Alma 37:6-7‏

Ola! Tudo bem?

Each and every week that I am here to write you guys, I feel that I have grown just a little bit more. I feel that my testimony is just a little bit stronger. I am very grateful for the changes that my mission has made in my life. There really is nothing better than a mission. The Lord's work is the one and only true work that leads us to Eternal Life in His presence. I sure will be sad at the end of my two years, but that doesn't mean that the work stops there. How are you all doing? It must be hot there in Utah now, eh? Here, we have hit the season where the weather is always bouncing around. One day it rains, and the next day it is hot and sunny. This week, I had to use a sweater for some of the days. At night, I am sleeping with a sweater as well. This crazy weather has brought many people down with lots of coughs, stuffy noses, and colds. My companion has been stuffed up since I arrived here one month ago! hahah. :) I am trying to take good care of myself, and until now, I only have a small sore throat. 

This was quite the week. At times, as I am getting ready in the morning, I think: "What kind of experiences are in for me today?" There really is no way to know the things that will happen during the day! Now, you may be thinking positively or negatively at this moment... but just remember, I am talking positively, and I also have divine protection with me if you're still worrying! ;) We had many experiences this week, but I will tell you about two specifically. 

This week, as my companion and I were preparing one morning, I noticed a strange bump on his back. I joked with my companion, and as he realized it, he began to explain that that must be the cause of some back pain he has been having. We called Sister Lima and the Mission Doctor. They sent us to find a doctor who could give us more information on the condition. So, early Wednesday morning, my companion and I, in nice warm sweaters, left in the wind and rain to find a doctor who could give Elder Amorim a consultation. We found one and we were 8th in line. As we waited, we noticed a lady who wasn't looking too well, but was talking with other people. Then, out of nowhere, this woman fainted and almost fell on the floor! Everyone panicked and grabbed her and they sent for a doctor. While the situation seemed horrible, my companion and I found it rather funny as the doctor arrived and began treating her. Her blood pressure dropped and she fainted, but was fine. To help her out, the doctor sent for a coffee. With this, we couldn't help but give a little chuckle. For three and a half hours we waited, and finally Elder Amorim was looked over. We found out that he has to have a small surgery here in the next month. It seems to be a small tumor, but nothing serious. Afterwards, we ate yakisoba and went in search of some other treatments he needed, and finally we were able to get to work around 4PM. The day continued to rain, and was a chilly day. It was this day that made us a little bit sick, but we are fine now. 

The last experience I will tell is one that I will always hold very close to my heart. Really, the Lord blessed me greatly in being able to be a part of such a special moment. About a week and a half ago, I received a call from the Sisters that work in my second area, Andaraí. They were very excited to tell me that Antonia, a lady I had been teaching, had accepted to be baptized, but only I was the one to baptize her! Antonia is someone very close to my heart. Her husband was baptized almost 10 years ago, but has been inactive for most of this time. She also has many members of the church in her distant family. I began teaching her with about five months here on the mission. I taught her all of the seven months that I was in Andaraí, and she never reached the point of wanting to be baptized. I was transferred, and four months later, I returned to Meier (the same stake). I had had a dream that I would baptize her. As I awoke that morning, I recounted this dream to the Sisters in Andaraí. They became very excited and told Antonia about this. Antonia as well became very excited and accepted to be baptized! I had the opportunity to interview her for baptism. For two hours, I was with her in the interview, and as we left, she still wasn't wanting to be baptized. That day was very disappointing to me. I was transferred, and now, about three months later, Antonia has asked me to baptize her. These last couple weeks, the Sisters have been teaching her, and Antonia had some dreams about the temple and the church. She finally saw this as an answer and accepted baptism with certainty. :) On Saturday, the 31st, I travelled to Andaraí once again for her baptism and I was able to baptize Antonia. It was a very special day. I also reunited with many friends from Andaraí and Meier that were at the chapel that night. Many members asked me to send my membership record to Andaraí because I will never leave. It was quite a night. 

I am very grateful for the special moments that I am having here in Rio de Janeiro. It almost seems like a dream that I am here as a representative of Jesus Christ. I know that this is His church, and that we are spreading His gospel to all the world. I know that the Lord still has many things in store for me in these last few months. I will be working as hard as ever, and as happy as ever, until the end. Have a wonderful week!

