This week we found out that one of our investigators can get baptized this coming Saturday! Her name is H. She`s 14 years old and living with her cousin S. Originally she wasn't going to be able to get baptized because she needed the approval of her father who lives in the middle of nowhere Bocas. But it turns out that now she is going to be staying with S. and she is now her legal guardian! So she is super happy that she can now get baptized and we`re really excited for her too. We've been going to visit her every day to help her to prepare. 

It's amazing how things have been going so well this change. Hermana C. and I feel really blessed. I`m really grateful for the opportunity to be able to serve here and help these people. It's really wonderful to see our recent converts progressing in the church. D. bought four zipper ties this week that are too small. It's really funny and cute. Last Sunday, the other young people where helping him tie a tie that E. had let him borrow. He doesn't have any experience with that so this week Hermana C. and I are going to buy him a tie and teach him how to use it. It was really cool to see him this Sunday with his white shirt and tie. Things are going so well with him. 

This week we have started working with a family that lives in the other area in our ward. The family invited us over for lunch and on the way there a member told us all about the family. So it turns out that they've been investigating the church for almost a year or more and they were going to get baptized but the other missionaries were really sick this change and haven`t been able to visit them. So while we were having lunch with them, we took the opportunity to talk to them about that. So officially we`re going to help them to get prepared to be baptized. The only things in their way is the Dad has to stop drinking coffee. So we set up a six week plan to help him stop drinking. 

We found out about cambios today! So nothing is changing with us this time around. Hermana C. and I are excited that we will be staying together this transfer. We are looking forward to helping all of these people. Originally, I liked the idea of going back to Chitre but I feel really good here and I am really glad for the opportunity that I have to stay.

Love always, 
Hermana Koehler

Boliche!!!

This week has been a really crazy but wonderful week. We have been working really hard with a now recent convert. It has been really tiring to prepare everything but in the end God made everything work out. 

So D. was baptized on Saturday. I am so happy for him. Everything has just worked out so well. I really know that he was chosen by God. Its amazing how him and his friend E. are just absolutely perfect for each other. I think that they will be friends forever. 

Hermana C. and I are tired. We may have been running faster than we had strength. It's been so nice to work with her. I feel like we really complement each other. I am really happy here. I am really happy with the area and the people. It's been really hard with our mission leader and coordinating things with the other missionaries and sometimes I've gotten really stressed or frustrated but in the end everything works out. 

We had divisions this week. I loved working with Hermana O.  She taught me so much about teaching with questions and with the Spirit. I was so grateful for her example. I love learning from other missionaries. I am so grateful that the Lord is preparing me to be a better instrument in his hands. 

I feel like I need to take better care of myself. I have been going to bed too late and waking up too early. It's hard for me to get everything done that I need to do or want to do. I have gotten into the habit of writing in my journal every day. It has been really good for me but at the same time sometimes it keeps me up later. 

I am really looking forward to interviews. 

I am grateful that I continue to learn and I pray that I will be able to put all that I've learned into action. 

Please keep praying for me too. I have been trying to be better about praying for people. If there's anything that the family needs please let me know so that I can pray for them. 

I love you all so much thank you for your support and your love. 

Love always, 

Hermana Koehler

Mission Photo in the Church Directory

The area is progressing. This week Hermana C. and I were a little tired but we were able to push through the struggles and problems. We have been really good at helping each other with the missionary tasks. I am really grateful to have her as my companion; she is teaching me so much. 

D. getting baptized on Saturday. [This is the young man whose house she saw in a dream before her mission.] It's really neat to see his progression. He has a really good friend in the ward now and the ward is welcoming him and getting him involved in everything. Today he`s going to go to seminary for the first time with E. his new member friend. The bishop gave him a calling yesterday...so he`s not even baptized and he already has a calling. He really has already become a part of the ward. We are trying to help his whole family. His parents aren't ready for baptism yet because the dad needs to get divorced and then they need to get married. Yesterday we spoke about the law of chastity. The lesson went amazingly well. We were able to explain everything clearly and in a way that they could all understand the commandment and why we need to obey it. They all promised that they are going to live the law of chastity. 

We have mice in the house. The owner offered to give us a cat but we told him no that we can't have pets. I'm still not sure what to do about the dog that he left in our house. He knows that we can't have pets because we talked to him about the reason we can't have a cat but at least the dog protects our house because it hates everyone except sister missionaries. 

There's some protesting going on today in the street so I`m not sure how we`re going to get back to our area, but I think that the traffic should clear up by the time we head back. It's nothing really super crazy, just some people standing in the main street making it so that the buses and trucks and things can't pass them. 

