Mi Familia!

Hello! Sounds like you all have had a great week! This week has been a good one for me too. Congrats to Tyler and Anne on their new baby boy! What did they name him? And congrats to Summer Threet and Aubri on finding their prince charmings! so exciting! On Tuesday I received 2 letters from you and since its Pday today, I was able to read them! I LOVE LETTERS!

That picture that was sent to you was from an open house of a church building in Canelones, an area right next to Progreso. Those sweet members in the picture arent from my branch, but they are just the kindest and most loving people. It is such a gorgeous building and as missionaries, we directed the tours and taught the people from off the streets who wanted to tour the building and learn more about our beliefs. It was so FUN! I felt like a missionary from the Mesa visitors center. At the beginning, we brought the people into the chapel where the statue of the Christus was, welcomed them, and then had them listen to the recording of Christ. (just like at the Mesa visitors center.) Then once it was finished, my companion and I would bear our testimonies of our Savior. We would then take them to another room and teach them about Christ, the Restoration, the Plan of Salvacion, Book of Mormon, temples, and families. It was AMAZING! I taught everything in Spanish. I could not believe what was coming out of my mouth...and I could literally feel the help of Heavenly Father. My favorite was teaching about the temple...there was a beautiful picture of the Montevideo temple and I testified that I am so thankful for the perfect plan of our Heavenly Father. It is perfect and He is loving. And because of this perfect plan, we are able to be with our families FOREVER! And then I thought of my own family that I havent seen in forever it feels like. Oh how I miss you. The open house was really successful! At the end of the night, we have four baptismal dates set! wooo hoo!

You guys had your primary program yesterday? So did we! Our small little branch of probably 12 children. It was the sweetest experience. The primary president asked me to accompany them on the piano. To my right, I could see all of their sweet little faces and hear them singing those tender primary songs in spanish. I was right there with them to. That is an experience that I will never forget. And then after sacrament meeting, the hermanas and a few other members in the ward continued singing hymns around me as I played the piano. Gosh that you for giving me piano lessons. It has been a huge blessing in my life. 

I want to tell you about a typical Uruguayan meal. (Well one of them haha.) Yesterday for lunch, after church we ate lunch. It was really fun...we helped fix almuerzo. Picture this...Milenesas soaked in grease. Lettuce and tomatoes drenched in salt. Potato salad covered in mayonnaise. Fruit salad soggy in sugar. I thought to myself, "I am surprised we are not all dead!" But we are grateful for all the food that we have received, even if we have stomach aches and diarrhea for days after.

This week consisted of my poor companion being sick, 4 wasp stings, 3 dogs almost attacked us, 15 kilometers walking in one day, and zombie cows. Our area, Progreso A, is HUGE! We were walking in the middle of the campo and all of a sudden, Hermana Harris starts freaking out and running like a mad woman. She was being attacked by 2 wasps! I run to save my poor companion. We are screaming like little girls because these wasps are biting us. The good thing is that neither of us are allergic. And, we actually used our stings for our benefit...we got one new investigator out of it! Also, I KNOW that we have angels protecting us. We were clapping at a door and this dog comes sprinting towards us, barking, mean dog. But, right as it was about to attack us, it instantly turned away and stopped barking. It was like something pushed it away from us and it didnt bother us again. Crazy, huh? 

Hermana Harris and I are back to ground zero. We have no progressing investigators. We have set some new goals for this cambio and we are ready to teach and baptize someone. We have an town in our area that has never had the missionaries. They dont even have any churches! nada! So this week, that is where we are going to be...Cuarto Piedras and Cerillos. 

I have been studying about the Atonement this week. I want to share something that enlightened me...In Alma 34 16, it says that the Atonement encircles us in the ARMS OF SAFETY. I Loved that! I know that Christ has felt our every pain, weakness, afflicitons, temptation, sicknesses. Christ had done no evil, but because He loves us SO much, He was willing, ready, and prepared to do the unimaginable. He is here to make intercession for us, because without the Atonement and without him, we are nothing. He has felt what it feels like to feel completely alone. He knows what it feels like to be a missionary and to be rejected and rejected some more. And he knows what it is like to learn a language. hard. But goodness, if we just put our trust in him, be diligent in keeping the commandments, and have faith, he will help us. I know it and I have felt it. I have felt his love. 

I love this quote that I read this morning during personal study..."Trust in Him who knows all things. Trust Him whose love for you is perfect. Trust Him, who alone suffered, paid and atoned for your sings, and for your weaknesses as well. Trust Him that He will make of you, immeasurably more, than what you will ever, ever, in all eternity, make of yourself. He will create of you a masterpiece. You will create an ordinary man. He will create a God." 

I Love you all with my whole heart. I love my Savior. He is my light. I love this gospel. and I love the happiness that it brings me.

Con amor, 

Hermana Coon