He knows our thoughts and answers the prayers of our heart.

This week was mostly a lot of work getting stuff ready for our new calling :)  We haven't officially been called yet because the old young women's counselor is inactive and hasn't come in for her release interview.  But oh my goodness are these girls fun:) NOT AS FUN AS MY VALLEY VISTA BABIES but they are way great in a new Chilean way♥

I'm learning a bit more about being a leader this week because that is something I've always struggled with. I'm better at doing what people tell me to do, and doing it well, other than being the one to lead.  But this week my trainer had me start, and do all the lessons with our investigators by myself, and it was scary but I felt the Holy Ghost work through me as he told me what to say.  I taught the plan of salvation to Raqual and she gave me the biggest mommy hug when I got to the part after this life and told her that her husband was in the spirit world.  This was the most spiritual lesson I've ever been in.  I'm so grateful for my trainer, I've been blessed to have her train me and trust in me to do a lot of things on my own, but at the same time, she's always there to catch me if I fall (or accidentally mess up words heehee!) But good news.  I finally understand everything pretty perfectly :) this is a blessing and a miracle because I expected to learn it after 6 months, because, lets be honest, I am a SLOW learner.  But I've been extremely blessed with a quickened mind on my mission.  I know for a fact that through the Holy Ghost and through Savior´s atonement and will, anything we are diligent in, can happen and be a miracle to us in our lives.  I hope you can feel the sincerity in my words when I say that I know that through the Lord, all things are possible.  I'm not just saying that as something I just know, I'm saying this because I really really believe that.  There isn't a single thing he has not felt that we have.  He knows our thoughts and answers the prayers of our heart.

I've thought a lot about Emma Smith since I've been here, and I'm not sure 100 percent, why her specifically, I think it's just the fact that she had so much love and patience throughout her life during her times of trials and uncertainty, I have looked up to her example greatly.  When she lost her husband, buried her children, watch the saints suffer, she had such power with her unwavering faith.  I love stories about her and her life.  She is one powerful woman :)   I know that no one is as perfect as our savior, but with faith and patience and hope and the Atonement, we can all change and be so much better than we thought we could ever be. ♥

I don't have much to write this week because I'm really short on time again!! But were are doing well here and we are all safe.  I'm so grateful to have been called to Chile!  It's such a eye and heart opening experience! ♥

I love the scriptures more and more everyday!  There's not enough time on this earth to get everything out of them that is possible, but I will be trying !!  I hope and pray you are all reading your scriptures and applying at least one story or scripture to your life every single day.  I love how the mission makes you want to follow the Savior and be like Him, to teach His Gospel and understand the atonement through watching others change and looking back and seeing how I have changed as well.

Austin I still think your tractor is sexy :)  Family I hope you are all doing well!!  I'll be better at writing next week.   love you loves♥♥♥♥

Have a super sassy semana!

xoxo

Hermana Cook!

PS: I BOUGHT A PINK CHRISTMAS TREE TODAY and I plan to decorate it with pass along cards and candy.  Love the mission life♥   Until next week; be safe and stay out of trouble:)

adios♥

I as Danielles Mom requested she answer the below questions about last week.  Just thought I would add them here :)  Some of them not too happy with the responses, but I know she is in the Lord's hands and is being watched over.

Mom "Did they have any weapons and what?"

Danielle "Nope just ran in and stole stuff super fast and were yelling bad words in English at us.
Mom "Did they steel anything from the sisters?"
Danielle "Yes, everything! wallet, money, cameras, pictures, ID, EVERYTHING but not from me though

Mom "Did you see them and did they see you? 

Danielle "Yes and yes"

Mom "How often does this kind of thing happen?"​

Danielle "Every day, but not to us"

​Mom "Where do you go to email us?"

Danielle "A little internet store on the street."

Mom "Will you be at the same place to email us this week?​

Danielle "Yep, every week!:)

We made popcorn and watched the District

We helped decorate for a party!

Prayers are Answered.. With Exactness!

