The Whole 9-9 Yards

This week was actually interesting. That is good, because it means I have at least some semi-interesting morsel of information to share with you (at least, I found it interesting. You may still be bored, but you can just keep your cutting remarks to yourself, Fujong!).

Anyway, on Friday, our entire mission had a 9-9. This meant we knocked doors from 9 am to 9 pm without taking any breaks for lunch, dinner, or going to the bathroom (Just kidding, we'd use gas station facilities and such* when we needed.). Our zone made the day extra special by having every companionship knock in someone else's area in the zone. Elder Robb and I were assigned, alongside Elder Pisciotta and Elder Carr (another companionship in our district) to knock in the Lakewood ward. Contained within the Lakewood ward boundaries is a group of apartment complexes known to the missionaries as "Chocolate City" (for reasons I will only tell the avid seeker). This knocking spot is renowned throughout the mission as the best, sketchiest, most ghetto knocking spot in the entire mission. Suffice to say, it was a very fun knocking session. It was definitely very ghetto. I am very glad I had the opportunity to knock there. The day was long, but very rewarding. We packed many PB&J's into a bag and brought them with us all day. We found a lot of new people for the Lakewood missionaries to teach. (They found a few people for us to teach as well.)

The other most interesting part of the week was that I was asked to give a talk in church on Sunday. So, yesterday I got up and gave a talk on... how to overcome challenges in marriage. Yes. That is the topic I was given. So, I drew upon my years of wisdom as the Bachelor§ I am and told everyone how they ought to be married. 

It was pretty funny. I was replacing someone else who had had to cancel, but it was still really funny having a missionary give a talk on marriage.

We had another lesson with Eric this week. Elder Robb did well as we taught him the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Eric admitted that the only thing keeping him from feeling ready to be baptized is that he still hasn't put a full honest effort into reading the Book of Mormon and praying about it. Lessons with Eric are always very spiritual, and I really enjoy teaching him. We invited him to redouble his efforts on reading the Book of Mormon. I pray that he will. I know he has felt the spirit and knows that what we teach is true, he is just too hesitant right now to take a baptismal date (we have invited him several times).

Anyway, I love the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It is so simple. It is so profound. It is so powerful. Christ has changed my life, and he has changed me. He continues to change me as I allow him to. 
May we all allow Christ into our hearts, and allow him to continually change and mold us.

I hope you all have a beautiful week full of fresh raspberries, free food samples at the grocery store, happy infants, and bright rays of sunshine. I love you all. Please pray for the people out here in Washington, as well as the people around you so that you may have missionary opportunities as well.

19 For he that diligently seeketh shall find; and the mysteries of God shall be unfolded unto them, by the power of the Holy Ghost, as well in these times as in times of old, and as well in times of old as in times to come; wherefore, the course of the Lord is one eternal round.

                              - 1 Nephi 10:19

--

Elder Benge

*bushes, trees, obscured clearings, the houses of random strangers, roadside port-a-potties, empty water bottles, nearby unlocked missionary apartments, ditches, less-frequented roadsides, shopping centers, fast food restaurants, members' homes, etc.

§ I am the Bachelor.