And The Sun Sets

My people,

Wow.  I can hardly believe that I am doing this right now, typing my very last email as a full time missionary. 

What a week.  My heart is so full and I am so overwhelmed with gratitude, love, and peace.  There is so much that I could say; so many wonderful times and people, but all I wish to say is that.

I pray to REMEMBER.  To remember the good days, remember the bad days, and all those right there in between. I pray to remember the moments, the moments of pure joy, exhaustion, sadness, excitement, passion, love, and fulfillment. The moments that I knew I was exactly where I supposed to be.  The moments where the Lord's hand was in my life. T he moments when God answered my prayers, but more importantly the prayers of those around me.  I pray to remember the experiences.  The funny one, the hard ones, the Spirit filled ones too.  I pray to remember the people; their smiles, their love, their homes and their food :), the people who I know were put specifically into MY LIFE and who changed me in every way; who shared their testimonies to me so that I could remember my very own that I once had in the pre mortal world.  I pray to remember the people I tried to help through the service that I rendered.  I pray to remember their reactions and the ways that their lives changed through the added joy and blessings that entered into their lives through the Gospel.  Above all, I pray that I may always remember the WHY, why they were filled with joy, why I am filled with the same joy.  That why is because of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  I pray that I may always remember that it is though Him that I am here today and have the hope and the ability to change tomorrow.  He is the why, the why to all things that we do and everything we should do.  I feel so grateful and blessed for these last 18 months that have allowed me to see clearer and smile bigger, to look at everyone as my brothers and sisters, and to see things with a different perspective.  The places I have gone, the people I have met will forever hold the biggest place in my hear.  Florida is my home.  I pray to REMEMBER. 

I know without a shadow of a doubt that I am a daughter of a Heavenly King. I  have a divine potential to become something far greater than anything I could have ever thought for myself. I  know this journey out here was part of that plan and I feel so grateful to you all. 

"In the end, your heart and your will is all that you have to give that the Lord does not already have.  If you give your time, your year and a half, and your strength, you give only that which he grants to you with each beat of your heart and each breath you draw.  If you dedicate your gifts and talents you only return to him what he already has given to you.  If you pay tithing, you only return to him a tenth of what he has given you.  Everything that you have to give to the Lord, has its origin in him expect one thing, your will.  He does not have your heart, nor your mind, unless you give them to him.  It is the only gift you have to offer that he does not already have."  I pray everyday that I gave that to him.  That I can leave it all out here and start the new journey that is ahead of me.  I pray that I may be a disciple and a warrior for Christ. 

I love this Gospel.  I love being a missionary.  I love you all. 

Signing out, (this is tender)

Sister Mikelle Dimond 

Don't mind this "First vision I saw a pillar of light pic" LOL

And saying goodbye.

The Ward literally threw me a going away party!

Spent my last Sunday morning sun rising with my gals!

Our hilarious last Zone activity!

The Squad!

And the Savelas (literally my best friends out here no joke) treated me for some last acai.  Oh how w love them!

Saying goodbye to my people at church.

Dimond Meets Creole

MY HUMANS 

Wow this is pretty surreal.  My last full week in the mission.  I do not even know how to feel.  I cannot believe.  I am sure you are all just grateful to have one less email in your inbox tho and to not have to bore you way through these emails anymore hahaha but thanks for being supportive and trekking through.  I am your biggest fans.

Recap on the week: 

-Went down to Boca Raton last p-day and we got REAL ACAI from Brazilians.  Oh my word that was the best thing I have ever consumed (I am still convinced that my mission emails/blog should just be an advertisement for Florida's food and restaurants as I am pretty sure that is just every pic) Oh well (:  Its the little things as a missionary I'm telling ya.

-For some reason this last transfer all we have been talking to and knocking into is Haitians.... SOOOO at this point I have just decided to give up any chances of espanyol and pursue a dream of speaking Creole.  We asked the Elders to give us a Creole lesson.  I now know why I was called Spanish speaking.  Hahah!  But we have embarked on this journey.  I literally know nothing but it is fun to whip a few lines out and the old Haitian moms and dads just die cuz they think us little white girls are so cute trying to be Haitian.  Thank you Elder Couillens and Loftus for the lesson.  We are still terrible.

-I played dominos with two Haitian drunk men on the street trying to contact them.

-Our ward had Karaoke night.  NEVER FORGET my ward mission leader Brother Irvine literally rapping Ice Ice Baby #goals.

-My ward mission leader told me he is going to try to forge a letter to President Garns from President Nelson with my "three month extension plea" 

-We taught Sam this week, the guy that ended up going to church.  WOW.  He is so awesome.  His first questions as we sit down, "alright so how do I go inside this temple?"  He just gets it.  He has such a desire to know for himself.

-Probably my favorite part of this week, although we had a harder finding week, was our lessons with Beth Aho, who has a member friend up in Jupiter.  She had a really hard time warming up to listening to us but she admired her friends values and the person that she is so much that she really wanted to see what brings her so much joy.  It has been really powerful over these last few weeks really seeing her change and her joy that is coming through learning the gospel.  This last week she had severe back and hip pain due to what they think is arthritis in the back, so her friend said to see if there was a Priesthood older that could give her a blessing.  We worked it out and went over and had a lesson and she received a Priesthood blessing and it was one of the most powerful things that I have been apart of.  She sat there in silence for about 10 minutes after the blessing.  She said she couldn't even describe the peace and the feelings.  This week her health is almost back to normal and she credits it all to the Lord and the Priesthood blessing.  She Is so wonderful and I just don't want to leave her.  I don't want to leave anyone here.  These people are my family.  Florida is my second home. 

I want to live up every last minute that I have to serve as a full time missionary.  Nothing has brought better or grander happiness and change in my life. 

I love you all. 

Talk soon! 

xoxox
Sister Dimond

Acai down in Boca 

My Brazilians and I :)

And this truck that we saw and our emotions about it.   30 minutes for exercise had us likee...

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This one is for you mom.  My ward mission leader literally wants to be you.  Ha Ha!  He drinks monster and I told him to switch to the dew.  You two would be friends!

The casual things that we find in our house.  Its the little things!

The sweet Lopez family took us to the Old Key Lime House!  We are so blessed!

Dinner with the Bolivians!

And Karaoke night!