Sam in the CLAM: November 2011

Wednesday, November 30, 2011

Thanksgiving Week 2011

11-22-11 Tuesday

Today we had mission-leadership-training - we sat for 6 hours with the leaders of the mission and got a long talk about how we really aren't doing enough. It was super rough. Everyone left the meeting feeling pretty down.. Oh well - sometimes it's hard to face the music - but you still gotta face it. That took up most of the day - we visited a less-active member that is kind of losing it upstairs - bless his heart. Rough day today.. i'm grateful for prayer.

11-23-11

Today we went to the civic center in santa monica to help with a service - well, to set up a service. We moved some things for a huge celebration tomorrow to help out the needy and homeless. There will be about 4,000 people there trying to get clothes, dental exams, food and other medical help. We had a good lesson with Hua - we talked about the Atonement of Jesus Christ - he didn't understand a few things, but we felt like we cleared them up pretty well. He said he gained a much bigger appreciation for Him and all He did for us. I'm grateful for Him.

11-24-11

Today we went to the civic center again to help with the 'celebration'. There were a ton of volunteers there - too many infact. They asked a small group of us to go into the clothing section and 'mess things up to create jobs for other volunteers...' seriously. I knocked over a pile of pants and then picked it back up because I felt too bad for messing it up. They put Elder Ewing and I in charge of training volunteers - so ten minutes after the hour, every hour, we'd get a group of about 50 volunteers and yell our guts out over the noise to get them trained - it was pretty fun. We were incharge of the servers and waiters - there was alot of really grateful people there - it was an awesome experience. We ate with a family in the spanish ward - I was sceptical at first but then learned that it was so so stinkin good. We had all of the same food that we eat at home on thanksgiving - it was really way good. I wish I would have bought a turkey. We even contributed with an ugly jello mold that we made yesterday. No one ate it - oh well. I'm grateful for thanksgiving

11-25-11

We had good district meetings today - I didn't have to train on anything but I learned a whole lot from the other trainings. We had them themed to setting baptismal dates and sorting through our teaching pools to find those really ready to be taught and baptized. We helped a family move some mulch into their backyard - it was way fun to do some yard work for a minute. They are probably my favorite family in the area - they're the one's with the super happy marriage. They're gonna need to come to my wedding in Utah when that day comes. I'm grateful for hard work.

11-26-11

We taught Hector the plan of salvation - he loved it. He and his son Brian are doing great. I'm excited for them to get baptized soon. We taught Marianna, her dad and boyfriend about the Restoration - they grasped it all really well. - she made us a CD of her singing spanish songs. I don't understand them super well, but she is pretty good ha. We visited a less-active member and got super down... He brought us into his kitchen and showed us that he has nothing to give his kids, he is having troubles with his wife and lost his job. It was so so sad.. I wish I could do something for them so bad. We just prayed and prayed..

I'm grateful for the gospel.

11-27-11

We had our stake meeting today with Pres. Baker - it went pretty well. They are doing everything different now - on a new system - so we basically just looked over numbers and learned the new way. Glad to have that meeting done. The wards were super small today - everyone is gone for the holiday. I think when the time comes to go to just 3 hours of church, i'll think it's short. 7 am to 5 30 pm is just too long. But I'm grateful for it.

That was the week - today we played kickball and presented the new zone goal to the zone - we will wash the car and do some shopping at the dollar store. Exciting I know.

I love you all

Elder Cottrell

Monday, November 21, 2011

Torchin' Tommy: Week 3.

