December 19, 2016

Kia ora whanau!! 

This week was pretty neat. My companion wasn't feeling well so we ended up spending a couple days in the flat. I think I spent 4 or 5 hours this week napping. #WinningTeam 

We also watched heaps of church history DVDs.

We had a branch BBQ and went carolling at an old folks home so that was neat. Made me feel like a Twitchell all over again. 

D was baptized this Sunday. He came down for church and we had the baptism after the service. Elder T baptized him and I was able to confirm him. I'm always humbled by an opportunity to use my priesthood. 

As D was sharing his testimony, he shared a few things that we had said and done to help him and I was overwhelmed with such profound joy. I was able to feel that I'm a successful missionary and that I've helped my brother come unto Christ. 

I love you all. 

Love,

Elder Benjamin 

December 12, 2016

Kia ora whanau! 

Every once in a while, everything in the week will just go right. This was one of those weeks. I kept telling Elder T, "Things have been going so well. Almost too well. I give us about 2 more days before something goes wrong." But we're still being blessed with things going really well! So I'm pretty grateful. 

What has gone well? 

Well, D is ready to be baptized this Sunday! K hasn't been coming to lessons because she's been working so she will be baptized, just not now. In a month or two. President gave us permission to baptize and confirm him on Sunday after church because of the distance and we couldn't be happier with how things are working out. He's so spiritually mature. I'm always impressed at the things he tells us. 

While in town on Friday, my companion stopped to tie his shoe and two girls ran up to us and asked, "Are you the Mormons??" 

"Yeah that's us!"

"Can you tell us about Mormonism?"

"Yeah of course we can! Should we go sit down?"

We then walked to a park bench, sat down, and taught them for about an hour with literally hundreds of people walking past. It was pretty neat. 

Also. We had a mission tour with Elder and Sister Nielson. It was one of those spiritual highlights of the mission where you come out of the 6 hour long meeting ready to turn around and do it all again. I know that Elder Nielson is called of God. I also know anew that God lives and loves us, that Jesus Christ is his son, and that Thomas S. Monson is the prophet of God on the earth today. 

I love you all! 

Love,

Elder Benjamin 

December 5, 2016

Kia ora whanau!! 

Another great week. We found 3 new investigators this week!! Such a blessing. Two of them are from the Philippines. They used to be Catholic but they left because they don't believe it all. The Gore elders found them during district finding and taught them the 4 minute Restoration and gave them a Book of Mormon. We're going back over this Wednesday! 

Another is from Brazil and as we were teaching her the Restoration, she told us that she had been taught about 15 years ago in Brazil and that she had even read some of the Book of Mormon. We committed her to read the Book of Mormon at the end of the lesson and she said, "Yes I would love to. I read some of it in Brazil and I really liked it. I guess I'm pretty easy!" 

On a down note, we had one person tell us he was bored in our lessons and we had another who said, "You have not answered any of my questions" after about 5 lessons with him. That was pretty humbling. 

Brother B received the Aaronic Priesthood yesterday and was ordained a Priest. Elder T ordained him and he did so well. I was and still am so grateful for the pure joy that has come as I've been able to help Brother B on his spiritual journey. 

I love you all! 

Love,

Elder Benjamin

November 28, 2016

Kia ora whanau!! 

This week has been pretty neat, I tell you what. 

One of our investigators was out street performing on Saturday and he's so good! We were trying to street contact by the lake and he's jammin out with his guitar and singing reggae music in his poncho and so it made it real difficult to hear people but I still can't get over how good he was. 

We went to a dorm/hostel for a lesson with Tommy (from Nigeria) and we sat down in the kitchen and living room so it was kinda weird because there were 3 or 4 other people in the room too. In the middle of the lesson, a Vietnamese man came in and sat down and asked, "Do you understand the Bible in English?" 

"Yeah we do!" 

"Can you teach me more about Jesus?" 

We have no idea how he knew that we were there but we taught him on Saturday and then on Sunday, we taught him again and he brought his friend with him! 

So we're winning the missionary game. 

Love you all! 

Love,

Elder Benjamin

November 21, 2016

Kia ora whanau!! 

I don't have much to say, but if you vote for me, all of your wildest dreams will come true. 

Really though, we just did a lot of finding this week. Visiting formers and potentials, street contacting, putting our names on a list a funeral home, all the good stuff. We meet people from all over the world here and it's such a cool thing! Egypt, Nigeria, Tonga, Samoa, India, Brazil, Costa Rica, Germany, France, Sweden, Korea, China, Australia, Colombia, Canada, USA. So I'm basically a tourist, in a white shirt and tie, in one of the most beautiful places on earth, teaching people about Jesus Christ on the streets, trying to be louder than the street performers. It's so much fun. 

This week, I was called on to use the priesthood. The experience is too sacred to share but suffice it to say that I know that the priesthood I hold is real and that it came from God. I know that it was restored to the earth through Heavenly Messengers to the prophet Joseph Smith. 

I love you all! 

Love,

Elder Benjamin

Mosiah 18:30

Kia ora whanau!! 

P was baptized this week!! The font was a portable one in an industrial part of town so that was real cool. It was one of the most peaceful baptisms I've ever been a part of. My companion baptized him and I was able to confirm him on Sunday. Such a blessing. I'm so grateful to have been an instrument in the hand's of God. 

We saw D again this week. At the end of his lesson, he asked us how he can continue progressing. 

Today is the first day of transfer 2 in Queenstown! Elder T and I are still here together. 

Sorry I don't have much else to say. I literally can't remember what happened last week. 

Love,

Elder Benjamin 

Mormon 9:11

Kia ora whanau!! 

This week was *literally* the fastest week of my life. It drives me crazy that the time goes by so fast! It almost feels like I don't have enough to enjoy it. And to top it all off, I had a dream that I was coming into the SLC airport at the end of the mission and Matt, Stockton, Preston, Tyler, Isaac, basically everyone from Viewmont was coming home at the same time and I spent what felt like 30 minutes just wondering where the time went and being so upset about it being gone. 

But then I woke up and it's P-day so I'm still winning the missionary game. 

We got an on-line referral this week! We went to go visit her and we found her and her husband. They're from Columbia and they're looking for a church and to be a part of a community more than they are. They were so excited to "listen to the word of God" ( aka the Restoration)! It's amazing how well God prepares his children. And I couldn't help but think, "Ya know, I bet Austin and Phillip had stuff like this happen a couple times every week in Peru." 

We've been working with P quite a lot but he's always sleeping when we go see him.  But when he was awake, he told us, "Just wake me up!" Then we realized that we could've had about 4 more lessons with him over the past 2 weeks if we would've done that... soo.... but HE came to church this Sunday as well!! HE stayed for the whole thing even though he wasn't feeling well and he should be getting baptized this Saturday. Pray that things go well. It's also a bit difficult because the closest font is 2 hours away and the lake is too cold for him so we're looking for options. Pray that things work out! 

The work is good. God is good. Elder T's cookies are good. 

Love you all! 

Love,

Elder Benjamin