Hola

Hola Mi familia!

Things are still going great down here! This past week we had George's interview and he's all set to be baptized next Sunday. It’s been really fun to teach him (he's the friend of a member named Elizabeth who’s home from BYU-I) because in a lot of the lessons I've felt like I've been on the other side from when Kelsey and some of my other friends met with the missionaries. It’s been a joy to watch Elizabeth starting to share the gospel with more people as well. George is a big sports fan so he gets along great with Elder Rodriguez and I. As well we've been visiting a recent convert named America. She lives with her sister and brother in law (who are not members...but we’re working with them) and then we just found out that her parents are going to be moving in to our area from Reynosa and have been delaying baptism because it’s been hard for them to come to church because of how bad things are over there. It’s great to work with and through families and it has a special feeling when you work with a whole family versus an individual.

We've also spent a lot of time with the Castillo family, a less active family. Living at home they have their kids Joe (27), Gerry (24), Brenda (21), Oscar (17), Melody (12) and then Gerry's girlfriend Oneda is often over there as well. Not all the family are members so we've been trying to get them all to church so they can work towards heading to the temple. Hna Castillo always tries (well does...we protest...but she always wins) to feed us. Last Saturday I think I had the hottest salsa of my life. Even she was crying after she tried it and she admitted she'd added "bastante chili". Oscar is a junior in high school and both he Gerry and Joe all played high school ball...it’s been fun to talk with them and its brought back a lot of memories from Davidson! His games are even Tues/Friday and so our teaching schedule falls usually on Mondays and Saturdays. They’re a great family but we still have a lot of work to do with them. Please keep them in your prayers.

One lesson I've really learned better this week was that happiness is always a decision. Our perspective on life has a big impact on our thoughts, moods, and actions. It’s always a decision. When we make that small simple decision from moment to moment to focus on Christ and to remember Him, happiness is so much more readily made available and we just flat out enjoy live a lot more! One of my favorite scriptures is still Ether 12: 27-28:

And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them.

Behold, I will show unto the Gentiles their weakness, and I will show unto them that faith, hope and charity bringeth unto me - the fountain of all righteousness.

This is such a hard process! A lot of times I can easily recognize a weakness, but it takes so much trust and so much faith to apply the promise that Christ's grace really is sufficient for all our needs and shortages. I love the last line of verse 28 that promises us through our humility then faith, hope and charity we can come unto Christ...and all our weak things can become strong.

It’s such a blessing to see people change their lives because they want to become closer to Heavenly Father. It’s even more of a blessing to watch yourself change and improve as you help others make those changes as well. I'm so grateful for all your love and support! I'm grateful to be a Cook! Grateful to be from Hilliard, OH! Grateful to be a member of the Church! And grateful to be a child of Heavenly Father.

Con amor,

Elder Cook

O-H-I-O in Texas

Texas!

Hola mi familia!

We had another great week down here! Turns out our area is going to have limited use of a car so I'll be splitting the time between bike and car! It’s going to be a huge blessing and save us the time from biking.

Don’t have much time today but I wanted to share a good experience from church. Second hour in English Ward I had the chance to teach the gospel principles class with Elder Bellevance (another elder in my district). The only other people in the class were Bro. Merrill (our ward mission leader) and Mac (an 80 year old recent convert with a foul mouth who likes speaking Spanish occasionally...in the English Ward). The lesson was on the creation! Often times Mac likes to tell stories and gets off topic but this week he did pretty well staying on task. At the end he shared a really personal experience about his dad passing away and how much it affected him. After the lesson I had the chance to go over and talk to him and really spend some good one on one conversation time with him and feel of his good spirit. It taught me a lot about listening and how sometimes we get so caught up in what we want to say or share rather than the needs of those around us.

I'm grateful that Heavenly Father loves each of us and that the most important number for him is the number 1! We’re all individuals to him!

Love,

Elder Cook

Hola mi familia!

Hola mi familia!

First off- Friday, Elder Rodriguez and I went to teach the sister of a recent convert named Norma- she is great!- We had a really good lesson about the plan of salvation. We were pretty excited about it and were talking about what we were going to teach her the next time when...I hit a trash can and became separated from my bike. You guys are probably thinking "man, he's going to be crashing on his bike his whole mission." Ha-ha..hopefully I’ll be in a car at SOME point just so I don’t kill myself!  It was a pretty funny sight I'm sure and we were laughing about it...my elbow was pretty cut up, my knee scratched open, and a couple of cuts on my hands. A car was passing on the other side of the street and she was really kind to stop and ask if I was ok. The best part was when the owner of the trash can came outside because he heard the sound and I kept apologizing for knocking it over and he just looked confused and brought his trash can in. We laughed a lot about it and joked on the way home. I’ll send a picture or two soon!

Second, We had interviews this past week and I had a really good chance to talk with President Trayner and get some personal counsel! He was so loving and kind and he teaches with so many scriptures. One of the commitments he gave me was to start focusing on love and expressing love to others. Just in the few short days since my interview my testimony of the Savior has grown so much! I know He loves each one of us so much and that love is a perfect love! I'm grateful that we can feel that love each time we pray. Even when we have struggles and trials, feel inadequate, or don’t see success- Heavenly Father is still doing something to love us. I'm grateful for the things I have learned about the Savior through each your examples! I love being here in South Texas. I love missionary work. I love the people here. I love Elder Rodriguez! And I love each of you! Do something today to share the Savior’s love with someone new...I promise your love for the Savior will grow as you do!

Con amor,

Elder Cook!

Las Milpas

Hola mi familia!

