Good morning!
        It is such a beautiful feeling to wake up each morning and serve the Lord wholeheartedly! I have two companions, Sister Aguilar and Sister Tanner. In three weeks they are heading to Guatemala to finish their training in the CCM there before serving in Honduras. Then I will be a solo sister in our district, but I feel blessed
to have elders that are focused and kind. Though I prepared with the language I feel inadequate at times. But the Spirit reminded me yesterday that I have a testimony- I know this Church is true and the Joseph Smith was a prophet. I know the Book of Mormon is true. I know who I am and where I'm going. My testimony gives me such joy that I have to share it and I will not allow the language barrier or my lack of ability stop me from doing so. That is why I'm here to invite others to come to Christ and I know the Spirit will help me. Because we are doing so much everyday I'm not even sure what all to tell everyone. Please tell me what you want to know about my time here. A few things- my preparation day will normally be on Friday and our branch president suggested that you send letters through DearElder.com since it sends a hard copy in the mail the next day, even if it is days before my preparation day.
I love you with all my heart and hope you are doing well!
-Sister Koerner

P.S. Forgive me if I have Spanglish in my letters- my mind is trying really hard to translate everything into Spanish. : )

Checking In....

Hello? Oh, yeah. Hi, I'm still here. Just spent the last week having a blast visiting friends and family out in Utah. And I'm about to run off for the next two days down to St. Louis for a Relief Society trip to the temple = awesome! So, I wanted to check in before I'm able to give a more detailed post .
Above is a highlight video from Conference and here are some links to the full talks.
President Eyring's Mountain's To Climb was excellent and inspiring!

President Monson's Race of Life talk was grounding and centering for my heart- we must hold onto the eternal truths and let the superfluous things go.

I absolutely loved Elder Holland's talk- The Laborers in the Vineyard- I loved how he said, "So if you have made covenants, keep them. If you haven’t made them, make them. If you have made them and broken them, repent and repair them. It is never too late so long as the Master of the vineyard says there is time. Please listen to the prompting of the Holy Spirit telling you right now, this very moment, that you should accept the atoning gift of the Lord Jesus Christ and enjoy the fellowship of His labor. Don’t delay. It’s getting late."

Elder Ballard's talk " That the Lost May Be Found" was a powerful reminder.  I was especially effected by this last paragraph-"Now, if for any reason you individually or as a family have lost your way, then you need only apply the Savior’s teachings from Luke, chapter 15, to correct your course. Here the Savior tells of the effort of a shepherd searching for his lost sheep, of a woman searching for a lost coin, and of the welcome received by the prodigal son returning home. Why did Jesus teach these parables? He wanted us to know that none of us will ever be so lost that we cannot find our way again through His Atonement and His teachings."

My family teased me that every time another speaker stood to talk I excitedly exclaimed from the couch something to the effect:  " I LOVE him!" " She is wonderful"  or " I love his talks...everyone be quiet!" And it was true! I felt such an overwhelming love towards all the general authorities of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. There were many messages and powerful words that spoke to my heart and answered my prayers; overall, I found two themes. First, the centrality of the family. Elder Packer said, "Fathers and mothers, next time you cradle a newborn child in your arms, you can have an inner vision of the mysteries and purpose of life. You will better understand why the Church is as it is and why the family is the basic organization in time and in eternity. I bear witness that the gospel of Jesus Christ is true, that the plan of redemption, which has been called the plan of happiness, is a plan for families." And many other talks supported or strengthened the role of the family and the needs families have today. Second, I found the theme of redemption, forgiveness, and the Atonement repeated unceasingly as mentioned above.

***As Conference came to a close, Elder Anderson delivered the final talk (before Pres. Monson) and  voiced the thought: “What thinks Christ of me?” And continued, "Wherever you now find yourself on the road of discipleship, you are on the right road, the road toward eternal life. Together we can lift and strengthen one another in the great and important days ahead. Whatever the difficulties confronting us, the weaknesses confining us, or the impossibilities surrounding us, let us have faith in the Son of God, who declared, “All things are possible to him that believeth".

I love General Conference.
I'll catch up in a couple days on the rest of it.

Opposition in All Things

Newton's third law of physics states that for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction, and that applies to much more than just physics. (Skip the next paragraphs of my political science text if you want to get straight to the discussion part, otherwise enjoy the complexities of Rummel : )

"This philosophy is remarkably similar to the yin-yang of classical Chinese philosophy, elaborated in the commentaries of I-Ching. The yin and the yang are complementary principles or forces, explaining all processes of development and decay. Yin is the negative, passive, weak, or destructive element existing in all things, and yang the coexisting positive, active,
strong, and constructive element. All change manifests an interaction between these forces; harmony is their equilibrium, conflict their opposition.

