22 May 2012 - "Happy Victoria day!!!"
so yesterday was victoria day... so EVERYTHING was closed, SO we couldn't e-mail. sorry about that! but no worries, I'm alive and well!
yesterday was still preparation day (but we couldn't shop or anything) so the St. John's elders, and some YSA from the branch played soccer for a while. and then we played American football, which me, and Elder Harty had to teach them how to play!?! they kept confusing the rules with ruby, it was so funny. and then we all went on a two hour hick around St. John's bay (where we saw a huge iceberg!). we were all so tired, but it was amazing!!! oh my gosh it's so beautiful here. can you believe I live in Newfoundland right now? I still can't believe it! last night we went to visit a less active and it turned out she had family there but she invited us in. we had a ReALLY cool conversation with them about all the places they have been. one place we talked about was Yellowknife! It made me think of Kenny, remember when he and Tanner wanted to go there? it sounds like a pretty crazy place. and then some how our conversation turned to God. they started asking us question about why bad things are happening in the world and why some people have "easy lives". i taught a little bit of the Plan of Salvation and bore testimony that through the atonement of Jesus Christ ALL will be made right, it was really spiritual! one of them started crying. it was an interesting day. \
today, we woke we got to go to district meeting in Bay Roberts! OH MY GOODNESS it was the most beautiful drive! and bay Roberts is SOOOOOOO beautiful! seriously! Google it and see for yourself. on the way the district meeting i saw a wild moose!!! no joke! my first Canadian moose sighting! it was just walking along the road... it was SO cool!!! I've seen a moose, an iceberg and now i just need to see a puffin and my life is complete, haha!
...
it occured to me this week that Sunday is my these favorite day of the week because it's SO stressful, there is SO much to do!!! I'm grateful to be able to have the sacrament but church is so hard to enjoy when you are worrying about investigators and less actives enjoying their time there and meeting with the branch president, etc. Sister simpson, (mission president's wife) said to us last sunday "you know missionaries need to observe sanday as a day of rest, you all work too hard on Sunday!" if only we could! but the work of the Lord is far more important than rest, THAT"S for sure.
...
so Mount Pearl has been struggling the pass few months, the area hasn't hit the standard of excellence in a long time (if you don't know what that is talk to Kenny or Jayson or look it up in Preach my Gospel). so all week I begged and pleaded that we could this week! and guess what? we did! it was amazing. Heavenly Father is so mindful, and He has SO much in store for Newfoundland!!!! I feel it EVERYDAY when i wake up in the morning! I so grateful to be don't this work! I Love LOVE LOVE it here. mom, don't worry i'm not the least pit home sick. there is no where else i would rather be than right here. I wouldn't give it up for anything in the world. it's funny how The Lord really makes it so easy to love this work once you give your heart and mind to it. HE is THE BEST! I know Jesus Christ lives. I'm so honored to be His representative HERE in Newfoundland! I am so blessed! I'm so grateful for the opportunities for growth that I know lay ahead. I know my mission is prefect for me. i need to be here. the Book of Mormon is true!
Love,
Sister Bentley
14 May 2012
first of all, it's preparation day and in the hand book it says that you are to write your family every Preparation day.
the St. John's branch is nice, I'm very excited to be working here. it was interesting/ cool because yesterday while I was watching President Simpson speak to and interact with the members of the branch I realized that Newfoundland must be his favorite place (because I had never seen him be so warm in the other branches I've served in). this caused me to realize that President would only send missionaries he trusted to Newfoundland, to serve in a place he loves so much. THEN I thought of how much the Lord loves this place, and that HE chose me to serve here! I am so honored to be serving in Newfoundland! I've fallen more and more in love with the place every minute.
saying goodbye to the Simpsons yesterday was so hard! I cried! (actally I've about five time throughout this week over the fact that the Simpsons are leaving) but I got a big hug from President! it was bored line awkward but it was the best! there have been so many times I've wanted to hug him! I'm so grateful to have been able to serve with him! I could go on and on... but now I understand what Kenny talks to positively about President McKonckie or Jayson about President Joyce! it truly is a special relationship between Mission President and Missionary.
I was so happy I got to see Eveyln (I still can't spell her name) yesterday! yeah for Skype!
love you! thanks for writing!