11-15-11 Tuesday

Sometimes I really really don't want to write in my journal - but I know that i'll be glad I did. Whenever I don't feel like it, I think of dad's counsel before I left... "write in your journal EVERY DAY.. " Guess i'll just keep doing it. We met with Aphrodite at the church and taught the plan of salvation - she got really excited when she learned that we believe in more than just heaven and hell - I really hope she will be baptized on Dec. 4th. - she's promised to work hard to meet that goal. We decided to do some fishing afterwards - we got rejected really unusually hard like 10 times in a row.. it was weird. But I thought back to every time things like that have happened before and realized that it's just the storm before the sunshine... about the 12th door we knocked on let us in - Rudolpho. We talked with him about the plan of salvation - he's a really good guy - fed us and everything. I'm so glad that when I have tough times I can recognize that it's usually a test from God to see if i'll keep working hard to get the blessing that He has for me. Things didn't run so smoothly the next lesson... We taught John the word of wisdom - he hated it. Bummer. BUT we DID teach Hua the law of chastity.. and he loved it. Really it was sort of odd. He asked us 'do you have anything else like this that you can teach me??' - nope... we saved that lesson for the very last. Darn it. Oh well, atleast we know he's going to keep all committments.

11-16-11

We had a good service today with the old folks. I helped push Erna around... she's a really funny lady. We met with the district leaders and talked about a zone goal for december - it was less than effective. Bummer. Hector said that he loved church and that we was going to buy church clothes for his son brian so that they could keep coming - bonus. We taught a couple less-active families - they both committed to come to church this sunday. I hope they do - they need the blessings no doubt.

11-17-11

Did I ever mention that I wake up early to go run every morning? I hate the mornings... and I don't like running that much.. it's not a good combination. But it's good for me. We watched Together Forever with Hector - he really liked it and wants to show it to his family. His mom is in town from Guatemala and is strick catholic - I don't think she likes us a ton. The guy is like 50 though - he can decide for himself i'm pretty sure. We met and taught a lady from india that nods her head from side - to -side instead of up and down.. it's different. She's really really nice and said she wants us to come back. Bonus. Hua invited us over to eat again tonight - we made some 'dim-sum' and some other chinese dishes - it was way good. Then we found out that he made some of the stuff with wine after we ate it... gettin tipsy on my mission... whoops. We're pretty sure it cooked out though. He's doing so so well - he had some more questions about the law of chastity - he really thinks it's the best thing since canned tuna.. no lie. Good for him.

11-18-11

Frustrating morning with appointments canceled. Oh well, we had some good district meetings. I trained on using members in the conversion of investigators - I used a candle to roast a marshmallow and made an analogy that marshmallows aren't any good unless they are heated.. you have to melt them to put them in rice crispy treats, roast them to make a smore, etc.. I said that investigators are no good unless they have a good member to help them out. It was pretty funny I think. We had a meeting with the bishop in the spanish ward - we shared with him our 'vision' for the ward and got his thoughts on how to work with him most effectively.

11-19-11

We went to a baptism this morning - Sheldon. After he got baptized, we all went into the chapel and watched he and his girlfriend get married. That's a pretty big day i'd say... get baptized then get married.. it was a really small wedding and just a few of the kids from the institute came, but they looked happy. Brenda Rodriguez was with the sisters.. she was on her mini-mission. I baptized her and her mother back in July - it was awesome to once again see that the work I did in the past, actually did something for someone. Does that make sense? I'm really glad she is still active - that's what I meant to say. We ate at a Lebanese restaurant with a member in the singles ward - it gave me a headache but was pretty good.

11-20-11

Well we had 4 investigators at church today - hector, brian, aphrodite and hua - it was ultimate - we torched our tommy... we won the competition for the 3rd week in a row. The zone needs to step it up! Nah they're doing great - we are just unstoppable or something. Anyway, it was a good day of church. I really got alot out of the lessons that were taught.

I'm so so grateful for all of my family, friends and loved ones. So many times I have realized that without all of them, I would be nothing - or atleast I would HAVE nothing. I really am so blessed. Sometimes it's hard to see that with the hard work that we do.. But even to have clothes on our backs and somewhere to sleep is SUCH an amazing blessing in itself. I'm so grateful that I have this gospel in my life - and that i'm actually doing something with it. I love you all and hope you have a great thanksgiving!

Love, Elder Cottrell