This last week was an odd week for me as well! We had a 2
day exchange with the zone leaders and it was great! I went to Pharr (the
suburb closest to McAllen...we're further east along the expressway) and spent
2 days with Elder Harrop. It was a car area so things were definitely a lot
different! Elder Harrops a great missionary and we worked a lot on contacting
and finding people to teach. It was definitely a different experience and it
again reminded me of how much I need to improve my Spanish! We also had mostly
member meals and so it was good to have some authentic food! Believe it or not
I am a spicy food fan now. We love jalapenos and the members will put it on
anything! The last night of the exchange (Thurs.) there was a HUGE thunderstorm
with more lightning then I've seen in my entire life! It was all over the place and you could see
all the bolts. It felt really good to be back home in Mercedes though. Friday
and Saturday were good days and the time went by quickly.
Sunday we had two confirmations and then the baptism of Bro.
Daniel Soto. He's the 72 year old we've been visiting since before I was here.
His baptism was a really special experience. While he might not necessarily be
an able "kingdom-builder" in this life...he's got a great work ahead
of him nonetheless. It really helped me understand that our Heavenly Father
loves each of us and is aware of every stage of our life and what we need. Bro.
Soto has a great sense of humor and loves all things western!!! Life on a bike
is still going well. The temperatures are starting to slope down towards the
lower and mid 90's (instead of high 90's and 100's) but the nights do seem a
little cooler. I'm really grateful for the 8 other missionaries in our ward and
I've become good friends with each.
I had an interview last Tuesday with President and he
reminded me that I've been out in the field for 2 months and 4 months on the
mission! Crazy! A few of his thoughts that he shared with me were about seeing
the Lords hand in our lives and then making the extra effort through prayer and
scripture study to prepare ourselves to serve!
Lastly I'll share something I learned this week from
personal study. In alma 24:8-20 it tells the account of the king of the Lamanites
when he and his people covenant to bury their swords. They show true repentance
and their example is so inspiring that later Lamanites are converted and follow
in the same manner. In alma 25:14 it talks about this second group and that
they buried their swords as a testimony and began to follow the commandments
and keep the Lords statutes. From these scriptures I've learned that we need to
bury our own "swords" or "weapons of contention" as we deal
and interact with other people. In 24:19 it says "And thus we see that,
when these Lamanites were brought to believe and to know the truth, they were firm,
and would suffer even unto death rather than commit sin; and thus we see that
they buried their weapons of peace, or they buried the weapons of war, for
peace." They are such an example of determination and dedication. I love
how the motivation is "for peace". "For peace" they bury
their weapons! ITs a blessing to have peace and it’s something I hope our family
can always strive for!!!
Con amor,
Elder Cook
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