Receiving instruction from President Alliaud

What a week!
     First off to start. I went back to the city! well not permanently
but we had a conference this last tuesday so we spent all of tuesday
between travel and receiving instruction from President Alliaud. It is
really cool to listen to our president. As you listen to him you
really just feel that he has the vision in mind and that he has the
keys to guide this mission. As well he announced something that will
be starting this week. Sneak peek of something that you all probably
wont hear about until after Thanksgiving, but there is going to be a
huge push on the missionary front with a christmas focus. The
initiative is called "He is the Gift" it is super cool and we will be
passing along the missionary spirit with everybody trying to get
people to just listen to a message about the birth of jesus christ. I
am super excited.
   Also something of the week is that it flew by fast. We have been
working super hard this last week and it shows when you leave and the
next thing you know you look up into the sky and the sun is already
setting. My comp and i are really just starting to get into the swing
of each other. We are getting along really well and we are working
like a really well oiled machine. It has taken some getting used to
just because he himself is still getting used to the language and me
to a comp that needs to talk more. I realize that i like talking a
lot..woops but we are getting better and we are really now just
finding the miracles and getting us ready for this next month.
   Last but not least i wanted to talk a second to think about
Thanksgiving. I may not be celebrating it this year but here is
something to think about. Isn't it weird that in the states we first
have thanksgiving and then we have a full month of thinking of Christ.
I think we may need a little bit more of a humble heart to give thanks
to our savior before we think of what a gift he actually is and was.
This week i will be fore sure thinking of what kind of thanks i have
to give every night for the things we have. This is a season to give
thanks. In my studies i have really seen that true humility does not
mean to be poor but it just means to be thankful and recognize that
God is the source of everything that we want and need in our lives. I
am thankful for this time that my God has given me to teach and preach
the restored Gospel of Jesus Christ. The fact that i get to do
everything in my power to really help the people here in Argentina so
that they may fully realize the gift of Jesus Christ. I love my savior
and i love my God. I love you all and i hope that you all have a
wonderful and cold thanksgiving. Enjoy it because i wont be able to!
       Elder Cook

A week full of miracles again

A week full of miracles again.
   I don't know how these things happen but i feel like the lord has
just blessed us with a handful of miracles that we have all not been
able to comprehend at first.
  First off.....(drum roll) WE BAPTIZED. Yes a women that should have
been baptized about 2 weeks ago was finally baptized. She was
baptized yesterday after all the meetings and classes. It was a pretty
cool experience to see her. We didn't know who was going to do it until the 
last moment and a lucky priest that the parents are trying to put
a missionary focus on him made him do the baptism. IT was a little
weird experience and kind of a funny story from my point of view but i
think that may be for another day.
   Another Miracle. We put forth the work and we find the people that
are waiting for us. Last week we were walking through a part of the
city that is kind of far away from where we actually live. Far from
the church as well but the cool thing was we tried to visit every
member possible that we knew and that was listed. But the good thing
was that we found two people and we didn't even teach them. We came in
sat down in their houses and the first thing we heard was elders i
know it has been a long time since i have come to church but i will be
going this week. We sat there looking at each other and kind of
humbled but happy to be there at the right time. and not just that 1
of those people came and on her bike in the 90 degree weather that we
had sunday morning.
   Last miracle of the week was news that i heard from my ex comp. So
a miracle that i told a few emails ago, in my last area, of a woman
that had some family problems and that we helped her out. Well we got
there and she wanted to be baptized right? well i got the news that
she was baptized and not only that, her dreams were completed as she
was confirmed a member and the first time she took the sacrament she
received it from her son that has been a member for 4 years already
and has been her example and testimony bearer for the longest time. I
wish i could have seen it but i guess there are just some things that
we will never will see until the next life. I am just happy though
that i was able to be part of it in one way or another.
   Well i can't really tell you what will be in store for next week,
but i just cant help but realize how much my loving heavenly father is
truly looking over the work and is helping his servants who take their
time to do it. I love this work. i love leaving and being under the
hot sun and in the humid air because i know without a doubt that i
wouldnt be happier doing anything else but this. I love being a
missionary!
   Elder Cook

UNA SEMANA DE MILAGROS MIS AMIGOS QUERIDOS!

