Blessed to be sharing the Gospel with the people of Nebraska, Kansas, Iowa, South Dakota and Minnesota. Grateful for my Heavenly Father, His son Jesus Christ, a wonderful family and amazing friends.

Thursday, May 25, 2017


A day for the eternities!


Last P-day together Sabrina and Sister Church

Wow, I cannot believe school is already ending again...and Bobsy is all grown up and graduating! Holy Toledos! (Side note: what is a Toledo?) Y'all better cheer extra loud when she walks across that stage because you know I will be cheering all the way from Kearney!!! Man everything seems crazy with y'all and I am happy for you! Keep on keeping on! 


So this week has been INCREDIBLE and there is so much to share, so hold onto your seats people! 

Miracles:

 Sabrina and Sister Church with Stacey at her baptism

Stacey got baptized on Wednesday!!! It was such an incredible day, I wish you all could've been there. She was so excited and the spirit was so strong. The ward was extremely supportive and it felt as if our little Relief Society room was going to burst at the seams. There were so many people there to love her and encourage her and I know that was true for both sides of the veil. She is a special girl and I know that she will save generations with her faithfulness. Before the program even began we sat waiting and I just listened to everyone happily chattering and giggling and I saw the light in Stacey's face and I just thought to myself, "this is what the gospel is all about." I am so grateful for the simple and profound moments that Heavenly Father has allowed me to have on my mission where the veil has been thin and the truth has been clear. My heart is just brimming with joy! But I must admit the sweetest part of the whole baptism was when Stacey stood to bear her testimony. She spoke with incredible power and authority and testified boldly that she KNEW this was Jesus Christ's church. She said she had prayed for weeks for her father and her brother to come and support her and unbeknownst to the rest of us they were there, in the crowd, beaming as she spoke. I know that Heavenly Father softened their hearts and I know that they were touched by the spirit. 

Another miracle that occurred at Stacey's baptism has nothing to do with Stacey, but everything to do with Kiara, her best friend! We were teaching her a few weeks ago, but she dropped us because she got busy and her mom is very against the church. We have been praying and fasting for her mother's heart to be softened and prayers sure are answered. After the baptism Kiara walked up to us and she looked at us with intense emotion on her face and said,  "My mom has given me her blessing to be baptized, and I think I am ready." I think my mouth dropped wide open! I could hardly believe what was happening. It was like I was on cloud 9 and someone showed me a secret staircase to cloud 10! God is the God of miracles, and so many occurred that day! It really was a day for the eternities! 

In other news, our investigator Kenna who was set to be baptized for this Saturday had a HUGE fight with her mother about the church and her mother is very disgruntled and resentful about her baptism. So Kenna's baptism is postponed for now, but I know Heavenly Father has the power to soften hearts, he did it for Kiara so He can do it for Kenna too! But please keep her in your prayers. Kenna really, really wants this and she is so ready. 
Sabrina with her new comp Sister Meik celebrating Sister Meik's b-day!


Funnies: 

So it rained a TON this week and here in Nebraska it doesn't rain cats and dogs...but it rains toads and frogs! LIKE NO JOKE! There were at least 17 toads and frogs in our window well one morning and they kept hurling themselves at the windows while we were studying. I am convinced they were trying to get in the house because they smelled the cinnamon cake I was making, but Sister Church and Sister Meik were convinced they were trying to escape certain death. So naturally we went into the garage and got a shovel and a rake and scooped them out. Well none of the dang frogs were being cooperative so we only saved 2! But the scriptures teach us that even saving one soul is great in the sight of God, so we felt accomplished. BUT THEN we went back that night and all of them were gone [insert eerie music here]. So I don't know where any of them went...and I am terrified they are going to end up in my shower any day now...


Spiritual thought: 

So Stacey was confirmed a member yesterday and Pam Morrow (our recent convert) bore her testimony. So it was a great meeting to say the least! But something Pam said really touched my heart and I wanted to share it with you all. But here's a little backstory first. About 3 years ago Pam suffered from acute alcohol poisoning and actually died for about 3 minutes. When she woke up she had lost ALL of her memory and had to re-learn everything...who her kids were, how to talk, how to eat, etc. So she has had quite a journey. But she said something so profound and it humbled me to the dust. 

She said, "A while ago I got really sick and couldn't walk for some time, but Heavenly Father blessed me with a cane, and I have the faith that someday I will walk without it."

