Conference!!!!!

Hey family and friends. 

What an INCREDIBLE conference, verdad (truth)?? I don´t know if it´s because I´m on the mission or what, but I ate up every single word that was spoken and loved every single talk! Seriously I was almost in tears with how happy I was. Can I just say before I say anything else just how blessed we are to have this Gospel in our lives? While listening to each session I was filled with such a sweet joy and peace that was almost overwhelming. I can´t describe how amazing I felt, and can honestly say that I KNOW without a shadow of a doubt in my mind that this church is true. That Heavenly Father lives and loves us, that Jesus Christ is our loving Savior, that Joseph Smith was chosen as a prophet of God to restore the plenitud of the gospel in our times, that Thomas S. Monson is a true and LIVING prophet and that we are blessed beyond words to be led and guided by Jesus Christ himself through his servants. I learned something from each talk and am excited to get to read them and study them again. Some of the highlights for me was Elder Holland´s talk when he mentioned that sometimes this world wants a God that pats them on the head and tells them to run along and pick marigold´s, instead of a God that actually expects them to keep His commandments (wait.. you want me to go to church???). Sister Stephens talk when she said that this gospel is not just a checklist of things to do, but lives within our hearts - it is not weight but wings! Elder Bednar´s talk when he mentioned that it is often the load that gives us the spiritual traction to get out of danger and difficulties and safely home to our Father in Heaven. Elder Uchtdorf´s talk about an attitude of gratitute - not to be grateful "for" all things, but "in" all things. The talk that mentioned the Olympic athletes and the sense of urgency we should have as our time on earth is only a mere "4 minutes" to perform and then we have a whole eternity to think about how we did, and though some may feel that 

they´ve already blown it, that their four minutes are already a disaster, that the atonement of Jesus Christ can make up for these flaws and imperfections and allow us to continue forward and "finish the race." I loved Elder Anderson´s talk when he said that the world has changed it´s laws on marriage, but God has not and will not. I loved President Monson´s invitation to go back to the basics and to LOVE one another!!!! I could go on and on and highlight what I loved from each of the talks but that would take forever and I´m sure you all don´t want to read a novel :) What and incredible and inspiring conference for us all! 

Shoutout to Natalie Dallimore - I saw her in a Mormon commercial just after the first session of conference and almost fell out of my chair I was so excited! haha also to Alicia Johnston-Wood, Audrey Roper, "Neon," and Cydnie Dial. It´s always a treat to see familiar faces in the choirs of the Conferences! Especially now, being so far from home. I remember leaving the stake center to catch our bus back for the hour ride to Mezapa with the greatest feeling of peace, I looked at all the people surrounding us on the streets, on the bus, in our little pueblo and having a desire that each of them could feel it, too. Seriously, I don´t think we often grasp how urgent it is that we can share this gospel with as many people as we can, to give them the opportunity to feel the happiness and joy that we have felt, and to have the hope that this gospel gives us. It isn´t easy, and sometimes really sad, when people decide not to listen due to their own agency :( but so it is with the life of a missionary, they come and some go, but I´m comforted to know that no work is wasted! That sometimes Heavenly Father needs us to prepare His children for when the time is right for them. Each time we share our testimony or show our example we are helping them take another step towards their own conversion, even if it´s later down the road.

This was a pretty good week! We´ve been doing a lot of contacting and finding new people, and we´ve had a lot of good experiences in the process. It seems like a lot of the families we are finding aren´t married, and Honduras just recently changed it´s marriage laws so that it is SUPER expensive to get married, so that has been one of our biggest challenges recently. But we are a people who believe in miracles, so we can´t lose the faith!

One day this week, we decided to take a different, quicker route to get to a different colony within our pueblo from a colony called Los Pinos that is the furthest away from anything. It´s a back road that runs along a palm tree forest. As we were walking along, suddenly right in front of us in the middle of the path was a giant snake! My heart jumped into my throat and I screamed... haha Hermana Maldonado jumped clear back and ran off a distance because I had scared her. It was one of those snakes that are red and black striped that I´ve only seen in the movies. The ones that are apparently super poisonous. Luckly after further observation, we realized that it was recently dead..... haha but that didn´t stop us from walking super cautiously around it practically carrying each other until we were a safe distance away. I kept imagining it suddenly jumping at us... We had a good laugh about it, but it made me remember that we truly are protected as missionaries when we are trying our best. President Klein once said that when we arrive home at night and say, "gee what a great day," that the angels are saying, "YOU thought it was a great day.... but you didn´t even notice what kind of a day WE had protecting you!" It´s so true, and I´m so grateful for it!

I sure do love you all and am grateful for your prayers and your support. Don´t forget how blessed we are!! Until next week :)

Hermana Bennett