Happy New Year!

12/28/15

Iaorana friends and family! I love you all and I hope that you all had an amazing Christmas! My Christmas was one to remember! We had a great week full of good things! On Wednesday, we participated in our Tahiti missionary activity! We did lots of fun things and I had to think to myself, "I don't think that I have ever been in a room with so many people I love so much!" I love these missionaries and I know they love our Heavenly Father! The Christmas spirit was so strong and we enjoyed the joy that comes through the message of the restored gospel that we know so well. On Thursday, we had one marriage and three baptisms! Tane, Marwinda, and Cecile were ready and so happy to make their covenants with our Heavenly Father! It was amazing to see these three changed people come out of the water clean and ready to recommit their lives to God! Friday was Christmas! We exercised, got ready, studied, and spent some time making cookies. Each companionship chose three people to go and see. We sang Christmas hymns and shared a message with each of these chosen investigators! What a fun experience! Then we skyped! I have the most amazing family and it was incredible getting to see their faces and hear their voices at the same time! I am so thankful for these people and would not be where I am today without them! Thank you father Kent, mother Holly, Shaylee, and Nathan!!!

As the year 2015 wraps itself up, I think that we all find ourselves pondering and reflecting over all of the things that happened during the year! A year is a long time and a lot can happen! For me, 2015 was the year that I was redeemed! My mission saved my life! I have learned so much and have truly come to know better who I am thanks to my relationship with my Heavenly Father! As I discovered on skype, words can never explain all that is learned on a mission! In our hearts, we know that Heavenly Father has trusted us with his most precious knowledge and that he has confidence that we will use it to the best of our ability! Life is a process of changing! We are either always progressing or digressing! So for the new year of 2016, I want to invite you all to have a year of increasing progression! Its easy to say, but can be difficult to do. In life we have two key things that can help us with this continuing progression! Working and learning! If we come to know and love these two things in life, our life will serve as a place of joy and accomplishment! As a missionary, I truly have loved learning how to work. Every minute is an opportunity to do something good, to serve, or to simply be a light in the life of another! Losing ourselves for God really gives us the chance to find ourselves! Serving others also helps us come to know Heavenly Father and his specific plan for each of us, his children! There is always more to give than to receive! So do not waste time! Go out and work! As I like to say, productive days are the best days! Learning is also something that is very imortant in life! Our knowledge will be a great advantage to us in the afterlife, which is why we need to do all that we can to learn all that we can in this life! God commands us to learn! I love the quote from Joseph Smith, "Knowledge does away with darkness, anxiety, and doubt; for these cannot exist where knowledge is." Working and learning are keys to success and our doorway to possibility! But it is always our choice to choose to love these things enough to do them to the best of our ability! Remember also that, "It is often in the trial of adversity that we learn the most critical lessons that form our character and shape our destiny." Even when life gets a little tough, we can learn and grow! Our extremity is Gods opportunity! So with this new year, work and learn and let him change you! Life is beautiful! He knows us and loves us! This church is true! I love you all! Thanks again for all that you do for me! Have a great week!

Love, Soeur Kofford

Making cookies on Christmas!

Skyping my family on Christmas day!

Tahiti mission Christmas party!

I love my district!

I love Krizia Pehau!

District dinner!

Merry Christmas!

12/21/15

Iaorana friends and family! I love and miss you all! I look up to you all and am so thankful for all that you do for me in my life! I hope that you are all loving your life and enjoying this wonderful season of  Noel! The Christmas spirit is real and I hope that you are feeling it as much as I am! We had a great week! Yesterday, we taught the YW and did a question and answer lesson! One of the questions was, "What has been the funniest moment on your mission?" I had a hard time responding, because we laugh everyday! I love my life and my mission! I love you and I love our Heavenly Father and our Savior, Jesus Christ! So much to love in life! Never let a day go by without loving! One of our new converts pulled me aside the other day and asked me if my face hurt . . . haha  I did not quite know how to respond. Confused I told her no and asked why. She explained that everytime she sees me, I smile! I was happy with this comment and smiled again! There is so much to smile about! This Church is so true! I am convinced with the very ends of my heart strings of the truthfulness of the restored gospel here on the earth! I am happy and not a bit ashamed to share the message that has changed my life! So, remember to smile each day! Your life is beautiful because of this gospel! We had two baptisms of two little boys! Both of them have members in their families that have fallen inactive because of lack of effort! Through their children, these two families were reactivated right in time for Christmas! To give a little bit back to he who gave us all! Such a great week and another one yet to come!

