Final Testimony

I GAVE MY FINAL TESTIMONY :( this is really it. I have two weeks. I never thought Id be here. I cant describe all that is going through my head right now.. including when I went to the doctors office, they told me I need to brush up on my English because I have lost it 0_o well..... anyway::  During my last Zone Conferencia I was thinking of coarse about the time all 8 of us had had (The 8 hermanas who all came together) and how fast time flies and how looking back life seems too short. Daddy always sends me a monthly scripture to ponder about so I am basically going to be sending what he taught me and rewording it because I thought it was inspirational. He sent me with Alma 37: Verse 41 Nevertheless, because those miracles were worked by small means it did show unto them marvelous works. They were slothful, and forgot to exercise their faith and diligence and then those marvelous works ceased, and they did not progress in their journey; so, here is a vital factor in our lives, for us on missions now and for after and always, especially in light (like Hermana Cook, president`s wife taught us) that Satan is real, and is fighting with everything he has for the souls of mankind. The Lord is Hastening His work and so is Satan... In order for us to keep him out of our lives, because we certainly will be tempted in ways we cannot see, is to always be faithful in not only reading and really escudriñar las escrituras and pondering their meaning and apply them to our modern lives & having spent many months among some very choice people of our Heavenly Father and having gained a testimony of what it takes to try and keep a spotless and happy life, I have made a personal covenant that everyday i will study and ponder the scriptures in combination with personal prayers. I know Heavenly Father has been with me on my mission. During the day I feel full of energy and don't think about going home but every night I cannot help but cry my self to sleep at the thought that one more day has gone by and its one day màs cerca to the day when I will have to leave my Chilean friends, brothers, sisters and family behind. It is a lot harder than I ever imagined... I went to the doctor again cause my head is being annoyed. (pretty sure its just stress) and then Hermana Olson got hit with the flu! the opposicion is real!!!

Jorge updates: He is amazing. He saved 2 peoples lives guided by the spirit he told us. Mario is progressing. He hasn't missed church in 6 weeks (He has a baptism date but we will probably have to change it because... we prayed and the answer was that we need to change his fecha).

Other investigators : all are progressing and going to church and reading... two have fechas and the others are waiting for an answer ♥ We have been so blessed. 

I love my Comp, I love this long, hard, life changing work, and I love this Barrio, La Blanca. 

See you all in 2 weeks. 

xoxoxoxooxo

have a super sassy day.

love you all

I love This Work and I Am So Grateful I Have Been Called Here to Chile

This week went really well. Despite the horribly awkward Zone meeting we had this past Monday, things have been going well. Hermana Olson and I are working more with the Bishop and investigators and have seen many positive experiences♥ We contacted a lot again this week and helped finish paint the house that we had been working on for the past few weeks with the Elders. (and got paint in my eye and went blind for like 4 hours!!!!! it was horrible but terribly funny)  We also taught a new contact some English who works in an international hotel and said that a lot of North Americans were really rude and pesado when she struggled saying things in English. As we helped and talked to her she had had a opinion de gringos changed a bit and she began to tell us that her grandma had passed away the day before, and we were able to tell her where her grandma was and that she would be able to see her again. It was a real tender mercy moment. This week I had an excellent experience with fasting. I had been studying about it and preparing as this was my last fast and testimony meeting here in Chile, and I came to the realization that the point of fasting is really to understand the will of our Heavenly Father and so my companion and I prayed to understand His will for us in our last few weeks. We felt that we just need to love the Chilean people, and set aside some of the expectations that WE may have for them and see what Heavenly Father needs of us, and that we need to perseverar.  I personally have felt the hand of the Lord in showing us many of their greatest qualities. I have grown a love for how much they do give. many give even when they don't have any to give. I love them. During the day I am thankful to be a missionary and I have been blessed with energy, but at night I cry thinking that one more day has gone by and I am one more day closer to leaving the people I have been so close to and have grown to love very much. I try not to let those thoughts enter but at night I am left to think about how much I love this work and I am so grateful I have been called here to Chile. 

Well, we have an investigator and we have been teaching him for 2-3 months and he is a 34 year old and a 20 year drug addict. He has progressed and changed so much and has not done drugs since the first lesson we had with him and has a fecha (date) for the 17th of this month. He has gone to church 4 times and during the lessons he uses 2 Book of Mormons. One being from a friend (that he received 5 years ago, that is so warn out the title has been eroded off) and the new one that we gave and dedicated to him.. He uses the one from his friend to mark and ask questions and the other one to read and keep clean looking. He told us this week that a few years back he dressed up like a Mormon and used the Book of Mormon from a friend to go into the jails and sell weed. He would put the drugs in the pages of the Book of Mormon to hide them. He had tears in his eyes and began to explain to us that he feels ashamed that what had helped him do bad things before, is now helping him and saving his life and changing who he used to be. Her reads every day and sends us texts when he does not understand. He has changed so much. I can only hope he progresses and the temptation or withdrawals he has will be over come. I am amazed at the changes the Book of Mormon brings to our lives and the lives of the people we share it with. Family dear I am grateful for you. I am so happy that you have been spiritually progressing with mission calls, bendiciones patriarcales (patriarchal blessings) and reading every day. you are great examples to me. We have a great ward and we have been blessed. hope you have a great week. take care! 

