Family,
I apologize that last week our p-day was so brief, we only got to e-mail for about 10 minutes! The new missionaries arrived on Monday and we're basically right at hand for President Hobbs on the day of transfers and the day following. We picked up the new missionaries at the Ontario airport and I made a little mistake and it bothered me so bad. I share this because I realized that the good thing about mistakes is that we never forget them. That's also a bad thing at the same time, but that was my attempt to stay positive about the whole thing.
Anyway, This was one of the craziest weeks I've ever had on the mission, and somehow, it was the best for teaching in the Highland ward. We've been struggling with teaching and finding, but we found 2 new investigators this week and that was so rewarding. We've been praying very diligently for the past 2 months for that and I am very happy to reflect and see how the Lord answered my prayers. With experiences like that, I look up into the sky and marvel at what the Lord is doing to accomplish His work and glory. It feels great to be on the Lord's errand.
Here's a cool story for you: There's a family in the ward who is now having a relative living with them who has had a rough past, but she came to church 2 weeks in a row and we went over for dinner and after that, she requested that we come back and teach her the lessons! She's already been baptized, but she wants the knowledge of the gospel back and I think that is a wonderful thing. When Elder Golden visited our mission in November, he shared something with us back in November that has stuck with me since. He said that when the Spirit leaves, the knowledge that comes with it leaves as well and boy that is so true.
On Wednesday, we prepared a dinner message for a part member family in the Highland ward and Elder Sudol came up with such a neat comparison about going to Sacrament. When we take the Sacrament, we do it to remember Christ and His Sacrifice. It's just like when we go to visit someone's grave. We go to show respect and love for that person that has impacted our life and we give them full attention to honor them, and that's exactly why we should go to church as well. We go to celebrate Christ's life and the blessings that come from being a disciple. I've met one too many people out here that tell us that they don't need to go to church to show God they love Him. Though that is true to a degree, we go for the same reasons why we show love for anyone else that has passed on and I know it means a lot to Christ when we're willing to visit the chapel and worship Him each Sunday. It shows we recognize the value He has to us in our life, so our Sabbath day behavior truly does reflect how much we love the Savior.
So, along with my news last week about the Tongan ward, I am so excited about serving in this ward! We've been so busy with transfers and there was a wedding/fathers day/stake conference this weekend so that we didn't get much time to work in the Cucamonga ward, but we have an awesome Bishop and the Tongans still treat us so kindly. Bishop Latu is actually the brother of someone in the Jeraldo ward, so I've met him before and because all Tongans are related, I've seen a couple of the Tongans in this ward in Victorville before for an activity of some sort. We are well received in this ward and I'm just thrilled about the whole thing. It's been kinda stressful sharing 2 wards, but it'll come along. For Father's day, there was a lot of Tongans visiting and I got to meet 2 people that play for ASU and someone that plays for the New York Giants. The wedding on Friday was for someone by the last name of 'Unga and then it hit me: There was a Harvey 'Unga that played for BYU, right? I'm not sure how closely related they are, but I thought that was pretty neat. The Tongans are very talented in athletics (football especially) so it only makes sense. As if you're not already tired of me raving about them, I just really love them as a whole. The way that they express their love is what I would say is so special about them. They're a very thoughtful and loving people (:
I hope everybody had a great Father's day. I realize it's not as big a deal to our culture as Mother's day, but I feel as though my dad ought to be recognized as someone in my life that since I've been born has been faithful to the things that he knows matters most. He has such a good work ethic in all things and always remained involved in each phase of my life. He is always so supportive and I'll always be thankful for his love for the gospel. I love my dad so much! With that being said, I hope everyone's families are doing great and enjoying their summer. I know Mason will be joining the missionary force this upcoming Wednesday and I am so eager for him, he is such a great young man. He will evolve into something even greater in such a short amount of time.
Everything is wonderful here. It is definitely getting very warm, but it's only going to got hotter from here on, so no sense in complaining about it! I love you all and hope you have a great week. Tell Paige Aho faka fiefia for me!
- Elder Bennion
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