Happy New Year Week 30!

Wow what an amazing week it has been here in Japan!  Christmas was this week and it was definitely a different experience being away from home for the first time, and being in a country where Christmas isn't a very big deal!  I do want to bear my testimony on the season of Christmas.  It is such a special time for us to really reflect on the Savior and his birth, and how significant that was.  I am so grateful for him, and this Christmas I felt like I was really able to draw closer to him, as I put my focus on him during the Christmas season.  It has amazed me how while I have been out hear on my mission, I have really been able to see my relationship with the savior grow so much closer, and I am so grateful for that!

 

  It was such a blessing to go out on Christmas and teach people who have never heard of Jesus Christ, about him and why he is important, and why Christmas is a holiday.  It was so cool to see people realize that Christ's name was in Christmas and make that connection.  We really were able to see so many "Christmas Miracles" on Christmas and we know that it was because the Lord was happy with us that we were out striving to bring others closer to him on that very special day.

 

  I am so grateful for this gospel.  I am so grateful for the knowledge it gives me about life, and the happiness it brings me and my family.  I am so so grateful for the opportunity I now have to share it with people here in Japan.  I have seen it change people's lives, and I am so grateful to be able to be a part of it.  Heavenly Father could do this work without us, but he allows us to grow in the process and I am so grateful for that!  I have really seen a change in my life, and I look forward to becoming an even more profitable servant for him throughout the rest of my mission!  Thank you so much for the support I get from home.  I was so grateful to have the opportunity to talk to my family this week, and how amazing that was!  You all look stekki as ever;)  So blessed to be a part of such an amazing family and I am just forever grateful for all the love I get from you all!

 

  Please know how much I love and pray about each and everyone of you!  Have an amazing week and I will talk to you soon!

 

  All my love,

 

Elder Cottle

Christmas Morning!

We got to Skype Logan!

Dreamy. He looked and sounded SO good. Merry Christmas!

Week 29! Merry Christmas!

Hello everyone!

 

  I am so sorry that I have not been doing very good on sending a good big email out..But I promise that I will try to be better!  I know that I have a blog to keep going..so I will try and be better;)  Sorry Mom!  So this last week here in Japan has been one full of Christmas Miracles!  We really have seen the Lord's hand in the work so many times this week I really couldn't believe it. 

 

  To start I just want to explain how Mito's success has been in the past.  Since I have been here, we have had one baptism, but other than that not really teaching very many lessons, and not really finding a crazy amount of people either.  Doing a lot of finding, but not great success.  It has been difficult to find what we have needed to do to change that!  But, this week was definitely a turn around week.  We had an amazing week of finding and teaching and numbers wise, we were way higher than I have seen here in Mito, in fact the numbers were higher than anything Mito has seen in months.  We were able to find 7 New Investigators and able to teach a lot of lessons!  One of the most amazing parts was we had a Ward Christmas Party this last Saturday.  There were many members who brought their non-member friends and we were able to talk to them and help the members share the gospel with them!  We were able to contact 5 of these referrals and we now have contact information on them and although they aren't new investigators yet, they should be by the end of this week!  The member-missionary work is an amazing thing.  I have such a strong testimony that this is the new way to do missionary work.  The Lord blessed us to see so many amazing miracles through that work, and it really strengthened my testimony to see it!  I know that as we strive to work together as members and missionaries, we will be able to successfully bring others unto Christ!

 

  So in the middle of this incredible "dendo'n" week, we were able to have a 3 Zone Conference with President and Sister Budge and the Assistants!  It was an amazing conference and I was really able to learn so much!  We also had a District Leader Training and that was a little bit humbling!  Being the youngest Elder in the room was humbling..but I was so grateful for the opportunity to learn from some experienced missionaries on how they were able to be effective, successful District Leaders.  It was also very humbling to hear President Budge tell us that those he calls as District Leader position, are the people he sees leading the mission as Zone Leaders someday.  I really hope that I can become a better missionary by them because the thought of that is overwhelming!  I really want to become a more profitable servant of the Lord, and I hope that as I strive my hardest to do that I will be worthy of this calling, and callings to come!

 

  I just want to bear my simple testimony of our Savior Jesus Christ.  I have such a strong testimony of his atonement, his love, and his hand in the great work.  I KNOW HE LIVES.  I know that he suffered in the Garden for us, died on the cross for us, and was resurrected on the third day.  I know that he did this.  There is no doubt in my mind.  I know that because he did this, we too will be able to defeat death, and also be able to, through the atonement, defeat our spiritual death.  I am so grateful during this Christmas Season to be able to celebrate the Saviors birth, and how significant of a event that was.  I am so grateful for this opportunity to be here in Japan and have the chance to share this message of Jesus Christ, this message of hope, and this message of happiness!  I am eternally thankful for my savior, and now that I can never repay what he did for me.  However, I know that I can strive my hardest to bring others closer to him.

 

  I so am grateful for all the amazing people I have back home supporting me!  I received so much love from so many people through cards and packages and I really can not express how blessed I am, and how grateful I am!  Thank you for your love!  I love you all so much and I really hope you have a Merry Christmas!  Have a great week, and I will talk to you soon!

