Hi everyone!!
I'm no longer able to keep up on Jennesa and Spencer's mission blogs! I decided I'm going to put the time into just making a digital book for their missions. I'm sorry for those of you who read this blog! If you would like to get on their email lists, you will receive all of their pictures and letters that I put on this blog...so you won't miss out on anything!! :-) (Email your address to lcoleman1@gmail.com and we will add you to their lists!!) Thanks for all your support for our missionaries! It truly is a sacrifice that brings forth such blessings! We feel so grateful!
All our love,
Jennifer
Thursday, October 22, 2015
Tuesday, September 22, 2015
Week #49 -- Hna. Steward, nuevo vestido (new dress), Noche de Cine (Movie night), Elena y Luciana :(
Sept. 14, 2015:
11 months in the mission field!!
Well...the week after cambios (transfers) is always really long...because it seems so weird that just a week ago I was companions with Hna. Nielsen! I sure hope she is loving it up there in Cajamarca! I sure love her and miss her.
Wow! Hna. Stewart is a blast! She is so funny. She knows so much about the gospel and she loves it! Wow...crazy to think that we will both hit our year marks this cambio! Time flies!
Some fun bullet points!
Jennesa and Hermana Stewart this morning!!
HNA. STEWART:
-12th child in her family! She has 14 siblings!!!! Wow! :D
-She is from Cedar City, Utah!
-Loves red vine licorice
-Fav. book: Ella Enchanted
-Super funny and always calls me "man" or "dude" :D
-Amazing in her Spanish!
-We both talk in our sleep
-Has a very strong testimony
-Loves Frozen! :D
-Has a beautiful voice! :D
We were able to teach this wonderful lady named Sara this week. She is actually a referral from Hermana Marler when she was helping us look for rooms. :D Well...Sara is a single mom who has an 18 year old daughter, Sachi, a 2 year old daughter, Miluska and a baby on the way. She is young...only 39 and she is fun to laugh and talk with. I love it because at first her heart was really hard and closed to us but now...she told us that her home is our home and loves being with us. In her closing prayer she asked Heavenly Father to help us never stop visiting her even if she would never come to our church...ooops...looks like we have some work to do. She is really struggling to believe in profetas (prophets) but we have asked her to pray about it...and we left The Restoration with her andSachi...and Sachi is really interested! So we are hoping, praying, and thinking that Sachi is the clave (the key)! :D
Oh...so sad. Elena and Luciana (they were baptized 22 of Aug) haven't come to church once after their confirmation. And this week...right after Hna. Nielsen left, Elena called us and told us that they didn't have time for our visits during the week and that they would just see us at church or in the streets. She asked us not to go to their house. I was so distraught...because I didn't know why and I still don't. But luckily we were able to have a tender mercy and were able to get into their home and visit and talk with Luciana. It is so hard to communicate with them because their only number isn't working and they don't want us knocking on their door...because they rent and live in another house behind their land lady's building! So frustrating! But I am praying constantly for them! :D
RANDOM:
-So an incredible lady in our ward finished sewing a dress for me and I LOVE it! I wore it to church yesterday...but i forgot to take a pic...so I'll try to send one next week! :D
-We were able to have a fun Movie Night on Friday and watch the Testaments as a ward mission activity!
INSPIRATIONALS Y FUNNIES:
-So I have actually said "dude" twice now! Oh buddy! :D
-"We lighten the loads of others best by helping the Lord strengthen them."
From the talk "The Comforter" by Pres. Eyring
I have been loving the Conference talks! I have a goal to finish reading them all before Conference here in a couple of weeks! they are the best!
-Also 2 Nefi 22:2
"He aquí, Dios es mi salvación confiare y no temeré, porque elSeñor Jehova es mi fortaleza y mi canción y también ha llegado aser salvación para mi." (Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid; for the Lord Jehovah is my strength and my song; he also has become my salvation.)
WHAT COMFORT!!!! I love the scriptures!
Loves,
Hermana Coleman :D
Monday, September 7, 2015
20 AÑOS!!, Adios Hna. Nielsen...Hola Hna. Stewart!
Sept. 7, 2015:
Amazing familia and friends!!! :D
Holy Camoly...first of all I just want to thank everyone for your sweet b-day wishes! What a special surprise to find so many fun emails to read! Loved it!
It was super fun to have my birthday this week and to fill all the love from the wonderful people here in Vista Alegre! I sure love them all! What an amazing area! :D I even got cake smashed in my face...jaja!
So much fun to celebrate my birthday with Hna. Nielsen and the members here! And Pres. Marler and Hna. Marler even called me that night! So fun!
