Perfect missionary day

While working on the blog lately I noticed this post from May that I never published.  So here it is from May 2nd.  Keeping reading if you are looking for the June 13th post, it's just after this one.  You don't want to miss it it's one of my favorites!

This week we had planned a mission wide "perfect missionary day". I'm pretty sure Satan worked harder that day because it was NOT my idea of a perfect missionary day, but as long as you are working hard and being obedient I think everyday is a perfect missionary day, RIGHT?! (:

The weather is getting warmer?! AHHHHH!!!!! (: Go ahead and ask me if Im wearing tights?! CAUSE IM NOT!! :D #thatstruehappiness

Two boys in my English class fell asleep this week... So I made them stand up for 30 minutes of the class and do the English speaking exercises that way. They were too funny about it :P #myFavoriteLittleCrazies

We taught a lesson to an investigator this week, who has to tell her dad she wants to become a member, Her dad is a member of a different church so she is a little scared but we taught trusting in God and that it will all work out! and she afterwards said wow you two taught me a lesson I really needed! #yay! That means I'm doing my job right? (:

I read a cool quote this week that went something along the lines of Can we forget what we want to do and do what the Lord wants us to do? #ThoughtOfTheWeek

My companion touched a member this week, when she said "we need to look for opportunities to serve" Pretty much I have a great companion. #sisterGuild

MISSIONARY LIFE, ITS HARD, ITS GOOD! and there's no other way to describe it!

Sister Bennett (:

Laugh along the way

I pretty much love teaching the English classes that I have right now! On Monday in our classes we talked about a goal we wanted and some people said they wanted a master degree, to become a better English teacher or improve their conversational English skills. I said my goal is I want to be a mom. Then one of the student asked me how old I was? and I said 21. and then she said why do you want to be a mom? and I had no good answer or at least that's what i felt like. But here's my good answer, then I can teach my future children about their Heavenly Father and how to return to him and that's the best responsibility anyone could have. Granted it will be hard but rewarding! I'm pretty sure being a mom is probably the best job ever.

We also talked about koalas and Australia in that class and all of a sudden I had the desire to go to Australia! haha! Maybe one day when I'm rich!

At church a member gave a really good talk at church and they shared a story. It was about two members who went to the same restaurant but would always go at different times. The one would always order tea and the other always order coffee, but then they found out they both liked that same restaurant so they decided to go together. They both are members and when they went together they both ordered water and the waiter noticed and said you always order tea and you always order coffee whats different about today? The moral of the story was integrity. That we need to be the kind of members who do what's right when no ones looking.

We met with a member last night and shared a spiritual thought and she shared a spiritual thought with us. It was a win win situation too she spoke English with us and we spoke Mongolian! haha She shared a talk about discouragement and my favorite part that she shared was, "if you don't like the way you are feeling, change the way you are thinking." I just thought it was a good reminder of how important our thoughts are.

I've been noticing something lately I RELEARN THINGS OVER AND OVER. I looked over planners and Mongolian words that I had written down over my mission, I had written most words twice and sometimes 3 times at different times in my planners. Then that member shared that quote with us. But it wasn't anything new. I remember Sister Wilkins sharing in the mtc that her mom said "change your thoughts change your life" So I'm realizing that over this life time in order for things to really stick we have to gain experience and learn it over and over again!

Funny experiences of the week:

We were teaching pre-earth life and we lived with our Heavenly Father talked about how two people volunteered to be our savior. "Satan volunteered then the green one was Jesus Christ" We meant to say the other one instead of the green one :P

We were teaching the end of the plan of salvation We told them which kingdom do you want to go to. She said celestial and we said "right we want to go to the Terrestrial kingdom!" Whoops!

We were talking to a member this week and she said she wanted to go on a mission but was a little scared. We told her "You only need one thing, marriage." we meant to say testimony.

We both are still learning and relearning Mongolian :P but making sure to laugh along the way (: Life is good!

Sister Bennett (:

I'm 21?!

WHAT?! All of a sudden I'm 21?! I'm not really sure how that happened? While I was teaching English, the other staff at the school came in and sang and brought flowers and cake!!!! It was super sweet!!! So I pretty much teach at the best school ever!

Happy Birthday to me!  Best school ever!

We made Tsuivan this week completely from scratch the noodles an everything I think that's an accomplishment!! (: 

We also went to the huduu or the countryside this week with our ward that was fun! I've been here for almost a year and that was the first time I had Mongolian barbecue!

Gers in the countryside.  Look at the sheep on the hillside.

We also saw camels this week out in the countryside they were being herded by a man on a motorcycle! 

I think the thing that I was most grateful for this week was the people around me, the thoughtfulness of the people at my school, the cutest of some of my students who brought me a gift, my awesome companion, the people I get to teach the gospel to and the great members that are in our ward! You can't get better than that right?! #blessedinmanyways

Sister Bennett

Visit to a Buddhist Temple on p-day!

Buddhist temple

Buddhist temple 

Mongolia is Beautiful!

Missionaries are weak... because we are nice

Weekly highlights!

Best idea of the week: We bought Ranch last Monday! #GENIUS!

Mongolia Moment: I was reading the ingredients on our prized ranch bottle and I was reading thamin or some weird word like that. and i couldn't say the "th" sounds without a lisp! My companion couldn't stop laughing at me, I hope that's a sign I've learned Mongolian or something (:

We were walking home on monday and saw five pregnant women within 10 minutes so we decided to count for the rest of the week!! We got to a total of 41! Summer babies! and lets just be real June is a great month to have a birthday (: Especially June 3rd!! #winkwink!

