Hello family!
Well I am with Elder Smith, again. Lol. I served with him for two cycles in Yonkers and now we are back together here in the Bronx. He only has one cycle left after this one so if one of us doesn't get transferred next time I will probably be here until August. It will be a great chance to serve with him again and hopefully we will find another P**la. Her daughter now has a baptismal date as well as one of her friends so it is great to see some fruit from my work in Yonkers.
We had a fairly good week with a lot of work. We had a total of nineteen lessons which is really good for us but no one came to church which was a bummer. Fa**y now has a date for next month and she is progressing well. We are trying to work on her testimony of the book of Mormon by giving her special reading assignments. She has quit coffee but they didn't come to church which isn't good. I know she will keep progressing and keep her commitment to be baptized.
Last Sunday I started to realize how hard a mission is. We had a really great week and had a lot of people lined up for church but none of them came through. I don't mind walking 10 miles a day with broken feet or getting doors slammed in my face over and over again, but I can't take the fact that we present such an amazing opportunity to people and they don't realize it. I am starting to think like Satan and want to take away everyone's agency! Lol. I just wish I could better show these people the blessings I have received and the blessings they could receive by sampling going to church, reading the scriptures and praying.
What I know and what keeps me going is I know there are people out there, who need to hear my testimony. I know out of the thousands of people I talk to, a few need to hear my voice. I am doing everything I can to lose myself to this work and giving everything I have to the Savior. I have been blessed all throughout my life and I am trying to give the only thing that is really mine to give, my will and all of my heart. Heavenly Father has given me my time, my life, family, everything. I can give my will to him. I strive to be like the Savior and say, not my will but thy will be done.
Well it sounds like everyone is doing great there and staying on track. The longer the girls put off driving the better. Less boys/dates, less late nights, and a perfectly good car when I get back! Dad asked about my area which is the Bronx, the craziest city here in New York. There are buildings everywhere with a few little parks here and there. New York is really green so there are trees and things but mostly it's all buildings. I live in one of the poorest zip codes in the states, so there are a lot of really poor people. It is pretty gross here but like dad said I don't really care about my area I am just trying to build the people. I have really learned a lot from the scriptures and the examples of the apostles and prophets. I have received a love for the scriptures that I never thought I would have.Well I love you all and thank you for your support and encouragement.
Anything from Oregon would be great, just make sure you flat rate the package so you don't have to pay for the weight. I am heading off to go see the Yankee's game with about twenty other missionaries. I love you all and I will talk to you next week!
Elder Sorensen
First day
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Friday, April 17, 2009
4.17.09
Hey family,
Everything here is going great! We had a good week last week and a great start to this week. My companion got transferred and I am waiting for my new one to come down from up state. A lot of the members were really sad to see him go because he had been here so long. I will also miss him because I learned a lot from being with him. We got along fairly well and I sure learned a lot from being his companion. I am really falling in love with this area and our ward. We have a lot of great members and I really enjoy the work here in the Bronx. We move through so many people so fast it is easy to stay busy.
A lot of our new investigators have been dropping off and we are going to have to start finding some new people to teach. It is really sad to see people reject the truth and make choices that will hinder there spiritual growth. I remember coming out of our last appointment with that family of five and just feeling so sorry for them. I can't do anything if they don't want to listen and the fact that I can't do anything kills me.
On a positive note we found two new investigators on Monday who were old investigators so hopefully they will have a change of heart. Again, I am love being a missionary and working here in this area.
At the old people's center where we do service work we had a great experience. Missionaries haven't been doing service there for a long time but at first the person who runs it was really strict in saying that we couldn't proselyte or talk about the church. I guess at first they couldn't even wear their tags. But then last week the person who runs it thanked us and asked us if we could do some sort of presentation about our church for the center. She was really impressed by us and everyone there really loves having us there. So yesterday we showed "Finding faith in Christ" and did a question and answer thing. A good amount of people came and it was really good to help people understand our beliefs. They even asked us to do it again some time so that should be great.
I am learning a lot by being a missionary. I never thought I would change as much as I have but I have really learned a lot. I am focusing on being more of a charitable missionary vs. a dutiful missionary. I need to put my whole heart into this work and focus on this work as much as possible. I have been going through the New Testament and have learned so much about the attributes of Christ and the teachings he gave to us. I am grateful for all that He has done and I strive to become more like Him every day.
So it sounds like everyone is doing fairly well and all staying busy. I like the idea of the clean up service project. A lot of missionary work is just having a good public face. Thank you so much for the Easter package I enjoyed the candy and power bars. Also thank you grandma for the package. Thank you all for all of the support and help you have given me. I love you all and hope you have a great week!
Elder Sorensen
Everything here is going great! We had a good week last week and a great start to this week. My companion got transferred and I am waiting for my new one to come down from up state. A lot of the members were really sad to see him go because he had been here so long. I will also miss him because I learned a lot from being with him. We got along fairly well and I sure learned a lot from being his companion. I am really falling in love with this area and our ward. We have a lot of great members and I really enjoy the work here in the Bronx. We move through so many people so fast it is easy to stay busy.
