Letter to Home - January 5, 2010

Hey FAMILY!

Things here in Brentwood are so good! I just noticed that other than Lake Point, I've lived in Brentwood longer than any other place! I love it.

So Denise was baptized on Saturday! YAY! It was a great baptism. Me and Elder Malani spoke at her baptism, we also sang a duet. It was fun. It was one of the craziest baptisms ever, because we weren't sure if the font was going to fill in time, then as we were running around trying to get everything ready on time, guess who showed up? President Wade! He drove clear out here to keep his promise to Denise (he met her in Oakland once and promised her that he would be at her baptism). Then Denise was 30 minutes late, so that was really scary. She was just running behind, but we were all a little nervous. Once the baptism got going it went great! Mark's baptism was also amazing! It was awesome to see him progress. We have another baptism on Jan 16! Her mane is Jenny Giotta, and I've never seen someone so excited to be baptized. I might not be here for it, but holy cow, we just keep seeing miracles!

So New Years Eve was a blast! We met at the church at 5:30pm and watched Up and Ice age 3. There was a ton of food and we all had a good time. I loved Up! It was so good!

Well this could be my last week here in the Marsh Creek Ward - we get transfer calls on Saturday. If I leave I'm really going to miss this ward. Bishop said that me and Elder Malani, are the best two missionaries that the Ward has ever seen! I love the Garrisons!

Well I hope that all is well back home. I did get the package from G-mama Cook, and also the one from the Applonies. I got the card from Grandma and Grandpa Smith too. Tell them thank you! I love them so much. I'm going to write them next Monday (I meant to today, but ran out of time)

Well, I love ya all! Tell Tyson to snag Caitlin before she gets away!
-Elder Cook

Letter to Home - December 29, 2009

Hey Family,

It was really good to talk to you on Christmas! I have the best family. Sorry that I'm emailing so late. Today me and Elder Malani took a two and a half hour, p-day nap! We needed it! We had too much fun over Christmas. This morning we went to Bro Love's ranch (where Denise keeps all her horses) and we watched him make us a horse shoe from scratch! It was cool! It was like watching the black smith at Nauvoo. After they were done, he stamped our names on them, and finished them with a shiny brass coating. It was awesome!

Well things are going good. There is a little bump in the road to Denise's baptism, but she will be fine. She wasn't aware that she had to stop drinking coffee for her to be baptized! I guess a member told her that the Word of Wisdom is just a guideline and not a commandment. But she has committed to stop in a week, she is awesome. Well, yesterday at church was the best ever! We had 2 investigators there for the first time, a less active lady named Jackie Rider there for the first time, and another less active guy there for only the second time! It was great.

I forgot to tell you, that I have another baptism tomorrow! His name is Mark, and me and Elder Bolkeim started teaching him, then half way through the lessons, we handed him off to the singles ward elders (because we thought that he would be better fellowshipped, and progress faster there) so he is double teamed! He is getting baptized into the singles ward, but I still get to go.

Well I'm extra fat now, because all the members like to feed us during Christmas time. Did I sound fat to you over the phone? I hope not. It's like I'm doomed. I'm getting fat and there is nothing I can do about it, because I can't run. On Christmas night the Garrisons had us over for dinner, and Sister Garrison is a gourmet chef! She is a really good cook. We ate until we died.

For new years we are getting together as zones to watch 2 movies, and eat a lot of junk food. It will be a fun night. It is going to be weird to watch a movie...

Well family I love you so much! While you are freezing back at home I'm enjoying weather in the high 50's with a light breeze. Hope you have a great week, and HAPPY NEW YEAR!

-Elder Cook

Letter to Home - December 14, 2009

This week has been great! We witnessed miracles! The first one was that a lady in the ward named Irene Morris (we call eachother "Darlin' ") got baptized yestersday! She was an excommunicted member, that found her way back into the fold. She is the nicest/funniest/older lady ever! She has been living in the ward boundaries for about 5 years, (all alone) and nobody even knew about her, until about 4 months ago. She was going on a month long vacation to see her family back east, and needed someone to watch her dog. She couldn't find anyone, so her son (the one she was going to visit) suggested that she call the local Bishop, to see if a ward member would be willing to watch a Shitzu for a month. So Sis. Garrison got the phone call, and then sent an email out to the ward. Sis. Hernandez got the email, and volunteered to watch her dog. After Irene got back from her trip, she thanked Sis. Hernandez, and asked if there was anything that she could do for her. Sis Hernandez said "Yup, you can come to church with me!" And that is how it all began. We have been going out to her house on ward splits, and reading the scriptures with her. She was welcomed into the ward with loving arms, and fit right into the ward family. She has truly repented, and last night was a miracle as she was re-baptized! (she calls it being "double dipped!") I had the privilege of speaking at her baptism, and it was a great experience!

We also went to a part member families house this week, to teach Toms wife. Tom is a less active member and his wife is not. We talked with Tom for a while, but Terry, his wife, was in bed already. We went into the kitchen, and started talking with his daughters boyfriend (who usually is very rude to us when Tom isn't home). We started talking about Jesus, and he always thought that Mormons weren't Christian. We pretty much taught him the first lesson, and at the end he said, "wow, I didn't even know that story. Are you going to let me read the Book of Mormon?" We were like oh yea! So we left him with our testimonies, and with a copy of the Book of Mormon, and gave him the commitment to read and pray. We went over to Tom's house to teach his wife, but the Lord had other plans for us, and we ended up teaching the boyfriend (his name is Jason) that usually yells at us! It was great.

Well, I got the 12 days of Christmas package, and we LOVE it! I love the 1st gift, we really needed some Christmas music!

This transfer is already my favorite transfer! I love training! Elder Malani is a rock star. He is training me more than I'm training him, but for the first time in my mission, I feel like my companion is my really good friend. I've loved all my companions, but Elder Malani is just awesome!

I love you all so much! I want you to know that I am being very well taken care of! I almost feel like I'm home for Christmas, because I've been in this ward for so long! That's probably not a good thing, but the members here love me, and they are like family.

Oh, to answer your question, our ward is a lot bigger than our home ward! We cover pieces of 5 different cities! There are a ton of people to teach!

I love you all! Merry Christmas!

-Elder Cook

Letter to Home - December 7, 2009

Wow, this week has been an awesome week! On Tuesday and Wednesday, I was with the Zone Leaders all day (working in their area) because the new missionaries didn't fly in until Wednesday. So Wednesday night I went to the mission home and picked up my brand new (fresh from the MTC!) companion! His name is Elder Malani, from Fiji. He's the BEST! It is his first time to ever leave his island, so everything here in America is exciting and new to him. He is the most sincere missionary that I have ever met, and is full of greenie fire! He is super dedicated to work hard and be obedient. This transfer is like night and day, compared to last! I'm doing the best I can to set a good example for him, and support him. Since Elder Malani got here, great things have been happening. The second day he was here, we set a baptismal date with Jose Vela - one of our investigators! The date is on Janruary 30 2010, because he has some word of wisdom issues and law of chastity problems to overcome. But things are going great! Elder Malani has probably taught me more than I've taught him so far. He is so charitable and service minded (he makes my bed every morning, before I can get to it!) He speaks English ten times better than my last companion, so it is a lot easier to communicate with him. Elder Malani is going to be a great missionary. He has a great family back home that loves and supports him.

Well this week we helped Cecilia and Lou (my mission Grandparents) move from their house boat onto dry land! They are moving into a small trailer, that is twice the size as their house boat! Cecilia is really gaining testimony, and has started to pray daily, and is seeing the blessings from it. The Lord is blessing her with tender mercies everywhere! For example: We planned on helping them move a week in advance, and planned to come on Wednesday morning. Wednesday night we were going to pick up the greenies, so we borrowed the ZL's pickup truck, so that we would have room for all of their luggage. So we rolled into Cecilia's and Lou's on Wednesday afternoon with this big pick up truck, and we were able to take a huge load of their stuff over to their new house, with the truck! We didn't even plan it, it just so happened that we had the truck for the day! It was a blessing!

Well things are great. We got to watch the Christmas Devotional last night, and it was great!

I am glad that I will be here for Christmas. I love this area/ward, and when I first got here (back in July), I told Elder Ouellette, that the Lord could keep me here, as long as he wants! 

I love you sooo much! I hope that you all have a great Christmas season, and feel the love of our Father in Heaven and the gift of the Savior. The season really is about love and service!

Love - Elder Cook

Letter to Home - November 30, 2009

Hello Family!

What in the world!!!! Vanessa is getting married to Danny!?! Where did this come from? That really surprised me! Wow, poor Jake. I cant believe that Vanessa is getting married! My Vanessa! WOW!

Ok, well that just really surprised me. Anyway, I had a CRAZY week. Things with my companion got pretty bad. It ended up with me locking myself in the bathroom, and calling President Wade, because Elder Bolkeim got violent. The Garrisons were out of town for the Holiday, and if they had been there I don't think he would have acted that way. The Zone Leaders had to come over to spend the night. The next day we drove to Oakland and had interviews with President. He told us to go to the temple together and do a session. That was a treat, because normally we only get to go 3 times a year! So it was a nice afternoon in the temple with Elder Bolkeim, and I think it helped a lot. It helped me to calm down and forgive my companion. So everything is fine now, and me and elder Bolkeim will not be companions next transfer. But we did get transfer calls, and I am staying AGAIN! Holy cow, at the end of this transfer I will be here for 6 months! 25% of my mission in this ward, but I love it here so its all good. And I'm excited to be at the Garrisons for Christmas. The other big news is that I am training! I'm getting a greenie! I was surprised when President asked me to train, but I'm excited. It will be a good experience.

Well, my Thanksgiving was good! We ate at 3 families houses, so I was pretty stuffed! It was a good day, except for that night when I was held hostage in the bathroom! But all is well now.

Well, I really, honestly don't want anything for Christmas. The only thing I can think of is a little hymn book. You really don't have to spend any money, and please don't send a ton of junk food! I am seriously starting to get fat. Because of my back (which is doing fine) I can't run, or do physical activity, so I've been trying to eat healthy. I just can't think of anything that I need...

