Danielle Cook Chile Santiago South Mission July 31, 2013-January 27, 2015: September 2013

Monday, September 30, 2013

We found two people on the street to teach!

hola hola!

I ♥ the beautiful lavender trees, they remind me of Grandma Fisher

This week we were blessed with so many miracles and tender mercies! We found two people on the street to teach. Waldo and Ainoa! They both let us in and teach them and Waldo wants to be baptized. How great is that! I seriously was expecting to go home with one baptism on my mission but it looks we have at least two lined up if they continue to progress closer to Heavenly Father. Waldo shared a spiritual experience he had with us when he was on the operation table and said he saw a beautiful bright light and just knew there was more than just this life on earth and said he believes we didn’t come to him just by coincidence. Which is great because guess what, we feel the same way! He was washing his car on Saturday and we went over and talked to him and he laughs now because the first thing I said to him was ´´wow senor, su auto is muy brillante!´´ which just means, wow sir your car is super bright! And then we started talking from there. Also He came to church along with two other new investigators this week!! That’s more than the ward has had in over a year or that they can even remember. We had such a successful week; the Lord has truly blessed us to be tools in finding these great people.

We also got to teach a gospel principles class with all 5 investigators. It went super well and it was fun to watch all their reactions when we told them new things about the church. I hope they all get baptized and are able to endure to the end. Our ward is great with helping us include and make new people feel welcome which I’m so grateful for!

GOOD NEWS, our ward mission leader, hermano Medina, said my Spanish has improved like crazy and he kept encouraging me all this week and was a lot more open with talking to me as much as he talked to my companion because I can understand almost everything now. He said he now knows the gift of tongues is real, because he didn’t think a blonde American could learn Spanish quickly! This is way funny to me! I feel like I have way too many blessings and I don’t want this to sound like a bragging email, I’m just SUPER grateful that I’m progressing.

My companion took this picture

of me putting on my missionary tag,

when I wasn't looking

This week I tried to wake up an hour earlier for extra study but to be honest that only happened once because I couldn’t bring myself to getting out of bed, but I’m working on it!!! Pray for me to have energy to do this this week! haha I know it will be rewarding if I can get extra studies in before the day starts. It was really nice the day that I was able to get up and do it and I know In order to teach the gospel we have to first gain knowledge. Presidente Cook went in depth about this this week. I know, that to become a master teacher of the Gospel, it requires significant effort and a lot of sacrifice. In the mission we all know the importance of the Gospel and its depth and width as well. We can’t simply scratch the surface and expect to be a great missionary. I know we will never learn all there is to know, but on the mission we have the opportunity to study the Gospel in a way we never have before, it’s a true miracle all the things I’m able to learn in just an hour of study a day. The morning program of personal and companionship study allows us to combine our mind and the spirit for a deeper learning experience as well, which is very much needed! I’m in love with it all. I know it’s difficult for the spirit to inspire us to say things that we have never taken the time to study. What I have found is that when we teach, the Spirit will put thoughts and impressions into our minds that are amplifications of the things we have already studied. I’m truly blessed to be teaching the humble people of Chile.

Austin Landon and Brooklyn.. Keep yourself so worthy to serve missions. I want nothing less for you. Its way cooler to experience these things, than to just read your sisters emails about them. Coming closer to Christ was just a phrase before I came on my mission; and while you’re in the process of that, it’s like another world. I’m still the silly blonde sister you’ve always had!!! Just have a bit more knowledge now :). The mission changes you. It doesn’t change your personality; it changes your desires; which is a great gift that comes through the atonement. These people here, who have never heard of ´´Mormons´´ before, are filled with so much joy to find out that their dead spouse is on the other side... and possibly waiting for them to get baptized and be sealed. I love this work. I’m sad two months have already gone by. It goes way crazy fast and I’m excited to get more fluent in Spanish and teach people more about this gospel! Stay sassy and Classy family.

Thanks mommy and daddy for being such great examples and helping me fulfill my potential that it said you would in my patriarchal blessing.

