Week #20 -- Milagros TIME, Faith, Trust in the Lord's plan, CHURCH!

Dear wonderful family and friends! 

Wow another week has come and gone! Hna. Huayton is seriously a milagro (miracle) here in our area! She is so amazing at connecting with people...I swear she knows someone that each of our investigators know! :) Ha ha! Her fun attitude and spirit makes everyone want to talk to her...what a blessing she is to me and for our ward and area! :)

Wow...this week was sure full of miracles and faith building experiences. I have really had to think about faith lately and really rely on the Lord´s plan for me and realize that El sabe...todos (He knows . . . everything)! :) Saturday night I had a really high fever and have been sick...but Sunday was incredible! We were able to pick up tons of our investigators and menos activos (less active members) to come to church! :) In my mission so far...Sunday mornings are usually very stressful and disappointing...but yesterday was very different...the Lord sure works in mysterious ways. My body was very weak and I felt like my head was in a cloud but we were able to go out to Neuvo Santa Rosa and pick up investigators and menos activos (less active members)! We didn´t let Satan win! :) 

Wednesday we had a wonderful milagro (miracle)! As we were teaching this Testigo de Jehovah (Jehovah's Witness) couple in their store...they were asking us lots of different random questions and we had been there for too long...but as we were ending our lesson with them a lady came up to the gate with her cute little daughter to buy something...she saw my name tag and she asked if we were missionaries from the Mormon church. We got excited and said yes...and as we left and started talking with her we found out that she was a member! :) She has been less active for a little more than a year and she had been searching for the missionaries to help her go back to church! We were able to follow her back to her house, sing a hymn with my violin, and share some scriptures with her. Her husband isn´t a member...but it was really neat during her prayer at the end of our lesson because she totally started crying, while thanking Heavenly Father for the great blessing that we were able to find each other! :) We invited her to church and she accepted! :)...Well Sunday rolled around and we went to pick her up...when we knocked a man yelled..."Quien (who is it)?!"...I think it was her husband. We asked for Laura and then we waited...doubt started to fill my mind...just like every Sunday morning when people say they will come and don´t. But then after a couple more minutes the door opened and Laura was there in her skirt and her cute little daughter had a cute dress on...they were totally ready for church!!!! WHAT A BLESSING AND WONDERFUL PHOTO MEMORY IN MY MIND!!!!! Such a neat experience! :) 

Another neat miracle was during one our lessons...with our investigator Amelia...I was explaining part of the Plan of Salvation to her and some of her family...some of it was tough for me to explain and I felt like it was a little confusing...so I asked if she had questions...she said she didn´t and I replied..."seguda ("seguro" -- are you sure) ?"...because I would if someone explained to me like I had to her...but she replied that she really admired my strength and my animos (desire) to speak Spanish...what a simple statement but I seriously needed it that day! What an answer to prayers! :)

RANDOM:

*Saw a HUGE dog this week...it´s eyes were so sad and a little creepy...I wish I had had my camera...he was HUGE!

*Cute Hna. Huayton always leaves sticky notes in my planner for me to find! :) 

*Deep cleaned our bathroom last preparation day...lots of fun! 

FUNNIES Y INSPIRATIONALS:

*Oh gosh...Hna. Huayton is a hoot...we laugh a ton! Which is so good for us! She is able to make jokes and help me not stress as much! She tells contacts jokes about chickens...etc! :) Gotta love her!

*OK don´t judge...this is a journal entry from Nov. 23, 2014...that I found this week...that actually helped me! :)

"Whew! I am really struggling to stay awake in church right now. It´s a problem when I sometimes struggle in English meetings...and then throw out the English and replace it with Espanol (Spanish)...oh dearest me. no bueno (not good)! I try to understand somethings but once I understand that thing the teacher is like five sentences ahead or more! Sometimes I really wonder if I will be able to understand all of this...OK here goes a vent session...I feel like when I say something negative I have to add something to the end to make it more positive than negative. ugggghhh! Spanish...so much Spanish! conjugating STINKS! I hate not being able to communicate how I want to and all I want to. I wish I could understand everything! I miss English meetings! hmmm...I´m frustrated. Sometimes I want to plop down on the sidewalk and quit......