Have a super sassy week!!
♥Hermana Cook

LOVE YOU xoxoxooxx

The God We Believe in Has Emotions, Feelings and Really Truly Loves Us As His Children

TEMPLO DE CHILE♥

WELL! Skype was fun (: I loved seeing you guys!! ♥ Everyone looks taller and bigger! haha Well this week was kind of a long one with the Holidays. No one really wants to accept a message about Christ around Christmas... Kind of Ironically sad but at least most of their excuses were because they were with family (: We knocked a lot of doors and visited a few family members who weren’t at church this week and it went really well. ♥  This week I went on divisions again to my first sector in Las Avenidas with Hermana Johnson and we found this older man knocking doors and he told us he was catolico and  I don’t really remember how the conversation went, but we gave him a Book of Mormon and we had him read Moroni´s promise in chapter 10.  The older man´s eyes filled up with tears as he read and we really felt the spirit.  He told us that he would read it and read and pray to see if it was true and then he told us that more powerful than the promise that he read, was the fact that he was reading the letters in the Book of Mormon without putting his glasses on and he told us that he was practically blind.  I really believe that through the love and Power of God he was given his sight to read the tiny letters in the Book of Mormon without his glasses.  We see small and amazing miracles every day, especially after seemingly long weeks of work.  I studied a lot about Jesus Christ this week and I feel like this year I have really come to know my Savior Jesus Christ.  The free agency He has given us really allows us to choose and then know for ourselves what is right, wrong, better and best.  Reading in Moisés 7 this week again reminds me that the God we believe in has emotions, feelings and really truly loves us as his children. Many of the people we talk to do not have this knowledge and we see every day how this affects the happiness of the people.  I love the people here; Chileans have such a loving and laid back and familiarized culture.  They have taught me a lot of patience and every week that goes by has been a time of reflection of all the hard long hot days in the street thinking ´´If we can barely take the heat and the rejection and the pain in our feet, how did the Savior feel amongst his own people with pains and sufferings He lived with?´´ It really amazes me. I am so grateful for His gospel.  I know he lives and loves us and I know that the church He organized is active and progressing (: I love you family!!  See you soon. ♥

Bautismo de Jorge :)

Oh and Jorge is doing great! We saw him last night and he greeted us at the door with a fantastic long haired wig and it made me think of my FATHER! hahah and Mario is doing well. He wants to get baptized on the 17th of January and we found a few new families to teach this week.   We’re out of time so we will talk next week.  Love you

xoxoxoxoxo

♥ Hermana Cook(:

HES JUST SO PRECIOUS!!!! we are goof balls (: we love him.

feliz navidad! My comp and Millaray!

MERRY CHRISTMAS 2014

Haaaaaappy Christmas Eve! (Technically) well apparently in La Blanca (our Ward), the members only celebrate and have dinner Christmas eve!  soo we're going to go to the house of two recent converts, Marianela (the mom) and Millaray (the daughter) and we're going to pass by people before because today we have pday from 10:30am-12pm and then we work until 6pm... and then we have MORE pday from 6pm and we can be out until 11:30pm! waiting for el viejito pascuero (the Father Christmas) :P haha

President Cook told me he was grateful that I watched Mrs. Doubt fire to save the life of my comp hhahahah so i said "I too am grateful that I had watched Mrs. Doubtfire!" Well this week went well. (: We went Christmas caroling with the elders, Millaray and Aljandro and we were able to see the sincere love and appreciacion of the people when we came by with a Christmas card, tarjeta(pass along card) and cookies and to sing to them. I am not a big fan of singing because that is not where my talents lie, but I know that hymns really are a prayer from the heart and people are touched by the hymns that Emma Smith hand chose. We felt the spirit at every house. ♥ I love the spirit of Christmas. This week the service we were able to do was basically helping and participating in all the ward activities. Everyone seemed to need a bit of help this week.