This philosophy can also be found in the Pair of Opposites of Buddhism, or in the blending of the two antagonistic forces (the life-monad versus matter) in non-Aryan Indian philosophy , in
medieval Christianity (as in the coincidentia oppositorum of Nicholas of Cusa), and in contemporary non-Marxist philosophies. A belief in a fundamental
opposition in all things has had its greatest modern influence through Marxism, and especially Engels' interpretation. For Engels, the unity and struggle of opposites was one of the dialectical laws through which change is understood. Without a tension between opposites, things would be unchanging: the overcoming and being overcome of opposing forces explain all natural and human history.

Contemporary Maoism combines this Western dialectical view of opposites with the classic Chinese perspective. Contradiction--the unity of opposites--is a universal principle explaining change. Things must be studied from the inside, for their development is a self-movement (an imminent causation) due to internal contradictions. One must grasp the principal contradictions, as between proletariat and bourgeoisie in capitalism, to understand the course of change, for it will constitute a struggle between these opposites and the eventual triumph of one over the other.

As a philosophical principle, the unity and struggle of opposites are
prominent in my perspective on human nature and conflict. Consider. Perception is the outcome of a struggle between opposing forces--the powers of reality bearing upon us and our outward-directed perspective-between opposing vectors. Reality itself is a complex of opposing powers struggling toward manifestation. Life is then a struggle of opposites toward realization. Harmony is a balance among such opposites. For society, the struggle is the balancing of powers among
people--the manifest determination of their interests, capabilities, and wills: the harmony is the structure of expectations. Thus the conflict helix, the process of balancing, balance, disruption, and balancing, is a unity of opposites through which society changes and evolves. Conflict transforms itself into harmony and harmony into conflict; war into peace and peace into war. Both are aspects of the same process, an inseparable unity in our psychological and
social fields" ( Rummel, Understanding Conflict and War, Vol 3).

Ok, my inner geek took control for a minute there, but that is some cool stuff!

An even more reliable source explains that "For it must needs be, that there is an opposition in all things. If not so …righteousness could not be brought to pass, neither wickedness, neither holiness nor misery, neither good nor bad..." (2 Ne. 2: 11).

As comforting as the knowledge of opposition is to explain the hardships we all endure, we do know that it is only one of many. We each have our agency- the ability to choose, to make decisions every day. While I do believe that opposing forces fight for balance and create change, I would argue that we as individuals are those forces. Our choices on one side of the fence or the other, our allegience to good or evil makes all the difference. And yes, I really do believe that there are only two sides. Heavenly Father's side or Satan's side. There is no fence-sitting, no middle ground on this. Our choices are often the root of hardship or pain when we choose to follow worldly counsel or trends. Problems we encounter can be consequences from our actions and/or sins. But, now that I've touched on agency, let's go back to the opposition thing.

Since the day I opened my mission call, actually, scratch that. Since the day I put my papers in, totally and completely submitted them, the flood gates of opposition have burst open. Family problems, discouragement, fear, work conflicts with institute (as minuscule as that sounds), etc, etc, etc, etc. I think you get the picture without all the gory details. Satan does not want me to go on this mission. And it makes me that much more determined to serve, and to serve faithfully, and to serve with every fiber of my heart, might, mind, and strength.

In the beautiful hymn, I Know that My Redeemer Lives, it says "He will wipe away my tears", not that he will take them away. If everything was smooth and easy then this life would be according to Satan's plan, because it can only be easy if everyone is making the right choices. Which is, hello, taking away our agency. So, with a firm hold on my free will, I eagerly prepare for my mission.

One of my favorite general conference talks ever, given by Richard Edgley in 2010, centered on faith. He said these words that spoke straight to my heart: "Because of the conflicts and challenges we face in today’s world, I wish to suggest a single choice—a choice of peace and protection and a choice that is appropriate for all. That choice is faith. Be aware that faith is not a free gift given without thought, desire, or effort. It does not come as the dew falls from heaven. The Savior said, “Come unto me” (Matthew 11:28) and “Knock, and it shall be [given] you” (Matthew 7:7). These are action verbs—come, knock. They are choices. So I say, choose faith.Choose faith over doubt, choose faith over fear, choose faith over the unknown and the unseen, and choose faith over pessimism."

Called to Serve

After months of preparing and weeks of waiting, a beautiful white envelope came in the mail last week. The obstacles leading up to the actual mission call have one by one been overcome and these past few days have been the realization of several of my life-long dreams. But for many people, the first question they ask is why? Why do you want to serve? Why are you going to be gone for 18 months? Why? And that is the important question I will answer in just a moment.

Opening the letter and starting to read I was reminded of the words of Professor Bott, a religious professor at BYU. In his missionary preparation book, Preparation Precedes Power, he emphaizes that " your call is as a missionary. It is separate and apart from your assignment...". Over the past few months I have envisioned many places I could possibly be assigned to serve, but I knew in my heart that as always Heavenly Father has more wisdom and perspective in the matter than I do. The first line of the letter started as all mission calls do..." Dear Sister Koerner, You are hereby called to serve as a missionary of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints." I could see the assignment, but couldn't get over the power of that first sentence. I have been to literally hundreds of mission call openings- I have heard those words read aloud many times, but the beauty of the call filled my heart in that moment. Typing this right now and I'm tearing up again!