I think as we go about our lives we are so quick to see the trials we face and the challenges we must overcome and we forget to see the little tender mercies of the Lord. Although Pam has been through so much more than I could even imagine she recognizes the small tender mercies of the Lord and she has HOPE that things will improve. I think about Nephi and how in the very first verse of the very first book of the Book of Mormon he states, "having seen MANY afflictions in the course of my days,NEVERTHELESS, having been highly favored of the Lord in all my days...I make a record of my proceedings..." (1 Nephi 1:1) I challenge all of you this week to see the silver lining and to look for the tender mercies of the Lord as you face your day to day trials. And I will do the same! I have a firm testimony that God is more involved in our lives than we think He is, and I am so grateful for His outstretched hand. 

I love you all and I hope this week is a great one! 

xoxo, 
Sister Bengtzen 
BOLD and PERSISTENT or meek and lowly?

It was so incredible to see you all yesterday! Seriously I still can't wipe the smile off my face!! I am on cloud 900! Jabby, I am proud of both of you for just digging in and working hard in school and in work! I admire you so much and I hope you know that. I think Heavenly Father knew you both had to serve missions before me...or else I could not have done this! So thank you for your example in all things. Aubsy your friends look darling! And thank you for all the pictures you send me all the time, and your stinkin' cute emails! They always make me smile. I am excited to meet all these humans in Provo someday soon! Bugs I seriously cannot believe the little giant that you are. HOLY COW. And how different your voice is, but I will get over it. Quit growing up! Haha. Thanks for all the laughs though, they help a lot! Mama you look so good! I hope you had the best Mother's Day and that the fam spoiled the heck out of you! I am so grateful for you and I would not still be out here if it wasn't for your prayers! So thank you. DADDY! You look happy too! I am glad work is good and that you are taking care of everyone like always. Thank you for just being our family's rock. 
Please send my love to everyone else! I SURE MISS MY PEOPLE!!! 

So this week was a crazy one. We probably spent the better part of 12 hours in the car! I swear I could drive from Kearney to Omaha with my eyes closed...but that probably wouldn't be a good idea because the Big Rig drivers out here are off their rockers! And it's never a good idea to drive with your eyes closed....

Miracles: 

Our investigator Stacey is getting baptized on Wednesday! Man it has been a crazy road, and I think we have rescheduled her baptism at least 4 times, but Wednesday is the day! She is the sweetest girl, and it has been such a blessing to see her grow closer to Jesus Christ over the past few months. She is facing a lot of opposition from her family, and none of them are coming to the baptism, so it has been hard, but she is so sure of her Savior. I just wish you could see her light and hear her testimony! We taught her the law of tithing last week and at the end of the lesson she committed to live it. The next day she texted us and told us she had a miracle to share with us! She said she had been praying to know if she really should be baptized and if all the things we were teaching her (mainly tithing) were true. She said she committed in prayer to her Heavenly Father to live the law of tithing, if He would help her know the truth, and she did so with REAL intent. Her graduation party is coming up and she has been very worried about money, so she said learning the law of tithing kind of stressed her out even more, but still she said that prayer and made that promise to her Heavenly Father. Well the day after she did that she went to the bank to take out some money for her graduation party and she said she had made all the calculations and knew exactly how much was in her account. When she got there she realized that there was $60 dollars more in her account than there was supposed to be!!! She was so excited she texted us right away and told us she knows that that money was from God, and now she has enough to pay tithing and to pay for her graduation party! How cool is that?! There's a girl who has faith and is living the Doctrine of Christ! 

Also this week I was on exchanges with cute Sister Robertson and we were tracting in a trailer park! Because that's where all the miracles happen. Well we knocked on this lady's door and she didn't speak a lick of English. All she spoke was Spanish. So I sure tried my best and somehow we ended up in her trailer teaching her the Restoration and talking about Jesus Christ. I really do have a testimony that the spirit can bring all things to your remembrance because all of the sudden all of these Spanish vocabulary words came to my mind. I know that I totally trashed the conjugations and I am not sure if she understood anything that I was saying, but the spirit was there. This sweet lady, Paulina, ended up taking a Book of Mormon in Spanish and committed to read and pray. So please pray that someone who speaks Spanish will move out to Kearney soon!! Haha 

Also our investigator Kenna, who lives in a teeny tiny town about an hour from Kearney, accepted a baptismal date this week! She is preparing to be baptized on May 27th! She is also facing a lot of opposition from her family, but she is so close to the Savior, and she knows this is what He wants her to do. She said she was reading about Jesus Christ's ministry the other day and she noticed how at the beginning He was not welcome in His own town. However, later in His ministry He returned and taught His own people. After recounting this story, Kenna looked at us with tear filled eyes and said, my town just is ready yet (meaning her family), so I will give them time and someday I will come back and help them see the truth. Seriously I cannot believe the people that Heavenly Father has allowed me to come in contact with. I really am so blessed. 


