The Temple!

Hello my Family!

I am so happy that you received my letter/package! yay! I am glad that you liked the videos...something different and fun! Now you pretty much know a little bit of my life and the personality of my oro! She is a blast!

What a fun weekend that you had...snowmobiling for the boys and a girls retreat for the girls! I want to go on a girls retreat! haha. When I get home, we will have to do it again, ok? Glad to hear that you are all healthy and strong again. Wow the temple will be dedicated next week! That is so exciting! I feel like there is so much going on at home!

This week was a good one again! (Well really they are all good ones!) On Tuesday, we went to the temple as a zone. The temple was exquisite and it was a well needed temple trip. I really enjoyed being in the temple again. I havent been to the temple since el CCM in Buenos Aires. You probably remember, but we went every Thursday to the temple in Argentina. It was a treat and 7 months ago in the CCM, I didnt understand anything in spanish! The whole session, I remember, was in spanish and i was lost. But it was a miracle! The whole session on Tuesday, I could understand! It was amazing to see and witness the progression of learning a new language! I can I just say GIFT OF TONGUES! Wow! I thanked by Heavenly Father big time for this blessing. The spirit in the temple is impresionante. I had many memories of being in the temple for my first time and then going with you many times after. I started to cry and the spirit was so strong. In the celestial room I sat and read my patriarchal blessing. In the temple, we feel el amor de Dios aun mas en la vida. He has a perfect plan for his children. Then I walked past the sealing room and tears came to my eyes even more! haha. I know that we are children of God.

That temple day, we fasted, and then were spiritually drained from the temple. My poor comp, Hermana Fuentes and I were drained...emotionally and physically! Funny story...so the next day, Hermana Fuentes couldnt even walk in a straight line, so we decided to find a little spot on the side of the dirt road to take a rest. She instantly fell asleep...her bed in the rocks! I was so tired too, so I closed my eyes. If you can just imagine it...2 sister missionaries sleeping in the road...so funny. It was seriously the story of the Great Samaritan...we had 2 people walk past us on the other side of the road, they didnt really say anything, just looked at us strangely. Then the 3rd person brought us water and made sure we were okay. We were so thankful! The cool thing is...we ended up inviting them to be baptized and putting a baptism date with them and they said yes! How cool! The lord works in mysterious ways, let me tell ya!

Another cool story of the power of the priesthood! We asked our leader misional de la rama, Hermano Sueldo, to give a recent convert a blessing of comfort and after the blessing, he showed us his hands, and he literally felt like his hands were on fire! (and it wasnt because the house was hot and filled with flies,) it was because there is power in the priesthood. A literal power! How cool is that?

One thing that i think is a little difficult about a mission, or about life in general, is submitting to the will of the Lord and trying to understand His will. This is something that I am not very good at, but continually working on. Its a process right? Hermana Fuentes and I spoke in church yesterday about the Spirit and its function. We had the coolest experiences this week as we literally had no food and no money, but what we did have was faith! Faith that the Lord would provide...and He did! Everyday. We would be walking down the street at 8 30pm wandering what we were going to eat for dinner that night because we had no food and then a random man comes up to us and gives us a bag of apples! DINNER! Then Saturday morning, we were thinking the same...What are we going to eat for lunch? (as our stomachs rumbled) No member had signed up to feed us and we had no food in the house. Then, during companionship study, our neighbor and relief society president called us randomly. She asked us if we had food and lunch for the day and we were a little embarassed to tell her no. She was inspired by the Spirit to call us and ask us this! WOW! It was such a powerful experience of the Spirit! We ate a huge lunch with her and her fun family and we didnt go hungry. The Lord always provides!

Glad to hear that you are collecting many healthy recipes for when I get home...I am dying for something healthy. My body is falling apart and the little muscles that I had are nonexistant. Sad but true haha. 

Love you fam. Keep up the awesome work! I love you so much! Have a happy week!

Hermana Coon

 Now you pretty much know a little bit of my life and the personality of my oro! She is a blast!