Sister Bentley
this is picture Sister Simpson took of me and sister Davis (and our roses) yesterday during church
12 May 2012 - "arrived in NL... finally"
I've finally arrived in Newfoundland. so tomorrow... I know I told
you 2 pm but there had been a change of plans and I won't be avalible
until 5:30 pm NL time (which is half an hour ahead of Nova scotia time)
and we will be able to skpe if you all are up for that. so whoever
checks their e-mail today (saturday) make sure to let everyone
else know. thanks!
love,
sister bentley
07 May 2012 - "hello from... New Brunswick???"
hello everyone,
yes you did read the subject correctly... let me tell you about my last couple of days...
on wedsday we dropped Sister Huppe off at the mission home to pick
up her new companion (Sister Hart) and they drove back to Truro. then on
Thursday and half of Friday Sister Davis and I worked in Halifax, it
was so fun having it be just the two of us! and crazy miricals continued
to happen in Halifax! (hopefully I'll be able to explain later, but I
have A LOT to talk about today) then Firday night Sister Spragg (sister
Davis' new companion) and Sister Ott (who was picking up her new
Companion from Newfoundland) came in and spent the night. Saturday
morning my flight was at 11am and Sister Olsen (the sister being
transfered out of Newfoundland was arriving at 2pm. so we get to the
airport, go to check in and the computer won't let me check in. we come
to find out that my flight was cancelled due to fog... FOG?!? so I asked
the gate agent what I need to do now and she told me to go home because
all the flights were cancelled/ backed up until tuesday.
the four of us (Me, Sister Davis, Sister Spragg, Sister Ott)
didn't know what to do so we called the office couple, and they said
they would call the assistance/ Sister Simpson to see what to do. so the
four of us started driving back to the Halifax aptartment when we
recieved a phone call from the Assistance saying "sister Bentley get in
the car with Sister Ott, you're going to Fredricton South." ...I was so
shocked... I asked how long I would be staying there for their reply was
they I could be there for a few days, a week, or maybe a whole
transfer, they didn't know.
so sister Ott and I loaded up the Fredricton car and drove 5 hours in the opposit direction of Newfoundland...
....this is a true story... I still can't believe it.
so just found...
I'm driving back to Halifax on Friday and I have a flight booked in Newfoundland on Saturday.
SO... this means that on Sunday (mother's day) I could either be in
Newfoundland, if the flight goes through or I could be in Halifax (if
I'm waiting for a flight) or I could be sent back to Fredericton... 
so I'm going to give to the Newfoundland Number and I hope the
President will let me let you know if there are any changes. and if I'm
not able to get to tell you I'm not in Newfoundland just ask which ever
sister that picks up the phone number to where I am. number-X-XXX-XXX-XXXX. and be by the computer because I we have approval from
President to skype but I don't know if I'll be able to yet. maybe we
should plan for 2pm? once again, I have no idea when would be best but
that should work... *sigh* sorry this is so silly.
OH and btw, Newfoundland is in it's own time zone. so will you
google it/ do the math to see when it would be in 2pm in Newfoundland? I
tried to work it out in my head but I'm not even sure when time zone
I'm in now!
[Newfoundland is 1 Hour 30 minutes ahead of Eastern Daylight Time]30 Apr 2012 - "TRANSFERS"
this email will probably be short, I'm typing really slowly today (I don't know why)
everything happened this week, all our plans worked out! i don't know how! so many wonderful stories from this week! I'll only be able to share a few. first is my favorite thing that happened at sister's conference-
(before you read this story you need to understand the President Simpson is very serious, tall, a lawyer and a mission president = super intimating)
sister's conference was really fun. we spent 2 nights in the mission home just hanging out, talking being girls, etc. sadly, due to the fact that me, Sister Huppe and Sister Davis had so much going on we didn't have a lot of time to relax. Sister Huppe and I needed to prepare 2 special musical numbers (one for Truro church and one for Chase's baptism and they couldn't be the same because we were singing it to the same people) and so as soon as we had free time we ran to the piano and started singing trying to figure out what to sing from the Hymn book. we struggled, nothing was sounding or feeling good. after about half an hour someone entered the room and said "here Sister Bentley see if you can play these." I turned to see President Simpson holding a large stack of sheet music. he came in sat down on a chair next to the piano took the top song off the stack and handed it to me. I nervously took the music and began playing, I was shocked when President Simpson started SINGING!!! no joke! I turned to sister Huppe and she couldn't hide the shock on her face either! President handed me song after song and him and sister Huppe sang all of them. it was so fun! it felt a lot like all the times me, and Henry just hang around the piano and sing. but it was with President Simpson! crazy! I said to him " wow President you sing pretty well, I would have never guessed." he replied "well, Sister Bentley you maybe shocked to learn that I have been singing for a long time and I also play electric guitar." .... yes, this is a true story, it really did happen.... and President helped us find a great song to sing!
