Health Church and Cigarettes

Hiya! 

 

I AM HEALED! HALLELUJAH!  I am no longer sick (sometimes I'm still a bit deaf) but I no longer feel ill or am in pain. :) I am so so grateful for all of the prayers.

I also recieved some letters and a package/letter this week which helped me so so much. Thank you. I needed them :).

Well. I'm a Trainer. Pros and Cons;

Cons: It is really difficult to plan what to do each day. It is hard to lead in finding and teaching. I feel unprepared..... BUT---------

 Pros: Sister Wai is awesome! I am learning SO MUCH. Because I have to lead and teach, I am learning how to do everything (that I've been trying to do) correctly. I feel like I have a fresh page to start on. I am more obedient and effective as a missionary than I have ever been. I am improving with talking to everyone. Sister Wai has a lot of advice that is SOO helpful to me. I know we are given companions for a reason :). 

 

Sister Wai and I are working together to prepare people to make eternal covenants. And we need to find some of those people. So we have been working on talking to everyone, building our teaching pool and finding new investigators. 

Cool story:

On Friday night we decided to talk with everyone we saw on the way home. We talked to a couple of people who weren't interested or were in a rush and were about to go in our flat. BUT we decided to find one more person to talk to. We pumped ourselves up saying, 'this is the one Sister Wai! this is the one who is going to get baptised this transfer! we just have to stop him and ask him what makes him happy. We can do it!' We stopped a man who was smoking and asked him, 'What makes you happy?' He said 'Football'. He said football is good for you unlike cigarettes (then he threw his cigarette on the ground). He told us that he doesn't smoke (he quit years ago) but he relapsed that day because he broke up with his girlfriend and didn't have a place to live. He told us that sometimes he believes in God and sometimes he doesn't. He does when things are hard and they get better.  We testified that God had put us in his path, that the gospel would bless his life, and that as representatives of Jesus Christ we promised that if he read and applied the principles he found in the Book of Mormon, he would quit smoking and find greater joy and happiness in his life. We were then able to pray with him and set up a return appointment! 

 

Every week we visit two older ladies. That is where the purpose of us being here on earth lies. In being with these two women who have lived as faithfully as they could and are now just waiting to go home. One of these ladies- Sister Julia West- had a stroke last week. We went to see her in the hospital ( The hospital was just terrible.) and we sang her some hymns. It was so sad to see her not being able to talk or control her body when just a week ago she was talking and laughing with us. I just cried as we sang. If there is nothing else that I do with my life, I want to spend it in the company of the sick and the afflicted and the lonely and the elderly. I can always feel the spirit when I am with them. 

 

This week was crazy because of transfers and I failed to prepare a ride for V to church. On 

Saturday and Sunday morning I was frantically texting members seeing if they could give her a lift. I prayed so much in those hours. Heavenly Father provided a miracle. A recently re-activated member was able to give her a lift to church. and another member was able to go out of her way to take V home. Another miracle was a phone call we received  while we were at the bus stop from a man who met the missionaries 6+ months ago. We invited him to church, and HE CAME. It was so cool.

 

Getting to church is crazy. Especially this Sunday haha. It was raining, and as we came outside there was a HUGE marathon being run through the town center. We had to weave our way through and up a HUGE HILL while speed-walking in order to catch our bus to the chapel. It was NUTS but so fun. We caught the bus and all was well :). 

 

Sister Wai is from California, her Mum is Taiwanese. She speaks Chinese (we actually were able to have a Chinese lesson with our Chinese investigator). She loves music.  She makes me laugh. Sometimes she is really quiet but sometimes she just loves to talk. She is so sweet. 

 

All of your emails were just what I needed today :). Thank you so much :). Your prayers and your thoughts strengthen me. I am so so grateful for the letters. I LOVE YOU! 

 

Questions from Mum:

 Does your mission have a theme? Yes, it is 'Truth Will Prevail' ironic innit? Fun Fact: This is the #1 mission in the church. It was the first mission, opened by Joseph Smith right after the church was organised. It is also the mission of the prophets. Brigham Young, David O. Mckay, Gordon B. Hinckley, Jeffery R. Holland, and Quinton L. Cook to name a few, all served here. 

 

:)

 

Love, Sister Coleman

Deaf and McDonalds

If you get a sister missionary sick, she's probably going to want to sleep. And when she sleeps she will feel a litle better but she's probably going to want her Mom. When she wants her Mom she feels homesick. But some members take her to the doctor, so she feels less homesick. And when she gets home from the doctor the mail man will be there. When she checks the mail there is a package from her family from the beginning of February. Which makes her feel loved.