A lot of our new investigators have been dropping off and we are going to have to start finding some new people to teach. It is really sad to see people reject the truth and make choices that will hinder there spiritual growth. I remember coming out of our last appointment with that family of five and just feeling so sorry for them. I can't do anything if they don't want to listen and the fact that I can't do anything kills me.
On a positive note we found two new investigators on Monday who were old investigators so hopefully they will have a change of heart. Again, I am love being a missionary and working here in this area.
At the old people's center where we do service work we had a great experience. Missionaries haven't been doing service there for a long time but at first the person who runs it was really strict in saying that we couldn't proselyte or talk about the church. I guess at first they couldn't even wear their tags. But then last week the person who runs it thanked us and asked us if we could do some sort of presentation about our church for the center. She was really impressed by us and everyone there really loves having us there. So yesterday we showed "Finding faith in Christ" and did a question and answer thing. A good amount of people came and it was really good to help people understand our beliefs. They even asked us to do it again some time so that should be great.
I am learning a lot by being a missionary. I never thought I would change as much as I have but I have really learned a lot. I am focusing on being more of a charitable missionary vs. a dutiful missionary. I need to put my whole heart into this work and focus on this work as much as possible. I have been going through the New Testament and have learned so much about the attributes of Christ and the teachings he gave to us. I am grateful for all that He has done and I strive to become more like Him every day.
So it sounds like everyone is doing fairly well and all staying busy. I like the idea of the clean up service project. A lot of missionary work is just having a good public face. Thank you so much for the Easter package I enjoyed the candy and power bars. Also thank you grandma for the package. Thank you all for all of the support and help you have given me. I love you all and hope you have a great week!
Elder Sorensen
Thursday, April 9, 2009
4.8.09
Family,
We had a really great week this past week and I spiritual high from the weekend. I really enjoyed conference and loved seeing all of the themes and patterns from the leaders of our church. Then yesterday we had mission conference which is always really good and then we went to the temple today. I have seen so many miracles this week and I am really grateful for the blessing I have received.
Last week I received a stronger testimony from street contacting and this week my testimony on media referrals grew. On Monday, from a media referral, we found a family of five new investigators. On Tuesday we found another from a recent blitz. Wednesday we got three more news from a media referral and then Thursday we found yet another new investigator. We had a total of ten new investigators and did really well with our other goals. We had three at church to see conference which was a little below our goal but we did really well with all of our other goals. Ml and her husband accepted a date last Sunday which was another miracle. He hasn't been to church yet but she has come and really liked it. I am excited for them and I hope to see them progress. Fy is also doing well but she hasn't accepted a date for baptism. We are doing our best to be patient and help her grow a testimony. I am really excited to see how every one progresses.
I really enjoyed conference and I learned a lot about myself and how I can improve. Elder Holland's talk was really amazing, and I enjoyed the one about temples. I learned I need to focus on getting people to the temple instead of just baptism. They were all really good and I learned a lot about the atonement and how to better apply myself to the mission. Zone conference was also really good and I learned a lot about being a charitable missionary instead of a dutiful missionary. I need to put my whole heart into this work and not just do this because I am suppose to. This has been a great opportunity to learn and grow. It is great to hear that the family is doing so well. You all sound like you are striving to do your part in the Lord's kingdom and I am proud of you all. I am really grateful for my family and the example they have been for me. I want to be a father just like my father and marry someone as good as my mother. You have done an amazing job as parents and even though I gave you a really hard time, I have learned a lot. Thank you for being supportive and pushing me to do my best. I love you all.
Elder Sorensen
PS. I have been receiving letters from grandma and she let me in on the fact that she was preparing for the temple again. I have been praying really hard for her and now that the time has come I am so proud of her. I know that eternal families are one of the greatest blessings we can receive and I will be grateful to have her with me.
We had a really great week this past week and I spiritual high from the weekend. I really enjoyed conference and loved seeing all of the themes and patterns from the leaders of our church. Then yesterday we had mission conference which is always really good and then we went to the temple today. I have seen so many miracles this week and I am really grateful for the blessing I have received.
Last week I received a stronger testimony from street contacting and this week my testimony on media referrals grew. On Monday, from a media referral, we found a family of five new investigators. On Tuesday we found another from a recent blitz. Wednesday we got three more news from a media referral and then Thursday we found yet another new investigator. We had a total of ten new investigators and did really well with our other goals. We had three at church to see conference which was a little below our goal but we did really well with all of our other goals. Ml and her husband accepted a date last Sunday which was another miracle. He hasn't been to church yet but she has come and really liked it. I am excited for them and I hope to see them progress. Fy is also doing well but she hasn't accepted a date for baptism. We are doing our best to be patient and help her grow a testimony. I am really excited to see how every one progresses.
