Welcome to CAR-KNEE

 Sabrina and her new companion Sister Church (and a really big potato)

Sabrina at Leadership conference

Alright team...do y'all remember when we fantasized about my mission being full of corn and cows and hay. Well HAY! Here we are! Nine months in and we finally made it to real small town Nebraska! 

I LOVE KEARNEY! 

I am currently serving in both a family ward and the YSA branch out here and our area is HUGE. Like it takes hours and hours to drive the entire length or width of our area. So that's something really different, and really fun! Sister Church is absolutely amazing. Like no joke, we get along super well and I already know the next 6 weeks are gonna fly by faster than a mosquito running from a fly swatter. Which is a bummer. But we are going to see miracles and we are going to take Kearney by storm. 

The YSA branch has maybe 20 active members...which is a little different from your average Provo YSA ward...but they are all solid and they love sharing the gospel with their friends. We are really working to help it grow! The family ward is fairly big and their are a ton of incredible families in the ward, so I am excited to get to know them. All in all this is gonna be a real adventure. 

Sabrina, Jo Lind and her big potato

Miracles: 

Our car has heated seats!!!! 

That is all...

Just kidding! There is one major miracle that I have been SO excited to share with you! So there is this lady that has been investigating for about 6 months here in Kearney and her name is Pam. Now here is some background about Pam. She is 58 and she has made some really rough decisions all of her life. 2 years ago all of those rough decisions gave her alcohol poisoning and she literally died. Long story short, she came back to life and all of her memory was gone. She doesn't remember her children, her ex-husbands, her friends, her mom, nothing. She has no idea what she's done in her life and she had to re-learn how to walk, talk, read, etc. etc. Now if that isn't crazy I don't know what is! Anyway, she is a completely different person today than she was. Her entire heart has changed and the gospel has played a HUGE part in that. I met her and instantaneously fell in love with her. She is the sweetest thing in the world! 

Well about 3 weeks or so ago she finally set a baptismal date. She committed to be baptized on March 25th! Which is happy! But as we were planning Sister Church and I both felt like that was too far away. She has been ready for so long, and waiting another month simply allows more time for the adversary to work and distract her. Why postpone the blessings? So we felt prompted to go over and to give her a mock baptismal interview. The last question basically asks the investigator if they are ready to make this sacred covenant with God. As we asked the question Pam confidently and happily responded. "Yes!" Jokingly (but not really jokingly) I told her she could be baptized this Saturday! And she said "ok." LIKE WHAT?! She said OK! So we are currently scrambling to plan her baptism and we could not be more excited about it. SHE IS SO READY! The entire ward is so excited and I just cannot wait to see how it all comes together. It's amazing how much love Heavenly Father can give you for complete strangers. He really does love us and know each of us perfectly. 

Funnies: 

The other day we ran out of windshield washer fluid and so we went to the gas station to get some. All we could see were these huge bottles and so we were confused and started asking people if they sold any smaller. People kept looking at us weird! (WE CLEARLY DON'T KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT CARS) Anyway we bought the fluid, but didn't have a funnel, and didn't want to spill it all over the engine...so naturally Sister Church just dumped it on the window while I turned on the wipers ferociously fast. Not to worry...we eventually figured out how to pour it in and used the ENTIRE bottle. So there's that.

Sabrina, Sister Smith and Sister Church

Sabrina at leadership conference in Omaha

Spiritual thought: 

I feel like I learn so much every single day. It's incredible. But lately I have been thinking a lot about asking questions. One thing I love about the gospel is that we MUST ask questions. We MUST seek for truth and we MUST turn to God. Joseph Smith was the perfect example of this. Like James 1:5 teaches, he lacked wisdom, so he chose to ask of God. But like James 1:6 directs, he asked in faith, nothing wavering. 

Questions are good, questions are NECESSARY, but we must ask in faith...nothing wavering.  

“Questions are not just good, they are vital because the ensuing spiritual wrestle leads to answers, knowledge, revelation, … and greater faith.”  

-Sheri Dew

I encourage all of you who have questions to ASK them, but make sure you ASK of GOD. 

I love you all and I hope you have the greatest week yet! 

xoxo, 

Sister Bengtzen

Her name was Kimberly!!