Well things are going good. Denise still wants to take the lessons, and Mark is progressing as well. I hope to see them both baptized before I leave the area. Cecilia is a sweet heart still, and we are going to help her move onto dry land this week! (they are moving off their house boat).

Everybody is decorating for Christmas, and it just doesn't feel like it. I guess it's because of the warm weather, the palm trees, and the blooming flowers! Its a little strange.

Well I love you all so much! I'm grateful for such a wonderful family! Tell Grandma and Grandpa Smith, Great Grandma, and my Little Grandma Cookie that I love them!

-Elder Cook

Letter to Home - November 23, 2009

Hey Family!

Wow, this week has been a little crazy! I had one of the coolest experiences on my mission this week. I have been doing my studying in the morning, and have been understanding the atonement more. It has been awesome, things have just kinda clicked. So at our lesson with Cecilia (the old, less active lady, who before we met her, had not been to church in over 30 years!) a miracle happened. She has ALWAYS had a problem understanding the Atonement, and why God would put his son through all that pain. She didn't understand, and she had a problem with it. During our lesson, I was able to share with her, what the Lord had just taught me, a few days earlier. The spirit was strong, and she understands! Her testimony is growing, and she was at church yesterday! After our lesson with her, she said that she felt like jumping up and down! (Not a good idea for an old lady on a house boat!) She also said the closing prayer for the first time, and it was amazing. The Lord helped me understand, so that I could teach to her needs, and share my testimony with her.

Then to top off the week - was Steve's baptism! It went so good! Steve's non-member parents were there, as well as one of our investigators, and they enjoyed it. Steve is going to continue to learn and grow, and be a great addition to the ward.

Well, we have about 4 or 5 thanksgiving dinners planned on Thursday, so we are well taken care of! The Garrison's are leaving tomorrow, to go to St. George for Thanksgiving. They decorated there house for Christmas already, and it is weird. I cant believe it is already Christmas time! I remember when I first got into the field, and I told myself that by Christmas, I shouldn't feel like a greeny anymore! But I think that I still will. There is so much to learn!

Well things are going alright with my comp. November of last year is when his mom past away, so he is having a hard time I think. It is hard to be diligent and keep all the mission rules, because I feel like I'm a Nazi, and a boring missionary, but I don't care! I do my best everyday.

Well I love you all, and hope that you have a great Thanksgiving! I'm so grateful that I have the best family!

-ELDER COOK

Letter to Home - November 11, 2009

Hey Family!

Thanks for all your emails. I wish that I could write you all back, but today has been kind of crazy and I'm short on time. Well, the week went good. Steve is going to be baptized on November 21st! E. Ouellette is baptizing him, and he asked me to confirm him. I'm excited for Steve. Denise is having problems. She said that she was going to get baptized on her birthday, but instead she is going to take a trip to her friends horse ranch. So we will talk to her when she gets back next week. All is well. She has too much support from the ward, and too many people praying for her to not get baptized.

Well today we had a great day up at the temple. They have already put up the Christmas lights! It was good to be in the temple and feel the spirit. We spent the day in Oakland, and just barely got back to our area. But it was a good trip.

Elder Bolkeim is still lazy, and wont say a word while we tract, but I'm still grateful that at least he comes with me to tract. I've actually learned a lot from him. I can still fulfill my purpose and do my best, even if my comp. chooses not to. I always have the support of fellow missionaries, President Wade, and most importantly the Lord.

Well, our Halloween was great! We had to be in at six o clock, so we went back to our house, and Sis Garrison let us pass out candy! We borrowed scary masks from some members and passed out candy and scared a few kids. We also got a pumpkin from a members farm and I carved it! It was fun. This week, all the members have been giving us all of their leftover Halloween candy! I'm fat.

Well we added another GOLDEN investigator! A new family moved into the ward, and they have an 18 yr old boy living with them who is a non member. His name is Mark, and he has been going to church with them for about a month. We met him last week, and before we had even taught him anything, he wants to be baptized and serve a mission! We had a great lesson with him last Sunday, and I'm excited to see him progress!

Well, I too am thankful for Sis Garrison. She takes care of me. I'm so thankful that Dads surgery went well, and that he is feeling good.

Well, I love you all so much! I have the best family in the world!

Elder Cook

Letter to Home - November 2, 2009

 Wow, we are so blessed. I remember a few weeks back, when I got the email that Dad had to have heart surgery. I was at the Antioch library, I couldn't hold in the tears. I was so scared. As I have prayed and fasted the past few weeks, I have felt strength and comfort, and it hasn't worried me. On Thursday I was a little nervous, but I was expecting that phone call all day and I just knew that President was going to call me with great news! For some reason it didn't surprise me that it went great. I was soooo grateful that it did, but the comfort that came didn't even cause me to worry as much as I thought I would (and you all know how much I worry!) The Lord has blessed our family, and I hope that dad continues to feel better.

Well, I had a little miracle as well this week - one of those blessings in disguise. One of the Elders that I came out with went home this week. I guess he just couldn't handle the pressure of being a missionary. So that was the bad thing. As a result of him going home, his companion - Elder Wong from Hong Kong - Came and stayed with us in our area for the week. It was pretty interesting. We had a short China man, an even shorter islander, and a tall skinny white boy! All together we spoke 5 different languages! (E. Bolkeim speaks Marshallese and Tongan, E. Wong speaks Cantonese and Mandarin, and I speak fluent English!) We were quite the international group! Elder Wong is awesome! He is such a good missionary! It was a miracle, because we were able to work hard, and show Elder Bolkeim that working hard and keeping mission rules can be fun! It was funny watching the two of them trying to correct each other's English!

So I think that this whole transfer is a blessing in disguise. Now that I am with E. Bolkeim, I have really had to step it up. He doesn't really want to work, and he LOVES to break the rules. He is a great guy, and I'm trying to love him. There is a huge culture block between us, and he is hard to communicate with. I've recommitted myself to being the best missionary that I can be, and moving forward.

Well, we have a lesson with Steve tonight and we are going to set another date for November 21. He went and talked with the Bishop, and Bishop told us that it went well, and he should be on track to getting baptized. We are also going to get Denise (the horse lady) baptized this transfer.

Well the weather is beautiful here! Its normally in the daytime around 70 degrees, and everything is starting to get green again. Its weird, in the winter thing don't die, but start to bloom again!

Well I love you all! Thank you so much for the Halloween yummies! I loved the package! Also, next time you see Maria Krieser giver her a big hug for me! She sent me a package of candy, and 2 ties from DI!

-Love Elder Cook

Letter from Member - October 29, 2009

Dear Sister Cook:

Elder Cook currently serves in the ward I attend (Marsh Creek Ward). I believe this is his third transfer in our ward (and probably his last) and I didn't want to go another day without letting you know what a fine young man and missionary he is. I have the chance to attend Ward Council with him. Let me tell you, some of those meetings get so far off course and it drives me batty. Elder Cook sits there (with his companion) extremely patient waiting for his turn to speak. Elder Cook tugs at my heart strings because he reminds me of my youngest son. I have two sons that are returned missionaries. Elder Cook is a spiritual giant, always has a smile and a willing heart to do anything that is asked of him. I know you must be proud of him. There is a lot to be proud of. It's an honor to know him and what a fine example he is to those of us around him.

Love,

Nancy Rodriguez

Letter from Member - August 10, 2009

Becky,

I told Elder Cook this morning that I had touched bases with you and he got a big smile on his face.  He is just such a good kid!  Great job mom!  I hope that when he is finished with his mission that you and your husband will come and stay with us and then let him take you around the mission so that you can see all the spots that he will have served!  You certainly are invited and welcome!  Let me know if there is anything we can do for him.

By the way....what is his favorite meal?  I will make ti next time we feed them and surprise him....
You have a great week.
When did you hubby graduated from THS????  I know you guys are MUCH younger than us...

Love ya,

Donna

Letter from Member - August 9, 2009

Dear Cook Family,

Your son was over for dinner tonight at our home.  In fact your son actually sleeps at our house every night, so we see him a lot!  I just want to tell you what a fine young man you have raised.  We are enjoying him so much!  He is diligent, fun-loving, respectful and just really delightful.  I can really feel a change since he has arrived in the Marsh Creek Ward.

I grew up in Tooele, so your son and I have fun playing the "do you know?" game.  Because he went to Grantsville High School we don't know that many of the same people, but we know a few and that is fun for us.  I am a Pratt from Tooele....my father was Leigh Pratt, for which the swimming pool was named.  We have lived in this area for 20 plus years.  My husband is from Placerville, CA.  We met at BYU and both served missions in Japan.....but we didn't meet in Japan, we met at BYU after our missions.  We have four grown children and 6 grandchildren.

It's nice to get to know your son.  If you ever need to get info to him or anything, don't hesitate to contact me.  I am like his mom away from home.

Sincerely,

Donna Garrison

Letter to Home - October 26, 2009

Wow. That is all that I have to say about this transfer. It will definitely test my patience! My new Comp. is Elder Bolkeim. He is Polynesian, so he is naturally a bit lazy. All he wants to do is sleep all day, and I feel that i have to drag him out of the house to go tracting. He's always on the phone with his Tongan buddies, complaining to them about how obedient I am, and that I don't let him sleep. He told me that in his prayers, he asks Heavenly Father to take me away from him, because we work too hard! He is pretty hilarious, but I feel like there is a bit of a language and culture barrier between us. He had to learn English in the MTC, and his native language is Marshaleese. He actually speaks pretty well, he is just hard to understand sometimes. I'm so grateful that we live with the Bishop, because he is afraid of him! Because we live with members he will be more obedient. He has been out for 20 months, but I am still senior comp. His parents are not members, and his mom actually passed away while he was on his mission. He has good spirits and is willing to go out and work with me (even though he complains about it). I'm looking for ways to love him and connect with him some how.

Being District Leader kinda scares me, but the only people in the district is us and the Zone Leaders. So it is super small, and we have the ZL's! So its not bad at all. Its a great learning experience.

