Week 47 - December 26, 2017

I hope everyone had a WONDERFUL CHRISTMAS!!!!......and especially that you remembered the true importance of this holiday. Presents and Christmas trees are good, families are much better, but Jesus Christ is the reason we're celebrating. I hope you all went out of your way to show more love for people and to spread the light of Christ on this special day.

My Christmas was fantastic! I feel so blessed to be here during this special time of year. The night of Christmas Eve we had a party and gift exchange with a bunch of members. Something I thought was funny was that, instead of a bunch of desserts and stuff, they had a table full of fruit. Like, it was good, I'm a fan of fruit, but I was kind of like, guys, where's the chocolate at.

Afterwards, on Christmas day, we had a big barbecue with a family of members. I ate sheep meat, one of the favorites here in Rio Grande do Sul...it was pretty stinking good, actually. Afterwards we spent the day knocking on doors and singing Christmas hymns for people. That's what I call a good day.

As for Brazilian Christmas traditions, I have to say I'm a little disappointed. I love Brazil, you guys, don't get me wrong, but on Christmas day everyone just stayed inside their house drinking and listening to loud music- and not even Christmas music!

 

I hope you all took up on my challenge from last week, to invite some friends, neighbors, family members, etc. to go to church with you, come to an activity or family night, or to hear the message that the missionaries have to offer. If not, it's never too late. As we're going into the new year, I hope you've all been thinking about some goals you can make and some ways you can improve in the year to come. I'd like to invite all you to really think, study, and pray about some specific spiritual goals you can make to be a better disciple of Christ and a better member missionary. I love this quote from Elder Ballard about why setting goals is such a necessary thing:

“I am so thoroughly convinced that if we don’t set goals in our life and learn how to master the techniques of living to reach our goals, we can reach a ripe old age and look back on our life only to see that we reached but a small part of our full potential. When one learns to master the principles of setting a goal, he will then be able to make a great difference in the results he attains in this life.”

Stretch yourself. Go beyond your limits. Recognize the great potential within you. Be who your Heavenly Father wants you to be. 

Have a great New Year, and may 2018 be the best year yet.

Love you all, thank you for your prayers, presents, love, and support.

Sister Coleman

Week 46 - December 18, 2017

FELIIIIIIIIIIIZ NATAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (almost)

I can't believe Christmas is almost here and the year is almost over. Time goes by so stinking fast. It also doesn't even really feel like Christmas here because it's SO HOT. It's almost funny to see Christmas trees and lights and such because it doesn't seem to match with the scorchingly hot temperature. On that note, almost no one decorates their houses for Christmas! I've only seen like 3 houses in the entire city that put up some lights outside, and some people put a tiny Christmas tree on a table inside their house....but that's it! 

But, luckily, Sister V. Araujo and I have decided to take it upon ourselves to spread the Christmas spirit a little more here in Arroio Grande. We spent the majority of the week knocking on doors and offering to sing Christmas hymns. And we are seeing MIRACLES. Literally everybody has let us in to sing for them, and after which we share a small message about the real purpose of Christmas, why our Savior came into the world, what is possible because of Him, and how we can remember Him during this season. We have found several incredible families this week who have already agreed to be baptized, all starting with offering to sing for them. Without a doubt, Christmas and music brings miracles!!

We're also working with several investigators who are SO CLOSE to being baptized. D and J, an amazing couple, will be baptized the second they get married. They are the literal definition of the elects of the Lord, people who have been completely prepared by him to receive the gospel and be baptized. Several other investigators are having some serious problems giving up addictions with smoking and drinking, but they have a lot of faith, and I'm certain they'll be baptized soon. All the prayers for these people possible would be much appreciated!!

Also, most importantly, a Christmas challenge for all of you reading this!: Think of a gift you can give to Christ this Christmas through helping others receive this gospel. We're so blessed to know what our Savior did for us and to really understand why this season is such a joyful time, but not everyone has that privilege. Bring someone to church, organize a special family night and invite a neighbor or friend, pray about someone you can present to the missionaries. Christ came into the world to save us, now He needs us to help save those that still don't have the truth. Stretch yourself a little bit this Christmas, go the extra mile in serving others, and you will see MIRACLES.

I love you all, and hope you have the best Christmas ever. (Enjoy the cold and snow for me.)

