We call it "Miracle Mokopo" and let me tell you why.

Agh...... I just want to give a shout out to Kenna and Trevor:) congrats you two love birds:) Agh,  I just cried my eyes out looking at all those pictures. I think I miss it more than I thought I would. I love you Kenna, so much. I am so proud of you and for marrying in the temple. We spend our whole childhood and life preparing to go the temple and you made it!!!!!! And Kenna I know Chelsea couldn't be more happy and excited for you! I love you. Chelsea loves you too. I know it.

 

Mom it sounds like your week was crazy but good:) I am so thankful you put my name it the temple. I am feeling better and heaven knows I need it. Me and my comp were laying on the floor after planning, letting the fans blow on us and my comp said "I didn't think it would be this hard but,  I really miss going to the temple. "I totally agree. You just miss it. All I know is I will not do anything to make it so I cant go to the temple because not being able to go is.... to say the least.... difficult. It's at the temple where you feel at home. Luckily me and my companion are the 2 most blessed sisters in Korea and we live right by the ocean. so my "temple" is every morning while exercising, I get to go out and stand on the edge of the bridge and look at the rising sun I catch a glimpse of the temple. Gods Glory. It's amazing.  I see his hand everywhere. How could you not! So ya,  I get to run by the ocean every morning and I am NOT complaining. Yes it is hot, but there is a breeze and Jeonju was hotter. ha ha. Mokopo is amazing. We call it "Miracle Mokopo" and let me tell you why.

 

Miracles;

1 (out of 5billion). Before sisters were transferred to Mokopo, the elders were going shopping for food on p-day when a woman frantically ran up to them and asked for a book of mormon and their information. The elders got her number but when they gave it to us they warned us that she might be a little crazy. they thought she was drunk or on drugs when they first met her. So we called her and set up an appointment. She wanted to meet in her house so we went to this little apartment and walked into a MESS. pretty sure she could be on Korean Horders. We sit down with her and she says she is sorry that she stinks because she has been out walking all day. And then she goes on to tell us about her life..... by the end of her stories we were all in tears because she has NOT a good life. My heart just hurt for her.  Her house and life are a mess because her body is sick. She says she cant eat and no on e will hire her because she has to go to the Dr. a lot. But she then talked about God and her faith in him. SHE HAS SO MUCH FAITH!!!!! I cant even believe it. Agh. We told her that her life can become better through this message that we have for her and that through Christ's atonement and healing power, she can be completely healed and  through this gospel she can find her life again. her husband divorced her and took the 2 kids and wont allow her to see them. She is just so SAD!!!!! Well thats when we shared our HAPPY message!!!!!!!! She accepted to be baptized and yesterday when she came to church she was a hole new person. Happy and SO cute. She is 35 years old and her name is sister Yuoo and she came to church yesterday and was all excited to be there and was happy to be baptized. All of the members just kept saying "She is amazing. she is so prepared...etc." It was truly amazing. I cant believe it still and I am still waiting for something bad to happen because there is no way things could be this perfect. I need more faith but she is just so prepared. I think she does have a drinking problem and a smoking problem but we can fix that. I am just so excited~!!!!!! Please pray for her. her baptismal date is September 8th:) She is so excited!!!!!! Love it.

 

2  So after church with sister Yuoo we took a bus together home. ha ha ha. She was so on fire that we got on the bus and this cute little boy with his mom said "hi" in English and that was all Sister Yuoo needed to start.... she then told this son and mom that they needed to meet me. she got their number for me and the rest was history. So not my investigator is doing missionary work for me. ha ha haha.Ya insane!!!!! Agh,...... miracles happen!!!! God lives.

 

3  Another great English class with our investigators. I made a really fun English game that everyone really loved and so it is getting our investigators to think more about us and what we are about. the harder you work at serving someone, the more they feel your love. As much as I hate being an English teacher, when you really serve (by teaching English) people take notice and wonder what you are all about and start to ask questions and they also introduce you to their friends.