Well hello everyone! Quit writing me and telling me that I am halfway done with my mission!!! Haha I am very well aware and reading the fact in email form does not make it any more acceptable!

This week has been a whirlwind to say the least, and I don't have a ton of time so I'll be quick! But I apologize in advance if none of this makes sense because my brain is mush. 

Miracles: 

Quite honestly we had one of the most incredible miracles of my mission this week. It is AMAZING! So here goes. I call it the miracle of Manuel! 

During our weekly planning session last week we had two revelatory experiences that led to this miracle. 1) We felt inspired to pray specifically for a family with a mother named Kimberly and 2) We felt inspired to see one of our less active members named Phyllis and share a message about missionary work coupled with the invitation for her to come on a team up with us! We made our plans to see Phyllis on Tuesday and then went on with our work. Tuesday came and Sister Collins and I prepared a very inspired lesson plan for Phyllis, which included a role play of her bearing testimony. The lesson went wonderful and Phyllis excitedly committed to come on a team up with us! As we were saying the closing prayer, a man named Manuel, who is living in her house for a time, walked in and listened. After we finished he began talking about religion and we had the opportunity to share the message of the Restoration with him. As we were finishing Phyllis piped in and began to share the most powerful and simple testimony of the Book of Mormon. Which is EXACTLY what we had committed her to do! Ahh the Lord absolutely prepared her, and she took a step of faith and followed the direction of the spirit.  With tears in his eyes Manuel committed to read the introduction of the Book of Mormon and to pray. As we were gathering his information I asked him about his family and asked him what his wife's name was. 

Kimberly...her name was Kimberly...!

Sister Collins and I quietly gasped, and both received a witness that this was the family we had been specifically praying for. And we found him in the last place we thought we would!!! 

I know that​​​​​​ Heavenly Father has his hand in every phase of this work, and that He answers specific prayers. 

We were able to go back and see him on Saturday and teach him the full message of the Restoration with Phyllis present. It was one of the most powerful experiences thus far on my mission. We taught by the power of the Holy Ghost and he listened by the power of the Holy Ghost. His family is currently in Tennessee, but this weekend they are moving here to Omaha and are actually living in the same apartment complex as the Papillion Sisters. What a miracle! I know that their family is ready to make the changes they need in order to return to their Heavenly home, and I am so excited for them to continue to learn and progress! I love this work!!

              Sabrina saying goodbye to the Devasharayee's. This is the Young Women's president in her ward. The Husband in this picture must love Sabrina tons cause he is a Huge BYU fan but she gave him the hat as a goodbye gift. 

Funnies: 

So I was reading in 1 Nephi the other day and I swear the spirit brought the funniest joke to my mind. Seriously. He has a great sense of humor. 

Why did Laman and Lemuel murmur all the time? 

Because their life was "IN-TENTS"! 

Hahahaha! 

Funny ways to say goodbye so no tears before heading to Kearney!

Spiritual thought: 

This week I was thinking about the scripture in 2 Corinthians 5:7 that explains how in this life we are to "walk by faith, not by sight." And as I was reading in 1 Nephi I thought about how Nephi was such a great example of that. He kept records for a wise purpose which he knew not, (1 Nephi 6:5) he trusted the spirit to guide him, even though he had no idea beforehand what he should do (1 Nephi 4:6) and he trusted that the Lord would prepare a way for him to accomplish any commandment he was given, even though he didn't know exactly how (1 Nephi 3:7). I was wondering how he was able to have such faith and as I was pondering upon that the scriptures provided me with an answer. 1 Nephi 11:17 "I know that [God] loveth his children; nevertheless I do not know the meaning of all things." Nephi understood the love of God, he did not understand all things, but he knew that God loved him and that lead him to have faith in Christ. As we come to know the true character of God and to understand the divine gift of His Son Jesus Christ,

 then we are able to walk by faith, rather than sight. We recognize that we are in good hands, we are in God's hands, and that He is bound to reward us with eternal joy and life if we do what he asks of us. We are His children. He loves us! 

"We come from the heavenly courts of the Lord our God. We are the literal spirit children of diving, immortal, and omnipotent Heavenly Parents! We are of the royal house of Elohim, the most High God. We walked with Him in our premortal life. We heard Him speak, witness His majesty, learned His ways." 