 

Love always,

 

Elder Cottle

 

 

Week 28!!!!

Here is part of a couple little emails he sent Jeff and I. I don't know why he hasn't sent a big email for two weeks but I'll be letting him know we need them next week when we talk at Christmas time!

I love 2 Nephi as well.  It really does, "throw down" in Tokyo Missionary terms haha.  I love the doctorine of Christ found in 31.  I love how the Lord invites us to follow him and how it is kind of the underlying message of the chapter.  The main message is obviously baptism, but if you study that chapter closely, you will notice that the Lord is asking us to follow him, and that the only way to do that is of course baptism, and then keeping his commandments at all times.  I really have realized that in my life I really am the most happy when I am being EXACTLY obedient.  I wish I would have wised up sooner;)  But I am grateful that I am seeing it now.  God really does bless us with that happiness when we show our love for him and follow his commandments.

I know that this church is true.  It is amazing to me how much my testimony has grown while I have been here, and how I can already see how my life has changed.  Before my mission, I always thought that I didn't want to come home different, and that I wanted to be normal Logan when I got home.  Now I see that I want to be different.  I want to be a changed person, someone who has really given themself to the Lord to be molded and turned into his perfect disciple.  I am so grateful for this opportunity to be here.  I love this work and I am so glad that I still have a year and a half to do it.  Thank you for always believing in me.  I love you so much and I can't wait to talk to you next week!

All my love,

Elder Cottle 

Here are some answers to some questions I asked. 

1.  I did not get transferred..however there were some pretty big changes here in Mito.  We got another new companion named Elder A.  He is a transfer 3, and I knew him from Niigata!  Elder M  left to another area.  So it is me, Elder A and Elder N.  I am training Elder N, and I was made a District Leader.  I am very humbled by this opportunity I have to serve the people in my district!  I really think that I will be able to grow a lot, and I am just so excited for the opportunity!  Was not expecting that though..transfer 4 district leaders are a little mezarashi...(rare) but I know I was called for a reason and that the Lord knows I can do it!

2.  Yes we are supposedly doing video I believe..I think that you can probably call us..I will figure out all the details by next week I promise. 

3.  Yes we will figure out details and if the connection is bad we can hop on the phone no problem

4.  The 12 Days of Christmas are incredible!  Thank you so much they have seriously made me so happy!  There really is nothing better than a note from someone you love with their testimony in it..THANK YOU!  You are amazing.

5.  I knew Elder H would be Assistant!  He is an incredible missionary and someone very close to my heart!  I got to see him at a trainers training down in Tokyo this last week and it was so good to see him!  I know he is going to do amazing, and I am just so grateful that I was able to have him as my trainer.  What a blessing!  He really has helped me become the missionary I am today.  He is going to be an amazing lifelong friend!

6.  I am not currently singing in a choir..we don't have one but I think we are singing something for our ward christmas party..we will see how that goes!

 

Week 27! Only pics!

Logan sent off personal emails but ran out of time for a big one. So here are some pics he posted and I will send anything extra next week!

Smile Dendo! Thanks Sister Missionaries!

Eating Thanksgiving Feast!

Pictures with a recent convert. 

The Thanksgiving feast. Yum yum. :/

The family room with my Christmas Tree I sent and presents!!!

Logan at the Tokyo, Temple. He loved being there for the first time!

Week 26!

Hello everyone!

 

Another amazing week has gone by and we have been so blessed to see some amazing miracles!  To start we started to do a new type of finding here in Mito called "Smile Dendo" that the amazing Nagaoka Sisters invented up in the Niigata Zone!  Basically what we do is we made some signs that said smile and I'm a Mormon with the church website and mine had a giant smiley face on it that said Happy?  We have a really big train station and so we went there and there are tons of people.  We started doing it and it was crazy successful!  People were coming up to us asking what we are doing and why we are so happy, and we were then able to share a simple message of why we really are so happy.  We have been able to find many new investigators and lots of potential investigators so it has been really amazing!

 

The miracle for this week was Y____  he is 33 yrs old and is a complete alcoholic, gambler, has no job, no food, and is just a sad guy!  He came up to us at the station and told us he was not happy..We started talking to him and he explained that he had all of these problems, and that he was starving.  We went and bought him just a sandwhich and a warm drink and gave it to him and he started bawling!  He was so grateful and just would not stop saying it.  It was so sad to see him so desperate..but so amazing to be able to help him.  We then started explaining how the church could bless his life and that he could get through all of these problems through Jesus Christ.  He thought that it would help, and he was able to come to church the next day!  We have met with him twice since then, and we are preparing to set a baptismal date with him!  We are so blessed as missionaries to help these people that the Lord needs us to help.  We are really hoping that we will be able to change this man's life and help him turn over a new page!

 

I am so grateful for this amazing opportunity to be a missionary!  I am so blessed!  We get to do so many amazing things as missionaries, and it really is such a blessing to be able to help so many people.  There is nothing in the world like it!  I love this gospel, and I love this work!  There is not a doubt in my mind that this church is true and that right now the Lord is hastening his work.  I love you all so much and hope you all have an amazing week!  I pray for each of you daily!  Be safe, and I will talk to you soon!

 

All my love,

 

Elder Logan Cottle