Week 57: OH did we sure SPRING ourselves into spring forward

This week was pure craziness. Time flew and we shot ourselves into spring! We did set the clocks back... but the alarm clock didn't go off an hour early; and therefore, we did NOT loose an hour of sleep :) Thank you Heavenly Father. However, we did wake up to our phone ringing off the hook... there were some crazy problems going on with getting our investigators to church! What a way to start spring!!!

Alphonsine and Jenny are serioulsy rockin' it. We were so blessed to have knocked on their door that one night. On Tuesday, we taught them the Plan of Salvation. We had to restart three or four times because people that she invited to the lesson kept showing up. It was a full house! We were teaching the Plan of Salvation to so many people. The coolest thing about it was was that they were all listening so intently with huge eyes. They were litterally drinking our words. Later on in the week the confided in us. They told us a very personal problem and Soeur Vance, Maire and I were so blessed by the spirit in guiding them to find help through the Savoir. It was a beautiful experience and I am grateful for our priesthood holders who know how to help us in such critical and sensitive situations.

President also has had us put in Easter flyers in maiboxes before we go to knock on them... so inspired. We found four new investigators this week by doing it. Three of them was an adorable family that let us in to pray with them. They said they just felt our warmth. We will be seeing them, the family LeRoy this Wednesday! I'll let you know how it goes if it goes!!

Logan's birthday was on wednesday. We decorated his door and we were invited to his birthday party. I made brownies and everyone was sooo excited to eat homemade brownies from an American. We got to meet the whole family and everyone really enjoyed talking with us and about what we do!! They also lost there uncle this week so we made lunch for them. They were really grateful.

Our amie Isabelle with a baptismal date had a break through this week. It was such an amazing lesson. I litterally felt guided by the spirit in asking her questions to help her realize the truth of what she's been studying. There was one point in the lesson where we were asking her about her reading her prayers... she went off about how she loves reading and makes resumés of the chapters.... just really intellecutal stuff and didn't even really mention anything about her prayers. So we asked her specifically about her prayers. She told us how she was really stresed throughout the week about her baptism and that at one point she just felt calm and just good about it. The member looked at her and said
"you felt peace huh?"

Isabelle: "Ya I did"

The member looks at me wided eyed like: YOU GOT THIS. 

I asked her: Do you realize that that was God answering your prayer?

Isabelle looks at me puzzled and said.. "Yes. As you were saying that I recognized that that was God speaking to me."

I love the Holy Ghost.

Niamke' Family

Sunday was a wonderful day. After teaching the family Niamké the 10 commandments with hand signals to help them remember and playing DON'T EAT PETE with them, we went to a less-active members house to create a plan with her to stop smoking. In order to help her I told her that if she gives up cigarettes, ill give up sugar.... I know that its not comparable but its already kicking my trash. I am so glad that I am not addicted to anything and that I was able to follow the Word of Wisdom. I hope that I can continue to abstain from all of the goodies around me in order to support this wonderful girl.

Well I love you all. I love the Savior. I am SO STOKED for general conference this weekende. I hope that you all prepare yourselves to listen to God's messangers. Dont miss a second. Im excited to find the answers to my quetions.

Enjoy life

Soeur Kohlert

Week 56: 5 plus 6 equals 11

What a wonderful week in paradise. Well freezing cold paradise. God just teased us with the good weather last week.

CONGRATS to my b-e-a-u-tiful ANNE!! Ah im just so happy for you! I hope that your baptism was wonderful and renewing as Im sure it was.

We were blessed to have been able to go to Paris to be eddified by our dear mission president and his wife. We made a new goal to baptize 125 of God's children before the new mission president comes at the end of June! Can we do it? YES WE CAN!

