For Time and All Eternity!

Hola Familia!

First of all I need to know when we have Sacrament Meeting back home. Is it the first or third hour?

Yes, Elder Bednar is coming to speak to us and we are all super excited. We´re also pumped for General Conference. It´s going to be a challenge getting investigators there because it´s like an

hour long train ride away, but we´re renting a big bus as a Branch and the Branch President has his meat truck and we´ll pile in the back of that too. It´ll be worth it and those that make the sacrifice will be richly blessed. Enjoy your traditional Swedish pancakes that morning and the in between Conference afternoon walk!

We went with President Miguez in his car to visit the only family in the branch that lives in the town of Hornos. It was out in the sticks, and I hope we never have to walk there.We had this incredible Family Home Evening with Osvaldo Miguez and ALL of his posterity (minus the one son that isn´t a member and lives in Hurlingham… a good ways away). We talked about taking upon us the yoke of Christ and then each person read aloud their testimony from the book we had made for him. He was crying, my companion and I were crying, his wife was crying, some o

f the kids and in-laws were crying because the spirit was so strong. We went back yesterday and had another lesson. Thanks to the help of his recently returned son… who helped us put the date… he accepted the goal and will prepare to be baptized on the 24th of October. It was another amazing experience.

Nata – remember your “happy ring” that you wore in the hospital before Davy was born? I bought myself a happy ring “anillo de felicidad” on Saturday in Moron after the sealing. It is a flower made of a bunch of little tiny green stones. I absolutely love it. And yes, it makes me happy.
I´m sorry this email is going to be shorter because I am only typing about 32 words a minute because my fingers are so cold they are almost numb. We were in a line for the ATM machine for about 15 minutes and that about sealed it. Now I can barely type and the keyboard is too sticky.

Mom – I highly doubt that anyone from the mission will be taking the trip to go to the temple in Uruguay. I think it is just so out of the question. It´s a great sadness for the saints here too.

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Buenos Aires temple to close in November
LDS Church News

Sunday, Sep. 13, 2009

Beginning November 1, 2009, the Buenos Aires Argentina Temple will close for approximately 18 months to accommodate a renovation of the temple. This is necessary to upgrade the temple's mechanical systems and bring the temple up to current standards. Following the renovation, the temple will be rededicated. Specific rededication information will be provided to church members in the Buenos Aires Argentina Temple District as the renovation project nears completion.The presidencies of the Montevideo Uruguay and Asuncion Paraguay Temples are pleased to accommodate members from the Buenos Aires Argentina Temple District during the closure, including those desiring to receive their own ordinances. Members should contact the Asuncion Paraguay Temple presidency at (595) 21-230-035, or the Montevideo Uruguay Temple presidency at (598) 2-604-2212 to make any special arrangements.
We are grateful for the dedicated temple service given by the members in the Buenos Aires Argentina Temple District and, with you, rejoice in the blessings extended to them by our Heavenly Father in His holy houses.

Signed,

The First Presidency

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I was so grateful for my last temple trip as a missionary, and the sealing of Rolando and Valeria was absolutely wonderful! I cried and felt the Spirit so strongly. It was such a cool feeling to see two people so in love and so faithful and so wonderful able to be sealed for all eternity. I was so happy for them and felt this feeling that, "this is the plan… this is what the Father wants.” It was beautiful. I can´t even express the joy that I felt all day. We took 2 buses to get there and spent the entire day on traveling and attending the actual wonderful sealing… but it was so worth it. As a matter of fact we skipped a Stake Service Activity in which they painted the hospital in Navarro and the Elders from Lobos that went in our stead were interviewed by the television crew that came. It so would have been us, but I didn't mind because… I saw Rolando and Valeria be sealed in the temple! That is something that you cannot miss for anything. I waited all mission long for that day and will never forget it!

I have no idea how we made it the whole month without running out of money – we have spent almost 200 pesos in buses this month (in Padua we spent about 65 a month). And yet we had enough money to buy really expensive yummy ice cream in Moron to celebrate the sealing on Saturday – and we will even have enough to buy groceries today! It is literally a miracle. We don´t have tithing to pay, so instead of calling it a tithing blessing I´ll call it a fast offering blessing!

I had a much better week as far as contacts go. It is just so different in a smaller city with so many fewer people. I prayed and prayed and it really helped. I did more this week than last week and found a little more joy in them again. I´m still far from what I was in the beginning of the mission, but at the same time, I feel like I´m better because I´m doing things with a different feeling now.Thanks for your prayers, I´m sure that had a lot to do with it.

