11.18.2013

hello family!  how is everyone doing!  i cant believe there is already snow in utah crazy!  it is nice and warm here like always haha. 

   This week we've been working a lot with the less active members of the ward. The bishop gave us a few references and we've started to work with them so we hope we will be able to find some new investigators that way.  Things are a little slow here but last p-day I we had a special confirmation that we are the Lord’s servants.  We were eating lunch in Costco and when we were blessing the food, we asked that if there was anyone there that needed our help, if they would be able to recognize us.  As soon as we finished our prayer, two people walked up to us and asked us if were were missionaries.  They were members from our ward that have been inactive for a while.  Heavenly Father is aware of where we are and will always put people who need us in our path, we just need to find them!  So we are faithful in finding more people that need our help! 

    We still have our cute little grandma that is going to be baptized in December.  She is seriously the funniest thing, I wish you guys could meet her.  The good news is I'm staying in Caguas with my companion for at least another 6 weeks so we will be here for her baptism! yay!  Our special sacrament meeting went well.  The ward did a great job with planning good talks focused on the restoration of the gospel and musical numbers.  There were a few people who brought friends.  They don't live in our area but the important thing is that they brought them!  So that was really awesome.  We want to have more special sacrament meetings, maybe like one every month or two. 

    For thanksgiving we are having our conference and the mission is giving us a thanksgiving dinner. I think we having turkey stuffed with mofongo, which should be interesting haha, and rice and beans.  So kind of liek thanksgiving!  But it should be really nice. 

    Anyways things are going really well here.  We are all happy :)  I still haven't been taking any pictures but i will try to take some this week maybe haha.  Well I hope everyone has fun in Mexico!  Super jealous!  Practice your spanish ;) haha 

    This week I've been reading in the book of Helaman.  Where Nephi and Lehi preach the gospel and the Samuel the Lamanite preaches the gospel to the Nephites.  It really focuses on warning us of our pride.  Pride has been and will always be one of the greatest downfall of man.  Remember to always glory in our Heavenly Father and what he has given us an beware of our own intelligence and pride. 

 

lots of love from the carribean

xoxo

hermana cole

11.11.2013

dear family,

this week was kind of a slower week but we are making some progress with the ward and getting them to help us.  we are having a special sacrament meeting next week.  where the talks will be focused on the restoration of the gospel and each member is invited to bring someone.  we did a little activity during sunday school yesterday where they had to find chocolates around the room, and the after we related it to missionary work and reminded them invite friends for next sunday.  also we have a different member every day this week to come with us and teach so we are making a lot of progress there.  Our 84 year old investigator moved her baptism date closer to december 7th so that was a miracle!  she said she talked to all of her children and they all support her and she is really excited about it.  She chose the 7th because she had 7 kids, there were 7 people in her family, she had 7 operations...etc haha she had a whole list of things. she decided the 7th would just be perfect haha. so that was really a miracle.  Shes the one that the missionaries started teaching about 20 years ago.  She is so funny!  She also has jello for us every time we come.  Our other investigator that is close to baptism, still needs to move out of her house and she has plans to do so within the next week or two so we are hoping she will be baptized this week or next week.  So pray for them!!  we are looking for some more investigators this week.  we found a lot of old investigators in the area book that we are going to go searching for this week. some of them had been to church more than 10 times so we are going to go see what happened and hopefully we can start teaching them again!  

Thats awesome that you are going to mexico.  My companion is excited about that haha.  She misses her Mexican food haha so if you find anything from Mexico that you can send us she would appreciate it haha.  For thanksgiving we are going to the stake presiden'ts dads house.  but we also have a zone conference that day with Elder Cornish from the area 70 so i hoope we will still be able to go. they do celebrate thanksgiving here but i have a feeling it will be rice, beans, platanos, pasteles, and pork.  haha but thats ok.  its the reason we celebrate thats important not the food!  

lots of love to you all!!  remember how much Heavenly Father loves us and whatever we ask righteously in the name of Christ we will recieve! 

xoxo hermana cole 

11.4.2013

Dear Family,

The time is going by so fast!  I've almost been out for 8 months already.  Crazy!  This week was kind of a slower week.  We still have two investigators with baptism dates and a couple investigators that are close to accepting a date.  This week hermana Guizado and I made a huge poster for ward missionary work.  I went a little cheerleader on it haha.  But I think its really going to help the members be more involved.  We already have a lot of citas this week with member present.  And we are recieving more references from members.  So its starting to pick up a bit.  On the 17th of November we're having a special sacrament meeting and everyone is invited to bring someone to church.  So we are really hoping the members will.  They seem excited about it so I think we will get a good turn out. 

  For halloween we had to come in a little early for safety.  So we didn't do anything but eat the candy Lauren gave us! haha But Puerto Rico is crazy about Christmas, all the decorations are up and the festivities have begun!  They basically celebrate from November until the end of January haha. 

 Saturday we had a service project for the Mormon hands.  We went to an old peoples home ( i don't remember what they are called in english)  and we did yard work and then visited with the people.  One of the members in the ward sings Mariachi so he sang and played his guitar for them.  They really liked it. 

Sunday we had a lot of people come to church!  Half of the people we visited this week came so that was really exciting.  we are starting to establish our area better so we are feeling more confident here.

Thats fun that you went to Vegas.  I bet its probably still warmer here than it is there haha.  Loved the pictures of serendipity.  Sorry I don't have time to write everyone back personally but i really enjoy reading all of everyones letters so thank you!  I hope everyone is doing well.  Scripture story for the week is Alma 58 9-12.  How we can go from Fear to Courage!

