Sister Katelyn Cozzens Mission Blog: Biking in Hemet is Hot

September 28, 2015

Well hello there!

Tuesday was so fun. At DDM (district development meeting, where we meet with other missionaries in the stake) we were doing a role play of teaching someone the restoration in a minute. There were different scenarios. Sister Turner and I had one where we were in a line at the grocery store. It is so hard to not laugh, when you role play with missionaries. We have so many fun missionaries in our stake. It was literally probably the best DDM I've been too. The Elder that was pretending to be a customer in front of us was trying to avoid talking to us, but we had to talk to him! It was just too funny. It is hard teaching someone the restoration in a minute, SO HARD.

The sisters are pretending to be a family with a non-member
friend, with the elders acting as the missionaries.

(Note: We received an email from Sister Cozzens' Mission President and wife that Riverside, and all of California, is predicted to have a very wet winter this year, which is very rare for Riverside. This is due to El Nino, and the missionaries are advised to prepare with extra rain gear). I am soooooooooo excited for El Nino. You have no idea. It is going to flood and it is going to be AWESOME. I want rain boots!!! Not those weird overshoe things. I hope that we can get other colors besides black, and if I need another raincoat, I need it to be cute. :) please :)

I did see the lunar eclipse/blood moon. We were talking to a less active at the time, and I took pictures! That is the 4th one I have heard about. There were 3 blood moons last year. Apparently a bunch of members are really preparing. They think that the second coming is close, we'll see! The missionaries haven't been called home, so it won't happen yet!

If you look closely, you can barely see the lunar eclipse

I am so excited about General Conference, to learn who the new Apostles are and to hear from our Prophet, the Apostles, and the Seventy and whoever else is speaking! General Conference is the most recent and updated information, that we need to know, directly from Heavenly Father! Isn't that so cool!?

I went on exchanges with Sister Roberts, who is on bike. Holy cow, Hemet is so hot. I was sweating everywhere! I don't know how they do it every day! The work must go on no matter what!

We received a miracle this week. The other sisters in our ward (Sister Roberts and Sister Da Silva) received an online referral of someone who had personally requested missionaries to come visit her. But there was no existing address (street given: Bellew way) for the one that was given to them. They marked her as contacted, because there was no way to find her. Then Sister Da Silva was looking at the big map on our wall and noticed a street that looked familiar (Ballew way). She said that immediately the Spirit told her that that is where Sarah lived. She passed the referral to us. She was in our area!

Sister Turner and I were driving around to contact some people, and we passed Ballew Way. We were both like, "That's where Sarah lives!!" So we pulled onto her street and there was the number of her house! We prayed, got out of the car, and knocked on the door. Recently, people have been hesitant and uninterested in us coming back, so I felt super surprised at Sarah's address. Before she answered the door, she said: "Who is it??" and we yelled, "the sister missionaries!" She sounded very surprised, and she opened the door, telling us to come in. I was so surprised, and inside I was like: "WHAT?! This doesn't happen!"

Long story short, we talked to her for a bit and she said as a child, she use to live by members of the church, and they were all very loving and caring. She had always wanted to come to church, but her parents wouldn't let her, and her previous relationships hadn't allowed her to either. When the opportunity came up, she requested online for missionaries to come over and was praying for us to come. It had been a couple of weeks, so she thought that no one was going to come, and she was beginning to think that Heavenly Father wasn't going to answer her prayers.

She came to the Women's broadcast, church on Sunday, and is getting baptized on October 18th!! I am not only grateful to have the opportunity to help one of God's children enter the waters of baptism, but I am so grateful that Sister Da Silva followed that prompting. Sarah needed us to come see her. She was an answer to our personal prayers and to Sarah's. She is so prepared. Heavenly Father is preparing his children for the missionaries to teach and invite them to take part in his amazing plan. You don't know who He is preparing. Be that example, live the gospel and invite your friends to take part in this everlasting gospel.

I know that our Savior lives and that His church has been restored to the earth: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. There is a living prophet today and that is Thomas S. Monson. I testify to you that he has been called of God, and he holds the priesthood keys to lead and guide the church. Listen to their words!! General Conference is going to be amazing!

-Sister Cozzens