Sister Sorensen Orlando Florida Mission

But I want to. You got to laugh to keep from crying am I right? So here's the news... My beautiful time in Daytona has come to an end. And get this... my new companions name is Sister Sorensen!

Sister Schomaker and I had too much fun with photo booth Sunday night is all.

Well here's the real news. Sister Schomaker is staying here, and I am going to LAKE NONA (yes I have no idea what that is) pretty much I just know that I'm near President. Anywho, I've been asked to be a STL there. (Sister Training Leader) basically it just means I get to have the opportunity to help out and train Sisters in my zone, go on exchanges with them and attend leadership meetings.

I'm awfully sad to be leaving Daytona, it's written in my heart. I definitely feel I have left this area better than I found it. It's pretty hard saying goodbye to everyone.

The Ward has been so kind and loving to me, Bishop called me out in sacrament meeting that I was leaving and asked me to come up and share my testimony and then the rest of the speakers were so kind to give me a little shout out. This Ward is so so special to me, and so are the other people of Daytona Beach.

It's been particularly hard to say goodbye to my investigators. They didn't expect me to leave. And because they are all people I've found knocking doors I'm the first missionary to leave them so it's a whole learning curve.

Jess is preparing for baptism next month, so I will come back to be here for that. She has all the lessons done and I was so privileged to be able to be a part of her story.

Saying goodbye

This week was fantastic. Although I can't recall (missionary Brain) all of the activities... I know that I felt spiritually edified every day. There was some disappointments, and there were some success. But I felt more and more of a love and a urgency to help these people. It's amazing the kind of experiences I've seen when we go to an investigators house and tell them about another investigator and they start praying for them.. things like that.

We watched women's conference with some people we're teaching, Jess, Leslie and Brenda.

Jess said, "Girl you are a snowflake"

The church didn't broadcast it so we just plugged my iPad into a tv and sat on the couch in the lobby. I loved every minute of it.

There was one thing that stuck out to me in particular "Women who repent have changed the course of history". How beautiful of a thought that is, I know I'm imperfect. And I know I have my flaws, but more and more every day I realize where my true strength lies. I am nothing without him. My Savior is not just a blessing; he's everything. Start to finish. Not just "a" difference, but all the difference. Through his mercy, he stood in MY place. He suffered my sins and my pain. The very least of what I can do is try to stand in his place and share his gospel and feel his love for others. This isn't a sacrifice of all. I believe that there is always room to love a little more, speak a little softer, show a little less judgment, be a little more concerned with others. There is so much room in this world to love other people and yet we feel it with emptiness. Whether that "empty" is pride or fear or ignorance. I don't know. But I see that clearly in his service. There's a lot of good people in this world. And there's a lot more room to love them.

Let your light so shine.

(P.s. Shout out to my wonderful amazing district that I'm super sad to leave because they made my birthday so special)

CONVERSATION

Post a Comment

Off to Serve

(First, Sister Sorensen’s deep thought)

There are times where a favorite song from back home pops into my head, I remember a lyric or two. But either I can never quite remember the tune or a few words are fuzzy. But it brings just enough remembrance for yearning. I miss the song so suddenly; I miss the way it would make me feel on particularly hard days. But I only get a glimpse, and I'm left with only a taste of a joy I once felt from a song I loved so much.

I think we all have experienced something like this from time to time. It's even more prevalent as a missionary because my accessibility to so many things is limited. I'm grateful for that for many reasons.

One of the reasons is something small, but has taught me much deeper truths. First of all let me say I do understand that we are supposed to find Joy in This life. However the best is yet to come, and its in spiritual moments, I think we get a little glimpse of eternity and the happiness it will bring. A little bit of eternal homesickness.

Like a song I once loved, and in this (mission life) I will never be able hear the whole song. It's important for me to remember in this (mortal life) there are some songs where I will only get a lyric or two, or won't be able to remember the whole tune.

