Have you ever tracted with the Jehovah's witnesses?

Hello everyone!!! So last week my tablet just spazzed out and I had to email on the phone and I didn't have any of my contacts. So now we've got 2 weeks full of crazy stories in Kissimmee! We'll do the funny and then end with the spiritual.

-The Jehovah's Witnesses-

So... we were trying to find this former investigator A- and we get to her house and these 2 ladies pull up. I asked if they knew her and they said they were friends and were trying to get in touch with her. They were super vague about how they knew her. I asked how long they'd known her and they said they'd only met her a couple times but that she was going through a tough time. And I thought that was super nice of them to visit someone who they hardly knew. Not realizing at all that they were JWs. So we KNOCK THE SAME DOOR AT THE SAME TIME. the lady wasn't home but it was so awkward. Afterwards I ask them if they're religious at all and they tell us who they are and we just bust up laughing. We had a good exchange about beliefs and it wasn't confrontational or anything. It was hilarious..

-the moving car-

So one day we were finding in this little complex and there is not a lot of street to park on so we parked on the biggest strip of grass we can find. Anyways we find for an hour, pass out 3 Book of Mormons, we're feeling pretty good and we come back and our car is not where we parked it!!! It's like 10 feet behind where we parked it. How did it move?? I have no idea. It was terrifying. Don't even know what happened!!!! Don't tell Elder Gould!! 

-Haitian grocery store-

So..... I apparently am very appealing to African American men... haha.. yeah.. Anyways this guy that we taught was super cool. He'd read the Book of Mormon and had a testimony of Joseph Smith an everything! Super cool. Then after the lesson he messages us and asks if I'm single.... and we explained our purpose and then told me how he wanted to open a grocery story with me in Haiti. Or in Florida if I didn't want to move to Haiti... oh boy..., 

Other than that, we've just been finding like crazy!!! All you RMs out there send me your most creative finding technique!!! We've mostly been doing street contacting which has been working pretty good. We biked Thursday through Saturday and counted talking to around 60 people!! 60 people invited to Christ!! Not to shabby!! Of those 60 we had 8 that were interested in learning but we only got to keep 2 because they were either not in our boundary, Hispanic or YSA... But the 2 we're keeping are pretty great!! So I'm hopeful!! We also have a lot of cool potentials! 

Ooh I taught my first walk in lesson! We were trying to find a less active member and he was no longer at that address but these cool people from Ecuador were. They let us right in and we taught them the Plan of Salvation! It was awesome!! They weren't super interested before but afterwards they were way down! It was really cool. Never done that before. The Lord definitely led us to where we needed to be. 

Ooh I also drove a golf cart at service!! 

We had a really bomb zone conference that got me psyched to be a missionary. Some pretty crazy things are happening August 1st lemme tell ya... I'm not allowed to reveal things though.. So stay tuned. We are getting a new Preach my Gospel though and a new hymn book! It's a crazy time to be a Mormon! 

M-

one of our investigators is contemplating baptism!!! She is a super sweet Jamaican lady. She was unsure about being rebaptized but after reading the Book of Mormon and coming to church for a little while she's hooked! 

So work is picking up slowly but surely... patience is a virtue I've been learning to appreciate. If y'all have any ideas for how to develop patience lemme know. But life is good. The field is white. My legs are slowly turning to steel. It's a good day to be a missionary. 

Also update me on your lives!! I'd love to hear about all the crazy adventures!! Love you lots! Sister Grant!

KISSIMIEE...KISIMEE...KISSIMMEE!

Hello from Kissemiie, or however you spell it. I never know. I reallly have to concentrate when I spell it. It is not pronounced how you might think. It's Kiss-EM-ie not KISS-imie. Super weird. Anyways... Its super different from Palm Bay. I'm learning to love it. Slowly.... Its a process haha... But no it is good. It's just change is hard for me. If anyone has some suggestions of how to transition easily please let me know. I know change is a part of life. I'm just bad at it. And I don't like patience haha.

It's been an interesting week though. I came right into a double baptism and a funeral which was crazy but a good way to get to know people! The ward is definitely awesome. The Relief Society president is Wonder Woman. She practically drove us around all day on Saturday. The other members I've met so far are also awesome. They also welcomed me into the ward by making me talk on Sunday haha!! Which was chill it was just a surprise. I'd be totally fine if someone would just write me a talk and then Icould get up and give it haha. I just hate writing talks but people said I did good.

Other highlights about Kissimmee:

We live on a golf course so we have a beautiful view! We have a little trail that goes right through it which is awesome.

There's a lot more missionaries up here and we're really close to the mission center. So we don't have to travel super far for Zone Conference or the mission office.

