"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!

"Rough Beginnings, and Great Finishes"

Hiyya there everyone!

:) I'm doing just splendid to say the least. As always, I wish time would just slow down but.. that won't happen now will it? The weather has actually been great considering its February and last year's winter was lots worse. Haven't really had any snow touch me, just lots of rain.. It has been sunny the past few days, but still just as chilly. Ha, I always feel odd when it is warm enough to go outside without a scarf and sometimes gloves. There have been lots of lovely experiences since last time, so I might as well crack on and share those with yous!

Here you are, Benny's Top 5 of February:

1. A few weeks back, we were doing service at a small warehouse. Basically there was a flood, and people come here to find appliances, houseware, clothes, etc. for free. Well, it was time to finish handing out things, and we were asked to take a box of things to a nearby charity shop to see if they wanted them. Sure enough, they did. Well, they noticed we were from America and so they asked the general question "Why on Earth are you in England for?" Led to a really lovely conversation, and ended with them giving us a pair of racquets for free since we were such great boys. Funny bit is, the racquets must be from the 60's, proper wooden, and smaller faces. Oh well! A few weeks later on exchanges, we got proper racquets from the zone leaders' flat. :) Been enjoying playing a bit of tennis a few mornings last week. About time I get to play! No worries, I still got it.

2. One time we were doing a street display in Bury, and just no one was interested. It was saddening.. then I noticed a lady that had walked over to our display table, looking over pamphlets and what have you. So I walk over and noticed she has down syndrome.  Oh bless! So I kindly offer her a pamphlet to be sweet but she cheekily asks "Can I have one of them?" and points to a copy of The Book of Mormon. How can I say no to such a kind old lady? I answered back, "Sure, you can have one of them also." The story continues a few days later on a bus. I was feeling a bit downtrodden by the state of the world, overcome with its wickedness, feeling anxious and stuff. It happens every now and again.. So I pray for relief cause it always comes! Few moments later, who comes aboard the bus, but that same lady from the street display! I know God knows me, and He knew that would bring a smile to my face. Sadly she was all the way up in the front so I couldn't chat with her, but I was still touched nonetheless.  

3. Haha, this next memory I found quite humorous.. Here we were, my companion and myself, visiting a great Irish couple's home for tea! All of a sudden, there was a knock at the door. It is their neighbour who lives on his own, and they invite him to join us. In walks a hunched man relying on his cane for support due to a recent fall. Later on, we learned that not only does he have dementia, but he is ninety years old! What a fragile bloke. Halfway through our desserts, the lady of the home asks him, "Emile, how's the dessert?" He replied, "Its good. I'll marry you tomorrow." Hahah, you couldn't take anything he said seriously.. I can't wait to be old and do that whole serious tone, but completely joking remarks!

4. We went on exchanges with the zone leaders, and it has been ages since I've last done that! I went with Elder Montierth to a place called Oldham (pronounced Old-um). Our first appointment was with this Hungarian family. Must of been an off day or something cause they got distracted, and maybe weren't in such good moods. I decided to make the most of it by trying to teach their young 3 year old girl, Bianca, numbers in English! She was so cute.. Later, we went by a recent convert who has been struggling lately. He has a good heart, but life is just tough at the moment. We really didn't talk about anything deep, or teach anything extravagant, but there was three solid moments I almost began to cry because the Spirit was so strong! Choked up just a bit during the closing prayer. Why that was, I really cannot say, but it was nice. We ended the evening with a tea appointment with this older couple and their grandchildren. Boy do they have a posh home! The food was amazing! Ha, during tea the granddaughters, aged 7-11, just would keep telling story after story. I found it pleasant, humorous, and entertaining. Well, the Grandma just about had enough and kindly asked for a couple minutes of quiet. Ha, I probably would have too if I was with them that often.  

