End of the World?

What's this about seeing 2 suns in Russia? There's a church claiming that the 21st of May is Armageddon - get ready... phsych.

Tuesday 4-12-11

Today we walked to Rafaela's and read the 1st chapter of Nephi - they're really bad at following through with committments so we're going to make sure they do them. We talked with Maria who lives basically under the freeway - she's progressing really slow but her husband is deaf so we sent the ASL missionaries over - hopefully that'll help. We talked with Fidell - he didn't have alot of time but he gave us each 2 brand new dress shirts - he's a good guy and said he wants us to come back. We talked to Leo again - the one that has way too much info. from other religions. We sat down for maybe 20 minutes. He went from wanting to bash, to committing to be baptized and driving us to our apartment just so he could get a Book of Mormon. It was amazing. He was so excited - as was I. We walked to the top of our area for dinner with bro. Vasquez. Earlier today we ran into a Jewish lady. She asked us if we wanted to see the 'temple' - obviously we said yes. She took us in her house and there was a complete Synagogue. No lie. She was getting ready for passover. It was so neat - she knew Hebrew and had scrolls and everything. Cool - maybe we'll baptize her.

4-13-11

We ate at Panda House again today for lunch and then visited Patrice. We're going to hand her over to the english elders - she's just not progressing. We had a good lesson with Carina - she's really shy and kind of timid but still progressing towards baptism next month. We talked with Gabriel Diaz - he works at Dodger Stadium and is super busy over there - he promised to give me tickets when I come back, to any game that I want. I wrote his number and address down, ha. We had a great lesson on families with the Arana's - we kind of prepared a lesson to make families come closer through setting goals and tying it in with coming to church as the main point. We'll see how it goes.

4-14-11

Esther is going to get baptized. Along with her brother and grandma. Awesome. We were riding to lunch afterwards - we passed a lady on the street and something told me to go back. I was really hungry and really didnt want to. I just kept riding and tried to fight off the prompting - thinking it was just O.C.D pushing me to go back. Over and over I kept feeling so strongly to go back. After a couple hundred yards I hit my breaks and told my companion as I turned around "I can't fight it, I can't fight it". We went back to her - she was super interested and SO excited to have us over. Later, Elder Watkins told me he felt the same way but kept shrugging it off - he said that I was the bigger man for listening to the spirit - I don't think so; we just need to listen and react - always. We did some fishing and got a good couple of return appointments today - we ate with the Recinos' - to get Alex to hold still, brother Recinos strapped him in his car seat. It was the funniest thing - hard not to laugh while watching the Reflections of Christ slide show and hearing him squirm.

4-15-11

Today we had trainings again, the were great mom! No but really, they were pretty good. I don't mind them. We ran into 'anit-guy' again today. If there's one thing that raises my blood pressure its people trying to bash with us. Wow. I had to ride away. No one was home today - we did however have a good lesson with Israel in his backyard. We ate with the Flores' couple - they're super cool.

4-16-11

Today was stinkin hot. We talked to Alicia for a while, she had to leave but we committed her to come to church tomorrow. Almost all of our plans fell through but we managed to teach a bunch of lessons in the park. We ate with the Rubio's. We finally met Esthers husband - hopefully they all come to church tomorrow. Had a good lesson with Yolanda - time for her to come back to church.

4-17-11

Beautiful day today- after church we went to the hospital to give bro. flores a blessing - he might have a tumor - they had to leave to another hospital because they don't have papers. It was super sad. We tried to see Maria, Alberto, Juarez family, Carina, Ricardo, Kathy, Luis and evett - none of them were home. Fun. We did meet a recent convert in another ward - her dad speaks only spanish so we committed him to come to church with us. We went to Jennifers - she was having a little dinner party for Dennis - it was his birthday. There were a couple of families over from the ward. Dennis and Jennifer got in an argument and Dennis left - it was super sad and very awkward. We talked to Dennis afterwards outside - we really think he needs to just move out - they're not married anyway. He's got to do better.

That was my week - today we went to the beach. Couldn't get in the water but it was great to be by the ocean. i love you all and hope you have a good week! Love

Elder Cottrell

Sam's newest photos from the mish~

Just trying'  to talk to everyone!

 Eatin' a serraro pepper...again....

 The Beast...ginormas dog- Alejandro's

 Funny little friend...Alex Recinos-craziest 4 year old ever.

 Joys of changing my tire

Changing my tire again......

 Dentist Office inside, on wheels...

Good ole Lunch, yum.......

Trying to get to  Salt Lake !

Me and Elder Watkins, my companion, transfer #8!

 Dennis & Jayden on Jayden B-day- His dad dunked his face in his cake for his birthday....

 Dennis & I - denis is trying to be tall....haha

Me, Lalo  & Edgar Lalo Guerrero & E. Watkins

Norma, Jose' & I before interviews

Norma, Jennifer, Jose' Me and E. Watkins

Red Hatters Mardi Gras

 and the umbrella parade .....I love oldies! Lady next to me was on "Let's make a deal" TV show.

The pay off! Baptism Day! Me Jose', Norma, Jennifer & Elder Watkins

April Fools and Earthquakes!

Tuesday 3-29-11

Walking day today. Weather was perfect - we cooked hamburgers for our recent converts Jose and Jennifer. They seemed to like them but I think they'll stay with the Salvadoranean food. We waited for transfer calls - they call us at 9 30 to tell us if we're leaving the very next day... kind of a pain having to pack up and find a ride if you get called somewhere else. I'm staying with Elder Watkins for my 4th transfer here. This will be the first time i've had a companion for longer than 2 transfers - hopefully we'll be adjusted to each other and be able to baptize this city. Latino's receive revelation in dreams - all of them. An earthquake is coming to L.A. - next month. Get ready.

3-30-11

Woke up with a migraine and feeling not-so-great. Decided work would be the best therapy. We drank Jones Soda from a new investigator labeled "dirt, sweat, and sport cream" gross. I gave them to the Galea's who don't speak english. This new guy - leo - is very 'open', meaning he's read way too much literature and just believes what he wants from each book. He's a tough one to teach. (almost outta time and need to shorten every day - sorry.)

