in the hills of Georgia!

(Jesse, you'll especially appreciate this) I am now serving in Harlem, Georgia....yup, that's right....GEORGIA! I didn't see that day coming...but I'm glad I'm here.

This week has been one full of adjustment and building my faith. I'm so grateful for the experiences that I had in Hartsville with Sis. Jaye. I learned some important lessons there, one of which was the need for increased faith and another was that I can't settle for being mediocre.  I know the Lord has prepared me to serve here and has called me here for a purpose (took a little humbling to accept that). I'm excited to serve Him however I can.

I am so grateful for the chance I have to serve with Sis. Steimle now in Harlem. She just finished being trained by none other than Sister Roos. She has a zeal for the gospel and a sincere desire to serve. I'm grateful for her example. We live with another set of sisters and the ward is split between us. There is rarely a dull moment in our apartment. It's been a wonderful opportunity to receive support and share in the service of the Lord.

We worked hard for the first couple of days here, and then my companion got pink eye and had to stay in. We're ready to get back to work today. We met a sweet sister last Friday who was taught before and we have another appointment set up to see her this week. My heart yearns to teach those in this area who are seeking for the gospel. I know I'll learn much here. I love being a missionary!

Happy Be-lated Thanksgiving! We had a good holiday. We visited members, did a little service, and had dinner with a sweet young family in the ward.

Hope y'all have a good week!

Love,

Sister Cottam

like a little child... (from November 19, 2012)

My companion and I are both sad that we are being parted this week. I'm being transferred. It was a shock to us, but the Spirit has also whispered to my soul that the Lord's knows what is needed and He'll take care of everything. I have loved my time here in Hartsville. It wasn't perfect, but I fell in love with the people and learned several very important lessons. I love that the longer I am on my mission, the more I learn... and I still have so much to learn.
We've worked hard to reach our goals this week, praying more often for them to reviewing them throughout the day. We're excited that we were able to hit several of them, especially our other lessons and inv. at sacrament. We had a couple really solid investigators, A 12 year old girl and a 9 going on 10 year old boy. They are the grand kids of a former investigator and sat in on the lessons we were teaching their grandma. They have such a sweet desire to be baptized. The girl came to church with her other brother,who is 8, and we turned him into a new investigator last night. She loved it and is getting baptized on Dec. 1st. We love this family very much, and they have fallen in love with us. I'm going to miss them. I think their sincere desire to follow Jesus Christ will rub off on their mom and grandma one day. When we go over, there is a sweeter spirit in the home than at first. Last night as we were teaching them, I was reminded of the Savior's admonition to "become as a little child". That has had deeper meaning in my heart as I watch these humble, eager souls embrace the gospel.
It's moments like these, when we get to see the hand of God moving in someone's life, that make everything else worth it. These experiences also deepen my desire for others to have it too. They make me want to be better, pray harder, and do more to move the work forward. I love being a missionary and am so grateful for the opportunity I have to serve and to give of my heart to the people here in South Carolina. I'll go wherever the Lord wants me to go, do what He wants me to do, and say what He wants me to say.
Well, we've got a lot to do today. Love ya lots!!!
Love,
Sister Cottam