Well I just have to tell you all really quick that prayers are answered.. With exactness, that is why it's very important to be specific; for example, today we prayed that someone that needed the Gospel would find us today, and GUESS WHAT two people came up to us today and wanted us to teach them, but they weren't in our sector so we had to give their information to other missionaries, so I learned that next time we need to pray that someone in our sector will find us and be even more specific than that, because The Lord answers our prayers.  My companion and I made a list of answered prayers of this week;

1. We prayed for bread and someone brought us bread when we went to go teach a less active member.

2. Hermana Leavitt needed a ´´cool Chilean shirt´´ so we prayed to find an inexpensive one and we laterally opened our eyes from this prayer and there was a Jersey shirt shop with cool cheap Chilean jerseys

3. We prayed for a confirmation date for Sebastian to be baptized and we both got the impression in the lesson we taught him that the 23 of November would be good and we checked the date and it happened to be a Saturday,

4. We prayed to get in Raquel's house, this lady we've been teaching at her door for 2 weeks because she doesn't want to let us in.  had a feeling we should buy her diet coke, so before we went to her house I bought a liter of diet Coke and we went to her house and knocked on the door and said ´´Im too busy to talk today´´ and so i told her i bought something to share with her and GUESS WHAT. she let us in and we talked to her for an hour and then later this week we gave her the first lesson and committed her to read in the book of Mormon. This is actually a really funny story but I'm short on time so I cant write too much in detail :( Boo Hoo

5. I prayed a butterfly would land on me this week. (sounds way silly but I really wanted it to happen) and guess what; later this week a butterfly landed on my companion. Which I justified by saying we teach with one purpose so practically the butterfly landed on me.  She still doesn't know that I prayed for that to happen, so I should probably tell her

6. We prayed to find a someone who needed our help and while proselyting, I accidentally knocked on a members house and did a door contact!!  Way funny.  She loves me so it's all good. She invited us in and we shared a scripture.  She started crying and said we were what she needed because her friend was dying of cancer and she's been super upset all week.

These are just a few, prayers are answered every day.  I just love it.  In Moroni 9:21 this is a promise to us.  JUST REMEMBER TO BE SPECIFIC, because sometimes you get what you pray for with exactness :)

Also about Sebastian; he is my favorite. We found him on the street.  Intoxicated was a little less than what he was at the time, and he was acting like a fool in the calle (street). We ran into him and he wanted us to teach him right then and there.  We told him we would not teach him unless he was completely sober, so he promised us he wouldn't do any more drugs and drink if we came by.  He then reached into his pocket and handed us his Crack and said that we were angles sent to take it from him.  Of course we didn't take it, we just kind of left after we got his address, and ignored him when he tried to say anything else.  The next day we went back and he was not drunk. He was normal, and pretty awesome and extremely receptive to the message we shared.  We shared Alma 32 about how people can change and become better and be forgiven.  He has a long way to go, but I have faith in him.  He asks the best questions and hasn't drank or done anything all this week.  He wants to come to every church activity with us and isn't afraid to ask any questions.  We set a baptismal date with him this week and after we taught him how to pray the correct way, he said ´´Thank you Lord for sending me these ladies who believe I can change.´´ I know this won't be easy for him and he more than likely will have troubles along the ways, but we are here for him and were very grateful we didn't ignore him completely that night we first met him.

Now family... don't be thinking were going out looking for these kind of people to teach, just know that all people have challenges and sometimes just need someone to believe they can change♥  Follow the spirit and I encourage you to be around people that make you want to change for the better, not drag you down and always be willing to be a friend.  Be careful though.  Make sure the spirit guides you in all that you do :) Love you!

Wish I could give more details about this week!  I'm happily progressing and learning!  LOVE my mission.  Love Chile, Love the heat, Love the people, Love This work.

have a super sassy week!

xoxoxoxo

HERMANA COOK♥♥

PS: 
So let me, as Danielle's mother, start off by saying just three minutes after receiving her above email Danielle sent another email.  We haven't heard anything after her last email.  They tell us "no news is good news".  We believe she is safe and all is well.  I'm sure she was shaken, but if she has time to type haha and xoxoxo, then I believe all is well.  Just pray for her safety.  Also she mentioned in her email two weeks ago, she wanted a cool robbery to experience so she could come home with a cool story.  Well I guess she got it.  

her last email today!   "Uhm so we were just typing and a bunch of guys came in and robbed the hermanas in the other room and started yelling at them. I'm like shaking. haha she's calling presidente right now so it's all good but woah hey... gotta go. xoxoxx   (at this point I believe she had to leave her computer for a moment)

(Then, I believe, she was able to come back and finish this)
 Don't worry just wanted to tell you what went down. WERE FINE, just wanted to share an experience of craziness.   Pray for our safety and my Spanish xoxox I'm sending this to daddy too bye!!"

