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Monday, January 5, 2015

Elder Cook Week Ninety-Five



Hey Familia,

¿Uté a guoch?  “How’s it going” We started teaching a familia from a little pueblo in Guatemala and they’re helping me learn  Kiché.  We had a great week!  Our schedule got changed up so that Monday we only left our house to write home and New Year’s Eve we didn’t leave the house because it was too dangerous that night.  Friday we had a rockn’ zone meeting where we got everyone super pumped up about January to complete their goals.  Saturday we went about an hour on bus out to a little pueblo to visit our recent convert, only to get right back on the bus when we found out he went out to the mountains to work.  



Famililia update:  They’re totally getting baptized.  The dad has felt the spirit so much it’s incredible!  He knows exactly what it is and how to recognize it.  After the principios del evangelico class he came up and told me “gracias hermono por traerme a la iglesia verdadera.”  Man I love that man!  But as much as he wanted so bad to be baptized he’s still struggling with the whole marriage concept.  He had made a vow when his first wife died that he would never get married again.  So we had a lesson today with the branch president, and it went perfectly.  His daughter’s mom wants to and has always wanted to get married.  We explained the necessity of getting married to be able to follow Christ.   Anyways they both are happy and ready to get married!!!  Wohoo! So tomorrow we’re starting up the papers.   Also before President Romero left the dad offered to give a house he owned out in a pueblo somewhere to the church.  Love that guy! 



Awesome activity we had in the park in Comayagua. We talked to everyone!
Some people were scared seeing so many Mormons in one place! 

I’ve learned something huge in my mission that I also talked about in the zone meeting.  I don’t really know how to say it in English, but everything depends on our want or a better word, maybe, is desire.   If we want something bad enough, and our desire is righteous, we will get it.  And that’s a concept that at the same time motivates and scares me.  If we want to go to the celestial kingdom, we will go there.  We’ll strive enough to get there.  If we want to help more people to be baptized, we can do it.  We’ll start talking to more people and inviting more of our friends to church.  If we want to have a testimony of the gospel, we’ll have it.  We’ll start reading the scriptures more, praying harder, and going to church with more intent and of course what goes along with it is faith.  Faith is not a passive word, its pure action.  If I have faith that I’ll be playing in the NBA someday, I’m going to be sitting around all day watching tv.  I’m going to be out working 24/7 exercising and practicing basketball to get there.  And if I have faith in Christ I’m not going to be sleeping in on Sunday.  I’m going to go to church, keep the commandments, apply His teachings, and follow his example.  So, you put those two together, faith and desire and you have a powerful combination.   We will be able to accomplish anything we put our minds to! As long as we are always humble and relying on the Lords help.  And if you don’t have a desire, increase your faith.  And if you don’t have faith, increase your desire to have faith, especially in the gospel.  If you don’t feel close to God, find the desire and have faith.  He’s never far away, and He’s always waiting for you with open arms. 

Love 

Elder Cook 

PS We tried to play duck duck goose as a zone at the meeting, I was rolling on the floor laughing.  Let’s just say a lot of Elders left that game with rug burns, tears in their pants, injured bodies, and broken egos.  I never knew duck duck goose could be so competitive!