Emotions in extreme opposite directions, December 1, 2014

Here is a piece of the dialogue Sara and I shared this week:
Mom to Sara:  I'm glad you are where you are and doing what you are doing.  I didn't realize how torn I would feel to actually be sharing you with other people, I feel so happy and miss you all at the same time. It's a weird phenomenon to feel so torn in two extreme emotions opposite directions.  It's a good feeling that is character building.  I know you are doing the Lord's work and that this really is His true church on the earth.  I can feel the urgency for the kingdom to grow in these last days. I see two ways it has to happen, caring for those around us, our families and friends and neighbors, and missionary work.  So I pray for you to go "do your thing" everyday.  Help those people feel the Spirit so they will know how much the Lord loves them.

Sara's reply: thanks mommy. I love you so so much. I am so proud of our family. I thought a lot about how much of an influence we can have on our extended family, and I have great plans for when Amanda and I get home. The blessings from our missions will never stop growing. What we see right now is only the tip of the iceberg. I understand the opposite emotion thing... this week was so hard mom. So hard. I do a pretty good job of remembering how much the Lord loves the other people, but sometimes I forget how much He loves ME. I'm a part of the process too. He wants me to change too. And I know that even when other people seem to not be changing... I AM. And those changes will bless many more people for the rest of my life, because we never stop being missionaries right? I love you so much. I am doing well:) there's just some of those days. But it's how I grow.

Trainer, November 24, 2014

Dear Coray Family,
 I am pleased to inform you that your missionary, Sister Sara Marie Coray, has been assigned to serve as a Trainer in the Chile Vina del Mar Mission. One of  the most trusted responsibilities in the mission is to teach and to train a new missionary.

Sister Coray , has prepared for this responsibility through strict obedience and faithful service. She has demonstrated Her willingness to serve the Lord by the example she has set for her companions and leaders and by the progress she has made in her own personal development.

 I know that Sister Coray will magnify this assignment and will be a credit to you, to the mission, and to the Lord.

 Thank you for supporting your missionary throughout the course of her mission. I pray that the Lord may bless you and your family as this great work continues forward.
 Sincerely,
 Federico M. Kähnlein
 Mission President
 Chile Vina del Mar Mission

I DONT KNOW ABOUT YOU, BUT IM FEELIN 22!!!!!!!!​!!!!!!!!!!​!!!

Happy birthday to me... i know. thank you ALL for the happy birthday wishes. So I'm training................................. ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. How do these things always happen to me. I felt like such a newb the first two days. It was kind of just, "ok, we're going to go out and walk around now, and the spirit will tell me what to do... hopefully i have enough faith for that."}

 

And it worked! We teach people still, everyone is alive and breathing and getting ready to be baptized. My three goals as a missionary: alive, breathing, baptized. 

 

Yes, my companion sang happy birthday, and yes, mother, we are using the extravagant box of birthday happiness for a great FHE tonight. i have recieved all the Birthday, Thanksgiving, christmas goodness i can stand i think... and I'm guessing there's still more on the way. Well, I love to give people stuff, so don't be expecting for all of this to make it back home. :) The clothes, i keep, the food i eat, and the rest we use to make other people happy. I love the big loving hand banner thing you sent me. thank you:) 

 

No, they don't celebrate thanksgiving, but that's ok! I just make them all be grateful anyways. 

 

Dad wins the crying contest for writing the most sentimental birthday email. hahahahaha. I love crying in public.... 

 

The huge family is great, but half of them don't believe in God, so we're working on that. Michael and Bastian are two nice little teenagers that just need a little shove in the right direction to be brave and start living the gospel. I've done it before, I can do it again. We had a great primary program yesterday. Very... different... but very good. It was darling. 

 

Every day I am astonished at how much my Heavenly Father loves me, and everyone else too. Our angency and ability to pick who we want to be is the most important thing we will ever have. We actually really CAN pick exactly who we choose to be. My favorite thing I learned this week was when I realized that a point comes where it isn't enough to just read "Book of Mormon stories," but we have to start living them. I pick Moroni. Go ahead and read Alma 43 - 60ish, and you will find that he is a weeve. We are pretty much the same person, and I think that's great. 

 

Happy happy thanksgiving! And happy my birthday!

One more thing...... yes, my companion is awesome. She is from Mexico! Only 19 years old:)

The weather is amazing, and when we walk to the top of the hill it takes my breath away to see the gorgeous ocean. The dogs are fine:) so ugly... 

It will be nice to be here in this same area for Christmas since i'm already used to it:) But after that I think I will be transfered. Transfers are January 1st or December 31st. 

 

Everyone should listen to the cute choir that sang in the Women's session of conference, the I Know that my savior Loves Me, song. I love it. 