Wow! What a week! We received transfers this week and Hna. Nielsen will now be serving in Cajamarca!!!! :D Holy Cow! She is so super excited to go...so has wanted to go to Cajamarca for so long now! My new companion will be Hna. Stewart who is from Utah too! She is 1 of 14 kids! :D We were actually in the CCM together and she left 2 weeks before my group to the Chiclayo mission...but with the boundary changes she is now in our mission! I am honestly a little nervous...but what a blessing to know that all cambios are revelation from the Lord! :D I hope that we can get really close and really love it here and work so hard here in Vista Alegre!
gotta love torta! :D We are still trying to finish this one up! Soooo stinkin good! called selva negra! chocolate and strawberry jam!
We were able to call and get to know this sweet lady, Natalia. She has been the witness of many special miracles in her life so she knows that the church is true. She is so ready to be baptized as a member...but she is living with her pareja. They both want to get married but her husband is not divorced from his other marriage...but they have been separated for 20 years. They have a 13 year old. Marriage is so tricky here...when we actually find someone who is married it is so very rare...which is really sad. But we are really working to help her and her pareja! :D She loves learning all she can about the church! It is incredible!
Well...we were able to have an amazing cambio this change...and I really feel that this change was a little gift for me and Hna. Nielsen! What an incredible time together...and know I have another best friend for life! :D
Celebrating my b'day with my zone the day before...and the last pic of me when I was 19! wow!
RANDOM:
-I was given 3 cakes for my birthday at different times throughout the day! Wow! So amazing how loving the people are! :D
One of the three cakes she got for her birthday!!
-We have a fun quote wall and it has been getting even more full over these last few days!
-Well...I have officially decided that I am going to be a Plumber when I grow up! jaja! *Refer to funnies! ;)
FUNNIES Y INSPIRATIONALS:
-So ON my birthday...I went to use the bathroom during studies and our toilet is kind of really annoying and it clogs really easily...so well...it clogged and I was plunging it...well I could hear the water and other stuff coming up the shower drain under the plug...but that was normal...but then I heart a sound coming from the sink drain and what do you know but nasty black water stuff came up the sink when I was plunging the toilet and it wasn't unclogging! Oh buddy! Such an adventure! Finally after many many tries! I UNCLOGGED THE TOILET!!! :D Exitos! jaja! Sorry...kind of an irreverant story! :/
so these nice men on the street who had met us when looking for rooms bought us honey covered apples! jaja! so yummy! and somethin else! :D
And then we finally got the light fixed in our bathroom!!!!
A fun picture in the park!
I mean, we will talk to EVERYONE about the gospel!!
-The Lord is in our lives! We were able to obey a prompting and go and visit our amazing ward Relief Society president who is incredible! She is like our mom here in Vista Alegre! Well...she just broke down when we were there and is actually really struggling with her marriage and other things! What a blessing that the Lord can really work through us if we let Him! :D
LOVES TO EVERYONE!!!!! :D
Loves,
Hermana Jennesa Coleman :D
Hi J! Just read your email! It's so fun to hear from you! you are an incredible daughter and missionary! Love you so much can't believe Hermana Nielsen's leaving! New adventures ahead right?!
Love you,
Mom
Oh mom! Love you so much! :) I'm going to ask Pres. what he thinks about parents coming to pick up!
Loves!!!!!
I LOVE how you celebrated my b'day!
Temple grounds, LDS Family Services, Saul, Southern Español :D FELIZ CUMPLEAÑOS BREE!!!!! 10!
Aug. 31, 2015:
FELIZ CUMPLEAÑOS BREE!!!!! 10!
BREEEEE!!!!!
I Love you so much and I so hope you had the best b-day ever! This is a pic in front of the big market close to our room! I'll be sending some other pics with your sign!
Love you so much and hope you had tons of fun at the Nikelcade! I was eating pizza on Saturday night thinking of you! :D We were probably eating pizza at the same time!
All my love!
Your sis!
Incredible Fam and friends!!!! :D
LOVES TO YOU ALL here from Trujillo Peru...Vista Alegre!
This week we were able to take our two recent converts, Luciana and Elena to the temple grounds! It was a little chilly but it was soooo worth it! We didn't tell them where we were going and they got excited and gasped when we entered into the temple gates! We were able to thank them for being such great examples in our lives and tell them how wonderful the temple is and how it can be there proximo meta! We were able to take pics and enjoy the night with them! They are both so sweet and humble!
With Elena and Luciana (14) at the temple!
(The wind was going crazy that night!!)
I have been feeling and thinking really trunkie lately and I don't like it. So I am really working to just lose myself in the work more and more. I am so grateful for this time that the Lord has blessed me with to be a missionary...a representative of my older brother Jesus Christ! What an incredible opportunity to prepare myself for my future! :D And to make these wonderful relationships with the amazing people of Perú! I just love them all sooooo much!!!! :D
In one of our lessons this week with our investigator, Saúl he had so many questions! He saw that in the back of the pamphlet (Plan of Salvation) there is a space with questions and scriptures that go along with them and he got all excited and wanted to fill them all out with us! So we were able to help him fill some of them out! He is golden in our lessons...but still hasn't realized the importance of coming to church...so hopefully he will be able to realize the blessings him and his family can receive from this wonderful gospel! :D
RANDOM:
-I would love some blue tape (that doesn't remove paint from walls) and stamps if possible! :D
-We caught the rat on film this week! Weeee hoooo!
