Week 70, 2/7/22

 GATORS TO GOLFCARTS

GOOOD MORNING EVERYONE

It's cloudy and freezing here in Nocatee Florida. But so far I'm loving it! This was a sad week as I said goodbye to Gainesville aka my home for the past 6 months. Goodbyes are always the worst, but I'm lucky that I've met so many amazing people that make saying goodbye difficult. I'll add some pictures below of some of my favorite people from Gainesville. I'll especially miss teaching Gary, being with the YSA, and Sister Hancock! Sadly missions aren't meant to last forever. 

Last lesson with Gary

I hate goodbyes.  I'll MISS the YSA ward 😩

I moved to Nocatee on Thursday and my new companion is Sister Weibert. She's adorable and I love her already! Let's see how do I describe Nocatee....basically it's a VERY rich community south of Jacksonville full of neighborhoods, gated communities and everyone drives their golfcarts on the streets. 😂 Kind of a weird place to serve a mission not gonna lie. Even though everyone is very wealthy here, they're super nice! We have visited quite a few people who actually let us in and talk to us for a bit even though they aren't interested...it's wild. 

The best part of Nocatee is the people we're teaching! The previous sisters just had a baptism last Saturday and her name is Liz, she's amazing! She's already been to the temple! But the coolest thing is how involved she wants to be with missionary work; some of her roommates aren't members and it's her goal to baptize them all. 😅 Gotta love the greenie fire. We're also teaching a few 9 year olds, a part member household, a YSA, and some others so the work is going great in Nocatee! Honestly such a good place to finish my mission....I might be a tad sad to leave.

After a 4 miles run with the district.  I look like I rolled out bed and ran 15 😳

Lunch with Caroline and Aubrey

The wonderful Brimley family

Other than leaving Gainesville and getting to know a new area that's pretty much it for the week!  

On another note...something I've been studying about a lot lately is Heavenly Fathers plan for us, it's so perfect and we all have such important roles to play! Let me explain, we have two births while we're here on earth: the first one is physical and the second one is spiritual. In order to become more like our Heavenly Father we HAD to receive a body, and women are primarily responsible for the physical birth part of our mortality. In order to be able to return back to him we have to make and keep sacred covenants first through baptism by preisthood authority. That is done through worthy men who hold the priesthood, and that is our spiritual birth. We are cleansed from our sins through Jesus Christ's Atonement, without it we would not have a chance to progress. It's such a perfect plan! In Moses 6:59 it says - (follow below)

Goodbye Sis Hancock..

"by reason of transgression cometh the fall, which fall bringeth death, and inasmuch as ye were born into the world by water, and blood, and the spirit, which I have made, and so became of dust a living soul, even so ye must be born again into the kingdom of heaven, of water, and of the Spirit, and be cleansed by blood, even the blood of mine Only Begotten; that ye might be sanctified from all sin, and enjoy the words of eternal life in this world, and eternal life in the world to come, even immortal glory"

Men and women have separate roles in the plan of salvation but both are SO important. We need both the physical and the spiritual birth to complete Heavenly fathers plan. And we can't forget the most important part of the plan: the Atonement of Jesus Christ. 

I know that He has a perfect plan for all of us and I also know that we chose to come here before this life began. I'm sure we knew it would be challenging but we chose to do it because we also knew that we had to progress and the blessings would be SO worth it! 

...and Hello Sis Weibert!

I love ya'll family and friends so very much, and I hope you were edified by my spiritual ramblings there.  Gaining spiritual knowledge is honestly the greatest thing ever, highly commend it haha. I hope y'all have another amazing week byeeeeee!

Love - Sister Bonny