Semoran!!!!!

Well I am not in Windermere anymore. Haha. Semoran is amazing and I love it!!! There is a very heavy Spanish population so I am speaking a lot more Spanish. Also, my new companion Hermana Christensen and I came out together so our ability to speak Spanish is about the same.... very basic. We were both amazed at how well we actually did. We talked about how we have been relying on our senior companions to speak, but now it is all up to us. The gift of tongues is real! I have felt my Spanish skills improve drastically this week. We have been able to say and understand everything that we need to. Missionary Blessings.

Mostly this week was spent getting know the area. We found some cool new investigators on Thursday! Also Facebook. Super weird. Wednesday we spent some time cleaning our accounts up. I am not going to lie, I am not the biggest fan of becoming an online proselyting mission. It is going to take some getting used to, but FYI if you see that I am online please remember that I am still a missionary and can only email on P-days so..... yeah. Haha. 

This transfer I am working on the Christ-like attribute of Faith. I am really going to need to strengthen my faith this transfer to invoke the power of the gift of tongues. My studies were guided by the spirit and I ended up studying a lot about Prayer. I have realized that my prayers have become a little repetitive and not very faith-filled. So I started praying more sincerely, and allowing the spirit to guide my prayers. After every prayer I take a second to ponder and to listen. It is amazing how different my prayers have become. I love my Heavenly Father and am so grateful I have Him so close and only a prayer away. I love being a missionary here in the great FOM! The church is true!

Also, this week I got attacked by a frog going into our apartment. It was hopping around my feet and it freaked me out. It's okay, we both survived. 🐸🐸🐸🐸

Hermana Kent

Happy 7 months!!  7 down, 11 to go!

We were stranded at the church for a few hours,

 waiting for the assistants to bring us our car,

 and we were starving. 

We found some ramen in a cupboard in the 

primary room. Blessings. 

Our new car. This area was in a car share 

until this week (I seriously lucked out). 

Hasta Ver a Windy Ridge

The time has come! I am leaving my baby area (after 6 months)! I am being transferred to a ward called Semoran with Hermana Christensen! I am pretty heartbroken to leave Windy Ridge, but I am so excited to see what else Heavenly Father has in store for me.

Well this week was absolutely insane. If you don't want to read all of it, that's okay, I understand. Just check out the pictures. :)

Tuesday: We went on exchanges and had an awesome time! It was my 3rd exchange with Sister Larsen. We were meant to be companions I guess.

Haha.

Wednesday: I felt like the most blessed missionary in the world. Two members of the Missionary Department came and gave a training to our

mission- Elder Donaldson and another guy whose name I can never remember. Only a few missionaries from the mission (About 30 of us) were invited to attend. It was an all day training (9-4) but I didn't even care. It was absolutely incredible. The training was mostly about how our mission can more efficiently use our technology to hasten the work. I feel very inadequate as a teacher, but the training seriously got me so pumped to work and give this mission everything that I have got.  They focused really heavily on Obedience and relying on the Spirit. Funny how the two go hand in hand. If we are not being obedient, the spirit won't be with us. And as a member of the church, and especially as a missionary, we NEED the spirit with us at all times to guide us.

Thursday: I was literally dead. I have never been so tired in my life.

Haha. I was so spiritually and physically drained from the day before (not to mention that we had even more meetings and trainings today that we had to give to all the other missionaries who were not invited to attend the initial one). We did have some really great lessons!

Paola and Diego, who have been a little hesitant about their baptism, gave us a firm yes! They said they had been praying together and received and answer that this was what they needed to do!

Friday: Normal day, nothing too exciting.

Saturday: We were running all over the place doing baptism interviews for our investigators, but it was a pretty fun day. For dinner the Morelos family took us out to eat since I was leaving. We went to this super awesome restaurant that had a live mariachi band. Super cool.

Sunday: Surprisingly, I didn't cry too much. Only during sacrament meeting when they made me get up and bare my testimony. Saying goodbye really sucks. I love this ward a lot. But we also had a super awesome baptism!!!! 4 people were baptized. Our investigators were Samuel, Paola, and Diego, and the Elders baptized Shilene. Paola and Diego's little 4 year old daughter told me that she wants to get baptized and be a missionary like us one day. I love this family so much and was so grateful I got to see them make this step in their life. I couldn't think of a better way to end my time here in Windy Ridge.

I know this Church is true!  I know that Jesus Christ and Heavenly Father live. I love being a missionary (despite the hardship of having to say goodbye to the people you love).

Love,

Hermana Kent

The old squad back together at a training meeting
on Wednesday

Everyone who came to the baptism.  Spanish wards know how to support

Our amazing investigators: Paola, Diego, and Samuel all dressed in white

Exchanges!

Representing Venezuela

Temple Service

Missionary Payday (May 8, 2017)

Hola! Esta semana fue muy ocupado! (This week was very busy!) We have 4 people all getting baptized on the 21st so we were crazy busy getting members to lessons and teaching our investigators. They are all so solid though! I honestly feel so extremely blessed to be in this area! The members are incredible and the work is booming!

