This Is The Best Week Of My Mission!

THIS IS THE BEST WEEK OF MY MISSION! I'm not even sure why, we just had such a good week, worked really hard, and even though I'm literally exhausted - I'm just so happy!

Monday was pretty typical - but FHE was so much fun! We had two of our investigators, Tonya and Martel, come to the activity! It was a huge cupcake competition. We split into big teams and had to make the coolest "creation" out of cupcakes! Everyone's ended up looking about the same (piles of mashed cupcakes and brightly colored frosting) but it was a lot of fun. At the end of the time we were allotted each group had to move their creation across the gym to the "final table". Yikes. The room erupted in knocked over church tables and cupcakes and frosting smeared all over the gym floor and everyone in the gym - it was hilarious to watch. Tonya and Martel loved it! We ended the night with a really amazing lesson with Eddie. We talked about repentance and church - he is finally getting it! He talked about how he wants to start over and really give it a try this time, and about how he really desires to come closer to God and stop all the "bad things" he's doing. We were so happy!

Tuesday was the BEST day of my entire mission - it's all downhill from here, people! Just kidding, but really, it was awesome. We started with contacting a few people, and we finally got to talk to a former investigator that we hadn't been able to see since I first got to Foothills. He, his friend, and his brother were there! We got to talk to them for a little bit, and we set a time to come back and see them again! After that we got to go and do service for a guy that just moved into our ward! We helped him paint his new house, and it was so much fun! It always makes me laugh that total strangers will let me help them paint their house, but for some reason my own Dad would never let me help paint, even when I offered... :) After service we got to go and talk with one of our less actives who has been going through a really hard time lately. I love this kid like my own brother. It was amazing to sit there with him, hear about his experiences, and see a total and complete turn around in him. It was probably one of the greatest experiences of my mission. The Atonement is real and I am so thankful for it. We had a few other lessons, had dinner with the Evans from our Bishopric, and then went to see Jasmin! We read from The Book of Mormon with Jasmin, and we brought Amy Camadeco with us! Amy is a recent convert and she is AMAZING! It was so inspired to bring her too, because she and Jasmin were a PERFECT fit! They are both writers and they just hit it off right away. Amy is the perfect missionary and Jasmin really connected with all Amy had to say. It was a sweet lesson. What an amazing day. I was beyond happy!

Wednesday we met with Travis and Alainya (both recent converts) and talked about developing Christlike attributes. Pretty much all of our lessons cancelled that day - but the day before was so good that we weren't even discouraged! We got to do service again, but we painted upstairs and the air conditioning wasn't working - and let's be real, when you're in the desert and the AC isn't working, you're probably not going to have a good time. But we had a BLAST! We were drenched by the end, but it was fun. I love Sister Robinson, we're buds. That night there was a Relief Society dinner and dessert party that we got to go to - it was so fun to be with our ward! I love Foothills!

Thursday was District Meeting. It was CRAZY awesome! It sounds weird, but at the end, Elder Martino made us all do a role play together and he was the investigator, and Elder Casagrande was the missionary teaching him, and the other 4 of us took on a role of someone beyond the veil (the investigator had family members pass away and future children). I know, it sounds SO weird. But as members beyond the veil we got to prompt and encourage the investigator and missionary - it was really cool to picture. We took care of my passport after that (I know you're pumped about that, Mom) and it was so funny because in the picture you can't smile, so it made me and Sister Robinson laugh, so in the picture I just look like I'm trying so hard not to laugh. It's awkward, but whatever. Another highlight of the week was when the new Cafe Rio in our area finally opened! We finally have one here! We were so excited, we went there for dinner with some of our members. After that we had a sweet lesson with 2 new investigators, Shannon and Cheyanne. They both just moved here from Hawaii and are looking to strengthen their relationship with God. They both seem really sincere, and the lesson was good, even though they are both reaaaally quiet! We also saw Tonya and Eddie and read from The Book of Mormon with both of them. It is so funny, because with both of them we stand outside to have our lessons, and it is so hot and there are people walking all around us, but it is still just so powerful.

Friday was Sister's Conference. It was pretty good, but sometimes, Sisters just get so "sistery" and girly, and that's just so not me and Sister Robinson - so there were definitely some jokes cracked from the back row. It was so weird, because we were having such a great week and were working so hard, and then being there made me feel like I was a horrible missionary! I felt like I had to change all of who I was to fit the "sister missionary" "we're going to see ten thousand miracles today" mold. But then Heavenly Father helped me to realize that I'm here because of who I am, and that some people need a super sistery personality, but some people just need a regular, old, "cassie coltrin" personality. It made me feel a lot better. We did weekly planning, and then had a really cool lesson with a new investigator named Alex! We weren't sure if he was actually going to be there, but he was, and we taught him the Restoration! It was amazing, despite sitting on a park bench in the Vegas sun! He was really receptive and was totally pumped to read the BOM and find out for himself! We had dinner with Jecia, who bought us Lucille's (Mom and Dad, add that to the Vegas trip list, because it is so good). She came with us to Boulder City to contact some people. There was this one guy, and his dog ran and jumped on us, and I kid you not - his dog PEE'D ON US, haahahahaha it was so gross! We had Amy come with us to another lesson with Shannon and Cheyanne, and then we went to see our less active that night - he's been texting us these 6 page text messages about the book he is reading! It's amazing!

Saturday ALL of our lessons were outside. We met with Derek, a recent convert outside, then we helped the Zone Leaders look for their keys that they lost. We had another lesson with Alex, and then contacted a potential investigator named Cassie! She was there and she was so sweet! We got to meet with her for a little bit. She was really cool - it must be something about her name... :) We saw Alan, our recent convert, and read with him outside and talked about prayer. We also got to see Travis later that night and we read "Remember Lot's Wife" by Jeffrey R. Holland. SUCH a good talk! The lesson was outside of course, haha! We stopped by our less active's house and read it with him too, and showed him the "vision board" that we made him!

Sunday was awesome, too! We were just having a great week! We went out to Boulder City for a little bit that morning, then had lunch with Adrian! We had all our regular meeting, and church, which was so good! EDDIE CAME TO CHURCH! We were so excited! And our investigator, Christine, did as well! We ate super fast after church and went out to Vegas for the Why I Believe fireside! Christine met us there, and we sat with her. I love her! The fireside was so good. After it, we went outside with Christine and talked with her and had a mini lesson. She told us about how she has been going through a hard time, but that she knows that this is right, and that she is ready to be baptized! She is set for September 6th as of right now! We are so excited for her! Then we came home - absolutely exhausted from the off-the-wall excitement of the whole, crazy week!

Well, today we are going back to the mines in Nelson! I'm pumped for this next week! I love being a missionary, I can't say it enough. I am so tired all the time (like, literally, I went through early morning seminary, but this is a whole other kind of exhaustion...) but I am just SO genuinely HAPPY.

I love you and hope you have a good week!

Love, Sister Coltrin

 

 

 

Sister Coltrin and Sister Gelabert

 

 

The cupcake competition's unfortunate ending

 

 

Sister Coltrin and Sister Harrison

 

 

Sister Coltrin, Sister Robinson and Adrian

 

 

Sister Robinson and Sister Coltrin