Week 73, 2/28/2022

 ANOTHER WEEK IN PARADISE!

Yes I mean it, this place is true paradise. I may not be sitting on the beach listening to the sound of the waves crash on the ocean, getting a nice tan, while sipping a pina colada....but is that true paradise? Paradise to me is when I am happy, it's when I understand the meaning of life, it's when I know that I'll be with my family forever, it's when my will is in line with God's will, it's when I know that he's proud of me. For me at least, that's where true happiness lies. I think that's why I've been able to be truly happy on my mission, because I've been able to grow closer to Christ, understand his gospel, work hard, and serve others. I gave my departing testimony in my last zone conference this week and I guess you could say it hit me in the feels. There has been a lot of reflecting this past week about my mission. Was it everything I hoped it would be?  Was it worth it?  What did I accomplish?  Despite the expectations I had for my mission, I know that it has been exactly what God needed it to be! I have no regrets and I'm so happy that I chose to serve a mission! 

OK...despite what I said in the previous paragraph, a little beach never hurts

I'm not going home yet so I'll stop with all the deep introspective rambling 😂

This week was full of a lot of the normal everyday missionary grind: sun-up to sun-down we were out visiting, teaching, or trying to contact people. 

Why are we sad?  I guess we just miss each other 😥 

The Elders on the left didn't get the "be crazy" memo

We went to food-truck-Friday in Nocatee! (it's a big deal here, all the golf carts come out for it) we just walked around, got some food, and talked to people. And can I just say: everyone is SO nice here! We didn't even have to try to talk to people but multiple people came up to us and asked us about our badges, say they knew about our church, or they would compliment our dresses. We ended up talking to a less active and someone who was formerly taught by missionaries just while waiting for our Arepas. So that's definitely the best part about Nocatee: people are so nice and accepting towards us. 

Ok the best part of the week was the Busby family! (I spelled their name horribly wrong in my last email) we taught them the plan of salvation and they came to church on Sunday! They almost gave me heartburn because they were an hour late and completely missed sacrament meeting, but they came and they loved it! The ward was very welcoming and inviting, and they said they're excited to come back:) We gave them a tour of the church and as they were leaving the mom said, "I think I just might have to become a Mormon" pretty cool! Gaia also came to church so Sunday was just a day of miracles. 

St Augustine beach trip for Pday - love this place!

Anyway I truly do love it here and I love the exciting work that I get to be apart of! I'm grateful that I've been able to experience true joy while on my mission. At zone conference President Wood said, "These are days never to be forgotten." He's right, I will never forget my time living and serving the people of Florida!

Talk to y'all next week 😜

-Sister Bonny ❤