Funnies: 

So my heart is breaking because Sister Church is leaving on Wednesday :( however, I just found out who my new companion is! And she is the sweetest thing ever!!! But get this...I have been praying for a companion who is BOLD and persistent, because that is something I need to work on. Well my sweet new companion's name is Sister Meik (pronounced like "meek") and lemme tell you, that's exactly who she is! Hahahaha I think Heavenly Father really does have a sense of humor. But I am so excited! 
...Maybe I have been praying for the wrong thing....haha 

Spiritual thought: 

I have just been thinking about moms a lot this week, and I am just overwhelmed with gratitude for my own Mama and all that she has done for me. I wish I could express it in words, but as Elder Holland would say, "My heart is richer than my tongue". I don't think any of us can really express how grateful we are for our moms and for all that they do. But I think this quote, again from Elder Holland, is a good starting point: "No love in mortality comes closer to approximating the pure love of Jesus Christ than the selfless love a devoted mother has for her child." The hardest part about serving a mission, at least for me, is being away from those that I love so much, and especially being away from my Mama. There are so many days I wish I could just hear her voice or feel her hugs, and I just feel like there is a big hole in my heart. But how grateful I am for her loving guidance, her sweet words, and her selfless sacrifices that have helped me to know who my Savior really is. I wouldn't be out here on a mission if it wasn't for her, and I will eternally be grateful that my Heavenly Father sent me to her. So hold your moms extra close today and every day! And Jakey, Bugs, Aubs, give Mama an extra big hug for me and tell her that I love her. Because I do! Happy (belated) Mother's Day to all the incredible moms I know! The world is a better place because of you. 

I love you all!!!
Have the best week! 

xoxo, 

Sister Bengtzen


Monday, May 8, 2017

DEER!





Miracles:

So this week our investigator Stacey (who is 18) has been facing a ton of opposition from her parents and from her friends, even the other friend that has been taking the lessons with her! But she has been reading the Book of Mormon every single day and reading multiple chapters a day and she has found so much strength in doing so! She is so solid and I am seriously so in awe of how the Savior has been in every detail of her life, and how she has so readily allowed him in. She will be baptized on Saturday May 20th and she CANNOT wait! So please, please, please keep her in your prayers as she faces these next few weeks, because we know they are going to be brutal! But also wonderful.

Also this week we got a call from a member in Broken Bow (a little town about an hour from us) and one of the members in the branch out there had a friend that was prepared to be taught! We are the closest missionaries to Broken Bow, so we have been traveling out there and teaching this sweet girl! She is 20 and her name is Kenna, and her heart is just chalk full of the most fertile soil the world has ever known! (Wow I think Alma would appreciate that reference). We invited her to be baptized and she simply said "Well of course I will be baptized if the Lord tells me to, why would I do anything less?" Haha sometimes I think we make the gospel so complicated, but Kenna seems to get it! Just like Nephi taught, we must go and what the Lord has commanded! So keep her in your prayers too!


Funnies:

So the other night we were driving back to Kearney from Broken Bow and it was REAL dark, so we had our brights on. Sister Church was driving and all of the sudden she slammed on the breaks and yelled "DEER!!" We were on exchanges, so all 4 of us sisters about had a heart attack and began frantically searching for this deer we were about to hit. After a few seconds I realized there wasn't a deer on the road, so I looked at Sister Church and she was just staring out her side window. "Where is this deer?!?" I said. She looked at me like I was a moron and said, "it's over there in the grass." "Well why the heck did you stop then?!" "Because I wanted to look at it."
Hahahahahaha that girl. Apparently there aren't very many deer in Arizona, so this whole thing is a foreign concept to her. Moral of the story is that we are all alive...including the deer.


Spiritual thought:

I don't have a ton of time, but I just wanted to share with you a quick scripture that I really love and have been pondering upon this week!

1 Nephi 1:1-Moroni 10:34

Just kidding! That's the whole Book of Mormon! Hahaha I kill myself. And Sister Church thinks I am funny too.


