changes in this beautiful Christmas season!

Dear Family,
William's baptism went really well. (I'll send pics next week) There was a sweet spirit there as he made this covenant with his Heavenly Father. I feel privileged to have been able to help him make the final preparations for his baptism this last week.
We have also been helping Angela with her move a lot. She has very little but her apartment will be a home yet :). We met her grandmother Azucena with whom she is now living. She has some experience with the church already--her sister is a member!. We're excited to start teaching them both!
Transfers are this week. My companion is being transferred up to Kitchener and I will be staying here with Hna. Varley. I've been hoping for the opportunity to work with her more closely after going on an exchange with her a couple of months ago. But I will certainly miss Hna. Ence. It has been wonderful to work with her again the last 6 weeks and I have learned so much from her...again :). She has helped me a lot this last transfer. We have learned a lot about humility and patience and faith, and diligence. Just to keep going when it gets tough and we're not teaching as much as we'd like. (sorry if this doesn't make a lot of grammatical sense, my thoughts are all over the place right now, though nothing like Hna. Ence.)
And with the change, God is so good! On our way to do a little shopping today we ran into one of our investigators with whom we haven't talked all week: Adriana! We didn't know how Hna. Ence would be able to say goodbye. Adriana will be going back to Mexico very soon. We hope to help her continue to progress and to find the missionaries down there. I love her so much and will miss her.
We also met two new investigators who have some promise. One of them is a scientist so it was a very interesting lesson :) He was a little blown away when we taught him that God has a body and that heaven is a place. He's excited to learn more :)
Here's to another wonderful, jolly week in this beautiful Christmas season!
Love,
Hna. Cottam

CHRISTmas

Dear family,
We found someone new to teach! His name is Gelbert, and we found him by calling old street contacts. He is really interested and wants to change his life for the better. He is having to overcome many addictions at this point in his life and wants some extra strength. He accepted to be baptized on Jan 6th :)
Adriana is not doing as well. She had an appointment with immigration and they are sending her back to Mexico. She did come to the primary party but missed church yesterday. She is really stressed and has asked us not to come by this week. We were able to organize so that she could get a blessing of comfort and counsel and she appreciated that. So we will be praying for her very hard.
Angelo had a change of heart. He wants to be baptized now. So we set a date for Jan 6th as well. The Lord works in mysterious ways and he has with Angelo. :)
We've met several in-active and less-active members this week (we are hoping to find investigators through them). So we have started to work with Bro. Ortez and Bro. Espinoza. Each have their challenges, but both seem to have the potential to make it back. Bro. Espinoza has many friends and family we can work with, so it will be good.
Two of the investigators from the Elders are moving into our area so we're excited to work with them. William has a baptismal date for this Sunday. Angela also is very receptive and prepared. We will be helping her move tonight.
I love that Christmas is on the air. It's a wonderful time of year (and a great conversation starter :)) And I know that as we put our trust ever more fully in the Lord, His purposes will be fulfilled. So often this work is hard, but it's like the currant bush and the gardener. Sometimes He cuts us down so we can grow and bear fruit, eternal fruit. I love you all. I love this work. I love the Lord. I will do His will.
Love,
Hna. Cottam

CHRISTmas (continued)

“[President Brown] told of purchasing a rundown farm in Canada many years ago. As he went about cleaning up and repairing his property, he came across a currant bush that had grown over six feet (1.8 m) high and was yielding no berries, so he pruned it back drastically, leaving only small stumps. Then he saw a drop like a tear on the top of each of these little stumps, as if the currant bush were crying, and he thought he heard it say:
“How could you do this to me? I was making such wonderful growth. … And now you have cut me down. Every plant in the garden will look down on me. … How could you do this to me? I thought you were the gardener here.”
President Brown replied, “Look, little currant bush, I am the gardener here, and I know what I want you to be. I didn’t intend you to be a fruit tree or a shade tree. I want you to be a currant bush, and someday, little currant bush, when you are laden with fruit, you are going to say, ‘Thank you, Mr. Gardener, for loving me enough to cut me down.’”
Years later, President Brown was a field officer in the Canadian Army serving in England. When a superior officer became a battle casualty, President Brown was in line to be promoted to general, and he was summoned to London. But even though he was fully qualified for the promotion, it was denied him because he was a Mormon. The commanding general said in essence, “You deserve the appointment, but I cannot give it to you.” What President Brown had spent 10 years hoping, praying, and preparing for slipped through his fingers in that moment because of blatant discrimination. Continuing his story, President Brown remembered: “I got on the train and started back … with a broken heart, with bitterness in my soul. … When I got to my tent, …I threw my cap on the cot. I clenched my fists, and I shook them at heaven. I said, ‘How could you do this to me, God? I have done everything I could do to measure up. There is nothing that I could have done—that I should have done—that I haven’t done. How could you do this to me?’ I was as bitter as gall. “And then I heard a voice, and I recognized the tone of this voice. It was my own voice, and the voice said, ‘I am the gardener here. I know what I want you to do.’ The bitterness went out of my soul, and I fell on my knees by the cot to ask forgiveness for my ungratefulness. … And now, almost 50 years later, I look up to [God] and say, ‘Thank you, Mr. Gardener, for cutting me down, for loving me enough to hurt me.’”God knew what Hugh B. Brown was to become and what was needed for that to happen, and He redirected his course to prepare him for the holy apostleship.”
I love this story! It is so true and applicable to my life many times.
Hna. Cottam

Let it snow :)

Dear family,
We're finally seeing signs of snow. We've been getting a couple flurries here and there, but not much.
Well, it's been a trying week and a week of introspection to find out where we need to improve. We are racking our brains for ways to find new investigators (while starting the live Christmas card project), but amidst the trials there is also light.
We dropped Angelo. He's not showing the fruits of progression, so it's about time we put our focus on others.
But Adriana came to church! She said that when she misses she can feel the difference. And she's planning on coming to the upcoming ward activities and to keep coming to church each week. We got to sit down with her and her boyfriend again this week. We taught them the plan of salvation. Ricardo has an uncle who is on his way out of this life so it was good for him. We invited him to baptism. He said not now, but maybe in the future. We are praying for them. The law of chastity is Adriana's only wall right now. We pray that she might have the strength to make the necessary steps to keep it.
Diego hasn't been answering any of our calls. We hope that all is alright with him.
We taught a couple of potential investigators this week, one being Martin. He gave us our referral present lesson this week by inviting his roommate to sit in. It was a good lesson, but we haven't been able to set up a return appointment.
I think the biggest thing we've been realizing this week is our need to build our faith and to work together and trust in the Lord, to give it all to Him. There are some potential leads looking our way. A couple of investigators from the elders who will be moving into our area, a couple of referrals. As we put our faith in Him and not our selves, we will see miracles. I know it. And I know that this is not our work, but the Lord's.
Love,
Hna. Cottam

It's the Christmas Season! mormon.org/christmas :) (from November 19. 2012)

Dear family,
We've had a good building week. A bit of super happy news is that two of our recent converts went to the temple to do baptisms on Saturday!!!! They both loved it :) One of them, Fernando, also blessed the sacrament for the first time on Sunday :) He's progressing really well. We also got in contact with a couple of our recent converts (there's a lot :)) who we've been trying to meet with for a couple of weeks, so that was awesome.
Unfortunately, neither of our progressing investigators made it to church. Otherwise they are doing well. Diego stopped drinking coffee this week! and has felt better physically. We were able to sit down with Adriana AND her boyfriend! He asked us what we thought about them not being married, since Adriana had told him that she couldn't get baptized until they were married. He doesn't have much desire to get married right now, but it's a step that he asked and we were able to clear up that Adam and Eve were married. And she has been keeping the word of wisdom since she heard it. We are praying hard for her.
We have started to teach a referral from Fernando--Carlos. He's one of Fernando's best friends. We're excited to teach him. His biggest challenge will just be getting up the desire to act. As we taught about how we have a prophet today he said he wanted to look him up, so there's promise! and he is willing to read and pray.
We also have a couple of Christmas finding ideas that we are excited to try out. One is a new sub-page of Mormon.org which will be running from now to Dec. 26th. The other is a Living Christmas Card where we will sing some hymns and recite a few scriptures and give the person a christmas card written by their member friend. I can't wait to try it! It's Christmas caroling to the max! :)
We've got a lot of good things going and as we reach higher and trust deeper and talk to everyone we'll find those in our area who are ready. We're especially hoping to find more families. :)
I love you all so much! And I'm so grateful for my family--you all :)
Love,
Hna. Cottam

miracles happen!

Dear family,

There were some wonderful miracles this week. The two main ones are that Adriana and Diego both came to church!!! When we went to Adriana's to o with her to church she told us she didn't want to come because she had so many other things to do. We were both disheartened as we heard her out. She invited us in for a moment and as we were talking she asked when church ended then started to get her kids ready and came. :) Oh, my heart soared because it's such an important step for her as she strives to make changes in her life. She thanked us as we left and she enjoyed the meetings. Her biggest challenge will be the law of chastity. We had another lesson about it this last week and she hopes to get married to her boyfriend, but separation is an option. She's done it before. So we have high hopes for her. Her date is still the 2nd of December.