Aww Mom I miss you! The mold is fine. Don't worry! Promise. We are switching apartments in a few weeks with no mold because the mission president was concerned too. Also don't pray for me to be too safe cause I kind of want to come home with a cool gun story! bahaha seriously though that would be awesome!!

The Patriotic streets of Santiago Chile

Sorry for my spelling, English gets harder to speak as Spanish gets easier. It’s a really weird process! But I’m grateful for the change because right now I need Spanish more than I need English to be able to teach these people. It’s also fun to see how my mind set has changed too. The other day I was thinking about this! Before I was always thinking about what dates I would be going on and now the only dates I want to be thinking about are baptismal dates and CONFERENCE!!!! I couldn’t picture myself anywhere else at this point in my life. I’m so grateful for all that I have. Hugs and kisses for everyone from Chile.

Doing service project cleaning chairs

My companion is fantastic and I’m glad she was picked to be my ´´mom´´ in the mission. Love you and pray for you all xoxoxo

--Hermana Danielle N. Cook♥♥

HAVE A SUPER SASSY WEEK

Chao!

Monday, September 23, 2013

This week was full of food and stomach aches and a lot of beautiful rain!

Okay familia!!

This week we were in side because of Diece Ocho for about a day or so because the streets are a little crazy. They had an incident with their hermanas and I'm not sure how much I'm allowed to really say, but the sector was basically very unsafe, so we had to have a huge meeting about safety and stuff that the headquarters at Salt Lake put together for us, so that was kind of... uhm, interesting! But all is well :)

Anyways, this week was full of food and stomach aches and a lot of beautiful rain! It was another successful and great week. My companion is a true disciple of Christ and is always helping me and we work so well together.

Prayers have been answered with her being my new companion! She's a great trainer. About a week ago I started experiencing terrible back pains again but it's a lot easier to ignore on a mission because all you can think about is the sacrifice Christ made, so it practically numbs it out. It's hard to explain, but when your studying Christ’s life and trying your hardest to represent him best, things are just easier and my testimony of that has grown so much this week.

I don't have too much time to write all that I want to say, but I love my ward. There are only about 30 to 50 active members and they are so sweet and want to help the church grow. I hope and pray this church grows quickly and strongly here! I will say this in many of my emails I send home, but the members are SO great. At least in our sector so far :) That is a huge blessing!

Oh, I'm also getting a calling this week and I'm a teensy bit freaking out because if I get a teaching calling, were in trouble, because I don't speak Spanish that well! heehee. Yesterday, I told Ema, a lady in the ward, that I ate a spider for lunch... but I meant to say ORANGE, in my defense, the words are VERY similar. But it was a great laugh for my companion and she very kindly helped me out of that situation and explained to both myself and Ema... my error! LAUGHING OUT LOUD HERE♥ I just love it. Well Landon, Austin, Daddy, Brooke and mommy! Love you guys all so much.

Glad things are going well. Keep studying and having fun and enjoy some pizza for me..and hamburgers!!!! Love you all so much to the moon and back always and FOREVER ♥

xooxox

~Simpre, Hermana Cook!

I sent a picture of a Family on Diese Ocho! We ate so much, I almost threw up, but it’s rude if you don't eat everything. They have an unusual family! Their mom is the only active member and it’s really hard on her. All her kids aren't married but at least have one kid. We taught them a lesson and one of the mothers asked super good questions. This is the Burros Family!

This week was Diese Ocho! This is like a week of the 4th of July but for Chileans! They all know this dance called the Cueca! It's way fun! I sent some pictures that were at the ward activity!

Hermana's Party

First Pizza in Chile

Hermana's Party

I also sent a picture of a house looked like Charlie in the chocolate factories house so we took a picture with it! lol this is THE NICEST HOUSE EVER in Chile.

I sent a picture of little girl that loves us so much. She's the cutest thing ever! Her name is really long so I forgot it!! eeeek! But this week she made us Chilean pins out of beads and I have it on my back pack :) she’s SO cute.

