mission tour with the whole mission and Elder Craig C. Christensen is coming to speak to us (I think he's the president of the Seventy..) and so it'll be great to hear him, and also to see all my friends in the mission! So this week will be fun, and probably go just as fast as the other ones!! 

BUT I have one more story!!! I almost forgot to write it...so on Saturday after we got home from the Elders baptism we started our planning and then Sister Lorenzo looks behind me and says "Now don't freak out..." but there was a spider as big as my hand behind me on the wall...and it moved FAST!! I was freaking out. ha So we're both screaming and trying to kill it, and we're both holding Baygon (bug spray that will kill it) and throwing things around the room and moving the table and couch and everything to kill the dang thing!!! Finally we sprayed it enough that it moved slowly and I got it with a shoe...but Man it was scary. I will be fearless when I come home to those tiny spiders we have. haha

But I guess I'll just end with my Greatest miracle this week...which was when I found hairspray that actually keeps my hair curly and not frizzy! YES!!! haha I haven't worn my hair curly in forever, and so I did on Sunday and Elder Doroson (my zone leader) just looked at me and starts singing this song "For the first time..." haha It was funny. So now I don't have to wear grandma buns everyday :) But everything is going great, just wayyyy too fast! I love you all so much and hope you have a great week! Hope Syd has a great birthday too!! LOVE YOU! :)

Mahal,

Sister Benesch