- President Uchtdorf

Don't forget that! You are a child of God, and He loves you.

I love you all! Have the best week! 

xoxo, 

Sister Bengtzen 

P.S. Transfer calls came and I am on my way to a town called Kearney, NE and I am SO excited! It will be an adventure. I will update you more next week. 

I am heartbroken to leave Chalco Hills, but I know they will be in good hands, and I guess the Lord just needs to give me more people to love! Ahh missions....goodbyes are the worst.

God answers SPECIFIC prayers

OLO?! Oh wait...Hello!

lol :)

(I hope you all get that reference and if not I am not coming home...ever)

Sabrina and District with President and Sister Gardner

Miracles:

We had one of the coolest miracles this week!

So during zone conference and MLC our mission president began encouraging us to pray more specifically, because we know that when we pray specifically we get specific answers! So this week, we prayed specifically to find a family with a daughter named Lucy. And that prayer was answered!
We were going to try a potential investigator around noon on Saturday and as we were driving down the street I saw a little girl in a window and felt prompted to turn around and go talk to them. We turned around, parked the car, prayed, and walked to their door. The father (Justin) was outside doing yard work and as we walked up to him he immediately shut us down and tried to turn us away. As we were talking his daughter came outside and began to sing and dance and seek all the attention she could, as any two year old would. We asked her what her name was and her father told us her name was Lucy. My heart skipped at least 3 beats. I KNEW this was the family that we had prayed for, and that Heavenly Father had led us to them. We shared with him a brief Restoration and asked if he had read the Book of Mormon and he got really contentious and asked if we wanted to debate about it. We told him we did not, but that we simply have been called of God to share a message about families. His heart began to soften, and he apologized for being so rude and we continued to testify. He saw that we were holding both the Book of Mormon and the Bible and he asked about it. We were able to testify to him that we know both are true and that both hold the word of God! Again his heart was softened. He accepted a Book of Mormon and committed to read it. I am not sure what will happen, but I know that Heavenly Father prepared a way for us to at least plant a seed, and someday that family will have the opportunity to fully hear the message of the Restored Gospel and choose for themselves to accept it.

Sabrina, Sister Bryson and Wayne

Also this week Wayne committed to stop drinking coffee and he is now two days coffee free! Oh my goodness he is the greatest man. He came to church yesterday and stayed all three hours again and just soaked it up. He is set to be baptized on March 11th, so keep him in your prayers. I know he can reach that date!

And Kesha and Mike and their two little boys also came to church this week. I cannot express the joy I felt sitting next to a family preparing to receive the message of the restored gospel. My heart sang and I don't think anything or anyone could have wiped that smile off my face. The excitement was contagious, and the whole ward is eager about this new family! We are going to set Mike for baptism tonight, so keep that in  your prayers as well.

Funnies:

Sabrina & Sister Bryson

I think if you all were to watch my life currently you would think the entire thing is funny. I thought 9 months into my mission I would sort of have a clue about what I am doing. I have no idea. But I try my best!

Oh we prayed specifically for a family with a red truck this week and we felt prompted to go to an area that had like 7 red trucks. We were SO excited. We tried every door and every single person slammed the door in our face. Haha it definitely was a trial of faith! And the best part about it was that I studied trials of faith that morning....Heavenly Father truly does prepare us every day if we study the scriptures and say our prayers! That is for sure.

Spiritual thought:

I heard this quote from a Christian philosopher in church yesterday and I thought I would share it because it really put things into perspective for me.

"Life must be understood backward. But...it must be lived forward."

- Soren Kierkegaard

I think sometimes in life we let the past keep us from living the future. The beauty of the gospel is that Christ did not suffer the Atonement to hold us back, but to propel us forward. His grace is sufficient. His mercy is enough. His love is endless.

I love you all! So, so much.

xoxo,

Sister Bengtzen

Lost and FOUND

Sabrina @ leadership conference

Y'all have no idea how accurate that subject line is, because lemme tell you! This entire week has been a real life lost and found. So stay tuned...

