McAllen Again

(Last week, Andrew let us know that he was being transferred back to McAllen).

Hola mi familia!

Wow it’s been a great week! The memories of my time in Mercedes have flooded back and it has helped me see and realize how far I’ve come! Sunday afternoon we actually had to run an errand over to Weslaco and we were there for the last hour of the Mercedes Spanish Ward! It again felt the same way it did to go back and see Southmost. The faces and places don't seem to have changed but boy do I feel so much different! My new companion is Elder Barth...he’s from the great State of (take a guess...CALIFORNIA!). That's # 3 in a row ...haha I’ll have plenty of people to visit there now! It’s fun. He's a super boss missionary and I’m taking the spot of Elder Barrionuevo *(the short Argentine I sent you the picture of the other week who was my comp with Elder Marble in Corpus). We've had a great week and spent a lot of time getting to know the area and visiting the members! We're teaching the Jams family of 4 (a sister who is 24 with custody of her 2 sisters -17/16 and brother who is 14) who are a lot of fun! We've also met a lot of awesome members here and I know I’m going to love it a lot here! I also looked in the area book and besides Elder Stevens; I saw that an Elder Neil Ralph served here a while back! Pretty cool we'll have served in the same area! Ask him if there’s anyone he wants me to say hi to!

As well...winter has come to the valley. It’s in the 40s and rained a whole bunch last week! Man...my body has adjusted to the 90 degree weather. I love the cold but man...it’s SO cold! We are wearing sweaters and sometimes hats and putting on as many layers as we can. The work goes differently as well since everyone goes inside to get out of the cold! it’s a nice change though but the whole valley feels different! It’s been interesting moving from Brownsville to McAllen. there’s a lot more Tex Mex and English and it just has a lot stronger American feel here. Our zones a little more spread out too so we don't see our missionaries as often. Today I thought I’d share a poem I wrote on the last night I spent in Brownsville!

Tomorrow

Tomorrow draws closer as we start to end today
It cannot stop it still must come, there is no other way
And time it slips and bends into, the quiet night abyss
So bid farewell to sunny skies with a silent bedtime kiss

Fresh courage take for the plans we’ve made
Past performance view and humbly grade
Lessons learned and friends now found it all fits in together
The stormy skies, the rain the heat, yields now to better weather

I’ll live today in such a way that tomorrow will be better
Apologize, appreciate, and be a good trend setter
And when it comes, the final day and all tomorrows die
I’ll live it like my first day here and on the Lord rely

I’ll teach myself a lesson true of how and what and why
And let my faith and love and hope lead all to smile and cry
For great have passed, but I’ll live on
my life begun this mission gone

To home ill go or heaven above
Filled to the heart with God's own love.
Serve today!

I'm starting to realize the value of each day in the mission and I’m so grateful to the Lord for all He has given me up to this point and for all he will give me! I know this is His work and the miracles never stop! Have a great week and go serve someone else today!!!!

Con amor,

Elder Cook

Recent Photos (November 2013)

 

Kimberly's baptism.

 

Elder Barrionuevo

 

Back at Southmost.

 

(A little bit of Green Day humor from pre-Mission days.)

A Short Thought

Hola mi familia!

This week I’ll just share a miracle and a thought. First the miracle...

Friday we received a media referral (from Salt Lake) giving us the name and address of Johanna (it was fun to see that name too!)...we called some Elders who were in cars (we were on bikes that day ) to look up on their GPS where the street was because we didn’t recognize it!Turns out it was the next street over. The Elder who told us the location was Elder Clark! We went by and no one was home....the next day we were actually having an exchange and Elder Clark came to work with me in my area! Our plans fell through at one point and we went back to contact the referral. As we pulled up on our bikes 3 people came out! We met Johanna (23) her cousin April (17) and sister Kaylee (17). They have had some very rough times and April’s dad passed away the week before (her mom’s in jail right now, too) and it was pretty apparent how much they need the gospel! As we sat down and talked the Spirit was so strong and it felt so great to be able to promise them the blessings that they lack right now in their life! The best part came at the end...when we were about to invite them to be baptized a car pulled up and their other sister and her daughter came out. We invited them to sit down with us as well and turns out the sister (Maribel) has never been baptized either and that is something they all feel a need to do. We invited them and all 5 accepted and committed to start making changes in their lives to prepare for baptism! It was so fun to see the Lord’s hand in every aspect of the miracle...the even better part...right before when our plans had fallen through Elder Clark and I had taken a moment to pray and ask the Lord to guide us to a family who needed us! It worked! I know the Lord leads His prepared servants to His prepared children and ALWAYS works according to our faith! I’ll keep you updated on them!

Lastly, I bore my testimony in church this week on the purpose of this life! To me its best summed up in this scripture!

ALMA 34:31-32

31 Yea, I would that ye would come forth and harden not your hearts any longer; for behold, now is the time and the day of your salvation; and therefore, if ye will repent and harden not your hearts, immediately shall the great plan of redemption be brought about unto you.

32 For behold, this life is the time for men to prepare to meet God; yea, behold the day of this life is the day for men to perform their labors.

I know as we seek to repent and understand better that this life is the time when we are preparing to get back to the presence of Heavenly Father, the Spirit will guide us so that we can most fully feel our Heavenly Fathers love. I know God loves each of us and that through His son Jesus Christ we can be cleansed of our sins , overcome our weaknesses and become eternally happy!

Con todo el amor que tengo,

Elder Andrew Cook