Transfer!! To Madrid!!! (Lots of Pictures)

March 4, 2019

Friends and Family,

Another awesome week in the Canary Islands! We went to Lanzarote to do splits with the elders on that island, and we got to go to the baptism of Meivy and Liz. Both of them were found by the missionaries there by using Facebook, which is just another fulfilment of the Lord's promise that He would "hasten [His] work in its time."

I found out on Saturday that I will be transferred tomorrow to Madrid. I'm definitely excited to finally see what missionary life is like in a city, but I'm also sad to be leaving the amazing island of Fuerteventura. It will always hold a special place in my heart, and I will never forget the several people here that have changed my life. Truly, "great are the promises of the Lord unto them who are upon the isles of the sea" (2 Nephi 10:21). 

This week, I've thought a lot about our place in the universe and the individuality of our relationship with God regardless of the vastness of His creations. He says in the Book of Moses that "my works are without end, and also my words, for they never cease" (Moses 1:4). Not only does this mean that God still speaks today through his loving prophet, but also that His works are too great for us to count. But after God states the grandeur of his creations, he tells Moses, and each of us: "I have a work for thee, Moses, my son" (Moses 1:6). God has chosen each of his children to accomplish important work while in this life. Like God had a work for Moses, God also has a work for all of us, individual and specific to our gifts and talents.

Elder Coleman

Sorry!

Friends and Family,

This week we went to the south of our island and visited some people.

We ate a lot, slept very little.

Here's a quote from Linda Reeves that I thought was cool:

"To me, the greatest miracles in life are not the parting of the Red Sea, the moving of mountains, or even the healing of the body. The greatest miracle happens when we humbly approach our Father in Heaven in prayer, fervently plead to be forgiven, and then are cleansed of those sins through the atoning sacrifice of our Savior"

Might write more next week, probably not though...

Elder Coleman

Mario couldn't take it anymore and shined my shoes. They're already gross again... all we walk on is dirt roads

Weekly Email

February 18, 2019

Last Sunday we went to go teach a young Colombian family that was friends of some members of the Church. We showed up to 3 families, all with little kids, making us empanadas. So we ate the empanadas, then shared the plan of salvation will all of them. They were all so interested, that they just kept asking questions and wouldn't let us leave, so we were there for several hours They all loved it, and one of the girls called dibs for the next meeting to be in her house. Super big miracle.

We went to Madrid last week which was pretty cool, actually very cold. Apparently it is winter in Spain... Didn't really notice from our island. We got a visit from Elder Johnson, a member of the Quorum of the Seventy (70 dudes that live all over the world and help the twelve apostles). He spoke a lot about the Atonement and how we can't save ourselves; only through Jesus Christ can we be saved. 

Because we were in Madrid, our p-day got switched to Friday instead of last Monday. So Friday we went to the Temple in Madrid which was such a good experience, especially because I hadn't been in almost a year and a half. But we quickly got on a plane after and flew to Tenerife for a long layover. While we were there, we saw the news that missionaries could FaceTime their family on p-days, so I tried facetiming my mom, but they were in the temple for my brother's wedding, and it's not really kosher to pick up your phone during that. But I ended up calling them again and my dad picked it up when they were outside, so I got to see Nart come out of the temple with I guess my new sister in law. Also got to talk to him for a sec and also see tons of extended family. 

So that was a crazy miracle about the timing of all that. I've had 2 days in my mission where my p-day was not on a Monday, and this one "happened" to be moved to the day of my brother's wedding and the Church "happened" to release this new rule on that day and they "happened" to get out of the temple 30 min before the end of my p-day so I had time to call them. That makes me think of A SCRIPTURE haha (still a missionary). This one's in the Book of Mormon, when God is talking to the prophet Nephi:

"For behold, I am God; and I am a God of miracles; and I will show unto the world that I am the same yesterday, today, and forever; and I work not among the children of men save it be according to their faith" (2 Nephi 27:23).

Like every week in the mission, this was a week of miracles. I know, along with Moroni, that God has not ceased to be a God of miracles, nor will he "so long as time shall last, or the earth shall stand, or there shall be one man upon the face thereof to be saved." I know he works miracles, for I have seen them.

