Put God first and it will all work out!

This week was pretty normal. burned, met with people. taught lots of English. fell on some ice. had some awesome lessons. had spiritual studies and worked hard.  That's a pretty good week to me (:

Things I learned this week:

• Winter doesn't like me.  I have two bald sections on my arms from the cuff of my coat rubbing on my arm so much :P
• When you don't want to work, work harder, then God can bless you. #sawtheblessingsafterfreakingoutalittlebit
• It's bad luck in Mongolian culture to name a child before it's born #dontdothat
• Wanna learn a language really well? Watch TV shows in that language.  I have a new student in my English class who knows perfect English from watching TV!  When we were singing songs in our class this week he even told me I sing like I am from the 80's! He doesn't even know what that means! :P #thankskid (we should have just watched TV shows in the MTC)
• The things that are of the most significance in this life are family and the gospel, since that's what you can take to Heaven.

Random thought of the week: It really would be entertaining to have a video of all the times I've fallen on my mission (:

Yeah, it really was a pretty simple week.  Although one of our investigators is golden and is progressing on her own even though she's busy. It really takes our own desire to find these things out for ourselves.  But what's important is that she makes time for the gospel, that's really how God blesses us, when we first make time for Him and then let everything else fall in place.

Have a great week!  Put God first and it will all work out! (:

Sister Bennett

IT'S COLD!!!

OKAY ITS NOT FUNNY ANYMORE..... IT'S COLD! #-40

No, but really it's wayyy cold! We met with an investigator last night. So afterwards we are standing at this deserted bus stop and waiting for the bus and there we were dancing or swaying back and forth in order to not completely freeze. Then when we finally got close enough to home we starting running because it was just toooo cold. Our toes were frozen and our hands were frozen with gloves on. Apparently this week it's supposed to be super cold... ‪#‎manyarecalledbutfewarefrozen‬

MIRACLE SUNDAY!!! WE HAD 9 INVESTIGATORS in the investigator class on Sunday! Whereas the past few weeks it's only been 0-3 investigators!!! It was awesome, then we were also translating it into English for two of our English speaking investigators. Super cooll! smile emoticon ‪#‎feelingblessed‬

Learned a new word this week: olzlogdmoluudinhruugaa
it means to take a prisoners side on something, but you pretty much can't use it in a sentence. and I can hardly say it anyways it's soo long.‪#‎learningMongolian‬ ‪#‎itsSometimesScary‬

One of my boys in English, after class with his friend, asked me if liked to ice skate and of course I reply Yeah! I love ice skating! and then he asks if my companion and him and his friend want to go ice skating unfortunately I had to tell him no. Maybe my students are learning English too well!

anyways its cold.
but we are happy!
and things are good
and buh zuils saihan bolno. or it will all work out!

Sister Bennett(:

Look there's a Russian! Nope it's Sister Bennett

We are on the bus on Friday and this little girl comes and sits by us and she whispers to her dad, while pointing at me "Daddy, look there's a Russian behind you!" and then dad tells her yeah but don't point, and she says a little louder "no daddy LOOK there IS a Russian behind you!"and my companion leans over to the little girl and tells her "no she's Mongolian, she speaks Mongolian. Ask her!"and she got really nervous and pulled her scarf over her face and she told her dad "No I think she's Russian" and the dad said "Nope, she said she's Mongolian", this poor little girl was getting way confused but as she got off the bus we told her I was American and she gave me a high five too cute! #tenderbusmoments

 

This week I did an exchange with Sister Peterson and it was a crazy day.

Let's start with that morning, we studied and prepped a few lessons and one of the lessons was called "it will all work out!" Then when we are headed to our lessons an hour or so later and we get a call saying they can't find Sister Bullwinkle and Sister Kofoed! We tried to contact the sisters and unfortunately the worst came to mind that they had gotten in a taxi trying to go to teach English and were headed out to the countryside or something and their phone wasn't working. So there was a little freaking out going on :P and then we get a text as we are about to go teach this lesson and we found out they found the sisters right where they were supposed to be, at their school. Then we teach this lesson on "it will all work out!" and we felt a little silly... even if they were on their way to the countryside #itprobablywouldhaveallworkedout  

Later, we are on a bus, the bus gets a little more full where a lot of the handholds are taken, then we see this hand reach around and is hugging Sister Peterson since she couldnt reach any of the handdolds, it just made me think of the quote from Russell M Nelson "hold on to the missionaries, they can help you" well maybe that wasn't exaclty the quote :P #gottadowhatyougottado 

Church!!! Can we call this MIRACLE SUNDAY!! We had two investigators at church and two less actives! It was so awesome and definitely a miracle! God brought them to church. Then in our investigator class we had an only English speaking investigator and a Mongolian, so our lesson was half in English and half in Mongolian, and we were translating ourselves it was crazy but awesome! (: #miracles

It's freezing (-33 F) yes, but the work is doing better! Have a great week!

