I Have Kept Faith!

10/12/15

Hello again friends and family!

Time seems to just keep going by faster and faster! It has already been three weeks since Soeur Statsny and I started together! Half a transfer already! Cannot believe it! It was a crazy week with lots of things happening! Soeur Shariatmadari had some scary moments and ended up getting her appendix out yesterday! I felt so bad that I could not be there for her! I love this missionary and consider her as one of my very best friends! So keep her in your prayers! Also last night, there was an emergency transfer and we had to help some sisters get settled. Since being here in Mahina, I have noticed that I am a bit more tired. I think in Papeari, there was so much to do and I was numb to the fact that we are still human and can still get tired. With the transfer, a little change in lifestyle, new people and a new ward, I have realized that the mission has taken a little toll on me haha! But do not worry! I am still going strong and working hard and hopefully being the missionary that God wants me to be! 

There was a story given in a General Conference once that I really enjoyed! It was about a group of runners in the Olympics. Their objective was to do a relay with a lit torch. The idea was to be the fastest group to finish with the torch still lit. This takes much skill. Even if you have some of the fastest runners, you have to take care of the torch to make sure the flame does not go out. Steady and surely is how the win will be earned! I had a realization this week that was pretty cool. As missionaries, we go through certain phases. New missionaries are full of energy and are ready to climb the mountains that are placed in front of them! Trials are big and hard but we are determined. The unknowing outcome scares us a little bit, but at the same time gives us hope to continue. We have in mind the missionary and person we want to become, and even though the outcome is far away, we are able to press forward towards the final destination. Slowly, the progress sneaks up on us! Before we know it, we are speaking in different languages, we are reading people and finding their needs, we are learning how to find unity with our companion, we learn to juggle everyone else's problems before our own, and at the same time we deal with personal challenges that can break the heart and soul a little bit. Missions are crazy things . . . let me tell you! Then we get thrown into even more responsibility! God starts to test our capabilities knowing our possibilities from the beginning!  Then we find peace! A peace that burns the flame within our heart and gives us joy to keep going and to literally give 110 percent! You find a groove that works for you and you run with it! You hold your torch up high and you literally find the joy that only comes through the truthfulness of this restored gospel! Then you hit a peak! You know what you are capable of doing, you know that God trusts you and you know how to put your trust in Him! The mountains that we were once climbing have become but hills that are easy to tread. But at the same time, you slow your pace a little because you are searching for the next person. To pass the torch and help their light shine. As I studied the definition of a leader, I learned that it is a person that takes care of themselves and then is capable of helping others take care of themselves as well! I hope I can be this person! Who can keep my flame lit and endure to the end! Helping others to find what I have and to know that the mission is the race track where everyone wins! At the end of my mission, I want to be able to read the scripture in 2 Timothy 4:7 with a smiling face and the fire of my torch burning within me! I want to be able to say that I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith! 

So your commitment this week is just that! Continue in your lives to keep your torch shining! Fight a good fight and make the best out of every day! Even when days get challenging, finish the race! You can do it! Put your faith in God and everything is possible with Him! He loves you and I love you! Thanks for your love and support and prayers! It really does help! Have a great week!

Love, Soeur Kofford

I love my MTC Sisters!

The gang is back together again! I love these missionaries!

Tacos for dinner! This is at our Ward Mission Leader's house! He and his wife both speak English, and the house is amazing! We almost thought we were back in the states this night haha!