Katy and Christ 7/22/13

Dear Family,

So much to tell, so little time. I've been transferred!! After nine months in the Houston Seis ward ( which I absolutely adore), I am now on the complete opposite side of the mission in Katy, TX serving in the Westgreen ward! It has been a whirlwind of a change, but I am loving  every moment of it. My new companion is Hermana Obnette Woodward who is amazing, beautiful, and wonderful. She is from Haiti and lived there until she was about ten. Then she was adopted by an LDS family and came to Utah. She is a powerhouse and I'm learning so much from her. One great thing I've learned already from her in the past few days- after we pray she stays still and listens for nearly a minute every time! It's such a great example and allows both of us to listen to the Spirit. We know prayer is a two way communication, but unless I'm careful, I rush off to do the next thing ( sleep, leave, eat, etc). I'm so grateful for her. 

Katy is a gorgeous suburb of Houston and is a very nice area. Westgreen is a large ward with lots of great members that I'm already getting to know. Very international as well, just as my first ward (Oakcrest) was. Many members also speak English, which is kind of funny since at this point in my mission I just want to talk Spanish all day! But we teach each other. Remember a year ago, when I went to the sealing of a couple with Hna Latu, a couple she had gotten close to from her old ward? Well, now I'm in the ward and we visit the whole Velez family( the young couple are their son and daughter-in-law) every week! Next week I'll have to tell you their amazing conversion story. So much is different, I don't know exactly where to start. Oh, I'm back in the West Stake, the all Spanish stake, which I've very excited about!!! It's where I started and I love the feeling of an entirely Spanish stake compared to Spanish wards within an English stake. Just my opinion. We are teaching some amazing people- Elvin is preparing to be baptized soon, Julia and her daughter Stephanie are so eager to learn and love reading the Book of Mormon, and Delia is very sincere and open to learning the gospel. As I get to know them better, I will keep you updated. Please keep them in your prayers.

I've continued my studies on the Savior this week with the aid of the book, The Continuous Atonement, by Brad Wilcox. President gave my companion permission to read the book and has passed it on to me. It's been so great since it has gone right along with many thoughts, ideas, and study sessions recently. I just wanted to share a few thoughts from the book that I absolutely loved!!

Referring to faith-"True Faith is more than knowing there is a God. It is knowing God- knowing his attributes and his relationship to us. It is knowing his plan and that we are living in accordance with that plan."

Talking about however long it takes for us to repent and become like Heavenly Father: " God doth not dwell in unholy temples, but isn't His spirit still felt in temples that are under construction or being remodeled? Building a temple takes years. The earth was formed in six creative periods. Enoch's Zion became a perfect society "in process of time". Moses and Alma were translated after years of sanctification. it appears even those who end up in the celestial kingdom will still be engaged in the perfecting process for we read that they shall overcome all things, and not that they already have. The life is the time to prepare to meet God, but we still have eternity to learn to be like Him."

"The entrance requirements for the celestial life are simply higher than merely satisfying the law of justice. For that reason paying for our sins will not bear the same fruit as repenting of our sins...Suffering alone does not guarantee change. Lasting change, here and hereafter, comes only through Christ". And then later on, "If we just needed to be saved, Satan's plan would've worked. But we also need to be redeemed- we need to be changed in the process to become more like Heavenly Father." It is beautiful to realize that not only are we saved- from death, from sin, from the natural man, but we are also redeemed- redeemed for something, changed into something better, perfected in Christ. I am so grateful that Christ is my Savior and Redeemer, that he has saved me so I can be redeemed or changed so I can become more like our Heavenly Father.

I love you all so much!

-Hermana Kristi Koerner

Stay On The Lord's Side 7/14/13

Dear Family-


We had a wonderful week with our investigators and I'm grateful for all your prayers and support. Juan is preparing to be baptized this next Sunday and he is very excited! It's been a miracle to see how Heavenly Father has been preparing him for some time to accept the gospel. The same with another family we have recently started teaching- no law of chastity or word or wisdom problems! Maybe the first time in my mission that an investigator hasn't had one or the other!!! We were also able to get back in with several investigators that we haven't seen in awhile- Hna Delia, Karina and Eduardo, etc. It was exciting to be able to teach them again and see that they are ready to learn more and are actually seeking after it. Laura is doing really well- she told us she knows everything we taught is true and wants to be baptized. They want to be married and are making plans to do so. Please keep them in your prayers so they can take that step.