 Do you like our futbol team??? I DO! The funny thing is...they think I am good at soccer! Never played in my life! They are just nice! haha.

 My LATINAS!

Zona de Las Piedras! I spy Hermana Coon! Love you all!

My LATINAS!

Going to the Temple

Hola Familia!

I am so excited! I am so excited! I want to begin by saying that tomorrow, my zone and I are traveling to the temple to do a session! We are so excited! It has been such a long time, since the CCM, that I have been to the temple. It will be such a special experience!

What a week it has been for you all! Mom you are 1st counselor in the RS! That is so great and fun! You are going to do awesome. Dad, Annie, and Hannah I hope you feel better in your salud! I didnt hear from James this week...hope he is doing good. 

This week was so crazy, busy, and nuts. I cant even remember what happened this week. We are on the go from the minute we wake up at 6 30 to the minute we fall asleep at 10 30. 

We have been praying at thinking of new ways to get ourselves into the homes of these families that live in Villa Felicidad. Over these past 5 changes here in Progreso, my companions and I have tried several different ways, but no success. We always get doors slammed in our faces. But, we began playing with the children in the streets...jump rope, tag, whatever game. This has been a miracle and made such a difference! The children LOVE us and also their parents! When the children bring us to meet their parents, the parents instantly love us and we are able to share the gospel with them. It is amazing! Its just like Alma when he was rejected many times and never wanted to go back, but then the Lord comforted him. Then he went into the city a different way with a different plan. I am thankful for the scriptures that give us answers to our prayers!

Hermana Fuentes and I were laughing today, as we were hanging our wet clothes out on the line outside to dry, about how easy our lives were before the mission and how many things we took for granite...like a dryer! Or how at home, the shower always worked, or how somehow we always had food in the pantry or in the fridge or always had a car to drive us places or carpet! Life was so easy...now its a little bit more difficult because we dont have the necesities that we took for granite. Interesting how much our perspectives have changed. I cannot wait to read my missionary journal with you all when I return home. What a treat that will be!

Yesterday at church I had a very happy thought as I was sitted on the front row...(yes the front row mom! haha) I looked at all our converts, happily sitting in their seats listening to the messages. They had peace written on their faces and I had this feeling of JOY just overcome me. I thought about all of our experiences with each of them and how much we have seen them changed. Then I looked at our investigators who came and even more JOY overcame me. The gospel changes lives. 

I love you ALL! SO MUCH! 

Hermana Coon

oh yes...this is a picture of the food that we eat a lot....greasy, some kind of cheese...i dont even know what it is.. haha. but i do know that it is not healthy. pahaha. 

1. I received your 2 packages that you gave me full of CLOTHES and CHOCOLATE! I died! I LOVE all of my new clothes so much...it feels so good to have new clothes thank you!

And I ate all of the choloate in two days! which is not normal for me! Its like when you dont have your favorite food in so long, you just want to eat it all! Now I am wishing that I didnt eat all of my chocolate because I could really use some right now haha.

2. I dont know about the blog thing. Private would probably be good, but there are so many people who read the blog I think. All lot of missionaries and people who come to the mission have read my blog and know who I am...maybe you can just put up the letters? Your decision...you are in charge of the blog.

3. Grandmas package still hasnt come...did she put pictures of the virgen mary on it? 

Love you!

Rain and more rain!

I recieved a package from grant! Just thought i would share with you the phtos that hermana fuentes took. She is paparatzi, en serio. Te amo mama y papa!

You will laugh at this, but seriously i LOVE latina musica! When I come home I will be listening to latin music and singing in spanish! I only hear it when we are walking through the streets and the typical mexican house belting their music throughout the house or when we are traveling in the buses...Thought you would laugh at this comment!

I HAVE A SURPRISE PACKAGE COMING FOR YOU GUYS! Its a letter but there is something super fun inside! I hope and pray it makes it to you!

Te amo! Give everyone besos for me!

Quierda Familia,

Another week has come and gone! How are you all? I loved all the photos and videos that you sent me! And mom I love the experiences you share with me about the temple tours. I cried! You are a missionary! Thousands of people will be baptized because of our temple! The church is so strong in the states! 

