🙌🏻It Is What It Is, Trust Me You Get What You Give🙌🏻 Week #65

Hey Everyone,

Another week come and gone here in Kissimmee!!! Where you know we always be killin' it! 

Elder Hawkins and I are doing really good. Hawkins truly is the MAN OF THE YEAR!! 

We were able to see a lot of people this week and had some success! We biked a ton!!

Let's just say I'm thankful we are going into car week! Haha We had a lot of service this week 

which was good. Zone Conference was very long but good! It was Presidents last so he was a

little emotional. I'm excited for the next mission president coming in soon. 

We had a cool little experience on Thursday night, we were biking to this LA's House and

these two homeless guys stopped us and we're begging for money and food! All I had on me 

was a pack of 5 Gum with 6 Sticks left. I gave that to them and said a prayer and went on my way.

Well the LA wasn't home so we turned around to head home and I bike over a 5 Gum packet 

and kept going and then realized i gave that to them haha, so I turned around to go pick it up 

and throw it away. Well when I was picking it up this guy come out of the gas station yelling for 

our attention and we go talk to him and we had a really good lesson, really long but good lesson.

He talks a lot hah. We picked him up as a new investigator and hope to start teaching him soon.

 It was just cool to see that If I never would have given that gum away we wouldn't have been

 able to have that powerful lesson!!

We had a ton of service, like in total 12 Hours haha it was good though we got to go help out at

 a charity center which is always good to go there and help others who are less fortunate. We also

 helped 2 family's in the ward move. Which me and Hawkins pretty much did all the work on are

 own and we were very tired lets just say we sweat buckets haha

We had a really neat experience where we went and gave this non member a blessing, his girlfriend 

who is a member called us and asked us if we could do it, we went over and talked with them for a 

while and we ended up giving him a blessing of healing and the member a blessing of comfort. 

It's nice when you can feel the spirt very strongly and you know that they can feel it to, we also 

taught him the 1st discussion and we had a really powerful lesson. Let's just say I don't think it will 

be long till he enters the waters of baptism! It was good and it's always nice to go help people. 

Something I wanted to share this week, President Thomas S. Monson, who has understood and

 lived the admonition to love, said: “I believe the Savior is telling us that unless we lose ourselves in 

service to others, there is little purpose to our own lives. Those who live only for themselves eventually

shrivel up and … lose their lives, while those who lose themselves in service to others grow and 

flourish--and in effect save their lives.” True Christlike service is selfless and focuses on others. 

“Don’t think of your task as a burden; think of it as an opportunity to learn what love really is.” 

When we truly want to show our love and appreciation for what our savior Jesus Christ did for us

we will act in love and serve our brothers and sisters around us and I know that my mission has

taught me just that. That having the pure love of Christ will not only help us be happy but it will also bring joy to others.

Well things are still going good and our area seems to be improving week by week the scripture I would like to share this week is Mosiah 2:16 Behold, I say unto you that because I said unto you that I had spent my days in your service, I do not desire to boast, for I have only been in the service of God. We serve God when we serve others, anyways I love you all and hope you guys have a good week!!

Elder Gentry

FOM

🙌🏻Nuthin' but Life Lessons!!🙌🏻 Week #64

Hey everyone,

Another week here in (Kissimmee where we always stayin' fresh) has come and gone! This was our first week back as a duo and not a trio!! But you know we still killed it. Me and Hawkins are doing really well! He is such a funny kid and fun to be around. I really love the guy. We had some success this week and we worked really hard. We got to go to the nicer part of our area this week it's like 10 minutes from Disney World. Having the car was nice but it's time we get back on the bikes for another week. 

We had a really cool thing happen to us while we were finding, we went to this potentials house and as we were walking away from the house after no one answered the door, this guy comes out of the house across the street and he starts signing at us like Sign language. We walk up to him and find that it's very difficult to talk with him!! Elder Hawkins looks at me and says its like playing charades haha. We were able to recognize some things he was doing like God, Jesus Christ and The Holy Spirt some things that we have learned from Primary. So we gave him a Pamphlet and he started to point to this house and we said alright we will go check it out, it just so happens to be a Less Active family from the Spanish branch here in Kissimmee. We were able to teach him and his son and they said they would love to come back to church. This was a cool little experience. 

Saturday night we had dinner at bishops house and then he came out teaching with us for the rest of the night. It went pretty good, one of the Lesson we had was with a part member family that we are going to start teaching. It is a Less Active family with 3 unbaptized kids. The kids all want to be baptized and the parents want them too they are just very busy. We did set up a time to start teaching them the discussions so hopefully everything goes as planed. We shared with them because of Him, it's a really good video that invites the spirit and helps them realize that this is the right path and next step for the family to take so they can get to the Temple and be Sealed.