3-31-11

One time I was describing the Holy Ghost descending as a dove in spanish - I said 'pluma' - pen. the correct word is "paloma"-dove. They thought that was pretty funny. The Holy Ghost descended in the form of a pen. We talked to Esther today - she's doing great. She's read, gave a BOM to her mom and her brother - they're headed to the visitors center this sunday. Awesome! I'm super glad we went back to see her. We planned for a few hours - it was stinkin hot today. We really need a fan for our apartment. We watched the Restoration dvd with Rafaela and her daughter Alicia. They had alot of questions but Rafaela is going to get baptized! Alicia's daughter wants to as well - she's 13.

4-1-11

Elder Watkins and I have been talking about earthquakes alot lately. I decided that since I only have 1 april fools day on my mission, I better make the most of it. I was excercising in the room, he was in the living room doing the same. At 7 a.m. I slammed open the door and screamed his name - frantic. I told him the Pres. had just sent out a message telling everyone to get out of their apartments asap because 'the big one was coming' ( i was screaming all of this) - I told him we had to leave NOW. I ran back into the room and put on a shirt, he was trying to change but I just left - running. He threw down his stuff and ran with me. We ran out of the apartment, down the stairs and to the street - barefoot. I stood there, breathing hard - he was paniced and looking at me as to say "what do we do next?" when I smiled and said "APRIL FOOLS!!!!!!" he was soooo mad hahaha. Then when he was in the shower I sent a message to the ZONE - 25 missionaries - and told them the story so that when we saw them at the district meeting they'd be able to ask him about it. I couldn't stop laughing the whole day. I almost pee'd my pants. He was a good sport about it. Well the rest of the day we visited referrals and talked to Leo again. Really good weather today - we were able to do some fishing and get some return appointments.

4-2-11

Today we went to conference - wow. I've never looked forward to conference so much. All week long we shared a message with everyone about prophets and how amazing it is that we have many. It made me so excited to have the opportunity to hear their words. We watched the 3 sessions in the Huntington Park building and stayed all day. I got alot of good notes and inspiration/revelation. I think i'm starting to understand why dad always said "I look forward to General Conference more and more each time" - it's truly a blessing to be able to listen to these great men and women.

4-3-11

We woke up and went to watch conference once more. Again, so amazing. We watched the first session on a little t.v. in english and then in the Chapel in spanish because Alicia and her two daughters came. I'm sure it was kind of weird for them - it being their first time at church, watching a screen and hearing translated talks. The first talk they walked in on was about tithing - i'm sure they'll have some great questions for us. I gave Ruby, alicia's daughter - a BOM with mom's testimony in the front of it. I told her it was very special to me for 2 reasons - it had moms testimony in it and it is all compeletely true. She's very interested - probably the most out of all of them. I'm excited to see them all be baptized soon.

 

Well the work is really taking off - we've had many many baptisms in the ward lately and many baptismal dates set up. We have 3 with a date right now and many will be committed this coming week. We are back up to the highest baptizing zone in the mission. The weather is perfect and i'm happy. Thank you for your prayers, love, support and mail.

This marks the end of my second journal - time to start a new one.

I love you all, have a great week

Elder Cottrell

I'm a passin' out missionary....

Tuesday 3-22-11
Today we talked - I enjoy it alot more than riding bikes. We didn't have any appointments so we just fished the whole day. We found 4 new investigators that i'm really excited to teach. We visited Sister Recinos' and talked on her porch with her and her kids - we read in Ether, she gave us hot chocolate and cookies. She's a really strong member of the Church already. We ate at El Pescador with Hector tonight - it was sooo much food and really good. Seafood. He's getting ready for a mission - he'll be great. I keep seeing shooting stars here in L.A.. Real big ones. This is probably the last place I thought i'd see those. Tonight we found out that Alejandro passed away last week - his family is struggling but know's he is in a better place and can finally rest.

 

3-23-11

Today it rained. Hard. I really can't get over how weird the weather is here. We taught a lady that we found yesterday under the 405 freeway in a little house with Sister Munoz (jennifer). It was a great lesson - Sister Munoz did an awesome job of helping us out. We rode all the way up to Atlantic and Southern to eat at "Chucks" chinese food with Sister Morffi - somehow she told us about a Bollywood movie for about a half hour. Dunno how that happened. She gets distracted easily. We taught her humility - she's really gotta come back to church. We rode back down to talk to Rafaela and her daughter Alicia - they weren't home but we taught Jesus - Alicia's 18 yr old son. He's awesome - we watched the restoration dvd and he said he'll be baptized when he know's its true. I think we could baptize that whole family. We had a good lesson with Jose Jennifer and Norma on the foundation of our lives and the church. They're soooo stinkin funny. I'll miss them for sure.

 

3-24-11

13 Months today. Yikes. Time is really flying. We ate lunch at Panda House - reminds me of Lucky China a little. We fished a trailor park with no immediate success - tried to see maria under the freeway again - wasn't home. Rode home in the rain and planned for a few hours. Talked to Teresa and her boyfriend - had a really good lesson - teressa is less active - boyfriend not a member. Her boyfriend said he'll get baptized when he knows it's true. It was a good lesson. Heard byu lost in OT - got really depressed - brought cookies to dinner with Sis. Munoz to thank her for her help. We watched Reflections of Christ - the slideshow - suuuuper good. It was a good day - besides the heart break of byu.

 

3-25-11

After District meeting today we ate at Fatburger and Coldstone. We met with Anthony - still having a hard time understanding the language in the BOM. He's had a rough past in a neighborhood gang and can't leave his porch unless a car is waiting for him in front of his house. We visited a referral - she has 8 kids - talked about prayer - she's awesome. Very interested - perfect person to teach. We talked to Patrice for a bit and met a couple of her very interesting friends. We met with Rafaela and Alicia and taught them the Restoration - twice. They have a hard time grasping things. We ate at the Ramirez home - we watched Reflections of Christ with them as well - i'll be using that alot more I think - it's really powerful. Still raining today.

