See You On Wednesday!!

This was my last week as a missionary! This was also one of the best weeks of my mission. We worked so hard and saw SO many miracles! I am so thankful for this time that I have had to serve a mission. I've learned a lot about myself, and a lot that I know will help me become who my Heavenly Father needs me to be. I've met so many people, and have had so many experiences here that have changed me for good. But let me tell you about my last week!  

Monday was tons of fun! We had dinner at the Schofield's after P-day. Apparently Sister Schofield is a widely known author of some organization books! Mom, do you have some organization books by Deniece Schofield? I think you do. She gave me one of her books! After dinner at their house, we went to the church for our ward's Family Home Evening Fellowship Game Night! It was a lot of fun and was super successful! We had quite a few less active families and nonmembers there and there were tons of members. It was fun to play games with everyone and have people fellowship others! There were tons of people. After the game night, we had Kaycee and Gabe's baptismal interviews. They were both super nervous to meet other missionaries (obviously, other missionaries are scary) but both ended up loving Elder Keogan, and they were all super happy. While they were in their interviews, Brother White, from our Bishopric, told us about his mission in Puerto Rico! 

Tuesday we had an awesome district meeting! Elder Keogan trained us on prayer, and not just prayer, but super specific prayer and teaching people how to pray. I've taught people to pray like ten thousand times, but this was awesome! At the end, we broke into companionships and had a time where we prayed together really specifically. It was awesome. We saw so many miracles come from it. After we left, we had a lesson with a lady named Linda. We brought Hayley Hightower with us. She was telling us all about her sewing, and Hayley mentioned Young Women's, and how it would be a great chance for the girls to get to learn how to sew! Our investigator got so excited and offered to teach them all! We told her about the Christmas video, and she was really excited to watch it. We went to see Thea as well, and she told us that she wanted to come to church on Sunday! We stopped by Sister Daniels' house to see how she was doing and Priscilla was there, so we showed them both the Christmas video. The spirit was so strong as we talked about the Savior and the real meaning of Christmas. Sister Daniels' was in tears, as were we. We went to contact a potential, Gloria. We were invited right in, and they told us that they had met with missionaries before and they wanted to be baptized, but then the Elders had been transferred and it just never happened! They were really excited to start meeting with us again. It was amazing. We knelt with them to pray, and one of the girls asked how to pray, and we were able to use what we had just been taught in district meeting to teach her to pray specifically. Not only was it incredible to find this totally prepared family of 5 to teach, but they had a less active member that was living there that we had been trying to get in contact with! Ah! We were dying, it was so cool. We had dinner at the Davis' house, and then stopped by the church and got to see the little primary girls practicing their dance for the Christmas party! So cute. We went over to read the Book of Mormon with Kaycee - we got the kids version with the pictures, she loved it! Then we ended the night by meeting with Brother Judd and reading Enos. Tuesday was our miracle day. 

But it didn't stop there! Wednesday morning we went to see Sister Rock, and her mom let us come in their house! Not only that, but she stayed to talk to us, and even watched the Christmas Mormon message with us! It was incredible! We stopped by the Loveall's, and they weren't home, but just as we were getting into the car to leave, they pulled up! We were able to talk to Justin for a little bit, and see what is going on there and help them out. We then got to meet Sister Lee and her son and his family for lunch! She took us out to Buffalo Wild Wings - it was so good to see her! I love the Lee's so much. After that we talked to Brother Schmidt for a little bit and he told us all about his neighbors that we should teach, and then told us some of his really cool mission stories. We taught Gabe about tithing, and after the lesson, his mom came in (she is a nonmember) and thanked us for teaching him and helping her kids, it was tender. Then she made us take some fresh pastries home. We stopped by a less active's home and she told us she wanted to start meeting with us, and we offered to help her move, for which she was very thankful. We had a lesson with the Babcock's and we taught them the CPR lesson with the cups, which they LOVED. They had 2 nonmember friends over, and the 9 year old was fascinated with what we were telling him! His mom is an atheist, so he didn't know who God was or anything. We taught him how to pray, and it was the sweetest experience of my life. Literally. We told him what prayer was and he responded with, "Woah! I want to talk to God!" So we taught him how, and he did it! Afterwards, this 9 year old boy - Luis, told us simply that he felt so good! As we were leaving, he looked at me and said, "Thank you for teaching me how to pray!" I almost cried, it was so sweet, and the spirit was so strong. We had dinner at the Williams house - they are awesome and so nice. Another miracle, she gave us some Doterra Oils because she doesn't use them, and she knew Sister Chevalier loves Doterra- after we left their house we went to see Priscilla, who has been sick and liked the peppermint oil that Sister Chevalier let her use - so we were able to give her her own bottle of peppermint oil! Yay! Priscilla's 10 year old daughter, Rebecca, stayed for the lesson that night. She has been to church a lot with her grandma who is a member, and she talked a lot about how she really wants to be baptized. We also were able to teach her how to pray, and she did! We got to end the night at sweet Sister Plett's home doing service for her. 

