Hello Utah

August 24, 2015

Hi!

So it is transfers again! That last transfer went way to fast! It keeps getting faster! The time just needs to take a break and SLOW DOWN. I am training a brand spankin' new missionary. I'm pretty excited. I get to meet her on Wednesday.

Sister Roberts and I had the opportunity to teach Seminary on Thursday morning. Be grateful that Seminary is in your school schedule and not before school...those poor kids. But, we taught about prayer. (2 Ne 32:9)

We had two people at church! It is so cool to see how much the gospel can change a person's life! It is amazing! I love the church and helping people come to the knowledge of it! It's great! :) Marc is his name! He is reading The Book of Mormon, and he really likes it. He really likes Nephi, but who wouldn't?? He started liking Nephi when he smote off Laban's head. He said: "He was just following the Lord!" He's a cool guy.

The church is true! Keep working hard and always turning to the Lord first! He can and will help you! The Atonement is pretty amazing, study about it. I challenge you!!!!!

-Sister Cozzens

Sister Cozzens with her district

Weekly planning session: "You gotta be comfortable!"

How Sister Cozzens is related to a Cozzens family

in Hemet.

Sister Roberts took a picture of Sister Cozzens praying

Sister Robert's first time at an ice cream truck 

The Sisters got free lipstick at Target

Kara Cozzens Louviere and her daughter Cindy:

Sister Cozzens 2nd and 3rd  cousin once removed

The Sisters' investigators: Marc and Becky

Sisters Olsen, Roberts, Cozzens and Meza

Hemet is Hot!

August 17, 2015

Hi!

Don't complain if it is hot in Utah, it's not like I know though! It has been really hot here! Like 106ish. Our car lies to us. It says that it is 113. I think that I am adjusting pretty well. Anything over 100 just feels the same. People say that we've had a mild summer, thank goodness!

We were contacting a referral this week, and we knocked twice. We thought that we heard someone mumble something (we knew they were home). We knocked one more time, and someone walked up to the door and yelled: "GO AWAY." So I just said, "Have a nice day!"  My companion and I walked away laughing! If only she knew what this church could do for her!

I went on exchanges with a sister, Sister Parker, in Anza! Anza is in the mountains. It's a little valley with dirt roads and mobile homes. The sisters up there drive a truck. They cover two mountains and two branches, Iddylwild and Anza. It was fun!!

We had a pretty good week! We taught one of our investigators, Brigid, the Restoration. It was a great lesson, and she had already been reading the Book of Mormon! She has a strong desire to get baptized! She is a miracle, but then her ride didn't come to church, so she didn't either.... next week for sure!!

I wanted to write about Sacrament meeting yesterday. The lady that spoke talked about missionary work and letting your light shine. She related a story about letting your light shine to others, which I liked a lot! When airplanes fly into the LAX airport at night, they see the LA temple and use that to find the airport. One night, for some reason, the LA temple wasn't lit up, and the airplanes weren't able to find the airport. The temple got a call from the LAX airport and they told the temple workers "Turn on your lights." Are your lights turned on? There are people out there that are looking for the gospel, and they can't find it because some members don't have their lights on; they aren't living the gospel standards or sharing the gospel and inviting them to learn about how they can find true and lasting happiness in this life and in the next. Don't be afraid! "Fear is an absence of faith." A missionary told me that. We need to help spread the gospel. Start living the commandments, find for yourself that happiness, and then share it with others! Help them make it back to our Father in Heaven in the Celestial Kingdom. 

Have a good week! Make good choices!!

-Sister Cozzens

 Adventures in Anza...

Huge horses from Belgium and Germany

The Land of Hemet

Happy another week!


I hope that y'all had a great week! I had a pretty great week! Lots of fun experiences!

First of all, on Friday last week, the whole mission went to a baseball game! One of the Elders ran against the mascot, though he lost (he injured himself a little bit-represent the mission! "Just do it!") it was fun to see. It was a little weird walking up to the stadium... there were normal people all around me, but then the missionaries started showing up and that was cool to see! Go Mormons! We all sat in the same section too, so there was a big group of young adults sitting together.

One of the investigators we picked up this week, Mandy, is the daughter and sister of a couple of our members in our ward! She took the missionary lessons about a year ago, lost contact with them, and then moved to our area! She was a miracle. And she came to church with her fiancé and sat with her sister!

I went on exchanges with a sister in the mission, Sister Simpson. She is so cute and so fun and such an amazing missionary. She's been out less time than me as well! She is such a great teacher! She listens to what people say and really applies the gospel to what they have just said. I need to listen better... Ha-ha but it was fun to work with her!

Sister Roberts and I had the opportunity to teach in Gospel Principles. We taught about missionary work. I wasn't as nervous as I thought I was going to be. AND I didn't cry!

Sister Olsen and I carpooled with a couple of other STL's in Hemet to Riverside for MLC (Missionary Leadership Council) with all the zone leaders and other STL's in the mission. As well as mission president, his wife, and his assistants. The trainings that they did were great! Sister Mullen did one on the remarks of when Elder Evans came last year. Which was on missionary work (obviously). But what you are to do on a mission. One of the lines said: "Your first priority is to come to know God on your mission. He has sent you here to change. This time sets the course for the rest of your life. This mission will be your Waters of Mormon. Pray, read the Book of Mormon, clean up your life so you can feel the Spirit and be converted. Live now so you can go home a different person." I really liked that! My mission is really the path for the rest of my life! And I want to change! And I know that the only way to do that is to focus on the work, serve the Lord with all of my might, mind, and strength and wholeheartedly convert myself unto the Lord. I am excited to do that. It will be hard, really hard, but we need to develop that and become converted unto the Lord.

