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I decided that you all should be able to know what's going on for our dear former captain. So, I will be posting his weekly letters from his mission in this thread. Please don't comment too much in here. If you have something to say to him about it, pm me. If you have a general comment, use the guild house. That way, we can all just find the letters easily.

Enjoy!

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Well, I would like to say that the work is great and that I am teaching lots and that I have never had so much fun in my life - but I would be lying. We FINALLY added another investigator after two weeks of tracting and asking members for referalls. Yesterday, we were fasting and spent 6 hours of the day outside in the hot sun, tracting. We were on exchanges and I was with Elder Judson, who goes home next transfer. He said that it was the longest day of his mission, and that my area truly sucked.... yup......

But truth be told, things aren't that bad. Whether or not Lamisha will let us in when we come back for a second lesson I don't know. It is more likely with her because we actually taught her a real lesson, even though it was outside, because her husband wasn't home. I believe that she will let us back in though because she even ignored her phone to keep listening to the message. We have planted some seeds that future missionaries will harvest in a couple years. There is a young man that we talked to that will be looking up the missionaries when he heads back to Washington D.C, so maybe David or Ryan will teach him. Actually, I got the coolest feeling after we taught a lesson there ( or rather, my companion taught a lesson there, I really didn't have the opportunity to teach in this one.) That feeling told me that he was going to go home, and was going to call the missionaries, and that he will be the answer to "Elder Palmers" prayers for someone to teach, and that he will remember that I gave him that card, and say that Elder Bennion gave this to me in Las Vegas.... wow. I can't imagine how that would feel to know that one of my friends from High School, across the continent, sent me an investigator....

Fred is progressing nicely, as is his son Justin. And Emma, his wife, is progressing as well, although she doesn't sit in the lessons, we can tell that she still listens and that she recognizes that our religion has truths that the Church of Christ does not. Fred is amazing, and he would do anything for us. He invited us over to his family dinner (he is phillipino - I've never eaten so much for lunch on a sunday in my life, as it would be considered rude not to try everything... two plates full to the brim of food...) We brought our prayerfully selected fellowshipper to that meeting and he fit right in. Everyone loved him right away because he was a white guy that spoke their native language ( there were about 30 of his relatives there, all spoke Togoluk, which our fellowshipper spoke on his mission ) Because of that, we were able to get another family to investigate the church, in the ward three wards west from us, living literally on the border of the west mission, but on our side. With the lesson that we had with Fred on Tuesday, I was surprised to hear myself challenge him to baptism - he thought and thought.... He said that he didn't know if he would be ready by that time.... I told him that he would be.... And I believe he will be... The date that I gave him was June 30, a month from the current date.

Oh speaking of the west mission - we found ANOTHER family being poached by west side missionairies - but it's been reported, we'll see what happens. With the first one that we found, the other missionaries were actually teaching her in our area - which can get you sent home immediately for leaving mission boundaries intentionally.

We haven't been able to see Lovely since her husband came home. Her kids love us though, so I am sure that we will be able to see her again once her husband leaves to go trucking again.

Aaaaanyways...... My teeth seemed to be calming down but have flamed up recently just last night... for several days I was down to 5 or 6 advil a day ( well, generic Ibuprofen, as the 50 extra liquid gels that I bought in the mtc and the hundreds of other advil tablets that I bought ran out last week. The generic stuff works just as well. I am appreciative of your prayers - the root canals that I got in the MTC have just recently calmed down, but since my fast yesterday my one or two (or three or four, I don't know) that still need root canals, are acting up.

There are alot of dogs.... in this city..... They are attracted to missionaries.......I've come up with the saying of "football dog..." Because that's what I was about to do to this little dog that jumped through the fence and was gonna bit me.... I was gonna kick it back over the fence... but thankfully, it's owner called it off before it reached me, and I didn't have to punt the poor animal and turn the owner ( who was a JW ) even more against us. I'm glad she called off her dog though... I'm gonna start carrying doggy treats... like Elder Switzer does.

My companion and I worked out how much we have travelled on our bikes this transfer - about 25 miles a day, cause he got a computer for his bike in his easter package, and that calculates to the tenth of a mile the distance that we travel in a day. So 25 miles a day * 30 days = 750 miles.... now convert it into kilometers..... which I'm not going to do.


