These are days NEVER to be forgotten

Sabrina throwing up the U! at Corn Husker's stadium

A mission is just one big roller coaster...and this week was sure proof of that. The lowest of lows, but also the highest of highs! Anyway, I don't have much time, but I do want to share some of the experience our mission had with President Nelson! The President Nelson! He came to visit our mission on Saturday and it was a GLORIOUS day! So I pray the spirit will guide my little fingers to type quick and to say all the things I want so badly to say! But if this doesn't make any sense, just be patient with me, and know that it was incredible!! 

 Sister Smith's last Day!

Ok, so first off, our mission has been memorizing "The Living Christ" for the past month or so in preparation for President Nelson to come. On Saturday morning all 200 missionaries throughout the whole mission drove into Omaha and gathered together in the Papillion Stake Center to hear his words. One of the members in Omaha offered to take a professional picture of all of us with President and Sister Nelson, so we all lined up in the gym on risers and on chairs and waited eagerly for the Nelsons to arrive. When they walked in we began to recite "The Living Christ" and the spirit was powerful. The moment I say President Nelson I was overcome with emotion so strong my words ceased and my eyes began to overflow. It was as if the Savior himself stepped foot into that room. I was overwhelmed and reassured that Jesus Christ knows me and He loves me, but I was astounded by the reality that I knew Him. I recognized Him. I felt Him. I don't even think there are words to describe how I felt, but it was some mixture of peace, respect, comfort, love, dignity, and gratitude. And it was real! I pray I never forget that moment. As we finished reciting "The Living Christ" the entire room was silent. President Nelson looked at all of us, and with his wife's arm in his he said, "What a perfect gift." We quickly proceeded to take a picture and moments later I was standing face to face with the President of the Quorum of the 12 Apostles. I shook his mighty, yet gentle hand and as I looked into his eyes I saw the Savior in him and I felt worthy, I felt clean, and I felt loved. Those few moments seemed to last for an eternity, and I pray that the memory really will. 

Sabrina and Sister Nueberger 

During the meeting Elder and Sister Carpenter addressed us, Elder and Sister Anderson addressed us, and President and Sister Nelson addressed us. It was the fastest 3 hours of my whole life! And before I knew it we were singing the closing song! And then he was gone. I think what stuck out most to me from the entire meeting was that President Nelson is not perfect, neither is his wife. None of those authorities are! But they are still powerful servants, trying their best, and dedicating their lives to living what the Savior taught and still teaches. President and Sister Nelson were hilarious! They were telling jokes like it was their job and it just cracked me up. I have such a testimony that he is called of God. I know that he holds the priesthood authority and I sustain him and the other leaders of the church as well. What an incredible time we live in! 

There's this quote from Oliver Cowdery at the end of Joseph Smith History and I feel like it just encompasses the feelings of my heart, better than anything else does.... "These [are] days never to be forgotten--to sit under the sound of a voice dictated by the inspiration of heaven..." These really are days that I will never forget. Missions are so special, so sacred and such a gift! I would not give this up for anything!! 

I love you all and I pray that you have a wonderful week filled with miracles, service, and LOVE from ABOVE! 

xoxo, 

Sister Bengtzen 

P.S. When we leave our apartment every morning we take the elevator because it is the easiest way to get to the basement car garage...well this morning Sister Neuberger walked up to the elevator and knocked on it and waited for someone to answer. Hahahahaha then she looked at me and was like "Oh! Shoot! It's an elevator!" I guess you know you are a real life missionary when that happens...#missionarylife #you'vemadeit 

P.P.S. Apparently there is a solar eclipse today....I wonder why nobody has been talking about it? I mean you think it would be a big deal or something? Let's just pray that nobody fries their eyeballs out!  

"We have some killer jams!"

Time is flying...sometimes I wish I could just push pause. These memories, these experiences, they are all going by WAY too fast. But how grateful I am to be in the service of my King. I would not give this mission up for the world. 

Miracles: 

Sabrina, Sister Nueberger and Will the Rapper.

