April 29, 2013- So busy!

Hola Familiares,

It's been a surprisingly smooth-ish week! It's been so much fun to ge back with Hermana Valladares and having a new area. She has whitewashed an area before so she kinda knows what she's doing. We got a new apartment and a new car and new supplies and everything. We we soooooooo blessed to find Cesi Morales.. a resent convert who LOVES sharing the gospel with everyone who comes in contact with her. We were blessed to find 8 new investigators our first night in the area because of her. We will also have a baptism on the 18th, Jorge Godinez :) Hermana Larson actually taught him in a different ward and he moved to ours! We are exciting for him. Also another cool thing is that Andy- the 16 year old miricle kid I told everyone about last week... yeah, my DISTRICT leader is the one that is teaching him... meaning he's in my stake... meaning I can go to his baptism probably! So cool. One of our new (now dropped) investigators is named "Muñeca" meaning doll or dolly in Spanish. She is straight out of a tv show. She opens the door with nothing but an oversized elvis shirt on... did I mention she's like 75? My eyes burned a little... not just because she wasn't wearing hardly anything, but bless her heart, she's a horder. There was only one little tiny path to get to her kitchin in the midst of THOUSANDS of pictures and ornaments and "stufffffffffffffffffffff" everywhere... piles and piles... you cant imagine. She talked our ears off and wouldn't let us say two words. I feel really bad for her, she's alone and needs people to talk to. We had to keep our scheldule though so finally we inturrupted her and said, "you have to let us talk when we come over Muñeca!" she said okay and then started talking a million miles an hour again. We tried a different reproach the next time we talked to her. We sang! She loved it and felt the spirit.. but she is really stuborn and keps saying she's Catholic. We'll see. She kept inturrupting the member in her prayer and said, "no, you have to start over and pray for my daughter" I was holding my nose because I was laughing so hard. We found a family with like 6 people who are soooo ready to hear the gospel. The aunt that lives with them has cancer and no hair they all are going through hard things and cried during the prayer. I know Heavenly Father has prepared them to hear the message.  Sister V and I both like to sing in our lessons so we've been doing it alot and we've seen so many blessings and miracles. We made the RS pres cry last night when we went to visit her.. brownie points with the ward :) I've had many spiritual experiences this week that i'm so grateful for. It's been a transistion for me because we are working SOOO much with members and sacrificing time to visit everyone... it's what the ward needs though. We have parts in our area that are really "ritzy" We eat with the english wards 15 days of the month and their houses are HUGE and beautiful. I don't think I have felt like I needed to take off my shoes in a house my whole mission until now. It's weird. I have been so blessed to work with such humble people that are happy with what they have I love it. Yesterday in church we sang "count your many blessings"... not my pick, but it's a good song. We did it to get our faces up there.. which wasn't completely needed because the bishop said to Hermana Valladares that she was baring her testimony in sacrament. Did i even say this? We split the area with two sisters that were aready working in the ward. Hermana Christiansen and Reyburn. I came out with Hermana Christiansen but she has one more transfer left than me because she's not a VC sister... actually I think she just choose, but i'm not sure. Anyway, they have helped us alot. So it's been good! I'm excited to know more about my responsisbilities with my new assignment. We have a meeting with all the leaders in the mission on Friday so that should be good. Anyway... love you all! Read Helaman 3:35... this scripture has brought me so much strengh!

SFTE

Hermana Cottrell

Sis B's Blog April 25, 2013

FOTOS APRIL 22-13

BIG NEWS! APRIL 22,2013

Okay... Lots to write. SO haha I can't even type without laughing. I am WHITEWASHING.. meaning I'm starting a NEW area... wait wait wait, it gets better... With HERMANA VALLADARES!! My baby. Wait for it... PLUS we have accepted a new calling from President that has never been a calling before, I am a "exchange sister" meaning I will be like a girl ZONE LEADER in my zone. Who knows what that implies.. but i'm excited. We will go to all the leadership meetings with the president and we will go on splits all the time with the sisters in our new zone. So this transfer is gonna get loco. I have an area in the VC on the computers with investigators, an area in the VC with people that walk in the VC, i'll have an area with the sisters in my zone, I'll have an area in my REAL area, plus my administrative assistant calling in the vc... okay I'm getting stressed writing this, I gotta stop. I'm sooooo excited though!!! I'm gonna be so busy! Hermana Larson is taking my spot with Hermana Weber... so she got transferred downstairs. I trust her with the 5 baptisms that are coming up! They will work hard in the area. So it was a short stay in Liahona 3rd with lots and lots of success, but i'll be in "Arboleda" now which is a branch.. the first one on my mission. I have no idea what to expect. All I can see in my mind is trees or a forest because "arboleda" means grove of trees. We will have lots of trial and error and adventures. I'm excited to be back with Hermana Valladares again. It's actually her birthday today! This isn't even that crazy compared to everyone else though... there are sisters that have been out for 6 weeks and are training! Soooooooooooo many missionaries. I feel like I don't even know anyone in the mission.

