Merry Christmas 2022

Hello friends!!! 

Merry Christmas!! I hope it was wonderful for you all:) My one and only Christmas on the mission was so great and I am so grateful! It definitely is different being away from your family but it's worth it to be thinking of others and preaching this great gospel!

☆ Do you remember the miracle from last week when we found a couple moving in? Well they came to church with their two girls for the first time and they made sure not to forget their Book of Mormons! It was so cute. After the Christmas church service, so many people from the ward came up to them and welcomed them in. It was the best. Then that night, we had a lesson and the mom, Rayell, told us how she received an answer to her prayers during church and she felt so relieved. YAY MIRACLES!!! God is good! 

We've been teaching them about the Restoration these last few visits and mainly about how we have a prophet today. When we told them that, Rayell said, "well I need to learn more about this prophet! I didn't even know about it." So they are currently praying to know if Joseph Smith restored the church and if President Nelson is the current prophet. I know that they did/are and I am so excited for this family to gain their own testimony of that!

☆ We got so many gifts from people (mostly candy) so Christmas night we went to the Riverwood apartments to give them away. Without us even walking away from our truck yet, the kids saw us and yelled, "IT'S THE CHURCH GIRLS!!" and ran over to us. There were so many kids so we just started handing everything out. It was so much fun and they loved it!!! One of them gave me the tightest hug and it was just so sweet  As they left, one of the girls yelled, "Thank you Jesus girls!" Haha I love when they call us that.

☆ I've been studying charity this transfer and I ran across a sentence that I've really loved. It says, "strive to love as He loves, with unfailing compassion, patience, and mercy." I love that the word "unfailing" was used. Because Christ's is always there!! He  loves continually and as we strive to have that love, we can have greater compassion, patience, and mercy. It has been amazing to see that as I've prayed for charity, Heavenly Father has given me more opportunities to grow my heart even greater!! I didn't know I could LOVE this much!!! It's just so good!!! You're more than welcome to join me in this study:)

☆ one last thing, pray that Sister Mudrow and I stay together for at least another 6 weeks!! Transfers are coming up next week and we don't want it to end haha! i love her!!!

Thank you all!! I love you! Hope you have a wonderful week and I'll talk to you later!

xoxo sister coon

Pictures!!

- We did a service project wrapping presents for kids! So fun!

- Rayell and her family at church!

- Christmas dinner with the Zitzmann's

- SISTER LONG!!! AHH I LOVE HER! As soon as we saw eachother at our mission's Christmas conference, we basically sprinted to eachother (we were outside) and gave eachother the biggest hug haha! I've missed her!

- our new car got replaced with a new truck! wahoo!!

- caroling with Sister Luer and Sister Wine

- donkey's everywhere in Oatman

- President and Sister Rodarte  I LOVE THEM!!! THEY ARE JUST THE BEST! I feel so blessed to have them as my leaders

- Sister Mudrow and I matched at the conference!

- smoothies on pday :)

- welcome :))

- Christmas Eve with the Barton's, Zitzmann's, Burgess's, and Voss's

- giving gifts in Riverwood (before the kids got there haha)

- this is what some of my area looks like- lots of dirt haha! It's so wonderful!

- companionship study in the back of the truck. enjoying this wonderful weather!

- we got matching beanies!

Letter from Bishop Larsen

Dear Elder Begleman, Elder Blonde, Sister Coon and Elder Wearne,

I have been meaning to write to you and tell you how proud I am of each of you and the work you are doing for the Lord. I want you to know that you are in the thoughts and prayers of myself as well as the other leaders and members of the Chaparral Ward. I ask your families how each of you are doing every time I get the chance. I know first hand that a mission can be full of ups and downs.  Each day brings a new challenge and a new opportunity to grow and learn and rely upon the Lord. 

I think that was one of the greatest blessings I took home from my mission. It was the knowledge that Heavenly Father was aware of me and of each of His children. He cares for them and wants them to find joy in this life. That doesn't mean that life is without challenges but as you know those challenges and trials are what help us to grow. The ward is doing good and looks different from when you left. We have about 100 new members that were previously part of the Cooley Farms ward. We also have new youth and of course new members that have moved in. I get the chance to see your missionary plaques each time I leave my Bishop's office and it inspires me to be a better missionary myself. It's also a reminder for those in our ward that are future full time missionaries. 

I am excited to report that we had a convert baptism in our ward last week. He is 18 years old and goes by Dee (Full name: Miracle Koiti Tamadee Ah-Von). He moved here a few months ago from American Samoa and is living with Sister Lana Rehberg. He has a great spirit and we are hoping that he feels welcomed and loved. If there is anything we can do as a ward to help you please let us know. I hope you have a wonderful holiday and know that we are thinking about you. Please be safe, trust in the Lord and enjoy the experience. 

Love,

Bishop Larsen

Letter from Bishop Gibbons

Hello Sister Coon,

I can’t believe that another year has flown by and now it’s Christmas time and a new year is around the corner. I always have loved Christmas because of what it stands for. For example, colder weather, gift giving and receiving, singing, decorations, family time, and of course the most important reason of all… the birth of Jesus Christ. 

