2014-10-6 I know Pres. Monson is a true prophet

So this week started out not very good and I wanted to cry...a lot. I was just super stressed and frustrated.

And then to make it better, my district leader called and told me that i had the grand opportunity to give a 15 minute talk in the zone conference. On.....humility. DEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEATH!!!
I am like the most prideful person ever!!!! I asked my DL if this was a punishment. He just laughed. So....I'm counting that as a yes. ja ja ja... So I got to planch  Hahaha...I started out saying "well...I usually use this scripture to planch other people...but this time it's planching me." It was a dumb...opening...but the Mexicans laughed :) They always laugh at me...so that's fun. Anywho...it went well.  I'm trying to be a lot more humble because looks like we have to be humble to live with God again...so yeah...gonna start working on that.

Okay...but now lets talk about...PABLO!!!!
Pablo. He came to church the last Sunday. Check. But I wasn't getting the vibe that he was super interested... But we gave him the pamphlet for the plan of salvation and he told us he would read it.
Monday comes around. "Did you read the folleto?" ....siiii....(not very sure sounding) are you sure? si
And it came to pass that he did actually read ALL OF IT and even better...he UNDERSTOOD...ALL OF IT!!! Me, being super dorky, started laughing when he explained to us all of the plan of salvation with the kingdoms of glory and everything. I just couldn't believe it. It was so fantastic. It was a super spiritual lesson. Pretty sure he almost cried. It was really great. I asked him if he believed what we were teaching him was true...if he thought the plan of salvation was true. He said yes!!! BUUUUT...when we brought up his baptismal date...he just shook his head no. He wants more time...but ...you don't NEED more time. He said he would pray.

Wednesday. He calls us and tells us he has time for us to visit him in the night. Hna. Perez...sister training leader (and we always joke that Pres. Munive talks to her before he makes a decision...she is super intense and amazing) told me she wanted to come to our lesson with us....uuuhhhh...okay. So yeah. She gave a SUPER great lesson and he almost cried again. Promised he would  pray.

Friday. He was there with a bunch of friends....dang it. But he came out and we started chatting and he mentioned that he couldn't sleep the night before and he read ALL of the principios del evangelio---or the principles of the gospel book. ALL OF IT!!! WWHHAAATTT??? Seriously...who does that? Pablo. And he understands all of it too. It's so crazy. I couldn't believe it. He is just so great. Now we just need him to read the Book of Mormon like that...:) Talked a bit about General Conference. He told us he probably couldn't come to the first session on Saturday...but the 2nd si.

Saturday. Pres.Uchtdorf is talking and his talk was AMAZING!!! Exactly what Pablo needed to hear...But where the heck is Pablo when you need him!?!
Oh wait...he's just in the back of the chapel!! We didn't know he had come!! But he did! And he really liked it. Bless his heart!

Session 2.
Told us he had a lot of his questions answered...but wouldn't tell us exactly what...Sneaky boy. OH...but amazing long story short...He was talking to us after the 2nd session and he told us he had a story to tell us. Pues, adelante! "what do you call it when people in your church go up and say things they know are true?" "testimony?" "a si...well I have a testimony of prayer"
He went on to tell us that in the morning his stomach had felt super duper bad, he had  a ton of homework and he didn't want to come...but he decided to say a prayer and ask God to help him feel better so he could go. He said his stomach still hurt after but he decided to come anyway. BUT...once he got home from the first session, he said his stomach no longer hurt and he said he finished all of his homework! So he thought that was super cool.
Cloud nine, cloud nine!!! My investigator is starting to build his testimony!!!! So so beautiful!!! Wanted to cry!!!

Sunday Morning. Pablo came again!!! Had more questions answered!! Gracias gracias gracias wonderful wonderful speakers!!! ALL of those talks were so so so so perfect!!

Sadly...Satan worked his power. During the 2 hour break there was a HUGE HUGE rain storm. SO MUCH RAIN!!! So there was hardly anyone there for the 2nd session. The power even went out when we were watching it :( But we talked to Pablo later that night and he said he would listen to them... :) We told him to listen to Elder Bednar!!!! Elder Bednar is a BOSS!!! So grateful for his inspiring talk!!

Raining during conference. Muy fuerte (very strong)...power went out for 2 talks :(

So how does one cross the street when there is water as far as the days are long???

 Well that is a very funny story... :)

Anywho...My spirits were SO much higher after this wonderful weekend. I felt so so so so happy and grateful for our wonderful prophet!! OH...my heart almost leaped out of my chest when he got up to speak. I know that he is a true prophet and I know that all the leaders of our church are chosen by God!!! This church is so true. I love it!!!

