Week 100! My last week......

I can not believe that I am writing this email. I can not believe that
I have been a missionary for over 2 years now, and that I have come to
the last week that I will be a full time missionary. I won't lie it is
a strange feeling. It's a mixture of excitement, mixed with fear,
sadness, anxiety, and so much more all in one and all at once. I think
what makes it the strangest is that I have put all that I am and all
that I can into this work and this mission for two straight years. I
have breathed, eaten, and sweat missionary work for the last two years
and as a result I have felt some of the most incredible joy I have
ever felt. I will never forget this feeling. I think your mission is
the only place that you can be dead tired, have a pounding heading and
be sweating like crazy in a small hot apartment in the middle of
Japanese summer and have planning and a bunch of other phone calls you
have to take care of all the way up until 10:28where you realize you
are still in your shirt and tie and need to brush your teeth change
and get in bed, the only place where you have all of these things and
are still unbelievably happy. I don't completely understand it, but
it's real. You can ask any returned missionary, or any full time
missionary. There is such a special joy to this work and it's
something that I want to continue. I know I won't have the badge, or
the special calling, but I know that I can feel it as I continue doing
the good things that I have been doing the last two years.

There has been a lot I have learned as a missionary, and I don't think
that I am going to be able to put very much of them into this email,
but the overlying big message or biggest thing that I think I have
learned is our need to rely on the Savior in all things. There have
been too many times as a missionary where I simply could not do
something by myself or my companion and I could not do something by
ourselves. There are things that are just simply out of our control.
We have a sphere of influence, but there are just certain things that
we can not change. They just happen, or they are things that we no
matter how hard we work or try can not do. I remember last year when
T____ couldn't be baptized because his mother would not give him
permission. We had prepared T_____ and he was ready to go, but he
couldn't be baptized until he had his mothers permission and we had a
time limit because he was going to America. We did all we could to
meet with his mom and talk to her and tried to convince her but
nothing was happened. I remember praying and just saying God we are
doing all we can, but we can't do anymore and we need help. One random
day about 1 week before T____ was scheduled to leave for America his
mother call us and told us that she had been thinking and that she
just kind of felt like T_____should be baptized and that it is a good
thing. I know that wasn't our influence. God expects us to do our best
and do all we can, but he will make up the rest. I have seen it time
after time. I have learned that as we rely on him and trust in him,
that is when we are able to do anything. I have learned that we need
him on our side at all times, and all we need to do to have him is to
work to be worthy and than ask him. I have definitely learned the
power of prayer on my mission. Do you know how many times we pray as
missionaries?? At first I thought it was absolutely insane, but now I
know why we do. Because we know that we can't do it alone. I have also
learned the Lords timing. It might not always be when we want it, but
we have to have patience and when we do our faith increases and we get
grow. Although we sometimes don't want to believe it, God is smarter
than us! Haha He knows better. And when we learn that and can trust in
him and his timing our lives just kind of seem to be more hopeful and
optimistic, because we know it's going to work out! Above all I have
learned that he loves us. Not just his church members, not just Him or
her but every single person on this earth. Even all the way over here
in Japan. I have felt the love that he has for the people here, and as
I have served them and worked with them here I feel like I have gained
some of that love.

I am so grateful for all the amazing experiences that I have had to be
here and to have been a missionary. I would not trade this experience
for anything! I am grateful for the testimony I have gained, and my
own personal conversion that I have had while I have been here. I know
that this is where I want to be. I know that the church is what I want
to build my life, and the life of my family on. I know that Jesus
Christ is my savior, and the savior of the world. He did rise on the
third day and HE LIVES. I sustain his prophet Thomas S. Monson. I know
the Book of Mormon is true not because other people have said that,
but because I have taken it and tried the challenge written in it.
Because I know it is true I know that this is the Restored gospel of
Jesus Christ. I am grateful for my family and amazing parents, church
leaders, and friends who have taught these truths to me  from since I
was a child till now. I hope to be able to do the same. My next step
is to continue working to help others have that same conversion as I
have. I have had it, so I know everyone else can too.

Thank you all for the amazing support that you have given me over
these last two years! I have been unbelievably blessed with a great
support system and it has made all the difference. I love you and I
will see you all soon!

Love,
Elder Cottle

Week 99! Last full week.

Hello Everyone!

