Busy, Busy Week!

Dear friends and family,

What an incredible week. Zone meeting, two exchanges, a priesthood blessing, and a new mission president later, I am still here doing what I have been called to do: missionary work.

We started the week off by meeting our new mission president, President Cleveland and his wife, Sister Cleveland. President Cleveland was the head basketball coach at Brigham Young University and Fresno State University. I love them both very much. They are fantastic at what they do. President Cleveland gave us a very profound sports metaphor of course! Haha. He explained to us the transition of moving from Utah right when his team was becoming fruitful to switching over to the struggling Fresno colleagues. After losing their first game they did a drill known as ladders or suicides. He had his fellow captains at each line to make sure they were touching the lines. Well when the report got back, they were not touching the lines. Again and again they ran, without victory. Some were simply not doing their duty by touching each line. After many attempts, President Cleveland stopped them. He simply stated, “We are going to touch all of the lines. Is that clear?” Time did not matter as much as making sure they touched all of the lines. In that moment they all took the time. They walked and placed their hand on the first line and back, then the second, and the third. They did not stop until every member touched all of the lines. He then let them go. President Cleveland humbly questioned, “When are you going to touch all of the lines spiritually?” After that drill his team came to practice and worked in unison further than they ever had before. It makes me question, “What lines am I falling short on or skimming over?” Every line is important.

Roshanna is doing wonderful. We watched the Restoration DVD with her. Then she CAME TO CHURCH!!! She says that she wants to come again and again. She loved it and said that she had chills the whole time. This week her daughter Mariyannah started listening in on our disscussions. She prayed for the first time with us and Roshanna started crying. It was an emotional week.

So last week I talked about, Daniel the man who asked about my Bible. We started teaching him. He is one of the most interesting men I have met. He talks like a philosopher and grew up in the projects of Chicago and Gary Indiana (The killing capitol in the nation). He loved meeting with us and he could sense our virtuous presence when we walked by him.

Then again at zone meeting, an echo of the lesson we learned earlier came back to mind. At the conclusion of the meeting we were asked to go to the back of the chapel. The divider was opened and our observances began to unite when we saw nothing but an exposed gym before us. We collectively soundlessly walked and took the time to touch all of the lines.

Love, Sister Bennett