I just feel a bit nervous, because we need to get Steve and Denise baptized this transfer. They are both doing great. Steve pushed his date back, because he feels that he needs to talk with the Bishop. I was so proud of him - he is truly repenting and want to come unto Christ. So next week we will set another date.

The best thing this week was the Primary Program on Sunday. It was good! I loved it! Also we taught Bro. Cassell, a inactive guy, that does drugs and doesn't believe in God. Usually when we teach him, I feel icky, and don't feel good. This week when we met with him, I felt strong, and felt the spirit strengthen me as we taught. It was cool.

Well, I love you all. I'm so grateful that President Wade is letting you call him! He is awesome! I'm praying for you all, and love you so much!

-Elder Cook

ps I saw Elder Williams during transfers and gave him a big hug!

Letter to Home - October 19, 2009

Hi Family!

Wow, I have such a great family! I loved getting emails from everyone this week.

Mom - my back is fine! It actually felt really good this week. I'm just frustrated that I can't run, or lift heavy things. Elder C. is leaving for home on Wednesday, so I will ask him for a blessing.

Well, transfer calls came, and President wants me to be a district leader. I'm kinda scared. My new companion is Elder Bolkiem - from the Marshall Islands! He was E. Cains (my poopy trainer) old comp. from last year, and I have heard some horror stories about him. But, you can never judge. I heard bad things about Elder Czerepinski too, and he ended up being my favorite companion so far. So this transfer is going to be different and challenging, but I've been in this ward for 2.5 months now, so the members are on my side! I know the Lord will help me as I do my best. I haven't had much experience around Polynesians, so this will be fun.

Denise and Steve are doing great. Steve pushed his date back to the end of November, for unknown reasons, but tonight we are going to talk about it. He is doing good, I just think that he feels that his life needs to be perfect to be baptized. We will work with him.

Well, I'm really sad to see E. C go home. He is a great guy, and has taught me a lot!

I had a good interview with President Wade last week. We talked about Dad's surgery coming up, and I kinda just vented to him. He told me to give you his number, so that on the day of the surgery you can call him, and let him know how Dad is doing, then that day he will call me. So next Monday I'll email you his information. President Wade is a great man.

Well this week was good. I've had little experiences that God has given me, just to let me know that he is there and he loves me. We were at a restaurant eating dinner with Denise, and a member at the restaurant paid for our whole meal! The Lord is also watching out for Elder C. He really doesn't have anything when he goes home this week, but our investigator, Denise, is giving him her old car! Its older, but is in perfect running condition! She just straight up gave it to him! It was a miracle for him. The Lord loves us and watches out for us.

I was sad to hear about grandma Cluff, and just about cried when I got the email today. The Cluff Family will be in my prayers. Send them my love.

Oh yeah! I talked to Elder Williams on the phone! He is doing really good! He's lovin' it!

Well I love you all! You are always in my prayers.

-Elder Cook

Letter to Home - October 12, 2009

Hey Family,

Well this week went well. The work is going good. We have about 7 investigators, and 2 of them have a baptismal date (Steve and Denise). This week went by fast, and it feels like we didn't make a lot of head way with our investigators. But we did take Steve up to Temple Hill in Oakland and went to the Visitors Center. It was a great visit. Out of all the temples in the world, only 10 of them have visitors centers, and Oakland is one of them. We are blessed. I love taking investigators up to the temple to feel the spirit. We watched the Joseph Smith movie, and every time we do, its cool to see Garin Hobson on the big screen! A little piece of G-ville!

It was kinda funny, on the way up to the Visitors Center the members who were driving us got lost. We weren't sure where we were. Next thing I knew we were on a huge bridge, and ended up in Benicia - out of the mission boundary! Oops! That is one of the biggest no-nos of the mission. Not even President can leave the mission! So we accidentally took a little detour into the Santa Rosa mission!

Well, I went to the chiropractor again this morning, and he told me that if I wasn't on my mission, that he would see me 3 times a week to work on me! That kinda scared me, but I am really ok. On a scale from 1 to 10 when it hurts the most it is probably only a 4 or 5. It's just really annoying and won't go away. I was mostly just afraid that something was horribly wrong, but after the x-rays I feel a lot better that I know whats going on, and that I'll be just fine. No worries!

Well, I feel better about Dads surgery, and will be praying for him and the family.

Elder Czerepinski is awesome. He has his little moments of being trunky, but most of the time he says "I still have work to do" and pushes forward. It's weird sending him home, because for some reason it almost feels like I'm going home too. I know I'm not, but its just a weird feeling I can't explain. I'm going to miss him. He is really weird and crazy, but he has been my favorite companion so far. I've learned so much from him.

Well, I love you all so much! Hope you all have a wonderful week!

-Elder Cook

Letter to Home - October 5, 2009

Hey there Family,

Well, thank you for letting me know about Dad. I feel a lot better about it and feel comforted that everything is going to be ok. Please keep me informed and keep me posted.

Well, conference was AMAZING!!! I have never enjoyed it so much, and I didn't even fall asleep even once! I didn't even doze off! I really enjoyed it. The themes that really stuck out to me were that God truly loves us, and that we must love others, and serve them. I also liked the talks on the importance of following the spirit, and having the spirit in our lives. And yes, Elder Holland's talked shook the ground! Wow, it was good. We watched conference at the stake center, except for the last session - we kinda invited ourselves over to the Showers house (A Family that is investigating) and watched it with them! It was good.

Well I got some x-rays done today, and the good news is that I don't have to come home! The bad news is that my back is messed up. the doctor hasn't seen many cases like mine. One of my legs is longer than the other and its causing the curve of my spine to distort which puts added pressure on my lower back. He says that my pain that I have now (which is bearable) shouldn't get any worse, but when I get home I need physical therapy to pretty much shift the structure of my back. Yup, fun stuff. I'm going to go in weekly to relieve pressure, but he can't fix anything in a short amount of time. He said it will probably take around 6 months to shift my back. So I am just fine. It's not going to get worse, and that's what I was afraid of.

So Steve and Denise's baptismal dates are about a month away, and they are into next transfer, but Elder C. is going home, so there is a really good chance that I will be staying in this area again - which is fine with me! In fact if I get transferred I will be surprised, but you never know what will happen.

Elder C. now has family picking him up at the airport, so all is well. He's still not to sure where he will live, so I told him I would give you our number just in case he's homeless! Just kidding.

Well I haven't seen Casey yet, but I bet he's doing great. He is in a nice area from what I hear.

Well, I love you all so much! Thank you for all the love and support you give me! I'm soooo blessed to have the best family! Have a great week!

Letter to Home - September 28, 2009

Hey Family!

Things are goin' good! This week has been a bit of a struggle, but I find it amazing how the Lord helps us to grow. Last transfer, I felt like I learned a lot of things, and didn't even feel like a greenie anymore! But this transfer, I have been humbled, and see that I still have so much to learn. Sometimes God cuts us down or trims us a bit so that we can grow in the right ways. I'm learning SOOOO much from Elder Czerepinski. He has such a strong testimony, and knows the gospel so well. Sometimes while we are teaching I feel like I don't even need to talk, because I don't want to disrupt the spirit that Elder Cz brings in! I have a lot of learning to do!

Well, thank you so much for the package that you sent! I really love the ties! I liked the tape, and I hated it at the same time. I loved to hear all of your voices, but then I hated it at the same time. It was a weird emotion. This past week has been hard to stay focused with Tyson being home, and you seeing Sister Garrison and all that, but it's all good. I still can't believe that you met Sis Garrison!

Well the work couldn't be better! This area is doing great! We have quite a few investigators, a lot of potentials, and 2 baptism dates! Steve and Denise are progressing well. I just need to remember whose work this is, and trust in the Lord.

Well, I went to the chiropractor today, (he is a member, so it is all free!) and he said that he wants to take some x rays of my back, so we set up an appointment for next pday. I'm so grateful that he is doing this for me!

Well how is dad's heart! Let me know please!

I saw a quote the other day that I loved. It went something like - "I love sowing seeds, I prefer the harvest, but just serving in the Lords field is an amazing experience!" Missionary work is tough, but it really is a great experience.

I am excited for conference, and we hope to watch it with Steve or Denise, but if not, then we will watch it at the Stake Center, or at home with the Garrisons, because they get the BYU channel.

It hasn't cooled down at all here! The average temperature of this past week was 102! Its pretty toasty!

Well, I love you all so much! I truly have the best family I could ever have! Have a great week!

-Elder Cook

oops, one more thing! I just had to comment on the Canada Temple schedual that dad sent me! I love it! It made me laugh! Ok, love ya!
-Elder Cook

Letter to Home - September 21, 2009

 Hi Family!

Well, this week has been weird. It was great, and really tough at the same time. It was up and down! It was tough because I really wanted to be there when Tyson came home. It is really hard to stay focused when you want to see your family together again. But on the other hand we had a really great week. Things are on fire here in Brentwood and Oakley. We now have 2 investigators with a baptismal date! Denise and Steve are both going to be baptized in the first half of November. That is pretty big, because this ward hasn't seen a baptism in a LONG time.

We also witnessed a miracle this week. Last transfer E. Ouellette kept telling me about this guy named Jose Vela that was ready to be baptized, and then just fell off the face of the world! They went to his house and called him, but he just disappeared! Last transfer, me and E. Ouellette tried to find him, but we had no luck. Well, this past week, me and E. Czerepinski decided to drop by. I was so surprised when the door opened! Jose invited us in and we had a great talk. He loves the church, but "has some hurdles to overcome" is what he told us. He lives with his girl friend, and has a drinking problem. He told us that he was praying and telling God that he knew that his life was not in order, and asked God to help. It was the same day that we knocked on his door! He was so happy to see us! So we are excited to continue to work with Jose and help him out in any way that we can.

Thank you so much for the package that you sent! I love the Lake Point Days shirt. I'm sending some pictures and a short tape home today.