Something I wanted to share this week is from my talk that I gave at church Sunday, I talked about the Lessons I've learned on my mission that will prepare me for the rest of my life. The main life lesson that I have learned on my mission is that Centering our lives in Jesus Christ and His gospel will bring stability and happiness to our lives, If our lives are centered in Jesus Christ, He can successfully mold us into who we need to be in order to return to His and Heavenly Father’s presence in the celestial kingdom. The joy we experience in this life will be in direct proportion to how well our lives are centered on the teachings, example, and atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ. Our lives must be centered with exactness in Christ if we are to find true joy and peace in this life. I don't really like talking in church but I would say that I did pretty good. At least that's what they kept telling me hahah maybe their just being nice hahah jk

Like I said things are going good and i am really happy, I'm excited for Zone Conference this week hope that goes well. I'm thankful for my mission and the lessons I know I have learned that will bless me eternally!! The scripture I would like to share is 3rd Nephi 11-39 Verily, verily, I say unto you, that this is my doctrine, and whoso buildeth upon this buildeth upon my rock, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against them. If we center our lives on Jesus Christ, we will have a happier and more peaceful life. Anyways hope all of you guys have a great week. love ya 

Elder Gentry

FOM

 

🙌 🏻Kissimme,Florida🙌🏻 Week #63

Hey everyone,

Another week here in Florida has come to an end! I'm now here in Kissimmee and I'm really loving it! This week has been a little different because I have been In a trio with Elder Hawkins and Elder Doman, Elder Doman finishes his mission this coming Thursday. We will miss him,  he's been a lot of fun he's a great guy! The Florida Orlando Mission will lose a stud. I'm happy that I will still have Hawkins when Thursday rolls around. Hawkins is awesome, I already love the kid. He is from Orem, Ut and he has been out for about 8 months. He is a quiet kid but he has opened up a lot. This week he said "I don't know how you guys did it but you got me to open up, I usually don't open up till the 4th week" haha so that's pretty good he's already a Truu homie!! 

So this week we had some good lessons with the recent converts Donyae (11) and Marcella (9), and there non-member mother Bonnie who is preparing to be baptized soon. It's always crazy going to there house because Bonnie the mother has 4 kids from 11 to 5 years old. They love the missionaries and always participate in the lessons but sometimes it is hard to get them to focus on the message we are sharing. I came up with a genius idea of a talking stick and it's worked pretty well for the lessons haha. They all came to Church on Sunday and it was good to see them there. They are a awesome little family and it's been fun getting to know them!!

So there are two less Active's that we have been working with this week and we got both of them to church it was pretty cool, Daniel is a cool guy who has some health challenges that make it hard for him to come. He lives in a trailer and we helped him catch a rat this week haha it was pretty gross!! We also met with John who struggles with depression and we were able to help him know how much Heavenly Father loves him and how much our savior Jesus Christ loves him. It has been fun getting to know the people of Kissimmee!

This Ward is really good, we had a very productive Correlation meeting with our Ward Mission Leader. He is very missionary minded which will help us a lot!! Ward Council was also pretty great and very productive! Our Bishop thru down, hah. He had a KILLA quote in Ward Council. We were debating on giving assignments or just having it done by volunteers. This was about 15 minutes in, and everyone was getting frustrated...  Relief Society President - "The sisters feel that the church shouldn't be run by assignment, it should all be volunteer..."

*awkward silence...* Bishop Gooch slowly leans back in his chair.. "Well... Jesus said get baptized or you're Damned." Hahahaha, I like this ward a lot already!! 

Another funny story that happened is I lost in "What Are the Odds?" To Elder Doman And had to tell this joke to the cute Sister Missionary in the ward... By the way my odds were 19 to 1 and I still lost haha

So I was like hey do you want to hear this funny joke Elder Hawkins told me this week!

Me- *knock knock*

Sister Missionary - *who's there?*

Me *you smell like mipe*   (It's a made up word)

Sister Missionary - *you smell like mipe who?" (Sounds like my poo!)

We then started laughing way hard and the Sister Missionary really wasn't too sure what to do but she laughed and said oh I can see that being a Hawkins Joke, so I saved myself hahah.. Hahah serving in trio's are the best! So much fun!!

Something I wanted to share this week is Go Ye Therefore by Silvia H. Allred "The Lord’s Church has the responsibility to preach the gospel in the world. This is the foundation of missionary work, and the duty of our missionaries is to “invite others to come unto Christ by helping them receive the restored gospel through faith in Jesus Christ and His Atonement, repentance, baptism, receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end.” I would like to speak and testify of the significant impact and the blessings of missionary work in the lives of converts, future generations, and missionaries and of how we can participate in missionary work. I love this work that I'm doing and the many life experiences that I get to enjoy. I love the Lord and am proud to serve him erryday!! 