With the knowledge of the pre existence, it is of course a song I've known before. And will know again. But for now, as I keep myself worthy and my life centered on Christ I can remember a lyric or two and get a pre showing of the wonderful things to come.

As C.S. Lewis puts it "This hunger is better than any other fullness; this poverty is better than all other wealth."

First because I'm thankful for my amazing family, and this is my favorite pic.

In other news I'M HOME! And by home, I mean Daytona.

Our Apartment

We got to come home on Wednesday. The Neff's are now my adopted grandparents; it was hard to leave them.

Saying goodbye to my Hurricane family

Making Pizza at the Neff's

But the day before we left we found a cool service opportunity with all the sisters staying with senior missionaries and in the mission home. This service slightly shattered my heart into tiny pieces. As you may know two things Florida is known for, Hurricanes, and elderly people. Those two things don't mix.

There was an area near Orlando that got horribly flooded. Like up to their waste, flooded. So this area was an elderly community. They all got moved to a shelter and then THAT got flooded. So Tuesday morning, we get up and go to this convention center, where they had nothing set up. We prepare for these sweet people to come in. Besides the Mormons... there was really no one there volunteering. I couldn't believe it. In this large warehouse they set up tiny cots and half of it was for the animals. As they started coming in, some of these people could barely get off the bus. I was running like a mad woman trying to make sure everyone was taken care of. Caring these sweet elderly people off buses. (God gave a lot of sister missionaries more physical strength that day.) Some of the elderly did not have anything to eat since the day before.

And yet...

All smiles, calling it a "new adventure" I let myself take a 5 minute break so I could go around and sit with some of these people and get to know them. Hearing their gratefulness and their positive attitudes I felt compelled to ask Heavenly Father for forgiveness for being so angry and frustrated for the lack of help these people were given or how they were treated. I loved them, I knew the sisters showed love for them. More importantly I knew God loved them. And you knew they knew it.

Flooding

Saturday was my b-dayyyyyy

Yeahhhh I'm a 20-year-old baby.

Birthday & Service

But what a good day! Service alllllllll dayyyy!

I got my first real Florida sunburn, bout time living in the sunshine state.

The only unfortunate thing is Friday night I got a really bad cold... I still have a pretty bad cough but God blessed me as I kept moving I felt fine!

Saturday we helped cut town loads of trees.

Got to love when the Yellow Shirts come

Working hard

There's this sweet recent convert in our Ward who had a bunch of branches in her backyard, our Ward didn't think it was really enough to send a work group to. But after we were done with our work group on Saturday we felt like we needed to go help her anyway, so we did. There wasn't much but she was really struggling with it. So we got it done real quick, afterword she texted us and said that was such an answer to a prayer. She was really struggling to get it done and said many people promised to help but never showed up. That was really the best birthday gift, to be an answer to someone's prayer.

That night Sister Schomaker and I went to this “hole in the wall” restaurant called Pantheons that I loveee.

Sunday we had quick sacrament meeting in service clothes and then out to serve!

Off to more service

Helped another lady whose house flooded and I got to bust up some cabinets.

Also Dad be proud of me I took apart a bed frame all by myself.

I'll tell ya there's nothing better than service. Nothing in the world.

Thanks for all the birthday wishes.

I love y'all.

Sister Sorensen🌞

Party

PARTY

PARTA

CONVERSATION

Post a Comment

So yes this week has been a little different that most other weeks in the mission.

Monday we heard all the talk of Irma, the thing about being a missionary and not watching the news means you get second hand source information from everyone, and everyone said things a little different.

Wednesday morning we were told to go early in the morning and get water and extra food. Sister Schomaker and I went at 7:00am and there were already tons of people there, all the water and canned foods were gone.

All The Treats!

Most of the people we are teaching have left the state, so there had been lots of canceled appointments.

Thursday morning we got the text from our Zone Leaders that Saturday we would be evacuated, we were not told where to yet but we were told what to bring.

