🙏🏻 Choose Faith 🙏🏻 Week #82

What's up Everyone,

This is Elder Gentry who hit his 19 Month Mark as of yesterday!! Wowohwow Time just keeps flying by!! This last week was good, we biked a ton but it was good! Soooo Hot!! Elder Coon is a stud and a really hard worker! We have been doing really well and getting along great!! 

So our Bishop is on top of things, he gave us a Part Member Family to go see and we visited them and they are way cool, they just moved here from Fort Lauderdale! There are 6 people total and 3 of the 4 kids are members. They were baptized this last February. We are hoping to get tight with them and start teaching the oldest daughter who is 19, we haven't met the parents yet but we are hoping to this next week. We invited them to church but sadly they did not make it. The kids were really cool so we will see how this goes!!

Cool thing that happened this week, we were biking quickly to a LA member in the ward and we get a prompting to go visit this investigator that told us to come by sometime soon, we totally forgot to plan her in but the spirit didn't forget. haha 😂 We went to her house and she quickly said come in and she expressed to us that she had been praying for strength and for someone to help her gain that strength! She expressed gratitude to us for coming and continued to tell us that we were an answer to her prayer, We shared a message on faith and how we can grow our faith and build upon the knowledge that Jesus Christ Lives and Loves all of us. 

Because of the conflicts and challenges we face in today’s world, I wish to suggest a single choice--a choice of peace and protection and a choice that is appropriate for all. That choice is faith. Be aware that faith is not a free gift given without thought, desire, or effort. It does not come as the dew falls from heaven. The Savior said, “Come unto me” and “Knock, and it shall be [given] you”. These are action verbs--come, knock. They are choices. So I say, CHOOSE FAITH. Choose faith over doubt, choose faith over fear, choose faith over the unknown and the unseen, and choose faith over pessimism.

Another week come and gone! Olympia is sickkk and I'm happy to be here! The work is moving along and we just keep Grindin' thru!! I'm thankful for this time I have to work in this area. I love my mission and I feel Blessed everyday! The scripture I would like to share this week comes from Ether 12:12 For if there be no faith among the children of men God can do no miracle among them; wherefore, he showed not himself until after their faith. Love this scripture, love you all have a wonderful week!

Elder Gentry

FOM 

🙏🏻🙌🏻Welcome To The Hood🙌🏻🙏🏻 Week #81

What's up everyone,

 it's been a good 1st week here in Olympia aka the Ghetto!!!! I really think that I will enjoy my time here. Elder Coon is a good guy and it's been nice getting to know him. We saw some good stuff this happen this week, I did have to ride a bike for a couple of days but i think I will live haha, lately I've really struggled with having faith in all that I do, I have really seen through my studies of the Book of Mormon that my faith has been strengthened and I'm excited to see what Elder Coon and I can do this transfer.

The new ward seems to be pretty good, I love having the Temple Right across the street from the chapel that will be nice. Bishop Is an intense but loving guy, I think I will like him a lot. This is my 7th ward on my mission and I have got to know a ton of people that has been fun!!!!

This week has been really Weird as well, we have received 13 Book of Mormon/Bible Referrals which never happens, it's a little overwhelming but it's a good problem to have hahah. We haven't seen them all but we are working on it, one of them was this really cool guy named Terrance, he lives in the straight hood hah. We biked out there to see him and we had a good lesson. We just talked about the Book of Mormon and the importance of it. We will be seeing him again this week!! 

We got to Volunteer at Second Harvest Food Bank this past week, all I did the whole 3 hours I was there was package sweet potatoes so I'm all potatoed out haha it was nice to be able to help out I will be able to volunteer there each week so that will be good. We do have temple service coming up this week so I'm excited for that!! 

Something I wanted to share this week comes from a talk given in General Conference "By Faith All Things Are Fulfilled" By Elder Marcus B. Nash "Faith is both a principle of action and of power. It “is not to have a perfect knowledge of things; therefore if [we] have faith [we] hope for things which are not seen, which are true.” It is an assurance of the Spirit gained through our learning that moves us to act to follow the example of the Savior and prayerfully keep His commandments, even through times of sacrifice and trial. Faith brings us the power of the Lord, which--among other things--is manifested by a hope of good things to come, miracles that confirm our faith, and divine protection in spiritual and temporal matters. President Thomas S. Monson has stated, “The future is as bright as your faith.” I testify of that sublime, hopeful truth and invite each of us to steadfastly press forward with faith in the Lord"

Well everyone, that's another week here in the FOM, I'm still doing really well. I'm excited to get to know the area more and see what we can do here. I feel Blessed!! The scripture I would like to share this week is Ether 12:18 And neither at any time hath any wrought miracles until after their faith; wherefore they first believed in the Son of God.First things first we need to have faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and everything else will come as we work for it!! I love this scripture I love you all have a wonderful week!!!

Elder Gentry

FOM                                      The Coon & I 

                                                       Me, Gubler and Gillen!

                                          You can see downtown Orlando in my area!!!

                                             Temple Across the Street! From Our Chapel..

🙌🏻Olympia in The O South Zone🙌🏻 Week #80

What's up everyone,

 Things are shaking up here in the Florida Orlando Mission for Elder Jordan Gentry, I will be headed to Olympia!!! My new companion is Elder Coon! He has been on his mission for about 20 months. I have heard really good things about him so I'm pretty excited!! Olympia is near the temple so that will be awesome!! I am really going to miss Deland, I've really enjoyed my time here and the people I got to know. I'm really going to miss this Ward, it's been a lot of fun! I'm also going to miss Willie, he has become a really good friend. He's definitely become one of my bro's!!! I'm excited to go to the O South Zone with Elder Gubler who's really become a bro up here, we're really tight!! there's going to be a ton of homies like Gillen, Leishman, and Gubler I will see them multiple times a week because of Temple Service and Service at a food pantry!!

