January 28, 2013

This week started out with teaching a recent convert- Jasmin and member how to make lasagna, and while it was cooking we had a really good lesson about the temple. She has gone to do baptism, so we are trying to help prepare her for the rest of the blessings. She has a lot of questions and has felt the spirit confirm to her that the temple is the house of the Lord. She is excited and happy.

We had a lot of referrals this week for families, we look forward to keep contacting them this week to move forward with teaching them more.

We made a candy posterboard for one of our investigators, she had never seen one before (and she loves chocolate and gum) so she got super excited, took a picture of it and put it right on facebook. It was a good way to serve her and teach her according to her needs afterwards. Success :)

We went to a new trailer park this week, we saw everything from turkey's, chickens, roosters, and a peacock, yes, a peacock, and a dog with painted toenails roaming around the premesis. We officially named it Peacock Trailer Park, and we had some good laughs- lightened the mood on a overcast day. We were able to contact some of the elders investigators for them, and meet a nurse who had been taught by the missionaries before, we got her number and gave her as a referral to the sisters who live with us.

We were able to do some good less-active work, we are seeing success and people are opening their hearts to the Lord and his spirit to help change them. It is really neat to see!

Great news of the week, Cristina came to church!!!! We were so excited, it has been hard for our whole zone to get people church, and we are starting to see the Lord help people get there. We helped introduce her to more members, they were really good about talking to her and getting to know her. You could tell she felt peaceful. We taught her the day before, and she is reading the Book of Mormon and Bible more, and she says she feels very peaceful, you can tell too. Her demeanor has changed. We read part of MOsiah 2 with her, and helpede her apply it to her life. During the closing prayer one of the things she said is that she wants us to keep coming and teaching her. She is not ready to be baptized, but if she keeps acting, we know she will be. We love her a lot, and her kids- they are a beautiful family.

We have another investigator- Stephanie who is doing really well. She doesn't want a date yet, but she has really good questions and is reading hte Book of Mormon in spanish and english. We are teaching different members of her family as well because they all live close to each other. She wants to come to church so we are excited to see her there.

There are alot of good things happening here in Lorna. Members continue to be excited about missionary work and the duties they have. We have so much help from them, us serving each other- and them taking us clear out to Heuytown to visit people (40 min away) good time to strengthen each other and have good laughs. I love this area!

I hope everything is going well, I love you all and am so proud of all the members of my family and friends who are doing missionary work wherever you may be.

Love you!

Hermana Coleman

January 21, 2013

Highlights from this week! We had a really good lesson with a recent convert about the temple. It was funny experience, with a little bit of confusion, but once she started asking more questions and understanding our acting out the difference between not being sealed in this life and being sealed, the spirit came really strong. The less-active husband and wife who have started coming back to church invited us over to learn how to make papusa's. They are El Salvadorian and Sister Schroeppel was in heaven. We had such a good time visiting with them, getting to know them better and it was great. The Elders came and so did another member to eat the masterpieces! We were able to meet some of their children as well which was good. One of our investigators- Stephanie asked to know about why Mormon's believe in eternal families- we taught her about the temple, and testified to her about how she could be together with her husband and two kids forever. The next time we went to see her, she was really excited and she wants to keep learning more and come to church next Sunday! We are excited for her. We had an amazing experience tracting on Saturday, and lots of success! We were in a trailer park and felt there was one road we needed to knock. We came across a trailer and both felt we needed to knock it. We offered to bless her home, she let us in. Turns out she had a dream two nights before where her deceased father had told her he wasn't happy where he was, he needed to be somewhere else. She said she is so confused and not at peace. We promised her God sent us to her, we explained to her that he was still living and that we could help her know how to help him. She started crying and said we can come by again to teach her more. We will see her this week! It was a good Sunday as well. We had a really good gospel principles lesson- we only had 30 minutes, so we watched the 20 min Joseph Smith movie and had 3 members afterwards give their testimony about Joseph Smith and how the church is true. There was about 3 non members there and a lot of recent converts. It was a very peaceful class, and some of them got teary-eyed. I am so grateful for the testimonies of the members here, it helps so much in the work! We really did see a lot more success this week, members are coming out of the wood works from the different wards/branches offering their help. Those we are teaching are progressing and we are grateful that the Lord has led us to some people who really are open and want to learn more about their Savior. I am grateful for the doctrine of the Atonement. Many people do not understand it fully, but we are so blessed to have a Book of Mormon, living prophets, and personal revelation so that we can know exactly how to apply the Lord into our lives. We know that the Atonement covers his suffering in the garden of Gethsemene, the Cross, and most importantly his Resurrection. So much hope is given to everyone that has the desire to understand, and apply these teachings into their lives. I have a testimony of the gospel and of this work. The Lord helps us and gives us the strength we need everyday! I love you all! Have an amazing week! Hermana Coleman

Great Weekend!