 

4   So we visited a member with cancer at her photo shop. Sister Kim. We shared a message about the restoration and then asked her to share her testimony in a book of mormon so that we could give it to someone. (really good inspiration I had from God to get the members to think about missionary work. When I meet a member I have them write their testimony in a BOM and then when I give the BOM out I call the member and tell them about that person.) Well,  we asked her to do the same and she gets up and comes back with2 BOM's already filled with her testimony!!  I just started to cry because here is this faithful mother with cancer who in her free time was thinking of sharing a book of mormon with someone and took the time to write her testimony in it. It was so amazing.

 

Well there is my amazing week,  filled with miracles and happiness. My sweet companion has been such a help. She is fire ball that wants to work hard and that is all I could ask for. Good times, happy times and blessed times.

 

And just like Nephi says in 3nephi 5:13 "Behold, I am a disciple of Jesus Christ, the Son of god. I have been called of him to declare his words among his people, that they might have ever lasting life". I love you to the moon and back.

 

Love Sister Cole Ensign

I was born to serve my mission in Korea, nowhere else........

Don't worry mom.  But, I have been really sick the last few days.   I was too sick to call in to the mission conference call that we do every week ( every missionary calls president shin on a mission conference call every Monday) and he wanted to talk to me personally, which never happens, because he wanted to tell me I was doing good work so when I wasn't there he announced to the whole mission that I needed a blessing and that everyone should pray for me to get better… ah ha ha ha ha awkward…  

 

Dad I wish you were here!!!! The mission pres. on the conference call told the elders to give me a blessing…. so they called when I was awake and told me what the mission pres. requested… and I reluctantly said okay, and I told the elders I would be thankful for a blessing,  but sometimes when you want a blessing, all you want is your dad.  But I was reminded by the spirit that it is the same priesthood.  I will try to rest today.


Another great week in the most beautiful place in the Daejeon Mission. MOKOPO!!! I love it here! Oh my goodness!!!!!!! I am so blessed to be serving here. Not only is it beautiful, but the members here are amazing and the people are nice and our investigators are the cutest things in the world. This week we were able to make a family of 4 our investigators and they are amazing! they are English interest but they are the cutest family in the world. I love them!!! AGH seriously!!!! I love this family!!!!!! The mom has a LOT of potential. She listens and really thinks about God. The husband said he believes in science but there have been 2 times in his life where he was desperate and he prayed to God and felt peace. And the 2 kids are TO DIE FOR!!!!!! AGH I am so excited to work with them. They came to English class on Saturday and we had a blast. the Kids are REALLY shy but we played an English game using Uno and we had a blast:)So great things are happening in Mokop!!!!! We also have been eating with members and it is amazing to get to know these amazing members. They have So much faith. The one member we ate with has only been a member for about 8 years and it was when his daughter was born that he prayed and asked God how he could be the best he could be just for his daughter and he was then introduced to the gospel. The Church is definitely a family thing!!! The gospel blesses families! So ya, I am really excited to get to know these members and do good missionary work:)

 

Speaking of missionary work…. yesterday at church we got a visit from the stake president….. ya lets just say he is EXTREME about missionary work…. Its the greatest thing in the world. He gave a talk in church and after his talk members came up to us and gave us referrals and told us to have our investigators to their house for FHE and all of these amazing blessings. Also last night after church the entire stake got together and had a missionary fireside. So remember the family from my greenie area that I cried my eyes out with I had to say goodbye…. well they were there…. So even though I was throwing up me and that sister were just in eachothers arms crying we were so excited to see each other. She told me she has thought about me every day and that she prayed I would come back to this area. Her prayers were answered. She said her husband had some friends in Mokopo that they want to introduce us to.  They are so cute. It was such a tender mercy to see them again. It was so hard to say goodbye to them, not knowing if I would ever see them again. So ya, I just love this mission because you meet people you love and you realize just why you got called to the place you got called. I was born to serve my mission in Korea. Nowhere else. I needed the people here and the people here needed me. The sister I was hugging looked at me and said “This is so weird but I feel Like I have known you forever…. you are my daughter. Why do we feel like this?”. It was a tender mercy to see her again and we cried again when we had to say goodbye. Her son looked at us and said “Why are you crying again”. ha ha ha ha. She hit him and said “You don't understand”.  I just love them~!!!!!!! I am so thankful to be serving here again in my greenie stake:) miracles happen and dreams come true.

