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