Diego hadn't been answering his phone all morning before church so it was also a miracle to see him when we arrived and he highly enjoyed the meetings. I think it helped a lot that our last lesson with him was in the church. We had shown him around and explained the meetings so he had a better idea of what to expect. He likes what he has read of the Book of Mormon and is praying for his date on the 25th of this month.

We had yet another miracle at church. The non-member daughter of a member came to church! Her name is Laura and we've taught her a little here and there as we have helped to activate her mother. So that's an excited step for her and she said she felt good.

We're excited for Fernando the recent convert. There's a temple trip this weekend and he is planning on going to do baptisms. He also had his first experience with FHE yesterday and loved it. He continues to grow in his testimony.

I loved what Sis. Cottam wrote last week about how sometimes we teach and teach and teach but we have to do more. We must create an environment where the Spirit can witness to the person of the truth. The teacher is the Spirit. Something she is working on is depending in the Spirit, and her e-mail touched me so much because I too have been striving to learn that lately. It is critical in this work that we let the Spirit guide us and that we don't just flap the jaws. I am striving to allow the spirit to guide my words in every teaching/finding situation, and I'm struggling with it, but I know as I trust Him and allow Him to help me, I'll be able to do it and learn one of the skills I want most in this life: that of hearkening to the Holy Spirit.

Thanks for the e-mails!

I love you all so much

Love, Hna. Cottam

week 1 in the new area

Dear family,

Hey! first week in Christie! It's been a big adjustment for me with all the new people and new area but it's been great. There are a lot of good things happening here.

For example: we had a baptism! It was a grandmother and her grandson. Three of her children are active members in the church. The grandson had a fear of water so that's why he waited a year to get baptized, but as Hna. Ence and her previous companion came to teach him they found his grandmother. She's been going to the church with her family for many years now but now was finally the time for her to make that step. She let go of her stubborness and knew it was true. It was wonderful to see the fruit of that work.

We have lots of investigators we are currently working with. Some more promising than others, and there are a lot of recent converts to take care of so we are busy every day teaching and finding to keep our teaching pool full.

A little about the area: It a ward of mostly spanish with some portugese members. We are located in downtown Toronto. There are four--yes four--sets of missionaries in this ward! 3 Spanish and one Portugese. We share the building with an English ward.

I'm excited to work here in Christie with Hna. Ence. We may have started out together but we've had two pretty different experiences and I'm excited to learn from her. I think one of the biggest things I'll learn this transfer is faith. Faith that we can and WILL reach our goals. Faith to reach higher than what's been done in the past. Faith to endure to the end and let this mission completely change me. As I have met all these new people I have been working hard to open myself up to them so that I can help them. It's a work in progress, but I'm starting to learn names and faces and getting to know the people here. It's been good. And every once in a while I see someone from Black Creek :) which fills my heart with joy. One family came to the baptism and there's a family that moved from Black Creek to here several months ago that I'll be seeing all the time.  

I love this quote from my mission president today: "“In life we will never achieve 100%, when 90 % is OK". To succeed and find joy in missionary work we have to place everything on the altar. We have to decide that 90% is NOT OK. Would you consider your car reliable if it started only 90% of the time? Would you consider your electricity reliable if the lights in your apartment came on only 90% of the time?  We must align our will with the Father in every aspect of the work. We will be blessed as we discover for ourselves that 90% effort, or 90% obedience, or 90% commitment will not bring us the blessings that we otherwise deserve."

It's so true. This transfer 90% will not be okay. I'm excited. We're excited. and we're working hard.

(and sorry if this sounds kind of all over the place. so are my thoughts with all that's gone on!)

Love you all!

Hna. Cottam

storm is here...and a transfer notice

Dearest family,
The storm that has been hitting the east coast just reached us. Looks like we'll have about 3 inches of rain today and tomorrow. The mission has told us that they'll contact all of our families on Wednesday to let you know how we got through it.
Apart from the wind and rain (which we've been having the last couple of days as well), I have bitter sweet news. I'm being transferred. It's been a wonderful year in Black Creek. I'm going to miss every one in the ward so much! I love them so much. And I'm going to miss our investigators, Christian in particular.
I've been feeling the last week and before that that my time in Black Creek was short and I think I knew that Hna Sundblom and Camejo would be companions ever since about half way through last transfer. They are perfect for each other. Hna. Sundblom says that Hna. Camejo reminds her of her best friend. They'll be amazing! :)
As for me I'll be going to Christie with Hna. Ence (yup the same one Hna. Camejo and I trained!). It's even closer to downtown, just east of here.
We met three new investigators this week!!! One is a member referral ( I love those :) a family of four. the other is a contact from the Christie hermanas.
This week we haven't been able to meet with Chris. Last time we saw him (we stopped by Tuesday for a couple minutes) he said he had been able to reduce how much he's smoking but hasn't been able to leave it completely. He is hoping to be done by the end of the month--which is Wednesday. We have an appointment with him tonight, in which we also plan to set a baptismal date with him. He told us that if he could quit smoking he would get baptized. :) There has always been a special feeling about him since we met him so I have never given up hope. The spirit keeps saying, "Keep going! be patient with him. He'll come around." Those reassurances have been a tender mercy of the Lord because it's so frustrating when he doesn't come to church, when he cancels appointment after appointment but the Lord keeps telling me to stick to it. I know because I have felt it deeply that Chris is in the Lord's hands. It will be alright. Keep praying for him, keeping encouraging him, do all you can to help him and give him member support. It will work out on the Lord's timetable. I know it will. I have come to love him so much and what's more is I can feel how much the Lord loves Him and watching out for him.
The Lord never gives up on His children. He is always watching for them even when they turn away and distance themselves. He is always patient with even me who many times turn away from Him. He is always reaching out, waiting for us to come and let Him help us. I am so grateful for Our Heavenly Father and His love and for helping me feel that same love for others. I love the Lord and this work, even though it's hard and way out of my comfort zone. He helps me.
I'm excited to start this new page and I'm so grateful for all the experiences I have had serving here.
I love you all!
Have a great week ;)
Hna. Cottam

wait upon the Lord

Dear family,
I've been thinking a lot about patience today. And my mission president's e-mail helped me see something a little more clearly. I read today D&C 133:45 which talks about how great the blessings are for those who wait on the Lord. But after reading your e-mail I was reminded again that waiting (patience) is not just sitting still letting things happen. Like D&C 123:17 says we must do all within our power to make it happen. God is a 4th watch God. His blessings will come but not until after all that we can do. Blessings are predicated on obedience. And it takes diligence.
This is especially striking to me today because of our investigator Alex who has decided that he doesn't need baptism. We tried to teach him an understanding lesson last night but he still says the same things. We have to have patience. With Christian as well. I want so much for him to just get baptized because I don't know how much longer the Lord will allow me to be in Black Creek. I want so much to see him baptized, but I can't push it just because I want it. The Lord knows MUCH better than me what he needs. And he is making progress little by little. He continues to read and pray. He is working on quitting smoking and is doing well with it. The hard part is getting him to church and helping him have the courage to be baptized. He doesn't want to make a commitment he can't keep. We talked a lot about baptism in our last lesson with him and about how church will help him keep that promise he would make. He is now thinking seriously about it. I have great hopes for him. We have to follow the spirit. It is so essential. That's what made the last lesson work. And I pray, oh I pray, that he will take that step very soon of accepting baptism.
Julio's wife had the baby. She's so cute but takes up a lot of their time (as Jesse and Julie well know :)). We hope to get them to church this next week.
I love you all!
Love,
Hna. Cottam

gettin' colder, and wetter :) (from Monday, October 15, 2012)

Dear family,
We were able to see Christian thursday after not having seen him for almost two weeks. After his health problem he has taken a huge step toward quitting smoking: he's not buying any more cigarettes. He continues to read in the book of mormon and pray but has trouble getting to church. This week we hope to help him quit for good and get him to church and set him with a new date. We have high hopes with him.
Alex had a set back this week. He didn't come to church the week before and hadn't been reading much in the Book of Mormon, nor were we ever able to really sit down with him until Saturday. When we did, he told us he had decided that he didn't need to get baptized again. he believes that the pastor who baptized him had the authority.... He still came to church and is even sharing the book of mormon with friends, but he needs to understand the restoration so that's where we will be concentrating our efforts and helping him continue to read and get to church. The feeling I have had is to keep working with him. The spirit is still working with him and we shouldn't cease our preparations for him. This has been a test of my faith but I know as we trust in the Lord, He'll help us know how to meet his needs and His will will be done. The blessings that he can receive when he gets baptized are worth the effort! There is so much waiting for him if he will just take that step.
We found a couple of new investigators this week, though neither of the two accepted baptism, but they did accept to read and pray. we have appointments set up this next week with both of them. Carmen and Julio did not come to church because his wife, her daughter, is expecting to give birth any day now, but Julio is reading. We stopped by last night and recommitted him to continue to read and pray about it. And we just realized that he and his wife are in our area book already :) funny how the Lord works.
I love you all!
Have a great week,
Hna. Cottam

Do you love me?

Dearest family,

Oh, it was a wonderful conference weekend!