So we were able to take Will the Rapper to the Trail Center this week and it was absolutely incredible. Sis. Neuberger gave him a FANTASTIC tour and let me tell you, I am so blessed to have a companion that served there for so long! The tour really was awesome, but the part that really struck Will was walking around the cemetery and the temple grounds after we finished. We asked him how he felt in the TC and he said the moment he walked in he felt at ease, like he could let his guard down, even if only for a moment. We helped him to recognize that those were the feelings of the spirit and he was just overcome with joy. As we were walking through the grounds he asked if he could touch the temple. We said "Of course!" and walked over to the golden doors. It was the most interesting thing to watch Will struggle to touch the temple. He would hover over the handle, just centimeters from touching it, then sharply turn and walk away. Then he would flip around, square up his shoulders, walk back to the door, and do the same thing. While this internal wrestle was occurring the most peculiar and miraculous thing happened. The temple President walked out of the doors! He looked at us, then at Will, and with a smile on his face he put out his hand and said.."Hi, I'm Don." I thought Will's eyes might just pop out of his head! He shook his hand and they spoke briefly, then the President left and walked to his car and Will continued to stare longingly at the temple doors. The President came back and again looked at Will for some time and said, "You know, I think Heavenly Father would want you to touch it," then with those words the President opened the door and walked inside. Will sat there for about a minute, but it seemed like 10, then very slowly he walked to the temple doors, lifted his hand, and brushed the surface with his fingertips. The moment his hand met the gold the spirit flooded the entire scene. And Sister Neuberger and I were without words. I have never seen anyone recognize so readily the sacredness of the temple. I have never seen anyone treat the house of the Lord in that way, and it was humbling. There are moments you will never forget, and then there are moments you will ALWAYS remember. That was a moment I will ALWAYS remember. 

Also this week we were able to have an incredible church tour with our RS President and our investigator Gloria. Gloria said she simply felt at home at the church and she felt like she needed to come and see what it was all about. Our RS President invited her to come to church and it was so powerful! And SHE CAME! And SHE LOVED IT! We are going to see her again tomorrow, so please keep Gloria and her grandson Jojo in your prayers. 

Also just last night we were walking to our car and our path collided with this kid named Lucas. We began to teach him the Restoration and ended up walking about a mile with him. As we neared his house he stopped and turned to us and said.."I think I need to read this book." We hadn't even invited him to take a copy of the Book of Mormon yet! He was so eager and seemed so hungry for truth. We are going to see him next week, and I have high hopes for him! So pray for him too.

Funnies: 

Ok, let me just set the scene for you. Sister Bengtzen and Amelia (our 19 year old member) in the front seat of Amelia's bright red Dodge Charger... Will the Rapper and Sister Neuberger sitting in the backseat, seatbelts on. 

Will: "Yo, can we turn on some tunes?" 

Me: "Yeah, absolutely! We have some killer jams!" *Turns up the volume and EFY Music begins to blast from the speakers.

Sister Neuberger: "Ahh I love this song!!"

Me: "Oh, I know! This is such a good one!" *Sister missionaries and Amelia begin to sing along

Will: "You have got to be joking me..." 

And that is how we rolled to Omaha and back! An hour and a half round trip! 

Spiritual Thought: 

In my studies today I came upon this scripture in Hebrews 7:19 "For the law made nothing perfect, but the bringing in of a better hope did..." I was thinking about this verse and I was thinking about what it meant by a better hope and a the Living Christ came into my mind. In the last paragraph it talks about how Jesus Christ is the hope of the world, and so I rephrased this scripture in my mind. "For the law made nothing perfect, but Jesus Christ did..." I have a testimony that Jesus Christ is our better hope and through Him the situations and circumstances we face, and someday our own lives, will be made perfect in Him. In D&C 25:10 we are directed to lay aside the things of this world and seek for things of a better. In other words we are commanded to lay aside the things of this world and seek for Jesus Christ. I challenge all of you to seek for Jesus Christ in all that you do. And I know that if ye seek, ye shall find. 

I love you and think of you often. Have a wonderful week! 

xoxo, 

Sister Bengtzen 

Let the Book of Mormon speak for itself!