The Fabulous 4: Sister Collins, Sabrina, Sister Bryson, Sister Orton

Miracles: 

So last week I mentioned a little bit about a less active member who lives in our apartment complex and has a family! Well this week we finally had the opportunity to teach them and it was incredible! She opened up to us about her fears and her hesitations with the gospel and we were able to teach and testify so powerfully. We talked a lot about faith and her husband listened in on the entire lesson. They are both eager to receive answers directly from Heavenly Father, and we are eager to teach them. This week we are going to invite them to church, so PLEASE keep them in your prayers! I am so grateful that Heavenly Father has led us to one of his lost sheep, and know she has been FOUND! 

Also this week our investigator Wayne came to church and he stayed all three hours! He is this cute 60 year old man and I just love him. The entire ward was thrilled to have him there and it was just so happy! He said he felt great peace being at church. It was an incredible miracle because he actually got a phone call halfway through the meeting telling him his brother tried to commit suicide the night before. He was so grateful to be in a place where he could feel God's love, not only for him, but for his brother. Heavenly Father is so aware of each of his children. 

Also like three weeks ago I lost a sock doing laundry and this morning I FOUND it in the hallway of our apartment complex. Miracle! 

Funnies: 

Sister Bryson and Sabrina

A few weeks ago Sister Bryson threw my glove out the car window just because she is Sister Bryson and that is how she rolls...haha! Well anyway, this was like 3 weeks ago and I have been so sad and glove-less since! But this week we prayed and felt inspired to try a potential investigator's home and as we pulled up there was my glove sitting on the sidewalk!How crazy is that?! What was once lost has now been FOUND. Plus we knocked on the door of the potential's home and FOUND a family to teach! 

Sister's and Sushi

Sabrina and Sister Orton

Spiritual thought: 

This week I have been thinking a lot about the sacrament, and what it does for us each and every week. Besides it being a renewal of our baptismal covenants,the sacrament is also a time for us to remember our Savior and all that his Atonement makes possible for us. 

 On the day that our Savior was resurrected, two disciples traveled a long road to a village known as Emmaus. As they walked, the Resurrected Lord drew near unto them and accompanied them on their journey, unrecognized by his disciples. They invited him to meat with them and while there "he took bread, and blessed it, and brake, and gave to them...And their eyes were opened and they knew him..." (Luke 24:13-16,28-31)

 

I think we are so often like these two disciples.We go through our own journey to Emmaus and the Savior walks by our side all the while, unrecognized. One of the greatest blessings of the sacrament is that it opens our eyes to the Savior. It helps us remember Him and look back on our week, seeing his hand in all we did. 

"As we draw closer to God, [by partaking the sacrament] the enabling power of the Atonement of Jesus Christ will come into our lives. And, as with the disciples on the way to Emmaus, we will find that the Savior has been nearby all along." 

- Elder Dale G. Rendlund 

I love you all and I hope you have the best week! Thank you for the support and the love and the laughs. Keep on keeping on! 

xoxo, 

Sister Bengtzen 

My companion thinks I am a pathological liar

Guess what team? Sister Collins is BACK! And it's been a riot since Saturday. This whole week I have just laughed way too hard. Sister Bryson thinks I am crazy and Sister Collins has fully accepted that fact, so things are good. I spent most of the week with Sister Bryson, and Sister Collins had a blast in the other area and we are all just enjoying the craziness of the entire situation.

Before I begin, Ron and Mary dropped us, so there's that. But it's ok because I know they will accept it someday. We planted a real good seed!

Also Junior Ehmes cannot be baptized this week, but he is working towards it! So it will come soon!

Miracles:

I just want to share three super quick miracles with you this week that have really been HUGE tender mercies! And they all occurred in our apartment complex!

The first occurred on Saturday. Sister Collins and I had half of a left over Costco pizza from a member who took us to lunch, so we decided to give it to our neighbors because why not? Well we took the opportunity to share the gospel with them and as we were talking Sister Collins asked the most inspired question! The entire mood of the conversation changed and the spirit witnessed to these two young adults that if they wanted to receive an answer they had to ACT. Both of them accepted a Book of Mormon and committed to read it and pray.

The second miracle occurred just yesterday. I have been thinking about this random less active member on our roster and yesterday we decided to knock on her door (which is in our apartment complex). Her husband let us in and she told us that she has been thinking a LOT about the church lately and that all of these verses from the Book of Mormon have been floating around in her head. We set a return appointment and her husband who isn't a member said he would be willing to meet with us too! A FAMILY!

