Hermana Baer: Florida Orlando Mission: Weakly Planned

For multiple reasons.

NUMERO ONE: This week was the Webster definition of an (singular) 'hot wreck.' I may have mentioned in my hastily scrawled letter of last week that we lost our car to the dealership and had biked a bit (even though we were told that due to past concussions that would be a bad idea😅) and eventually stole the Semoran sisters’ car. WELL. We received a call Tuesday morning saying, "Sir or Madam; are you in need of medical resistance?" o sea "Sisters; need pick-up." We booked it over there with band-aids, triple antibiotic, and a box full of Andes mints and patches our scraped-up Hna right up! They were biking to service and she decided to wrestle a mailbox. ... Sadly, only one of them was still standing in the end. And it was the mailbox. She's feeling up to going to service so off we go, back to the blessed land of UAP. Good memories. But because hermanas lack in mailbox wrestling, we returned the car back to them. And then biked 7.5 miles to dinner. Imagine 2 beanbags wobbling on bikes up a hill and that was us.

NUMERO DOS: If we weren't at the STL's, or with the Semoran sisters, or at service, we were weekly planning. It's really hard to weekly plan (In case it wasn't obvious, Weekly Planning is the planning session where you plan for the new week. If you're fast, it only takes 2.5 hours. We are NOT fast.) when you don't know if you have a car. So we planned for 2 different weeks: 1 with and one without a car. 🙈 ugh. It was all poorly done, if I do say so myself.

TRES: ...I can't actually think of a tres, but I just really wanted to quote "Que Hora Es?" But some fun highlights of this week are when we smashed furniture at service with the Elders. They were very patient and gave us pointers on how to swing a sledge hammer and a hatchet. It's ridiculously stress-relieving.

CUATRO: We saw old mission buddies on our temple tour! Shout out to Elder Cruz, who spent 6 transfers with us here in O-Zone, and Elder Isaacson, the ONLY member of the fantastic 5 (original Mexico squad) who isn't here in O-Zone right now. It was really good to see them!

CINCO: Spiritual Moment, brought to you by the Book of Mormon. Please turn to Mosiah 23:36-37 (and also a little bit of 27 and 29).
I've never quite understood why Alma just gave up his people to the Lamanites. Why not just book it out of there? You all did it once, just do it again. Or why not lie to the Lamanites, and while the rest are wandering around lost in the desert, overpower the guards that are still there and THEN book it out of there? Well, this time, I was studying spiritual gifts while reading this part, and it clicked. Alma (the older??) had spent so much of his life lying and cheating and deceiving and being a terrible person. When he came across the gospel and felt the truth strike deep in his core, he would've had to make some MASSIVE changes. And as we make hard, sacrifice-requiring changes in our lives, we find ourselves closer to God and quite happier. He would've had a testimony of the joy of living the gospel. And then, as we learn in verse 27, he has Faith like unto the Brother of Jared! He knew that God was aware of who they were and what was happening in their lives. He would take care of them. And Alma believed that so much that when it came to the decision between lying to the invading army or telling the truth and probably getting taken over, Alma chose the harder right. His actions told God that he would rather always be honest and on the Lord's side - even if that means becoming slaves to the Lamanite army - than to return to the slippery usage of trickery. And so they became slaves. ISN'T THAT AMAZING!?! And perhaps the even cooler part of this is how God reacts to all of this. In chapter 24 verses 16-19. God allows them to be honest in their "being delivered out of bondage." Unlike the people of Limhi who bribe guards with wine and then sneak out at night, the people of Alma walk out the front door in broad daylight. They then spend only 12 (unguided, mind you) days in the wilderness before they find Zarahemla. WOW! I love that the faith of Alma in the Lord to deliver them from all trials was strong enough to perform a miracle that profound! God really does have us, and He really will take care of us. Do you trust Him?

...: Ok, I'm done.

FOTOS!!
The few successful moments on Tuesday.