My favorite talks were Elder Holland's, Pres. Monson's and Elder Bednar's. Especially Elder Holland. It is so true that if we love the Lord, really love Him, we will turn to our fellowmen and serve them as He wills. And I loved how Pres. Monson talked about something so simple yet so important: hearkening to the whisperings of the spirit. It is so critical in this work. And Elder Bednar talking about testimony and conversion. It's something I've been wondering about lately so I was excited to hear about it :)

Chris has been set back in his date due to health problems, but Alex is continuing to progress. He was unable to come to conference because of work but we have an appointment on wednesday and he continues to read and pray. We also found two new investigators who accepted to be baptized in our very own building on Sunday night! (well, Hna. Sundblom and Hna. Camejo did :) We had a wonderful exchange sunday night and monday. Hna. Camejo went with Hna. Sundblom in our area and I went with Hna. Varley in their area (my old area down south ;). It went really well and we had a wonderful Thanksgiving (ya, if you didn't know, it was Thanksgiving yesterday :). We visited two of their investigators and a member family. That member family has been one of my favorites as I have served in Black Creek--the Lopez family. I was so grateful to be able to spend a part of Thanksgiving with them. I love them so much. They are so strong in the gospel and radiate the spirit. They've been members for about 3-4 years but they have embraced it and are such wonderful examples of faith. My heart was full of joy to be with them one more time to share a meal with them--spiritually as well as physically. Oh, I love them.

As I listened to Elder Holland I imagined the Lord asking me, "Hna. Cottam, do you love me? Feed My sheep." I love the Lord and am learning to love His sheep, every last one of them. I am so grateful for this opportunity to serve a mission and am so excited for all those who will get to serve sooner! I have grown to love this eternal work and love being a missionary, even though it's really hard. I love it. And I will ever be changed by it. I loved Elder Holland's comments on not going back to our nets. The apostles had experienced 3 years in the service of the Lord, and thought to go back to their former lives. Christ called them back and helped them realize that His work was not finished and never would be until the very end of everything. It will be so with my mission. I've wondered a time or two what it will be like when I get back. One thing I know is that I will be forever changed by my mission. I won't go back to what I used to be, though I will go back to where I used to be. I will work harder than ever before and I will strive harder than I ever have in my callings in my schooling that I might continue to be an instrument in His hands and be the teacher He wants me to be. I will go where He wants me to go, say what He wants me to say, be what He wants me to be. I will never look back or relax or be satisfied with the norm. I am His and ever will be.

I love you all so much.

love,

Hna. Cottam

two in white? :)

Dearest family,

Alex is doing so well! He's been reading and praying everyday and came to church again yesterday. When we met with him last night he said he knew it was true and he wants to get baptized! His struggle was just feeling like he wasn't playing with God by getting baptized again. He feels now that God did recognize his last baptism but that this is something he needs to do to really seal it. :) We are so happy for him! He has been searching for a church since he came to Canada a few months ago and was praying for it. He's had various opportunities to allow the missionaries to teach him--even let them teach him a few times--but always said no. The Bible is the Bible and that's it! With this move he has really been searching God's will and now the gospel is filling the little bit that was missing in his life. It's wonderful to behold. He will definetly get baptized this month! It is a testimony to me in how the Lord is preparing these people and that no effort is wasted. Those other missionaries probably thought he may never accept the gospel, but now he is, and I am so grateful to be a part of it. The Lord works amazing things in the lives of His children.

Chris is also doing really well. We will be starting him on the 15-steps to stop smoking this week. He came to church!!! He was late but he was there! Our hearts leaped for joy when he came in. The bishop gave an amazing lesson in priesthood/relief society on the Book of Mormon that they both loved based on Elder Callister's talk. Chris told us after that he was going to go home and read that book and ask if it was true. He really wants to know now, because it's either true or it isn't. I know that he too will be baptized this month. :)

I love this work and everything to do with it. The hard times as well as the good. And I am so grateful to be a part of it. The Lord has blessed us for our diligence and as we continue, He will continue to put us in the path of more prepared people who are now ready to make that covenant of baptism. We must always make of ourselves worthy tools in the hands of the Lord that He might bring about His marvelous works.

I loved the relief society session on Saturday! Mom, Sis. Stephens's talk brought so many memories to me too! And I hope that I can always be prepared, that I will always have the strength to help those behind me. The story in Elder Eyring's talk of the visiting teaching companion who was there when his daughter needed it also touched me in a similar way. That preparedness comes by continually obeying the whisperings of the spirit and doing the things neccessary to always invite him into our lives: scripture study, prayer, attending our meetings, serving in our callings, fulfilling our duty, keeping our covenants and the commandments... I pray that I can always be that sister.

Love you all!

Have a wonderful week!

Hna. Cottam

P.S. Happy Canadian Thanksgiving next monday! :)

feeding the fire

Dear family,

Thought I'd share what my mission president said in his weekly update:

"Elder Shane M. Bowen taught about “Agency and Accountability” in an article he wrote for the Sept 2012 New Era. In the article he tells a story of a wise old 10449_000_005Cherokee teaching his grandson about life.

“A fight is going on inside me,” the grandfather said to the boy.

“It is a terrible fight, and it is between two wolves. One is evil: he is anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego.”

He continued, “The other is good: he is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith. The same fight is going on inside you—and inside every other person too.”

The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather, “Which wolf will win?” The old Cherokee simply replied, “The one you feed.”

"The same council is true for us. We become what we think and talk about. We reap what we sow.  We get what we go for. This age old advice is still true and always will be. Let us always be wise about the wolf we decide to feed."
It is so true. And it goes right along with what Sister Cottam said about obedience in her e-mail. If we seek the good things, good things will come. If we seek blessings, we must be obedient, then they will come. If we want to baptize, then we must walk, talk, think, sleep and eat baptism. If we want to help people come unto Christ, we must find Him ourselves.
The Lord put us through a trying time the last transfer. He taught us where to focus, to have patience, and to work smart as well as hard. This week we have seen miracles happen as we have started to work with the two new hermanas in the ward and as we have focused our efforts.
Having Hna. Camejo and her companion Hna. Varley (who had just been serving in the English ward in our district) was the jump start we needed! They stayed with us for two nights until the mission found them an apartment. It was super fun :) They have brought a new energy to the work and we found a new investigator with their help who is golden. Officially we now have the northern part of the area and they have the southern.
The investigator is Alex Jose and he just started living with a member family. He is reading and praying and came to church and the baptism of one of the primary children yesterday. He's on fire and we are so excited to work with him! He has a date for next month.
I hope you all have a wonderful week! I love you all so much!
Yours,
Hna. Cottam

just a little change (Monday, September 17, 2012)

Dear family,

Transfers have passed and we are excited to stay in Black Creek for another transfer. It sounds like we are adding two more Hermanas to the ward though! We haven't heard anything official yet (which is really annoying) but we believe we will be taking the southern part. What we do know is that one of those new hermanas is Hna. Camejo :). It should be an interesting transfer. :)

This morning I was reading in Jacob 5:70-74. I love especially verses 72 and 74 when it says that the Lord labored with them, that the servants obeyed all of His commands, and that as they labored diligently, they gathered the good fruit. This is a wonderful pattern for us to follow. We can be reassured that the Lord is working with us to gather these souls. We're not doing this alone. But we must also follow ALL of His commands--from Preach My Gospel, the missionary handbook, and counsel from our leaders. Then, as we serve and labor diligently, we will see the fruit of that labor and gather many souls unto Him.

I also read another scripture in Alma in passing that says that the Lamanites who believed in Alma's words and WERE CONVERTED TO THE LORD never did fall away. so that is another thing we must always keep in mind, is helping our investigators become "converted to the Lord." It's one thing for them to believe, it is another for them to be converted.

I feel like Ernesto is one of those who has been converted. He comes faithfully and just loves the gospel, every bit, while others of our recent converts are not as strong and not as active.

Anyway, we had one investigator at church! His name is Adonay and we met him through ESL. Christian still has a date and is starting to work to quit smoking. The sad thing is that we will probably be handing them both over to the other hermanas, but it is all for a purpose :)

Have a great week!

Hna. Cottam

fall's a comin'!

Dearest family,

This week has been another tough one, but we had a good discussion as a companionship about how to help the people we have met progress. We are excited to see things start to happen in our area. As our district leader put it, the Lord's been filling the pipe line so now they'll progress and get baptized! We have great faith that this can happen and will as long as we are diligent. It reminds me of how one of the speakers at stake conference yesterday talked about the difference one degree makes--it's the difference between very hot water and the incredible force of steam formed by boiling water. All it takes is one degree! As we depend on the Lord, miracles will happen!

We had two notable things happen this week: We have an investigator with a baptismal date! It was a miracle. He is a member referral named Christian. He has been well-prepared by his member friend. He accepted to read, pray, come to church and be baptized. We used the calender and we will be setting goals to help him quit smoking this next lesson. We will be doing our best to keep in touch with him so that he can progress to the 30th of September.

Another awesome thing that happened this week is that Ernesto the recent convert was able to go to stake conference. He had to work Sunday morning so  a member offered to take him to the adult session Saturday night. The member said he loved it and was very happy. He is progressing in the gospel so well! We working to get him to the temple to do baptisms for the dead at the end of this month

Have a great week!