Love,

Sister Coleman

Week 45 - December 11, 2017

I don't know what's happening that I feel like I'm having so much less time to write every week, but yet again, I only have a few minutes left....sorry.

 

I miss snow. Send me pictures!

 

 From Madi's Mom:   Although she didn't have time to give us an update, we were able to confirm the time we get to SKYPE with her on Christmas.  YAY!!!! And she sent some photos.

Week 44 - December 4, 2017

I don't have a lot of time left, so I'll just give you a quick update:

Training is going well, but this week was super hard as far as investigators and numbers and everything go, and I'm feeling a lot more pressure on me- from the mission president, from the members, from myself- to do better so that my companion can gain the experience she needs and never get discouraged. And that pressure is kind of building up and now I'm getting pretty frustrated with myself, but I'm sure things will get better. 

I'm still going great, loving what I'm going. Excited for Christmas! Even with the lack of snow and such.

Hope you're doing great. Miss you all!!!

Love, Sister Coleman

Week 43 - November 27, 2017

It's slowly getting hotter and I'm not liking it, you guys. I'm not liking it at all.

BUT, this week was super great. My new companion is Sister V. Araujo, from São Paulo. She is super, super sweet and very patient with me trying to figure out how to do this whole training thing. Sadly, we ran into this guys who was SUPER RUDE to us the other day while knocking on doors. Like, the rudest I've seen on my mission so far. Which normally wouldn't be a very big deal because as a missionary you kind of get used to is, but I didn't want that to be one of the first impressions Sister V. Araujo gets of a mission. Because for sure the good moments completely make up for the bad ones.

Also, I had to travel to Porto Alegre AGAIN today to renew my visa....because in a few months, I will have been in Brazil for a year already. HOW INSANE IS THAT. It also means that by the time I return to my area, I will have spent 24 hours traveling by bus. That's a lot.

But the week is going well. I'm continuing to adore what I'm doing. Missionary work is for sure the hardest and most satisfying thing I've ever done, and I want to be doing it for the rest of my life.

Also, some cool news for you. The other Sister Coleman finished her mission this past week, so I am now officially the only Sister Coleman on the mission. Which hopefully means I'll receive my letters more quickly.

Hope everyone is doing great! Tenham uma boa semana!

-Sister Coleman


**All of these photos are with Sister Hartman, Madison's former companion.

Week 42 - November 20, 2017

Ahhhhhh what a crazy week! 

Sadly, the three people that were supposed to be baptized this weekend didn't end up getting baptized because of...various problems. Word of Wisdom, parent that don't want to let their kids have a better life by getting baptized, idk. But it was a good week nonetheless. 

And today is transfer day! Sister Hartman was transferred to Porto Alegre, and I'll be staying in Arroio Grande with......a brand new sister! I'm gonna be training this transfer! Crazy! I'm kind of nervous because I have so many faults and flaws and so many things I want to improve as a missionary, but I think training will help me overcome a lot of those things and remember a little more the sacredness of my calling as a missionary. 

I'm incredily humbled to have this opportunity....pray for me that I don't absolutely screw up the beginning of this new sister's mission! I still don't know who it is that I'll be training, all the greenies will be arriving tomorrow, and we'll be staying in Porto Alegre for a few days to do some kind training course or something. 

I realized that I'm not at the point where my trainer, SIster Suárez, was when I arrived: 9 months into the mission, and starting to train for the first time. Now she's a sister training leader, and will be going home in 3 DAYS. Sometimes I still feel like I arrived in the field last week, so time sure does go by fast.

I don't have a lot more time to write, but just know that everything is going great, I'm continuing to love what I'm doing. Hope everyone has an EXCELENTE SEMANA!

Sister Coleman

Week 41 - November 13, 2017

Ohhhhhhhh, I'm halfway there...

Guys, I hit my 9 month mark. Literally halfway through my mission. How crazy is that. I'm not gonna lie, it makes me a little sad. Of course I miss my family and friends and some things about home, but I feel like being a missionary is all I've ever done and all I'm meant to do. I'm amazed at the privileges and opportunidades I've had, the people I've met, the growth I've experienced, and especially how I've felt closer to my Savior. I think the best part of being a missionary is having such a sure purpose. Knowing every day when I wake up that I'll get to help people that day. That I'm here to live for them and not for myself. Getting to see how the Spirit is changing their lives. So, anyone who's reading this who's still thinking about whether or not you want to go on a mission, just go. I promise you it's the best decision you could ever make. There are seriously zero downsides to this.