Thanks mom for Pres. Monson’s quote (Physically walking where Jesus walked is less important than walking AS He walked)  wow...so sometimes I think I know what people are saying in Spanish...but then when I read things like that...I realize I really didn't!! hahahah LOVE IT!!! thanks for sending it!!!

Well anywho...there’s my weekend. And this is probably my last week in Centro B :( I am so so so so sad to leave. I won't be able to see Pablo be baptized :( But I’m so grateful for the opportunity I've had to see him grow!! Such a blessing!!!)

Anywho...love you all!!
Stay true, obey and read your scriptures!!!

Love forever and always,
Hermana Cook

2014-9-29 FELLOWSHIP of the Saints

Hola hola!!! How do you do??  Hopefully very well :)

Um...this week had some great stuff.
Buuuuut...I don't have time for all of it...so solo my favorite parts.

Miguel. Funny story.( Well...not laugh out loud funny...but interesting funny).
So a couple of weeks ago, an hermana in our ward wanted to do a "day as a missionary" where she studies with us, comes to our citas, etc etc. So it was all good and fun...but as we were walking, she randomly pointed at a random guy who was working on his patio and was like "go contact that guy" and I was thinking to myself...no gracias. He had long hair, he looked kinda creepy, not interested and he was working...so yeah. Not my cup of...hot chocolate. But since we're supposed to be examples and what not...I thought it was probably a good idea. So yeah. I was like "hola! Comò està? Podemos regalarle un folleto?" Or...hi, how’s it going, can we give you a pamphlet? He said yes. We chatted for a bit, told me he had a lot of respect for me because I couldn't speak Spanish very well but was here and trying...um...thanks...I guess. hahah lol. Super nice but he told us he was Catholic buuuuut said we could come by another day. OK super...we're definitely visiting you later.

We tried visiting him again the next week, but yeah. No està...so we left him a pass along card that said we were sad we missed him but another day! Not likely.

Buuuuut...one day this week we were walking past his house and I was like...Miguel lives here, yeah? SI! So we walked up to his open door..he was sitting on the couch with his mama. Before we could even say anything, he jumped off the couch and ran into another room. REJECTION!
We were just laughing to ourselves, getting ready to leave when he walks back out! We start talking to him and he told us he had time to talk. So we talked...and talked and talked and yeah. He's actually super interested and told us a lot about how he's been wanting to change and knows he needs Christ but doesn't feel like the Catholics have what he needs. Oh really?? How strange...Well we got something that's called a Restoration...of todas las cosas!!!!

So yeah...once again...I've learned not to judge a book by its cover. And it's all because Julia dared us to contact him. Miracles of miracles.

Okay...for the other story...PABLO!!
So I think I’ve mentioned Pablo before...so we're going to talk more about him.
He's actually an investigator that we bummed into 3 times over 2 months before we actually got his address and contacted him. So yeah...I think God thinks he's pretty special.
Anywho...we decided to do a tour of the capilla with him. He's assisted the capilla 2 times..but we were never able to talk about the pictures and the significance of all of it...so we did that on Saturday. It went really well. We were talking about the image of Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane and talked about his suffering for our sins, sickness, weaknesses, and todo todo todo. So then I asked him what his feeling were. He just stood there for a second and then said.."well, I can't say that I’m happy that he died for me, but I can't say that I’m sad either because I need to repent...I think the only word is grateful. Just really really grateful." Asi es!!!! It was lovely to hear him say that. Oh so lovely.

After the tour, we had to go to our lunch appointment with the other hermanas in our ward. So we were all there with Pablo trying to figure out how to get to the house where we were going to eat. We had no idea what bus to take and where to take it...so Pablo volunteered to search it with us...uummm...okay why not. Long story short...once we got to the house, we were all thanking him for his help and saying goodbye, when Hno. Herrera walks out. Pablo walks up to him and they just start chatting away. I TOTALLY had forgotten that they were friends! So Hno. H invites Pablo to eat with us. So he did. Lunch with my investigator. Why not?

After lunch, the Hno was dropping us off and then he asked Pablo if we wanted to go with him to an activity for the youth (the young mens were going biking...or something) so he said yes! and they went off on their merry ways.
But yeah. It just is a really good day when your investigator has friends!! I think that's how moms feel when their children go to school. They are all hoping that the other kids will befriend their precious children.  So we were definitely super grateful!!