You might think I am crazy but I don’t enjoy receiving gifts. I enjoy giving them to others. The act of giving is peppered throughout the gospel of Jesus Christ. A couple of examples of this are…First, it all starts at baptism. We decide to give ourselves to Christ through the ordinance of baptism. In turn, He makes us clean. Second, each week when we partake of the sacrament we give our free will to Christ by remembering him and keeping his commandments. In turn, He gives us his Spirit to always be with us. Third, we give our time, talents, and all that we have been blessed with to Him and to do His work. This is done through callings, obeying the commandments, temple work, being a disciple of Jesus Christ, and being a missionary. In turn, He blesses our life with more blessings than we can count.

I want to let you know how proud I am of you. You are special to me in so many ways and I love you so much and I know you are where you should be. I know this church is led by Jesus Christ and it is true. I love my Savior and I am so grateful to and for Him. He means everything to me. 

I now serve in the primary activity day for 10 and 11-year-olds. For one of our recent activities, we asked the boys to write a letter to a missionary in the ward. I have attached a PDF that has their letter. I hope you enjoy it. If you feel like you would like to respond to them, please send me an email and I’ll make sure they get it.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Love,

Bryan Gibbons

Exchanges in Blythe, CA

Hello friends and family!!! 

This was another wonderful week of serving in the Lord's vineyard- the best place to be! Here are a few highlights:

☆ exchanges with the Hermana's in Blythe! Sister Mudrow and I drove 2 1/2 hours to California and spent the next 24 hours with our favorites! It was a great time! 

Sister Klvacek and I had a super cool experience finding and setting a guy on date for baptism. We had driven down this dark dirt road in the middle of nowhere. We knocked on the door and asked for Daniel but the people living there told us he lives in a trailer in their backyard. So Sister Klvacek and I made our way through this dirt backyard full of random trash. His trailer was all dark on the door was wide open, a little sketchy. But we called for Daniel and he ended up coming to the door. After talking to him a little bit and finding out that he was very familiar with the church, we began asking him a few questions. He said he believes the Book of Mormon is the word of God and actually reads it everyday, knows Joseph Smith is a prophet, and feels like God is leading him to this church. It was AMAZING! So we set him on date for January 7th. 

It's times like those where I know God knows each one of us. He was aware of Daniel and wants the best for him. God is in the very details of our lives and I know He is guiding me to those who are searching for this gospel. It's incredible. I just love it! I love God!

☆ Jamaal's family is still doing awesome! We had 2 lessons with them this week and it was so good! The next day, Aaliyah (8 years old), was telling all her friends about how when your baptized, your sins are all washed away. But you also need to get the Holy Ghost which is like fire "but don't worry, you're not actually going to catch on fire." One of her friends asked her what church she goes to and she responded saying, "only the BEST church ever!!!" Hahah so cute! I love that family and am so excited for them!

☆ we set a goal for the week to find 12 new people to teach. Well, by the Saturday we had only found 4 wonderful people. But we knew that God had more children for us to find! So Sunday Sister Mudrow and I went to drop a gift off at one of our recent converts house. Before we got out of the car, we prayed for a miracle and asked Him to lead us to those people. Not but 30 minutes later, we found a couple just moving in, a lady CAME UP TO US and asked to learn what we teach, and then we knocked on this guys door and shared a message with him and he thanked us, said he really needed to hear that today, and wanted us to come back. We were blown away. God is so good and I know he performs miracles.

I love you all. I hope you've had a great week. If you ever need anything, please let me know. I'm here for you!

“Because He came to earth, we have a perfect example to follow. As we strive to become more like Him, we will have joy and happiness in our lives and peace each day of the year. It is His example which, if followed, stirs within us more kindness and love, more respect and concern for others."

I love my Savior Jesus Christ. I know because He came to earth, we have purpose in our life. Because He came, we can repent. Because He came, we can live after we die and be with our families forever. What a blessing and reason to REJOICE! MERRY CHRISTMAS!! 

love,

sister coon

pictures!!

- dinner with the sweet Russell's

- exchanges with the Blythe sisters!

- hot cocoa 

- dinner with Sister Renner- she always spoils us 

- baby liza! UGH I MISS HOLDING BABIES

- Sister Klvacek and I about to set Daniel on date!!

- delivering Christmas gifts

- district council with the lake mohave district 

- love ya Sister Mudrow

- Sister Bradshaw!! 

- always SO dead at the end of the night

- pday activity making gingerbread houses and playing sprout ball

Aggresive Cats

Hey Hey Hey!!!

Another week has come and gone and I can't believe it! Here's a few miracles from this week:

☆ one night this week we were in an apartment complex going to knock on this guy named Jorge's door, who was previously taught by some other missionaries. We get up to the door and there's this note saying how he has an aggresive cat and not to knock the door but if you needed him, to call and gave his name and number. So what did we do? Gave him a call and had an amazing conversation with him! He ended up coming to church yesterday with his 4 year old son and really liked it! He went to primary and after 2nd hour, the primary teacher came up to us saying how Cole, this friend, had SO many questions!! Then this morning, we got a text from him asking what the purpose of life is? He is SO prepared!!! I'm just BLOWN away!! What a cool miracle! Pray for Cole!

