Tuesday, July 28, 2015

Another great week on this side of the world:

Mongolia!  The view after we hike this hill to get to an investigators house! (: Super good lesson!
 
 
The spirit speaks in all languages let me tell you. We got into a taxi last Monday and I carry pass along cards but don't often give them out, but this time I had a distinct thought we need to give a pass along card to the driver. So I gave it to my companion with the money to pay for driving us. My companion then started talking to her, because I can't talk to people about the gospel without my companion starting the convo. So they were talking and we found out she was a former investigator,and wanted to learn more and later in the week we had an appointment with her and it was soo good, some of her family was there. She even invited the neighbor to stay for the lesson. IT WAS SOO GOOD! The spirit is real and is able to help me even though I don't know Mongolian (: 


Just so you know the Book of Mormon fixes everything. We had a lesson with a less active about tithing and we gave her a pamphlet, her little 2 year was looking at the pamphlet and one of the page folded up. He was getting frustrated because he couldn't get it to straighten out, so he puts the pamphlet on the table and started whacking it with the Book of Mormon to try and fix it! haha #thebookofmormonfixeseverything #evenworksasaHammer

My companion asked me to pray in a lesson since I can sort of do that or so I thought. So I said the prayer and I tried to say please help us to choose the right and I asked for other things and closed the prayer. My companion kind of laughed and said that instead of saying please help us to choose the right I said please bless the right onions?! HAHA! I don't even like onions #choosetheright #onions

In a lesson the other day, this investgator has a cute little 9 month old. (: they gave us cookies to eat and I was trying to break a cookie in half and when it broke I made kind of an "ahh" sound as it made a mess all over my lap. Then the baby takes the cookie out of its mouth and makes an ahhhh sound but much louder. Then my companion said we both make the sound the same. and then in Mongolian I said "it's because we both don't know Mongolian" they thought that was funny. I have to say I was proud of myself for being able to be funny in a different language :P #isoundtheSameasaBaby #idontknowmongolian

I will ask people questions a lot and I would say my question structure is improving a lot! But sometimes I will ask people a question and they will correct my question but then not answer it haha (: #wait #ineedananswer

Chapstick isnt neccesary here, the food is oily and therefore keeps your lips nice and moist... not sure how I feel about that (: #ummm

This week I realized happiness isn't getting ice cream, cookies or being able to speak a language perfectly. But that happiness is 100% determined by us?! We can CHOOSE to be happy! I don't know why it took me to come on a mission and realize that haha (: #duhmoment #choosehappiness #findjoyinthelittlethings I have to say what really brings happiness is counting your blessing and ultimately this gospel, what more can you ask for? #truehappiness (..well I'd still like warm water in our appartment soon, that would be good)

Life is good! and I am choosing happiness (:

Sister Bennett
 
Samuel the Lamanite moment after getting burned five times!
 
Otgonjargath's baptism, he kind of looks terrified haha (:

After the baptism

I think my companion thought this was funny and wanted to take a picture.

Monday, July 20, 2015

Hello from the future (:

So last week I ate something funky and my body was NOT happy Saturday night after Naadam, so we were at home studying and so as I was dying on the floor, my companion is trying to pep talk me, I'm not sure she understood, that it was my body that was killing me and that I still wanted to be a missionary. ha ha (: but anyways she was reading me scriptures and then she kept telling me "YOU CAN" in English, and I'm just thinking "I can what?! DIE? THROW UP? MAKE IT THROUGH MONGOLIA?" haha well I can let you know I am still alive and well haha (: but if you ever need a pep talk for anything my companion says, "YOU CAN!" #youcan


This week our home has literally been falling apart! ha ha our light went out in our house, bathroom, living room all except our bedroom, thank goodness. So yeah our apartment thank goodness had candles and since our bathroom was pitch black we did everything by candlelight. ha ha at least you never looked bad while getting ready but on the other hand leaving the house and looking in the mirror was a different story!

So UB (Ulaanbaatar) goes through periods of time where they turn off the hot water, to fix pipes or something. So this week we have had NO HOT WATER, and the normal water here is freezing cold, like ice water, so its a good temperature to drink, but to shower in a different story. So yeah this week I had to shower by boiling water on the stove and pouring it over myself to shower... I'm definitely learning what real blessings are! #Hotwaterisablessing #sorrydadIdidntwashbehindmyears yeah I look forward to when our hot water will work again. (:

We went to a member's house the other day and they served us boiling hot milk and mom you should be proud me, I DRANK IT ALL! but as I brought it up to my mouth to drink it fogged up my glasses it was so hot, but my companion was drinking it, so I thought I can be a man! and I can drink this too ha ha! I drank it trying to sip it like her, BUT MY TASTE BUDS WERE DEFINITELY DYING! and I am pretty sure as I drank it the cup kept filling up! ha ha but my taste buds still feel weird and that was a few days ago... but I asked my companion how she drank it because it was so hot! and she said it's because I am Mongolian, OH DUH! Pft! :P #imnotmongolian #neveragain #iwontgetthosetastbudsback (:

So my companion was commenting on how tan she has gotten this week and in English she said, "i was black fast!" ha ha ha! (: that's probably how my Mongolian sounds #sheisthecutest #englishlearners

We had zone conference this week and we were talking about the Book of Mormon and my favorite quote was definitely, "The Book of Mormon is like ice cream, we need a little bit EVERYDAY". So go eat some ice cream and read the Book of Mormon! (:

One of our investigators got baptized on Sunday! WOO!