I have been taking antibiotics and tylenol for a week. That's about all they do here in England. Im feeling a lot better. Im still deaf in my right ear which makes talking to people hard. But talking to people was hard anyways :).

Miracle: We texted our investigator V on Saturday inviting her to come to church. She told us she wouldn't be able to make it because her son was sick and needed to go to the hospital. We got to church and the meeting started. Halfway through the sacrament hymn, Victoria walked in! She said she was on her way to the hospital with her son but wanted to come to church for 20 minutes! She stayed for the sacrament and the first talk. Heavenly Father answers prayers. He is always working in our behalf.

TRANSFERS! I am staying in Colchester and I am Follow-up training Sister Wai! She is from California and has only been a missionary for six weeks! I am SO excited to work with her! Sister Mahaffey is White-washing Southend and Training a brand new missionray!! She is going to be so great! We had to come to London Monday night so that SIster Mahaffey could get to know her new area with the sister who is leaving the area. I was placed with her companion who is a 3 month missionary going home today. It is so much easier to be happy and feel the spirit when you are more worried about another person than yourself.

On our way into Lonndon we decided to get some Mcdonalds for dinner. Sister Mahaffey tried to order a hamburger from the 'Saviour Menu' instead of the 'Saver Menu'. It was so funny. Driving through London with Natasha Lamb was so funny. I loved it!!!

Colchester Castle in Colchester, Essex, England, is an example of a largely complete Norman castle. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colchester_Castle

This week has been interesting because I have been sick. We have spent a lot of time in the flat. But when we went out I always carried a ziploc bag full of my meds. haha. People were very nice and took care of me.

I went on an exchange with the Sister Training Leaders this week. I went with Sister Silva. She's from Portugal, shes 30 years old and she goes home tomorrow. She took such good care of me. She taught me that I need to  be myself. I need to just love people and not worry about the rest. If I am trying to be obedient, and I love my companion and the people in my area, and I love them the way that I am, everything will work out. :) She taught me so, so much.

love, Sister Coleman

Wearing trousers and planting trees

Hiya! Yalrigh? Nice week innit?  

 

Yesterday we taught a girl named J. She is from China! We started to teach her and I realised she never has believed in God. Thought Process: What do I do know!? How do I help her establish a relationship with Heavenly Father? What did Ammon do?

After that I was alright. We taught her about Heavenly Father, and Jesus Christ His son, and about the Holy Ghost and how to pray. She gave a beautiful prayer asking if He really was there. It was very special.

 

 

We had a miracle this week! We have an investigator (V) who is from Ukraine. Sister Mahaffey has been teaching her since October, she just hasn't been commiting to come to church. Ready for the Miracle? An elder straight from UKRAINE and from the MTC just moved to our zone. He has only been out for a week!  His name is Elder Calabonko. He came on exchange to help us teach Victoria. He was able to testify to her in Ukrainian of the gospel, of his conversion, of coming to church, the Book of Mormon. everything. He even testified to her about the temple. When she heard about the temple she said to us,

 "Why didn't you tell me about this before!"

Elder Calabonko told us afterwards that this lesson was the first time he really felt the spirit on his mission. And guess what!? V made it to the last 10 minutes of Relief Society!! YAY! 

 

On Saturday, Sister Foster called us up and asked if we could help plant trees at the school where she works. We said ABSOLUTELY! We went over to her house early in the morning and they cooked us pancakes and bacon with orange juice and rolls! UH SO GOOD. Then we changed into trousers-UH SO GOOD! I love wearing trousers. And we went to the school and planted trees with some other youth and YSA. Its so cool cause now when I leave, there will be trees in an England School yard that a 19 year old american missionary planted. :). I felt so spoiled by the food and the fun activity. I just loved it. 

 

We visit these older ladies in nursing homes, and it is such a priveledge to be in their presence. One of them was going to bed when we popped in, and she asked us to help her with her garment top. We were both out of our comfort zones but I realized that she felt safe, and we knew how special they were. 

 

Sister Mahaffey and I sang Daddy's version of a Poor Wayfaring man of Grief at zone conference. I was really worried because I am so congested and have a sore throat, but Heavenly Father made it work. :) We also had some saint donate Girls Scout  cookies!! Sister Mahaffey had a whole box of Somoas! HEAVEN! It was so so great. :)  

 

There is a family in this ward thats last name is Fagg. Their daughter Jade, is at the Provo MTC learning french! They have another daughter whose name is Chloe and their son (who is 8) is Nate. I just love them so much. They make me happy. :). 

 

Sister Vivian Clark took us to get Mcdonalds the other day and I felt like a little kid:). it was good and fun. 

