Lovin' Lorna

Super great week last week.  I learned a lot and am grateful for the opportunity to learn so much!
We went to Botanical gardens last week- spent about two hours there for preparation day. Super great, and beautiful! We spent time walking, finding neat little things, and writing letters by the lake. Very calming.
We got in contact with some people that we hadn't seen in a while, so that was perfect! We had been thinking about these people a lot and so we were excited to get in contact with them.
So we also may or may not have lost our house keys for two days.....thanks to the amazing Elder and Sister May we were not stranded outside of our apartment for that long. We were trying to retrace our steps and went to a trailer park and saw them sitting in the grass in someone's yard! We were very very excited, mostly because the mail key was also attached to these set of keys that we lost. It was a happy day.
We taught some amazing people this week. All looking for ways to bring their families closer together. Deep down to it all of them are searching for more of a fulfilling way to follow our Savior, to keep their family united and do what God wants them to.  They are all teaching me a lot. I have learned that God really does care about us and answer our prayers.  I have learned that even though a lot of things in this life are not fair- God has ultimately given us our agency so even though others may cause us harm, it will all be made right in the end. I have also learned and am so grateful for the Temple, what peace it brings and gives us.  Everyone needs this same peace! We were able to go out to the temple again this Friday- every 4th Friday they do a temple night for all the English and Spanish recent converts.  We went to translate for the speakers. We also were able to see some of the members from all three of the Spanish branches, and our recent converts. IT WAS AMAZING! we were so happy, and that experience I will be able to remember forever! I am so grateful we were able to do that.
I LOVED the relief society general broadcast. It was also amazing. It helped me put my focus back on the Savior, and how important it is for us to make him apart of our lives, and make him a part of our teaching.
All in all this weekend- we had a lot of things going on, but I felt so much help from the Lord and from my leaders. It was a great weekend, that has really helped me refocus on what needs to happen in the mission field. We are having fun, meeting new people, and learning a lot about how God answers prayers.
Also had a great experience last night talking to youth from a Methodist church. It was so neat to get to know them, and we taught them more about what we do as missionaries, and our Faith in Christ throughout high school has really shaped us. We had a question and answer after and they had a lot of good questions. We learned a lot, and it was a great experience!
I am so happy and grateful to be in Alabama, I wouldn't want to be anywhere else for my mission, I love it- I love how the Lord knows exactly where we need to be.
Things are moving forward with our investigators, the Lord's hand is in all of this and we just try to keep up :)
Next week are transfers....all ready!!! I will know next Monday if I am staying or going.
Love you all,
Hermana Coleman

Coolin' off in Alabama

Hello Family!
Running a little on the late side so I will do a quick update on the past week.
Wedding plans are moving right along for Rebecca and Francisco- Sister Simpson and I are becoming pro wedding planners....haha that is a joke, but we are proud of our good brainstorming ideas.
We are still teaching Sylvia- she is so great I really do love her, she has a very peaceful and calm personality and wants to do things right.  She doesn't believe a lot in what we teach about the resurrection and about eternal life, but teaching her is starting to change her perspective and recognize little by little the potential that she has. She told us she is not ready to come to church.  She is praying to feel ready (and so are we) We are also praying for some softening of hearts to happen, and her little plant of faith that we planted with her is still growing and her little girl always tells us when we come over that she puts water in it everyday. so cute
We took a cute little birthday cake- bright pink- to a little girl- Luisa and taught her family as well. They have been taught by the missionaries for two years and we were led back to their house. We sang three different types of happy birthday and all ate cake, gelatin and orange juice. Great little birthday party- they were all so happy and we were all laughing at their other little girl- Yeretzy haha she is one of the funniest little 5 year olds I have ever met. they also have a boy who is very smart and loves it when we come. we taught them about family prayer and challenged them to do that as a family and individuals. Spirit very strong and it was a great lesson. We are hoping to increase their confidence and relationship with God.
Sister Simpson and I talked a lot about communication this week- since we all know that I am so good at that.....it was a good talk and we learned a lot!
We had a member from the Hoover English ward do team-ups with us this week. She helped us with one of our English investigators.  I think I mentioned her last week- she is in high school and is so amazing!! She is really increasing my testimony on how amazing this gospel is, how people really desire to have more of the spirit with them, and she is such an example of me of her love for our Heavenly Father and our Savior Jesus Christ. All three of us left a lesson we had with her and we were like "Well, that was pretty much the most amazing thing ever, and we all need to be like her and have the same love and desire to follow the Savior and do what he asks of us." We all love her, and love having Chandler with us, she also helped us with two Spanish lessons we had and shared her simple testimony in Spanish!!!- which was so great- simple is always the way to go.
Temple this week was amazing!!!! So grateful for the workers and the opportunity we had to go.
I got to see a recent convert from the Altadena branch on Saturday. another recent convert from the Lorna branch was having a party for her little girl- she turned one :) and so people from the other branch came and so I got to talk to them all! Maria who was baptized- her husband, son and baby on the way were there! Ah I was so excited to see her. I also saw Valentin, I got to talk to him for a bit which was so fun and we talked a lot about him preparing for a mission. I also got to see other members and it was just so happy. I love seeing people from past areas and seeing how much they are growing. It strengthens my testimony.
I love you all, I love this area and the people. They help me every day. I am excited for this week to see what it brings.
Love you all! make it a great week :) and Be Happy!
Hermana Coleman

