"The Ineffable End"

Here you have it folks,  Keaton's final blog post.   

"...when [I] write [I] behold [my] weakness, and stumble because of the placing of [my] words; and I fear lest the [people] shall mock at [my] words." Ether 12:25

I feel the need to apologize at the length of this post. I would hope you have a good amount of time set aside to read, and if not, that's okay. Go and accomplish that which needs doing, but I would hope you don't forget to read my attempt to explain the unexplainable. :) 

I could (if not for the sole entertainment of you who is reading) summarize my entire words into the following scripture. "Therefore, let us glory, yea, we will glory in the Lord; yea, we will rejoice, for our joy is full; yea, we will praise our God forever. Behold, who can glory too much in the Lord? Yea, who can say too much of his great power, and of his mercy, and of his long-suffering towards the children of men? Behold, I say unto you, I cannot say the smallest part which I feel." (Alma 26:26) Ha, but that would just be too easy, now wouldn't it?

Final Transfer

My final transfer has been out of this world! Oh what joy, what miracles! Definitely one of my favourites of all time! The biggest honour and pleasure has been training my dear friend, Elder Cottle. He IS something special. The love I am given for him is so pure. I'm so proud of his progress and overall goodness. I look up to him greatly. It surely has been a divinely appointed companionship. 

There are two other special friends who have really brought such joy to my companion and I. Sisters Steele and Tripptree! One from South Africa and the other from Tasmania! Ha, they are brilliant. It's been a blessing to serve with them in Crewe. We have all had a variety of fun experiences from teaching someone named Simba, to getting absolutely soaked through in the rain. We have had the opportunity to go to the temple, and also had a great  visit from a general authority. 

A major highlight has been teaching a fantastic man named Roby. Roby is SO sensitive to the Spirit, it's incredible. He has such great faith in his Saviour, Jesus Christ. He loves having us over often, and is well on his way to following the example of Jesus and being baptized himself. I'm beyond grateful that I've had this time to teach him, to receive promptings during lessons, and then witness the greatness that follows when we act upon those promptings. 

United Kingdom Lovin'

:) Hee.. I cannot adequately express the love I have been given for England and Wales. It will forever have my heart. It is the land of my heritage, and how blessed I am to have such valiant ancestors. I love all the members, less actives, recent converts, investigators, potentials, just the whole lot. They may take the mick, get angry, attempt to bash, ignore, laugh, or whatever else. I still kill them with kindness.. I love the quirks, the food, the cities, and landscapes. Although the weather can be quite the bother, I'll miss the frequent shower of rain. 

The England Manchester Mission has become a family to me. All the missionaries, I simply love. There is such unity, fun memories, and respect that can never be replaced. I love my mission president and his wife soooo much. :) I will surely miss it all.

Knowledge & Wisdom Obtained

Now, I never will adequately express all that has been learnt. Some things, I can't even list because I wouldn't know! However, I would like to express some main doctrines and principles that have made a profound difference on me. Firstly, I bear witness of The Enabling Power of The Atonement, or in other words, grace. Surely, His grace is sufficient. I have used it, needed it, and LOVED it. My Saviour has always been with me, giving me the strength, wisdom and power to do that which I simply cannot do on my own. 

I have particularly loved tasting that which is sweet, pure, and white above all else. That which is recognizing a prompting, acting upon it, and witnessing firsthand the good that otherwise would have been unknown. 

Surely, I have been guided in many things, many which I did unknowingly. I now know and understand to some degree the power of charity, the pure love of Christ. I've been able to more fully understand this when I came to understand how much I am loved. That really helped me exude that love. 

Training two, wonderful missionaries who I deem as "sons" also enhanced my ability to comprehend such love. I know that God has His will, but He also has His timing. The when, is just as important as the why, what and how. 

Many may say I've changed. Obviously, it's hard not to! There's few things that are a definite constant in life: God, time, and change. It's inevitable. Matter of fact, you all have changed too! I hope to acknowledge and love the changes you have made for the better, and I hope you will do the same. 

