Southmost!

Hola Mi familia!

Just finished another great week down here! I really love Southmost and its always fun working with Elder Paulsen! The best part of the week was Sunday! Juan Quiroz received the priesthood and was then able to baptize his sister Vivi Quiroz right after church. It was a really special baptismal service (almost everything went flawless!) and seeing a brother baptize his sister, we couldn’t have been any happier! Heavenly Father has blessed us so much! Vivi was so prepared to accept the gospel! She definitely is someone who was "held back from the truth only because they know not where to find it." It was also an interesting experience to teach someone with a very solid educational background (after we left the folleto for tithing she basically taught it to herself!).

Things are going well with another other investigator named Siomara. She’s a lady in her 30's from Honduras who's over her working to support her six kids back home! She's two times a widow and her mother passed away 3 weeks ago. Helping her to understand the plan of salvation has helped her out so much! It’s great to listen to her Spanish too because its slow and mostly clear!

Saturday night we had a miracle find! We had marked some apartments to come back to and our 7 o clock appointment dropped so we were able to swing by them. Without question we knew which apartment we were supposed to start with. We knocked on the door for a minute or two without any luck. As we moved on to the next door we heard the door open and a lady walked out! Her name was Sonia! We talked with her for about 30 seconds or so and told her our purpose as missionaries before she broke down crying! She's been through a lot in her life and right now has some real big self esteem issues. Both Elder Paulsen and I felt the strongest impression to testify to her of God’s love! The crying didn’t stop but it changed from sadness to peace from the spirit! We were able to sit down with her right then and have a lesson. It was such a strong testimony to me that God knows exactly where each of His children are and when they need help. Later, Sonia told us that that was the first time she had ever opened the door for someone who wasn’t a friend or family! It's such a blessing to see the Spirit work!

This week my testimony grew a lot about listening. Some of the most stressful moments of missionary work for me used to be the first initial moments of teaching as we "searched for a need". I've learned that as long as I listen, focus on loving the person, and pray for the Spirits guidance, the needs don’t just become discernible but obvious! I know the Spirit will communicate to us what we need to know when we need to know it. I know this work is God's work and that the blessings are so many that we will not have enough room to receive them.

Gracias por las oraciones y todo el apoyo! Les quiero mucho!

Con amor,

Elder Cook

P.S We got a phone call last night! I'll be training next transfer!

Estamos en tejas?

Hola mi familia!

A great week! I loved conference and it was such a good breather and spiritual recharge! Things are going great here in Southmost and the heat is coming soon! I love being in Brownsville and especially being in the Southmost branch! Brother Boccanegra, our Ward Mission Leader, is definitely one of the best friends I've met here! He is willing 24/7 to come and help us out with lessons and is an amazing example of selfless service and charity! He has fun practicing his English with us (saying things like..."Hola my......name.......esss......bruder ....black mauwth...." He's great. Things are going so well with Siomara, Vivi and our other main investigator named Luis! We also had the chance to teach a few families this week (the Reino, Hernandez and Gracia families) and hopefully they’ll be able to come to church this coming week! Siomara found a job through some members as a nanny and that was by far the biggest miracle down here! Employment is such a common struggle among the humblest ones we teach! Looking back it was a miracle of finding her! I’ll send you a picture next week to show you where she leaves and what the "Green" (we divide our area by colors) area of Southmost looks like! This week we'll be busy getting Vivi ready for her baptism (Juan, her brother gets the priesthood this week!!!! It’s going to be so great to see them both in the water together!). The Quiroz family has been such a huge part of my time here and I love them dearly!

I’m so grateful too for the messages about the family from conference! It helped me realize how important it is that we continue to work together to strengthen and love each other and the real and immediate blessings that are awaiting the families who do not yet have the light of the Savior in their lives! It’s all about families!