I really enjoyed conference and I learned a lot about myself and how I can improve. Elder Holland's talk was really amazing, and I enjoyed the one about temples. I learned I need to focus on getting people to the temple instead of just baptism. They were all really good and I learned a lot about the atonement and how to better apply myself to the mission. Zone conference was also really good and I learned a lot about being a charitable missionary instead of a dutiful missionary. I need to put my whole heart into this work and not just do this because I am suppose to. This has been a great opportunity to learn and grow. It is great to hear that the family is doing so well. You all sound like you are striving to do your part in the Lord's kingdom and I am proud of you all. I am really grateful for my family and the example they have been for me. I want to be a father just like my father and marry someone as good as my mother. You have done an amazing job as parents and even though I gave you a really hard time, I have learned a lot. Thank you for being supportive and pushing me to do my best. I love you all.
Elder Sorensen
PS. I have been receiving letters from grandma and she let me in on the fact that she was preparing for the temple again. I have been praying really hard for her and now that the time has come I am so proud of her. I know that eternal families are one of the greatest blessings we can receive and I will be grateful to have her with me.
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
4.1.09
Hey family,
So we had a great week and an even better start to this week! We had a blitz in our area last Saturday, which we got about nineteen referrals from, which is great. Then on top of that we have been getting a lot of media referrals so the miracles are coming we just have to do something with them. We have been crazy busy lately, which is a good thing because I don't like not knowing what to do. We are trying to get as many people as we can to conference and we have a ton of people in our teaching pool. It has been crazy but still a lot of fun.
The family of four didn't make it to church. The mother was feeling sick, but we should be able to meet with them sometime this week. We have been teaching Ja a lot lately which is good but she wasn't able to come to church. We had like ten people promise that they would come to church this past week but only Fy and her family were able to come which is great. The mission is really a rollercoaster of emotion; you can be full of hope and then see disappointment just like that. I am doing all I can to stay positive and see the blessings each day.
This week has started off to a really good start. On Monday we found a family of five who we are seeing again on Friday. They are all really cool and I am really excited because it's a whole family which we don't get to teach that often. Then on Tuesday we found another single mom who seemed interested in learning more after we taught her yesterday. It has been a really good start of the week and I hope the rest of it is as good as Monday and Tuesday.
One of the blessings of being a missionary is seeing how much people really do love us. No one wants to listen to our message but everyone acknowledges us as servants of God. For example, everyday we walk past this street vender who sells really good chicken and I always say hi and ask him how he is doing. Yesterday he gave my companion and me a bunch of free food just because I was a nice guy to him. Then later that day an old investigator who sells coco helado (kind of like ice cream) on the streets gave us a free cup which was nice.
So as you can see we have been receiving many miracles and trying to do our best to serve. I am really trying to improve my teaching skills and do all I can to be a better missionary. Thank you for all of you support and please keep us the prayers. Please tell the following thank you for b-day cards and packages: The Farvers, Grandpa and grandma, Grandma Mickey and Greg. Thank you for all of your support! I love you all and I hope you have a great week.
Elder Sorensen
PS. sorry its short I've run out of time.
So we had a great week and an even better start to this week! We had a blitz in our area last Saturday, which we got about nineteen referrals from, which is great. Then on top of that we have been getting a lot of media referrals so the miracles are coming we just have to do something with them. We have been crazy busy lately, which is a good thing because I don't like not knowing what to do. We are trying to get as many people as we can to conference and we have a ton of people in our teaching pool. It has been crazy but still a lot of fun.
The family of four didn't make it to church. The mother was feeling sick, but we should be able to meet with them sometime this week. We have been teaching Ja a lot lately which is good but she wasn't able to come to church. We had like ten people promise that they would come to church this past week but only Fy and her family were able to come which is great. The mission is really a rollercoaster of emotion; you can be full of hope and then see disappointment just like that. I am doing all I can to stay positive and see the blessings each day.
This week has started off to a really good start. On Monday we found a family of five who we are seeing again on Friday. They are all really cool and I am really excited because it's a whole family which we don't get to teach that often. Then on Tuesday we found another single mom who seemed interested in learning more after we taught her yesterday. It has been a really good start of the week and I hope the rest of it is as good as Monday and Tuesday.
One of the blessings of being a missionary is seeing how much people really do love us. No one wants to listen to our message but everyone acknowledges us as servants of God. For example, everyday we walk past this street vender who sells really good chicken and I always say hi and ask him how he is doing. Yesterday he gave my companion and me a bunch of free food just because I was a nice guy to him. Then later that day an old investigator who sells coco helado (kind of like ice cream) on the streets gave us a free cup which was nice.
So as you can see we have been receiving many miracles and trying to do our best to serve. I am really trying to improve my teaching skills and do all I can to be a better missionary. Thank you for all of you support and please keep us the prayers. Please tell the following thank you for b-day cards and packages: The Farvers, Grandpa and grandma, Grandma Mickey and Greg. Thank you for all of your support! I love you all and I hope you have a great week.
Elder Sorensen
PS. sorry its short I've run out of time.
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