Tuscaloosa!

Good week. We have been trying to get used to our new area, and day by day it gets better. We had a family home evening with some of the Spanish members- they shared the different principles of the gospel that converted them to the restored gospel and then we ate burritos and they told jokes...haha it was funny, they had a lot of good ones.

We also went out with a member to give a blessing to her friend- and at first the friend wasn't super open, then we gave the prayer and she was more friendly and said we could come back, her daughter also wants to listen, and said she likes listening to young missionaries because she feels she can relate...haha. We also gave some more blessings in Tuscaloosa but so far no one is progressing from there. We were able to give service to a young girl who is paralyzed from the neck down. She needs people to talk to, and the Lord put us in her path to help. Elders used to go over and help as well. We were able to contact some other member referrals and get to know some members in the ward- part member families, and less actives as well. We went and took flowers to a less-active for the Elders, she was feeling kind of down when we first got there, but after giving the flowers and sharing a short message to help her, her countenance was completely different, it was neat.

Friday we had a mission conference! It was amazing, we had 3 visiting authorities who were there, including Elder Christofferson. We were so blessed and I learned a lot. Before it started I was talking to Sister Schroeppel and she said "Oh!, did you know that Mariela is getting baptized today?"- she has been an investigator for the last 4 years and both of her sisters are members. I didn't believe her at all, I was so surprised! Missionaries have been trying to help her for a longgggg time!! Turns out we got permission to stay, especially because new missionaries need to see baptisms- and so we got to stay the day in Lorna, and teach lessons- I was able to go and teach Rebecca which was a blessing and the spirit came once again, the Lord really is helping her and I am so grateful for the experiences I have had with her. We visited/taught a couple of other people and then went to the baptism. Mariela seemed like a completely different person, she was so happy- even before she got baptized. I was so grateful it happened to be the weekend that we were already in Birmingham- such a blessing! My faith was definitely strengthened and it was a tender mercy from the Lord. Spirit was there very strong.

Sunday went well, we were able to set up some great appointments with members/less-actives and find out what the bishop wants from us as the missionaries in the ward.

Favorite part of the week: We got a referral from the Tuscaloosa elders to teach a woman named Betty. We went and she asked about what the Restoration means in respect to other religions. We told her about prophets, and the Joseph Smith story. The spirit came super strong and she said "So you are guided by a prophet....and my pastor is not a prophet?" We explained to her why, and she loved it! She loved the picture of the first vision, asked to keep it and ran and got a frame for it. We asked her if she would want to become a member of this church if it was true, she said yes! We gave her a book of Mormon, and she said she would read it before we came next Sunday. We already love her, she is so sweet and we were so happy after. She called the Elders after we left saying how happy she was and how she was going to try and come to church on Sunday. Miracle! We are excited to see the Lord work with her, and pray that she will continue to see and feel of the truth.

We look forward to another busy week, and hope that we can continue to bless these people as they bless us.

Love you all!

Sister Coleman

February 18, 2013

Hello everyone!

So transfers came and I am currently serving in the Northport ward (which has a Spanish group in it....a brother gave a talk in church yesterday in Spanish and it made me very happy, I felt that I was back at home in the Spanish branches) I am also training, which has forced us to really rely on the members and preach my gospel because 1. All the people I was teaching are not here....and 2. we have no previous knowledge of the area besides the 1 Elder who was not transferred out the of ward. But! missionaries do this all the time, transferred into new areas to pick up the work and serve the members. We enjoyed Sunday getting to know everyone and setting up appointments for this week. We have already had a member take us around today to explain the city of Northport, and another two days ago who explained Tuscaloosa to us :)

I have never had to do anything like this on my mission, but it is already teaching me a lot and causing me to have a lot of trust in the Lord.

My companion Sister Stahle is also from Bountiful, we both graduated from Woods Cross High, two years later than me! Everyone out here thinks it is hilarious. We are getting along super well and have a lot of things in common!

We are looking forward to having good lessons this week with some member referrals and really start tracting in some great neighborhoods.

Well more details next week! Make it a great week!
 

Hermana Coleman

 

Lots of Rain!

This week has been full of a lot of rain, but it hasn't been very cold at all. I am loving this winter.

We had another good lesson with the recent convert Jasmin, she is very excited about being a member missionary and we have started teaching her how she can better share the gospel with others.