Despite the sadness of realizing I'll leave this all behind in 9 months, I think it's given me even more excitement for the work. I only have 9 months left to invite everyone to be baptized and call everyone to repentance and bring everyone to the gospel, so I'm going to take advantage of every moment.

A few cool things that happened this week: We had a zone conference in Pelotas, and to get there on time, we had to stay at the apartment of some sisters in Pelotas the night before. And it just so happens that one of the sisters serving there is Sister Pertab, my MTC companion. It's been awhile since I've seen her, and we got to pass our 9 month birthday together, which was great. 

Also, one of our recent converts, Gabriel (14 years old), has been struggling with some friends that are pressuring him to drink. He used to drink, like, A LOT, before he was baptized, but gave it up because he gained a super strong testimony. So now, while all his friends are drinking beer and crap, he drinks chocolate milk. Which I think is super cool of him. Now, whenever he comes with us on visits, we all buy chocolate milk to drink together. I'm convinved we'll start a trend and everyone in the town will drink chocolate milk instead of alcohol :) That would be pretty nice.

Also, Gabriel's dad is apparently reading the Book of Mormon! We've already tried teaching both his parents several times, but they never really wanted anything to do with the church. But the other day, Gabriel told us that his dad took the BoM to work with him and read a large part of it during his lunch break. He said he only didn't tell us earlier because he didn't think it was a big deal. We were like, um, yeah, it's a big deal!! Most people don't just pick up the BoM and start reading because they want to. Needless to say, we are super excited. We also have 3 baptisms marked for this weekend...so pray for us that everything goes right!! 

I think that's it. Eu os amo, tenham uma boa semana!!

Sister Coleman

Week 40 - November 6, 2017

You guys, I am seriously in a city of miracles. I can't stress that enough.

This weekend, our investigator Viraldo got baptized. We've been working with him since the start of the transfer, and he's been going to church every Sunday and living all the commandments, but he said he didn't feel ready to be baptized right now. But, we had a super powerful lesson with him a few days ago. We talked about the importance of repentance, and how it isn't complete until we're baptized. If we truly want to be better people and follow Christ, we'll have the desire to baptized (Moroni 8:25). The Spirit was crazy strong, I didn't even feel like I was talking. It was for sure just the Spirit speaking through us. At the end, we invited him to pray that night, simply asking God if he needed to get baptized, and pay close attention to how he felt afterwards. 

The next day, when we passed by, he answered the door with a huge smile on his face. We asked him if he received an answer, and he says, "I think I need to be baptized this Saturday. If you came all the way from the United States to baptize me, I should probably do it." I cried. It was awesome. God answers prayers, you guys.  His baptism and confirmation were super spiritual, it was such a privilege to be a part of it. 

We also had some cool cultural experiences this week. Thursday was the Dia dos Finados (Day of the Dead), which means everyone goes to the cemetery to decorate the graves of their loved ones with flowers and such. We stopped by quickly to see, and I was seriously touched to see the graveyard so decorated and so many people there remembering people they love. Several people throughout the day commented that they don't like the holiday because they think we should enjoy the time we have here with those that are alive. Which I think is true, but I'm also so happy to know that those who have passed on are in a better place, and that we can continue to help them here on earth through temple work.

Another cool thing that happened this week: there are a lot of youth here in the branch that like to visit people with us, and yesterday three of them came with us to all of our appointments from like 3 until 9 at night. It was awesome, I felt like we were a small, unstoppable army. Yeah, it was only 5 of us, but it was cool, and I was super impressed by their testimonies and willingness to help us (they were 10, 14, and 15 years old). 

I think that's about it for now. Hope everyone had a good Halloween. Since we couldn't use costumes, we just traded name tags and went as each other. Only a few people noticed.

Love you all!

Sister Coleman

Week 39 - October 30, 2017

Oh, what an incredible week!!!! Miracles are so real and God is so aware of all our needs and oh my goodness I am just so happy!

