How are you? That is so awesome to hear about your week. James way to go on your football game...I cannot believe that you are applying for BYU so soon! Where did my little brother go??? I am glad to hear that all is well at home and that you enjoyed the temple with Annie. I cant wait to go inside with you!
This week was so wonderful. One of the reasons why it was so wonderful was because we went to the temple too! What a treat!Tuesday, we had concilio, so at 2am we left for Montevideo to arrive in time for concilio. Then, we stayed the night at the temple hotel and the next day, Wednesday, we entered into the Holy House, the House of the Lord. It was magnificent. I felt the spirit so strongly in my heart. The temple is such a special place. As Hna Cox and I walked passed the sealing room, we just sat at looked at its beauty, thinking about all of the miracles that we witnessed. It definitely gave us more ganas to find more families!! The glory of god is so good...to be sealed together as families forever! More than ever, I am so thankful for the family that I have. We have been so blessed.
You are all going to laugh at this...while we were spending the night in the temple hotel, I felt like we were in a mansion! It is so amazing the things we take for granite at home, in the states. I have just gotten so use to life here in Uruguay, I have forgotten about the nice things at home! For example, I washed my hands in warm water for the first time in months, the showers were absolutely divine...warm water the whole entire time. We were so pampered staying there, Hna Cox and I couldnt believe it! We couldnt believe how much the mission has changed us!
We had so many miracles yesterday at church. Our investigator, Dahiana, is not married, but loves the gospel and loves coming to church, but shes not able to get baptized. Her husband is a hard core Evangelico. When we would go to their house, changes ago, her husband would always hide and never wanted to talk to us. We left out of town to work and has been gone since June. BUT, this past week we returned from working far away and he decided to come to church. The spirit has completely softened his heart and he came to church yesterday! It was so amazing that their whole family was sitting in the pews enjoying the spirit during sacrament meeting. Wow. I could not believe it. The first time I met him was my first day here in Melo. Hna Montenegro and I were completely lost in a whitewash and we asked him for dirrections. He is related to Monica and Richard! (Do you remember their story of conversion and how Hna Montenegro and I found them?) They are so awesome too...do you know what?? In two weeks, Monica and Richard are getting MARRIED AND BAPTIZED! I just know without a doubt the gospel changes lives. Those who fully embrace the gospel receive so many blessings. Monica has smoked her whole life, but now she is not smoking. It is absolutely amazing. I will keep you posted on their wedding and baptism! :)
...so back to more miracles at church. We had worked so hard and commited so many people to come to church, but none of them showed up. We did everything in our power, but not one single person came. Hna Cox and I were a little distrought seeing that we went to all of their houses to pick them up, called them, etc and nothing. We decided to go into a quiet room en la capilla and pray. We prayed asking for a miracle, got up off our knees, walked to the entrance of the church, and there standing outside of the gates was someone, a young boy. Hna Cox waved for him to come in and he did. We find out that he name was Angel. We honestly could not believe it, that Heavenly Father just wanted to try our faith and then he sends us an "angel." It was maravilloso!
I am just learning so much...so much about submitting to the will of the Lord, learning how to change my prayers. I was truly inspired this week as I had my interview with Pres Cook. We talked about prayer and the importance of it. I told him how much I loved life right now at this very moment and how inspired it is that we are here yet another change. He told me, "Hermana Coon, it wasnt like that in the beginning." But in the end of receiving inspiration for changes, Hna Cox and I were together again. He testifed to me, almost in tears, that this is the Lords work and that he is in charge. I just want to do the Lords will. Thats all I want.
Anyways, have an awesome week this week. Keep choosing the right and being examples to all around you. We obey with exactness because we love our Heavenly Father.
Give everyone a big giant Uruguayan kiss on the cheek for me! haha. Love you all so much! :)
Hermana Coon
Hermana Cox's letter to her family!
Hi family!!!!!!
Thank you thank you for your letters and for the pictures! It looks like it has been a wonderful and busy week! Congrats to Nelsen and his new wife! I am so excited for them! I can´t believe how much everyone has changed! I love all of the pictures! Thank you thank you!
I hope that you had a wonderful birthday dad! I was thinking about you on your special day! Time is so weird here! I can´t believe that we are already into the second week of September! I feel like I have been here forever but yet it has gone by and is going by soooo fast! Spring is in the air here and I love it. It is actually starting to get pretty warm with some occasional cold rainy days.
It has been a great and crazy week once again! Monday night, we had a family night with the Family de los Santos. Thank you for communicating with them. Richard really loves to talk with you guys and he reports on what you say every time we go by. They are such a special family! I love visiting them and seeing how the gospel has changed and is continuing to change their lives. Richard is practicing his english and always talks about how he never wants us to leave but how one day he will come a visit us.
At 2 Tuesday morning, we made our journey to Montevideo. We had a wonderful concilio and we learned a lot. That night we did splits with the Hermanas over there in carrasco, Hermana Ots and Hermana Schaelling. That was fun! I was able to work with Hermana Schaelling again like old times but in the heart of Montevideo. Yeah......needless to say it is not like Gianola. haha we went and visited some less actives.