Also we had a fun time this week doing the Coastal Clean up. It was a state wide project, and all the missionaries in the mission got in the yellow "Mormon helping Hands" shirts and picked up garbage along the bay. It was a neat experience. E. Czerepinski was leaning over a ledge, trying to pick up a cup in the water, and plopped right in! He is a chubby little guy, and got all sorts of muddy trying to get out! Sis Garrison was not happy when he walked into her house covered in nasty Bay mud!

Well, my back is actually feeling better, and I haven't seen the chiropractor yet, or had a blessing. I think it might have had something to do with the mattress that I had last transfer. But it feels quite better.

Celcilia and Lou weren't at church, because they had a hard day on Saturday, but they are still wonderful. We had Denise and Steve there, so I was happy.

I haven't seen Elder Williams yet, but I do know his roommates, and they are good missionaries - so at least he is in a good atmosphere. He is serving in a nice area too (just north of San Ramon!)

Well, please let me know about everything that goes on with Dad's heart. I'm going to be honest, I'm really nervous about it. I don't like being 700 miles away when my family is having surgery back home, and I'm left in the dark. I will be praying and fasting for you dad! Please let me know what is going on.

I love you all, and I'm glad that Tyson is home and well! I hope that you all have a great week!

Love, Elder Cook

Letter to Home - September 14, 2009

Hey Family!

Ok, Sorry if I sounded worried. I was worried but not too bad. I do want you to keep me informed of everything that is going on. And dont worry to much about my back. Im ok. Elder Czerepinski (sir-pin-ski) knows a chiropractor in Oakley that is a member, and will fix me (or tell me what is wrong) for free, so I think that we will pay him a visit next week.

Well, I was super worried about this transfer, because it is Elder C's last transfer, and usually when Elders are on there last transfer, they are super lazy, but not Elder C! He is awesome. He wants to work hard to the end. He is a little (ok a lot) different, but hes great. He is CRAZY! But he knows the scriptures so well and is a great teacher. He is from Madison Wisconsin, but lived in Payson, Utah right before he came out. Hes had it rough. His parents are divorced (still members I think), and they really don't want anything to do with him. When he flies home in 5 weeks, he is flying into Salt Lake, but doesn't really know where he is going to live just yet... I told him that i will give him our number, so if he needed someone to pick him up from the airport, or needed a ride somewhere, or for heaven sakes even a place to stay for a couple days, he could give you a call. I hope that's ok. Its kinda sad, but he truly is a great missionary. It has been really humbling having these companions with no support. They don't even get letters from home most of the time! It really makes me feel guilty for taking my family for granted my whole life. When I think that life is tough, I just remember that I have a family that loves me, and into today's world that is sooooo valuable. I'm blessed, very very blessed. So I will let you know if he needs a ride from the airport, when it gets closer to the end of the transfer.

Well things are great. I'm just keeping my head held high, and moving forward when things are rough. I think I put to much pressure on myself sometimes. I have fear and not faith - something I need to work on. But I have great experiences that make up for the crappy ones. Yesterday was actually probably one of the best days of my mission! We had a great day! The biggest thing that made the day, was that Cecilia and Lou ( I love them to death) were at church! They are the sweetest old people, and haven't been to church in over 30 years! It was so good to see them in sacrament meeting! Then after church we went to Danville for Elder C's investigators baptism. It was a good one. Then we went from Danville to Oakland for the "why I believe" fireside. It is a night of testimonies of people that have recently been baptized. It was powerful! We had one of our investigators there - Denise. She wants to be baptized in November! Oh, and I cant remember if I told you, but we set a date with Steve for Nov. 7th! Yay! So things are going good.

I really don't need anything. I haven't gotten the package you sent yet, but I should get it at zone conference next week. I don't need anything urgent, but next time you do send a package, I could use a pair of old jeans to do service in. We work on a ranch every week, and help out with Denise's horses. So a pair of old jeans would be great! And we can now listen to any music that keeps the spirit. So EFY is legal.

Well, I love you! I cant believe that Tyson will be home this week! Give him a big hug for me! I love you.

-Elder Cook

Letter to Home - September 7, 2009

Hi Family!

What is wrong!?! Why is it that when I leave, everyone's health goes to crap! How bad are things? I'm a little freaked out.

Well things are good. The good news is that I'm staying here in Brentwood!!!! The bad news is that Elder Ouellette is leaving. He got transferred to San Francisco. President gave me a call, and gave me some interesting news. He told me that my new companion only has one transfer left on his mission (6 weeks), but that I am going to be senior comp. He wants me to love this Elder, and help him. I guess hes had it rough. His name is Elder Czerpinski and as of now, he doesn't even have anyone to pick him up from the airport in 6 weeks - that's how much support he has. So I'm excited because I'm still here, and there are really great things that are happening in this area, but this transfer may be a struggle. There are people here that are close to baptism, and I don't want to mess anything up. Just another learning opportunity!

Well we tried to set a date with Steve, but he said that he wants to pray about it, so hopefully we will get a date from him tonight. Everything else is going good! President Wade is my hero. I still love him. If I used one word to describe him, it would be EXACT. He is just solid. Solid on the rules, solid on his purpose, just exact on everything, but does it in such a loving and sincere way. Hes great.

I cant believe that Tyson will be home in about a week! I also cant believe that Gaylynn had her baby! Tell them congrats for me, and that I love them! Please keep me posted on Dad. I guess since we are all confessing our crappy health secrets - I'll tell you mine....My back is killing me! I don't know what is wrong with it. I can still walk and all that, but it just irritates me all day! If it doesn't improve in the next few weeks, I'm calling the mission home, to see if I can get into a doctor. Don't worry, I'll be fine but I thought I'd keep you posted.

Well, I love you all! Mom, Dad - Stop having health problems!!!!!!

Love, Elder Cook

Letter to Home - August 31, 2009

Hey Fam,

WOW, baby its hot! We were tracting the other day in 106 degree weather! I'm spending the summer in the hottest (and safest!) parts of the mission, so with my luck Ill probably be on the Bay for the winter!

Mom, thanks for the great email, and thanks for the letter you sent too. It surprised me to get a 3 page letter, and when the first line of the letter was "I'm sitting in the doctors office..." it kinda scared me! But I'm glad that all is well, and that Lake Point Days, and going back to school, all sounds like its going good.

Things are going good! Last week we committed Steve to be baptized, and he said.......YES!!!! we tried to set a date for Sept. 26, but he feels that he wont be ready by then, but will work towards it. We have another lesson tonight and are going to try and set a date. He is pretty solid. Then, on Saturday, I went to my first real baptism! We got to drive back to my first area, and went to Pacific's baptism! Me and E. Cain were the ones that first started teaching her. She is 12 years old, and is an AMAZING young woman! It was a great night! I got to see her be baptized, and also got to see a lot of ward members from San Ramon! It was good.

Well things are going good, but something that I have been struggling with is doubt. I've talked to President at our interviews and hes given me great advice. I'm reading the Book of Mormon to overcome my trails, and have faith that all will be well!

Transfer calls are this week, and I hope I stay in Brentwood. If not, I know that I've done everything that I've needed to do here, and its time to move on! This area is great for dinners though! We've only gone 2 nights this while transfer without a dinner appointment! The member here really take care of us!

Dad, its good to hear that you ran the 5k! That made me happy! My back is being retarded again, so I'm REALLY out of shape!

Well, I'll be sending home some pictures and a tape for Tyson, probably in a week or so. I'm doing great, and I love you all!

-Elder Tom Cook

ps - I'm getting chubby.

Letter to Home - August 24, 2009

HI!

It is HOT! Not only is it hot, but add a lil' bit of humidity and it's fun. It could be worse. I could be in Florida or something! Well this week went really well! Elder Ouellette is a rock star. I've really enjoyed serving with him. Well the exciting news is a GOLDEN investigator, just dropped out of the sky, and fell into our lap! His name is Steve, and he is dating an active member in the ward. He is really looking for the truth. We are teaching him again tonight and will commit him to be baptized! Its just too exciting! We are also making a little progress with the Showers family. She had an operation on her spine this past week, so we had the relief society bring in a meal. They are waiting to receive an answer to their prayers, so we will keep working with them, and help them feel the spirit. We are also working with some potential investigators, that will hopefully become investigators soon.

Well, we had a really weird/awesome experience last week. While we were tracting, this lady (in her late 30's) opened her door, and before we could even introduce ourselves, she invited us to dinner the following night. We are complete strangers, and she wanted to feed us! She new that we were the Mormon Missionaries and that we are away from home, and work hard so she told us to come back the next night and she would feed us. So we did! We were a little nervous about going, but it turned out good. She really wasn't interested (yet...) but its good to know that there are good people out here, wanting to serve others.

Mom, I have to tell you that the little green stitch that you put in all of my socks was genius! Those little green stitches have saved me on more than one occasion. Just thought I'd let you know!

Thank you so much for the package! I like the tie! I was surprised at how fast it got here, but then it dawned on me that Jimmy Mack dropped it off! It was fine.

Well I continue to learn and grow everyday! I guess that's called life huh?! I'm learning to love the mission more and more. The hard times are in abundance, but so are the good times. If we focus on learning through the hard times instead of just enduring them, life is better! Its easier said than done, but we always have help! Christ knows us and loves us. It is exciting to think that Tyson will be home soon! He is a great example. I love you guys! Have a great week!

-Elder Tom Cook

Letter to Home - August 17, 2009

HI! How is the bestest family in the whole world? It sounds like all is well. I'm not going to lie Mom - You gave me a fright last week with the whole cancer scare. It was good to hear that all is well. I got the dear elder letter on Saturday (the 15th). It would be faster to send it straight to the Garrison's house, but transfers are in 3 weeks, so I might not be here (you never know!) I would just keep sending mail through the mission home, but if you want my address its 1310 Horne Court, Brentwood CA 94513. But I did get the package with all the yummy zucchini bread! YUM! Thank you! It was still really good! There was A LOT, so I shared with the Garrisons.

