obedience brings blessings!

I just have to brag a little bit....we just washed our car...in 4 minutes!!! Soaped down and all...yeah we find joy in even the littlest things :)
This week we've been working hard and pressing through and forward. Both Sister Jaye and I have come down with colds (hers is a lot worse than mine), but we are enduring and working hard. We been trying to contact our investigators and working on finding others. We seem to find a lot of people, and then struggle to teach them after the 1st lesson. I guess that's part of the weeding process :) We're seeking for those elect souls who want the gospel and will not harden their hearts.
I had an important lesson reiterated for me at church yesterday. The primary did a program in Sacrament meeting on Choosing the Right and then in Sunday School we talked about obedience. The spirit was so strong as the primary children sang and shared simple truths about obedience and it's blessings and then in Sunday school a poignant story was shared by our new bishop from his mission. As a zone leader he was challenged by his mission president to do everything they could in their zone to reach their goals. As he talked with all the missionaries in his zone, he felt prompted to promise one set of sisters that if they would be exactly obedient and work hard, they would have a baptism that weekend. These sisters had already had multiple baptisms that month and had an empty teaching pool. They had no idea how it would happen, but they worked like they had never worked before and were exactly obedient. Sunday morning came, they had no one, but as their meetings started that afternoon, a young woman came inside. The sisters sat with her through sacrament meeting. Afterwards, this woman told them she had felt something and wasn't going to leave the building that day before she could join that church. They realized she was their miracle, taught her everything that day, and she was baptized that evening....all because of their faith in a young missionary's promise and a willingness to do everything they could to make it happen.
I feel like there are a couple of things in which I have become casual, and try as I might, I haven't overcome them yet. Yesterday the Spirit bore witness to me that I need to try harder as it whispered to me that "Today is the day you need to change and be exactly obedient. Don't wait." It testified to me that only then will I feel the Spirit more abundantly and see the miracles happen here that we desire so dearly. One of the sisters in the Relief Society presidency was there for the lesson, and in Relief Society reiterated the need the members to help us be obedient by doing meals before 6 pm (which we have been heavily encouraging). What a tender mercy.
I'm so grateful for the truths of the gospel. I love being a missionary and want to serve to best of my ability, which includes being exactly obedient.
Have a wonderful week! Love ya!
Love,
Sister Cottam

proselyting the truth...among the cotton fields (Monday, September 17, 2012)

Something I love about Hartsville is all the fields...no not of
potatoes or sugar beets, but of cotton and corn. Every time I see a
cotton field, I feel like I've stepped into my history books. It's
amazing.
This week we've done a lot of trying-to-catch-investigators-home work.
We have several amazing people that we've only been able to teach
once, but we keep being a little persistant by trying their doors and
leaving a post-it note here or there with the faith that one day we'll
get to teach them more about the restored gospel. We gained a couple
new investigators this week. One of them is Veronica. She has three
young girls (two of which are twins!). She's quiet, but you can tell
she is searching deep in her soul for something. Yesterday we taught
her about the plan of salvation and invited her to be baptized by
God's authority and she accepted! We're excited to continue teaching
her and to help her reach her goals using a calendar(Hna. Cottam, what
a small world...yay calendars! they really do help).
Interviews and the fireside went well. One of the ward's recent
converts, David, was able to come. He loved it and felt the spirit
strongly. We were hoping to get a couple of investigators there, but
we couldn't get a hold of them... Pres. and Sis. Holm talked about the
Restoration and how it was seen by many prophets of the Old Testiment
and Book of Mormon. They also talked about the blessings of living the
gospel.
The bishopric in the ward just changed this last week. As I listened
to the old bishopric bear their testimonies and the new one as well,
my thoughts went back to when Dad was called to be bishop. It was a
strong testimony to me that Christ runs this church through true
revelation. The Spirit was so strong and confirmed that the men called
to those positions were called of God.
That witness to my heart was truly a blessing, because the night
before we had a trying experience that tested our faith. We were at an
investigator's home to teach her about the restoration and her dad,
who is a strong Holiness/ Church of God member was there. He had a few
questions, which at first was fine, but as we continued on with the
lesson, his questions got deeper and we could tell that these were
points he was not willing to accept. After we shared the first vision
and testified that God has called a prophet today, he completely
denied that anyone can see God and that God would call only one
prophet. Then he complained that we were getting upset because of his
questions. We appologized for not being perfect teachers with our
emotions, said a prayer, and left. Our investigator walked out with us
and appologized sincerely for her father's stubborness and asked that
we do come back (she would make sure it was a time when he wasn't
there). Needless to say, we walked away a little shaken and without
the Spirit in our hearts. Both of us poured out our souls that night
in our prayers. I am so grateful the the truths of the Restored Gospel
of Jesus Christ. I know that this is His church, the original church
He set up when He was on the earth. I know, without a shadow or doubt,
that there is a prophet of God on the earth, Jesus Christ is our
Savior, the Book of Mormon really is the word of God, and the Church
of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints contains the fulness of the
gospel and the priesthood power of God. Try as they might, no man will
disway me from these truths. I have had too many experiences with the
Spirit to doubt that these things are true, and I am so grateful that
it all makes sense.
I love ya'll so much. Have a great week!
Love,
Sister Cottam

