December 23rd

FAMILY! 

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!! 

Foong Yee's whole family came to our ward Christmas party! Her mom really bonded with some of the women in our ward and said that she really wants to have us over for dinner sometime! She is just about one of the sweetest ladies and we hope that we can start teaching the whole family soon! We also had our ward Christmas party last week. Each zone made a short trailer using a Disney movie and connecting that movie with missionary work. Our movie was Beauty and the Beast and our trailer turned out really good. I think President Maxwell mentioned that he is sending a copy of the video home, so if you watch it, look out for me in my starring role as neglected Aussie #2. 

 Sister G got transferred last Wednesday! So now it is just me and Sister H (Sister H and I? Ahhh. English. My brain seems to think I don't need it anymore, even though I REALLY do, because my Chinese is still definitely not top notch haha). Sister Huang is really just about the nicest person in the world. And she is super cute. Sister Goldrup and I introduced her to Milo last week (its an Australian drink that is SO GOOD and tastes a little like hot chocolate) and has been drinking some nearly every day since then. Except instead of pouring some into a mug, she uses a bowl haha. So Chinese. Another funny quirk: she will addresses me as "Companion" sometimes haha. Love her so much. I feel so lucky to be able to teach and serve with her. She has a strong testimony of Jesus Christ and is willing to work hard. She twisted her ankle this last week as we were coming back from dropping off Sister G and it has swelled a lot since. It looks really painful, but she has not complained once. We started a system where she makes calls to potential investigators while I find people on the street. It has worked really well so far and has actually been a blessing, because my companions and I have not called potentials in a long time. 

Christmas is here! One of the questions we have asked some of our investigators lately is what the meaning of Christmas is. I have been thinking of the question myself as I have taught and studied the last few days. I know the basic answer; Christmas is about the Savior and about remembering his birth. But, one of the main reasons His birth is significant is because of the event that shortly proceeded His death, His infinite Atonement. As I have studied more about the Atonement, I have really loved the testimony Alma bears his testimony of  Christ to the righteous people in Gideon in Alma chapter 7, which states:

11 And he shall go forth, suffering pains and ^aafflictions and^btemptations of every kind; and this that the word might be fulfilled which saith he will ^ctake upon him the pains and the sicknesses of his people.

 12 And he will take upon him ^adeath, that he may ^bloose the bands of death which bind his people; and he will take upon him their infirmities, that his bowels may be filled with mercy, according to the flesh, that he may know according to the flesh how to ^csuccorhis people according to their infirmities.

 13 Now the Spirit ^aknoweth all things; nevertheless the Son of God suffereth according to the ^bflesh that he might ^ctake upon him the sins of his people, that he might blot out their transgressions according to the power of his deliverance; and now behold, this is the testimony which is in me.

One of my favorite lines is the beginning of verse 13, "the Spirit knoweth all things, nevertheless the Son of God suffereth according to the flesh." I have really realized on my mission that sometimes it is not enough to just "know" something. There is a lot of thing that I knew before coming on my mission that have been strengthened through personal experience and, many times, suffering. The Savior knew that it was not enough for him to know about our pain. He needed to feel it, to really understand what it is like to be alone, infirmed, broken, or lost. These verse really put the Savior's call to "mourn with those that mourn" in new context for me. This counsel given on the Sermon on the Mount is a call to be like the Savior, to not just "know" that people are having problems, but to feel and understand them, to have enough charity and love for others that you have a true desire to help them. That is what Christmas means in the end. It is a chance to remember to use the Atonement in your life, to feel His love, but to also apply it in the lives of those around you, to help everyone feel Christ's infinite love through you. I love being a missionary. I love these people in Australia. I love teaching others of the power of the Atonement and seeing it change their lives. 

I love you all so much! It was so weird calling home for 5 minutes last week. It made me realize that I have not said my first name in a really long time haha. I'm excited to skype you all this Wednesday!! 