 

3-26-11

Overcast weather. I made friends with a big pitbull so it would let me walk inside the gate 20 yards to the front door - E. Watkins would come in. It was a referral and wasn't even home - I was terrified this dog was gonna kill me. I made it out alright. We met with another referral - he is also really interested - it's been such a successful week. We taught Pablo in his car because of the rain - he is very interested - he wants to change and make the steps neccessary in order to be baptized and "commit for life" as he put it. Awesome. We ate dinner at an investigators home - the Juarez family - it was a girls birthday so there was a ton of food and dancing - we ate, got another referral from some family there - and then left. It was effective. We talked to Javier- his aunt passed away and he's been struggling. He really need the Gospel back in his life.

 

3-27-11

Craziest day of my mission - probably.

Last night I set E. Watkins alarm for 2:30 am. to see if he'd wake up and start getting ready - unsuccessful. He just turned it off. We went super early to church for correllation and then I just listened to E. Watkins play the organ while we waited for church to start. We had 7 confirmations in the ward today - 3 of them were form us - jose norma and jennifer. Awesome. The work is really really picking up. My stomach started to hurt in the 3rd hour. Not good. We went to the apartment after church and I laid down for a while. I decided we could go out to a lesson at 3, not too far away. We rode over there very slowly - Jennifer Munoz was coming to help us - she brought 2 other members and her kids - ...... 9 people in this tiny tiny living room at Rafaela's and Alicia's place. The lesson wasn't going very well - my stomach was hurting bad - they were kind of arguing. I turned to E. Watkins and said "I think i'm gonna pass out" - I was feeling very dizzy and light headed. He put his hand on my shoulder and looked at Brother Piscil to signal that I wasn't ok. I passed out. When I woke up I was on the ground with a bunch of people yelling over me. Later Elder Watkins told me that Sister Munoz came over to my chair and started punching my chest and stomach - as to give me the heimlich - then he gave me a blessing and she put her hand on my head - he took it off. She was blessing me anyway, im sure Alicia and Rafaela were thinking "what in the world.. "? While I was out, Jesus called an ambulance. I got up and sat on the couch - still pretty out of it. Sis. Munoz was still kind of 'chanting' things.. really awkward. She's been a member for just over a year. She's soooo awesome. The fire dept. came - took my blood sugar and pulse, etc. I told them I was fine. They left after a little while. Dr. Lyman - the mission Dr. - came from Santa Monica to check on me. They spoon fed me soup, soda and crackers. I realized I had only eaten a little applesauce today. Woops. Dr. Lyman got there and said I was fine but I probably shouldnt fast anymore because of my disorder. Before we left, Rafaela held my hand and said "I am going to get baptized. Very soon. And I want you to do it" of course in spanish. I was sooo happy, even though I could barely open my eyes. Bro. Piscil took us to our apartment - sis flores and jennifers son rode our bikes back - sis flores is 56. haha. It was such a cool experience - sounds crazy. The members love us so much. They went and bought us groceries, and other food that night. Amazing. I couldn't believe their kindness - these people really have NOTHING and they sacrificed everything for me. A really big testimony builder. I am feeling so much better now - blessings and faith work. I love you all, don't worry i'm fine.

Have a good week!

Love,

Elder Cottrell

Hello everyone, stayin safe here in the hood.

 

Tuesday 3-15-11

Today we had interviews with President Baker. The Sisters took us over to the Hunntington Park building. My scheduled time was 12:30 and I didn't get in to see him till about 3. He was really behind. It went pretty well though, we just talked about the area and the work. He's a busy guy - things are good. We had a lesson with Patrice and told her that if she doesn't read the small Restoration pamphlet, we can't come over anymore - so she better read it! We met with Rafaela - her daughter was there and is really interested. She's a new investigator - we've got a ton of work in this area now. Finally people to teach. We ate dinner with Sister Cruz, she's doing really well - really needs to come back to church though. We had a good lesson with Norma Jose and Jennifer - Jose is going to move to Miami for work but he is going to wait around here until after he is confirmed - atleast he knows the importance of receiving the Holy Ghost. 

 

3.-16-11

Today we did our weekly planning session and then visited Ricardo for a bit. He read all of 1 Nephi - he may be drunk most of the time but he is a really smart guy. He broke down the whole book for us to prove that he really read. He just 'hasn't got an answer that it's true' yet. I really think he just needs to commit to change his bad habits. He's doing well though. We had dinner with Sis. Vasquez - we talked about the Atonement for the spiritual thought. We talked to people on the street for the next couple of hours until our appointment with Daryl and Martha at 8. They seem to be having some tough times - in the best way possible, I hope this brings them closer to Christ and His church. 

 

3-17-11

Today after studies we went and saw Esther - she's introduced the B.O.M to her mom and brother - both are really interested. That would be awesome to baptize the whole family. She's only available on thursday's at 11 so it's really hard to keep active contact with her. We just pray that she reads and does the right thing. We ate lunch at Tom's  - finally got some american food in me. I was craving it bad. We went back to the retirement home for St. Patricks Day. We wore green ties. They had us set up some tables and decorations. When one of the old ladies that calls herself 'the witch', that thinks we're 'out to baptize her' said, as we were going to get the decorations, "don't rub your religion on my decorations" haha, she's super funny. I could see her being a strong member in the church actually. There was a short black guy dressed up as a leprachaun (sp?), that was really funny. They had a big word search and whoever won would get a prize. The lady in charge said that we could play too. I started about 3 minutes after all of the 'old' people started... and I won. I'm pretty sure every lady in that room was mad at me for taking the glass flower that was the prize - so I just put it back. Some Irish cloggers came and danced - the crowd wasn't as in to it as I thought they'd be. The main guy was on "Hee - Haw" in 1985... ? Whatever that is. He's from Clearfield actually and has a sister that lives in Kaysville. He was a nice guy. We took tickets for the raffle's and helped clean up while they sang karaoke. It was really fun - I love meeting the people there and hearing their stories. We talked briefly with Teresa, Sonia and Jennifer - and then ate dinner with the Recinos' family. We had an amazing meal of corned beef, cabbage, corn on the cob, squash, and potato's. Yum. When we were at Jennifers', her neighbor came over and told her that her son was sick - we went over and gave him a blessing. It was really spiritual - hopefully they want to learn more.

