Y'all can call me Spiderwoman

Miracles:
KELLY AND DAVE! Ok so a few months ago Sister Rook and her old companion got them as a referral from some Elders in the Salem, Oregon mission. Well long story short they met with them once then they said they didn't want to meet with missionaries again. Well, Sister Rook felt prompted to return to visit them this last week and wow. I have no words. When we knocked Kelly opened the door and let us right in. We sat down and she proceeded to tell us that she had been having a really rough past couple of days and that she had prayed for an hour or so last night to God that he would send her a blessing and send her help. She knew we were an answer to her prayer. She said that every time she prayed or needed help she would turn around and the Mormon missionaries would show up (they have been meeting with missionaries for like years.) So we talked with Kelly and her son Dave and bore testimony and cried and all that good stuff and then set up a return appointment. It was an incredible miracle, and the spirit was strong as we spoke with them about our Heavenly Father's love and the truthfulness of this church. Well, the miracle continues! We were sitting on our bench yesterday at church, waiting for our new investigator Jake to walk in, when Kelly and Dave came into the chapel, Book of Mormons in hand! Sister Rook and I practically jumped off the bench in astonishment! We had no idea they were coming. Members of the ward quickly noticed and reached out in welcome and friendship, which was an instantaneous answer to about a million silent pleadings in my heart. Midway through the meeting Kelly leaned over to Sister Rook and asked her how all of the people knew it was their turn to get up and say their testimonies. Sister Rook explained that they were guided by the spirit and not even two minutes later Kelly was up at the pulpit. She bore the most powerful and simple testimony I have ever heard, about how much love she has felt from the Mormons, about all the trials she has faced with her son and his brain injury, and about how she knows this is true. She can feel it in her bones! Then Dave got up and bore a sweet testimony, and all the sudden the ward was in tears and everyone was getting up to bear testimony! It was by far the most powerful sacrament meeting I have ever been apart of. I was tingling the entire hour and could not wipe the smile off of my face for anything. It was all so centered in Christ and for a moment I felt his presence there, sitting right beside me. I know that he loves Kelly and Dave, and my goodness I do too! Please keep them in your prayers!

Also we met this investigator the other week named Jake. We talked to him in a parking lot and he told us one of his good friends had just passed away in a tragic accident. We taught him the Plan of Salvation and it brought him so much comfort and peace. We then met with him later in the week and taught him the Restoration and he was able to come to church yesterday. He showed up in his John Deere hat, old jeans, and some steel toed boots. It was awesome. He is such a sincere guy and his heart is so open. The meeting was powerful yesterday and he felt the spirit strong and said he couldn't wait to come back.

Pueleen and Brian are doing well! We were able to take Pueleen and a less active member to watch the General Women's broadcast and it was AMAZING. They both absolutely loved it and are getting really excited for General Conference this coming week. Which by the way, I CANNOT WAIT! I AM SO EXCITED! But keep them in your prayers too, because they really need to be married sooner than later. Satan is working hard on them!

Funnies:

Alright y'all, our apartment is infested with spiders and other small creepers, and my companion seems to have a paralyzing fear of such things, so I have to kill them all! Ahh it has been a real trial...haha but lemme tell you. I have become a master. The little devils don't even bother me anymore. Ya know what they say, "when the going gets tough, the tough decide they are finally gonna grow up and learn to kill the 8 legged monsters"

Dave loves to call Kelly Mama. So when he got up to bear his testimony in church he kept saying "Mama this" and "Mama that". It reminded me of all the times that Jakey and I would quote Johnny Bravo: "Mama, make me a chicken fried steak." I forgot how stellar my Johnny Bravo impersonation was. My comp doesn't think it is as funny as I do, but she will learn.

The other day we were getting ready to go see a potential and I was giving us a little pep talk in the car, because that is necessary sometimes, and of course I included a quote from Marcel the Shell with Shoes. (stellar YouTube video...I recommend that all of you see it if you haven't yet) Well Sister Rook decided to take a big old gulp of water before that and then proceeded to burst into laughter spewing water all over the passenger side of the car and into my fresh bag of trail mix. :( It took us about 15 minutes to stop laughing and finally get out of the car. Sometimes it surprises me when she actually laughs at my jokes...

