5-25-2015

I can't really say anything amazing happened. 

We are planning to move up The Lord's only sure baptismal date in our area.

my companion and I are having a hard time still with the OYM plan. we get like 

3 conversations, and then I get frustrated, so the next day we have like 25. then the next day it goes back to like 2. so I get frustrated again, and we have like 17. (and I'm still not satisfied.)

the only real eventful events, are that 

First: Elder Anota's trainer came to San Fernando this week, because his trainer is going home, and had to attend the career work shop, so he hung out with us this morning.

Second: Chowking now makes this happy panda dessert which looks like a panda and is filled with chocolate fudge. super good!

Third: I volunteered to give district meeting, and I was given a giant white board which I used to help me teach. I have been studying the most basic principles of the gospel to make sure my foundation is really as sure as I want it to be :D 

We have discovered that 1 out of every 30 people we teach has no clue that God has a Body, which is why, I think, no one keeps any commitments, 

I can't quote exactly, but President Eyring said something along the lines of "an understanding of Jesus Christ is the foundation of all commitment" I have the exact quote at home on my desk. I will get it for you next week. BASTA

SO I taught our district the 6 things EVERYONE needs to know about Father, because you can't have a correct understanding of faith, until you under stand what your faith rests on.

as His children, we can't understand who WE are until we understand who He is!

1. He has a perfected body separate for Christ. Their plan is for us to become perfected like Him. Moses 1:39

2. He are essentially good. Ether 12:27

3. He is unchanging. He can't say "oh hey, I just discovered this law of physics I didn't know about yesterday. I can't keep my covenants with you after all"

4. He wont lie! If He promises something to you, the only way you could fail to receive is through your own disobedience! remember: Everything we know about Him, we know because HE told us! which is why this is so important. but we can trust Him, because Satan, the other key player ALSO tells us he doesn't lie, but "by their fruits you shall no them" Father has proven Himself time and time again! Satan consistently fails to keep his promises, no?

5. He is no respecter of persons. Joseph Smith received his answer because of faith. You will too, because of your faith! Father doesn't choose who to answer, and who not to answer, WE choose not too receive his answers! through disobedience.

6. He IS Love. this is summing up everything else into one key principle. "God himself, finding he was in the midst of spirits andglory, because he was more intelligent, saw proper toinstitute laws whereby the rest could have a privilege toadvance like himself. The relationship we have withGod places us in a situation to advance in knowledge.He has power to institute laws to instruct the weakerintelligences, that they may be exalted with Himself, sothat they might have one glory upon another, and allthat knowledge, power, glory, and intelligence, which isrequisite in order to save them in the world of spirits." -Joseph Smith. (who then said "this doctrine tastes good")

Well, the computer changed the white space setting on it's own, and I don't have time to fix it, so I'll end by saying, that this is the whole reason of absolutely everything else, and this is why covenants are so important. as D&C 84 says "If we turn from these covenants completely, we wont have forgiveness from our sins in this life or the next." so this is a pretty serious deal. It makes the thought of anyone burning for eternity cause me to shake. I have to work hard, and I am not sure my body can keep up with my fighting spirit. I will try my best. If I end up in the Hospital, I'll just baptize the nurse, no?

Well I love you all, and because of this, I must love the world, I can leave my family (and friends) for a short time, to help OTHER families understand WHO they are. If this doctrine is new to you, I hope you do A LOT of reasearch, because with out this principle, we really have no reason to exist! this is our DIVINE POTENTIAL. Love you all, and this testimony I leave last of all. I know Father and Jesus Christ ARE, and they are LOVE.

In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

mass email 5-18-2015

read the scans first po.

(note from mom: I put the rest after the scans for you.)

I bought SEVEN different kinds of fruit this week for groceries! Raisin, Banana, Mango, Pinapple, Lemon, Lime, and Tomato! whew!

I feel REALLY bad, because the day after we taught 9 lessons in one day, my companion slept after lunch 'til 4, and we only taught 3 and talked to 3 new people. way to compensate for amazing by being mediocre. oh well. this week, will be AWESOME!!! 


I don't want to make it sound like companion is bad by this letter. He really does care about the people, he is just shy, and when he was sleeping he wasn't feeling too well, so we just haven't reached our full potential, and it is a little frustrating.  this week will be AWESOME

5-11-2015

I really just forgot to plan out what to say. let HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY suffice! I got to talk to my mommy this morning which made me very happy. 

A senior couple from Manila came to our ward. I asked if they knew Elder (president) Anderson, and they said he was SUPPOSED to be the one to come to my ward, but something pulled him away. It's too bad, It would have been nice to say "hi!"

ayos lang, baka hindi niya intindihan ang accent ko eniwe!

this morning was the ZONE ACTIVITY! but my roommates didn't want to go. so instead of watching a movie (that we saw in my last zone anyway) and paying 150p (for a 50p value meal), we went to the beach and ate our own food :D It was a nice day at the beach.

Tomorrow is zone conference and Wednesday is the mission tour. Elder Bowen of the area presidency will be visiting Baguio Mission. In other words, there are no lessons for 3 days. blech. sige lang. sigurado marami akong natatunan.

have a good week! love you all!

-- 

Vincit Omnia Veritas

Elder A. Cook

Pictures

this is Elder Anota.  last week, He cut his head open, as I said in the mass email last week, and here are the pictures I promised. I have a much better picture of the new hair cut, but one of the other elders is wearing a towel in the background, you will have to wait til I crop it.

last pictures:

Namnama is Ilokano for Hope

4-27-2015

I forgot to bring my letter! I guess I'll just have to type it all out!