And so yeah. I have a huge testimony of friendshipping!!! It is SO important!!! Before my mission, I was always always so afraid to go up to people I didn't know and talk with them or sit with them. I'm just super awkward and didn't want others to know it. Well I am still super awkward, but it's fine because it's soooooo much more important that everyone feels loved and welcome!! So please please please please please always include everyone everyone everyone!!! We are ALL children of God. We are super precious to him. He wants us all to have friends.

I love this scripture in the Book of Mormon...Helaman 6:3...
3 Nevertheless, the people of the church did have great joy because of the conversion of the Lamanites, yea, because of the church of God, which had been established among them. And they did fellowship one with another, and did rejoice one with another,and did have great joy.
Let us follow the example of the Nephites, who fellowshipped the Lamanites. The Lamanites that were very different from them...who were their enemies from time to time. And when they fellowshipped, they did rejoice and did have great joy!!!
I know that same blessing, that same joy and happiness is for all those who fellowship those who need our love!!! Let us form the fellowship of the one true God :)

Love you all!!!
Have a great great great great week!!!

Hna.Cook

2014-9-22 Why I love being a missionary...

Hola hola hola!!!!! How are you all doing??? Did you know that I love all of you so much. A lot :)
And did you know that I love being a missionary too?? It's true, no? (si...claro que si)

Good news to report!!!JOEL GOT BAPTIZED!!!!!!!!! It was.... so great.  The morning was a tad bit stressful...but todo bien :) At times we thought that we would have to go to different chapel to have the baptism because the font was having problems...but with some magic (the stake president who is a mechanical engineer) it worked!!!
OH...and the joke that I and Hna. Martinez had was ¿how many missionaries does it take to clean a font? Just 2 sister missionaries!!! It was a joke because 4 of the elders came to "help us" clean...but they just watched and told us when we missed a spot. Frittos!

Anywho...it was so great. And he was so happy!! He and his brother have both changed so much!! It's amazing what the Gospel can do! They both have had a crazy life...crazy family...we had to get the permission of his aunt who is their guardian. When I thanked her for signing the paper and coming to the baptism, she just thanked us. They are so different! And they are happy. It's so great. Love those brothers!

Other great news...Tayde, one of our less actives that we've been working with, came to church for the 5th time...so now he's an active member!!! But the best part is that he brought his wife!!!!!!!!!!!
I almost started crying when they walked in!! We have been trying to get her to come but she works on Sunday and couldn't. I don't know what changes happened, but they both came and stayed for the full 3 hours. Miracles of miracles!!

Other time this week...Our ward had a Noche Mexicana. Super cool. Super Mexican :) LOVE IT!!!
Well we were trying so hard to get one of our investigators, Pablo, to come. But his phone is broken, and he is never EVER home when we pass for him. So yeah. He now has a whole collection of pass a long cards with notes from us...hahaha. Anyway, just as we were about to leave the party (because my poor baby is sick...) a girl in our ward texted us and told us Pablo was there!!!!!!!!!!! I started freaking out!!!! I was jumping up and down and acting like a child on Christmas...and my poor companion just stood there trying not to faint from not feeling good...but yeah..she would have been super excited if she didn't feel like wanting to die. So yeah...that was another reason for loving being a missionary.

Other things....I love the people I have met here. So so so so so fantastic. I've only been here for 9 months...and yeah. Good luck trying to get be back home ;) hahaha

Well gots to go!!!  I love you so much and I just want all of you to be happy and share this gospel with ERABODY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It'll make you feel so happy. And then it will make our Padre Celestial feel happy...and then you'll just feel more happy :)
oh...and here is a quick quote that is the bomb...
"The more we obey God, the more we desire to help others. The more we help others, the more we love God and on and on. Conversely, the more we disobey God and the more selfish we are, the less love we feel." --John Groberg
Así es.

Tenga buena semana!!!

2014-9-15 Lessons of regret and comparison

Dia como misionera! Julia is thinking about serving a mission (25 yrs) so we invited her to come with us and try it out!! She is amazing!!!!! She'll make a great great missionary if she does go!

My new zone! Presidente created a new zone! Los Mochis Centro!!

Lili wanted to do my hair!! Bless her heart...I look like a ragamuffin era day. She is super sweet and very shy. But she recently just told us she wants to be baptized and I can already see the differences in her life! She, for the first time, volunteered to say the prayer! It was so magical! Love her!!!

