Happy Memorial Day!

Family!

Hola my Beautiful Family! Happy Memorial Day?! How fun it was to read your emails and to see what is going on at home with your visitor! haha. I love you all a lot and cant believe school is already out. I am loosing track of time, I think its because it feels like Christmas here. haha. Grandma, I am wearing the hat today that you knitted me! It is so warm and cute. I love it, thank you! 

Fun Fact...I always write and tell you the funny things people tell me. In Progreso, my name was Rubia, now my name is Barbie here in Melo. How funny!

Like always, this week was fantastic and busy! Hermana Ots and i had a super powerful, spiritual experience this week that is probably the most spiritual experience that I have had out of my whole mission! We met this young girl named Dayana last week and then this week went to contact her at her house. Her mother was home, Jennifer, and instantly invited us into their home. She was so warm and welcoming and we found out that just four days ago that Jennifer and her husband, Richard were MARRIED after 17years of living together! (Which is a MIRACLE! because no one here in Uruguay is married.) My companion and I were just beaming with felicidad and mouths dropped open from amazement that our Heavenly Father led us to their house just 4 days after they were married. Then, we found out that Richard usually works in the mornings everyday as a bus driver here in Melo, but just last week, he switched his hours to the afternoon. Now he can come to church every Sunday! As we say, "Soy un hijo de Dios," Jennifer had tears in her eyes. Her smile (Type 1) was so bright and she told us..."I have been praying for years to come closer to God or him to me." Hermana Ots and I felt the spirit so strongly and we knew and know without a doubt that the Lord guides his missionaries. And we know that he prepares people. Richard, Jennifer, and Dayana are so prepared. Hermana Ots and I left that home jumping up and down and crying. Then we said a prayer of gratitude to thank our dear Heavenly Father for the many blessings he gives us everyday. We love this family so much. They came to church yesterday and will be baptized in 2 weeks! Vamo Arriba!

Experiences like these that happen every week get us thinking. I really feel that I knew this people in Uruguay before this life...like we were heaven friends or something. And as missionaries, we knew before we came to earth that we would find them in Uruguay and share the gospel with them.

I sent you a picture of our eventful day yesterday! Yesterday, we had a TARDE BLANCA (white afternoon) with the Melo Zone. 10 Bautismos! It was awesome to see all white! Everyone was so happy!  

We are so blessed, family. I love to be a missionary and time is going by too fast! I love to learn everyday and to be a sister leader trainer. It is so fun to work in other areas and to help the other hermanas. What a blessing. 

Give everyone a big Uruguayo kiss on the cheek for me! I love you all with my whole heart! 

Hermana Coon

 All in white!

I havent worn pants in almost 11 months! wow! 

 ANNIE! I LOVE YOUR SHOES!!!! What size are they??? They look so good on your feet! I miss cute shoes! I want to share with you! I love you!

It's cold outside...

Hello Family!!!

What a week it has been for all of us! First off, Grant is home! How exciting! I love the pictures that you sent me! What an exciting time! He looks great and what a stellar missionary he was. I am so proud of him! 

It is a little difficult to type today haha. As I am sitting here at the cyber, my fingers are frozen from the cold! Bienvendios winter! Winter is on its way and every night I enjoy sleeping in my below zero sleeping bag! Best purchase ever! Hermana Ots laughs at me every night. 

I feel like I say this every week, but every week the days just get better and better. Seriously, there are miracles everyday. Hermana Ots is the best companion ever and together we are studying the life of Christ. I love learning about the Savior and his acts of charity. We are gaining such strong testimonies of small acts of charity that really change peoples lives. We have this family, Familia Gonzalez, that are so wonderful. We have taught them, baptized the father, Raul and his son, Sebastian, but the mother, Janet didnt want anything to do with the church. We have prayed and prayed for her, invited her to family nights at members houses, taught her, born testimonies, dyed her hair, given her piano lessons, literally everything you could possibly imagine. Miracles happen everyday and I know without a doubt that the Lord listens to our humble, pleading prayers for help. She came to church yesterday and told us that she is going to be baptized! We are seeing miracles in this family. They are so poor and dont have anything, but what they do have is the gospel in their lives, and that is all that matters!

