Elder Cook Week Seventy-Six

Hey!

I just lost 18 months of pictures!  I should’ve sent the memory cards home but I didn’t really trust the mail system.  I can send pictures from the wedding last week but only the ones that Elder Wormald took. Lost my shaver too, sorry just need a cheapy new one.  I can get just a suitcase from the mayoreo no worries I was just letting you know.  Also a flash drive for the camera, an SDHC card - I think it’s just like an inch, regular size.   

Nope not teasing.  Our house just got broken into, no biggie. We are in a super safe neighborhood.  We have a wall in front of the house with barbed wire that would keep anyone out but we didn´t lock that metal door so they just had to get though the house wood door. President told us to move so now we are looking for a new house. Hopefully we´re going to find one closer to the Altos so we don’t have to walk a half an hour to our area every day.

It really wasn’t a big deal. In this neighborhood we pay security guards a bunch of money to have a post at each entrance and you have to have a sticker on your car to get in.  The funny thing is, when we went to tell them what happened, and as one of the elders was telling the security guard the guy let in like 4 cars without the sticker to get in! Losing the pictures was the only hard part that was a lot of my mission.  

That´s so sick that they did a triathlon! [Elder Cooks two cousins and uncle were in a triathlon this past weekend]  I love it.  My investigators are great!  We just found a new family that has great potential!  And everyone has had their interviews yesterday so we are set for Thursday for the baptisms!!!!  President announced to us yesterday the changes [transfers].  My comp is leaving to train and Elder Osborn is leaving too.  Super crazy, we thought it would be Elder Moran because this will be his 5th change here!  

Yeah the new guys are already here in the office being trained for their new jobs.  My new comp is Elder Torres, from Guatemala.  The new general secretary is from Utah.  Yeah I wasn’t surprised I stayed, I had a feeling President would keep me in a little longer.  But he´s promised me a pueblo for my next area so I can’t complain!  We have four baptisms this week!  We have an alright teaching pool right now and we´re always looking for more.  I´ve never been rejected so many times in my whole mission until these last couple changes but I´ve also never been more happy!  

I really have learned a ton here in the office! I’ve started to enjoy it but I´m still definitely ready to get back to a normal area.  

Love you!

One of the Elders thought he could get through this hole in the door

He didn't make it.

Elder Cook Week Seventy-Five

Hello Familia 

Hows it going? Here’s a few answers to the questions I’ve been asked:

I live with just the office elders the AP's live somewhere else. Did I tell you I have a washing machine?  Awesome!  Yeah it’s high living!  I feel kind of bad sometimes using it, thinking it should take me a couple hours to do my laundry.  I still remember the first time I saw the dryer.  It was my first or second day here and I didn’t have any clean shirts, so I washed one.  But then I realized it was almost time to leave, so I started whipping it and ringing it outside trying to get as much water as I could to just go ahead and wear.  So I walked back inside and started to put it on, and walked by the dryer.  And almost cried, and I put it in.  It dried it super-fast, and I came to the office dry!

You don’t get used to the heat and humidity really.  I just count the falling sweat drops as blessings and that makes me feel better. That´s crazy that Brook drives now!  Can’t really picture it too well. 

Everything is going so great right now! Loving every minute of the mission. You asked me what my favorite scripture is and I have a million!  I can´t pick just one.  But I´ll give you a couple I always think of when we get ready to go out and work.  They´re in Esdras 10:4 Levántate, porque ésta es tu responsabilidad, y nosotros estaremos contigo, anímate y hazlo and 3 Nefi 5:13.  And my phrase is "I fear no man".  Haha I always think of that when we go to contact to pump myself up.  Oy and another phrase I love that I read in a talk somewhere! The Lord taught that when we teach, we should use boldness but not be overbearing.  Overbearing is just boldness without love.  So as long as we always love the people, we can never be too bold! Or something like that. I love being direct when we teach or contact. People understand that way.

The couple we've been teaching are doing great!!!  THEY GOT MARRIED!!!! We had the most beautiful wedding last night you’ll ever see!!  Man it was amazing.  Guess who decorated the wedding room?  You might think we hired professional wedding planners, but you’d be wrong.  It was just me and my comp putting up all that girly stuff.  I´ll send you all the pics maybe Monday or Tuesday. 

Yupp love you guys too!

Elder Cook

“I fear no man.”  

Ezra 10:4 Arise; for this matter belongeth unto thee: we also will be with thee: be of good courage, and do it. 

3 Nephi  5:13   Behold, I am a disciple of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. I have been called of him to declare his word among his people, that they might have everlasting life.

They'll be sealed some day for sure!

Elder Cook Week Seventy-Four

Hey Familia,

Yeah the mission is the best.  I don’t tell people how much time I have on the mission anymore.  I just say a little over a year, because if I say how many months they say I´m going home soon and it makes me sad.  I know I’m not heading out the door yet but I feel like it’s coming way too fast!  

Elder Wormald and I have been focusing on talking to everyone in these last couple of weeks and we´ve seen a lot of success from it.  That and being really direct in the lessons, like that we´re here to baptize them into the only true church of God and help them keep the commandments. We´ve even started teaching the Law of Chastity in the first lesson with families and seen awesome results. We also get a couple member lessons in a week.

Love ya,

Elder Cook

I got attacked by these wet guys.
We came in just before a big rainstorm
hit but they wanted to share the blessing of rain.

Our miracle family!
They're all getting baptized this month!
And they are all reading the Book of Mormon!

Office Elders with the mission nurse that went home this week.
[Elder Cook has a special place in his heart for these sweet sisters.]

Elder Cook Week Seventy-Three

Familia

Man we had the best week ever!!  We put 6 fechas [baptisms] this week!!  They are a couple we´ve been working with a ton in the last month and they´ve finally decided to get married and be baptized!!  It´s been tough because of his job and because his parents have been telling him some negative things about the Mormons, but we found the parents and taught them so now they support their son getting married and baptized and he committed to try to take off an hour or two every week for church!  Then through the example of his wife, her siblings started to go to church and they want to be baptized too!!  So we have fechas for four of her sisters.  Then through the example of all the brothers and sisters, the mom and dad want to start to go to church!  The dad committed to going to church this week and they decided to talk about getting married last night because they know they need to do it and get baptized!  They love that we come over to teach them and always say how much the gospel has changed their home and their lives already.  So many miracles have been happening lately it´s incredible.  We haven´t been to Ojojona yet though, probably this week. 

Feeling a little bit gullible. I found a place that sold "cinnamon bread" but it’s not actually cinnamon bread. It´s Honduran bread with raisins on it. Bummer. And no more falling cats!

Thank goodness.

Love you

Here are a few pictures we found on the mission blog from Zone Conference.