5. This last one makes me, and God smile. Last year from about the middle of April to middle of September, I was serving in Ashton-under-Lyne. Frequently, we would visit and teach this lovely lady named Alex. There were hurdles in her life to get past in order for her to be baptized. We did what we could, she was still great, but progression I must say was halted. I'm not too sure what changed, but I've come to learn that she has been baptized just last week! I'm very proud of the changes she made, and happy for her choice to be baptized. I know she will be such a wonderful member of the ward over there. :)

I really am having the time of my life in England. No, I won't lie.. at times I really do miss family, friends, and Utah. I guess I just know that that time will eventually come. I'll love it when it does, but I'm gonna love this while it lasts. Here is a quote from Elder Holland that may go along with the things I've shared: "Some blessings come soon, some come late, and some don’t come until heaven; but for those who embrace the gospel of Jesus Christ, they come." I know that this is true. I have recognized it in my life, and I know that you can come to recognize it in yours also. God knows, and loves His children.

Sincerely,

- Elder Bennett

"The youth of Whitefield sending off their teacher on the far left.
Have fun in Indonesia mate!"

"There's England's fashion motto for ya!"

"Bolton's town hall. What a beautiful day!"

"The Clare Clan. OH how we love them all so much!"

"One street of The Rock shopping centre. Ace place to go."

Outside of the flat, our door is to the left.

"We May Never Know"

Why hello!

Goodness me, its only been about a month and it is amazing to see how fast things can change! So I was white-washed out of Crosby, and got transferred into Whitefield. Whitefield is just to the north of Manchester. Its quite an interesting place to serve with different areas comprised of different religions. Like to the south closer to Manchester there is a highly populated Jewish community and to the west there is a Muslim community.  My newest companion is Elder Miller, and he is from Arizona. That would be only my third American companion. Crazy, innit? I like him, we have a good amount of fun. I think he is a great combination of both obedient and chill. He has been out in the mission field for six weeks longer than myself. The ward over here is quite small, and a good portion of them are goldie oldies. Thank goodness I've come to learn the dry sense of humor of those goldies.. There are also some great families that have already had us over for tea which is always very nice. The flat I have isn’t near as nice as my last one; loads smaller. However, it does have a sort of haven feeling to it..? Like we live in a tree house or something..? That is the best way I can describe it to ya. Sadly, we don't live close to a bus stop nor the church, so we travel quite a bit..

Definitely have had a handful of very interesting experiences so far in this new area! Oh yes, lets share some of them with yous. So we went up to a nearby town called Bolton to do a street display as a district! Its a very open town, perfect for displays or other street performers, (that is quite common). Ha.. as we draw nearer to the typical location, we hear like this rap music going on across the town square. Then I saw them. This wonderful group of black, non-denominational Christians rapping to songs but with lyrics changed to Christian living. We felt like we needed to take our approach up a notch after that.. ;) A few of them came over in-between songs to chat about our believes and theirs. Overall, it was nice to have some background music while doing something, since we all know it makes things better. Like, listening to some good tunes while cleaning? Nice! Or have you ever listened softly to church music while reading a talk..? I have. Its quite pleasant as well.

Oh and let us not forget about how I made two ladies cry! Look at me go! Yeah! Ha.. So a different day, we were just talking to people on the streets. Well, we stopped one lady maybe in her mid twenties and she was really nice. She said she believes in God, but after a death in the family it was a bit hard. I told her that as missionaries we teach people and encourage people to seek out their own experiences with God. She got super intrigued and asked if I ever had an experience before. Kind of laughing, I said "Well, yes, of course.

Many really!" She got quite interested, and just because she was much nicer than lots of other people I decided to tell her just that. Kaley got really touched by such a compliment and began to like wave her hand, "oh stop.." and crying a bit. Maybe she had a tough day..? I don't know, but I was glad I said that cause she was very chill with sharing her number with us afterward. Both of us are very excited to meet with her again cause she was such a nice and fun lady. The other lady I got to cry was perhaps one of the sweetest, purest, of old ladies I've met.She is originally from Africa somewhere, but has lived in England for quite some time. She sweetly made us a wonderful tea, and shared her conversion story with us. She was oh so polite, and

