Merry Christmas

So I'm running out of time, but I finally found an internet center that can send pics soooo I"m hoping it actually works!  a picture's worth a thousand words, right?  So, actually I wrote A LOT!

This last Saturday we got to go to a super legit activity at the park by the temple with the family we are teaching. It was super awesome and the kids were all soo dang cute. Although I will say that it took all 4 of us adults to keep them all corraled together and in one peace. There were people dancing, different choirs and orchestras and just absolutely incredible lights everywhere!

But the coolest part of the night was when we crossed the street and got to take a walk around the temple. The feelings were just sooo sooo soo different. All of the sudden it was quiet and peaceful (even though the kids were still sprinting everywhere). We got the chance to talk with them about what takes place in the temple and that the sealings (marriages)  performed there last even longer then ¨until death do we part¨.  It was a really awesome ending to the night. I´m super grateful for them.

 My zone out here in Villa Mella!  They're awesome, and we love hanging out together, which is a huge blessing.

Our district - they are the best!

Apparently we've taken the super-hero thing to heart :-)

I've got a lovely bunch of coconutssss!

super cute gift from the tanguays & awesome photo album update!

Our Charlie Brown Christmas tree!

Christmas morning

Christmas Dinner

Hna Kofe in our favorite rocking chairs!

p.s. isnt this picture awesome?

also his name is Elvis -

double awesome!

all fancy for our Christmas and our Skype dates with the fam bam

Hna Mejia & Romero - we were over them last transfer; Hna Mejia is now in another area.

BBQ with our district, plus the other two girls we're over as STLs (Sister Training Leaders)

I finally learned how to play dominos (all dominicans are obsessed)

and another dominican game that is alot like Trouble or Sorry

love you and miss you

I´ll see you in no time!!!

your old fart, almost 22-years-old, daughter

P.S. Got a whole bunch of packages for christmas, halls, gma coe, doug & laurie and katherine. Am sending out thank you notes, but you can send them my thanks and gratitude if you talk to them. Also, I think I´m going to have to start running to start working off all the chocolate.... oops haha

P.P.S. Tell G'ma Irene I love her and loved her package!  We absolutely adore her potholders & dish rags! They make our home beautiful and we use them every dayyyy!  The old ones were getting pretty toreeee up - haha!

P.P.P.S. Got an entire box (24) of nut goodie bars from doug and laurie. I´m OBSESSED. Now I know why you are always raving about them, Dad!!! Don't be tooooo jealous ;)

Happy Thanksgiving!

Haven't gotten any mail in FOREVER. And not because it's not getting sent, but they neverrrr come to drop it off!  haha   I cant wait until my leadership meeting on Wednesday so that i can go pick it up!  Also hna Christensen is moving to Gazcue, my very first area! So she'll be way closer and I'll actually get to see her!

Thanksgiving was weird, really didnt feel like thanksgiving since its not a holiday they celebrate here. Basically investigators just brought it up and asked how homesick we were since our family was all together eating..... heyy - thanks guys haha!!

But we ended up celebrating sunday with a yummy "thanksgiving" lunch after church. we had mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce (from a can), turkey gravy (from a jar), steamed vegetables (from a bag), and bbq beef. It was yummy, but now that i'm writing it all out, it really doesn't sound that yummy haha... but it really was. We made do!

And the highlight of our meal came courtesy of our fave menos activo, Alberto. He told us he had a surprise for us and to stop by Sat night. When we got there. he had had to run out but his family told us he had left something for us ... and guess what it was? A DELISH cake-pie-thing called "tres leche" -- it is seriously the best.  He is seriously the sweetest. ANND he came to church again Sunday so we're pretty dang stoked about him.

We've been getting a loooot more lessons in recently, like we went from an average of 16/17 a week (not including with menos activos) to 24/25 every day. Its been crazy seeing the area explode, we visit our investigators a lot more times each week and we're seeing a lot of progress. I've literally never seen anything like it on my mission. Plus we gave BofM.s to the cute family we are teaching and the two oldest boys were super stoked.
All in all, we're excited to keep working and moving forward.

love you guys tons!