Things are really good and Im really enjoying this new area and am really excited to preach in the streets of Kissimmee!! The scripture that I would like to share this week isAlma 29:9 I know that which the Lord hath commanded me, and I glory in it. I do not glory of myself, but I glory in that which the Lord hath commanded me; yea, and this is my glory, that perhaps I may be an instrument in the hands of God to bring some soul to repentance; and this is my joy. I love being a missionary! I love you all, hope you guys have a good week! Deuces 

Elder Gentry

FOM

🙌🏻Good Bye Cocoa!!🙌🏻 Week # 62

Hey everyone, so the news with transfers is that I am leaving, My new area is Kissimmee West. I have heard a lot of good things about that area. My new companion is Elder Hawkins I don't know him yet so I will tell you all more about him next week. I really am going to miss it here In Cocoa! I have made a lot of good friendships with the ward members and I have really enjoyed serving in this area. I am also looking forward to the change and am very excited!!

Happy Mothers Day, I really enjoyed church yesterday with all of the talks given about Mothers and just women in the church. Yesterday was a really good day. It was good to FaceTime and talk to you guys, I really enjoyed it and I miss all of you guys a lot!!

I went on two exchanges this week, I went with Elder Hale on Tuesday and had a really good day Elder Hale is a fun guy to be around. I went up to Titusville and we had a pretty successful day so that was good. I also went with Leishman again on Saturday cause I was leaving so I wanted to do another exchange with him. The exchange with Leishman was just fun I enjoy being around him and I'm gonna miss him a lot!!

I had a pretty good last week here in Cocoa, We had a really good lesson with Doug and I was able to see how focused he really is on preparing himself to be baptized, I learned that he takes this very seriously and wants to be fully committed and ready to get baptized and I know it is only a matter of time. He has a strong testimony of this gospel so I'm not worried! I'm gonna miss him though! He has become a really good friend and he means a lot to me! He will make a strong member of the church.

Something I wanted to share this week was from a talk by Jeffery R. Holland "Behold Thy Mother." He said, "Jesus died of a broken heart, one weary and worn out from bearing the sins of the world. So in any moment of temptation, may we “behold [our] mother” as well as our Savior and spare them both the sorrow of our sinning. "To all mothers in every circumstance, including those who struggle--and all will--I say, “Be peaceful. Believe in God and yourself. You are doing better than you think you are. In fact, you are saviors on Mount Zion, and like the Master you follow, your love ‘never faileth." I'm so thankful for the Mother that I have and the things that she has taught me!! 

Things are good, I'm really excited about the change and I really am going to miss this area it has been a lot of fun. The scripture I would like to share this week is found in Alma Chapter 56:47-48 Now they never had fought, yet they did not fear death; and they did think more upon the liberty of their fathers than they did upon their lives; yea, they had been taught by their mothers, that if they did not doubt, God would deliver them. 48 And they rehearsed unto me the words of their mothers, saying: We do not doubt our mothers knew it. Anyways I love you all and hope you guys have a wonderful week!!!

Elder Gentry

FOM                                                                       Doug and I 

🙏🏻All in The LORDS Timing!!🙏🏻 Week #61

What's Up Everyone, 

Another week gone, but  here in Cocoa Florida, where the sun always shines! Things are going pretty good. We are now entering the last week of the transfer. Elder Goddard and I are still doing good. He's a very quiet kid, sometimes I feel that he is too quiet but he is a good hearted guy. Crazy to think that this could be my last week here in Cocoa!  Physically I feel really good I have been eating really healthy and I have now lost 20 Lbs!! I still hate running but it's all good haha.

I had another really good exchange with Elder Leishman this week. I always love when we go on exchanges cause it's always a good time and we work really hard! I'm pretty happy that I got this second chance to serve around him, he's definitely a bro!!

So some not so good news with Doug, We had a really good lesson with him on Thursday and things were looking really good for his baptismal date on May 7th. On Saturday he Texted us and said "after Prayer and Self Analysis, I just don't feel ready to be baptized just yet and would like to postpone it a couple of weeks." We were a little upset but he did come to church on Sunday and really enjoyed it. Oh and he even paid his tithing for the first time! So that was the positive to take out of this situation. I'm not really worried about him cause I know that he will be baptized cause he does have a strong testimony of this church. Doug is an amazing guy and I'm happy that I've been able to work with him and grow are friendship. He will make a very strong member of the Church!

Something I wanted to share this week is from a talk titled, Continue in Patience by Dieter F Uchdorf "We must learn that in the Lord’s plan, our understanding comes “line upon line, precept upon precept.” In short, knowledge and understanding come at the price of patience. I learned that God’s promises are not always fulfilled as quickly as or in the way we might hope; they come according to His timing and in His ways." I know that everything happens for a reason and it all happens in the lords time. we just need to be patient. I'm excited for Doug and I know he will be ready in the Lords time.

Things are still going good. Weird to think this transfer is coming to an end. I have no idea if I will remain here in Cocoa for another 6 weeks but I will let you guys know what's happening next Monday! I'm very excited for my little brother who leaves from the M.T.C. to Alaska this week. I'm really proud of him!!! The scripture I would like to share this week is Romans 5:3-4 3 And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; 4 And patience, experience; and experience, hope: when we go through hardships, we gain experience and when we gain experience we gain hope!! I'm thankful for this gospel and my many blessing I love you all have a good week.

Elder Gentry

FOM