Alice april 13,2015

You know that weird little song, "Alice, where are you going? Upstairs, to take a bath." Well, there's a less-active member in our ward who makes us teach it to his little girl, and they think it's hilarious.

 

I was remembering a part of conference this morning where one of the Seventy used teh example of Alice in Wonderland

 

"could you please tell me which way I ought to go?"

"that depends a great deal on where you'd like to get to"

"oh, I don't really care much where"

"then it doesn't really matter which way you go"

 

There are so many people who just don't know where to go... I am so glad that I do. We were sitting on the metro the other day, and I thought about if all the passengers on the metro was a big load of people going off to the final judgement. I don't know if this will make sense, but I thought of those who really know who they are, and who know the gospel. And if it were the "salvation metro," my companion and I would be fine, and the other hundreds of people could basically just go racing off the tracks and take a tumble. How sad. I want these people to understand. Sharing the gospel is easy, but helping people see that it's what they want, and not just what I want is another story. 

 

I start over analyzing and wondering, and wish I knew how I could help people more. I wish more people wanted to keep the commandments and be happy. It's hard to watch my brothers and sisters be confused. 

 

We have found a couple of new people, but it isn't coincidence (obviously) that all of conference was abbout marriage. No one is married....

 

I am so grateful for the understanding and vision I have of life. It's easy to say that... but then when things get rought I know I start thinking 'what am I doing wrong? What are all the other missionaries doing that I'm not doing? why won't people just get it? Don't they see that this is the best thing there is? Maybe I'm not saying it right... if I were just more spiritual, maybe they would all come running to the chapel.'

 

But... I wish I were a little quicker to realize in my mind where all those thoughts come from. I just want to do all the right things. 

 

I am so glad to be a missionary. We had such a cute little testimony from a young woman in our ward yesterday about how excited whe is to be a missionary in less than a year, and she just can't wait ot finish high school to be able to leave. It reminded me of how important this calling is. I love to be a missionary. It is the hardest thing ever, but I learn so much. I am so glad that the Lord is turning me into me. And I'm glad that can be something even better every day. 

 

We had a black out in Limache this week... that was kind of scary. #don'tforgetyourflashlight. and then there was a huge fire in the field in front of our house. Adventures!

 

I'm excited for interviews tomorrow! I love them! And also, our zone meeting was so great this week. The president had the leaders remeind us of the importance of 'let virtue garnish thy thoughts,' and I know that there are many things we can do to make that happen. And even though it's far away right now, I know that we can make better decisions in our choice of books, music, and movies. 

I love you all so much! Happy Spring! It is getting cooler here, and that is soooooooooo wonderful:) 

Stay happy:) And never forget how much I love you!

xoxo

Love, Hermana Coray

That one time when I was a missionary, and all the conference talks were about marriage... #waitforme April 6, 2015

Oh my goodness... so if those men aren't prophets, I don't know who else you could expect to be one. I loooooooooooooove general conference! And it's ok that it was all about marriage... haha.... we need to help more people get married and sealed! I am so glad we have found some couples to teach:) 

Elder Holland's story about the two brothers... I cried because I thought of Steven and Jared about to take a little tumble off the cliff.... I cried even more than I imagine that mom did. 

 

All of conference... I don't think there's ever been a conference that I loved EVERY talk sooooooooooo much. I learned so much about the Atonement, and I honestly really needed that. 

 

The whole sticker chart thing lasted about a week... hahaha. But we're still happy as can be! Haha the other day I started dancing down the street singing (down the trail I'm coming, with a basket full of fun, and everybody's doin the easter hop, hop, hop!' and Hermna Stahly almost died. hahahaha I crack myself up. 

 

Athough they don't hunt eggs here, they do something that's called 'a coin for Judas.' Let me explain.... like four little kids get together and make a dummy in a wheelchair, and that's supposed to be Judas. Like Judas Iscariot. Then they stand out on the sidewalk wheeling him around, asking for coins. And then, after easter, they burn the dummy. Not exactly like coloring eggs.... but they seem to be enjoying themselves. 

 

These are a few of my favorite things from conference:

A saint is a sinner who keeps trying

´twas I, but ´tisn´t I (mostly because it sounds like us girls when we talk in our 'Inny' voices)

you're not so much in the dark as you think

President Uchtdorf about the Atonement.... I almost died of loving it so much

Lightning in a summer storm (that sounds so pretty)

 

I love you all soooooooooooooooo much. It's ridiculous. I am too blessed. And I am too blessed to be a misisonary. It is the best thing I have ever done. And the hardest. I never believed that when I heard people say it. I thought 'you must not have done much.' but that's not true! It is WORK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

 

I love that we are teaching two different couples right now that are in the process of planning to get married. Yay for helping families!

 

And we found these two cute sisters yesterday that are 9 and 17, and so amazing! They live close to the church, and we love tem so much already. 

 

Please listen to and study conference over again. There is nothing better. Remember that Jesus loves you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

 

Im not ashamed of who I used to be, because I am a different person today. I am so grateful fo rthat enabling power of the Atonement to chage the very person that I am. 

 

We started a new reading of the Book of Mormon. That will be the fifth time I've read it in one year! Yay! I promise it's true, because no other book could be interesting enough to read five times in one year. But I learn the gospel all over again every time. 

 

We have a zone meeting this week! So that will be fun!

Happy Easter! 