70’s in November

The week before was chilly. This past week was warm. Some days we don't even know how to dress ;).
I've been working a lot on my faith and striving to look outward. Mom, I loved that you shared that scripture, because I read about that story about the man being dropped through the roof in "Jesus the Christ" this week. All the things we have learned recently have been changing my perspective on this work. Elder Bednar mentioned the "Character of Christ". He described several instances throughout the life of our Savior when, even though he was in pain or suffering or it was inconvenient, he alwayslooked outward. Every single thing he did during his ministry was an act of unselfishness. He gave of himself completely, caring for the individuals, the children of God around him, more than himself. I realized that all too often I'm not thinking of others. All too often I am thinking only of myself, my own comforts, my own needs, my own pride. I'm not here for the world to love me. Hard or not, easy or not, I'm here solely for the purpose of proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I'm here to invite others to come unto Christ, to give them the truths they need so they can receive eternal life. Right now, my needs don't matter so much. Right now, it's not about me. So, I've been striving to change my thoughts and instead of day dreaming or thinking about myself, I'm trying to insert a question: What does my investigator need? As I show the faith by inviting the Spirit to help me know their needs, then it's easier to teach more clearly in lessons, to help our investigators feel the Spirit and invite them to keep commitments. It's about them, not me, and that faith is key, in my life and in the lives of our investigators. I love the story of the man who was dropped through the roof into the house where Christ was teaching. When they came upon the crowd, some people would give up and say, "There's no way we're getting in there. I guess we'll have to try later." But these 4 friends didn't do that. They knew the Son of God was in that house, the only one who could heal their friend, and so they thought out of the box, found a way to the roof and tore a hole big enough to lower their friend. What great faith. Faith to act. Faith to press forward when there seems to be no answer. Faith enough to not give up on their friend. I would like to have that kind of faith so I won't shy away from knocking one more door; so I won't back quickly off when someone says, We have a church; so I'll share my testimony one more time; so I'll teach what they need, not what they want... so the work can move forward even when we can't see how.
We began teaching a couple of families this week. One of them is a former investigator we contacted a couple weeks ago and as we started to teach her again, one of two of her grand-kids often sat in on the lesson. The two oldest are showing a lot of promise: Ijan'ea and Skeet. They both want to be baptized! We set them on date for the 1st of December. I pray they will gain a deeper understanding of the gospel as we teach them so they'll be ready and willing to make and keep this special covenant and will want to stay active in Christ's church. Their example can truly bless the rest of their family. We met another sweet family yesterday. The parents are also former investigators and they have several teenage kids. Only one of them stayed for our entire lesson and his heart was so prepared. He asked some wonderful questions and felt the Spirit as we taught. He has an eager desire to learn more and found out if the things we taught are true. We're excited to keep working with him and his family, and with enough faith, we'll see miracles happen. The field is white if we let it be.
I hope y'all have another wonderful week!
Love ya!
Love,
Sister Cottam
P.S. I attached a picture of our Sister's training from a couple weeks ago and a picture of a cotton field. Every time I see one that's waiting to be harvested or has been harvested, I think of that scripture in D&C 4: "for the field is white already to harvest...he that thrusteth in his sickle with his might..."

this IS the Church of Jesus Christ

I am so grateful for all the things that have happened this week. Many of the things Elder Bednar taught are still fresh on my mind as I think and reflect on them over and over. The Spirit I felt there was so incredible.  From the moment I saw Elder Bednar I could feel the Spirit witness to my heart that he is an Apostle of Jesus Christ and as he bore his testimony at the end, I could not doubt a word he said and I knew that he knew without a doubt that Jesus Christ lives and this is His Church and His gospel. I know it will be an experience I will never forget as the Spirit taught me important principles and truths. That was mainly his focus.

We've taught several wonderful lessons to some amazing people and invited almost everyone we taught to church. Unfortunately, no one made it this week. Though trials like that are sometimes difficult, it has often caused me to reflect and look deeper to see what more we can do. I was so grateful for Elder Bednar's message about our agency. We can teach and teach, yet it's not about us. We need to create an environment in which the Spirit can be there. Ultimately it is the investigator's choice to accept and act. Over the last several weeks I have realized that too often I am teaching of myself, and not by the Spirit. As I have long overcome my hurdle of speaking up, I have lost some of my dependence on the Spirit as I teach. One of the lessons the Spirit taught me quite plainly and powerfully on Saturday is the crucial importance of DEPENDING on the Holy Ghost. I can't do the Lord's will without it. I know the things I learned this weekend will shape the rest of my mission and my life for the better. I love being a missionary and having the opportunity to learn so much that will bless my life and the lives of my investigators. I love this chance I have to serve the Lord, and constantly pray that I will not waste a moment of it.

Have a wonderful week!

Love,

Sister Cottam 

don't forget to have faith!