We have been setting personally family missionary goals with each family in the ward lately. Its insane to see how ready and willing the members are to share the gospel even though its not normally taken well by those around them. I also love hearing the miracles that they live. One of them was not able to have children after their first child. After feeling sick for a few months they went to the doctor to find out she was pregnant. That same daughter who was miraculously conceived was also miraculously healed after weeks of prayer on fasting on the wards behalf. She was to be operated on on her throat to permit her to talk, but when they go to the day of the operation, the surgeon said that there was nothing to operate on. Then 3 years later the dad accepted the gospel and they we sealed as a family a year after. He is now the elders quorum presidetn. Trop fort.

Unfortunately our March 29th baptism date was dropped. We found out that she is not legally married, only married in Africa... so hopefully there will be a marriage in a few months? On the other hand we fixed a date with Isabelle, an amie that the elders so graciously handed to us. She is so willing and cute. She has concerns like: is the water chlorinated? do i have to be plunged backwards?.. shes really understands what she is doing and she is a bit nervous so PLEASE PRAY FOR HER!!

The lessons have been continuing on with Alphonsine and Jenny! They are so cool. They weren't able to come to church because their uncle found out they were meeting with us and came to their house yelling and screaming that they were joining a sect. Alphonsine is so cool. She just said, "there is nothing mysterious about them. You just go to church and pray and find out for yourself." We asked her how she felt about her baptism. All she said was, "Im worried because I dont know if he will be there," as if she wasnt even second guessing her decision. We seriously found gold. She is also having her friend and her whole family come to our next lesson. Oh and her nephew that she introduced to us that we passed to the elders also has a date. Knocking on door works.

Heavenly Father really blessed me this week. I have been a stress case trying to have you guys find apartments for me. At zone conference there was a sister who was looking for someone to live with so we decided to go into it together and she said the only time she could look for apartments friday morning. We started with a prayer and the first apartment I saw was the apartment in condo row (the area that ive so desperately wanted to live in). It had only been online for a few hours and since it was 5 am utah time as i was emailing him, we beat everyone else who was interested and WE GOT IT! The Lord surely does bless us. Apartment found in ONE day. I know that he guided us to look at that specific time. 

Well off to start another week serving the Lord whom I love so much. He takes care of us!

Love you all and I love hearing from you! Thank you for spending the time to keep me updated with all of the things going on in your lives.

Sister Kohlert

Week 55: I'm Still I'm Still Jenny from the Block

Man I am tired ha.

Thanks to my former companion missy Sister Henson, my title for this email has been the theme song of our week.. you will soon find out why... dun dun duuuun!

We had a pretty crazy week and even if I took all of the time in the world I would never be able to explain everrrythang. DONC ill just get started with the most important and go till the time runs out!

So Tuesday was a glorious day. After a fabulous district meeting with some mean chocolate cookies that I had to strap myself down to stop myself from eating 40, we went to go see Alphonsine, an investigator that we found knocking on doors about a month ago. We've been teaching her quite regularly and we decided that this was the time to set a baptismal date with her! However, when we got there we werent quite feeling it... and Sister Vance and I looked at eachother like "should we do it???" we both shrugged and decided to just continue with the lesson and we invited her to read the heading for 3 Néphi 11. She read... "The Father testifies of His Beloved Son—Christ appears and proclaims His Atonement—The people feel the wound marks in His hands and feet and side—They cry Hosanna—He sets forth the mode and manner of baptism—The spirit of contention is of the devil—Christ’s doctrine is that men should believe and be baptized and receive the Holy Ghost. About A.D. 34."  As she pronounced the baptism words my soul was PIERCED. Then we asked her what she remarked about the introduction and she said BAPTISM and continued on talking about other things she remarked. Everytime she said the word baptism my heart was pierced again and I KNEW that I had to ask. Ive learned well to listen to that feeling and I asked. And of course she accepted. 19th of April.  What a beautiful experience the Lord blessed me to have.