Tuscaloosa Adventures

Let's see, so this week I went on a great exchange for about two days up in Tuscaloosa with Sister Oman. She served with me in my first area and so we were already pretty good friends. We had a great time meeting new people, biking, talking to a less-active and getting  a lot of chocolate, we saw lots of butterflies (they are migrating through Alabama right now headed toward the Caribbean - cloudless sulfur butterflies), found out that University of Alabama was there- finally haha-  we had some great lessons- lots about the plan of Salvation, and she taught me a lot on how to teach better. We taught a family whose cousin is a member in Mexico.  We taught the plan, and how their family could be together forever, and he ended up telling us more about his cousin and letting us know a little bit more about their doubts. Good lesson and helped us know where to take it the next time. It was my first exchange where i traveled and stayed overnight in a different area and it went great- neat to meet other members in other areas and learn a lot about different areas of Alabama.
Tried "papusa" this week- it is a specialty from El Salvador. Have met two different families from there and both gave us some to try- very good crazy how they make it- tortilla, beans, cheese and chicaron (sp?). and then they fry it. Super super good, one day i aspire to make them like they can.
We met this lady a couple of weeks ago at a dress shop (we were helping an investigator....) and we felt like we needed to go see her at her house. We went out there on Sunday with Sister Dunbar and really learned a lot more about her and how she knows some of the members in the Branch. We are really excited about her, and all made a connection, they kept asking if sister Dunbar was our mom- but she shared a great testimony about her conversion which Sister Simpson translated into Spanish. Great lesson! We are excited to go back this Sunday- she lives clear out in the country- so beautiful!!!
The Elders are helping us a lot with our investigators, and with Rebecca and Francisco, they are still doing really well and plans for the wedding are also going well. It is amazing to see how much they are learning and growing and how their family is getting closer to each other.
We will be going to the Temple this week- super excited. I got to give a talk yesterday in Sacrament meeting- we had a little bit of notice...haha but it went really well. Talked about patience, and how important it is for us to have it with others, ourselves, and jobs, families etc. Things really are going so well in the Branch, I am growing to love these people more and more everyday and I feel like myself with them, and can understand the majority of what is being said! I love it and even though I am not perfect the Lord is helping me to be patient, and learn more and more everyday. Love you all, let patience become more a part of your lives and I promise you will be happier. Make it a great week!!!! 

Alligator--YUM!!

