Aug. 11, 2015:
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! 

I am trying to improve my obedience to be more exact but to also have fun and enjoy my mission...there is a balance for sure and I am trying to find it. 

Me and Hna. Nielsen enjoying some good American pizza! :D

Our eyes even look the same! :D

Checking out some sunglasses!

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"

                                

Getting into a mototaxi!

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!

Hermana South and Jennesa!!

(Companions in the CCM!)

FUNNIES Y INSPIRATIONALS:

-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

CRAZINESS!, Goodbyes, Lagartija, familia de oro!, Hna. Nielsen!

Aug. 3, 2015:

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 :-)

CAMBIOS (Changes/Transfers)...fruits...talents...God's timing...smile

July 27, 2015:

Wow! Wonderful family and friends...it is yet again Monday..que rado?! :D

Wow! Cambios were yesterday and lets just say that I am very sad to leave the sweet people of Laredo...I have grown to love them so very much and am so very grateful for the many ways in which they have touched my life. It is really hard to leave with so many fruits about to become ripe for the harvest...but I know that this is the Lord's plan for me and I have been praying for trust in His plan for me. What a blessing that He has a plan for each one of us! Wow! Centenario 2 will always have a very special place in my heart. I am sure going to miss Hna. Maydana also...what a great hijita she was...she seriously taught me so much and it was such a miracle to watch her open up her heart to finally let me in. Goodbyes are so hard and tiring...but what a blessing to know that someday we WILL see each other again! Welp...you are all probably wondering where I am headed...I have been called to serve in the Center of Trujillo (the city)...Zona Central...what a blessing...to be closer to Pres and Hna. Marler...the temple...etc! And I am excited to get to know my new companion...Hna. Nelson better! She actually worked with Mimi in the Boise Idaho Temple before she came! What a small world! So today I am trying to pack up my things...say my goodbyes...write notes to tons of people that are SO special to me...etc! Whew! 

Last time playing soccer with her Porvenir Zone

since she is being transferred tomorrow!

All the Hermanas in their apartment and zone wearing their Zone shirts...Jennesa is 18 for "18 months serving the Lord!!"

This week was tough...we have been working with Juana Amaranto and her daughter Stefany to be baptized on the 29th but so many things happened...that prevented them from making it to their date. It was such a rollercoaster week of emotions. Juana's mom is very sick and is in the hospital...so basically all this week she was in Trujillo either working or helping/taking care of her mom in the hospital. So we weren't able to teach her or meet with her. We passed by so many times, we called and in more than one moment we thought that she would still be able to be baptized on Wed...we were so excited and we were going to meet with her early yesterday morning to help get her ready for her baptismal interview after church...but we went there and she wasn't there...so odd...because we made the appointment with her. And then all of her family didn't come to church...so we are going to have to invite her for another date. So sad...what a tough way to realize that the Lord's timing isn't our timing. 

We were able to have some fun activities this week though! We had a ward potluck that the Relief Society put on and then the Stake Talent Show! Which was way fun! Pres. Marler, Hna. Marler and one of their daughters with her family came to watch! As a zone we sang "Oh Elderes de Israel" occapella...with a cool beat that we all did by hitting our chests, snapping, then clapping...creating a neat beat! It was super fun! :) As a ward...we acted like tourists...like those crazy gringos ;D..and watched our youth dance some Latin dances. And I also was able to play my violin! :D So much fun!

Jennesa and Hermana Maydana with Hermana Irma

(the Elder's pensionista)!

RANDOM:

-Totally learned some sweet dance moves...in better words how to dance some of the Marinera...which is the dance of Trujillo. Our teacher was a cute 9 year old girl who is so sassy but fun! :) We also got our nails painted there...(the pensionista de los elderes) Hna. Irma and her daughter! They are the best!

-DAD!!!!! The husband of the lady who washes our clothes (Carmen)...well her husband (Hector) he used to live in Argentina...and guess who was his bishop?...Daniel Cardus!!!!! Can you believe that?! What a small world?

-Received a package...and letters!!!!! Thanks so much Aunt Sally!!!! Gold fish!! Holy Cow! Best ever! :) You rock!