-We were also able to order Pizza Hut! Whoooo Hoooo!
FUNNIES Y INSPIRATIONALS:
-So this past week we were walking and this guy passed us on a motorcycle and he was blowing kisses at us...oh golly! Well he was paying a little too much attention to us and skidded his front tire on the curb and almost crashed! Oh buddy! We were laughing so hard...but thank heavens he didn't crash! :D
-We decided to try and talk in Spanish with a Southern accent one afternoon while proselyting and it was too funny! Try it some time! ;D
-Wow! So I was able to have a wonderful experience during my personal studies this week. I have really been struggling thinking about my future and what I want to do for my career...because I have always wanted to be a mother in the home for my kids...but I also really want to gain an education and a career to fall back on to be prepared for anything. So I was reading in PME and I came across a bullet point in capitulo (Chapter)10 I think that talks about LDS Family Services and I had this amazing feeling come over me and I just stopped and thought. Wow! That is what I would love to do...I really want to help people...especially families, in the church, etc! So that was really neat. I really don't know that much about LDS Family Services...but I am really excited to look into it when I get home! :D
Love you all so much!!!!
Thank you for all your support! Keep smiling and being good examples for all those around you! I KNOW that this church is so true!
Loves,
Monday, August 24, 2015
Week #46 -- BAUTISMOS de Elena y Luciana!!!!!! (Elena and Luciana's Baptisms), our STINKY room, exchanges w/ HNA. SOUTH!
Aug. 24, 2015:
Wonderful Fam and Friends!!!! :D
Wow! This week was full of many adventures! OH MY HEAVENS TA BETSY! We were able to have TWO wonderful, amazing, and beautiful baptisms this week! Oh my heavens...so excited! These were the first baptisms in todo de mi mision!!!! :) Hna. Nielsen and I felt and are still feeling so very blessed! Elena and Luciana were VERY nervous but they were able to be baptized and confirmed after many prayers and helps. It was a very special weekend! Thank you for all your prayers and thoughts for these sweet daughters of God! They were confirmed and it was amazing! So super cute...Luciana (14) wore one of Hna. Nielsen's dresses on Saturday and one of my dresses on Sun! So fun! I was finally able to give them the very special Spanish CTR (mejor dicho...HLJ :)) rings that Mimi sent to me in a package! :D They loved them!
Baptism of Luciana and Elena
What an incredible night with these two daughters of God! :D
Welp...our room is such an adventure! Jaja! The zone leaders called us on Friday morning and told us that we need to move...again! :( Kind of a big bummer...but our bathroom is really having problems...ready? Well our heater for our shower was put in and after the first shower our circuit blew because our whole room is wired with telephone wires and so now we get to shower and go to the bathroom in the dark (with my flashlight :)) and they took the shower heater out with the shower head...so now it is a little chilly and it basically comes out like a hose...then the toilet is clogged...and if we don't plug the shower up remember what happens? :) Yep you got it...all the bathroom stuff comes up the shower drain...and the toilet is leaking on the bottom too. Well this morning we were just laughing so hard...like Hna. what do we do?! jaja! I mean we love living with rats and cockroaches...they really help us in planning...but we would like a bathroom that works! So we really need to find a room ASAP! Which is kind of really difficult...but we know that with Heavenly Father...EVERYTHING is possible! :D (Sorry...don't feel bad at all...this is actually a fun adventure that we are laughing about now and will forever be laughing about!)
So we may or may not have found a random bone in our room.
I think the rat brought it in! jaja! oh buddy!
I was able to go on exchanges with HNA. SOUTH!!! this past week! So fun to finally be reunited as companions after the CCM! :D She sure is an incredible missionary and such an example to me! She really was able to help me and we were able to work hard...which felt SOOOOO GOOD! and have so much fun while at it!
RANDOM:
-We ate this dish called "Picante de la mar" and it was a yummy sauce with spices and with octopus, clams, and shrimp and it was actually super good! The octopus even still had all the suction cups on it!
-My ringworm is getting better! jaja! :D
-During intercambios (splits)...Hna. Beasley made no bake cookies for us! So stinkin' delicious!
In our planning last night!
(planning the next day for their service and teaching)
FUNNIES Y INSPIRATIONALS:
-Well our room is super funny...we laugh a lot! We decided we only reply to "Hellos"...yes in English in the streets if the person or people are younger than 10! jaja!
