My loved ones :) how are you? Thank you for all of the emails this week and the letters! Glorious.
So this week. Numbers wise it was the worst week of my mission, but who cares about that. Haha right now we are just throwin the numbers out the window and building a branch!! It was a really tough week though. It was Pow Wow weekend, so everyone on the Rez was in party mode so we didn't get to teach much. A pow wow is just when they all get together and dress have food vendors and other venders and then they have drummers and they dance for like a whole weekend straight. It was pretty sweet. WE spent some time at the Pow Wow trying to get to know people and be a part of their culture. We found this one guy from Bellingham that is a member and his wife had just gotten baptized a week ago,Brother and Sister Red Elk, so they came to church with us on Sunday!
On the first night of the Pow Wow we went and watched the grand entry, where everyone that has come to dance gets in their sick native costumes and the beat the drums real loud and they all dance in together in a line. Elder Lynch and I watched this and I was just pondering on how we were going to help these people live the gospel. The Spirit hit me super hard. One of the strongest feelings from the Spirit I have ever felt in my life. It was a feeling of love. It was one of those moments where I didnt care about anything in the entire world but these people, but each individual that I looked at. I longed for them to be with me for eternity. I will never forget how I felt right then. After the grand entry was over, I turned to Elder Lynch and told him how I felt. He expressed to me that he had felt the exact same way. It was a witness to both of us that we were exactly where the Lord wanted us to be right then and right now. I truly do love these people, and I will do anything to help them!
Big big week!!! First meeting this Sunday! I am stoked out of my mind. I honestly have no idea what to expect as far as the number of people that will be there or how the meeting will actually go, but I do know that this is the start of something great and glorious!! Gosh I just love it.
Slim Moment:
-We have to help pass the sacrament in our ward because there are not enough deacons. It was Elder Lynch's first week. He messed everyone up and ended up passing the sacrament to only 2 people. Hahaha and even at one point he was literally holding one of the pieces of bread trying to give it to someone. Funniest thing ever.
-We were playing basketball with the kids and Marshall didnt want to play at first, but then later in the game he wanted to, so I got really excited and gave him a slight head-butt, He just started bawling. We made amends though. He still loves me, but all the kids got mad at me for a second haha.
-We were at the Pow Wow, and all of these teenagers came up to us, one of them was hitting on us, one of them wanted to show us a preview for the lastest horror film, two of them were gay, and they just were asking us the most ridiculous questions about demons, and drugs, and homosexuality, and other weird things. So after about five minutes I straight up just walked away and talked to someone else and let Elder Lynch handle it. Haha his answer to most questions were "God loves you." He was a little upset that I left him hanging but he got over it. Good memories. :)
I always forget what crazy things I want to tell you all about, so I will try and do a better job at remembering!
Just wanted to let you know that Elder Lynch is a stud! I love him so much. He grew up on the Navajo Reservation in Arizona, he doesn't mind at all that it is hard work. We laugh a lot, we smile a lot, and he loves the gospel and this work! I love him!
So it was also my first week as a district leader! I am grateful for the chance to serve in the position and I have been loving it! My district is super sweet. I have the Olympic Branch Elders (the Asssistants to the President), Elder Chandler and Elder Mckendrick (I love him so much, my trainer and my best friend), the Green River Elders, Elder Myers and Elder Rogers, and the Auburn Sisters, Sister Dingess Sister Alder and Sister Creager (yes the Sister Creager that I went to high school with! haha crazy!) We have a great district and we are going to do many great things this transfer to continue to build Zion!!
Other advances on the reservation: Sister Rodarte, a lady that has lived on the reservation and served as a stake mission on the rez before, just got called again as a stake missionary and was assigned a companion! So we will be serving with them as well! Also, one of the High Councilors in the Maple Valley Stake just got assigned to work just on the "Muckleshoot Initiative" (i like to call it that sometimes). So many great things are happening here!!! Super excited :)
I just want to leave you all this week with part of my testimony. I know I know I know without any doubt in the world that we have a Father in Heaven who LOVES us. He loves us!!! How can we rejoice enough over just that knowledge alone!! It is so sad to me that almost all of these people live their lives without and realization that God loves them. That is the basic thing that I hope to help everyone on the reservation come to know, that God LOVES them so much. But at the same time, I also know that it isn't enough just for God to love us, that alone cannot make us happy. WE MUST LOVE GOD MORE THAN ANYTHING ELSE. We must all really search and ponder the questions, "How much do I love Heavenly Father?" "How much do I love the Savior?" or maybe the question is "How have I loved Heavenly Father and the Savior in the past?" "How can I love them more?" and the final question "Do I love God more than anything else?" I want you to know that I love my Heavenly Father, and I love my Savior, and I am striving every day to show them that I love them through obedience and sacrifice. I love this work! I love these people! I testify that Jesus is the Christ, that our loving Heavenly Father sent Him as part of the glorious Plan of Happiness. I know that Joseph Smith was a prophet of God and that the Book of Mormon is true. I know that families can be together forever through the gospel of Jesus Christ. These are the things that MATTER! I love you all so much!!!
Elder Cook
ps so the mission rules changed as far as music goes. If we have any good church artist cds could you please burn them and send them to me!! It would be much appreciated. It doesn't have to be just hymns, but music that uplifts, and inspires, and brings the Spirit! Thank you so much! (the Tibute to Joseph Smith cd is one example of one I would like and any others like it would be glorious)
Elder Cook and Elder Lynch
No comments:
Post a Comment