-Sister Bennion

P.S 

I promise I do have presents for you all!! They just will not make it there for Christmas....so sorry!! 

P.P.S.

I taught my companion how to say "Build a bridge and get over it." I thought Rachel would like that :)

P.P.S.S.
Wow!! Grumpy man making us poison oak soap???? Miracles happen. Go Emma!

I love talking to you all so much! I'm sorry my mind blanked halfway through and I could not tell you guys any funny stories!!! (I remembered them all later that night....) I resolved to write down points to tell you next mother's day so I do not make a similar mistake :)

Funny story:

I got a call from the Zone leaders this morning. They said they needed to ask a huge favor. I expected something big and so I told them whatever they needed me to do I was willing. Then, they said that they had received a box in their Christmas package that they thought was macaroons, but really was macaroon mix. And they wanted me to make them and give it to them. WOW. Soooo, today, I spent making macaroons haha.Why do people think I can cook. Its beyond me. 

LOVE YOU!!!

December 16th

Family! 

Ahhhh! Sister G is getting transferred this week! President Maxwell said that a new Chinese sister is coming earlier than expected, so she will move out and Sister H and I will stay in the City. Sister G seems a little nervous, but she is a really great missionary and I know that she will do great as a trainer. I'm really excited to be staying with Sister H as well. She is one of the sweetest people I have ever met and she is already a great teacher in lessons. She is really good at likening the Gospel to peoples' live and I know I have so much that I can learn from her. 

 One highlights of this week was Foong Yee (a 16 year old girl from Malaysia who we have been meeting with) brought her whole family to family home evening and her father and little brother both attending church with her this last Sunday! Her little brother is 11 and can only speak a hybrid of Malaysian, English, Cantonese, and Mandarin....so basically no one understands what he is saying except his family. But he is so incredible cute, it doesn't even matter. 

We are having a Book of Mormon reading lesson with one of our investigators. We planned to read 1 Nephi 1 with him, so this morning I took some time to read through the chapter again and look at the some of the footnotes. It was so cool! It really helped me better put Lehi and his family in a biblical context. One of the observations I made was while looking at 1 Nephi 1:5. The scripture reads: 

 5 Wherefore it came to pass that my father, Lehi, as he went forth prayed unto the Lord, yea, even with all his ^aheart, in behalf of his people.

So I looked up the footnote, which lead me to Jeremiah 29:13. It states: 

13  And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.

Jeremiah was a prominent prophet in Jerusalem around 600BC. He has a lengthy book in the Bible and, according to 1 Nephi 5:10-13, he was also one of the writers of the brass plates that Nephi and his brother acquired from Laban. Lehi definitely knew of him and might have even met him personally and heard his prophecies firsthand. I love the thought that his decision to go and pray "with all his heart" to the Lord might very well have been him following the counsel of the prophet of his dispensation. Modern prophets are and always have been so important to each Gospel dispensation. They can provide much needed counsel in a context that we can relate to and find revelation through! 

Love footnotes. Love the Book of Mormon. Love how the Bible and the Book of Mormon work together so perfectly. 

I know that everyone is probably pretty stressed out right now (midterms/finals, ornament exchanges, Christmas presents to buy, etc), but remember to take a breathe and remember what is important! In the words of Rachel/Emma, "Familia, Ohona (Bin Ladin)!" :) You are in my thoughts and prayers! 

LOVE, 

Sister Sarah Bennion

December 9th

AHHHH. Sister G and I have a new companion! Her name is Sister H! She is from Taiwan! We found out Wednesday that she got her visa early and was coming over the next day! We barely had time to clean our flat and move the beds (we have bunk beds and they are pretty low to the ground and so Sister H's bed is now a total cave that she has to climb over my bed to get into...super funny!). It has been a complete blessing to have her! She is really easy to get along with and has been helping us with Chinese a lot! Love her! 

Here is a prolonged miracle I wanted to update you all on! 