Love,

Hna. Cottam

rain can't get us down :)

Dearest Family,

Thanks for all the birthday wishes and Mom and Dad for the package. I love the CTR pen :). Oh, and when elections get close don't forget my absentee ballot!

Today's been pouring rain off and on. But it's not gonna get us down!

Our greatest challenge right now is helping people progress. As we watched some of the videos that are part of our training yesterday we were able to see some areas where we can improve. The main one was to focus our lessons again on commitments--on what the person is to do. I think we have been getting caught up in the message we are sharing and not enough in what they should do as a result of that message. We also want to pray more during lessons and write out more specified lesson plans, as guided by the spirit. And we have already seen the fruit of it.

Last night we taught Geronimo. As our thoughts and focus were on the things he needed to do and as we prayed for the spirit throughout the lesson, we were able to testify with power and the spirit was strong. Even though he only accepted part of the commitment (to read and pray but not baptism), we invited and it turned out to be one of our best lessons yet. I am excited to continue to go in this direction, to put more effectively into practice the six steps for raising the bar given to us by our mission president, and to see God's children progress to baptism. There are people here who are ready, but we must invite them to do something before they can do it!

I am grateful for the Lord and the patience He has given us, for all the people he has put in our path. Sometimes I wonder why He trusts us so much, but I know He qualifies those whom He calls. In Him I can do all things, but I must do my part for it says that there are many called but few are chosen. I know as I put my trust in Him and listen, He will guide us and teach us how to do His work in His way according to His will.

Yours,

Hna. Cottam

looking up

Dear family,

It's been a bit of a tough week for us. We have lost contact with Galo, our one progressing investigator and we've been having trouble finding new people to teach. We had a good long brainstorming session during companion study and have some goals and plans to help us focus more on the spirit and on working with the members.

This next week is looking up already. We have a member referral we hope to teach and we have two appoinments tonight with part-member families. As we put our trust wholy in the Lord and seek His spirit, His work will move forward.

I love you all!

Yours,

Hna. Cottam

Learning and Loving

Dear family,

It's been a good but in some ways hard week. We lost our progressing investigator Juan Carlos. We found out he actually lives in the neighboring Spanish ward so he will be going there. But it was such a wonderful week with him. We loved him so much and I will miss working with him. Hopefully I will soon see on our President's weekly e-mail that he was baptized over there :). But we did gain a new progressing investigator who was attending that other ward (so I guess we did a trade off :) ). His name is Galo. He is doing well. We've taught him twice and he came to church yesterday! He has a strong desire to find out more about the church since his sister joined 15 years ago. He's been a devote Catholic but wants to find out if all we say is true. His date is the 2nd of September.

It's been a pleasure to work with Hna. Sundblom! I feel so many times like she came "pre-trained". Right now we're focusing on our finding methods and how to change so that we can get more progressing investigators. There have got to be so many who are ready we just have to find them! With faith and the humility to listen to the Spirit, we will :) 

 I hope you enjoy the pics! in order: Sunrise in Toronto, The View from our Balcony, First Day with Hna. Sundblom, Lola's Baptism (July 15th)

Have a great week!
Love,
Hna. Cottam





a week of changes (from August 13, 2012)

Dear family,

The blessings we have seen this week have been incredible as we have striven to trust in the spirit to find the people who are ready.

I think I already told you about the family we met on Wednesday. Mario and Monica. unfortunately they are busy right now looking for an apartment so they haven't been able to meet with us nor were they able to come to church.

But Thursday night we received a member referral who is golden! His name is Juan Carlos. He has a big problem with smoking and drinking but really wants to change his life and accepted a baptismal date like that! (Sept 2) The member who referred him is heavily involved and is such a wonderful support to him. The member lives in the neighboring ward but has been seeing to it that his friend is meeting all sorts of members from Black Creek and is in almost every lesson with us. And Juan Carlos is doing so well. Right now we're focusing on helping him stop the drinking first because it leads him to smoke. Yesterday he told us about how he passed a friend who offered him a beer but as soon as he saw it he told him he had to go. he said no! probably for one of the first times. And he came to church and loved it. He is doing so well. :) He has a lot to overcome but he is going to do it!

Another miracle happened the other day when I left my wallet/planner on the bus. We called the information line and figured out which bus and where it was and tried to get to it on time, but just missed it. So we headed toward the apartment and I asked another bus driver about it. He figured out where that bus would be and we headed toward the place and caught it! Then right after we found a member who wanted to give us a referral to a less-active member. He didn't have our number and wasn't sure when he would be able to give it to us. God works in mysterious ways!

We also had a less-active member come to English class last Tuesday and he came to church on Sunday :)

Despite the rainy weather the last few days are hopes are high for this coming week and all the people we will find! We already have an appointment with another member referral tonight and we will be seeing a former investigator later this week.

Have a wonderful week! I love you all!

Yours and the Lord's,

Hna. Cottam

a big change (from August 8, 2012)

Dear family,

big changes have happened here. The Dynamic Duo has come to an end. Hna. Camejo was transferred to english work 2 hrs drive from here. It was very sad to leave her after all we've been through together. I love that sister! but good things are ahead.

I am training this transfer! My new companion is Sis. Sundbom from West Valley, UT. She just came from the MTC and has more Spanish than I did! We have been working hard the last day and a half and have seen many fruits!

We taught a golden family today! Some elders gave us their contact info and we set an appointment for today. It's Monica and Mario and their five children all under the age of 8. :) They are a bit of a handful but the lesson went so well! They committed to read and pray and are excited to come to church on Sunday. Mario even prayed at the end! and they have a date for the 26th. We are so excited for them.

Congratulations Jacob and Athena! Welcome to the family! I'm glad it went so well :) (with the car too ;) ) Can't wait for the pictures!

Love you all!

Hna. Cottam

quicky (from July 30, 2012)

Hello all!

a thousand apologies for not being able to e-mail last week!

This will be short. We always seem to run out of time!

We are keeping quite busy. The work is going well. We've seen many miracles. Lola was at church last sunday! and Jose Who we've taught before we found again! We hope he gets baptized very soon.

My favorite scripture from this past week is Mosiah 7:33. OUr thoughts have so much influence in how we do this work.

I love you all so much!

Sincerely,
Hna. Cottam

dripping with the spirit

Dear family,

“None of us should be like the fisherman who thinks he has been fishing all day
when in reality he has spent most of his time getting to and from the water, eating
lunch, and fussing with his equipment. Fishing success is related to how long you
have your line in the water, not to how long you are away from the apartment.
Some fishermen are away from home for twelve hours and have their line in the
water for ten hours. Other fishermen are away from home for twelve hours and
have their line in the water for only two hours. This last type may wonder why
they do not have the same success as others.
“The same principle applies to missionaries, whom the Master called ‘fishers of
men.’ A missionary’s line should drop into the fishing water the moment he or
she leaves the apartment” (Dallin H. Oaks, seminar for new mission presidents,
June 20, 2000).

PMG 152

We've been putting this to practice this week and it's been a week of miracles!!! Lola is amazing. She is the 82-year-old mother of a member in the ward. She is here visiting and getting some medical work done. Wednesday night we got a call from the member telling us she wanted to be baptized and we set up an appointment. Then we saw her everday before sunday. Her only challenge was coffee. She slipped Friday, but then we gave her a picture of Jesus Christ being baptized with a callender with her date on it and in big letters "Don't Drink Coffee!" It did the trick. She wanted so much to be baptized. She looked at the picture and remembered the words and didn't do it! She was ready for this Sunday. It was a beautiful service. Everyone was so emotional and the spirit was so sweet. The joy in the room was palpable! I realized with this experience just how little we do as missionaries. It's not us who prepares these people. Lola had been investigating for 18 years. The LORD has been preparing her all her life. We are but tools in HIS hands.

Another Miracle happened Thursday night. We were at the church waiting for an investigator to come to an appointment and decided to step outside. We saw another Spanish-speaking man and invited him in right there. We invited him to be baptized. We found out he'd been meeting with the missionaries in Virginia before and had gone to church there. He did not accept a Book of Mormon at the time but he came to church! and we have had constant contact with him. We have great faith that he will progress to baptism.

Have a wonderful week!

With love,

Hna. Cottam

new and improved

Dear Family,

Thanks for the pictures! And I got Jacob's wedding invitation. I'm so happy for you and Athena!

There have been some big changes in our area. The Spanish elders who served with us in Black Creek have been removed and we have been given their area as well as ours. We have also moved to their apartment. It's been a bit overwhelming but I am loving this opportunity to work with more of the members and have a change of scenery. 

We are working with two people who are looking at being baptized this month: Celso and Carlos.

Celso is the cousin of a member in the ward and just moved here. We met him when he came with his cousin to church and shared a very brief lesson with him, challenging him to be baptized the 22nd. He accepted! We saw him later in the week and taught him about prayer and the word of wisdom. Coffee is his main challenge. He has drunken it his whole life and he's having a hard time giving it up, so we are working with him on that.