Muito amor e saudades, 

Elder Steven Bennett

PS. Lauralee already graduated from high school?? 

God Is My Salvation (2 Nephi 22:2)

Minha querida família!

Welcome to one more weekly letter from the Cidade Maravilhosa. This is such a marvelous city. I love the Cariocan people. Here, everyone is getting prepared for the World Cup that will be starting here in June. Everyone is buying costumes, shirts, flags, paint, etc. The streets are being painted yellow, white, green, and blue, and flags and banners are being strung in all places. I am not exactly sure what our work schedule will be like during the World Cup, but it sure will be interesting to work while the whole world is watching soccer. :) 

So what a week I had! Lots of crazy things have been happening. I am glad that I have been able to keep my journal updated, so all of my experiences are written on paper. I was able to do a mission split this last week with a new missionary in our zone, Elder Morris. He is really cool, and for only having 6 months on the mission, he speaks really well. He came to my area and we had the chance to work here. We had a pretty interesting experience as well. The night before, I was doing street contacts with my companion, and we had stopped a man named Luis. He was very receptive to our message and accepted immediately that we go to his home and leave a message with his family. We marked the next day to go over there. As we ended our conversation with him, I told Elder Amorim that he would be baptized for sure. While I was with Elder Morris, we passed his home. As we shouted for him, another man answered. His name was Fernando. He asked us who we were, and we presented ourselves. We asked for Luis. Fernando became very confused and asked us when we had spoken with Luis. We responded that we had spoken with him on the street the night before. Fernando explained to us that he has a brother named Luis, who lived here... but died more than 30 years ago. He didn't know of any other Luis that we could have been mixing him up with. We taught him a bit about the Plan of Salvation, and we will return there another day. Could it have been his brother sending a message to his family to accept the Gospel? It sure was an interesting experience. 

As an update to Raphaella, who was to be baptized this last week... Unfortunately, the baptism fell through. The 22nd arrived, and she wasn't feeling ready. We made an appointment to meet her at the chapel, and she never went. We called her and she put on some boy who prentended to be her father. We had already gone to her home, and no one was there, so when the boy said that it was her father at home, we knew he was lying to us. We were never able to speak anymore with her after this incident. It was very disappointing to us. She really was ready to be baptized. It is sad to see people so close to following our Savior Jesus Christ, and for one reason or another, Satan puts his grasp on things. Never in my mission have I realized the importance of Jesus Christ in our lives. In these days, many people have many beliefs on God and Jesus Christ. People think that God lets us worship Him in the way that we want, and that all pathways lead to salvation. Sadly, this is a lie that Satan wants everyone to believe. Jesus Christ is the path, and there only exists one path. He suffered and died for us, and only through faithfulness to ALL of the commandments that He gave us, we can be ready to return to the presence of our Heavenly Father. The Church of Jesus Christ exists in these last days. The same organization that Jesus Christ set up in the first days. It is only through His path that we are saved. This I know. How grateful I am to be a representative of Jesus Christ in this part of the world. For all those who have doubts of these things, pray to our Heavenly Father. Ask if this is true. Then, follow this answer and visit the Church that Jesus Christ organized. What a privilege it is to know that these things are true. I know that Jesus Christ lives, and that He is our Savior. I know that He restored His church on the earth through a living prophet. 

I hope you all have a wonderful week. Stay strong, and stay safe! I love you all so much!

Sincerely,

Elder Steven Bennett

:) Felicidade‏

Hello to all,

I would like to thank all those who sent me a 'Happy Birthday' this last week. I am so grateful for having such great friends and family near me. I am bumped up to 21 years now. I really do feel old, but that is alright. I have very little time to write so please give me a couple weeks to get a reply email out to everyone. Don't worry, I haven't forgotten about you guys! I love you all so much. My birthday was a very special day. I was a bit sad to leave my last area, for I knew everyone there! I came to an area knowing no one, and passing a birthday with people you don't know is a bit sad. However, I was able to get to know many people in these first few weeks here, and my birthday was quite memorable. I will always remember those that made this day such a special one. A little bit later on in the letter, I will talk about what happened. :)