In life, I know there are ups and downs, there are good times and hard ones. There are blessings and trials. Always opposition in all things! I know that we are destined to fail at times, but to be able to pick ourselves back up and go forward again! As a Missionary, I have made lots of promises with our Heavenly Father, one of which is to do my best to never fall inactive. I learned something this week that helped me realize how this will come to be. When building something in life, the first thing we have to do is construct the foundation. For a sturdy house, we need a sure foundation. Even with the lesson of the restoration, we teach everyone that this Church was built with a foundation of prophets and apostles. This is how the Church functions today with our modern day leaders of the Church! God is good and he is very orgainized and clear. In our everyday life, we too need to be living on a sure foundation. Our foundation is Jesus Christ, like we learn in Helaman 5:12. I know that as we center our lives on Christ, everything else will unfold itself and in our circle of living, things will be balanced and good. I love a quote from President Monson in the October General Conference. He says, "When firmly planted, our testimonies of the gospel, of the Savior, and of our Heavenly Father will influence all that we do." I want this kind of life. I want to honor my baptismal covenants and take the name of Christ upon me and remember Him in all that I do. I want to live a life that will allow me to stay firmly planted in my testimony of these things. There are no limits when Christ is at our side. He is capable of everything and so are we! I am so thankful for the gospel in my life! I am thankful for Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ, that I came to know at a young age and the relationships that I have gained with them as a Missionary! I love my Heavenly Father! He is the reason I am here! He is the reason for my life! So, as you go throughout your lives this week and in the future, find something to do to better build your foundation on Christ! Especially with the season of Christmas and everything good that is happening! Keep these thoughts and feelings and be a Christlike person everyday! Joy is promised and it does and will come! Thanks again for everything! I love you all! Thank you for your Christlike examples to me! Have a great week and a very Merry Christmas!!!

Love, Sœur Kofford

Fun to see Elder Nelson from my home ward!

Our tree and presents!

Merry Christmas from Sister Kofford and Sister James!

Zone leadership!

Zone Christmas concert!

I love Soeur James! She is a best friend for sure!

WOW MOM!

Sisters in our zone!

I love Sister Olson!

I love serving with Sister Cromar!

Sacrifice Brings Forth the Blessings of Heaven!

12/14/15
Bonjour friends and family and everyone Love!

Christmas is drawing very near and I hope that you are all enjoying the warm spirit in the air (even if it is not as warm as the spirit here in Tahiti! hahaha) and preparing yourselves for this wonderful holiday that will soon be here! Christmas on a mission is really cool! People's hearts really do seem to soften when they remember our Savior and his sacrifice for each of us. Sacrifices are extremely important and I will tell you why, but first I will give you a little update of things.

We had a great week with lots of good things. We prayed to be led by the spirit to the people who needed us most and we found some great new investigators! It is crazy to think about how much I love meeting people! People are amazing and I love getting to know them and their stories and finding how the gospel can help them! With the spirit, there is always something in the gospel that can touch a heart and  change a life. Marwinda and Tane finalized their wedding papers this week, their wedding and baptism should be the 24th of  December. Keep them in your prayers, because their parents are having a hard time accepting this change in their lives. They are amazing people who have sacrificed so much for God. 

On Saturday, we had permission to go to the other side of the island to a baptism for an investigator that soeur Cromar taught in one of  her old areas. The baptism was beautiful and I got to see my sweet trainer soeur Hunter and my amazing trainee soeur Shariatmadari, so it was a happy experience! We also got to drive through Papeari which was cool! So many memories came running back through my mind and I loved it! After we passed Papeari the weather starting acting up and it was raining harder than I had ever seen. The ocean was high and the waves started pulling out. All of the sudden we were stopped by the police on the road saying that there was a rock slide and that the road no longer functioned. As we tried to turn around the same thing happened right behind us. We pulled the car off the road and eventually got it into a safe spot. We got on the balcony of a random house and watched the storm. The road was no longer in view and the river that was right next to where we were carried various items like televisions and washing machines down into the ocean. It felt like a dream. We waited for about four hours until things calmed and they were able to repair the road enough for one car to pass. We made it home and meditated in silence. Lots of people lost their houses and other valuables. But the amazing thing is that minutes after this disaster striked, members were in their trucks with their work supplies helping the cause. Lots of members didn't even get to sleep Saturday night and still came to church on Sunday. And though so many lost so much the spirit is still in the air and people are more loving because of the wonderful sacrifices of others.

Sacrifices are so important in our life. As members of this true church, we covenant with God to sacrifice for him. Joseph Smith says that a church without sacrifice is a church without faith! When we sacrifice things for God or others, we are really practicing our faith. Also, when sacrificing, we have to give things that are important or of great worth to us or Heavenly Father. If it's not important to us, it's not important to him and it's not a sacrifice. The three most important things to sacrifice are our sins, our time, and our will. These things are surely things that we love and that are important to us! So why not sacrifice them for a better cause? Knowing that blessings are sure to follow, because like the song says, sacrifice brings forth the blessings of heaven! So as you go throughout your week, look for opportunities to sacrifice these things! Come to know our Heavenly Father by giving secretly and he will reward you openly! Have a broken heart and a contrite spirit and know that he loves you and will bless you with his miracles! I also wanted to thank you all for your sacrifices that you are already doing! Thank you for your sacrifices for me, I truly do appreciate it and I would not be who I am or where I am today without your sacrifices! I love you all and miss you so much! Keep enjoying this Christmas season! 

