# Cowsley

I'm staying in Mackay! Yay! I'm glad I get to stay! I can't believe at the end of this transfer I will have been here for 1/2 my mission! (9 months!) :) & Sister Owsley is still my companion! :) She is great. She was sad this week... her sadness made her physically sick... I know how that feels. It hurt to watch her hurt. I tried to support her any way I could. As I prayed for her and how I could help I felt that what I needed to do most was get her out of bed. I prayed for the courage to do that and to do it in a loving way because I really do know how she feels when you just can't get up and you don't want to, and for no reason at all except that you are sad. So I promised her that if we just went to work and if she didn't start feeling better we could come right back home. I could tell she wasn't pleased with me getting her out of bed haha but that's what I felt I needed to do, so I did it... We went to work. Her countenance changed over the day, she started to look better, started to smile, and laugh! She has the cutest laugh! And as we worked, we both felt happier. We got 3 new investigators, the spirit testified to what we had to say and more than anything I think me acting on what the Lord told me to do, brought Sister Owsley and I closer together. That night she even thanked me for getting her out of bed. :D We established a level of trust that I know we couldn't have achieved if we had just stayed at home. I hope she knows she has a friend in me. Yes we have our differences and I know I have imperfections... lots of them... and I am learning to take what she has to say with love. "Rath unfed by denial will starve and die." Bishop Summers said that and maybe Shakespeare hehe :) Sister Owsley is such a wonderful Sister Missionary and I am excited to see how we can continue to grow over this next transfer. I know she is needed here!

Sister Owsley and I have both had an extremely hard weeks. I got a blessing from Brother Anderson. Which was weird because I didn't want one, I am really good at not asking for help even if I really do need it. Well, we had dinner with the Andersons, I felt I should ask for a blessing, pushed it away like I'm just imagining all this... 10 miles later, Owsley was like, "Just call brother Anderson." I called him and yep, we turned around and went straight back. He said that he felt I needed a blessing too. Isn't that cool?! We both had the same thought! The blessing I received was perfect. I know the priesthood is real. Our Heavenly Father knows us perfectly and how lucky are we to know that worthy & righteous men hold that power to act in God's name! Brother Anderson was an instrument in the Lords hands for me. He was the Lords mouth piece and I was reminded that I am loved and I am important. :) We are all important to God and His plan. 

Yesterday! Sister Summers gave me a hug from my mom <3 Man I really miss my mom... I always miss her... some days just a lot a lot more than others... but that hug was perfect. I needed that so bad especially after such a hard week. I got that hug before Sacrament and then Bishop Williams got up shared his testimony and said, "I don't know why I need to say this but I had a dream that my mom gave me a hug last night." That brought me to tears because I could feel that Heavenly Father was telling me that He hears my prayers, cry, and pleas. For me, that was an answer to my prayers. After Bishop Williams said amen, the pressure was on....My heart was beating through my chest, I stood up, then Sister Tew got the mic! I sat next to the glowing green exit sign and I mean really, out of all places to sit... I looked up at that glowing sign and thought, "I can get out of this.. I can pretend I just need to go to the bathroom or something..." Then I looked around and quickly realized it was too late... I moved and so I was next haha Any who, I shared my testimony in sacrament meeting! (thats the 2nd time I've ever done that!) And what a testimony builder it was for me to share my testimony. I could feel the spirit so strong, I couldn't hold back the tears. :) I am so grateful for my Mother up above and here on earth. I know they love me and I want me to succeed. I know my Heavenly Father loves me because He gave me my mom. I know the family is of God. I pray to be a good Mom someday. To change someone's heart the way my mom changed mine. I want to teach my children to pray the way she taught me. 

~Plus! After I shared my testimony, Macy got up and shared hers! She has never done that before! So if nothing else, me getting the courage to stand up gave her the courage to do the same. It was an awesome moment for me. One I will treasure forever. To hear a little girl, one I got to help bring to the gospel and to the knowledge of our Savior, share her testimony to a room filled with people. She ran over to us right after she said amen and hugged us, it was beautiful. We weren't the only ones in that hug from Macy. Doctrine & Covenants 62:3 "Nevertheless, ye are blessed, for the testimony which ye have borne is recorded in heaven for the angels to look upon; and they rejoice over you, and your sins are forgiven you." We could feel their rejoices!

I know we are children of Heavenly Parents who love us. We are never alone in this world. We don't have to run this race alone. We are not running by ourselves. Our savior is running every step of the way with us. I know what I said is true and I pray that you may find out for yourself if its true too. He lives. He lives and because He lives, He is with us. He hears us, He comforts us, and He loves us.