Two days later we taught her faith and repentance. She was so sincere and asked questions like, how do I know if God is speaking to me? how do I make restitution? how do I forgive my abusive ex-husband? Marie did an amazing job testifying of the atonement of Christ AND because we had given a lesson in RS on repentance a few days earlier we knew exactly where to find the answer to one of her questions. Its cool that Sister Vanaqer was inspired to ask us to teach on that subject and in turn it ended up helping an investigator!!!

On Friday we went over to teach her and her 17 year old daughter was there named.. JENNY :) Well she said she was interested too and ended up setting a baptismal date with her for the same day!! We then invited her to play ping pong with us the following even...

So on saturday she was anxiously awaiting us. We gave her and her mom and her cousin a tour of the church and then had a blast playing ping pong and eating crepes. The party was hoppin ha. There were so many investigators less actives and members. So fun. Definitely a hit. Of course we invtied them to church... and...

THEY CAME :) but they came in the middle of the first hour and everyone was in their respective classes. We didnt see them and they didnt call and they didnt know where to go so they left.. BOO. BUT Alphonsine came back for sacrament meeting!! (Which was SO FULL by the way thanks to the work of the members! I played my violin and so many people came out to support me as well. I was soo grateful. Thanks mom again for having me bring it!)

Well Im exhausted. Looking at the screen is so hard for me ha and time is short but Im so grateful for my mission. It kicks my rear end but Im growing and learning so much! Its crazy that Ive only got more or less 4 months to go. Im cherishing it. Not to mention my companion is just like the best thing that ever happened.

I love you all and GROS BISOUS

Soeur Kohlert

Week 54: SOCCER... I'm so happy happy happy

So I have no time so sorry. But I'll just have to tell you a little bit about this wonderful week of SUN. Isn't it just wonderful how the sun can just change everything? I'm so grateful for it. 

Marie took us to see a cool castle that was destroyed in WWI. It was cool. The prison was only accessed by a hole, like 50 ft above the prison ground. The guards would attach the prisoners to a rope and lower them down and they literally had no way to escape. haha so cool. Maybe I'll have to make a dungeon in my house like that for my kids when they get bad.

Tuesday we went to Paris for more legality stuff. It was cool because it was the same day but one year later that I arrived in France. I took pictures from the same spot i did a year ago. So cool.

THEN Tuesday night we got our neighbor Logan and his friend to come play soccer with the ward! And we also got a few other less actives and it was a BLAST!! Everyone loved it and the boys couldn't stop talking about it to Alexandra when they got home. The coolest thing was that Logan asked who Mormon was on the car ride home and we got to talk a bit together!!

The Elders had a baptism that was so beautiful. We tried to do a musical number, Savior Redeemer of My Soul... it didn't quite work out. We tried.

We also got to do some yard work/service for the bishop. Their backyard was like a forest and by the time we were done it was some pretty dirt ha. It was funny because bishop was like... How in the world do you sisters know how to do yard work? Don't you guys have Mexicans? Every time I go to Utah there are always Mexicans working in your yards..... Haha....thanks mom for teaching me how to weed.

Sister Vance and I got back into our teaching swing! We have been teaching so powerfully together! We had a few lessons where we so happy with how well the spirit worked and how open our investigators were to receive the spirit. Its incredible the things that the Lord can do based on pure feeling. We asked one woman what it would mean to her if Joseph Smith was a prophet and she said, "I'd need to follow him and be baptized." Ding ding ding we've got a winner.

OH I almost totally forgot! The elders passed us an investigator named Isabelle who is just ROCKIN! She is a 24 year-old farmer came to church and wants to be baptized. The whole ward wants to have a FHE with her because she is just so normal and cool. She is so strong! Pray for her!!!

I love you all. I know that this is HIS work!!

Week 53: I Wouldn't Touch that Cheese with a 9 1/2 Foot Pole.