 

3-18-11

Today we had our district meeting. Afterwards a bird pooped on my shoulder and I asked one of the sisters to clean it off. Nice. I went on splits with Elder McRae - we had a super busy day. We saw Anthony, taught him the restoration. Found a referral and found out he's not interested. Sister Tamayo met us at Rafaela's and we taught her about prayer. We rode to the other end of our area and ate Chile Relleno with sister Flores. Rode back to the other end and read in Alma 36 with the Arana's. We gave Sister Arana a blessing. We met Hector at Jose, Norma and Jennifers' and taught more in depth the Plan of Salvation. The whole day went by super fast - we had appointments every single hour. That doesn't happen too often here so it was a good 'split'.

 

3-19-11

Today after splits, Elder Watkins and I went out to contact a ton of referrals that we received - old ones that need to be updated. We were only able to contact 1 out of about 6. We went to Sister Rodriguez's house and watched some videos on Mormon.org with her. She is going through some really tough times and really missing her husband who passed about a year ago. It was her daughters' birthday so we sang to her to try and lighten the mood. I really wish her daughter would get baptized, but her boyfriend is a deep catholic and doesn't really like her coming to church with us - not too cool. Afterwards I was riding my bike, practicing my wheelies. I turned to Elder Watkins and said 'you watch, i'll be pro before you know it' and then did another wheelie. I leaned too far back so I put my foot down, the peddle came around and hit it - I got caught in the spokes and fell really awkwardly but hard on the asphalt. It was really funny. Guess I had it comin. We met with an inactive family that was baptized not too long ago - sad to see that. We ate dinner with Jennifer and had Chile Relleno - we had kind of a tense lesson on her having the spirit - she kind of yells at her kids. alot. so we thought we'd share about having the spirit in the home. She got a little defensive. Hope something got through to her. We talked with Ricardo again - he's been drinking for 3 days. Not good. We were able to talk with him about the B.O.M for a while - hopefully he changes. Jave is doing alot better.

 

3-20-11

Stake conference - most awkward meeting of my life. People in the crowd opposed the stake presidency instead of sustaining - the stake presidency talked the rest of the time - mentioning names - and basically putting themselves above them. I dunno, it was just super super awkward. Good thing no investigators came. It was an awesome day but I have to go.

I love you all

Elder Cottrell 

Mar.13- Happy Birthday Bro!

Pray for Japan

Tuesday 3-8-11

Today we walked all day long. First we met with Rafaela - Hector came with us to help in the lesson. It went really well - we taught the plan of salvation - again- and she finally understands it. Good news. We had a lesson with Patrice and 2 of her friends on her porch. She says she wants to get baptized - we'll see how much she is willing to change in the next little while. Hopefully alot! We walked a little ways up to 'Pizza Space' to meet with Sister Morffi who just moved here from Henderson, NV. She is a good talker. She has had 2 husbands die, and one devorce her. She's going through a rough time and really needs to get back to church. We're really just trying to figure out her needs and how we can best focus the gospel on her at this time. We walked and tried to visit people from 5:30 to 9 and no one was home. I was really tired tonight.

 

3-9-11

After studies today we went around to a few places in our area to see if we could offer service. We're really focussing on different ways to help the people here. We went to the huge catholic hospital to find that it is Ash Wednesday... and that there were a ton of people there with crosses on their foreheads. We were reffered to the main priest or father there. He was very nice and put our name on a list of people to call if there is any requested service. We went to an 'old folks home' around the block - the manager lady was super happy to see us and said she'd get in touch with us soon. We had lunch with the Galeas' and talked about the Baptismal Covenant - they're still progressing very well - Brian will receive the Priesthood this Sunday in Sacrament. Ricardo isn't proggressing much - we told him that he has to put in the work- read and pray- or we can't come over anymore. We walked around the huge park in our area and passed out cards to the runners. We ate dinner with Jennifer and Brian and shared about the Atonement - Jennifer has such a strong testimony. We talked with Daryl and Martha - (the Redneck that married a Latina over here) they seem to be having some problems - we shared an object lesson on the foundation of the church and our lives - seeing as how he is a contractor. It went pretty well.. until he pulled out his pepper spray. That was fun - to have my throat blocked and my eyes wattering. He didn't spray anyone - just the wind.

 

3-10-11

Woke up really early today and went to the temple to do service again. This time I was in the front of the temple pulling weeds and spreading gravel. - I always think of the time Dad and I went there whenever I go there. It was a super nice day and I got sun burnt - finally some color. We got to the apartment at about 4 and then went to see Rosa. She said we were an answer to her prayers - last Monday we ran into her at the grocery store - she said that she had prayed for the missionaries to be put in her path so that she could go back to church. We also taught them on the foundation of the gospel and our lives - hopefully the put in the effort and come back to church after the long absence. We then went to the church for the baptismal interviews for Jose, Norma and Jennifer. But first we had a lesson with them on faith. We brought them seeds and cups of dirt (p.s. the pea plant and chilli plant I have in my apartment arethriving) - we related it to Alma 32 and they all committed to work hard on their faith. They all passed their interviews - sweet! We ate at Carls Jr. and then went to the apartment.

 

3-11-11

Today we had our district meeting - we learned about talking to everyone and having effective planning sessions. We had an appointment with Rafaela but she wasn't home - so we rode the the old folks home to help with their Mardi Gras celebration - we had no idea what we were getting ourselves into. It was a "Red Hatters" convention - dunno if you know that organization, but they're fun. Old and fun. They had us take the tickets at the door - then a drunk lady came and replaced us - so we set up chairs and then served people food. Grandma Exie would have loved this - seriously. I took some video and pictures so you can see. We ate gumbo as well - okra included. After that our night fell through - sister Rodriguez gave us dinner to go and no one else was home - we didn't have a chance to do weekly planning this week so we went back early to get started on that. They called us this morning to let us know about the earthquake in Japan and the tsunami - they said they weren't expecting any big waves over here so to keep working unless we hear otherwise.