Please, judge righteously. I am not perfect, and there may be things you wish I had changed but haven't quite done so. With that said, I feel like I have more fully found myself as taught in the scriptures. Matthew 10:39 "He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it." Elder D. Todd Christofferson expounded it as such, "Not only do we ‘find’ ourselves in terms of acknowledging divine guidance in our lives, but the more we serve our fellowmen in appropriate ways, the more substance there is to our souls. … We become more substantive as we serve others--indeed, it is easier to ‘find’ ourselves because there is so much more of us to find!”

A Warning of Casual Worship

To end, I feel the need to re-emphasize my missionary scripture which is: D&C 16:6. It says, 

"And now, behold, I say unto you, 

that the thing which will be of the most worth unto you will be to declare repentance 

unto this people, that you may bring souls unto me, 

that you may rest with them in the kingdom of my Father. Amen." 

There may be some reading who recognize they aren't as converted they should be. Perhaps a testimony has died, or is slowly dying. There might even be someone close to you who is in this situation. My heart goes out to you! The following counsel may be of some assistance. 

"Once we enter into covenants with God, there is no going back. Giving in, giving up, and giving out are not options. In the kingdom of God, there is a standard of excellence for exaltation. It requires valiant discipleship! There is no room for average or complacent disciples. Average is the enemy of excellence, and average commitment will prevent you from enduring to the end." 

"If you are struggling, confused, or spiritually lost, I urge you to do the one thing I know will get you back on track. Begin again to prayerfully study the Book of Mormon and live its teachings every day, every day, every day! I testify of the profound power in the Book of Mormon that will change your life and strengthen your resolve to follow Christ. The Holy Ghost will change your heart and help you see “things as they really are.” He will show you what you need to do next." ("Stay by the Tree", Elder Kevin Pearson) 

"Complacency can affect even the seasoned adult. The better and the longer you serve, the more likely that the tempter can place this lie in your mind: “You have earned a rest.” You may have been the Primary president in your little branch twice. Or you may have worked long and hard on your mission and sacrificed so much to serve. Or perhaps you were the pioneer in the Church where you live. 

The thought may come: “Why not leave the service to the new people. I have done my part.” The temptation will be to believe that you will return to serve again, someday." ("This Day", President Henry B.Eyring)

This is not a Sunday-only church. It is not just talking the talking, but not walking the walk. This is a gospel of action. 

President Boyd K. Packer simply put it, "If someone is looking for a church that requires very little, this is not the one. It is not easy to be a Latter-day Saint, but in the long run it is the only true course." 

President James E. Faust adds his words by saying "If something can be had cheaply, without exertion or sacrifice, people do not mind having a little bit of it. In contrast, the blessings of membership in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints require both exertion and sacrifice..." "...It demands exemplary conduct and effort every day of the week. It involves accepting calls and serving with fidelity in those callings. It means strength of character, integrity, and honesty to the Lord and our fellowmen. It means that our homes need to be places of sanctuary and love. It means a relentless battle against the bombardment of worldly evils. It means, at times, being unpopular and politically incorrect." 

The Second Coming is fast approaching. Now is the time to prepare better than ever. Know that we can all do better than we are now doing. Now is the time to fortify anything that may have grown weak through casual worship of the Lord Almighty. 

I am not directly pointing the finger at you, the reader. Only you will know to what extent this pertains to you. 

However, our Father needs you to be a light for those within your influence. Set the example so at least three people will become more converted. Do so in a way that those three will each influence two, and those two can influence one. I am enlisted in the task at hand. Please help me, and please join me.

Testimony..

I know that this is the eternal truths of God. He is our literal Father in Heaven. He has a plan of Happiness available for all. It is not only for this life, but for the next. 

I testify that Joseph Smith is a real prophet of God. He is! Nothing will take away my conviction of such a truth. He did in reality behold our Heavenly Father and our Redeemer, Jesus Christ. 

I bear witness that the priesthood of God has been restored, and is the source of great power, even that of heaven. It works! 

It has been made manifest unto me time and again in the most powerful and exquisite ways that The Book of Mormon is the word of God. It's pages are filled with truth and it brings power and strength, knowledge and wisdom to the sincere reader. 