Salut :)

So I just HAVE to tell you how we started off our week. So there are like 450 different cheeses in France and our bishop had us try the most horid one in existence. It was like red and it just smelt like ... i don't know how to describe it. It was just like a strong cheese at first and then WABAM the taste just hit you like a ton of bricks all at one and IT DIDNT GO AWAY! I dont know what its name is but it should be a crime to give it to someone. 

BAD CHEESE!

Bah dis donc WE FIXED A BAPTISMAL DATE!!! Ah we're so excited! It is with a recent convert's friend, her name is Isabela, I'll attach a photo of her. It is for March 29th. She has a hard time understanding so I hope that we will be able to get her ready!! Also the elders have a baptism this saturday! They found him like 2 weeks ago and he bore his testimony on sunday! so solid. hes a funny guy. 

Yesterday was crazy though! So It is vacation week so no one was at church AND some of the bigger families were sick and or late. Ha we had a random couple show up to church, a member brought their friend, the elders had two investigators there and we had one! There were more investigators than members at first. Ha and we were stressed trying to get them all there and taken care of. Luckily we have some incredible members who really help us out DESPITE the craziness/sickness going on in their lives! I was a bit stressed because we  had to teach thesunday school lesson which we didnt know about till saturday, AND i had to play the piano. Anyone that knows me knows that I dont play very well, especially site reading. So it was such a blessing when i flipped the pages open to see that all of the songs were in keys that im extremely comfortable with. THANK YOU HEAVENLY FATHER!

We also did some crazy finding in the rain. We were able to go do some work in a gorgeous ville called LAON. There is a gorgeous cathedral that you have to like hike up to! so incredible. Ha we also had a Kebab with a Kebab man that loves missionaries. Way too funny.

Unfortunately the family that we found called and dropped us... :( One of their mothers came into town and is totally against relgion  and talked them out of seeing us. The dad seemed so sad to tell us that we coulding come back... We also had a lesson with an investigator. We had brought a member and when we got to the door, there she was, standing with the book of mormon and all the pamphlets in hand. She opened the door and just handed us the material and said we couldnt come back. It was rough.

On the other hand we started teaching a new mom and 3 kids and we got to have a lesson with our neighbor!!! IT WAS SO AMAZING! We gave her a BOM and she said that she is just SO EXCITED to start reading it. She has troubles with smoking and normally she has to smoke every 45 min... but we were with her for about 2 hours and she didnt smoke till 30 min after we left... so if we do the math thats 2.5 hours without smoking! She said that it was a miracle and she could feel that the spirit was helping her! so cool!

Sister Vance and I thought for sure that one of us would be leaving this transfer... but no. President strikes again with his surpirses. Ha so we will have been together for 2.5 transfers! LONG TIME but Im so happy because i love it here and i love my companion and I know well see some great miracles together.

Ha some TJs showed up in the middle of one of our lessons this week.. oh dear thats a whole other story in itself!

Well I know that Heavenly Father loves us. I know that through the power of His son we can be changed. I felt the spirit testify of this truth to me multiple times this week and its just so true. AS WE SERVE HIM, WE BECOME LIKE HIM!

I love you all!!!!

Week 52: Milking Cows and a Walk Back in Time to Eléonore

Hey family :)

This past week was simply amazing! Sorry for the late email by the way, we had some lessons yesterday so we just moved half of P-day! 

So this week just started out wonderfully! We finished P-day by seeing some caves that soldiers from World War I and II stayed in. They are right by Marie's house and there are all sorts of cool carvings and remnants from the war: shoes, tanks, tires, and chains. The first African-American troop was actually stationed there and they engraved their troop number on the walls. It was a blast and you know how much I love history so it was too rad. Then we went to teach Marie's non-member grandma. The spirit was so strong as she shared an experience that Marie had never heard. She then fed us way too well and we got to saw her museum-like home! She is an incredible painter and every inch of her walls are covered in her work. Breathe taking.