Great Week (and some bike riding ;-)

This week has been way good! Parts stunk (like waiting for 3 hours (not consecutive) for the Relief Society president who never showed, or Bishop bailing on our noche de hogar without calling or anything (and we'd traveled wayyy into the other sisters' area to get there...), but other parts were so awesomee!  

Like --

Our menosactivo, ALBERTO, coming to church and saying that he'll come back next week too!!  Successsss! - 

And, we finally got a ride for another old (former?) investigator and her husband -

2 youngish (20-year-old?) investigators came -

Andddd, a man and his WHOLE family (4 kids and him and his wife) -

We were running around like crazy, but it was awesome. We have worked soooooo hard for this so hopefully we can keep moving forward.

And today was way fun -- we ended up going to a zone activity that was at a gorgeous park. We weren't planning on staying very long so we didn't end up bringing clothes to change into, and we were the only sisters there, but Hermana Kofe talked me into volleyball and pretty soon everyone joined into our game. It was a blast, even though we were sweating like crazy in our church clothes (nast... haha!) -- and we all know that my volleyball skills are well... they're getting better.  

We're really trying to help our zone be more united, and to talk to us. (Note from sue: sounds like she an her companion are the only female missionaries in her zone) There's this awkward segregation because no one wants to cross the line of flirting, but it's dumb when we're always off to the side alone because no one will acknowledge us. Plus the elders are all like 12, soooo no worries there - haha. But it was good, and afterwards we rented bikes and rode them around the park/lake.  It was so fun, and weird to me that that's how so many missionaries get around.  weirdd

So, I was going for super hero, but ended up looking more like a cheerleader...

But it was gorgeousss day, and my bike even had a funny little basket up front!

So, we feel good!  I'm glad we got out of the house and ran around a little bit, sometimes we're just so cooped up. We're either working or sitting studying in the house. But things are good, we're gearing up to put in a second effort to work with the ward... and on the brightside, after last Sunday, they finally started to notice us and our efforts. Can't believe how fast time is passing, We're starting our last week of this transfer! And I'm quickly coming up to my first christmas away from home, and my 22nd (gross) birthday!

Love you all! Thanks for everything!

kenz

Love yer dang missionaries, folks!!

Heyy thanks for all of your emails, I was so excited to get them since we haven't had mail deliviered in like 3 weeks! Also meaning I haven't been able to send anything out sooo, I´ll basically have a buttload when the time comes (next Thursday)!

This week has been looooooooooooong ... oh, so long. We´ve been in this waiting game with moving houses and it's been killing me. The elders kept telling us - oh, for sure last weekend; oh, for sure Wed or Thurs; oh, for sure Fri... And then we finally got the call Saturday that we were good to get the keys. It was so hard trying to think about when in the world we would have time to pack, how we would get everything there, taking down bunkbeds, rescheduling appointments. A compelete mess. But after four loads in a tiny truck that absolutely robbed us price-wise, in the RAIN, and hauling it all upstairs, with the help of our angel district and zone leaders, we got it all up there to our beautiful, brand-new, squeaky clean, never-been-lived-in-by-dirty-elders-or-anyone-else-for-that-matter apartment. But after dealing with having to buy waaay more things than we had planned for (like parts to hook up the gas) and not having electricity at first, we finally got everything figured out.

And even after a nap on Sunday, we´re all still good and exhausted, and still have citas and an old apartment to clean, not to mention that tomorrow Hna Kofe and I are supposed to do intercambios with the other two girls we are over (that have been pushed back way too many times to cancel again), then interviews with the mission president on Thursday,  which moves district meeting to Fridayyy ... holy bjoly. Literally this week is a big fat mess. But we're dealing and I'm proud of us for it -- holding the other girls together through all of it and just trying to make progress a bit at a time (like getting groceries we desperately needed and copies of the keys made today!)  Little victoriessss!!!!!!!!!