Hello everyone :)
Well, I am proud to say I had my first piece of alligator meat last night. Yes, our branch president may or may not be a gator hunter...haha it is pretty much the greatest thing ever. Well not my favorite meat, tastes kinda fishy but I had to say I tried it!
We had some great training this week, and more emphasis put on helping members get profiles on mormon.org. It is so important and really helps people relate to the church in a more personal way.
I have met so many amazing people this week, the Lord has led us to them and I am learning so much from them. We met this young girl who is a teenager, she is amazing and has such a hunger to find the truth.  We love her already, and can't wait to keep showing her the potential she has in this life.
We helped Jasmin set goals to get to the temple this month, and told her and another recent convert what to expect. They both are so excited to go, and I love bearing my testimony about the temple to them.
We helped another Senora plant a seed to "plant her faith" she believes a lot in faith and how it will help you understand God better in life. I have learned and realized so much from her, and have only been to her house three times. Her little girl just comes and hugs me 3-4 times every time we come over and asks when we are coming back. They can tell the difference of the Spirit, and we can testify to these people that they have more potential than they imagine- the Lord helps us see their potential as His missionaries, and I am so grateful for this. It is changing my view point on people in general, and on myself.
We are drawing lots of pictures for people, they are understanding more, and the spirit comes. Even though neither of us draw whatsoever haha. I love teaching, and the Lord is helping me listen more and more. It is so important, and then at the right moment he tells you what to say. I love this feeling. and I am realizing more and more that the Lord loves everyone and has so much in store for them.
We had a great day at church yesterday, lots of people came and during Sunday school a lot of the recent converts, and investigators shared their testimonies, and how their lives have changed since coming to church more and more, and their "process of conversion" how they have seen the help of the Lord in their life, and His help in helping them come to understand Him better. That is what life is about, because we need to want, desire and strive to become like Him. He will help :)
I love you all, hope you make it a great week!

Es Septiembre ya!

   
Hola mi familia!
This was a great week, I say that every week but there are so many things that the Lord needs done for his children, I am amazed that he helps lead us to all of them at the right times. It it so amazing!  We found a lot of new people, and are finding ways more and more to be ourselves in the lesson, but still let the people know of our purpose. We are having fun! I may or may not of gotten us VERY prepared for any weather problems, haha nothing happened, just some rain. But now we are prepared and everything is up to date for emergencies. I fell much better haha.
After no contact with a less-active (not being home, not answering calls) since May we decided to go to her house and “heart-attack” her door with two personalized notes and fun decorated hearts (I may or may not be glad that I have a like a 6 month supply of paper in the apartment- Sister Simpson questioned me at first but now is fully supportive of our paper collection :) haha). I had met her at a joint branch activity a couple months ago.  She called us just two hours later, and left a voicemail about how happy the notes had made her and she would LOVE it for us to come and see her. Night and day difference!! We were so happy, and can't wait to talk to her more.

We found a lot of new families this week, and are understanding how much being real people is helping us connect with the people better. I love it! Sister Simpson keeps describing it as opening up a new world, because we can now communicate with so many more people- that finally clicked with me this week. Just being happy, positive, and teaching them how the Savior can change their lives, as they look to him more (as we are trying to do everyday) their lives will change for the better!

When we enter into peoples lives (the missionaries, or members of the church) they remember us, and the Lord helps them to remember us at the right times.  One woman that we have seen two or three times now, no major lessons but she has a Book of Mormon, told us this week that after a rough week, a lot going on, she had been thinking a lot about us. And how it has helped her, and she was grateful that we are trying to help her find a way through everything. That really touched my heart. The Lord puts the right people in our lives at the right time to let us know that he is always mindful of us, and will be with us wherever we go.

Rebecca and Francisco are amazing! They had to move their wedding date to the 12th of October. They will be getting baptized after that and they are so ready! They are amazing, and so prepared. We are learning so much from them, and are praying everyday to find more people who are searching, just as they are.
We are still thinking out of the box, and it is making us happier and more successful. We are writing more and more letters, and keeping in contact with people better.

Let's see, we teach a lot to a recent convert- he is amazing, and doesn't really realize how amazing he is- which in itself is amazing. He is so curious and desires to do what is right, and has really turned his life around. He has taught me a lot, and i have been able to use past experiences in my life to help him understand how to apply the gospel to his.
I hope everyone is doing well, I love all of you and think of you often. I love these people, they are so loving still, and help make me happier as well. I am learning a lot about acting and having courage to do.

Con amor,
Hermana Coleman

Voy a quedarme en la Rama de Lorna!!