Cómo es posible que yo casi tengo 9 meses????????
Crazy crazy crazy!!! I don't actually believe it. So yeah. Don't believe it either ;)

Today we are getting hit by part of hurricane...Hurricane Odile. But it's not very bad. Just a lot lot lot lot of rain :) And for the first time it's actually a little bit cool. Just a little. It is oh so lovely!!! Luckily we have a super secure house...but we're just praying so hard or the people that don't. Some of the houses here are pretty sketchy and sad :(

Anywho....bien rapido...

BAPTISMO THIS WEEK!!!!!! 20 DE SEPTIEMBRE!!!
Why did I never mention this before...Well it's because Joel, the joven...youth...was very wishy washy for a while. We would put a day and he would accept and then un-accept and yeah. It just got tiring. But this time it is for reals for reals. He is SOOOOOOOOOOOO excited. It is sooooooo cute!!! His brother (Octavio who was baptized hace 3...4..months ago) wants to baptize him, but he doesn't turn 16 until the next day. We tried to convince Joel to wait one more week but he wouldn't. He just wants to be baptized so bad!!! It's so cute his excitement. Love him

Other things...Learned a lesson yesterday. One of regret and comparison. 
So once upon a time, the standard for lessons taught in a week is 40-60. I have never ever gotten close to that. So I always feel a little bit frustrated with myself and my work. I try so hard and never come close...therefore I feel very inadequate mucho. I always feel like others are so much better than me and I get disappointed in myself.
Well this week we had 2 days where we didn't teach very many people because they weren't in their houses, didn't want us to teach them, etc. I felt a little sad by this which also made my companion a little sad. The apple doesn't fall very far from the tree...lol.
Sunday night comes around, we're planning and we get a call from the zone leaders.
Planching time. They ask us how we're doing...I’m thinking they're trying to figure out why our numbers are always low...and then to my surprise, they wish us a "felizetardes." They called to inform us that we had the most lessons with a member present than anyone in the zone!
Say wwwhhhaaaaaaaaaaaat? And we were only 2 lessons short of having the most lessons taught in the week. What what what??
So yes, I felt a lot better...but I also felt bad that I had stressed out so bad and made my companion stress too!! So moral of the story...just do your best. That's what He cares about. He wants my best. Not my best compared to so-n-so and what's her face...just my best. So yeah...Lesson learned. Still working on putting it into practice :)

Anywho. I love you all so much!!  Share your testimony with someone!! It'll only get bigger :)

Love,
Hermana Cook

2014-9-8 Agents or Objects

Once again it's Monday...time to write...and I can't remember a thing that happened in the week past. uuummm... ouch. My brain hurts from thinking so hard!!!

Okay...not really. But sort of. Well...I was actually really frustrated this week.
With everything. I know that frustration is bad. "Frustration leads to hate and hate leads to anger and anger leads to the dark side" (Star Wars)...and we all know that darkness is not light...and Jesus is light...so yeah. No bueno.

Reasons for frustration...
-José dropped us :'( It's a really long story. But yeah. It was super sad. I've shed a lot of tears for that man. )
-People. AAAHH!!!! I understand 2 Nephi 33:1 a whole lot better now.. "...for when a man speaketh by the power of the Holy Ghost the power of the Holy Ghost carrieth it unto the hearts of the children of men."
Unto. Not into. We taught so many lessons this week where the spirit was bien fuerte!! Yeah. One visit this week I was bearing my testimony of the Book of Mormon and BAM! The waters of Mormon...on my face!! But yeah...we were rejected. And then this other lady accepted a fecha and everything. She loves what we are teaching and agrees with all of it. But when it comes to switching religions...yeah. They don't like to talk about that very much. At all.  People...aaahhhh!!!!
-My stomach. It's starting to hate me in the morning.

Anywho. I was super frustrated this week.  And it was my least productive week.
Coincidence!?!? I think not.
Well long story short. 2 Nephi 2:13-14 helped me a lot. And so did this talk by Elder Bednar "And nothing shall offend them."
Here's a snippit that is fantastic...
In the grand division of all of God’s creations, there are things to act and things to be acted upon (see 2 Nephi 2:1314). As sons and daughters ofour Heavenly Father, we have been blessed with the gift of moral agency,the capacity for independent action and choice. Endowed with agency,you and I are agents, and we primarily are to act and not just be acted upon. To believe that someone or something can make us feel offended,angry, hurt, or bitter diminishes our moral agency and transforms us intoobjects to be acted upon. As agents, however, you and I have the powerto act and to choose how we will respond to an offensive or hurtful situation.