-We had a wonderful training JUST for the hermanas in our zone...because we have the most hermanas in our zone in the whole mission! 15 hermanas! Wow! Hna. South and Hna. Blackburn planned if for us (our hna. leaders) and it was so spiritually uplifting! They asked me to share about my picking up coins habit and who my angel was with the sweet little poem that goes along with it!
"I found a penny today
Just laying on the ground.
But it's not just a penny,
This little coin I've found.
Found pennies come from heaven,
That's what my Grandpa told me.
He said Angles toss them down.
Oh, how I loved that story.
He said when an Angel misses you,
They toss a penny down.
Sometimes just to cheer you up,
To make a smile out of your frown.
So, don't pass by that penny,
When you're feeling blue.
It may be a penny from heaven,
That an Angel's tossed to you!"
Don't you all just love that!? So I sure hope you can all look for the "pennies" in your lives...the sweet tender mercies that sometimes we let pass by! Let's recognize them and thank our Heavenly Father for them!
Loves to you all!!!!!
Hermana Coleman :D
Here is an amazingly sweet letter we got from Hermana South's Mom that shares more about their experiences together!! She forwarded it from Hermana South...
"This week started out with something really special. There have been a few of the 14 hermanas in our zone that have been struggling a little bit and we wanted to do something really special for all the hermanas as hermana leaders. We got permission to have a morning where we could all meet up as hermanas in our church here in Barrio California and just have a recharging of spiritual batteries here. Sounds awesome right? Well... then we have to plan it... haha and it's safe to say that me and han Blackburn were pretty stuck for a while cause we just wanted it to be GREAT!... We got a feeling to call hermana Marler and see if she would talk.. she said that she would miss interviews that she was doing just to be there for it... ( I stinking love her) then we were just lost a bit again... we wanted to use the girls in the zone to talk and be in charge of giving different talks because there are so many amazing girls in this zone. While proselyting one night han blackburn and I were talking while walking to our next appointment... we decided to stop and pray for help... so we prayed that we would be guided in choosing who we should have help put the activity together and what they should speak on. Almost immediately, and I kid you not, Hna. Nielsen and Hna. Coleman's names came to our minds. Hna Nielson is an AMAZING pianist... and we decided that we should ask her to bare her testimony on music and the spirit, and how they work together for her and then have her play a piece after. Then hna Coleman's sweet testimony came to my mind.. while in the CCM with her, it didn't take me very long to recognize that she had a very special spirit and person that was with her. Its almost startling how powerful her spirit is.. She has a very very special angel that is with her in her mission named Hyrum. Hes her little brother, and Ill say hes one of the missionaries called here in Trujillo Peru because you can literally feel the work that he is doing here. I made the connection with her sweet spirit... and the amazing sweet companion that I have right now.. She also has an angel, and we know that he is working in a trio with us right now. His name is Keltson and he is her older brother, and really.. an amazing missionary. Both Hna Coleman and Hna Blackburn have been my comps.. and its funny cause the second you meet them you can tell they are so pure and being with them is heart warming and they glow with the spirit of the gospel which is an empowering force in their lives, I have noticed something about them both as well.. they both collect pennies.. and coins. Whatever ones they see on the ground! As you get to know them they will share with you that these pennies are very special to them, and they aren't just ordinary pennies! They are pennies from heaven. There is a sweet quote that they both have up in their rooms that is called "pennies from heaven." I don't believe coincidences... a coincidences is just when God is the author, and decides to remain silent... but in about 1 min, I made that connection and asked Hna Blackburn if she would be okay with sharing her testimony and story about her brother and angels in missionary work. WE asked Hna Coleman to do the same.. and they went above and beyond. They copied out the poem for each hermana, and translated it into spanish for everyone... They told about their sweet angels and how they have felt their influences in our work here.. and Hna Coleman gave everyone one of her special pennies... It was amazing how we could FEEL the spirit almost tangibly and we all knew that this work was bigger than just us. We have help from the other side, our angels and the angels of the people here. We are helping them do the work here and it is so important to them. I'm so grateful for my amazing companions!!! My testimony is growing everyday thanks to the wonderful people that I meet here, and I love helping the lord and his angels do this work!!! I is truly an honor to be a missionary of The Lord!! Also, Hna Marler's talk was amazing... she talked about each of us individually and our talents and gifts that she has seen and felt, and she gave each of us a bag of her favorite candy and a CTR ring. I LOVVVVE HER!! We also got permission to watch "errand of angels" with the hermanas!! We popped popcorn and the zone leaders were actually there for the whole thing, and I think they loved it all as well even though it was hermanay and girly haha! As a zone I can feel that this helped that the hermanas felt ready to get back out and do this amazing work we have such a short time to do! I'm so thankful for the spirit and for the help that we can receive directly from the lord!! Its AMAZING!