Love you all. Have the best week.

xoxo,

Friday, May 5, 2017

April snow showers bring FROZEN grass and flowers!


Miracles: 

Speaking of Heavenly Father being in the details of our lives....we had the coolest miracle this week! And I really do KNOW that Heavenly Father is in the details of the lives of His children here in Kearney. So I went on an exchange with Sister Farmer this week (who is from Kamas by the way, and appreciates Oakley ALMOST as much as I do) and I felt prompted to go see a potential who lives a wee bit outta town, so we did, and she dropped us. :( But we were determined to find out why God had sent us there, so we started talking to everyone. There was this guy outside working on his car, so naturally we went and talked to him. It turns out he is a less active member! And his wife isn't a member. His less active parents (Jack and Marilyn) were also there visiting, so we were able to go inside and talk with them. It turns out this couple were converts to the church, and were SEALED. They had a falling out with some members in a nearby ward and haven't been to church since. And here's the craziest part of the miracle! Jack and Marilyn just barely moved to Central City, and live just a few blocks away from where Sister Farmer and Sister Robertson live! The Lord is so aware of His children! As we were talking to Jack and Marilyn we found out Jack was going in for hip surgery in the morning, and that's why he was in Kearney. We felt prompted to ask him if he wanted a priesthood blessing and he gladly accepted the invitation! So Friday night we were able to go to his hotel and give him a priesthood blessing with two members of our ward, and it was such a sweet, spirit filled experience. Sister Farmer got all of his information and they are going to try and see him hopefully this week. What a miracle! 

Also because of Stake Conference President and Sister Gardner were here for the weekend! And they got to go out teaching with us. This is what he said about it in his email to us missionaries: 

"This last week I was able to go on a few teaching appointments with our missionaries. In one of those lessons, we were teaching two teenage youth [Kiara and Stacey] that are progressing but are still looking to receive an answer to their prayers. The missionaries taught a beautiful lesson on the apostasy in a members home. At the perfect point in the lesson, the member bore a powerful testimony of the feelings he had when he was investigating the Church. The Spirit filled the room. I asked these two youth, "What did you feel while he was telling you his experience?" Both immediately shared they felt a peaceful feeling come over them that they said was powerful. I helped them identify that feeling as the Holy Ghost, witnessing to them that this was true.
The missionaries invited them to pray and ask Heavenly Father if this was true and they both agreed. Not wanting them to forget the feelings of the Spirit that they were feeling, I asked them if they would get down on their knees right then and ask Heavenly Father if it was true. All of us knelt down and both of these sweet young woman prayed in succession and asked God if it was true."
 And holy smokes the spirit was so strong! Both Kiara and Stacey prayed and it was such a cool experience to visibly see their faith grow. I know they will receive answers, and I am so grateful for the guidance of President Gardner.

He went on to say:
" In the second lesson, we visited a couple in their 60's.[Our investigators Terri and Lee]
Unfortunately, they had not read any of the Book of Mormon since the missionaries had last taught them. These great missionaries went right on with their plan to read the Book of Mormon with them. As we read a chapter of the Book of Mormon together, I noticed that this good brother had a very difficult time reading. Even with his reading glasses on, he could hardly read the fine print of our small copies of the Book of Mormon.
Following our reading, the missionaries asked again, if they would read the Book of Mormon. They said yes, but i was not convinced because it was difficult for this man to see. I asked them if they had a smart phone or IPAD. We loaded the Book of Mormon App on the IPAD and showed him how he could let it read to him. The expression on his face was like a young child on Christmas morning. He could not only see the larger print but could have it read to him. I am confident that he will read/listen to the Book of Mormon before the missionaries next visit."
 Ahh I wish you could have all seen Lee's face, it was so sweet! I really do believe, along with President, that they will read the Book of Mormon and pray!

What a treat it was for them to spend a few nights with us, and how grateful I am for their guidance and love! 


Funnies: 

IT SNOWED yesterday! Not cool. Actually it was terribly cool, that was the issue! Haha but nevertheless we saw miracles and it was kind of a fun, unexpected surprise. 

Also I tried to tell a joke in my Zone Training Meeting this week and NO BODY LAUGHED! Hahaha but it's OK because I laughed at myself and still thought it was funny, so my pride wasn't that wounded. 