So fun that you check everyday the weather here! It has been crazy! So humid and rainy. It feels like we are literally swimming through the air! I have never been in storms like this before. One afternoon, after a huge storm had ended, we were walking through the streets with our rainboots and rain gear and most of the houses were flooded knee high. It was so sad. They dont have any sewage systems here and so there is no where for the water to go, but inside the houses! This is why the people here seriously fear the rain and storms. They have tin roofs and the rain just beats so loud all night and all day. Wow are we blessed to live where we live with homes that we have. It is so funny because rain, shine, snow, sleek...WE WORK! The people here all know us well and we have people on their motorcycles yelling nicely at us, "What are you doing! You are going to get sick walking in this weather!" We just shrug our shoulders with smiles on our wet faces and say,"Esta bien!" The work of the lord never stops. I just have all these stories with rain this week, but every night, we literally sprint to our home to be in by 9pm in punto. (Sorry I am having such a hard time typing in english, so if some spanish words come out, perdoname!) We literally had the storm chase us. Black skies, almost like a tornado. But the Lord is with us, because as soon as we made in home in punto a las nueve, rain and hail! lots of it! I am living a different experience, seriously, its a crazy life here.

Did you realize that one year ago yesterday, I received my mission call?!

I want to tell you about one of our sweet investigators named Sofia! She is 12 years old. The pictures that I sent with this email are of our Nutella/Dulce de leche party with her and her member friends! Holy cow members are key! Please please please introduce the missionaries to your friends! We had such a great time...she came to church yesterday and little by little is gaining a testimony. Her parents are of the macumba (witchcraft) and she loves the way she feels when she is around us and when she is at church doing what is right. 

I love being a missionary and having the spirit with me at all times, like you said dad in your letter. For example, one evening, we had one hour until we had to be in the house, so we decided to go visit a less active, but as we were walking down the street, I had this distinct thought to turn down this other street to contact a reference that we had received. As we clapped our hands in front of the house, the neighbor came out and said, "HERMANAS! wait right here, I have someone that wants to listen to you!" Hermana Fuentes and I looked at eachother and couldnt believe what we had heard. They invited us in and there sat a sweet woman named Nelida. Mom, she is a total type 1 and I totally thought of you instantly...that you will be just like this sweet spunky grandma when you are a grandma. We are so glad that we listened to the promptings of the spirit because we were able to invite her to be baptized this month. What a blessing! There are people that have waited 70 years to hear the message that we have to share!

I know that this gospel is true and we are so blessed to have it in our lives. Yesterday, my companion and I taught young womens about being in the world and not of the world. Always choose the right! Always do what is right and never falter, just like it says millions of times in the scriptures that if we obey the commandments, then we will be blessed.  

I miss you all everday, but even though I miss you, I know that in a few short months, I will be back home with you all! Thank you for all your prayers...I feel them everyday.

Love you,

Hermana Coon

p.s. we have been asked to tell our parents that we can no longer put our missionary photos on facebook or on blogs. So I must obey. No more photos on the blog! But I will still email you photos every week! xoxo

Hi Grandma!

What a fun week you had! Its fun to hear about everything that you have done! Happy Birthday to GRANDPA! I hope he had a fabulous day. My mom sent me pictures of the kickball game at the park and I cant believe how fast everyone is growing up! My little cousins are HUGE now! I am going to come home super short compared to them! haha. You are a great grandma, grandma. Always planning fun things to do with us. I always think about my "abuela" (you) whenever I talk to this sweet lady in our branch, Hermana Hernandez...She looks a lot like you!

It rained all week...really hard! It has been so humid also. It feels like we are swimming through the air! Quite the experience. Thank you for all you do for me! I love you grandma and grandpa!

Have a great week!

Hermana Coon

Hello Family!

¿Como estas? I love the pictures that you sent me of our beautiful temple! You all look like people out of a magazine all perfect! seriously. What a beautiful family I have. There is only one person missing...me! What great experiences you are having mom as a tour guide! I love the experiences that you wrote me! And Happy Birthday! I thought about you all day! 