We got our monthly news letter, and under the arriving missionaries section it says - Elder Casey Williams! He is going to LOVE it! I will for sure see him on my mission. Our mission is so small, so it would be rare if I didn't. I'm excited for him.

Well, the work is ok. We don't really have any progressing investigators - which sucks, but we are really trying to work with less actives, and we are doing pretty well. We had another AMAZING lesson with Cecilia and Lou. I love them! They are the neatest people. The county just passed a law the says no one in the county can live in house boats, so they will be losing their home. They are pretty devastated, but are keeping their heads up. They love there little house boat, but have a positive attitude about it all. I really hope that we will be able to get them out to church. We really need to find people to teach, but Californians are not the friendliest of people, and no one really cares about what we have to say. Its hard to find people to teach.

We have a car in this area, but sooner or later I will probably have to buy a bike.

I'm not sure how to email pictures, but I will look into it!

I think that I'm finally starting to adjust a little bit to missionary life. Sometimes I wake up and think "holy cow, I'm on my mission!" Its kind of fun. I have definitely learned that life is a learning experience, and that we have this time on earth to work towards perfection. Nothing comes all at once. Our loving Father in Heaven lets us take life step by step (line upon line, here a little and there a little - 2 Nephi 28:30). We do our best and move forward. I love my family so much, and I'm grateful that we share the gospel! I hope you all have a great week!

-Elder Tom Cook

Letter to Home - August 10, 2009

Mom-

Are you seriously 100% ok? You are not allowed to get cancer. You need to let me know what is going on. I'm going to worry even more if you leave me in the dark.

Well, I hope everything else is going great. Sounds like it has been a little bit crazy. Things are great here in Brentwood/Oakley. I'm being spoiled with an AMAZING companion! Elder Ouellette is the man! We aren't the best of friends, but he wants to work hard, and that is all I care about. He's fun too, but I love the fact that he knows why he is here. He has absolutely no support from home either. His Mom tells him that he is wasting his time out here, and he doesn't even know who his dad is. He's a great missionary and a wonderful example to me. Hes only been out 2 more months than me, but he knows his stuff.

I'm glad that Sister Garrison emailed you! She is great. I'm still getting used to living in their house, because it is supper nice. Dang, I'm just getting spoiled this transfer.

Well, my most memorable experience this past week was the lesson that we had with an old couple named Cecilia and Lou. They live in a very small town named Bethel Island (it really is an island too, its pretty cool! It is about 15 minutes outside of Oakley) Bethel island is kind of white trash, but there are some really nice houses and everyone owns a nice boat. Anyway, Cecilia and Lou are members but they have been inactive for over 30 years! They live on a house boat (its so cool!), and it is seriously the smallest house I have ever seen (actually its more like a shack). It is probably as big as our front room, but it has everything - a tiny kitchen, a bedroom, a living room and a bathroom! They live very humbly. Cecilia is the sweetest old lady, and defines her little house boat as "Heaven on Earth!" She has so little, but is so very grateful. Well we had a great lesson about the atonement. Even though they are both members, they acted like it was all new to them. We read from the Book of Mormon, and it really excited them! They wanted to read more, but couldn't find there Book of Mormon, so we gave them both a new one. The spirit was really strong, and I hope we will be able to get them back to church. It really made me realize that our purpose as missionaries is to bring souls unto Christ - members, non members, and less actives. Of course we are to baptize, but I feel that re-activations are just as important. As long as we are bringing people closer to Christ we are doing our job.

I love you all! I hope that you have a great week!

-Elder Tom Cook

PS- Mom, could you please find out Steve Hansen's (my college roommate) mailing address for me? You might need to call Caitlin or something, but I have some stuff to send him. I don't know if he is still at BYU-I or not. Thanks that would be great! I love you!

Letter to Home - August 4, 2009

Hi!

Well I had my very first area change, and here I am in Brentwood California!!! I'm serving in the Marsh Creek Ward (only one ward, so no more 6 hours of church on Sunday!), and we cover a chunk of Brentwood, Oakley, all of Bethel Island, and all of Knightsen. I LOVE it here!!!!! We live in Brentwood with the bishop! It is a little weird living in a house, but I like it. We live with Bishop and Sister Garrison, and it is such a small world because Sister (Donna) Garrison grew up in Tooele! She knows Scott Cluff, President Whitehouse, Bro. Lawrence (my seminary teacher) and a bunch of other people. Her maiden name is Pratt, and the Pratt aquatic center in Tooele is named after her Dad! Its crazy! We have enjoyed talking about good ol' Tooele! The Garrisons are amazing, and they live in a SUPER nice area in Brentwood, and their house is huge! They don't have any kids at home so they decided to have the missionaries live with them.

My companion Elder Ouellette is AMAZING!!! We were in a 3 some, but it only lasted for one day, because the Bishop didn't want 3 missionaries in his house, only 2. Elder Ouellette is from San Antonio Texas and has been out for only 6 months. He is a hard working, obedient missionary, and I'm excited to work with him. He is positive and has a good attitude, and I'm grateful to have him as my follow up trainer.

It was quite a big change going from San Ramon to Brentwood. Brentwood reminds me a lot of home - because it is more country. Brentwood is famous for its produce (mainly corn and peaches). I love it out here! Going from super rich and snazzy neighborhoods to dirt roads and farmland is awesome! My area is at the top of the mission, and is the furthest away from the mission home. Its pretty crazy.

The Seeno's that you talked to are a great family in the ward. Bro. Seeno owns a feed store (just like the one in Tooele) and we go there every Friday, and he buys us lunch. It is a fun little country store. We played with the baby chicks.

Well I love you all! Have a great week!

-Elder Cook

Letter from Member - July 30, 2009

Becky,

Oh, I am so glad to "meet" you! Your son was a delight. And a really good eater. We had enchiladas and he ate several helpings. We are a "boy" family so the elders fit right in. We have two married sons, a son who lives at home and is going to college and a 7 year old. Last night we were babysitting our 2 year old grandson too. I asked your son if he had siblings and he said right away, "Oh yes! I'm the middle child." We then had a discussion about whether it was easier to be the oldest or the youngest. It was very funny.

If there is a special treat you think your son would like or anything he needs while he's here just let me know. My husband buys lunch for the elders each week. We own a business in town and they stop in for lunch.

Our ward is large and a really good ward. The missionaries live with our bishop and his wife. He is a great man and his wife is awesome. Our ward covers a large geographic area. You will hear names like Oakley, Brentwood, Knightsen and Bethel Island. We are not a big city ... kind of a mix between rural agricultural and neighborhoods. Most of the people in our area commute about 30 to 60 miles to their jobs. The weather here is very warm in the summer. Average is in the 90's. This is an area where the LDS people are respected and thought well of.

Let me know if you have any questions.


Laurie

Letter to Home - July 27, 2009

Well, I'm not going to mess around, and I'll give you the exciting news first - I'm leaving beautiful San Ramon! Yup, I've been transferred. I have mixed feelings about it. I'm really going to miss it here (especially the amazing members), but its time to experience a new area, and definitely time for a new companion! Transfer day is tomorrow, and I'm going to the Discovery Bay/Oakley/Brentwood area. Honestly, I'm not quite sure where it is at, but I'm serving in the Marsh Creek Ward, and its some where up there. My new area is in the very top corner of the mission (the furthest away from the mission home) and since it is far from the Bay, it is the "HOT SPOT" of the mission. We are talking like well over 100! The weird thing about this new transfer is that I will be in a three some. I'll have 2 companions! I'm not quite sure how I feel about that right now, but we will see. All i can do is go into it with a good attitude! Attitude = Altitude!

Well I had a neat, personal experience this week. It was a rough week. I was feeling pretty discouraged and I went into the bathroom, shut the door, got on my knees and prayed. I asked for peace and guidance. After I prayed, I went to my desk and started my personal study. I just so happened to be in the part of the Book of Mormon where Nephi and his family are about to die on the sea. I cant quite quote the scripture, but it said something like Call upon the Lord, and he will calm the storm. I felt the peace of the spirit, and received strength to move on.

I'm not going to lie, I'm a little scared about going to a new area, but I know that the Lord loves me and will help me. I'm going to learn and grow, but its going to be hard to leave everyone I love here in San Ramon. Oh, and don't worry quite yet.....My new area isn't ghetto, and from what I hear its safe. I hear that it is a more rural area, but I'll just have to wait and see.

I know that I'll be back in San Ramon soon, because a lot of the people I taught here are soooo close to baptism, and we are aloud to go to are old areas to see the people we taught get baptized.

Well this past week we got to go to the Visitors Center twice! Once with Shawna and Jonathon (they want to be baptized, but just need to get married), and once with James (soooo close to baptism!) They were both great trips.

Some of the wards here might have had a little 24th of July celebration, but I didn't hear anything about it.

Well, I sent a small package home today, so you should get it in a few days. Its flat, and just has some pictures in it, and a small birthday present for dad.

Well, I love you all and hope that your week is great. Sorry about last week, but trust me - It probably upset me more that you! I was mad!

Anyway, Dad- Have a great trip to CANADA!

Love ya'll!

 -Elder Tom Cook

Letter to Home - July 21, 2009

Hi Family!

Well I wrote a normal email, and it got deleted some how, and we are out of time, but I love you! Things are going well! The weather here is hot as well (like 105!) The work is going great, and the interviews with President Wade went good. He is awesome! I have no complaints what so ever! I love you so much, and I am sorry that this is so short, but we have to get going!

-Elder Tom Cook

Letter to Home - July 13, 2009

Hello my Family!

Wow, sounds like things are going great back home, it is good to hear. I'm so glad that Sis. Hock wrote you! She is the funniest/sweetest lady! We have dinner at the Hocks house every Tuesday, they are the best! She has a son that is putting in his papers right now, and told us that if she takes good care of us, then hopefully the Lord will bless her son with people that will feed him on his mission. We also have breakfast at the Halverson's every Monday morning (we are so spoiled), and yes her son got his call - he is going to San Antonio, Texas! They are excited (it will be her first missionary). It is good to be here in San Ramon. Everyone keeps telling me that I'm in the best area and it will only be downhill from here. There may be some truth to that, but the way I look at it is the Lord knows me and has blessed me with this comfortable area to adjust, and to get used to being a missionary. I find peace at knowing that I will kinda feel like I know what I'm doing, before I get put into the ghettos of Oakland! San Ramon has been good to me.