 Spiritual thought: 

Alright so the BEST part about Stake Conference (besides the Gardner's of course) was Elder Robert C. Gay of the Seventy! He came to speak to the good ole' Kearney Stake and my heavens, he is an incredible man that has been through so much. All the experiences and thoughts he shared were impactful, but there was one quote I loved the most. He said, "There is never a convenient time to serve, you either live by convenience, or by covenant." I really do believe that is true. The Lord asks us to put his priorities first, not our own, and that can be so difficult. But the promised blessings are never ending. Literally. I think about what the Savior said to his apostles as he ministered in Jerusalem. "Lovest thou me, more than these?" Do we love the Savior more than we love our time, our to do list, OUR priorities? He puts us first, always has, and always will. We are His work and His glory. So shouldn't we strive to put Him first as well? I urge each of you to do that this week. To refocus your lives on the Savior and on His gospel, and I promise great blessings will come. Choose to live by covenant, not convenience. 

I LOVE YOU ALL! 

xoxo, 
Sister Bengtzen 

P.S. Enjoy the pictures of the snow

She Drove Away!
Miracles: 



 Me with a Big Red Nose

So I got to go on exchanges with the cutest sister ON EARTH this week. Her name is Sister Sekona and she is from Cali, but her family is originally Tongan. Holla! She says I'd fit right in, so I am claiming it. Anywho, we saw miracle after miracle after miracle on exchanges and I am so excited about it!!!!!!!!!! Because of all the finding we did that day we are now teaching two families!
 Sabrina and Sister Sekona

The first family is Justin and Justine and their one year old daughter Mia. We met Justin outside his apartment complex and he wasn't all that interested, so after he left for work we went and knocked on his door and met his girlfriend. We taught her and she recognized us as representatives almost automatically! Which was so cool because we prayed for that! Anywho, we asked what it would mean to her to know this was true and she told us that she believed us...but that receiving the answer from God would change her life! We got to go back and teach both her and Justin and Justin opened up SO much. We have an appointment with them tonight and we are so thrilled! A little family!

The other family is Alex and Andy and their two year old son Shane. We haven't been able to teach Andy yet, but Alex is awesome. We taught her the Restoration and invited her to read and pray and SHE DID! We went back and her poor son had just woken up from his nap and he was so grumpy. She just held him and cradled him and it was the cutest thing in the world to see this sweet mom try and do her best. This was about halfway through the lesson, but the little boy just wasn't calming down, so we asked her if we could say a prayer and get out of her hair. We prayed for this sweet little Shane to be comforted by the Savior and before the prayer was over he stopped crying. It was such a special moment and the spirit in the room was undeniable. We haven't been able to contact her for a few days, but we are hopefully going to see her tonight as well. 

Also Stacey is on fire! She went to the stake pre-trek activity and she loved it! We are going to set her for baptism this week so keep your fingers crossed! She was reading the Book of Mormon the other day and she really wanted to get all she could out of it, so she sat her father and her brother in the living room and read to them! She wanted them to feel the same feelings she had and so she just went right ahead and shared the gospel. No fears, no doubts, no worries. Man she could be the most amazing missionary, and she will be! Someday. Plus she gave us her graduation announcement and I just felt so loved. Haha 
ONION RINGS!

Funnies: 

So we had an appointment with a potential this week and we were sitting in the apartment parking lot getting ready to pray when she drove in. We saw her, but she didn't see us, so she went ahead and parked and we got out of our car. As we were walking past her parked car we felt awkward, so we just acted like we didn't see her and kept walking to her home. Well she definitely saw us, so she stayed in her car until we were around the corner and then she backed up and drove away. SHE DROVE AWAY! Haha, I love being a missionary...but sometimes it is rough. People kill me. 

Triple companionship
Spiritual thought: 

So this week I have been reading in 2 Nephi 2 and my gracious that is a HEAVY chapter! Anywho, I was reading all about how this life is an opportunity for us to come to KNOW good and evil. I was thinking about what it means to KNOWsomething and I was taken to 3 Nephi 14;20. "Wherefore, by their fruits ye shall KNOW them..." Adam and Eve partook of the tree of knowledge of good and evil and because of that we are here. And because we are here, we KNOW the fruits of sin, mortality, and temptation. But because of Christ we have the opportunity to partake of the tree of life and KNOW the fruits of the Atonement of Jesus Christ. I KNOW (hehe get it?) that this is a simple truth...but it's profound. There really is a purpose and a plan, and I am so grateful to share that with everyone that I can. 

I love you all and I hope you have the best week! 
Keep on keeping on :)

xoxo, 

Sister Bengtzen