maybe a bit shy too. Bless.. I loved visiting with her. The best part came when we decided to share a Mormon Message with her called “You Never Know". If you don't know what it is.. find it and watch it. I love it cause it always invites the Spirit. After the video, we felt that calm, peaceful silence. Then we asked her what she thought, and she said in tears, "That's how I feel.. I am that lady.." I could tell she was trying not to cry in front of us. Such a tender moment.. I'd like to add my witness to President Gordon B. Hinckley when he said, "You never know the good you do." One quick example of this in my life was when I was serving in Liverpool. We were doing a street display and I talked with and got a number off a young university student. She never had time to meet up, or come to activities but I did try to keep in touch. She had mentioned she actually had a friend who was a returned missionary. Just the other week, I ran into that RM and he told me that when he got back from his mission, he felt inspired to pray for her. Recently they have had a good chat involving the gospel. I would have never known that if I hadn't bumped into him. I'm glad that God gave me that experience to show me that I won’t always know the results of the small goods I naturally do. At times, we don't always know the good we already do, but we also don't know the extent of the amount of good we can do in another's life neither. We, as children of our Heavenly Father, have so much potential to do so much good around our individual spheres of influence. Whether its a neighbour you begin visiting just once, every month, or keep in

contact better with your family telling them how you are doing. One may volunteer to babysit for a young couple so they can have a date night. You never know how those around you are doing, but I would bet

that if you assumed everyone was struggling to some degree, you would want to reach out even more. It is my hope that we accept the good things we are doing, and throw in a few more good deeds this next

month too. I love serving God and His children. I love this gospel and church very much. I am grateful for God's perfect plan of happiness, for His guidance, and the tender mercies He sends. 

Love you all, wherever you may be.

Be good. Be chill. Be happy!

- Elder Bennett

P.S. I've recently weighed myself and I reached 14 stone 4 lbs! I've

gained weight! Yes, I am well chuffed about that cause that's hard for

me to do.

P.S.S. 1 stone is 10 lbs. :)

Elder from the Whitefield area

Typical rainy England.. glass is half full, cause it isn't snow! Heeheeha!

One morning I just had a terrible headache.. Pain never looked so good? XD

A Scottish fiver just popped out of a cash machine one day. Neat!

Blurry, green photo with Captain Korrrtthh! :) Love that kid.

Classic game of English pool.. It wasn't a dodgy place cause it was during the day! :)

"My Christmas with The Cain's!"

Wo.

I cannot believe it.. You are telling me my full year as a missionary is over? Gone? Done for? 

Kah-put? Yikes.. Fastest year ever! Boy was it spectacular and marvellous. I never could have imagined it to have been what it has been. How blessed I am. So yeah, things are doing great like most missionaries would say they are. Ha, I don't even remember if I wrote on here that I've moved from Liverpool to Crosby, but.. there it is in case! Literally one area north of my last. If you remember, I did love Liverpool and was gutted to leave but things have still been good regardless. Adjustment came quick, and although the ward here is a lot smaller than my last, they are still just as lovely. We got spoiled for Christmas for sure! Another way I got proper spoiled was with this posh flat we are in. Two bathrooms, lots of space, right by the chapel and train station. Oh, and the heating comes from the floor, it is amazing! Ha, all the little things add up. Another thing that I guess is new to some is my companion. Elder Cain is originally from Milton Keynes which is in the south of England. Yes, he does have a more posh accent. His family moved to New Zealand and he spent a year there before his mission. He is good fun and we are actually from the same group so that makes things even better!

Now on to the main questions.. "How was Christmas?" and "Did you have a good New Year's?" Well, I would again say it was more lovely as a collection of small things over the season than two specific days. Here is the run down for ya! The Wednesday before Christmas, half our mission met together for our party. There was delicious food there, and brilliant desserts. We had a small talent show, white elephant exchange, and picture takings. Of course, some good remarks from others in our mission about the holiday season. On Christmas I opened up some truly brilliant gifts from my genius mother and other great ones from Santa. Then we got picked up by our ward mission leader and went to his house for breakfast! That was absolutely INCREDIBLE. I lovveeee breakfast. Eggs, sausage, bacon, why yes. It gets better! His wife made proper pancakes, and cooked American bacon! Ours is more crispy and small, English is more.. chewy like ham almost? Had a fun time playing with their adorable dog after eating. Then.. down to the chapel for the traditional Christmas service. Mostly just scripture readings and hymn singing. I think that is an English thing that all the various churches do here. Afterwards, we got a lift to a lovely family's home, The Cains! No relation to my companion, as great as they would be. There was a massive feast similar to the one our mission party had. Turkey, mash, mixed veg, roasties, and pigs in a blanket (sausage wrapped in bacon)! All that topped over with gravy. You best believe I ate as much as my appetite would allow! We hung