I've reflected a lot lately on how I can improve my prayers! I’ve found that as I make promises to do better and then record those promises and keep myself accountable I feel the Spirit more in my life! The spirit brings all things to our remembrance and when I make promises in prayer I know that those are adding to the opportunities for the Lord to make good on His promises! After conference I felt so much peace and gratitude for the ways Heavenly Father has blessed me. Right now I could not be happier with how my mission has gone, the people I've met, the places I've been, or the lessons I've learned of myself, of my Savior, and of His gospel! I love predicando el evangelio en Espanol! I have fun even when people don’t accept because I can stop and realize I'm doing it in another language!

I know God's love is real! I know this church is true, that Christ lives and loves each of us so perfectly! As we draw nearer to Him, He blesses us and gives us the miracles we desire according to our faith! I love you all and you are all in my prayers!

Con amor!

Elder Cook

la fe es tan poderoso!

Hola mi familia!

Wow! We had a great week! It was definitely a thriller and I loved every second of it! I don’t know where to start! I had my final zone meeting and interview with the Trayners and its really hard to believe that they won’t be here after the next 2 transfers! They have been great and have taught me so much! From what Sister Trayner said, our next mission president's wife hardly speaks any English and things will be a lot more Spanish-sided! Time to start studying!!!

Fun story of the week! Wednesday the FBI showed up at our door to see if we knew anything about a fugitive in the area (we think they caught a hold of Elder Nelson's "ask the missionaries" talk from last conference!). Initially we thought they were Jehovah’s Witnesses, but when they pulled out the Federal Bureau of Investigation badges the mood changed a bit! The other elders got a real kick out of it and I'm sure the neighbors just thought they were "older" missionaries (Elder Paulsen jokes all the time...that since we’re in a car...people probably confuse us for the feds a lot!.).

Ohio moment of the week: Saw a man wearing a shirt that said "Proud Ohio State Dad" in Wal-Mart!

Things with Juan are going great! We're teaching him the new member lessons as we teach his sister Vivi! She is doing great! she loves reading from the follettos (pamphlets) for the lessons and prepares for each lesson! she came to church for the second time this week and is keeping all her commitments! She's a very ambitious person and is involved in a lot of work with the city and planning events! She's 22 and Juan is 26...Juan finished the Book of Mormon and so we were able to get him a triple and already he's in section 6! He loves to read! He's preparing for the priesthood the Sunday after conference! I love the Quiroz family!

Ok time for Roberto! He is doing great! During the week some doubts came up about his baptism ecause of his wife's objections to him attending church...she lives in Mexico and is a very firm set Pentecostal. We'd tried writing letters and doing all we could but she wouldn’t budge her beliefs. For a while we thought this would keep him from baptism because it was a doubt he had a hard time overcoming. Friday, however we received a phone call from our leaders saying that President would give us permission to baptize him if he had the desires to do it himself! This was a huge relief! After a succession of miracles and a lot of cheerleading from our zone leaders (or pep talking...Scott..you know how motivating zone leaders can be!).  At first Elder Paulsen and I had concerns about whether it was right to hold the baptism with such a short notice. Initially we took the attitude of "we'll follow our leader’s counsel, and if the Lord wants it to happen it will!"  but after another round of phone calls the attitude changed to "Let’s get it done!" Wow! Did we get a strong answer!  We were able to set up a lesson with Roberto at the church I had the strongest impression that morning that we needed to do all we could to help him be baptized that day. Because of a work situation he was going to be able to go home for the weekend and spend a few full days with his family for the first time since Christmas! We taught him the plan of salvation and connected every point back to baptism! I could feel and see the spirit touching Roberto's heart as Elder Paulsen bore his testimony at the end of the lesson. That morning and afternoon in preparation we prayed as fervently as I have my whole mission (just like when Angelina in Mercedes was fighting to get custody of her kids back!). As we addressed Roberto's doubts we felt impressed to promise him the Lord's help with his family and that if he were to be obedient, he would receive all the help heaven could offer! As we invited him to be baptized, the spirit confirmed his readiness to me! I knew without a doubt the Lord wanted Him to be baptized that day! He accepted and an hour later (after his interview) we filled up the font and had his baptismal service! It was a day of miracles and it confirmed to me again how real the door of baptism is and how much the Lord cares for each of His children! It helped me understand too that "the Lord's time" often makes us think we have to wait! Sometimes though, it means we need to have a greater sense of urgency and getting things done! Both my faith and the faith of Elder Paulsen grew a lot!

We saw Roberto again today and it was great to see how all the pieces fit together and how things worked out the way the Lord wanted them too! I know this is the Lords true church and that angels are around us and bearing us up in our times of need! I know faith is a real power and we can make great things happen when we align our will with the will of the Lord!

Con amor,

Elder Cook

La Primavera!

Hola mi familia!

It’s been a great week! Things are pretty warm but we're doing ok! Lots of exciting things this week! Things are going really well with Vivi (Juan's sister) and she was able to come to church this week! She fit just right in and it was great! We're still working with the less active Garcia family (I played 26 games of tic tac toe in church with their 7 year old to help her be reverent...whew!) and the Morales family. Roberto is preparing to be baptized this week but his wife back in Mexico has some mixed feelings about it! Please keep them in your prayers!

We also have continued to visit Siomara (she lives way out in the country) and she brought a friend to church this Sunday. Her mom passed a way this week and it reminded me a lot of the situation when Alma (from Mercedes) had the passing of her mom and how helpless they felt because communication was limited and the distance was so far!

This week I finished el Libro de Mormon in Spanish! I have such a strong testimony that it is true! It helps me feel my Saviors love and I am so grateful for it! It has honestly been a miracle to see how far I've come with Spanish and I owe a large portion of my progress to reading from the Book of Mormon! This time as I finished up a few verses at the end really stood out to me!

5 And by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things.

6 And whatsoever thing is good is just and true; wherefore, nothing that is good denieth the Christ, but acknowledgeth that he is.

7 And ye may know that he is, by the power of the Holy Ghost; wherefore I would exhort you that ye deny not the power of God; for he worketh by power, according to the faith of the children of men, the same today and tomorrow, and forever.

I love in verse 7 how it tells us by the Holy Ghost we can know that Christ is! That is such a powerful witness and such a key to our relationship with our Savior and with others. If we constantly renew that testimony we will earn charity from our Heavenly Father and we will grow closer to all we come in contact with! Yo se que el libro de Mormon es verdadero y estoy tan agredecido por esta oportunidad de compartirlo con la gente del valle!

les amo!

Con amor!

Elder Cook

Hola mi familia

Hola mi familia!

It was another wild week in Brownsville! Things are going great. Juan was confirmed this past Sunday and we're now teaching one of his sisters as well! We're still working with Robert and things are going great with him! This week we worked a lot with two less active families! The first is the Morales families...they have 3 daughters (22, 18, 14) and a son (8) and the step dad isn’t a member. The mom works on Sundays but the kids were able to come to church this week! We had a really fun family home evening with them and we sang Cuando Hay Amor (it just wouldn’t be a family night without that song!). They're a fun family and they've all started reading the Book of Mormon again.

As well we found the Garcia family this week! We'd planned to go by a street that’s off the beaten path and hidden behind a few other streets in the area called Mora Road. As we pulled onto the street Friday night we decided to drive down it first and park out the end before walking around to talk to people. The first house we came to had a few people outside and they didn’t really take us to seriously. As we were getting ready to leave one of them said "let me find Chuy". A few minutes later a man came out of a small dwelling to the side of the main house and invited us into his house. His wife was behind him in the door and asked us "Quien les mando?" (who sent you!?!). turns out they were members from Matamoros who had been here for a few months but were unable to find transportation to church. The wife had talked to some Jehovah’s witnesses the week before and had been praying for help! It was pretty amazing to hear their story and to talk with them. She thought for sure someone from church had sent us there to visit them!  Their oldest child is named Jahannah and when we came back Saturday to visit again she had highlighted all 10 verses in 1 Nephi 1 where they had read the night before, the kids were also all dressed up in their Sunday clothes when we came and were sitting down with the Book of Mormon waiting for us! It was a sweet scene! They are such a humble family and the kids are our best friends! The husband wasn’t able to make it to church on Sunday because he works but the wife and the 3 kids made it and were able to stay for the other Elders baptism as well!