BUT then I think about Jesus Christ, I think about my best friend in heaven before this life that I need to find, I think about Hna. Guevara and how strong she is and what a great example she is to me, I think of my patriarchal blessing, I think of my acceptance of my mission call and how I told the prophet I would do this, I think of the many prayers from my family, friends, and temple that have been strengthening me, I think of Hyrum working on his mission as well, I think of Jesus Christ walking side-by-side with me during this hard time...carrying me when I need Him and probably when I think I don´t because really, I NEED HIM EVERY HOUR!

Whew! I really needed this! This helped a ton! :D"

I sure do love you all...and always remember that HF (Heavenly Father) and his Son are always with us...they never leave us alone!

Love,

Hermana Coleeeeman! :D

Week #19 --Socks n' sandals...FELIZ DIA DE AMISTAD (Happy Friendship Day)! Templo (Temple)!

Hola Familia y Amigos (Family and Friends) !!!!!!! :) I sure do love you all...hope you had a wonderful Valentines and did something kind for someone else! :)

Wow! This week was sure long and quite the experience with having to lead the area...but it was also so fun to get to know my lovely new companera...HNA. (Sister) HUAYTON (She is the furthest on the left, black blouse in the photo below)!!!!! She is so amazing! She is so full of energy and love for each person she meets. To every person we teach, call, and sometimes even contact she always ends with "Le amamos mucho! (We love you so much)"...OK maybe not everyone...like elders...but you get the idea! :) She is so full of positive energy and she is such an example to me! Durante este semana(During this week) I have found sticky notes in my planner of kind notes from her...I have come out of the bathroom in the mornings to find my bed already made...and EVERY single day she washes my feet and cleans my healing big toes and wraps them up with gauze! She is amazing! She loves to sing...she always jokes that she isn´t very good...but she never stops trying and learning more! What an amazing example to me! She is 22...she has 4 months left of her mission...and she is from Lima! 

(A picture of Hermana Huayton when she first entered the mission!!)

Even though this week was tough and really tiring...we were also able to see some lovely miraclestambien (miracles too)! :) On Saturday we had planned a Noche de Hogar (Family Home Evening) with one of our menos activas (less active members) and her family...we were excited...I had my violin...and we even brought along a member with her daughter....but Yarira wasn´t home. We were really bummed...but as we were walking back to drop off our wonderful member companion a lady from across the street called out to us! She ran over with her two kids and asked about our church! She was really excited and wanted to know what time our meetings were. We told her and she got really excited and said she wanted to come tomorrow! So we figured out that Kethy (miembro[member]) could pick her up at 9:30 and walk to the church with her! Wow!!!! How exciting...but the best part was....she actually came!!!! to ALL 3 hours of church! Her kids were able to go to Primary and she was able to enjoy Relief Society! What a blessing! I had always heard about these experiences but I had never before quite had one...so this was pretty neat! What a testimony that Heavenly Father places us in the paths of others to help and guide them to Him! 

Saturday night we were able to knock on the door of a lady, Amelia...we were actually searching for her daughter...but we actually ended up having a lesson with her. At first she was pretty duro (hard hearted) and her heart was closed but little by little she opened up to us and by the end she was crying and she shared a very special and sacred experience with us...the theme being that Jesus Christ is always with us...right by our sides! :) It was really neat...I hope that she can find the peace and happiness that she is searching for...because Hna. H told her she had great faith...she just needed to add a smile to it...but Amelia said that she couldn´t smile..."mas adelante" (in the future) she said. Poor thing...prayers for Amelia! :) The neat thing is that the Lord can help her! :)

Wow! Hna. Huayton and I have been called with about 10 other pairs of missionaries to help out in a booth in front of the temple for 3 hours about 2 or 3 times a month! So exciting! What a blessing!Hna. H had a great idea that I could bring my violin along and play for people! She loves telling people that I play! :)

RANDOM:

-Said goodbye to Hna. Mathis on Wed! :( We sure do miss her...but what a blessing that I was able to spend 3 months with her! 