It is so Important to BE OBEDIENT

Our goofy Zone!

This week went by pretty fast again!  This week an Elder went home because he was disobedient to the rules.  Obviously it was a big deal, not just like he slept in or cause he bought something on Sunday (Which I am not saying isn't a big deal, just not big enough to be sent home).  It was a very sad thing.  So I've been thinking again a lot about obedience. I'm sure I'll bring this up a lot in my letters but it's so important to be obedient.  To serve with all our heart, might, mind and strength like we are asked to do.  We must stop fighting against Heavenly Father and instead give our whole selves to Him.  We cannot rationalize partial obedience, laziness, or outright rebelliousness in keeping the rules of the mission.  When you disregard what you know to be right, what you know to be the Lord's expectations of one called and set apart as His representative, you are in dangerous territory.  It is a danger, as real as any you may face on the streets at home.  Just as you have been taught and trained to avoid danger on the streets there, the danger is just as real if you just casually observe the mission rules as well as outright willful disobedience to God's commandments.  Even inching close to the line can bring irreversible consequences to you, your family, your friends and all those you care about and to your future happiness for years to come. It's a domino effect, I tell you!!  So start now and be obedient.  Get in the habit of this RIGHT NOW.  I don't ever want to see someone fall.  Especially on their missions. 

Elder Horton, Elder Intreago, My Training Leader & Me!

BUT ANYWAYS!!!! We placed another baptismal fecha (day) this week so that's another miracle at its finest. Her name is Rosario and she is a strong mother of four.  The only hard thing is she's living with this man, so we get to teach her about the law of chastity this month, which will be some fun, in Spanish!  I'm actually really excited.  I think she's willing to do whatever it takes to be baptized.  We also found 2 new investigators this week!  We found one while he was a little intoxicated and said we'd come back if he promised not to drink until we taught him and he didn't so that's some great progress right there if you ask me.  His name is Sebastian and I didn't think he was too promising until we taught him how to pray last night at 9:30 and he said he felt very happy in his heart.  We're teaching him tomorrow night the first lesson so that will be really cool.  The young woman are fantastic!  We weren't able to officially get our callings this week because it was stake conference, but next week we will officially be counselors in the young womens!! AHHH.  So excited.  Sorry I'm not writing too much this week.  I'm a bit warn out and we got to the computers late today! OOPS! 

Visiting Santo Locialla for the Day

Our New Fridge!!  Cause ours broke.  We are so excited

Kay, well I love and cherish you all.

Hope all is going well. 2.5 months officially in the mission this week already.  Can't believe it.  Hope you all have a super sassy week!!

xooxox CHAO! 
Hermana Cook :)

Going around the Santo Locialla acting like tourists!

Night time view, Beautiful!

Visiting Santo Locialla

Having fun and being silly!

Lots of Graffiti everywhere

More Graffiti

Elder Alldredge taking pictures of himself

with my camera!

A beautiful Carousel we saw

Trying on Goofy Hats

Now for some really silly Sweaters

Shall we get these??

HOW GREAT WAS CONFERENCE!

HOW GREAT WAS CONFERENCE!!!? I think I was just as excited for conference as I usually am for conference.  The talks were exactly what I feel I needed to hear.  I think its such a cool thing that the speakers are not given a specific topic, by revaluation they all happened to be centered around the same thing, and despite what some skeptics might say, General Conference isn't an opportunity for Mormons to put on a well scripted and choreographed presentation to convert people.  Conference is for receiving revaluation, comfort and to warn us about what we should not be doing and what we should continue to do.  After listening to these sessions, I don't think there could be any doubt that missionary work is at the top of the list of things that needs to be focused on?!  This gives me so much confidence and confirmation that 