Carlos is someone we met on the street. We invited him to hear of a message and he accepted! The first time we taught him he dominated the conversation--he knows a lot about the Bible and religion. We challenged him the the 15th, he accepted. Later the member who had been in the lesson told us that after the lesson he had expressed to her that it was way to soon. Well, he didn't come to church anyway, so we changed his date to the 29th the next time we saw him. This time he was a lot more toughtful and had done some research on the internet. He has accepted the new date and is doing well.

Love you all!

Hna. Cottam

I'm doing well,

we're really busy.

Love you all!

come unto Jesus

Dear family

Rene got baptized! He was nervous the whole day but afterwards he said he felt really good. He's had wonderful support from the members. I am so happy for him! We also had an old investigator come to church and he stayed for the baptism! Jose from Ecuador. I was so excited to see him. We were teaching him about a month ago until he got injured. Now he is mostly recupperated and after coming to the baptism he feels more ready to be baptized himself. (like within the next week!)

We are also working with two new investigators who are amazing! Leonor and Crystal are mother and daughter. We met them on the bus and they invited us over for dinner. We shared a short message and invited first Crystal, then Leonor to be baptized. Crystal started crying and was super excited. This was an answer to her prayers and she has known that she would be baptized soon :) Her mother, though a devote pentacostal, accepted to be baptized as well because of what she felt in the lesson. The Lord knows when people are ready. These two have had a miriad of missionaries over before when they lived in Montreal, but now is their time. Now they are ready :). They are set to be baptized the 15th of July. We are super excited for them!

Transfers are this week and we are staying another 6 weeks in Black Creek!!! WOOOOOOOT!!! I'm so happy to be able to stay and help these three souls come unto Christ and be baptized these coming weeks. And I'm so grateful to continue to work with Hna. Camejo. We have learned so much from eachother!

Have a wonderful week ya'll!

Sincerely,

Hna. Cottam

P.S. Welcome Jared to the family for me!!!! (good choice of name Jesse and Julie! it was my pick :)

P.P.S. I was able to get a chord for my camera so I'll send some pictures of our baptisms soon if not today! Love you all!

Ernesto's baptism

At a sister's conference over a month ago

 

Rene's baptism! (Jose is the man to the left of Rene, who is the young man with the fohawk) And Ernesto is the older gentleman in the front with me and sister camejo!

the heat is on

Dear family,

The work continues to move forward here in Toronto.

Rene is progressing wonderfully. He is keeping his commitments and is set to be baptized this next week. We're excited for him! Just as Sis. Cottam was saying last week about her investigator, I have felt a similar experience with Rene in that I have never prayed so hard for someone before nor felt the yearning and deep concern for his welfare that I have. He has had to change his life almost 180. It's been amazing to see his faith. He wants so much for this to be true and he's been putting the action in to prove his desire. We have complete faith that he will be baptized this Sunday!

Lately we've been studying a lot about the doctrine of Christ. I am amazed at the atonement. I am amazed at God's patience with me, with all of His children and for the insurmountable gift He offers us--that we can be pure and clean, free of guilt, free of the weight of sin, that we can enter into His presence one day, despite our imperfections, if we but trust in Christ and put His atonement into effect in our lives. I am so grateful for this and am utterly amazed by it. I want the whole world to know it. It's such a priceless gift. I want all to partake of it, of the peace. of the love. That's what this work is all about.

Make it a great week and I can't wait for my new nephew!!!

Love,

Hna. Cottam

Hermana Cottam’s most recent zone conference

(zones 3, 4, and 5)

June is the month of 65!

Dear Family,

One person we're working with is Rene. He is a friend of a member and he is wonderful. He is looking to change his life and the member told him he should contact us. He has a big challenge, but he feels peace as he reads/listens to the Book of Mormon and while at church. His date is this coming Sunday. We know he'll make it!

We found a new family through a referral from the neighboring Spanish ward. They told us about a less active that recently moved into our ward, and her husband is not a member (Olga and Juan). We have started to work with them and they are committed to come to church next week. A family in the ward also invited them over tonight for an FHE. We have set Juan for the 24th. We're super excited.

We had a wonderful zone conference this last week. We learned so much about focusing in on our investigators by focusing on what they need to do, not necissarily on what we need to teach. It's not a checklist but helping them gain faith and repent--to change their lives. We have to step out of the way. It's about them. It's about their salvation.

Have a wonderful week!

Yours,

Hna. Cottam

to build your faith…

Dear family,

We had a wonderful fireside last night. Sis. Padron (stake relief society pres.) and her husband came over and spoke on the Book of Mormon. Our most recent convert, Ernesto, bore his testimony along with two other members. There was a sweet spirit there, and although we ourselves didn't find anyone new through it, Some of the other missionaries did :). This next week we are looking forward to our movie in the park! We got word today that it has been approved by Salt Lake for this Saturday. We have a lot of work to do, but we are supper excited.

Jose we have not been able to contact, but we found 3 new people to teach this week. One is Rene. He's a member refferal (yay!) and is looking good for getting baptized this month :) We also started teaching a man named Hugo. We saw him at the bus stop and brought him with us to church. He stayed the whole 3 hours and we set a date with him! The other is Teresa. She's a cute little cat lady from Ecuador. She's going through some tough times right now, but as we left her with a prayer, she seemed more calm. She will get baptized this month :)

Maria and Ricardo still refuse to come to church, so we may be dropping them this week. It's really sad because Ricardo beleives that Joseph Smith saw God and Jesus Christ, the spirit was so strong as we showed them the video, but he just can't get over his previous experiences with church. He feels that the church is with him as he sits down to read from the Bible and pray.

The Diaz family have not come to church recently, but Sis. Diaz is reading and praying so we haven't given up hope on seeing them baptized in the near future.

I was reading the story of Ester today and realized that it has missionary applications. Ester had to have great faith. She knew the law and that she might lose her life to go before the king uncalled, but she fasted and asked others to join her in her fast, and then went. Even though she faced the possibility of rejection, she had the faith to ask, to go and do. She couldn't stand still. Too much was at stake. It is the same in this work. We must go forth with faith, faith that the Lord will soften their hearts to recieve the message you bring. And many times this faith comes with prayer and fasting. It was a priviledge yesterday to fast for our mission-wide goal for baptisms in June and more specifically for the people who are preparing within our district. It won't be easy and we may be rejected again and again, but I know that as we are obediant and faithful and diligent, we call down the blessing of the Lord. If we are not, we are left with out His help. We must be obediant and have faith. We must seek opportunities to grow and learn and serve and help others, to share God's love with them. There is nothing more important in this world than the Lord's work. I know this is the Lord's work and not mine, and I am grateful for the trust He has put in me. I hope I can live up to it.

Go forth with faith. Doubt not. Fear not. The Lord will be with you.

Sincerely,

Hna. Cottam

it’s hot!

Dear family,

This is going to be a quick one.

We have been doing well as the weather has heated up.

We had a wonderful stake conference (canada-wide) yesterday. Our three recent converts all came and afterward we challenged them to prepare to go to the temple to do baptisms with the youth in July. They all said they would :) We're excited for them.

I hope this finds you all well!

Yours,

Hna. Cottam

Dear family,

We're doing well on our end. Jose came to church and has a date for june 17th. He slipped once on the word of wisdom with the coffee but has recommitted to live it. :)

Raul also came to church for the first time! He was able to come because of the holiday. Everyone had work off. We have a date set for July 1st.

We are working on finding new investigators this week and helping the few we have progress. We want to continue with the list of members we have not yet contacted as well.

We continue on with faith and we will achieve those 65 in June!

Something that touched me recently is Matt. 10:39 which says that he who loses his life for the Lord's sake will find it. Lately I've been having a hard time forgetting myself in this work. But I know that as I strive to do so, to depend on the Spirit and not myself and to put my whole self into the work, then the Lord can make out of me a true missionary and more than I could ever become on my own. I love the Lord and I love this work.

Have a wonderful week

yours,
Hna. Cottam

 

15 MINUTES LATER

I got a little extra time so here's a little more :)

Yesterday was Victoria day. It sounded like the fourth of July with all the fireworks going off :)

As my half-way mark came and went this last week it has given me cause to stop and ponder how I could improve and progress as a missionary. My time here is really so very short and I'm amazed that I'm already half way. I feel like I have so much more to learn.

Well,

have a great week!

Hna Cottam

Dear family,

Transfers are this week...and we're staying in Black Creek for six more weeks! :) We're happy because of what we've got planned with the fireside and the movie in the park.

We didn't get anyone to church this last week. We will make that part of our focus this week since if they don't get to church they can't progress!

Jose is doing well. He was working a job out of town and wasn't able to come back for church, but he's been reading and praying and has quit drinking coffee! He says he's also been praying about his date and is feeling more at peace about it. He is progressing well. The Diaz family didn't come because their son who's on a mission called during the hour of sacrament meeting. The wife has been reading a praying, but the husband not so much. Raul still hasn't been able to get work off on sundays. We're not sure what more to do with him to help him at this point, but there is still hope that he will make it to his june date.

Our recent converts are doing well. Two of them are coming every week and the other comes every other or so.

It was nice to talk to you all on the phone yesterday. Congrats again Jacob! and enjoy your time in Cali!