Here is an amazingly sweet letter we got from Hermana South's Mom that shares more about their experiences together!! She forwarded it from Hermana South...
"This week started out with something really special. There have been a few of the 14 hermanas in our zone that have been struggling a little bit and we wanted to do something really special for all the hermanas as hermana leaders. We got permission to have a morning where we could all meet up as hermanas in our church here in Barrio California and just have a recharging of spiritual batteries here. Sounds awesome right? Well... then we have to plan it... haha and it's safe to say that me and han Blackburn were pretty stuck for a while cause we just wanted it to be GREAT!... We got a feeling to call hermana Marler and see if she would talk.. she said that she would miss interviews that she was doing just to be there for it... ( I stinking love her) then we were just lost a bit again... we wanted to use the girls in the zone to talk and be in charge of giving different talks because there are so many amazing girls in this zone. While proselyting one night han blackburn and I were talking while walking to our next appointment... we decided to stop and pray for help... so we prayed that we would be guided in choosing who we should have help put the activity together and what they should speak on. Almost immediately, and I kid you not, Hna. Nielsen and Hna. Coleman's names came to our minds. Hna Nielson is an AMAZING pianist... and we decided that we should ask her to bare her testimony on music and the spirit, and how they work together for her and then have her play a piece after. Then hna Coleman's sweet testimony came to my mind.. while in the CCM with her, it didn't take me very long to recognize that she had a very special spirit and person that was with her. Its almost startling how powerful her spirit is.. She has a very very special angel that is with her in her mission named Hyrum. Hes her little brother, and Ill say hes one of the missionaries called here in Trujillo Peru because you can literally feel the work that he is doing here. I made the connection with her sweet spirit... and the amazing sweet companion that I have right now.. She also has an angel, and we know that he is working in a trio with us right now. His name is Keltson and he is her older brother, and really.. an amazing missionary. Both Hna Coleman and Hna Blackburn have been my comps.. and its funny cause the second you meet them you can tell they are so pure and being with them is heart warming and they glow with the spirit of the gospel which is an empowering force in their lives, I have noticed something about them both as well.. they both collect pennies.. and coins. Whatever ones they see on the ground! As you get to know them they will share with you that these pennies are very special to them, and they aren't just ordinary pennies! They are pennies from heaven. There is a sweet quote that they both have up in their rooms that is called "pennies from heaven." I don't believe coincidences... a coincidences is just when God is the author, and decides to remain silent... but in about 1 min, I made that connection and asked Hna Blackburn if she would be okay with sharing her testimony and story about her brother and angels in missionary work. WE asked Hna Coleman to do the same.. and they went above and beyond. They copied out the poem for each hermana, and translated it into spanish for everyone... They told about their sweet angels and how they have felt their influences in our work here.. and Hna Coleman gave everyone one of her special pennies... It was amazing how we could FEEL the spirit almost tangibly and we all knew that this work was bigger than just us. We have help from the other side, our angels and the angels of the people here. We are helping them do the work here and it is so important to them. I'm so grateful for my amazing companions!!! My testimony is growing everyday thanks to the wonderful people that I meet here, and I love helping the lord and his angels do this work!!! I is truly an honor to be a missionary of The Lord!! Also, Hna Marler's talk was amazing... she talked about each of us individually and our talents and gifts that she has seen and felt, and she gave each of us a bag of her favorite candy and a CTR ring. I LOVVVVE HER!! We also got permission to watch "errand of angels" with the hermanas!! We popped popcorn and the zone leaders were actually there for the whole thing, and I think they loved it all as well even though it was hermanay and girly haha! As a zone I can feel that this helped that the hermanas felt ready to get back out and do this amazing work we have such a short time to do! I'm so thankful for the spirit and for the help that we can receive directly from the lord!! Its AMAZING!
I also had an intercambio with Han Coleman this week... she is INCREDIBLE!! WE had soo much fun together and taught some AMAZING lessons! And guess what? That was our first time teaching together since the CCM and we can actually speak spanish now!!! Hahaha... it was so fun thinking about the great amazing and spiritual times we had together in the CCM, she truly is one of my very best friends and a dear person in my heart! When she teaches every word that comes our of her mouth is filled with love and powered and backed up with the truth that comes from the spirit!! AHH! I was blown away! We taught the first lesson to one of our investigators, and when she said the first vision I was mesmerized, and my heart was super filled. The spirit testified of the truth of it too cause the guys was like., "holy cow that happened I didn't even know that!!" Hahaha.. thats why we are here!!! I love her, we made no bake cookies at night together and took pics with our AGGIE and BYU shirts together, and our prayer at night was super special and one ill never forget."
With Hermana South in the CCM and Now!!
With Hermana South in the CCM and Now!!