Spiritual thought:

This morning I was reading in Alma 37 and I came across verses 14-17. This is Alma's counsel to his son Helaman about keeping the records (the Book of Mormon) sacred and safe. It talks about how the Lord has entrusted Alma, and now Helaman, with the records, and that they were written and preserved in the wisdom of the Lord, for a very wise purpose. While reading this it got me thinking about the fact that the Lord has entrusted me, as a member of the church, with the Book of Mormon, and a knowledge of it. These records that prophets spent their lives protecting and keeping are now in my hands! And I thought about how I often I take the Book of Mormon for granted, or how often I don't treat it as sacredly as I should. Then I started thinking about all of the other things Heavenly Father has entrusted me with: a wonderful family, a knowledge of the gospel, a testimony of the Plan of Salvation, etc. etc. Do I treat all of these things as sacred as I should? In verse 16 it reads, "But if ye keep the commandments of God, and do with these things which are sacred according to that which the Lord doth command you. behold, no power of earth or hell can take them from you, for God is powerful to the fulfilling of all his words." That is such a powerful promise! We are taught that if we treat these things sacredly (by keeping the commandments of God and trusting Him) then He will fulfill all of his promises to us! He will allow our testimonies to be strengthened and continue growing, he will give us daily guidance through the Book of Mormon that no one can take away, and he will bless us with an ETERNAL family that cannot be overcome by any power...not even death. So my goal for this week is to treat those things the Lord has entrusted me with more sacredly. I encourage all of you to do the same. We are so blessed!

I love being a missionary. And I LOVE ALL OF YOU!

Xoxo,

Sister Bengtzen

Contrary to popular belief...Mac N' Cheese does expire.

Ahh it is so good to hear from everyone! I am amazed at how y'all are seeing the miracles in your lives and I am so grateful that I get to share the miracles I see with you! 

Miracles: 

So this week almost all of our appointments fell through...which was rough...but it gave us the opportunity to go finding, which I LOVE! We've been praying so fervently to find a prepared family and the Lord has answered those prayers! We were driving to see a potential and saw this couple walking (mind you it was dumping rain) so I pulled over as fast as I could and we jumped out of the car and raced after them. Well, the lady was NOT havin' it, so she said a few choice words and off they went into the dumping rain. BUT such is missionary work...haha so we girded up our loins, fresh courage take, and knocked on a nearby door. A man answered and we immediately asked him what it would mean to him if he knew that his family could be together forever. He looked at us for a moment, ran inside to take his steak off the grill, then came back and asked us what we meant. He explained to us that his wife was pregnant with his first child and that his family sure meant a lot to him, and he wanted to know what we were teaching. He invited us to come back and teach him and his wife together...and we are going back tonight! It was a total miracle. 

Also we have been teaching this islander from Pompeii who's boyfriend is a less active member of our ward. Her name is Pueleen and she has two children.  This week we went over and showed her the 1st vision DVD and the spirit was so strong. She absolutely loved it and asked us if she could keep the video! Haha so of course we gave it to her. After we testified and finished the lesson she told us that she had been talking to her boyfriend and that they had made the decision...THEY WANT TO GET MARRIED! And she wants to be baptized right away!!! Oh my goodness! I literally did not have words. Bishop is coming with us on Wednesday to meet with them and to get it all squared away. I cannot wait! 

Funnies: 

Elder Fallabella from the 70 came to address us this week and it was absolutely INCREDIBLE! Anyway, I got to speak with him and his wife for a moment and of course I took the opportunity to practice a little Espanol! For a minute they were both quite impressed, then I said something and they all of the sudden busted up laughing. so apparently I need some more practice....haha maybe someday I will be bilingual! But all that aside they are the two coolest people I have ever met! 