We had three baptisms this weekend: J. and A. (who are parents of a recent convert, N.,) 

and J. (the mom of another recent convert, S., who is N.'s wife). 

So, as you can imagine, it was a super happy day for N. and S.. They both gave talks about how grateful they were to know that they could now have an eternal family. N. baptized both his parents and gave them a huge hug afterwards. It was the most touching thing I've ever seen. 

This gospel is such a blessing, you guys. What did I do to deserve being a part of this wonderful work? Another recent convert, R., who was baptized just a few weeks ago, blessed the sacrament for the first time on Sunday. We've been going on a lot of visits with yet another recent convert, G. (14 years old), who has an amazing testimony. It's been awesome to see how he's changed since he got baptized, and now he's not all afraid to tell people that he knows reading the Book of Mormon and being baptized will change their lives.

I am completely convinced that there is nothing as satisfying, nothing that brings more joy into our lives, than helping other people receive the gospel and seeing their lives change because of it. I am so immensely blessed to be here, I don't even have words to express it. 

So go share the gospel! I promise you it's the best feeling in the world!

Sorry for the short update, but these were for sure the highlights of the week.

Sister Coleman

Week 38 - October 23, 2017

Olááááá!!!! This week was probably one of the best on my mission so far, to be honest. We are finding a lot of people who the Lord has for sure prepared to be baptized, and I've never felt more grateful and privileged to be a part of this work. An incredible couple, J. and A., will be baptized this week, along with the mom of a recent convert, J. We've been working with her for awhile, and she's always been great, but always said she didn't feel ready to be baptized. But when she showed up to church on Sunday, she said she received a super strong answer that the Book of Mormon is true and wants to be baptized this weekend. I almost cried, I was so happy. MIRACLES ARE REAL, YOU GUYS.

We also went to Jaguarão, a nearby city, for a district meeting this week, and walked on a bridge that goes into Uruguay. Super cool! I almost entered another country! The elders in our district also brought some dessert pizza and tapioca from my birthday, so that was cool.

My birthday this week was one of the best I've ever had. The people here are so sweet and loving; three different people made cake for me, and one family of members I've grown to love immensely put up bday decorations. 

Sister Hartman also went all out decorating my desk with balloons and streamers and chocolate. 

As a grand finale, I got "ovada." Which basically means they crack a bunch of eggs and pour flour on your head. It's a super cool bday tradition in Brazil that I think I'll bring back with me to the US. It was awesome. But it did take awile to get all the egg shells out of my hair :)

(Don't worry, I did also do missionary work that day.)

Thanks to everyone that sent me birthday wishes! Love and miss you all!!!​

Week 37 - October 16, 2017

This week has felt pretty darn long, as I've been getting to know all the new investigators and members and trying to memorize the streets and such (until now, I've completely failed on that part). But, it's also been a very good week. There are TONS of investigators here, and a great majority of them have a lot of potential and are already preparing to be baptized. This weekend was supposed to be the baptism of a very special couple, J. and A., but sadly it had to be pushed back a few weeks. But, it'll happen super soon, and I feel very blessed to be able to work with them and teach them. 

There's a member here that I've immediately fallen in love with, J. She's only 15, but she's already crazy prepared to go on a mission and has been visiting investigators with us almost every day of the week. She introduced us to some of her friends, and one of them already read the Book of Mormon and believes that it's true, so now w're preparing her to be baptized! Arroio Grande is seriously full of people who want to be baptized...something I'm not so used to, haha. 

This week was super, super rainy, which was fine when I had a coat and umbrella....but about half way through the week someone stole my umbrella. I left it on the doorstep of an investigator's house because I didn't want the house to get all wet, and when we opened the door to leave, it was gone. But, whoever took it probably needed it more, and I'll be able to buy another one.

Sister Hartman and I have been getting along great...we enjoy singing together and quoting Nacho Libre at each other. Also, we both had to give talks in sacrament meeting on Sunday, which I surprisingly didn't get at all nervous for and was able to basically improv because I didn't have much time to prepare. I think talking in Portuguese gives me more courage or something...maybe I'll have to give the rest of the talks in my life in Portuguese.

That's about it for this week! Amo vocês!