So yeah. Was it wrong of me to have such a bad attitude this week?
Absolutely yes! I feel really bad about it now...but poco a poco I'm learning. Muuuuuy poco...but a little is better than nothing. "Baby steps" (What about Bob...or Mosiah 4:27..I've heard it both ways).

Well I gotta go :(  But God be with you until we meet again...or until I can write you next week :)

Love you so much!!! Ferever en ever (to be said with a hick accent)

Hna.Cook

2014-9-1 EVERY saint has a past, every sinner has a future

And it came to pass...
we had cambios...(or transfers as they call it in the English ;)
And....still here in Centro  B!! Yeah yeah yeah.
Buuuuut...we added a new area to the ward...entonces...Centro A, B (mine) and new Centro C...which means...change of areas...which means...not all of my investigadores are in my area...for example...Jose!

hahaha but we'll see what happens. Jose came to church on Sunday with one of his daughters!
I thought it was all good and fine...but making one long complicated story short....
...one of the members knows something about Jose's past...and well...this member...who had good intentions...told a lot of other members and pretty much all the members know about past problems and...yeah. I think Jose felt less welcomed :(
It's actually really heart breaking. I know the atonement is so real. So so real. I know how it feels to change and feel free. But it's hard enough to forget about past problems when only you know about it...but even harder when everyone knows about it. I´m still praying and hoping that Jose will be able to change and heal. If not with me, with other missionaries. No matter what our pasts, Christ suffered for all.
Every saint has a past, and every sinner has a future. 
But only through Jesus Christ and his Atonement.

And...
“ …We are full of selfishness; the devil flatters us that we are very righteous, when we are feeding on the faults of others. ...If you would have God have mercy on you, have mercy on one another."

None of us are perfect. But as we come unto Christ, we are perfected in him (Moroni 10:32-33).

Come unto Christ. And help others as Christ did. 
And then we are happy :)  And the others we help are happy too :)

Love you all so much!!!
What would Jesus do???

Love
Hna.Cook

2014-8-25 I FOUND A GOLDEN TICKET

I found a golden ticket.....except the ticket is actually an investigator and he has a name. 
Jose Cardenas. :)
Once upon a time..a long time (2 months) ago in a galaxy (se llama Mexico) far far away...
my companion (Hna.Lopez) and I were walking. It was super duper hot outside.
There was this man sitting outside his house under the shade. I wanted to be under some shade...
"HOLA!" And so it began.  This nice man named Jose Garringo Cardenas gave us some water, told us about his family and we told him about the Gospel of Jesus Christ. He told us we could come back. We did come back. Many many many times. He was never ever home. And so we stopped visiting. Well once upon another time less than one week ago...my companion and I had a lesson with a potential investiagtor. Our investigator told her son to tell us she wasn't home....and so yeah..that stinks. BUUUT...this almost investigador lived close to Jose...Jose who is never home.
But what the heck...let's go and see anyway. And what are the odds that this trap door would lead us here!!! Jose was there!!! And still as golden as ever!!!  Gave him a baptismal date. He was so excited! He wrote it down on the pamphlet and asked us what hour!! It was amazing. Blessed day!! Blessed Glorious Day!!

Saturday came and we decided to fast for a miracle.

Sunday came. And it came with lots and lots and lots of rain. We were waiting in the church for our dear Jose and no show :( Texted us and told us he was stuck in the rain. NNNOOOOOOOOOO!!!
But we knew that the Lord has a plan for everything.  So we sat through sacrament meeting with heavy hearts. We're sitting in gospel principles and the door opens. Oh...just Hno. Cruz...but who is behind him...JOSE!!!!  Jose told us he rode his bike in the rain so he could come to church.
Uuuummm. CHRISTMAS MIRACLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! just not in Christmas...but no importa!

So keeping it short...He is just amazing!!! Like...my comp and I are actually wondering if he is an actor playing a member...because he is soooooo unreal. He's seriously like an MTC investigator... except better!!
He basically quoted Galations 5:22-23 when he told us how he felt after all the meetings
. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering,gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance..."  It was loco. So yeah...Um...

Thank you so much for whoever is praying and fasting for me!!
Jose is the best...and pretty sure his family will be great too!!
Love this work!!! Even more when people want to come and feel!!! Feel the love of God and the miracle of the atonement!!

So great. So blessed. Love this blessed work!

Love you all!!!! So much!!!
Hna.Cook