Week 74: I look back, and only see a field of roses

Hey family.

I can't believe that this is my last email!!! I seriously can't believe it. My dear friend Soeur Linton and I were talking and we realized that it has taken us 21 years and 18 months of a mission to really understand the gospel. And I can tell you, after all of the miles walked, doors knocked and the tears shed, that this gospel is true.

I am sorry that this email is going to be short, I had to deal with a lots of logistics and time is running short. But I just had to tell you that I know that the church is true. My mission has been the toughest, yet most rewarding experience of my life I have seen the hand of God everyday. I KNOW that He is there and that He loves us. I know that His love changes lives. It has changed mine and I have seen it change others. I KNOW that trials are necessary to bring us closer together and closer to HIM. 

Escargo!

I know that He gives us commandments because He loves us and He WANTS us to be happy. His commandments are simply there for our protection and growth. I have seen how families are blessed as they live by them and I have also seen families who struggle because of a lack of simple effort. 

Ha I've learned that all I need is 3 suitcases, a violin, and the gospel. Truly anything is possible through the atonement.

Soeur Nielson shared a parable with me that I love and I can testify that its true. A mission is like walking through a field of roses. As you are crossing, it is full of pain from the thorns scraping your body, but as you get to the end and look back, all you see is a sea of beautiful, red roses. Its so true. As I look back I don't really remember the trials and heartaches. Yet the sweet moments, that seem to be always accompanied by the spirit, are so vivid and so full of joy. 

 

I love my mission. I would never do it again, but I don't regret a second of it. I love it. If it weren't for you all, I would never want to leave it.

I LOVE YOU and Ill see you next week!!

Soeur Kohlert

Week 73: Just one proud and grateful missionary

Hey there e'rybody!

What an amazing week. Time is not slowing down one bit and my emotions are seriously ALL OVER THE PLACE. My "last times" are starting and i cant seem to find the breaks for the tears either. 

Sisters in Our Zone Going Home this Month

so GRANDMA! I got to have dinner with Marie Joseph, the mom of Beatrice, the french lady that you met in Saint George and her daughter Matilde. The first time that I saw her the first thing she said was, "I don't want to be converted." Haha I reassured her by letting her know that I just wanted to get to know her because of the crazy small coincidence that we just experienced (which i believe was completely planned out by the Lord). Anyways as we were eating, she told me that her grandson was going to be married in the Redland, California temple on Saturday! Perfect gospel convo starter! Well it turns out that they didn't understand at all why they couldn't enter the temple! So we were able to explain and then they asked us all sorts of questions. We had a really great conversation and I really felt that they felt the spirit! I'll be sure to see them again during the next 2 weeks. Thank you grandma! For the referral!!

We were able to fix a baptismal date with a daughter of a partial member family! If all goes well she will be baptized on August 9th! :)

Sister Zane, my Companion

Our very intellectual investigator, Amélie, discovered that Joseph Smith had multiple wives this week which allowed me to dive into studying polygamy. As I was studying I hit multiple road blocks where things simply just didnt make sense to me. I got to experience what it is like to study and pray in order to truely understand the scriptures. The good news is that my testimony that Joseph Smith truely is a prophet of God was only strengthened while studying.

I had one of the sweetest moments of my mission this weekend. Fabienne, who was baptized about a month ago, bore her testimony to me during a lesson. As she spoke the spirit just testified to me that he was proud of my work and I was just SO grateful to have been able to be a TINSY part of Fabienne's conversion. In tears she explained to me how much she loves the Book of Mormon. She cited scriptures in 3rd Nephi and explained to me how they apply perfectly to her life. She told me how she is addicted to doing family history and that she just feels specifically attired to a specific ancestor (i have no doubt that its the spirit pulling her to research him, I think that she will come across something that will be really important). And she started sharing the gospel! She talked to her brother and dad and is sending the elders to see them! On saturday she is having a dinner with all of her friends and she is planning on annoucing her baptism to them. She said, "Sœur Kohlert, I know that they are going to think Im crazy and that I joined a cult, but I simply don't care. The church is true and I have to tell them. I have to tell them not only because I want them to have the same joy that I have, but because God wants me to do so." I bawled like a baby. I can't explain the happiness I felt and how humble I felt to see the power of God change a life.

I know that you know, but I just have to tell you again, I LOVE THIS WORK! I LOVE MY MISSION. The experiences as a missionary are just too sweet.

See you in 14 days, unreal.

Sœur Kohlert

Week 72: Please tell me you'll be here next week!

Soeur Nielson left me this week :( It was hard to say goodbye but I know that she is off to miraculous things in Toul (over by germany, congrats to damon by the way since the won the world cup!!). 

With Soeur Nielson sent off, I got to welcome my new companion. Soeur Tane. As I mentioned last week she is from Tahiti and she is just a ball of paradise. She is absolutely adorable and her smile is so bright. She wears extremely bright colors and braids her hair and always has a beautiful flower in it! She is teaching me tahitian dances and helping me with my french. Its been pretty cold here and Sister Tane is freezing. its the middle of july and she is wearing her snow coat, which she bought here of course. At the age of 24 she has never seen snow! We definitely dont come from the same part of the world!

So on Friday we received a call from the 2nd counselor of the bishopric... you know what the means, definitely giving a talk in church (it was nice to have a few days notice though!). I wasnt expecting to give my "farewell" talk so soon, but he said jokingly, kind of trying to persuade me to speak this week instead of later he said, "ya know what soeur kohlert, i think you should give your talk this week. maybe it will be so good and so spiritual that it will make the members want to work with you during your last 3 weeks." ha i laughed and agreed to speak.

