Monday, January 25, 2016

January 25, 2016 -- final post

Well, here it goes.  The last email of the mission.  That’s weird.  Really though, the mission has just been the best.  I’ve laughed so hard (for real though so hard), and cried a few times, and been frustrated with Spanish until I found out how to speak it, and felt so lucky to meet so many really truly incredible people.  It’s been the greatest thing ever, and I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t going to miss it.  But all good things must come to an end because there are other adventures out there.

For those of you who’ve been reading my emails every week, thanks for hanging with me, haha, even when I didn’t write a few weeks, or wrote close to nothing.  Just know that it’s been fun trying to keep you filled in on everything I’ve been doing, even if I couldn’t always remember what it was :)

You know what the coolest thing of my mission has been?  Becoming really truly converted to the gospel and learning to trust wholly and completely on the Lord.  You learn really fast in missionary work that you just can’t do it without his help.  It’s been a humbling experience that’s brought me much closer to him, and it’s helped my testimony grow light-years.  That to me is awesome! :)

A year and a half compared to a life time really isn’t anything if you think about it, but I’m 100% sure that this year and a half is going to help me for the rest of forever (bad grammar I know, sorry).

For those of you reading this who are members, let me share with you, once again, one of my favorite scriptures. It’s Alma 37:6, and it says, “Now ye may suppose that this is foolishness in me; but behold I say unto you, that by small and simple things are great things brought to pass; and small means in many instances doth confound the wise.”  Do the small and simple things.  Read you scriptures…daily.  Say your prayers…daily.  Go to church and to the temple.  All that good stuff makes the big difference.

To those who aren’t members, I share the words of the prophet Moroni when he said, “And when ye shall receive these things, I would exhort you that ye would ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not true; and if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost.  And by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things.”  Find out for yourselves if this is all true or not.

And to everyone, I love you guys.  You’re all great, and I’m excited to see you again :)

As a representative of Jesus Christ I leave you all with the invitation to come unto Him.  Come unto to Him with fullness of heart, in your actions, words, and thoughts.  Come unto Him, and let him make you whole.  Let him make of you the person you can never become on your own.  I love this gospel and I know it’s true.  I know that Jesus Christ really lived, suffered, died, and lives again for each and every one of us.  I testify that he is the Savior and Redeemer of the world and that he leads and guides His church today.  I love this gospel and I know it’s true.  And I share this testimony in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen .


Hermana Coombs

Monday, January 18, 2016

January 18, 2016 -- She's coming home!!

There will only be two more letters from Hannah, this being one of them. Her last letter will be next Monday. She returns home on Friday, January 29th. That next Sunday, the 31st of January, she will speaking in church, telling about some of her experiences serving in Chile. If you are interested in coming, the meeting starts at 9:00 am and is located at 1320 West Schaumburg Road, in Schaumburg. All are invited.


Here's this week's letter:

Alright ladies and gents, here come the highlights of the week, and probably a lot of random thoughts:

- My comp's head isn't feeling too much better, but she's been tired of being in the house, so we got to leave a little bit more this week.
- We had a Family Home Evening with the members who live alone, the new members in the ward, and those who are the only members in their family, in the church building on Monday.  It was way fun!  We're having another one today and we plan on playing kickball.  Woohoo!
- One day una abuelita called us to help take her to the post office and we said yes!  Turns out it was a trap!  Haha, she's a really sweet lady who just needed some company.  She didn't even have to go to the post office, but while we were out we stopped to buy her an ice cream cone.  Only afterward did she tell us she didn't know how to eat it... oops!  While she was eating it she dropped it on the floor but said, "this is too good, I'm not losing it!"  so she picked it up, wiped it off with a napkin and just kept right on eating it :)  At least she enjoyed it right? Right :)
- We were contacted by a cop from Santiago vacationing here in Purranque.  He seemed really interested in the church, but was going to Santiago again.  Good thing there are missionaries all over the place!
- La familia Gonzalez gave us completos one day for dinner.  I'm going to miss them (both the familia Gonzalez y los completos)
- Had an awesome lesson with Felicita, one of our investigators, in which she bore a really strong testimony that she knows this gospel is true, and that she's received so many blessings after meeting with the missionaries.  She wants to get baptized so bad, but her pareja (sorry I can't remember how we say that in English) doesn't want to get married yet.  But once they get married she is baptism ready!
- We found a cool new investigator named Lucy!  She really likes what she's learning
- We had an awesome lesson with Manuel, a guy who's visiting from Puerto Montt, and la Hna Sonia went with us.  Members, you guys really don't know how much you can help with your simple powerful testimonies.  He's going to keep listening to the missionaries in Puerto Montt
- Hno Moll, he's a little abuelito member here, ate lunch in a member's house with us and the members this week, and HE IS SO FUNNY.  We laughed so hard.  They asked him to say the blessing on the food and he just said, "they always ask on the youngest to say the prayer."  And then he said so many other funny things during lunch. haha, sorry if you don't think it's as funny as I did.
- Our house has slugs and Hna Schroeder is terrified of them.  She found one of their happy trails in her bed yesterday and I don't think she's ever going to be able to sleep ever again
- And the coolest thing of all.... Mary y Patricio said they want to get baptized on Feb 20th :D  They've been meeting with the missionaries for almost a year and they finally feel like they're ready for baptism.  It was an amazing lesson, completely guided by the spirit.  It was cool.