We have Family Home Evening in our branch, which consists of a spiritual message and a game prepared by some of the members. One of the missionary rules about attending FHE is that missionaries can only come if an investigator also attends. So, the first Monday after Sister G came into the area, I called referral we had received, whose name was Alex, and asked him if he would like to come to FHE. He accepted and we scheduled him in. That night at FHE, a guy entered and introduced himself as Alex. He was a big guy from Malaysia with tatoos, piercing, and smelled really strongly of cigarette smoke. He came into the activity room and sat down for the hour without talking to anyone around him or saying anything, or smiling. The game for the night was Mafia and, until the very end, he did not participate at all. After the activity Sister G and I asked him if he could meet after to talk with us. He agreed and came into one of the chapel room with us and one of the ward members. He said that he was really confused, because he thought it was a service activity, not a game night, and told us he was Buddhist and definitely not interested in joining a Christian church. It was a very confusing lesson, because none of his concerns fit the description on the referral we had received and we could not understand some of what he said because he spoke Chinese with a Malaysian accent. By the end of the lesson, we explained briefly about God and prayer, gave him a Restoration pamphlet, and asked him if he would be willing to meet next week to attend FHE and talk more about our message. To our surprise, he accepted. As we headed home, we got a text from "Alex" saying that he was sorry he missed FHE and promising to come next week. I guess what happened was that referral Alex was not actually the Alex that met with us. We later found out that the Alex that came was a random guy on the street that Sister Z had invited to FHE the week before she left and forgot to tell us. 

We have since met with Malaysian Alex the next Monday. He had read the Restoration pamphlet all the way through and said that he felt really happy at FHE and wanted to learn more. He has come to FHE every week since then. He came to church for the first time yesterday and accepted an invitation to be baptized in around a month. He still has a long way to go (We taught him the Word of Wisdom yesterday and he drink alcohol, smokes, and loves coffee), but he now believes in Jesus Christ and is ready to make a change in his life! So insane! 

I love you all so much! Thank you for the emails and prayers! I can definitely feel your love and it has really helped me not feel at all homesick this holiday season! I know this is where I am suppose to be and am happy to be serving the Lord at such a special time of year! 

-Sister Sarah Bennion

December 2nd

Happy late Thanksgiving! sister G and I actually forgot it was Thanksgiving until halfway through the day! It was such a crazy week, we just totally lost track of time! We got to go to the temple (hooray!) and had a mini missionary come with us for the past weekend to lessons! Her name was Sister R. She is 18 and really wants to go on a mission. She spoke absolutely NO chinese, so teaching was a little interesting haha, but she loved GQing and said that it was one of the best experiences she ever had. She told us she is going to start her papers this week and hopefully be gone by next march! 

On another note, Sister G and I have really rediscovered the beauty of chocolate advent calenders. In November, we found some "One Direction" ones at the supermarket last month and were going to save them for December. However, shortly after we wondered upon some Cadbury chocolate ones on super sale. So, we made our "One Direction" calenders into November calenders and are just busting open the Cadbury. We are thinking of getting 12 more of them at the store and just having a calender every month this year. Boom. 

I was reading a couple days ago in Jesus the Christ about some parables that Jesus used in His teachings. Two of the parables that especially caught my attention were the parable of the hidden treasure and the parable of the pearl of great price. The parable of the hidden treasure is about a man who wonders across a hidden treasure. He takes the treasure and happily sells all that he has to buy the land the treasure was on. The second was about a merchant who has been searching for pearls and collected many over the years. He finally finds a pearl of great price, better than all the ones he has found before, and happily sells all his other pearls for the great pearl. Christ compares the treasure in the first parable and the pearl of great price in the second to the Gospel. The men in the parables represent those who find the Gospel. The mens' methods of finding their treasure is very different. One man wonders across the treasure. He was not searching for anything, but accepted it gladly when it came. The other man, the merchant, had been searching diligently and when he found what he was looking for, he was willing to give up everything he had spent years acquiring for what he found. I really feel like I have seen both of these type of people on my mission. Some just wander upon the Gospel and recognize it as something they need. Others have been searching before they find and accept the truth. However, the defining characteristic of these people is, like the two men in the parable, they are willing to give up everything to have the Gospel and, because of that, the Gospel of Jesus Christ can benefit their life. 