Okay so thats that. This week was really good. I can't run now in the mornings.. I swear you age like 100 years on your mission because my right knee like pops and swells and aches every time I run now...nice. We had a cool experience the other day. We set 4 baptismal dates in one day. Also yesterday we had like 20 min in our area the whole day and we found 3 new investigators in 20 min.... i'm going to miss this area a lot. 

Let me tell you the story of a 15 year old named Andy: Andy came into the VC with his friend last JULY and said he wasn't a member but his friend.. who is a girl is a member. He said he talked to the missionaries when he was little, but he never got baptized and his parents wouldn't let him take the lessons until he was 16. So i told him last July that I would call him the day after his bday on April 13 the following year. Welp, I did! I wished him a happy birthday and he said that he already had talked to his parents and they said that they weren't too thrilled about it still, but that he could take the lessons at someone elses house. I suggested that maybe he could take the lessons at his friends house that came with him to the VC a year ago and she happened to be with him right then and she said that was fine. Then after I hung up, I called the elders that are in his area and they just happened to be in their same apartment complex right by where they were. So apparently they went over right then and now he is getting baptized on May 11th!!! Soooo worth the wait :) We are having so much success on the phones. We've almost got our 30 baptisms for the month. There are so many miracles happening, the Lord truly is hastening his work and i'm so grateful that I get to watch Him do it. 

I've been studying about faith, because a lot of times I feel like I don't have enough faith or have a grasp of what faith truly is, but I was reading in Preach My Gospel and it says that the actions of faith are repentance, obedience, and dedicated service... even if I feel that I lack faith....I can do that. It feels more tangible to me. Anyway, I just felt like I needed to share that. Love you all! :)

SFTE

Hermana Cottrell

Helaman 4 and 5 :)

April 17,2013- FLAT IRON HIKE

Buenas tardes :)

Okay, brief summery of the week: Monday we went on a killer hike called "Flat Iron" 3 hours up and 2 hours down. It was like 6 miles and one mile height wise. We were all super sore and super tired we were all walking like ducks for 2 days... it was fun though. Juan didn't have a document to get his marriage licence, so we are waiting yet another week... we cried a little. BUTTTT cute little Alexandra got baptized :) ... I'll talk about that later. On Wednesday we had Interviews and inspections.. it was weird to think that I was going into my last interview before my REAL last interview. It went well.. we just talked about the area and how busy we are. He asked if I thought the area would be better full-field since we're getting so much work... I don't want to be full-field again.. but I couldn't lie so I told him that the area needs more attention... so either my last transfer i will be full-field, or I'll get transferred most likely. :/ should be interesting news next week. I don't want to leave though. We got to go to the temple on Thursday... I love the Mesa temple, it's definitely become a part of me. Hermana Weber is struggling with English... I don't know how to help her. I have way too much sympathy because I know how she feels. She gets really frustrated and never wants to speak English... i'm still tryin to figure out what to do. She is one of the best missionaries in the mission though. I sat her down and told her that I really want to help her because Heavenly Father needs her as a leader and even though I want to perfect my spanish, I know He needs her to learn English, I hope I can help :/ 

Alexandra Perez, 9 years old (Juans soon-to-be step daughter)  got baptized on Saturday! She's the cutest little girl i've ever seen, i'll send pics. It was actually kind of a mess- we worked at the vc before so we were only like 15min early and my camera was dead, Juan got stuck in traffic and missed the whole thing, everyone was getting up and sitting down throughout the program to try and figure everything out, we didn't practice our song with the pianist so it wasn't good, there was some drama with the ward mission leader and the stake presidency... I could go on and on... but, with everything that went wrong, I looked over at Alexandra and she was the happiest little girl in the whole world and she was just beaming with the light of Christ. It just reminded me that nothing else matters and that we all just need to be "as a little child" It also reminded me of the lesson that we had with Yesenia and her 11yr old son Victor. Yesenia has one of the strongest testimonies i've ever heard a non member give... as we teach, she's the one that testifies.. even in church... she's a dry member and the next Relief Society president... the only problem is that because her heart is changing, her husband is resenting it and it's destroying her marriage. She's so ready for her baptism and wants to be baptized.. she says she knows it's true with all her heart and will never leave this but that it's been so hard with her husband. I feel bad for her.. Victor really wants to get baptized, but Yesenia wants support from her husband. Victor asked questions like "what's the difference bw God, Jesus Christ and Jesuscristo?" and "What does Gospel mean" Later in the lesson as he saw his mom getting frustrated he said, "mom, you just need to follow what in here, your heart... instead of what's in here, your mind" We asked him why he wants to get baptized and he said, "I just want that gift you were talking about... the Holy Spirit... I want that with me all the time" Pretty sure my chin started to quiver. 

