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| I bet you can't guess which one is me
(Elder Cook has sent us several pictures of himself from the neck down.)
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I've eaten some of this guys friends
This is the kind of lizard they serve us at dinner
appointments.
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Remember how I’ve always said how much I hate computers?
I really hate computers. This darn thing drives me nuts
sometimes! I feel like computers spend
more time having problems than working. I think Heavenly Father sent me
to the office to learn patience.
I have survived the financial secretary boot camp. Those
were probably the craziest couple of weeks in my whole mission! But I think I’m
getting things kinda under control. On
Friday, I was able to get my huge stack of checks and papers that have piled up
in the last two weeks down to about half its size! I was pretty happy about that. I have pretty much no idea what to do with
the other half, but that first half didn’t even know what Gringo hit it. Other
missionaries always ask me how being the finance guy is going and if I like it.
I usually jokingly say that I just throw money up in the air and hope it lands
in the right spot. I said it as a joke but worried if it was true. I know now
that the Lord has His hand in literally every aspect of His church, not just
the spiritual side. I have personally
witnessed it in my work in the office.
God won’t just let some 20 year old kid be in charge of His money and
mess stuff up. No matter what happens,
things just always turn out alright, even if I don’t know how.
I’ve also had some incredibly spiritual experiences these
last couple weeks. It amazes me
sometimes how Heavenly Father works and how easy it is to have a testimony that
there is a God if we just do His will.
He just wants to help us! He is
always there. He is always
listening. The absolute hardest thing
I’ve learned on my mission is about how our Heavenly Father answers us.
This last week my comp and I had an amazing day. One
of the best days of my mission. We were
talking with everyone, we had the two most spiritual lessons I’ve ever
been in and people came up to us off the street telling us to come teach
them. The most incredible day. That night, we walked home on a spiritual
high but I felt kinda sad. I just
couldn’t understand why after all this time, a year of busting my butt up
hills, and stairs, crying and praying about investigators, pleading to see some
kind of answer from my Heavenly Father in my life and that of others, coming
home most days drained spiritually and physically with not even a glimmer of
hope in all that work, why I didn’t see more success. For days I’ve thought about it, and that
story you sent me dad hit me. Heavenly
Father asked me to push the rock. I’ve
preached and pushed that rock for a long time with no success. Or that’s what I’ve thought. I got a little weak and felt sorry for
myself. But the Lord had spoken with me
through the spirit, and told me to look back.
All that time struggling, reading the scriptures, working my tail off,
praying my heart out, not a single moment was spent in vain. My muscles have grown under the constant
pressure of that rock. My testimony is so much stronger, my faith and knowledge
in the gospel has deepened, and my love for the Savior has grown more than I
thought possible. The Lord has called us
to be obedient and push, and He will move the rock. Heavenly Father had been answering my prayers
the entire time! By allowing me to
struggle it helped me become better.
Now when my investigators ask me, why didn’t I get an
answer? I’ve prayed about the book, read
it, and got nothing.” That is a pretty
common question, and I know why now.
Heavenly Father isn’t the problem, we are. HE ALWAYS ANSWERS MY PRAYERS. In His own time, His own way, and in His own
place. We have to be ready, worthy,
willing, and putting our own effort to receive it. Please pray.
Don’t waste another minute not using the special gift God has given us
of direct communication with Him. Trust
in Him. Trust that He loves you and He
is always looking to give you the best life and most growth possible in this
time here on earth. He will answer
you. I know that. And he acts based on your faith in Him. The faith always precedes the miracle. Pray when you wake up. Pray when you go to bed. Pray when you leave the house. Pray in every moment you think of
prayer. Talk to Him because He wants to
talk to you.
Sometimes at night I think.
Usually I just crash, and blink, and can’t believe it’s morning, but
sometimes I am awake long enough to think.
The overwhelming thought that comes is just how happy I am! I am just happy all the time. That’s just something I love about the
gospel. The happiness is brings to
people’s lives. I love this work. I know God lives, He loves us, He sent His
son for us, and this is His church.
Love
Elder Cook