Cave Where Soldiers Stayed in WWI and WWII

Maria's Grandma's House....Look, I'm an Artist

On Tuesday we did finding ALL DAY LONG. It was pretty rough cause it started to really rain and be cold, but Soeur Vance made it easy to have a great attitude and we ended up having fun and finding some awesome potentials, one of which became an investigator later in the week AND whose friend was there for the lesson. It turned out that the friend is actually more interested than her! Love how God works. We did get to have dinner with the awesomest couple in St Quentin. The Lamours. They used to own a french restaurant in SLC so we fine dined. They were hilarious and it was a great and yummy ending to a rough day.

Wednesday we said goodbye to Georgette :( She is going on vacation till after transfers and so we were so sad to have to say goodbye to the woman who has taught us so much about french cuisine. She is amazing! We also visited the same old grumpy less active that we visit every week.... BUT GUESS WHAT? She was happy to see us this time! She participated in the lesson and smiled and told US that we better come back! Definitely a mircale. Its insane how the spirit changes people. We did more finding that night and knocked into a athiest couple with 4 children. Of course, not interested at first but after talking to them a bit... it turns out they are and didnt know it! We talked to them for like 45 min and then set up a RDV for a few days later. We returned and they were sitting there waiting for us. When asked if they read the brochure we left them the dad replied, "i cant lie..." we thought he was going to say he didn't read it but thennnnn he said "I just read it a half hour ago and I don't know if I understand it all... but it remarked me that the fall was necessary and that Adam and Eve HAD to have eaten the fruit for us to know good and evil and to exist".... my mouth dropped. Holy Cow. The RDV was filled with loads of questions and their desire to learn. They have such great family values and I know that the Lord prepared them. JB and Sheona.

We turned one-year-old in the mission on Thursday.. it was a blast. we started out with district meeting where we had a wonderful nutella speculous cheesecake made by us and after doing some porting in a TINSY little town, WE WENT AND MILKED COWS! HOLY COW ha. They were huge! After fearfully rounding the cows, we cleaned the utters, started squirting the milk by hand, attached the pumps, and disinfected afterwards. We cleaned TONS of poo and fed the baby cows. It was SO FUN! We drank the milk after and it was weird to think about, but it actually tastes more like our milk in the states. It was a whole new world for Soeur Vance and I and we took more pictures than imaginable ha.

Happy One-Year OUT!

Add caption

Time to Milk the Cows!

Sorry, this is starting to get really long but I HAVE to tell you about this weekend. We had stake conference in Lille on Saturday and Sunday. So Sister Vance had a pen pal in high school that she refound while on her mission and visited them frequently when she served near Lille. We got to go visit them before conference on Saturday night and it was so cool to meet them! They were so nice! The conference was wonderful and Sister Vance had a hay day because she got to see all of her converts and members from her 1st ville.

A Beautiful Little Ville

I had regained contact earlier in the week with the dad of the foreign exchange family that I had stayed with in France in 2007. He accidently left his phone and computer at work in the Netherlands so I had lost contact right before we were going up to Lille for the conference, where they are from. Luckily mom and dad had also sent me the mom's number, so I called on Saturday night and they said that we could see them after the conference on Sunday! IT WAS SOO WEIRD TO SEE THEM AGAIN. The whole family was there, which is uncommon since Sara studies in Paris, and we went to visit Eléonore at her work. We talked lots about the church and Sara said she'd love to go to a youth activity in Paris! We have to go to Paris next week for leglity and she said we can meet up with her then!! SO COOL!

Eleonore, my exchange student and I

I love how the lord works. Its amazing. He always puts the poeple in the places that he needs them to be in so that His work can go forward! 

I love youu all and must go!

Soeur Kohlert

Week 51: You are His Valentin

HAPPY VALENTINES DAY! Fun Fact of the week: If you are a girl, then i hope that your valentine is a boy. Ha therefore you would use the masculine form of the word and he would be "your valentin" instead of valentinE. So will you please be my valentine/valentin?(: Merci!

Heavenly Father's love was ever so felt this week.

