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