Then finally, earlier this week with Sister Bryson we decided to introduce ourselves to our next door neighbor and we ended up sharing the message of the Restoration with her and specifically focused on the Atonement. She cried and cried and told us that she was too busy with work to meet with us, but that she appreciated us coming. We gave her our number and I am confident that someday she will call!

Funnies:

We had a lesson on honesty in Gospel Principles this week and Sister Collins is convinced I am a pathological liar. (But I think she is just joking...or at least I hope) Anywho, after church we went to see a less active islander family and I told them that we have been practicing Karate AS A JOKE and she called me out on it. Maybe I am a pathological liar...but the first step is admitting you have a problem, so we are on the mend!

Also this week I was trying to break the ice with this REALLY angry lady and I told her that I wanted to dye my hair pink. She totally softened and we were able to share the message of the Restoration and commit her to read the Book of Mormon. Plus she also offered to dye my hair for me, so we will see what comes of that! Hahaha

Spiritual thought:

Wow, ok! So Sister Bryson is like the most knowledgeable human ever, so she always shares the most insightful things, and I feel like my studies this week have been better than they ever have before! Which is so rad.

But anyway, I learned something this week that I absolutely love. But I can only share a small portion. So to explain this small slice of what I learned this week I will use the words of Elder Bednar, because they are much greater than my own.

"Taking ACTION is the exercise of faith.

When the children of Israel were carrying the ark of the covenant, they came to the River Jordan.

The promise was, that they would cross on dry land.

When did the water part?

When their feet were wet."

- Elder David A. Bednar

Faith, we learn, is a principle of ACTION and power. We cannot have faith in something if we do not act. That's why it is so crucial that we invite others to ACT (read the Book of Mormon, pray, come to church, etc.) so that they can increase their faith in Christ. The action always proceeds the miracle. We must act in faith in order to receive the blessings that God has for us to receive. Sometimes it takes much more than a step of faith, sometimes it requires us to leap, but I promise you that if you leap into the water and get your feet wet, that the Lord will help you cross on dry ground.

I love you all and I love being a missionary. I LOVE BEING A MISSIONARY!

xoxo,

Sister Bengtzen

Change is the only constant!

Sister Orton, Sister Collins, Sabrina, Sister Bryson 

This week has been unlike any other. To be honest it has been the hardest week of my mission. But that's ok. I am hanging in there. There's nothing I can't do without Christ. And he is carrying me through. I love the scripture D&C 88:6. It has given me so much comfort this week. "He that ascended up on high, as also he descended below all things, in that he comprehended all things, that he might be in all and through all things..." No matter how low I feel, or how dark things seem, Christ has descended below it all, and he will lift me up.

Me and Sister Bryson taking a picture before we go e-mail cause we forgot to take pictures!

So there's been another change! Haha because that is the only constant. A sister in the mission had to go home this week, so there was a sister (Sister Orton) left without a companion. So long, long story short...Sister Bryson and I are here in Chalco Hills for about a week then Sister Collins and I will be here for a week then Sister Bryson and I, then Sister Collins and I. On alternating weeks they will be with the Sister Orton in her area so she has a companion and both areas can remain open! So it's confusing and unique and unorthodox but it works and it's an adventure!

New Missionary training group

But the good news is that we had an incredible miracle with an investigator couple we are teaching this week! Their names are Ron and Mary. They came to church and Mary was SO upset after. She wanted to know what people's testimonies and stories had to do with her and God. She was so contentious, but we simply bore testimony and the promise in D&C 100:5 came to pass. We were not confounded before her. We saw them last night after church and discerned that Mary wasn't even reading the Book of Mormon or praying. We committed her to do so and to give God her full effort to know the truth and to understand. At first she asked why? And in response we called upon the powers of heaven and asked her a question that certainly didn't come from us, but from the spirit. "What would have happened if Jesus Christ wouldn't have given his full effort?" She was silent. Absolutely silent. So together we read the first chapter and she knelt and prayed right there. Her prayer was so sincere and I know it was because the spirit was there. I am so grateful that we are not in this alone. The spirit is the real teacher and I recognize that more and more every day.

