Miracles

Hello everyone!

Honestly I can't really believe that I'm already emailing again..I almost don't know what to say because I feel like I just emailed! ha But it's been an incredible week :) Last Pday was super fun because we went souvenir shopping! Let me just say, ALL of you should be super excited ;) Then we started out our week great and had exchanges! We went to the sisters in the city though, and let me just say I never want to be assigned there. It was SO hot, so many people, dirty and crowded...but we still had fun. I worked with 2 sisters I've never worked with before so it was way fun to get to know them and learn from them. I have so much fun on exchanges just meeting tons of new people, it's great!

Then when we did work in our area it was great! Seriously the miracles just continue. We were teaching a less active that has had a really hard life. Since the beginning of teaching her she tells us "Sorry sisters, but I just can't change"..because since she was young and married she's suffered abuse from her husband and then even her son when he was older abused her many times. The stories she shares literally make me sick to my stomach...but it's incredible because as we teach her about the Atonement and our Savior she really is changing! She even prayed that her heart would be softened and she would not be guilty anymore, because she knows that it's wrong of her not to forgive. She's never said that before, or even admitted that she too had a part of forgiveness! It is so amazing to watch the gospel work in her life. So even though she says she can't change, she is! We're thinking to have her start writing a journal so that she too can see the changes...because it's so incredible!

We also had another incredible lesson with our investigator Rodel who's really been progressing. His baptism won't be awhile because we're helping him get over his word of wisdom problems..but he's incredible! We were teaching about the Plan of Salvation, and Bishop and his wife were there with us so that was awesome...but he just kept asking a lot of questions and every single one of them could be answered in the Book of Mormon. I didn't really realize it, it just felt like normal teaching, but then he commented that when he was asking these questions he really thought we wouldn't know the answer because it was hard and he doesn't know anyone that does know the answer...but then every time we did! He just held the Book of Mormon in his hands and said "this book really has everything"..It was so incredible! Such an awesome testimony building experience.

Then we had our first MLC (mission leadership committee) meeting with President Bertin and it was awesome! Honestly I missed President and Sister Sperry, but just listening to President and Sister Bertin I really felt that they truly are the ones called here right now. I think they're going to do incredible things with this mission, and I already love them so much!

We also had some awesome progress with the Pagunsan family! They're all baptized and the dad is working toward his baptism date...but one of their sons was having terrible pains in his head on Saturday night. While we were teaching he was just screaming and crying! So we called a member to come over and give a blessing, and sadly we couldn't stay because of curfew, but they told us the next day that immediately after the blessing he was just calm and slept peacefully all night! It was such a wonderful experience for their family. And then yesterday (at church) they were all fasting and paid their fast offerings and tithing without us even reminding them! And their 12 year old son was interviewed to receive the priesthood! It is just so incredible to watch their progress. I love them with all my heart.

This area just continues to grow and progress..it's so incredible! I'm so blessed to be here. Oh one funny thing...a lady I met at church asked if I was Brazilian..haha I honestly don't even know what people look like there but I get the feeling it's not like me...but it was funny :) Well I love you all so much!!! Thank you for all you do :)

LOVE,

Sister Benesch

Kisses from Elias

Hello there, Happy Anniversary mom and dad! :)

Hope you are all doing great, I miss you all TONS but I'm doing so good! I absolutely love this area. Literally we just see miracles happen every single day. We had an awesome week this week too...We had our first exchanges with the sisters and it was a blast! I worked with one sister I've never met before, but she's from Georgia and has this Awesome accent and is absolutely hilarious! So that was fun, and then on Thursday I worked with a sister that I worked with before in my last area so we're already close and it was a blast too. It's just so fun having exchanges and being able to see my own progression so far in the mission as I work with the other sisters and they look to me for advice..it's a lot of pressure but I've learned so much! It's crazy too with our schedule and how busy we are..I think I haven't eaten a real meal of food for like 5 days, and that was at McDonalds. ha So it's been crazy but it's fun :)

We have some Incredible people right now that we're teaching though! We have an investigator named Rodel and we're teaching him and his kids, and he seriously is so prepared! I might have told you a little about him already, but this week his lessons were just amazing. I love teaching him because as we teach he practically quotes back the doctrine with this huge smile on his face because he's so happy and excited to be learning it all! There are a few challenges we'll have to work through with him, but he's seriously incredible. I always walk out of lessons with him and his family thinking "This is why I'm here!" It's so great!

Then we have the Pagunsan family! They are my Favorite maybe on my entire mission!!! They're incredible :) They have 4 crazy little boys that are adorable and all of them have been baptized but the dad (I told you about him last time) but teaching this week was great because even though their boys are usually loud and crazy they're just listening better and better! Their little boy Elias is SOO cute too! He's 3 years old and he just like hangs on us as we teach kissing our cheeks over and over! haha I love him soo much :)

The members here are so great too. It's my first area that really everyone is just 100% willing to work with us whenever we need them, and we've never gone a week without getting referrals! And then they go with us to their referrals to teach! It's so incredible. I feel like that's why the work here is so incredible, because almost everyone we teach already has great friends in the church. So we're seeing so many miracles and blessings, we just come home every night completely exhausted and happy :) But I miss you and love you all!! Thank you for all you do :)

LOVE,

Sister Benesch

Dance Team

Hello Hello, first off...I can't believe that this is the last week of June!! Time flies. Second, how are you all? I am doing so great, I absolutely LOVE it here! Honestly sometimes last transfer I kind of felt like I needed to be somewhere else and had a hard time connecting to the area...now that I've transfered here I feel so strongly that this is exactly where I'm supposed to be. The area is exploding in work and I know that I will see so many miracles here! The members are great, the investigators are great, and the work is just progressing so much! It's been an incredible first week here :)

So for some stories...The first full day after I got here Sister Porter had to go get Xrays (this is her last transfer!!) and so I hung out with another sister who's companion also went. We woke up early and traveled for about an hour to meet them, then me and her went back to our apartment for a few hours and just kinda studied and hung out, and then we went back to the meeting point.

Then on Saturday we had a full day of work and we just went everywhere in our area contacting referrals and finding people to teach, and we got 10 new investigators!! It was incredible! Me and Sister Porter both feel that we're being so blessed, people are practically being thrown at us to teach, it's so great! We also were able to give 6 new baptismal dates and so we have high hopes for a lot of baptisms :)

Also, it's hilarious because there are 6 people in our house and 5 are Americans! So all of us want to lose weight..(the poor single Filipina is in training..ha But she's great!!) But my new housemate is SISTER KALAMA!!!!! (YES I get to live with her and I'm SO excited!!! It's a blast!!) But anyway..she has these workout videos that we all do together and it's hilariosu! We call it our dance team :) haha So it's been so much fun. Hopefully I'll finally lose the rice belly I got here!

And finally, we got really exciting news yesterday from the ward! We have 2 families we're teaching that either the mom or dad is a member and the other is wanting to be baptized, but they both need to be married still!! It's so hard here...but the ward said they'd take care of all the paperwork online and pay for it! SO hopefully we'll be having a double wedding and baptism on July 26!! We're so excited about that...it'll be my first (and probably last) wedding and I absolutely can't wait. Pray for that one :) ha So everything is really going amazing here, we're working so hard! Hopefully we can keep up with everything...I think Heavenly Father trusts us a lot. There are so so so many miracles everyday :)

I love you and miss you all so much, thank you for everything!!! Hope you're having a great week :) LOVE YOU!

Love,

Sister Benesch

PS Here are some pictures of me and Sister Porter and then the sisters in our house ..haha It's such a blast!!