This has been a really good first week of the transfer. I love my companion. Quick correction from last week though, so he was born in Australia but his parents are both Portuguese. He is the district leader and is an amazing missionary. The area is good as well. There is a university close by so that means that there are heaps of people from other countries that go there, mainly Asian countries. This area also has heaps of people from India and the Middle East. This is good because they are generally more open than the typical Aussie. Our teaching pool is not massive but bigger than my last area and it is growing. The ward has massive boundaries which is different from other areas I have been in, but our area is not too big. We have a car which is nice. The flat does not have aircon which is a little annoying, but we make do. I just hope it does not get around 44C again. I am really excited about this area. There is a cool ysa age guy from Hong Kong that we are teaching. He has come to church for 4 weeks and would have come yesterday, but some members had a miscommunication and did not pick him up. He wants to be baptized, but he is a little scared about the commitment and enduring to the end. We are hoping to set a baptism date for the 22 Feb. He is going to pray about it this week before we see him on Thursday. We had a cool experience on Sunday. Sunday morning before church we felt impressed to visit some formers that were about a 30 minute bike ride away. Normally we would just wait until we were in that area but we went anyway and they were home and invited us in. We were able to teach them quickly and then sprint back to our house to grab the car and go to church. I am really excited for this transfer.
Love,Wednesday, January 29, 2014
January 13, 2014
It has been super hot this last week. I think it was up to 44C which I think is over 110F. Too hot really. I think I know what Hell might feel like. We were biking to an appointment and I thought I was going to get burned. Not a normal sunburn from the UV, but a burn from the heat. Lets just say we have been drinking heaps of water the last couple of days, and I am glad our flat has aircon, because some missionary flats do not. A flat in our district does not, just fans, and they said it was 42C in their flat. I felt really bad for them.
Besides that the week has been alright. We had some appointments but all of them fell through. My companion kept getting flat tyres, and always when we are really far from the flat. It is annoying that there is not a place to get new tubes or patches in our area, so it makes it really hard to fix.
I am being transferred to Shelley. It is in Jandakot ward and Rockingham zone and stake but is really close to where I am now. My new companion is originally from Portugal but has lived in Australia most of his life. I have met him a couple of times and he is really cool, and everyone that has served with him really enjoys it so I am excited for my new area and new companion.
Love,
Elder Cook
January 6, 2014
This week has been better. It was a little hard with it being around new years, but overall not too bad. We were able to find two new investigators. One was a referral from a recent convert we got two weeks ago. Two weeks ago we taught her brother and niece, and this week she was there when we taught. It was a good lesson. Not quite as good as the first one but we taught the Plan of Salvation and they accepted it. They are willing to believe what we are teaching, but we just need to help them act on it. There was good news also because their cousin lives with them and he stole one of their copies of the Book of Mormon and has been reading it. Hopefully we will be able to catch up with him and teach him about it. So from one referral we have gotten three investigators and have another potential investigator. Besides that the week has been filled with trying to catch people This week will probably be the same, trying to see all of our investigators we have found the last couple of weeks, and we will hopefully find some more investigators. This is the last week of the transfer so next week I will tell you if I am staying or where I will be going to.
Love,December 30, 2013
This week was slow because everyone is still in holiday mode, but this week should be better. It was really good to see everyone at Christmas. I have to say this was one of the weirdest Christmas' because it really did not feel like Christmas. It was the same last year except on Christmas Eve it felt like Christmas, but this year it kind of feels like Christmas never came. Oh well it is good to know that next year I will be home for Christmas. This has been a great year for myself and our mission. Last year our mission had 180 baptisms, A high water mark. At the beginning of the year I began to think that we would fall short of that but after we read the Book of Mormon as a mission our numbers have been continuing increasing and we were able to have 195 baptisms, and had 30 this last month which is also a high water mark. The way the mission is going now we should be able to have 300 baptisms next year. The Lord is truly hastening his work. It has also been a good year for me. The highlight was being able to play a part in the baptism of Louise and her family, something I will never forget. I also was able to live in such a remote but amazing place like Karratha. I have also been able to strengthen my testimony and knowledge of the Gospel and grow closer to my Father in Heaven, and Jesus Christ. It truly has been a great year and I am excited for this upcoming year to continue preaching the Gospel, and returning home to my family and going to BYU. I really can't wait to see what the Lord has in store for me this upcoming year.
Love,
Elder Cook
December 23, 2013
This was such a good week. While last week we struggled, we made up for it this week. We had a district blitz on Tuesday and found 3 new investigators. Then on Thursday a recent convert gave us a referral so we went by on Thursday. The lady was not home, but we taught the brother and her niece. The spirit was so strong, I have not taught a lesson like that for a while. Then that evening we found another investigator so that makes 6 for the week. I do not know the last time I have found that many in a week, a long time if ever. This should have been one of the hardest weeks for finding yet somehow we were able to find so many people. And we have some potentials that we should be able to start teaching in the next couple of weeks. So it has been a great week, and this week will be great as well since it is Christmas. Can't wait to see you on Wednesday!
Love,December 16, 2013
This was a better week for us although it has been crazy hot the last couple of days. Yesterday we were finally able to catch a part member family. The dad is less active and the mom is not a member but is keen to get baptized. Their main hold up is they need to get married. But it was good to finally see them and we have an appointment with her on Saturday. It is hard to teach both of them because he works fly in and fly out in the mines, one week on, one week off. Also a recent convert gave us a referral on Saturday. The lady was an investigator but when we got into the area told us that she was not interested. But now I guess that she is interested and we will see her this week. We also found an lady who is a member but has not been to church in a while. We were talking to her and she remembered as a kid having the missionaries around and the good memories that she has from it. She said we can come around and teach her kids which will be really good. So the work is picking up a little which is really good. Hopefully this week will also be better and we will be able to stay busy before Christmas.
love,
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