Speaking of dreams come true I want to tell you of my favorite Mokopo member. her name is Kim Joo. She is a convert to the church and she is literally PERFECT. I want to be just like her. She is the most Christlike person I know. Like I wouldn't be surprised if she got translated. She is amazing. She came to our English class on Saturday and she is just amazing. AGH I love her. But she is so humble and kind and sweet and AGH. I just love her. When We saw her at the English class and our investigators were there she said in perfect English and in the sweetest princess voice “God answers prayers and dreams come true”. She is amazing!! She is 34 years old and not married and at first when I hear that I was sad because she is not married. But no one deserves her.  She is too amazing! When we were waiting after English class for the bus, she shared her conversion story and told me “Sister Ensign you remind me so much of the missionaries that taught me. Through your energy and sweet spirit you will help many people”. It was so kind of her to say that because as you know I do a good job at beating my self up but I have amazing people all around me to lift me up. I’m on cloud nine right now and don’t plan on coming down until I am forced to leave Mokopo. ha ha ha. 

Miracles are happening. we don’t have an investigator with a baptismal date yet, but I can feel like its coming. This are is ready. 

 

This week in personal study I found a great scripture in Romans and I also ran across dad’s favorite scripture. And they all gave me a lot of strength. Dads scripture,  where Paul is teaching and he says “For I am not ashamed of the gospel”...... I love that!   As a missionary I am not ashamed and I never will be because I know who gave me this gospel. Christ. And also,  in Romans chapter 8,  “For we are saved by hope; but hope that is seen is not hope; for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for?…. What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, Who can be against us?”. God is with me. I see him everywhere. I know he is there and not only is he helping me with this missionary work, but he is giving me tender mercies of happiness and times that I will never forget  and people I will remember forever. I love my mission. I wish every one would serve.

 

I love you to the moon and back.

 

Love Sister Cole Ensign

p.s. mom I got the letter with the money this week. Thank you so much It was needed!!!!!! Truly a miracle that you sent me money!!!! Thank you!!!!! Love you

I don't think I will ever have the heart or physical strength to leave Mokopo.......

MOM!!!!!! OH MY GOODNESS!!!! I don't even know where to start. Okay I
> will start by saying how hard it was to leave Jeonju. I Said goodbye
> to my friends and investigators and just cried with my comp. I will
> really miss jeonju. BUT the sun is shining!!!!!

 Lets start with> Thursday;
 The day I picked up Sister Wadsworth at the mission home was
> a great day. President Shin pulled me aside and told me I could do it.
> The miracles are there and Mokopo is ready to Pop! President Shin said
> he is expecting a lot from this area. So we left for mokopo and as
> soon as we got there... WE WERE IN LOVE. Talk about beautiful. My
> whole mission I have thought how ugly Korea is.... NOT MOKOPO!!!!!!! I
> am surrounded by ocean and some of our members live on separate
> islands that we have to go to. IT IS BEAUTIFUL HERE!!!!!! So right as
> we get into our apt I freak out... our members got us a MANSION!!!!!!
> Like it's the nicest house any missionary has in Korea and it is in
> such a nice are and I feel like a queen. Ya we still don't have a stove
> or oven or heated water but that will come. ha ha.
   Adventures! So my companion and I were just in heaven.
 The Elders came over and gave us food and they gave us their beds to sleep on. They
> are so nice.