And this video too:)

 https://www.lds.org/media-library/video/2010-07-060-the-gospel-shall-roll-forth?lang=eng

Have a fantastic week! I love you! Pray for softer hearts............

xoxoxoxoxo

Sister Coray

You Need a Mother VERY BADLY, November 17,2014

I feel so blessed this week because we had an awesome opportunity to serve an inactive family. There are so many... I will have to describe the details of everything that they needed in their little home, but when we were sitting in their house teaching, the mom was just so overwhelmed with everything in her life, and especially that none of her kids help her work in her house. I felt such an immense feeling of gratitude in my hear to have had parents that taught me how to work. I will ALWAYS be so grateful for that. My companion and I jumped up and started helping her, and in an hour or so we had the house looking the best it has looked probably since they built it. 

 

I heard the little voice from HOOK "you need a mother VERY BADLY" and just kinda got to work. They can actually find their kitchen sink now. I'm just here in Chile being a mom for thousands of "lost boys."

 

This world needs so much more love and help, and so many people are willing to sit and critisize (I can't remember how to spell that) that everyone needs to do so much more, but there is also so much to be thankful for. And so much we can do to help. 

 

Remember at this time to celebrate how much we have that the most important thing I have is you all sitting around the table. And we're only happy because we all live the gospel. Not to get all teary and preachy, but seriously, that's the only difference between our family and the family of maaaaany other people. We remember which way we look... up. Because He really does give us all we need. And why wouldn't He? He loves us so much. And I love the Lord even more every day. I stand so aware of how simple life is. It only gets complicated in our head. We just have to learn to love the Lord enough to always obey and wait on Him, and the rest is already paid for. 

 

My greatest blessing is you, and it's the blessing that will always last. So I feel like that's a pretty good deal. 

 

I'll let you all know Monday who my comp is! Pray! 

 

Mom!!!!!!!!!! Can you send a pic of my baptism to Kathy please? Thanks!

 

Also, a new little notice that we can only respond once to each email that we get. So we can't talk back and forth during internet time. You can write me, I'll read and respond, and you can write me back for me to read it if you want:) but I won't respond until the next week. 

 

Love, Sister Coray!

 

Here are a few notes from Sara's letter to me about: Goodbye to Hermana Echegaray and growing on my mission!!!!!

Hi Mommy,  I told Sister Echegaray that she is always welcome in my home forever, and yes she has facebook. Her name is Marina Ivon Etchegaray. I´m sure there aren't many of those haha. 

(If you saw the pictures on Facebook of Sunday dinner with the Munoz family, you may have noticed the artwork.  Kind of funny)

We realized after that we always stand in front of that painting... hahaha we all laughed, but didn't want to go back and do them again. We'll do it different next time. "IT'S ART!" Brother Guerrero told me. haha. 

 

Sister Etchegaray went to the mission home today and will get home tomorrow, so I am with sister Mariscal (who is soooooooo awesome, she's a sister training leader) until 5:00 wednesday. And yes, I think I will be training someone in my area and stay here for six more weeks. 

 

I am excited to see how transfers go! Love you! I am loving this mommy:) It's so hard sometimes, but I just knew that I would become who the Lord was waiting for me to be, and I feel it happening.

The Little Engine that Could

I. Feel. So. Draaaaaaaaaaained. Not in a bad way. We have just been working so stinking hard it's insane. We found a ton of new investigators this week, and taught soooooooo many lessons. But it's one thing to find a lot of people, and another to actually figure out how to help each one progress to be baptized. The struggle is real.

 

I thought of something fun for you all. In the next week we are going to get our next book of mormon reading assignment, and I thought it could be fun if you all did it with me! Well, those who want to. What we do is get a new cheap copy of the Book of Mormon, a blank one, and then with different colors we mark different themes throughout the book, and we read it in three and a half months. Like, maybe all the way through we would mark with yellow the gift of discernment, and green about listening to the spirit. I'll tell you next week or so what the themes are. I promise you will all love it!

 

Fam... we found a family of 12 people this week. PLEASE pray for them that they can all love the gospel. They are an amazing group of people. I am praying that we will be able to teach such a huge family well according to each of their individual needs. It will be hard, especially because my companion is going home!!!!!!!!!:(:(:( PRAY for me!!!!!!!!!

 

I was feeling completely overwhelmed the other day, and when my comp asked me if I was ok I explained to her that I felt like Harry Potter when all the ghosty things are sucking out all his energy. That's how I feel at the end of the day sometimes. Drained. BUT! I am doing good, and all I have to do is think of my happy place haha. I read this talk by President Monson the other day, and I LOVED this poem. It describes exactly how I feel.

 

Good timber does not grow with ease, 

The stronger the wind, the stronger the trees.

The further sky, the greater length,

The more storm, the more strength.

By sun and cold, by rain and snow,

In trees and men good timbers grow.

 

I just think I need a little more faith. Our ward mission leader is awesome, and told me about the little engine that could, yesterday. 'I think I can I think I can.' 

 

Some days I just have no idea what the Lord will ask me to do. I feel like a little majic ball of the spirit that walks around Reñaca, taling to everone I can to tell them how great it is.