So this week was a really great one. Our President is really an inspired man. He gave us a challenge this week for each and every area to complete our weekly goal of 210 street contacts. It really isn't that hard of a goal, but lately, the mission has been having troubles doing these street contacts. Talking with people on the streets is one of the simplest ways we show our personal diligence to the Lord. In many aspects, we depend on others... for example, entering homes and teaching, teaching with members present in the lesson, receiving references, etc. However, street contacts only depend on us. It is up to us if we do them or not. This week was "the week that no one lacked 210 contacts". We kept up with our zone each and every day, motivating them to make this goal. We really saw many miracles that happened through this week. As yesterday ended, we were able to successfully complete the end of the week with the goal met in each area of our zone. :) Only 4/11 zones were able to complete this challenge. 

The week passed by very fast, and soon Sunday arrived. :) Saturday night, around 8 PM, Bishop called me and asked me to do a 15 minute talk in Sacrament meeting... what a great birthday present right? I accepted gladly, and I chose to speak on the Atonement. I have a great love and a growing understanding of the Atonement. The last few weeks, I have been studying only the Atonement, and my testimony has grown so much. I have a great love for the Atonement, and the opportunity and potential I have for what Jesus Christ suffered. I did not write a talk-- but simply wrote down a few bullet points. I used five bullet points in my talk. I believe that a talk becomes a little more personal if you aren't reading a paper. Well, the talk went great! I also was the pianist in Sacrament Meeting, so I was running all over the place. I was sure kept busy! It sure was a great meeting. In the middle of Gospel Principles, I had another present.... Julio Cesar, a young man I was teaching, came to visit me. He lives in Meier, and came to see me. He didn't know that it was my birthday, but boy was it a special present. I hadn't had the opportunity to say good-bye to him, so it was a very special moment. After church, we were privileged to have a special Birthday BBQ. We are teaching a less-active family, and after passing a few hours in their home moving some things around, they invited us to a BBQ the next day. Beyond this, they bought an amazing cake! I will send you guys some photos of all this. A little bit later, another family invited us over to sing Happy Birthday to me and their little nephew. :) I was truly blessed with an amazing birthday. Ps. I still didn't receive the package, Mom. Maybe it is in the mission office. 

To end my birthday, we also had quite an experience, but more on the spiritual side of things. We were called to help a less-active lady who was passing some very hard difficulties. I won't go into details about her difficulties, but suffice to say that she has an ex-husband who is doing some very bad things to her, as far as abuse (mental and physical). It was sad to hear her story and what has been going on in her life. Her ex-husband also is into some different spiritual traditions, and we were able to feel this as we entered her home at 8PM last night with a member. It was obvious that something was very wrong in the home. I was weighed down with a very heavy, bad feeling that lingered in the home. She told us that many other pastors and bishops of many churches had already passed to help her, and everyone said she was a lost cause. We had a very great lesson with her, and as we were led by the Spirit in our words, we were able to help her. Through the power of the Priesthood, we left her home with a completely different feeling, and even the lady expressed that she was feeling much better than she has in years. We gave her goals to help her improve her situation. I am grateful for the opportunity to be a worthy Priesthood holder, and in helping someone who was rendered "crazy" to all others that tried. She is much better now, and the member is staying up with her progress. 

Well, that is about it. I must be running. We are here in the chapel having a BBQ with the zone. :) I am so very blessed with an amazing family and friends. I love my mission. I love this Gospel. I know that it is the way of true happiness. Have a wonderful week. I love and miss you all! 

Sincerely,

Elder Steven Bennett

Morôni 7:3‏

Olá!

