Sister Sorensen Orlando Florida Mission

Hey 👋 .

I hope someone has watched Coraline for me.

Florida is starting to cool down, and by cool down I mean it's not blazing hot. So I have no complaints about that one.

I will try to give you a concise update on the last two weeks because I wasn't able to last week.

So Last Week -

We had Zone Conference. It was one of the best I have been too. We talked about making our studies a "Sacred Grove Experience" and about true happiness on our mission is about continuous revelation.

Ever since then I have been really trying to amp up my personal studies, and I can tell you I've had some wonderful experiences. I truly have come to know that revelation equates light, and can only be experienced to be understood.

Wednesday night we had exchanges with the YSA sisters and I went to be with Sister Anderson. Sister Anderson was M.T.C. companion with Sister Schomaker and I adore her. She's such a strong missionary. She has so much fire in her. She's been working so hard. We got to have a couple of really cool lessons together and when we went to institute we discovered that there is a guy in the Ward who went to high school with Bryan and Fran.

Friday Sister Anderson and I went together to the Puerto Rico service so I got to see my real companion for a bit ha-ha and then after that we exchanged with other Sisters.

I got to take Sister Baer to Lake Nona with me. She's in her first transfer of training and she is a wonderful teacher.

This week-

We started off by going to our other zones P-Day, and then we stayed with some sisters out there and blitzed their area for Tuesday. It was a lot of fun, we got to have a 4 sister sleepover. Monday night we decided to stay all together and it was super funny going to a lesson with the four of us.

What we did was this: half of the day I was with Sister Bullard and half of the day I was with Sister Petty. Sister Petty and I went to this ladies home, half of her roof was taken out because of the hurricane it was so sad.

Well then poor Sister Staten and I were in a rush to get home that night and we forgot.. our phone charger and both our I-Pads charges. Ha-ha-ha.

So yeah my I-Pad died pretty quick but I survived.

Wednesday we got to go to the temple with the Clarkes! The Clarkes are a recent convert family here, Gary and his daughter Ashley were just baptized and we’re still teaching the other daughter Jasmine. We were able to watch them do baptisms. And even more special, Gary was baptized for his brother on his brother’s birthday.

It felt so blessed to be able to sit in the temple; I wanted to stay there all day.

On Thursday we had such a good district meeting. I was so impressed by these missionaries.

Then we got our oil changed... fun. We called ahead to set a time and they forgot, and they were super backed up. Then we realized we left our phone at home. But by the tender mercies of the Lord we found another place that could do it right then and there and it went so fast.

Friday we had Service again. (Probably for the last time) we've been going every Friday for half of the day. Ha-ha yes a lot of my mission lately has been Service, but I'm lucky to have the opportunity to do it.

Then... I got to go on exchanges with SISTER PETERSON! Ah my old companion and I was so so happy. I missed that girl so so much. She's such a strong and wonderful missionary and it was a much needed exchange. This lady we met on the street contacting gave us free soap. Sister Peterson has been such a blessing to me throughout my mission. I love her dearly.

Well as we exchanged back... we were on our way home and….we forgot our phone.

How do you call someone to get your phone when you don't have a phone to call on.

Mind you, we live about an hour away, so we couldn't just go home. We went back to their apartment. They weren't there. Blessings that we had Facebook so we found Wi-Fi and had some missionaries on messenger contact them, but it took ehhh about 3 hours. And we were donnnnnneeee. So we went to a French cafe to get dinner,

While we're at the cafe some business people were on a call, didn't bother us too much. Also they were speaking in French so it really didn't bother me. But I guess it really bothered the people on the table next to us because they started yelling at them, and then trying to get us to join in on it. I took a couple deep breaths and said to myself not to give them a piece of my mind.

But it made me realize something. Florida (the world) is full of a lot of people, mostly of a knowledge of Christ. But as we learn in Matthew 4 and again in 3rd Nephi, we will be a city on a hill that cannot be hid.

We don't get to choose to be an example. We all already are one, for good or for bad, to represent Christ or represent the world. What we choose is to be a Christ-like example or not. Whether or not you believe in Christ, or follow him. You only become more like him when you act like it. I don't know what their beliefs are, or their faith. But I do know what they reflected was on a hill and wasn't hid, but it wasn't light. It's so important for us to be a Christ-like example.

Can I tell you something?

I have always disliked the phrase "Live each day as if it were your last”, "live like you will die tomorrow."

I could never figure out why it bothered me so much. But during my studies the other morning I think I may have figured it out. As I read a quote "Every second is of infinite value." I pondered it, as were asked to do. And I thought, maybe it is not so much of every minute has infinite value, and because of that we must do the best possible thing with that moment, or we did not treasure it properly, and the moments wasted...

When people say, "live today like it is your last." I would often think, “Well if today was my last day I wouldn't go to school, I would skip work. I would stay home with my family, and I would play all day. I wouldn't study for that test or make my bed or wash the car.” If today was treated like my last day, a lot of things that need to be done for tomorrow would be neglected. So I can't treat everyday like my last. I treat some days mostly in hope for tomorrow! What I can do is value the greater things in life, and treat every second of infinite value by being happy in that second with every circumstance.

Even if it is doing the dishes, making the bed, washing the car, weekly planning;) I believe the seconds of those events are treated with infinite more value when treated with a smile and a grateful heart, rather than a replacement.

True life is too short not to have fun, but it is also too short to be homeless.

Someone has got to pull the weeds.

There's my passion rant for ya.

I love you family. Thanks for everything.

- Sister Sorensen🌞