-Oh my heavens...Thursday I got tons of letters from the CCM (Missionary Training Center)! Ha ha! 

MAIL UPDATE: 

CCM: -Nate y Diana (Dear Elder), -Mimi y Papa (10 Oct), -Sis. Sterner (14 Oct), -Fam. Spackman (22 Sept), -Elder Spackman 

And a current letter from Sis. Gunnell! 

Thanks so much for all the support! What a fun surprise!!!! :)

-Proselyted in socks and sandals...ha ha! My socks were pretty nasty by the end of the day!

FUNNIES Y INSPIRATIONALS:

-We had chocolate pudding cake last night and all of us were pretty crazy and hyped up...Hna. Licha our pensionista (cook) probably thinks we are all a little loco (crazy)! :)

-Love this quote: "There are no second editions of our book of life--the pages are written as we live them. There will be no revisions except as we may make them by living better today than we did yesterday. Genuine repentance is as a blotter which takes up the mistakes of yesterday and removes them from our book of life through the atoning sacrifice of the Redeemer of the world." (Thanks for the quote Sister Gunnell)

Oh gosh...I sure do love you all! I so appreciate all your love and support! Couldn´t do it without you all and the Lord!

Con BASTANTE amor (with lots/tons of love)!

Hermana Coleman :D

Surprise Texts--like manna from Heaven!!

 Feb. 13, 2014--This week we received a couple of texts from Hermana Mathis' Mom with these pictures...(It seriously was like manna from heaven! :-)  I don't know if Sister Mathis will truly know how much these meant to us!  What an angel!!)

She is there picking up her daughter, Hermana Mathis (far left) from her mission!  Hermana Mathis was in the other companionship who would eat all their meals together with Jennesa each day!  

This was taken the night after Jennesa's wonderful "pedicure"! :-)  (Sister Mathis said in her text, "We had a great time visiting with Jennesa. She is adorable".)

I was sooo excited to get her message and I told her if she sees her again, to give her a hug for me!  A couple of days later, we received another message and these pictures...

"She got your hug!  She is healthy and happy.  My daughter says she's a fighter, always working so hard and never offended but grateful when someone correct her Spanish."

Lunch with the Hermanas!  

(Jennesa is a little bit taller than the others, isn't she!?)

Looks like she even taught Hermana Guevara to do the "thumbs up"! :-)

The fun thing about this picture where they are hanging out, was for me to realize that they are all talking in Spanish!  :-)  Wow!

Jennesa with Hermana Mathis

Thank you, Sister Mathis for giving us the best surprise of our week!

A Surprise letter from Jennesa's Trainer, Hermana Guevara!

(Translated into English!!) :-)

Dear Bro. Coleman and family, 
I hope this is a surprise!  It is special to be companions with your daughter.  She is so elegant!  I'm sad that we will not be companions any more, but will be in the same neighborhood!  That is excellent because I have worked hard with her in our area.  It was so difficult to find less actives, but with the help of Sister Coleman, we have found less actives and many people.  On Sundays, it can be very stressful for us. Our investigators will tell us, "I am not busy! I will come to church. There will be no problem!"  Then we wait and wait, and they don't come. 

This week we found investigators who told us, "Ok, Sisters, we will be there for church--and they were!  (We told them we were both giving talks.)  Sister Coleman told me she was worried that the members or the investigators wouldn't be able to understand her.  She started her talk by saying, "Good day, Brothers and Sisters.  This morning I'm going to speak to you in Spanish.  My Spanish is in process and I am working very hard on my Spanish, so I hope you will work very hard to understand me, okay?" :-)  She continued, "Every day I ask questions about Spanish to Sister Guevara (like grammar, and how things are used).  There are people that ask me, "Where did you come from?"