Well hello there once again! It seems like yesterday that I was talking to you guys!... oh wait, it was yesterday. :) How great it was to talk to you guys again. I feel that it has been a while, but at the same time, it was very fast. I know that time will continue to pass by even  faster until the day we are together again. I am so grateful for my wonderful family... My awesome dad who is such an example to me to work hard and do things with quality. I am grateful for my beautiful mom who never quits in anything. She is so diligent and does things for the love she has for others. I am grateful for Alisha who has shown her example to me by the choices she has made in her own family now. Of course, I am grateful for Wade, who is such an example of someone who respects his family and spouse... someone who also served a mission with honor. Don't forget about baby Kai, who I love so much even though I have never seen him! And last but not least, Lorks. I am so grateful for Lorks and to see her growing and developing into a wonderful and beautiful young lady. I hope she knows how much I love her and how much the Lord wants her to serve a mission. :) While I am at it, I am also very very grateful for my church leaders through the years, my friends, and other relatives who have helped me up until now. I am GRATEFUL for everyone!!! It is for this reason that I put up Moroni 7:3 as the subject, because of the love I have for all of you, and the prayers that go out to you guys from the Cidade Maravilhosa each and every night.
 

This was a week of much learning. I am grateful for the experiences that I have each and every day. It is these experiences that mold us into the person we want to become. The Lord gives each and every one of us certain circumstances and situations so that we can learn and grow. This week, we faced lots of fatigue and lack of excitment as we faced opposition. It was a bit challenging to keep going, but we kept strong. Things are improving here in Sulacap, but we sure have plenty of work to do in front of us. We are making goals to improve in all aspects, beginning with us. I always will remember some of the words that President Lima spoke to us in our interviews this last Tuesday: "If you want to see a difference in your zone, be the first to change, starting with yourself." It is truly this that needs to happen. We cannot change anything if we don't change ourselves. I am very excited to start this next week with lots of excitement and motivation. I am grateful for the chance to have talked with you guys yesterday. Many missionaries would become trunky talking to the family, but I don't feel that at all. My motivation to work harder has increased through talking with you guys. I have been reminded once again of my purpose here in Rio: Bring happiness to other families that my family already has. I know that through my hard work, I will bless the lives of my own family, and the lives of many others. There is no greater happiness than this-- to know that I have the chance to help others know the true, Resored Gospel of Jesus Christ, and bless my own family back at home. For that, I will stay focused and work hard until my last minute of being a missionary.
 

I will end with my simple testimony of the truthfulness of this Gospel. I read Elder Randall's (now being Dustin!) last letter as a full-time missionary, and exactly as he said, one of the greatest things I am gaining here on the mission is my own testimony of this Gospel. I really do know that we are part of the true church of our Savior Jesus Christ. There doesn't exist any other church that can bring us closer to Christ than through His own church. I am grateful for the Book of Mormon, and the opportunity to read its sacred pages each and every morning, and to pray to our Heavenly Father, receiving an answer of his truthfulness and divinity. I know that the Holy Ghost works with us in this work. I have grown to know its prompting and counsels. I have grown to know when He is with me and when He is guiding me. I know that there doesn't exist anything better on this earth than the opportunity to live with our families forever. Mom and Dad, for your presentation of my mission, make sure each and every person who is listening knows that the greatest thing you will gain through serving a mission is your own, personal testimony of this church... a testimony that will guide you for the eternities. A mission is difficult, but there is nothing in the world that could give you such an experience, knowledge, and development as a mission gives you. It doesn't matter how someone feels in respect to serving a mission... they need to know that they will NEVER regret for serving.
 

I have an immense love for you all and this work. Have a marvelous week!
 

Sincerely,

Elder Steven Bennett 

Que semana!

Hello hello!

First off, I am writing today because yesterday, we had a Mission Counsel in Andarai, and I didn't have P-day. :) Don't think that I am a bad missionary breaking rules and entering the email when I shouldn't! Wow, what a week this has been. I feel like so much has changed. It was also one of those eternal weeks, if you know what I mean. But before I get explaining, I want to give a shout-out to my buddy Dustin who's ending his mission this week. He is such an example to me. I remember to the very first emails I wrote even when I was at home... and now to this point that he is being released. How time has passed. I love him with all my heart. Now, we will continue the next phase of our lives, still together, living up at Utah State! I am excited to see him again. But, before that happens, I still have plenty of work here in Rio. 

