9/30/2013

So last week I tried to send you an additional email besides the major update but apparently there was an error message about sending it so I've attached it this week...  :P

And I did get your letter a couple days ago, but that explains the larger envelope holding your letter...  Sis O and I laughed a little about that.  :)  And you totally can email me your letter!  I said in the letter to you last week (that you didn't get) that I actually have a lot of time to email.  There isn't really a time limit in this mission because there isn't an actual time limit in the white Bible so as long as we don't spend too much time and as long as it doesn't distract me from the work, I'm allowed up to three hours of email time.  (And that three hours is because we use the library computers and that's their cut-off.)  And although I do like snail-mail, I don't really have a preference, so seriously, don't stress about making it a letter.  You can email me all you want!  ;)

And thank you for having that package ready to send!!  Its warming up since week before last, so it isn't as bad, but I'm still very appreciative!  :)  Something you can throw in there are some gloves and a hat or two that grandma made me (if you can find them that is...).  I found out that I am allowed to wear winter hats, so it might be nice to have.  :)  Although I don't know if I actually packed those up or not...  So if you can find one or two, send them please.  But if you can't easily find them, don't worry about it!  And as for my room, I tried to clean it really well, so I don't think you'll find any major issues in there...  But I was the one who packed and cleaned, so who knows!  ;)  And you're right about Target and Walmart.  We don't have them!  So if there's anything you feel like sending, that you think I might need, please feel free!  ;)  Oh!  One other thing I'd really like to request is a small Children's Songbook!  That may have to wait till Christmas or something, but it would be really nice to have the primary songs with me.  :)

As for Monty, I don't know if that's really true or not...  From everything I've heard, it completely depends on the missionary.  So we'll see!  :)  And that is crazy that David's farewell was on Sunday!!  So does that mean he left this last week or when does he actually report?  And I hope you wished him luck for me!  :)

As for my district, we actually have another set of sisters and two sets of elders as well as the Crumps...  We're spread out a bit so for district meeting we go down to Tunkhannock because that's about half way for everyone...  And then the zone that we're a part of is the Scranton zone...  

As for my music, I'm still trying to find ways to use it...  Its difficult when I don't have a piano to practice on, so I'm getting a little rusty, and my voice isn't in the greatest shape right now.  I don't really know why, but its just kinda bleh right now...  Anyway, I did talk with one of the ladies in the branch and I may be doing something sometime in Nov. for the branch...  However!  Sis O and I are starting church tours and we've been using music as a part of that!  :)  And the church tour is just where we show them around the building, explain the general purpose of each room, and teach a lesson along the way.  Its so awesome!!  We did one last week where we taught the Plan of Salvation to Jake (our only investigator) and it was incredible!  The spirit was so strong by the end of the tour that Sis O was crying and it was taking everything inside of me not to cry!  So yeah...  Still trying to figure out how to use the music but its a work in progress.  :)

And don't feel bad that you couldn't feed the missionaries!  There are a few families in the branch that don't feed us because their schedules are such that they really can't and its just fine!  I still love them just as much as the other members and I know that they're doing missionary work in their own way.  :)  Just like you!

As for Jake, we're hoping to meet with him tonight and we're going to have to push back his baptismal date because he hasn't come to church yet...  :P  So, its disappointing, but he still seems very interested, so we just have to figure out what it is that's running through his head...

With that being said, our major focus right now is finding.  So we're out potential finding and door-knocking almost every day.  Which made me laugh when you asked how tracting works, because that's pretty much all we're doing right now!  :)P  But generally what we do, because of how rural the area is(which by the way, we're getting our SECOND stoplight here in Montrose! Crazy right?! :P), we look back through former and potential investigators in a specifically part of our area.  We write down their names and addresses and then try contacting them.  Most of the time, we don't have the right address because the address system changed a few years back, so we knock on their neighbor's doors asking if they know So-and-so.  That's generally how we get started just because people are so willing to help us generally.  And we also ask a lot of people for referrals...  We don't get a lot, but we got one last night that might actually pan out!  :D  So tracting isn't all that different here than anywhere else...  It just requires some driving along with walking.  :)

And our area is from the New York border down to the Susquehanna county line.  So its good sized but it only takes about an hour to get across the county from end to end...  So its not that bad!  :)  We just have to make sure we plan in travel time.  

Thanks for update on Grandma!  Send her my love as well!  I have a picture of Grandma and Grandpa right next to my desk that I look at every morning.  So please pass along my gratitude for their continuous support and my love for them!!

I'm glad to hear that all is well at home.  And glad to hear that everyone's busy.  I keep finding over and over again that the hardest points of the week are when I'm not busy.  That's when I get caught up thinking about home or thinking about all the ways we have to improve here in our area...  But as soon as we're out and working and keeping busy, my focus is always in the right place and everything is better.  :)

Something that happened this week that we super wonderful was that we had exchanges with the Sister Training Leaders.  They're both in the home stretch of their missions and so it was great to be able to go out and teach with Sister Gottfredson.  She had so many wonderful insights and she was just so supportive!  While they were here, we had interviews with them, and mine was with Sister Gottfredson and it was exactly what I needed.  :)  It helped me to recognize where I can and need to improve and she also gave me some wonderful advice, mainly about how to focus better.  :)

So overall, life right now in the field is quite the adventure.  I'm learning a TON and I'm loving it!  There are times where it isn't easy, but the Lord never said it would be easy, He just said it would be worth it.  And I know that this is exactly where I'm supposed to be right now.  I know that I promised many, many years ago that I would go and do as He's commanded.  To go and invite others to come closer to Christ.  So I know that He will continue to strengthen me and even carry me on those days when I just don't what to do anything.  Because He already has. The Lord works miracles as long as we have faith and act on that faith.

I love you so much!  Thank you for your prayers and support!  I truly feel them lifting me up.  I miss you a lot and I know you miss me too, but I know that I will blink and I'll be coming home, so I've got to make the most of this wonderful opportune moment.  Know my prayers are with you always!

Much love!

Sister "Fred" Cottam