I'm grateful that Heavenly Father is aware of each of His children, and especially has special concern and care for families! It was a humbling experience and definitely motivated me to be better when I heard the words "Quien les Mando??"

Elder Paulsen is a great piano player by the way! He plays by ear and with 2 pianos in the chapel/multi purpose room we were able to play a duet of "the river flows in you" (I played it a lot before I left!) and neither of us have ever seen the music for it!

Con amor,

Elder Cook

Sur Tejas

Hola Mi familia!

This was a great week! Lots of challenges but lots of success and miracles as well! First off, Juan Quiroz was baptized on Sunday! It was such a wonderful experience. He's been such a blessing for our companionship and watching him quit smoking has been such a miracle! He's also reading through the Book of Mormon like crazy! He's more than halfway through Alma (pg. 388 en Espanol!) and takes his book with him everywhere he goes! His mom and 1 of his sisters were both able to attend and it was a special experience to see them there! I'm sending a picture in the mail this week...but to give you a better sum up of who he is...Juan's 26...about 5"10 and weighs about 215lbs. He had a rough past and wasn’t able to finish high school. Almost every family down here has someone who's been a part of or affected by drugs, gangs, or been to prison. Juan was definitely someone who was prepared to accept the gospel. With him, a lot of the major changes he needed to make in his life, he had already done before we met him. After his baptism it really helped me to understand that while it’s such a simple act, baptism opens a door in heaven that real and truly does bring a remission of sins!

We also got news of transfers! Both Elder Paulsen and I are staying in Southmost! I'm excited! I really love the branch we attend and I've made some great friends! Dad- I thought of you a lot this week! We had someone give us an entire cheesecake on Saturday, and then throughout the week 2 or 3 other families gave us cheesecake as well! Turns out the young woman were doing a fundraiser...making cheesecake....no complaints though! it was really good! I love you all! Thanks for all the support!

Con amor

Elder Cook

El parte mas sur de todo!

Hola Mi familia!

Well! Another great week down here in BrownTown. We have two main investigators right now! Juan and Roberto! Juan is actually going to be baptized this coming Sunday! He is such a miracle! We drove by his house the other day and saw him outside his house reading the Book of Mormon! Nothing makes a missionary happier than to see that! Roberto was a miracle as well! He showed up at a garage sale of the mother in law of our ward mission leader. They talked for a bit and he said he was looking for a church. She (non-member by the way) told him that her family goes each week and invited him! He's come twice now and we've had the chance to teach him a few times. He's one of the most humble people I have ever met! He loved church because everyone was just so nice and kind to him!

As well, this past Sunday was interesting because we got to teach a lesson about the 10 commandments to the entire primary! hijole! We were teaching in Spanish but half spoke back in English and half in Spanish and the primary presidency only knew Spanish! We made it through all 10 and now when we walk around the Iglesias, all we have to say when we see the kids is "Que es numero sies?" y they respond "no mataras!" (don’t kill) with their finger-guns pointed at us. Nos divertimos mucho! Que mas... I'm nearing the end of the book of Mormon in Spanish finally! It truly has been a miracle to see how far I’ve come with the language! Sorry for the Tex-Mex as well...we're just starting a 2 week fast from English and the switch doesn’t always happen so fast!

Hard to believe its March already...but the great news with time moving so fast is that conference is just around the corner! We had the chance to give a couple priesthood blessings in the past week or so and they were all wonderful experiencias that reminded me of how blessed we are to be alive in a time where so many have the priesthood of God!

Quiero darles mi testimonio! que yo se que dios nos ama y que el siempre nos invita a hacer lo bueno!

I want to give you my testimony! that I know that God loves us y that He Always invites us to do the good!

Estoy agredecido que el Espiritu santo nos habla personalmente y que conoce los deseos de nuestros corazones y que la expiacion de cristo nos da la fuerza para superar las debilidades y desafios que nos enfrenten.

I'm grateful that the spirit speaks personally to each of us, knows the desires of our hearts and the atonement of Christ gives us the strength to overcome weakness and challenge!

Les amo mucho!

Con amor,

Elder Cook