Hola my wonderful family!

Hi My Family!

How is my wonderful, awesome family that I love so dearly? I absolutely loved your emails to me this week. What a proud sister I am to have such a stalwart family. Seriously I was laughing here in the cyber reading your emails. James...bro I am so proud of you! You are so handsome and so kind! I love your acts of kindness, especially to Megan. The picture that you emailed of them, mom, literally made me smile thee biggest smile! Way to go bro...youre keeping up your baptismal covenants haha taking upon you the name of Christ! That is exactly what Christ would do! Love you bro! Annie...I laughed so hard to read your prank with dad. That was so funny! Hannah...You went to the zoo!? How fun! I know that you dont like to walk very much, but I hope you had fun! Here on the mission we walk and walk and walk for 12 hours everyday. One day you will like to walk! Mom and Dad...how exciting that you get to work in the temple! You will be great on the organ mom and dad as an ordinance worker! Yay! And Josh and Jessie stopped by the house? I am sure you gave them both a great big hug for me. I miss them! How is their beautiful baby Weston?

Muy bien, this week was amazing. So many miracles are happening right in front of our eyes. And everynight, I just fall on my knees (literally from exhaustion) to thank Father in Heaven for these blessings. We have so many little mothers here who take such good care of us and love us so dearly. Everyday, we come home with all kinds of gifts that people have given us during the day...drawings of our faces, earrings, handmade pillows, tortas fritas. Its been super rainy and cold here this week. We call our sweet mother Alice and she fixes us warm hot chocolate and tortas fritas, then we teach her about the Plan of Salvation. It is so fun.

We are working with our awesome investigators who are trying to quit smoking. They have such strong desires to change their lives and to be baptized. I have never helped anyone quit smoking, but it is quite the adventure. We have made signs and cards, we have prayed and fasted, having faith that the Lord will help them with this strong addiction. Poco a poco. I love these adventures on the mission! I really love these Uruguayos. Yesterday, we ate at a members house for lunch after church and I washed my hands with warm/hot water for the first time in I dont know how long! haha. This members house was so calm and peaceful, it reminded me so much of our home. I feel so sensitive to the spirit now. Growing up, I never thought anything of it, but now I realize what a blessing our home is. The spirit dwells there. I havent been in a peaceful home, as this members house, in 9 months! We have so many blessings, family!

We had such a cool experience last night and we know that Heavenly Father was literally directing our steps. We were proselyting in the colorful neighborhood of houses, teaching less actives and finding new investigators, helping Lucia, a young woman in the ward with her Personal Progress. It was about time to head to the stake missionary choir practice, but we decided to walk in a different camino to the choir practice. We passed by a house with a woman that we have met a few times. She lives in such poverty, I have never in all of my mission seen such poverty as this. Her 3 toddlers were running crazy. Even though we were running late to the choir practice, we both felt that we should stop and see her. We didnt know why, but we followed our heart. "Hola Vanessa!" with smiles we said. "¿Como esta?" There was silence. Vanessa just stared, holding her 3 month old baby, without a smile on her face. As she was sitting almost on the ground, I knelt down and gave her a big hug. She burst into tears. She then told us what was happening in her life...a lot of problems that are so sad. And then she told us that if we hadnt come right then, she was going to but her baby in a box and leave her baby girl at somebodys doorstep and run. She didnt want to live anymore. We are so thankful that we followed the impressions of the spirit. Really, we were able to share our testimonies of Gods Plan for her. That she has a Father in Heaven who loves her and knows her situation. Every morning we pray to be led by the spirit, and everyday, we have experiences where we can see the Lords guiding hand in our lives.

Well family, my time is up for this week, but Christ lives. Heavenly Father is literally our heavenly Father. In every minute of the day, we teach about baptism. I am so proud of you all for keeping up your baptism covenants, for taking upon you the name of Christ and for acting as Christ would act. Your examples are huge to so many people. There are people watching! Keep being great disciples of Christ!

Les amo con todo mi corazon!

Hermana Coon