This was quite a week of changes. I arrived in my new area, and as any missionary would say, I was completely lost. I had never stepped foot in this Stake or this part of Rio, so everything was very new to me. I thought that I was very far from my last area, but then realized with a bus ride to Andarai, that I am only 40 minutes from Meier. The first days in a new area are always hard, especially if you loved your other area, ward, and companion. I am missing that area a lot... As I arrived here, I noticed that I will be living in the nicest house yet! It is a cute little house and has been very well-kept. From the testimony of my companion, it sounds like the other missionaries weren't too clean, but he arrived here and cleaned everything up. My companion is Elder Amorim, from Brasilia, Brasil. He is 26-- my oldest companion yet! I already knew him from my second area. We served in the same stake when he arrived on the mission. He is about to hit the one year mark. He is very excited to work and has lots of energy. He arrived in this area two weeks ago, so you can imagine how we are in this area.... we know nothing of this place, and no one of the ward! He got to know a couple of the members, and a few of the streets, but basically we are opening a new area. We will be learning together. It has been a little stressful, and we ended up walking a lot this week, for we didn't know the best routes to arrive on certain streets. As always, I arrived in an area that wasn't very organized as far as the records and Area Book. I know that I already spoke about this at the beginning of my last two areas as well. As this week went on, I did an Area Book "makeover", as I had to do in my last areas. I took the Area Book, cleaned everything, organized the records, etc. Now it is all clean and ready to be used correctly. We also focus a ton in a list of 15 families... 5 to baptize, 5 to complete, and 5 to reactivate. This list didn't exist, and so we had to start from scratch trying to find families to teach. So, as you can see, we have had plenty of work to do to get caught up with the system here in Sulacap. I got to know the ward on Sunday. It is a small ward with about 80 people in attendence. I was put as pianist the second I entered the chapel. It is good to be playing again. I have been missing the piano. I am thinking about buying a keyboard to carry with me to college. Oh, we also had a crazy experience that happened yesterday, but I will wait to tell you guys at home. It will grow the suspense, and keep you from worrying about me. :) 

Well thats about that. I am very happy to be here in Sulacap, but I have been missing Meier a lot. There doesn't exist a ward exactly like Meier. The work was so strong in that ward, and I could really connect with the members. This has been something hard to get over, leaving that area. However, as I entered my email today, I received a simple email from Mom, citing Doctrine and Covenants 100:3-8, 12. What power held this scripture as I read! I was immediately comforted that I am supposed to be here. The Lord has a purpose for me in this area. I will work with all my force to find the reason he put me here.

I have been here in the chapel all day. Since 8 AM, we had interviews with President Lima. He is so great. He gave us some messages and then left us with a training with the Assistants as he took each Elder to interview. I love talking with President one on one. You can truly feel the power that he has in his words. He is truly an authorized servant of the Lord. I believe that I received my answer as I studied the scriptures, prayed, and talked to President. I will stay here until the end. I will use each day that the Lord gave me, and what happens with college will happen. :) I have a strong testimony of this work. I am grateful for the privilege to be here in Rio. I know that there exists nothing in the world more important for me than to be here on the mission. I know that the church is true. I am grateful for such great friends and examples that helped me build my faith to get me here on the mission. I hope that I can continue to help others serve missions as well. I love you all so much, and hope all is going fantastic. I am grateful for the Atonement of our Savior Jesus Christ that gives each and everyone one of us the opportunity to be cleansed of our sins. Stay strong, and do what's right. You will never be led astray. :)

 

Com amor e fé,

Elder Steven Bennett

Continue Your Journey And Let Your Heart Rejoice (Doctrine and Covenants 100:3-6, 12)‏

Dear Family,

Well, the time has come and one more transfer has ended. Many of the missionaries that I knew since I arrived in Rio have almost all returned home. It is hard to get to know all the newbies arriving. I lost a few more buddies at the end of this transfer, but I know they are going to start the new chapter of theirs lives at home. I received a phone call last night, and the Secretaries told me that I am being transferred to Sulacap, Madureira. I became a bit sad with this news. I really have loved my time here in Meier. I feel closer to this ward than any other ward, and this stake is like my literal home. However, I know that the Lord knows what is best, and He needs me in Sulacap. I don't know very much about Madureira, but it is more in the interior of Rio. It is still the literal city of Rio, but more in the hot valleys. Madureira holds one of the hottest areas in Rio, and in all of Brasil. Luckily, I won't be smack dab in that valley, but I will be close. Thank heavens the hottest part of the year already passed. Anyways, I will spend the day packing up my bags once again and go to the Rodoviaria early tomorrow morning. I am thinking it will be my last area on the mission.