The weather has really started to warm up here so this morning we decided to take a jog for our morning exercise. It was beautiful. Many times at night we end up running the last stretch home to make it on time and last night Hna. Camejo said something insightful of how we were running to spread the news of the gospel. In the Bible after Christ's resurrection we see two instances where the disciples ran to tell others. At the end of Matthew, the women who had gone to the tomb were told by the angels to go quickly to tell the others that Christ had risen and was coming. They then ran back. Then we read at the end of John that Peter and John hear of the news and run to see the tomb. They arrive and they see the linens folded neatly and they believe. From this we learn that there should be a sense of urgency in the work. Our time is short, and it's getting shorter, but there's so much yet to do. We can't go about doing it with a slow gait; we must run as fast as we have strength. The Lord wants us to be "anxiously engaged" in a good cause (D&C 58:8-9). What better cause then that of declaring the glad tidings of the gospel of Jesus Christ? Start now, and just as you build up stamina as you run each day physically (which is what I am starting to do), you can build it as you do His work.

I love you all!

Yours,

Hna. Cottam

it’s may!

Dearest family,



Our mission is working on a mission-wide goal right now of 65 baptisms in June. We have to find them this month and so far we have a couple of prospects:

Jose we met last week and he came to church. We taught him again last night with a member and he's doing well. He wants to know if it's true and wants to study and find out for himself. We taught him the word of wisdom last night and he is willing to try to give up coffee. We have a date set for the 20th of May :)

Raul is still having trouble getting work off. He was almost able to come and alternate sundays with his friend Ernesto who just got baptized but than his boss said no again. He is leaving it in the Lord's hands now. He has a strong desire to be baptized and feels that what we are teaching is true. We are praying hard for him. We have a tentative date for June 10th. All things are possible with God :)

The Diaz family have not been progressing much. They have not come to church the last two Sundays and we have a hard time getting ahold of them. We were able to set a baptismal date for june 3rd with them on Wednesday. Now it's up to them.

We also met a few new families this week :) We'll see where it goes.

We alsohave a fireside set for June 3rd!!! We're excited. Sister Padrone (in the stake relief society presidency)and her husband have agreed to speak on the Book of Mormon. We plan to invite all the Spanish members from the stake to bring their friends. It's going to be good :)



I can't wait to talk to ya'll next Sunday!



Make it a great week!



Yours,

Hna. Cottam

P.S. Awesome quote be Bob Moorehead: 的 am a part of the fellowship of the unashamed. I have the Holy Spirit. The die has been cast. I have stepped over the line. The decision has been made. I am a disciple of Jesus Christ. I won't look back, let up, slow down, back away, or be still. My past is redeemed, my present makes sense, and my future is secure. I am finished and done with low living, small planning, smooth knees, colorless dreams, tame visions, mundane talking, chintzy giving, and dwarfed goals. I no longer need pre-eminence, prosperity, position, promotions, plaudits, or popularity. I don't have to be right, first, tops, recognized, praised, regarded, or rewarded. I now learn by faith, love by patience, lift by prayer and labor by power. My pace is set, my gait is fast, my goal is Heaven, my road is narrow, my way is rough, my companions few, my guide is reliable..... I cannot be bought, compromised, deterred, lured away, turned back, diluted, or delayed. I will not flinch in the face of sacrifice, hesitate in the presence of adversity, negotiate at the table of the enemy, ponder at the pool of popularity, or meander in the maze of mediocrity. I won't give up, back up, or let up...until I've preached up, prayed up, paid up, stored up, and stayed up for the cause of Christ. I am a disciple of Jesus Christ! I must go until He returns, give until I drop, preach until all know, and work until He comes. And when He comes to get His own, He will have no problem recognizing me. My colors will be clear for "I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth." (Romans 1:16)



love you all!

Dearest Family,

It's been a good week. And after giving a talk yesterday (my first in Spanish :) I figured out something. My whole mission I've been struggling with talking to people, but as I have studied diligence and for my talk on choosing today I realized that I just need to make a choice. I tend to overcomplicate things, especially talking to people, and I let my fears keep me quiet, but I know that when I decide, not just casually, but really decide to talk and to focus on the love of the Savior, it gets much easier to open my mouth. I just have to do it. It's simple.

Earnesto was confirmed this Sunday and wow has he shown faith. He wants to come every single Sunday to church so he told his boss that at this hour I leave for church whether you like it or not. His boss was just quiet and Earnesto was at church! He has so much faith and wants so much to do the Lord's will. I hope that that faith will help his roommate Raul who still hasn't come to church. Since he's here only on a visitor's visa he doesn't want to do anything to jeopordize his job. I know the Lord can make a way. We are working on building his faith to trust Him also.

Martin came to church again this week :). But not the Diaz family. We haven't gotten a hold of them to find out why yet.

We found a miracle family yesterday :) Giovana and Mauricio. We're excited to start teaching them!

We held a movie night on Saturday. It went well, though we didn't find anyone new through it this time. I was good for those who did come. The spirit there was very sweet. And we had fun making popcorn in a pot ;)

Have a great week :)

Yours,

Hna. Cottam

a crash course on humility

Dear family,

First of all, Ernesto (the cuban I've been talking about) got baptized yesterday! It was a miracle that he has been able to get work off enough to come to church. We had a lot of members there and he said he felt good afterwards. I'm so happy for him :)

Martin came to church yesterday! He was able to get confirmed and I cried for joy to see him make that step. I know the gift of the Holy Ghost will help him through the hard times. I'm so grateful to have had the opportunity to know him and his sincere spirit.

The mother who came to the wrong chapel last week (Hna. Diaz) was able to make it to church again this week:) Her husband still didn't come in but he promised to come the next week. She had her scriptures at church and was marking the verses. She's wonderful. We're looking and praying for her husband and her to be baptized very soon:)

It's funny that Sis. Cottam talked about humility in her e-mail. This week I've been studying a lot about humility as well and you know how the Lord, when you tell Him you are working on this or that thing that He gives you many trials in that thing? Well, that happened to me--a refiner's fire on humility. But I am so grateful for it. I have learned so much in this short week of working on it. All my life I've heard that I needed to be humble and thought I was humble many a time, but I never really knew what it meant to be humble. I thought I was humble because I'm quiet and let others talk and that I try to do the Lord's will, but it's so much more than that. I had to see my pride before I could learn to be humble. Pride is a stumbling block that keeps you from really sincerely loving those around you, that makes you keep yourself aloof and apart because you are always comparing yourself to others. The Lord has shown me this pride. I am so grateful that He did and that He is helping me free myself from it, to realize that I can't do anything without Him and that it's okay to ask others for help, to love and serve with all my heart putting aside my own desires, helping me allow my will to be swallowed up in His.

Thanks for the e-mails and support and prayers. I hope you all have a wonderful week :)

Love,

Hna. Cottam

The winds and the waves still obey his will... (from Monday, April 16, 2012)

Hola!

The Lord has blessed us with some new investigators this week and Ernesto is still on for his baptism next week. He has started praying every morning when he used to pray seldomly and he's been reading. Every time he talks about how he feels as he reads and prays he gets a big grin on his face and says "perfecto". :) His roommate is doing well too. We met him last monday. His name is Raul and he's the father of Ernesto's son-in-law. He has been reading and says that as he reads he learns things that were never clear to his understanding before. He has also committed to giving up coffee :). He's awesome. They both just have trouble with working on Sundays. Hopefully they'll be able to work something out so they can both come.

A miracle happened yesterday. There's a young man from our ward that is leaving on his mission this week. His parents are not members. He spoke in the YSA ward yesterday, but his mother came to our chapel thinking he was speaking there. To make a long story short, she decided to stay and we taught her a quick lesson after the meetings. She has a desire to be baptized! She didn't before, but now she is considering it more. We have another appointment with her and her husband on Tuesday. The Lord works in mysterious ways :)

We have also started working with a less active member named Venessa. Her father visited the ward last Sunday for Easter and referred her to us. Her son, who is special needs, loves coming to church with his grandpa when he's there. Her husband is not a member. She hasn't been for a long time. She has a sweet spirit and we hope to help excite her to come to church again.

As for finding we have a night set to show a movie in our gym, the 28th. We plan to show the Testaments and serve popcorn. They announced it in church so we hope to get a good turnout :)

We're also continuing to work on a movie in the park. We are going to check out a few options this week and make a decision, fill in the application, etc. Our landlord also gave us another park we could try. We're just starting to realize how big of a project it is but it will be worth it:). It looks like we will be showing it in June at this point.

Something that I have realized lately that the mission president helped solidify in his most recent letter is that we have to let the Spirit teach us:

" “Impressions of the Spirit can come in response to urgent prayer or unsolicited when needed. Sometimes the Lord reveals truth to you when you are not actively seeking it, such as when you are in danger and do not know it. However, the Lord will not force you to learn. You must exercise your agency to authorize the Spirit to teach you. As you make this a practice in your life, you will be more perceptive to the feelings that come with spiritual guidance. Then, when that guidance comes, sometimes when you least expect it, you will recognize it more easily.”
To Acquire Spiritual Guidance Ensign Nov 2009 Richard G Scott
"As we search for truth and guidance and as we “authorize the Spirit to teach” us it is also important for us to recognize what we have already been taught and act on that before we ask the Lord for more guidance and direction. Are we asking the Lord to “help me be a better missionary” while at the same time disregarding those things we have already been asked to do to make us better missionaries?"

