Hello Family and Friends!
This week has been extrodinary. I have really felt the need to study faith
and hope this last week and discovered some interesting things. One of those
things is that trust, faith and hope are almost entirely interchangable. I have
worried that my faith might not be sufficient for the work I am striving and
living to do here in California. At Zone training on Friday we talked about
hope. Hope for us is to see miracles, hear the revelations, and feel the spirit.
It was such a good training and one that Sister Haws and I both needed. I found
it no conicedence I had been studying hope just days before. :D That night we
saw a miracle that brought us both to tears. We were visiting a less- active who
is just now starting to come back to church after 40 years! 15 minutes into our
visit we heard a knock on the door. The member answered it and her neighbor
walked in. We found out yesterday that this neighbor hadn't been heard from or
seen for 2 months. The neighbor joined us in the lesson we were teaching which
just happened to be the Restoration. It was amazing. At first we were totally
thrown off. We were not expecting to teach someone we had never expected. So we
had to work quickly as we talked to tailor the lesson to both ladies. We gave
her a Book of Mormon and a restoration DVD and scheduled another appointment
with both on Friday evening. As we walked to the car the facts of the matter
started hitting us. We knelt down the soonest moment we had and gave a prayer of
gratitude. Chatsworth is a great area but most of the work we do is reactivation
and not so much finding. On average we teach about 7-14 less-actives a week. We
keep extremely busy with it and we do love it. We know that there are people
hear waiting to hear the gospel we just need to find a way to find them. On
Saturday Sister Haws decided it was time to plan splits. I was extremly nervous
about this since I had been really struggling with door contacts and that was
exactly what was planned. ;( However, through the Grace of our Heavenly Father I
did just fine. It was fun and I think it helped that I was with someone my age
who is a returned missionary. The work is hard but is getting easier. This is
week 6 in training which means I have 5 more weeks to go. It would normally be
six but with the MTC stays getting shorter with all the new missionaries we have
to shorten a transfer to match the MTC schedules. So 5 more weeks. Sister Haws
is convinced that either we will stay another transfer after training or that I
will stay and she will leave. I don't really know what to think except that it
will be whatever the Lord needs it to be. It seems that the typical first area
stay is long for our mission. Meaning we have at least 2-3 transfer periods in
the area. Our mission is receiving 6 new sisters next week!!!!! Which is so
super exciting. We found out that some areas are getting split in half,
specifically bike areas so we can accomadate the appox. 60 new missionaries
coming in. We are so excited for the changes that are taking place. They only
further testify to the fact the Lord is Hastening his work. I am so grateful to
be out here. I am learning and growing. I am also learning about all my
personality defects too hahahaha. This
Tuesday will be an interesting experience. We are having 24 hour
exchanges with some Sisters in another area. Since the Assistants to the
President can't really do it the President has assigned a companionship of
Sisters to do it, of course. ;D I am leaving to go to Granada Hills till Wednesday afternoon. Basically it will
be an adventure. I love all of you and hope that you are all doing well. I
think of you daily and miss you. Remember that missionary work is not just for
the missionaries. I hope you all thought of someone you can introduce the gospel
to. Until next week!
Hoorah for Israel!!!
Love,
Sister Cottrell