I dont even know where to begin...lots of happened. My poor oro and I...haha the week of our baptisms, we had a week full of trials! It was actually quite humorous. All we could do was laugh and pray. I will give you a recap of our week. It all began with the mission goal of 130 baptisms for the month of january...a record in the mission Uruguay. It all began with a huge rain storm. On Pday, we washed our sheets and then hung them outside on the line to dry. All of the sudden the storm came, pouring rain, wetting our sheets soaking wet. That night, we slept on our mattresses, no sheets. That Pday, when we started working, and 4/5 of our investigators who we had planned to be baptizedon Saturday, didnt want to see us.(Which was so weird because they seriously wait all the day long anxious to see us.) The next day, we called our investigator, Mary to see how she was doing. She was really sick so we called to check up on her. She began telling us how she didnt believe in a Christ anymore etc etc. The weather was so hot and humid and everynight we came home literally drenched in water. But it wasnt water, it was sweat! We literally sprinted everywhere to make the best use of our time! That night, the people who own our apartment came and turned our lights off. We didnt have lights and camped out with candles and flashlights on our cell phones. haha and let me tell ya, in Uruguay, with no lights, and giant bugs...its a bit creepy and super hot! It rained all week and Hermana Fuentes and I were either drenched in rain water or sweat water. haha. 

Saturday, the day of the baptisms, none of our investigators were prepared or wanted to, but during companionship study, Hermana Fuentes and I both had a strong impression that we needed to go to Cholos house right this minute, because we felt like he was on his way to his baptism. We dropped everything that we were doing, and bolted 2 miles to his house, praying the whole way. We came to his house, clapped (thats what they do here), and no one was home. There was a lock on the door. We bolted for the route and there was Cholo...happy and waiting for the bus to head to the church for his baptism! We had nothing prepared. We hadnt seen him all week. We quickly called Elder Reay, our district leader, and told him about our miracle and asked him to come to the church for a baptismal interview. It was a miracle.

Our week was so crazy...the craziest week I have ever had in my life. But everynight, we came home completely humbled and completely tired. I know that the Lord gave us strength to push through. I dont know what we would have done without

Its so true that missionary work is not easy because salvation is not easy. Hermana Fuentes and I both could feel the prayers of our families and friends. These prayers literally lifted us up and helped us conquer each day. I know that this is the Lords work. We are just his hands and his mouth.

But there is good news! Our mission goal for the month was 130, but as a mission, we finished the month with 154 baptisms! We exceeded the record in the Uruguay mission! It was really cool because President Monson and the quorum of the twelve even knew about this goal. 

Scripture of the week! DyC 112 10 to 11!

I love you all so much with my whole heart! I cant believe this week I hit 7 months in the mission. The best, hardest, faith building, spiritual, happy 7 months of my life!

Until next week, 

Hermana Coon

Hi mom! I received one of your packages!!! The one with the skirts! I love them so much! it was so fun to wear new clothes finally and to have some cute headbands! I love you thank you so much!

District, P day!

Family!

WOW! I cant even begin to describe my feelings of our beautiful Gilbert Temple! It is magnificent and more than I can ever imagine! Thank you mom for sending me videos and pictures. I feel so happy. What a blessing. We are going to go every week when I get home, ok?! I bet you were the best tour guide. Annie, I know that you are inviting inviting inviting your friends and teachers. Dont give up inviting! Good job girls getting all As! 

I dont have much time to write today, but I just wanted to say that I love you all. We have had the craziest week, but we survived and I am here alive. haha. Thank you for your prayers! There is opposition in all things! I know that for sure, especially in the work of the Lord. 

And guess what!? Changes are this week and I am still in Progreso for my 5th change. By the end of this change I will have almost 9 months in the same area! Can you believe it? 

I am putting together a surprise for you all and am going to send it in the mail soon. Sorry, I have to go but I just wanted to write you a quick little letter. I love you all!

Your daughter, sister, granddaughter, friend

Hermana Coon

The friends of Jesus

Hi family!

