No mas guajolote!

Hola familia!

We had another great week down here in the valley! Thanksgiving was a lot of fun! We had two meal appointments, one with a family in Mercedes and one with all the missionaries and a family over in Weslaco! It was strange to walk outside afterward into the near-80 degree weather...it still feels like we're just stuck in September now! We made some visits to our recent converts and it was great to spend some time with them!

Thanks so much mom for the package of sweaters! Hopefully I'll need them here soon! I also received a letter from the Kauffman family this week and it was really good to hear from them! Christmas decorations are up in downtown Mercedes and boy does it look funny to see a wreath on a palm tree. HEB plays Christmas music nonstop now and it’s just overall a really strange experience! Whenever we talk with people they can't believe we like Christmas with snow! 

On Saturday we went to a ward activity that was held in memory of Elder Walker and Elder Strong. We had a memorial bike ride from the church down the road where the accident happened and back to the church. It gave me a lot to think about and certainly a lot to be grateful for. The road they were biking on was narrower than any of the roads we have here in Mercedes and gets pretty busy! We had a police escort and all in all there were about 30 or so on bikes (11 were missionaries). At the crash site there was a bike with some flowers and it all reminded me a lot of the way we mourned when Rico Butler passed away. I've gained a much stronger testimony of the plan our Heavenly Father has for each of us. Knowing where we come from, why we're here on earth, and what will come after, gives such a different perspective. I've found that applying those 3 big questions to the specific instances of my life help me find greater purpose, direction, and motivation, as well gratitude to my heavenly father.

I am so grateful to come from a family that loves me and a family that taught me the gospel and gave me a strong legacy of faith. I am grateful as well to be here in Mercedes to help people come unto Christ, to find peace and happiness in this life and joy in the next, to enter the waters of baptism and to have their sins washed away. I'm grateful to be headed towards the remainder of a wonderful 2 years serving the people in South Texas wherever the Lord decides to send me!

I love you all!!!

Con amor,

 

Elder Cook

Fotos y mas!

!Hola mi familia!

This past week was a good week! We said ‘bye to Elder Sanders (he's the blonde one and the biggest) as he headed up to Corpus Christi...and said hello to Elder Gillette! He's from Pocatello Idaho and was sick on his 3rd day in the field (with the same nasty bug we all had the week or two before...it was rough!).

This week we found some really awesome people! We found two families that really have been prepared for the gospel and then this awesome man named Noe. He had seen one of the church’s old missionary videos from the 80's and talked about how much he loved the music! He's 50 years old with long black hair and gets around on his bike with a radio strapped to it. He also had a few Book of Mormons....one from a long time ago when he met with the missionaries and one he found in the trash! He couldn’t believe someone would throw it away! we're excited to get to know him better! He got really excited when we shared some scriptures with him from 3 Nephi and got up to give us fist bumps because we'd helped answer some of his questions. Moments like that keep life exciting! 

The city of Mercedes has already begun to put up Christmas decorations....palm trees and Christmas wreaths are a pretty interesting sight! (Especially the week before Thanksgiving!) All of last week the temperature stayed below the 80's and it seems like things are going to stay cool for a while (ha...below 80 is sweater weather for Elder Marble!). We had a good time at our ward Thanksgiving party last week! My Spanish is getting better every week and it’s a lot more fun to socialize in the Spanish ward now that I can communicate better and having been around and met people for the past 2 months! All of our recent converts are doing well...we've set Book of Mormon goals with each of them and this week we're going to help them get started on their family history work so we can get them headed to the temple! The more I learn about family history work and as well using it in missionary work the more I grow to love it! Since its Thanksgiving this week I'll list a few of the things I'm grateful for!

1) Serving here in South Texas and being here in Mercedes

2) You guys! (My family & friends!!!)

3) The opportunity to speak Spanish

4) Example of parents, siblings and grandparents

5) Going to BYU (& being a Buckeye!!!!)

6) My Bike!!! (I love it!)..and being in a bike area

7) A Heavenly Father who loves everyone equally!

8) Good health

9) The Book of Mormon

10) The atonement and example of Jesus Christ

Not to mention all the tender mercies from the Lord we can see on a daily basis! A quote from President Monson that I love goes "gratitude to our Heavenly Father unlocks the doors to heaven and helps us feel His love". Being grateful has helped me become a more humble missionary and helps me feel the spirit and the love from Heavenly Father whenever things are tough. I hope you all have a great Thanksgiving!

Thanks for all your love, support and prayers!

Con amor,

Elder Cook!

(P.S. Enjoy the pictures!)

Seis mas semanas con el Elder Canica!

Hola mi familia!

I'm staying in Mercedes!......and so is Elder Marble! We're actually the only companionship in the zone that’s not switching! Our neighbor Elder Sanders is headed to the beach up in Corpus Christi and Elder Curletti will be training a new missionary (ahh! Im old!). We were pretty surprised by the news that Elder Marble will be staying but we're excited as well! We'll be spending Christmas together and it looks like I'll probably be in Mercedes until at least February! It really gives things a new perspective! I love this little town though! It’s a great place! I'm excited as well to have more time without recent converts!