It was pouring rain super hard outside and a nice protestant man gave us a ride and he was talking in English about how our Bible is different than his and I explained in simple English how we believe the Bible and the Book of Mormon and I was able to tell him, and he kind of understood I think, but then I told him, "you would like the Book of Mormon!!" #proselytinginenglish #iloveenglish

I found spaghetti sauce at the store and I MADE MY COMPANION BUY IT!!!! can you say happiness in a can? #americanfood (:

We were laughing last pday with some sisters and one of the Mongolian sisters said, "you are loud" and I apologized for laughing too loud but then she explained to me that bad people are loud and that I shouldn't be loud, ha ha yeah I'm not in America anymore #stillloud #definitelyamerican (:

HAVE A GREAT WEEK! LOVE YOU ALL!

Sister Bennett (:
 
They don't have small spoons here, they only have shovels in our apartment. ha ha!

Walking through Mongolia
 

Monday, July 13, 2015

THIS WEEK HAS FELT LIKE A MONTH? BUT AT THE SAME TIME HAS BLENDED TOGETHER LIKE A DAY?!


I definitely am learning to find JOY in the little things, like grilled cheese sandwiches haha! but at the same you have to completely shrug off all the bad things because if you dwell on them it will just weigh you down.

MINORITY!!! I have never been stared at so much in my life, I am definitely a white kid and stand out, because I don't look Mongolian or something like that?! :P

One of the blessing this week was a little girl about middle school age told me Mongolian was GREAT! It seriously meant the world to me cause she sincerely meant it even though I had only said basic things to her. yeah I'm just going to retell myself that all the time! (: #tendermercies

So we went an did service out in the countryside for another ward's less active and there was a cute two year old there and he came out and was doing service with us. Then we go back inside and then gave us food and my companion calls over the little boy and PANTS'S him. Then she tells him to go get some new pants on. haha! culturally its fine here for little children to run around with no pants on but still companion haha! #youcantdothat?

Yep! I love her!

We were outside our investigators house teaching him a lesson in the yard, and he of course has one of those scary dogs but it was far away from us when we first started talking then my companion asked if we could pray. So as we were praying I hear this tinkling bell and heavy footsteps coming towards us. I knew it was the dog coming towards us, YEAH I WAS PRETTY SURE I WAS GOING TO DIE. so I'm not sure what they were praying for in the prayer but I started praying that the dog wouldn't attack us. haha!so after the prayer I look up and its our investigators two year old! and he has a bell tied to his shoe so they can always know where he is haha! (: #prayerswork #howtoknowwhereyourchildis #ifyoulikeit #putabellonit

SO on the bus I purposefully practice my sentences for our lesson! Then since everyone is staring at me anyways that they then can learn something like families can be forever haha (:

We were teaching a lesson outside a little store and a friend of our investigator comes up and is talking to us. He asked if I was Russian and was just being really weird and loud. He was just talking to me and my understanding is really rough! haha but I look over at my companion and the investigators face and could tell something weird was up. BUT THEN THE MAN STARTED YELLING IN MY FACE, AND SPIT WAS FLYING EVERYWHERE!! :P he was yelling gertheth over and over and over which pretty much what my companion told me he was saying marry me!!!!! BLEH!!!! anyways then we got up to leave and he kissed both my companions and I hand and I was the most slobbery digusting thing ever, we went an bought hand wipes after that :P

Just in case you were wondering brand new babies all cry the same, we are definitely neighbors with a family who has a newborn baby. (:

Mongolian has a word that is the equivalent of the word eh! Te = eh! #mongoliaiscanada?

We got to go to Naadam and that was cool it was like a state fair! and then there was a performance and that was cool I think they went through Mongolia's development and there was Mongolian throat singing, because what's a Mongolian party without that?! haha (:
At Naadam

Life is good on this side of the world! (:
Bailey

The food, fried bread, fried chicken and cucumbers haha

This week someone wrote this pointing to our door, in English it says i love you, hmmm we dont know who it was, weird?

In front of Chinggis Khan

Me and my companion

Mongolians wrestle in bikinis bleh!

The performance at Naadam

Sunday, July 5, 2015

HELLO from Mongolia!