Tuesday night our zone made it to Montevideo and we all stayed in the hotel within the temple square. It was wonderful! I forgot what it feels like to take a nice shower and sleep in a nice bed. It was great! The next morning after studies and breakfast we broke into two groups. My group was able to go to the temple first! It was absolutely amazing! I was so grateful to go to the temple! It really puts things into perspective and really helps me think about the plan of God. It is interesting because as a companionship, zone, and also in concilio, we have been thinking a lot about families. God´s work and glory is to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man. Man can only gain the highest glory in the celestial kingdom through the sealing power of the temple. Eternal marriage is the only way to reach exaltation. And so our focus is more now on helping families! And we are praying and fasting that we will be able to find another prepared golden family! I am just so very grateful to have been born into a sealed family. I am not sure what I did to deserve such a wonderful gift but I just pray that I can live up to the wonderful blessing it is and live up to the sacred covenants I have made with my Heavenly Father. I heard that there is yet another temple movie back home but the one that we saw was the new one I saw in February. I love the peace that is felt in the celestial room. I never wanted to leave. What a wonderful blessing it is to live so close to many temples!
Afterward, our group had a meeting with the assistants and we each took turns with our interviews with President! It was so great and I really love President cook. He reminds me a lot Dad. He just has such a great love and testimony of the Savior. He just radiates humility and love and would do anything for us missionaries.
Guess what the secretaries gave me as we got on the bus to head back to Melo? Two packages!!!!!!! Thank you thank you thank you a million times over! I am already sharing the gifts that you sent especially with the music class that we had yesterday! They all say thanks!!!! And thank you so much for the special birthday package!!!! It was like Christmas and we are enjoying everything that you sent!!!!! Thank you thank you thank you!!!! I love the cards and pictures! I opened those up today. I love you all so much!
We made it back to Melo at about 11:30 that night. I love the way they do president interview and temple trips. everything was just so well organized and I felt the spirit so much and learned a lot as well.
Thursday we were back out to work! We had a really great day and we have worked really hard even though we haven´t been in our area very much this week. On Friday we did an intercambio with the two new Hermanas that live in our house. I was with Hermana Altamirano. She is so sweet and so funny. Even though pretty much all of our lessons for the day fell through because no one was home, we were able to find some new investigators to teach in the process. We went to go see cinthya and unfortunately she really doesn´t have the desire to get baptized right now. After having a loving lesson with here and telling her of the importance of this decision, we had the idea to let her pick her own baptismal date. She said she wanted to wait a few years!!! So, that was unfortunate. But we felt okay because we knew we had done everything in our power to help her and we made the choice clear. She will be baptized some day hopefully soon :)
While we were having our intercambio, Hermana Coon got bit by a dog right before lunch! Poor thing, we thought that the dog stories were ended. but no.....We showed up to lunch and she told me that she had just been bit by a dog that we had just passed by as well. It was a fiesty small little thing. Poor Hermana Coon!!!! She is okay though. :)
On Friday we had a really special lesson with Dahiana and her husband David. I don´t know if you gusy remember Dahiana but her daughter is a recent convert, Antonella. And the Dahiana and Antonella go to church every week. Dahiana isn´t married or else she would get baptized. Well, David has been in Montevideo for the past few months for work and so we haven´t ever been able to talk to him. Well, he got home a week ago and on Friday we had a super special lesson with them. We taught the restoration and David was listening attentively the whole time. We gave him a book of Mormon and we committed him to go to church on Sunday for the first time.
On Sunday, we had a lot of people commited to going to church and we were fasting to have lots of people come. But unfortunately, almost all of them fell through. Dahiana came at 9 and then we didnt´have anyone else! During sunday school we went into a room and decided to pray and ask for a miracle. Just after getting up off of our knees, we went to the front door of the church and there was a young boy sitting on his bike outside of the gate looking in. I motioned for him to come in and he came. His name is Angel and he apparently lives in our area. What a miracle! And guess who came for sacrament meeting, David!!!!! Yeah! He said that he liked it. So little by little, I know that one day Dahaina and David are going to get married, baptized, and sealed in the temple. The less active that I told you about last week came to church again. She loved it and we are helping her to stop smoking. After church on Sunday, all of those elders that received the melchesidec priesthood a couple of weeks ago, including Nilo and Jose Martin were found in a room giving blessings. it was so special. We were just walking down the hall and we peeked in the window and saw Jose Martin, Marcos and Nilo giving someone a blessing. These members are incredible!!!! The change in them is incredible!
We really are seeing so many miracles and we are working hard and leaving the harvest to the Lord. We are praying to find the golden family that we are looking for! I love you all!!!! I hope you have an excellent week! Thank you for being the best family ever!!!!!! You are always in my thoughts and prayers!
-Hermana Cox :)
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