What a Tree Taught Me

Hello one and all!  I hope this week's post finds you happy and healthy.

This is it.  The last month of my mission.  23 months, 699 days, 16,776 hours, and an infinite amount of memories and experiences later, I've been caught completely unaware that my time in South Africa is ticking to its close.

Calls from my fellow missionaries are filled with wishes to finish strong.  Weekly letters from my mission president are saturated with encouragement to finish on a high note.  Emails from family and friends filled with scriptures, general conference talks, and insights to uplift my spirit in my final days as a missionary.  Promptings from the Spirit that guide me in how I can sprint through the tape.  It seems that I have a solid support system to help me in this final home stretch.

But with all the love I've felt, there's an undeniable force pushing the opposite way.  Lucifer is striving by all means to halt or detour this divine work.  Whether it be physical, mental, or spiritual obstacles, my companion and I have witnessed and felt it all.  We hold dear to the promise that 'all these things shall give thee experience, and shall be for thy good (D&C 122:7)'.  Though we are at times unsure of what good could be coming from some hardships, we continue to work with all of our heart, might, mind, and strength.

As we've continued to labor in the vineyards of South Africa, we've noticed a distinct change in the landscape as we've entered into a new spring season.  What was various shades of yellow and dead is now transforming into a vibrant green, lush with life.  To see signs of life return to this corner of Africa is a relief and a joy.

Much change has sprung forth in the past month, but the past week has brought to us the most pleasant surprise.  As we've driven to and fro, we've noticed slight pockets of violet striking the skyline.  With every day, the speckled patches of purple have invaded the trees in the streets and mountains, adding to the Rainbow Nation of South Africa a happy glow.

The trees that are responsible for this transformation are called the Jacaranda Tree.  Famous for its purple bloom just before the rainy season, the Jacaranda's limbs slither high into the sky, shooting forth beautiful petals, scorching the African sky with beautiful shades of lavender.  Its beauty is awe-inspiring to any visitor or resident of South Africa. 

As we've witnessed these trees beginning to bloom, I've been reminded of the trials and tribulations I face as a missionary and a child of God.  Too often, in times of spiritual drought, I've often wondered to myself why the rains don't come.  I question whether I should continue shouldering on and if I'll benefit from the hardships.  Then I am reminded that, like a Jacaranda Tree springing forth its beautiful petals, I too will bloom, that if i can endure these trials for a small moment, that the rains will come and supply my soul with living waters.

I promise you that God is aware of you.  He knows you perfectly.  He knows when you are due to bloom.  If you trust in His timing, and are patient in the dry seasons of life, you will begin to bloom amidst your persecutions and will be supplied with the living waters of Christ.

"...Whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life." (John 4:14)

Let us bear with patient the afflictions which are placed upon our shoulders.  It was never easy for Christ, and it will never be easy for us.  Life was never meant to be easy.  The time will come that we will look back at our trials and hardships with gratitude for the lessons which we gained from them and for the trust which we cultivated in Christ Jesus.  We can trust in Him, for He is mighty to save.  In the midst of the hardships of life, don't forget that you're beginning to bloom.

Four Insights for the New/Preparing Missionary

Having my mission come to a close has given me a lot of time to think about the valuable lessons I've learned. Idk if you'll be able to tell from the previous emails, but I love missionary work!!  The lessons I've learned have proven time and time again to be invaluable.  I recently received an email from my cousin who has received his call from the Prophet Thomas S. Monson to serve in Rome, Italy.  In this email, he asked for a few insights on how he could best begin his two years.  Here's a few insights I would share to him and to anyone who desires to begin their missionary service on a consecrated note.

1. First and foremost, pray for the Lord to confirm that the place that you have been called to is where the Lord needs you to be for the next two years.  Missionary service is to be a joyful experience, as it has been for me, yet I've seem too many elders who have struggled with obedience or confidence or other problems, all stemming from the fact that they haven't gained a personal testimony from the Lord in their call.  This testimony to get you through the rough times.  It will increase your joy in the good times.

Remember the words of David A. Bednar: "A missionary is not called to a place; rather, he or she is called to serve...As missionaries strive to be ever more worthy and capable instruments in His hands and do their best to fulfill faithfully their duties, then with His help they “cannot go amiss”—wherever they serve. Perhaps one of the lessons the Savior is teaching us in this revelation is that an assignment to labor in a specific place is essential and important but secondary to a call to the work. (Called to the Work, April 2017 Conference)"

2. Second, prayerfully set SMART Goals:

Specific - To give you direction

Measurable - To track your progress

Achievable - To fuel your faith

Realistic - To kill your doubt

Time-bound - To keep the pressure

Too many missionaries, fresh from the MTC, set a goal similar to this one: 'I am going to be the best missionary ever!'  It's not specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, or time-bound!  Be SMART in your goals, and they will help you in your focus.  Set long-term goals for your mission, and set short-term goals to help you achieve the long-term.  The simpler the goal is, the more power it has.  I could go on for days about goals but I'd just be boring everyone!  If you master the principles in Chapter 8 of PMG you'll have a solid foundation for becoming a PMG missionary.