Friday; we met with our elders and we talked about our
> area!!!!!!!! So here I have been in Korea thinking the members hated
> missionary work... NOT IN MOKOPO!!!!!! Our members are so excited for
> missionary work and they are so excited that  sisters are here now!  We are the first sisters
in this are.> I love it. We also spent Friday buying everything for our house...
> that was also an adventure.... we looked like \crazy Americans... but
> what's new... haha.

 Sat; We decided to do missionary work. Forget the
> house and get to work. and that's what we did. We heard that there
> was a festival going on on Sat so we got with the elders and did some
> proselyting and surveys and gave away some Book of Mormons!!!!!!! We
> got SO many people who wanted to meet with us. and... we had a
> miracle!!!! Of course because I live in miracle Mokopo!! So my  comp
and I were talking , for me to teach her some Korean , and we look up and
> there is a man at out table. We talk to him and he says that he is
> friends with one of our members. so of course I talk to him. Come to
> find out he lived in Provo UT for a while and finds the Mormons a
> great group of people. I felt impressed to invite him to church for
> the next day and he said yes.

Sunday; Me and my comp are welcomed by
> the ward like queens!!!!! Amazing! There was even a member who got up
> to give her testimony and said that us sisters reminded her of the
> missionaries that baptized her and now she wants to have us teach her
> parents the message. THEN,  the man we met on Saturday CAME TO CHURCH
> and don't worry we had a lesson with the bishop and he wants to be
> baptized. umm okay... since when does that happen.... MIRACLES!!!!!
> Then at church it was the most spiritual sacrament meeting I have ever
> been to in Korea. Every young man got up and bore his testimony and in
> relief society it was spiritual and I was just in heaven. Not going to
> lie, sometimes I am nervous to bring investigators to relief society
> because they sometimes just talk... about nothing..... we even had an
> investigator one time ask "what is this time for"..."Its a time to
> learn about the gospel".....the sisters were talking about problems
> with their kids for all for all of relief society and the investigator
> turned to me and said "shouldn't this be a time where we talk about
> Christ"..... ya that was a slap in the face. But she is right. But
> here in Mokopo they know whats right. They are members who don't need
> lifting, they lift others. It is amazing.

 I am so blessed to serve
> here. We already have 5 appointments set this week for investigators
> and I am just so excited to serve here. Ya it's a little overwhelming
> training and opening this area , but it is also a time where I get to see miracle
> after miracle. It is amazing. I am so blessed! I don't think I will
> ever have the heart or physical strength to leave Mokopo. Sorry mom
> and dad, you may be coming to Korea to rip me from the Mokopo area;)
> But I love it. I love this mission and I am seeing god just take over
> and feel I am his tool. It is a miracle. I wish I could explain all
> the miracles but I have to go.

 Love you to
> the moon and back!!!!!
>
> Love collie Ann:)
>
>
> p.s.. I am so glad to hear everything is going well with the family.
> Tell Kenna I love her and Trevor and that they are in my prayers. I hope
> everything goes well with his dad. I will pray. Love you
>

......give it all to God and let him make me strong

Oh my goodenss....OH MY GOODNESS!!! So I'm a little bit freaking out and I had a good cry.... today we had transfer calls.... I thougth for sure I would be staying in Jeonju.... but I am transfering and not just that... I am going to be training again and opening a new area for sisters... it is called Mokopo.  It is the most peautiful part of our mission and the members are great and the work is good but Im just a little nervous. I am thankful I can leave Jeonju in hands that I trust. aka, my companion but I am just going to miss it so much. I have FALLEN IN LOVE with my members and investigators and I dont want to leave, but God be willing. I've done what I could here and now I am getting transferes. AGH. I cant believe it. So nervous. Please pray for me.

 

Mom, the pictures from lake powell looked so great. Cooper e-mailed me and only said a little..."So our families together in Powell.... Jealous....". ha ha. So funny. Of course I am jealous but I can go to poewll with everyone later, right now I have a great work to do and I LOVE IT!!!!!!