around a bit after since we were all so full. Finally the time came where I could Skype home! Took some time setting up, and the connection was a bit wonky until I changed rooms. It was quite clear after that. I think the best things about Skyping home is hearing my family's voices, laughs, and seeing their smiles. I really loved watching them open my packages to them and have them try the English sweets. Just like last time, it was a great highlight seeing my sweet niece! She's so cute! Sad to say bye, but Mother's Day isn't too far, and that'll be the last call home! Crazy!

The day after Christmas is called Boxing Day. Very similar to Black Friday, everyone gets up early and goes shopping since there are many deals going on. We went to a couple member's homes that day and had some lovely food there. Both, again, similar to the Christmas meal at the Cain's. Erm.. We went over to a less active's home for New Year’s Eve. It was good to enjoy their company. When we came back to the flat I spent the evening pondering back on the year. Reminisced on the highlights of my year, thinking of a variety of favourite things. It was nice and refreshing! It was something I haven't done that much, and that I now want to do more. I think of Joseph Smith's example of pondering and how essential that part must have been in the Restoration. I've spoken with some people who are Buddhist because they enjoy meditation so much. For me, it seems like a healthy habit to develop and I know that doing so will bring a clear channel to revelation and motivation to act. Who wouldn't want that? We all think of resolutions at this time of year. Some, like me in the past, think it's too cliche and don't even attempt. Some may simply be afraid to fail. Well, you don't need to be perfect, just keep trying! For those who haven't made any or struggle to think of some I would encourage you seek revelation through pondering. The following questions may help! What are your highlights of the past year? What are someways you have changed? In what ways do you hope to change more? Where do you hope to be at the end of the year and what are you willing to sacrifice to be there? What potential does God see in me? Ask God in prayer which habits need establishing so over time you may come closer to Him and His Son, Jesus Christ. I love and miss you all! Let me know through email of anything else you'd like to hear more about.

Happy Pondering,

-Elder Bennett

Ready for Christmas with my hat, jumper, trackies, and socks! :)

 Classic elf hats, how fun..

Photograph with most of my group and Santa! Yay!

 Christmas Dinner with the Cain Family!!

Wonderful breakfast at Ward Mission Leader Slaughter's home! Yumm..

Boxing Day with the Standley's! Oh yeah!

The Slaughter's adorable little doggie name Poppy.
Ha, we had a lot of fun playing with her.
 No worries, she didn't get trapped.. she just yaps a lot.

Look at all those Christmas cards. Boy do I feel loved!

"Giving Some Good-Ole Thanks"

Brrrr...

Bit chilly out there, innit? Oh how one must love England.. Where it is either raining or about to rain. Not gonna lie, I definitely took summer for granted. The sun stayed up longer, the people were happier, and it was warm enough to not wear a jacket. Best day of the year for sure Heheh.. Well, just letting you know now that this should be a fun post to read. Maybe difficult for me to write up cause there are so many bits and bobs to mention, but let's just hope it all comes together well.

So yeah, as previously noted, the weather here has gotten absolutely brutal! Like the rain I can handle, but when it is dead windy too, that's when I hate it. Ha, just the other night we got stuck out in it. Too windy to use the umbrella so I just soaked in the experience, literally. It was then that I remembered what others have said about missions.. "It'll be fun!" they said. "You'll learn so much!" they said. Well, where was the realist person who began to laugh, "Hahaha.. Oh man, you're going to suffer big time!" ;) Ha, nah, missions are fun, and I've never learnt so much. I will love it til the very end. However, getting drenched did provide quite a funny memory for us! We went into a members home, soaked, and the young wife was kind enough to lend us a pair of dry socks. "Just toss them in the bin when you get back to your flat!" Okay..? It was a bit silly, because we both got super girly, pink socks, but it was a kind deed and how can one reject such a sweet offer. But then... after the tea appointment, we get on a packed bus, and something caught my attention! Mhmm! My companion's bright, girly socks were screaming for attention. Oh it was so obvious! I was struggling to hide my laugh, while at the same time, attempting to hide my own adorable footwear with my bag. I can only imagine what others were thinking when they noticed.. Ha, suffices me to say, I'll only be learning that lesson once.