 

3-12-11

Today we had corellation - we are having a big ward F.H.E monday night so we planned for that and practiced a musical number for the baptism tomorrow. We talked with Patrice afterwards- she's still got a way's to go before she can be baptized. We met with Pablo Diaz - the guy that pulled up to us in his car a couple weeks ago- we talked in the park and he said that he's just been searching for the true church. He had some really good questions and ended up committing to be baptized on April 3rd. Awesome. We helped sister Vasquez with the talk she'll be giving at the baptism tomorrow on enduring to the end and visited 2 less-active members. We had dinner with the Ramirez family and talked about the wise man and the foolish man. They're a really good family and very close to the missionaries. Every saturday night this month we pray at 10 pm specifically for the investigators in the Zone - it's a new thing we're doing as a Zone that we know can help our investigators progress towards baptism.

 

3-13-11

Happy Birthday Brett. Church was pretty good today - Jose, Norma and Jennifer came - good thing since they are being baptized today. We ended up being a little late to the baptism - our ride was behind (not fun losing an hour of sleep last night). Everything worked out - I baptized Jennifer and Elder Watkins baptized Jose and Norma. It was an awesome service and a ton of people showed up. It's always great to have good ward support behind the new members. The musical number also went well - Dennis showed up out of no where - it was awesome to see him there. He's still struggling alot. We went to Jennifers' house to teach him and their family. I really wish he could just ... change. I pray for him every day.

 

Well that was the week - today  - monday- we played soccer in the park with the district and we're just going to get some shopping done. Have a good week - I love you all

Elder Cottrell

March 7, 2011 Post-

One more week in the worldly world.

Tuesday 3-1-11

Today I woke up pretty well rested - that was a first in a while. Elder Watkins was feeling too sick to go out so I got to read my book - Jesus The Christ - pretty much all day. I don't know who all in the family has read it; i'm sure many of you, but it is such a good book. There are a lot of big words and sometimes I have to read the page twice to make any sense of it, but when it registers it really 'fills you up'. I even made some mashed potato's today - they were really good except I added too much milk. Turned out a little more like applesauce. Oh well. I ordered a pizza to make up for it.

3-2-11

Woke up pretty early today - Elder Moss and Elder Mcrae came to get us at 7 to take us to the temple for service. We didn't get there till about 9. Elder Moss and my companion drove back to our apartment because they were both not feeling well. Elder McRae and I pulled Ivy out of a hedge around the west side of the temple. We worked on it for about 3 hours - it was a really nice day. When we got back, Elder Watkins and I rode to Ricardo's and laid out some hard facts of the B.O.M.. He was also kind enough to tell me that BYU lost AGAIN to a stupid New Mexico team. Awesome. Why would he do that? I love talking about sports now days wayyy too much. While we were talking to him, his neighbor pulled up. She said she wanted to talk to us because she is LDS and just moved in.. while talking, she had her McDonalds coffee cup in her hand. Atta girl. We talked to her afterwards and found out she's going through a divorce and hasn't been to church in a long while. She wants to feed us next week so that should be a good opportunity to 'get in the door' and get her back to church. We ate Sope's with Sister Flores - we sang a hymn to start the lesson and the singing was so bad (no offense to any latins...) that Elder Watkins and I stopped singing after one verse because we had tears running down our cheeks from trying not to laugh. It started to rain so we called Dennis to come and get us with his truck. He picked us up and took us to an appointment with Jave. He lives in his truck now.. He doesn't have anywhere to go. He's waiting to get his drivers license back so that he can work again as a truck driver. That's going to take atleast a year. I asked him where else he had looked for work and he couldn't tell me anywhere. Basically, we told him to call us when he is ready. That's a real sad story seeing as how he was supposed to be baptized and promised God that he would this sunday.

3-3-11

Today we planned - I had a huge migraine and wasn't in the mood but worked through it anyway. We had a lesson with Patrice on the Plan of Salvation - her friend showed up during the lesson and we talked to him too. They both said they would make it out to church this sunday. Hope so. We went to Sister Cruz's place to make sure I didn't offend her with my ridiculous lesson a few weeks ago. She fed us eggs, beans and tortillas - yummm. She's doing alright but said that she can't come back to church until June... ? We had a lesson with Jose, Norma and her sister Jennifer. Jennifer also committed to be baptized on the 13th! Sweet! Finally after a drought since December 26th when I baptized the Recinos', this ward will have new members! We talked with Brennett Rodriguez- 19 with a 2 yr old. She seemed like she really wanted some help. Hopefully she follows the example of her mom and little sister and starts coming to church and eventually be baptized.

3-4-11

Today Pres. Baker came to our apartment to have a companionship study with us. FUN. He's a really good guy, but like I said before - just makes me nervous. It went really well and he was quite impressed wtih Elder Watkins and I. Good deal. We had DDM and then afterwards went on splits. I was in my area with Elder Moss - he brought his car. Finally I got a rest from my bike. We went to the park and met a member there - he's getting ready for a mission. We talked about the Gospel of Jesus Christ and how we need to apply it in our every day lives. I think he's getting pretty excited to go. We had dinner with the Ramirez family - a friend was over at their house that is not a member. She got really interested and wants the missionaries to come over to her house - I'm pretty sure she lives in another mission but non the less, it's another one of God's children on their path back to Him. We talked with the Arana's - Brother Arana finally seems to be proggressing after a miracle happened with his Sister in the hospital. "Because ye have seen me and touched of my hands, you believe. Blessed are they who believe without seeing".

3-5-11

Today we had correlation for forever. It's really hard when there are 5 companionships in one ward. Not super affective. The youth in the ward did a car wash/ breakfast/ lunch. So we were able to eat afterwards. Bonus. We did quite a bit of fishing today - with little success. We did however count 80 yard sales in just under 1 hour. Saturday's here are crazy. It's like one big swap meet on the streets. Mom would have a hay-day. We had another really good lesson with Norma, Jose and Jennifer - i'm so excited for them. We had dinner with the Recinos' - one of my favorite families over here no doubt. We had a lesson on the baptismal covenant and the Holy Ghost. Tonight I called Jennifer Munoz to ask if she could give someone a ride to church - someone answered the phone and I THOUGHT it was her 14 yr old son, so I said "hey brian, hows it goin? this is the missionaries".. followed with a response.." No, Elder Cottrell, it's me, Jennifer.." awkward. Have you ever seen the movie Thumbelina? of course you have - she reminds me of the one frog lady that sings.. I dunno if you know what i'm talking about. She's really funny though.