Wednesday was transfer day, and I got the most heart breaking news the night before. 

we visited sister Joy, my ONLY baptism in Tublay. 

she was DRUNK out of her mind! I couldn't even really say could bye. :C

she came back from a birthday party, and kept apologizing to us. "The told me just two shots wouldn't make me drunk." which was true. but her husband told us he drank just two shots, and was completely sober. SHE was sloshed. :C even if she did only have shots, it's still breaking the commandment :C

wednesday morning, the other elders in Tublay, tried to leave me behind, and make me travel by my self. (even though we had travel instruction) we waited for an hour for a taxi, so we ended up renting a jeep, which cost sooooo much money. they tried to make me pay for half of it. I am very happy to be done with those roommates. well, when the travel leader DID leave without us, I struck out on my own to get to my new area as soon as possible (Without a cell phone), while everyone else waited another hour and got breakfast. (you don't need a companion when you transfer, but you are instructed not to make any stops along the way) I was smart enough to write down the district leader's phone number and just borrowed a phone when I got there. transfer bus tickets are refundable, where-as jeeps are not. unfortunatly the jeep cost more than the bus did! so I spent more than half of my money on travel, and I don't get most of it back :C

Tublay is the middle of no where. but just an hour away is Baguio.

so, Baguio is like the New York of the Philippines. we have Taxi, Its cold, it's SUPER polluted, there is Burnham park (which looks like all the pictures I have seen of central park), there are street food vendors, and there are more people walking down the street than I have seen anywhere else in my life (shoulder to shoulder!)

I transferred from the middle of nowhere to the middle of EVERYTHING! Welcome to sunny San Fernando, On your left, you will see the mission office for Baguio mission, and on the right, there is President Balledos' house!

but If Baguio is New York, then San Fernando is California!

The sun! the beach! the people are SMILING! they aren't too busy to talk to you! I forgot how beautiful the ocean is! I forgot how much I missed it! It's just as Big of a city as Baguio, but its NOT POLLUTED :D (the fine for peeing in public in Baguio is 50 piso. in San Fernando, it's 500!) It is the cleanest city I have been in in the Philippines!

It's not as hot as my first area, but It feels worse, because of where I came from :D

my roommates are SUPER COOL! we make smoothies every time the ice finished freezing (so like every two hours) just because it's hot, and they taste good.

my companion is Elder Anota. He's from Samar, Philippines. He just finished his training, and still has the new missionary sparkle! He's obedient, and hard working. He's pretty cool.

my companions are Elder Done (pronounced Don) and Elder Ki (Pronounced Key)

yeah... together they are: DONKEY! haha! (and on exchanges we are Cookie!)

Elder Ki is from America Samoa, and probably the nicest Elder I have ever lived with :D He was training together with my trainee, so we got to know each other in my second area :D

the adventures began right away. Elder Anota ran into a tin roof... rusted!

It left a cut in his head that is 1 1/2 inches! we went to the hospital, but they didn't need to sew it up. they just gave him an anti-tetanus shot. about a half hour later sister Balledos called "don't let them give you an anti-tetanus shot! they make you take them in the Manila MTC" well now you tell us!

Also, if you remember I mentioned nation day of service? my last ward did it a week, early so I also got to participate here!

I have to tell you about this place here called Junction. It is something akin to the Las Vegas strip. Its all bars, and prostitutes. 

THE only reason I bring this up, is because when our ward applied to the city to do a community service project. The city gave asked us to pick up litter. I'll give you 3 guesses where, and the first two don't count!

(It wasn't bad, the road is actually really long, so we didn't go anywhere near the bars!)

This ward is so amazing! we have already received 3 referrals! but every one we have tried to teach this week as a new investigator has TURNED OUT TO ALREADY BE MEMBERS! this happened to us 3 TIMES! ugh! well, I am happy to find less actives and pull them back into the boat.

There is a particular returning family here, that when I met them I could swear I had known them for years. their faces look so familiar! I already love them :D

well, that is all. Pray for sister Joy Imbat. she probably feels so guilty for getting drunk :C

From San Fernando with love!

4-20-2015

UGH! there is no usb port on this computer! I can't send you all the lovely pictures I took! siyang!

well, Saturday, we did the national service project, so my hands are covered in blisters! BUT I couldn't be happier! I got to use a SLEDGEHAMMER! 

I got in line to receive tools. I was 3rd in line. the first guy got a sledge hammer, the second got a sledgehammer, and I... got a machete! the only thing is, It did absolutely no good for knocking down 3 cement walls. so I just gave it back and waited until more tools arrived. 

The national service project is actually supposed to be next week, so I will get to do it again in my next area....

yes, It's time to say good bye to Tublay. :C I just teared up a bit. It's been a good six months. I love this place to death! the sad thing is, the Ninalga family is being baptized next week. It would have been the first family I got to baptize! but the important thing is they will be baptized. It's not my baptism, it's the LORD'S baptism right?! but I wish I could have at least watched. haha

well, as my (probably) last p-day in Baguio, I celebrated with my last chance to drink doctor pepper for 8 months. I hit the jack pot. It was CHERRY doctor pepper! yay!

have a great week! love you all! ingat latta!

-- 

Vincit Omnia Veritas

Elder A. Cook

P.S. to clarify, ninalga is spelled niñalga

4-13-2015