 

Sister Bennett

 

Frozen eyelashes!

 The missionaries have to wear these masks in the winter.  

The air quality is very bad because coal and such is being burned in the ger districts.

SHINE JILIIN MEND HURGII!!

HAPPY NEW YEAR! or HAPPY DAY WHERE YOU EAT WAY TOO MUCH CAKE!

So... Mongolians for New Years buy cakes and they don't hesitate to share!

...no but really we ate wayyy too much cake, they all tasted so good that for sure, but I'm sure my body wasnt to happy to process all that sugar! 

 

Shout out to UKRAINENARA who gave us a cake for New Years! yum thanks!

 

So we received this beautiful cake and we thought LETS SHARE! So we had two specific people come to mind, our cleaning people and a lady we went visiting teaching to the day before. We will call her Sister L. So we dropped off our cake and carried on with our day and appointments. Then on Sunday there is Sister L, she came to church even though it's hard for her to come to church. She then tells us at church that she was soo grateful for the cake we gave her.  She had been wanting cake for two days and she had even prayed she would be able to just have some cream cake for New Years. She said it was exactly the cake she wanted! She is too cute! I was so glad we were not only able to brighten her day but to even to answer her prayer for some cake.

SHOUTOUT to Bayarmaa!!! Thanks for the Christmas/New Year gift!! Made our day!! (:

 

My ponderize scripture of the week was Alma 48:17: "...if all men had been and were, and ever would be, like unto Moroni, behold the very powers of hell would have been shaken forever..." #moroni #bookofmormonheros

This week we doubled the amount of our lessons from the week before even though it was new years! and this coming week we already have the same amount of lessons as last week already set up for this coming week!! The work is progressing and my companion and I are very excited and grateful to see God's hand in the work.

We also gave an investigator a BAPTISM DATE!! and she accepted it! I' m excited for her upcoming progress! (:

SHINE JILIIN MEND HURGII!! OR Happy New Year! in Mongolian! Eat lots of cake I'm pretty sure if you do then your year will be pretty SWEET! (:

Here we are enjoying some cake!

Sister Bennett

 

How are you going to give?

Here's the weekly lowdown! (:

Tuesday: burned. 

 

Wednesday: Me an my companion are checking houses all day and it was stinking cold so while we were searching for apartment buildings we had to go inside little stores to warm up but then around 4 o'clock we would go into store but we just weren't warming up!  We decided to buy these little cake things that we always buy on pdays but this time IT WAS THE BEST CREAMIEST cake thing ever! not sure if the cold had anything to do with it :P  Then, thankfully, we had a ward Christmas party that night! The best part was Santa came! #MongolianSanataisHilarious

At the Ward Christmas Party

Thursday: We got permission from the parents of our young investigator to be able meet with her and teach her!! (:

Friday: CHRISTMAS! We went to an orphanage and gave them gifts on Christmas morning and this one little girl was tooo cute! 

So I asked her "What's your name?"

"My name is Ariun-Bolor"

I said, "No way!!! My name is Ariun Bolor. What's your name?" 

"No your name isn't Ariun Bolor,because my name is Ariun Bolor"

She was too cute and was probably about 7 years old. (:

Then we had Indian food for Christmas! #IndianfoodinMongolia?

Then we had a devotional about the Savior and talked about how in order to be a good gift receiver, you also have to be willing to give and how we really are given lots of blessings.  So now that you have received, HOW ARE YOU GOING TO GIVE? (:

Saturday: 

Talked to the fam!! Woo! love them lots! (:

Then in one of my English classes on Saturday we were talking about feelings: happy, sad, angry, hot, cold, shiver etc. So we went through those new words for the days and two of my little 12/13 year old boys, just start busting up laughing and they couldn't stop, and I didn't understand what was so funny, so they are going on for a good 4 minutes. Then we get them back and continue on with class. Afterwards my companion asked me if I knew what the word shiver meant in Mongolian? Because apparently there's a word in Mongolian that is said "shiver" but of course means something totally different and it means the smell of foot sweat! So these little boys were just dying over the word shiver or in other words foot sweat! :P #lovethem

Sunday: Had dinner at a members house and they said it was original Chinese food! but there was no Panda Express orange chicken?! :P still was super good, just felt a little jipped :P 

How is my mission already at halfway? #weirdsauce 

All in all, this week was good! I love Mongolia!