☆ Remember how last week was such a hastle getting a family we're teaching get to church? Well, the Lord consecrated our efforts and they came this week! A family of 6 and they LOVED it!! The kids all agreed they wanted to come again next week. We were also able to have a really good lesson with them about the gospel and set three of the kids who can get baptized on date!! So exciting!!! The mom, Rachel who is a member, wants them to be baptized on February 4th so they have time to learn more (and so it's warmer the kids say haha). But hopefully we can bump that date up sooner!

☆ Another AMAZING miracle from church yesterday!!! Right before Sacrament meeting started, this guy came up to us and said that he was visiting but his son, who is inactive, and family came to church with him and his granddaughter has not been baptized yet! So we went over and sat next to her and chatted for a bit. Her name is Amy, she's 10 and we're besties haha. After Sacrament meeting, I asked her, "So have you been baptized before? ... No?! Well I'm a missionary and I help people get baptized! Do you want to be baptized?!" She very excitedly said YES so I told her to ask her dad. She came running back to us and said he said yes!!! So we're going to stop by her house tonight.

Isn't that so crazy!!! Wow God is good. This month we had felt very inspired that there were 3 souls who could get baptized. Last week I had no clue who that would be but God continues to amaze me and perform miracles! I love being a missionary!!! This is just incredible work. I hope you have a wonderful week!! Keep being wonderful! 

Love, 

Sister Coon

Pictures!!!

- this lady came up to me and said she was a Coon too! Another cousin!!! So we had to take a pic haha

- ward Christmas party

- we all got new 2023 Equinoxes

- Harley and her mom came to mutual!

- the Blythe sisters spent the night with us before Zone conference

More Miracles!!

Hello everyone!!! Merry Christmas! I hope you all had a wonderful week and were able to see God's hand in your life! I know He's there!

SO many miracles this week and really, not a lot of rejection! It was amazing!

☆ One night, we were out with a member going to lessons and talking to everybody outside. Right as we were about to get in our car to go home, these 2 ladies and a teenage girl come up to us. "Hey!!! Are you the missionaries or Jehovah Witnesses??" After talking to them a little bit, the mom said that she is a member and wants her daughter, Harley, to get baptized!! We had a lesson with her later that week and are having one tonight. She's so fun and I'm so excited for her!! Keep her in your prayers please!

☆ I had my first mission leadership council!! It was such a humbling experience to be surrounded by so many amazing missionaries. We discussed the needs of the mission and created a mission improvement plan for the month of December. I love my mission!

☆ a struggle from this week: we had 2 families wanting to come to church but they didn't have a ride. So we put SOOOO much effort to get them one and it was really difficult because we only have 2 active families in Laughlin and they didn't have enough seats. We ended up calling every single dot in Laughlin and no one was willing to give them a ride. It was disappointing! But then, with 15 minutes left of the night, we got a call from 2 members saying that they can bring our friends to church!!!! A MIRACLE!!!

So we called and texted our two friends, but no answer. So we drove to Riverwood and RAN to their apartment to let them know they have a ride. It was so fun!! Both of them were like, "did you just run here?" Hahah too funny!

BUT THEN, Sunday morning came around and both of our friends cancel. It was rough. But hopefully they'll come next week!! That Satan sure does work hard but he won't stop us haha. I know everything will work out! The Lord sees and will consecrate our efforts.

☆ One more miracle to mention: last night, we were led to this neighborhood and as soon as we got out of the car, there was a family standing outside their house. We talked to them and ended up teaching the whole Restoration. As Sister Mudrow was stating the First Vision the lady goes, "you are just glowing right now. I can see the love that you have for this. Seriously you're beaming." It was amazing.

I love this work! The Lord continues to amaze me everyday. I read this scripture in my studies this week and I love it. 

Mosiah 15: 28-30

"28 And now I say unto you that the time shall come that the salvation of the Lord shall be declared to every nation, kindred, tongue, and people.

   29 Yea, Lord, thy watchmen shall lift up their voice; with the voice together shall they sing; for they shall see eye to eye, when the Lord shall bring again Zion.

   30 Break forth into joy, sing together, ye waste places of Jerusalem; for the Lord hath comforted his people, he hath redeemed Jerusalem."

Break forth into joy! The Lord is preparing His people, especially this Christmas season. So let us have the faith to invite our friends to hear this great message! I know it will bless their lives so much.

I love you all!! Have a wonderful week!!

Love,

Sister Coon

Pictures!!

- in our favorite apartment complex, Riverwood, where we find so many people! Also we were matching with our black and brown outfits haha

- mission leadership council!

- drusilla! The next Monday after her baptism, she went back to work and her boss came up to her multiple times and said, "there's something different about you... you are glowing!" So cool how people can physically see the change 

- break during MLC (which was needed because we were there from 9am- 4:40pm)

- pday making fruit pizza + playing basketball!