Daddy – we keep getting hit with rain, which stops so many people from going to church. I´m just ready for heat, because no one skips church because of that!

One of our investigators didn't come to church yesterday because she had to work. We are really working hard with her, but I tell you Satan wins so easily. All he has to do is keep people fighting poverty and totally dependent upon every peso that they can earn on Sundays… and he wins.

We´re going to try again and see if we can baptize her on the 24th with Osvaldo – that is also the day that we really want to baptize Marcos. It´s crazy to be planning what could be my last baptismal service.

Daiana is doing just fine. We have to get concrete permission from her mom to baptize her this week. She said that her mom said yes, but we need it in writing.

I have been here a month and we are swimming against the tide with a bunch of things that just seem impossible. There are 3 branches having meetings every Sunday. We should have investigators in each of them-- but 2 of them are at the same time and 38 km apart. It is hard to divide ourselves because everybody has callings and kids and let me just say that we have not found the solution yet. Our investigators aren't progressing very well in Navarro because we can only get there twice a week, 3 at BEST and so far we have only made it there on one Sunday – and it was before we had found them.

Well, my time is up. I love you all so much!

Remember that every single challenge is an opportunity to succeed.
Be happy – Families are Forever.
We have a living prophet!

Please try to understand that I am not trunky. Even if it seems like it on paper. I just have this urgency to get all these investigators made into members and I have 8 weeks to do it.
I´m busy, I´m stressed, but I´m doing my best!

Wubba,

Rolando and Valeria's temple sealing

A great day!!

The church in Villars

A little lamb named Milo

A little shoe maintenance

They're still good!

17 months out!

Tile laying in Navarro

Decorating the cake stand for Isias and Estefenia's wedding

Picnic at zone conference

A rainy, soggy day!

Osvaldo's baptism

Study on the swings

Goin' To The Temple And They´re, Gonna Get Sealed

Hey so I absolutely love hearing from you guys! Thanks for being such faithful writers. It´s great! This week I caught a cute little toad one night. I held him for a little while and, of course took pictures. It made me remember that when I was a wee little one, I caught toads with my big sis. My comp didn´t think it was all that fun and special, but I sure did. But now I´m afraid of accidentally stepping on little toads all night long in the dark, muddy, swamp streets. I would hate to smash one. Mom – every night our district leader calls to make sure we got in and more importantly... ask for our numbers of the day. Gotta love it! Random stories: our apartment here in Las Heras is RIGHT in front of the train station. I love ear plugs and sleep just great, but get this... every time one of the bigger trains starts up and “takes off” it literally sounds like a 747 is leaving the airport. Our entire apartment shakes – no lie – and the sound is uncanny. We often pretend to lift off our chairs and giggle to ourselves that we are flying away. Yes – Lara was baptized in Marcos Paz on Saturday. Her mom came with her friend, one of our new investigators Daiana Gomez---who has a baptismal date... we committed her to be baptized (in the street) not 3 hours before the baptismal service. SCORE! It was my first date I set in the street. Hehe. We all piled into the back of a meat truck of the branch president and headed to the church. The Elders had the font all filled and ready with hot water. We took pictures, and had the best baptismal service I´ve had in the mission. I was 100% calm. Everything went down perfectly, we sang, there were witnesses, people supporting her... it was picture perfect. I had a goal to actually enjoy one of my baptismal services without running around like a chicken with its head cut off and now I can say that I reached that goal!

(Photos from the Benton's Mission blog)

In the back of the truck on the way back we basically just said to Liliana – the mom – are you going to get baptized on the 10th of October with Daiana and she said “yes” – the members in the truck with us started clapping and it was a very happy moment. SCORE! First date I set in the back of a meat truck! That very day we had we also put a baptismal date (that fell the very next day when she didn´t come to church) with a wonderful young single mom of 24 years with 5 kids (4 alive, 1 lost during pregnancy). She is so great and feels the Spirit and loves the visits, lessons, and the power she feels as she reads the BOM, but didn´t come to church, even when we sent a member to bring her and her kids in their car! So we´ll have to put it to another date and she´ll be baptized next transfer, because we are already past crunch Sunday for baptisms of this transfer.

We ate cow tongue this week. It was fine, I tried it not knowing what it was and it didn´t bother me. So then she told us what it was. I had already spooned more onto my roll to make a sandwich and thought, “hey, if it didn´t bother me before, it shouldn´t bother me now.” But after the first bite I looked down and saw for the first time – all the little taste buds on the piece of tongue. That was the first strike. So I turned the sandwich so I couldn´t see and took another bite. I kept rotating, but when I had gone all the way around, I had to just mind over matter it and finish the sandwich. The truth is the taste and texture were totally tolerable (wow, check out that alliteration! – my 7th grade English teacher Ms. Russell would be so impressed) but when you see the taste buds... it´s just tough. But I´ve now tried cow tongue!

