Corpus!

Hola mi familia!

The world has turned and dropped me into Corpus and boy is it a different place! The Culture shock has been pretty big! Here are the biggest differences between my former life as a missionary in the valley and the way things are up here in "The North!". As well a list of fun things from the week!

1) No Spanish! (puro ingles y lo extrano mucho!)- but it helps keep me studying hard!

2) Back on a bike (It’s good to be working physically again and I've found I like myself a lot more on a bike because I push myself more!)

3) People of different races! (Mexicanos are a minority once again, the first day here we drove by an apartment building and saw a game of Cricket being played and I almost fell off my bike!). There’s a great mix of white, black, Asian, Indian and Latino here! It takes some adjustment!

4) Two companions! Right now I'm in a trio! Elder Rodriguez (my zone leader in Brownsville and McAllen) who goes home may10th! and my brand new companion from the MTC Elder Petersen! (He's tall, reminds me a lot of Tom (Lisa’s husband) very smart, and waiting for a visa to go to Villahermosa Mexico-not sure how long it will take (dad?). ) We make a pretty good parade with 3 of us!

5) Bike opposition: Hasta ahora ...we have had 4 flat tires (between the 3 bikes) (we got smart and bought the tubes with slime now), 1 crash (poor Elder Petersen going through a crosswalk hit some mud and literally ate it!), 2 times of near car accidents, 2 or 3 bike to bike collisions, and a lot of confusion about when to cross the crosswalks!

6) THE OCEAN!!!! WOOOOOOOO!

It rained straight from Tues-Thursday (ironically I'm told Texas is in a drought and we’re fasting this Sunday for rain) But the view is great and it gives me a big stress reliever (googlemap ocean dr. in Corpus Christi -Texas A&M corpus is in our area!)

Slow on time! We have two other Elders and two Sisters in our district! Living with Elder Marble is great! Just like old times!

I know Heavenly Father loves us and puts in places so we can grow (closer to others, to Him, and to our potential!)

Con amor,

Elder Cook

Goodbye Brownsville!

Hola mi familia!

So! Friday we got news of transfers! Once again I’ll be heading off to a new area! I'm so grateful for the time I've had here in Southmost! It’s been a lot of growing and a lot of learning and it’ll always hold a special place in my heart! Tonight we're going to visit Siomara ( she was baptized yesterday! it was great!) and the Quiroz family (Juan and Vivi) and Roberto at his work! Last night I said goodbye to the Garcia and Morales families (Sister Morales got work off on Sundays and was able to come to church yesterday! It was definitely a tender mercy!!!! ) - the newly reactivated families we've worked with here. Elder Paulsen will be here in Southmost for a 5th transfer (since November) but he has a great attitude and will continue to enjoy the car! (I'll be on a bike again!). I’ll definitely miss this branch a lot. It was the perfect place for me at this point of my mission and the miracles have been many! The amount of Spanish down here was a blessing too!

Yesterday was a great day too! I had the chance to give a short talk on temples and give a farewell testimony. Then after church we had a baptismal service and each of the elders in our apartment baptized someone. The other elders had two children of a less active, and then Elder Paulsen baptized Siomara and I baptized the 8 year old from the Garcia family. It was a joyful day and seeing so much white was wonderful! Im going to miss the elders here a lot! Elder Handy is by far one of my best friends and I'm sure I'll cross paths with him later in the mission! Elder Paulsen has grown so much and he'll keep doing great things!

Alright...now for the new area! I will be going up to "The North!" in the great city of Corpus Christi to serve in the University Heights area! I'll have the pleasure of being reacquainted with my bike (just in time for the hot weather ;)....send me a few new shirts for my birthday por favor!). From what I've heard...its right on the beach (I still have yet to see any body of water down here (Rio Grande or Gulf of Mexico!)) and I still haven’t figured out which University it’s close to so we'll see how it all turns out! It’ll be an adventurous week! Time to step up my Spanish study as well...from the sounds of it it’s about all English and I’m definitely NOT going to lose my Spanish! That’ll be an adjustment but Im excited! Everyone has great things to say about Corpus and Im ready for it! ......but.......the best news is that I'll be living in the same apartment as my trainer Elder marble! Woohoo! It’ll be a Mercedes reunion and there’s a pretty good chance we'll be going on exchanges! he goes home in July and I couldn’t be more thrilled to spend the end with him! Heavenly Father has a pretty good sense of humor! It’ll be fun training with Elder Marble right there!  Instead of training a brand new elder I might actually be "finishing" (training is 12 weeks and finishing is when you come in for the 2nd 6).

Transfers are always fun when the surprises are big! I'm glad I've had the chance to move around and see so many different areas and meet so many different people! My time here in Southmost was great and Brownsville was a fun place (McAllen still feels like my home though!). The Trayners are getting closer and closer to leaving and there’s lots of changes in the mission. It’s an exciting time and things are great! Oh, and the nice spring heat in the 90's is prepping us for the 100's in the summer! Hope all is well in Ohio!

Milagros have happened in Southmost and Im excited to see "miracles" in Corpus! Im grateful for the love I feel from my Heavenly Father! I know He is aware of us and He is the perfect listener. This week I had a few strong promptings in certain moments to be quiet and listen instead of saying what I wanted to say. Each time I was rewarded by being able to serve someone else who was trying to share a need or share something that was important to them! It was a good testimony to me that the Spirit teaches us as often as we are willing to be taught! I know this work is God’s work!

Les quiero y espero que todo les vaya bien!

Con amor

Elder Cook

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