Elder Sorenson - July 30, 2018

Hi Everyone!!

Another week down and it was full of so many things. This past week went by super fast! I think it was because we had to travel a bit for conferences and a few interviews that I had to do.

A tradition in every zone conference is that the missionaries that are finishing their mission get to share their testimonies of this 2 year experience. A few Elders bore theirs and then it hit me! The missionaries that shared their testimony only have 6 weeks more than me! I honestly can’t believe I am actually finishing my two years of service.

My message to you today is about the importance of enjoying your time and living your moment. It is important to enjoy everything you do. People say that, “After the work is done, if there’s time, then that’s when you can laugh.” But that is 100% not true! You have to laugh DURING the work and enjoy every minute of it! It goes by so fast! Everything does. Missions, growth of a child, trips, school, life, etc. Enjoy it and learn to laugh while you work and it will be much more enjoyable. This is how I’ve enjoyed these past two years so much. I have learned to laugh while working and it has made the hardships so much more worth it and I have experienced so much more joy and happiness!

I love you.

I hope that during these next few months you can enjoy your days even more and that whenever things get tough, you remember to serve more and remember that Elder Sorenson is always praying for you!

Love Always,

Elder Sorenson

Elder Sorenson - July 23, 2018

Hi Everyone!

Well, another week went by and went by super fast!

Last week something happened in the mission and my companion Elder Olguin had changes. For the past week,  my new companion and I have been working together. His name is Elder Montellanos and he is from Bolivia as well. I have been reminded this past week about the importance of patient and that every missionary has “their way” of working. Some ways might be the same or similar as yours, but the majority of the time their way is different from yours.

There are some missionaries who like to involve the members, there are some who only knock on doors, and there are some who look for part-member families. There are so many different ways to find people and different approaches. Every missionary is different. What I have seen and learned these past 22 months with my companion (good or bad) is that we have different ways of finding people and we all have different ways of working, but we all have one huge thing in common; we are all here to “Invite others to come unto Christ.”

Now, the difference between a good and bad companion is that a good companion always thinks of his companion first! A good companion is willing to try new ways and the techniques of his companion and always be supportive of his companion because both are working for the same goal. A bad companion would be a missionary who doesn’t want to try new ideas from his companion and says that he came to this mission “like this” and is going to end “like this.” That is not the point of a mission! The point of a mission is to GROW, CHANGE, and LEARN. Not to stay the same for these two years. From our companions, we are to change and adjust our habits. This is why we don’t have just one companion for two years. We are always changing and adjusting to our circumstances. Now it’s our decision to adjust with gladness or to do so grudgingly.

I love all of you and I know the church is true!

Keep being true to the faith and always remember to put the Lord first, then others, then yourself. I promise you that when you do this, you will be blessed and feel God’s love!

Love Always,

Elder Sorenson
3 Nephi 5:13

Elder Sorenson - July 16, 2018

Elder Sorenson did not have time to write a letter today; however, he e-mailed us several pictures!

Elder Sorenson - July 9, 2018

Hi Everyone!

I have been in this new sector for two weeks now and let me just tell you that the people who live by the coast here are so much more open to learning about the gospel than where I was before. I love it here, but I did forget how hot it gets here. I am always sweating and my face is ALWAYS RED!

An experience that happened this past week to my companion and I was that during my first few days here, we contacted a lady and asked if we could teach her. She accepted and we talked to her about the Restoration of the Gospel. We left her with a Book of Mormon and the invitation to pray about what we taught. She then had to leave town for her work for 2 weeks, which now brings us to the present time. Yesterday, we left our phone in the house on accident and when we came back to pick it up, we had 7 missed calls from a random number. We called the number back to discover that it was the lady whom we had taught weeks earlier! We asked her if we could come to her house and see how she was doing. She agreed. When we entered her house, we asked her questions about how’s she been, what’s she been up to, etc. We also asked her how she felt about the earlier lesson and she said that she prayed and had received an answer. My companion and I were in complete shock. She then looked at us and said, “I know this church is true, with all my heart.” My companion and I wanted to leap for joy! We were so happy for her and that she received an answer from our Heavenly Father.

The reason I shared this story today is because I want to share with you the power of prayer. Prayer is something that has helped me throughout my life, but especially during the mission. We are able to pray for anything and God has promised us that He will answer us in HIS TIME and in HIS WAY. I know it to be true that we can pray and we will receive answers. Even when we are sad and depressed, God will comfort us and help us get through our trials.
I invite everyone to pray and ask God, the Eternal Father, for help with anything and, if it is just, He will answer you!

I love you and want to bear my testimony that this church is true and that Jesus Christ lives! He loves us and our Heavenly Father is waiting for us to get down on our knees and pray to Him.

I miss you and I’ll see you soon!

Love Always,

Elder Sorenson

Elder Sorenson - July 2, 2018

Hi Everyone!

Well, I am now in a new sector and a new city where EVERYTHING is the complete opposite as to what it was before. I am in a city named Arenillas. It is actually really close to Machala (where I was a year ago). It is nice and hot outside, mosquitoes EVERYWHERE, and chickens crow every single hour of the night. So if anyone could give me advice of how to sleep through cock-a-doodle-dos, it would be very much appreciated. I forgot how open the people who live on the coast are here! They are a lot more willing to listen and hear what we have to say.

My new companion is from Bolivia and is named Elder Olgvin. He is super cool, super nice, and is a very hard worker. I’m very excited to work in this new sector because there’s so much potential here!

As most of you know, I am ending my mission pretty soon (9/19/18). I still don’t know how I feel about going home because serving a mission has been the greatest decision I’ve made in my life. I’m saying this because when I received my new sector, I was also assigned to be the District Leader. To be honest, at first, it made me sad and I didn’t want to stop serving as a Zone Leader. I know I’m ending my mission and that is why I stopped serving as a Zone Leader, but it still hurt. The more I thought about it, the more I had to remember this quote from Dallin H. Oaks, “We do not ‘step down’ when we are released and we do not ‘step up’ when we are called. There is no ‘up or down’ in the service of the Lord. There is only ‘forward or backward’ and the difference depends on how we accept and act upon our releases or callings.”

I absolutely love this quote because it has helped me during the mission and I know that after I get home, it will help me even more. The Lord knows why I am here and what I need to do in these last few months on the mission. I just need to be willing to accept His will and obey His commandments.

I love you all and will see you soon! Enjoy America’s birthday for me because I sure do miss it. Light an extra firework for me and remember that I will see you soon and will be home for the next one!!

Love Always,

Elder Sorenson
Jacob 1:19