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