FUNNIES Y INSPIRATIONALS:

-Journal blurb: "With Carmen Hernandez (referral from the hermanas that we live with...she was their moto driver!...she is seriously golden)...we were able to invite her to be baptized and to aim for 22 de agosto...she didn't accept the fecha but she said she would ask in faith and study her Book of Mormon. She was so entruiged by the LDM and it was the first time she had learned that we lived with Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ before this life. So special! She really has such a special spirit about her! Most people in Peru don't smile a ton...but her smile is probably the most beautiful smile I have seen thus far...well one of them! :D"

-In one of our lessons...we were teaching the Word of Wisdom...and our member present...shared his experience and he said..."y los drogas...yo se que son ricos...pero..." (and drugs...I know they're really good...but)...jaja! 

I found this quote this week...which I LOVE!!!

"Sisters (brothers :)), we belong. We are loved. We are needed. We have a divine purpose, work, place, and role in the Church and kingdom of God and in His eternal family. Do you know deep in your heart that your Heavenly Father loves you and desires you and those you love to be with HIm? Just as "Heavenly Father and His Son Jesus Christ are perfect...,Their hopes for us are perfect." Their plan for us is perfect, and Their promises are sure." -Sister Carole M. Stephens (1st counselor in RS General Pres.)

Wow! Sure love you all! What adventures are about to happen! 

Loves,

Hermana Coleman :D

Ugliest legs ever :D, Multizona, Wilfredo! :)

July 20, 2015:

Dearest Family and Friends!!!! :D

Well this week definitley had it's ups and downs...just like life. We sure were able to see some amazing miracles though. What a fun surprise to have Hna. Marler and Elder Bond at our District Meeting this past Martes (Tuesday)! So nice to be able to talk with Hna. Marler (Mission President's wife)...I sure do love her hugs and being able to hear her speak and enlighten us! :D

We were able to have a wonderful Multi Zone Conference on Wed! What a blessing to be able to hear from Pres. Marler and his sweet wife and to be able to learn more and become more motivated to work and give my all in this great work. 

We were able to search out and finally find this family of about 8 people who are in the old ward directory of Barrio Jazmines. The Pelaez family. The dad, Wilfredo is sure an interesting character. He is 71 years old and his wife passed away about 20 years ago. They were all baptized in the late 80's, early 90's and they are all less active now. He fell into drinking and his life is very sad and he lives in very very humble circumstances. But his heart is so big and loving! We seriously love him! :D He always welcomes us into his humble little adobe house and offers us the only chairs he has...then he sits on the cinder blocks he has or a big tree branch. We were able to give him a pic of Jesucristo (Jesus Christ) and he was very grateful...but then he started praying to it!  :/ Welp...we knew that we needed to refresh the steps of a prayer with him. Well...this last week he was wanting to come to church and told us that he would be there at 8:30...expecting us to be waiting for him in the entrance...but he never showed up...then on Monday or Tuesday he called us..."mentirosas!"...or liars because we weren't there. Turns out he showed up at 9:30 expecting us to be in the entrance...but when we weren't he didn't even try to come in. Bummer...but this Sunday...yesterday...we were able to pick him up for church! So cute...he was all ready...with a clean shirt on and nice shoes...with his jeans and leather jacket...but he really did look nice. While we were walking to call a moto taxi...Hna. Maydana had her last pan (bread) from breakfast and she asked him if he had eaten...he really probably doesn't eat half the time...so he was really excited about her meat sandwich for breakfast! He was so excited...with his LDM (Libro de Mormon--Book of Mormon) that we had given him with all the folletos (pamphlets) inside of it and his pic of Jesus! The members were so loving and welcoming! It really was a special day! :) Then we were able to have a lesson with him, after church. He LOVES to talk and talks a ton...but he said such an amazing prayer afterwards! Wow! 

This week has been really tough with my patience...and my humility...but Hna. Maydana and I are working together to make things work better!

We are working with Juana and her daughter Stefany...towards there baptism date the 29th of this month! Whooo Hoooo! Lots of prayers for Juana and Stefany please. Kind of really nerve-racking because cambios or transfers are the 28th and I have the longest time here of the hermanas in my zone. I LOVE Laredo so much...but what a blessing that the Lord has a plan for each of us and we can trust in Him.