First of all: MONGOLIAN IS A REAL LANGUAGE!
Second of all: IT IS A LANGUAGE I DONT KNOW! haha (: (BUT I WILL)

Well we went grocery shopping and the things I recognized were Japanese ritz crackers, yougurt, ramen, and cheese to make grilled cheese sandwiches. AND THATS IT! haha I think I'll be able to survive off grilled cheese! #ImnotinKansasAnymore

This week has been insanely long, traveling and such we were traveling for 21 HOURS!!! and we even skipped a whole day too (: 
but the time difference from Las Vegas is about 16 hours ahead and I AM 6,107 MILES AWAY FROM HOME! WHAT?
 
Me and my companion at Tsaasen the place where Neal A Maxwell dedicated Mongolia with Ulaanbaatar in the background

My companion's name is Hansoaren, She is Mongolian and the sweetest! She was a chef before the mission so maybe I can get her to make me something other than grilled cheese haha (: but our comanionship consists of broken English and my broken Mongolian (: So we often end up playing sharades! but I love her and seriously we have so much fun even if the understanding is a little difficult at times! She knows a few american songs though, the itsy bitsy spider and you are my sunshine!! (: #bondingovermusic
 

My first sunday: ............................ yeah i didn't understand anything that was said besides he fact that sunday school was about the temple, I think? haha #BRAINFRIED But we did have 7 investigators at church so that was super cool and crazy! They also asked me get up and bear my testimony in sacrament meeting, I pretty much just smiled my head off, because then I can at least convey my happiness to be here!! 
But my favorite part so far was the little kids, I asked my companion how to say "do you want a sticker?" and I went around and gave the little kids Jesus stickers and UGH IT MADE ME SO HAPPY!! Cause they don't know i don't know Mongolian, they are just happy to get a sticker!! So I went up to this little girl and gave  her a sticker and then her Mom started telling me a story about her daughter in Mongolian, haha yeah I just nodded my head and smiled and then laughed when she laughed, I'm sure it was a funny story if I would have understood it haha (:
but one thing I did understand at church was when people would talk to my companion they would say, "sheen nomthugch" which means new missionary. #brandNew #idontunderstandmongolian #butiunderstandthat haha (:

But hey I'm not considered short here :D #sameheight 

Things are good in this area of the world!! GOD LOVES HIS CHILDREN, and that's why I'm here to tell them that! Well I better go learn how to tell them that! haha
LOVE YOU ALL! Have a great week! (:

Sister Bennett
 
 
Me and UB (Ulaanbaatar)

Walking to email

Wednesday, July 1, 2015

Can you say BITTER-SWEET?!

I got my visa on Thursday morning and since then Sister Baker and I have seriously been struggling with an array of emotions...

Well on a funny note last Monday we go the grocery store dressed up in church dress like good little sister missionaries and we are checking out and the cashier asks us in the most monotone voice, "...you guys nuns?" it was hilarious, NOPE! we then of course explained to her. #imnotanun

This week we met with Ximena one of our great investigators! and before I got my visa I told her I was waiting for it to then go over there, and in the most heartbreaking voice ever she says, "...why?" ): my goodness, #iloveXimena

Well I survived a month in California and to put it I think in the best way possible, IT DOESN'T MATTER WHERE YOU SERVE. as long as you have the right attitude, and are willing to have faith, the Lord is ready to help you do His work, and I cant even put in words how grateful I am to have been able to serve in this part of the Lord's vineyard. I cant believe the miracles that have been falling from the heaven. He is ready to help us see those if we are ready to have the faith and the work for those miracles. (:

ONE of the Miracles of the week: 
Well we were rushing to an appointment and were a few minutes late, anyways we were driving to an appointment and we were  hurrying cause we thought we were going to be late. so we put it in the GPS and it said we would get there at 7:05 and we were on our way when our GPS stopped working so sister baker was just driving and we knew we weren't anywhere near the apartment complex. So as I was trying to fix our GPS we kept going and since the roads here in California are curvy, we curved around a neighborhood and there it was the apartment complex we needed, like WHAT?! and then we look at the time it was 6:55, OUR AREA HERE IN NEWPORT IS HUGE! We are so sure that God picked up our car and put it right in front of the complex because obviously we needed to be on time for that appointment. #miracles #whenGodpickedupourcar 

We had 8 investigators at church on Sunday can you say insane?! Heavenly Father is really working on the people in this area, including us! we came into this area with 1 investigator and man I am so blessed to know each of them! #seeingmiracles

Went to this super sketch Mexican restaurant this week I thought it was good but Sister Baker didn't think so. #gottabetoughforMongolia

So we were in a park contacting and so I gave a because of Him pass along card to this Spanish lady selling snow cones, the conversation was limited because we couldn't understand one another, anyways then before we left the park we decided to buy a snow cone and she had put the picture in the see through bin above her cart which held the snow cone juices, but she put it so she could see it. So cool! #Jesusaffectslives

well I'm headed out and I'm not sure I'm ready but heavenly Father obviously thinks I'm ready, so lets get on with it!

Miracles happen! What miracle is He trying to work in your life?

-Sister Bennett