Week 14: And He Will Carry You

Hey everyone!

My first official week of training is over! And we survived...ha, but only barely. So this week I decided to just try my hardest, to really give it my all even though I knew that it was going to be rough with how little french we collectively speak. But we went and we tried. I really felt like we weren't having very much success. People werent showing up to our appointments and it was lame. Yet I started to become really good friends with the phone and I started to invite members to lessons to help us explain things.

On Sunday morning I was just beat. And we were on time to the bus stop, but the bus came early and so we missed it....and Soeur Stapley took the keys to the car with her to her new area so we started walking. And we eventually just decided to wait for 30 min till the next bus came and I was just bummed. I felt like an awful trainer. It was only her second sunday and we were going to miss half of church and we had like 8 people who were supposed to come, only 5 came tho. Anyway, at the bus stop we started talking to this woman and she was not interested. She was like "I know everything about all religions and I have never heard of yours but I know that all you care about is the life after this one and you have no real answers"... blah blah blah. So we said, ASK US! And she asked us a question about baptism and why we needed to do it. Then she asked about personal covenants and about the Bible and prophets and we just taught her A TON. And we showed her the Book of Mormon and she was like WHERE CAN I BUY ONE OF THESE? Ha...we told her it was hers and it was free. She was like I am going to read it and Im going to call you. I have been searching and searching for a church and Im going to give this promise a shot.  It was the best contact that I have EVER had. It lifted my spirits.

But then we got to church... and we had 5 investigators there and I couldn't integrate them all by myself and the members weren't helping and my bleu can't really understand french yet so...ya. Then I was told that I had to plan a day trip for 3 mongolians who barley speak french to a city an hour away to have an Family Home Eveining with a member and we were told we had to learn like 25 songs on the violin before June 21st.

I was just overwhelmed. I had no idea how to do all of this and keep the mission rules. Because we have fairly strict rules about how much time we can spend doing what.

Anyways, I just got home and broke down and cried and cried and prayed and cried. Ha, I literally felt that I could NOT do it. I just dont have the skills to do all of it AND train a missionary. But Soeur Hilton took the ball that I dropped and carried me. She made me lunch while I spent an hour on the phone organizing everything. I was so grateful. She even planned the lessons for me and we just kept going.

And then we saw lots of miracles and I only have time to tell one.

We found a muslim woman by knocking and we have to get permission from president to teach muslims cause it can ber dangerous for them if their husbands find out. So he said that we can teach her if we meet the husband and get his permission... How in the world was I supposed to do that??? I can barely teach her the lessons.. haha but we were walking down the street and guess who was in front of us... Fatima and her husband and I super easily asked him if we could teach her. He said NO PROBLEM. I was so happy

God carried me yesterday and it purfied me and renewed me. Mosiah 4 2-6. I now have a great desire to continue to be exactly obedient because I realize how great god is.

I love you all

Thanks for all your emails!


LOVE SOEUR KOHLERT

Week 13 Training My Teacher

Heyy there everyone.

So funny story...I was SUPER nervous to get my bleu, like way nervous. Ha, but we get to Paris and guess who they assign me to??? MY MATH TA. Ha, we were friends at BYU and we were sooo excited. She cried when she found out that I was going to train her! We are such great friends already. I love her. God really does know us. Her name is Soeur Lorraine Hilton. She grew up in California and now her family lives in Alpine Utah. And guess what?? She is healthy. We go running everyday and buy lots of veggies. Hopefully those skirts get looser. Shes pretty tired and it makes me laugh because she falls asleep on the bus or when I'm on the phone... I was totally just there so I understand completely.

This week was crazy. We went and said goodbye to everyone with Soeur Stapley, then I got my bleu; then we just did a ton of finding. Soeur Stapley and I never had to do much, but it was needed; and its hard, especially since both of us have no experience in finding, but we got some good potentials... most of which have already flaked on us. bummer. But we did find some people to teach that the elders used to teach years ago.

I also gave my first talk in FRENCH. Everyone loooovvved it. Ha, they said that I was so cute because I'm sure I sound like a two year old. I used an analogy that Nicole told me and everyone just loved it. They said that my french was almost perfect.....haha but only because I wrote it before hand and memorized it haha. But that was super nerve wracking. I spoke for like 13 minutes.

Well its been cold and rainy here. Not too fun for contacting. Hopefully well start finding to people to teach here soon. Pray for that. One time I had the whole bus talking to each other. It was really funny. I thought they were family, but they didn't even know each other.. that was a miracle because French people simply don't talk to each other.

I love you all and wish you the best. Keep praying and reading together as a family.

Love

Sœur Kohlert

Week 12: A Wonderful Mother's Day and a Shock

Hey everyone!!

It was soooo good to see you all yesterday. I was so proud of us that we only cried at the beginning and slightly in the middle.. haha thanks to tyler;)

Congrats Naomi on your call. Bulgaria doesnt know what's coming. You're going to do wonders. I love you.

And welcome home to Jake Larson.

So for those of you that weren't there for the phone call, I got some crazy news about an hour before I called home. This Wednesday is transfers, and I've only been in France for 10 weeks and normally a missionary is trained for 12 weeks, so I figured that my trainer would leave me and another missionary would come in and work with me in Rennes... But no. Ha, both my trainer and I got called to train! Im so so so so nervous! I cried on the phone when they asked me to train. I can barely speak french and I have maybe taught each lesson only once and now I have to teach someone else how to do it?? I'm so humbled and I'm going to have to rely on the Lord so much. I know that the Lord qualifies those he calls, but man I'm not sure how he's going to pull off this one. There should be lots of miracles soon because man are they needed.