Get this... I´m so into the work that I dreamt that I street contacted Brad Pitt in LA and that he let me use his bathroom and then I started to ask him if he had ever heard of the church. I was about to teach him the first lesson, but I woke up. How about that?

Last week we spent literally all day getting to and from the temple after our last session, and we´re doing it again this Saturday for Rolando´s sealing! I don´t even mind that it´ll eat away a bunch of proselyting hours, because this is a once in a lifetime chance and I´m not going to miss it or even feel bad.

My comp and I compete to see whose name the cute little kids of the members can say first. Every time we eat with them or visit we speak over each other saying “Hermana Jensen!” “Hermana Godfrey” “Hermana Jensen” “Hermana Godfrey” - I usually win because my last name is easier for them to say. Wahoo. Thanks dad! It´s fun, we´re like a mom and a dad trying to make the kid say “mama” or “dada” first. We get a kick out of it. I´m going to film the next competition and you´ll see the fun in it.

The other day I was standing up in a crowded bus going the 38 kilometers to Navarro and all the sudden I was falling. I guess I had drifted off because when I opened my eyes, my knees were buckling to stop as they had already started to collapse and fall to the ground. I caught myself in plenty of time to not fall to the ground and sat down in the next available seat, but felt quite aware of the fact that I had just about fallen to the floor on a bus--and it was only 12:30 in the day. We had only just begun.

I had my almost last interview with President Benton and was afraid he was going to call me on having such lame numbers – specifically with contacts, but he has the Spirit and could tell that I wasn´t just slacking off. He understood when I said I´m doing things with the Spirit instead of doing a thousand fake contacts with people that have already been contacted because the town is so small. He said I was doing just fine and not to worry, so I´m going on that. He trusts me. That is good, but I have to be careful to not slack off because he released me from stressing out about contacts. I know, I know.... now you are all going to tell me that I will never slack off and that I am fine but I can't lie. I am getting really tired. So, if you could, pray for me to have more energy it would be great. I have 9 weeks left and I will finish a bit of a failure if I can´t keep my contact stats up. I will regret it I know, but I only see and feel the 'right now.' The regret is in the future and I can´t quite grasp it. Help me to have more energy. I´m just exhausted. Moroni 9:6 It scares me... I know the consequences. :)

I gave a 20 minute talk in church yesterday about “diligence” and it was great. The Spirit really helped me with the scriptures and examples and testimonies that I found and shared.

Speaking of interviews.... I taught President my 'charity' lesson and finished my little book of goals and will be awarded the “Brilliance of the Master” next transfer. He said it was very well done. He is so good to me. He has me setting a billion goals about what I am going to do with my future and what kind of husband I want. As I have been doing that homework, I have come to see that I am looking for a pretty perfect man. How do you lower your expectations without lowering your standards?

I love you all so much. Don´t let my struggle depress you. It´s mine and my battle that the Lord will help me win, but all your prayers are welcome. I gotta run. Be safe, I will see you soon... !

Chau,

Update from the Benton's Blog

Our Internet was down for about a month and a half, so we haven´t been able to do blog posts (or email either). We´re so HAPPY to be back online!

The latest news: My hero, President Evrett Benton, had his car stolen one week ago today, by 3 men who were posing as policemen, and pulled guns on him. He was "kidnapped " by these men and driven around for 45 minutes in their car, while they "hid" our car, and disabled the car´s security system.

We´re all very happy that Evrett is OK, and we are thankful to the Church for giving us huge amounts of support on all levels during this trial in our lives. We´re "up and running" again, and hardly "missed a beat" in our work due to the excellent, efficient, loving support of the Church Organization in our area. Thanks you sooooo much President Bowen and staff!

We´re also deeply grateful to all our friends and loved ones. Your love and prayers continue to be a centerpiece of our strength here in Argentina. As President Hinckley once said, simply, "Prayer works!" We so much appreciate your continued prayers, and we all know how very important love is in our lives, especially in OUR lives right now.

Yesterday was Evrett´s birthday, and I posted a photo of him blowing out candles on his two large "Texas Fudge Cakes" at a zone conference. My birthday was September 11, and the sweet office missionaries gave me a surprise "heart attack" on a wall in the Mission Home. They wrote some thoughtful notes on some of the hearts too. I´m campaigning for the hearts to stay up on the wall for at least another year. The top photo is of President and Sister Bowen singing "Happy Birthday" to me on my birthday. They are sweethearts.