It's so true. We must allow the spirit to teach us and we must act on what He has already given us before He will give us more. I have seen it as I've tried to figure out how I can improve right now. I had to humble myself before He would let me know through the spirit and my companion. Now I have a lot to work on but I know that with the Lord's help, my weaknesses can become strengths (see Ether 12:27). He is ever-mindful of our needs. We can be happy now, we can be cheerful amidst adversity.

I love you all. Make it a good week. I know I will. :)

Yours,

Hna. Cottam

Things are heating up! (hmm, how many times can I use a pun like that before it gets old?...)

Our numbers may be down but our spirits and faith are not. We've seen plenty of miracles so far to know that the Lord will make a way when we do our part.

One miracle happened last night. Our progressing investigator (Ernesto) has a new roommate! and we started teaching him last night :). Ernesto is awesome. He is Cuban, 70 years old, and full of faith. His only trouble right now is working with his boss to get Sundays off. He only got last Sunday off because of Easter. We are praying for him.

We have had to drop some investigators (usually they drop us...) but have many plans in the works to find more people to teach. We have the gym booked for a movie night this month and are thinking about going up to a local college and setting up a table. We also have a fireside in the works. We're excited :)

We're having some trouble getting our recent converts to church lately. Martin and Eduardo are never "sure" if they will be able to come. We tried stopping by before church last week to bring them, but they weren't home. Maricruz comes every other week or so, which is good.

We got to enjoy the temple this last week, then afterwards we had interviews with the president and a skills training with our zone leaders. The temple was beautiful! I love the spirit there. It's been so long! I love it. love it love it love it :) It was certainly wonderful to see how much more I learned this time after all the experiences I've had. It's amazing. It was also nice to spend a little time in the mission home again. (and I thought I wouldn't see that place until I was on my way home:) ). It's a beautiful place.

I love you all so much!

Have a wonderful week :)

Hna. Cottam

hola!

Dear family,
This is late because we had so much to do today!
It's been a great week and I loved conference!
We have been working hard and as we have been putting into practice
all that we have learned we have seen much fruit of late. Seeing as I
don't have much time, I'll tell you more next week!
We had a sister's conference this last week which was amazing!!! I
loved seeing all the sisters and learning from our leaders.
I'm staying in Blackcreek with Hna. Camejo another 6 weeks :)
Have a wonderful week and always trust in the Lord. He knows our needs:)
Yours,
Hna. Cottam

it’s warming up

Hey family!!

How's it going? Thanks for all the e-mails!

This week has been awesome! We are working with a lot of good people. Two of which are set with a baptismal date! Miguel and Cecilia. Miguel's sister is an active member in the ward. He is so prepared! Cecilia is his wife. They are sweet!

So we had an awesome Relief Society dinner this last week. Everyone brought a dish typical of their country. There was so much good food! I was full to the brim by the end. There was tamales, papusas, ribs Mexican style, corn cake, and many that I don't know the name for. 

We had an awesome Zone conference this last week. Elder Duncan of the first quorum of the 70 came and gave us some training. The thing that struck me most was probably when we talked about how to love the people who are hard to love--those who yell at us and say things about us that are wrong to other people. We must look at them as the Savior sees them--children of our Heavenly Father who have great potential. He loves them, and when they revile us, we must share that message of love. Service is one way we show it. There is much good that we can do.

I love you all so much! Take care.

Yours,

Hna. Cottam

a white sabbath

Hey all! not much time so it's going to be super short
We had a baptism! Martin, the brother of Eduardo, got baptized yesterday! It was wonderful. He was so prepared.
We found a lot of new people to teach this week as well which has been good.
I hope you all have a great week!
love,
Hna. Cottam

it's getting warmer:)

Dear family,

I don't have a lot of time so this will be short(er than usual).

It's been a good week. We didn't teach a lot but we got some new investigators and referrals so we should be able to teach a lot more this coming week. I'm excited for good things that will come :)

Hna. Camejo had a great birthday! We had lunch with a member and our recent convert Maricruz. It was fun and the food was delicious!

The weather is getting warmer here for the time being. I was able to go to church without a coat on! It was nice.

Church was beautiful on Sunday. I love going each week and partaking of the sacrament. It's so refreshing and allows us to truly take part in the atonement.

I love this work.

Have a wonderful week!

Yours,

Hna. Cottam

charity: the pure love of Christ

Dearest Family,

First of all, here's an update on our investigators:

Martin is still progressing toward baptism. He came to church with his brother (who got baptized last month) and has been very receptive to the message. He has such a sincere heart. He's awesome.

We got a chance to talk to Antonio on Thursday. We tried to find out what his doubt was. Well, he is stuck on poligamy. It's the only thing he says is keeping him from believing that Joseph Smith was a prophet. We told him to read and to pray with sincerity that he can overcome it. I hope he is able to soon.

It's my companion's birthday tomorrow! She has been practically celebrating it since Saturday :) We went to a great Chinese buffet today and many members want to feed us this week to celebrate.

In my education classes back at BYU I learned that understanding doesn't really come until we gain experience with the thing we are trying to understand. That has been very true for me this week in learning about Charity. "charity, which is the pure love of Christ" I'd heard this countless times but never knew just how to develop it.

Charity is looking at others as the Savior sees them (thanks for sharing this, Mom). It is avoiding negative thoughts about them or judging them. It's not something you gain overnight, but must be developed day by day, with fervant prayer and sometimes fasting. It is one of the sweetest of the attributes of Christ and one of the most important. With out it, we are nothing. It is having patience--the Lord is patient with us; we must be patient too. It is seeking and expecting the best of people. "Seek and ye shall find; knock and it shall be opened unto you." 

Make it a great week. I love you all!

Sincerely,
Hna. Cottam

miracles

Dear family,

It has been wonderful to continue to work with Hna. Camejo. As we have strived to strengthen our faith and seek the inspiration of the Lord, He has blessed us with miracles. When our other plans fell through, He made a way for us to still achieve our goals. For example, last night we needed one more new investigator for the week. Both of our earlier appointments had fallen through and we were headed to one more potential. We went to the address to find out that the contact we thought lived there didn't, but the person who did spoke Spanish. So we shared the message of the restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ with him at the door and prayed with him, giving him a Book of Mormon and challenging him to read. It was awesome! And we have another appointment with him this week. Ta dah! A new investigator! He is very sincere and prepared. Miracles happen when we have faith!

Well, both of our baptismal dates fell through. We dropped one of them (more like she dropped us) and the other didn't want to do it this week. That one is really sad because he has been investigating the church off and on over the years and his wife is a member. He's had so many baptismal dates already but has never made it into the water. I pray for the Spirit's guidance so that we can help him come to enjoy full membership in the church and the blessings of the gospel. The Spirit has been so strong in our lessons with him, which gives me hope that he will yet make it to those waters.

Another miracle of the week is that we had almost all of the recent converts in church this last Sunday! 6 out of 7! It was incredible to see them all there! I was especially happy that Maricruz came with her son and stayed all three hours! I was thinking in the middle of Sacrament Meeting what a miracle it was and how it is a miracle every time she comes. I'm so grateful for the miracles of the Lord!

Make it a great week, ya'll! I love you!

Yours,

Hna. Cottam

companions and stakes

Dearest Family,

Transfers came around this week. Hna. Camejo and I are staying together here in Blackcreek for another 6 weeks :) I'm glad to get more practice with my Spanish with her. Sadly, Hna. Ence has left us. It's been a lot quieter today without her... She left to open up a new area an hour and a half west of us with Hna. Camejo's trainer :) Small world among the hermanas :) She is needed up there even though we'll be missing her here.

We had a wonderful multistake conference on Sunday. They reorganized four of the stakes in the Toronto area. Our stake has been discontinued and we are part of the Brampton stake--where the temple is :). But they also added a new stake in Barry. We had two visiting authorities: Elders Koelliker and Ellis of the first and second quorums of the 70. (Elder Ellis has an article in the January Ensign which mirrors the talk he gave at the conference--look it up!) They are both from Idaho originally :). They held a meeting with all the missionaries Sunday morning which was awesome! We started by each of us shaking their hands, hands that had shaken the hands of the apostles a few days prior. They gave us some wonderful direction on helping our investigators form a communication line with God that will really help our investigators, especially for the two who have dates for this Sunday but have been struggling to find an answer.

Another of our other investigators is doing very well. He is the brother, Martin, of Eduardo, the recent convert. He reads even faster than Eduardo who read up 1 nephi 11 the first week! Martin had read to 1 Nephi 20 on Sunday. He is very humble and is looking for something more to believe in. He is a clean-living person as well. He is set for March 18th. :)

We are working with another woman named Cristina, also a member-referal. She recently had an infant die--that's how we found out about her. She is open to learning more and we've met with her a few times. She is also set for the 18th at this point. I can't wait to teach her the plan of Salvation :)

It's wierd finally being done with the 12-week training, but I'm excited for the time to go find more people to teach. And I'm excited to continue to work with Hna. Camejo. She's been an awesome missionary to work with so far.