Sister Coleman

Week 36 - October 10, 2017

This week was INSANNNEEEEEE. Probably one of the most emotional of my mission so far...other than my first few weeks. 

First, our golden investigator, D., who I've been working with to be baptized for three months, was going to be baptized this past Thursday. Very sadly, the baptism fell through, but is now marked for this Thursday. And I have complete faith that it will happen this time, because D. is 100% prepared to be baptized and has a stronger testimony than almost anyone I've ever met. For this, the fact she will be able to take this important step in her life and receive the blessings that she needs, I am extremely happy. But it's a little bittersweet, because yesterday I was transferred to a new area, so I won't be there for the baptism. 

Also, very surprisingly, Sister Silva and I had to close our area, because both of us were transferred. But we left everything clean and organized for the new missionaries to figure everything out. In saying goodbye to everyone on Sunday, there were many, many, MANY tears. It didn't help that it was Fast and Testimony Meeting, which means, as I bore my testimony, I was feeling a crazy mix of the Spirit testifying to me and comforting me, sadness for having to leave these people behind, an immense love for them, and a lot of gratitude for having the time with them that I did and getting to grow spiritually with them. Even Sister Silva, who basically never cries, was crying. Almost everyone in the congregation was crying. It was a crazy day. But, despite all of it, I am mostly feeling happy, happy that Heavenly Father send me to Dom Pedrito to grow to love those people, and happy knowing that one day I can see them again....even if it's not until the next life. (Wow, that was depressing, sorry.)

So, I spent all of yesterday, from 6 in the morning to 10 at night, riding the bus. First, to Porto Alegre to drop off Sister Silva. Then, to Pelotas to meet my new companion. Then, to my new area, Arroio Grande. My companion is Sister Hartman, from Orem, Utah, who's been on the mission for a year. She seems super fun, although we're both worried about how we'll be able to improve our Portuguese together. Arroio Grande, from the few hours I've been here, seems pretty cool. It's a branch here, instead of a ward, but a much bigger branch than Jacuí (my first area). The town seems pretty similar to Dom Pedrito, and is also super close to the border of Uruguay. Apparently, the city where we go for district meetings, Jaguarão, has a bridge that goes directly into Uruguay. When I heard that, I was like, "That's so cool! I'll almost be in a another country!" Then I kind of realized that I'm in Brazil. 

So yeah, a crazy week, crazy day. But I'm excited for this new transfer and for the new opportunities and experiences waiting for me. On Sunday, I had my mission birthday of 8 months, which means I'm almost half way through my mission......insane. I feel like I just got here.

Love and miss you all!

Com amor, 

Sister Coleman

Week 35 - October 2, 2017

Wasn't General Conference marvelous!? I was very sad to not be able to hear the words of our prophet; I always feel like his words are the anchor of the entire Conference, and I did feel like I was missing a piece of personal revelation and spiritual guidance because of the lack of his presence, but none the less it was a wonderful conference and I feel so grateful for this opportunity we had to receive guidance from servants of God. I felt even more grateful because I was able to understand everything that was said, unlike the last conference that happened just a few weeks after I arrived in the field...meaning I understood very little.

Something very cool that happened this week: when we told one of the recent converts, Duda (12 years old), about Conference and urged her to go, she said, "They're gonna talk to us...live?! From the United States? That's SO COOL!" Then, as we were walking to the chapel with her for the first session, about five minutes before it started, she says, "We need to walk faster! I don't want to miss a single second!" Her excitement and faith touched me, and I hope I can be a little more like her every time conference comes around, remembering what a wonderful blessing and opportunity it is to listen to the words of living servants called by God.

And, a few strange/funny things from this week: I ate capybara meat!  We ate it in the house of a member, and they only told me what it was after. But it thought it was pretty cool...not super good, but it kind of tasted like a dryer verison of turkey or chicken. Some people here also eat armadillo, which I've yet to try, but I'm up for it.

Also, my companion, in making fun of my whiteness, said to me the other day, "You know how the scriptures say that we're all made from the dust? Well, I think you were made from the dust of rice." The white jokes will never end, you guys.

That's about it. Hope you all enjoyed conference and the rest of the week as well...and I hope at least some of you fulfilled the challenge I left last week! Love and miss you!

