No Such Thing as a Coincidence

Hello all! Its been an awesome week, definitely crazy,but I think crazy is more normal than normal out here, if that makes any sense at all.

If there is anything that the mission has taught me it's that there is no such thing as a coincidence. It never ceases to amaze me the poeple that are placed in our path or the trials that we have to face. They always serve a purpose when we are looking back.

So we have this investigator. One day we were knocking doors (which here is more like yelling through gates ¨SALUUUDDOOOOSS, BUENNAAAAS¨) and at the very last house at the verrrry end of our area, we met a man and set an appointment to return. When we came back he wasn´t home, but his nephew who lives above him was. We called him down and honestly from first appearance we didn't really think he would want to talk to us, he had lots of tattoos and earrings, etc., but he ended up being super nice and rad. We ended up talking to him and found out that he had been visited by missionaries before when he was 7 and that his family had visited the church back then. He had awesome memories of the elders who taught him and said that they had lost contact when he moved out to Curacao (island by aruba). So we set a return appointment with thim and invited him to come to the church. 

When we came back for the cita (appt) he wasn't there and we were super bummed, we assumed that we wouldn´t ever see him again. But that very next Sunday he showed up at the church and said he felt really bad for not being there. We set another cita for the next day and it went really well, butttt after that he kinda just fell off the map, wasn't home and didn't answer his phone. So we decided to go back one last time, and lo and behold, he was there, and let us know that some stuff had been going on in his family and so he hadn't been able to go to the church. Andd we found out that he was going to be moving the next day, AND not only that, but he was going to be moving to the same street that we live on, wayyyy closer. But once again after a cita or two he started dissapearing so we decided to stop trying to visit him. This past week (about a week or two later) we were in a cita teaching a brand new awesomeee family we had just found...and guess who comes walking up the stairs to there house and happens to be a close family friend! This samee guy! We were nowhere near where he lives and had no idea they even knew each other.  What are the chances? and we hadn't been even planning on being there that day because we had had to move the cita last minute. So we´re hoping to be able to keep moving forward, anddd just learned from a member, that hadn't seen him since he was little, but was so excited when he showed up that first week, that his mom is a menosactiva. 

Coincidence? yaa no I don´t believe in those things anymore.

So that was basically a big confusing paragraph, but the moral of the story is, when there is something that is meant to be put in our path, Heavenly Father finds a way to put it or him there over and over again even when we are cluelessly walking away.  We´re hoping to start sharing with him again soon, obviously there's a reason for all of the run-ins.

Honestly this transfer has been a really big learning experience for me, its had some major ups and some major downs, but it's pushed me to keep moving forward. We´re never done learning anddd we really can never do it on our own. I know for a fact that I would have never survived the last year without the help of a loving PATIENT and ever present Heavenly Father and the people that he has placed in my path. We really can never be standing still-- time just keeps chugging along! Which is sometimes a super bummer, maybe it could just pause for a little while, like 6 months or so? I mean its only fair, 2 years sounds great--I got lots to do:)

But lots of love to all of you back home.

I know I´m always saying this,

but life really is gooodd

the book is blue

the church is true

and the buckets of rain getting dumped on us

just keep making the trees that much greener:)

have a great week folks

Happy Birthday to Meee!!

So I have to say that this was seriously one of the best birthdays ever! Who would have thought? I woke up in the morning to our wall decorated with balloons and notes from hna thomas and hna Fox and thenn we went and played soccer! (unfortunately we lost, but it was a blast). 

After we went out and taught, had some really awesome citas and hna Kofe informed every single person that we passed that it was my birthday (embarrassing haha). 

Came home for lunch and opened my packages! (they were suuuuper rad by the way!) and were completely surprised by the girls in Lotes y servicios. They got permission to come to our house at lunch and surprised us at our back window with cake and a super awesome rendition of ¨happy birthday¨. luckily we had made soooooo much food and were able to all share and hang out . It really was the best. 

And afterwards we were able to leave with our ward mission leader for some citas (I told him he couldnt bail and that it was his birthday present to me!) He followed through and we ended the night with my new favorite (and not to mention calorie-filled) food Yaroa! (fries cheese chicken mayo and ketchup) complete with candles that were relighting and impossible to blow out. And ended with a sweet call from my babycakes hna petersen (shes doing awesome by the wayy super proud of my 1st daughter) Nothing like starting out twenty-two and 10 pounds heavierrrrr haha, But I couldn't have asked for anything better, it did not disappoint. So thank you.