Well, this week we went out to a member's home out in the country. They met each other one time while he was on his mission. After his mission he called her and asked her to marry him... they didn't even talk at all while he was on his mission. She said she KNEW she was supposed to say "yes" even though she didn't know him. They are seriously awesome. They come form the islands and have little or no money; yet they fee us AND they gave us ALL of the leftovers. When I say all I mean ALL! The drinks, the side dishes, the main course and the dessert!!! They treated us like kings. they said that it is the least they could do to show their respect to two young people who are giving up the prime of their lives to serve God and to find people like them. I love them so much. I was so grateful to have gone on my mission simply to see them and to feel their testimony. I want to be like them and I will be.



Well, if I have time, I'll write more. I love you all and miss you! Ill probably be in Rennes for another 12 weeks till my bleu's/daughter's training is finished.

Love always,

Soeur Kohlert

Week 11: No Time

HAPPY BIRTHDAY NICOLE. Have fun and eat crepes in memory of me. I keep trying to send ya'll a package but p-days are so short. I'll keep trying. I have like 0 time this week. We are going to see Merlin's forest with an investigator family and I have no time.

Transfers are the 15th of May. Ill let you know on the 13th where I'm going. I think I'll stay though. I can't get packages stolen because they either put them in the box or I have to go pick them up...so it's better if they fit in the box. I AM PLANNING ON CALLING HOME AROUND 6 MY TIME ON MOTHERS DAY. I am so exctied.

Sorry for being such a bum missionary last week. I was being really selfish and once I turned my attitude around it was much better. I am feeling much better this week. Ha, except I put on my jeans today and I almost cried. The jeans that I bought a size bigger for my mission are DEFINITELY too small for me. Mom I need your help. Ha, unlike Colie who is riding bikes, I don't and I am gaining way too much weight. I
need a bribe. If I loose 5 kilos can we go to greece or something after my mission?? Ha please? I need something to motivate me because the cute boys aren't on my mind...ha (thankfully).  Okay so the family that we are going to go hiking with is awesome. The mother said that as she stood on the conference center roof and looked over the valley she just cried. She told her firend that if she ever denied that there was a God, that she needed to go to Utah and look over the valley. She felt the spirit so strongly but they have some soucis (umm problems i think is the good translation struggles) that we need to get over with them. Hopefully they will start to take the lessons soon. I'll send pictures of them next week. I felt the spirit so strongly with them that I cried

We had sister exchanges and I gotto go with the infamous contactor of our mission and really learned how to talk to people it was good and I stayed in Rennes so I was in charge and that was good for me. I can speak french and I dont need my trainer J .  Mart has the light that Tugsuu has. She is reading lots and I hope she
leaves her boyfriend soon. Tugsuu brought two more friends to church this week. She is amazing. They can't speak any of our languages so we translate from french to english to monoglian its rough. We also had a random chinese girl come to church, lys. She is awesome and speaks english. You'll hear more about her soon.

I need to go...I've got to go to Paris this week for legality and I want to send you pictures. I love you and miss you all very much.

Soeur Kohlert

Week 10: Keeping My Head Up

Thanks again for all your letters and for the package. Ha...that was so fun. Thanks so much for everyone that put work into that I really do appreciate ya. I got the package on wednesday if that helps you with your timing. 

Well today I'm having a hard time. I just want to go home...Ha. I think its because I know what kind of missionary I want to be and I just cant be it....and it's super frustrating. Mainly because of the language. So, I find myself just thinking about home to escape the daunting task ahead of me....Any pointers??? 

Ha, sorry to start that off with a downer but I got to go on a field trip this week. It was to do Belgium leagailty. We went to Versaille, where we stayed over night with Soeur Melville, my MTC comp and then I went to Belgium with 40 other missionaries and my comp stayed in Paris. We got to go first class there on the train and we got fed and it was sweet. It was raining in Belgium, but I got fries and the best waffle ever... probably better than the Waffle Love wagon..Ha. Then I went to the office place and signed three papers and we all went home. It was lots of train and some fun. It was great to talk with all of the other missionaries. I'll send pictures if I have time, if not, I will next week.

Manneken Pis - Brussels, Belgium

Mart, our investigator, is confused :( She is not sure if she wants to leave the man she is living with, or marry him, so we decided to push back her baptism date. We don't know till when, but yah, unfortunate. She still is reading and wants to keep meeting with us so that's really good. and Tugsuu is such a great support for her. I just love Tugsuu. She really is my shining star and a great help and motivator for me.

We got to go to the member families house where the dad calls me his angel. I feel like im his granddaughter. We just talk and talk and his son plays beautiful music in the background while we talk. It's great cause he talks to ME and not my companion even though she speaks better. He has cancer and almost died over Cristmas. His story is so touching and you can tell that it put his family through the refiners fire. Tey are very humble and so close. You could feel the spirit so strong in their house. I was put to tears. I want to stay close to him for always. His name is Brother Dagry. I love him.

Park in Rennes Where We Go Running

Well I hope all is going well back home. Sounds like everyone is busy as always and doing good things. Oh and if Nicole learns some french she can go to the north of Brussels and I can serve in the south of Brussels and we'd share the same ward building. How cool huh?

Ha, love you and miss you like crazy.

Sœur Kohlert