 

 This week was a sad one when our loved, golden investiagtor, sister Song droped us becasue she said we were giving her to much pressure.... we asked her to come to church in a text.... not sure how to be less pushey.... ha ha. But I was broken hearted. She was so prepared and so ready to hear this message and to get baptized....... God bless her. She will be ready and will accept one day.

 

This week my companion was REALLY sick so we had to stay inside a lot. Our stats were HORRIBLE..... as soon as I gave our stats to our DL he hurried and said "Sister Ensign don't beat your self up..". hah a. He knows me so well.... haha. But I prayed hard and the time that we were outside, we worked hard. I was thankful for that peace. I really hope my companion can figure out what is wrong.... God bless her. Yes I will miss my companion so much but I am excited to not have to go home so much and to be able to get out and WORK! That will be great.

 

This week at church was a tender mercy. A Member's family was visiting from America and they asked me to translate at first when they asked I thought... umm I can barley understand one sentence at church.......... but when I translated I realized I understand a lot more than I thought. God is helping his missionary:)

 

This week was really good when we met our investigator Sister Kim. She is a Grandma (the one who picked up that huge bug and made it her pet) and her daughter died and left Sister Kim with her grandson.... we dont know where the dad is.... But the Grandma told us at the end of the lesson (I hope this is the truth because I wont live forever and I need my grandson to find a church family to help him in this life. Her Grandson also has disibilities. She was so worrried for him. We felt peace and told her that all she needs to do is ask God if this is the church, if this is the truth. Just ask and he will tell. I am so thankful for the knowledge I have that I have a family, a church family and a heavenly family. nothing to worry about:) I am surrounded by love!!!!!

 

So mom, you asked why I have been signing my name as Sister Cole Ensign. Well,  I do actually have a reason.. But I read this talk "The 4th missionary" that Dee sent me and I am trying to make my life one. Give ALL my life to Christ. I am Sister Nicolle Ann Ensign.  I am a better person because of the name tag and calling I have and I am just trying to change all aspects of my life. I am a servent of Christ and I'm still the goof ball who can't speak a clear sentence and trips over... um... well everything. I don't want to be the same person when I go home. I want to be better. Even if I am still tripping and falling over everything, other parts of me God is chaning for the better. That is why I sign my name, Sister Cole Ensign. I don't know if that makes sense.   Cause I'm still your Collie but I'm a better version:) so to speak. ha ha. At least I hope I am better than I was. I think I am. God has worked too hard to change me for the better to go back to who I was before my mission. I want to be the same person I am here on the mission as when I get home. I will never go back:) I don't want to:) I love being a missioanry. I love the change I am becoming. I also love the change I get to see in others. I am scared for this challange but I dont think any of the other missionaries in the Book of Mormon were without fear. I think we have these weaknesses we are afarid will get in the way and that is why we are nervous, but I'm going to do exactly what Alma, Ammon, Helaman, Nephi, Samuel and all the other missionaries did, give it all to God and let him make me strong.

 

While my comp was sick, I watched the "District"Dvd's and I learned something ipmportant. One of the missionaries said "There will come a time when you have nothing, no one but God". Though I have not fully been alone I have had moments on my mission when I knew no one but god could help me. And he was there for me. He always has been,  and he always will be.

 

 I love you mom. Tell the family I say hi and that I love them too!!!!!!!!!! Love you to the moon and back!!!!!!

 

Sister Cole Ensign

So for the first time on my mission I had to defend my message and my purpose, and in all, defend Christs name of whom I wear on my chest........

