I LOVE YOU!
The time is going by so quickly! I honestly cannot believe it.
So much happened this week, I have so much to tell you. What a week full of miracles Hermana Harvey and I have had. It has been such a challenging, trying week, but in the end we witnessed so many blessings. Our sweet Hermana Rosalia plays hymns on her year 1800 piano and every night we can hear her playing. One of the songs she was playing was, "Cuenta tus bendiciones." (Count your many blessings.) Wow I couldnt believe how much the Lord has blessed us this week. We had so many tender mercies and it is so evident that the Lord was guiding us. I pray every night that Hermana Harvey will have spiritual experiences with me that will impact her for the rest of her mission. I feel like Heavenly Father is listening and he is answering my prayers.
Here in Piriapolis, it is super close the ocean. Its like the "San Diego of Uruguay." We talk to everyone and we hear so many interesting beliefs. It has been so interesting for me to switch from working in cute little Melo where everyone believes in God to coming to Piriapolis where a lot of people dont believe in God. I am grateful to be a representative on the Lord and to share my testimony every day. Everyday I feel like we live in the chapter of Alma 30. One experience, we began talking with man, who told us that he was completely athiest. He told us that he didnt believe in anything. The things that he was telling us took my back. He completely denied Christ and the spirit. It broke my heart literally, this people who literally live in darkness because there is no hope! We testifed that there is a God and that Christ will come. The testimony that Hermana Harvey and I shared was so powerful and I could feel the spirit testifying of our words. I know that this man felt something. We walked away completely in awe and with even firmer testimonies that Christ lives. I am thankful to be a witness of God.
Even though it is the San Diego of Uruguay, heavenly father is blessing us with people to teach. Yesterday, we found a woman named Paola who is so prepared for the gospel. She and her son are going to get baptized on the 29 of November. We had such an amazing lesson with her yesterday. It was one of those lessons where you dont really remember what was said, the spirit just took it away. I cannot thank my Heavenly Father enough for the tender mercies and the many miracles that I have witnessed in my mission. I worked out of my area in Pan de Azucar (hermana coxs old area) a day this week. There are people so prepared in all of uruguay. The Lord is definitely hastening his work. We taught a mother and son about the gospel of Jesucristo and they were literally eating every word we said. It was so rewarding. They were so eager to read out of the Book of Mormon and to keep their commitments. It was remarkable how the Lord guides his missionaries.
We had a capilla abierta (open house) for our little church here in Piriapolis on Sunday. You know what? Hermana Harvey and I were outside invited people to come in. We went up to these two teenagers and began to talk to them in spanish inviting them to the church. All of the sudden, they tried to speak in spanish, but it was apparent that they were from the States and could not understand anything we were saying. I began to talk to them in english and they came into the church for our tour. Hermana Harvey and I gave them the tour in english, and you know what....I could not do it! I could not teach in english for the life of me! I dreamed for this day when I was in Hermana Harveys shoes. It was so funny...I felt like I kept apologizing because spanish words would come out easier then english words. Uh oh I am in for trouble when I come home! You guys understand spanish, right? haha
I am been receiving some wonderful letters from my people in Melo. It is the most rewarding this to hear their testimonies and to see their conversion. It makes my heart leap for joy. We really dont realize the difference that we make in peoples lives. Either the 22 or the 29 of December, I am going to visit Melo before I come home. What a joyous reunion this will be. I cant believe my dear Hermana Cox is leaving the mission so soon. I will miss her dearly. I cant believe how fast time is moving. I just want to soak up every minute of every second that I have here in my promised land. I enjoy it so much. I am just about to enter into my last change next week. I told Hermana Harvey that it is forbidden that we speak of it...haha. She is a good sport. I love her a lot and I know that we will be friends forever. The gospel is like a glue. It ties people together. That is why I am so thankful for our family...its because we have the gospel in our lives and we live it.
My work here in Uruguay is still not done. I will continue to work hard until the very last second that they tell me that it is time for me to go home. We are praying for a family to teach and baptize. It is the temple that is our goal. I know the gospel is true with my whole soul.
I love you! This..........................
Hermana Coon
p.s. The picture is of us and Abuela Rosalia!
Hermana Harvey's letter to her family:
Hola mis amigos y familia!
The days are starting to fly by it seems like! I cant believe ive already been gone for 2 months!
This week we already had our “Oro Conference” and I got to see all my buddies from the CCM again! The ones that our in my mission at least. That was awesome! We didn’t have much time to chat though, we did a bunch of practices which were very helpful! I also didn’t get a chance to take a picture, but next week ill be able to see them all again because we have a huge conference with the 2 missions of Uruguay! Lots and lots of conferences and traveling on the omnibus!