It's been a windy week as the storm passed by us, but no rain. So,
Mom, don't worry too much. <3
The longer I'm out on my mission, the more I ponder about the impact
my mission will have in the long term, and the more I desire to see
the gospel touch other's lives. Even while we are struggling to help
the work move forward here, my heart yearns all the more for the
opportunity to touch even just one person's heart and make a
difference. Often I have to remember this is not my work, this is the
Lord's. He sees the greater picture when I cannot. He knows where that
next ready soul is waiting, or what seeds need to planted in someone's
heart. So, even though we see little results in the short term, I'm
striving not to drop my faith, but increase it as my desire increases.
I want so much to make a difference. I guess the Lord is trying to
teach me patience and perseverence.
We had several miracles happen this week. We had knocked on Aleshia's
door two weeks ago, but she was about to head out and asked us to come
back another time. After a couple of times, we weren't able to catch
her. Well, we were in her area again this past Tuesday and were
writing a note to put on another person's door and Aleshia walked out
of her apartment to get something from her car. When she saw us
standing there across the hall from her, she said excitedly, "Oh,
you're back! Good, I just got off work so I have time today."  Of
course we were excited too and after we finished our note she welcomed
us in. I don't know if I've ever met anyone so ready for the gospel,
so ready for the blessings it can bring for her family. She felt the
Spirit, and she was excited to read from the Book of Mormon.
We met Candace and Kevin this week too. We knocked on Candace's door,
and though she is fairly active in her church, she was open to our
message and felt the Spirit. The even greater miracle was when Kevin
called us several days later and asked us to come talk with him. We
just happened to be out with a member, so we went over right then. I
know he felt the Spirit touch his heart. He felt the peace that can
come only from God. Both of these families were planning on coming to
church, but neither made it this week. That was hard for us to
swallow, but I was reminded that even if nothing happened this week,
it's the Lord's timing, not mine and we need to trust in that, trust
in God's power to have an influence on their lives. I want so much for
them to accept and embrace the gospel fully.  One day--hopefully
soon--they will.
We contacted one of our referrals this week. They welcomed us right in
and welcomed us back. We're excited to share more with them!
Oh, and guess what. This Saturday, Elder David A. Bednar is coming to
our mission for a mission conference! I'm very excited to receive
direct guidance for our mission from one of the Lord's chosen
servants!
Even when it's rough, I love being a missionary!
Have a wonderful week ya'll!
Love,
Sister Cottam
P.S. thanks for the pictures!

We were at the Dillworth's for dinner a while back and they took pictures of us and wanted to send them to our parents.

lessons in the Spirit: love (from Monday, October 15, 2012)

We've been working hard and striving to be more effective and obedient. We were able to teach several of our investigators and are searching for new ones, and we were both excited to have one of our investigators come to church! Her name is Autumn. We found out a couple of people in the ward know her from work and they welcomed her there. One of the speakers in Sacrament bore a very strong testimony that he knew the church was true, and that got Autumn thinking. We talked with her later that night. She was taken aback by it, but it also spiked her curiosity. She told us she wants to find out what the truth is. She committed to read the Book of Mormon and pray about it. I'm grateful the Spirit directed us to talk with her last night, even though we didn't have an appointment with her.

My back is continuing to heal which is a great blessing which means we're gradually able work harder. Our mission doctor gave me several exercises that I'm beginning to use to strengthen my back muscles. Along with strengthening my back, I'm striving to strengthen my teaching, to teach more simply and clearly through the Spirit. That's not always easy to do, but as I have begun to study the lessons more in depth, I've gained deeper understanding and then I'm able to explain things more simply. I know the Spirit is necessary for this work. It is critical not only for us as we teach, but for the investigator as they study out the things we say. Without it, there is no proof that what we say is even remotely true. Without it, we're throwing a bag of tools into someone's face rather than giving them the one they need. 

As we taught our investigator Marilyn about the Plan of Salvation this past week, I felt the strong impression that we needed to teach her the Law of Chastity. We had just found out that the man she was living with was her boyfriend. At first I was afraid that she would drop us or avoid us if we threw that on her, but the Spirit said again, teach it. That's what she needs. So, though a little reluctant, at the end of the plan, I began to teach her about this sacred law and invited her to live it. As we taught, the room was tense as the Spirit told Marilyn that what we were saying was true and she needed to change. She told us it would be hard to live, and didn't give a definite yes. We've been unable to sit down to teach her since then, but I still feel that was the right thing to do. If we don't invite them to change, to repent, they will never progress, even when we know what we're asking them to do is hard. I pray that the Spirit gives her the courage to do what she needs to do. She wants baptism so much, and that will be a crucial step for her to take. I love her so much. Now I know a little more how God feels about His children. He gives us what we need, even when He knows it will be hard. He loves us enough to give it to us, because He knows it will help us and bless our lives in the long run.

I know this is the Lord's work, and even when it's hard, I love being a missionary.

I love all ya'll! Have a wonderful week. Stay close to the Lord and He will direct you to do much good.

Love,

Sister Cottam