earlier that day we were in the temple and I got the impression that i need a blessing because Heavenly Father had something He needed to tell me and so that afternoon I I asked President if he would give it (Which was terrifying). so after singing, when things were quite again President pulled me and sister Davis and Sister Huppe into his office. he asked me what I needed the blessing for, I explained the prompting I received in the temple. then he layed his hands on my head and gave me a POWERFUL blessing, which said a lot of amazing things but the most terrifying was that I was about to be giving a lot of responsibility and that it was time to step up and be a leader. it said a lot more (sister Davis wrote it down for me) after that blessing President sat with us and expounded on more of what my blessing meant. He then flat out told me and Sister Huppe that the Lord was about to give us a lot more responsibility and that we were to be key leaders in our mission.
as you can imagine this made me TERRIFIED for transfers! on friday President made a special call just for us to tell us transfers. we learned that Sister Davis was to stay in Halifax, Sister Huppe would stay in Truro and train and that I am to be sent to Newfoundland as senior companion! I'm freaking out! I'm going to be senior companion in an area I don't know! which means I'll be making the decisions, I'll be doing the driving, I'll be responsible for everything in Mount Pearl Newfoundland. I'm so shocked.
so it is spring time here in Halifax but yesterday in SNOWED in Newfoundland!!! and the only way to get to Newfoundland is to take an hour and a half flight from Halifax. the branch in Newfoundland is so small that the branch president is President Simpson! the English everyone talks is completely different! apparently President Simpson doesn't know what they say half the time. and I'm senior companion! I'm freaking out!
I cried yesterday having to say goodbye to Truro! it was so sad! Jessica (who was baptized on March 31st) started crying when I told her I was leaving!
both the baptisms happened this week! Brother Chase who was baptized in Truro was to happy! he is totally different then he was the day Sister Davis and I knocked on his door in January! On the day of his baptism the sisters and I bought him a while shirt and 2 ties (which I was able to figure out sizes because of my experience with white shirts& 3 brothers). I got to teach him how to tie a tie! (Jayson I taught him a double Windsor all thanks to you!) it was an amazing day! I wish I could have put it in a bottle and kept it forever! the spirit was so strong at Brother Chase's baptism! Sister huppe and I sang well, it was kind of a miracle.
wish I could write more!
Love, Sister Bentley
PS. thank you for your prayers, I still have a head cold. I'm hoping it will go down when I'm in just one area again!
some pictures from sister's conference. hopefully seeing a picture of president Simpson will help make my story more understandable
everything happened this week, all our plans worked out! i don't know how! so many wonderful stories from this week! I'll only be able to share a few. first is my favorite thing that happened at sister's conference-
(before you read this story you need to understand the President Simpson is very serious, tall, a lawyer and a mission president = super intimating)
sister's conference was really fun. we spent 2 nights in the mission home just hanging out, talking being girls, etc. sadly, due to the fact that me, Sister Huppe and Sister Davis had so much going on we didn't have a lot of time to relax. Sister Huppe and I needed to prepare 2 special musical numbers (one for Truro church and one for Chase's baptism and they couldn't be the same because we were singing it to the same people) and so as soon as we had free time we ran to the piano and started singing trying to figure out what to sing from the Hymn book. we struggled, nothing was sounding or feeling good. after about half an hour someone entered the room and said "here Sister Bentley see if you can play these." I turned to see President Simpson holding a large stack of sheet music. he came in sat down on a chair next to the piano took the top song off the stack and handed it to me. I nervously took the music and began playing, I was shocked when President Simpson started SINGING!!! no joke! I turned to sister Huppe and she couldn't hide the shock on her face either! President handed me song after song and him and sister Huppe sang all of them. it was so fun! it felt a lot like all the times me, and Henry just hang around the piano and sing. but it was with President Simpson! crazy! I said to him " wow President you sing pretty well, I would have never guessed." he replied "well, Sister Bentley you maybe shocked to learn that I have been singing for a long time and I also play electric guitar." .... yes, this is a true story, it really did happen.... and President helped us find a great song to sing!
earlier that day we were in the temple and I got the impression that i need a blessing because Heavenly Father had something He needed to tell me and so that afternoon I I asked President if he would give it (Which was terrifying). so after singing, when things were quite again President pulled me and sister Davis and Sister Huppe into his office. he asked me what I needed the blessing for, I explained the prompting I received in the temple. then he layed his hands on my head and gave me a POWERFUL blessing, which said a lot of amazing things but the most terrifying was that I was about to be giving a lot of responsibility and that it was time to step up and be a leader. it said a lot more (sister Davis wrote it down for me) after that blessing President sat with us and expounded on more of what my blessing meant. He then flat out told me and Sister Huppe that the Lord was about to give us a lot more responsibility and that we were to be key leaders in our mission.
