Sister Kofford in Tahiti: Love!

2/15/16
Iaorana tout le monde!

I hope your week was great and I hope that you all had a Happy Valentines Day! Our week went well! For Valentines Day, Soeur Daniels and I got up and made heart pancakes and french toast for the other sisters which was super fun! I love Soeur Daniels! It has been a blessing again this week to see the progression in our investigators lives. It is amazing how much obedience is directly linked to blessings and happiness. When the investigators follow through with the invitations we give them, God saves them by his grace and allows them to have enough force to continue to improve, to overcome their weaknesses and sins, and find the joy that only comes through this gospel and our Savior, Jesus Christ. One of our investigators, Tuane is battling smoking. Other than this, she is ready to be baptized. If you could keep her in your prayers that would be great! The Tetoe family is doing well. Their son, who is a member, came to visit them and talked to them about the decision to be baptized. There are a few family issues that need to be resolved, but this family can be an eternal family, and it's possible for them to enter into the waters of baptism very soon. If you could keep them in your prayers, that would be great!

I talked in church yesterday which was good. I have loved learning to follow the spirit and each time I give talks or speak in big groups of people, I pray to have the spirit guide me in my ideas and thoughts. I know the spirit is always with me, and he is definitely a best friend. My talk was about love. I had to laugh a little bit when I was given the topic because here I am, a missionary, asked to speak on Valentines Day, on the topic of love. I twisted things a little bit and actually learned a lot. In life, I think we over complicate this word. Love is powerful and life changing. It is our drive and motivation. It comforts us and allows us to do and overcome hard things. Love is essential and necessary in life. Why? Because our goal is to try to follow the example of Christ. To walk as he walked, talk as he talked, live as he lived, and ultimately become like him one day. The overpowering Christlike attributes that he had were charity and love. His love changed the world. He made God's plan real and through his everlasting love, we are able to love and inherit eternal life one day. In life, there are five ways of showing love. Nice words, time, gifts, touch, and service. Christ was the perfect example of all five of these. His teachings were sincere words of his concern and love for us. Especially during his atonement when he was on the cross and pleaded these nice words to his father, "forgive them for they know not what they do." Christ dedicated his life to us and gave us more time than we could ever offer to someone else. Also he spent the time in the Garden of Gethsemane to live through each of our lives and sins to allow us to made clean. He gave us the gift of immortality and the remission of sins. We will all live again after this life, and if we walk the path of righteousness during this life, we will have eternal life as well one day! He showed us his love through touch, when he came back to earth as a resurrected being and asked his people to come unto him and touch the nail marks in his hand. Even though Christ is not here with us in flesh and blood today, we have this same invitation in 3 Nephi 11. To touch his hands through our repentance and desire to become more like him. He served us all through doing only the will of the father and doing it with exactness. We learn through this example that when we are doing the will of our Heavenly Father by serving others, we are serving him as well! So let us take this Valentines experience as an opportunity to love as Christ loves! We will be forever changed! I love you all! Thanks for all that you do for me and for your love for me! Have a great week!!

Love, Soeur Kofford