So here is my story from this week. The other sisters had a baptism last saturday and we were running around like crazy trying to find our investigators and invite them to come. Everything was falling through. So we quicked and stopped by E´s house. Shes an older woman that we´ve been teaching. She was taught by the elders a long time ago, but found us again and really just seems golden. Every time that we teach her, she is so excited and willing to apply everything immediately without any hesitation. It never ceases to amaze me the amount of faith that she has and the incredible blessings that she has seen because of her willingness to change and grow. So we showed up at her house 15 minutes before the baptism and without having too much hope that she would be able to go on such late notice, we told her about it and asked if she would be interested in going. Without a second thought, or even saying anything to us, she called to her daughter and said ´me voy´, to let her know that she was leaving, and threw on a skirt. It ended up being a really spiritual experience for her and neat to be able to see a baptism. She is always talking about how she feels such a ¨positive energy¨ in our church. She reads, she studies, she sacrafices, and for that very reason, she's received her answer. She's working on a few things, but we´re hoping by the end of the month she´ll be able to be baptized!! It never ceases to amazes me how prepared some people really are for this gospel.

and on a funny note. We were teaching the flia Acosta, and one of the little boys started talking to me and said ¨if you eat a lot one day, you're going to be a princesa gorda¨ and then informed that, in english, that is a ¨fat princess¨. He thought it was hilariouss. Where kids come up with this stuff, I will never know, but they crack me up!

Love you all

Hope you have an awesome week!

Dear Blog . . .

Dear blog 

I´m sorry I never write.

Its not you, it's me.

Every time I sit down, everything that happened during the week peaces out, and all I can remember are the things I have pictures of.

Although you are being a little needy, if we´re going to be completely honest.

I promise to take notes during the week from here on out because you would not believe the funny and tender little mercies we enjoy every week' 

and I need to be better about sharing.

Remember I´m a work in progress.

But dont worry toooo much because

Life is good.

   the year is new

      the sun is shining

         the stray dogs are barking

            the empanadas are deliciously greasy

               what more could I ask for?

love Hermana Coe

Happy & Healthy (the way mom likes it!)

Transfers came and I´m staying with Hermana Kofe in the same area, but one of the other girls in our house is leaving, and Hermana Thomas, from my CCM district (on the left with the 'thumbs up') is coming to be her comp. It will be so fun to live with her and celebrate our 'one year' together in Feb!

 That makes Hna Kofe my longest comp so far, and I will have only been in two areas for 6 months each by the time next transfers come around!

This week has been a roller coaster; but I'm happy and healthy and up for the challenge to make this a good transfer, and I know that it's in these moments, that we superrrr accelerate and learn tons more!

After 4 hours of playing soccer --

(which, turns out I still really suck at, but it's great exercise & we have a lot of fun playing as a district. They are patient when I kick in the wrong direction & are good enough to make up for me. Also, can I just say, I don't think I've ever used those muscles?  Charley horses like crazy the last couple days - ahaha!), 

we came home and celebrated my

11-month mark -- Time is Flying!!

My companion knows me too well - she got me a Diet Coke

and Midnight Milky Way!

(and you can tell from the angle of this pic, 

kenzie's companion is a tad taller than her!!)

These pics are from a Family Home Evening that we did with Sandy´s family (and some neighbor kids too). We played "Don't Eat Pete" with these nasty mouse gummies, I got as a gag gift!  It was awesome!

Set a baptismal date AND Painted a house :-)

Dear mom and dad -

What the crazy email day --

Katherine is having a boy

Shannon is married

I´m freaking out, I had no idea that Shannon was engaged!  But that is way awesome and she looks super super super cute haha!!  Wish I could have said congrats!  These are the moments when I feel so out of the loop out here!

I´m so glad to hear that everything is going well, and that abbie is doing ok! I sent off a note to her new email last week, but I´m not sure if she's seen it or even written yet today. Dang time difference.

It seriously really weirds me out that she is already gone and started in the ccm. I just can hardly get over how fast time passes -- I'll be 22 soon! Freaking old!

This week has been good, the best part was actually being allowed to do some service, in addition to our normal missionary-sharing-the-gospel service! And the best part is it was PAINTING!  3 times in one week. Crazy right? I just kept thinking about how annoyed I was when we painted our WHOLE house back when we built the addition, and now I basically just feel like a pro from all of that practice. Although, I will say, that the whole time, I was thinking how dad would absolutely die from how un-organized it was. No taping stuff off, and we cut in all the corners SECOND. Haha ... but it was awesome, and they all really appreciated the help.

But we really did have a good week. Set a baptismal date with one of our investigators who is absolutely awesome. She has a lot of challenges coming up (including children who are superrrr unsupportive of her decision) but I think that she really is ready. She came to the church Sunday and said at the end that it was absolutely ¨the best day¨.  I'm so excited. She always has the coolest questions when we teach her and she always teaches back to us what she has learned.

Anddd transfers are coming up at the end of this week! I have 4 and a half months in this area, and for the first time ever, I really really don't want to leave it. It hasn't been easy here, but things are finally starting to settle in, and move forward. It would be a bummer getting transferred right before we get to see the fruits of our labors... but it happens, so I guess I just need to be patient and wait out the calll.

And on a side note, I know you were super stressed about talking at the baptism mom, but I have to say that I understand what you´re feeling because my ward just asked me to speak next sunday on how to give missionaries referrals. I´m super super stressed about doing it all in spanish (I´ve been pretty stressed with mine the last couple of weeks) so we´ll see how it goes. Wish me luck.

Sandy and his family are doing well. They weren't able to come to church this past week, but they listen in every lesson, and they are reading their scriptures, we´re hoping that they can 

KEEP MOVING FORWARD.

Much love,

kenz

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!