Jennesa and Hermana Maydana loved

the granola bars from the package!!

RANDOM:

-Okie dokie...I seriously think I have the ugliest legs ever...but what the hay! :D I counted and I officially have 69 bites on my legs...from when I last counted...and we have been playing soccer as a zone early in the mornings and now I have a nice purple and blue bruise on the side of my knee too! jaja! Gotta love it! (Don't worry mom...I have cream that I am starting to put on...I think they might be flea bites because they are different than my mosquito bites! Repellant isn't really working...and I am trying tights too!) 

INSPIRATIONALS Y FUNNIES:

-So we were teaching Christian Minchola (9)...with his family and as Hna. Maydana was teaching about the things we came down on Earth to do...or it might have been when Jesus was on the Earth...(things about his life). Welp...Erik (Christian's little brother) jumped right in and loudly asked, "Jeus tuvo una novia?!" (Jesus had a girlfriend?!" jaja! Oh my heavens! He definitley heard wrong...but we sure had a good laugh! He's 7! :)

-I sure love the song...Mountains to Climb! Look it up! It is so much fun and I love listening to it on P-days! The lyrics are great too! Oh and thanks so much for The Race poem mom! I shared it with the hermanas (Sister missionaries) in our room! Love it!

Love you all so much!

Loves,

Hermana Coleman :D

A Multi-Zone Conference with four Zones, Esperanza, Este, Porvenir and Sierra.

Wednesday, July 15, 2015:

Sitting together before their training.  Jennesa and Hermana Maydana giving a "thumbs-up"!

The entire group of missionaries at the conference!

What great servants of the Lord in Peru!!

Week #40 -- 9 MONTHS!!!!! :D, cambio en Julio, WILLIAN!

July 13, 2015:

Dear incredibly amazing fam and friends! 

Sure love you all to pieces! :) Oh my heavens Mom! Thanks so much for the fun 1/2 way package! So much fun...we are still enjoying the yummy goodies...and holy cow...I just got ANOTHER package from you all this morning...with the cutest shirts, headbands, scrumptious granola bars that I am going to cherish, pics, and notes! I have the bestest family ever!!!! :D

Wow! So crazy...but this week I hit my half-way mark...9 months! Wow! Definitely a time to ponder and think about the wonderful  and not so wonderful experiences I have had so far in this adventure and special time in my life and what I have learned from them all. It also was a time to think...wow! I only have 9 months left to give my all...every little bit of myself to the Lord in this wonderful work! What a blessing this time is. Something that stuck with me that I heard this last week...is that the mission is like the CCM (Missionary Training Center) of your life...wow! So true! We are preparing to be strong members who are ready to fight against Satan and stand strong...because this life is not easy and it is not going to be. An interesting thought.

 

 A funny tradition they have in Peru for the sisters when they hit their half way mark--9 months!! :-)  Here is Jennesa with her 9 months pictures!! :-)

Mom! I loved the "Half"-way package you sent me!! (We cut everything in half!)  You just "half" to laugh at that! :-)

We were able to have a good Capacitacion de Zona (Zone Training Meeting) this past Martes (Tuesday). We were able to get pumped up and more motivated to strive to be consecrated missionaries and to really give our all and our everything to the Lord at this time! 

We were able to fast on Thursday for a hermana (Sister/female) that the Elders are teaching and also for some of our investigatores (investigators) who are really on our minds...one of them is Julio Ramirez...he is 56ish years old and his wife and three sons and daughter are all members. His daughter is less active...but his son is a returned missionary and is sealed in the temple, one of his sons is on his mission, and the other is 10 and is very strong and active with his mom. Anyway...Julio is set on getting baptized when his son, Jaime, returns home from his mission. (So that his son can baptize him....his son will return home in April). We have told him many times how special it will be if he is baptized now so that when his son comes home they will be able to soon after be sealed in the temple as a family! :) But he wasn't praying to find out for himself. He knows in his mind that it's true...but I think he might be a little scared to receive an answer to act on it. His wife is so faithful and patient with him and his whole family is trying to help him. Yesterday we were able to have a wonderful experience with him...we were once again talking about his baptism...and I remembered that when Hna. Sarat was converted the missionaries told her to go to her room directly and pray on her knees...I had always thought that was a bit direct of them...but it came to my mind as a prompting. So we invited him as representatives of Jesus Christ to go directly to his room after we left and kneel and pray with all his heart to find out from Heavenly Father what the answer was. His whole face changed...it was incredible and he told us he would. We are praying and so hoping that he did just that and received an answer from our Father in Heaven that this is the right path for him! :)