Love you all! I hope thanksgiving was amazing and that this holiday season will one filled with miracles! 

-Sister Bennion

EMMA!!!!

HAAAAAAAPPPY BIIIRRRTHDAYYY! I hope that you are having an absolutely fantastic day! I can't believe you are already 13! So dang old! And I can't believe catching fire is already out! Next year: you, me, a huge bag of popcorn, and catching fire. It's a date. I'm super excited. 

How was thanksgiving?? Did you guys go to the farm or stay in Medford? How many pieces of cheesecake did you eat? Are you reading a book as a family? Give me all the important details. 

It is so cool that you are learning about Japan now too! I was not able to receive your story sadly, because cannot get Google docs :( 

I was just reading in 2 Nephi 2 and I ran into a verse that I really loved! It states:

 28 And now, my sons, I would that ye should look to the great^aMediator, and hearken unto his great commandments; and be faithful unto his words, and choose eternal life, according to the will of his Holy Spirit;

 I especially like the line "be faithful on his words and CHOOSE eternal life." Our eternal happiness really depends on the choices we make every day. Some small choices, such as whether or not we read scriptures, whether or not we pray, or whether or not we choose to forgive and love those around us, all builds up to how we will answer the ultimate question that we will eventually have to report to God: whether or not we love our Savior enough to listen to his words and follow his commandments. So choose today and every day to become a little better, a little kinder, and a little closer to obtaining eternal life! 

Love you so much Emma! I really hope this year is one of miracles for you! I think about and pray for you often! 

-Sister Sarah Bennion

I LOVE FLORCH.

I'm sorry I could not answer this email last week. It made me miss you too much. BUT, I just wanted to let you know I absolutely love you! and I already bought you a Christmas present for next year haha. Hope that everything is going great and expect a letter soon!! 

Ahhh and I sensed that Po was one fry short of a happy meal. Its good to know that someone has taken the place of good old DC. Except, since DC stands for Dumb Cat, would Po be DD? Or Double D? Who knows. 

-Sister Bennion

P.S Dis is Peggy. I like your hair. Me and Mandy in cohorts. No, Peggy, you rapscallion! 

First pair of shoes bite the dust!

Temple Day!

Why have an Advent calendar for ONLY December?

Splits with a Mini Missionary!

November 25th

November 18th

Family! 

How is it going?

Still doing good here in Australia. Last week was so busy it is nice to have some time to relax today.

Funny story of the week: For the last few weeks, we have been meeting with Alex, one of our investigators from Malaysia, before our family home evening activity. He is a big guy and is pretty blunt and intense, but really loves family home evening, because he says he always feels happy and welcome there.  Last week, Alex said that he wanted to bring a friend when he met with us next. We assured him that his friend was completely welcome. So, at the beginning of our next lesson, he introduced us to his friend, Wei Qi. He told us (RIGHT in front of his friend) that he really thought his friend should hear your message, so he tricked him into coming by telling him they were going to an English Class activity. Luckily, Wei Qi was pretty okay with being tricked into coming and really liked the lesson and activity. He met with us later that week and accepted a baptismal date for late December. 

This morning in personal study, I read 1 Nephi 21:14-15, which states:

 14 But, behold, Zion hath said: The Lord hath forsaken me, and my Lord hath forgotten me—but he will show that he hath not.

 15 For can a ^awoman forget her sucking child, that she should not have ^bcompassion on the son of her womb? Yea, they may ^cforget, yet will I not forget thee, O house of Israel.

 16 Behold, I have graven thee upon the ^apalms of my hands; thy walls are continually before me.

 I remember, when reading these verses last year in my Book of Mormon class at college, my teacher noting that the most love-driven relationship that we have on this earth, the bond between a mother and her newborn child, pales in comparison to love the Lord has for us. Our Savior loves us completely and utterly. He is always thinking of us. He remembers our sufferings, He knows our pain, and He has experienced our trials. The walls that are before Him, the walls of pride and jealousy and everything that keep us from returning to God's presence, are walls that He has already overcome for us. He knows how to succor us according to our infirmities. He knows how to bring us home. 

I love the Lord and I am so proud to be doing His work! 

Love you all! 

-Sister Bennion

It is so beautiful in Melbourne!
Here is the Letter Sarah sent to her brother

LUKER-LOU!

How's it going bud? I heard you were sick recently! I hope you are feeling better now and preparing for thanksgiving! :) 

I'm doing great in Australia. Being on a mission is just about the coolest experience I have ever had. You get to meet a lot of new people and get to see a lot of miracles. There is an elder in my zone that kind of looks like an older version of you and makes me think about how soon you will also be a missionary! It is so crazy to think about! 

Recently, we have been teaching someone who is 19 years old. He is preparing to be baptized this week. One of the reasons he is getting baptized is that his friend in the church was a really good example. A big reason people join the church is because they feel like they have friends there and are happy. Make sure to be a good example to your friends, both the ones that are members of the church and the ones that are not. 

Dad sent me a bunch of pictures of you and the treehouse this week. I'm so jealous!! 

Love you! Have a great week! 

-Sister Bennion

November 11th

家庭! 

Such a great week!! The Lord has really given my companion and I so much, I can't even begin to describe all of the blessings. I will for now just focus on two experiences. Last Saturday, we were teaching one of our investigators, Bill, about the Restoration (we had already taught him a few times before and given him a Book of Mormon and set a baptismal date). We bore testimony of the importance of the Book of Mormon and asked him if he was willing to pray if to know if the Book of Mormon was true. He looked at us with a confused look on his face and said, "Why? I already know!" He then began to bear his testimony about how, no matter where he read in the Book of Mormon, it always had a lot meaning to him and he knew that it was the word of God. 

Yep. So golden. 

We have been teaching another investigator for about 3 months, whose name is Jeff (may have mentioned him in past emails). He has a baptismal date set for November 22, but said that he could not meet with us this week because he had tests all this week. We asked him if we could meet him at the Judge Building near his uni for 15 minutes to teach him an important lesson and he agreed. Last Friday, we sat down with him and explained tithing in 10 minutes (not an easy task to do). He was a little hesitant at first, but after we bore testimony of it, he agreed to go home and pray about it. After church last Sunday, we followed up and he said he was willing to follow the law of tithing. Woohoo!

I started reading a section of Doctrine and Covenants every day in my Personal Study and man, is it power-packed with great stuff! I was reading section 3 recently. The section is the Lord speaking to Joseph Smith concerning the Book of Lehi which, through Martin Harris, was lost. As I was reading this, verse 5 really stood out to me. It states: Behold, you have been ^aentrusted with these things, but how strict were your commandments; and remember also the promises which were made to you, if you did not transgress them. Later, in verse 8, the Lord further expounds on the aforementioned promises:  8 Yet you should have been faithful; and he would have extended his arm and ^asupported you against all the fiery ^bdarts of the^cadversary; and he would have been with you in every time of^dtrouble. As I was reading this, I found that the phrase "these things" near the beginning of verse 5 can be easily changed to "this time as a missionary." As missionaries, we have been given, entrusted with, a very short period of time to serve the Lord. The guidelines concerning how the work is to be done has been very clearly stated and the promised blessings likewise expressed IF we do not transgress them. Obedience is such an essential element of missionary work and the Lord's church in general. He promises us unfailing support against all temptations, sicknesses, pain, and any other kind of trouble that we may encounter if we are faithful to his commandments. 

I love you all so much! Have a fantastic week! 

-Sister Sarah Bennion