I enjoyed my studies today--Ether 4. It reminded me of how beautiful the gospel is and the temple and the things we learn there. I love this Gospel. It has filled me with such peace and joy and love all my life and especially now that I understand it better. I love this work.

Make it a great week!

Yours,

Hna Cottam

“I’m floating”

Dearest family!

I hope your week has gone well. Happy Belated Birthday to Dad, Mom, Jesse, and Luke! oh, and Julie from last month :)  

We had a wonderful leadership training last Thursday! I took away so much and we are trying to put what we learned into practice. A Brother Watson and anther brother from the missionary department came to help out our mission in the areas that we needed it.  We focused on baptismal invitations, which included how to teach the Message of the Restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ--it's not just a story about a boy who went into the woods to pray, it's about how the gospel of Jesus Christ which prophets have taught since the beggining is restored today. We also focused on planning and inviting people to pray and one or two other things. Oh, it was jam packed with awesomeness ;)

Eduardo was Confirmed yesterday! It was wonderful to see him complete that covenant. I asked him how he felt after sacrament meeting and he said, "floating, always floating" and we was. He used to be missing something now he's found it and he feels peace and calm. He's been awesome. Yesterday he even paid tithing for the first time! He wants so sincerely to follow the Lord. It's wonderful to see.

On Saturday we met and taught his brother, Martin. They room together, but Martin is seldom home because he has a girlfriend, etc. I hope that he will embrace the gospel as well. So far he hasn't expressed the same desire to know, so we'll see how it goes. He is willing to prepare himself to be baptized, though. And with the Lord, anything is possible :)

We're also working with a "dry mormon". His name is Hno. Cruz. He's the husband of a member and has been coming to church for at least seven years now consistantly. They have a set of twins who are almost 2 years old :) He's been taught many times but has just never entered those waters. We asked him why and he said that he doesn't really have any doubts right now, he's just not sure about it. So we focused on the Book of Mormon and getting answers and plan to continue to do so so that he can be sure. Thinking about it now I wonder if he has some doubts, but then I remember in Preach My Gospel where is says that all doubts really come down to whether Joseph Smith was a prophet and whether the Book of Mormon is true. I feel pretty confidant that this time he will enter those waters. We just have to depend on the spirit to guide us.

I read a talk the other day from conference by Elder Christofferson about repentance. I learned again how the call to repentance is an act of love. The Father calls us to repentance because He loves us and He wants us to be free of all the things that weigh us down. When we invite people to repent, we are also showing that same love because we know there's a better way to live--to live in Christ being free from the burden of sin. That makes me think of Oscar one of our recent converts. He had some trouble with the Word of Wisdom a long while back and met with the bishop back then and so he hasn't taken the sacrament in a very long time. He met with the bishop this week. He got to take the sacrament. And he's set to receive the melchezidek priesthood in July. He was so happy! The atonement works, it's real. The Gospel is real! and it has been restored to the earth once more in it's fulness. I love this work!

Have a wonderful week everyone!

Yours,

Hna. Cottam

yup, it was white :)

Dear family,

We had a baptism! The baptism went really well. Many from the ward and my zone leaders came. It was a sweet experience. His name is Eduardo from Mexico. It's been amazing to see him come to this point of baptism. He is bright and just takes it all in. He read up to 1 Nephi 11 in the first week that we knew him and was at page 60 yesterday. It is wonderful to his progression. I think he will become a strong member. It's been good for his friend Oscar as well who is a recent convert who has been struggling of late. To see his friend progress in the gospel has been a great strength for him.

Our next potential is Magdalena. She wants to understand and she's taking many of the steps to do so. She just has a hard time leaving behind her habits from her Catholic religion, but she's trying. She's starting to build a friend base in the ward which is good.

Maricruz, our other recent convert, came to church yesterday after not going for a couple of weeks. It's been hard for her because since she got baptized her husband, who is already a member, has not been supportive at all and is gone most of the time. We've been striving to help her build her faith and she came! It was a joyous sacrament meeting :)

Well, I hope you all have a wonderful week! The weather has been getting warmer here so the little snow we had is gone. As soon as I can figure out sending pictures from my camera I will! Chau!

Love,

Hna. Cottam

From Left to Right: Sister Cottam, Sister Ence, Eduardo, ?, Sister Camejo

the snow is finicky, but Sunday will still be white :)

Dear Family,

We had a neat experience with a potential investigator this week. His name is Fernando Polar. He spent a couple weeks in Salt Lake a while back and called to have the missionaries teach him more. We've been trying to figure out how to meet with him for quite some time and finally sat down with him in the church this last week. He is awesome! He is prepared :). We weren't able to make another appointment with him because he is going on a business trip to China this week. He'll be gone for about a month. But we are super excited to teach him after that. We had a member couple with us during the lesson as well and he was asking them questions and talking with them so he's got a really good start!

Eduardo is continuing to progress. He is set for baptism this next Sunday! He is feeling more and more ready for baptism as he sees how much good it will bring to his life. He just wants to know and his humility is incredible. For example we were finishing up the plan a salvation and he asked, "What do I need to do to get to the Celestial Kingdom?" And we went right into the doctrine of Christ. He's awesome!

His progress has also been really good for his friend Oscar, a recent convert. He's been coming to our lessons with him and coming to church with him and you can just see the light in him. It's great to see. He was struggling for a while. I hope that they will continue to be a strength to eachother.

We're also working with a woman named Magdalena. She feels good about what we are teaching her but doesn't fully understand the implications of the Restoration so she'll take a little more time.

I forgot to tell you all about how we had interviews with the president last Wednesday. It was good to sit down with him and his wife. He gave each of us a chart about the fourth missionary that is really neat. He got it from a member of the 70. It's a chart showing the different types of missionaries out there. The first is one who is disobediant and ends up going home. The second is disobediant--his companions and those around him know it, but he slips by to the end of his mission and comes home unchanged. The third is a hard working missionary who is obediant and does good, but comes back only a little changed. The fourth missionary is described as total surrender, his greatest desire is to do the Lord's work. He is completely changed by the mission. Pres. Scott encouraged us to be the fourth missionary. This is also my zone's focus this month, to master the fundamentals of being this fourth missionary. I hope I can become like that. :) One step at a time.

I love you all!

Yours,

Hna. Cottam

it was snowy, now it’s rainy

Dearest family!

We've had a some good things happen this week. Magdalena, who we found the week before, came to church! She wasn't able to come the week before and she's not very set on getting baptized at this point but she's giving it a shot and got along very well with the members. She really wants her step-son to get involved with the youth so that he can get closer to Christ. We'll see where it goes.

We had an awesome lesson last night with one of our investigators. His name is Eduardo and he is the friend of one of our recent converts--Oscar. He sat in on the last half of a lesson with Oscar and his roommate Julio the Saturday before and came to church with them. We challenged him to read the book of mormon and pray to find out if it was true. He didn't come to church yesterday because he didn't want to come without Oscar and Julio. We tried to get ahold of the other two to set up an appointment but they didn't answer, but Eduardo did so we saw him last night with a member. He's up to about 1 nephi 4 and has a good grasp of what's it is saying already. He's been very receptive so far. We set him for baptism for next month. He has been prepared :)

The weather's been pretty good here. A bit of snow and then rain today. It makes life interesting :)

So today was Chinese New Year. A few of the sisters in my zone are from China so we all went over to China Town to celebrate. It was fun.

Have a great week everyone! I hope it's a great one!

Love,

Hna. Cottam

the weather's getting colder but the work is getting hotter!

This week's been a 'hot' one. Sunday especially was amazing. We had 3 investigators at church! Even better was that Maricruz was confirmed. It was a bit of a mission to get her to church but she got there! It was a beautiful experience. I felt almost more joy that she was confirmed than baptized because receiving the gift of the holy ghost is the second, essential part of baptism. Now she needs to just endure to the end (including getting to the temple!).

We found several new investigators this week and are continuing to work with Julio towards his baptismal date in February. He is still reading and praying. We've had a couple of really powerful lessons with him. I know the Spirit is working through us to help him recognize the truthfulness of this gospel and his desire to know is growing.

One our new investigators we found while passing by old contacts in the area book--Rayo. She had been taught a time or two by the missionaries a year ago but was too busy at the time. Now she has a little son and is not working so she can take care of him so she has more time to meet with us. She came to sacrament meeting yesterday with her husband and we saw her again last night. She has potential :)

I had a really good study this morning. I read about the sons of Mosiah and how they couldn't bear the thought that anyone would have to endure endless torment (Mosiah 28:3). What love they had for all people! That is something I could develop more. My purpose as a missionary is to help others come unto Christ, and to do that I must forget myself and love as did the sons of Mosiah, to get lost in the work. Time is so precious out here in the mission field. I've been waiting my whole life to come and do this, and I can't waste it.

We have interviews with the mission president this Wednesday and our new district leader is great. They actually split up our district into two since it was getting so big!

Oh, and it finally snowed some more here! it has stuck for a couple of days now because it's been pretty cold. I love it!

Have a great week ya'll!

Yours,
Hna. Cottam

From left to right: Sister Cottam, Sister Ence, Maricruz, Sister Scott, President Scott, Sister Camejo