This last week was a good one for us, we had two baptism sand they went well. We have been working on this family for about 2 months and sadly could not baptize the family, just the daughters. We have to marry the couple before we can perform the baptisms and we have had many problems with the government and their papers so were trying to solve them and then perform the ordinances this next week. Right now were looking for new people to teach, we have had to drop many people these past couple of weeks because they weren't progressing. It’s sad to have to drop someone because the message we have is the truth and they don't want to change to accept it. Maybe in a little while dad can teach them in Heaven.

Love always, Cole

As for me and the traveling, i have been sitting in buses for hours in a day going to meetings and other areas; it is way tiring...especially in the buses that are so small. It’s really inconvenient but its ok, it makes me appreciate peaceful, air conditioned cars. We were expecting baptisms last week but they fell through again, all because of one paper we need. We have to marry this couple before we baptize them and wow it’s hard to do! I went to San Salvador, the capital, to try and take out some papers we need but I wasn't able to so now we have to go to another place even further. This country is amazing but they make things more complicated than they need to be but its ok were all learning. We are hoping, fasting and praying for everything to go well this week to have the wedding and baptisms this week. We have been through a whole lot with this family and we don't want to give up even though it’s requiring more than we can do.

As for me I think that's about it this week. We are tired from last week so were hoping to take a nice long nap today if it’s not 100 degrees in our house when we get back. Last week I had to sleep with a fan sitting on my stomach and another one blowing on my head because of the heat! Anyways I hope you have a good week!

Love, Cole

Things here have been good, it’s really hot but the work is progressing. We are hoping to have the wedding and baptisms this week, were hoping it all happens. Things are very difficult in this country but it makes good memories and I'm learning from it. Things really do happen in the time of our Father in Heaven, maybe we have been having the problems with the papers we need for a reason, it’ll all work out though, I know it. We are working hard to strengthen our ward, this ward is amazing but we have some areas to improve like all do. I am now the District Leader, meaning I am in charge of 5 other missionaries and our progress of work. I am really excited for this and to see how it all goes. In my mission I have felt a lot of things but the ones that I focus on are the good times and the learning experiences I have had, well every bad time has made a learning experience so it all has been good and for the best.

Well I think that's about it for me this week, a lot is always going on and were keeping busy. This next week will be a very busy week for me, a lot of traveling but I'm looking forward to it. I hope all goes well and the reception goes smoothly. Remember to keep it fresh.

Love always,

Cole

We as missionaries really focus on asking the people we teach inspired questions and its amazing the answers you can get from one simple question. For example we can challenge someone to baptism and have them commit to the date just by asking them what do they want for their kids in this life. We can ask them what they want in this life and get an answer telling us that they are divorced and their kids passed away...it’s amazing the things that can come from the spirit. When we ask by the spirit, we receive by the spirit!

 Well other than that we had a rough week, we really see the power of Satan and how he can change things very fast. We had three baptisms planned for this last Saturday and we didn't have one! All of them will not be getting baptized at all because they gave into temptation. We have a wedding planned this Saturday and then baptisms planned for Sunday, a family! We have been working really hard on this wedding so I hope it all goes well. Can you believe that, I'm planning weddings here? It’s nothing too special but as long as it is meaningful for them it’s perfect. Our bishop had an accident this week, he rides his bike from place to place while he works and was hit by a car, he is doing ok now, he won’t die or have any permanent damage but he is pretty beat up. It’s amazing how fast life can change isn't it, we always have to be ready.

Love, Cole-man

Things here are good; it’s so stinking hot though I hate it! Our house makes it hotter than it is outside and it’s terrible, we can never get away from the heat. The missionary work is going well, we have three baptisms planned this week and hopefully a wedding a baptism of a family the following. We’re doing all we can to get them to make this covenant with our father in heaven but wow Satan is working really hard on them. With the heat it makes it hard to work, I feel bad when we go and talk to people and I'm just dripping sweat, it’s really gross. But as we know the work of the Lord cannot stop with some sweat.

Not much happened for us this last week, we had a lot of lessons and are getting a lot of references so we are really thankful for that! We have recently found this amazing family and we have a date set to marry them and baptize them for the 14 of this month! The father is less active, for about 10 years, and wants to change so much! It will be cool if it happens this month. Pray for the family Cañas! We have some other investigators that are really progressing and have baptism dates for this month as well so we’re hoping for that! We received 34 references this last week.

