ONE YEAR - January 29, 2018

What a stinking good week, you guys! And super busy, which is definitely a good thing. Sara and Maiara, the twins, along with Doca were baptized on Friday, and it was definitely a very spiritual experience. The twins are already best friends with the young women in the ward, and even asked to go on visits with us a few times this past week. Their mom, Franciele, should be getting baptized in a month or so- she needs to get legally married first, but they're already working on the papers and everything.

I want to tell you a little more about Doca, because teaching her and seeing her conversion has been one of the greatest miracles I've seen on my mission. When we met her, she had very severe depression. She'd already tried to kill herself several times and was convinced that God absolutely did not care about her. As we visited her and prayed with/for her, helping her see the love our Heavenly Father had for her, she started reading the Book of Mormon like crazy and recognizing little by little how the gospel would help her. Now, when I look at her, I see a completely different person. She has the light of Christ in her eyes. She's happy and loves her life. A couple days before her baptism, she told me about an experience that really touched her: in our first visit with her, I felt prompted to share a scripture with her- 1 Nephi 21:14-16 (I'll let you guys go look it up, because it's super good). I remember her saying that she thought it was a beautiful scripture, but now, months later, she told me that it was what made her want to change. I feel so blessed to have been able to see her find the happiness and hope that this gospel and our Savior offers.

Love you all. Continue looking for the miracles in your life, and never hesitate to share the gospel.

Com amor,

Sister Coleman

Week 51 - January 22, 2018

This week has been crazy busy, but as always, full of...wanna guuess?....miracles! We had a Zone Conference on Wednesday- which was super inspiring, I'll share some of my thoughts about it below, and a Stake Conference on Sunday.

Since the city where I'm serving, Arroio Grande, is about 2 hours from the stake center, and very few people here own cars, the branch rented a bus to take us all to the conference. Who would've thought that spending 4 hours inside a bus with people that I didn't even know a few months ago would be one of the funnest things I've done in a long time. These members and investigators have literally become my family away from home, I loved it.

So many people went to the stake conference that we were literally putting chairs in every available space, and even then a got chunk of people ended up having to listen from the hallway.

But it was super good, very spiritual. AND, 3 of the investigators that went to the conference with us- Sara, Maiara, and Doca- will be baptized this week!!! (maybe 4? It's complicated, I'll keep you updated). I'm so stinking happy, these people are amazing.

So, something that was talked about at our zone conference was about the moment in John 21 when Christ asks Peter 3 times if he loves Him (one of my all time favorite parts of the scriptures). We watched a video of a talk by Elder Holland (a video I highly recommend, if you can find it) where he said that Christ was asking Peter is he loved Him more than fishing, more than the nets and the oars and his boats. Of course, Peter says yes. But Christ reminds him that, if that were true, he would never go back to fishing- in actions or in his heart. When Peter was called as an apostle, he was told to let go of his nets, and that was a commandment that lasts forever. That wasn't a mission that would end after Christ died or whenever Peter felt like going back to fishing.

How does that relate to me? When I was called as a missionary, it wasn't just for 18 months. When the Lord asked me to "let go of my nets" (leave behind my personal affairs and serve with all I have), He was actually calling me to be a part of this work forever. When I get home (which there's still a lot of time before that, thank goodness), I'll still be a missionary. In a different sense of course, but I was still called to let go of my nets, my own will and desires, for the sake of the Lord's will. I was called to be a disciple and His representative until the end.

How does this relate to you? Maybe you've already served a mission- 1, 5, 10, 30, 40 years ago- or maybe you're preparing to go. Maybe you never will go. But the Lord has still called you to this work. We were all called to let go of our nets and follow Him. We were all called to be true disciples until the end.

"If ye love me, feed my sheep."

Remember the Savior and everything he's done for you. 

Love you all! Hope you have a good week.

Love,

Sister Coleman

Week 50 - January 15, 2018

I think you guys are probably sick of me saying that I had a week of miracles, because I feel like I say that almost every week, but it's true. A mission is full of miracles.

This week we had the baptism of Zaida- a super adorable older woman.

She's now known in the branch as the one who tries to talk with everyone even during the sacrament :)












Nycolas- a 15 year old boy who decided that he wanted to be baptized after teaching him only once. This week, as we were finishing to teach him everything, he asked us if he could go with us to visit other investigators. We were like....sure, okay. 

Another investigator, Raiane, who's only 8 and refuses to get baptized- I think just because she's stubborn- also asked to go on vists with us several times this week.











While in other areas it's a struggle to get members to go on visits with you, in Arroio Grande even investigators will ask to go on visits with you. I never want to leave this city.

While knocking doors earlier this week, we found a woman with severe Alzheimers. She was super sweet and very receptive, but it turned into a pretty funny lesson because she kept saying to Raiane (the little girl aforementioned) "Oh you're so cute, do you want to come live with me?" and Raiane just looked at us like "What do I do?" But it was a cool experience, we talked to her a little bit about the Plan of Salvation, and even though she probably won't remember what we said, she was very touched by our visit.

That's about it. Espero que todos vocês estejam bem!!!

Love, 

Sister Coleman

Week 49 - January 8, 2018

Despite it getting so hot that I almost fainted this week, it has been a week of miracles. Yet again. 

We've been teaching a woman named Franciele for a few weeks, and the other day she told us that her husband- who works in another city and only comes home a few times per month- started reading the Book of Mormon and loved it and asked her to tell him about what we're teaching her. He encouraged Franciele and their 3 kids to go to church with us on Sunday, which they did, and now they all want to be be baptized. So, yeah, that was pretty awesome.

Another investigator, Nicolas (15 years old), went to church for the first time yesterday, after us teaching him only once, and already decided that he wants to get baptized next week. We were super surprised, but obviously extremely happy.

Something funny that happened: we were teaching a family that we'd just met, when a friend of their's walked into the house. She stopped in the doorway when she saw us and started panically doing the Catholic cross thing, as if we were demons or something that she needed to protect herself from. We just kept teaching, every time we looked at her she stopped, but throughout our whole lesson she was doing it. I thought it was pretty funny.

I had a wonderful experience during fast and testimony meeting yesterday. The spirit was SO strong. I love hearing the testimonies of the members here, all of them have passed through some things that most of us can't imagine, and their faith is so strong because of it. I've also developed a deep love for getting up and sharing my testimony, something I was always scared to do at home....maybe something about doing it in Portuguese gives me courage :) 

Something one of the members said in his testimony really struck me: He said that we pray and search for miracles every day, but many times we forget that WE are the miracles. The fact that we are who we are today, compared to who we were years or even months ago, is the miracle. The fact that God could take such a flawed, imperfect person and mold them into his servant and instrument. Really, when we look at who we are today, where we are and what's going on in our lives, compared to before we truly chose to completely follow our Savior, there's no way it's not a miracle. 

I love you all and I hope you had a fantastic week and a great start of 2018!!!! And always remember: you are the miracle.

Love,

Sister Coleman

The young woman in the yellow in top photo and in the middle in bottom photo 

is a teenager in the branch Sister Coleman is serving in.  

Madison told us at Christmas that this sweet girl made her own name tag and goes teaching with the sisters all the time.

Week 48 - January 2, 2018

I miss New Years with you guys so much!!!! Here they just ate fruit. FRUIT. That was their idea of a party. Like, it was still a good time, I liked being with the people. 

Not a lot happened this week, but we have a few baptisms lined up for the next couple weeks, which is great. Also, yesterday was transfer day, but luckily I wasn't transferred.

I love you guys! Sorry for the short email.