3-6-11

Church day - all of our investigators with a baptismal date showed up! Solid. Julio came too - first time since 1989 - when I was born! That was so cool to see him there. We did some more fishing after church - again with little success - last night on our way to an appointment we saw some people trying to carry this huge entertainment center down the road - we stopped to help them. It was soooo stinkin heavy and their house was a ways away - but it was worth it for the return appointment and the opportunity to teach. We talked with Sister Rodriguez for a while - she's doing great - getting ready to go through the temple. We ate with Sister Cruz again - she's going to try to cut the time before she goes to church again from June to next week - hope so. We went to the Galeas' - also one of my favorite families here. Back in January we made some goals with them - they are really proggressing well! Coming to church every week - Brother Galeas' and Brian both shared their testimonies in church - awesome! It was a pretty good day.

That was the week - hope you enjoyed it!

Love,

Elder Cottrell

Congratulations Laci & Daniel!

Congratulations Laci and Daniel!

 

Tuesday 2-22-11

Today was our walking day for the week - I think we'll do this every tuesday now. We met with Joanna and had a great lesson with her. She believes that the Book of Mormon could be true and wants to receive an answer if it is or not. We talked with Ricardo for a little while- he was out working on his car. He doesn't feel happy, doensn't have peace and wants to change, but isnt' willing to. He's entirely addicted to alcohol. I'm not a very good counselor with this kind of stuff but I know what miracles prayer can bring forth. We had a lesson with two new investigators - Norma and Jose from El Salvador. They've been here for just about 4 months and are just trying to make it. It was a really great lesson on the Restoration - I feel like they're going to get baptized soon.

 

2-23-11

After planning today we went and talked with Patrice - she said that when she comes to know that everything is true, she will change her life and be baptized. Bonus. We talked to one of the drunk guys from the other day - Sergio. While we were talking to him, at different times, his mom and his sister came out and begged us to help him, saying that he is in love with his alcohol and nothing else. Sad. He wants to change - we'll see how much. We ate at Tom's for dinner and then on our way to a members', Elder Watkins felt like we shold go see Dennis and Jennifer. We went over there to find all of them super sick. We were able to bless all of them - Jennifer felt completely better by the end of the lesson - her faith honestly amazes me. Dennis is backing off alot - it's sad to see him break such a big promise with his family and God. When we left, we saw a rat trying to escape the complex. (sorry mom but I gotta tell this) Elder Watkins cornered is with his bike and messed around with it.. It started running towards me so I just kicked it... super hard. It flew 10 feet and hit the metal gate and started making a bunch of noises. I was laughing and then felt pretty bad. It ran towards me again and I just let it pass me.. Hopefully someone in there likes rats!

 

2-24-11

My official year mark.. Can't believe it. We had Zone Conference in Palos Verdes with Peninsula zone. It was so stinkin long. 7 am to almost 5. Meetings aren't my favorite. It was a really good conference though - really focused on obedience. Afterwards we ate dinner at a members' house and then did some fishing. Long day.

 

2-25-11

It started to rain in the morning and was really cold. We did some fishing to start off the day and then talked with Sergio - his spanish is SUPER hard to understand. He just mumbles - honestly does not open his mouth. STOP DRINKING. Jeez. We ate dinner with the Ramirez family - they are in a part of our new area - they're a really great family. We taught about tithing and they all committed to pay. We went to Ricardo's afterwards. After we prayed, the first thing he says is "so derron williams now plays for the nets".. that was an awesome way to distract me from the super important lesson we were about to have. I tried as best as I could to get it out of my mind. We had a good lesson with him about the BOM. We visited Lalo and Jave tonight - both are struggling.

 

2-26-11

After correllation today we road in the freezing weather to Hermano Valladares' house. He's really old and I think has alzheimers. He's a good guy though and we really want him to get back to church. His wife is super Catholic and loves to decorate the home with the Virgin. :) don't get me started on the Virgin. We ate with Sister Romero - they are so stinkin poor. She does all she can for the church - I really admire that. We met with Norma and Jose again - they committed to be baptized on Mar. 13! Sweet!!! Pray for them. Then we went to a Chinese restaurant with a member - Panda House - the owner was chinese but spoke spanish as well - the menu was in chinese and spanish... I think i'm in mexico.

 

2-27-11

CHURCH day. I love church. Never thought I would but I really look forward to it every week. We talked with Sergio and his Catholic friends about the Saints. That was fun - oh man i'm out of time. It was a really good day - I love you all - Have a good week!