I was in the chair thinking, "Wahoooo!"  The things she says and the Spanish she uses is excellent. She also doesn't question my training.  So, Brother Coleman, your daughter is super excellent in the mission.  We have had many difficulties with our investigators, but I know that she is prepared for each detail in life!  I'm so grateful for your gifts!  I cried when I saw the English Hymn book because that is one of my deepest desires!  

I WANTED TO THANK YOU, BROTHER COLEMAN FOR YOUR DAUGHTER.  FROM HER I HAVE LEARNED MUCH LOVE.  AND FROM ALL OF YOU I HAVE LEARNED THE ATTRIBUTES OF JESUS CHRIST. ​​THANK YOU FOR THIS OPPORTUNITY TO BE WITH YOUR DAUGHTER IN THE MISSION!  SHE IS A GREAT COMPANION.  MANY GREETINGS FROM PERU

Hermana Guevara

Sweet companions!  Jennesa couldn't have asked for a better trainer!  (In the mission, they call your trainer, your Mom!)  Hermana Guevara, thanks for all your love, leadership, kindness, care and patience that you showed Jennesa!  We all love you and are so grateful for you!

Week #18 -- Zumba, PACKAGE from heaven!, Gissela!!, discurso y un pedicure!

Feb. 9, 2015:

Holy Camoly Familia y Amigos (Family and Friends) !!!!! How are you all?! Sure hope you´re doin' great!

Wow! Welp this is officially the first day of my mission that I am not in training....how crazy?! Saturday...I completed 4 months of my mission...aaaahhhh...4 months already? So crazy! What a blessing that I am feeling a little more included here in the Peruvian culture and I kind of have a clue what is going on around me now...not a deer in the headlights anymore! :) Espanol (Spanish) is still tough...but I just have to remember my first day in the CCM (MTC--Missionary Training Center) and realize that I have learned a lot...but I still have a ton to learn. Whew! Luckily with the Lord all things are possible!

Welp.....is everyone ready?  LISTO (READY)?! CAMBIO´S (TRANSFERS) were last night and guess what?!  Drum roll please......I am staying here in Laureles 3...but Hna. (Sister) Guevara is leaving! :( My madre (Mommy/trainer)!!!! But I am sure excited to meet my new companera (companion)...Hna. Huayton (pronounced Y-ton)! She is from Hna. Guevara´s group so she has been out for about 14 months and she is from Lima! She is coming tomorrow so right now Hna. Guevara and Hna. Ascencio are in a trio (threesome) because Hna. Mathis finished her mission this morning...and her parents are here! We got to meet them! So fun! So please pray for me because I am really nervous about leading my area...with directions...telling the taxi drivers where to go...knowing everyones' needs...etc! Whew! Gracias for all your prayers already! Just a little more specific! :) You are all the best! 

Our last day of proselyting (shoot I can never remember how to spell this word) together! What a great madre (Mommy/trainer) Hermana Guevara was! She has taught me so much...and I hope I can be patient like she is! Our feet were sure sore...but we had to take pics anyway to document the occasion! After this we had yummy yogurt and yummy bread from where she is from! I am sure going to miss her! :( But she is so amazing and I will still get to see her each day! :)

Oh my heavens! Your package was the best ever! Seriously a package from heaven! The oils...sweaters...violin music...family history book...treats and more! Mom...you seriously thought of everything! Oh and the hymn books...wow! Neat experience...when I told Hna. Guevara that one was for her...she didn´t believe me...then when I showed her name on the note in it...she was so amazed she started crying...and she doesn´t cry often. We were able to hug and have a neat moment together because by this time we knew that she would be leaving to be a new Hermana Leader...but she is going to be Hna. Ascencio´s comp so she is still in my same ward and same pensionista(cook)! :) I also got a sweet package and a card from the Spackman family and a letter from Mimi y (and) Papa! Gracias (Thanks) to all! :) 