Sunday, August 23, 2015
Nuevo cuarto!, sicky :(, ratas, milagros!!! :D
Aug. 17, 2015:
Amazing fam and friends!!! :D
Amazing fam and friends!!! :D
(Diana and Nate! I am so stinkin excited for your sweet family! Braden and Janna too!!!! :D Jaclyn I sure loved all the fun pics from your wedding! I'm so excited to get to know your husband!!! :D Wow! so many fun things!)
Well...this week was sure eventful, full, different, long, short! Wow! jaja! Hna. Nielsen has been sick since Thursday so that has been tough...because I really want to help her feel better...but we also need to keep working too...there is definitely a balance!
We were able to move into a new room (apartment)...finally! After about 2 1/2 weeks of searching and searching! Whooo Hooo! Oh my...so the first night in our new room...as we came in from proselyting we turned on the lights and all of a sudden a big sized gray rat runs up our wall and up on this pipe and outside! AAAAAHHHH! Then we realized each time we flush the toilet...what we flush :/ comes up the shower drain in a little fountain! :/ Ay ay ay! So much fun! But we actually were able to plug it up! Whew! :D
Poor Hermana Nielsen..sick! :-(
We were able to move into a new room (apartment)...finally! After about 2 1/2 weeks of searching and searching! Whooo Hooo! Oh my...so the first night in our new room...as we came in from proselyting we turned on the lights and all of a sudden a big sized gray rat runs up our wall and up on this pipe and outside! AAAAAHHHH! Then we realized each time we flush the toilet...what we flush :/ comes up the shower drain in a little fountain! :/ Ay ay ay! So much fun! But we actually were able to plug it up! Whew! :D
Jennesa and Hermana Nielsen in their new apartment!!
"We had a sleepover out in our big room (in our old room) to celebrate my 10 months! Then I didn't have to get up on my top bunk without a ladder! jaja! I use a chair and my non-existant abs...jaja! But really it's true! :/"
We were also able to see some really neat miracles this week though!
This week Elena and Luciana passed their BAPTISMAL INTERVIEWS!!!!! :) So amazing! Luciana is 14 and Elena (her mom) is about 47. They were referencias del templo (temple referrals) and they were so golden...so Hna. Nielsen has told me. They are so cute, humble, happy, and loving! Luciana gives the best hugs ever...she squeezes very hard and then moves from side to side! (My back might crack every time...but I love them still!) They live in a very humble one room adobe-mud-brick house with one bed...a desk...a little stove...a t.v....and they hang storage stuff (clothes and things) on nails that are sticking out of their wall. Their bathroom is outside...kind of like alittle shed/outhouse thing. They have 3 dogs that they LOVE and treat like their babies! :) I have already grown to love them both so much! :D The gospel is going to bless their lives so much! So exciting! They are super excited for their baptism...we told them we were going to take care of the refrigerio...pie de limon! Wow...22 de agosto! (Aug. 22nd) What a special day it will be! :D I just kind of want to scream thinking about it! Yiiiiiii whoooooo! :D
Another amazing thing that happened this week...we received a call from Saul (one of our investigatores...we had actually tried to call him to get an appt. with him but he didn't answer) Anyway...he told me he had read the Book of Mormon in the chapter we has asked (3 nefi 11) and that it talked about boutismo. I think he was driving in his taxi as he was talking because the wind was super loud...so I had to ask him if he would repeat...casi todo! (like always!) :D But he went on to tell me how it talked about how we need to be baptized to follow the example of Christ and how he wanted to keep reading and learning more so he...could...be baptized...AS SOON AS POSSIBLE!!! :D Isn't that amazing! I was kind of freaking out on the other line! :D Such a neat experience! I sure hope he can progress with his wife and his little girls! :D
This week I was able to read two amazing talks outloud to Hna. Nielsen! So we both benefited! :D When you have time...look them up! "His Grace is Sufficient" by Brad Wilcox and Adversity in Prayer by H. Burke Peterson. They are incredible! A couple quotes: "As we learn to develp this two-way communication, the standard of our life will improve. We will see things more clearly, we will try harder to do better, we will see the real joy that can come through trials and testing." "No, we are not earning heaven. We are learning heaven. We are preparing for it." Loved these two talks! :D Thanks for sending them to me so stinkin fast dad! :D
RANDOM:
-I think cockroaches scream...or squeak when you kill them...I had to find out the hard way! :Z
-Got your package this week! With the blue shirt, pink sweater, granola bars (that we love!), and all the amazing notes...and the amazing binder! I LOVED IT! :D
-We made the best b-day card ever for an hermana in our district! So stinkin cute! You are all going to love the pic!
The minion b-day card! So fun! :) It turned out so cute!
Loving the pink sweater you sent me! Wore it to church yesterday and got so many comments!
Love you all so much!