HE LIVES ~ Watch this Easter message :)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BZqTRSVA1YA

http://www.mormon.org/easter?cid=HP_FR_3-27-2015_dMIS_fMRMN_xLIDyL1-A_

#becauseHeLives

Sister Coats

ohai yo

Michelle taught us that in Japanese. We have too much fun. Its funniest when you say it in a Asian accent and throw your arms in the air! Be like, "Ohai yo!!!" (Arms extended) ;)

In President's email today, he said to not assume things. I liked that because man, I need to work on not doing that! Like Elder Golden said, To Assume is to make an Ass out of me and you. Its so true! Haha Really though it totally does! When we assume things, jump to conclusions, we don't let ourselves be open to understanding, and stop progression. I hardly ever see the full picture anyways so how could I make the right judgement about others when its not possible for me to make a correct assumption, point is, I can't, so I must not assume. 

We did a lot of service this week, which was great because we have trust with members and non members! Its amazing what trusting in one another can do. Its been harder trying to contact referrals through members but already I've seen why its way better to do it that way. A new family moved in to the Kelsers old home. We went by to help them move in, then we asked their neighbors (all members of the ward) to go and introduce themselves. The Summers jumped on it! The family said that they lived in Portland for 5 years or so, and only met their neighbor once because he needed to get on their roof. They've never had such a grand welcome from the community before. I believe because we and the ward correlated on who and when we should visit this family, it all worked great. They feel welcomed, want to come to activities, socialize, and they already love it here! So awesome! Now our next step is to introduce the gospel to them with the members by their side. Its amazing how much easier the work is when missionaries and members work together. :) Not only does it build our testimonies, and trust with the members, but I believe it builds theirs as well. 

I am so grateful for Sister Owsley. Sister Kennedy went home this week and that brought me down... Don't bring me down, don't bring me down. (Beatles song there) ;) But Sister Owsley was super positive and loving. Something I loved was how we both went out to work and didn't dwell on it, and because we were so busy working we didn't have time to be sad. I think Heavenly Father used her to help me keep going and not dwell on something I have no control over. 

We gave a talk yesterday in the Leslie ward. I was stressed out because nothing was coming to my mind as I was trying to prepare for it... so in preparation I studied as much as I could about the subject I felt that Heavenly Father wanted me to speak about and what would you know, just like He always promises, I studied & did my part, and He brought to my mind what I needed to say. I love being an instrument in His hands to bless His children. I am grateful for giving talks because they stretch me out of my comfort zone but make me rely on the Lord. Something I want to improve on is Leaning On Him! I think I too often place everything upon myself and don't go to Him for strength. There is no way I can do anything with out Him, yet stubborn me, I always try to do it by myself... then go to him. I need to get better at leaning on him from the beginning! Using the enabling power of the atonement every day & in every aspect of my life.

President Curtis wrote me this, he is the best President! "Remember that agency thing that allow investigators to turn down the blessings of the gospel also allows members to decide to serve or not (missions as well as other callings) and also to decide how fully they will serve. We not only should not feel responsible for another person's decision, we should be careful not to judge their decision since we can't understand what they feel and understand."

I love my mission and I am learning to love in ways that I didn't know I could. I am coming to be okay with not being able to understand everyone but knowing that the Savior does. He does understand everything, He understands me, you, and knows us better than ourselves. Even though I may not understand others decisions, I am learning I don't have to and its not important that I do, its only important that I help others know that He understands them perfectly and with a perfect love. I know He loves us.

Scripture of the Day 1 Nephi 20:22 "... there is no peace, saith the Lord, unto the wicked." 

Sister Coats

PS: Sister Owsley and I went on a hike and saw a Moose! I real living breathing moose! We wanted to follow it closely but then got scared, screamed, and kept following it! Haha But thankfully while we were hiking to the top of the mountain, not following the trail, probably going to the top in the most difficult way possible, we didn't see any moose there... we saw the moose after our hike, in our car so if it did come right at us it have to go through our new car in whom we named, Blanco. :) We felt proud for being mountain women haha Other Things that happened this week, almost hit a deer,  we helped pound in posts (thats a lot harder than it looks), we raked a trillion leaves, made dinner for Fay (forgot to defrost it so we jacked up the heat and every time we went by the timer we'd push it up a few minutes then Fay would walk by and be like, "I swear it was just at 35 minutes, 10 minutes ago!" Sister Owsley and I busted up) we went to Gravity Hill, we got the giggles so bad in sacrament it was hilarious because it was in front of everyone since we had to talk... so yeah, it was very professional haha ;) Driving on dirt roads is surprisingly a blast! Don't tell but I got some major air going down this one road, our seat belts even locked up haha it was great! 

Blanco

Summers!

Beautiful Leslie