Have a fantastic week! Until next week! :)


-Sister Cozzens

Sister Simpson

Baseball - Seventh-inning stretch 

Baseball at the Stormin' Mormon game!

I saw Sister Sterner at the game!

We had black mold growing underneath our kitchen sink, 

and it was making our apartment reek! So sister Olsen 

decided to clean it up.... It was disgusting

A member's dog, he reminds me of Thor!

Our cute room

Crossfit

Group Email

August 3, 2015

Hi!

So we had another slow week but, we had a few great experiences!

We've been working with a less active lady, and on Wednesday we went over there intending to teach the restoration. We ended up instead talking to her about what she needs to do to have her life improve, and she has that desire. It's very cool to see how the Lord prepares people for us to come in contact with.

I forgot to tell you about something! One of the men that we were teaching back in Eastvale, Mike (the Catholic), passed away a couple of weeks ago. It was really hard when I found out. I just started crying, because I love him so much. So I got on my knees and just pleaded with the Lord to comfort me. I know that we needed to teach Mike to prepare him for the spirit world where he will learn more. I know that if we turn to the Lord with full purpose of heart, humbling ourselves before Him, asking Him for help, He will comfort us and strengthen us through the enabling power of the Atonement. Don't be prideful. The Lord is there to help us, and we need to exercise our faith in Christ by turning to him.

I feel prompted to bare my testimony! I was able to bare it in church yesterday!

I know that Jesus Christ is our Savior. Through him and only through him can we receive true happiness. We are here on the earth to prepare to meet God. He has given us tools to prepare to meet him. We need to be clean at the judgment seat. This world is crazy, and we need the gospel of Jesus Christ and a living prophet to guide us. I love The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, and I know that the only way for me to have gained a real testimony of the church was to serve a mission. The Lord can be with you always, and we need him with us always. Read the Book of Mormon every day. Pray always. Attend church. Keep all of the commandments. I know that by doing these things, we will have the Spirit with us always. I know that this is the only true church on the earth, and we need the priesthood to guide us. I know that the priesthood has been restored to the earth. Use the priesthood often. Take advantage of that blessing. Heavenly Father loves all of his children, and he wants all of us to come back to him. Choose to stay on the path. Make the right choices, no matter what is thrown at you, and the Lord will help you as you do your part.

https://www.lds.org/media-library/video/2013-01-003-mountains-to-climb?lang=eng

I know that this church is true. I know it and love it. I needed to be thrown into the gospel to gain a testimony of it. Like Nike, just do it. I say these things, in the name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, amen.

-Sister Cozzens

A photo of an orange orchard. There are many

of these in Hemet.

Sister Cozzens and Roberts in a member's new car

Sister Cozzens' new apartment in Hemet

The Hemet Stake missionaries went bowling on p-day

Sister Springer piercing Sister Olsen's ears

Follow Christ's Example

July 27, 2015

Hello!

Can you believe I’ve been out for 6 months? Mission life goes by way too fast. I am not counting though, no worries..

I am in Hemet! Sister Olsen and other missionaries call Hemet the Promised Land. Hemet is a humble place. We are super far from the Mission Office, about an hour away, southeast.

It is hard switching areas because 1. I don’t know the area 2. Newish companion (Sister Roberts from the MTC) 3. I miss the Eastvale Ward, the Stake, and the missionaries. But I am grateful to be here, so beyond grateful! Not just because Hemet is a baptizing area, but the people here are sooooo humble….their living conditions, the things they have, the experiences that they have had. They don’t really have direction, like those wandering in the mists of darkness.

Our investigators that were supposed to get baptized yesterday, didn't get baptized. Their dad decided last minute to not let them do it. His girlfriend was the culprit. That was a hard day :( It was so frustrating!  But it may have been an answer to our prayers (Heavenly Father has a sense of humor). Our investigator, Shimar, didn't have a testimony of the church, and that was beginning to worry him and stress him out. He now has more time to gain a testimony! He and his family are moving to San Diego this week, which is sad for us, but good for them. I’ll miss them, they are so cute, and I just don’t want to see them go! But it will be better for them there. Sister Roberts and I agree that it is a good thing that they are getting out of the girlfriend’s house. It was not a good environment. They will be closer to their own family! We just need to get in touch with the missionaries down there!

Our teaching pool is a little low... but, we are working hard. We are just being patient, and we are trying to be exactly obedient! We will have blessings soon. I know that we will. The other night Sister Roberts said: “We are on a mission. This is our full-time job. We aren’t doing anything else! We are doing this all day, every day. Our numbers should be better. There is no reason why we shouldn’t get standard every week! Let’s do that! Every week that we are together, we are going to get standard!” (Standard is the weekly mission goal: 5 member present lessons, 3 new investigators and 1 at church or 1 new investigator and 3 at church, at least 16 lessons, 7\7 asking everyone for referrals.)

Heavenly Father answers our prayers—even if it is months afterward, and He answers them in His own way. Being a good example is also super important! I’ve seen the effects of my example on others before being on a mission and during, see 3 Nephi 18:24. Christ is the only example that is the perfect example, follow His example!

See Mosiah 23:15-21. When life is great, don’t forget to keep praying, reading, going to Church (exercising your faith), and going to the temple often. When trials do come, you will be spiritually prepared.

-Sister Cozzens

(This letter was compiled from emails and a letter from Sister Cozzens to her family dated July 17, and July 27. Sister Cozzens forgot to write a long email on her p-day and ran out of time!)

Shimar, Sister Roberts and Sister Cozzens

Sister Cozzens in a shopping cart looking at garbage???

What are you looking for?

Photo with the Mission President

Sisters Springer, Olsen, Cozzens, and Meza

Sisters Roberts and Cozzens