I sent a favorite picture of my name tag. It's taken on a fence of a house. All the houses here have glass smashed and cemented on top because stealing is a big problem here, but it’s considered art as well. I also love the flag in the background. It's like my name among the thorns (well, in this case among the glass) It has a lot of symbolism for me.

P-Day..Fun Times :)

Food and fun

The streets of Santiago, Chile

My first study area in my apartment.

Monday, September 16, 2013

HEADED OUT TO THE FIELD TO EXPERIENCE BEING A TRUE MISSIONARY

OUR FIRST DAY AND NIGHT! Our apartment has more mold than anything I've ever seen! It's so fun to clean. We couldn't go out our first day because of rioting, so we got to deep clean! SICK NASTY :) but good companion bonding time!

I found a red sassy apron so I cleaned in it all day.

View of a rainy day from our appartment

1ST Chilean meal outside of CCM together....
yup. mac & cheese, hot dog & cokezero ;)

This... my parents and families is the first person I contacted, Raul.

You see in the CCM we got to go out on week 4 and do contacts for a half hour and try to teach people with our messed up Spanglish. I met a man named Raul. He said he had pains in his knees and with his family. I taught him a bit about the plan of salvation and Heavenly Father and taught him about prophets. He asked if he could buy the Book of Mormon from me, so I just gave it to him and he was so grateful. I asked him to read the last two paragraphs of the title page. His eyes got tearful and he hugged the book. HE ACTUALLY HUGGED it!! Talk about some goose bumps I got. He also asked if we could take his number down and asked if Latinos could teach him so he could understand a bit better, which I wasn't offended by at all. It just means he really wants to learn :) It surprised me that he gave us his number and address because he was so happy about what we were telling him. This gospel really does bring so much joy that I never knew, because I've never been with out it. I sent a picture of his contact info just for fun so you could see my first real street contact in Chile :)

As we walked away I told him I'd be praying for him and he held my hand and we shook good bye. He is about 50 years old or so and as I walked away I saw him open the book and watched him read it until he was out of sight.

I was touched. I loved Roul and had only known him for about 45 minutes. The joy that came to him from us telling him about eternal families made me wanna take him to church right then. Landon Austin and Brooklyn, I only wished you could have seen this cute man. I don't know Spanish well but I used what I knew and the spirit did the rest. Other people at the park we went to, did reject us, but Raul was ready for the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I can only hope he gets taught by some awesome missionaries since we weren't allowed to teach him yet.

I love this work and I know we are constantly receiving revelation as missionaries. I'm so grateful for Joseph Smith who went through so much to translate the Libro De Mormon for us and to restore His Gospel. I love families and especially knowing they can be eternal. I will be able to know you guys forever yayyy!!!! Okay well I need to go. my testimony is big, but my words have to be short right now. love you all. Please PLEASE keep praying and fasting for my Spanish. It's a struggle for me with the conjugations and memorization's.

I'll keep you each in my prayers. Pray for Raul as well :) He's a great man. I hope he continues to read and find joy in the Gospels teachings.

Chao familia!

xxoxoxo

♥Simpre, Hermana cook

More Pictures:

My district leader of the first district, Elder McMullen. He's so nice to me. But this was an accidental picture we took. Me, my companions and him. The Latinos were like OOOOOO TRES CHIKAS! So they were teasing him cause he had three girls around him and we were cracking up and someone snapped this picture. It was also really awkward cause he like kind of ran into me so we were a little embarrassed but it was super funny!

This is me and Presidente Allred and Hermana Allred. She cried when I left and said she'd miss me. She was like my mommy and I always asked her for hugs when I wanted them from you. haha Love these people they're great!

It's great you made a fake me!!! Actually I cracked up laughing and it made me laugh out loud. its AWESOME!!!! ahh love you guys. Austin: I love you. your tractor is sexy and I really wish I was with you :( Oh my gosh !!!! I'm cracking UP!!!!!!! LOVE THE FLAT DANIELY!!!!! ahhhhh. I miss you guys :( but it's great here. This is MUY gracioso. That pic of the fake me made me sad, cause it's a fake me!!! It's AWESOME!!! haahaa Love you guys..