Semana 63: Don't let Satan Win

Semana 63: Don't Let Satan Win

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY! I just love you mama! It was so good to talk to you yesterday. I was contemplating not writing a letter but I figured we have the time so I might as well write you. Happy Mother's Day to all you other mothers as well. First off, PEGGY, HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY! Happy Mother's Day to my wonderful grandmas, Sally Rene, Sister Hatch, Denise, Lorie, and all you mothers of the Orchards ward. You all are such great examples to me. I love in Alma, how the stripling warriors accredited their strength and ability to their mothers. "Now they never had fought, yet they did not fear death; and they did think more upon the ^aliberty of their ^bfathers than they did upon their lives; yea, they had been taught by their ^cmothers, that if they did not doubt, God would deliver them. And they rehearsed unto me the words of their ^amothers, saying: We ^bdo not doubt our mothers knew it." (Alma56:47&48) Mom, you are the perfect example of what a Latter-day Saint woman should be like and stand for. You are my rock and I love you to the moon and back. How crazy to think we only have one phone call left till I'm home!

We didn't really talk much about this week on the phone but it got better after Tuesday. I went to President Perez and had a really good talk with him. It is comforting to be in a branch that is just so great, especially Presidente Perez. When we have problems in life it is important to keep reminding ourselves to not les Satan win. Problems will always arise in this life but we cannot let him win.

On Monday we spent most of the night with the Ramirez family. I try not to have favorites but this family is just the greatest! The mom is a member and so are some of the kids but the husband and some of the other kids are not members. We have been teaching David for two months or so now and some of the others are starting to open up to us. :) It has been the neatest thing to see the little changes in the whole family. it would be a dream come true to one day see this family sealed in the Temple. I can't say enough about them.

On Wednesday and Friday we helped Presidente Perez make these big cement planter boxes. it was a lot of work and a lot of concrete but it was a lot of fun as well. He took us out to lunch on Friday after finishing the planter box and I tried tacos de lengua (lengua means tongue in Spanish). They were surprisingly good. It was way better than menudo (cow stomach soup) that I had in St. George. haha It is amazing how I can eat basically everything I'm given. I now will eat tomatoes and peas. I still don't like them but I now have the gift of stomachs. ;) haha

I don't have a ton of time so I just want to bullet some other highlights of the week:

•  We had dinner with a chicana family. The parents are from Mexico but lived in So. Cal. for many years. Brother Loieza has the funniest English accent when he wants to. He started talking like a cholo and it sounded exactly like Uncle Kenny when he said, "I'm from East L.A. homes". lol Kodi would have died laughing if he heard it. I think I will try to record his impersonation next time we go over and send it home.
• The Youth activities are going well in the branch. Because we are teaching so many teenagers the branch has started activities. It is going well and it is just one more way for kids to learn about the church.
• We had dinner with a family called the Hunts on Saturday. Their son Stan is visiting and he is from Brush Prairie! He has a son in Argentina and one who will be leaving for his mission in August. I thought it was neat to meet someone in our stake. I also met a girl from BYUH on Sunday. Everywhere I've served I seem to know someone.
• Sunday evening was also really good after we got done with phone calls. We wrote a bunch of Mother's Day cards to mothers in the branch and some to investigators. We couldn't really teach so it was the perfect opportunity to spread some love and put some smiles on the faces of some great women here in Price.

I know I already mentioned this but I watched a video on lds.org this week about the biographer of President Monson. Hopefully you have already had the chance to see it. It is on the homepage of lds.org. I love that the church makes so many videos to help us feel the spirit. In the video President Monson said, "The sweetest experience that I know of in this life is to feel a prompting and act upon it... I always want the Lord to know if He needs an errand run, Tom Monson will run that errand for Him". It is not President Monson's will, but that of the Lord which he does. It is so easy to get caught up in the "me, me, me" attitude. Everything we do is for ourselves. It is when we pay it forward we are paid internally by the Master. I admire the Prophets and apostles for their examples of humility and selflessness. Their qualities of humility and confidence are attributes I hope to someday possess. I know this church is true. It is such a blessing to have a testimony of that. I know in a world where so many are searching for the truth, we have it. Vaya con Dios.

Dios es amor,

Elder Bennion