There are living prophets and apostles today which I know that they know Jesus Christ. They are special witnesses of Him. 

I declare with every fiber of my being that Jesus is the Christ! He is the way, the truth and the light. He accomplished His mission, the greatest act of love this world has ever known, namely The Atonement. It is real. Forgiveness, repentance and grace is here for all. 2 Nephi 33:6 "I glory in plainness; I glory in truth; I glory in my Jesus, for he hath redeemed my soul from hell."

It has been the highest privilege to serve my God, my Saviour, and my fellow man. 

"I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith:" (2 Timothy 4:7)

With all my sincerity and love,

- Elder Bennett 

"I. LOVE. LIFE."

Hi ya.

There you have it ladies and gentlemen. Its the truest of true statements. I just love it! I can quite distinctly remember about a month and half ago losing it and getting pretty upset leaving Chester and all. Ha, what a contrast. You have my guarantee I'm not bipolar! God heals. God loves. God blesses. I testify of that; oh yes I do. There is just so many great things that have happened, and none of my words that I attempt to form will give it justice. I'm sorry.. Like, of course I'll try, I always do. But.. bear with me.. please and thank you. :) Okay. Here we go..

Crewe with Elder Kofoed:

It was tough at first. Learning the area, adjusting to a new companion, been there, done it. Moved on from Chester, thank goodness. Still has my heart, but Crewe began to grow inside my heart as well. Came to meet and love the members here. They really are a great bunch. :) I can feel their love and concern for us. I've had some very interesting experiences here, met some odd people here and there. Worked hard, and had fun doing it. The weather has been.. reasonable. Except for the other day. Man alive, that was mental.. but funny. More on that later! Elder Kofoed. My days, he is a champion! He was loving, patient, and just solid! He helped me out a lot, and I helped him out. Our key indicators were consistent and kept on rising which shows/indicates to us that we kept progressing and kept improving. That was nice to recognize.. We had some really great lessons as well! Yeah.. love that kid. 

The Work:

Erm, the lady we really helped and saw progress is Leah. She is a young mum, with a quite different background as far as church standards go. She is a lot like little Agnes from Despicable Me just.. older. Haha, fluffiness is her thing! Ha, its funny. We teach her as simple as possible, and it works wonderfully. We just love her. She is great, and we have high hopes for a happy future for her and her daughter. Whenever we go by her home, there are three little boys always playing out, usually football. We've become good mates with them, and often get footballs they kick over the fence. 

Few more random things about this past transfer..

We help out with the primary often on Sundays, which I just love. Its great fun! Also, ate a brilliant South African Dish called.. babooti? Love. Should be eating it later this week again. Yes! At a brilliant and big park there was a fair and we had our own little booth for it. We focused on families and the simple truth we are all children of God. That was really great! Had a canopy and all! :) Had a great deal of exchanges this past transfer too, all being sound! First was with Elder Paulsen whom I trained about a year ago.. love him! We had a great time and had miraculous things come. Then a exchange with Elder Meline, who is being trained by Elder Paulsen so that makes him.. my grandson. (hee) He is a great missionary from Denmark as well! Then.. Elder Paulsen again, (again, fantastic times together. Great laughs as always.) Lastly a exchange with Elder Roth from Austria! OH MY DAYS. He is amazing!! I look up to that man so much! Learnt a lot. Also had a wicked coordination meeting over in his area; mostly because the ward mission leader helped on the last Harry Potter film, he has two rats he trained (they are cute), and his job has to do with media editing which I have a passion for. Yeah! Even more random? We were playing frisbee with a bunch of other missionaries.. and I slid on the semi-damp grass.. did the splits. Ouchie! Sigh. I can remember the pain.. it was like legit, but bad.. sore for a few days following. Lastly, I just am gonna throw it out there... TMI(to much information) but idc ( I don't care), I vomited for my first (better be last) time in my whole mission. I think its quite the accomplishment. Darn Indian buffet.. XD

Last transfer to go:

Happy to announce that I am TRAINING!! AHHH!! Yes! It made me so happy to get the call to do so! Elder Cottle is eighteen and from St. George, Utah! Yessss!! I love St. George! but I love him moreeee! He is.. literally, SO AMAZING. I just love him to bits. Very humble, very obedient, and just loves God and His work. You should have seen him on our first street display. He was making us all look bad! ;) Ha, from time to time he has the new missionary struggles, but its normal and he'll get there in no time at all. Had an absolute blast at "train the trainers" meeting with my dear friend Elder Korth. There were other great missionaries there too. Miracle to share with you before I must get going: I was driving up to Chorley with an Elder who had only been out for three months, he had only been driving in the UK for a day. We had no navigation gadget, only a map. It was about an hour and half drive up to Chorley. I almost lost it, but instead put my faith and trust in God that he would keep us safe and we would get there on time. I take no credit for what happened, but.. we made it. I, through the grace of God, navigated us on the map, recognized where to turn off on the motorway, and we only made one small mistake but got there on time. That small mistake needed to delay us so I could recognize God's hand. How did that happen? As we pull up to the Preston MTC, and the Preston Temple, the song "Amazing Grace" began to play. I was just awestruck in that moment. 

Simply put:

 I am happy. I am confused at the thought of coming home, but there is one more blog post to write about that and.. I try not to think about it because.. I just can't function. Heh, pray for me! Write me. I love yous all sooooo much. 

Heaps and bunches,

- Elder Bennett 

Since Keaton did not have time to send photos, I included one that a member sent to me last week of him helping in the Primary sharing time.

King Lamoni with Abish from the Book of Mormon story

Train. Station. I LOVE them! Perhaps a bit too much..

Sisters Steele & Tripptree along with Elder Cottle and myself.
 We had our own booth at a family fun day at a massive park!

(Former) Elder Miller and myself. He left me.. gonna miss him.
(Also a few of my favourite sisters behind us..) 

(Former) Sister Brill and Elder Korth! She left us also.. aw, just
love them. Definitely some of my greatest friends in the EMM!

My posterity! Ha.. LOVVVVEEE them. Elder Cottle (newest son), myself,

Elder Meline (grandson) and Elder Paulsen (one year old son)!, 

(Former) Sister Doncheva and myself. One of a kind she is. 

We've had so many good times serving around each other.

"Healing of the Heart"

Hi ya people,

I guess its about time that I say something about my life lately. I know that last time I wrote, I was beyond excited for my upcoming transfer in Chester. Boy was it everything I had hoped for and more! Its going to be so difficult expounding and explaining such feelings. Overall, it was just PRIME. Definitely one of the most favourite times
of my mission. I really enjoyed serving with Elder Nilsson, he is really great. We got along well, and made some nice memories. He used to do some amateur boxing back in Sweden, and so I got to learn a bit of the basics from him. Good stuff, innit? The other missionaries in the ward were phenomenal as well. All of them were just a perfect
mixture of fun, and diligent. We were unified with the work in the ward, and I love them all so much! They will surely be missed. Don't even get me started on the ward. They are amazing! It is a bigger ward, with a lot of families. They have amazing auxiliary leaders, who really care about those who aren't doing so well. Such examples! I
wish I had more time to serve them, and in turn, get to know them better. Someday I will return, but sadly it won't be the same because I won't be a missionary then.. Another reason I enjoyed Chester so much was that it was so picturesque. The buildings, the streets, just all of it together was just so pleasant and appealing. A good number
of times during street displays there, we would have families from America visiting and they would come speak with us. Always freaks me out hearing an American accent.. can't stand it! Not entirely in a repulsive way, but it just doesn't sound normal to me. Haha..