as you can imagine this made me TERRIFIED for transfers! on friday President made a special call just for us to tell us transfers. we learned that Sister Davis was to stay in Halifax, Sister Huppe would stay in Truro and train and that I am to be sent to Newfoundland as senior companion! I'm freaking out! I'm going to be senior companion in an area I don't know! which means I'll be making the decisions, I'll be doing the driving, I'll be responsible for everything in Mount Pearl Newfoundland. I'm so shocked.
so it is spring time here in Halifax but yesterday in SNOWED in Newfoundland!!! and the only way to get to Newfoundland is to take an hour and a half flight from Halifax. the branch in Newfoundland is so small that the branch president is President Simpson! the English everyone talks is completely different! apparently President Simpson doesn't know what they say half the time. and I'm senior companion! I'm freaking out!
I cried yesterday having to say goodbye to Truro! it was so sad! Jessica (who was baptized on March 31st) started crying when I told her I was leaving!
both the baptisms happened this week! Brother Chase who was baptized in Truro was to happy! he is totally different then he was the day Sister Davis and I knocked on his door in January! On the day of his baptism the sisters and I bought him a while shirt and 2 ties (which I was able to figure out sizes because of my experience with white shirts& 3 brothers). I got to teach him how to tie a tie! (Jayson I taught him a double Windsor all thanks to you!) it was an amazing day! I wish I could have put it in a bottle and kept it forever! the spirit was so strong at Brother Chase's baptism! Sister huppe and I sang well, it was kind of a miracle.
wish I could write more!
Love, Sister Bentley
PS. thank you for your prayers, I still have a head cold. I'm hoping it will go down when I'm in just one area again!
some pictures from sister's conference. hopefully seeing a picture of president Simpson will help make my story more understandable
23 Apr 2012 - "Still Alive"
Dear everyone,
my Companions and I are doing alright. it's hard being with two
people all the time! I love them but they certainly aren't prefect
(nor am I). This experience certainly has shed some light on what it
will be like to be married, to an imperfect person. (thank goodness
I'm not marrying a girl) I love my Companions though, I'm going to be
so sad (but grateful) when this 2 area thing is over...
I've been sick this week. I slept for half on Thursday, most of Friday
and all of Saturday. my companions dropped me off at a senor couple's
home on saturday so I could sleep and they could work. it was so sad
to not be with them working. but I worked Sunday and today even though
my head still pounds and I have a nasty cough.
we have a GREAT week coming up. we have planning 2 baptisms this
weekend! and we have Sister's Conference (where are all 7 sisters in
our mission getting to come to the mission home for a few days to go
to the temple and be trained) I'm super excited.
hopefully I'll have lots of good news next week!
love,
Sister Bentley
16 Apr 2012
so, I'll try to remember everything I need to tell you.
I did get the package you sent...
I'm glad you got my package. how did you all feel about ketchup chips/
maple cookies?...
I woke up today with the flu, my companions have it too (but apparently
I looked really bad this morning that my companions "forced" me to go
back to bed. but then I "forced" them to go to the library to e-mail
this afternoon.
this has certainly been a week of feeling support from home! not only
did I get a package from you guys. I also got a package from Grandma.
I got letters from friends from the MTC, a letter from the Wiggins and
then this morning I had SEVEN letters in my mail box from people in
the Fayetteville YSA Ward!! I am so grateful, to all those who
followed the spirit and chose to write me this week (I guess it was
actually two weeks ago because of silly Canadian mail service) but I
certainly felt the love! thank you all so much! of course, being a
missionary isn't about receiving letters but when you've had a long
week it is a nice pick-me-up. (and don't forget to write to my dear,
sweet companions too Sister C. Davis and Sister Huppe)
Heavenly Father continues to bless Sister Davis, Sister Huppe and I.
this week we've have many trials with a lot of our investigators.
we've had some many reasons to give up or to even go home. but in
those moments it's amazing to me how pushing forward, going out and
working and testifying of the truthfulness of the message of The
Gosple will give you the boost you need. Heavenly Father really is the
best!
we are planing another baptism this weekend! and then one the
following weekend! it's that just amazing?!? this NEVER happens in the
Canada Halifax mission! Heavenly Father is LITERALLY POURING the
blessings of heaven upon us! and be barley have room to receive!
I just love these people. I wouldn't be anywhere else in the world
then serving, loving and teaching the people here! even when I'm
ridiculously tired there still isn't anywhere I would rather be!
Love you all!
Sister Bentley
P.S. so I have a question for you.