District Meeting

Friday we went and helped a couple of members bag sand. The lines were so long. It was crazy. We were driving through neighborhoods that looked abandoned, because they were all boarded up.

When we got out to Orlando, we were put with a senior couple, Elder and Sister Neff and one other Hermana who actually just had surgery.

We are currently still at the Neff's home, my guess is we will leave tomorrow.

In home sacrament meeting

Elder Neff (Senior Couple we are staying with) ties my shoes.

Prayers were answered; the storm wasn't nearly as bad as people thought it would be. It went right over us in Orlando but it had significantly weakened. I know that southern Florida suffered the most, so they will stay in my prayers.

I'm so grateful for the gospel, and the calm assurance it gives. Yesterday we were able to gather together as a couple of missionaries and senior couples and have sacrament meeting inside.

Despite the crazy week, we saw amazing miracles. I've had so much love for the people we teach, I've been so concerned for their safety, as they have been for ours.

Earlier this week we had a miracle where we met a lady who actually was a Book of Mormon referral years go, but she never got it, and then she moved and we happened to knock into her. When we went back she had all her family gathered together and she told them that they were going to do this together or not at all. Through the lesson, their hearts were wide open, and the spirit was so strong. The mom we first met bore her testimony to her daughters of the divinity of Christ, and expressed to them her desire for them to make their own choice if these lessons were something they all wanted to do or not. All the family expressed an overwhelming desire to learn. It was truly one of the more special moments of my mission.

Another miracle!

Saturday we went out by the pond and we were feeding ducks in the senior missionaries apartment complex with some of the other sisters who had been evacuated. This sweet little boy came up and was watching us; then his mom came out with him. When I saw the little boy my heart was immediately drawn out to him because he reminded me of my sweet Lincoln. So I gave him a piece of bread, his mom saw my tag and we started talking. She spoke very little English but I tried. She asked where the church was so we gave her the address, and over Google translate I told her our purpose as missionaries. Then we had one of the Spanish sisters come out to talk to her bit more.

Come to find out, she's been here for 8 days. And because of her lack of English she knew nothing about the hurricane at all. She's renting a room from a family in the complex and she had 0 food. All the sisters were so generous and everyone contributed an item of food for this women and her son.

I want to bear my testimony that I know that God is in every detail of our lives. We happened to be there, hours away from our area just at the right time to talk to a lady who desperately needed our help. Everything about the situation pointed to divine intervention.

My heart is so full of love for the people around me, if you just look around everyone has so much potential and we should really treat them as such.

I know things are getting pretty yucky in the world right now. But I have the greatest gift I could ask for and that's a knowledge of a Heavenly Father who has a plan, and a Savior who enables me to fulfill it. I know that a testimony comes little by little. And we change grace by grace. But really this all matters so much, truly it's the only thing that matters. Stuff is just stuff, it's mortal. Even the things I enjoy the most, Art, History, Traveling. Mortal. We are not however, and if I am not, neither is my neighbor. As children of God, we get to become something that everything else in the world does not. I just hope I can love a little deeper and show it a little more.

Thanks for the prayers:)
Sister Sorensen 🌞

Sister Sorensen Orlando Florida Mission

Me Crying, JK, I Haven't Cried...Yet: Week48

CONVERSATION

Post a Comment

Breaking Trees and a Birthday: Week 47

CONVERSATION

Post a Comment

Hi Family: Week 46

CONVERSATION

Post a Comment

Sister Sarah Sorensen

Blog Archive

Sister Sorensen Orlando Florida Mission

Me Crying, JK, I Haven't Cried...Yet: Week48

CONVERSATION

0 comments:

Post a Comment

Breaking Trees and a Birthday: Week 47

CONVERSATION

0 comments:

Post a Comment

Hi Family: Week 46

CONVERSATION

0 comments:

Post a Comment

Sister Sarah Sorensen

Search This Blog

Blog Archive