So my thoughts this week are about my Savior Jesus Christ. I had two touching experiences thinking about my savior. First experience; So little do you know, but I kind of beat my self up when my progress regarding stats is low because of others agency. I get frustrated and I think of how I can do better to help them. I sometimes think that if I  worked harder ,  my investigators would progress/ feel the spirit more. Well I was sweetly reminded by my Disrict leader that  I can only do so much. My district leader and zone leader know how mcuh I beat myself up and so this week at district meeting we talked about the atonment and how we can use the atonment to help us feel peace regarding our stats. So when our stats are low, we rely on the saviors atonment to help us either do better or to help us have peace in knowing we did our best.... aka the district trainging was just for me.  ha ha. Well the reason I liked this is because the District leader shared something from the book "Jesus the Christ" and it struck me. So when my companion has been sick, I read that book..... umm okay.... change my life!!!!!!!!! Reading the Bible and then reading JTC changed my heart for the better. I studied Christs Atonment. The whole atonement and.... I cant even begin to tell you how much I love my savior. I love him. I still can't fathom what he did for me and I am eternall greatful. I really studied his trial and I really studied Pilate. I wanted to try to understand what he was feeling. In JTC it reads "Think of the awful fact- Pilate, a heathen, a pagan, who knew not God, pleading with the Priests and people of Israel for the life of their Lord and King! Pilate pronounced the fatal sentence ' take ye him and crucity him' but he then added with bitter emphasis 'I find no fault in him'. " I love JTC. As I read this I was overwhelmed at how un fair christs trial was. All of it was ilegal. All of it. Pilate knew not God, yet he senced something in the man he sentenced to death. Christ touches the hearts of ALL who are willing. WILLING. We must be willing. I am noticing as a missionary that those who are prepared are those who are willing to do what the savior would have them do. Even if they don't know the Savior yet. If their hearts are soft, they are ready. There are too many hard hearts in this world today. In some ways, I used to be one of them. Sin drags us down but it's a hard heart that keeps us down. Sin can be forgiven, but it's the changing of the heart that is the real change. The heart has to want it. And to want it means it is soft. I love softening hearts on mymission and I love teaching soft hearts. Before my mission I said I wanted to come out here and "break some hearts". Thats exactly what I am still doing. I am teaching about my savior and I am helping others have a broken heart,  and I couldn't be happier. I love this work! Really love it.

 

The second experience was with our investigators.... they said to me plainly "we hate it when you teach bible lessons and we only want you to teach english" My companion told me later that becasue our investigator is an "Elderly, " that my companion, because of culture, would not have been able to refuse her request. Well good thing I'm not Korean.;) So after she told me her request,  I thought of Elder Holland.... BLUNT and firm. I said "I am so thank ful I can help you learn english but I'm here to tell you english is not important (I'm telling this to a woman whose job and LIFE is learning English.... ) I said I am not here to teach english. She stopped me and said "well english is important to me". I said "I am glad you love to learn english. You are a very smart woman but I have a question. Do you think when you meet God he will only speak to you in English or he will care how much english you know?. I'm here to tell you that  when you meet God, English is going to be the last thing you think about." I told her I loved her and wanted to help her so that when she meets God, she will be happy. She then told me how I am too strict. ha ha. I then said..."Well actually sister Ensign is not strict. Iam very relaxed. But I am not Sister Ensign right now. I am Jesus Christs  disciple and Sister, Christ does not care that I teach you english. He cares that I am loyal to him and I teach his message and I teach about him." So then my investigator, realizing that I would not budge turned to my compainon and said, "who gets to make the decision/ who is Senior?". My compaion pointed to me proudly.  After the lesson my comp said "I have never been more proud to call you my companion".  So for the first time on my mission I had to defend my message and my purpose, and in all, defend Christs name of whom I wear on my chest. I was proud to stick up for it and to not waver. I was thankful I could proudly pronounce that my message is the most important of any thing anyone could ever want. And it is. I know it is. My investigator now realizes my purpose . God bless her.

 

I love being a missionary. I love the man whose name I wear. I love him and I am so thankful to serve him faithfully and firmly these next 9 months. I love my mission. I love the people I teach. I love breaking hearts.

 

Well mom, I love you to the moon and back. Thank youfor the love, prayers and the constant e-mails. Love youto the moon and back.

 

Sister Cole Ensign