A few interesting experiences....we were talking with a lady in our ward during the week and I finally figured where I had heard of Weslaco, Texas before my mission! The Flag of Our Fathers book (Scott has read it) about Iwo Jima ...spends a considerable part giving the bio's of each of the flag bearers...one of them is from Weslaco! (That’s the town where we go to church and where most our members and the other 6 missionaries in our ward are!) This whole time I knew it sounded familiar but it wasn’t until this week that I found out why!  We also had a good community family night at the small Mercedes church building across from our apartment. There were about 30 people that came and we had great support from members. Wednesda was a crazy day getting the projector, DVD, chairs, and tables and it brought back memories of student council events! Elder Marble, Elder Curletti and one more elder were gone during the day until 5 o clock from Tues-Thurs. because of leadership training. Because of that I taught in a trio with Elder Sanders and Elder Bawden (he came out with me from the MTC). It was really interesting teaching with the 3 of us and we spent most of the time in the surrounding Mercedes area (the country area). Tomorrow will be transfers and today we're having a final hurrah for our zone with a barbeque! A cold front came in this morning and its cloudy and in the 70's with talk of it getting colder this week (woohooo!). Right now we're teaching a few more families (not just individuals) and its been interesting to teach to so many age groups all at once.

With the time change its dark at 6 o clock now and so Sundays and Mondays when we go out to work it seems pretty late! President has asked us to get as many rides as possible from members in light of last year’s accident. The anniversary of Elder Strong and Elder Walkers passing was this past Thursday. At the time of the accident they were serving in the wards we served in now and Elder Walker had served in Mercedes right before. Keep their families in your prayers as well! I'm grateful for the protection I've had so far on my mission! With our recent converts we've really taken a lot of time to focus on family scriptures and prayers and it makes me so grateful for our habits as a family! This past week I read a talk by Elder Schwitzer and at one point he mentioned  how we should "find in each person’s eyes the evidence of the Savior." It’s really helped me to feel a stronger love for the people I've met and I love the attitude of relating every person back to Christ. So much of the joy of missionary work and life comes from loving other people! I know Heavenly Father loves each of us and He gives us what we need to grow because He loves us! I'm grateful for all that Christ has done and continues to do because of His love for us!

Thanks for all of your Love, support and prayers!

Con amor,

Elder Cook

De acuerdo con su fe

Hola mi familia!

Esta semana fue una semana muy interesante! Pero tambien fue una semana buena! So last Monday I got sick about this time and it knocked me out! What we thought was food poisoning turned out to be a really nasty flu bug. I'm grateful for the tender mercies Heavenly Father shows us! I sick all afternoon and was laying on my bed still trying to stay positive when Elder Marble came in with the mail. I'd received a card from Rebekah Kaufman with a card that said "Thinking of you. Hope you’re doing well down in Texas!". It was so simple and I'm grateful Heavenly Father cared about me enough to make sure I had a little pick me up at the exact moment when I needed it.  I stopped throwing up around 5:00 but we had to stay in Monday night and neither of us felt all the way back to 100% until Wed. but it passed and all is well! ...but again..life is great!

This past week was really our final normal week together because Elder Marble has leadership training during the day for the majority of next week. I'll be in a trio with Elder Sanders and Elder Bawden (he came out with me) and we will have a car (woooohooo!)  but we'll split time between our 3 areas between the different days. Training for Elder Marble will be from 10-5 for 3 days. Next Friday we'll hear about transfers on the following Tuesday. Of the 5 companionships in our ward it’s looking like we're going to have a change in every single companionship. I'm sure I'll be staying and it'll definitely be a growing experience! I was grateful for the opportunity to fast this weekend! In our district meeting last week Elder Marble challenged us to get back to studying the basics of missionary work and it has strengthened my testimony in many ways. We've also focused on improving our contacting and I'm excited to see who we find this week!

We also had a lesson with Ephraim Martinez, a returned missionary of 10 days...he's great and it’s been wonderful to hear his insights and advice. As this transfer comes to a close I'm grateful for Elder Marble! He has taught me so much and we're best friends and brothers! Just one more quick thought...I'm grateful for the Atonement of Christ and the example He gives us. In reading Matthew 26 the other day, I was reminded about how the essence of the Atonement was Christ sacrificing his will or letting his will be swallowed up in the will of the Father because He loved Him. Christ didn't start out wanting to perform that great sacrifice. But he yielded out of love and aligned His will with the Father's through prayer. With each of us it’s the same...it does not matter where we begin in terms of our feelings or desires...but everything matters and depends on where they end up...and we only get there through prayer and turning to Christ. I am grateful that it was our Heavenly Father's will that Christ lay down His life for us. I know that both our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ love us eternally.

I love you all!

Con amor,

Elder Cook