3. Third, commit to be exactly obedient to the Missionary Handbook.  Be like the Nephites in the Book of Mormon. "And, notwithstanding we believe in Christ, we keep the law of Moses, and look forward with steadfastness unto Christ, until the law shall be fulfilled.  For, for this end was the law given; wherefore the law hath become dead unto us, and we are made alive in Christ because of our faith; yet we keep the law because of the commandments" (2 Ne 25:24-25).  Anything less than exactly obedient is disobedient.  If you can't cross yourself for the Lord these two years, how do you expect to cross yourself in the eternities ahead?

4. Last, engrain 'Preach My Gospel' into every fiber of your missionary service.  It hasn't been until recently that I discovered that my PMG looks more like a coloring book!  All the notes and quotes from various trainings and meetings that I've written in the margins of my PMG continue to teach me long after I first wrote them.  If you look at 'A Successful Missionary' under PMG Chapter One, all of the bullet points at the bottom of pg 10/top of pg 11 connect to at least one chapter of PMG.  If you master PMG, you master your mission.

I have gained strength in the words of Bruce R. McConkie:  ”I am called of God. My authority is above that of the kings of the earth. By revelation I have been selected as a personal representative of the Lord Jesus Christ. He is my Master and he has chosen me to represent him. To stand in his place, to say and do what he himself would say and do if he personally were ministering to the very people to whom he has sent me. My voice is his voice, and my acts are his acts; my words are his words and my doctrine is his doctrine. My commission is to do what he wants done. To say what he wants said. To be a living modern witness in word and deed of the divinity of his great and marvelous latter-day work.”  I know what is declared here is true.  Striving to stay true to it takes faith and repentance on a daily basis, but overtime it is achievable!  The Lord endows his true servants with power.

You have two years to do it, and an eternity to remember it.  "This time, like all times, is a very good one, if [you] but know what to do with it." -Ralph Waldo Emerson

This is the work of Jesus Christ.  Nothing shall hinder it.  "Persecutions may rage, mobs may combine, armies may assemble, calumny may defame, but the truth of God will go forth boldly, nobly, and independent... 'til the purposes of God shall be accomplished... (Joseph Smith)"  I add my witness that Joseph Smith was a prophet of God, that he was called to restore the Church of Jesus Christ to the earth in these days.  Serve with all you heart, might, mind, and strength.

Elder Benson

The Adventures of Elder Benson and Brumpton

Part One

Rustenburg, or 'Rusty Dusty' as it's called in the SAJM, is located in the Northwest Province, approximately two hours from Johannesburg.  Herein live two missionaries who break the mold of what would be a traditional missionary companionship serving in the outskirts of the mission.  The highlights of their adventures of the past week are summed up as follows:

The elders spent most of their week in preparation for a new companionship joining their ranks in the Northwest village of Phokeng.  From marking investigator's homes in the GPS to saying goodbye to members they loved, they clung tight to the bittersweet moment of saying goodbye.

Part Two

As the elders continued to proselyte in Rustenburg, mission headquarters sent them the address of a foreign exchange student who recently arrived in South Africa from Provo, Utah.  She currently resides in Tsitsing, a village located thirty kilometers outside Rusty Dusty.  Her parents requested that the elders visit her with her host family and supply them with the chapel address.  The missionaries responded to the call and quickly began their journey to Tsitsing (not forgetting to take pictures along the way).

Part Three

The chapel in Rustenburg is among the prettiest in South Africa.  Having been converted from a mosque, this beautiful building has stolen the eyes of many saints around the world.  In the past week, however, the chapel has been broken into twice, leaving to the dynamic duo to patch up holes in the roof, take inventory of lost chairs, and climb in the rafters of the ceiling.

After their energy was spent from a long day at the chapel, the elders were in much need of nourishment.  They gallivanted to Nando's, a popular restaurant in Rustenburg.  They later treated themselves to some township sweets. 

Part Four

For Sunday worship services, the elders attended the Phokeng Branch, who are excited to be receiving their own set of elders this week!  Their services are held in portable units, a common sight for the Church in Africa.

As the worship service ended at the chapel on Sunday, many of the congregation were asked to give service at a local wedding of a relative of a member.  Weddings in South Africa are nothing short of a celebration.  They block of an entire street, put up a massive tent, and proceed to celebrate the couple's union with a live band, dancing, a catered feast, and singing.  Here is a picture of a 'squad' enjoying some of the delicious food.

The food in South Africa is amazing!  Pictured is a dish called 'Seven Colors' representing the seven colors of the South African flag.

Part Five

As the sun set in the West, the cold winter winds sent the elders seeking for shelter.  Luckily, with the help of their friend Mothusi, they found refuge in the home of the Sekete family, who helped them to warm up with a blanket and some herbal tea.

Overcome with gratitude, the elders shared with them a spiritual thought relating to missionary work.  The entire Sekete family joined in on the missionary fever and committed to reach out to a number of their friends, as shown in the picture.

Part Six

From visiting the humble saints to serving the extraordinary people, this companionship is savoring every moment they can in this special corner of South Africa.

L-O-V-E you all!! #sixweeksleft

Elder Benson