Well things are good. We have our very first interviews with President Wade this week on Wednesday! I'm excited. The work is going good. We figured out the whole big mess with Pacific, and we were right - She was never baptized! The records got all mixed up! So Bishop just call Salt Lake and cancelled her "fake membership". Crazy stuff. So she will be getting baptized - that is the good news. The bad news is, is that the date is set for Aug. 29th, and since transfers are in 2 weeks, I might not be here for it. But the important thing is, is that she is getting baptized.

Kiavosh is awesome, but all of the sudden (I'm not surprised), his work is going great, and he is to busy to meet with us. If satan cant influence him to do a bad thing, he is going to fill his life with to much of a good thing, and try to make him to busy for baptism. But we are not giving up. Our ward mission leader in the 1st ward is amazing, and is really helping us out.

We also are teaching Victoria (I may have mentioned her before). She wants to get baptized, but her husband would not be happy. We have been praying for his heart to be softened. I'm not saying this is a good thing, but just a few days ago - he lost his job. Maybe this is the door that Victoria needs! We are teaching her tomorrow, so we will see how that goes.

We had zone conference with President Wade this past week, and it was AMAZING! President Wade isn't as "fluffy" as President Beck. I love it! He encourages us to get out of our comfort zones, and randomly calls missionaries to get up and sing in front of everyone! I got the package at zone conference, and LOVED it! Thank you so much for all of the 4th of July stuff, and I loved the primary letters!

The Lord is blessing me so much with patience and charity towards Elder Cain. We actually got along really well this past week! We are both trying to stop popping our fingers. We are having a competition, so its really effective.

 I love you all so much! I thought for some reason that Isaac went into the MTC on July 1st, so I've been praying for him a lot, and now I feel kinda retarded that he hasn't even left yet! So tell him that when he gets there that there are alot of prayers waiting for him! Dad - I hope you have an amazing Canada trip! That is so cool! I love you all!

Elder Tom Cook

Letter from Member - July 8, 2009

Dear Becky,

Hi!  Your darling son is serving in our ward in San Ramon.  He is doing a marvelous job and I just wanted to drop you a quick note and let you know how much we are enjoying him.  He is a great young man and a terrific missionary.  He has a sweet humility about him and we genuinely appreciate his wonderful spirit and charming personality.

It has been my privilege to have the Elders over for dinner each Tuesday for the past three weeks.  I've been impressed with their work ethic and their obedience.  They are both committed to the work and are doing their best.  They seem pretty excited about the new mission president as well.

I told them I would drop a note to their mom's and let you know how wonderful they are.  So, here you go.
Sincerely,
Eileen Hock
925-829-7565

p.s.  my son is anxiously awaiting his call, and watching your son just make me feel better about mine.  This is such an exciting time.

Letter to Home - July 6, 2009

Hi Family!

Wow, it sound like things are pretty busy, but going good. It is good to hear from you each week, and I am so grateful for my wonderful family! Well, things are good! I just got my first hair cut in the mission filed today (and no, the one that I gave myself doesn't count!) Our ward mission leaders wife did it, and she did a good job.

Well the exciting news first - I LOVE President Wade! He and his family are amazing! We haven't had interviews yet, but I think that he is just what this mission needs. We had a big meeting with him, and he explained how he works things. he said "Just to make everything clear, I'm going to draw you a thing I call the trust Box" (then he drew a bow on the white board) He said "there is a lot of freedom in the Trust Box. If Ever you break a rule and get out of the trust box, I have another box for you to be put in" Then he drew a tiny little box and said "If you get put into this box, it is because you have violated my trust, and I will call a missionary to baby sit you. I don't like not trusting my missionaries, so you will have a chance to get back into my trust box, but if you cant do that, then I have a third box" He then drew a picture of an airplane on the board! He is not going to mess around! He worked in the missionary dept. in Salt Lake, and was the one that they called when mission presidents had problems, so he knows whats up. I'm excited!

Well, the fourth of July was really lame. We couldn't do much, because everyone was out. We did get to go to a pancake breakfast at the church, and that was fun. We went to the park to talk to people, (and there was a ton of people there), but Elder Cain didn't want to talk to anyone, so we really didn't do anything. That night we hung out with some members, while they were waiting for the fireworks to start, but we had to leave before they started, to make it back to the apartment before curfew.

Well things are good. Just yesterday we committed 2 people to baptism! Kiavosh (he is from Iran, 24 yrs. old) and Pacific (12 yrs old). It was great! It is really weird though - Pacific's dad is a member, but wants nothing to do with the church. She said that she has never been baptized, but we found a baptismal record for her. Weird huh? You think she would remember her own baptism! But she said that she has never been baptized, and is sooooo excited to be. I wonder where the records came from? It is the baptism mystery!

We are teaching like 8 people now! Not consistently, but its good! We only teach the Masons like once a month, because Brad Mason, doesn't want to feel pressured into anything.

We are teaching this one lady named Victoria. She has been taught by so many missionaries, and seemed a little crazy at first (I swear she loves her dogs more than her own kids), but each time we go over to teach she get less crazy. (She is not really crazy, but is a little over the top). Last time we were there, she said that she feels that the church is true, but knows that if she gets baptized that it will upset her family. So we are praying for a miracle! We hope that her families hearts will be softened so that she can get baptized.

Before I forget - President and Sister Becks homecoming is on July 12, in the Federal Heights Ward. I guess you can find when the ward meets online, if you want to go.

Well family I love you! Things are good, and it is exciting to see the great changes that are being made here, with the mission boundaries now changed, and a new President! I hope to continue to learn and grow and become the missionary the Lord wants me to be. The Lord loves me and blesses me so much! Have a great week!

 -Elder Tom Cook

Could you send this to Grandma Cook please -

 Grandma Cook,

I love getting your letters! You are so good to me! I just wanted to let you know that I love you. I will always have good memories of being at my Grandma and Grandpa Cooks house - eating pizza and cookies, and even mowing the lawn! I love you and hope that you have a great week!
-Elder Tommy Cook

Letter to Home - June 29, 2009

Hi Family-

Well I doing great here in San Ramon. I'm continuing to learn, and trying to be patient. Today was good. After we ate breakfast at the Halverson's (they are seriously the greatest!) we went to Oakland. The whole mission gathered on temple hill, and we surprised President and Sister Beck with a little departing party. It was good. It was also good to see Elder Waiwaiole for the last time, because he is going to be in the San Jose mission. It is sad. We are loosing some good missionaries, but hopefully gaining some great ones from San Francisco. President Wade will be here too! We are meeting him on Thursday. I guess that he is going to come around to all of our district meetings, or something, but I'm excited to meet him. He is way young! Hes 39 and has 3 kids - the oldest being 14, I think. It will be a big change.

Well the weather has been crazy hot here. Its been over 100 the past few days. Its also a little more humid here, so it makes it seem even hotter. But its good. I don't understand - it is blazing hot, but yet it is very green.

This past week we had some good teaching appointments. We are teaching a Japanese girl, who doesn't really have a belief in God. Her husband is a member, but is just less active. We also dropped (stopped teaching) James. He was close to baptism, but was just not progressing. It is sad, but we told him to keep reading and praying about the Book of Mormon, and to come to church. I hope he comes around.

My most memorable moment this week was our lesson at the Masons. Hazel Mason is a member (and a RM) but is not active. Her husband Brad Mason is not a member, and is not really searching for anything, but Hazel said it would be good to have us over. So we taught them, and it went really well! Hazel still has such a strong testimony, and taught almost half of the lesson! Brad didn't say much (I don't know if that is a good thing or a bad thing), but I know that Hazel felt the spirit, and if that's why we needed to be there, then that's enough.

This week is the big week of change! San Francisco will no longer be off limits! We can venture forth across the Bay! It will be exciting and a little freaky (I hear that there are a lot of freaks in San Fran. It is not as ghetto as Oakland, but has more freaks). With San Fran, and Oakland being in the same mission, our mission will definitely be the most diverse mission in the world! (Well that what I'm told...)

Well family I love you! I hope that you are having a great summer. Me and Tyson email every once in a while, but I enjoy getting his weekly emails. Thanks, I love you!

Elder Cook

Letter to Home - June 22, 2009

Hi Family!

Things are well here in San Ramon. I keep getting told that this is as good as my mission is going to get (because San Ramon is awesome!!!), so I'm a little scared to ever leave. But then again, I do want my chance to serve in the ghettos of Oakland, but will enjoy it here while I can! Well the count down for President Wade has begun! He will be here in 9 days! (And trust me, he better have janitorial experiences because he is going to have a lot of cleaning up to do - if you know what I mean) He can be as strict of a President as he wants, because i know that I would be terrified to be companions with some of the missionaries out here. But I am grateful for Elder Cain. Even though we don't get along to well, I am learning/trying to love him. The good thing is, is that he is obedient. We also have a great district of 6 sister missionaries to keep us in line! But I really do look up to Elder Cain. He has sacrificed so much to be here. He and his family are converts, but he is the only one that is active. His mom is super sick and has all sorts of health problems. Right before he came out his mom was in ICU for 6 months. She came home from the hospital, just in time to send him off on his mission. Then, the family moved while he has been out here (to Las Vegas), and his Dad (not his biological dad, but the one he is sealed to) is currently unemployed. So ya. If you want to write him feel free. He will probably just think that its weird, and make fun of me, but on the other hand it might be nice.

Well on a happier note, I am glad that you got the package that I sent you! Honestly - if you don't want to use any of that stuff, you can just through it away. But Elder Cain is enjoying the free stuff that he got - yes he uses it! Hes trying to get rid of some butt wrinkles with the shea butter. It's interesting. But thank you soooo much for the package that you sent! I love the goodies! I've already put on a few pounds here. The members are awesome! They have us at their house for dinner, they take us out for dinner, they buy us groceries, and really look out for us. This morning a member took us golfing again! I'm actually getting pretty good, compared to the fact that at the first of my mission, I couldn't even hit the ball, but was really good at making huge holes in the grass! It was fun.