I can't believe how fast this transfer is going!  It is too fast right now honestly!  There is so much stuff that I want to accomplish here but my time is running out so fast.  It's crazy to think that in just a couple of weeks I will no longer be a missionary..Honestly it's kind of a scary thought.  I feel like I honestly have put all that I am into being a missionary, and over time I feel like the Lord has kind of molded me into the missionary he wanted me to become.  I'm grateful for the kind of person that I have been able to realize I want to be, and the steps I have been able to take to be that person while I've been here.  I still am not there, I still have a long way to go, but I think I'm on the right track.  

Although the end is drawing near we still have about a week and I hope to make the best of it! Right now in Shibuya we have maybe 5 or 6 progressing investigators who really have TONS of potential to be baptized really soon.  I don't know if it will be while I am here or not, but I think that they are so close and that Shibuya is going to have a good amount of baptisms over the next coupe of months.  There is T_____who works for the other church and he is so close.  There are just a few things that he needs to realize about doctrine, and just needs to have that spiritual experience that is able to tell him that all the things that we are telling him are true.  Of course that will mean that his church isn't totally true, but we know they have truth in it and we are trying to help him see that it's not a bad church is ours is true, but it just doesn't have ALL of the truth.  We also have a new investigator named F_____ and he is the man.  He really has such a desire to learn more and has lots of really good questions and is really open.  I think I talked about him a little bit last week, but he lived in Texas for 3 yrs and went to a different Christian church but he really liked it, and always wondered why there are so many christian churches.  We taught him the Restoration and he loved it.  Gave him a Book of Mormon and he is reading it, and he should be coming to church today! We will also be going with him to a Senior Missionary's home this week to share a message and have dinner so I think that would be a really great opportunity to be able to set some good expectations and teach a great lesson.  The work is going amazing right now, but the time is really just going too fast.  All of these amazing people and here and they are so close, it's just a manner of teaching them a little bit more and then they will be ready! There are so many prepared people here in Shibuya.  This is a special area.  It is one of the only areas where you can almost always see someone that you can talk to no matter where you are.  You know very well how we are taught as missionaries to open our mouths and talk to every single person we see.  Of course, in Shibuya this really isn't possible.  But I have seen over and over again the Lord guide us to the one that we were supposed to talk to, and we just have to be worthy to be guided.

I'm grateful for the opportunity that I have had to finish my last 4 transfers in Shibuya.  It has been such a blessing!  My companions, the friends I have met, and the miracles I have seen have all made me a better person and a better missionary.  I know that most missionaries do not have the opportunity to go back to a past area, but it's been great for me and I think I have found those people that maybe we were supposed to find last year. Things are going well..it's just crazy that they have to stop next week..It's such a bittersweet feeling getting to the end of your mission, I honestly think it's just one of those experiences you don't really have unless you have come out here and worked your hardest for two years.  I'm so grateful to all of you who have been such an incredible support to me.  You are amazing and I love each of you!  Talk to you next week!

Love,

Elder Cottle

Week 98!

Heyoo!! On the train right now I thought I would send you a quick
reply! 100 degrees, that is crazy!

1. Thank you for the classes. I can look through my emails and see if
I can find it, it might be kind of tricky though. But maybe just call
Ry up and be like hey, Logan needs our help just this last week here,
what classes does he need? Cause he will be needing to sign up for
those leadership classes too, and then also he will know some other
good classes to have. Also I figure kind of the same schedule as him?
They don't have to be identical, but I figure might as well if we can!
I figure he is going to know better than me because I'm not back in
America yet you know?
2. I KNOW IM SO PUMPED RYAN GOT THE LEADERSHIP AMBASSADOR SCHOLARSHIP TOO! It's been an answer to prayers seriously such
a blessing. God sure loves Logan Cottle! I realize that more and more
every day.
3. Investigators are doing good. We have sooo many people in our
teaching pool and a ton of really prepared people we just need to get
them in the water!
4. I'll put our funny story in my big email:)
5. The weather is warm. It's probably only 80 degrees but it's getting
super humid. Your going to feel like your in South Carolina again!
It's fun though, you guys are coming our at the perfect time of year!
Your going to love it. Next Thursday are you kidding?! Crazy.

Sounds like things are so good it's always so good to hear. Crazy that
we are at this point huh mom? How crazy it will be next week when we
are together again:) it's exciting. It's going to be a busy week and a
half until I see you guys, but I will make sure to try and get lots of
sleep so I don't look like too much of a zombie for you;) I'm sorry
I've been doing this 2 years it happens...;) love you mom have a good
week!
Love Logan