Love, Soeur Kofford

Three generations of missionaries! I love my trainer and trainee!

Got the stick shift thing down!

Playing in the rain!

Voila the mini cyclone!

Relationships Make up our Lives!

12/7/15
Iaorana friends and family!

   Like always, I hope and pray that you are doing well and loving life! Especially since Christmas time is rolling into the air! Here in Tahiti it is still hot and there is not Christmas music everywhere we go, but despite it all, I think the world hums with the spirit of the true meaning of Christmas! So as we live through this season, try to take a sufficient amount of time each day to remember! Remember Christ. Remember the things that he did for us! Remember his birth. Remember his life. Remember his sacrifice. Remembering is a cool thing that God allows us to do! So do not forget to remember! 

   Soeur Cromar and I had an awesome week! No human words could ever describe the things a missionary lives through in just one week. Often times, we find it difficult to even describe our feelings to ourselves! But through the good and the bad, the happy and the sad, the joy and the sorrow, Christ knows it all! And God is willing to listen! So never hesitate to invite these people along with the Holy Ghost into your lives to lead you, to guide you, to listen to you, and to love you!    On Saturday, we had Ani's miracle baptism! We literally found her two weeks ago and she had been preparing long before this day! She will be an outstanding member of this true church and an amazing missionary one day! This truly is Gods work! 

This week, I thought about the relationships that we have in our lives! I thought about all kinds of relationships that our Heavenly Father encourages us to have. Our relationships with our siblings . . . we are obligated to love them even when we think we have had enough of them haha (but after learn, that we have everything in common and they become our best friends!). Our relationships with our friends. We usually put on a good face and try to be our best around them, we have fun and we learn a lot. Our relationship with our parents, learning to trust and obey. Finding that they are wise and loving and having the desire to become just like them! And then I thought about our relationship that we have specifically with our fathers. They provide, preside, protect, and much more. They are there through it all to love, to correct and to be our friend. How blessed are we in this life to have these amazing relationships? Then I thought about our Savior, Jesus Christ and his relationship he has with his father. In the scriptures we learn that they are "one." They found this perfect love for each other and even through the hard times nothing but good came out of it! How did they find this balance? In a relationship, we have to know the person, trust the person, and love the person. With these three qualifications, things will work out. God knows his son perfectly, he trusted him to atone for the sins of the world, and he loves his son enough to have sent him to earth to show a perfect example. Christ knows his father and his will. He trusted his father enough to obey him with exactness and to live his life for him. He loves God to the point of giving his will  to him. Pretty cool. Then I thought about the relationship that we have with our Heavenly Father and our Savior, Jesus Christ. We know that in a relationship, to find success, it will take the efforts of both sides. Heavenly Father and Christ are doing all that they possibly can to find success in our relationship with them. They know us,to the point to give us weaknesses and occasions in our lives to improve and become better! They trust us to keep the commandments that they have given us and to ultimately make it back to live with them again. We know that they love us because all that they have given us, are giving us, and will continue to give us. Now the question that we need to ask ourselves is, "What am I doing to contribute to my relationship with my Heavenly Father and his son, Christ?" There are numerous things that can be done to contribute to this eternal relationship . . . but for me this past week, I found two very important things. In John 14:15 it says, "If you love me, keep my commandments." Through our obedience, we can help this sacred relationship. In Mosiah 2:17 it says, "When you are in the service of your fellowmen, you are simply in the service of your God." When we serve others and form better relationships with them, we are really improving our relationship with God. So the second question is, "Are my relationships that I have in my life contributing to my eternal relationship with Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ?" Relationships are so important! We are placed into each others lives for lots of reasons, and for the most part, God is the only person aware of these reasons. But when we work on treating people as Christ would, serving, and loving . . . we are really coming to know God, we are gaining trust in him, and we find an endless and burning love through these experiences! I know that God lives! He loves us! Christ lives and he loves us! We are here to love and to be loved! To help each other turn these earthly relationships into an eternal round by inviting everyone to come unto Christ and have eternal life through him! So during this Christmas season, remember who you are and your purpose here on earth! Love those around you and contribute to your relationship with God and Christ! 

Thanks for everything that you do for me! Thanks for your thoughts and prayers! I love and appreciate each one! I hope you have a great week! Keep loving life! Love you all!

Love, Soeur Kofford

Reunited through our leadership callings! Love these three sisters!

Tahiti Papeete Mission leadership counsel.

Moi et Soeur James with out Papaya!

Ani's miracle baptism!

Elder Smith and Soeur Cromar are both finishing their missions in December! Love these missionaries!

Fun p-day with these girls! I moved a little bit in the picture, but Ce nest pas grave... haha!