 

con amor

hermana cole

10.28.2013

Dear family,

I'm back in puerto rico!  The short trip to Antigua was nice, but I know that my area is Caguas and i missed speaking spanish! haha it was nice to visit my old companion though.  she's been out there in antigua since after our first transfer together like 6 months.  This week was a really slow week here because we weren't really here.  We only had about 3 days in our area.  Saturday our ward had a desert competition.  We tried to make the peach cobbler, that was a fail haha. we don't actually have an oven in our house so we had to go to a members house and it was just bad haha.  our dessert obviously did not win haha. That's too bad that grandma didn't get to enjoy all of her halloween party.  I hope she is ok.  Sounds like the kids still enjoyed it though.  I bet Jayden just loved the puppy.  too cute.  On halloween here we are coming in at 6 for safety reasons.  but we decorated our apartment with the stuff lauren sent me!  its just super cute!

This week i've been studying about our purpose in coming to earth in the plan of salvation.  Three things that our Heavenly Father had in the premortal life that we didn't have yet were 1. a perfect body and intelligence 2. a perfect relationship 3. an eternal posterity.  We came to earth because we decided that we also wanted these three things, and the plan of salvation is how we can have them.  We have been given a physical body and intelligence, a spouse, and children to learn how to perfect them.  But we can't have these three things without the blessings of the temple.  If we truly understood how important these three things are, we wouldn't have trouble keeping the commandments that God has given us, as they all protect these three gifts. Anyways i've just been thinking about that this week and thought i would share it. 

I hope that everyone is doing well.  I love you all!! xoxo

hermana cole

 

 

ps. going to the beach is not breaking the rules, we didn't touch the water!!

10.21.13

hello family!

this week was kind of slow because i had like three different training meetings but we are slowly coming along here in caguas.  we have the baptism dates still but none of them came to church so we are still working on helping them keep all of their committments!  The weather is still the same.  I don't think it ever changes haha.  Tomorrow I'm going to St. Thomas and Antiga for some training but I will be back in Caguas on Thursday.  I'm a little worried about leaving my area for so long but we will just have to work extra hard the days that we will be here.  We have a member who is coming back to church after 15 years of being inactive.  She's going so strong!  Its so exciting to see her discover the gospel again and remember everything she felt when she was baptized.  We left the restoration video with her and she told us she watched it 3 times in 1 day haha. 

My spanish is stll horrible haha.  I really just can't say my rs but its ok.  My companion says they are getting better.  This weekend our ward is having a dessert contest.  I'm not sure what we are making yet.  The ward mission leader really wants me to make some peach cobbler haha.  Probably will just make cookies. 

Sounds like you all had a really exciting week with everyones birthdays and the zombie dance.  Crazy that the cheerleaders acn stunt now.  Thats awesome.  Grandmas halloween party sounds like it is going to be super fun!  I am jealous!  Lauren sent me lots of halloween treats though so we are going to decorate all nice and cute!  I'm glad the dogs are doing well.  I miss all the puppies. 

Tonight we are doing another big family home evening so we will see how that goes!  We are going to do an activity with the tree of life.  I really dont have any pictures to send.  I dont' like taking them haha. But i will try to be better at it. 

I hope that Michelle and Dad had a great birthday!! Happy birthdayyyy!!! I love you all!!!

love hna cole

10.14.13

Dear family

im sorry I never write very much haha I will be better at it.  im just so bussyyy.  anyways im still in Caguas.  and im training a new sister from mexico! yay im so excited because we are going to eat Mexican food.  I miss Mexican food haha.  and im actually going to learn proper Spanish! haha we're working on my rs. because they are still terrible haha.  anyways we have 4 baptismal dates right now.  so we are focusing on helping them keep their commitments! Yesterday we had an inactive member go to church! so that was a miracle!  we also had our investigator that's 84 come to church with her grandson.  that was really exciting.  She's the cutest lady ever.  She's tooo funny.  we have a baptismal date for a woman we've been teaching for a while too!  we just need her to come to church!  anyways im sorry im so horrible at keeping everyone updated haha and sending pictures.  I don't like taking pictures because everyone in this mission gains weight. average is 30+  pounds its inevitable.

looks like you all had lots of fun in Oregon on the beach and everything.  it looks a little chiller than the beaches here hahaha its still nice and warm here.. all year round :) everyone's hair looks so much longer! aka spencer haha  and everyone is looking great :0 thanks for all the pictures :) its fun to see what you are all doing.  I hope everything is going well. 

mucho amorrr

Hermana cole

10.7.13

Hello family!

Another great week in Puerto Rico!  I only have a few minutes because i spent all the time looking at pictures of the little puppies.  So cute.  I am so jealous!!! I miss all the puppies.  But everyone here has a dog so i play with them.  I especially like the huge great danes that one of my investigator has.  They are so big and cute!  Anyways, highlights of the week

umm we have 3 baptismal dates!! yay we have one investigator that is 84 years old.  The missionaries have been visiting her for more than 20 years.  All her family are members.  She was really sick this last week and her grandson offered her a priesthood blessing.  After the blessing she asked him to baptize her.  She said the time has finally come and after all these years she's recieved an answer, she said she could feel Christ through the blessing.  It was a really awesome testimony builder.  I don't remember who said it in conference I think it was President Eyering but he said that Heavenly Father always has a plan to save his children.  No matter if it takes 3 months or 26 years, Heavenly Father will help us save our brothers and sisters, with our continued prayers and efforts.  I also loved how Elder Ballard invited everyone to find someone the missionaries could teach by Christmas.  Members and Missionaries are a team!  So I invite all of you to do his invitiation and find someone to share the gospel with!  Well I don't have anymore time.  That is so fun you went to lunch with the Santos.  They are really great!  And everyone says my accent sounds like I'm from Russia or Germany haha I'm still working on that.  Anyways im not transferring but i am training again so i am looking forward to that!!

xoxoxo

hermana cole