Learning from the spirit is the best!

July 3, 2016

My area

 I'm not really sure what happened this week!

But I've realized if you want something you have to decide to do the things that will help you get that! I've been trying trying to make my personal study more effective and feel like I learned from the spirit. In order to do that I have to go in with a purpose and ready to write anything down that I learn. and same with making my time effective, sometimes in order to accomplish what you need to you gotta go fast haha (:

NEW MISSION PRESIDENT!! President Harper held a mini conference for us and the thing I enjoyed the most was the part where they mentioned preparing for the sacrament and being early for church to listen to the music and bring the spirit in  our hearts. So Sister Hartley and I went and made sure the music was playing and it was really nice to listen to the music and prepare for the sacrament mentally. 

I also like this scripture this week from Mosiah 5 where it talks about being called Christ's, and then I thought about how we all get names when we are little and how it takes us a long time to recognize and respond to them, but in order to have Christ's name we have to act as he would so others will recognize us and so we recognize ourselves as His too! (:

Anyways, learning from the spirit is the best and I'm really grateful for it! and That was my week!! (:

SISTER BENNETT (:

One of our ward missionaries

our church building

Solongoo coming with us as a member to a lesson 

Personal study just like the MTC

Tori!  No! Don't get married without me!

Best graffiti ever!

STILL FLYING HIGH AND RISING HIGHER!!!

June 26, 2016

GUESS WHAT THE TRANSFER BROUGHT!! By the title of this email you might be able to tell I am still in Sansar (outer space is the translation). I have been in Sansar for 8 months and by the end of this transfer it will be 10 months!! (this transfer is 2 months long) 

Now for my companion.....*Drum roll*...... SISTER HARTLEY!!!!! ONE OF MY MTC COMPANIONS!!!! can we get holla!! HOLLA!! (: #stoked!!

Lets rewind to Tuesday of last week so Sister Guild and I were with our investigator going to a members house. I could remember all of the members address BUT I CAN NEVER REMEMBER THE FLOOR PEOPLE LIVE ON!? So Sister guild always remembers it but she had only been to this members house 1 time before so we both thought it was floor 6 I think and then we went and knocked and our investigator said "what if this is wrong?" and I said "then we run" and we knocked again on the door and sister guild pointed to our investigator and said, "bi nadaas iluu huurdan guej chadna" which translates to mean I can run faster than myself!! when she meant to say I can run faster than you. It was too funny. we all got a good laugh! (: 

We had a less active call us up this week and told us she wanted to meet!! So you cant say NO to that!! (: #yay

One of my student last week were doing a dialog and they always make sure to tell me when they are done and they yell FINISHED! or DONE! but after that i also tell them create their own based off of the dialog and then So this one boy went to yell finished but he said "FINI-" and then he said to his partner "create our own". I've got them soo trained they know exactly what I will say next haha!! (:

So I just hit my 1 year and 3 months mark on Saturday but where ever I tell members I've been a missionary for that long I feel like I'm lying to them. Just because I don't feel like its been that long!!

President Benson had a farewell fireside and he mentioned that sometimes we feel like miracles are the ones that happen instantly. If he were to plant a seed and it were to instantly grow we would all think that is a miracle but then he mentioned sometimes the greatest miracles need time. But that doesn't mean it is any less of a miracle. Also that we each have our own miracles and conversion stories. He shared the story where on his mission, Him and his companion went to church early at 8 to set up the chairs for church.  Then a new member walked in super early. President Benson asked him why he was early. He was a poor man who worked in the countryside and mentioned he didn't own a watch so the man because he didn't want to be late he had gotten up early according to the sun and had walked from the countryside to the church!!! HE WALKED!!!! He sacrificed and we all have sacrifice stories similar to this, but I'm grateful to be serving here among some great miracles.

We had two miracles get baptized yesterday! I was very grateful to be apart of it. The one we had taught since February! She has grown so much! But her mother was baptized 18 years ago by President Benson and her mother was pregnant with her then, So it was her second time getting baptized haha! just kidding and the other one she moved from another ward and had received the lessons twice before finishing her lessons with us for the third time but didn't have her parents written permission because her parents live in the countryside! Sometimes the greatest miracles just take time! (: Their testimonies were so great! and the spirit was so strong. It was days like yesterday that makes me want to be a missionary for FOREVER!! (:

I'm not sure I could have asked for better! This week was good! and Sister Hartley and I will be unpacking today we moved into a new apartment in our area on Saturday! So yay for less travel time now! (: Life is good and I am choosing to be happy! 

Sister Bennett (:

yay for baptisms this is deggi!

I love this family!

Yay!

The best prayers are the sincere ones.

On Wednesday night we brought a member with us to a lesson and as we were walking together to the investigators home she mentioned her number 1 dream was to serve a mission. We kept talking and mentioned she could come with us to more lessons. Then I had the thought that night after prayer that maybe she should serve a mini mission this coming transfer. (a mini mission is where pretty much you serve a mission for a transfer with a full time missionary). Then the next day the mission office called and I asked if they needed any mini missionaries for this next transfer and they said they needed 1!!! So we are sending her on a mini mission this next transfer! She is super excited and I'm grateful to have been able to follow that prompting.

It's the little thoughts people! 

Follow them!

On Friday I was teaching English I excused a boy's partner to go to the bathroom. Then I had the class doing partner work and I went up to the boy whose partner was missing and I asked him jokingly what happened to your partner? and he said, "he died" I pretty much died inside when he said that! too funny.

We were riding the bus home and by the end of the bus ride my companion and I talked about English to the people sitting on either side of us on the bus. It was sweet! (: 

We have been teaching this family specifically the mom and the older daughter since February.  Then the 7 year old daughter had come to church in February and really didn't enjoy it. but she came to church this past Sunday and sat in primary this time and LOVED IT!! I had given her a missionary name tag paper a week or two before where she put her name on the tag and she wore that all through church.  Then we went to their house that night and we asked the 7 year old to say the prayer and she said no at first and we gave her some pep talk and then taught prayer and then she was willing to pray. It was the cutest most sincere prayer I've heard from a little kid. She thought about each line she said but my favorite line from her prayer was "thank you that the sisters could come over. and thank you that sister Bennett told me I could become a missionary". I was crying. The best prayers are the sincere ones.

This week we were in a little store and as we were walking to the cash register the cashier was pointing at us and said talk to them to a man who was standing by the register, but the other man didn't seem to understand what was going on and seemed frazzled. So we asked can we help you? in English and he pulls out a 100$ dollar bill and wanted to exchange it. So then I translated it. and the cashier said he couldn't do that. So we mentioned maybe he could go to the bank but he mentioned they are closed. Unfortunately this man was stuck with his 100$ bill until he could exchange it in the morning when they would be open again. So before he left we asked if we could help him out any other way and he declined and left. but as I was thinking about it without the right currency he was definitely out of place. Then I was thinking how this relates to heaven and in heaven the right kind of currency would be a testimony. If we don't have that I think we will be out of place and it would just be strange to be there. so that's my interesting thought of the week, start saving up and working hard now for that right kind of currency. #iShouldWriteaGeneralConferenceTalk

Other than that our week has just been simple and plain (: things are good!

Sister Bennett

Byma and us wearing the rings she gave us! She is the cutest.

Last week, a man herding some goats in the countryside.  

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