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

I'm a Mormon. I know it. I live it. I LOVE IT!

Even a midst trials, the Lords blesses us as we work diligently with faith in His work. 

For me, this has been a frustrating week as I pulled a muscle in my lower back (in the shower of all places...). It kept us from doing a lot of the things we needed and wanted to do, but the Lord has helped us. We have a wonderfully strong investigator named Marilyn. Her heart is so prepared. She is a sweet, humble sister in her 50's  and has a thirst for understanding. She has a strong desire to one day be baptized (and I think she has just waited until she could find the right church to do it) and receive the Holy Ghost. We've been able to answer a lot of her questions, and I've watched the Spirit touch her heart when we are there. She's on date with a calendar for Nov. 3, and we're excited to help her prepare. We'll be getting the ball rolling today with the BRP as we help a sister in the ward write a few letters. The longer I'm out on my mission, the more I realize the importance of member-missionary work. When it comes through them, it makes all the difference.

As I was mostly bed-ridden for a couple of days, my appreciation and love for this work grew. I realized what a blessing it is to be a missionary and how much I truly, deeply love this work. All I wanted to do was be out and about, but my injury wouldn't let me (thankfully it was general conference weekend so I was able to still lay down and listen to the wonderful messages shared). I took some of that time to reflect and Sister Jaye helped organize our records. I am so grateful for the gospel, for the precious truths that we have at our finger tips. There's nothing else like it. I love being a missionary! I'm on the mend and we've been able to go out more often to our appointments. I'm still trying to be careful. The Lord is providing.

I loved General Conference. So many of the messages centered around service and deepening our conversion of the gospel. I especially enjoyed Elder Bednar's talk during which he said that testimony is not enough to keep us up in the storms of life. I realized the reason why I feel the way I do about the gospel, the reason why it is so ingrained into my heart and that I have such a huge desire to share it is because somewhere along the line, after a multitude of experiences, my heart has been converted, and I rejoice in it. I love the gospel so much. I know all things really are fulfilled by faith and that true discipleship is truly about doing and becoming. Service is an amazing thing and I am excited to serve not just here on my mission, but in every avenue of life. I loved Elder Ballard's comparison of service to pollinating the world :). My favorite talk by far though, was Elder Holland's. He gave a similar message at the MTC last January. Every apartment in our mission has a copy of it. That call to life-long service is a sacred one. I hope I will always be able to kneel before the Master and say with all my heart, "Yea, Lord I do love thee, and I am willing to do anything you ask me to do." And then have the strength and courage to do it. There's a reflective question in Preach My Gospel under Christlike attributes that says: "I have enough faith to do anything the Lord asks--even miracles if necessary."   Those miracles are great and small with each act of service we do, each prompting we follow...and it all starts with faith.

Have a wonderful week! I love you all lots!

Love,

Sister Cottam

faith…everything depends on it

Guess what...I got to pick a piece of cotton! that's a souvenir I will
treasure for a long time. We were going down a dirt road between
cotton fields to visit a less active member and stopped for a couple
seconds to grab a piece. God's creations are simply amazing.
We are still working hard finding and teaching. We had the wonderful
opportunity to have Sis. Chai and Allen visit us this week. Every few
transfers we'll be having sister exchanges to learn and grow and feel
support. I highly enjoyed it. Sister Chai was in my MTC district :) .
I loved talking with her and seeing how much we had each grown.
While they were here I discovered several things in myself that I need
to improve. Probably the most important lesson I learned is this:
everything depends on faith. If I don't have faith in my
investigators, they won't progress. They can feel if we care about
them, if we expect them to succeed or not, because it shows in our
body language and actions towards them. They can feel if we have
enough faith in our message that we know it is true. They can tell if
we have faith in what we say by our confidence. You can't fake the
Spirit. I found myself this transfer expecting investigators to not be
home, not have read, or to drop us the next time, because we haven't
seen much different. But if, even though I was sort of hoping, I
doubt, then I can't have faith and we won't see miracles. If nothing
else is learned on my mission, faith is the biggest, most important
thing for me to learn and develop. Everything else stems from that one
principle. Because I tried to have faith that day, we met some amazing
people.
The Equation for Success/Growth/Progress/etc:
Faith+Diligence+Patience=Fruit  (Alma 32)
That applies to building faith, gaining a testimony, raising a family,
missionary work...everything. D&C 123:17
The Lord is truly good. I am so grateful for the Atonement and for the
fulness of the gospel on the earth today. It's true! Christ lives! And
this is His same church back on the earth again! I love the gospel,
and I love being a missionary!
Keep on keeping on :)
Have a wonderful week ya'll!
Love,
Sister Cottam

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