New Area!!! Hemet, here I come!

July 20, 2015

Hi there!

New area! Hemet! The Valle Vista ward! I am on the East side! Hemet is quite a bit hotter than my last area! But I love it none the less! It was a harder week, but I got to know the people that we are working with! It is hard switching areas. Hemet is so humble, the people here have been through so much. They are poor and are so willing to open up to the gospel.

We are teaching a family of four kids: Shimar, Bri, Donte, and Keanan. Shimar and Bri are getting baptized this Sunday the 26th! They are a sweet family, they've been through a lot. It's cool to see how much the gospel changes them. The church is true! You cannot deny the feelings that you receive! Act upon them, let it change you! Humble yourselves and become as a child! The gospel of Jesus Christ is where you can find happiness!

Jesus loves you! Have a change of heart (Alma 5:14) and let the Atonement change you!

-Sister Cozzens

A lady gave us a weird cucumber!

Sisters Cozzens & Roberts (MTC Companion)

My Roommates - Sister Olsen (a prior companion

in Eastvale) and her companion.

Shimar and Bri at our Stake Pioneer Day

California rainbow and palm trees

Transfers... :(

Hi there!

I hope that everyone is doing fantastic! We got transfer calls on Saturday! I am leaving Eastvale!!! :( I don't want to leave... I love the ward, but I know that I need to! And I love Sister Sterner. We have had a blast being together these last 6 weeks, and I will most likely not see her until my homecoming next year! But, she is an amazing missionary and an amazing example. 

I am getting transfered to Hemet! Which is the complete opposite of Eastvale. And a lot hotter. My new companion is... Sister Roberts! Haha, my MTC companion and my companion in the field for about a week! I will be an STL with Sister Olsen, though we aren't companions! She was my trainer! I will be living with Sister Olsen and her companion, so I am pretty excited! There is always something new to learn! 

We again had a slower week. Our numbers were really low this week! But, we had an investigator at church on Sunday! There were two farewells in our sacrament meeting. At the end of the meeting, the bishop asked Elder Murray and I to bare our testimonies. That was scary, haha, but the bishop felt like he needed to have us do that. Two future missionaries on their way to the MTC, and two current missionaries (one going home-Elder Murray). Missions are so important for your personal benefit and for those around you. 

I've been thinking of all the miracles that I have experienced here in Eastvale. Helping young women find comfort, teaching non-members and seeing their lives change, feeling the Spirit everyday, and having my testimony strengthen when I teach. I am beyond grateful to be here. I have never been happier in my life. I have never been as close to our Heavenly Father as I am now. Involve the gospel in your life. You will find happiness! 

-Sister Cozzens

Sisters Sterner and Cozzens

Eastvale: A deserted city

Two amazing Sister Missionaries from NSL, Utah!

Happy 4th!

July 6, 2015


Hi there!

This is Sister Cozzens in the California Riverside Mission! We had a slower week.... It was quote: "There are highs and then there are lows" -Sister Sterner. It was a lower kind of week. We still worked, our investigators just weren't able to see us, and it was just weird! But I still love the mission! Don't worry! But we had to move to an apartment for the week, since the lady that we live with went to girls camp, and we can't live with her husband alone for that whole week. It was a blast! The apartment was in Riverside, and we lived with a couple of Spanish speaking sisters!

July 4th as missionaries is a blast! We had a pancake breakfast and a car show in the morning at a church building with our stake! And the missionaries could go if we brought an investigator. We got to go! One of our ward members picked up one of our investigators! After that was over, they could watch Meet the Mormons (missionaries couldn't stay though). But we worked during the day, moved all of our stuff from that apartment back to Norco, and then that night we went to the stake center with the missionaries in our stake and played basketball, ping pong, and chair soccer. It was so much fun!

We had a meeting, Missionary Leadership Council (MLC). The President, his wife, the AP's, all the zone leaders, and all the STL's attend. They talked about a lot of stuff. But one thing that was focused on was exact/perfect obedience. This is achieved by loving the Lord. We were asked the question "basketball or missionary work?" The real question was "Do you love the Lord?" Life is hard, there are distractions, challenges, questions, and all sorts of things. We are given commandments and guidance. The question is: Do you love the Lord? May we do all that we can to show our Heavenly Father that we do love Him and His Son.


-Sister Cozzens





All the missionaries in the Stake celebrating July 4th

Bee stings, exchanges and a mini missionary

June 29, 2015

Hi!

Another week has flown by! It is going by too fast! We went on two exchanges this week! And we had a mini missionary with us! I also got stung by a bee..... On my finger! It has been forever since that has happened! But I am okay! It swelled up and the pain started spreading towards my knuckle. A few minutes later the pain slowly stopped and the next day, nothing was wrong! I can still see the small hole though.. But I promise that I will live, don't worry mom.

We picked up a new investigator, who we have been trying to teach for a few weeks. We finally got him! His name is Darion! And he is so prepared by the Lord! We shared the #becausehelives video with him and asked him when we could come back, he said the next day! We taught him the restoration and he was really interested! I invited him to be baptized and before I could finish my sentence, he said "I've been wanting to get baptized!" He has a goal of July 26th, though he could do sooner! He came to church on Sunday, and loved it. He said that our ward felt like family. He told us that his family (who are catholic) were telling him not to go. He came anyway, and he told us that we all act for ourselves. It's true!

Heavenly Father sent us a miracle--Darion and that is because we kept working hard. We were also guided to go visit him, and Darion really needed us at the time that we came to him. I love teaching Jesus Christ's gospel! And we need to spread it as much as we can! #Spreadthegospel 

Endure to the end. If we endure, we will receive eternal life. 2 Nephi 31:20. So do it! We are here on the earth to prepare to meet God, as well as gaining experience and strength (by overcoming our trials). If that is our purpose, why are we not doing everything to meet our Heavenly Father clean and ready to enter the Celestial Kingdom. The Celestial Kingdom is heaven. That is where God lives. Earth life is not long at all on God's time, so we should do all that we can to be able to say to him: "I am prepared, and I did everything that thou asked of me." We are not perfect. None of us are. Life is so hard, that is why our Heavenly Father sent his Son to atone for us, so that we can live with him again.

I invite you to pray and ask Heavenly Father for strength, just like Nephi does in the Book of Mormon, 1 Ne 7:17. He asks Heavenly Father to give him strength, so that he may be able to break the cords. He didn't ask God to change his circumstances, but to be given strength so that he can change his own circumstances. (Notes from a talk by Elder Bednar)

-Sister Cozzens

Mini-missionary with Sister Sterner and Cozzens

The neighbor buddy, Penelope. Quote Sister Cozzens:

"She is the sweetest dog. We feed her sometimes and

give her water. She is so cute!"

Sister Sterner and Sister Cozzens

Exchange #1: Sister Bjork(on the left) and Sister Cozzens'

mini-missionary (on the right.) They made brunch.

Exchange #2: Sisters Palmer, Sterner, Garlitz,

Stevenson, and Cozzens

A beautiful California Sunset!