Sister Coleman

Week 34 - September 25, 2017

Zone Conference Lunch

GENERAL CONFERENCE IS THIS WEEKEND!!!! Ahh, I'm so excited. I can't believe I went so many years of my life taking it for granted that we get the chance to hear our living prophet and his apostles speak to us. 

For the past couple weeks, we've been inviting all the members to do two things in preparation for General Conference, because we know that this is a super unique and sacred opportunity, and we need to really prepare ourselves for it (Mosiah 2:9), and I'd like to challenge you all to do the same, with the promise that you will have some hecka cool experiences:

1) Write down three questions or doubts you're having- about your life, about the gospel, anything- and have that paper with you for all the sessions of General Conference. At the end, I promise that something one of the speakers says will answer that question or doubt, if you're really listening with faith.

2) Invite someone to come to General Conference with you!! A friend, a neighbor, anyone. You have four sessions to choose from, lots of options! And remember that the prophet is called to be a prophet of the whole world, not just of members of the church, therefore everyone deserves and needs to hear his words. 

I don't have many updates for this week...we went to Pelotas for a Zone Conference, which was super good. I received a chocolate bar from my mission president for my birthday, which still isn't for another month, but I'm not complaining. That's about it. The work is still going well. Everything's great....difficult, as it should be, but great. I'm happy and loving what I'm doing. Love you all!!

Sister Coleman

Week 33 - September 18, 2017

It's decided: I've completely fallen in love with the Dom Pedrito ward. This week we had a ward activity- simple, just a short spiritual message about families, then playing some games and eating hot dogs- and it was one of the funnest activities I've been to in my life. It felt like a family reunion (which it practically was, seeing as a large marjortiy of the members are related). Everybody in the ward knows each other so well and had no shame in making a fool out of themselves during the games. This ward has really helped me see how we, as members of the Church of Jesus Christ, are a family. The kingdom of God is built on brothers and sisters helping each other. And church will be a better experience for everyone (and more people will want to know about the church) if we remember that. If we treat all the other members like they're our family and welcome new people with open arms. 

I think all too often, as members of the church, we do things very mechanically. Automatically. We got to church on Sundays because it's what we've always done, we take the sacrament because it's what we do, we pray and read our scriptures and have family night because we know we have to. But all these things are privileges and things that we need to do to have more happiness in our lives, not just extra tasks to add on to our busy day. I fully believe that the purpose of life is to be happy- truly happy, not that artificial happiness that the world is offering- and that the gospel is the root of this true happiness. Everything we're asked to do in the church is to help us have more joy in our lives. So, this week, I'll try harder to find joy in the little things in my life. Rediscover the joy of the gospel. I challenge all of you to do the same, and to continue praying for those who still don't have the joy of the gospel in their lives.

I don't have much updates to give this week. This Sunday was Stake Conference, and this week we'll have a Zone Conference in Pelotas, which is like 5 hours from here. But I've gotten very used to long trips. 

Hope you're all doing well! Amo vocês!

Sister Coleman

Week 32 - September 11, 2017

This week has been....exciting. Monday afternoon, which started out hot and sunny, brought an unexpected, full-out storm. Right as we were leaving the grocery store, carrying a mountain of shopping bags. And of course, this was the first day in my entire mission that I forgot to bring my umbrella with me. So, we got completely drenched walking home. Like, it seriously looked like we'd gone swimming. A member who saw us passing now calls us the "Sisters molhadas" (wet sisters). 

Then, a few days later, my companion Sister Silva broke her tooth eating dessert because she bit down too hard on the spoon. She got mad because I laughed...I felt kind of bad about that. Then, the plumbing in our hecka old apartment went crazy. The toilet stopped flushing, so now we have to poor a bucket of water in the toilet every time to make it flush. But worse than that, the bathroom flooded with nasty, moldy water. We had no idea what to do. But we called a member and he helped fix the problem...thank goodness. 

We also had a district meeting a few days ago that was SUPER good. We have two new sisters in our district that just arrived on the mission, and because they appeared kind of nervous and discouraged, we took some time to really bear our testimonies of why we were there and how much our missions have changed us. A lot of missionaries shared some stories about how hard it was when they first got here, but that, with time, the Lord helped them see how much their missions were bringing blessings to their families back home and how the people here in Brasil needed their service. A few other missionarieswho have only been members for a few years shared their conversion stories. It was a very powerful moment, and I'm more sure than ever that there's no way anyone could come out here and do this work- REALLY do this work, with all their heart, might, mind, and strength- without knowing 100% that this gospel is true. 