We got some good referrals from members this week, and more help from girls who are getting ready to go on Spanish speaking missions.
Funny story, we were waiting in a Mexican store parking lot to go visit an investigator with a member. While there we were able to make some calls, and while we were doing this our progressing investigator Stephanie and her sister pull up right by us( they were the ones we were going to see with the member...haha)! It was crazy, so we were able to talk to them for a bit- get some great daily contact in and set an appointment for the next day. Also, another member pulled in and we were able to talk to her about plans coming to her house the next day. Instead of going to the people the Lord brought them to us, we were laughing and very grateful.

Cristina is doing well, she came to church on Sunday, where they talked about temples and baptism again. Temples really interest her and we had been talking to her about them a lot lately, so it was perfect. She wants to know everything, keep learning before she will recommit to a date- she wasn't ready when her date came up and so we are now focusing on helping her recognize the answer she has already received. She knows the Book of Mormon is true, so we are excited for what is in store for her. Oh! So Christina had told us she didn't have very many winter skirts- she had one and it was the one she more to church two weeks before. So somehow Sister Schroeppel casually asked what skirt size she was and what length she liked....that night when our appointments fell through (same night we were in the Mexican store) we went to the American Thrift Store, biggest thrift store i have seen in my life....and found 6 skirts for her! we were so proud. While we were there we were able to open our mouths and talk to a really nice man about the gospel and things happening in his life.

We were able to talk to one of our neighbors this past week about the gospel- she has tried a lot of different religions, so we taught her a little more about ours and invited her to read the Book of Mormon, we will follow up with her today.

Great activity Sunday night- the branch president organized an activity for some of the families and investigators in the branch. We started out by watching this old 20 minute church movie- "What is real" it talked about how a new father was worried about being able to help his daughter know the purpose of life, and raise her the right way. The branch president got up after and testified that Christ can help them know the answer to these questions to help their children. They don't have to rely on him, or the missionaries, they can know it for themselves. Then I accompanied Sister Schroeppel while she sang "I Know that My Redeemer Lives." while people thought about a question or concern that they wanted answered for their family. It was beautiful and the spirit was very strong. The Lord can help anyone, and any family. He is constantly listening to our prayers and needs, and he has solutions. We just need to listen and humble ourselves so that we can hear, feel and apply the answers into our lives.

Transfers are this week, so we will see what the Lord has in store!

Have a fabulous week!

Hermana Coleman

February 4th, 2013

Good week, I have been trying to work more on Spanish this week, I have a goal to finish the book of Mormon in Spanish by the end of my mission by reading it out loud....it will happen! We are reading 6 pages a day as a mission and we are now in Mosiah- just read about Abinidai and Alma, I have learned a lot by applying their work/words to missionary work. They were very bold and testified over and over about Jesus Christ, Repentance, authority and baptism. They are great examples.

We were able to do some good work with members this week. We went out to Hueytown again with a member, and we had some good conversations. She is so strong in her testimony, and wants everyone to come to church, and return to church to feel what she feels. I love hearing her testimony and how many goals she has for herself and her children in the church.

We were able to go out with two other members this week. They are both trying to learn Spanish as they prepare for Spanish speaking missions. They love listening to it, and it is fun to help them speak and understand what is going on. The women we brought them to loved hearing their testimonies and it really helped in the work. Especially with Cristina and another women named Veronica. We see so many different personal situations and experiences, but time and time again we can testify of the same gospel, the same spirit, and the same Christ that they can receive the help, joy, peace, and comfort that they need.

We taught English class this week, and we had four people there, Sister Schoreppel and I split them off into two groups and helped them according to their own needs, and had a good lesson on the 1st half of the plan of salvation. We ended up sharing a part of the Book of Mormon that was one of the favorites of the member that was there- so inspired! We were able to testify of Jesus Christ and his importance of the plan, and how everything he has done is to keep us on the path. Good day!

We are still enjoying working with the recent converts in the area, both Spanish and English. I really do love doing both work. It just makes it so we can talk to even more people. That has still been one of my goals, to talk to more people about the gospel. People have heard about the church, but have questions. And we will be blessed as it says in Mosiah 15 to those who have "opened [their] mouths."

I love you all!! Have a great week :)

Hermana Coleman

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