It's Monday yet again! I think weeks have gotten shorter in the last month. If somebody told me that weeks are now 4 days instead of 7 I would not even have trouble believing it. My calendar is a liar! Anyway, Lincoln is just about as crazy as ever! And Sister Neub and I are having a blast. 

Sister's 

Miracles: 

So this week we had another lesson with Will and it was an INCREDIBLE miracle! We had an awesome training at our last leadership council about letting the Book of Mormon speak for itself, so that is what we did! Each of us prayed individually and then we individually flipped open to a random page of the Book of Mormon and read. We gave Will a highlighter and after about 10 minutes he looked up at us with wide eyes and said, "Did you plan this??? Did you plan the chapter I was going to read???" We told him we weren't quite sure how that would have been possible, haha and assured him that we did not. He looked down at his page, then back at us, and then back at his page and simply said: "interesting...." We all then shared what we read and when we got to Will Sister Neub and I were eager to hear what he had to say. He read Ether 15, which is like the most random chapter, but verse 19 just pierced his heart. It talked about how the spirit ceased to strive with the Jaredites and Satan had great power over their hearts. He told us that he knew that Heavenly Father was talking about him. Satan has great power over his heart and he needs to change. It was the coolest thing because we have been telling Will that for weeks, but he finally felt it for himself! And that was 1000000000x more powerful. 

Also this week we found the most incredible new investigator on exchanges! I was out finding with Sister Church (and can I just say that was a whole other miracle in and of itself, I LOVE THAT GIRL!) and we were trying a former in a trailer park. While we were walking back to our car we saw this woman outside grilling so we walked up to her. As we were walking towards her she looked at us kindof funny and then asked us if we wanted some of her meat. Haha that was such a strange question, but she was cooking BBQ chicken and man it looked SO good, and I am a sucker for some good BBQ chicken. But still we said no, and told her that we were the sister missionaries in the area! We ended up talking to her for about 20 minutes and the spirit was so strong. She is a JW and she ended up opening up to us about some of the things that are going on in her life right now. We shared a scripture with her and all of the sudden she was in tears. She asked us to come back and she told us that she clearly wasn't in the right religion if we were at her door. How incredible it was to see someone with so much faith, so quick! She felt the spirit and she recognized it and trusted in it! Her name is Katievia and I think she has a family, so pray for her! 

Funnies: 

Sabrina and Sister Church on exchanges

This week someone asked me if I was 22!!!! I looked at them for a solid 30 seconds and I think a tear rolled down my cheek. The rest of the conversation didn't go so well, but still! Things are looking up! 

Spiritual thought: 

I think sometimes we all make the gospel too complicated, and I know sometimes I look back at my day and I think about all of the things that I could've done better. But I feel like this quote from President Eyring simply puts it all into perspective. "All He asks of you is to give your best effort and your WHOLE heart." So in the words of Sister Neuberger, "Be like Nike and just do it!"

I LOVE YOU ALL! 

xoxo, 

Sister Bengtzen 

HAY there, Will the Rapper is back!

I cannot believe it is already the last day of July! TIME IS FLYING! But how grateful I am for every single day I have been given to be one of the Lord's full time servants! My mission is something I will never be able to fully thank my Father in Heaven for, but I am sure He knows that. It is amazing to think of how much He loves me, and to be able to see first-hand how much He loves all of those around me. I know I probably talk about it a lot, but I think the greatest miracle I have seen this week is Heavenly Father's love and the effect it can have on hard hearts! 

Miracles: 

Will the Rapper is back at it again! We lost contact with him for a few weeks (and let me tell ya, that is a whole other story) but he reached out to us again this last week and incredible things have happened since then! On Thursday we received a text from him saying "I need Jesus." So we told him boldly that the Savior was willing to help Him, but that He needed to make serious changes in his life. We met with him and it was so powerful. I have never felt or seen Heavenly Father reach out so far to one of his children so lost, confused, and afraid. It's like Will is fighting this battle inside his heart and his head. He feels something, but he is afraid to change, to know the truth, and to become something better than he is. He doesn't know anything different than what he has grown up with, and he definitely didn't grow up knowing Heavenly Father. My heart just aches for him, watching this battle take place, but I know that it is for his good. I wish he could see the angles in front of him, behind him, and round about him, that are fighting for his glory! But then again I wish all of us could see that. He read Mosiah 27 and has a desire to keep reading the Book of Mormon, so that in and of itself is a miracle. He has a long road, but I KNOW that if he chooses to take it, he will change generations. Please pray for him! 