This week for us was a pretty good week, not much happened at all surprisingly! We had a good sacrament meeting yesterday and all the young women spoke and explained to us what young women was about. Now the young men have to do something to top them but they won’t, the youth programs here aren’t very strong sadly. I am so grateful for the youth programs that we had when I was a youth, I might not have liked all the things we did all the time but I learned from every experience and am grateful for it. It’s funny how much something means to us after we don’t have it for a while or at all.

Other than that we had some interesting lessons as always and some interesting experiences. It’s funny how some people just come up and talk to me because of my color and how big I am, it’s funny the people that approach us. Each day we have new experiences and it’s fun to see what happens. This Wednesday we have changes and I still don’t know if I will be changed from my area, I hope I will! I am ready for a new challenge so we will see. I’ve had 5 baptisms in this area and we have some more possibilities for this next month but I’m ready to go. My companion is really starting to bug me but I’m being patient and learning from it. I met another gang member that has killed 4 people, pretty sick huh? It’s funny the people we end up talking to in the streets, ha.

I have been in my area now for 4 months and am ready to leave ha I’ve been here for a while and am ready to have a change of pace. I have had to open both of my areas and I am ready to go to an area that has progress in it already so I can help people that know a little bit about the church. It’s fun to start from the beginning but it’s draining and takes a lot out of you. We’ve had 7 lessons in one day and wow that is a killer day along with contacting in the street. This week was a good week for us, not too much happened! We had 3 investigators in sacrament meeting and another one of the Lords converts, which we helped, teach received the Aaronic Priesthood. I love being able to help these children of God make these commandments and being able to see them receive the Priesthood.

We have a sister named Lucia that we have been teaching for a while and we have had some difficulties with her. She wasn’t reading the Book of Mormon earlier and she’s starting to now and we had an appointment with her yesterday after church to see how her reading went and we arrived and she wasn’t there. She usually is so we will go back tomorrow but I can see as we talk to her and teach her more with love and the Spirit the Lord is softening her heart every single time we go back. At first she was like no just the Bible is the word of God but after a while we helped her realize that she can’t just judge the BOM before reading it and she said about the part she has read that she likes it. Overall this week was a pretty good week for us and I’m excited to conquer another.

That’s about it for me this week, I hope you have a good week and stay safe.

Te Amo, Cole

This week was good for us, nothing miraculous happened sadly. We have4 baptisms planned for this month so hopefully I’ll get to see them. Another 6weeks has gone by so changes are this Wednesday and we won’t know until tomorrow night if we have changes. I hope we don’t but if I do ill have a new adventure ahead of me. It’s been really hot here and the bad thing is we can’t get away from it! No one has air conditioners so were sweating 24/7! I bet you can imagine how dirty the collar of my shirts are, ya they are gross. I hate the feeling of a wet collar, it really bugs me and I can’t wait to have normal shirt but it’s just one of those things we have to get used to. Well that’s about it for me this week, sad huh? Our investigators are progressing thankfully and we have people to teach! This area is way better than when we found it. Just the cutest thing ever, were teaching this little girl that is going to be baptized in two weeks and we asked her if she needed anything from us and she said yes I just want you two to keep doing what you’re doing, being really good missionaries. Wow this melted my heart, it was the cutest thing ever!

Dear Sister Herman,

Praying all is well with you. 

We had all the missionaries fill out a getting to know you form.  Elder Herman's answers were touching to me.  I thought you might enjoy reading a few.

Why did you decide to come on a mission?  I decided to come on a mission because it is one of our responsibilities as Priesthood holders. Also, it is like a tithing on my life, I’m giving 10% of what God has blessed me with in my life, 2 years. I love serving the lord! There’s more also :) 

Who is one of your heroes? My father has been. He has raised me to be who I am today; although I have a lot to improve I am who I am because of him and my mother. He is my hero. Words can’t describe what he has done for me.

Something that your mom would be proud of:  Before my mission I always took my mom out on dates. That was so fun;  I miss those times a lot. Me and my mom and dad got really close before I went to college, I was the last one in the house so we did everything together.                                                                                                         

 

What are some of your best attributes:  I care about everyone, my P. Blessing says that I have been blessed with the ability to seek out people who don’t feel like they fit in and make them feel good. I try to do this! I’m usually happy ha only when I’m not being selfish!

Elder Herman has grown tremendously.  His attitude is so positive and his faith is incredible.  We feel blessed to know the Herman family.  Thank you for your examples.  May God bless and lift you through the difficult times.  May He increase and magnify the happy times for you and all those dear to you.

Sincerely, Hermana Glazier