9.28.2015

Week 33: Sweet Water

Boa Tarde!

We finally have water! Best day ever. Finally have a clean house and a new found hope! This week was incredible in the way that we found 16 new investigators, but unfortunately none of them came to church... but a friend of a recent convert came! and she lives in our area, so that was a miracle. Now we just have to keep up with all of our investigators and see who will actually progress. We have high hopes though!

I also got to hear a bit about my recent converts back in Porto Novo, two of them that had gone less active when I got transferred, are now active again! One, Anilton is preparing to receive the aaronic priesthood, and serve a mission! And his sister, Rosi is also active again. Love them! And I belive that i already mentioned a few weeks ago that Dany was preparing to recieve the Melchezidek priesthood and serve a mission as well. Ah! Miracles! The day that I will be able to talk to them again will be a great one (because most dont have internet and theres no such thing as receiving letters here).

Sorry its another short email, don't have much to say this week. Life keeps going. Our work is progressing, and transfers are on their way.

P.S. super excited for general conference! Any guesses for the next 3 apostles? My guesses: Tad R Callister, Gerald Causse, and Bruce C Hafen. I have some backups, but those are my top 3 guesses.

Love you all!
Till next week because A-frikan´have a lot of work to do (cred. Elder Holt)

Síster Kohlert

9.21.2015

Week 32: This Is Water.....NOT!

Boa Tarde!

You probably thought that i was gonna say we didnt have water yet, didnt you! haha! 
We still don't.

25 days without water and still going strong! This was a week full of trials and a lot of learning, a lot of humility. We´ve had a hard time with our area, and then I got sick... again. So we were out for a day and a half. Better now. Had some good experiences with a lot of stuff that I can´t write it all in this letter, but know that you learn a whole lot about yourself out here. 

Just had a good reminder of what a mission is. Reminded me of a speach that was given by someone famous who´s name escapes my mind at the present moment, called this is water. he talks about three gold fish who are swimming in a bowl, and one is older and wiser and tells the other two that they are in water, and they dont believe him. He then relates it to us, and how we have to remind ourselves that this is life. This is the mission. We have a purpose that we cannot afford to forget. I have a much greater purpose here on the mission that I have been forgetting lately. There´s so much that we teach people, but what it really comes down to is that we have a Heavenly Father who has a plan for us to be happy. Not just for a day, nor a week. Not just till the end of our lives here, but forever. We cannot even begin to understand, let alone compreend the joy that we have been promised if we follow the Savior for the time that we have here. I am so grateful for the opportunity to teach this plan. To have the Spirit testify though me of this devine message of happiness.

First Grass I've Seen Since I Left

....and a REAL PINE TREE!

The Zoo


Amo vocês!
Síster Kohlert

Week 31: Maneira!

Heyo!

Just to keep y´all posted, officially 18 days without water. Gotta love life. When the other missionaries be calling president when they dont have water for 4 days, we are living over here lugging 5 liter jugs of water from the store up to our third floor apartment. wheres the respect? bahaha now this is life.

So aside from that, we have been continually finding new families and people to teach. it just takes a lot to get them ready for baptism. to get people married here is a rough a bumpy road with lots of road blocks. Hopefully we´ll have a wedding this transfer, we´ll see though.

This week we taught a group of little boys to play ninja after our english class, funnest thing ever. Helped us leave all the stress and relax and have some fun for a bit.



Then on Sunday, one of the speakers didn't show up, so during the sacrament, the bishop waves me up to the stand, and tells me i´ll be giving a talk on eternal marriage. so great. gotta love that. trying to write a talk on the stand during sacrament, and of course I assume i wont be the first speaker... haha yeah right! Definitely was the first speaker. So that was a really rough talk since the sacrament only takes about 10 minutes to pass here, so i only had 5 minutes to prepare. bahaha. i guess thats a part of being a missionary. maybe i should just prepare a few talks and keep them in my bag on sundays just in case. 

Swarm of  flies in our Apartment

Lots of loves, hopefully next week we will have water too!

Síster Kohlert

Week 30: On the Search for Families

Heyo! 

So this week was full of ups and downs. Just to keep y´all posted on the water situation, we STILL dont have water. yup. its been 10 full days now without running water in our house. super fun. 