Fasting works! Last night we saw Juan and she said he is for sure getting married and baptized THIS Saturday :) So here comes another Mexican wedding!!! I'm a pro by now. Anyway, Juan talked to Alexandra about how she felt when she was baptized and she told him that when she went down into the water and closed her eyes she saw Heavenly Father and she felt so good. She said when she got the Holy Ghost yesterday, she felt something she couldn't describe. I think that really hit home for him. In his closing prayer he said, "Heavenly Father I know this is true.. I testify that it is" He was talking about how a year ago when missionaries knocked, he wanted nothing to do with it... no interest at all... but God prepares his children with time. It brings us comfort as we face rejection for sure. I'm working with the most amazing people and we feel sooooo blessed. Heavenly Father is just poring out blessings as our faith has been strengthened and we are obedient. I'm loving it. I really feel like we aren't doing anything though... God works on His own time.

Thats about it :) Love you all! OH ps I had the meeting with the people in SLC over skype and it was so good! We are doing Member Present lessons and FHE's over the phone now.... technology... it's changing everything. We've already had around 15 baptisms this month. Go Preach My Gospel!!!

The chapter is Job 23.. random? just read it, it's good.

Love,

Hermana Cottrell

APRIL 19, 2013 - FROM SIS BECKSTRAND BLOG

MORE PHOTOS

FLAT IRON ROCK HIKE

PHOTOS 4-8-13

FAVORITE PICTURE OF ALL TIME

Sister Weber loves to take pictures of herself with chocolate in her teeth.

locked ourselves out....

April 8, 2013 - Progress!

Happy Conference!!! Wasn't it amazing? I got to see all of it except for an hour because I was working in the VC, but I feel renewed and my faith strengthened.. Hope everyone else feels the same. It's like I say all the time, it's the same thing as if the prophet Moses or Noah or Nephi were going to speak to the world in behalf of God... you would do ANYTHING to hear what they have to say! It's the same. I loved it and was able to receive so much inspiration. It's seriously like Christmas especially when you are a missionary... you hear things in a different way. 

On Tuesday we had 4 apts fall through and a flat tire.. but the Lord wanted us to find a new investigator instead... Ana! She's looking for peace in her life. We are still trying to keep up with referrals... man, every time we contact someone we get two or three more. NOT complaining.. but I feel bad that it takes us so long to contact and people are waiting. 

On Wednesday night right before we were closing up the VC a girl I had met a couple months ago, who didn't want to go on a mission at all and was against it had come looking for me and said that she had just gotten her call to the Houston, Texas mission! I wanted to cry. She said she had to come find me and tell me that because of my story, she's going! I also got a letter this week from another girl that I talked to and she just left for the MTC on Wednesday to Tacoma, WA. It makes me sooooooooooooooo happy! I'm so glad I got called to the VC and Heavenly Father gave me the opportunity to talk to all these girls and help them make one of the best decisions they can ever make! 

We had Zone Training Meeting this week and Sis Dasjav from Mongolia bore her farewell testimony! All of our cool sisters from far away are leaving! I think we are getting sisters from like Germany and Russia soon though. 

The adversary is working with our investigators sooooooo much and it's driving me nuts! We are supposed to have 4 baptisms on Saturday and I think we will only have one. We'll see... I still think we'll have a miracle. But Juan is getting his marriage license as I write!!! :) So we are having a wedding on Saturday for sure but I think his daughter Alexandra is the only one that will get baptized.. he says that "it's just too much in one day" or something like that... sigh... that's WHY you're getting married!!! So anyway... He's going to talk to the bishop tomorrow and we will see him tonight so I still have hope.PLUS he took down his virgin maria guatelupe poster down... THAT"S progress if i've ever seen it... especially with a hispanic. And then there is Yesenia and her son Victor that are supposed to get baptized and are sooooo awesome! All these people are what we call "dry members" (people that seem like members but haven't been baptized) Yesenia is prego and is throwing up all the time so we can't see her! ugh.... We'll see what happens. She's close though. We are a little stressed though because we don't really know what's going to happen this Saturday because we didn't have church and the members don't know anything yet! So hopefully we can get some support... and a wedding dress.