I want to share super quick experience we had this week.  Jorge (who got baptized two Fridays ago) well and we haven't been able to pass by his house since, until yesterday!  He is becoming such a strong person in the gospel♥  He goes to church and all the activities and everything(: anyway! Yesterday we had a lesson with him in the church with a member (Barbi se llama) But we've already taught him about it, but we still felt impressed to go over it with him.  So we start talking about the prophet Thomas S. Monson.   We asked if he knew who he was and everything, and he was familiar but not too sure. So we quickly looked in the Library for a photo of him JUSTO AYER FUE EL CUMPLEAÑOS DE JOSE SMITH ENTONCES FUE INSPIRACION DE HABLAR DE PROFETAS! (JUST YESTERDAY WAS THE BIRTHDAY OF JOSEPH SMITH)  & THEN TALK OF PROPHETS INSPIRATION) thanks much! okay so I go into the other room, grab a liahona (which is the spanish version of the Ensign) that said "discursos de la conferencia general"(general conference talks) and thought AH!! this has to have Thomas Monson in it!  okay soo were flipping through the pages and I come to a talk by Pres. Monson and I'm reading it and it just struck to my core. we shared this passage with him, "Al meditar en oración la edad a la cual los jóvenes podrían comenzar su servicio misional, también hemos considerado la edad a la que las mujeres jóvenes podrían servir. Hoy me complace anunciar que las jóvenes dignas y capaces que tengan el deseo de servir, pueden ser recomendadas para el servicio misional a partir de los 19 años en lugar de los 21." (By meditating in prayer the age at which young people may begin their missionary service, we have also considered the age at which young women could serve. Today I am pleased to announce that young worthy and able to have the desire to serve may be recommended for missionary service at 19 years instead of 21")  We couldn't help but just pause after reading that and look at him in silence.  He looked down at his shoes and nodded his head, pondering what we had told him.  He teaches me more than I feel we teach him sometimes... Soon after we testified that if it wasn't for Joseph Smith, for the Restauracion del evangelio, for a modern day prophet, for modern day revelation, for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints here TODAY on the earth, we wouldn't be here in this very moment.  It's so incredible how glorious this Gospel really is.  We say it A MILLION TIMES. We hear His name daily, but are we really being truly disciples in all that we do?  What shall we do with Christmas this year?  I pray that we all aren't quick to forget Him and that we actually remember Him in all that we do.  That's something, I'm hoping so much as a gift this Christmas, to fight the natural man and be different from the world and testify of Him in my actions.  I hope you all have the BEST CHRISTMAS in remembering our Savior Jesus Christ :)  I love you all so much and I can't believe this is my last Christmas in Chile as a missionary!  Hope you all have shared something with your friends this Christmas about the Gospel (: love you all have a super sassy Navidad !!!!!feliz navidad 2014!!!!!   Hermana Blanca is my mission mommy and I adore her. She is a member of this ward and has a heart of gold. She hand knitted me a sweater and took care of us. We skyped you all at her house this year!

Let's Us Appreciate the Small Things in Life

SOOOOOOOOOO  This week was really amazing. Jorge got baptized and he tells us all the time how happy and changed he is. He made us laugh when he showed up three hours early for the temple concert on Friday and it amazes us how much he loves the temple even though he has never been inside of it yet.

This week I gained a HUGE appreciation for the small things in life. I read a talk about how much we can learn from the nature around us and how we need to appreciate every one of Gods little and simple creations. I also was taught not to take one single breath for granted. This may seem like a funny story but it taught me a very serious lesson. At lunch this week, Hermana Olson got a piece of food stuck in her throat and stopped breathing. She calmly touched me and I looked at her and without asking even one question before the words ''can you breathe'' came out of my mouth and when she shook her head no... somehow the spirit lead us quickly to do the Heimlich and I was able to help her. I know the spirit played a KEY role in helping us. I did not even know how to do the Heimlich... I just remember watching Mrs. Doubtfire and copying what I knew off of that. But afterwords we realized that that could have been a severe accident and later in the apartment we shared a prayer of gratitude and some tears later that night when we returned home. The Lord really does watch over and take care of His children and His missionaries.

The sector is doing very well. Elder Cabrera seems a lot happier since his grumpy companion left and we have been working well together. The new Elder in our sector is from Hawaii, His name is Elder Kamoe. We played pool today for Pday! Sad to think I only have 5 left....

This week we did not find service out side of helping set up the nativity for the primary program and organize a caroling group in the ward for next week! That should be way fun. We are seeing miracles with sharing the video "'El es la Dadiva" (I think in English it's ´´he is the gift´´) and I am enjoying the happiness of the people during this time of the year. I feel really blessed for being able to spend 2 Christmas' with the Chilean people (: Hermana Olson has progressed so much. She is starting to teach with the spirit and love the people we are teaching. It has been a precious blessing from her diligence. I hope and pray we continue growing!