As for missionary work, we have been finding A TON of new families to teach! Its truely amazing, i cant even explain it. and I dont have time this week to write all the stories. just know that I´m doing well, and I love the people we are teaching. At times its hard, mainly just because of how a mission is, and somethings are just unavoidable. But we´re pushing on, and learning a lot more about trusting in the Lord. I have learned this week, more than anyother time in my life, that the Lord knows. He knows our efforts, He knows our hearts, He knows what we are feeling,

and most importantly, He knows our investigators and the families here, and He sees the changes in their lives, even if it doesn´t show up in the number of lessons we have, or the number opf baptisms. I have seen the spirit touch the hearts of the people and you can see the change in their eyes. There were so many lessons this week and I wish I had time to write, but unfortunatly I dont! Just one quick update about one of our investigators, Paula, I sent pictures of us at her farm lsat week, she let us know this week that her husband will no longer let us talk to her, and she is no longer allowed to go to our church. It was very hard to hear for us, we really have grown so close to her and her family. We´ve just been praying that her husband will open his heart, and at least let us talk to her and her kids again. The mission is hard, and its trying, but it´s so worth it. I cant even describe it, but those who have served know exactly what I mean. I love you guys so much!

Till next week,
Síster Kohlert

9.01.2015

Week 29: Hurricanes and Chuks

Sorry I didn't email yesterday, the internet was down due to the hurricane. we are all safe here, but we definietly got hit. Started on Monday morning, and the flights were cancelled, and there was a lot of rain and very strong wind. But first, I will review the week. 

Some Investigators
So the week was good, just like usual, hot, lots of walking, till about Friday when our water was shut off, and our landlord is in Belgium. No way to contact him. We decided to wait to see if it would come back on. Mean while, we got to see the chuks(pigs) of our investigator Paula. Super fun, ill send pictures. 





Then Saturday, the water was still off, and we had hardly any in the house, so we had to go to the other sisters the get some more. We watched a baptism on the beach that night because the font wasn´t ready. Super cool. Then we went home and our water was still off and we asked our neighbor and she said hers came back on, so we decided to wait a bit longer.The next morning, still no water. We took showers and did everything at the other sisters house, and life continued. We visited Marina, who was pregnant, turns out she had a miscarriage. It was sad, but she wasn´t too effected because she wasn´t super excited to have another child. Then on Sunday night, we got the call about the storm, and had to prepare a few things. We still were without water. Then the next morning the storm hit. Our windows were leaking water all over the floor, we were contantly mopping trying to keep up with it. we put towels in the window sills then went out to get groceries in the middle of the storm. 
Waiting Out the Storm
We thought it hadnt hit yet and was going to get worse later. haha we are so smart! We collected the rain water to use to flush the toilets and wash the dishes (our house STILL doesnt have water, going on 5 days now) The electricity went out for a while and we went out to teach.
Soaking Wet from the Storm
Had a great lesson with Paula and her family in the candle light. Then did some service for our neighbor and just had some miracles happen! Hoping that we will find a new house and our water will return. We are all safe here. Love you guys! Thanks for the prayers!

Sister Kohlert

Week 28: Whelp...it was a boring week.

Sorry this letter is going to be super lame. NOTHING happened this week. Super sad. It was SUPER HOT though. I just about couldn't handle it any more. I don't even know how people here do it. They need AC here. You are just constantly dripping with sweat. Like im going to invest in a towel to carry around with me to wipe off the sweat from my face. I didnt know it could get so hot. No one was outside this week, no one. we ran from patch of shade to patch of shade. our water was basically boiling by the end of the day. But we had some really good laughs in the midst of the heat....probably because we were dullusional from dehydration. But don't get me wrong, I love serving here. Its a great pile of sand with some amazing people who we are planting seeds inside. someones got to plant them right? Well this was a short email. maybe something amazing that I can write a good story about will happen next week.

For the fam and y´all have FHE!  This home evening should be devoted to prayer, singing hymns, songs, instrumental music, scripture reading, family topics, and specific instruction on the principles of the gospel and on the ethical problems of life, as well was the duties and obligations of children to parents, the home, the Church, society, and the nation.` and for steph and tyler and all you teens who are too cool for family time, `We encourage the young people to remain at home that evening and use their energies in making it instructive, profitable, and interesting.` -Joseph F. Smith 

I know how hard it is to have FHE. I never wanted to. I admit I avoided it like the plague. But now I see the value of it! Its so important to grow together and share spiritual experiences and to have that gospel based family. Leave that hour from 7 till 8 every monday, and don't you dare schedule ANYTHING....even if you think its more important....because is there really anything else more important than our families and the gospel? 

Jospeh F. Smith gives a pretty great promise for those who have FHE, `We promise that great blessings will result. Love at home and obedience to parents will increase. Faith will be developed in the hearts of the youth of Israel, and they will gain power to combat the evil influences and temptations which beset them.' We all have an equal resposibility to leave that hour open. leave your excuses behind and make it happen and see the blessings that come (cough cough you know who you are!) Dont forget that I love you guys! Thanks for the emails every week keeping me posted on all the drama in your lives!

Com muito amor, 
Sister Kohlert