8/5/2013. SEARCH, PONDER and PRAY

Janel's Note:  Elder Coffman didn't include any pictures this week so I included some pictures from Google Earth that are in the area where he is serving/living in Calle 51, Caucel, Mexico.
I did include one of the pictures from last week's email of Elder Coffman and Elder Peterson.

7-23-2013.  My son (companion) Elder Peterson from Florida.  Caucel, MX.

Janel’s Note:  This is the Pioneer Story that David refers to in his letter below which I included in our family email to David last week:
 David, this is an example of the importance of our writings for future generations.  Our pioneer ancestors, the Chase Family (Grandma Smith’s side of the family) came across the plains, I knew there had to be some great pioneer events that happened but I hadn’t been able to find any of these stories.  I often thought, “I wish/wonder if any of the Chase ancestors had kept a journal of their lives during this important time in the Church history.  Then, this past week I was researching our Chase Ancestors for Michelle for Trek for an ancestor for her to walk for and I found a story of one of Issac Chase’s daughters, Harriet Louisa CHASE-only 13 yrs. old when they crossed the plains (Issac was your Great, Great, Great, Great Grandfather).   She told her these experiences she had with the Prophets Joseph Smith and Brigham Young as well as traveling across the plains and the early years in the Salt Lake Valley.  Her daughter wrote them down and shared them on a genealogy website.  Here is one of the pioneer stories she wrote about:

“The change of climate brought on a sickness which was known as winter fever. Sylvia, a daughter of Isaac, was very sick and father Chase sent for the Prophet to come and administer to her. There was so much sickness and the Prophet was so much in demand that he could not come, but taking a handkerchief out of his jacket he said, "Take this and give it to her. Tell her to hold it in her hand. It should be the same as an administration." This was done and the fever left her and she began to improve form that time. The Prophet announced that at a certain time he would baptize in the Mississippi River and that that would be the last time he would officiate at baptisms. Father Chase took his family to be baptized but was a little late in getting to the place and the Prophet was coming up out of the water just as they drove up. He said, "Here is Father Chase and his family. I will baptize them." Which he did. So that makes my mother the last child publicly baptized by the Prophet Joseph Smith. Mother said after the Nauvoo Temple was finished Father and Mother worked there almost day and night.” 

   - Early History of Harriet Louisa Chase McLaughlin As told to her daughter, May in her later years.

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: David Coffman <david.coffman@myldsmail.net>
Date: Mon, Aug 5, 2013 at 12:49 PM
Subject: Re: 8-4-2013 Hola' Greetings from your family - WE LOVE YOU!!
To: Janel Coffman <janelscoffman@gmail.com>