Also, Renee had a rough week and her baptism has been postponed. We are working with her to overcome some concerns and challenges, but I know Heavenly Father has a plan for her and her sweet daughters and we are not going to give up. We don't give up on anyone because Christ never gives up on us! 

Also we had a cool little miracle with a recent convert/less active family this week! The couple had been living together for quite some time without being married, so we committed them to be married! We read the "Proclamation to the Family" with them and it was so cool to see their hearts change. I know that they have been wanting to get married, and that money has been a big issue, but I do believe that reading the proclamation in faith increased their urgency!  And the miracle of it all is that they got married! WOO HOO!!!!!!!!!!!! So please enjoy the attached pictures of Brother and Sister Gray :) 

Sabrina, Sister Nueberger and the Gray family

Funnies: 

Ok, so while we were in our lesson with Will it was SO intense and the spirit was working so hard on him. Sister Neuberger was testifying and mid testimony she looked at Will's feet, then back at him, then back at his feet and paused. Then, with the most serious and intent look on her face she said, "Will, you are wearing Nike's, just do it." Everyone was silent and the spirit was strong. Then all of the sudden will busted up laughing and said, "That was SO lame." Hahahahahahaha I about fell off my chair. I thought it was pretty good! And I think the spirit guided the joke, so Will is lame! 

Standing in a corn field

Sandal tan1

Spiritual thought: 

I read this incredible talk in my studies this morning and it is found in the July 2017 Ensign. It was written by Elder Robert C. Gay and it is entitled "Put the Savior First".  There was this quote in it that I love, and just in case you have not realized by now, I am a quote-aholic! I love them! And I think quotes are often a way Heavenly Father reaches out and teaches me. I digress... Elder Gay said:

"The Lord...expects more of us than words. He expects our personal ministry despite discomfort or personal rejection. He expects us to go into the highways and the byways of people's lives and bring them to the Sacred Grove and to Gethsemane and Calvary." 

I think that has been a theme in my mission lately...the work of discipleship is so much more than teaching or testifying, it is doing and becoming! Just as Elder Gay said we are asked to bring people to the Sacred Grove, to Gethsemane, and Calvary, but how can we do that if we have not been there ourselves? Simply put, we cannot! So not only does it require us reaching out to others, but it requires us reaching out to God. I think about Will and I know that he needs to experience Gethsemane and Calvary this week, and I hope that Sister Neuberger and I, and those we bring with us will have the ability to take him there, through Jesus Christ. 

I love this work and I testify that it is true and it is real! 

I love you all, to the moon and stars, and sun and back! 

xoxo, 

Sister Bengtzen 

Do Mormons live on Mormon Trail??

Happy Pioneer Day! Also someone please tell Bridger Happy Birthday for me this weekend. I LOVE HIM! And I know that even though he does not admit it openly he loves me too. I am his favorite cousin..... sorry Brie! (You lose yet again!)

|Renee and girls

Miracles: 

Renee is doing so well!!! Oh my heavens it has been the most incredible thing to see her heart change! She has been reading the Book of Mormon to her daughters as a bed time story the past couple of nights and she said it has brought great peace into her home. It's incredible to think that the little things we ask investigators to do are the same little things the prophets ask us to do. It must be inspiration from the Lord! I am so grateful to know that He is the one who leads and guides this church. Speaking of church Renee and Bird and Blessen absolutely LOVE church! They look forward to it every single Sunday, and even though they have to get up early, they get up with smiles on their faces! I think the highlight of church for me yesterday was Renee participating in our Gospel Principles class. The teacher asked how we could show God that we love him and without skipping a beat Renee said, "We can go to church!" Amen to that! She is set to be baptized officially on August 5th and she is so excited, she is inviting all of her family members and telling just about the whole world! So please continue to pray for her! 

