Final days at MTC to 1st area Ephraim/Manti Utah

Elder Brown new member and Elder Bennion

Beautiful farm land in Utah

Manti Temple out in the distance

Out tracking

Manti Temple

Manti Temple

Elder Bennion...bahhhhhhh

Manti Temple

Baptism in Ephraim Utah

Elder Brown and Elder Bennion Ephraim Utah

MTC Days

MTC days

MTC days

Week 13: Woah Woah Woahskie Broskie The Gospel Is a GOOD Thing

Hey ya'll another week is in the book and I couldn't be having a better time. The weather has been so strange here the past week. I swear it feels like I'm in Washington. One morning I woke up and Elder Brown and I went out to go over to Snow College to work out. (We are there almost every morning from 6:30-7:00) I was still half asleep and I thought that I was walking out to a spring morning in Vancouver. This week Elder Brown and I made it a goal to really talk to everyone we saw. The funny thing is that even though 95% of the people we talk to are nice you always get a few unhappy campers. What is crazy is the people who are the meanest to us and say some of the craziest things are the members who have fallen away from the church. You would think it would be non members who would want nothing to do with us but nope, it is the in actives you get an earful from. It makes me sad to see these people so unhappy and not being to experience the joys and love of having Heavenly Father in their lives.

I've started to become bolder in my approaches with people this past week. If I've learned one thing from the RM's they all say they wish they had not been afraid to talk to people. Granted you need to have tact but I'm trying to be less shy about sharing the gospel with people. A lot of times people need you to be straight with them and not sugar coat things in order for them to understand which is a change for me. The greatest thing of all though is we have the true gospel of Jesus Christ. I know what I'm sharing and saying will benefit everyone's lives.

This we we put several people on date to be baptized. Two of them are sheep herders so the key will be to getting them to come to church and be ready to be baptized before they head to the fields in the mountains. On Friday Elder Brown and I went on splits for the first time! I never have had to teach by myself so this definitely helped me grow in my teaching ability. It was definitely a bit overwhelming at first but I said a prayer and knew I had been given all the tools I needed to teach. I ended up teaching Edgardo, Wilder (he is preparing to be baptized), and 3 other sheep herders. I invited one to be baptized but he said no. He just isn't ready I suppose and wants to talk with his family first. After these lessons we were driving back home and I reflected on my time in the field so far. It is amazing how in 3 weeks time I'm able to plan, teach, and invite people to be baptized all on my own. Sometimes I just stop and humbly bow my head and thank my Father in Heaven for these gifts, talents and experiences he is blessing me with.

Thursday night President Leonard stopped by to do a planning session with Elder Brown and I. It was a really good day and that made the planning session go even better. Sometimes it is all you can do to get through a planning session, make all your calls for the following day, and write in the area book at 9:30 pm after a long hard days work but you find some way to always get it done. On Friday we had interviews and our district meeting with President and sister Leonard. I just love President Leonard! I just hope one day I get to serve in St. George so I can be closer to President Leonard and learn more from him! He is a choice individual and an exemplary example of the kind of man I want to be. Transfers happen June 8th, I have a feeling Elder Brown might be out of here. :/ Luckily that day isn't for a couple of weeks though. Today Elder Brown and I are headed to the Manti Temple! We were able to switch our P day to Tuesday so we could go. I have been dying to go ever since the day I got to Ephraim.

I hope this week goes well for everyone. I'm definitely looking forward to it. Never in my wildest dreams did I think being a missionary could be this much fun. I wouldn't trade this for anything in the world. If you work hard and have a desire to do good, the Lord will bless you. Pray as if everything depends on God. Then get up off your knees and work as if everything depends on you. I promise that if you do this you will be blessed and rewarded. Find the little nuggets of joy in your life. Vaya con Dios.

God is love,

Elder Bennion

The Worth Of Souls Is Great In the Sight Of GOD...BAPTISMS!

Wow this week seemed to fly by! It only seems like a few days ago I was writing my last weekly letter. I hope life is treating you all well. Hopefully the weather has been better in Washington and Hawaii than it has been here. For some reason it has been really wet here which from what I hear is abnormal. Today is really nice for some reason though so maybe it is going to get hotter.