Well the work here is going really well! We have great investigators. Tina (the African lady) came to church with here family again yesterday. It was neat. She likes the church, but does not want to get baptized again. She thinks that if she does, then her soul will be lost. So we are working on that. Shawna and Johnathon are AMAZINGLY GOLDEN!!! They just have to get married, and Shawna wants this huge wedding, and feels pressured, but we are working on it. We are going to tell them that they should get married on the fourth of July, so that way - every year on their anniversary, they would have fireworks! Cool huh! We went to the cannery last week with them, and they LOVED it! They are huge into food storage, and all that stuff - they are going to make the perfect little Mormons! They are great.

Well to answer your question - I have had my first California avocado, and it was pretty amazing. The whole time that I was eating it I was thinking of Caitlin. I'm not sure that there was to much of a difference, but produce as a whole is a lot more fresh. So that's nice. I email you from our church building, here in San Ramon. Our building has a little tiny family research center, so we just use the computers here. We do our laundry in our apartment! We have our own washer and dryer - it is nice! Perks of living in San Ramon! Also, our roommates that were living here last transfer had to move because there area is Dublin, and in 9 days Dublin wont even be in our mission, so we have no roommates! Its pretty crazy. Me and good ol' Elder Cain have the whole entire apartment to ourselves! Its nice, but also sometimes sucks. I also feel bad too, because the sisters in our district have to share one shower between four of them, and I have my own! Its the first time in my life that I have my own bathroom.

Well our daily schedule is this - We wake up at 6:30 am, and go straight to the gym (well its not really a gym, but our apartment has a little exercising room - like the ones that hotels have). Then we eat breakfast, and get ready for the day. By 8:00 am we are doing our personal study, and at 9:00 am we argue - I mean study, we have companionship study. By 10:00 am we are out the door, going to appointments, and making visits. Lately we have been going to the park a lot, to talk to people. We do that all day, until 5:00 pm when we tract - knock on doors. We have to tract every day from five to seven. Its a mission rule. Then By 9:00 pm we are back at the apartment, planning for the next day, writing in our journals, and getting ready for bed. By 10:30 pm I am sleeping! Yup.

Well, I love you all so much, and hope that you have a great week! It was awesome to hear that Ben got his mission call! If you see him tell him congrats for me. He is going to make a great missionary! Also tell Isaac that I love him, and to do everything he can to prepare. Preach My Gospel is amazing! Love you all!

June 9, 2009

Yesterday was P-day and I usually don't write on P-days but it went well. We had another Zone activity. We played dodgeball and ate pizza and donuts. Yum! Later that night we had an appointment with an investigator (Ty) who asks very hard questions and is very educated on the Bible. We tried to get Bro. Remington to come with us - because he's an institute teacher, but he had FHE. But about 1/2 before our appointment, while we were tracting, we tracted into a recent RM named Chris, talked to him for a bit and ended up taking him with us to our appointment with Ty - and he was perfect for him! It was a miracle. Christ was amazing at answering Ty's questions and it was a great lesson. Then today was pretty amazing as well. We started the day off with about 5 hrs. of service. It was fun! We helped a potential investigator in the sisters' area move out of her shop in the Black Hawk Plaza. The shop's name is "Soiled Doves Bath House". Kinda weird, but it was a fancy shop. We helped her pack up her merchandise (lotion, soap, perfume, antiques)and she took us to lunch too. It was great. then tonight during our 5 to 7 tracting we had a great experience/miracle. We knocked on this lady's door and she came out and said - "Please tell me you're not going to try and sell me something". I said "oh no we are actually..." then she saw our name tags and recognized why we were there and said "Oh, no!" Then went off on us. She was yelling about how we go around harassing people about religion and how we have a monopoly on religion and all this crap. She was about to slam the door on us when E. Cain asked her another question, then she started yelling again, telling us how we need to study and learn and not just be followers and believe in the Bible like everyone else, because she thinks the Bible is a fairy tale.

April 15, 2011

Today I've been a set apart missionary for 2 years. Wow time flies. I can't believe I'll be returning home in 4 days. Things have been great! My last week so far has been one of the best! In week 1 and week 2 of this transfer we baptized Nio and Sione and after that we've really struggled to find Tongans to teach. We fasted and prayed and last week we found 5 new investigators! It's been great. I was afraid to leave the area without anyone for Elder Neiufi to teach, but the Lord has blessed us. This week I went to the temple 2 times! Once on Wed. with all the departing missionaries and once on Thurs. - we took Nio, Huhare and Jesse to do baptisms for the dead for their first time. It was a great experience, and it's always so good to be in the temple. It's hard to believe that I'm going home so soon, and the past few weeks I've just felt so grateful for the opportunity I've had to serve the Lord in the Bay Area. I have loved my mission! It is truly a miracle to see the hearts of people change as they come unto Christ. It has been a sacred privilege to serve the Lord full time for 2 years.

March 26, 2011

Things have got ridiculous with Sione Fisi'iahe. We've been teaching him the past 2 weeks and he doesn't believe what we teach. He wants to be baptized into the church, but believes that he's already been baptized for the remission of his sins. As we taught him he told us not to ask him any questions. I felt like he just wanted to get through the lessons so he could be baptized. He loves the church and the members but doesn't believe our doctrine. As we tried to teach him the spirit just wasn't there. So the whole time we were teaching him he thought he was going to be baptized on March 26th (the date the members set) but we talked and worked with President Wade very closely and he made it clear that we don't baptize anyone that doesn't believe the doctrine and have a testimony - and I agree 100%. SO anyway we knew he wasn't going to make his date and we wanted to keep teaching him and preparing him to be baptized, maybe next month or in May - whenever he humbled himself to let us teach him. But things got really messy and even the stake got involved. Members got really mad that the wasn't going to be baptized by the date that they set for him, and you wouldn't believe what they did. Two days ago they had him interviewed by San Jose mission missionaries and today he was baptized in the San Jose mission! I couldn't believe it. President Wade tried to stop it, but somehow it went through. Jesse Taufa - one of the recent converts in the ward was the one that baptized him and he told us tonight at our lesson with him that he didn't want to. He felt that Sione didn't have a testimony either. So that's that.

March 18, 2011

It is a rainy Friday afternoon and E. Neiufi is sick in bed, so I thought I'd catch up a bit with my journal. Things are going well. We have a crazy experience lately with an investigator. His name is Sione Fisi'iahe. He used to be a Pentacost minister. His friend - Folau Alus, has been fellowshipping him and bringing him to church for probably the past 6 weeks. We found out a few weeks ago that Folau and some other members began teaching him the lessons, and they even set a baptism date for him! Tongan members are amazing missionaries but sometimes they take it way too far. We asked Folau if we could teach him, but he kept telling us he would let us know when he is ready. Last week Folau and Bishop wanted to set up a baptism interview for him - without us teaching him at all! It was ridiculous. So we called President Wade. He was pretty ticked! He said "I promise you that that man will not get baptized unless you teach him", and then he said "They have as much authority to baptize as a Catholic Priest to baptize him without my authorization!" It was pretty funny. So President talked to Bishop and after that there were no problems.

March 13, 2011

We had an amazing weekend. On Sat. Nio Fale'ofa was baptized. It was cool because E. Neiufi baptized him and it was his first time ever baptizing someone. It was one of the most spiritual baptisms I've ever been to. Even though half of it was in Tongan I've never felt the spirit as strong at a baptism. It was packed too! It was right after a ward conference training so everyone just came to the baptism. Then after there was "an eating". It was a Tongan feast. Nio is awesome. He bore a powerful testimony after his baptism. Then that night, Pita Moala (our YSA ward mission leader) drove us to Concord to go to Dan Parupia's baptism. Me and E. Wickel began teaching Dan in Jan. He had been coming to church with his girlfriend - Carly Boegner for a while before we started teaching him. At FHE one night I saw Carly sitting on a couch at the institute building and I had a very strong impression to go over, introduce myself, and ask her about her friend that she had been bringing to church. I did and we talked for a while and made plans for her to introduce us to him the next Sunday. On Sunday we met him, set up a lesson, and began teaching him! The spirit is real! Dan's background is Islam so it was a big deal that he got baptized!

March 8, 2011

Well, here we go! I'm starting my last transfer of my mission. It is hard to believe. It has been a roller coaster of emotions, and I can't believe it's almost over. We got transfer calls on Saturday and me and E. Neiufi are both staying! I was really glad. E. Neiufi is a great companion and I'm glad that I'm ending my mission with him. We have a baptism coming up this weekend! Nio Fale'ofa will be baptized on March. 12th. He is solid. He has really turned his life around and is truly converted! On Sunday after gospel principles class he talked to us for a few minutes. He bore his testimony and broke down in tears. It was humbling to see a huge tough Tongan guy bear a sincere testimony. Nio is awesome and is so excited to be baptized. Today we found a new investigator. Her name is Loleta Liu. She is Vika Liu's sister-in-law! I know Vika from the Pittsburg 1st ward. I baptized Tui - Vika's niece. It was a good 1st lesson. We had some good lessons today with less active people, then taught Sione tonight at the Lata's house. It was a good day. I noticed today that I'm getting chubby again. We ate L and L Hawaiian BBQ again for dinner. Members feed us L and L probably twice a week and it's making me fat!