Now, at other times, I don't mind getting some extra attention! For example, last Sunday during sacrament meeting. The young men's president gave a brilliant talk, and quoted quite often from a general authority who spoke at the last general conference. What was the
general authority's name you ask? Elder Randall K. Bennett. Hah. Let's see if you notice where this is headed.. He's up there, you know, speaking away to the congregation and then something catches my ear. "Elder Bennett continues with the third principle which is to 'counter
the natural man’s tendency to procrastinate, to put off, or to give up.'" Come again? Since when did I say that?! Haha.. It happened like three or four times! Each time, I could just feel that people noticed and looked at me. Well, what can I say? I must have some pretty dang good insights! ;) Or do I? Some may never know..

One thing I do know is that I am super thankful to be in this mission and particularly, the Liverpool ward! We've had two fantastic mission trainings over the past few weeks and a brilliant, ward youth musical that I must mention as well! Firstly, was our All-Elders Day. That was a lot of fun. President gave a powerful training on wearing the whole armour of God, and some other missionaries gave great trainings on more temporal, but much needed things. I loved it. Then we split up and everyone played whatever sport they fancied. There was frisbee,
rugby, football, basketball and American football. Yeah, that's what I have to call it for the next year or so.. haha. I didn't know some were playing basketball til the very end, so I mostly played football and was on the same team as my son/trainee, Elder Paulsen. Love that kid What a jokester. Our team did quite good too! Ha, President Ulrich even came out for a bit, and had a shootout with us all. That was good fun to see him having fun with his missionaries. I'm so grateful for my mission president.

As for the second amazing training.. that was at our Mission Tour with Elder Paul V. Johnson visiting! What a champ! I particularly enjoyed his visit because he is from my home stake, and has kids who are friends with my siblings! Haha, over the stand, his lovely wife even told half the mission that one of their daughters used to babysit me. No, not embarrassing in the slightest because he's amazing! Another reason I loved his visit, is because of what he used to do for the Church Education System. I found that utterly fascinating, and worthwhile because I love seminary/institute! He taught about how we can learn to submit to God's will over time, how to teach more efficient, and how we can choose why we should do what we should. My
favourite part of the Q&A he opened up was when President Ulrich bore a crystal clear, pure, and powerful testimony of God's love for who we are and what we strive to become. It's leaving me speechless. I can't put words to how profound that was.. wish you could have felt what we
had.. Oh! And we also had a catered, Thanksgiving meal for lunch that day! So that was a bonus! No worries, I did not miss out this year. Man, pumpkin pie is mighty fine!

Lastly, was the Liverpool Ward's very own, Youth Musical Night. Oh how I loved that! Bravo! What a performance! I was so proud of how well they did. My favourite performances out of the eight or so musicals they danced to was.. Sound of Music, Fame (never heard of it, but they
killed it), Annie, and Thriller. Ha, too great! They are so talented! No worries, I literally got their signatures, so I'm covered when they get famous. Not only that, but they had a cake auction to help fundraise money for the next time they go to FSY/EFY! Oh my goodness, now that was funny. One of the young men was the auctioneer, and didn't a brilliant job. He made each one someone had brought sound amazing. Haha, one of the cakes sold for about £40! You could tell that some really wanted a certain one, and so some people would purposely keep raising their auction number so the price soared up. Hahaha... too great. I heard they got well over the amount they had planned for, so that makes me happy cause I loved going to EFY! Overall, I just love it here so SO MUCH! Transfers are.. next week, so I am just praying, and hoping, and somewhat expecting to stay. The Christmas season has been going on for a while here because they don't celebrate Thanksgiving, and boy would I love to continue to enjoy the season in Liverpool.