 

I feel like I'm living in New York 1820. So many religions, so many STRONG religions. I pray ever day that I can do what the Lord wants me to. I just always remember what Elder Bednar told us, 'who you are will always be more important than what you could say.' Im glad to have become a person that is at least worthy to have the spirit with me, and I hope that will be enough as I keep working as hard as I can.

 

I love my district, and I am so sad that my district leader, one of my zone leaders, and my companion will be leaving this transfer. From where I'm sitting it looks like I'll stay here one more transfer to train a newbie. Not just a newbie in the area... a newbie greenie. 

 

PRAY. That my little engine can.

 

Love you all so very much. 

 

Everyone should read 'The first great commandment' by elder holland

 

xoxoxoxo

To the moon (or Chile) and back.

Hermana Coray

Parables From Sara, October 27,2014

So I feel like everday there is a little line that goes through my head that teaches me a new lesson. This week they were great so I will share. The Lord always taught in parables, and I feel like these little thought He gives me from things I've heard before are the same way. If anyone is struggling with the application, ask Jennah to explain what part of the movie it's from.

Sleeping Beauty #1

I realized that the world needs like double or TRIPLE the number of missionaries. 

'But I sent more missionaries yesterday!!!'

'Oh yes, but we need MORE. Lots lots more!'

Sleeping Beauty #2

Also, trying to do missionary work without members is like the cute little green fairy that is frantically trying to stack the candles on the uncooked cake. We were talking about the importance of needing to help the members help us, and that little part of her standing there with her drippy frosting trying to prop it up with a broom......... oh it was hilariously perfect. THAT'S the missionaries. What's the oven? If you can't guess I'll tell you... it's the members. They're the retention, and the most important part for making it strong. If not... we're stacking candles on an uncooked cake. Lockily, we have some great members:)

Robots

You know that robots movie that no one on earth likes? There is at least one good part. 'See a need - fiil a need.' Yesterday as we had a little misshap with our baptismal font, I won't point fingers or go into details, but let's just say that we had a baptism in 20 minutes and there was zero water in the font. So that was fun. But I learned the importance of being anxiously engaged in a good cause and being agents unto themselves and it is nor meet to be compelled in all things. Last but not least mom's line be a good helper! But a miracle, after all that was learned, the font that usually fills in 3 hours filled in 30 minutes because a brilliant little someone thought to use the fire hose. (I didn't know if that was allowed, but I didn't ask questions when the thought came into my head haha). It made me think of Elder Holland's line at the end of his talk 'Although I am not my brother's keeper, I am my brother's brother. And because I have been given much I too must give.' Here in Chile, we are helping people learn to be good helpers that can see a need and do something about it. Regardless of if it is written in the description of your calling.

'Ask the Missionaries! They can help you!'

How true, Elder Anderson. If anyone is in need of anything, missionaries are kind of the Lord's worldwide spiritual welfare program. We know how to help. But apart from all we are able to do for others, I have also seen so many blessings that come into people's lives from helping US. If anyone out there wants some extra blessings, here's what I suggest: help the missionaries, it will bless you.

So the baptism for Ignacia was great yesterday, and we are working hard with Michael, Emmanuel, AND NOW Bastian:)

It has been a great week. We taught so many lessons it was insane. Our sector is huge, so I felt like we were running everywhere, but that's ok! Pray for the Rojas family that their marriage papers can go through so they can be baptized!

Love you lots and lots!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sister Coray

p.s. I will have you all know I am more pacient (I forgot how to spell that) and I also don't worry as much because I realized worry means you don't have faith or hope. Progress, people. Progress.

xoxoxoxoxoxoxo

'Oh that's funny... it's spelled JUST like the word escape!' October 20, 2014

You will all be happy to know that actually, the word for escape in spanish is escape. Pronounced exactly like Dory says it in Finding Nemo. I found that nice little treasure this week.

that's supposed to be a penguin because I have HAPPY FEET --> 

My feet are doing well. 'I'm fine! No really, I'm fine. Thanks for asking.'

We worked so hard this week, and we are planning for three baptisms this Sunday! Emmanuel, Ignacia, and Michael. We have been fasting and praying lots, and have found some great new families that will hopefully turn into great new investigators! 

We also had interviews with the president this  week, and it was so great. President Kahnlein is so wonderful, and it is always a great blessing to get to meet with him. 

Thank you for the prayers and packages and everything you all do for me. I hope you represented me well at Liv`s wedding! Congrats! 

I am learning so much, and it's bringing out the best part of me. I absolutely cannot believe that I am already 1/4 of the way done. It makes me want to stop time! Im sure you are all making Christmas preparations already, and just think, by next Christmas I'll be home. Ugh that is so weird. I am still waiting for the day when the language clicks really well in my mind, and Im hoping it happens before the next transfer because I really feel like I will be training. AAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH. If Amanda can do it, I guess I can try. She's my inspiration! 

Love you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

XOXOXOXO

Hermana Coray