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! :)