But here are my thoughts for the day...

(please excuse the venting; 

I feel like this speech has been preparing itself all week - haha!)

So, you know how in conference and every broadcast ever, and basically anything else that comes out these days from the church, they are always talking about how members and missionaries need to work together?

I´m here to testify that it's true, 

and that when members don't step up and help, missionary work is like

 swimming in cement.

We´ve really been struggling with working with the members in this area and gaining their trust, but it has been soooo hard. This ward has a lot of desires, but just can't seem to make the time or put in the effort to make it happen. This ward just needs so much help. It is TINY on Sundays, but has enough members to make TWO STAKES. 

And last night we went to ward counsel and I seriously almost ripped my hair out, it was so frustrating listening to them talk about the menos activos, saying terrible things about how it's their own problem if they were offended, and that they want to focus on the people who 'had potential to come back'. (this coming from mouths of people who've done the offending) 

I finally couldn't keep quiet, I was so frustrated. My WHOLE mission has been working with menos activos. Literally the whole thing, and it looks like things are going to keep up that way. And I LOVE them sooo much, and it made me so frustrated because ALL of them have the potential to come back!  I´ve seen so many miracles working with them, and who are we to judge who is and is not ready to come back without giving it the time and effort that THEY deserve.

I finally told the members of ward council that, honestly, it didn't matter why they stopped coming to church; what matters is that WE are doing what we can to help them come back. They have all made covenants with their Heavenly Father, and if we can't do our part to take care of the sheep that we´ve been given, how can we expect to be trusted with new baptisms?

I´m not sure if i stepped on anyone's toes, but I tried to say it as respectfully as I could.  It just stunk.

Afterwards we went and met with one of our menos activos who we absolutely love. He´s 22 & one of the most genuine and funny, but incredibly shy person we've met. He is so weighed down with the mistakes he's made in the past, and it's hard to see because of his huge potential. He wants to come back, but it is just so scary for him, and honestly, I´m scared for him too. I´m worried about what some ward members will do and say, and I hate that -- I hate thinking like that, like if I was in his shoes I don't know that I could do it.

We just have to remember that judging others in a negative way and gossiping is soooo harmful. It doesn't have a place in this church. Seriously watching him cry last night as we talked about his potential, and how we were willing to do everything in our power to help him just broke my heart. Seriously it hurts, and I want the joy he felt after his baptism to come back to him. He told us not to take his issues on us, but we told him that we are a TEAM. He doesn't have to do it all alone, and we know it won't be easy but we also know that as far as it is possible, we will be with him every step of the way, so long as he keeps up with his side of the deal as well.

So thats my rant -- I love this area sooo much, I really, REALLY do. It has so much potential, and I just don't feel ready to move yet. Something's gotta give. And I super don't want you to think badly of this ward, because honestly it's a hole that we all can so easily fall into. Just remember that missionaries move on, and if we, as ward members, don't do our part, new converts and those with testimonies not as strong as ours will fall away.

So love your dang missionaries!!

(And when they move, give them some dang help, so that they don't have to take it out of the Lord's time, kayy?  haha  You ARE their families, you're all they've got for this year-and-a-half, and they need you.)

Love them and they´ll love you, and the work will explode!

...in the end that's what it's all about right?

A Day in the Life

"The heavens will not be filled with those who never made mistakes, 

but with those who recognized that they were off course, 

and who corrected their way to get back into the light of gospel truth."

Dieter F. Uchtdorf

Missionary work is crazy.  We knock doors; we set appointments; we teach; we teach; we teach; we invite people to pray; we set return appointments; we decide who is, and is not, progressing and leave the ones who aren't; appointments fall through; we set back-up plans; we set baptism dates with people;  and then we start the whole process again the next day.  It's a crazy, never ending cycle.  People come and go. Some make it into your heart, and it hurts to leave them, and others leave you.  Some feel they already know enough, others don't even recognize the faith they have. It can feel overwhelming sometimes, but the times we make a connection make it all worth it.