Our week was really low in numbers...but we were able to see some neat miracles...which was a blessing. The sweet lady with cancer who we visited last week passed away this week. One tender mercy though...was that I was able to play her favorite hymns for her funeral that we had sung to her during our visits. Very special. We were also able to find GISSELA!!!! Holy cow! What a milagro(miracle)! She actually lives in the area of the hermanas (Sister missionaries) ...so that is a big bummer (we won't get to teach her)...but we found her. They had been kicked out of their house by the bank. :( Really sad...but we are working with her now and they were able to come to church with us yesterday! Oh speaking of church...I gave my first discurso (talk) in sacrament meeting yesterday! Whew! Very nerve-racking but the Spirit sure helped me...5 minutos (5 minutes) on the Plan of Salvation. I just told my pensionista (cook) to smile at me even if she couldn´t understand me! :)

Okie dokie!!!! Ready for the pedicure story...here goes...Today was very adventurous...I went to the clinic to get my ingrown toenails taken out...we are in a trio right now (Hna. Ascencio Y Guevara).  So everything was normal and when the doctor started he did one side without anesthesia...it was more than a little painful so I told him I would like anesthesia...usually needles are fine for me...I just don't like watching them.  But, my head started feeling really funny and the next thing I know I'm looking up at the ceiling with lots of people in the room and hospital beeps all around me...sooo not fun being disoriented!  I had passed out.  He finished and wrapped up my toes.  Sooo embarrasing...they wheeled me out in a wheelchair and I did not feel good at all...so they brought me back in and checked me and my blood pressure was low so they did some kind of test on my heart and gave me an IV.  The doctor told me he thought I should stay for a day in the clinic...but by this time I felt fine and just needed a nap...so we got permission and left.  Whew, what a day!  So now I'm wearing my sandals and my toes are VERY sore!  I can't take the bandages off 'til tomorrow...so we'll see how they are!

Oh buddy! What an adventure in the clinic today! My delicate veins with the IV...they had to try twice to get it in. Hna Ascencio and Hna. Guevara took such great care of me. When I came out of my fainting...Hna. A fanned me with a Restoration pamphlet! :-) Haha! Oh and I forgot to say that the doctor kept saying OK...ready for your pedicure? Uh...worst pedicure of my life...but I played along and told him that I wanted my toes to be pink! Fun to be able to joke with him in Spanish! :) Whew! What an adventure...kind of scary...but what strength the Lord gives us in these situations! :) I am so grateful!

A neat experience I had this week was with one of our conversos recientes (recent converts), his Mom.  I took the initiative to invite her to baptism and after I explained that once you come to know the truth of these things for yourself...will you follow the example of Christ?...and there was a long moment of silence and I was really afraid that she hadn't understood me.  But, I waited and she answered no.  But, she had understood me!  It was a bummer but also a sweet tender mercy, as well!

RANDOM:

Ate wawa's: a type of bread from Hna. Guevara's home!

-Packed up all of her stuff...so weird! :(

FUNNIES Y INSPIRATIONALS:

-We were able to do zumba one morning...woke up early 5:45 am so I was really tired that day here are some of my funny quotes from that day! 

*Tiene un apellido? (Do you have a last name?)-to a taxi driver...ay ay ay!

*When explaining the dollar store to Hna. G-tienda de dolores (store of pain)

*In a lesson-estos mandamientos son regalos (reglas) (these commandments are gifts--rules)

*A type of ice cream-frio roca (cold rock) ...really frio rico (cold and tasty)! 

-Alma 24:27...love this thought...thus we see that the Lord worketh in many ways to the salvation of his people!Here is the scripture verse she shares at the end . . . "we see that the Lord worketh in many ways to the salvation of his people".

LOVE YOU ALL SO MUCH!!!!!