Whoooo Hoooooo! This Sunday we were able to have an Alma Rescitada (when a less active member has all the lessons and is assisting church regularly...equal to a baptism)....Willian Minchola! :) He came to church all three hours! :) So great! We are working with him now to work up to be able to baptize his 9 year old son! :) He is such a humble and wonderful man! :)

RANDOM:

-Both me and Hna. Maydana have weird bites on one of our legs...I have bites that look like fleas...or something...different than my mosquito ones I had before...and poor Hna. Maydana is enjoying the lovelynewby bites...remember my lovely fotos (photos) and stories about my bites? I am hoping the creams I have will help her! 

-Our lovely shower...switches from warm to super cold...and you always know when it's coming because the bathroom light gets brighter when it is about it get really cold! And goes dim when it is about to get nice and warm! jaja! (ha ha) Gotta love it! :D

-The road in front of our apartment is all torn up because they are putting new water pipes in...reminds me of NSL! :)

FUNNIES Y INSPIRATIONALS:

-We are able to laugh a lot with the other two hermanas who live with us...Hermana Smith and Hermana Pineda!

-So about the torn up road...we were returning home from proselyting one night and Hna. Maydana accidentally dropped her water bottle down into the great big hole...so I went on the rescue for her...and we were able to rescue her water bottle! jaja! little adventure...little dirt in my shoes! :)

-So incredible! This week Hna. Maydana was trying to talk to her family on the phone because she was only able to talk to them for 15 minutes on Mother's Day (it's a different day in Bolivia)...she was trying to get the cell phone to connect for about an hour and nothing was working...she was getting discouraged...I didn't know how to help her to I sat on my bed and said a prayer and right when I said amen in my head...I heard her say..."Mamita?!...Mama?!"...it was incredible! Prayer works!!!! :D anyway it was very sweet and tender...and afterwards she totally opened up to me and told me about her sweet family and we were really able to bond. She has always been very quiet about her life before the mission and her family so this was so special! An amazing answer to my prayers! 

I learned the word for tender mercies this week during my studies..."tiernas misericordias"...I LOVE IT! I invite each one of you to look for the tender mercies in your lives this week! Look for and RECOGNIZE the sunbursts in your life! And ENJOY and RECORD them! 

Loves,

Hermana Coleman :D 

This is her wall with all the pictures

Bree, Jarrett and others have sent her!

"I sure love my picture wall!" :-)

Week #39 -- "Wow! You have the same eyes as Jesus!", surprise facials, TALENTOS, y fires :)

July 6, 2015:

Jennesa's captions for the photos

Photo 1) I want to send more...but my computer is really slow...I will try in a bit! We were able to have a fun SHOW DE TALENTOS (talent show) ! As a ward activity...and boy does the Centenario ward have talent! So fun! :) I was able to play some of "Millonares Hoedown"...thanks for the music mom! Luckily it doesn't really matter...because I wasn't able to practice and it didn't sound to good! But ah well! :)

Photo 2) HAPPY 4TH OF JULY!!!! We made sure to celebrate! We ate some ice cream to fill in the cracks of our stomaches...cuz we were stuffed...but we started our fast afterwards...so it was totally worth it! I drew a nice American flag in my planner too! Hope you all had a good one and enjoyed the fireworks for me!

Photo 3)  I LOVE THIS! Hna. Guevara gave it to me in all the stuff she left for me! So stinkin cute! :) (rough translation--"Anything worth having is worth fighting for!")

My incredible family and friends! 