To finish, I once heard that "God commands us to be thankful because He knows it'll make us happier". You are blessed, whether you realize it or not. Not a lot of people have what you have, and most of those things are probably things that matter most; ie. Family, the Gospel, a working body. Not many people even realize that they have a Saviour, Jesus Christ, on whom they can depend on always. How thankful I am.. for what He did in his mortal ministry and what He is now doing in His living church today. I testify that I would not be who I am today without my Redeemer. Words will never be able to express my gratitude. All things are possible with Jesus Christ. Tis the season, my lovely people.

Looking forward to seeing my family, who I am thankful for and love, in twenty and five days,

Love always,

- Elder Bennett

"Hey! Look who I found! My companion!" :P

"Look at all them poppies. Happy Remembrance!"

"Matching companionship sockies! Soo fuzzy!!"

"Oh yes.. these are the infamous socks we wore.. in public. Work it!"

"Something is wrong with my hand.. best pranking tool ever. Thanks mom!"

"Then Things get Even Better!

Hope everything is going swell o'er there in America! For me, everything is marvellous in Liverpool! Mhmm, yep, yep, thats right; I'm staying here for another transfer!! SOOO happy!! As very grateful I am to stay here another transfer, my thoughts are on the future.. I now pray to stay til Christmas!! Oh goodness, that would just be amazing! Lets see, what else is new? Well, my past companion went to another area, and I got one named Elder Sanches! He.. has been in the field for a half a year, and.. is from Portugal, but also lived in the Grand Canneries in Spain! He is very nice, diligent, and goofy. Bahahaha, yeah, get this.. He has this technique when he gets hurt. This happened just the other night.. After planning, he accidentally whacked his knee on the corner of a table. And well, in my family, we have a crazy habit of laughing when others get hurt, and so.. yeah.. I started to laugh, but what he does is he exclaims "Ooo! Ow! It doesn't hurt! It doesn't hurt! It doesn't hurt!" Ahaha, just to try to trick his mind..? Oh my goodness, I'm busting up so hard just going over the memory of it..  He's a funny one, that is for sure. As for the work, we are pushing on, finding new people here and there, but the others we used to teach have gotten busy, so they aren't progressing as much as they once were. Its okay, all in good timing, which is what I've have learnt lately and will share a thought on soon. 

So what else has happened worth mentioning..? Well, here's like the top 5 that come to mind that happened over the past few weeks.

1. Transfer Meeting. I just love seeing all the other missionaries that I have served around. It always feels like a family reunion, and I just love them all so much. Its crazy! So many fond memories and inside jokes. Its the greatest. I never thought of making so many great friends in the mission field. 

2. We visited with a wonderful Brazilian family here in the ward, and they were waiting for a Portuguese missionary to come so they could teach their friends! So yes, five referrals received in one sitting. A whole family. Wowza. The most I've ever gotten. Plus, they even got us Domino's pizza! "Woohoo!" (Elder Sanches says that exclamation all the time.. love it.)

3. Elder Sanches and I visited a member neither of us know. Got a surprise English breakfast for tea, which is great. Elder Sanches even said he "eat" black pudding. (He's working on his English..) So when it came time to eat, I was purposely avoiding the black pudding (cooked pig's blood), and then the member realized he forgot to get us a drink. As he turns around, I move like a lightning and dish my black pudding over to my companion's plate. His face was priceless. Hahaha, I was dying... inside. I had to hide my laugh through fake coughs. Afterwards, he was telling me he barely got through his black pudding. I guess.. he meant to say he has "eaten" it before, but doesn't necessarily like it! That is when grammar mistakes brings disaster.. for him though. Aha!

4. Halloween! I actually did something to a degree for it! A great member invited us, and other missionaries over, to eat food and sweets. A rule over here is to be in a members home or in your flat by five because it really isn't too safe in the evenings. Fine with me, had a great time there! :)

5. We've found a brilliant new investigator! Pablo. He is new to the area, and had been looking for a church to go to. It was a crazy experience when we found him. So! I had gone through the area book, written down names under the potential investigator area to go by sometime. We walked SO much that night to get to that home, and when we knocked, the person who answered wasn't the one we were looking for! So what do we do? We teach/talk with his friend! That friend's name is Pablo. He has a date for baptism in the middle of December and loved church yesterday. He's a great man. 