One of the P-days in Chester we spent as a district at a lovely park. We all brought food for a delicious picnic, and then enjoyed a little game of football. I enjoyed that very much! Great fun together! Did a bit more football at another time with some members of the ward. Some cancelled because it was raining quite a bit. I think that is half the fun! Did surprisingly well I think especially being half blind for it. My glasses got too wet, so it was equally blurry with them on or off. Still made some goofy mistakes because I'm not exactly good at football, but I managed to get two goals, two assists, and like, get in the way of people/defense? Oh yeah! Erm.. At the end of this past
transfer, a few of my past companions went home. That is always sad because you just don't know when you will be seeing them again! Particularly saddening was saying farewell to my trainer, Elder Nelson. He has always been a sound missionary, a great example of a dedicated Elder and a wonderful leader for our mission. I look up to
him a lot. Very glad he doesn't live too far from Sandy.

Let's see, erm, to my dread, I got transferred out of Chester after only five weeks and came to Crewe. It's sort of like between Chester, Manchester and Birmingham? There is a very high population of Polish, Hungarian, Slovakian, and some Romanian people. So sometimes we will attempt to contact someone and they say, "sorry, no English.." Dang. There's a lot of chavs out and about, and it's just generally a more run down area. There are nicer areas in the boundary, but it's at least a half hour walk. That's something we do a lot of. Buses are rubbish, we have no bike nor car. Walk, walk, walk. You'd think I'd be used to it? Nah.. This last Sunday I met some ward members, and they seem to be quite lovely! I look forward to visiting them in their homes and helping them with their missionary efforts and personal goals! Our flat is quite alright, nothing amazing though. The layout
is different, but fun too? Location is pretty decent..  My companion is Elder Kofoed from Bountiful. He's been out a year and is our district leader. He is quite great! I'm happy to serve with him. I'm also super happy about our district! I got my trainee, Elder Paulsen in the next ward over. To make it even better, he is actually training his trainee there, Elder Meline! Both are from Denmark! Love them to bits. I look forward to more quality time and memories with my "posterity".(Mom note-What he means by posterity is in missionary terms.  Elder Paulsen is his son and the Elder Meline is his Grandson, so he is a Grandpa.) We got p-days, district meetings, AND exchanges! Nice..

One powerful lesson I have learned very recently is our Saviour's ability to heal. Last week something happened that hasn't happened my entire mission and I can't recall the last time it happened in my whole life. It was my heart breaking. I loved literally everything about serving in Chester, and with only two transfers to go, the least
thing I was expecting was to pack up and leave it all behind. That's what happened and I was beyond devastated. How could this happen? Why? Am I being punished? What more could I have done? Confusion, frustration, anxiety, and many more undesired, negative feelings swelled inside me. I just didn't understand and so I doubted. With that doubt, my heart just kept on breaking. After many tears, anxieties, and pain, I sought help from my Mission President. He testified of God's work, God's will, and I was able to receive insight, understanding and a glimmer of hope. I was exhorted to turn to God, in faith, and receive further light from on high. That night, I knelt in humble prayer, pleading for help and answers. I felt a flame in my soul burn bright. It was of reassurance, trust, perfect love, and perhaps greatest of all, peace. Peace that only an all-wise, all-loving Father in Heaven could send to one of his children. I received further instruction of God's plan for me, and answers I hadn't expected nor thought of. God loved me enough to help me best, even if it hurt me. I'm thankful for the magnificent privilege it is to be able to pray. I testify and am beyond grateful for the Atonement of our Saviour Jesus Christ. Only He understood completely the magnitude of my sorrow, and only He could bring the needed aid. Christ truly is The Healer. Although I am still in the process of being healed, I'm no longer mourning of my time in Chester ending, but I'm just glad that it was able to happen. I'm happy to cherish those memories forever.

Probably will only write a couple more of these, and then.. I'll be back. (That doesn't mean you don't have to write me though!) I know in leaving my mission, sadness awaits but this time, I know how to be healed.

- Elder Bennett

Magnificent Chester Town Hall.
Street displays happened around this area a few times a week. So nice!

Chester Cathedral, great place both inside and out

A sculpture inside the cathedral. The detail is insane!

 Eastgate Clock Tower, famous for something.. :)

Marvelous.. I really love the black trimmings

This is Wales. Sort of.. kinda..?

"Wales, Wales.. Its About Time Really..!"

Hey ya everyone!