Love, Elder Cottrell

Feb 21, 2011

Hey everyone, hope your week was as good as mine-
2-15-11 Tuesday
Today we walked - the weather was good and we were sick of biking. We
went to Rafaela's first and taught her on her porch. She says she
wants to feel the church is true super bad but just hasn't received
and answer to her prayers yet. All she could think about was her
nephew that had ran away a couple days earlier and she hadn't seen him
yet. We prayed that he would come home. We ate at our favorite
tortilleria and then went to see patrice - we talked to her for a
minute and then to a crossing guard by the school. Right when we got
done talking to her we saw Jesus - Rafaela's grandson - walk by. We
stopped him and told him that his grandma was really missing him and
that he needed to go home. He said he was going home right then. He
thanked us for telling him and started running in the direction of his
house. That was definitely an answer to our prayer earlier. Walking
was nice - we talked to a grip of people. We talked to 2 drunk guys in
the east side of our area. I was talking to one while Elder Watkins
talked to the other. The one I was talking to kept turning around and
.. peeing. He said it was because of 'the dang beer'. I said, 'well
stop drinking and you won't have to go so much'. Kind of funny. He
kept putting his hand on my head - trying to explain some bible story
about Enoch. I kept hitting it off. I took a shower tonight. I felt
pretty good about the conversation - even though he was drunk. I was
able to testify of the power of prayer - he and his buddy want us to
come back - but when they are sober. On the walk home we ran into a
guy that came here from Mexico recently for a job - it fell through
and he's now living in a park in Compton. He was in jail in UTAH a
couple years ago and went to church there - he promised to come to
church here. I hope he does.
2-16-11
Transfer day - My companion and I are staying. It was cloudy and rainy
today - fun. We went to the Galeas' after lunch and talked with them.
They're tough to read. They're a great family but just don't keep
committments. We taught Patrice for a little while - I wish we could
get her to church. We went to Dennis and Jennifers for dinner - Jayden
turned 1 today so we had some cake and ice cream. Then there was the
fight.. Jennifer unleashed on Dennis about not keeping committments,
etc. It was bad. We couldn't get alot of words in. We just told them
to stay calm so that the spirit could be with us. It was a really
frustrating night. We taught Julio - a member that hasn't been to
church since '89. He's addicted to alcohol and has diabetes - he wants
to quit and we want to help him. I hope we can.
2-17-11
After weekly planning we went out in the cold and fished for 2 hours
with no luck. It was frustrating. We went to Lalo's and found out he's
been smoking. That man really needs a fire under him to get him going.
We've been praying every day for help with him. He has two younger
kids and really needs to be a better example to them. We talked with
Jave and I flooded his bathroom because his sink doesn't drain. Nice.
We went to a dinner appointment forever away - her husband wasn't
there so we stood on the porch and waited a half hour - finally she
just went and got her neighbor so we could go inside - it's a hard
rule to keep but we are trying to keep 'em all.
2-18-11
After District meeting today Elder Watkins was feeling sick so we went
back to the apartment and I picked up Jesus The Christ again. I'm
about halfway through and have been studying it every morning for the
last few weeks - it's such and amazing book. At about 9 o'clock
tonight I started getting stomach pains. I sat in the shower for about
an hour and then threw up. I had diarhea and was vommitting the entire
night. Fun. We decided it was from the dinner the night before - some
kind of stomach flu. We were both running in and out of the bathroom.
It will be funny to look back on probably - but not so much right now.
2-19-11
I got dressed for correllation this morning and then decided I
couldn't go. After not sleeping at all I finally got some sleep - at
about 1 we went to the Galeas - it was raining pretty hard. We were
able to help put up a tarp to cover some things and help set up a
home-gym. It was a perfect service opportunity and a good way to stay
out of the rain. We had an emotional lesson with Julio and then taught
Dennis again. It was a pretty good night.
2-20-11
out of time!
it was a good sunday though - I love you all and hope you have a good week!
Love,
Elder Cottrell

- Show quoted text -

Happy V Day 2-11

I thought the weather changed a lot in Utah.. ? I didn't know that they filmed The Day After Tomorrow here in L.A. with no special effects needed...

2-8-11 Tuesday

The weather was perfect today - but our appointments weren't. Most of the one's we had planned to go to fell through - but somehow we managed to teach a grip of lessons AND have time to get a Respaldo. Bonus. We read in 3 Ne. 11 with the Galeas - they really liked that. We taught Anthony that lives in the same place as them - he's been gone for quite a while. He committed to re-read and pray about The Book Of Mormon. We had dinner with Sister Cruz - rice, beans, chicken & tortillas - I have this meal atleast once a day. I'm turning into a corn tortilla. The lesson kind of blew up in my face. I taught the lesson with the outline of The Family... A Proclamation.. etc. She just cried the whole time and said how bad of a mother and wife she had been because she devorced her husband and her kids live in Mexico. Awesome. We just comforted her and told her to pray... :/ oops. Elder Watkins was also in her bathroom with the runs and there wasn't any toilet paper. BUMMER. Gotta be prepared...

2-9-11

Today we taught a girl we "fished' into on her porch (I don't find OR look anymore.. I fish. You'd really be proud of my new lingo i'm sure) She responded to the Restoration lesson very well and promised to read the pamphlet and pray about it that night. We did a lot of fishing today - did find a couple of good people that want us to come back. We talked with an inactive member that got baptized 6 months ago... yup. In her respnse to the question "why were you baptized?" she said, "because it's good". She doesn't know why she was baptized and continues to go to the Catholic church. Some missionaries really frustrate me that baptize people like her that aren't ready. It really causes a lot of problems. Oh well she said she'd come to church this sunday... so we'll see. AND her neighbor let me pick a few oranges and grapefruits off of his tree - they were what you'd call 'ripe'. Nice. We taught Dennis the Plan of Salvation - he's really changed a lot. I'm really excited for him to be baptized next week. We ate at Panda Express with a member of the church and then went to teach a couple that we 'hooked' yesterday while fishing. They were really interested - it was a lesson that was going super well - too well. In fact, just before the end, the wife said "I want to learn, but i'm Catholic. And nothing is going to change me. ever." Dang it all. Hopefully THE SPIRIT and THE TRUTH change her. 

2-10-11

We taught Esther again today through her 'ghetto door' that is on every house out here. She was kind of busy but watched the Joseph Smith movie with her family and believes it all. She's white and we'll probably have to turn her over to the english elders. The one white person we run into is actually interested.. good thing I suppose. Just wish I could teach her. We weekly planned. We went to see a refferal that the sisters gave us. She's super old and speaks no english. She is pretty much already to be baptized.. Such great news. She is coming to church this sunday and already believes everything to be true. We had a lot of appointments fall through afterwards so we went to the park and went 'trolling'. We found a couple of really good people that we'll go teach tomorrow. A member took us to a restaurant that i'm going to take ya'll to next year. You'll like it no doubt. It's a heck of a lot better than dads' "Villa Lobos" ;)