Calling on the phones at the VC is changing completely! We are now turning everything into Preach My Gospel.. so with key indicators, member present lessons and our main focus is baptizing! Salt Lake said that we are one of the most successful VC's in the world... I think we are the 2nd and the 1st is SLC obviously. But usually we baptize 15-17 people a month and our goal this month is 30 in april. We are extending our vision and doing it the Lords way. It's so cool to be apart of this and all these cool historical changes. We are having a skype meeting with the people over all the computer "connect" program for the church in the whole world on Thursday and they will train me and some other sisters so we can help turn everyone into Preach My Gospel Visitor Center sisters even over the phones and emails and chats. So..... If you have anyone you want me to call, just give me their number and i will teach them over the phone... just throwin it out there. 

It was a good week! Let me know what your favorite talks were. I liked Elder Holland's and Elder Bednar's and Elder Nielsons... I liked all of them, but I feel like my faith has been lacking so Elder Holland's talk was definitely an answer to a prayer. Hope everyone has a good week :) love you all!

The chapter is 3 Ne 14 read it! 

Hermana Cottrell

SFTE  

April Fools! 4-1-13

It's April Fools! This morning sister larson and I were running and we saw our district leader walking with his companion. We stopped them and said that both of our companions had returned to Mexico in the middle of the night... that's the best i've got this year.

Happy Easter! For Easter I made this quote and put it in a Easter Egg for all the sisters in the VC. "Brothers and sisters, one of the great consolations of this Easter season is that because Jesus walked such a long, lonely path utterly alone, we do not have to do so. His solitary journey brought great company for our little version of that path—the merciful care of our Father in Heaven, the unfailing companionship of this Beloved Son, the consummate gift of the Holy Ghost, angels in heaven, family members on both sides of the veil, prophets and apostles, teachers, leaders, friends. All of these and more have been given as companions for our mortal journey because of the Atonement of Jesus Christ and the Restoration of His gospel. Trumpeted from the summit of Calvary is the truth that we will never be left alone nor unaided, even if sometimes we may feel that we are. Truly the Redeemer of us all said: “I will not leave you comfortless: [My Father and] I will come to you [and abide with you].”- Elder Holland Christ wore His crown of thorns so that one day we will wear crowns of glory! Remember the royal within you. It was a pretty good Easter. Omar got baptized on Friday! :) yay! we are hoping for 5 in April. Pray for us! 

The Easter pageant is over, it was weird it feels like it just kind of blew over my head because every night while the easter pageant was going, instead of watching it, we would tell our investigators to come to the VC so that we could have a lesson with them. That sacrifice brought lots of blessings! We saw lots of miracles at the VC as well. My companion Hna Weber got the information to send the missionaries of someone that is in our area! After she got her information, I took them to see the movie "witness of Christ" and they gave me referrals for their friends! Companionship unity :) On the weekend at the Easter pageant, i'm guessing we had 30,000 people. Nuts. We didn't even have very many crazies either! Only one or two and nothing really happened.

I've been sick... shocker. Not to the point where I can't work any more, but I haven't been able to hold much down. I'm just nauseated all the time. I'm sure it's just being tired or something. Heavenly Father blessed me so much one night though because I just sat behind the front desk instead of presenting something since i wasn't feeling well and I still made all my goals for the night! Prepared people literally fell into my lap. 

The baptism.. was stressful. Everyone was SUPER late and a couple people on the program flaked out and just didn't show up. But we went into a room as a companionship and prayed and it all turned out well. All of Omar's family came! He is a pioneer in his immediate family but he has the support of extended family that are members which is good. Omar's little brother (22 yrs old) came up to me and started asking me questions and HE wants to learn now :) cool! Sister Fors and Sister Holladay were in town for the pageant as well so they came to the baptism and it was good to see them.. in PANTS!. 

Yesterday for easter some Americans invited us to eat breakfast with them. Sigh... I don't know how to work with Americans. I don't like it... at all. Anyway, so they have this tradition that comes from there ancestors. You have toast, boiled eggs and milk.. meaning you had wheat, a chicken and a cow to take care of your family. You break up the bread, slice the eggs and pore milk over it and eat it. hmmmm... maybe you have to get use to it. I thought of mom and her milk toast.. gross. At church Omar was confirmed! Good feeling. After church... we were locked out... :/ so we went to the vc for a while and then we broke in. I was craving an Easter dinner sooo bad! I hadn't eaten a real meal in like a week... but they changed our vc schedule and we worked there from 4pm to 7pm so we didn't get to eat with members or anything so we ate a frozen burrito. BUT... I prayed and guess what? This morning I woke up and a member had brought a ham dinner for us... so Easter lunch today! Better late than never. 

Hope everyone had a good Easter :) It was so awesome testifying to people and telling them that we don't celebrate Christs death, but that He LIVES! And He loves us and knows us and that through baptism we can become who we need to be. 

The chapter is Mormon 9.. it says at the beginning that it's directed to people that don't believe in Christ. But it's a good chapter.

Love you all,

SFTE

Hermana Cottrell