I loved reading all of your emails! I cant believe the big change in our family! Dad is no longer the bishop of the Chaparral Ward! Dad you were an awesome bishop and I am sure everyone is so sad. I am actually un poco triste tambien por eso. I loved you being bishop when I was in high school. Such fun times we had. I love you. Our temple is finished! This is the week! Please please please send me pictures and videos! I want to see so bad. Mom when you do your temple tours, even though we are thousands of miles away, I will be there in spirit with you. I love you!

I love Elder and Hermana Pugmire! They are literally the best! I seriously call Hermana Pugmire like 3 times a week and Elder Pugmire is always fixing stuff at our house. Elder Pugmire is actually the cousin of President Pugmire! The world is even smaller than we think! Oh and Elder Reay is legit awesome! el capo! He is the best district leader I have ever had. What a small world we live in, especially within the church.

I LOVE MY MISSION. Those four words, ah I cry from happiness everytime I think about it. I feel like I am starting to get the hang of things, the language, the culture, etc. I love the people...I love my converts...I love the members. I just love everything about Uruguay. Choosing to serve a mission was the best decision I have ever made. We are finding people everyday that are so prepared for the gospel! Everynight, the district leader calls (Elder Reay) and he told me that he was in a meeting with the zone leaders and they were talking about my area, how well it is progressing. Elder Reay asked me what we are doing to have this many dates, numbers, and progressing investigators. I thought about it for a second and then I said one word, Amor! Love! I am learning that there are so many people in this world who dont feel loved and then for two girls to approach them and tell them that they have a Heavenly Father who loves them is huge. They cant help but want to learn more! Whats even cool is the things that are coming true in my patriarchal blessing. wow!

It has been such a good week.You are probably wondering why Pday is today, Tuesday. Yesterday, we had a surprise conference with all of the mission in Malvin, Montevideo. We didnt know anything, the reason for the conference, but we soon found out that President and Hermana Newsome have to go home and we are getting a new mission president! The whole mission was crying. We love the Newsomes and are sad to see them leave. 

This is a big week for us! As a mission, we have the goal to have 130 baptisms in the month of January. Hermana Fuentes and I have five investigators with a baptism date forthis Saturday and Sunday. It is so interesting and I know that this week will be very challenging because ALWAYS the week of baptisms Satan is working so hard. Today it is raining...pouring rain. One of our investigators, Mary, is deadly sick. There are so many trials, but our faith is strong and we know and believe that we will have these baptisms this week. Exciting! Please pray for us and for everyone of our investigators who have a date this Saturday...Cholo, Mary, Nestor, Silvia, and Lucia. I know that prayer works. I can feel your prayers and it is amazing.

I am so thankful for these blessings. This week, I noticed and have realized how much I have grown in the gospel, in the language, and as a missionary. I was thinking about when I was skyping with you all and I just felt different, like I didnt feel like the same Katie. Its a good change. Now I completely understand why elders come home from their missions and they are just different. These experiences that we have as missionaries play a huge impact on our lives. James, Annie, and Hannah, you will be AWESOME missionaries! 

One last thing, we have been meeting and introducing ourselves to a lot of niños in the streets. Its a good way to get referencias and to meet their parents. As we are walking down the street, we often hear things like, "Las Hermanas!" or "Las Misioneras!" but my favorite this week was, "Las Amigas de Jesus!" The friends of Jesus! ahah I love it! 

Thank you for everything, family. I love you all with my whole heart. Families can be together forever through Heavenly Fathers plan!

Have a great week!

Hermana Coon

You will not believe the BUGS that we find in our apartment! Cockroaches, spiders, HUGE daddy long legs! 

Hermana Fuentes and I yesterday!

Mom, the first picture is for you! Dancing-singing in the rain! Making the most out of the day of pouring rain! 

Cholo! Our investigator who reminds me exactly of Grandpa Coon! Such a funny man!

Hola Familia!

¡Hola Familia!