Sterlyn is a menos activo we're working with.  

She is the best, no matter what kind of day I'm having

 she makes me crack up :-)

And local members are a HUGE help, when they're willing to teach with us, or share experiences, or call our investigators, or pick them up on Sunday mornings. That is HUGE.  I feel like I'm going to need a year-and-a-half-long nap after this!

District Picturee!

A few random things...

I was actually COLD this morning when it was cloudy and raining; I think I'm adjusting to the weather.

A little study in Karma:  We were teaching a woman and she made a comment about my skin, so we asked her if she had any suggestions (because people here seem to always have crazy suggestions/cures; last week a lady told us that egg yolks make your hair curly!), and to our surprise she said, 'yes, go to the dermatologist."  Rude, but also weirdly normal - haha!  But karma stepped in and at the end of our lesson, the wooden chair she was sitting on broke (the 2 front legs just slid out forward), and she slid right onto her bum on the ground!  It was SO FUNNY, and luckily she wasn't hurt, and she & her sisters were cracking up with us -- so awesome :-)

Love you guys tons!  I can feel changes coming in this new area; and so excited for the energy Hna Kofe brings to our companionship.  She is so fun and my lifesaver sometimes!  We've started taking a picture a day, and let me tell you, they are ridiculous!

"Always pray to have eyes that see the best in people,

 a heart that forgives the worst,

 a mind that forgets the bad

 and a soul that never loses faith in God."

love, Hna Coe

P.S. This is why I love my crocs! 

(I NEVER thought those words would come out of my mouth!)

Update

No time to blog this week -- but I have exciting news!

My companion, Hna Prestwich is leaving tomorrow for ARUBA! She's opening that area to sisters (so far only elders have served there).  She is so excited cuz she's hoped to be able to serve there for a long time.

I have been called to take her place as the Sister Training Leader in this area!  Kinda freaking out.  Hna Kofe will be my new companion - she's tongan and she is rad :-)



NOTE: from sue - I am having technical difficulties (imagine that?) dealing with the way kenzie has sent pictures the past couple weeks - can't make them post on the blog - sorry, will try to work it out soon :-)

I love General Conference!

Just a note to say that life is good, 

and when General Conference comes around, life is GREAT.

 haha But really, it has been so fun listening to the words of apostles and prophets meant especially for us today. And it's even more fun when you get to invite people who have never attended to come with you and feel of that spirit too.

We took a super awesome investigator with us on saturday to a broadcast of Conference,  who came with her son and niece on saturday. They were soo dang cute. The little neice was drawing in my notebook and looking at the family pictures on it and asking who they were (very quietly, of course) and after naming them all she pointed up at the speaker on the screen (I so wish I could remember who it was) and asked  "Is that your grandpa?" haha It was the best.

And the talks were awesome! IF you haven't ever attended or listened I'm definiely going to have my mom post the link here to them when they are up on lds.org

(here's the link; currently you can watch or listen, 

soon you will be able to print :-)

conference talks 

and I'm challenging you all to read at least one -- Trust me, they are the best. Talks that were prayed about, prepared with the direction of our loving Heavenly Father, and given by some of the most precious men and women that i've ever seen. And the best part is they are speaking to you. Give it a try, see how you feel. What could it hurt?

We also had some super fun Noche de Hogares (Family Home Evening nights) this past week. (thanks for making the visual aids, mom!) We grew our very own faith flower and talked about the things that we do to grow in our faith, and the blessings we recieve from them. We invited the little girl to come with us to church, and in the same breath as she accepted, she asked if she could come out and "preach" with us too. haha  Can I just say that kids are my favorite, and Oli is one of the smartest sharpest 11-year-olds I have ever met.  Who knows, maybe someday she will be out here doing this!!

lots and lots of love

hermana coe