'Oh sweet, the joy this sentence gives: 'I know that my Redeemer lives!''

xoxoxoxoxo and a bunch of easter chocolate

Love, Hermana Coray

Pollyanna, march 30, 2015

So you know the lady on Pollyanny that stays home in bed and says she's sick and doesn't want to talk to anyone. We found someone like that, but you remember the part when Pollyanna doesn't care and she goes and talks to her anyways? And then she ends up softening her heart a little? That happened too! And I know eventually we'll get her to leave her house and go to church with us, because we teach her the gospel and it makes her feel good. But, when we're in her house I always hear the words, 'you've got a stubby little nose.'

This week we made BBQ chicken with Ivonne and Juan Pablo. They're so great! I love them. 

We had an unusual adventure... instead of getting locked outside of a house, we got locked inside of our gate, because it rained, so the lock rusted, and we couldn't get it open. 'Hermana Coray, just hop the fence! Or call your ward mission leader!' yes, I know.... but there's spikes around our fence, and all the members nearby were working and Hno. Gustavo, our ward mission leader was in the south. So.... we decided to just shimmy out through the two gates on our hands and knees, go find someone with motor oil, grease the lock open, buy an new lock, and put it on. We don't take no fo ran answer. Please... there are other people to help, with bigger problems.

Ah.... I was so humbled this week when we went to visit a recent convert, and their house is not a house. They has a fire with a pot of beans cooking on a fire outside, and that's pretty much all. That was humbling enough, but then the little 11-year-old girl went over to a shelf and pulled out two apples. We tried saying know, because we were fasting, and we didn't want to take their food when they don't really have any, but then she told us that she had been saving them for us for a week, just hoping we would come. We were finishing, so my companion said the prayer, and I just started crying because I couldn't believe how amazing my life is, and I wish I could change this world. Even though you all know I'm a cry-er, I rarely cry here in people's homes. I stay pretty calm. But I just couldn't. I was so humbled. That's the picture of the apple i sent you.

 

 

Hna. Stahly and I are together another transfer!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Ah!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Yay!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We made a sticker chart this week (based off the 'sure mom' chart from when we were little) and we reward ourselves with a sticker each time we do something hard for us. Because missionary work is hard.

 

Our cute little Maria Yolanda is so cute and old. She loves us so much, and we are really trying to help her understand the gospel.

 

I love this ward so much. I am so attached to some of them, and it will be hard to leave this area some day. 

 

I am so happy you are all excited for conference! I am dyyyyyyyyyyyyying for conference! Yes, we will watch it live. And the bishop said he will make sure we have it in english too! Our ward is finally big enough that it is getting broadcast to our ward building and we don't have to go to the stake center. So me and Hna. Stahly will just watch all by ourselves haha. In english. It's so much better.

 

Hno. Gustavo, our ward mission leader, is hilarious and so dry. Great guy.

 

I love you so much! Have a great week!

xoxoxo

Hna. Coray

No Title, March 23, 2015

I don't know what to put for a title, and I don't know what to say for this week. Mostly, I'm just exhausted. I'm doing great:) Keep doing what you're doing, but do it better every day. And don't stop praying.

 

We have transfers this week, so I'll let you know what happens. 

 

Love you all! Sorry I don't have more time. Get really excited for conference!

 

Love Hermana Coray

 

And never forget to be kind:) I realize this email is extremely boring

 

And to be Happy, March 16, 2015

This is a great message Sara shared:
http://www.mormonchannel.org/watch/series/mormon-messages/obedience-to-the-ten-commandments?cid=HPTU031015743

I am the Salt of the Earth, March 16, 2015

Yes, I eat the grapes when they look sanitary. Yes, I got alll the pictures of allllll the great news. AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'm still waiting for the video that I was promised....

 

IT IS SO HOT. I have no idea what website dad was looking at... but it is sooooooo not 65-70 degrees here. Maybe in Viña. But in Limache it's a roasting 85-90. The other day we went to the other sisters' baptism (we had three investigators there! Now if they would only come with us to church...) anyways, we were there, and that day was THE HOTTEST EVER. As we were walking home at the end of the night, I just looked over at Hna. Stahly and said, "I feel.... salted...." We laughed all the way home, and I'm sure we looked just as lovely as we felt. 

 

We have found so many people, but it is so hard to find them again after that. I am so grateful for wonderful ward members that take care of us. I don't know why I don't talk about Hermana Paulina more, but she is amazing. Her whole conversion story is fantastic, and I can't wait to tell you all about it someday... haha.

 

Oh! This week we were walking in Limachito, and I stopped in the middle of the road when I looked up and saw The Man From Snowy River farm! I almost died I was so excited, and I told Hermana Stahly that we just had to go contact there. We really didn't know where to go because it's like a family/clan/farm setup, but they had a buckskin horse and everything. So we went and talked to the old farmer guy that owns it, and he was really nice. We're gonna tryi to go back there today, because we want to teach the man from snowy river haha. I wish there was snow here... and from what I hear, you all with there was a bit more snow there too.

 

 We have zone conference with President this week! I am so excited! 

I love you all so much. Remember that the crowning characteristic of love is always loyalty. (Elder Holland)

 

Have a great week!

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo

Hermana Coray

PS. I am doing great! We eat noodles and sauce, bread, chicken, rice, weird salad, weird soup--- but it's all edible haha  Our ward is great!