This week Elder Brown and I were pretty occupied with preparing for Edgardo and Pablo's baptisms. We were busy teaching them every day and making sure they were completely prepared. Satan (Yes I spelled it correct KRT) is working his hardest on people right before their baptism. That tricky Devil! Tuesday we were at Edgardo's planning his baptismal program and he choose me to give a talk. I was so honored he waned me to give it but at the same time I was scared. My Spanish is atrocious and I had to speak in front of a group of native speakers. I guess this experience was preparing me for my 20 minute talk I have to give in two weeks during sacrament.

So my most embarrassing thing that happened this week happened while we were at the stake center. We were at the stake center looking for a video to share with Pablo from mormon.org. I went to the bathroom to get some toilet paper from a stall and so I bent over and my pens fall out of my shirt pocket and into the toilet! I was so mad. So I'm standing there trying to make the decision, do I reach in and grab them or do I just say forget that and leave them. The water was clean (THANKFULLY) but still I have major germ issues and just the thought of reaching into a toilet was killing me! Finally I just said what the heck and reached into the toilet and grabbed them. I think I washed my hands and pens for five minutes in the scalding hot water. I just remember thinking to myself how I never would have done that before my mission. Elder Brown got a good laugh out of it... and I did too after I stopped thinking of how nayyyyysty that was.

Since we had baptisms this week I went on exchanges to the Gunnison area, aka La Pistola Espanola. haha It covers Gunnion, Richfeild, Monroe, Loa, and some other towns that I can't think of right now. The area is gigantic but it was a blast getting to see a new area especially when Richfield seems big compared to Ephraim. I did find out this week though that my area actually goes from Sterling all the way to Indianola! Indianola is literally on the mission boundaries. As soon as we got out to Richfield though a fellow shipper gave us a ride and his car shuts off while we were driving! We were driving down

Main Street

(I think) in Monroe and his car overheated! Elder Haire is on of the craziest elders I know. He just  was dying laughing the whole time. You would think it would have been a bad day after that but it just made the day that much more exciting. We didn't get home until late but Thursday was a blast!

Skip to Saturday and all I can say is WOW! I love this work! There is a ton of other great aspects to missionary work besides baptisms and I hope other missionaries (including myself) remember that from time to time but baptisms are incredible!!!! All the hard work finally pays off when you see these two great men in white and in the baptismal font. Seriously I could do this forever if all people were desirerous to learn of the gospel. Helping people find eternal salvation really makes you realize how insignificant other things of the world are. My talk went... so-so. I don't think I did that well but luckily this day was about Edgardo and Pablo, not me. Elder Brown and I felt like we were going to burst from all the food we ate. Surprisingly though I have lost weight since being in Ephraim. I'm not getting fat Kaylee. ;) Elder Brown says it's because we eat with the white people mostly and not Hispanics. Having Snow College a couple blocks from our house helps a ton too. It keeps us in shape.

Sunday Edgardo and Pablo received the gift of the Holy Ghost. Edgardo asked me if I would confirm him a member after his baptism. I prepared how to say everything in Spanish but at the last minute brother Hirst did it. I was a little bummed and Edgardo had wanted me to but I wasn't going to throw a fit about it. What counts is Edgardo now has the constant companion of the Holy Ghost.

It is just amazing to see the little things you take for granted when you are not a missionary. I just feel so blessed and close to my Father in Heaven doing His work. How blessed are we to have the restored gospel of Jesus Christ in our lives!? I know we have the one and only true church here on the Earth today. "Yea, I know that I'm nothing; as to my strength I am weak; therefore I will not boast of myself, but I will boast of my God, for in His strength I can do all things; yea behold, many mighty miracles we have wrought in this land, for which we will praise His name forever." Alma 26:12 We are only as strong as our faith in God and Jesus Christ. Through them we can receive and perform many miracles. Take care of yourselves and serve your brothers and sisters. I can promise that you will find joy in your labors. Vaya con Dios.