Family, it was really wonderful to be able to see all of you yesterday. Talking to you all gave me renewed energy and motivation to keep pushing forward. I can't believe that pretty soon I`ll be there with you guys. Time has been flying by fast now I only have two transfers left. 

I put my faith in God knowing that everything will work out. 

I love you.  Mom, send my love to everyone. 

Love always, 

Sister Koehler

P.S. Sorry there's no photos today but the usb port is broken.

On Sunday, I had divisions with Hermana M. The zone leaders have been focusing on zone unity so they organized some divisions that were just so that we can get to know and help each other. It was a really wonderful experience. Hermana M. had a lot of questions that I was able to answer. She felt like I taught her more than she`s learned her whole mission. At the end of the division, she told me that she sees me as a leader. She told me that I have a lot of knowledge that I am willing to share with people and that that's what really makes a leader. I was really shocked because I feel like I haven`t been doing a good job at being a leader. I really liked being able to help her. I think that it's so much easier to help people one on one than in groups. I'm trying to be better about sharing my knowledge in groups too. You know that I`m pretty shy, so that can be hard, but I know that it's something that I need to do. It's time to overcome fear! 

We have a progressing investigator. He's the young adult whose house I had seen in a dream. It's really amazing to see his progression. In church on Sunday, he made friends with one of the other young adults. Things are going so well with him. I know that I shouldn't be surprised. I mean God sent his family to us. It's just absolutely amazing to see. 

I am really happy here with Hermana C. She is an absolutely wonderful missionary that wants to be obedient and diligent. 

We need to be better about getting to bed on time and we've been having zone or district activities on P-day that keep us from studying in the morning. I`m not very good about studies on P-day, but I make sure to read the scriptures every day. I've also been trying to read my patriarchal blessing every day. 

L. got baptized on Friday. The baptism went really well. We tried to do things a little differently than the norm. During the intermission, we played jeopardy. The talks were gospel themed but they weren't your typical Baptism and Holy Ghost talks. I think that people enjoyed it. Afterwards we gave them cake and that makes pretty much everyone happy. 

We also had a successful activity on Thursday. People showed up and had a really great time. 

I'm looking forward to seeing pictures from the wedding. [Hannah's older sister was married today.]

Okay Skype information. We´re going to use Skype in a member's home. We´re still trying to figure out the details, but we´ll get that figured out. We know a member that has a computer with a webcam and he has fast internet and has used Skype on his computer. So it looks like a good option. Since Grandma and Grandpa aren't going to be there until__ my companion and I decided that she´ll talk to her family first and then I´ll talk to you guys so that maybe I´ll be able to talk to Grandma. 

So I have something that I've decided for this time, something different than the other times we've talked. I want five minutes of face time with everyone-- at least five minutes-- where it's just me and them talking. I want to be able to talk to everyone personally. Also, I really would like to have five minutes to be able to talk to Austin too. It's a requirement that I meet him. If they´re going out of town I get it, but it really is driving me crazy that I haven´t even met him and now he´s part of our family. I mean he was there last time we Skyped, but he didn't say anything and I didn't really meet him. I've thought about maybe calling, but it seems like the calling card isn't working for whatever reason. (I tried calling a member that is from the United States and it didnt work. They´re from Utah and they have a Utah phone number). So that could be a problem, but if it's necessary, I think that I can probably get onto the email so that we can find out when we´re going to talk and things like that. 

Other thing...I need new shoes again. One of the members gave me shoes and I've been wearing them every day and now they have a hole in them. The shoes that I bought last time broke after a month and a half and they were expensive. So I'm nervous about buying new ones. We spent all day searching for shoes other than Crocs that will be good for the rain and good for my feet and knees but we can't  find anything. I am really afraid to buy expensive shoes because I feel like I've been spending too much money and I'm worried about you guys paying for so much for me. But I know that you would tell me that my health is more important. I just hate spending so much money. There's a good chance that I´ll have to spend sixty bucks-- more if I have to buy two pairs to switch them every day. I feel like I want to apologize for that but maybe that's ridiculous. I feel like you guys have done so much for me and I'm making you do more. 

I also want to buy some souvenirs that are going to be really cool and not too expensive. I hope that's okay. I'm probably not going to get another opportunity to do that and I really want to be able to show you guys some things and have some gifts for people. I've already gotten a good amount of stuff, but there's some other things I want to get. I hope that's okay. 

I love you all. The church is true. 

Love, 

Hermana Koehler