Sister Improver

Hey y'all!

This week has been full of introspection for me. Today in studies, Sister Steimle had read a talk about the difference of optimism, pessimism, and being an improver. It was perfect for all that I've been pondering this week. We have cherish our ideals, have faith, and still be realistic on whether we can reach the ideal right now or not. The whole point is improvement, progression, and moving forward, of working towards the best. God's whole plan for us is based on that principle and this past week, that's been central in my mind. With the movement to a new area and interviews, I've been thinking and pondering a lot on what more I can do. I took time seeking inspiration on what things distract me from the Spirit and how I can be more obedient, and then learned much from our interviews with Pres. Holm this past week. I am so grateful for revelation and the things I've learned. My biggest goal this past week has been to have the Spirit with me more. As I've prayed more sincerely for its guidance and striven to cut out distractions, I have felt its influence increase. As I try to adjust small behaviors, I can already tell a difference in my day to day activities around my companion and the other sisters as I have recommitted to stay focused. I am grateful for the added Spirit I have felt as I have done so. Sister Steimle and I recommitted to role play more this week too. I've already felt the difference. Even if what we say in the actual lesson or door contact is completely different from our role play, I've noticed that the Spirit is with me more, I am more receptive to its promptings, and I am more comfortable teaching. The act of preparing and practising really helps! I am so grateful for revelation and for the opportunity I have to serve the Lord.

Sister Steimle and I have been continuing to work with the less actives our bishop asked us to visit, and we've met several wonderful people this week and had spiritual lessons with them. I'm grateful for the opportunity we have to serve our ward leadership. We're teaching a sweet sister named Ellie. We had our third lesson this week. I love her simple faith and desire to learn more about God. We've have one of our ward missionaries coming with us to see her and the difference is amazing. This sister knows exactly what Ellie needs because she's been there. I love working with members!

We've been saddened that we have struggled to find new investigators recently. Sister Steimle felt inspired that we need to follow up with past members who were introduced to the BRP. I know she was inspired by the Lord and am excited to work with the members more closely in working with their friends. 

The work moves forward, and I love it!

Take care and have a wonderful week!

Love,

Sister Cottam

He knows…

I am settling in well here and am grateful for the Lord's help in learning names and places. This past week our bishop gave us a list of people that he was unfamiliar with and wanted us to track down. We have loved this opportunity to serve the ward and have done a lot of work looking for less active members and then contacting around them. We've also been striving to improve our contacting and bare our testimonies more at the door. We feel the Spirit more often and continue to invite almost everyone we talk with to visit the Christmas website. I enjoy this time of year when we have the opportunity to share the Spirit of Christ with others.

We were able to contact an investigator Tara that wasn't progressing this week. We had a really good lesson with her. I'm so grateful for the Spirit that guided us to ask questions. I learned how important it really is to ask inspired questions. It's true, their response often highlights a doctrine we can teach, and it will be something that will spark their interest more than a rote presentation, something they need in order to draw closer to Christ. The Lord knows the needs of these people for better than we do. We need His guidance, and I'm so grateful for it! I learned an important lesson. The scriptures say that our mouths will be filled, but I learned very clearly this week, that I have to open my mouth and begin to speak in order for the Spirit to help me out. I have to have the faith to act, take that step in the dark, and THEN the Spirit will light the path a little more. I love being a missionary.

I hope you all have a wonderfully amazing beginning to the Christmas season. Go spread the Spirit of Christ through acts of love!

Love,

Sister Cottam

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!