We love you all; friends, family, missionaries, and anyone else who gives us love and support. We couldn´t do it without you!

Love,

Presidente y Cheryl Benton

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1 COMMENTS:

Mike Gilmore said...
Finally our son got on her blog. haha. He is the Elder on the right in President Bentons birthday picture. Sean also helped with the hearts. I also got a kick out of reading Hermana Jensen's email this week when she mentions Elder Gilmore..... Glad she is happy out in campo!
SEPTEMBER 18, 2009 9:16 PM

So Today Is P-Day... Surprise!

9.15.09

Holy cow your letters were super awesome this week!

I have so many little things to say, so we´ll start with the random answers to all your comments and questions part.

Mom – thanks for the John Travolta pictures... They are great!

This is way late, but... thanks for sending me the birthday shout outs. I really enjoyed reading them. Thanks for being so kind and rounding them up.

Nata – Davy says my name??? YES! Does he say “Stacey” or “Sister Jensen?” lol!

Daddy – we actually did get off the bus at the right stop... we found out a week too late. The bus driver had told us the truth... it was the men in the mill that told us we were in the wrong place. Anyway, there is a purpose for all things and tomorrow we are going to teach all the non-members of the new convert that lives there in the middle of nowhere. We have great plans to baptize his wife and 2 sons ASAP. Please include them in your prayers... the family Almeyra! Gracias!

Mom - Sister Benton said that my second set of tests came back good, but that the doctor recommends I get it checked periodically throughout my life because of my history. For now... no worries!

What was in the box? 40 Book of Mormons... and they´re bigger in Castellano. Bigger pages and about 63 more of them. I was dying and when I got back to the pench I literally collapsed!

Random stories from the week:

We went for a second appointment with this woman who lost her only baby about 3 months ago and she couldn´t let us in to teach her because she explained that her family had come and they were having some kind of family meeting about something. It was easy for me to infer that it was either some kind of intervention with someone or some economic crisis. So I respectfully said, “no problem” and offered my hope that all would resolve itself and we set another appointment. The funny part of this story is that my companion still doesn´t understand more than about 40% of what is going on around us. She heard and understood the words “family” and “meeting” and thought they were having some kind of a party. As I was offering encouragement and saying that it will all work out and be ok... she was jumping in the conversation saying “how cool!” It was like. Oooh... she doesn´t understand, but I can´t just stop right here and tell her that the family is in crisis... what do I do? Maybe she´ll just say it once and let it go. NOPE. She kept saying it like 3 times, every time I tried to change the subject and get out of there. As we turned the corner I explained to poor Sister Godfrey what the woman was saying and we had a good laugh about it. Ah, the joys of the language gap. You think you´re doing fine, and then you realize you´re a total idiot (I´m referring to myself back in the day... not to my companion). Gotta love it!

The thing about serving in campo is that it teaches you PATIENCE. I had already developed a great deal of patience, but I have some room to grow still. We spend a TON of time on trains going to meetings. District Development meeting every Tuesday, Zone conference and Interviews with the president once a transfer. Our last trip to the temple today (which is why our p-day is today and not yesterday... sorry for not letting you in on that... I bet you were all anxious and confused yesterday when I didn´t write. Shorry!) Anyway, we spend a ton of time in a train with a pair of body guard Elders. I try to use the time to make English cards for our little English students, but it´s a bumpy ride. So there is lots of lost time in travel, but such is life, and that´s all there is, so you just learn to accept it and get over it. I think it is pretty interesting that I am dying in an area where you inevitably lose so much time. Just when I´m all urgent with time running out and feel like “I have to baptize the whole world before I go home”....and I´m in a train or a bus – all day long! There is a lesson to be learned in every daily experience. Remember that.

In Zone Conference the Zone Leaders played “Whose Line Is It Anyway,” teaching us how to teach better on our feet according to the situation and how to ask better questions. I was up against Elder Gilmore playing the “you can only ask questions game” about the temple and eternal families and it was so fun.

This week as a giant family and missionaries, we did a special fast for the dad of the Miguez family who isn´t a member yet. The wife and 6 of the 7 children and all their spouses and grandchildren are members, but he isn´t yet. We fasted together and made a book and had all the family members write their testimonies in it. We committed him to come to church and we prepared all week long to sing a special musical number to really help him feel the spirit. We sang in Acappella – the first verse of ‘Families Can Be Together Forever’ in English, second verse in Castellano then we went straight into ‘This is the Christ’ in Spanish with a gorgeous harmony. The Spirit was super strong and I think it´s still working on him to help him see. It was a big project and we are waiting to see the fruits. I prayed with a lot of faith that this miracle will really happen... I´m not just hoping for it, I´m counting on it.

