2 Night Stay in Fort Collins?

So as you will see from the attached pictures we spent Christmas Eve and Christmas night in a fantastic homemade fort complete with packing tape and bed sheets. Since my companion's name is Sister Collins and she reluctantly agreed to allow crazy me to build a fort, I thought it fitting to name it after her. Thus we had a two-night stay in Fort Collins! Did you know there is a real Fort Collins? It's in Colorado or something...I dunno. Nevertheless it was awesome.

HELLO! Talking to all of you on Christmas was the best Christmas gift I could have EVER asked for! You all look so happy and so healthy and so grown up. Thank you for being you and for helping and supporting me out here. I am so grateful that I have a family like you to love and to look after me and to help me someday to return to live with Heavenly Father. I hope all of you were able to focus on Christ this Christmas and remember the real reason we celebrate it. We don't just celebrate the birth of a holy infant, but the life and the sacrifice of our Redeemer and Our Savior...Jesus Christ. Some of the most sacred experiences I have ever had have occurred in just these past few weeks and I am so grateful that Heavenly Father has gave me the opportunity to spend Christmas doing his work and in his vineyard. There is nothing like Christmas in the mission field and I loved it! I still love it. The best part is that I get to continue spreading those good tidings of great joy all year long, and I am so happy. So, so happy!

So this week was a week full of miracles and a week full of joy! And Christmas! Haha

Miracles: 

About a week and a half ago we had a lesson with our investigators Kellie and Dave. (Fun fact I found out last week that I have been spelling Kellie's name wrong for 3 months. Nice going Sister Bengtzen! Haha heavens above I am such a mere mortal...) Anyway, we began to teach them about relying on Christ and trusting in His timing and His will and it was a great lesson. They were preparing to leave for court the next day to fight for custody of Dave's daughter Jasmine, and they were very stressed and worried. The lesson we prepared was fitting, but the spirit made it clear that there was something more that needed to be taught. I opened my mouth and out come a powerful testimony of the strength in relying on Christ and giving our burdens to him. It was overwhelming and I have no idea what I said! But I do remember that I made Dave a promise through the spirit that if he prepared to be baptized and did all he could to give his burden to Christ that he would receive custody of his daughter. We fasted and prayed fervently on the day of court and the Lord wrought a mighty miracle for the Lonas family! Dave won custody of Jasmine and she gets here today! She has been attending church with some of her family members and has been eager to be baptized for about 2 years. She recently turned 8 and is so excited to prepare for baptism with her father and her grandmother. They have been meeting with missionaries for years and years and I know that Heavenly Father truly has a plan for them, and that it is all in his timing. They are all together, and are ready to be baptized, as a family!...and someday to be sealed for time and all eternity. I can hardly contain my joy! Heavenly Father's plan is so much greater than mine or theirs!!

Also on Christmas night we were able to see Angela and Katie and we had the most powerful lesson with them. Probably one of the most powerful lessons I have been a part of on my mission. We talked all about Christ and his birth and his life and it was the perfect way to end our Christmas night. Sadly they are moving to a different area, but they are still preparing to get baptized and I know Heavenly Father is mindful of them and will send them where they need to be!

On Christmas Day we had church and Phyllis' husband Richard came!! HE CAME! It was so wonderful. Slowly his heart is softening...very slowly..haha but I know that someday he will accept it. Turns out his brother and sister in law are out serving an LDS mission right now! How cool is that?? I want to meet them someday.

All in all Christmas was wonderful and Christmas Eve was wonderful and I just don't have time to express all my joy and share all the miracles, but someday soon you will all hear about it!

Funnies:

We had Zone Conference this week and I dressed up as a Grandma...it's a real long story, but lemme tell ya...I make a killer Grandma. This senior couple serving here thinks I should pursue acting! So who knows what my future holds...

Also my Mama sent me a tension band for Christmas and I used it this morning and I think I used it wrong...haha my shoulders are so sore.

Spiritual thought:

So on Christmas night Sister Collins and I got stranded in our car for a minute, but it turned out to be one of the most insightful study sessions I have had on my mission. I read Mosiah 3 and was overwhelmed by the enormity and enduring love of the Atonement. I don't think it is ever something I will fully comprehend, but I am grateful that the Lord allows me to learn line upon line and precept upon precept. As I read I was especially struck by verse 7. "And lo, he shall suffer temptations, and pain of body, hunger, thirst, and fatigue, even more than man can suffer, except it be unto death; for behold blood cometh from every pore..." This week we have been studying and teaching a lot about addiction and overcoming addictions, and at times I feel so inadequate because I don't exactly understand those temptations and pains feel like. However, as I read this verse something became very clear to me. Christ has felt the pain of addiction and temptation, and because he has felt it he not only knows how to help them, but he knows how to help me help them. He knows what they need and through the spirit he can help me to share what needs to be shared. The Atonement enables us to do things that we cannot do on our own, and I know that to be true. I know that on my own I cannot help these people, I cannot teach, I cannot testify. But with Christ I can. I urge each of you this week to remember the Atonement and it's enabling power, and recognize those things you cannot do on your own, but that you CAN do with Christ. Plead more earnestly for his help. He is always there, and he WILL help you. I can promise you that.

I love you all and I hope you have a wonderful and exciting New Years!

All my love,

Sister Bengtzen