lessons on the Spirit

Well, it's been almost two weeks in Hartsville, and we're doing well. I'm am so grateful for the spiritual help the Lord has given me. These past couple of weeks have really strengthened my testimony that the qualifies those he calls. I'm reminded of the sons of Mosiah, and their missionary work. They were greatly successful, even though they had many trials, because the Lord made a way for them and they followed the Spirit. Likewise, He has helped us rise to the occasion as we strive to learn the members and the area quickly. My heart is full thinking about the ways he has strengthened and blessed us. We have found 4 new investigators this week and many more leads! It's been a long time since I've taught so many 1st lessons in one week. I've realized as we have taught so much that I have areas in which I need to improve my teaching. Being thrown into it so much, I haven't allowed the Spirit to be as integral a part of the lessons as he needs to be. Even with this being the case, I have seen it touch their hearts. Which reminds me of another scripture (I think it's in the D&C somewhere) that talks about how the Lord uses his servants in their weaknesses to accomplish great things. I feel much like that. One of our new investigators is William. He's in the Marines and is so prepared! We've been trying to teach him since we first met him a week and a half ago, but things always came up. We finally were able to sit down with him on Saturday with one of our members Sis. Solomon. He is so humble, and deep down, his spirit is looking for the truth. I'm excited to keep teaching him.
I have loved serving with Sis. Jaye. She is a wonderful missionary and is striving to do the best she can. I love her sincere desire.
This coming week we have interviews and another "No more strangers" missionary fireside. I can't wait to learn how to be a better missionary. We're praying and working hard to get someone to come to the fireside so they can feel the Spirit there and have their questions answered. Last time Pres. and Sis. Holm bore fervent testimonies on the blessings of the gospel, and I know this fireside will be just as good.
I know the Lord's hand is in this work. I love being a missionary and witnessing it first hand :)
I hope all ya'll have a wonderful week!
Love,
Sister Cottam

my heart is in Hartsville...

The library was closed yesterday, so we're emailing today :)

It has truly been a busy week. I said my goodbyes to many people back in Greenville...several of those were hard to do (especially with our investigator Brian and with my recent convert Chelsea) and then packed everything up. I am now serving in the Hartsville ward with Sister Jaye. We "white washed" in (or "pink washed" as one of the elders in our zone calls it when sisters replace elders). They haven't had sisters here for 17 years! The ward was sad to see the elders go, but they are excited to have sisters. We moved apartments this weekend. The one we were in has been an elders' apartment for 10 years, and little did they realize, it has mold up the wazoo in the ventillation and ceiling. Sis. Jaye and I are both allergic and started having problems breathing. After several phone calls and one very wonderful member's efforts, we found another apartment and moved the essentials on Friday night (right after the previous tenant moved out) and finished moving yesterday.

Needless to say, we are very grateful things are beginning to settle down. 

The members here in Hartsville are so warm and welcoming. I love them already. They have been so supportive and helpful as we have moved apartments and strived to get familiar with the area. We've been trying to meet our current investigators and find others to teach. Even though it was a little frustrating to be without miles for several days (the elders left us with 3 miles to finish out the month...just enough to drive the car to our new apartment), it was a great opportunity to get out and meet people. It also gave a couple of members great opportunities to take us out for several hours.

I know we've been called to this area for a reason. The start was rough, yet the field is ripe and there are precious souls waiting to be found here in Hartsville. We want to do all we can to bring souls to Christ.

I love being a missionary.

Have a wonderful week!

Love,

Sister Cottam