In the ward, probably about 90% are converts and their conversion stories are both inspiring and humbling. I just wanted to share a few with you. Hno Alvarado is our ward mission leader now and has been a bishop, but as a youth he argued with the missionaries. The missionaries began visiting his family in Mexico when he was a teenager and he fought and argued the whole time. His whole family was baptized except him. Almost ten years later, married now in California with several children, two elders knock on his door. He opened the door and when he saw them he started to cry. Actually, the way he describes it was more like a waterfall of tears. In that moment he felt the Spirit tell him strongly that everything he had been taught before was true. The elders were just staring at him while he cried until he finally composed himself and invited them in. He told them, " I already know the lessons by heart and I want to be baptized. The only thing I ask is that you teach my wife the lessons. But whether she is baptized or not, that's between her and God. As for me, I want to be baptized as soon as possible." Can you imagine that?! As a missionary, I'm sure those elders were speechless for several minutes. Both were baptized, later on their three daughters, and later their four adopted children. They have 12 grandchildren, all active in the gospel. In a few months, their youngest son will leave on his mission. A legacy of discipleship.

Another wonderful couple from Argentina, the DiFlavia's. Nearly fifty years ago in Buenos Aires, two missionaries were knocking an apartment in the city. The elders knocked and Hna DiFlavia started to listen to them. She was catholic and her husband was atheist and didn't want anything to do with any religion. She kept having the elders visit when her husband was at work and soon wanted to be baptized. She prayed to know how to soften her husband's heart. He loved to read and always picked up any newspaper or magazine to read when he got home. So she started leaving the gospel pamphlets out of the table. Soon, he called her into the room. He had the Restoration booklet in his hand and tears in his eyes. He asked where she got it and she told him it was from the Mormon missionaries. He asked her to call them and see if they could come right away. His heart was so touched by the story of Joseph Smith that he accepted the gospel and they were both baptized. Not only do they have generation in the church, but they have served three temple missions- in Argentina, Chile, and here in Houston! They are such a wonderful couple and walking into their home you are just enveloped in love and the Spirit.

And there are so many more stories! I'll try to write more of them down so I can share them with you. In my studies, I loved this quote by Elder Scott. "Not long ago you came to mortality with all of those magnificent capacities and endless possibilities. Yet there is real danger in the environment surrounding you. Your great potential and ability could be limited or destroyed if you yield to the devil-inspired contamination around you. However, Satan is no match for the Savior. Satan’s fate is decided. He knows he has lost, but he wants to take as many with him as he can. He will try to ruin your goodness and abilities by exploiting your weaknesses. Stay on the Lord’s side, and you will win every time." - Richard G Scott



I love you all!

-Hermana Koerner

Alma 44:4 7/08/13

Dear Family-

It is a beautifully rainy Monday in Houston Town. I woke up this morning with so much energy that my companion was a little worried. All thanks to the wonderful diffuser- basil and peppermint while I fell asleep. I love essential oils ; )

It was a busy and fruitful week full of faith and lots of miracles. We were able to set a baptismal date with our investigator, Juan, and it has been incredible to watch the change in his countenance as we teach him. It is almost as if there is a light that grows brighter and brighter from within him. He almost doesn't look like the same person anymore! The power of the gospel to change is real. Not only that, we are teaching a sweet young mother named Laura from Guatemala. She speaks Spanish but her first language is a native dialect called Quiche. We converse in Spanish but she told us she reads best in Quiche, so we went to the mission office to see if we have materials in Quiche----And sure enough!! I wish you all could've seen the smile on her face when we gave her the Book of Mormon in Quiche! She told us that books where she lives are very expensive and that she has nothing here in the states written in Quiche. She was so grateful to have the book and we are so excited that of all the books to have, she has the best one on the earth! I love the Book of Mormon! We have seen many other miracles with finding new people to teach. For example, Sunday before church we had some extra time after arranging rides and reminding investigators about church, so we went to try and find a referral. We knew the complex, but not the apartment. Also, we know she works at a nursery. So after knocking one building, we started looking for the apartments with lots of plants : ) Silly maybe, but lots of fun. The one we tried was a lady named Jo, who let us in and we were able to teach a lesson to her! It happened two more times after that too! On Saturday two kids of the ward were baptized, both of whom we have taught a little preparing for baptism. It was fun to celebrate with them and their families. In other news, remember my companion, Hna Rivera? She came back to visit this week and I got to visit with her! It was so great to see her again and get her support and encouragement at this stage of the mission. I'm so grateful for the friends Heavenly Father has blessed me with through serving a mission.