hola familia! wow well first of all that is a really cool story of the pioneers. in my patriarchal blessing it says something really specific about my heritage and as i learn   more about how the world will end and what the millenum will be all about i realize how important all that is. there is a person here in this ward who has done her genealogy hasta adan y eva. its pretty cool. i guess when you get down to a king or something then its all ready done. but i really am glad you sent me that.  and if you want a picture of caucel, you can just google earth it. You could even google earth ourhouse. its calle 51 numero 688a por                              86 y 84. but i{ll takesome pics of our house for yall. well this week was pretty good. we found some pretty cool people, some of them have been prepared by angels for us to come. well i guess probably one of the highlights of what happened thisweek was something that happened yesterday. we were teaching this lady and she asked us why there was a picture  of a samaritan lady giving water to  Jesus on thecoverof the evangelio folleto. we answered that if we live what  Jesus taught o        sea what is found in the pamphlet she will never be thirsty or hungry again. she will have all she needs. then                     she said the whole morning she was searching for an answer about our message. she read 3 nephi 11 and really liked the part about not having contention and about the way we baptize and all that but she still didn{t know what she was missing. even though that chapter says what she needed, she didn{t recognize it. then she prayed and then read the bible and then read the restoration pamphlet and all that and still couldn’t find what she was searching for. then she decided justto open to a random place and she opened the bible to juan 4. it talks about the story in front of the evangelio folleto that i mentioned before. but she didn{t think anything of it and kept searching because the folleto was face down on her                     table up to this point. then she decided to open up the bible again and opened up to another one of the evangelios that talks about that same story and so she was about ready to give up and she was going to put her books away and when she picked up the evangelio folleto,she saw that picture and she knew what she needed. well i guess you can probably guess what happened next. she accepted a date for a baptism and that is really something because her mom is super catholic and she was really scared to even think of changing. but she decided to look and search and pray. or search ponder and pray as the song says and she was diligent about it. i was so proud of her and i felt like giving her a hug i was so happy but i couldn’t so we just shared  a really goodscripture  and invited her to  be baptized. haha we figured that that would be more vauluable than a hug from me anyways, even though     my hugs would be pretty good haha jk but it was amazing i hope you can understand what i wrote because itis really a bad keyboard that we have. but just remember to always be diligent and to never give up. sometimes God tests our    patience or our faith so we never know what is going to be around the corner. even if it seems like                       it is never going to get better and only get worst, i always       remember a truly inspired quote fromthedark knight. the night is always  darkest before        the sun starts to rise. its something like that. you should watchthemovie to get it. its in the dark knight and harvey dent says it.   itwillbe a good excuse for stephen to finally watch a movie in englishhahahahaahah jk but i love you guys a lot. oh yeah and something else i learned is the importance of following the spirit. in that same lesson i was thinking of sharing one scripture but then another one came into my mind and so I decided to go with the impressino and i did and she            felt the spirit so strong she literally had to get up and leave the room for     like a          minute to recover haha itwas amazing. so dont       trust in your own wisdom or the wisdom of the world.  do was Jesus would do and you should listen to the song       i{m trying to be like Jesus because      it has a reallygood message. I heard it this morningwhen we werecleaning the house and i remembered you guysand especially mother because she knows all the primary songs. but listen to it when the motab sings it. And also you should know that i love you a lot. bye bye

From: David Coffman [mailto:david.coffman@myldsmail.net]
Sent: Monday, August 05, 2013 12:51 PM
To: Scott Coffman
Subject: Re: shoes

what is that.      and thats funny about the sprinklers. here they dont exist ahah but we           always do yardwork for people and im gladyou taught be about yard       work and also thats goodabout the buick and funny about stephen. i bet you called him a ninny after that hahahahahahah adios pops

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Richard N. Smith <richardnsmithcpa@gmail.com>
Date: Tue, Aug 6, 2013 at 9:46 PM
Subject: RE:
To: David Coffman <david.coffman@myldsmail.net>
Cc: Janel Coffman <janelscoffman@gmail.com>, Scott Coffman <scoffman957@gmail.com>

Coffman Choro,,

Shibarako desta ne!!  It was so good to hear from you Elder Coffman!!  I thought it would be fun to mix some Japanese with your Spanish (Elder Coffman it has been a long time since we saw you).  Thank you for the birthday and anniversary thoughts.

I send greetings to you from Grandma too.  She is taking a short “vacation” at the Lakeview Hospital in order to recuperate from a bout with pneumonia, etc.  She is getting the care that is needed.  As our meeting with Dr. Youkstetter was about to conclude this afternoon,  Grandma said “I have a joke for you..”  That is a sure sign of the start of progress.

We enjoy your letters and pictures.  Your enthusiasm for the gospel is contagious and that is a very good attribute.  We are proud of you and amazed that you are able to find time to share your thoughts and experiences in detail with us. 

Love,

Grandma and Grandpa

From: David Coffman [mailto:david.coffman@myldsmail.net]
Sent: Monday, August 05, 2013 12:54 PM
To: Richard Smith; Richard Smith
Subject:

hola abuelo! how areyou doing!    well i am doing great i guess you and grandma had another anniversary                          and birthday for you! happy bday sorr y for the bad spelling the keyboard is reallymessed        up haha. buti hope you can understaand it all. how is grand ma doing_                      i hope she is really good. well, thanks forall thegood examles you guys have giving me. andwhen does cameron leave for his mission. well i love you guys and when people ask who are some of the people i really look up to, you two are always at the top of           my list. well  adios con mucho amor

love elder coffman