So yes. Here is a topic that I have enjoyed studying lately, and that is about timing. Its great!

'.. To have faith is to have confidence in something or someone.' Or more simply, TRUST. This goes along with this gem I came across: "What do we do when doubt seeps into our hearts? Are there really answers to those hard questions? Yes, there are. In fact, all the answers--all the right answers--depend on the answer to just one question: do I trust God above everyone else?" '[The Answer to All the Hard Questions' By R. Val Johnson] The writer continues to share these following principles that can help our trust in God. "God Knows Infinitely More Than We Do. God Shares Some of His Knowledge. We Can Trust in God’s Love. We Need to Seek Spiritual Affirmations. We May Need to Wait Upon the Lord." How wonderful it is to have an all-loving, Father in Heaven who desires what is best for us.

So, at times, we need to faithfully wait. "Wait for the opportune moment", Capt. Jack Sparrow repeatedly says. At times, the biggest effect will happen in a certain circumstance, and when we try to force things upon ourselves or others at the wrong time, it won't be as effective, if at all. Elder Oaks informs us that, "We should remember that when is just as important as who, what, where, and how." Its about doing the right thing, at the right time, and also for the right reasons. How is this all possible? Seems kind of daunting..? The quick answer is: the Holy Ghost can reveal it unto you! Hence, you need to always be doing the things you should be, because you never know when the time is now, and will pass you by if you haven't been seeking the Spirit. Doors open and close in life, and if you miss the opening, and it closes, who knows when it'll open once more.

Elder Oaks encourages us that, "We prepare in the way the Lord has directed. We hold ourselves in readiness to act on the Lord’s timing. He will tell us when the time is right to take the next step. For now, we simply concentrate on our own assignments and on what we have been asked to do today. Wise are those who make this commitment: I will put the Lord first in my life and I will keep His commandments. The performance of that commitment is within everyone’s control. 

If we have faith in God and if we are committed to the fundamentals of keeping His commandments and putting Him first in our lives, we do not need to plan every single event--even every important event--and we should not feel rejected or depressed if some things--even some very important things--do not happen at the time we had planned or hoped or prayed. You do not know what will happen. Do your best on what is fundamental and personal and then trust in the Lord and His timing."

Everything has its time. My trainer shared the importance of that just over a year ago. He said, "When it is time to study, study. When it is time to teach, teach. When it is time to sleep, sleep." Overall, this life is the time when we need to prepare to meet God. Now. One day at a time. This last quote I love SO much, because of the truth that lies inside of it. "Why waste your time, your talents, your means, your influence in following something that will perish and pass away, when you could devote yourselves to a thing that will stand forever? For this Church and kingdom, to which you belong, will abide and continue in time, in eternity, while endless ages roll along, and you with it will become mightier and more powerful; while the things of this world will pass away and perish, and will not abide in nor after the resurrection, saith the Lord our God.” [President Charles W. Penrose] To finish, think of what the Millennium will be like. One thousand years of missionary work and family history work. One. Thousand. Years! Thats indeed a very long time. So, if you haven't gotten started on what the Kingdom of God will be doing for those thousand years, do you think you should prepare to do so now..? Its what truly matters. When you realize this, that is when things get even better. Life gets more rich. Your level of joy is increased. Your very nature becomes more what it is destined to become, and your ability to help others realize this is strengthened.

Time is very precious,

- Elder Bennett

"Doers of the Word, and not Hearers Only"

Hello there wonderful person who may be reading this! 