I am just amazed constantly by the love of our Heavenly Father and our Savior in wanting to reach out and save us in our lives. Alma 44:4 "Now ye see that this is the true faith of God; yea, ye see that God will support, and keep, and preserve us, so long as we are faithful unto him, and unto our faith, and our religion; and never will the Lord suffer that we shall be destroyed except we should fall into transgression and deny our faith." There is something wonderful and beautiful in discovering that faith is a real power, not just merely a belief or wish.

Love you all so much and I'm grateful for all your prayers and support!

Love,

Hermana Koerner

Familia Ascencio y Yo

 

P.S. Wonderful LDS artist I've just discovered thanks to my companion, Hna Fletcher, Mindy Gledhill is amazing. So check her out.

D&C 88-77-78- 07/01/13

Dear Family-


(Happy Birthday Camber!!!) So this was a busy week with lots of good learning and growing experiences. We had temple time on Wednesday and several of the sisters of the ward were able to come with us. I wish I could do a session in Spanish but they ask that missionaries don't go to those session. After the mission : ) We also had a ward missionary activity this weekend where we had a a little path with four rooms, each talking about faith, repentance, baptism, and the gift of the Holy Ghost respectively. We were in charge of the temptation cart- as they moved between rooms, we rolled the cart with cake, cookies and other treats past them inviting them to follow us and stray from the path. I know we had fun doing it, and many felt the Spirit and were able to learn more about the gospel. Hna Fletcher and I specifically helped Hna Berges prepare her room for the gift of the Holy Ghost. With tape we create different paths on the floor and we had a post in the middle with arrows pointing in all directions. We had ones that said Eternal Life- 200000miles and then distractions that said Happiness, but in small letters underneath (temporal), Peace (of the world), A wonderful career (and loneliness), Money. And then hanging on the post was also a compass. She compared the feeling of the Holy Ghost as the signs, that give us general directions and everyone can feel it. But only through the gift of the Holy Ghost can we receive the constant guidance we need.

In other news, we are working with all the kids that just turned eight (and their families) to help prepare them for baptism. Several will be baptized this Saturday. We have also been working hard with the part-member families. One brother has been a member for nearly five years, is very faithful and dedicated, and brings his two sons every Sunday. Before his wife never wanted to hear the message, but recently requested to hear them so we are teaching Maria and she is progressing really well. Please keep her in your prayers. This week we also had several people who are more interested in the social aspect of the church, which I guess is a little surprising for me. Yes, I love the community and the friends. But I go to the church because I know it's true, because the principles and doctrines taught are true. It's challenging when people forget that in their focus on the social circle.

I've been in this ward nearly nine months and I've learned so much from these members, from the leaders of the various organizations. I've learned many things about teaching, working with children in Primary, working with the ward council, coordinating efforts between organizations, visiting teaching, about how to organize and work in Relief Society ( lots of RS tips) etc. One of the incredible blessings of watching this ward grow and develop has been to learn from the examples of many leaders. Several months ago, the Relief Society president changed and she kept the same counselors. Yet how she leads is completely different than the former president. One focused more on service and she focused more on the classes. It has been good to observe the changes and "differences of administration"- I never knew what that meant before in D&C 46, but now I do. And through it all, I've learned that we have to learn from each other. It doesn't matter the calling or position, we have to all learn from each other.

D&C 88:77-78 "And I give unto you a commandment that you shall teach one another the doctrine of the kingdom.Teach ye diligently and my grace shall attend you, that you may be instructed more perfectly in theory, in principle, in doctrine, in the law of the gospel, in all things that pertain unto the kingdom of God, that are expedient for you to understand."

Hope ya'll have a great 4th of July!

Love,

Hermana Koerner

Assorted Pictures



New Years Eve Martinelli's w/Hna Rife




Elders Carter, Pauga, Wilkes, Tautuaki, Peterson, Torres and Howe.
Me and Hna Rife




Darling grandkids of a couple we were teaching.
I have tons of pictures they gave me : )




Justin, Me, Jesely, Junio, and Madison.