There is a lot more people here haha! We have an abundance of restaurants, shopping centers, the works!!

We do service for Give Kids the World, they're a company that gives very sick children tickets to Disney World through like Make a Wish or other foundations and we get to help out in their village and interact with kids and their families. It's super cute and they occasionally play Disney Music!!

I am driving which is super crazy!! I like driving though. But it's also stressful. Especially in Florida these people are CRAZY!! 

when Italian ice leads you to investigators

Hello family and friends!!! So to start off we just got transfer calls.... I am so sad to leave my missionary birth place but I'm excited for new people and new adventures!!! I will be heading to Kissimmee central!!!! And guess what???? I'll be with my MTC companion Sister Heywood!!! Like what??? Super crazy.. everyone from my MTC district is switching places. I'm going to Kissimmee to replace sister Fahrenbacher, sister Fahrenbacher is going to Lecanto to replace sister Fiu and sister Fiu is replacing me!! So we're going to have an MTC reunion. It will be grand.

So all our investigators are doing good!!! There's been a ton of finding new ones and dropping old ones. Just sifting the wheat from the tares it's all good. Although sad day!!! J- the one who was gonna get baptized spontaneously went back to Nicaragua because they're having a war there and he needs to get his family!!! So sad.... also S- who was also super solid texted us and said she randomly moved to New York!! What?!? People?! Anyways... that was a bummer but the Lord will guide them to the gospel when they're ready. 

Miracles!! 

We went on exchanges this week with Sister Schwendinger my favorite human. We had a blast. We're just always so in sync when we teach it's great. We had a ton of appointments and we just Alma and Amulek'ed the crap out of that. And we got 3 new investigators that day! Ugh exchanges are good. All of them were former investigators. 2 were from a super cute family. It's a single mom with 4 adorable black kids. She said she really wants her kids to get baptized. (Only 1 is of baptizing age and she also doesn't know that she will be getting baptized as well.) 

Ok lemme tell you about how my carnal desires led to a really cool gospel discussion. So on Saturday we did some crazy tree cutting service. We took down a 60 foot tree. Ok we didn't .. But we cleaned it up hahaha. With a fork lift. Ok it wasn't our fork lift but we helped. 

Anyways that took a few hours and then I wanted to stop by this former who was in that area. So we did. He wasn't home it was a bust. I was kinda disappointed because I had felt prompted but it was ok. So on the way home I was like let's get some Italian ice because I love that stuff and I'd been wanting to go to this one place since I've been in the area and it might be my last chance! So we last minute decide to go and we get there it doesn't open for another hour and I'm so sad.. But there was this guy who also wanted Italian ice and showed up at the same time. He heard we were from Utah and he starts telling us this crazy story about going to the Olympics and how he has pioneer ancestors and he's sat by Mormons on planes, etc. He's always been super intrigued by our religion and defends Mormons wherever he goes. We have this awesome conversation for an HOUR. We tell him about the plan of salvation and restoration and he's really digging it. Anyways we talked about how coincidences don't happen and that God led us to meet him and he was just blown away. He didn't live in our area and was going on vacation for a couple weeks but I know he'll join the church one day. So it was just a powerful lesson of how Heavenly Father orchestrates every second to where we need to be in the right place at the right time. 

We also found another beautiful part member family and taught them the Plan of Salvation. The dad hasn't been in over 15 years. The mom is hesitant but really liked the family oriented environment and was open to coming to church. When we taught about eternal families the spirit was so strong. You could tell how badly the parents wanted it. They know how much of a lifestyle change it's going to be but I believe they'll come to the conclusion having a family forever is worth it. 

There have also been a lot of difficult moments this week as well. I don't really want to burden anyone with them but know that missionary work isn't dandelions and butterflies. It's super hard. It kicks my tail most of the days, but "salvation isn't a cheap experience." There was a scripture from Alma that gave me some insight. It's about Alma and the sons of Mosiah and their missions. 

farewells...

"8 And this is the account of Ammon and his brethren, their journeyings in the land of Nephi, their sufferings in the land, their sorrows, and their afflictions, and their incomprehensible joy, and the reception and safety of the brethren in the land of Jershon. And now may the Lord, the Redeemer of all men, bless their souls forever.

14 And thus we see the great call of diligence of men to labor in the vineyards of the Lord; and thus we see the great reason of sorrow, and also of rejoicing—sorrow because of death and destruction among men, and joy because of the light of Christ unto life."

This describes missionary work to the T. I've never felt more joy but never felt more sorrow. But I'm not the only one. If we don't know the sadness we can't know the happiness. If we're feeling both, that means we're doing it right. 

Sister Grant