Week 10

11/25/14

Yay!! Our VISAS finally came this week and we did get our travel plans after ten amazing/intense/hard/fun/exciting/uplifting weeks! I say this in every email but I seriously cannot believe how fast time is passing by! This past week has been a good one for us. Everything is becoming so real so fast. And it is exciting but also a little bit scary at the same time. In only six short days I will be entering into a new place, having to speak two new languages, with new people. This is a lot to take in. But it is possible to take in and possible to accomplish with the help of our Savior. All things are possible through Christ who gives us our strength. I have still been trying to practice and exercise my faith and I love the fact that, fear departs when faith endures. Faith has been a big help to me this past week. I finished the Book of Mormon for the first time on my mission on Wednesday which was really neat. So as I was reading in Ether and Moroni, I came across several scriptures that I loved that talked about faith. Moroni 7:33 talks about how through faith, we have the power to do all things expedient in Christ. Also, in Ether 12:4 it talks about how faith brings us hope. This is cool and so true. And then back in Moroni 7:41 we learn about what we should be hoping for. We hope that through the atonement and the power of the Resurrection that we can achieve eternal life. This is only possible through our faith.  In Ether 12:7, we learn that even Christ had faith. And if we are trying to follow His example, it is necessary for us to have faith as well. I am so thankful for the atonement. It was not easy for Christ and life will not be easy for us. But our trials will make us into true disciples. As we have heard in devotional after devotional after devotional . . . the mission is not about us. But in the end it will be for us as well as our investigators! As long as we are totally devoted, diligent, obedient, and faithful missionaries. Matthew 10:39 talks about how if a person finds his life he will lose it, but he who loses his life for the work of the Lord will truly find life. I think I have shared this scripture before but it is an excellent reminder so I thought I would share it again. I also found a scripture in D&C that I loved as well. D&C 58:26-28. I am trying my hardest to be anxiously engaged to do good things. I know that it is my choice to do good and I realize the importance of it. I was talking to my teacher Brother Honey yesterday and he said that it is impossible to be perfect at all things but it is possible to be perfect at some things. I have definitely improved on a lot of the Christlike attributes since being here in the MTC and am happy that I have the opportunity to improve even more through the duration of the mission. My other teacher Sister Cook said that coming on a mission is like being a butterfly. Before we enter the MTC, we are in our cocoons. Once we enter the MTC and build a foundation for ourselves, we crack out of the cocoon and become a caterpillar. BUT when we finally get out into the mission field with real situations and people is when we can truly bloom, spread our wings, and fly. As humans, we will never be perfect. But what happens is as we go on through this journey we call life, we are constantly improving. We learn and grow and are made stronger. When this happens, we raise the bar for ourselves. There is no such thing as reaching our perfect potential and then just capping off. Life is a process and we are so lucky to have the opportunity to learn every single day. In life, we are on a downward escalator running up. If we stop running, we will be carried back down to the bottom floor. The road to salvation is hard but it is so essential for us to endure to the end and just keep running up even when times get hard! Well, I hope this all made sense! It is amazing how my English is already slipping and I am positive that it will be one hundred percent worse out in the field haha. I love and appreciate you all! Keep us in your prayers this week as we head out to Tahti!! Je vous aime!!<3

Love, Sister Heather Kofford 

​Tahiti or BUSTTT!

Brother and Sister Burnah! They are amazing! Mother this woman totally reminds me of you!!

Posing at the temple!

​This Sister was absolutely darling! She totally reminds me of Hailey Wright! She left for Albania yesterday!

Temple with some friends!

​Sometimes I get four packages in one day . . . NBD!

​Love my cute Thanksgiving decoration! Happy Thanksgiving everyone!!!

​Brandon gave me this Ohio State shirt!

Travel plans selfie!!

​Our mailbox has been pretty good to us during our stay here at the MTC! Thanks for all the letters, love, and support!!

​TRAVEL PLANS! Luckily all of our VISAS came through and we are all set to go on December 1st!

​Most of the Tahitian missionaries! We are all pretty excited to be on the home stretch here at the MTC! It is going to be hard to leave all of my new best friends!

​These are our desks in our classroom with our cute flags! We are just listening to our watches because the tick is so loud haha! Nobody knows . . .

​Me right now! Packing is a mess!!