Love,

Hermana Coleman :D

Here is a photo of Sister Huayton (on the left), Jennesa's new companion.  This was taken on SisterHuayton's first day (with her trainer) in December 2013.

 

Here is a photo of Sister Guevara and her new companion. 

 They are Sister Trainer Leaders (they help train and teach the other Sister missionaries).

Week #17 --Ready to leave the cage?!...uh...it's a little questionable to me :)

Feb. 2, 2015:

Dear fantastic family and friends!!!!

Wow...is it seriously already Febrero (February)?! No way!! Time out here in the mission is so odd...but what can ya do? Just try and enjoy each and every moment. I can't believe that I have one week left of my training...cambios (transfers) are next week...and I have to admit that I am a little nervous because I really think that Hna. (Sister) Guevara se va (will go -- be transferred)...:/ It is also really sad because Hna. Mathis (one of the Hna we always eat with) is ending her mission this Sunday...so a lot of changes are about to take place. I'm excited but also really nervous and sad...a big pot full of interesting emotions. 

This week we were able to do lots more service than usual! We were able to visit this sweet lady who is a member of our ward. Hna. Olinda...she is suffering from some type of cancer, is bedridden, is very very skinny, and can hardly talk. We and Hna. Mathis and Hna. Ascencio were able to go and visit her. We prayed with and for her, sang some of her favorite hymns while I played the violin, and talked with her. It is so sad to see her suffering. Hna. Guevara and I were also able to go to another area...called Delicios (Delicious) (jaja!) (jaja is how you write ha ha in Spanish) and serve a family with some of the elders in our zone. We moved rocks and brush...it was super hot...but it was neat to serve and kind of change up our schedule a little bit. 

We met an awesome converso reciente (recent convert--he was baptized recently) who actually attends another ward with his grandma...but he is seriously golden! His name is Jose Maria and he´s 14! He was baptized in Nov. and he loves when we visit. He has been doing so good with his reading and when we visited him last we invited his two friends who were playing futbol (soccer) outside to join us. Jose totally explained baptisms for the dead when we were talking about the temple and he was so excited to help his friends know more! He is the bomb. com! :) 

Such a bummer...Mirtha (14) left to live with her aunt in Chile for 2 MONTHS!!! :( She was so close to being an Alma Rescatada (rescued soul)...she only needed her interview! I really am praying that she continues to read and attend church in Chile! :( We didn´t even get pictures with her!

Milagro!(Miracle) Gissela texted us! And we know the area where she lives...but we haven´t been able to talk to her yet. We still don´t know what happened...we hope things are OK. Trust...trust...fe(faith)....and paciencia(patience)! Right?

RANDOM:

-Had a fun preparation-day with Pres and Hna. Marler this last Lunes (Monday)! Played sports and saw other zones

-Hna Guevara received a call and she is able to stay for the temple dedication!!!!!!!!!!!

-I keep my bobby pins in a tic tac container! :)----random---but hey! :)

FUNNIES Y INSPIRATIONALS:

-One tarde (afternoon) I felt the mosquitoes just having a party eating my legs and as we were talking to an investigator I told her that they were up in my skirt...and she busted up laughing! Oh dearie! :)

-This quote is AMAZING!!!!! From the Conference Ensign...which we got in English!!!!! Sis. Neill F. Marriott (2nd counselor in the YW General Presidency) "We too as (children) of God have been placed all around the world, like temples, and we each have our own unique look and outward design, like temples. We also have a spiritual light within us, like temples. This spiritual light is a reflection of the Savior´s light. Others will be attracted to this brightness."

I LOVE THIS!!!! Especially with the temple really soon in Trujillo!

I SURE LOVE ALL OF YOU A BUNCH IN A HALF!

Love,

Hermana Coleeeeeman :D  (The repeated "e" in her last name reflects how the Latin people pronounce her last name with an "e" sounding like a "hard a" as the "a" sounds in the word "ate")