UNA SEMANA DE MILAGROS MIS AMIGOS QUERIDOS!

Wow i can't believe all the things that i have seen throughout this week. It was amazing. Another week of us being guided by the spirit to be at one place at the exact right time when God needed us. Something that reached us though was with an investigator that is a student here at the university. She and her three friends found the missionaries about 3 weeks ago and they all three received the book of mormon. And now 2 of which have already finished the book and the one that hasn't finished accepted to be baptized after talking to her parents. IT WAS ABSOLUTELY AMAZING! God truly does prepare his people to receive the gospel.

   Another miracle of the week. So we came over to some members house and we were talking to them for a while and right before we are about to end the lesson a women comes in and sits down on the lesson. We then start summarizing the lesson for this stranger woman and she ends up needing the lesson that we were giving. She was  having problems with her husband and having a ton of difficulties. And right there we were talking about how we needed to endure the problems that we may have as hard as they may be. We set up a lesson for the next day and it was amazing.

   Next miracle. We go to this same members house to teach this new miracle find we had, well she didn't show up but in place of here the member told us of a different women who was going through some family problems and sent us over to go visit her. We knocked on the door and she looked at us invited us into her house and i don't think i said a single word for an hour and a half. She talked our ears off telling us nothing but her life story and all the problems that she has gone through. She loves the church has studied it before and wants to continue with us. It was absolutely amazing. I loved it! We are going to be passing by her this week.

   The spirit works its ways and i love the mission for that. We are guided to the right people at the right time. I LOVE IT!

   I know i have very little time left but i got to use it to the max. I keep serving the lord with all m might mind and strength using everything in my power to help those who really need it!

  I love you all and until next week!

      Elder Cook

A week of flying emotions for sure

A week of flying emotions for sure. Transfers have come and gone
and so did After a good solid 6 months in Parque Capital i have
finally left the area. And with that i am also officially outside of
the city which i think will be a good thing. I have gone through my
whole mission here being less than an hour away from the main city of
Cordoba and now i am about a good solid 3 hours away from the city in
a city called San Francisco. Yes like the one that is in California.
But i am still in Cordoba. It is especially weird to think that this
may be my last area in the mission. Even weird is the fact that in my
pension right now we have 6 elders and 4 of us are ending our missions
in the next 4 months. So it will for sure be a weird way of ending
things.
   This last week has been just a whirlwind of emotions knowing that
transfers were just around the corner. We kind of just went around
making sure that we could say goodbye to everybody that we would want
to. The worst part is that after 6 months you have a lot of people to
say good bye to. But it was also nice because we were able to see the
majority of them.
   But there is a miracle out of all of this. As i talked about in my
last weeks email the spirit has a weird way of guiding us to the
people that need us the most well we saw a miracle after that moment.
It all goes to the Loza Family. The Loza family is an interesting
story but to make it short they are one family that has been trying to
baptize themselves for a good solid 4 years but it has been hard
through marriage problems and just the fact of jobs and a lot of
things. Well this last week the wife of the family, the only one that
isn't baptized saw the fact that the lord has a hand in her life. This
last wednesday we went over there for dinner and she started
explaining how she was so affected by our teachings and that she
started reading the book of mormon and that she finally made a promise
with god and that she wants to be baptized. It is really hard for her
to go to church  for her job but she wants to try with all her might
to get baptized. It was a serious miracle and a true change of heart.
One of the cool things you get to see as a missionary. It is sad that
i wont be able to see it but i just feel happy that i got to be part
of it.
   Well as i look at the time i have left i am going to take advantage
of every minute that i have left.  I love the mission and i love
serving the people . I love it here in Argentina and i just love the
fact i get to see people really changing and taking upon themselves
the name of jesus christ.
  I may miss my old area but i just know that i will be enjoying my
time here in San Francisco. I love you all!
  Elder Cook