God is love,

Elder Bennion

Address UPDATE

Here is Elder Bennion's mailing address
 107 S. 1470 E. Ste 104
St. George, Utah 84790 

Even thought he is in Ephraim it is best to send it to this address. It will be forwarded to him.
Please only send things via USPS/ US Post office NOT UPS or Fedex.



Here is a map of Utah. He is on I 89 in about the middle of the state.

Asombro Me Da

Asombro Me Da

Asombro me da el amor que me da Jesus. Confuso estoy pro su gracia y por Su luz, y tiemblo alver que por me El Su vida dio; por mi, tan indigno, Su sangre l derramo. Cuan a sombroso es que por a marme asi muriera El por mi. Cuan asombroso es lo que dio por mi.

Que onda familia, amigos, y amigas? I hope your weekend was great and your Mother's Day was fantastic. I just want to share a scripture in Alma 56:47-48 and it says, talking about the army of Helaman, "Now they had never fought, yet they did not fear death; and they did think more upon the liberty of their father than they did upon their lives; yea, they had been taught by their mothers, that if they did not doubt, God would deliver them. And they rehearsed unto me the words of their mothers, saying: we do not doubt our mothers knew it." I just want you to know mama how thankful I am for all you have taught me. You were the one whose example I always followed growing up. Words cannot describe how thankful I am for the mother God gave me. One Mother's Day down... one more to go. You have taught me and helped me be the person I am today and for that I can never thank you enough. I love you to the moon and back!

As far as my week has been, it has been great! It's funny to me how I though I was busy in the MTC. Now, I really know what busy is. Even on P-days when you would think you could get a break you don't and infact I have less time to prepare in the field than I did in the MTC. That is just the life of a missionary though and I wouldn't trade for anything! If you obey the schedule to a "T" you really have not time to do anything but work. We get home at 9:30 most nights and then always fill in the area book, plan, and make calls for the following day. By that time you are so exhausted you crawl to your bed, thank Heavenly Father for the great day, and fall asleep. Finding time to write in my journal is rough. Finding time for language study is even harder. With all the struggles though I love it. It keeps you focused and you remember 24/7 why you are doing this. It is to serve your fellow man and to serve God. I'M LIVIN' THE DREAM! :)

The investigators we are teaching are doing really well. We have two investigators who should be baptized this coming Saturday! I CANNOT WAIT for that day! Pablo is 10 and just is the greatest little boy. His mom Erika is amazing as well. She has had a rough life but her testimony is rock solid. She and I were crying together the first time I met her when she bore her testimony to me. What is so cool too is that Pablo's dad, Marshal, has the aronic priesthood so he will be able to baptize his son. This family has just made so many good choices to get their life on the right track in the gospel. I couldn't be more proud of them! The second baptism is for Edgardo. Edgardo is a sheep herder from Peru. Edgardo is such a nice and humble man. His wife and child live in Peru but he is here in the U.S. to make a living for his family. He reads the Book of Mormon with out us asking him and his knowledge of the Book of Mormon being true is so cool to see. It is so rewarding to see two different individuals desires to follow our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ into the waters of baptism. This area has only seen two baptisms total in the past 14 months since it has been opened and now we will have two more! I have such a strong testimony of the Lord preparing people for baptism when the time is right. Missionaries need to be obedient, diligent, and prayerful in order to find at what at times can seem like a needle in a hay stack. These are the Lord's children and we as missionaries and members of this church have the responsibility to bring them back unto the fold.

Overall, life here in Ephraim is good. My expectations of baptisms might have been a little bit high coming into this area but it has been a major blessing. It has taught me more humility and it has taught me to be grateful for each and every person who wants to hear the gospel.

In Isaiah 61:1-3 it says, "The spirit of the Lord God is upon me; because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the broken-hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound. To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn; To appoint unto them that morn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be glorified. I have really taken this scripture to heart and really adopted it as my mission creed. I just love this work and when people really are interested my eyes light up! As I teach the gospel the more I feel the spirit touching my life and it is better than any adrenaline rush you could receive. I know Joseph Smith was a prophet of God. It feels so great to know and say that. Have a good week everyone! School is almost out! Hang in there.

God is love. Vaya con Dios.

Elder Bennion