Love you guys! I think we might have to do skyping a bit earlier.... like at 2 or 3 Chilean time♥ But I'll let you know for sure next week! (:

Hey mom and dad I wrote the grandparents letters. can you send me a pic of each one of them with me in the picture, if you can find some, so I can print those out and send them? (: And did Brooke receive my letter yet? Teeny and London I had a cool dream with you guys when I took a little cat nap today about your missions! Landon I am beyond stoked for your mission call. Congrats. hugs and kisses. We'll celebrate when I get home. nos vemos xoxoxooxoxoxo

♥ Hermana Cook

Elder Bezerra found a Barbie & said it was a mini me, so he gifted it to me at a meeting! haha

Jorges baptism congratulations party. Hes a lady's man! hahaha

Merry Christmas with our investigators

It's me and my best friend (Mikaels's) man.  Her two biggest loves of her life! heehee Can you believe Mic's boyfriend got called my my exact same mission!!

Helping investigators put up Christmas Lights!

Everyone who went on our Temple trip

Beautiful temple view

The Atonement Changes People and Make Them Want to Do and Be Better

So... There is a lot to catch up on.  Hermana Olson is doing great. Improving mountains worth in the few weeks we have had together and we are getting along like two peas in a pod (: It has been so fun and peaceful working side by side with someone who wants to improve and work hard.  We have seen miracles from obedience and seen the atonement change the people we are teaching.  Hermana Olson has not been able to train yet and she heads home shortly after I do but President called and asked what we thought about her extending and we actually had talked and think it would be a great idea for her♥  The experience of training is like nothing else and President and I feel it really is a necessary for her to have the opportunity to train a new little missionary like we once were (: anyways.... President ended up calling and asking her to extend and she said ´´absolutely´´ in the cutest voice ever♥ 

We have  seen miracles.  This week has been going well with investigators and with the members. Jorge is getting baptized and he could not be anymore excited.  We have seen such a big growth in him and he has noticed a difference in himself as well. He is 64 and we were able to watch his fears about baptism  diminish after a visit to the temple.  He said he felt the power of the dedicated area and he just is so eager to learn and progress.  It has been such a blessing to see the atonement change people and make them want to do and be better people. We have been so blessed.  So this Book of Mormon reading challenge that we are doing (Read the Book of Mormon in 3 months) is definitely called a challenge for a reason. We have struggled to keep up with the three chapters a day but have been able to use a lot what we have read and shared in personal studies through out the day. (:  It has been really hard but really worth it.  We have felt the power and blessings that come from the Book of Mormon. ♥  We even had a less active start reading with us and she got up and bore her testimony this week about the power it has had on her in the past week of reading it.  It is the Book with the most power here on the earth and the book most taken advantage of... if that makes sense... There is so much power in the Book of Mormon, but we fail so often to pick it up, read it and meditate the simple stories inside.  One of Satan's tools is complicacion and complexity.  It is NOT hard to read the Book of Mormon Daily and we DO have time.  We just have to put it higher on our priority list.  I love my mission.  I will be ready to come home in 6 weeks but if Pres Cook asks me to extend I cant say that I would say no(;  But he wont ask because there aren't any new hermana Missionaries coming in... But just saying.  I  love my mission.  La obra del Señor esta apresurando (The work of The Lord is hastening ) (: I love you familicita.  See you soon for skype!  Which reminds me we need to pick a time to   do it.  I was thinking like 4 or 5 CHILE TIME? Let me know what you think. (: love you

Besitos! Chaoooo♥ Hermana Cook

We See Proof and Evidence That the Atonement of Jesus Christ Heals and Strengthens.

Having a good time with Hermana Olson

Well.... Jorge is getting baptized sooner than we planned.  He is so cute and tells us he is sad he wasted so many years without the gospel and he just wants to progress in the gospel!  He gets baptized on the 12th. (:

♥ Also we taught about 3 new people this week and ALL are heavy caught up in drugs but the few times we have visited them they have progressed.  One se llama Renzo (one is called Renzo.  Renzo told us that he actually has felt guilty for saying bad words and his family told us that they have noticed a calmness and peace about him since we’ve been teaching him. We have seen miracles and tender mercies of proof and evidence that the atonement of Jesus Christ heals and strengthens.  I wish I had more time to write but the things I want to say would take more time to explain than the amount of time I have /: Hermana Olson and I are doing magnificent by lifting and helping each other learn. President told us that he appreciates our example of urgency to share the gospel and told me in my interviews that it is my job to train her to be ready to train.  We have done lots of practices and are really exercising our talents together.  I absolutely love it.  Hope all is well this week.  

We had a fun PDAY and I’ll see you all soon. 

Take care xoxoxoox Hermana Cook

Hermana Martinez last Preparation Day!!

:) bye bye