So _____ is going to be baptized this Saturday and for a minute there her mom was going to be baptized with her, but something got in the way. Then during the lesson when she told us about what had happened she said, “on September 19th, my daughter will be baptized, and so will I.” Talk about someone not letting obstacles slow them down. She said that she felt the Spirit so strong in church and she is going to be baptized too. So we got permission to baptize her with just 2 attendances and then she didn´t show up on Sunday (for the 2nd one). We went to go and get her, but she didn´t answer the door. She was too embarrassed and didn´t want to be seen in church, so her date fell. We are still working hard with her about the Sabbath Day, but we will be seeing progress soon. Anyway, even with all that happened it didn´t stop her from wanting to be baptized. With patience, she will make it.

Daddy – in the ward in Utah does the bishopric take note of every person that bears their testimony on Fast Sunday? They do here and it seemed like a new thing to me. I´m curious if we do that there too.

So brace yourself... President Benton was robbed at gun point last week. This group of men stopped him, forced him out of the $55,000 mission car and robbed him of his cell phone, his mission folders and other stuff, his GPS, and his watch. They let him keep his wallet and his life and we are very grateful. The story made me feel so woken up again that we are in a very bad world. He was fine, and he even told the thieves about the gospel in the 45 minute drive with them as he was being held at gun point. He is such a great man. I tell you... if he had been hurt... it would be really tough for me. But the Lord protected him and I prayed with such gratitude that night for still having a mission president.

On Sunday it looked like we weren´t going to have anyone in church because all the investigators went AWOL on their commitments and I was devastated. We had been preparing this song and praying and fasting and we were going to have to sing it for only the ward members, but the Lord showed me that this is His work and that if He wants investigators in church, He will put them there. Two husbands of sisters that are members showed up -Osvaldo Miguez, I already talked about him, and Marcos whose wife is a new convert – who has SO MUCH POTENTIAL and then Lara, of course, and then the son of Carlos Almeyra came. I was reminded Who is in charge. Even though we had tons more that didn´t show up, we had 4 and they felt the Spirit. It was a really stretching experience for me.

I think we just might have found a family in Villars. The thing is the night before we planned to visit a former investigator named Fernanda. There was just a little flag on the map with her name on it. We had no clue who she was. The next morning I was reading former investigator teaching records and read about some woman who was named Fernanda (but it didn´t occur to me that it was the same woman) and I thought, “wow, we have got to go for her!” So we were in Villars and I looked over to the next house and through a bunch of tall weeds I saw a mom, dad, and son sitting in their backyard. We crossed the little field to go and contact them, and they let us sit down and teach them. At the very end of the lesson it dawned on me that she was Fernanda – the same one. I was like, “wow, the Lord sent us to this family in 3 different ways today... they have got to be the family I´m here to baptize.” They have 4 sons – 3 of which are over 8 years old. I really hope that they progress. I just felt so sure that the Lord had totally put us there to teach them.

Well, the hour is almost gone already.

I´m not trunky, but I am emotionally tired...and for the first time in my mission we didn´t hit our 140 contacts. Things are just different in campo... there aren´t that many people to talk to, and we have already talked to most of them--and they don´t like being contacted twice. So I made a new promise with the Lord, that I won't worry about all the numbers anymore, but that I would teach with my heart. All I can say is that I will do this work to the very best of my ability and the way the Spirit tells me to do it.

I have to run. We are off to the temple for my last session as a missionary. I have a lot of revelation to receive!

Love you so much!

Be happy, read your scriptures, say your prayers, have FHE and share the gospel with someone who doesn´t know it this week.

Las Heras rocks! I am living each day and seeing miracles and being incredibly blessed!

Love ya,

After a 3 hour drive to Las Heras they couldn't get in because the A.P. forgot the key :(

but a good attitude nonetheless!

All the sister missionaries at the transfer meeting

Just like "The lamb and the lion"

Stacey's reply to an area book WITH DUST ON IT!!

Walking with the hot sun beating down upon them!

Drying very wet shoes...

"Sweet 16" months out!

Which way do we go?

Stacey and Hermana Godfrey

Flying at at the Buenos Aires Temple

Pumping water to wash an investigator's clothes

cutting wood

Lara's baptism

Riding to church in the back of a meat truck-- headed to Marcos Paz

A baby frog--so cute!

...I had a pony!

Stacey reports she is even going to miss the muddy streets!