It was a really good week this week! Las Milpas now seems just as much my home as Mercedes was. We definitely had some different weather this week. From Wednesday until Sunday it was cloudy, rainy and the temperatures were between the 40's and 50's...I felt like I was a missionary in Ohio!..not south Texas! We had fun biking in the rain. Mom, I used the gloves you sent me, and I even wore the winter jacket I have! It was nice not to sweat for a few days as well. I also had the chance to go on an exchange and be in a car for a day over in an area in McAllen. I was with Elder Porter (he started his mission in Mercedes too!) and it was a really great day.

With the new year, church time for our English ward switched so now we have Spanish each week at 10:00 (at the building in Hidalgo) and English ward at 1:00 (at the La Vista building). Elder Marble used to always tell me that going back to La Vista always feels like you’re going "home" down here and it’s strange to actually go there on a weekly basis. Right now we're teaching a few families and then a few friends of some of the members. We're teaching a mother named Yolanda and her 4 kids...they live just a neighborhood over from us and invited us over for a pancake breakfast on Saturday! It reminded me of all the pancake Saturday mornings we would have. 

One of the friends is named George...his friend Elizabeth is a member who's home from BYU-Idaho until April. When we first met her we'd talked about sharing the gospel and just with a tiny bit of encouragement, she was able to invite George over to have a lesson with us. It reminded me so much of having my friends over to be taught before the mission. Inviting friends to meet with the missionaries helped prepare me as well to help be able to encourage the members to share the gospel with their friends. It’s been fun to share some of the stories and experiences I've had as well as to testify of the blessings and joys that come from sharing the gospel with friends! It’s so cool! I love seeing the members share the gospel with their friends...not just because it’s easier for us as missionaries...but because you really get to watch friends sharing what is most important amongst each other. Their testimonies are so powerful as well!

We're also teaching the Trevino family right now. One daughter is a member (age 13). but the parents have finally decided they want to join as well....we're going over to have family home evening with them tonight! They are so awesome! But they'll probably be moving at the end of the month a few towns over to Alamo so they won't be able to be baptized here. They also have two daughters named Alia and Mia (7 & 5) who are the coolest little girls!

Lately I've been reading again more out of the New Testament and I just finished Luke Ch.8. I love reading the stories of Christ and its again really interesting reading in Spanish because it gives a whole new perspective on the language when the words are newer for your mind. I love all the stories of the miracles Christ performed and I've learned a lot about faith! One good scripture I found was in Mark 11:22-26:

22 And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God.

23 For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith.

24 Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.

25 And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.

26 But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses.

Christ teaches Peter how powerful our faith is, that it’s a commandment, and that praying with real faith makes miracles possible. He also taught that when we pray, it is a time for us to forgive others as well as to ask for our own forgiveness. I'm grateful that through the Atonement and in our prayers, we can forgive others, forgive ourselves, find forgiveness from God, and feel of the love that forgiveness brings. I know this is real and I've felt that love and peace in my own life so strongly when I humble myself, express gratitude and approach Heavenly Father through prayer.

Thank you so much for your love and support. It means so much! Hope this week is great and going back to school isn’t too rough! You are all in my prayers!

Con amor,

Elder Cook

Tejas en 2013

Hola mi familia!

Alright. It was an interesting week...but a great week as well! Things were still kind of a little unusual with the holiday season and lots of people out of town but we spent a lot of time with great people!  A couple of interesting experiences: I went on an exchange with Elder Root and it turned out he had to get an ingrown nail operated on. I watched and have promised myself to take care of my feet for the rest of my life to avoid that experience! I got to play piano in church...because the pianist was running late...it was humbling...Spencer Ian and Claire....learn all the hymns and keep practicing!

For New Year’s Eve we had a group of about 70 missionaries at the building at La vista. We played basketball and soccer during the afternoon, followed by a cookout and then we watched Forever Strong (it’s a rugby movie about Highland High School- in Utah). I got to see Elder Marble, Elder Sanders, Elder Curletti (they’re all doing great!) as well as Elder Hardin and all the other Elders and Sisters I went to church with! It was fun and just a good reminder about where the time was going and how fast you get accustomed to new things! I found out that someone we taught in Mercedes started coming to church and wants to get baptized after he had an accident that chopped off the fingers on his left hand (not exactly the way we anticipated an answer to our prayers that he would make it to church sometime!). But Elder Marble said things in Mercedes are great and it was fun talking to his new companion that he's training and hearing his perspective on the town!

On Sunday we were chaining up our bikes and as I went to put my helmet on my bike I heard a crash and Elder Rodriguez saw two cars crash. It wasn’t too serious but the cars were both damaged pretty well. The people who weren’t at fault turned out to be from Ohio and while we waited for Police I had fun talking to them about Upper Sandusky, Marion, Mount Carmel University, and the Buckeyes! Pretty fun!

Scott! We were able to use Alma 7:7 with a less active family and we had a really enjoyable discussion about the atonement. Their 10 year old daughter had some really good questions and its always amazing to me how much more the kids understand. We also found the Contreras family! The 13 year old is a member but now the parents want to start coming to church as well! We're still trying to help Lucia progress as well (she's 38...pays tithing...delivers meals for relief society...started coming to church about a month and a half ago again after divorcing a member a year ago...but still wants to be 100% about everything before she gets baptized!).

Still lots of Spanish and I learn new things everyday! I'm grateful for the New Year! I sat down and setting some missionary and non missionary specific goals really gave me a good chance to look forward to a great year as well as be grateful for all the wonderful things that happened in 2012! Hope everyone has a great week!

Con amor,

Elder cook