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

Staying in Black Creek :)

Dearest Family:)
Transfers are this week; thankfully me and my companions aren't going anywhere! I'm so excited to spend another 6 weeks learning and growing and working with my wonderful companions. This area is just getting started! We are getting a new district leader, though, but I've met him before. It should be a good transfer :)
We had a wonderful baptism last night. Only a couple families from the ward came at Maricruz's request. She's shy so we kept it small. The Mission President and his wife also came! It was great to see them:) They come to as many baptisms as they can. I'm so happy for Maricruz. She is such a sweet young woman. She was beaming after she got out of the water and I know she felt the Spirit strongly there. I'm so happy to see her make this covenant with God. She has been prepared for a while. I can't wait to see her family make it to the temple one day. That would be the best thing ever :) Maricruz and her husband are developing some good friendships in the ward. It's exciting. It is so important to have the member support. We are only here for a while, but the members are always there to support them.
We're working with two other investigators. They've been investigators for a while so we're working with helping them really find their answer about the Book of Mormon. Other than that we need to do some more finding to add to our teaching pool.
Thanks for the e-mails!
Yours,
Hna. Cottam

It’s gonna be a good year :)–sent on January 3, 2012

Hola!

2012 has come! And it's gonna be a good one! because I'll get to serve the Lord all year long :)

We have an investigator who is really progressing right now--I probably told you all about her last week. She's getting ready to be baptized this coming Sunday and we are so excited for her! Her and her family were able to come this last Sunday (since the time changed to 1PM). We got 'em there a little late but they were there! Their son is so cute. He turns 3 very soon. We told him we were going to the church, to play with the other kids, and he got so excited. He started looking for his coat and boots and telling his parents to hurry up. haha. I love kids :)

New Year's Eve we had to go in early again--at 6 PM, so it was a quiet evening for us. We planned for the next day and updated our area book, etc. I have so much candy from Christmas. My two companions have pretty much sworn off sugar at the moment so the left everything to me. Our landlord also shared a really rich Chocolate cake with us. It was amazing. Last night we got to eat at a member's house and she made tamales! Mmmmm.... They were made with both corn and plantain miaz with chicken in the middle that had a mole sauce (which has chocolate in it among other spices). It was delicious. She even set us with a few for lunch today. Mm.

Aside from that we are working to expand our teaching pool through member referrals and old teaching records and constantly talking to people.

Have a great week ya'll!

Sincerly,

Hna. Cottam

Bye 2011, Hola 2012!–sent on December 27, 2011

Dearest family,
It's snowing right now :) Don't know if it will stick, but I hope it does! It was wonderful to talk to you all on Sunday. We had a good Christmas, even though it wasn't white.
We had Victor come to church on Sunday again. He is still struggling in finding faith in Christ. We will be handing him off to another set of elders this week who live closer to his home, where he'll be for the next few months for a surgery. Hopefully the change helps. As we have taught him I have realized just how important a basic belief in Jesus Christ, not just his teachings, is. He is truly the center of our message and without that faith in Him, nothing else of our message matters nor can one receive an answer to their prayers because as it says in Moroni 10, you must ask with faith in Christ.
Our other investigator is Maricruz. She is awesome. She has a husband (who's been a member about 5 years--was baptized in El Salvador--but hasn't come much) and a little boy. Her faith is strong in God and she desires to come closer to Christ. In a lesson last week we asked if she believed that what we were teaching her was true--Joseph Smith, Book of Mormon, Jesus Christ as Son of God--and she said yes. We plan to go pick them up this next Sunday. Our meetings are changing to 1PM so hopefully that will make it a little easier for them to get there every week.  Right now she's set for the 8th. She's nervous about it but who wouldn't be? It is all in the Lord's hands.
Have a wonderful new year everyone!
Yours,
Hna. Cottam
P.S. say hello to everyone in Arizona for me! Love you all!