Hermana Dimond Takes Florida: Irene

It is hard to believe that December is coming and going. It’s been the most beautiful filled month and it is just going by so fast. This Christmas sure has seemed like a different one. One completely focused on the Savior.

This week, there are not really words to adequately describe how I feel. Emails are just so hard to convey the spiritual experiences and the sense of peace that I feel. This has truly been a week that I will never forget, one of the most spiritually growing for me and I feel so grateful. I have seen and been reminded countless times this week at just HOW MUCH God knows us perfectly. So perfectly and individually. I KNOW, without a shadow of a doubt that God knows me, Sister Dimond. I know that he knows my thoughts, my desires, my hopes, my dreams, but faults, my struggles, and I KNOW that he loves me. I know that God has a plan. He has a story, it’s the Fathers story, and I am beyond words grateful that everyday I get to share his story, with all his children.

-Sharing the Light the World video at every possible opportunity (would be so much easier if we had phones. Found out the mission is getting them!! Right after I leave. lol love it)

-Elder Foster from the seventy came and visited our mission

-This week we started teaching a man named Darius, who was going to be baptized in another ward right next to ours, but just moved into our area, so we are going over the lessons again with him, and he will be getting baptized the 23rd of December. He is the sweetest guy with the most tender heart, 30 years old with cerebral palsy. He has gone through so much in him life, and with his capabilities that he has, he just wants to be more like Jesus Christ. Teaching him, I feel like I am teaching someone just so close to the veil, so close to God. I feel like I see him just dressed in white. It’s really something incredible. We get to teach him so simply, the way that it should be. I feel like I often forget how truly simple this gospel is. It is really us that make is so complex.

-What an incredible day it was this last week to be able to go with Robert and Scott to the temple for their first times. I cannot believe how much they have progressed and the men that they are, especially Scott. He is just blowing me away. But the Spirit that was inside of that temple was just indescribable. We had the entire temple to ourselves and the temples Presidents were there, and made them feel so special. Not going to lie, Sister Staffieri and I could barely control our laughter, as Scott did 20 baptism names. Let me remind y’all that he is 6 foot 4 and just a bear, and Brother Irvine, my ward mission leader, was just trying to get him up each and every time and not go down right with him. HahahaI I am sure he made record splashes (: But he was just glowing. He said he had never felt a peace like that in his whole life. My favorite Scott quote of the night though as I asked him how it was. He responds, "It was sure different than I thought. I thought for sure we would get a tour or talk, but man they just get right down to business. That’s what I am talking about" Hahaha, he’s a character. I am telling him at this point to just fast and pray about BYU-I hahaha that guys gotta get hitched.

-Yesterday I think was one of those times that I just knew that I was acting as Gods hands. And boy I did not feel worthy to do so. But I feel so blessed that God sees potential in me and gives me the opportunity to grow. Sister Staffieri and I were just finishing up knocking and we felt a desire to visit a less active that we had never heard of or tried before named Irene. We got to her house and knocked her door and just heard someone yelling. We initially thought that they were yelling for us to go away, as we couldn't really hear what they were saying. As we listened harder, we thought we heard someone yelling help. I peaked into the blinds and saw a 80 year old woman on the floor screaming for us. We didn't even think and just ran in and picked her up off the floor and put her back on the bed. She had fallen and has Parkinson’s (no clue how to spell it) and didn't have strength to get up. The entire time we were there she just kept crying and saying that "God sent you two here, He sent you." We knew he did. We were able to feed her some dinner and calm her down and help her around the house. She later told us that she was going to have to sit there for another 5 hours until her nurse came at 9:00pm. After ensuring that she was okay, Sister Staffieri and I returned to our car and I just broke down in tears. If I ever doubted the reality of a loving heavenly father, I cannot now. It was such an incredible humbling experience and one that I will never forget. I know God is very aware of us and our needs. He loves us. I know he uses his missionaries as his hands here on this earth and for that I am forever grateful.

Countless more experiences like this this week that I am unworthy to be apart of. God is so good. He is molding me and letting me grow into something far better then I ever could on my own. I am so happy. I have never been happier in my life. I pray I can only learn to be a better tool and learn to be more of Gods hands.

I love you all more than words can describe. Thanks for all the support. Have the best Christ centered week.

xox

Hermana Dimond