Elder Coleman

Weekly Email

February 4, 2019

We were both super sick this past week. Woke up super early, didn't have time to shower to go catch a boat, so I picked up this cat and took a picture with it. Cat's face is basically how good we felt this week haha.

Love being a missionary, it's the best thing ever. Read this super cool quote from an Apostle this week:

"We must be willing to place all that we have—not just our possessions (they may be the easiest things of all to give up), but also our ambition and pride and stubbornness and vanity—we must place it all on the altar of God, kneel there in silent submission, and willingly walk away."

Elder Coleman

January 28, 2019

Dear Friends and Family,

We met with a few new people this week. One of them is this Venezuelan guy we found on Facebook. He's 19, and we planned to do a FHE in a member's house with him, but we showed up and the member wasn't home. So that led to some improvising... We went to this Colombian Bar/Restaurant that I'm obsessed with that was close by and I bought a bunch of Colombian food haha. It was a really good lesson for being a bar lesson, definitely had worse. 

Love,
Elder Coleman

Hey (So many pics you don't even know)

January 20, 2019

Friends and Family,

I'm staying for another 6 weeks in Fuerteventura!! That'll make 6 months here, which I'm super excited about. My companion got a call last Tuesday that he'd be transferred to the office on Thursday. So basically I've been on a different island in a trio since then. It's been really fun, and we've had some good lessons and some good time to find people. Definitely excited to get back to my island tomorrow, though...

This week I studied about God's purpose, which is well summarized in Moses 1:39: "For behold, this is my work ... —to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man.” Our purpose as children of God is similarly well summarized in Doctrine and Covenants 11:20: "Behold, this is your work, to keep my commandments, yea, with all your might, mind and strength."

Elder Coleman

Pic 1 – Safi, Pic 2 - Bye Robby, Pic 3 - Lunch with Felix, Pic 4 - Trio fun, Pic 5 – Beach, Pic 6 - More Trio, Pic 7 - Padron Family

Woah, weekly email (lots of pics don't worry)

Friends and Family,

Sorry I'm the worst about emailing. No idea when the last time I sent something out was... The last two Mondays we've been in Gran Canaria. The first one we went hiking and the second one we went golfing. Also ate some pretty big steaks. S___ was baptised a few weeks ago; she's amazing. And we're working with some other people that we found from Facebook. 

I read a quote by C.S. Lewis that is awesome. He speaks about how we are the only obstacles to our own progression. He makes a comparison about dentists, and that, when he was little, he was always afraid to tell his mom about a certain tooth-ache; he knew she would take him to the dentist... he said:

"I knew those dentists; I knew they started fiddling about with all other sorts of teeth which had not yet begun to ache. If you gave them an inch, they took an ell." Then he makes this comparison: "Our Lord is like the dentist. Dozens of people go to Him to be cured of some one particular sin which they are ashamed of. Well, He will cure it all right: but He will not stop there. That may be all you asked; but if you once call Him in, He will give you the full treatment. 

'Make no mistake,' Christ says, 'if you let Me, I will make you perfect. The moment you put yourself in my hands, that is what you are in for. Nothing less, or other, than that. You have free will, and if you choose, you can push Me away. But if you do not push Me away, understand that I am going to see this job through. Whatever suffering it may cost you in your earthly life, whatever inconceivable purification it may cost you after death, whatever it costs Me, I will never rest, nor let you rest, until you are literally perfect --- until my Father can say without reservation that He is well pleased with you, as He said he was well pleased with me. This I can do and will do. But I will not do anything less.'

You must realize from the outset that the goal toward which He is beginning to guide you is absolute perfection; and no power in the whole universe, except you yourself, can prevent Him from taking you to that goal. That is what you are in for. And it is very important to realize that."

Elder Coleman

Pic 1 - My comp is a legend
Pic 2 - Ugly selfie but that's on Gran Canaria and the huge mountain in the back is a different island, Tenerife
Pic 3 - Steak lunch in Gran Canaria
Pic 4 - Playing Bang on Christmas
Pic 5 - Baptism pic pt2

Pic 6- S___ baptism, with her daughter and her friends

Pic 7 - Idk 

Pic 8 - Solid steak (when it was cooked of course)

Pic 9 - Hike in Gran Canaria