This last Sunday was stake conference and we had a member of the 70 come, Elder Klebingat He gave a really good talk in October 2014, anyways he was so awesome! It was really cool because he didn't have anything prepared but he just went with what the spirit directed him to talk about which was amazing, He gave a great analogy, He said "imagine a little toddler drawing a picture and when the child comes to you with the picture you say it's great even though it is just a bunch of scribbles. It was the best the child could do at that time so you don't compare it to other children's drawings or anything because it's the best that child could do at that time. We need not to compare ourselves to others because we need to be doing the best we can and focus on that and using the Atonement to the fullest! I really loved this so much because it always happens, we comparing ourselves to each other! But we have to just focus on the things we can control which is ourselves! 

On Sunday Elder Klebingat held a special meeting for the Recent Converts and Investigators, We had Willie attend and he really enjoyed it, Elder Klebingat asked him after the meeting if he would share his testimony during Stake Conference, Willie has a powerful testimony and its been really great getting to see him grow! He said "I feel a close Relationship with My Father and my older Brother, God and Jesus Christ, they are close to me!! 

Something I wanted to share this week comes from Elder Jörg Klebingat "Approaching the Throne of God with Confidence" Take responsibility for your own spiritual well-being. Stop blaming others or your circumstances, stop justifying, and stop making excuses for why you may not be fully striving to be obedient to Gods Commandments. Accept that you are “free according to the flesh” and “free to choose liberty and eternal life” The Lord knows your circumstances perfectly, but He also knows perfectly well whether you simply choose not to fully live the gospel. If that is the case, be honest enough to admit it, and strive to be perfect within your own sphere of circumstances. Spiritual confidence increases when you take responsibility for your own spiritual well-being by applying the Atonement of Jesus Christ daily.

Deland has been a really great experience and I'm happy about the time that I got to spend up here and the people that I've grown close too I'm going to miss it here!! I'm excited for the change! I love my mission and the people that I've got to know!! I'm still doing really well! The scripture I would like to share this week is 2nd Nephi 2:27 Wherefore, men are free according to the flesh; and all things are given them which are expedient unto man. And they are free to choose liberty and eternal life. Love this Scripture, Love you all!!! Have a Wonderful Week!!

Elder Gentry

FOM 

🙌🏻I'll Admit It, I'll Admit It🙌🏻 Week #79

Hey Everyone,

 I'll Admit It, I'll Admit It!!! JESUS IS THE CHRIST!!!! 

Once again Elder Gentry coming at you like a Hurricane, haha just like a hurricane that was supposed to hit us this week! We all good, we still alive and well!! It has been super Rainy all this week but still hot and muggy!! This week we've been able to get out and testify of Christ. We have had some good lessons and were able to help a lot of others! 

This week we went to the Temple with Willie, he was so stoked to be able to make it to the temple for the first time! It was so cool to the amazement he had for the House of The Lord. I love going to the temple and the feeling I feel when I'm there. A member from the ward, Bro Rodriguez was able to help us in many ways, he has really been good fellowship for Willie. He has given him a lot of great advice as a new member. I remember having dinner with Bro Rodriguez and Willie, Bro Rodriguez told him a story about how he refused to work on Sunday's and how he had to take that stand. Fast forward to Willie going to his new job interview and he refused to work on Sunday's because of that great example he had from the member!! Members have a key role in building up the Kingdom of God!!

So this last week we had a really good lesson with this guy named Clay, Brother Stringham from the ward asked us to teach him, we started out by asking him why he wants to meet with missionaries? He said "I had a dream that my deceased mother was blowing a gold trumpet just like Angel Moroni and for the last 3 months I kept looking at the clock and it would say 11:11"..... (As he was talking I just thought that's cool I wish I had that many times to make a wish!! Hah).. "as I read the introduction to The Book of Mormon I learned that there was a total of 11 witnesses so I took it as a sign" Hey, God Works in mysterious ways!!! Well we thought that was strange but cool!! Well it doesn't matter how he got introduced to the Gospel it just matters that he did! We hope we can continue to teach him and help him learn and love the Gospel!

Something I wanted to share this week comes from a talk given by Elder Walter F. González titled Learning With Our Hearts... "By coming unto Christ, every soul can see, feel, and know of a surety that Christ suffered and atoned for our sins that we may have eternal life. If we repent, we will not suffer needlessly. Thanks to Him, wounded souls may be healed and broken hearts may be mended. There is no burden that He cannot ease or remove. He knows about our infirmities and sicknesses. I promise and testify to you that when all doors seem to be closed, when everything else seems to fail, He will not fail you. Christ will help and is the way out, whether the struggle is with an addiction, depression, or something else. He knows how to succor his people" I'm Bout to say a True Thang!! Jesus Christ Loves all of us and he wants us to be free from burdens, he wants to help us and he's the only one who can!!

I'm Not New To This!!!! Wow can't believe I'm back again with another week 6, these transfers just slip away!!! It's all good tho I'm doing well and I will find out what is happening with transfers this coming Saturday! We should have some good things ahead of us in this area. Anyways the scripture I would like to share this week comes fromMoroni 7:44........and if a man be meek and lowly in heart, and confesses by the power of the Holy Ghost that Jesus is the Christ, he must needs have charity; for if he have not charity he is nothing; wherefore he must needs have charity. Love this scripture, love you all have a great week!!!!

Elder Gentry

FOM                                        Elder Reyes, Willie and Me  Temple tour

                                                   Love my man Willie!!

                                                   My Companion and I .. Elder Reyes