With the transfer ending and being transferred, I have been reflecting on my time here in Meier. It is truly my favorite area in my whole mission. Since I arrived there, I have had wonderful companions and for that, the ward as well has been wonderful. The members here have been so excited to help us out in the work. I got to know this ward very fast. I think that I have almost the whole ward memorized by name. Even to the youth, I have made a good friendship with them all. I will miss this ward a lot. In this ward, I have a "twin" sister and an uncle (There is a member here who looks like Uncle Paul!). When I see him, I call him Uncle. :) I really have loved my time here, and I hope that I can create this kind of connection with the ward there in Sulacap as well. I was privileged with an extra special last Sunday here in Meier. Reinaldo, who recently was baptized, blessed the Sacrament for the first time. Also, Alex, who is a recent convert, passed the Sacrament to me. I began to remember the first moment that I met these great people. They didn't even know that this church existed. With time and some visits, they got to know the true Church of Jesus Christ, and now are serving the Sacrament, and with callings in the church. I was so happy. It is a happiness that you can't find at home, hanging out with your friends. Only through the work of the Lord, we find this type of happiness.
 

Today, I will be saying goodbye to maybe people, and probably my heart will be broken... again! This always happens when I'm transferred... But, I need to continue on with this work. I am trying to work harder than ever. I am noticing a fatigue that I never had at the beginning of the mission, and at times, it is hard to fight through it. However, I will succeed. I am sorry that this letter is quite short as well, but I love and miss you all. I hope that all is well at home, and that peace and health can be with you all. I have a few interesting days here ahead of me. :) I really know that this is the work of the Lord. I know that this church is true. I have no doubts of this truth.
 

Have a wonderful week!!!
 

Sincerely,

Elder Steven Bennett

Hold Up Your Light That It May Shine Unto The World (3 Nephi 18:24)

Olá Família!

When I entered my email today and saw 18 new messages, I had two thoughts: One, everyone loves me; or Two, Mom signed me up at USU. It was the second. :) I won't lie, things are changing, and it is a little stressful to think about going home. After so much time of preaching the gospel, it becomes your way of life. Now that my life here in a few months will be different than my life right now, it is a bit saddening. However, it will be good. I hope that I was able to help you guys with some questions, and thank you for the help.

Basically all my time on the computer went to studying these emails, so I don't have much time to write. This email will be a bit short. This was one more fast week, but it was definitely a hard week. Lately, we have been having some difficulties finding new investigators and investigators that are progressing. It was a hard and hot week, walking in the sun, and being rejected quite a bit. In the midst of this, I was battling fatigue and five canker sores in my mouth. It was a little hard to stay excited, and at times, I felt like the time would never pass. However, the end of the week brought some relief. These last couple of days, we were blessed with some new investigators, and a new family! Douglas and Diara were a street contact that accepted us very well. We marked a day to visit them, and never found them at home. We passed a couple times and never found them. Saturday, as we visited another family, they passed us on the street, and stopped to talk to us. Douglas said "hey, do you remember me?? Come to my house when you finish with this appointment!" We entered our appointment, and as we left about 30 minutes later, we FORGOT about Douglas and Diara. We remembered as we arrived at home... However, we passed their home yesterday and they were home! We taught them the Restoration, and Douglas told us how his life has been a bit difficult (he was in prision for a while), and now he is trying to improve his quality of life. They live in the favela, but they are MARRIED!!! It is a miracle. :) They accepted our baptismal invitation, and now we are in the process of bringing them to church. My canker sores are finally leaving and after a hard week, we are ready to start this week off right. We made some mistakes this last week, but for this, we can repent and do better. :) 

I love this Gospel. Every time I teach the Restoration, I feel the truthfulness of this Gospel in the midst of such spiritual confusion in these last days. We are bringing the light to the world, the light of salvation. How grateful I am for this privilege to bring this message to the Cariocan people. I love you all so much. Keep strong in what you know is right, and never forget the privilege we have to be a part of the Church of our Savior Jesus Christ.

 

Sincerely,

Elder Steven Bennett