March 4, 2011

I can't believe how the time flies! Things continue to go well. I am sure eating a lot in the Tongan program - Tongans love to eat, and they love to make skinny white boys eat! I won't be surprised if I go home a bit chubby, but I'm really trying hard not to. There is an elementary school down the street from our apartment, and I try to go running at a little track they have there at least 2 times a week. So all is well. We taught Leti Pasi this week and there were 2 members at her house (some friends of hers from the Peninsula 1st ward) that sat in on the lesson. One of the members - Bro. Fanua was the boy in The Other Side of Heaven movie that Elder Groberg rose from the dead! He is the real deal though. He's the one that fell from the mango tree as a child and died then through the faith of his family and Elder Groberg (Kolipoki) he was brought to life! Pretty cool. But Leti is doing pretty good. She hasn't been reading the BoM very well, but she likes what she's learning. We had to push Sione Tongamoa's date back to Mar. 19th because we caught him smoking. We drove up to his house and he was sitting on the porch smoking. When he saw us he tried to hide it! We talked about it, and he is still good. We reset his date, and so far he's been clean for 1 week!

February 19, 2011

Things have been going well. This week it has been raining non-stop! Today we didn't have plans until the evening and we got a call from E. Wickel around 12:00 pm. He asked if we were doing anything at 2:30 pm because Veronica was going to the temple for the first time to do baptisms for the dead. So me and E. Neiufi took BART to Oakland and went to the temple with Veronica. It was good. I felt really bad because we were super late - BART took a little longer than we expected. But it was good. We have had a lot of good things happen lately. Our recent convert Jesse Taufa referred us to two people this week in Redwood City and we've begun teaching them - Leti Pasi and Anthony. Also last week, Meisi, a member in the YSA ward introduced us to Marta - a woman that she is a caregiver to. Marta is white, but we taught her the first lesson then passed her off to the English Elders. Marta is golden! She lives in a handicap home for people with special needs (she is in a wheelchair, but is mentally healthy) . During our lesson we needed a 3rd male, so a guy named Kerry that lives there (who is not mentally healthy) sat in. He is hilarious! We said we were going to pray, so he runs out of the room and comes back with a lit Virgin Mary candle and a stick of burning incense! It was funny. Meisi was embarrassed.

February 12, 2011

Wow, the 3 day leadership conference/training was really great. Bro. Watson is great! He's a great teacher and taught us a lot. He told us that his "proselyting area" is planet earth. He is over all proselyting for the entire church. We collect key indicators (numbers) each week and report them to President and then President reports them to him. All the training and practice that we did was centered on the Doctrine of Christ - faith, repentance, baptism, and the Holy Ghost. The pure, simple and powerful principles of the Gospel. As we've applied what we've learned we've already seen miracles. Last night we had our 2nd meeting with one of our new investigators - Nio Fale'ofa. We taught him the Doctrine of Christ and invited him to be baptized. He didn't hesitate to say yes. We set a date for March 12th. He is excited. We've really been blessed the past 3 weeks. Me and E. Neiufi have set 4 baptism dates together this transfer. Those who have dates are: Taylor Langi, Brenda Vanisi, Sione Tongamoa, and Nio. Also something me and E. Neiufi have been doing is ready Ether 12 with those we teach - mainly less actives. There have been miracles with that too! It is amazing how much power there is in the simplicity of teaching the first principle of the gospel. As we've read Ether 12 and have focused on faith in Christ we've seen spiritual growth of those we've taught.

February 9, 2011

Well things are still going pretty good. I'm still getting used to being the only white person in the ward. It's really fun being in the Tongan program. E. Neiufi is a really hard worker and he's teaching me a lot. He is even teaching me a little bit of Tongan. I can count to 10, say the name of our church, ask people what their name is, where they are from, and things like that. The Tongan members are great! They are very kind, and they know how to do missionary work. They are really good at fellowshipping investigators. We've been teaching Sione Tongamoa (the guy we found by talking to him on the street) and he already knows a lot of people in the ward (all the Tongans in the Bay Area seem to know each other). We had a great lesson with him last night, and set a baptism date for him on the 19th of March. He is great! He really wants to make changes in his life, and loves and understands the scriptures very well! So today was our first day of another 3 day leadership conference. This time Bro. Tracy Watson came to train us. He is the "Director of Proselyting" and was a primary author of Preach My Gospel.

February 1, 2011

Wow, a lot of things have happened this week! I love the Tongan program so far! All of my fears are gone. My companion - Elder Neiufi is the best. He is one of the hardest working companions that I've ever had, and he is super hilarious! His English is pretty good, but there are still a lot of things that he doesn't understand. For example, we were teaching a less active member and after reading Ether 12:4 I asked them how faith in Christ has been an "anchor" in their life. Elder Neiufi thought I said how has faith in Christ caused "anger" in your life. He was surprised and tried to tie anger into faith. He said something like "I know when we have faith it can be hard and sometimes makes us angry..." It was funny. But he is great. He is helping me learn a little bit of Tongan. Obviously I'm not going to be fluent in 3 months, but I hope to understand a bit. We've already seen miracles! Last week (my 1st week here) we found 5 new investigators! One is named Sione Tongamoa. We found him on the street and started to talk with him. He didn't seem super interested, but said we could come back. 2 days later we came back and brought Huhane - an awesome recent convert. We walked up to him (he sits on a chair on the corner of the street all night long) and the first thing he said to us was "You guys know that I'm a Methodist, I told you I already have a church".

January 25, 2011

Well, a few days ago, I got the most surprising transfer call of my mission. I thought for sure that I would get a call from President Wade on Sat. morning to release me from ZL, but the call never came. So, me and E. Wickel assumed we were staying together. So, the call came that night and I have been transferred to serve as the San Francisco East (Tongan Zone) ZL. We serve in the Peninsula 2nd and 4th wards. My comp. is E. Neiufi - from Tonga of course. So I have mixed feelings about it all. I'm excited for the new experience and a chance to learn and grow, but this is not how I expected to end my mission. It is a little frustrating being in a language program when you can't speak the language. I feel like I've finally acquired the skills to be an effective missionary and now I won't be able to use them to the fullest. But, I know that I'm here for a reason. I know I can work hard, learn, and help people come closer to God - the best I know how. Today was my first day and it was pretty good. E. Neiufi was trying to give me directions as we were driving, and he told me to make a left turn when it was illegal. I didn't see the sign either and we got pulled over and got a ticket. But we had an amazing lesson tonight with an investigator named Vickey. The spirit was there and we invited her to be baptized and she said yes!

January 18, 2011

This transfer has definitely been unique. We switched wards with our roommates - so last transfer (when we were in CV1) we heard all about Concord 2nd ward's investigator's from our roommates. Then this transfer we switched so we are teaching our roommates former investigators and they are teaching ours. We also meet in the same church building so we see people we know from our old ward all the time! So last transfer we always heard of an investigator named Doug Adams that our roommates taught. He always had really odd questions that didn't seem very sincere. Now this transfer we've taught him a few times, and tonight was an intense lesson. Doug is a high school Bible teacher and "loves to bash in a nice way". He doesn't believe that you can receive answers from God by feelings. He reads anti material and asks us the strangest questions. We are not clear what his motive are. We've always taught the basics - praying to know the truth and receiving an answer through the BoM. Tonight he told us that he believes the BoM is inspired by the devil. We ask "Why do you want to meet with us then?!" He said because he likes to hear about our beliefs. We told him that our calling and purpose is to baptize and teach those who have that desire.

January 17, 2011

So we had quite the rough week - all of our appointment seemed to fall through! ON Sat. last week, we had exchanges with the Danville Elders and E. Kershisnik came into my area. It was a frustrating exchange. All of our lessons cancelled! But all is well. The week ended with Veronica's baptism! It was great. We taught her for exactly 1 month. She is super prepared. Her and Alexa have become really good friends! Alexa said the closing prayer at Veronica's baptism. That alone was a miracle! Before we met Alexa (less than 2 months ago) she didn't even know how to pray! She wasn't even afraid to pray in front of 50 people! So it was great. Chris Vanhooven, aka Papas Fritas (Brianna Vanhooven's dad, but since Veronica now lives with the Vanhooven's she calls him dad) baptized her and a member of the ward - Giancarlo Santacruz confirmed her. Bro Weller - the Walnut Creek stake high counselor over missionary work, came to the baptism, then afterwards took us out to dinner. It was a good night. Now that Alexa and Veronica got baptized, our teaching pool has been a little dry. But yesterday at church, a member introduced us to her non member boyfriend who is interested in learning more! We have aa lesson with him later tonight.

January 8, 2011

Today was a great day. We started off with a lesson at 10:00 am with a family that we accidentally found! E. Wickel and E. Campbell tried to contact a former investigator on exchanges earlier this week - but he moved. Instead of talking to the former investigator they talked to Sylvia Santamaria. They set an appointment and this morning was our 1st lesson. It went really well. After our lesson with her we drove up to Lafayette to teach Veronica. She is doing so good! She has amazing faith. Her family has kicked her out of her house, cut off all financial aid, and told her not to talk to them. So she is living at the Vanhooven's full time. She is so excited to be baptized. At our lesson we talked about blessings of keeping the commandments. It was great because Alexa McCracken came to help us teach. Alexa and Veronica are 2 of the biggest miracles I've seen on my mission. They are really helping each other along, and supporting each other as they both learn. It was a great lesson. So things are going good. Last week we had our New Years Eve Party as a zone. President chose 5 movies and we voted on 2 to watch that night. Our zone watched Toy Story 3, and How to Train Your Dragon. It was a fun night.

December 30, 2010

Yesterday was Alexa McCracken's baptism! It was a great baptism service. I had the opportunity to be the one to baptize her. It was a neat experience. It has been awesome to teacher her. It was a neat experience. It has been awesome to teach Alexa and to watch her change and grow in just a months time! It was neat to see the Lord work through Alexa's friend Brooke (who is currently on her mission in Germany) as she invited her to come to church with her. By that small and simple invitation came a miracle! Alexa is one of the most prepared investigators that I have ever taught!

Veronica (our other super amazingly prepared investigator) came to the baptism. (Veronica is going to be baptized on Jan 15) Veronica's friend (Brianna Vanhooven) who introduced her to the church is leaving for school in 3 days, but at the baptism last night, Veronica and Alexa really seemed to hit it off, and looks like they'll be great friends. They are both miracles! The first time we ever taught Veronica was on December 15th and she's scheduled for baptism on January 15th!