May 20th, 2013

Alex and Odalys were baptized!!!! The Elders were great in helping them get ready this past week, it was a joint effort which helps so much. The baptism went well and there were about 8 investigators there. Que milagro! What a miracle. The spirit was strong during the talks. Odalys was so nervous, but it nice when things happen fast because you don't have enough time to think too much about it. She has so much potential- only being 9 but you can see that she has a great future ahead of her. She is so sweet.

We are still teaching Paco with the other sisters and the Elders. He never knows who is coming to teach him haha, but he always updates us on what happened in the lesson if we were not there. He is excited and has so many good questions, we taught him last night and he had a friend with him! He is already being a missionary, and wanting others to receive an answer as he has. His grandpa was a member and you can't help but think he is helping him as well.

We were able to do service with one of our investigators this past week- he needed glasses so he could read the book of mormon better (along with other things of course, but we feel like that is the main reason haha) so that was fun. He and two others also come to english class that we hold on hour before church starts on Sundays. He loves the feelings he gets when he is taught and when he comes to church. He knows he needs to be baptized, so we are trying to help him set some goals. He is great.

Sister Butt and I got eaten alive in Talladega this week, we were on exchanges out there and I had a bug biting me every  minute. But we found out some info on less-active members so it made it worth it! We have had some fun experiences with sisters who are getting ready to leave on their missions, it is so exciting!!

Things are just moving right along, and I am just trying to keep up. Sister Butt and I just have to take a step back and laugh sometimes or talk about how we have no idea what we are doing and then the Lord just helps us move forward and tells us what to do. It is a miracle really. He is so involved in this work, and there are so many connections, or random people that you have met before that the Lord puts in your path (just as both Grandma Coleman and Grandma Tanner mentioned in their e-mails) It makes missionary work and life more fun and it keeps us on our toes, right? We are just trying to keep up with the plans the Lord has!

Love you all!

Sister Coleman

Hills, rain, mud and bugs!

We had a good week this week. Started off with teaching Alex and Odalys- we taught them about the gospel of jesus christ, which included having all the kids walking around with rocks in their shoes to teach them about sin (thank you primary book) it was a fun lesson. Then we were able to go see a family about 30 minutes away who just had a baby. we hadn't really discussed what we were going to teach about at all (which is not normal....most the time haha) and so we were saying the prayer and the first thought that came into my mind was Family Home Evening. So Sister Butt and i talked about the importance and blessings of doing that, and then their son Diego (11 years old) started asking about missionary work, so we showed him the white handbook and talked about things we did. It got him excited. We challenged them to do FHE and said that the missionaries could help them to get started doing ti weekly. After the lesson Sister Butt said that lesson was so inspired, that is the same thing that came into my mind during the prayer! that made us happy.

We taught another lesson to Alex and Odalys, they are excited to be baptized, and have been waiting for this for a while!

Friday and Saturday were the days for randomly running into less-actives. We met one from the english ward and we were able to have a lesson about the importance of church and how it would bless her life to come. it went well. (turns out she lives right below us.....who knew) also saturday we randomly tracted into a less-actives door and found a former investigator which was really funny. We will be trying to see them this week.

Friday the Elders went to teach Paco and they were able to help him see that he is ready to be baptized!! He told them that the Lord told him that he should be baptized in 2 weeks. May 26th it is! We taught him the next day and he is really excited and happy. He has lots of questions and amazing stories. He teaches us a lot too.

Saturday was a crazy biking day- hence the title of this e-mail. We went over this rocky short cut twice, and ended up talking to people on the way and got eaten by bugs and attacked by ants on a giant ant hill we didn't notice as we were locking our bikes up. It was crazy. We were just meeting people, inviting people to church, offering blessings, and we had made some mother's day notes for members and investigators. It was fun. Oh and to top it off it started pouring rain! good good day. We got home and I realized that my muscles were not screaming at me!! first time EVER and i feel like i am starting to finally conquer the bike.

We were able to teach gospel principles yesterday during church, and it helped me to realize what amazing, dedicated members we have. The branch president does so much, but he is always wanting to help, and participate in the lessons, and share his strong testimony. I look up to their family a lot and, he being a convert himself, has such a strong, solid testimony. I am grateful to be learning from them and all of the members sweet testimonies and desire to learn. I hope everyone is doing well, and continues to share their testimony, example, and happiness with all those around you. It helps!!
Love ya!

Sister Coleman

MILAGROS!

Okay so this has been a great week. Tuesday was Sister Sherwins last day here which was weird, we taught some lessons and less-actives and were able to do some service, so that was good. It was sad to see her go, but she taught me so much and I am grateful that I had a week with her, it was exactly what was needed to help push the work forward. So now I am companions with Sister Butt, she is great and is a whiz at Spanish- but really, she is. Also, we are still living with 2 other sisters, so there are currently 6 of us serving in the branch, and I get to serve with one of the elders i served with in Lorna, it will be a great/fun transfer.

So all four of us are teaching this man named Paco- he is amazing and is so ready to be baptized. We had two lessons with him this week, and he said he has a desire to be baptized, he just thinks may 11th is a little soon, he saw a baptism in the english ward yesterday and said he will pray, so we will see what happens. Faith!! He grandpa was a member and he is so humble and really likes church a lot. We are trying to help him get more friends. It was his birthday on Saturday and so we made him cookies and sang him happy birthday after the lesson. It was fun!

We are also teaching the mother of one of the recent converts- she is from Brazil!! it is crazy trying to teach in Spanish to a Portuguese woman. Her daughter speaks Portuguese and 2 members have come with us and the elders so that is helping a lot. She is really liking the book of Mormon and enjoys church!

Ok so biggest miracle EVER, i am so excited. Okay so yesterday we were sitting and waiting for relief society to start- and I leaned over to Maria Reyes (one of the recent converts who got baptized when i was here a year ago) and i asked if we could come to her house to practice teaching the lessons to her kids. She has 4 kids, two old enough(one boy and one girl) to be baptized and two not. The two oldest are not baptized because the father wouldn't give them permission. (complicated) So ever since Maria was baptized the missionaries had been trying to help her two kids be baptized but it wasn't working out. anyway......She said yes we could come and said, "Oh hermana! I was talking to their dad this morning and he has finally given them permission to be baptized!" WHAT!! She was so happy, and we were so happy and one of her kids- Odalys and I have always gotten along, and she is so sweet and maria said that she wanted us to come teach her the lessons!!!!!!! So. Excited. I think i kind of startled Sister Butt, but she is excited as well. So we are teaching them to night at a family night and are inviting her and her brother to be baptized on May 19th- we talked with the branch president and he thinks that it will be perfect. Wow. Wasn't expecting that, the Lord blesses his members and wants families to be together!! So neat and I feel so blessed to be able to serve her again among these great families and watch them grow as they accept and act upon the Lord's teachings. He is doing it all, softening hearts, growing testimonies, and blessing people, we just get to witness it and be changed as well! I love it!!
Well I love you all, i hope you have a great week!!!