I'd like to end with one of my favorite scriptures, but one that I thought about a little differently this week. John 15:13- "Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends."

 Jesus Christ layed down his life for us, his friends, we know that. But He did more than that. He dedicated His life for us. Every moment of His life, He dedicated for the cause of our Heavenly Father, to help us know what we need to do to find true happiness. And we, if we are His friends, His disciples, need to give our lives for Him. Dedicate every living breath for this cause. For our Savior.

Love and miss you all,

Sister Coleman

Week 31 - September 4, 2017

This week was a long one. As much as I love Dom Pedrito, I think it has a curse that makes it so that all of our appoitments fall through. It seems like none of our investigators, recent converts, even members were home this week. But, it gave us a lot of time to knock on many, many, many doors and teach a lot of new people. Many of them seemed to be interested, so I'm excited to work with them, especially as we're having to drop a lot of our old investigators that weren't progressing. That's still one of the hardest parts for me, because it's super easy for me to see the potential of someone. To see how much of a testimony they could have and how their life could change with this gospel. But then they don't want to go to church or be baptized, they don't want to try to reach that potential, and we have to stop visiting them so that we have time to find people who do want to recieve the blessings of this gospel. I think, until I finish my mission, it will always be hard for me to stop teaching someone. Mas a vida de uma missionária é assim. 

I'm really enjoying being with Sister Silva- she's a great missionary, we have a lot in common, and she loves Harry Potter, so obviously I have to like her. Unfortunately, she doesn't like Star Wars or Lord of the Rings because her dad made her watch them so much (another thing we have in common) that she got sick of them, but I'm trying to convince her to give them another chance.

That's about it for this week. Hope all is well back home and that everyone's excited for a new school year!

Sister Coleman

Week 30 - August 27, 2017

Olá família e amigos! Today was transfers again (for some reason that I'm not aware of, this transfer was only 5 weeks instead of 6). Sister N. Souza was transferred, and I received a new companion, Sister Silva. We met about 5 minutes ago, so all I know about her is that she's been out for almost a year and she's from Recife. I am crazy happy that I'll be staying in Dom Pedrito- if I could choose, I'd stay here a good while longer.

This week was super good. We had a family night with a family of investigators; we played a game where, if you lose, everybody else gets to draw on your face with lipstick. We ended up walking home that night with the lipstick still on our face...luckily not many people were on the street and it was dark outside, but the looks from the people that did see us were pretty funny.

For the first (and last) time in my entire mission, I forgot my nametag one day this week. We were rushing early in the morning to catch the bus to go to our district meeting, and I completely forgot to put it on. I know, I'm a terrible missionary. Of course this just happened to be the district meeting that our mission president showed up to as well. I thought I was gonna die- everyone talks about how angry he gets when missionaries break rules, even the smallest ones. But luckily he just joked with me about it and told me to not forget again. 

A cool experience that I had this week: we have a 15 year old investigator, Vitória, who asked was asking us a bunch of questions of what it was like to be a missionary. What we had to leave behind, how we stayed in touch with our families. And then she asked, "Was it hard to go on a mission?" That made me stop and think about all the difficulties I've passed through so far. The pain of saying goodbye to my family at the airport. The many tears at the MTC. The heat and the cold and bugbites and sunburns. The exhaustion at the end of every day. The goodbyes when being transferred. The sadness when you watch people walk away from the blessings of this gospel and the potencial happiness they could have. And yet, with all of that, I didn't have to hesitate to say to her, "No, it wasn't. I know I needed to come here."

That's about it for this week. I'm continuing to LOVE what I'm doing, and hope you're all happy as well.

Sister Coleman

***Note*** 

We just get the photos without any explanation.  I would assume that the pictures of the animals are from when she visited the Bishop's home several weeks ago.  The other sister in her pictures are of Sister Souza, the companion that just got transferred out of the area.  I am assuming the apartment pictures is her current apartment.  You guess is as good as mine on the rest.  But she looks beautiful and sounds so happy!!! - Tiffaney