I hope your life is going almost as great as mine is! If not, no worries. I know that things get better. Just keep doing the good things, and have trust in God. I know that He loves you! I absolutely love serving here in Liverpool. Oh my days, if only every ward a missionary could serve in was like this one. I am sooo blessed on how quickly I have learnt names and grown to know and love these members. One thing special about this ward compared to other ones, is that we are racially rich. There are people from a variety of countries, and it is super great! The work here is great and exciting! I especially love working with the members. One lady we are working with in particular has felt the Spirit strongly two lessons in a row! Now she knows what it is, and knows how it feels to her. It's just the greatest to hear that because the Spirit truly is a master teacher. Haha, there has also been some very interesting experiences. For example, last night we were walking back to the flat, and randomly, from out of a car, an uncooked sausage just pelted me on the arm! Haha, I thought someone had ran past and just slugged me on the arm, but nope, it was a sausage! Haha, no worries, it was my first time getting hit by something. No damage done, just laughter at the randomness. Definitely worse than getting hit by flying sausages is having dreams of coming home. It's only been a year for goodness sakes! I've perhaps had a few this past month, and always wake up close to tears. I know when that time comes, I'll be more ready, but being heartbroken will be inevitable. I just love being a missionary so much! Very thankful to have so much more time left! But, anyways...
I think that's more or less what I can think of to share about what has been going on for me!  So yeah! Let's move on to something very special that has recently happened: General Conference. Woohoo! We love it! We get super great quotes from it! It's so uplifting and revelatory! We get answers to questions, feel the Spirit, and before we know it... its over. :( But that's okay, right? We'll have the same or similar experience in six months time..? Well, not exactly. There's one, big concern that quite often can happen to us. A scripture in the New Testament describes it perfectly. Romans 2:13; 'For not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified.'  Is it great to hear the words of living prophets? Yes. To read the scriptures? Of course! But the whole intent of both of these are for us to turn those words into actions. Actions, repeated over time form habits. Oh yes, and then habits become a part of us, and that's what we want! For the gospel to become a part of the way we live!

The best way that I usually describe this principle to people is relating it to university. We don't attend uni to simply listen to lectures, maybe do some assignments or pass exams and then leave it at that. Ask most people why they are attending uni, and they will say, "I'm studying film so I can become a director." "I'm studying medicine so I can be a pharmacist." "I'm studying Spanish so I can be a Spanish teacher!" Notice how we listen, learn, and do certain things so that we can become something/someone? If we keep on the forefront of our mind that we are children of God, and that our eternal destiny is to live with Him in the Celestial Kingdom, it will help us realise how important forming righteous habits are. So what righteous habit do you need forming after listening to General Conference? 

Now that really is the question, innit? Well, that's not something I can answer for you! However, using things I have learnt this past General Conference may provide some guidance! First thing would be to seek what God knows you need most at this moment. It may not be something you want to work on, or even think you do, but certainly God knows you best. This is what Elder Larry R. Lawrence spoke about! The Holy Ghost is perfect at revealing such things to you. So, after praying, seeking, and received by the Spirit what you need to do, then what? Might I suggest that you simply K.I.S.S. that principle. Keep It Simple Silly! President Uchtdorf spoke about in one of his talks! Small, applicable steps over time, have a greater, more lasting effect than one massive, single instance. One speaker whom I enjoyed listening to, but sadly cannot remember, spoke of the blessings he has received from pondering scriptures. At first, it was perhaps tough, but years down the road, he is very thankful for that small habit he has formed. Not only did this bless himself, but it has blessed many others as well! Set yourself reminders. Share with others your goal. Record in a journal your progress. Ask me how I can help you, because I surely would love to! I'm so thankful for the time I've had to serve my brothers and sisters, my Saviour and my Heavenly Father. I also want to express gratitude to those who have written emails to me. I love to hear that you enjoy reading the posts on here from time to time. It really makes me feel loved. Overall, thank you for everything you do for me and others. Keep it up!

I'm working on charity, and maybe a teenie bit of Chinese,

• 碧 長老  (Bì Zhânglâo, Elder Bennett)

Harry the Hedgehog!
FINALLY! I've seen one out of nowhere!
 Look at him! He is just too cute! Wish I could have taken him home.. :)

Missionaries with wonderful members

The street that we live on

The library that I emailed from in my last area

It was saddening, but that mouse just had to go.. we couldn't let it multiply. RIP.

From the Mayan Exhibit. They would play a game, getting a ball through this hoop with their hips! Wha..?

Super great serpent head!

Ahh! That's a scaly, green mask! Creeeepyyy..