I gotta run but I love you all! Thanks for your prayers and your love.

 New Missionary training with President Gardner

xoxo,

Sister Bengtzen

P.S. So about my hair. I needed a haircut, but I was wearing my glasses, so the lady cutting my hair asked me to take them off so they wouldn't interfere. Well fun fact...I AM BLIND. Anyway, I was talking to her about the gospel, and wasn't paying very good attention to what she was doing, and I couldn't see, so she cut off like 7 inches. But that's ok! It grows back. And she accepted a Book of Mormon. So it was all worth it.

And then there were THREE!

So... our dynamic duo is now a triple threat. Look out Chalco Hills, we comin' for you! 

Sister Bryson (more widely known as Lauren through the streets of Holladay, Utah) is now Sister Collins' and my new companion! Which means we are in a trio!! Haha and they are both brand new missionaries, so the greenie fire is burning real bright! They have so much energy and enthusiasm for the work, which makes it much more enjoyable as we tackle the frigid wasteland that is currently Omaha, Nebraska. Just wish us a lot of luck and send us a lot of prayers because we are going to need them! 

I don't have much time so I will be quick. 

Miracles: 

We finally set Kellie and Dave and Jazmyn for a date!!! They are preparing to be baptized on February 11th, but the no smoking thing is really hard. So please, please keep them in your prayers. We have a goal and we are going to get them there! Slowly but surely they are progressing and they will make it. 

So our investigator Junior Ehmes is set for the 4th of February, and my goodness, miracles upon miracles upon miracles! Heavenly Father knows he needs this now, and he's doing everything he can to help him get there. This week there was supposed to be this huge ice storm, so on Sunday all of the three wards that meet in our building were combined for sacrament meeting at 9. We didn't hear about it until late Saturday night so we were in a rush to try and notify everyone. Well Junior would not answer his phone or his door, so we were just heartbroken. He has worked so hard to set a date, and we knew that if he didn't come to church he couldn't be baptized the 4th. Well miracles are REAL. Sister Ehmes happened to check her email that Saturday night, which she never does, and she got an email from our Stake President telling everyone about the change. So just as we were about the get seated for sacrament meeting we saw Junior and Sister Ehmes walk in all dressed and showered and even with tithing slips in their hands! I COULD HARDLY BELIEVE IT. I am so grateful this work is his and not mine, his ways are so much greater than mine! 

Also this week we found a new investigator and her name is Anja and she is from Germany. She pulled into her driveway as we were knocking on another door and so naturally we ran up and talked to her. We got her a German Book of Mormon and she has already read like 3 chapters and she is praying about it. She even committed to come to church, and she hasn't been to church since she has been in America! She is so wonderful...and blunt. I love her. 

Funnies: 

So Sister Collins started driving this week, which means I get the passenger seat... If any of y'all know the person who designs Ford Fusions send me their address because I need to give them a piece of my mind! The passenger seat is at least 7 inches lower than the drivers and I cannot see over the dang dash board! But it's OK because I am intuitive and we have an old pillow we don't use. In a way it's kind of like a win-win because I get a really cushiony seat and I feel extra tall. 

Also, we got grounded because of this whole "ice storm Jupiter" mumbo jumbo and a member was very concerned that we might starve, so she gave us a bottle of cheese whiz. 

Spiritual thought: 

This week I was reading in Ether and there were two verses that really stuck out to me, and gave me a different perspective. That always happens! I love the scriptures. 

Ether 2:24-25 

"Nevertheless, I will bring you up again out of the depths of the sea; for the winds have gone forth out of my mouth, and also the rains and the floods have I sent forth.

And behold, I prepare you against these things; for ye cannot cross this great deep save I prepare you against the waves of the sea, and the winds which have gone forth, and the floods which shall come." 

Christ is fully aware of every trial he sends our way, but he also has prepared and is preparing us to face them. He will not let us drown if we reach out to him, like the apostle Peter as he walked on water. He knows what is coming our way and if we turn to him we will be prepared, and we shall not fear. 

I love this gospel. I love being on a mission. I love all of you. 

Have the best week! 

xoxo, 

Sister Bengtzen