INSPIRATIONALS Y FUNNIES:
-Cool thought I found in my scripture/spiritual journal..."2 Nefi 24:14 "I will ascend above the heights of the clouds and I will be like the Most High." "I" in the above scripture is Satan. Interesting how he said he will be LIKE the Most High but he will not be EQUAL TO or HIGHER THAN...he is not more powerful than our Heavenly Father. How comforting. He can fool us to thinking he can be LIKE him...but no." I loved that! :)
-We were laughing so hard last night with our pensionista and her family! They were trying to speak English and we would help them but we were just all busting up! Fun to relax and just laugh! :)
Love you all!
Loves,
Hermana Coleman :D
Aug. 11, 2015:
Dear incredible familia y amigos!!!!
Dear incredible familia y amigos!!!!
(Seriously love you all so stinkin much!!!)
Oh my heavens bless...guess what?! We were able to go to the Trujillo Temple today as a zone...with Pres. and Hna. Marler!!! My first session in the Trujillo Temple! I LOVED it! (For this reason our p-day is today instead of yesterday) What a special experience...I was really able to feel the love of my Savior and grow in MY love for Him! What a blessing in our lives that we have a Savior who can save us if we let Him and come unto Him!
Our awesome district in front of the beautiful Trujillo Temple!
Wow...another week! Where does the time go...seriously? This week we were able to see some neat little miracles. We were finally able to find one of our temple referencias, Yolanda, in her house and she invited us right in! We were talking to her about her life and she was so golden...she kept making comments about how we were guides for her and how she wanted to follow the example of Jesus Christ. So even though we hadn't even started with a prayer we both felt to invite her right then and there to be baptized when she came to know the truth for herself...and we HAD NOT planned this so....I showed all 5 of my fingers...for the 5th of Sept. and we invited her with a date too! Whoooo Hoooo! It was really so special...she is so sweet and really wants to keep learning how she can better her life. In our other lesson with her...she was so cute in her prayer...she asked that "her hermanas" could keep coming back to help and visit her! Wow! I sure hope she keeps on progressing and coming closer to her Heavenly Father!
Holy Cow...this week I reached 10 months in my mission...so odd how fast time flies! Wow! I need time to slow down a little! I am loving to get to know the people of Vista Alegre and I am definitley loving having Hna. Nielsen for my comp! She sure is amazing!
Wow! We were able to have interviews with Pres. Marler, Hna. Marler, and the assistants this week!!!! I always love interviews so much...always come out uplifted and more excited!
"Our interview with Hna. Marler was AMAZING!! We always have companionship intervies with her. We talked about our carpeta de area (area book) and whew! It was up-to-date because we had been working on it...and now we have new desires and a goal to do it for just like 10 min. each night. Oh something new for me was that we did our whole interview in ENGLISH! Really interesting...Hna. Marler tols us that we need to be saying at least one prayer in English each day because it is our native language and we will be using English to teach the gospel more in our whole lives than Spanish. It made me stop and think...because I am always thinking about my Spanish and how I need to improve it and how I need to speak more in just Spanish. But now I have realized that with a North Americn comp, Hna. Nielsen, it feels SO GOOD to fully be able to communicate my thoughts, ideas, and feelings.
Hna. Marler said so many things that I needed so badly...but beforehand I didn't know I needed to hear them! She talked about her convesrion story and how the missionaries who first talked to her marker her life...and to them she is forever grateful. She was baptized about a year later...but those missionaries helped start the process. :) It just shows that every moment is precious and we need to give our all in every lesson with each person. We are touching lives...even if we aren't baptizing! What relief to hear...and what a blessing. Hna. Marler was so sweet and personal with us! She told us how special we are and how much she loves us! It was such a neat interview...and she even gave us a scrumpcious homemade cookies afterwards! :D"
RANDOM:
-So uhhhh...we were playing futbol as a zone this week...and I totally jammed my finger...I shook it off and kept playing (cuz I didn't want to be a wimp ;)). Then I ran to stop the ball from going out and as I put my foot on it to stop it...I totally just kept going with the ball and fell HARD right on my tailbone (QUE VERGÜENZA!) Yeah...this is plain evidence that I am seriously lacking in my foot eye coordinancion! jaja! So it was a little tough to get up...so I was just taking a few minutes on the sidelines...but I felt horrible! Totally light headed...then Hna. Nielsen came up and said that my face was SO white and I told her that I felt I was going to pass out...and that is exactly what I did...what a baby right?! jaja! She said my pupils were so huge...there was hardly any color in my eyes! But NO WORRIES AT ALL!!! :) I am good now! Just a little sore! My finger is good too! I should have just slept in that morning...jaja! :) Gotta love the adventures!
-We have an amazing member who is on break this week from school and she just wants to accompany us all the time! her name is Krizia! She is the bomb!
-Guess what?! Hna. South is my hermana leader and we are in the same zone and DISTRICT!!!!! Can you believe it!? So stinkin fun!