Just sayin' I love you all a bunch and a half! Thanks again for all your support and love...I sure need it and LOVE it! :) You all don't know how much I love your emails, letters, and packages! Thanks for making me smile! :D

Wow...the weeks just keep passing...I really can't believe that I will hit my 9 month mark tomorrow. I have had a couple of really emotional prayers...with the thought that my mission is already half way over...but with the joys and feelings of comfort that I get to become better in these next 9 months! :) 

I have been learning how to better "talk" with my Heavenly Father through my prayers...and I LOVE IT! It really is so special and I feel so much closer to Him when I am able to let out all my feelings and that He understands me COMPLETELY! :) 

Hna. Maydana and I were able to receive some packages from Hna. Guevara this past week! So fun to hear from "my mom" (First companion in the mission field/trainer) and Hna. Maydana's "grandma"! :) 

We were able to have an awesome activity this past viernes (Friday) with our ward...un SHOW DE TALENTOS (talent show)! It was a little frustrating because it was supposed to start at 6:30...but it ended up starting at 8:15...ay ay ay! So we had to leave during the show...but what we saw was amazing! So fun to see the excitement of the members and the investigators! 

Yesterday was really tough...we made many plans in how we could help people get to church...we called...we passed by to remind...and tried to pick them up...and everything fell through. We were really bummed...and during the Sacrament I was feeling really discouraged...thinking...how hard it is to work so hard and not be able to see any of the fruits of your labors...but during my prayer to end my fast after church...I realized that Jesus Christ, my Savior, worked his whole life...and He wasn't able to see all the fruits of his labors...his own people turned against Him. 

Then while talking to Hna. Maydana about how we were feeling...she reminded me about Joseph Smith tambien (too). How he gave his whole life for the gospel and he wasn't able to see many of the fruits. What a comfort! It is the patience that counts and the diligence to keep working and to keep striving! :) As you always reminded me, dad! :)...in the questions for a temple reccomend it doesn't say "Are you perfect ...?" it says "Are you striving ...?" I LOVE IT! :)

So as I told you last week...we were able to be blessed with 11 lessons with members present...and this week we almost ended up the with same problem...but a miracle took place! So last night we got back from a training for ward councils at about 8:15 and we had 11 lessons at this point...and we had a lesson scheduled with Anita...a cute 19 year old mom who is a converso reciente (recent convert)! Anyway...my mind was reeling...trying to think of how we could make our goal. We tried inviting a member but they weren't home...so I took a deep breath and we had a good lesson with Anita...then as we were getting ready to say the closing prayer...Obispo (Bishop) Monzon...he was the old bishop (father in law of Anita)...told us he had a friend that he wanted to present to us. His sister in law was there and wanted to know more about Jesus. We were so excited to we were able to have her join us for the prayer and we were able to explain about prayer and the parts of a prayer! So neat! So we were actually able to have 12 lessons with members! So incredible how Heavenly Father works! :) What a blessing! 

RANDOM:

-A sweet man in the street...who was a little drunk...told me..."Wow! You have the same eyes as Jesus!" I laughed...but as I'm thinking about it now...I need to TRY and have the same eyes as Jesus...to see people the way HE would.

-Wow!!! Don't know if you guys remember Michelle? The 13 year old girl whose grandma didn't want us to call her hermana? She lives in my old area...during my time with Hna. Huayton...but anyway! I found out that she was BAPTIZED!!!!!! :D How amazing is that right?

-Sad thought...my first area...Laureles 3 has been closed. :( 

-We were able to have surprise facials...from these ladies who were passing by...one of our investigators...Juana...invited us! jaja! the member who was with us...loved it! And kept making jokes like...well...the blessings of taking time to go out with the missionaries! :)

INSPIRATIONALS Y FUNNIES:

-As we were explaining the sacrament to one of our rescued less actives and her grand daughter...she got excited and replied something like..."oh the bread is so delicious...it's like different than the bread we eat normally...and the water! Oh how yummy!" So funny! She is so great!

-As I was praying one morning a thought entered my mind about our less actives and members...Everyone has a fire inside of them...as missionaries sometimes we are here to help them keep it burning...others we may need to help relight...or others we may need/get to delight in the warmth of their fire and use it to help the fires of others! 

Let us rekindle our own fires this week and help relight the fire of others! 

Sure love ya all to the moon and back and to Perù and to Utah! That's a long way! :)

Loves,

Hermana Coleman :D