Bird and Blessing with cute sun dresses.

Also last night, when we went to see Renee after church, her sister Kim was there and we had the chance to visit with her for a little while. Kim said that she had met with Elders when she lived in Kansas City, but that she already had a church home here in Lincoln, and wasn't interested in learning more. We showed both her and Renee a video from LDS.org and then began to focus on Renee. It was so cool to see how Kim's heart softened as she saw our love for Renee and as she heard us talk about Jesus Christ. At the end of our lesson she said the most incredible thing I have ever heard! She said something along the lines of..."Whenever I see missionaries I think about Noah and the ark. God commanded him to build an ark, but no one listened to him when he told them to get on, and because of that all of them were drowned. I wonder if the missionaries are who God is sending to us now, and if they're the ones that are telling us to get on the ark and we are just not listening." It was one of those moments where I felt like someone recognized I was a messenger of the Lord. We told Kim that there was a way she could know for herself if we were from God and that was reading the Book of Mormon and praying. We gave her a copy and she committed to us that she would. What a miracle! I pray that we will have the chance to teach her and her family too! 

Funnies: 

Sabrina and Sister Bryson

So I was on exchanges with Sister Bryson this week. (I LOVE HER!) And we went finding on Mormon Trail, which is a street in our area. Sidenote: We were driving the other day and I almost crashed the car into a curb when I saw the street sign for "Mormon Trail" so needless to say I have been excited to go finding on that street ever since. Anyway, we knocked on this door and a man answered with the most angry looking face I have ever seen in my life. His name was Elias. I started to tell him that we were missionaries from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and he just looked at me with a blank stare and said, "What do you want?" So I decided that I was going to brighten his day and I responded with..."Sir, we are the MORMON missionaries, and you live on MORMON TRAIL!" He did not even blink. "Sir" I said, "Your street is named after US!" With no change in his expression he looked at me and said, "Are you telling me there are a bunch of Mormons that live on this street?" "Uhh....well..no..." I said. Then he shut the door. 

Haha Sister Bryson just looked at me and laughed. I really tried! 

Sabrina on splits with Sister Stockings and Sister Depp

Spiritual thought: 

We had Zone Conference this week, and ZC is always a spiritual highlight of the transfer! But there was something special about this Zone Conference. I think part of it was that I got to see Buffy! (Bishop O'Brien's sister!) But I also think it was because the spirit was so strong and all the missionaries came prepared and ready to be taught. Anyway, the theme of the meeting was teaching through the power of the Holy Ghost and during the meeting the Holy Ghost placed a question in my mind that I have been pondering ever since. Do I love my investigators enough to ALWAYS maintain the companionship of the Holy Ghost? As I have been pondering this question I have recognized that it isn't just about me as a missionary and my investigators, but this question can be applied to all of us, no matter where we are! Do we love our families, friends, co-workers, etc. enough to ALWAYS maintain the companionship of the Holy Ghost? Do we love our Father in Heaven enough to ALWAYS maintain the companionship of the Holy Ghost? 

President Gardner challenged each of us to think about what percentage of our day that we feel the companionship of the Holy Ghost, and then he committed us to increase it, whatever it may be. I want to challenge all of you to do the same! I know that the Holy Ghost is one of the greatest gifts of God and so often we take it for granted. But we have it, and we need it, so we MUST do our best to keep it with us. I am so grateful for the companionship of the Holy Ghost in my teaching, in my bearing testimony, in my finding, in ALL that I do. I would be lost without it. 

I love you all and I hope you have an incredible week! 

xoxo, 

Sister Bengtzen 

Pictures:  

1) Exchanges with Sister Stocking and Sister Deppe

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​2) Amelia Saltzman...the one and only (she's in our ward)

3) Exchanges with Sister Bryson

4) Renee!! 

5) Bird and Blessen