2-11-11

After studies today we went to see Ricardo. He had been drinking but wanted us to come in. He just kept talking about Jerry Sloan and that he had just resigned.. Awesome way to make me lose focus.. (p.s. WHAT HAPPENED?) We finally got concentrated on the Gospel. We bore testimonies of The Book Of Mormon and gave him a copy. His girlfriend and he have been to church once and are coming again this week. He admits he really wants to change his life - that's the first step. I have high hopes for him. We taught the referal again (old lady - Rafaela) - she has a bag that comes out of her side to catch her.. waste. It's distracting. We had a really good lesson with her on her porch. She's super enthusiastic about the gospel and wants it for her kids as well. We all know what happens when mom or grandma want something... they get it. A very good thing in this situation. We visited our old friend Alejandro that was baptized about a year ago and has cancer. Everytime i've seen him, he's been up and moving around. Not this time. His close friends and family were gathered around his bed. He was hooked up to machines and breathing very slowly. He wasn't expected to make it through the night. We gave him a blessing and talked with the family. They had some questions about where he was going and even how the funeral service should go. It was rough.. Afterwards we rode over to Jennifers' for Elder Watkins birthday (today was his b day) - we ate dinner and talked for a while. Dennis wasn't there so it wasn't super effective. Bummer. Good to eat cake again though.

2-12-11

Correllation was canceled again - Surprise! Our first 3 appointments fell through. We ate lunch with the Galeas' and had an awesome lesson on repentance. We taught patrice on her porch with 7 cat's around us. Nasty. She is really looking for something greater in this life. She is 'lost' and needs to be found. We are doing our best and letting the Spirit teach her. My stomach started acting up so I decided to ride home real quick and take a pill. We went to Ihop with a member and then it really started to hurt. Our next appointment fell through so we went home. I just sat in the shower for a couple of hours. Didnt get alot of sleep. Today it was about 85 degrees and not a cloud in the sky. Crazy weather here..

2-13-11

Still wasn't feeling too well. My time is running out on the computer but we had 5 investigators at church! So great. We went to the Visitors Center with some Less Active members and they loved it! Didn't get a lot of sleep again but i'm feeling better.

 

I love you all and hope you had a great Valentines Day... happy valentines day. I dunno what else to say about it. ha

Elder Cottrell

Chorizo, what?

2-1-11 Tuesday

Good to have January gone and a new month here. Today we started off by trying to contact a referral that wasn't home. We ran into a girl that claimed she had been baptized into the church many years ago along with her sisters. She didn't know her address and didn't have a phone so we gave her our number and prayed she would call us. We taught the Galeas' about Lehi's dream and applied it to the interpritation. We had a really good lesson with someone we recently contacted - Corrina. She's 18, single and has a 2 year old. We taught her on her porch outside - she was really interested. I gave her a B.OM. with "Kim"s testimony in the front of it. For lunch we tried to make some Mexican Sausage - it is called Chorizo and is made from cow cheek, fat, tongue, and glands. We did something wrong and it basically just melted on the pan. We later found out that you have to mix eggs with it to soak up the grease. Yum. We talked to a former investigator - Luis. He told us about his friend that is in jail for 20 yrs. He went to visit him recently - it makes me sick to think about his wife and kids at home. I'm so grateful for the Gospel and knowing that everyone has the chance to change.

2-2-11

Did some more looking around - we talked to a lady named Esther that I gave a B.O.M. to last week. She is really interested and says that she believes what we teach her. We stand on her porch and talk to her through a 'ghetto door' - metal with holes in them - every house here has one. It was a pretty warm day - I got a Respaldo (sort of mexican snow cone) from a guy on the street- it definitely hit the spot) We ate dinner with Jennifer and Dennis - Dennis committed to live the word of wisdom. We talked with Ricardo - a new investigator - he was drunk so we told him we'd come back another day. We taught an inactive member about the B.O.M. - she admits she's just lazy. Bummer. We ate dinner again at El Tapatio with a member getting ready for his mission. I kicked my companions butt in a push-up contest as well. That was nice.

2-3-11

We vistited with Esther again today - she is going to get baptized some day soon i'm sure of it. It was a great lesson. For lunch I made some good Mexican food - you'd all be proud. We did weekly planning and then left to teach a new investigator. It was hot outside, and I was super tired - but I kept goin. We used a DVD to teach the plan of salvation to the Arana's. It went really well - then we talked with Jave - he's still having alot of struggles.

2-4-11

Today we had our Distrcit Meeting - it went pretty well. I'm so sick of meetings. But they do help in the long run I imagine. Our best appointment for the week canceled on us. We were really bummed about that. We taught Ricardo and he asked about Geneology - he got really excited when we told him how big the program is in the church - looks like we'll go to the Visitors Center next week and help him out with it. We were almost to Lalo's house when my chain broke. What in the world?? We taught him and then Dennis came to pick us up with his truck. We went to his place and taught him Chastity - funnnn. Tonight I woke up at 1 a.m. to Elder Watkins sitting indian style on his bed, reciting the missionary purpose in his sleep. I asked him what he was doing and he woke up - he had no idea what was going on. We are working so hard that we talk about it in our sleep. Litterally.

2-5-11

Correllation was canceled - surpise! We walked my bike to the shop and I bought a new chain - $30. Better not break. Every single plan we had for today fell through. So we did alot of looking around. A LOT. Our dinner appointment wasn't at home with his wife so we couldn't eat in the house - she gave us tacos and we took them to the park and ate them there - the park is super nice. It reminded me of home a little bit. We watched Finding Faith In Christ with Jave and his sister - we wanted it to be really special but they just talked the whole time. Fail. Bro. Vailladares gave us some pears off of his tree today and we ate them while we talked. That was.. pleasant.

2-6-11

Today we woke up to a cloud around us. It was really really foggy. Ricardo and his G.F. came to church today and LOVED it. I was super excited for them - it'll be awesome to talk to them more about it this week. We had dinner with some members - it was really good. Then we walked around and did some looking. EVERYONE was watching or listening to the super bowl. It made me miss home and I felt like a nuisance to those we talked to. BBQ, football, family - that was a tough one. Luckily we went to the departing missionary fireside early so Elder Watkins could practice the piano - he played for some leaving missionaries. It was a great night - I saw some members I haven't seen in a long time from Carson that are very very dear to my heart.

 

That's it! Hope you enjoyed it. I love you all, have a good week!

Elder Cottrell