I'm in the front in the peach shirt watching conference

this is where I need to be♥  The lord is in this work with all of us!I want you to all please please take the challenge and focus on one person to share the gospel with!  The LDS church is not a church of selfishness so please share it.  The work is progressing and ward members and missionary's are apart of it and should happily and joyfully be involved♥  I'm grateful that we are not alone in this work.  We are accompanied by angles and given impressions from the Lord trough the Holy Ghost on where we should go and what we should do.  Each day we go out and come home talking about what experiences that we've had that we know the "Hand of the Lord" was in and let me tell you..there are many. :)

Family I want you all to pick out a talk and study it.  Study it deeply.  Look up the scriptures and apply one specific thing to your life and try and focus on it really hard for a full week. 

I thought of each one of you in various talks; 

Landon can I just tell you, I appreciate your examples to me when we were younger of your courageous heart to share the gospel?  I remember you giving out book of Mormons and writing your testimony in them and just wishing I had your courage to do that with my friends, but I never ever did.  I want you to always just love the gospel like you have.  I realize sometime you have bad luck with things, like when you had that problem with your arm when you were younger, and even some times when you felt your prayers weren't answered.. This is Satan trying to discourage you.  You have a great purpose in his work and the Lord has told this to me.  I'm so proud to be your sister and can't wait to see what great fruits come from your work.  I love and miss you!

Package my Daddy sent me from Dear Elder!

This was included in my Dear Elder Pkg!

Teeny! hey.  You're tractor is attractive suggah!!  Remember the talk by Elder Edward Dube? (sorry spell check that for me) Yea, I thought of you and how you're always really good at everything you try and it always bothered me!! because I am not this way at all! but its a gift you've received from your heavenly father, use that in all that you can, including helping others. K, so Elder Edward Dube talked about never looking back and always looking forward at what you have to do, and I feel that you do this very well. you forgive quickly and move forward. This is a strength that I was once envious of but I'm just grateful that you have it now :)   Don't abuse it because Heavenly Father can take gifts just as well as he can give them!

Goodies that were in my Dear Elder Pkg from my Dad

Brookie-woo-woo baby short sister, you are no doubly the boldest in our family.  You have a strong booming personality.  I hope you enjoyed conference this week as you and Macey watched it together.  Your influence on me has been great even though there's a 7 year difference between us.  This does not matter.  Your strength in wanting to do what's right in an exact way is an example to me of how to be immovable.  At girls camp when you did the life line course, you went over the huge log because you were told NOT TO LET GO OF THE ROPE.  You obeyed with exactness and this I hope and pray you never lose, and I hope you pray for this as well.  I love you mini me!!  



♥ My Dad!

 Yeah so about this week; Waldo watched conference and Claudio is progressing well oh by the way; Heavenly Father knows the desires of our hearts, and i knew this but now I have a solid testimony of this. The whole time I've been here I've wanted so badly to try and build up the young women. there's only 3 in our ward and 4 in-actives. I want to suggest cool activities and have fun with them and they always come up and say hi and they remind me of my girls back home! But i figured it wasn't exactly my place to be saying what i think the young women here could be doing to bond closer together...

Well this week, we found out missionaries could have callings; how did we find this out? well... I WAS CALLED AS A YOUNG WOMEN'S COUNSELOR!!!!!!!! ♥ I know right?  Heavenly Father loves me.  I'm seriously so excited!!!   It's going to be announced next week and we have a meeting in a week!  I accidentally squealed with joy when the bishop told us and he started cracking up and told me he's relived that I'm so excited about this calling, but it's exactly what I wanted.  I hope I can help them! ♥  This week is going to be kinda hard cause it's like 5 million degrees out side, but it's going to be so fun!  I'd rather is be hot than cold.. any day!

Well, my time is up and I apologize for the typing errors.  The "h" on this keyboard doesn't work well and some keys are missing so hopefully you can get the gist of this email! (this comment is from her mother:  Yes I had lots of fun correcting and adding all the H's to the words)

I love you all so much.  I wish I could do more than just say I Love You, but for 16 more months, this will just have to do!

xoxoxo
♥Simpre, Hermana Danielle N Cook!



Eating lunch on General Conference Day!