Been quite a while, hasn't it? Sorry about that! Hopefully I can do a bit better with that in the future. Anywho, there's quite a bit to say about my past transfer back in Whitefield but then again, not really! Haha.. I guess you can be the judge of that yourselves. So! Yeah, it has been a quite good transfer over all. Elder Rantanen has taught me a lot of things, and most of it has been quite logical so I'm quite pleased with that. He is quite clever and has shared some great church articles he got from the offices with me. Glad to have served with him! We got so many referrals from other missionaries, it was crazy! Ha, I don't think we really found any investigator in our teaching pool. Of course, we tried, but we'll take what we can get! :) Never have I ever gotten so many referrals in one transfer, nor had so many people attend church regularly. It was great! We really got working well with some of the members, and I really enjoyed that. We also did a fair amount of service for members and that is always great more on that later.. 

This past transfer I was able to have my final Skype call on Mother's Day. This was my last one before I return to the United States. Crazy, innit?? Oh it was lovely. Always is. Its so funny to see what has changed and what really hasn't. Ella Mae was just cute as always. :) I just love her so. I'm just glad that I don't have to wait until Christmas to see them all again! Haha.. Another exciting thing that happened this past transfer was that we had our Mission Historic Tour up in Preston! Now you may remember me doing that last year, so if you want more details on it, just have a gander through old posts. This time around, I would often talk to missionaries nearby about a certain site with dates or names before our mission president told the whole lot... this way it made them think I was pretty clever. :) I am absolute rubbish at history, so I just had to take advantage of my previous learning. :) It was also great fun to see so many missionaries who I have served around. Boy do I just love and miss them! It was also very spiritual at the end where we all felt the angels around us who had been baptised at that exact stream of water. 

Now for the grand finale of this post... I've been transferred... to.. CHESTER!! HUZZAH!! But really. You have no idea how happy this has made me! About four months ago, I found out that the place my ancestors come from is covered in the Chester area. So! Ever since then I have been hoping, praying and telling basically everyone that I just have to serve there! So! Here I am! And boy is is B-E-A-UTIFUL! It took absolutely ages to arrive, (four and one half hours by bus or there about; rubbish traffic pal..) I know that miracles are going to be coming. I know that we will be doing all in our power, and then see God's hand be revealed to bring about His work. Oh, I forgot to tell ya! Who is "we"? Elder Nilsson and myself! He is from Sweden! (Feel free to send us some Swedish fish, I'm sure he would love that, and if not.. I will! Ha!) He seems like such a great missionary. We are going to have such a blast building the Kingdom of God. But hey, our flat is in Wales so if you fancy receiving a letter from this incredible country, or you have never written me a letter, there is still time! Now is such a great time! Go for it! Tell me about a tough time you've had in the past two years or so, and how God helped you with it! The address is just at the bottom. :) 

To finish, and bring that climax down a bit.. I'm gonna go back to that whole service we did this past transfer that was previously mentioned. We loved it a lot because the results are so quick! You can cut a hedge and power wash a patio within a few hours, easy. But... what happens to it after some time? The hedge begins to grow, and the patio gets dirty again.. Basically, it doesn't last. That made me think about the greater work that we are doing, which is conversion! Yes, it takes time. But the things that are the most meaningful take the most time! I love to see the changes that people choose to make in their lives and the effects it has over a extended period of time. One simple way that I would LOVE to invite you to become more converted is choosing to observe the Sabbath better than you have in the past. The following article is a BRILLIANT example of what I hope yous all can do in your own individual lives. I will strive to do it too (within reason as a full-time missionary) and will continue to do so back home! I know that the blessings that come from this commandment are good and true. We each have great, personal blessings in store that our loving Heavenly Father greatly desires to bless us with upon the condition of obedience to this commandment. :)

https://www.lds.org/blog/my-heart-to-heart-with-god-about-the-sabbath?lang=eng

How will your heart to heart with God about the Sabbath go? Give it a go, and let me know.

And with that clever rhyme, I will end. I love you oh so very much my dearies,

- Elder Bennett

Elder K. Bennett

2 Southside, Argoed Road

Buckley

FLN

CH7 3BF

U.K.