Thursday we met with a less active that was a referral from the sisters, they street contacted him. His name is Khaled and he is from Egypt! He is so cool! He told us a lot about him and his family and growing up in Egypt. He found the church when he came to America and lived in California.  He was baptized 15 years ago, and then moved right away and never found the church! He hasn't been in 15 years! He is so eager to re-learn and he is so excited about coming back to church. When we were walking into his house, we got to street contact this lady that was walking her dog. Apparently her husband is less active and was on the "do not contact" list, so no one had been able to contact them in years. She told us all about all her nieces and nephews that are on missions, and was so nice to us! She told us to stop by and see them, and teach her. She told us that she had been thinking a lot lately, and that she was thinking of getting baptized... uh what. Haha, miracle number ten thousand. It was nuts. Later, we taught Gabe and Kaycee the CPR with cups lesson, had dinner at the Saenz house, and went to stop to see the Loveall's. We officially started teaching the two twin 9 year old boys that are living at the Loveall's home, Jesus and Abel. They are super sweet. We tried to see Fidel with Brother Brandt, but he wasn't home from work yet. We got to see Sister Rock though, and we read Alma 50 with her. 

Friday morning at 6:30am we and the Elders went to the stake center to help our ward set up for the ward Christmas Party. Elder Keogan wanted revenge for all the little pranks that Sister Smith and I pulled on him, so as they left, he stuffed my bag full of toilet paper. I wasn't fazed. Lame prank. Hahahaha. Later that day, we got to see Luis and the Babcock's. We taught him about Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ, because he didn't know who they were. We also taught him the Restoration! He prayed at the end to know if it was true, and after he prayed he looked up and said, "I feel all tingly!" IT WAS SO AWESOME! He felt and recognized the Spirit, as a sweet, little, 9-year-old! Ah. We later taught Gabe about Baptism and Confirmation, and then we got to go to our ward Christmas Party! It was so, so, so much fun! They had talents, good food, sing a longs, and a hilarious 12 days of Christmas sing a long. Probably one of the best ward parties ever. We got to see Priscilla that night too! 

Saturday we had coordination meeting, and then Sister Chevalier had to be tutored for math during lunch, so I got to play with the Hanna's twins.  After that, it was time for Kaycee and Gabe's baptism! It was incredible! They were both so nervous, but it was amazing. Afterwards, Kaycee and Gabe bore their testimonies. Kaycee said that she felt so good, she couldn't even describe it! Afterwards, I was talking to her and she told me she wished she could always feel like that. I love that girl. The baptism was so good. We had dinner at the Holly's that night.

Sunday was good! Luis came with the Babcock kids! And Thea came, too. It was so funny. During testimony meeting, she got up to bear her testimony... She talked about how she felt really welcome there, and how she just wanted to "PRAAAAISE JESUS!" Hahahahah, the Bishopric was trying to hold back laughter. It was so funny. I love Thea. Kaycee's mom came for the confirmation! Kaycee and Gabe got confirmed, and it was awesome, as well. Kaycee bore her testimony, and it was so sweet. I just love being a missionary. A great last Sunday. 

Today was fun. I had my final interview with President Snow. He is the greatest. I love him. He took me and Sister Ichikawa (a temple square sister that I went to interviews with - she is leaving back to temple square) out to lunch afterwards. It was really fun and cool to just go sit with President and have lunch. He told us about his mission and about how he and Sister Snow met :) We got to play laser tag for my last p-day as a district! Lots of fun. We have a few lessons planned for tonight, too. 

I will go to the temple tomorrow morning and will go to the departing missionary testimony meeting - I am singing a special musical number with Sister Cummings... don't know how I got roped into that one. Yikes. Hahah. Then we will have dinner at the mission home and stay the night there. 

I'll be home on Wednesday! I'm excited, and nervous, and happy, and sad. I love being a missionary, but I am so glad that I can be a missionary for the rest of my life. This has just prepared me for the rest of my life. I am so thankful for this choice experience I have had. I know that this is Christ's Gospel restored on the Earth today, and that our Father in Heaven loves us and knows us personally.

Have a good week! I love you all. Thank you!

Love, Sister Coltrin

 

 

 

 

Sister Coltrin and Sister Chevalier

 

 

Sister Chevalier, Gabe, Kaycee, Sister Coltrin

 

 

 

Kaycee and Sister Coltrin

 

 

Sister Chevalier and Sister Coltrin