Sister Bennett (:

We all reached our 9 month mark on Christmas day!

Me and my comp

Merry Christmas from the sister missionaries

MTC companions!

Sister Wilkens trying to steal Christmas!  Grinch!

We may have stolen a Christmas tree?

So we may have stolen a Christmas tree this week, as well as an air filter and some toilet paper. Well okay we got the key to the old Sansar sister's apartment to originally get their old area books because no one lives there, but the other things were definitely bonuses calling our name to be loved!! But people were giving us weird looks as we are walking back to our apartment with a fully decorated Christmas tree. #stolechristmas #wewillgiveitbackdontworry

SHOUT OUT TO SISTER WOOD! Thanks for the amazing package, the other sisters and I are still savoring the cereal and we love our Christmas decorations around the house. Thank you! (:

Thanks Sister Wood!

Sometimes I wonder how sisters hair look so great at the end of the day? That's a miracle in itself! #randomthoughtoftheday #butreally?! 

Last Monday we were burned by an investigator and so we decided to go home and make phone calls to less actives but on our way home were the investigators we have been trying to meet with. They are maintenance people for our apartment and so they are sweeping away the snow that is falling, so we offer to help! They were just the cutest and then were able to set up an appointment to meet with them! They were willing to pray in the lesson and committed to read five verses in the Book of Mormon! Too cute! #blessingsofservice #hardworkinglittlecouple!

You know before my mission I thought missionaries were perfect!... haha #perfectionpending #alwayslearning

We are trying to meet with our investigator "Beautiful A" and she was at work so we were hoping she didn't cancel on us, so it was 7:45 but we had to wait until 8 to call her and so were going to wait in a little place near where we were until we could call her again, Then I see this place that says chocolate factory and ya know my thought process goes, "yep that sounds like a good idea!" My companion agrees that we should go look at beautiful chocolate! and then when we are almost inside my companion goes THIS IS HER WORK!!! and look at that! we walk inside the chocolate factory and it has two other little shops and she worked at one of the other little shops but nonetheless after her work we were then able to meet with her and her sister and read the Book of Mormon together! it was a great lesson! but who knew chocolate could help you make good choices! #choosethechocolate

Can we just acknowledge I love children, can I just take them home? but maybe that's a little creepy... #mongolianANDamericanlittlechildrenaretheBEST

Anyways, CHRISTMAS IS HERE! and Life is beautiful! I'm grateful for MONGOLIA! 

Have a MERRY CHRISTMAS!!! LOVE YA!!

Sister Bennett (:

People say we look alike, what do you think?

With one of our investigators.

It really is "the most wonderful time of the year"!

Another week come and gone, I'm pretty sure time, just goes faster as you are on your mission! 

My knee has recovered from falling in a manhole, so I am restored again to normal walking! 

Taught lots of English this week, I helped at Sister Wilkins school, taught at the Bayanzurkh and then also at my school! but hey we sing Christmas songs in class, so can't get much better than that! #englishoverdose #justkiddingiloveenglish

We met with a member this week and probably made over 50 buuz!

 

This gives you an idea of what buuz is.  It is a dumpling that is steamed with meat in it.

 

 But before we made the buuz we were eating dinner and her two little ones probably 2 and 4 didn't really want to eat so we made it a game. "Don't let the missionary eat the potatoes before you do." So the mom would say "watch out watch out Sister Bennett's going to eat your food, hurry fast." #workedeverytime then once it was in their mouth, She would say "Sister Bennett what are you doing, trying to eat these little children's food!? tsk! tsk!?" then she would go to her other little girl and do the same this with my companion. Too funny! Doesn't matter where, America or Mongolia, sometimes you gotta make dinnertime a game in order to get the little ones to eat food! (:

There me and my companion are walking through Mongolia, but that's nothing abnormal to us. but apparently it was to this one man. We overhear him say, "what? why is there a Mongolian speaking English and an American speaking Mongolian?! how weird?!" we started busting up laughing, Sir we are a peculiar people we know and we are what you call Mormons, would like to learn more? (: #monglishisalanguage

Well I would say the weather outside is frightful but its actually not too bad so I am very grateful for that! (: #nothinghasfrozenoffyet

Well have a great week before Christmas, Find an opportunity to serve, find someone to love, or find a way to show the Savior you are grateful for him! It really is the most wonderful time of the year! Merry Christmas!

 

Sister Bennett (:

We are cute!