Transfer Day-Headed for Wales

A little PD Selfie on the bus

Mission Tour of Historical Sites
Elder Bennett is in the big group on the back row, in the middle

Mission Tour 2016

 A few of my bestest missionary pals: Stemmi, Sorensen, Tait, Korthie and myself.

How did the car manage to move with so much luggage? Miracles. That is how.

 Elder Nilsson and myself outside our chapel here in Ewloe (you-low). Beautiful!!

Elder Rantanen and myself wishing mums a day as lovely as them.

 Finally the blossoms have come! Literally my favourite time of the year. :)

One of the most amazing of ice creams. Loveee.

"Good-Madness"

Heyyyy!!

This is going to be a post that definitely has not been thought out because there is a major lack of time. My fingers will just be running with my thoughts and I'm betting that half of what I type will be deleted. Doh.. Yeah, yeah things are doing great for me. Transfers have actually happened just barely, and I am staying in Whitefield but with a different companion from Finland! Two Viking countries down, two to go! His name is Elder Rantenen. He has served a lot of his mission in the office. Fun, innit?? I'm excited to get to know him better. Erm.... what else.... Oh! Yes!  A couple Mondays ago it was my birthday! Yeah, that was just lovely! Got an opportunity to go to the temple because it was a bank holiday! LOVE. Nothing can beat the temple as a missionary! Well, okay, maybe a baptism.. but its a close second! I really enjoyed that, and then afterwards, a bunch of us pitched in money and got Domino's pizza! My favourite. Yaayyy... Later that evening we went to our ward mission leader's home and we ate an incredible meal and they had gifts too. Oh! Bless them all. I love spending time with their family. They truly do have a special place in my heart.. I love them all dearly.

Lets see.. General Conference was last weekend! That came fast, didn't it? I know we all enjoyed it as always. The Spirit is so strong, and the heavens are truly opened. If someone asked what talks were my favourites, I would tell them.. Elder Hollstrom's, Elder Ballard's, and Elder Bednar's! Those are the ones that meant the most to me, and I felt the Spirit quite strong. I hope that we can all keep the Spirit that comes from it growing by studying those talks, and finding small ways to apply them into habits. This past Sunday was really good to us. A lovely member picked up our Congo friend, sat by her at sacrament meeting, joined her for gospel principles, the Relief Society gave her a quilt, and a different member drove her home! I was VERY impressed by so many people reaching out to her. It made me so, so happy even if it does seem like small things to them. Later that evening, we went with her and a different member to the missionary fireside in Manchester. Those are always so powerful. A potential problem was fixed because we have a missionary from Congo who translated the testimonies shared for her! Ha, how great is that! This is where madness strikes though.. One person who recently got baptised was sharing her testimony but she was from Liverpool! With a Scouse accent! The missionary from Congo couldn't understand so then what happened was.. I translated from Scouse to like.. easier English, then she translated from easy-English to French for our friend! It was a good kind of madness though! I do have faith that our dear Congo friend will be baptised in the coming months if not weeks.

I'd just like to end with a rather simple, but sound testimony and experience. Last night we watched the movie "Joseph Smith: Prophet of the Restoration" with the family we are working with. In so many instances, at least eight times, I just started tearing up because I felt the Spirit so dang strong! What a man. What a man.. All the persecutions, all the pain and hard times. I was just so surprised at how much I cried when we watched that! I was glad that the family enjoyed the film and learned from it. One part that stood out to me is when Joseph Smith rebukes the murderers of men, women, and children. "Every soul is precious in the sight of  God". I add my witness to this doctrine. I know God knows His children, by name. He knows what they need most and at what moment they need it. He loves us beyond description. With that simple testimony, I bid you all adieu.

I love my life, and am grateful for everything there-in,

- Elder Bennett

Ladies and Gentlemen, The Whitefield Elders.

How official are we??

I do love me a nice stain-glassed window

Steak on a bus! What? STEAK ON A BUS! 

