#29 - The field is white and so are these people

We had a zone conference Wednesday and it was all about working with the members. President is going to push church tours again. We are going to give them to every member of the ward and to their friends! Next district meeting he wants DLs to train on working with members. Funny because that is literally what I taught on last week. 

We are teaching a family!!! They are so solid and the best part is the dad knows all about the church!! He has had a friend since grade school who is mormon. He really likes how the church is family oriented and how everyone is so happy. He is very knowledgeable and already has a great friend who has been a good example to him all his life. They are golden! Their names are Adam and Amy but I sometimes get them mixed up with Adam and Eve..

Thank you for all your prayers. We have seen so many miracles this week! On Thursday while tracting we felt like we needed to go finding in another area. We decided it was best to pray about it. We felt we should tract an apartment complex just down the street. It is a pretty big area but one building stuck out more than any of the others to us. The second door we knocked was a guy named Der'rel! He is sweet! He is from Georgia and said he went to church down there. We taught him about the resto and he loved it. We asked why he wasn't baptized into the church and to our surprise he said he had been!!!? WHAT? We were a bit taken back haha. Apparently his family didn't want him to and it was hard on him. He moved here a few months ago and lost contact with the church. I am so thankful that we were able to follow the spirit as it led us to him! And the funniest part is a few doors down a lady came out yelling at us and saying other mean things to us. She made sure we were kicked out. Apparently there is no soliciting in the complex :) 

Yesterday was a great day as well! Actually every day on the mission is great but on Sunday we had some very good experiences. Before church we went out tracting and talked with some strange people. It seems that these weirdos all live together on one street together haha. Many of them tried to bash with us but none of them came off conquerer:) We passed the sacrament in church! And the primary needed Elder Wallace to play the piano for them so I got to sing along with the kids in primary haha. After church we visited a family and gave a blessing to the mom who is on chemotherapy. The gospel is so true. I know that God loves all his children and is aware of each and every one of us. We also gave the sacrament to another lady in the old peoples home. 

For dinner last night we had dinner with the Nunokawa family! They are from Japan!! They taught me some words so if we ever run into Japanese people we can say some things haha. They have 3 little boys who speak Japanese and bits of english and 2 girls. That was the best meal I have had out here! They are such good cooks!!! I love that family!

Have a good week!! Love you all :)

Elder Coon

My week summed up in one pic haha

 #antimormonliterature 

Seems like someone always has a flat tire... 

 My knee doesn't bother me but mom wanted a pic 
so here you go! 

Sweet scar if you ask me:)

 Elder Reece is from northern Utah!
 He is a convert of 2 years. What a stud!

At zone conference, bathroom pic. I'm with my homie.. 
elder newey :) Everyone out here has the same suit.... hahaha 

Hello James,

I was just perusing through an old email from Katie and thought you would relate to what she is talking about, without the lice.

I had a very spiritual experience this week on Thursday at the 2 mission conference in Malvin, Montevideo. It was absolutely amazing. I sat on the very front row right in front of the speaker, Elder Christensen, and soaked up every word. I felt like he was specifically talking to me! Everything that I have been praying about and pondering about these last couple of days he spoke about! He spoke about how the mission is not about preaching the góspel, it is about cleaning our lives. Everytime we teach and testifiy, every time we search and search for people prepared and ready to receive the góspel, the spirit is cleaning us. That is what causes a change of heart.....it is the spirit. It is the process of teaching, baptizing, and testifiying that strengthens us. I know that to be true. He spoke about the difference between charity and love. Love is feelings, but charity is when you sacrifice. You cant have charity without sacrificing. Doctrine and Covenants 138:12 13. We have to suffer through challenges and trials in order to refine us. It is part of the mission. It was amazing as I reflected upon my mission and all of the many experiences that I have blessed to experience. The good and the hard ones. These are what strengthens our testimonies and makes us become the person that our Heavenly Father wants us to be. I was suppose to get piojos, lice, for something. Heavenly Father wanted to teach me something. I am just in that refining processes. I cant wait for James to experience this so soon! The mission is the best. I hope as I walk off of that plane in a few weeks, you will see a different person because I hope that I am not the same Katie Coon that I was when I left almost 18 months ago. I have been put throught the refiners fire here on my mission and I have felt the spirit work within me. That is what changes people. I love my mission. so much.

Love you family with all my heart. I know this góspel is true. What a blessing it is to have such a faithful and stalwart family! Until next week, Hermama Coon

Dad

Dear Mom,

oh boy.... hahaha that pic is hilarious! dad you look normal.... hahaha your pants are going to be ruined :)

the package was awesome!!!!! love the bread:))) i savor every bite haha. haven't been able to eat the granola yet but when we go shopping today I'm getting some yogurt so i cant wait! love the protein balls too! i eat eggs and toast with a green protein shake. i blend up spinach and other gross stuff in it too haha. i tried the zoom but i didn't like it plain haha i have to go get honey or brown sugar maybe that will help the taste. yes! send me some easy recipes!! for lunch i usually eat tuna and eggs or something. lately we have been getting leftovers from ward/zone meetings so i have been eating well! 

lorch hahaha he is a goober. good guy! he doesn't workout or anything so if Ian doesn't mind that I'm sure they would be good. but tell bishop keller that i expect Ian to get swole so dont let that stop him! 

ahhhh so frustrating alberta isn't coming to church.... she is reading and meeting with us but no church. she actually didn't even meet with us this week so its been tough. cheri is ignoring us. we cant get a hold of her and she wont open her door. we haven't had a gator at church. I'm pretty upset about that ha. sometimes it feels like since the only time members see us is at church they judge how good we are by if we get people to church. we have been working so hard but it just doesn't show at church. we did have some great miracles this week tho!!! please keep praying that we can get someone to church! 

elder wallace is a great guy! we go out and work hard! not that fast of a walker haha. not like elder clark! he speed walks! i would have to half jog to keep up with him haha but it was efficient! wallace likes basketball so once a week to workout we go play. we went running this morning! he likes to run just not lifting. we have some good laughs!! his grandparents served in Uruguay! they came home in October! see if Katie knows the Wallaces.

You will be great! i cant remember their names. it is rhetts older bros wife's parents haha. just have fun!