Hello family!
So I am staying in Lorna!! We got the transfer call last night and Sister Simpson is staying as well.  We may or may not have been very excited, there are just so many good things happening, and good things that we can just feel are going to happen we both really wanted to stay together here another transfer. So we got our wish!
Some great things that happened this week:

We got to help teach one of the members piano, it brought back great memories of teaching in high school.  It made me miss it! We are hoping to continue to keep helping her!
We got to go to Los Pedro's (delicious Mexican restaurant) with some investigators in the Branch.  It was really fun, especially to watch their little girl force one of the Elders into drawing her pictures instead of eating....haha
We are teaching this woman named Guadalupe, she has three adorable children, and she is such a great woman! The lessons we are teaching her are answering her questions, and she really does have a desire to do what God helps her feel she should do.  We are looking forward to serving her more this week.
I got to go on splits with on of the Senior missionaries Sister Dunbar.  She is so great, and while we were talking to some of the different families, trying to set up appointments and get to know them better she was really helping with the kids, and being so kind to the families. I enjoyed learning from her a lot!
We are still having crazy run-ins with the cockroaches- still lots of screaming, maybe in a couple months we will get over that.
There was a baptism this past Saturday in the Branch. Jasmin. She is amazing, and she has the cutest little girl.  She went to the Altadena branch at first, and then moved to Hoover right after I got transferred. She really does have so many things going for her.
Such a great week of seeing people from the other branch who came to her baptism, and getting to know the members better! I really am so lucky to be where I am.
Rebecca and Francisco are doing amazing!!! We love them and their family. They are so great! They are so special and so prepared, and we are so blessed to be able to watch them grow, and have them teach us as well.

Sister Belford and Palmer came to help us in our area this weekend. It was perfect because we covered more area, and Sister Belford was able to help me find the people who were progressing when she was here, who may be ready now.  We are excited to return and teach those people this week.

Sister Simpson and I had a great talk the other night about how we need to use our talents, and our creative ideas more.  The little acts of service, or different ways to teach a lesson, or remembering to call someone have made all the difference the last two weeks.
I love you all! I know that the Lord has so much in store for these people. I know that he can help us so much if we put him first in this work.  He is helping me learn how to do that more and more. I am so grateful for the things I am learning, and what these people are teaching me. They are amazing and are changing my life! Make it a great week full of faith and lifting up those around you. Thank you for everything!!

Hermana Coleman

Best Week Ever!

Okay so this week was amazing! Last Monday we received a voicemail from a number we didn’t recognize.  After listening to it we realized it was Rebecca, a lady we tracted into near one of the trailer parks in Alabaster. We had lost contact with her for a while and she called us on Monday! She had started to read the Book of Mormon and had found so much peace, peace she had been looking for. Sister Simpson and I may have been a little more than excited. They have two kids, and their son who is 6 loved church, and didn’t want to leave. Also come to find out they are related to one of the members in the branch, and they had lost contact for the last 2 years, and what a surprise when they saw her at church! She loves church, and feels so different. We feel so blessed that the Lord keeps putting families in our path, especially this family which is so ready! They are such good examples to me of having faith to follow our Savior Jesus Christ, and have taught me a lot in the past week. We are just so happy! They have a baptismal date so we are very excited to see the Lord continue to change their lives.
We had some great lessons this week which involved one of our investigators planting a seed in a little flower pot and every time he waters it he is going to pray and read the book of Mormon, so he can physically watch what could happen to his desire if he continues to look for the truth with a sincere heart. We were pretty excited about this idea.  He told us it was super obvious and we said "We know!"  ha ha. trying to help him see how the Lord tells us to grow our desires.
We had an amazing lesson with Mary and Oscar at a members’ house.  We did a visual lesson on how families can be together forever by using scarves to “tie” them together for eternity. Spirit was super strong. We have been trying to use pictures, visuals, and object lessons a lot more.  I feel like it has been helping people understand the gospel principles better! We will see after we keep trying :)
We are also teaching another family, we were led to them again, after them being taught about a year ago. They are a great family and came to the movie night we had at the church.  We watched Joseph Smith and the Restoration.  We had a little testimony time after, and everyone (2 investigator families, and another investigator) really enjoyed it!
The heat hasn't been too bad this week, we have been super busy which has been very good for us.
We had great training yesterday from Elder Koelliker of the Seventy.  He taught us so many good things, and lot of things that I needed to hear!  The Lord is blessing the mission, and I know that as I form more of a relationship with my Heavenly Father, I can help other people form a relationship with our Heavenly Father as well.
I love you! travel safe, and rest well before the wedding. I am realizing that all the things back home will be there when I get back, but I will never get all of the good, crazy, emotional experiences from the mission back- we are living it up here in Alabama, Sister Simpson and I. So many people are coming to church! The Branch is really growing, and I am loving trying to get to know all of them more.
I love you all! and hope you have a great week!
 Hermana Coleman