Well of course we had to do SOMETHING for Valentine's day :) I was super blessed to have received some cute letters from family and friends to make it super wonderful. Thanks! But we decided to heart attack our neighbor's door. Genious idea of Soeur Vance ha. We could hear Logan's reaction as he found it and he was HILARIOUS. Ha he like screamed and ran upstairs to grab his mom and they took like 1000 pictures. They said thank you in a beautiful text and we invited them to the ward Valentine's Day activity (which was sooo fun by the way. There were so many people that they had to set up another table!) They were unable to come but it was a great way to show them how much we truly do care for them.

Alexandra and Logan's Door

Oh update... the Niamké mom decided that she doesn't want the kids to be baptized or come to church :( sad day. The boys were so sad, but we still have hope and we know that the Lord has a plan that we just simply can't see!

Zone Conference in Paris

My First Croque Monsieur

This week we were able to go to Paris for interviews, conference, and legality. It was a blast and for our dinner break we were able to stop by an old church and we stayed with some sisters who live right next to the Grand Arch. Pretty cool and way too fun. While we were waiting in line at the Préfecture, we were able to talk to two BEAUTIFUL families and hand their info over to the Versaille missionaries. Heavenly Father really does love us and it was definitely a blessing but I JUST WANT TO GO SERVE IN VERSAILLE NOW! Ha!

More Friends at Zone Conference

More Friends at Zone Conference

So I had a first this week. I have talked with a many french athiest people, but I have NEVER been able to fix a return lesson.. ever. WELL I CAN'T SAY THAT ANYMORE! Classic Soeur Kohlert story, we started talking to this athiest dad and through a series of questions we were able to be bold and testify with the spirit. And at the end when we asked him if we could come back and teach him and his family.. he said YES! WHAA?? Ha I was just blown away. I know that I always just have to accept Heavenly Father's will, but I REALLY enjoyed His will at that moment in time!

Cool Picture

Saturday afternoon we were called and asked to teach the Relief Socitey lesson. We debated on whether or not to take some time to prepare for it instead of porting. Soeur Vance and I thought that we should. So we did and we were able to find some quotes to accompany the lesson of "Strengthening and Preserving the Family" from the Joseph Fielding Smith manual. We were also able to relate the family to the mission and our brains started turning a bit. Well on Sunday we taught the lesson and because of the discussion we had previously had, I asked a question that I would have not otherwise thought of. And an incredible discussion was sparked. The spirit was strong as the mothers were sharing their worries and their joys about being a mother. May of these women have children who have decided to not follow the gospel and their thoughts and emotions were moving. But then a disagreement arrived. Sister Vance nor I knew what to say, but we both knew without communicating exactly which quote to share and who should read it. I thought I'd share it with you:

“The Prophet Joseph Smith declared—and he never taught more comforting doctrine—that the eternal sealings of faithful parents and the divine promises made to them for valiant service in the Cause of Truth, would save not only themselves, but likewise their posterity. Though some of the sheep may wander, the eye of the Shepherd is upon them, and sooner or later they will feel the tentacles of Divine Providence reaching out after them and drawing them back to the fold. Either in this life or the life to come, they will return. They will have to pay their debt to justice; they will suffer for their sins; and may tread a thorny path; but if it leads them at last, like the penitent Prodigal, to a loving and forgiving father’s heart and home, the painful experience will not have been in vain. Pray for your careless and disobedient children; hold on to them with your faith. Hope on, trust on, till you see the salvation of God.”^{8 Orson F Whitney}

What a blessing that is. Heavenly Father loves us. He is working on us and will ever continue working even after we have chosen to not follow. I'm grateful for the temple and for the fact that I am sealed to my parents. I hope that we can all work hard now so that Heavenly Father HAS to keep his promise and that we WILL all live together again. Its up to us! Are you in?

You are His Valentin/Valentine! Is He yours?

Sister Kohlert