I love teaching the Book of Mormon lesson! We were able to teach that lesson to a investigator, the Book of Mormon is so powerful I love it!

I taught a really great English class on Friday morning and I was pretty sure I figured out how to create the best English class so I tried to mimic it for Saturday and it did not go as well as the first time... haha but hey I found a good way for one class! #stillLearning

During Sister guilds English I was on a exchange. We went and taught a nine year old boy. When we went over there the first thing he said to us was "oh you got a new companion, is she American?" and then he said "Americans are so weak!" and I WAS OFFENDED!!! here was this nine year old telling me I was weak! and so I asked him "why are Americans weak?" and he said it was because "whenever I arm wrestle them I ALWAYS win! I probably could do it with just one finger its sooooo easy" and then I understood exactly why he thought Americans were so weak haha! so I decided to tell him "I am stronger than all the Americans!!" and he got this scared look on his face, so I challenged him to arm wrestle, and he accepted and I gave him a run for his money but he won! :P and he was sooo happy! #toofunny #Missionariesareweak #beacuaseWeAreNice (: 

We also found a service opponortunity this week just walking home and helping this lady carry some boards home that she was really struggle with by herself! yay! #makingNewFriends

Life's pretty great! Can't ask for too much more cause that would be selfish!

Sister Bennett

Always Learning

This was an English Teaching Conference for the mission.

I was on an exchange this week with a Mongolian sister and we got to the bus stop and called the people we were about to go visit and they suddenly couldn't meet and were too busy. SO there we are at the bus stop probably looking a little sad :P as we starting looking through who we could meet with. Then a car pulls up and a lady pops out of the car and walks with intense purpose toward us. It kind of scared me. She had a vest on that even made her look fancy and she asked my companion have you received the "red god vaccine"? and she said no. But that's why the car was there apparently everyone is supposed to get it and they sat her down in the car and gave her the vaccine right there! #VaccinesToGo It was crazy! Out and about doing missionary work and just helping our health at the same time! (: btw I learned that the "red god disease" is measles (:

We also went to a member’s house for that same exchange and the little boy about 2 years old was sleeping and then all of a sudden he opened his eyes and stood up and said "gold yavii" which means "let’s go to the RIVER!!" soo cute! (: 

Scripture of the week "Where you treasure is there will your heart be also." I really have liked pondering this idea of where is my focus even as a missionary and how can I improve in really put God first and focusing on those I'm trying to help. I also realized this week that this scripture is in the Book of Mormon this week... I feel like this is why I am a missionary to learn things I already should have known. (: haha #AlwaysLearning

Anyways life is pretty good, can't complain! (:

Sister Bennett

 

P-day!

Look it's a kitty!  He looks a little creepy, haha!

Sister Guild and I with Solongoo in a taxi

Sister Guild and I with the branch president's daughter and Ulambayar.

BIG news for Mongolia!!!

This week was good, EVERY SINGLE one of our lessons this week was with a member present! Yay for awesome members!

AND Big new for Mongolia the left district that we are in is now going to be a stake! That's super exciting! So now that will be two stakes for Mongolia!!
 
We lost one of our best investigators, unfortunately she is going to the countryside and unfortunately she doesn't live close to a church. But we set a goal with her of how far she thinks she could reach in the Book of Mormon before she gets back for the next semester of school. We even made a chart with her to help her achieve that goal. YAY! #goalsetting

We made sure to call many of our investigators to make sure they were reading the Book of Mormon every night and they did IT!! (: #readBOMeverydayYALL!

My companion asked to use the restroom yesterday at a member's house and they said "sure that will be 500 tugs" (the Mongolian currency). But then we caught them, "wait its the Sabbath!" and we all laughed! and 

he replied "okay your lucky! Monday through Saturday its 500 tugs!" :P

We had a huge English Conference this week! I even learned a few words in Chinese!! (: haha

Life is good! Being a missionary is great! (:

Sister Bennett (:

Oh wait, those were kind of important?!

This week were transfers! and guess what?! NOTHING CHANGED! :D I'm still in Sansar with Sister Guild! WOO!

At church yesturday we were talking about trials and hard times, and this lady said "sometimes our trials can be hard and annoying but so can brushing our teeth. But if we get cavities and our teeth fall our then we will realize "oh wait those were kind of important?!" So even though there are hard things we need to be grateful! (:

My trainer Handsoren went home from her mission on wednesday! I went to her testimony meeting and pretty much balled my eyes out! (: It really was a miracle we were able to understand each other and do work when we were together. A positive attitude goes a long way! She definitely was always positive!

We had a super cool district meeting this week on the topic of if you had to leave the world with five minutes of advice what would it be? here are a few things shared:

- how nothing is too serious and related it to a leaf and how with leaf they grow perfectly just the way they were intended to and it didn't need to be fixed or even criticized because it grew perfectly, so in the end we don't need to be knit picky with the little things, it will turn out alright!

-"Be pretty if you are, be witty if you can, Be cheerful if it kills you" (was the Taylor's family motto). This life we are meant to be happy!

-We have to do the basics! Scriptures, Prayer, go to church!

-if love is who we become at the last day we will have done our best!

My companion and I on Saturday night only had 1 potato, a little ham and rice and noodles and we needed to still eat dinner for the next day, we made a big enough meal with lots of seasoning and it was super good!! (: YUM! #cookingskills

This week we have a big English conference that should be awesome! (: #sharpeningUP!

Have a great week!

Sister Bennett

Goodbye Sister Handsoren!

My companion and I with a woman I work with at my school.

Of course it snows, in May, when I don't wear my tights!

We went and got pictures taken!