EMAIL... Week 74

Hola All!

The District put on an activity for the youth and did a great job! They showed and discussed some of the Church’s videos for the Youth, had a couple of speakers, and did a Family History Training, where they helped all of the youth create their own accounts and enter as many of their ancestors as they had the information for. Lunch was a big hit as well! Elder K had his laptop helping the kids with the Family History part of their day and I got to cheer them on and be a fly on the wall. I love to watch the youth interact and have those “aha moments”. I guess that is the teacher in me. Love the Church programs, especially for the youth! What a blessing for them and for those of us with opportunities to serve with them.

Sweet Family Home Evening with one of our favorite families! They have come so far, and their son is preparing for a mission next year. He received his physical and dental check up at the Brigada that the Bryans and Foutzes helped with a few weeks ago. Their family was so impressed that doctors and dentists would come to help their youth prepare to serve missions. Big thank you to Smiles for Central America for your selfless and meaningful service! We continue to distribute the clothes many of you donated to Jacob Hofer’s Eagle Project, and Hermana Poncio (the mission president’s wife) took many of the items to give to missionaries and members in Managua who are in need. Thank you sooooo much for your loving service and kindness to our people and missionaries here! You have already been “Lighting the World”!

For our Hermanamiento this week Elder K showed the new “Good Samaritan” video and then re-introduced the “Light the World” campaign. We want to do a Family Home Evening in as many homes as possible this month to share the Light of Christ and Christmas, and to encourage the members here to share the Gospel, and to serve and help those around them. We did several visits on December 1st to get members, who were not at the Hermanamiento, to choose a date for their families to participate in an FHE and to invite their friends. We will keep you posted! We look forward to this time of year, so much that Elder K already put the Christmas lights up and we hung our paper Christmas tree and ornaments. We are so excited to participate in this program and do our part to “Light the World” in Nicaragua!

We enjoyed having President and Hermana Poncio in our home for lunch on Wednesday, as they were here for interviews with their entourage. We did a Nica version of Cafe Rio, and since they were in the Provo MTC, they had experienced the real thing. President teased me and said he was eating at Cafe Koelliker, and that he was sad that this was his last lunch at our house. We invited him to come to Vegas for lunch! We had a good interview later that evening. He is a good man and his schedule is incredible! We are so grateful for his leadership, kindness, and concern for us and our family.

Just got home from the baptism of Maria de los Angeles, the 10 year old daughter of less active parents. Elder K performed the baptism and the parents were happy to see their daughter take this step. Hopefully this will also be a step for them in becoming a forever family! Poco poco. We are so grateful for the opportunity to have the blessings of the Gospel in our lives and in the lives of our family! What a blessing it is to have made temple covenants, so that we have the potential to be together forever! 

Thank you for your examples and prayers!

We love you!

Love,

Elder and Hermana Koelliker