A Challenging Week

Joshua 1:9 Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.

I like this scripture a lot! When the prophet Moses died, Joshua was called to be the new prophet. Joshua felt a bit inadequate for the job and asked God, how am I going to lead these people? And the Lord offered him these comforting words to help him with his new calling. We can find peace and comfort from these words just as Joshua did and know that we should have courage in our trials and know that our Heavenly Father will be with us no matter where we go in our lives.


This is week in 5 of 6 in this transfer in Tanques, Sinaloa! I am grateful for the opportunity to be here and teach repentance and baptize converts that endure to the end! Our new mission president has established a "Mission Culture" that will set the path for us missionaries to follow so we can see miracles in our time here. We were given permission to knock on doors to be able to find new investigators and that will help because in Tanques it is pretty difficult to find new people who want to listen to us.

Huge Iguana

Not much missionary work has been progressing here lately due to the conduct of my companion. I've had lots of time to think and meditate things in my mind this week because we spent the majority time in our little house. My companion is not motivated to go out and work and would rather spend time sleeping,taking 1 hour showers, listening to rap, watching movies or using his cell phone. It's been pretty frustrating for me since I want to be out of the house teaching and find new people but my companion impedes us. But Elder Cuevas has taught me how to play dominos so that's been a positive for this week.

Karla's Baptism

We had a great day on Thursday! We went to La Cruz to do a baptismal interview. One of the responsibilities that I have as District Leader is to interview those who have prepared themselves for baptism. I had the opportunity to interview a 10 year old girl, Karla, to see if she was ready to be baptized. It was a special experience to hear the testimony of a young girl who had come to know that this is Christ's true church, that the Book of Mormon is the word of God, and that Joseph Smith was a true prophet! We stayed in La Cruz and cleaned the baptismal font and watched Karla get baptized. I love seeing the reactions of the people who get baptized as they are lifted up out of the water. A new, clean start and bright smiling faces. It's truly beautiful. 

The Zone Leaders and the District Leaders

Later when we returned to Tanques the pueblo was pitch dark and we realized that there was no electricity! Elder Cuevas and I got worried haha. We had another miserable night without sleep and having little bugs buzzing in our ears all night.


This week I was reading in a church magazine liked a quote from Spencer W. Kimball that says "As we serve others...it is easier to 'find' ourselves because there is so much of us to find!" I think in this transfer I have definitely had a chance to find myself through the little acts of service for my companion. Even though it's been difficult with him, serving him has been the way that I have been able to recognize who I am as a child of God and my divine potential.


Elder Bennett