I was so glad to hear that Mom, Dad and Scott had a good
week in Japan! I hope the welcome home today will be wonderful and I can
imagine how excited and happy everyone is going to be! This week was a
wonderful week! It was hard and trying but we had some great success! On Sunday,
two of the people we taught were baptized! Alma Arcuate (the cancer survivor)
and Angelina! It was such a wonderful day on Sunday to see them make those
promises and covenants! It was really special and I'm so grateful to Heavenly
Father. Both of them had been prepared to be taught and for this point in their
life in so many personal and specific ways. We also received news that another
of our investigators who needed special permission has been cleared for baptism!
Saturday night was one of the happiest nights so far here! Wednesday was a
crazy day. I'm learning that while when we pray for miracles we pray for the
circumstances that require the miracles as well! The more and more I serve as a
missionary the more I understand that missionary work is best carried out when
the missionaries aren’t in charge. I know the Lord directs His work and we are
the instruments in accomplishing it.
With the two baptisms we had it really taught me the importance of having good
members to help the investigators we teach. Both Alma and Angelina now have
really close friends who are members and it has made all the difference. It
seems like I say this every week, but this week I’ve gained a stronger testimony
of prayer. We were in a lesson with Angelina on Wednesday, and a lot of the
people around her had discouraged her from being baptized. we had a good lesson
with her about baptism and its importance and then knelt down at the end and
asked her to pray for a confirmation. We told her to wait once she'd finished
the prayer and to listen for the Holy Ghost and the answer to her prayer. After
she said amen..we stayed kneeling for a few minutes. After her prayer ended,
Elder Marble and I prayed silently for all that we were worth! I don’t think I
have prayed so hard in my life! After about 5 minutes or so, she looked up and
was crying and smiling and shared with us her feelings and the love that she'd
felt. Biking home for lunch I kept thinking about how much Heavenly Father
loves us. He answered her prayer. He answered my prayer. I am so grateful for
that. I know He is there and I know He is real and I know it’s so crucially
important that we remember that.
Alright...Dog moment of the week: we stopped by for an
appointment at a house with a ferocious bulldog that always tries its best to
get off the chain that ties it up. It was late at night and as we locked up our
bikes we noticed the dog out. After a few steps, the dog (and ourselves)
realized that the dog was not chained us. It charged straight for us. Elder
Marble headed for the nearest car (he apparently wanted to jump on top). I
remember taking a step forward (not sure why) and the dog suddenly stopped and just
started barking at us! It was pretty exhilarating. We made our exit as peaceably
as possible and escaped without any bites!
I love Matthew 9:29 with the story of the 2 blind men and
how Christ tells them "It shall be done according to your faith."
Prayer, scriptures, pondering, attending church, and service have helped me
grow my faith. Often times we have to physically remove the doubt from our
hearts and reinsert the faith or the desire for faith that we have. I'm
grateful for the peace and comfort that comes from the Holy Ghost.
Thank you for love prayers and support!
Con amor,
Elder Cook
P.S. How about the Buckeyes...phew! 3 pts?...Is Indiana good
this year?!?! Go Bucks!
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