 

How is your cough?  My cough is slowly going away. I got some extra sleep on saturday because I just was not feeling well, and I am doing much better today. 

 Do people in London eat with their left hand? They have a fork in one hand and a knife in the other. :) Lunch time is 'Tea' and yes I have been invited to 'tea' :).

Also, the prams. Isn't it cold? Are the prams on the street? in the stores?  The prams are equipped with mini-sleeping bag things that the kids are wrapped up in. They also have huge sheets of plastic that cover the pram when it rains.  But its just like in Call the Midwife with soo many women pregnant with little kids and prams. Some of the prams fit 3 kids on them. I'll try and take a picture. 

 

I LOVE YOU SO MUCH! Please send me letters! They make my day

 

love, 

Sister Coleman

Sister Coleman planting trees and happily wearing "trousers".

Sister Coleman with Sister Jordan ( mission presidents wife) for training.

Cats, Laundry and Pie

Hiya! 

This week was great. 

We had a lesson with our investigator Y this week. She is from West Africa. She talks at a million miles an hour haha. We stopped by her house late one evening and she was so tired (single mom with 2 kids, works as a RN at the local hospital) so instead of teaching her a lesson, we cleaned her kitchen for her. Apparently we don't know how to wash dishes by hand properly, and she laughed and laughed at us and decided to be our 'Mum' and teach us how to run a household. We promised to come back on Saturday and do some ironing with her.

 -Went back on Saturday and brought a Recent Convert-M- with us. M can talk at a million miles an hour. So there we were these two women becoming fast friends, talking to each other while Sister Mahaffey and I sat in the middle of them. Eventually, Y sent us into the kitchen to do the laundry while she and M continued talking! 

 After we finished the laundry and tidying the kitchen Y checked off our work hahaha. We were then able to teach about the Plan of Salvation all the way up to the Atonement of Jesus Christ. it was wonderful and so so fun. 

 

There is a woman in this area who has been investigating the church. Her name is B. She is in her 60s and she is from Belieze. We texted her and asked her to teach us how to cook! (mostly we eat pasta, rice, and chicken with veggies and fruit). She agreed. She taught us how to make Tandoori Chicken and Lemon Meringue Pie! It was SO fun! We were just laughing the whole time. Her son lives in Sandy Utah! crazy right!? She said the top of the pie should look like the Utah mountains! it was just great. 

 

I am a Disney Princess. seriously. When I see birds, I whistle at them and they turn and look at me and whistle back. We have long conversations. One bird (found him on Collingwood road) is getting baptised next week. The other bird I met on Straight Road he had a real issue with priesthood authority, and he ended up hosing me. but thats fine because his friend flew over and talked to me instead. I am seriously considering budgeting for Bird seed to carry around with me ;). : ) 

 

We went to see a less active lady yesterday who has 7 cats! If I had seven cats they would undoubtably be horcruxes. 

Anyway- We went to see this lady and she wasnt in but we thought we should knock on her next door neighbors. The house to the right was home to a cute Chinese girl attending Essex University. We were able to talk about the gospel with her and made plans to see her again this week! 

When we knocked on the house to the left a teenage boy answered the door. We told him we were missionaries and that we were out asking everyone what makes them happy. He said weed. hahahaha. (thoughts in my head at this point are OH BOY. this isnt going to go anywhere). Then he said his family made him happy. We talked for awhile about various things. Sister Mahaffey spotted their dog and was DYING to pet her. So he invited us in. We met his mom and talked about agency, how it is never to late for anyone. We testified of Jesus Christ and of Heavenly Father. We discussed why bad things happen to good people. By the end of our lesson K (the teenager) said, "I want to change." We promised him as  representatives of the Church of Jesus Christ, and as  representatives of Jesus Christ, that if he would read the Book of Mormon and apply the principles he found in it, that he would change. The spirit was so strong. 

We are seeing him and his family on tuesday. 

 

It is never to late for anyone. 

The church is true. 

 questions from Mum:

How do you do your laundry? We have a washer in our flat :). We take the bus or walk, or get a lift from members or the zone leaders to get where we need to go. I've gotten really good at flagging down buses :).

 

I love you all! 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO NATER BATER AND MOMMY!! I love you!! Nate is Great! He is turning 8! Eat some Birthday Cake! Swim in a Lake! Getting Baptised! Gunna wear a tie! That ain't no lie! Birthday Surprise! The church is true! The book is Blue! Im a missionary! Singin to canaries! In Great Britian! Daddy bought me mittens! HAPPEE BIRTHDAE! 

 

love, Sister Coleman :) 

 

This is Sister Mahaffey and I learning how to make Lemon-Meringue Pie: