Bikes for Dayz

HEYO KIDS! (Man I have another year and I am literally out of things to start these letters off.  Hahah.  Ew so sorry.  They are just going to keep getting weirder and weirder but if your even still reading these emails, props, your the real homies and that means you already know how weird I am, so therefore all is well, you accept me the way I am and now I am just going to stop writing because I am just making this worse lol!) 

Well what a great week cute Sister Brown and I have had.  We have just had too much fun this week.  That is something that I have really learned lately, that you have to have fun doing what you are doing, or you are going to be miserable. This week, I swear EVERY plan that we had fell through.  We were working so so hard, and nothing seemed to be going right.  But I have just learned to laugh it off, to try and make the best of every situation, and Sister Brown has really helped me do that.  She has such a sarcastic personality, so we get along great (: hahah she's just a goon. we will just be walking and knocking doors and all the sudden we will realize that we are both just talking in western accents?  Like what the heck Ew? or we will just be spanglishing it for days. We pretty much carry around a dictionary as a third comp.  GREENIES FOR LIFE!  But it is great! I am loving WEST PALM BEACH.

This week we had some fun stuff go down though.  We had a mandatory biking day as a mission, because some goon missionaries didn't drive safe and crashed. But it made for some fun adventures.  So many missionaries got hit that day, but don't fret all is well.  Sister Brown and I didn't get hit, I just happen to not be clutch and was just too mesmerized by the sunset, that I totally just drilled into Sister Brown.  Haha!  We lived and our bikes survived. I would have loved to be a fly on the wall for that one.  Just two gals in pants colliding next to a Mexican meat shop. Holler.  We also knocked in a gypsy trailer park this week.  That was quite the experience.  Wouldn't recommend it as a missionary, but post mish MOST DEFINITELY (:  You will meet some great people.

We also had a big world wide missionary conference, and the BRETHREN have spoken (: We have a whole new schedule as missionaries, and we now only account for our baptisms pretty much, not on the number of lessons we teach or the number of referrals that we get.  I love it.  Because really that is what is most important. The numbers don't mean anything. It is all just about the seeds that we are planting, and the souls we are bringing unto Christ.  The Lord really does have a plan for his work here down on earth.  It's cool being able to see it all unfold. 

Well I just wanted to share a quick quote that I found this week from Craig Zwick. "Imagine the wounds in his hands. His weathered hands, yes even his hands of torn flesh, and physical sacrifice, give our own hands great power and direction. It is the wounded Christ who leads us through our moments of difficulty.  It is he who bears us up when we need more air to breathe, or direction to follow, or even more courage to continue.  If we will keep the commandments of god and walk hand  in hand with him in his paths, we will go forward with faith and never feel alone." This brought me so much comfort this week. 

Time is flying and I am loving every second. It doesn't mean its easy but it is worth it. 

I hope you all have an amazing week! 

HERMANA DIMOND LOVES YOU! 

xoxooxxox 

Your gal hermana dimond 

A little latin childs bday!

When your chillin in trumps home town.

We love when we bike cuz our area is like the biggest area in the mishhhh (:(:(: 

Sister leslie. another sister i live with (: 

Just lolygaggin in the church parking lot 

Just waitin for the elders... always (:

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FAKE IT TILL YA MAKE IT YO - no espeake espaneeshh

HEYOOOOOOOOOOOO 

TRANSFERS TRANSFERS TRANSFERS 

Holy smokes life is just a complete and utter blur right now.  Hahah.  Just trying to get my life together.  Oh wait.  It hasn't ever been together lol, but still trying!  BUT I have officially made it to my new area and am with another new comp SISTER BROWN!!!  Left my baby area, Coral Reef...and it was so sad saying goodbye to all the cute members and other missionaries that have literally just become my family for the last 4 months...But I have safely made it to WEST PALM BEACH (which is literally called the promised land of the mission) and already feel so welcomed in and loved.  Probably because this area is FULL SPANISH!!!  Latinos for days and I am so happy about it!  They are just the sweetest!  It hasn't even been a week in this ward yet, and I have already been to two fiestas that they have had hahah.  They are all about the food and the parties.  But this ward is great!  I love the members and the Bishop already!  They are so involved with missionary work it is crazy.  As long as I can keep understanding my Bishop, things will be smooth sailing (:  He is from Honduras, so lets get real, he talks like 464521561 miles an hour and my brain about has a seizure every time I finish talking to him, but ITS GOOD! Maybe that is why the lord blessed me with Sister Hernandez, my last comp from Honduras (: He knew I would need it haha. 

Well It has definitely been a very overwhelming past couple of days.  So Sister Brown, my comp, is actually younger than me in the mission. She just finished training, so we are just both clueless together haha.  This has definitely been a testimony builder for me.  Every morning I just wake up feeling so nervous and so inadequate, but the Lord has ALWAYS provided.  I thought the gift of tongues was real before?  OH HEAVENS NO!  This has been takin to a whole other level. Hahaha!  Everyday I am just amazed that I made it.  But I KNOW that I am not doing it alone.  HE'S GOT MY BACK MAN.  BABIES TRAINING OTHER BABIES IN THE MISSION.  LESGO! Its going to be an adventure!  But I am excited! (:  The Lord clearly thinks we can do it, so its time for me to think so too!  YEHAWWW!  NO MORE GRINGA for me.  Im ready to become a little latina (: 

Well we have seen some amazing miracles together already.  First and obviously best of all lol WE HAVE ONE O'CLOCK CHURCH!!!!  Hahah yes father, these words just did come out of my mouth.  Literally have always hated one o'clock, but as a missionary, this is just a straight DREAM.  Hahah. So many blessings!  So my first night in the area, we knocked into a cute family who is SO AWESOME and SO RECEPTIVE!  Literally the first door we knocked!  First day miracles.  I know that was the Lord telling me yet again, as he seems to keep slapping me in the face, THAT EVERYTHING IS GOING TO BE OK(:  I believe him. He always provides and I feel so blessed. 

Truly I am just overflowing with happiness.  I just LOVE being a missionary.  I wish there were other words I could use to describe it!  But there isn't.  Its just amazing.  And I feel so blessed.  Thank you so much everyone for supporting and praying for me !  I NEED IT!  But know I pray for you all too! 

Please know how much I love you all!  Keep being you and being an example to all!  I HAVE THE BEST FAMILY AND FRIENDS EVER! 

Enjoy the snow! ;)

xoxox your flo rida gal 

Hermana Dimond (a wanna be Columbian) 

ALSO!!!! YEET!!!! HOLLER!!! HI!!!! 

I HAVE A NEW ADDRESS!!! So if your going to be a gem send anything, send it to this new address(:  I love you all:  3240 Haverhill Road North Apt C205 West Palm Beach Florida 33417 

 You know we hit up a pedi.  Best pday ever!

Just the real MVP. Takin care of the pure NAST! 

My cuban love CHARO.

All the "dying" missionaries take one of these. Elders Johns. My homie. hahah He was so trunky for girls and home. Good guy. 

Bye Elder Johns!

When you ask the elders to make your planner...... 

Cute little yenni that I reactivated gave me a going away pres. Love her !

Juan, the cuban churro maker. <3 dad. You would be dig. Not costco but hey (:

My cute baby Sister Hernandez.

Presents from the elders. They are literally my brothers (so dumb) inside jokes. Gotta love them. 

My last sunday in my coral reef ward with sister hernandez. 

Pure sass.  Just trying to keep up with them latins.

The Cardenas family!!!!!! Ah i i love them!

Addys Cardenas. Litearlly after the mish we are going to chilll so hard .

Zone trip to the zoo (::: 

Literally my favorite humans. Elder Becerra and Elder Mears.

Fav part of Florida. The skies!

The new ZONE. 

SISTER BROWN - My new companion!

TRANSFERRING

Hello Hello!! Well yehawww kids the time has come, and I am heading to a new area here in good ol Florida! I am so sad to be leaving my baby area here in the ghetto of Miami. All the great members, investigators, missionaries, etc. but I am excited for this new adventure! Growth always comes through change! I'm heading a little bit more north, so will no longer be the farthest down sister in the mission haha. My new area is called West Palm Beach and its a full Spanish area instead of bilingual, so I am stoked! Have never heard of my new companion, Sister Brown. Shes only one transfer behind me, so we are both just babies, so it should be interesting! haha Both of us literally having no idea whats going on. But ayyy Im up for it! Super excited! I will send my NEW ADDRESS next week when I get it! (: So don't send anything else to the address before. (sorry that was so obvi just still had to clarify lol)

Had some fun this last week with mah girl Sister Hernandez!(: gonna miss that girl. Well first and foremost, I tried Papaya and Cuban churros for the first time so YEET. Second, we met people from Barcelona, Russia, and Iran this week as well.  The man from Iran spoke Persian and from the little English he knew, he was able to teach me how to say DIAMOND in Persian. Hermana ALMAS would be my name if I was chillin in Iran haha. So theres that. But one experience I had this week really touched me.  The other day we were out and about trying to find a former investigator that missionaries a few years ago had taught. We felt very inspired that we needed to go visit this investigator. So when we got to her house and knocked on the door, this man answered and it was clearly a different family then had lived there before and they were not interested. We were bummed out, and a little confused why we felt so prompted to go. As we were walking back to the car we saw this older woman in a wheelchair talking to this young man  outside. We approached her, as we do with everyone, and just intended to leave a pass along card with her. We ended up finding out that this young man she was talking to was her 27 year old son who at 19 was diagnosed of terrible schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. He had ran away from home for four days and hadn't taken any of his medication for those days. He started using marijuana as well which has just messed up his brain. The poor guy was just so lost. His brain was just everywhere.

She was so upset you could tell and I just felt so bad for her. Her as a mother, having to look at her son, and see how much pain he is in and not being able to help him. It broke my heart. So I started talking to him, and for some reason, he started listening to me. I was able to convince him somehow to go inside his home. He got in there, and through all his crazy thoughts that were going through his head about killing people and people after him and things like that, I was able to get him to take his medication that he had been refusing to take. I stared at that young man in the eyes, and literally felt like I was talking to an angel. I know that those sweet mentally unstable souls are just the closest thing we have here to heaven. I felt like I was looking at this man through a different set of eyes. It was the most amazing thing and something I will never forget.  Although we did not convert that woman, I know she was touched. She told us she knew we were sent by God. It was a seed planted for her I am sure. I know the Lord has his perfect timing. We were sent to go try and find that investigator, to really be led to that woman and her son Alex that day. God is watching out for every single one of his sheep.

I am so grateful for this opportunity I have to be a missionary. I am the happiest me. You are truly the most happy when you are serving I am 100% sure of it. Thank you all for serving me and showing me so much love. I feel SO BLESSED.

Excited for this new adventure!

More soon!

Hermana Dimond

My new companion - Sister Brown from Cedar City, Utah.

FREEEEZING IN FLORIDA!

FAM! (: Not even saying friends anymore, because literally your all just fam to me.

Well this week has been a solid super cool awesome fun gnarly splendid week (:  (:  Also freezing if I might add to that.  Its hit the mid 50s and I am literally DYING.  Freezing my butt off.  Hahah everyone laughs at me and just tells me that I am going to DIE when I go back to Utah. This is true. Sadly. But my favorite thing ever is seeing people here just bundled to the max, like full gloves scarf and boots and I just look at them and laugh, hahah because I'm like, "people, you don't even know the meaning of those things that you are wearing." "You don't even know what cold is" hahahaha.  But now I am becoming one of them....

Well funny awkward moment for the week. Our alarm didn't go off one morning this week.... BUT DONT EVEN FRET I guess we are doing something right, because the spirit is real and woke us both up the same second at like 7:04.  I guess it was bound to happen one day on the mish. Second thing. I walked on carpet, ok let me rephrase that, I SAW AND WALKED on carpet for the first time this week!!!!!!!!!!!. Literally nobody here has it.  And lets say I got a tad bit trunky for carpet. hahaha. Man I miss that stuff. But its way to hot here, aint nobody got time for that.

Not sure if you all heard about the shooting at the Fort Lauderdale airport, (I would like to thank the Wendys televisions for always being my insight into the world, as that's the only way I probably would have heard about it). But so sad.  My heart just aches for those poor people. It just makes me so sad about the type of world that we live in. But it just gives me that much more motivation to go share the gospel. To go be a light. Things are getting bad, and his coming is close.  

Quote of the week: "Some people feel defeated by their personal weaknesses and succumb to despair. Some attempt to hide, ignore, or compensate for their shortcomings because of pain and embarrassment. But the Lord told Moroni, recognizing and acknowledging a weakness is a necessary part of overcoming it." - Sister Pingree 

Things are really just going so well over here in Florida. I am just loving it so much. I didn't think it was possible to love people that you don't even know so much.  I am just falling in love with these people more and more everyday.  I am so grateful to have this opportunity to be able to get to try and make the smallest bit of a difference in someone's life out here, because my life has truly been changed. This has been the most amazing 5 months of my life.

Thanks for always supporting me and being the best family ever. I love you all with my whole heart and just want to give you each the biggest hug! KISSES FROM FLORIDA

xoxoxox

Hermana Dimond

The skies here tho.

My district. Pure homies.

My comp!

My teva tan lines startin to come in through.

Literally the daily. She falls asleep at least once every study. Hahha, just lucky if I can't snag a pic of it.

The weather is so bipolor here. One morning the fog was insane!

My favorite thing ever. We go do service for this thing called Feeding Florida, where people come that are homeless or are really struggling. I have met some of the coolest nicest people there. Everything is donated. It is truly amazing.

The woman who runs it. Linda. Hahah she kills me.

Ya know just another ward correlation with us, the elders, our ward mission leader, and his ferret Tina.

HAHAHA OUR WARD MISSION LEADER. The elders were so mean and put a bowl of jelly beans on the table to "eat" but really they were the bean boozled jelly beans, the ones where each color has two flavors, like either popcorn or barf or fish or something like that. So hermano Sanchez just goes for it and takes like 10 and puts it in his mouth. Literally starts gaging hahahahah so funny but so sad. He's a chill guy tho. He had a good laugh.

When you have 7 am ward council because 9 oclock church.... not happy Bob. Not happy.

Our cute Cuban gator CHARO (: the ex Jehovah Witness, hahah I freaking love her. SHE LOVES CHURCH! SHE LOVES JESUS!!!!