Sweet Esilda and Rosaura were baptized Saturday. What a spiritual baptism it was. Afterwards, Rosaura gave me a great big hug full of smiles and said to me, "I feel like I have been reborn!" I loved it and I love her. Even though they were baptized in cold water, they didnt care. Even though the water was cold, the room was burning hot with the spirit. I know that Heavenly Father is very happy. I can feel it.

Everyday, I thank my Heavenly Father for this opportunity to be a missionary in Uruguay, his servant. We had a great conference with President Cook this past week and being consecrated missionaries...giving everything at the altar of sacrifice. 

I love you my family so much! Thank you for your prayers...I feel them! You are angels! Heavenly Father loves you. 

Hermana Coon

 Esilda! WE LOVE HER!

 Rosaura and Marcos!

Marcos baptized Rosaura, his mom! 

 What a special moment! I love white! 

Rosaura

Hola Familia!

Wow it was so great talking to you all yesterday! The time went by way to fast though! I love you all so much and I know that we will be together again really soon.

James....good looking man! WOW! What a babe! Those pictures from prom are awesome! love it and so proud of my gentleman that all the ladies love...keep it up!

Have a good week in Utah. Give everyone my love. I want to hear all about the week, especially with Grant coming home....how exciting! 

Besos!

Hermana Coon

 Hermana Conference!

It's not a sacrifice!

My Awesome Family!

HI! How are you all doing? It is so fun to think that just in a few days we can talk face to face! I cant believe how fast this last 6 months went. ¡El tiempo esta volando! I am going to be online to skype with you all at 6pm Uruguayo time. (I dont remember what time that is at home.) Also, I dont remember my skype account...i thought I would remember my password and username, but 6 months later..I have no idea haha. Mom, could you make me another account and then send me an email before Sunday of the information? I am so excited! 

This week was so awesome, exhausting, spiritual high...all in one. Tuesday, I traveled to my first "Concilio" or ("Counsel") with President Cook. Its a council of about 25 missionaries. It was wonderful and we talked about different ideas for the retencion in the mission. Thursday and Friday, Hermana Ots and I, had intercambios with other Hermanas. I worked in my old area in Melo with Hermana Burbank from Canada. We had such a great time. The Lord blesses us immensely with miracles during intercambios. The other day was with Hermana Diaz from Peru! 

My heart can just burst with happiness. This morning, as Hermana Ots and I were waiting for the cyber to open to write you, we saw one of our sweet investigators, Rosaura. She is Marcos´mom. Literally, the Lord put us in her path and the right place and the right time. I saw her walking, she saw me and she ran to me and gave me theee biggest hug and kiss on the cheek that I have ever received. She then told us about the experience that she had had just this morning as she was praying. She told us she was praying this morning for an answer if the church was really true and if she should be baptized. She told us with tears in her eyes that she KNEW it was true and that she will be baptized on May 17th. She then began to describe her feelings, like there was fire inside of her and she couldnt stop smiling. She then began to tell us literally jumping up and down that she will never miss a week of church. This is true conversion. Writing this just makes me so grateful and so happy. We cried tears of joy and hugged. I love her so much! 

This morning, I was studying Mosiah 2 and was thinking about the mission and blessings from the mission. The mission is not a sacrifice at all....always the Lord blesses us much more than we give. We just give a little bit of our time to him (18 months to 2 years as missionaries) and he blesses us an hundred fold. A mission is the most rewarding thing I have ever done. James, Annie, Hannah, Cousins, Friends, Mom and Dad I cant wait until you all can serve missions. 

I will see you beautiful faces that I miss and love so much in just a few days! 

xoxo,

Hermana Coon

p.s. Grant is coming home so soon! Keep me updated! I sent a letter in the bolsa and I hope it makes it to our home! 

Hermana Ots and I on the grounds of the Montevideo Temple for Concilio Tuesday.

 The first time I have seen latino babies blonde hair, blue eyes! 

 A sweet inactive named Ana Diogo. She is the stake presidents daughter and she is coming back to church. We seriously love her. She reminds me a lot of Cousin Natalie.

 Karen! She is awesome...we love her!

Our calling in church is with the nursery! I love hearing these latino babies speak in spanish! its a hoot!

Rainy day in Gianola, Melo!

 Mud everywhere!

 Can you find me??? I love you!