Also we skipped dinner the other night and so I was making some late night mac n cheese because I was real hungry. (By late night I mean 9:35 p.m.) Anyway, I had just shoveled in a delicious cheesy spoonful when sweet Sister Rook showed me the expiration date on the box. Yeah...2008. I'm sure you can imagine what happened next, expired cheesy goodness all over everywhere! I didn't even know those things expired!!! Anyway, I spent my "getting ready for bed time" cleaning up cheese off the wall. 

Side note - Sister Rook is the sweetest thing ever. And I love her. SO MUCH! Our first P-day together we went to the grocery store together and she challenged me to eating an entire loaf of french bread, which I gladly accepted. I think we will be great friends.  

Spiritual thought:

Today I was reading in Alma chapter 33 about Zenos and how merciful the Lord had been unto him. In verse 11 Zenos cries unto the Lord in gratitude testifying that he knew his prayers were heard because of his afflictions and his sincerity, but above all else his prayers were answered because the Son of God had been merciful unto him...and unto all of the children of God. The spirit witnessed to me that my prayers here in Chalco Hills have been answered because I have been obedient and sincere, yes, but above all else because our Savior lives, and because he performed the Atonement for each of us. Sometimes people claim that miracles cease to exist today, but I can testify that miracles occur every day. A miracle is defined as a divine manifestation of spiritual power, and the Lord manifests His power in so many ways. I see his hand in my life, and I see it in the lives of all those around me. He knows us. He cares about us. He assists us. And He lives for us. In reading this verse this morning I was reminded of the power of the Atonement and of something I already knew, something so powerfully simple, and so crucially important...My Redeemer lives. 

LOVE YOU ALL! 

Sister Bengtzen 

Omaha sweet home(aha)

Well team, the Lord works in mysterious ways because my new comp doesn't even drive, and I am forced to do 100% of the parallel parking! Hahaha Heavenly Father apparently really wants me to learn that skill, so y'all just wait. In a few short weeks I'm gonna be a master. (Keep that in  your prayers though...I'd rather not crash a mission vehicle doing something so lame)

WELL HOWDY FROM OMAHA! I don't think they all of the sudden say Howdy here...I mean I am still in the same state....but it seemed like a fitting greeting. Maybe I will start that trend, and everyone in the city of Omaha, Nebraska will start saying Howdy because they heard Sister Bengtzen doing it. It is absolutely plausible. Anywho, I spelled Choco Hills real wrong last week. I am serving in the CHALCO Hills ward haha and I am in like the Southwest part of Omaha. And it is very different than Lincoln! But it is absolutely wonderful. So many people, so many houses, so many families, so many dogs! And the ward is so kind and welcoming...and nutty! There is so much work to do here and I am so excited about it!! My new comp is Sister Rook and she is just a sweetheart. She says the most sincere and grateful prayers that I have ever heard, and I am so excited to learn and grow with her. We got a lot to do here in Omaha.

Miracles:

So throwback! President allowed me to go to the temple on Saturday and surprise Tim and Phoebe as they went to do baptisms for the dead. I wish I could put into words how sweet the experience was. Tim walked in the doors and just started crying. He could not stop saying how different he felt, and how grateful he was to be there with Phoebe. He instantly recognized it as the House of the Lord and his heart was so full. Phoebe absolutely radiated as she got ready and she could not get over how beautiful the stained glass inside was. She was able to do baptism while Tim watched and the whole day was just tender. They are making plans to be sealed as a family in about a year, and I pray that I will be able to attend that sealing. They are such a remarkable family and the Lord will continue to do wonders among them. Kenneth, their son, is being baptized this week and I know he is so excited. This gospel has just changed their lives!

Tim and Phoebe at the Temple

Also this week we talked to everyone we saw here in Omaha and oh man. It is a little different than Lincoln. But we were able to share the message of the Restoration with a man named Santiago and he accepted baptism! His whole heart softened when he heard the first vision and he committed to read the Book of Mormon and pray that night. We left him with a Spanish copy of the Book of Mormon and we are going back to see him on Wednesday so keep him in your prayers!

We also ran into this guy named Jerome and I got him talking about football, then his boat, then his family. What a lead in...haha am I right? Anyway, he wants to learn more, so he invited us to come back on Tuesday! So keep him in your prayers as well!

Funnies:

I accidentally threw my umbrella in the dumpster the other day and so I had to dive in to get it. Haha my comp screamed and thought I accidentally fell in! I was laughing so hard that it took me like 10 minutes to climb back out. I think she thinks I am crazy...so there goes the first impression.

There was this crazy high priest in the library the other day and he would not let us print off 5 copies of this paper, and we really needed 5 copies of this paper, so I was really about to lose it, but I prayed for patience and all of the sudden I started talking about football. 10 minutes later we were best buds and I had 10 copies of said paper. The spirit is a real thing people!

I tried to make up a story about Sister Rook the other night during dinner and she could not believe that I was "lying"! Hahaha so I don't think I will be doing that for a while....now that family thinks I am crazy too, so we are an 0 for 2 on good first impressions.

Windy and wet in Omaha

Spiritual thought:

Alma 26:37 "Now my brethren, we see that God is mindful of every people, whatsoever land they may be in; yea he numbereth his people, and his bowels of mercy are over all the earth." I know this is a simple verse, but I read it the other morning in my studies and it just reminded me that the Lord is aware. He is mindful of me, he is mindful of the people that I have come to love so dearly, and he is mindful of all of you. So remember that, when the going gets tough look back at all you've become, all you've learned, and how you've grown and remember that the Lord IS and always WILL BE mindful of YOU.

LOVE YOU ALL!

xoxo,

Sister Bengtzen

  

Fortune Cookies and Kung Pao chicken aren't even Chinese!!!

Alright let's just take a minute here....has my whole life been a lie?! Or am I just the only person who did not realize that American Chinese food was not as authentic as I hoped it was. Calvin informed me of that sad truth this week and I am still broken hearted. But I digress...I shall get over it someday!

Sabrina, Sister Smith and Calvin Hung

Ok this week has been a whirlwind, and I don't have a ton of time so this email will probably be short! Orrysay eoplepay! But I still love you all.

Sister Smith is absolutely incredible and as of yesterday is an STL! AHH I am so excited for her. She has been such a blessing to me and I cannot wait to see the miracles she performs in the lives of so many others. She will do wonders among the sisters in this mission, and I am so grateful that I got to be one of those sisters! Even just for a moment. Ok, but she is staying here in Lincoln and I am going to Omaha! WUT?! Yeah...literally the last thing I expected...but I will go where the Lord wants me to go!

I am going to the Choco Hills Ward and my new companion will be Sister Rook and I am already thrilled because I hear she is absolutely adorable! So woo hoo! I will be about 7 minutes from the mission home, which is exciting, and things are gonna be real different, haha but it will be wonderful! I leave tomorrow morning and Sister Smith and I spent like the entire night crying and laughing...so there's that. Girls are so strange. I will miss her so much! But I am glad that she is going to be an STL. She will be amazing....as I have already said.

Calvin Hung's baptism

Ok so miracles!

CALVIN HUNG WAS BAPTIZED EVERYONE! Oh my goodness I am just speechless. He was beaming the entire day and I have never seen anyone that happy, EVER. He is incredible. He bore his testimony after the ordinance and the spirit was so strong. He talked about how he knew there was a God because of all that he had given him, because of the Book of Mormon, and because of the church. I cannot believe I have to leave him. Ahh breaks my heart. But I know he will continue progressing and I cannot wait to see that! I feel like I am leaving my child behind or something...good grief missions are hard.

Next up Kenneth has not smoked in like a lot of days! And he came to church and he loved it! And he is set for the 17th of September. My oh my he is so ready. He reads the Book of Mormon with his heart instead of his head, and that is true desire. Phoebe and Tim are so eager and excited to help him. It is incredible. I cannot believe I have to leave them too. Rips my heart right out. :(  But I know that Phoebe and Tim will be sealed in the temple someday soon, and I will not miss that for the world.

Finally, our investigator Katherine and her three daughters came to church this Sunday and it was such a surprise to have them there! They stayed all three hours and Katherine claimed she really loved it. We got a discouraging text from her later on Sunday night and we went right over to her home to address her concerns. She began sobbing telling us all of the horrors she had heard about the church and how her life seemed to be falling apart since she stopped reading the Book of Mormon.  We bore our testimonies, testified of the Savior and Book of Mormon, comforted her, and then came back Monday night to teach her. The spirit during the lesson was strong and she said that she knew this was good, she knew this was right, and that if it wasn't the Lord would have already led her astray. She has such faith and courage! She said she wants to continue meeting with us and accepted baptism on September 24th. I know that she can get there if she turns to the Lord to help her through. This really is His work, and my testimony of that grows every single day. I am lucky to be a part of it.

Funnies:

Alright team, let's start praying that my new comp knows how to parallel park because heaven knows (along with the entire UNL campus) that I cannot!!! OH MY GOODNESS. I tried a good 12 times before Sister Smith opened the door and pushed me out of the drivers seat! Haha but I gave it a good effort.

Calvin's baptismal suit was a little large and he walked out of the changing room, looked at us, looked at the suit, then back at us, and said "I feel as if I am a Kung Fu master" Haha then he made the strangest face and did some like karate kick, punch combination. It was a wonderful way to bring the spirit in hahaha

P.S. I had the best burger and chocolate shake of my life! MY LIFE. Feast your eyes suckers....

Do not worry...some day we will come back here and you will all get to try it.

Also I inhaled a mosquito the other day. I almost died. But it's ok. I am still breathing now...and I think the mosquito suffered worse than I did. So ha!

Spiritual thought:

I read this quote the other day and I just think it sums up life really well. I don't have much to add because it is SO good.

"You make a living by what you get, but you make a life by what you give." Sometimes that is easy to forget...but it's so true. The Savior lived the perfect life, and all He did was give. I think we could all work on giving a little more.

LOVE YOU ALL!

Black squirrels and sufficient faith

Miracles:

Calvin Hung 

We taught Calvin the law of tithing and keeping the Sabbath day holy this week and heavens above it is like he is already a member! He asked the most inspired questions and answering them strengthened my testimony of why the Lord has given us commandments and how much he loves us! Calvin just gets it. He is so innocent and so prepared. His heart is soft and Heavenly Father is just waiting to pour blessings down on him! He is being baptized on Saturday and he is so excited! SO EXCITED! So pray that all goes well this week. He came to church yesterday and you are not gonna believe what he told me. I asked him how school was going and he said he wasn't going to do homework on Sundays because he prayed about it and the Lord told him that he needs to rest and focus on the Savior. Like WUT?! We didn't even talk about homework on Sundays! Like not at all! Then we were talking about the Book of Mormon in a lesson the other day and he said something so profound I about hit the floor. We were at a member's home and he was eating cake and we asked him how he felt reading the Book of Mormon. He paused and looked up at us and then at his cake then back at us and said "It's like eating this cake. Every word I read is a little sweeter, and I just want more." YUP. CALVIN HUNG ERRYONE. What a guy.

Elexis's baptism

Also Elexis, Sharyce's daughter, turned 8 about a week ago and was able to be baptized on Saturday along with another little girl in our ward. Oh my goodness it was so happy! After she received the Holy Ghost she ran over to Sharyce and they just embraced. Sharyce just held her and kissed her. It was as if, for a moment, nothing else in the entire world mattered except the two of them. The spirit just confirmed to me that this is Heavenly Father's work and that this gospel is all about the family, and it always will be. Sharyce's family has been blessed in countless ways, and I know there will be more and more to come!!

Oh and Kenneth (Phoebe and Tim's son) came to church on Sunday! Oh my goodness he loved it so much! He kept saying he felt like he was coming home and that church was just a big old family. The Elders were able to talk to him after and they ended up setting him for baptism on the 17th. WOOHOO! Phoebe and Tim are elated! And I am so excited for them. Kenneth's heart is just changing and it is so incredible to witness, so keep him in your prayers!

Funnies:

Calvin Quotes

 - "Aha! A dog. Does it understand us?"

 - *Walking into the University Library for a lesson "Welcome to my company." *walking into a study room to teach "This is my office."

Oh my! Did you guys know that black squirrels exist?!? Yeah Aubs...I am not even lying. They are vicious. I almost got attacked by one the other day. It was like the size of a small cheetah. Ok maybe like the size of a cheetah sized stuffed animal...but the way it looked at me it might as well have been a cheetah! yeesh.

 painted a house this week! So that was exciting! Almost fell off the latter tho

Oh and also Sister Smith and I have resorted to making up stories about each other in the middle of lessons and now our entire teaching pool and half of our members think I eat honey by the spoonful every evening, used to speak fluent Chinese and was president of my high school's "Asian Persuasion" club, won a hot dog eating contest by eating 16 hot dogs in 6 minutes, and that I hunt squirrels in my spare time at home with my Dad. My poker face is much improved y'all, so look out!

Spiritual thought:

I was reading in Alma chapter 15 this week and I want to focus especially on verses 6-11. In these verses Zeezrom is burdened down with guilt and sin so much so that he is physically ill. He requests Alma and Amulek to come unto him because he knows they are the only ones who can help. Alma asks simply "Believest thou in the power of Christ unto Salvation?...if thou believest in the redemption of Christ thou canst be healed." Zeezrom answers yea and through the power of Christ Alma and Amulek are able to heal him. The scriptures say "Zeezrom leaped upon his feet and began to walk..." As I was reading this I thought about the fact that before he was healed he had to reflect on his faith. He was asked if he believed Christ could save him, and as a result he was able to confidently answer yes. His faith was sufficient and he truly believed in the power of the Atonement. When things are hard in life I sometimes simply ask for help...but lately I have felt the spirit nudge me and ask, do you have the faith that Christ can help? So that is what I encourage all of you to do this week. When you are asking the Lord for something, or maybe if you are going through something hard stop for just a moment and ask yourself, do I have faith that Christ can help me through this? Or that Christ will give me what I need? We can all work on increasing our faith every day! So pray for more faith and the Lord will help you through.

 Bought some Husker baseball caps cuz FOOTBALL SEASON STARTS THIS WEEK!

LOVE YOU ALL SO MUCH! Keep on keepin' on.

xoxo,

Sister Bengtzen

Motorcycle mufflers and more miracles!

Wow I cannot believe another week has gone by. Missions are hard but full of miracles. I am glad to hear you are all doing well! And I cannot believe school has already started again...that is just crazy, crazy. Praying for you all!!!

Miracles:

Calvin Kong (Hung) is incredible everyone. I cannot say it enough! We taught him the Word of Wisdom this week and he committed to live it 100%. We asked him to say the closing prayer of our lesson and he spoke so sincerely to our Heavenly Father saying he was sorry for drinking coffee and grateful that the Lord cared about him enough to give him  rules to make him healthy and strong. He is so ready..it is amazing.

Then we ended up teaching his friend Frenzy this week and Calvin was present for it! He started explaining things and bearing testimony and it was just so powerful! He has such a desire to come closer to Christ and help others do the same! He could be a missionary tomorrow...I kid you not.

Also Phoebe and Tim's son Kenneth agreed to start taking the lessons! He still lives at home and he is like in his 40's, but he is such a kind guy! We taught him the Restoration and Phoebe and Tim were all over it...bearing testimony left and right! It was so powerful! We asked him how he felt at the baptism and he said "I have really great parents." Any my heart about melted. YES YOU DO KENNETH! YES YOU DO! So keep him in your prayers. He's been reading the Book of Mormon and highlighting it like crazy lately...so we will see!

Ok other miracles this week...

Rosa is one of our investigators and we have been teaching her for a little bit but she has not been super progressive. This week we ended up taking a member with us and just starting over with the Restoration. We taught her the Restoration but focused all of it on eternal families and how because of the Priesthood we can be sealed to those we love forever. Sister Toronto (the member we brought) bore a powerful testimony and Rosa's entire countenance changed! She could not believe we could be married for time and all eternity and she was so excited about it! So pray that her heart will continue to change!

