Happy New Year 2013

Hey fam!

Happy New year! Hopefully everyone was safe. I thought I would be at least a little bummed out to not celebrate it but I was actually grateful that I was safe and sound. We went home around 7 and deep cleaned our apartment which felt super nice! 2013 :) yay! It was tempting not staying out all night in our area so that we could get like 20 new investigators that were drunk so our numbers would be super high... but we decided on quality/safety instead. We just got back from a tri-zone activity where we played soccer and ate lunch... I sprained my ankle... again. so. dumb. It should heal quick being on a BIKE!...not. Plus I have ANOTHER cold. The year is off to a good start. Christmas was so fun to see everyone!! It was my favorite Christmas for sure. I saw lots of miracles. In october there was a 9 year old that came in with his friend and said that he "wanted to learn about Jesus" He didn't know anything so I started talking to him and he just kept looking up at the Christus like, "wow" he hadn't seen anything like it. He told me that his family was going through a divorce and he was super sad all the time. As I was teaching him it got super busy and everyone started getting mad because i was talking to a kid when there were lots of people that needed help. Whatever. So I got distracted and he ran out! I felt so bad. Well, Christmas night he ran up to me and said, "hey! hey! do you remember me?" I said of course I do! He told me that he came with his parents this time. I asked him what he got for christmas and he just said.. "just a couple things that I needed" So I went in the back and grabbed him and his little sister a christmas candy bar. I asked him to take me to his parents so that I could send the missionaries to his house and he could learn more about Jesus. I talked to his parents and they were super stand-offish. They said they would give me their phone number but "they forgot their address" I was super frustrated. BUT... I invited them to go watch the 5 min movie on Luke 2 and I just happened to get my post changed to that theater that they went into. I was ready to testify and stick up for that little boy. So I said that during the movie they will know that the message that we share as missionaries is true and if you don't want it for yourself, do it for your kids! (and I looked right at them..ha) As they walked out I asked again for their address and guess what?? I got it :) missionaries sent! Miracle. I passed my year mark this week too! Weird. I've learned so much this year and i'm definitely not the same Sara as when I left. There has been so many rumors about missionary work changing... have you heard anything? So one of the sisters in the vc has a boyfriend on a mission in canada speaking chinese and he wrote her and said that his mission president said to be ready because they might get a letter from president monson asking them to extend another year and go into CHINA!!!!!!!!! Also I have heard a couple stories of people receiving blank mission calls and it just says the number to pres monsons office and he is giving people special assignments to be ginipigs in new areas. Its gonna get crazy from what I hear. I was thinking about if they just happened to send me a letter to extend another year... woah... I don't feel so bad when I think of Parley P Pratt thought. Anyway. I still don't know when I will be going home. It might be a week earlier or... i'm not sure. We don't need to worry about it though. I will let you know when I know. 

I was SUPER blessed with referrals during Christmas lights. As I prayed to know who to talk to Heavenly father blessed me with almost 40 people to commit to have the missionaries in there home and almost 100 members referring their friends and about 10 that wanted me to teach over phone/email. I'm..... a little overwhelmed. But they said that we will try and split my cards up among the other sisters too so it shouldn't be too bad. I got 20 pesos too from a guy from Mexico. It was super cool I told him I would send the missionaries to his house and he was so grateful that he came up to me like 20 min later and gave me 20 pesos!! I told him no but he insisted. 

Anyway.. that's about it I feel like there is so much more but... I can't think. Oh yeah! We had almost all of our investigators at church this week! We even met some random Señor on the street and invited him to come to church and guess what? He walked all across town and came for 3 hours. Miracle! YAY blessings of being on a bike. I actually like it. Lots of exercise.

Okay love you! Have a good week! Write me

The chapter is Alma 26 again.. too bad :)

SFTE

Hermana Cottrell