This week has been full of all kinds of ups and downs, but it has been an amazing growing experience. I am so grateful for the Lord's hand in my life and in this work. I feel like every single day the Lord is shaping me and shaping the people around me in ways that I don't even comprehend.
First I want to share a really cool analogy that Sister Steimle came up with today. She was studying about the Atonement, and in the 3rd article of faith, it says: "We believe that through the Atonement of Christ, all mankind may be saved, by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the Gospel." I never realized how poweful that really is. Many believe that we can't get to heaven by our works, but in the restored Gospel, we have learned differently. In this article of faith, Joseph Smith was describing pure and simply how the Atonement is essential to allowing us to be saved (because we can't accomplish anything on our own, anything without it). Without the Atonement we're helpless, but then Joseph adds another phrase "...by obedience...". In other words, we have to do certain things in order to access that saving power. Sister Steimle, being an art minor, compaired it to clay molding. The Atonement is like the clay and our hands are like our obedience. Without the clay, our hands have nothing to do, nothing to accomplish. Without our hands, the clay sits there, a blob, useless. The Atonement is neccissary for our progression. We have no hope without it and it's through this medium of the Atonement that our obedience can make a difference, that our actions can create something better. The Gospel is all about acting on our faith and using the Atonement to become better. Wow.
We've had a couple of opportunities to teach our new investigator Vince this week. He is an amazing son of God. He loves learning and is emmersing himself in the gospel, and he's doing it because he wants it. We taught him about our purpose (inviting others to come unto Christ by living the Gospel) the Restoration last Wednesday and the Spirit was strong. Vince has such a childlike faith, such a humble desire to follow Christ, to be baptized, and to have a better life. He called us last Tuesday and prayed with us and talked with us. He had asked his active brother in Washington to teach him how to pray! and then after our lesson with him, he called on Friday and asked about how to apply the Atonement to quitting smoking! When I think about this man's faith, about his diligent effort in applying the gospel in his life, about his sincere desire to be more and do better, I feel so humbled and I pray that we will be a help and not a hinderance to this sweet man's progression, that the Lord will use us as tools in his hands to bless this man's life now and forever. This work is so much bigger than we are. I love it so much.
It's at times like these that I wish it would never end, that my mission would last forever. And then I am reminded that it doesn't really end, that I'll be a missionary for the rest of my life, just without the name tag.
What a wonderful plan our Heavenly Father has. What an amazing Gospel. What an overwhelming opportunity it is to be a missionary.
Have a wonderful week!
Love,
Sister Cottam
P.S. Hope you like the pics from the Sister's Training. The first is Sister Steimle and me. The second is the sisters from my MTC district :) Oh yah, and I was one of the ones who put up all those balloons ;) that was fun.
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