Also we were waddling along one evening and we decided to talk to this lady in her driveway. Her name was Katherine. We originally asked her for a referral and she referred us to herself. We sat on her porch and took turns teaching her and entertaining her three spunky daughters. She ended up telling us she had a just made a Mormon friend and he had explained to her how much the church had helped his family. So she had started to think about finding a church! Well BAM! We showed up, being led by the Lord, and she accepted baptism. She kept saying she knew that the Lord was gonna touch her through our message, but she didn't know how. She thought she would get emotional...but in the end she said she just felt overwhelmingly happy and relieved. Sheer joy! The spirit was so strong. I cannot wait to see what blessings come to her and her family as she journeys to come closer to Christ and hear more about the gospel. Keep her in you prayers as well!

Funnies:

We went to this thing called the Big Red Welcome last night and holy smokes I never want to go back to college. SO weird. We were right outside the stadium talking to as many college students as we could about the church and about the singles ward. People thought we were so strange, and way overly excited! But we did not care...these humans need the gospel! Anyway...long story short college kids are intimidating. So we were using all these tactics to try and get a conversation started and it was just a blast. Well I was talking to this one girl about glasses and all of the sudden I heard myself say, "One time a little girl told me I looked ugly in glasses (true story..it happened at church yesterday...haha) but it's ok because I have Jesus Christ." WOW. #desperatemissionarymove But it worked and we left her with a card and a Book of Mormon!

Also the other day Calvin came out of his house dressed in a pinstripe Yankees snapback, adidas, a red and black Michael Jordan t-shirt, and some bright red and black nike basketball shorts. We told him we liked his sudden change of style and his whole face lit up! "Really?! I am trying to look American dang it." Haha it was quite funny.

Oh! Yesterday this motorcycle's muffler went out on the highway right next to where we were parked and Sister Smith went all Mama Bear and grabbed me and was like "get in the car!" I started laughing SO hard and she got so mad....then I explained it was just a motorcycle muffler...not gun shots.

Spiritual thought:

Alma 10:5 - I came upon this verse in my studies the other day and it really got me thinking. "I never have known much of the ways of the Lord, and his mysteries and marvelous power. I said I never HAD known much of these things: but behold, I mistake, for I HAVE seen much of his mysteries and his marvelous power; yea, even in the preservation of the lives of this people." I think so often we get caught up in daily life and we forget about God and we get held up on the little things and the little details of existence. However, when we take a minute to reflect on what we have become, on how we have grown, on what miracles have been wrought in our life, and on how many blessings we have...then it is impossible not see the hand of the Lord! We are all so blessed in so many ways...and the Lord has preserved the people of his church...he has prospered us, and his work is moving forward! What hope that brings! So I challenge all of you to take a minute and look for the miracles you have seen...you know of the mysteries of the Lord and you have seen his marvelous power throughout your own life. Do not ever forget that!

LOVE YOU ALL SO, SO MUCH!

Oh and this cute Less Active couple in our ward made me a cake because they felt bad I wouldn't be spending my birthday in Lincoln...HOW CUTE IS THAT?! They were so excited and saved up so much money just to make me a simple cake. It's crazy how wonderful people are...and how blessed I am to be here!

Phoebe and Tim y'all...they did it!