However, for this week's letter I really just want to talk about my favorite family (besides my own) Patricia and Douglas. I have talked about them a lot. They are the family we found clear back in December.  They both are members but shortly after Patricia's baptism they couldn't go to their church in Venezuela because of some corruption and apostate actions in their ward. So when they came here they wanted to find the church, and we found them. We taught Patricia everything all over again as if she was an investigator and had to help her re-convert and find a testimony because it had been so long since her baptism. Well they are amazing. Patricia has found her testimony and this week I was blessed to watch her share it. We had dinner with them on Saturday and their neighbors were there too. So of course, we taught them the restoration. Words cannot explain my joy listening to Patricia bear her testimony about Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon.  She shared how she came to know that this church was true and what the spirit felt like to her. THIS is what payday is as a missionary.  Nothing comes close to hearing someone you taught and helped find their testimony, share it with someone else. Don't worry, I cried.

Today after church we taught Henry one of the people getting baptized on the 21st. Patricia and Douglas came with us. They are the ultimate members. Douglas served a mission and has an incredible testimony. It was such a spiritual and powerful Lesson. I really can't express how much I love them!

Friday we got to go on a temple tour with them. They are working on going to the temple and being sealed as a family. I witnessed a tender moment (while chasing down Armando) of  Douglas and Patricia staring up at the temple. They looked so happy and you could see their desire to be sealed.

This church is true. I know that Jesus Christ and Heavenly Father live. I am so grateful for the Atonement of Jesus Christ. Never in my life have i experienced the power of the Atonement and the JOY of repentance than these last 6 months. I have felt the savior literally pick me up off the ground during a sob filled prayer and carry me forward. It is never too late,  never too small a need, or too big a sin to call on the powers of the Atonement. Jesus Christ already suffered for it, its our choice of whether we are going to use it or not. I love being a missionary and I love Florida! I hope you are all doing well and that you know how much I appreciate you and love you!

Love,

Hermana Kent

Temple tour with Patricia, Douglas, Armando, and Alejandro

Catch Me If You Can

This week was pretty chill TBH. We spent a lot of time with our investigators on date for baptism in the coming week. One super cool miracle happened on Tuesday. After dinner we had some time to kill before our next appointment so we felt inspired to try contacting a referral from December that despite MANY attempts, could never be contacted. Well anyway, he wasn't home (again) but this time his daughter Catherine was and she was ready to receive us! She asked us the most amazing questions ever! She asked things like "I know I have faith, but what exactly does that mean, and how do I know if it’s enough?" And "There are so many churches, how do I know which was is the right one to follow?" I LOVE that question because it is so easy to help someone grasp the restoration. She is truly incredible and well prepared. We read Alma 32:21 with her. And she got emotional saying that that scripture answered a life-long prayer. Freaking love the Book of Mormon. I will never get tired of watching someone read from it for the first time. TBH I get a little jealous. I wonder what it would be like to read it for the first time after unknowingly searching for it.

Saturday was super rainy but I loved it. It was my first time experiencing Florida Thunder and let me tell you, it is crazy. One clap of thunder was so loud that car alarms started going off. We were teaching a lesson to our investigator Samuel during the rain storm and it was seriously insane. I loved it. I love Florida.

I had a dream this past week of coming home and I was running around the stake center holding on to my tag yelling at my stake president saying, "If you can't catch me you can't release me!" I LOVE being a missionary. I love this work more than I could possible describe. I know that Jesus Christ Lives. I know that Joseph Smith is the prophet of the Restoration. I believe in the power of Prayer and that we have a loving Father in Heaven who is always there to guide us. I know He loves us.

I hope y'all had a great Mother's Day! Thanks again for your encouraging words and support. Here is to a solid final week of the Transfer! I love you all!

~Hermana Kent

This super cute Haitian girl I met while tracting.
We became best friends once I gave her a sticker.

This guy was crying out some serious
repentance  on the streets of Pine Hills.

Skyping the family!!!!!!!! 😆😆😆😆

Ward party with Diego (our investigator).
Elders Harrison and Pyle, and Hermana Mull

Baptizing Mickey

So this week was crazy. But I don't feel much up to sending a weekly so here are a bunch of pictures. I know that's what y'all like best anyway.

I love being a missionary. Seriously. Florida is amazing. We have lots of incredible investigators who are preparing for baptism on the 21st.  The church is true y'all. If nothing else, I want everyone to know that I know it's true. I know the Book of Mormon is true. I know Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ live and that they hear and answer prayers. I love you all and I hope you are all doing well. 

Thanks for your prayers and your support!

Hermana Kent

SIX MONTHS BABY!!!!!! This is Sister Hatch. We were in the Mexico MTC together.
Can't believe I am down to less than a year of this amazing work!

Held a baby alligator. I didn't like it.
It felt like a snake. But hey. Florida.

HIGHLIGHT OF MY FREAKING MISSION. I AM BAPTIZING MICKEY!
We were walking on International drive and saw him.
Yes I paid $2 to take a picture of Mickey Mouse holding a Book of Mormon.
I regret NOTHING. I'M SERVING MY MISSION IN FREAKING ORLANDO.
I HAD TO TAKE A PICTURE WITH MICKEY AND A BOM.

Met this guy while tracting. His name is Chriss West.
Yes there are two s in his name.
He was at the pulse club shooting and took a ton of videos.
He was showing us the videos and it broke my heart.
Look him up on YouTube. It's pretty interesting.

Saw some of my fav people at Zone conference.
Elder Russell and Elder Coley from my training days.
They both go home soon so it was probs the last time I'll see them. 😢

FHE with a member. This is Sophia. She's awesome.