It was so hard saying goodbye to Sister Crandall and helping her pack! She was still feeling pretty sick up until she left, so I went on a few more splits with a few girls in the Stake preparing for missions themselves.
My new companion is Sister Camarena from Safford, Arizona! It snowed here on her first day out, as if Idaho decided to welcome her to the bitter cold! She's fresh out of high school and is ready to work, which makes my job easier. :)
Wednesday, right after transfers, we had a training as a zone on the new 2016 Christmas Initiative! #LighttheWorld! For each Christmas Initiative they let the missionaries watch the video before they release it to the world. I would really encourage everyone to make sure that they see it when it is released, and to participate in the Christmas count down that you can find on mormon.org. It is such a great missionary opportunity and it really will help you focus more on service this Christmas season!
We have been working with this one in-active couple who (mostly the husband) has a lot of concerns with church history that they finally opened up to us about. They are really open to letting us prepare a lesson to address some of these concerns (the husband even suggested it before we did!) and helping them gain a testimony as well as going through the list of "problems" in the church history. Yes, there's a list! This will for sure be so humbling for me! I used to feel pretty confident in addressing most concerns on the spot with scriptures and promptings, but some of his concerns are deeper than most that I've encountered in the past, so I'll for sure be studying a lot more this week and will be saying a lot of prayers. One thing that one of my MTC teachers taught me that I'm really convinced is true, is that the scriptures truly will answer any question. Also, out here I've learned that any concern others have might just be them "looking beyond the mark," and will always tie back to a simple principle of the gospel.
A blessing this week despite the work being a bit slow is that we were able to help a few people get to church! It really made me feel like we are making a difference and inviting the spirit into other's homes. Cody also went to church again and had a wonderful time. His Grandparents want to make sure he's ready to commit to this, so they won't let him get baptized for a few months. Once he proves that he does want this though, they are totally fine with it! Cody always sets up chairs for us when we come, and he really is focused at church! The other family that we are helping activate told us that they decided to push back their daughter's baptismal date from Dec. 3rd to that first week in January, so that family can attend and to help the father feel "more spiritually and worthy to baptize her." Another of our investigator's mother decided that she might not give permission to her son for him to be baptized either, but we can still teach him! Despite all of that going on, I know that they all are on the path towards baptism, and that's what matters.
In honor of Thanksgiving, I just want to express how thankful I am to be out here serving a mission. I probably say this every week, but I really am so grateful I made the decision to serve. I knew that it would be hard, but it truly is the most incredibly thing! As sappy as it sounds, I really never knew that I had so much room in my heart to love so many different people.
~Nephi 16:16- The Liahona led them to the more fertile parts of the land. When I read over this, I really started to think about how with everything you do in life, there's always going to be a good, better and best. :)
Love,
Sister Cottrell
My new companion is Sister Camarena from Safford, Arizona! It snowed here on her first day out, as if Idaho decided to welcome her to the bitter cold! She's fresh out of high school and is ready to work, which makes my job easier. :)
Wednesday, right after transfers, we had a training as a zone on the new 2016 Christmas Initiative! #LighttheWorld! For each Christmas Initiative they let the missionaries watch the video before they release it to the world. I would really encourage everyone to make sure that they see it when it is released, and to participate in the Christmas count down that you can find on mormon.org. It is such a great missionary opportunity and it really will help you focus more on service this Christmas season!
We have been working with this one in-active couple who (mostly the husband) has a lot of concerns with church history that they finally opened up to us about. They are really open to letting us prepare a lesson to address some of these concerns (the husband even suggested it before we did!) and helping them gain a testimony as well as going through the list of "problems" in the church history. Yes, there's a list! This will for sure be so humbling for me! I used to feel pretty confident in addressing most concerns on the spot with scriptures and promptings, but some of his concerns are deeper than most that I've encountered in the past, so I'll for sure be studying a lot more this week and will be saying a lot of prayers. One thing that one of my MTC teachers taught me that I'm really convinced is true, is that the scriptures truly will answer any question. Also, out here I've learned that any concern others have might just be them "looking beyond the mark," and will always tie back to a simple principle of the gospel.
A blessing this week despite the work being a bit slow is that we were able to help a few people get to church! It really made me feel like we are making a difference and inviting the spirit into other's homes. Cody also went to church again and had a wonderful time. His Grandparents want to make sure he's ready to commit to this, so they won't let him get baptized for a few months. Once he proves that he does want this though, they are totally fine with it! Cody always sets up chairs for us when we come, and he really is focused at church! The other family that we are helping activate told us that they decided to push back their daughter's baptismal date from Dec. 3rd to that first week in January, so that family can attend and to help the father feel "more spiritually and worthy to baptize her." Another of our investigator's mother decided that she might not give permission to her son for him to be baptized either, but we can still teach him! Despite all of that going on, I know that they all are on the path towards baptism, and that's what matters.
In honor of Thanksgiving, I just want to express how thankful I am to be out here serving a mission. I probably say this every week, but I really am so grateful I made the decision to serve. I knew that it would be hard, but it truly is the most incredibly thing! As sappy as it sounds, I really never knew that I had so much room in my heart to love so many different people.
~Nephi 16:16- The Liahona led them to the more fertile parts of the land. When I read over this, I really started to think about how with everything you do in life, there's always going to be a good, better and best. :)
Love,
Sister Cottrell
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