The next sentence brought much excitement too. " You are assigned to labor in the Texas Houston Mission" with it's tandem sentence- "You will prepare to preach the gospel in the Spanish language." TEXAS!!!!! I had immediate visions of cowboy boots and sprawling ranches, visions I know to be only partially true since Houston is the fourth largest city in the US after New York City, L.A., and Chicago. In fact, I found out afterwards that there are three missions within Houston. The Houston mission, the Houston East mission, and the Houston South mission. My mission is mostly north and west of the city of Houston, and includes most notably the Houston temple (pictured above) within it's boundaries. And preaching in Spanish! I love the Spanish language, having taken nearly five years of it in school. I have already re-gathered all my Spanish materials and have started studying. I've heard people describe this moment as one almost like--" Oh, of course that's where I'm going." That the assignment makes perfect and immediate sense. It wasn't like that for me. I knew the call came from the prophet of the Lord and I started acting on faith that the assignment was correct as well. Throughout the next few days I poured out my heart to my Heavenly Father in prayer seeking confirmation. And gradually a warmth and a peace came over my soul. I know this is exactly the correct assignment at this moment for me.

Back to the beginning. Why am I serving a mission? Some friends asked me after the recieved the call if I was disappointed that I wasn't going abroad. And the answer is absolutely not! I did not want to serve because it might involve travel. Others wondered if I was choosing to go because I have not yet married. Though being single provides me the opportunity to go right now, I am not serving because of my lack of romantic relationships : ) One more observative friend wondered if I wanted to serve to escape some of the difficulty my family and myself have experienced within the last few years. And that answer is still no. The challenges of late have only increased my desire to serve a mission because I know that so many people who are struggling with their own challenges will benefit from the gospel. The word "gospel" literally means good news, the same good news that we go forth to share also has prompted my desire to serve. Click here http://mormon.org/missionary-work/ to see more information about missionaries in my church.

So why do I want to serve? I can give you three reasons ( you know how much I enjoy lists : )

1.) The first and most powerful reason for me is not a what, but a who. My Savior, Jesus Christ. He is the center of the message we preach to people. His love is all encompassing and I know He will never leave me. His mission as our Redeemer included the atonement that redeems me from my sins and allows me to return to the presence of my Heavenly Father, his death that frees me from mortal death, and his resurrection which allows me immortality and eternal life. Last October Elder Whitney expressed this thought beautifully, "Our most important message, which we are both divinely commissioned and commanded to take everywhere in the world, is that there is a Savior. He lived in the meridian of time. He atoned for our sins, was crucified, and was resurrected. That matchless message, which we proclaim with authority from God, is the real reason this Church grows as it does." I want to serve a mission because so many people need the love of their Savior, so many need the hope that stems from his atonement, and we all need to understand exactly why we need Him, which lead me to....

2.) I want to serve a mission because of the knowledge I have from the part of the gospel called the Plan of Salvation. I know that I lived in heaven before this mortal existence; I lived and worked as a daughter of a Heavenly Father. He presented a plan to his children that we might gain a physical body and be tested to be obedient and faithful in this life, that we might return again to Him and eventually become even as He is. This knowledge provides many of the answers many are seeking-- Why am I here? What is the purpose of life? What happens after death? The scientist in me loves answers, loves reason and organization which is all provided through the gospel taught within the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

3.) In the spring of 1820, a young man surrounded by the Great Religous Awakening sweeping the United States and confused by the tidal wave of so many opinions and interpretations of the scriptures, read the scripture James 1:5 "If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him." So he went into the woods near his home and knelt down to pray to Heavenly Father. And I know that his prayer was answered. Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ appeared the the boy Joseph Smith in that grove of trees. They told him that the true gospel and authority of God had been lost on earth after the apostles were all killed. Many churches had parts of the truth, but none had the whole truth. They told him that the full gospel would be restored through him, Joseph Smith, as the prophet of the Lord in modern times. Over the years, Joseph recieved and translated the Book of Mormon, Another Testament of Christ, and scriptural record of the ancient people of the Americas. I have stood in that very grove and prayed to know if it was true, if Joseph Smith was a prophet of God, if the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the true church of God. And though I recieved my answer in a quiet way, the answer is YES! I want to serve a mission because the Lord, in his perfect love, does indeed speak to us today, both through a living prophet (Thomas S. Monson) and directly to each individual. I want to serve because the Book of Mormon is the word of God which confirms and clarifies the Bible. I want to serve because I want everyone to know of the happiness, joy, hope, and love that the gospel truths bring into my life.

And that is why I accept the call to serve with excitement, joy, and gratitute.