What a dining table. Danggg.. Need me one of them! ;)

"For They Shall Rise as was Christ"

 Hey ya! Hope yous are all doing okay!

Honestly, I'm doing pretty swell! I have stayed another transfer here in Whitefield and to my surprise, stayed with Elder a Miller for another transfer! This is my third companion I've stayed with for a second transfer. It's nice cause there is no adjusting to a new companion/area/ward to be had for me! Right now we are applying one of my favourite quotes, "If you do what you've always done, you'll get what you've always got." Basically we are varying our approaches by working with the less actives and our area book more frequently than typical. The recent converts in the ward are doing great, we still uplift them often and speak to the ward on how we need to blend them in better, little by little. The family we are working with are keeping their commitments quite well which makes us SO happy cause we love them heaps! They are truly one of a kind and I'm so blessed to be so close with them. Ahh! They really have changed so much in the past couple months. The weather.. was quite rainy two weeks ago but this past one was quite nice. Not much rain if any!

The one thing that has put me down the last month or so has been a cold which gradually got worse. Feeling under the weather is no fun at all, especially as a missionary. We're always tired, but being sick just leaves you at the level of exhaustion! Thankfully, it has come to an end and I've even managed to learn a good lesson from it too. When we come to recognise trials for what they are, we respond to them by asking God, "What am I to learn from this?" (The sooner, the better). I asked and pondered upon it and it came to me that I took my health and working body for granted.  Then I began to take that a step further by asking myself, "What else have I or do I still take for granted?" That was when a whole list of blessings came flooding into my mind! My dear family is perhaps one of my biggest blessings. We live in a world where some hardly care for each other or extended families don't keep in touch. Mine is truly knit together, and I love them SO much! What would I be like without them?? Similar thoughts accompanied when I thought of my friends or just one in particular. What if I never met that one person? How sad! What would the world be like without The Restoration, the Priesthood restored or The Book of Mormon?! Almost makes me shudder at the thought. What a drastic change that has wrought upon numerous people!

The final and most moving blessing that came to mind is this: What would the world be like without a Saviour? No Redeemer, no Perfect Example, no Atonement, and no resurrection. We would all be utterly alone in our trials, infirmities, and pains. There would be no forgiveness from sin, big or small. No returning to our Father in Heaven.  Our loved ones who have passed on wouldn't rise again and neither would we. Excuse me while I wipe away the tears of such a depressing thought and then wipe away more tears of joy when I declare that it is not so! I know The Restoration happened, The Standard of Truth has come forth, and there IS a Saviour, even Jesus Christ. The Miracle of the Atonement was victorious! Forgiveness is available, divine help called grace is receivable and we are never alone. Comfort does and will come to those who are in need. Jesus Christ is risen and so will everyone else. [Alma 40:23] "The soul shall be restored to the body, and the body to the soul; yea, and every limb and joint shall be restored to its body; yea, even a hair of the head shall not be lost; but all things shall be restored to their proper and perfect frame." Oh the joy!

In my younger years, I used to think about my Grandma & Grandpa Bennett and say to myself "how can I miss someone I never knew or hardly knew?" As I've gotten older, I've heard great things about them, and been told such wonderful memories. Tears have been shed, as they do now, and I say to myself "Oh how I wish I could have known them even for a small while!" I know peace really does come and fill my soul, for I know I will be seeing them again. :) I cannot wait to be taught how to paint from my angel nan and learn how to golf from my incredible grandad.

With that said, there's no better way to end this except by saying..

Hallelujah,

- Elder Bennett

The Bury Library we go emailing at. It's also a museum and art
gallery.. of sorts.

Complete Madness

Look at all this snow

Elder Miller and Elder Bennett

I use these splendid photographs to show people
and then teach and testify of the doctrine of resurrection. :)
I love my grandparents! They are close by. 

All of us at the trampoline place last Monday! GREAT fun!

 All of us at the ward mission leader's home (The Clare's)
 for Elder Korth's birthday. 
That strawberry cheesecake was just TOO yummy! 
I'm sorry you couldn't eat some.

 Loads of old churches like this one are scattered about, 
but this is one I don't think is being used!