Hay is for Horses

First things first. Thank you for all of the birthday wishes and love! My heavens I have the best team in the tournament! Seriously you are all my favorite. Can't believe I will be 20...woooooooot! Look out adulthood...here I come!  

Second things second. SISTER CHURCH AND I ARE STAYING TOGETHER FOR 6 MORE WEEKS!!!!! Best birthday gift I could have asked for! So all of y'all better get excited to meet her on Mother's Day because she is excited to meet you! 

Third things third. Sister Church most likely tore her meniscus...so we are hobbling along on crutches and trying to keep her from hurting it worse! She is a trooper. 

Miracles: 

This week I went on an exchange with Sister Poulson and that girl is incredible! The gospel has sunk deep into her heart and she has this incredible ability to share it in a way that is 100% Sister Poulson! She is genuine in all that she says and you can tell that she practices what she preaches. Man I have so much to learn. Anyway! While on exchanges we went to see this less active member and it turns out his less active daughter was there as well. Her name is Arianna and she has a 15 month old son and one on the way. She told us how she has been thinking so much about the church and that she has recently had the strongest desires to come back again. She told us that she wants to raise her sons to know the Savior, and she knows in her heart that she needs to raise them in the LDS church. Sister Poulson and I were speechless. She clearly has poignant feelings connected with the church, but she isn't quite sure of her testimony yet. We committed her to watch General Conference and approach it with a question, and she was so excited about it! So we get to follow up with her about that tomorrow. WOOT! 

Also, we watched General Conference with Pam and another recent convert named Jo Lind and it was SO cool to see them receive revelation live! And get answers to their questions. Seriously conference is incredible! 

Oh! And we started teaching the sweetest new family of 6! They are the Rodriquez family and we found them a few weeks ago. They are on the path to progressing, they are just super busy, so keep them in your prayers. Teaching families is the best thing! It just makes the work so exciting. 

Funnies: 

Sister Church borrowed some rusty crutches from a ward member and as she was waddling along yesterday they broke and she fell...haha it was SO funny! I made that sound way worse than it was...she was laughing too! I promise!! And she didn't get hurt at all! 

Spiritual thought: 

I hope you all enjoyed General Conference as much as I did! Seriously we are so blessed to have a Father in Heaven who loves us enough to send us a prophet to lead us and to guide us and to walk beside us. As I was watching General Conference this weekend so many things stuck out to me, but there is one in particular I want to share. Towards the end of his talk Elder Jeffrey R. Holland said something that just pierced my heart. "Come as you are, but don't plan to stay as you are." Our Heavenly Father loves each of us infinitely and perfectly. He will always take us as we are, but he strives to help us be better, to improve, to change. We all came to conference as we are, but I want to urge each of you not to stay as you are! Take the things you were taught by the spirit and APPLY them! Make changes, even if they are small. And recognize the glorious blessings that come from doing so. The Savior promise us time and time again that by small and simple things, or small and simple changes, GREAT things come to pass. I testify that his promises are sure and He is bound when we do what he asks of us. This church is true. Thomas S. Monson is a prophet of God. Jesus Christ, our Savior and Redeemer lives. And I say these things in his name. Amen.

LOVE YOU ALL!!! 

Keep on keeping on :) 

xoxo, 

Sister Bengtzen