I obviously wanted to do a good job and so i used every spare moment a could to prepare the talk, i even used my francophone companion to make my french made sense. I felt ready to go with what i thought was a strong departing talk! But of course, Heavenly Father had a different plan.

Right before I stood up to speak, i just felt sick about what i prepared and an experience from my mission kept coming to my head from the beginning of my mission, week 14 to be exact ha. So i set my notes aside and shared that experince and i felt good, like i had followed a spiritual prompting. That is definitely a feeling I have grown to love on my mission. 

After wards a ward member came up to me with tears in her eyes and expressed how much that story had touched her and how she had just been through a similar experience. She thanked me for the talk and we just went on our way. Then her husband approached me and said, "Soeur, your talk touched my wife so deeply that she just wants to have you over to teach this less active next sunday. Please oh please tell me that you will still be here." I was SO happy that i was able to say OUI!

Wow. I can honestly say that I'm trying to find the breaks to slow down the clock, but i cant seem to find them. Anyone got a hint? I am really not looking forward to the day when I am obliged to respond, "non". 

I just don't want my mission to end. 

I forgot my SD card so no pictures this week. Désolée. 

I love you all so much. Know that I think and pray for you often. à bientot!!

Soeur Kohlert

Week 71: "Mommy, I asked you that question yesterday!"

Thank you so much everyone for you emails! I love hearing from you! 

This week was a wonderful week! We started out by going to Brussels to meet our new President! President Babin and his wife are just WONDERFUL! I honestly felt their love for us as they spoke to us for the first time. They did a wonderful job at bringing the spirit. I truely did feel God's love for me. 

A little update on Sœur Nielson, after the death of her grand-father, things are going much better! She made it through the first difficult few days and she is stronger and more motivated than ever. 

Unfortunately this week is transfers and she will be leaving me to go south. I will be receiving a new companion on Wednesday. Her name is Soeur Tane (tan-ay). She is from Tahiti!! Their culture is extremely different from ours and so the last four weeks of my mission will be interesting!!! She speaks french and so I'll get to polish of my french right before I go home :)

This week Fabienne gave us a scare. We weren't able to get ahold of her all week and one time we saw her at the metro and she just waved and kept walking. We were so nervous that something had happened since her baptism. We waited for her by the door at chuch and she didnt came. We went to sit down as the meeting started. RIGHT before the opening hymn she walked in :) Such a blessing and relief. She had just had a busy week. We were able to start her family history and she is so excited about it! 

Speaking of family history we were able to use Sister Pack and her passion with family history to get one of our recent converts started on her family history from Africa. It was motivating and wonderful to listen to Sister Packs testimony. 

On the metro last week as we were going to a meeting, I was sitting next to a mother with her daughter on her lap. The daughter asked her mom what my plaque was... perfect oppurtunity. I explained who I was and got a little discussion started. I felt prompted to talk about the Plan of Salvation and gave them the PoS pamphlet. I told them that it talks about "Why we are where, where we came from, and where we are going." Right when I finished the sentance the girl gasped and looked at her mother. She said, "Mom, I asked you that question yesterday and you weren't able to respond!" The mom confirmed the daughters story and explained that they had lost their daughter in her early twenties about 8 months ago. Naturally her daughter posed her those questions and she admitted that she was not able to respond. She found it as a sign from God that I was there ready to answer them. We will see them on Tuesday.

I love this work. So many miracles happen daily. I love you all!

Have a wonderful week

Soeur Kohlert

Week 70: We like to move. We like, we like to move.

Um hey :)

Hi.

Salut.

This week has been definitely different but lovely! I have worn pants more this week than during my whole entire mission combined. Good thing some sister left some jeans that fit just right in the apartment because I have sure been using them all of the time!! There is a wonderful family in the ward that just needed help remodeling their new house and getting out of their old one! Us, along with the elders have spent loads of time painting and boxing and cleaning! It has been such a joy to do such wonderful service for a ward family that helps us so much. Giving back just simply feels so good! 

Remodeling

Other than that we have been doing lots of finding. 

And more finding

And more finding! 

We have been trying our best to keep our heads high as we've been relying wholly on the Lord; 

So Grandma Spilker gave us a refferal here in Villeneuve D'Ascq from a french girl that moved into her ward!! The girl is named Beatrice and her mom lives just down the street from our chapel. We went and stopped by and we were able to talk to Beatrice's sister, Matilde. We will be going back later this week to meet MJ, the mom. Tell Beatrice thank you for the referral. They were so kind and so surpised with the coincidence. 

We were getting ready for our baptism when an american family from Pleasant Grove walked in! They are here for 6 weeks doing geneogoly. Heather Pack is the mom and she has an incredible story. I highly recommend looking up her blog. I'm not sure how you'll find it. Maybe next week I'll have a link for you. The daughter is named Alice and is Stephanie's friend. Its been great to get to know them. Ive been translating and just chatting with them LOADS. Ha, getting me ready for home. 

Fabienne's baptism was just beautiful. We got to play a musical number and the elders sang as well. Fabienne hasnt been able to sleep all week because she is so excited; The baptism was flawless and an 18 year old boy in the ward was able to baptise her. It was his first one and he was really excited. Fabienne bore a strong testimony at her baptism and it just made me feel so happy and proud to be one of the Lord's missionaries. I dont think I'm ready to go home. 

We recieved some hard new yesterday morning. My companion's grandpa passed away. She was really close with him and so in order to keep her mind of things we have just been trying to keep REALLY busy. I just feel so bad for her. But she keeps going as if nothing every happened. She is so strong and I really admire her. Please pray for her!

I love you all and we're going to go meet the new president tomorrow! We got to talk to him a bit when he called Soeur Nielson, but I'm excited to talk face to face!

I hope you have a LOVELY week!

Soeur Kohlert