Miracles:

PHOEBE AND TIM WERE BAPTIZED THIS WEEK! Oh my heavens team, it was the most spiritual and sacred experience I have had thus far on my mission. After some minor setbacks, and some crazy spiritual guidance everything got going, and it was absolutely wonderful. After Tim and Phoebe got dressed they each walked out of the dressing room at the same time. The Elders were behind Tim and Sister Smith and I were behind Phoebe. It was like a little army of righteousness all gearing up to go into battle! Tim took one look at Phoebe and instantly lit up! In his slurred and broken English he said, "Hey good lookin' you look good in white." Now if that isn't enough to melt your heart I do not know what is. I was choking back tears from that moment on. It was one of the most well attended baptisms the ward has supposedly seen. Everyone loves Phoebe and Tim so much and all were excited to see their special day. President and Sister Gardner even came and it was so wonderful to have them there! I wish I could describe to you the day it was...but I don't have the words. Let's just say it is a day I will never forget! Sister Smith and I knelt and watched each of them as they entered the water and we just cried together. What a miraculous work this is, and how blessed we are to be a small, small part of it. Yesterday Phoebe and Tim received the Holy Ghost, and that was also wonderful. They both stood and walked to the front of the chapel with their heads held high and their hearts full. The spirit again was strong, and the love in that room was enough to fill the whole world!

Tim and Phoebe's Baptism

In other news Calvin Hung (Kong) is doing incredible. He also told me that he thinks I have a perfect Chinese accent and should go study in China for the rest of my existence...so I might just have to look into that. He came to the baptism this week and is just thrilled for his own! September 4th is the plan! He continues to amaze us each day with his insight and his trust. This week the Elders brought him a Chinese Book of Mormon and a Korean one as well. He texted us and told us that it was a sign God knew him because he wants to learn Korean as his third language! Haha what a guy!!! Last night he sent us a text that just hit me hard. He said "I cannot express words of gratitude for your gospel." To which we reminded him it isn't ours, it is Jesus Christ's. And he simply responded  "thank you". Ahh his heart is so ready. His whole soul is ready! And I cannot wait to see the asset he becomes to this ward and this church!

Another mini miracle of the week came in the form of our Burmese investigator Henry! We met with him Saturday night and testified that if he read the Book of Mormon and prayed sincerely  he would have a desire to come to church on Sunday.  Well Sunday morning came and sure enough he texted us asking for a ride. He has denied coming to church for 3 weeks!!! And he is just progressing and growing. He loved church, and turns out he works with our ward mission leader! Like wut?! God works in incredible ways! Calvin and him became like instant buds, so that was hilarious.

Funnies:

Calvin is the funniest human I have ever met in my existence. No joke. So here are some Calvin quotes for your enjoyment:

"Elder Pacheco and you sisters have taught me a very valuable English word. 'LOL'. I am glad I can now text like an American"

"Ahh ok! I get it. Celestial Kingdom. I will see you there, dang it."

*Henry talking about becoming a billionare and Calvin turns to him, shakes his hand, and says "Do not forget me."

"How does everyone in this church know who I am?? Am I famous?"

Also this week we had zone conference which was incredible by the way, and we played softball after which was a blast! Hehe but I told everyone that Sister Smith was a remarkable softball player and played varsity in high school and almost played college. Hehe they all believed me and she was less than thrilled. "I want Sister Smith on my team!!!!!" Yeah....she is still working on forgiving me for that one.

 Rocking it for softball

Spiritual thought:

So this week we went to see a less active named Starr and we immediately knew something was wrong when we walked into her home. After a minute she proceeded to tell us all of these horrible things that were happening in her family and with her daughter and she started to cry. We sat and we listened and we asked questions and we so eagerly tried to help. Before I knew it 45 minutes had flown by and we had to leave. As we walked outside an overpowering feeling came over me. It was as if during those 45 minutes nothing else on planet earth mattered except for Starr, and quite literally my only purpose was to help her. I thought about that for a minute, and then instantly thought of our Heavenly Father and his love. I knew that what I had felt in that lesson was just a small portion of what he feels for us every moment of every single day. He wants nothing more than to help us, then to encourage us, strengthen us, and see us happy. What a gift it is to know that! Because not many people do. I hope you all know that I love you...but your Heavenly Father loves you millions of times more, and his whole work and glory is to bring you back to Him.

Dinner with President and Sister Gardner... YUM!

Have a wonderful week! I miss you all, but I know that I am exactly where I am supposed to be! LOVE YOU ALL SO SO SO SO SO SO MUCH!

xoxo,

Sister Bengtzen