This week I received a lot of Christmas cards and Scotts wedding invitation!!! I loved opening them this morning! All week, they have been sitting on my desk and I have been dying to open them..but today is Pday and this morning i finally opened my letters! WOW way to go Scott! Shelby is gorgeous! I loved the Christmas cards, our family´s, Rob and Niki, Rick and Jenny, and the Lindbloms! So fun! I just love everyone so much!

Hannah, it looks like you had such a fun birthday! 7 years old! I will be home for your birthday next year and for your baptism!

The weeks are going by really fast, and here I am at the computer again for another pday writing my family that I love so much. This week, on Saturday, we had a baptism for our investigator, Gabriel! (Total type 4...you can see in the pictures. haha) Baptism days are ALWAYS the craziest days! There is opposition in all things and Satan is working really hard, especially on the days of baptisms. He not only works hard on the investigators, but on the missionaries too. We had so many problems on Saturday, but we prayed every minute and Heavenly Father helped us conquer the problems and everything worked out great. He is really turning his life around and wanting to do good and to follow Christ. It is amazing to see! As we were walking with him to his baptism, he was asking us if we would think about living here in Uruguay forever. He doesnt want us to leave, but unfortunately, I love my country. "Sorry Gabriel," I said, "Uruguay is awesome, but I love my country and my family too much!" haha it was funny.

I am learning so much, especially with how to deal with different cultures. It has been quite a culture shock for my companion to have a North American companion and trainer. I am learning how to deal with this crazy latino culture...a culture that loves to shake their hips and dance like theres no tomorrow, a culture that loves to be loud and loves to hug. It is quite different, but my companion tells me by the end of my mission that I will not only talk like a latina, but I will also walk like a latina. I just laugh.

I want to tell you about another one of our investigators named Mary. She is a miracle! We didnt even have to go looking for her, she came to us! She loves the gospel so much and she is the sweetest type 2 grandma with soft skin and the softest sweetest voice. We just sit on her porch and she tells us about what she read in el Libro de Mormon and we teach her. Yesterday, we were teaching her about the Holy Ghost and after her baptism she will receive this gran gift. She read us 2 Nephi 32 and told us how we were her "angels speaking by the power of the Holy Ghost." It was so sweet. She melts my heart with her genuine love and kindness to us and to Christ. She has a baptism date forJanuary 25th. We are having a lot of success with the older group of people haha. Another one of our investigators, Cholo, is 90 YEARS OLD! Yes! 90! Wow! I cant even begin to tell you about the love that he has for Hermana Fuentes and I. He calls us his nietas (Grandaughters) We would walk past his house everyday and he was always sitting outside alone. We decided to talk to him and we recently found out that he has no one, all of his family has passed away and he is so lonely. But, since we have fellowshipped him and friendshipped him, he has been so much happier and he tells us all the time that he will be there at church everyday. He is getting baptized too on the 25th of January. He doesnt know how to read or write, so we are learning how to teach all different types of people. I cant even begin to tell you, he reminds me SO MUCH of Grandpa Coon! They are identical…personality wise! WOW! Its like I have my grandpa here with me! Little taste of home!

Thank you for sending my pictures! I love to see your faces…and mom thanks for sending me a video of you!

This week, we are going to focus on the members in the branch. The members are SO IMPORTANT in missionary work and the small branch is struggling in this right now. Please give the elders in our Ward REFERENCES! It doesnt matter who is the reference, we just need them. And if you can, accompany the elders to a lesson that they have. We are always grateful when members volunteer to help us. Members are key! I am learning and I wish I would have been a better missionary when I was at home!

I love you all with my whole heart. I miss you so much. I am glad that we will be best friends forever! Always remember to choose the right and to have good friends. I am thankful.

Con mucho amor y until next week,

Hermana Coon

 .mom, do you remember Hermana Hansen??? We found her blog before I left! This is HERMANA HANSEN! I love her so much...we are such great friends! Have you been reading her blog? We are also with Hermana Harris in this picture!

 my companion and roommates after zone conference

 Cleaning the baptism font

cutting Carlos hair! Monica was thrilled, but I had no idea what i was doing! haha