FUNNIES Y INSPIRATIONALS:
Hermana South and Jennesa!!
(Companions in the CCM!)
-Oh my! So I have ringworm...just a little...we just like to laugh about it...I have cream and everything! So it is taken care of!
-In my interview with Pres. Marler we were able to talk about fervent and mighty prayer...We need to really picture Heavenly Father's face when we are praying, because we really are talking to Him!
Life is so good! Go out and do something for someone else!
Love you all!
Loves to the moon and back and farther,
Hermana Coleman :D
Friday, August 7, 2015
CRAZINESS!, Goodbyes, Lagartija, familia de oro!, Hna. Nielsen!
Aug. 3, 2015:
My wonderful familia y amigos!!!!!! :D
My wonderful familia y amigos!!!!!! :D
Wow! What a week...with goodbyes...with cambios (transfers)...with a new companion...HNA. NIELSEN!!!! (She's amazing!)...with a new area...etc. This week has sure felt really long...but we have had many adventures. It has been a little weird having a gringa (not a Spanish-speaking native) companion for the first time in my whole mission...but I am really loving it. We are able to actually share ALL of our feelings, thoughts, and ideas with each other...and it has really been helping me. But I do need to keep my Spanish up and it is tough for us not to get really excited and just speak in English in our room and in the streets when we're not talking to people...so I really want to work on this! Because this is one of my fears...that we are going to regress (is that even a word?) in our ability to speak Spanish. But I love it so much!!! :)
HNA. NIELSEN:
-Is incredible!
-Has about 6 months in the mission...went home to have her gal bladder taken out for two months right after her training...so she came out about 8 months ago
-From Greenleaf, Idaho
-Comes from a family of 8 kids, she is the oldest
-Studied for a year and a half at BYU-Idaho (did her generals to become a nurse)
-LOVES RUNNING!!!!!
-Fav. color: yellow
*Ok...we are so similar it blows both of our minds sometimes! jaja! But really...even little details about our lives...for example...both of our hands got stuck under the tredmill when we were little, her little sister had heart problems like Hyrum did...but she is doing great! :) So incredible! We really were meant to be companions!
Jennesa with her new companion, Hermana Nielsen (far right) and Hermana Sanchez in the moto taxi!
It was super hard to say goodbye to my sweet hija, Hermana Maydana and everyone in wonderful Laredo! I did cry...especially when the members gave me cute notes, hugs, and said such sweet things. Laredo will always have such a special place in my heart! :) But I have a good feeling about Vista Alegre too! We have lots of things in our heart right?! :)
Saying my goodbyes...the awesome family of my old bishop! The Ortechos and my amazing pensionista...Hna. Santos! The family Ticlia! :) We had to do funny pics after the normal smiling ones and they turned out so good! :D
We were able to teach a whole family this week and it was so very special! The Family Santa Cruz...we were just planning on teaching the mom...but her whole family was home. So we were able to teach her, her three kids, her niece, and her husband the first lesson! What a special spirit...the Dad and the niece were totally interested too! We both just felt a really special spirit with this sweet family and we were able to invite them to our ward activity on Friday...and the mom and her three kids came! And they loved it! Whoooo Hooooo! They didn't come to church...but we are so excited to help them have the gospel in their lives!
We get to go to the temple this next Tuesday as a zone and I am so looking forward to it! I haven't been able to do a session yet...and I can't wait! Whoo Hooo! :D
RANDOM:
-Been getting blisters for the first time in my mission...jaja! but they're not too bad!
-Hna. Nielsen is my new personal trainer...so awesome because before her mission she actually was a personal trainer! I am so sore though! jaja!
-We've been searching for rooms...and oh buddy! So tough...but ya know! The joys!
INSPIRATIONALS Y FUNNIES:
-Oh my heavens..so we were walking down the sidewalk and I saw a lizard...so we decided to catch it!!!! :) So Hna. Nielsen opened her wallet and we caught it! They are little...we were totally laughing and of course one of our investigatores (investigators) looked out her window and saw us! jaja! Those gringa missionaries! ;) So in our lessons that night we held her little coin purse with a little hole for air...for our LAGARTIJA (lizard in spanish). That night we kept him in there...he was sitting in the coin purse on our desk and in the morning...he wasn't there!!!! aaaaahhhh! So we randomly find him on our wall...and we aren't exactly sure where he is right now...but hey! fun memories! jaja!
Their lizard friend on their wall!!
-I heard something really neat yesterday in Fast and Testimony meeting in our ward that I loved! That the temple is just like a cell phone charger for our lives! We can go there to be recharged and to receive more energy and excitement for our lives, our difficulties, and our pruebas (problems)! I love that cool thought! :)
Wow! I sure love you all!
Keep smiling and living the way Christ wants you to!
Loves,
Hermana Coleman :-)
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