I know this is far in advance, but sister davis is going home soon and
she talks about it a lot. and can't help but thing what will happen in
14 months for me! I'm sure you and mom will ask me to come to Halifax
and tour my mission with me but I think I would rather go to Spain
and tour your mission dad! the only reason I'm writing about it now is
because a trip like that takes planning and saving. so what do you
think about that?
don't worry, I love it here. I'm not aching to be done or anything.
09 April 2012
this is picture from a Zone conference from one of the Zones we are in. a don't remember if I send it before
I'm going to quote my letter to president again because it sums up a lot of this week,
this week has been crazy (but what week isn't crazy when there is a baptism to prepare for?) everything is seriously one big blur! last night when we were reflecting on what we have done this week i honestly had forgotten that we had taught one of our investigators, Dave, on Tuesday because it felt like it had been eternity since we had seen him! but things are going pretty well, how can I complain about anything when Saturday we had a wonderful baptism? Marcie (I mean Sister Webb) is such a sweet spirit! I just love her, and it was such a privilege to be at her baptism and get to see her grow closer to Heavenly Father. after her baptism she said that she felt 'all warm and tingly' and that she was excited to be confirmed. on Sunday while she was being confirmed she was promised amazing blessings! when we asked her how she felt after church, she said "before, I would always feel warm, happy and at home whenever I would read the Book of Mormon or go to church but it would always leave. I felt that way when I was being blessed and it hasn't left!!" isn't that just a prefect description of the Holy Ghost verses The Gift of the Holy Ghost? it was such a learning moment for me! Heavenly Father truly has promised us to have the Holy Ghost with us always, and He will keep His promise and we keep His commandments! I'm just so blessed at everything Heavenly Father is showing and teaching me! it's super hard sometimes, still but He keeps helping me get through it and usually feel joy along the way. I really don't understand how everything is still going but it is, everything hasn't blown up yet. in fact, in the limited amount of time that we had to street contact this week we found and set up appointments with great people! I'm really looking forward to teaching them this week. we have had so many powerful lessons, it's amazing especially since we are all so tired but because we keep trying the Spirit really had been the one to teach and I wouldn't want it to be any other way. really the biggest opposition we've had this week has come from the members. it just blows my mind that we had a wonderful baptism in Halifax this week and one in Truro last week and members still think that us working in two areas is somehow a trial for them and that the areas are suffering because of it! their lack of faith is frustrating, and really makes me sad. especially since every time any of us hear people talk that way we bare testimony that this is The Lord's work and as long as we are faithful HE will never let His vineyard suffer. but apparently it just hasn't sunk in.
so this week we had ANOTHER BAPTISM! it was so wonderful! her name is Marcie, she is a student at Dal Housie, she is 20 and she has surblo-palsy (I don't know how to spell it) she is such an inspiration! it's just amazing to me all of these people that the 3 of us have met and started teaching ever since we have been a trio are getting baptized! and we have more coming up! I know it was The Lord's plan to put the three of us together. what a blessing and a miracle! and there are more to come.
on Saturday was Sister Huppe's 22 birthday so while we were filling up the baptism font (it took 4 hours) Sister Davis and I made her dinner and a cake. it was so much fun! (We giggle way too much in our companionship) I made banana, strawberry, and nutella stuffed french toast! sister Davis made fresh sausage, biscuits, sausage gravy and home made syrup. it was pretty much the best dinner I've had in 4 months! it was so good and so fun!
and also, I learned this week that Sister Huppe grew up and was best friends with Molly Emmette (one of my roommate from LDS Business College) small world!
we met a crazy guy this week! we knocked on his door and started testifying of the Book of Mormon. as soon as he learned who we were he started staying crazy this like. "the last 10 Presidents of the Unite State were Mormon" after a few minutes we were done with his crazy talk so Sister Huppe tried to leave by shaking his hand but he wouldn't let go and kept saying crazy things about the Book of Mormon and Joseph Smith. once we were able to get him to let go we all simply started walking away because he won't stop talking. he followed us all the way down his drive way yelling "stop wasting you time, go home!" but we simply ignored him. on the next door we met a sweet girl that was looking for more in her life and happily let us teach her. if we had listened to him we would have met her!
Heavenly Father loves all His children. I'm so privileged to be lead to those who have been prepared!
The Gospel IS true. Joseph Smith WAS God's prophet and Thomas Monson IS HIS prophet TODAY!
Love, Sister Bentley
02 Apr 2012
we had a baptism on Saturday and everything fell apart! so we were running around all morning and missed that whole session! [Saturday AM General Conference] it was so sad!
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