Rain and Concrete

Hola Familia,

Well this week has been great.  We have had the most incredible experiences and stories.  Also the rainy season has started here, which is the best thing ever haha.  I am so glad for everything that is going on and for all the amazing people that I have met.  We had a couple of hard days but overall everything has turned out all right.  I am so grateful for all the many blessings and the guidance (Spanish version) that the Lord has given me.

Cool story:

On Thursday we were walking around in the afternoon and all of our lessons had fallen through.  We asked ourselves what should we do now.  Out of nowhere we get a call from a less active family telling us that they needed help to make the roof on their house.  So we were like why not haha.  The way people make roofs here is with cement.  It was on the second level and so we had to carry 5 gallon buckets of cement up and down stairs for like 3 hours haha.  It was some pretty hard work but really fun at the same time.  On top of all that it was raining, so even better.  Let me tell you, that after climbing up and down the stairs for like 3 hours I was extremely sore the next day haha.  But we were able to go and teach them the next day.  Now they are coming to church.  How amazing is that?  Just think that through service (Spanish version) we were able to teach them.

Another story:

About a month ago we went to teach a Hermana named Nilda.  She is a great member and has been inactive for sometime now.  But she knows with all her heart that the church is true and so we kept visiting her and visiting her.  Then this past week I know that God touched her heart.  She completely changed.  It was incredible.  At first she didn’t even want to talk with us or let us in to teach her.  On Sunday she invited us to go and eat breakfast.  It is so cool what the gospel can do and how quickly people can change for the better.

Well we also had an interesting lesson with an investigator.  She came to the lesson with no desire to listen to us.  So we started teaching and there was no progress.  We ended up telling her that if she wanted to know the truth (Spanish version) she could learn and know through prayer (Spanish version) and by reading the Book of Mormon (Spanish version).  We just left her with that and so we will see what she says.

Other then that I have been reading a ton about faith (Spanish version) and repentance (Spanish version).  These are the first things that ANYONE has to do to become closer to God.  They are essential.  We have to show our faith through our works.  We also have to love God so much that we are willing to let go of all our errors and sins and repent.  We need to want to change who we are. 

Well I love you all so much and am so grateful for all the many things that you continue to do for me.  I want to challenge each of you to show your faith through your works.

I love you all,

Elder Cooley

Questions

Hole Familia,

The mission is amazing.  I would never trade anything for the experiences that I have had in Peru.  It is so hard; sometimes I just feel that we are walking in circles and doing nothing.  The outcome is amazing.  At times when we are just walking on the streets I imagine all things that are happening in the world and just realized how blessed I am to be out here.

I love working my hardest and seeing people change. The people here are amazing and so loving.  Some are so hard hearted that they don't even want to listen. 

I have so many memories of miracles (Spanish version) I have personally witnessed on the mission.  I know that God is a god of miracles.  I have had so many doors slammed in my face, but what am I going to do haha.

I have seen the love of a family that lives the gospel and how they are truly rich and truly happy.

I have seen the effects of sin and bad decision-making that truly affect the well being of a person. 

I have experienced a change that has made me the best that I can be right now.  I know that God knows my potential.  I also know that everything goes how it is supposed to go if we live this gospel.

I have laughed and smiled so much.  I have never felt happiness to this degree in all my life.  I also have cried and been so sad that I could only imagine what Jesus went through in Gethsemane (Spanish version).  I have witnessed a magnitude of leadership and friendship in the mission.  I know that I will never be the same after this mission.

I am a missionary of Jesus Christ.  I represent him everywhere I go.  I don't think I really understood that until the other night.  I just am a man that owes a debt to him.  I owe my life to him and my only hope to help others lose their life for his sake in order to find it. Matthew 16:25 (Spanish version)

I love the mission.  I love learning and teaching this gospel.  Are we as members truly repenting daily?  Are we trying to become perfect like our family in heaven is perfect?  Matthew 5:48 (Spanish version)  Are we reaching our potential? (Spanish version)  Are we enjoying life how it should be enjoyed?  Are we following the commandments (Spanish version) of the Lord?  Are we reading the scriptures daily?  What are we doing to show sincere love?

I love you all.  I know that each of us has a potential to become like him and all we need to do is to find it.  Pray to receive the guidance (Spanish version) to know where to start in your journey to eternal happiness.

NEVER FORGET YOUR ETERNAL PERSPECTIVE!! (Spanish version)

I love you all so much,

Elder Cooley

Birthday and Service

Hola Familia,

Well time has just been flying by.  It is crazy to think that everything is coming to an end.  Elder Beales and I are together again for another transfer, which will be awesome.  I am so excited to be with him and see what we can do in this area. 

Well this week has been great.  I love the people here so much.  Everyone has been so nice to me and it was awesome to celebrate my birthday here with these people.  We had three cakes and we ate so much haha.  And then my package got here on Thursday, which was awesome.  Thanks family I am so grateful.  Wow, I am 20 years old haha.  That is just crazy.

Well cool experiences this week.  We were able to have some huge family home evenings (Spanish version) with a whole bunch of families.  It is so cool to see how everyone is doing.  I know that this gospel gives hope and helps people become better.  I love that about the mission.  I know that people can change, this gospel changed my life and it has helped me so much.  It gave me the second chance in my life to be a better person and I owe everything to it. 

Our investigators are doing well and I think that Puchungo, Gunar and Jeffer will all start to understand the importance of this Gospel and everything that it does for us.  They can make the decision to follow Jesus Christ (Spanish version) and be happy.  Sometimes they don’t do everything but then they can realize that the Gospel brings the happiness that we need in the life. 

This week Elder Beales and I learned how to make a window haha.  It was so fun to put up a window in a member’s house.  It was interesting to see how grateful people are when you do the littlest service (Spanish version) for them and help then out.

I know that if we try and do what Jesus would do it, our lives will be better.  I love seeing how important it is to serve other people.

I think that the biggest lesson that I learned this past week was when I understood that if we just do the things the Lord tells us we will be happy.  Sometimes we don’t do it because we don’t understand or we are being too belligerent to follow him 100 percent.  I love (Spanish version) everything so much and this Gospel will help anyone that wants to become better and wants to follow God.

Well family I love you all so much and am so grateful for everything that you all do for me.  You guys are everything to me.

I love you all,

Elder Cooley