Also this week I had my first Intercombio! So for a day/night I was with another Hermana. Hna.Armijo and she is just the sweetest girl! It was weird though not to have Hna. Coon by my side haha she helped me a lot with my Spanish and we had a good day together! Its cool to see how different situations can be like with different people, in different places all around the world, with different people, etc. But all this work is the same no matter what. The gospel of Jesus Christ has always been the same and that’s all we are doing as missionaries is not trying to convince anyone. We are simply just spreading and sharing this gospel with others and having them find out for themselves like we have that this is the true church.
Hna. Coon and I had a theme this week of “Cuenta tus bendiciones” which is count your blessings. We had a hard time with our investigators keeping their commitments and slacking off and ugh we just want them to try it and then they can see how great this gospel is and how much it can help their lives! But a lot of people struggle with that and they don’t want to try, and they give up and there isn’t much we can do. It seems like people are waiting for these huge signs and miracles, but the truth is they’ve already had miracles and blessings in their lives they are just being so blinded they cant see them. So Hna. Coon and I started to not focus on the negative, we have been finding the little blessings in our life and have been writing them down every night. Also our investigator Enrique is still progressing really well because he has been keeping his commitments and whats so amazing is hearing his experiences! He told us that while he was reading he received inspiration and he knows this gospel is true and he puts in the effort and he came to church on Sunday! He woke up late, but he still came and walked and its just amazing his faith is growing soooo much! It’s a longer story than that I know I wish I could have time. Ill write about it in my letter, but I love you guys and thank you for everything! One day ill get this emailing thing down I promise! Keep the faith you guys! Love you
Xoxoxoxox,
Hna. Harvey
Oh that picture with my lil pumpkin was my way of spending Halloween haha they do celebrate it here but its not cute like it is back home with kids dressed up as princesses and heros, its all blood and guts and scary stuff. Also no king size candy like we have in the states haha. I carved a temple because the Temple is my heaven here on earth and I cannot wait for the day I can be married and sealed for eternity in it! Bryce im so happy to hear about you getting your endowments out!
The days are starting to fly by it seems like! I cant believe ive already been gone for 2 months!
This week we already had our “Oro Conference” and I got to see all my buddies from the CCM again! The ones that our in my mission at least. That was awesome! We didn’t have much time to chat though, we did a bunch of practices which were very helpful! I also didn’t get a chance to take a picture, but next week ill be able to see them all again because we have a huge conference with the 2 missions of Uruguay! Lots and lots of conferences and traveling on the omnibus!
Also this week I had my first Intercombio! So for a day/night I was with another Hermana. Hna.Armijo and she is just the sweetest girl! It was weird though not to have Hna. Coon by my side haha she helped me a lot with my Spanish and we had a good day together! Its cool to see how different situations can be like with different people, in different places all around the world, with different people, etc. But all this work is the same no matter what. The gospel of Jesus Christ has always been the same and that’s all we are doing as missionaries is not trying to convince anyone. We are simply just spreading and sharing this gospel with others and having them find out for themselves like we have that this is the true church.
Hna. Coon and I had a theme this week of “Cuenta tus bendiciones” which is count your blessings. We had a hard time with our investigators keeping their commitments and slacking off and ugh we just want them to try it and then they can see how great this gospel is and how much it can help their lives! But a lot of people struggle with that and they don’t want to try, and they give up and there isn’t much we can do. It seems like people are waiting for these huge signs and miracles, but the truth is they’ve already had miracles and blessings in their lives they are just being so blinded they cant see them. So Hna. Coon and I started to not focus on the negative, we have been finding the little blessings in our life and have been writing them down every night. Also our investigator Enrique is still progressing really well because he has been keeping his commitments and whats so amazing is hearing his experiences! He told us that while he was reading he received inspiration and he knows this gospel is true and he puts in the effort and he came to church on Sunday! He woke up late, but he still came and walked and its just amazing his faith is growing soooo much! It’s a longer story than that I know I wish I could have time. Ill write about it in my letter, but I love you guys and thank you for everything! One day ill get this emailing thing down I promise! Keep the faith you guys! Love you
Xoxoxoxox,
Hna. Harvey
Oh that picture with my lil pumpkin was my way of spending Halloween haha they do celebrate it here but its not cute like it is back home with kids dressed up as princesses and heros, its all blood and guts and scary stuff. Also no king size candy like we have in the states haha. I carved a temple because the Temple is my heaven here on earth and I cannot wait for the day I can be married and sealed for eternity in it! Bryce im so happy to hear about you getting your endowments out!
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