Sincererly,

Elder Matt Bennion
(Matt the Mormon Missionary Medicine Man!) Jokes......

Dad,

I just have one question, so that I will be able to tell Sister Christenson when I ask for the dental appointment - did they refund the money for the dental work done in the MTC?

As for my medication, the sooner you send it the better, especially if it is near transfers as it can get sent to the wrong zone and who knows where else it goes from there. My companion just recently got his easter package because it went to every zone in the mission before it got to him. I have run almost out of Prevacid, so if you could send me as much medication as you can, it would be much appreciated. Another thing that would be nice is a nice picture of the family with Tamara in a frame. If that is possible. (preferably REALLY soon, before she cuts her hair.)

If it is really expensive to send, perhaps it would be best to send it down with Uncle Dennis ( I think it was Uncle Dennis ) and he can just mail it that way - or you can use the flat rate boxes, so you don't have to worry about weight - Talk to Bill Smith about the cheapest ways and the fastest ways to send things. He knows all about it : P, and could probably supply you with pre-paid priority mail envelopes - although I am not sure if they are pre-paid, or you pay with a PO before you send them... Anyways, I love you lots. Thanks for the support and for the love, and for the prayers.


Mom,
For some reason, the first thing that I always am prompted to write is Don't Worry! I am safe - I'm told so in my patriarchal blessing. It says "Matthew, I bless you that you will be safe and protected as you are called to be away from your family at times." And if this isn't a call away from my family, I don't know what is. God is watching over me, and all the trials that I am having, all the problems with my teeth, everything that happens in the next two years - is all part of the plan. I am a servant of God - chosen to represent Jesus Christ Himself. I am to do what He would do, to say what He would Say - if He Himself was ministering to the very people to whom I have been sent. I know that He will watch over me and protect me, as well as my family, at all times. I love you.

Could you send me the addresses for Brandon Comfort, Ryan Palmer, James Hogenson, Luke Matthews and Tim Wright? I've written to Oscar at the MTC, cause it's the same general address, it'll get to him before he leaves, and I included letters for people in the last letter that I sent home ( you should get it soon... )

I also included a letter for Steve - if you could find out his address and forward that letter to him, I would be very appreciative.

I love you.

Christopher,

So what was the reason that they fired you for? Is it a good enough reason to SUE THE PANTS OFF THEM and get money for all the grief that they have caused you?

Anyways, I know that this happened for a reason - the simple reason is that you can't work as a sales specialist the rest of your life and they were never going to promote you. You will be blessed to find a good job, as you strive to live according to the Will of God - seek to serve those around you, and life will be easier to deal with. You will be blessed as you do this, and our entire family is being blessed by my being on a mission - keep that in mind.

Alex,

Hey buddy!
Hows is it going? You know what, sometimes things are really gonna suck...... like for me this week ALL we did was work outside, and with the stats that we have, it looks like we stayed in the apartment all week, aside from the 10 - 30 hours of tracting (Usually around 20, it'll be higher this week, cause we spent 6 hours plus yesterday tracting. )

You know how the tracting is like in Best Two Years...? It's very similar. Although street contacting - we don't chase people on bikes.... sometimes we bike really fast and go totally out of our way to talk to people who yell at us and just don't say anything cause they are hoping that we will get hit by a car on the way over....

Speaking of that, I almost got hit by a car the other day... The guy looked like he was almost trying to hit me. He was going about 50 miles on a 35 road, and went through a red light that had been red for nearly 30 or 40 seconds. If I hadn't have been paying attention to the spirit, he would have flattened me.

Just remember that there is always something to be learned from every situation in life... Look for the silver lining.

I love you buddy.


Katie,

I'm gonna guess that you did piano - I don't know why... I don't get spiritual guidance for things like that : P.
Don't get too discouraged with the results of one assignment. Always aim to do the best you can. When you do so, you know when you need help understanding something and then you will do better the next time.
Always work your hardest. I love you. Good luck with school and the talent show.


Tamara,
Sorry that I haven't been able to say much in these little notes - at least you get the letters. If you haven't got the letter about the pictures yet, I asked that you take some nice pictures of you all dressed up before you shave your head. If you could do that and send them to me, I would be very happy. I love you.