So we had a really neat weekend. We were able to see a re-organization of a Stake and hear amazing council from those who were sent. It is amazing to see the process of the Lord choosing his servants, and where he needs them, and at what time. I learned a lot, we also had a Gulf Coast Conference and Elder Cook and Elder Scott spoke. Elder Cook used a conversion story from our mission, and we received a lot of good council from all of them. We have a lot of young girls here in the area who want to come out on splits with us. We are lucky to have their help, some of them have already been called to Spanish speaking missions. We were able to help Cristina again this week, we found out that she is friends with a member who lives in her same trailer park, and who is willing to help her come to church. We talked to Cristina who is really excited to come, and we were able to bring another member with us who has a strong testimony and was able to share with Cristina about how the gospel has changed her life. The Lord is really helping make things happen with her. We are excited!! We were able to do service for Rebecca this weekend as well, we had a lot of fun with her, and it was good for us to spend that time with her. Sister Schroeppel and I had an interesting week as well, it is amazing how the Lord tests your diligence and faith- but you still know that he is working with you even when things don't go as planned. He wants to make us think, and really want this gospel for people. Like Elder Liston said, sometimes the adversary gets in the way. But we just have to have faith that one day, these great families will be able to accept the gospel and be sealed in the temple. We are moving forward as a mission and really trying to be exactly obedient. Obedience has also been sticking out a lot for sister Schroeppel and I as we study. It is amazing how even though we don't do it perfectly, the Lord still gives us his spirit and lets us repent. The Plan that Heavenly Father really does makes us free! I love the feeling that the spirit gives, and how he helps us learn so much. I know that this is Christ's church here upon the earth, I can feel it! It is beautiful, and I love it. I love you all! Make it a great week :) Hermana Coleman

Long Time No Write!

Hello everyone, So these past couple weeks have been great. First of all I am staying in Lorna again!!! 5th transfer- oh yeah. Sister Schroeppel and I are staying together, but we have two new sisters living with us who are over the Hoover and Alabaster ward. They are great and it will be a great transfer! Highlights: Cristina and her daughter have a baptismal date for next month. Christina is great and has started to read the book of Mormon, has a lot of questions, and really wants to do what God wants her to do. Jessica :) - She also wants to follow God and have more peace in her life, she has two little girls and they are very giggly....we laugh at them and have fun. She accepted a Book of Mormon, said she would read, so we are excited to follow up this week. One of the couples in the ward had not been able to come to church in a long time because of work, and they don't have a car. Well they both came to church two Sundays ago, and she loved it! (he had been coming earlier), she shared her testimony on how the Hermanas had been coming to see them, and helped her grow the desire to come and ask for work off, and how she was so happy to be there. They still need to be sealed in the temple so it is so neat to see the Branch now involved with them. Miracle! We have been trying to do a better job at talking to everyone. We have meet some really nice people, and even though we had not been able to teach them a full lesson- we give out mormon.org card and their faith has been strengthened. We have been asking for more members help in the work, and we have been blessed by their testimonies. We had one come teach her friend about the importance of church (she is the primary president) so she was able to help give comfort to her friend on what she would feel there, and how she would be blessed. This investigator also shared that ever since we had been coming, she has felt more peaceful, and calm- in difference aspects of her life. We testified it was the spirit, and she could have it, even when we weren't there! good lesson. It is really neat to know that as members of the church, we are so blessed to have the Spirit of the Lord be our companion, so we really can help and bless those around us. During companionship study we had a neat realization. Everything we do is to get us back to our father in Heaven. All the commandments, everything! He wants us to be ready and prepared to live with him. I feel so blessed for that knowledge, and that I am able to learn that here, in Alabama, as a missionary. I love you all! make it an amazing week!