Don't forget that sometimes things happen a whole lot differently than what we would like, but we just need to roll with the punches, put our trust in the Lord, and look for the blessings that are all around us.  I found a cool scripture today in my studies from when the prophet Mormon is talking to his son Moroni about all the bad things and the destruction of his people (a whole civilization) and he said, "My son, be faithful in Christ, and may not the things which I have written grieve thee... but may Christ lift thee up, and may his sufferings and death... and his mercy and longsuffering, and the hope of his glory and of eternal life, rest in your mind forever."
Basically if things aren't going your way just remember to let Christ lift you up, that his grace and mercy can help you out in whatever situation you find yourself.  There will be difficulties in life of every kind, but there are good things to come.  Just keep chugging along with your confidence placed in him.

Oh, and just to let you all know, my companion is so funny.  We get along so well and we just laugh so hard all the time.  She's great  and as she always says..."that's all autobots, let's roll out!"

Love you guys!

Keep on keeping on,

Hermana Coombs



Monday, January 11, 2016

January 11, 2016



How's it going!!

This week I was studying an awesome talk about Faith.  Check it out!

We almost killed a missionary in a visual lesson activity gone wrong with the Zone.  It was tug of war, with an Hermana in a chair between the ropes.  She did a back flip and almost died, but thank goodness someone had ninja-like reflexes and saved her life. That would have been really awkward explaining to Pres. Obeso what happened if she'd gotten hurt. Haha, maybe I shouldn't laugh, but she gave us permission, so it's ok. 

Other than that, we keep on keeping on, finding people and teaching the gospel.  The gospel is amazing people.  It's helped me out so much in my life.

Keeping it short and sweet this week, but I love you guys! Have an awesome week!

Stay sweet,
Hermana Coombs
La cascada!

the stick thingy was for swatting away killer flies.  and good news, I didn't die :)

Monday, January 4, 2016

January 4, 2016

Hey guys!

HAPPY NEW YEAR :)  2016.  That's cool stuff.

Anyway, my companion has been sick this week with some head stuff, but we're getting it all worked out.  The good news is that I got to study a ton this week.  I read a lot of things by the Prophet and Apostles, and one talk I really liked was "On Being Genuine" by Elder Deiter F. Uchtdorf.  He said:

"With patience and persistence, even the smallest act of discipleship or the tiniest ember of belief can become a blazing bonfire of a consecrated life. In fact, that’s how most bonfires begin—as a simple spark.
So if you feel small and weak, please simply come unto Christ, who makes weak things strong. The weakest among us, through God’s grace, can become spiritually strong.
The Church is not an automobile showroom—a place to put ourselves on display so that others can admire our spirituality, capacity, or prosperity. It is more like a service center, where vehicles in need of repair come for maintenance and rehabilitation.
And are we not, all of us, in need of repair, maintenance, and rehabilitation?
We come to church not to hide our problems but to heal them."

It's an awesome talk.  Look it up if you can.

one time this week we did service.  It was legit.  I felt like Spiderman because we were on top of a roof.  I almost fell off once, haha JUST KIDDING MOM. But don't worry it was completly safe, and fun.

Love you all tons and hope your week is full of faith, trust, and pixie dust!

Love,
Hermana Coombs