Dinner a few nights ago

What a week it's been! I've started to track my weight in a small section of my journal, and my wants
for the mission is to stay at 185, but my realistic goal is to never go over 200 lbs. I always eat a healthy breakfast (eggs, milk, toast with peanut butter and a banana)

So some things that have happened this week: we went to see Sam, who's an investigator and has a baptismal date, but he is always drinking and smoking whenever we see him, so unless he has a serious change of heart by this weekend he will most likely have to postpone that baptism. Again, apparently that happens a lot down here too. It's really sad, and a little frustrating, but I know that all we can do is teach him as much as we can, and maybe his spiritual window isn't open now, but hopefully another set of missionaries can catch him when it is. We've got about 8-9 investigators with a baptismal date, but some of them seem like they set the date with good intentions, but as time goes by they start changing their minds and no longer want to work for that none more.

This is the perfect place to practice door approaches

We've actually met quite a few other investigators who have some promise, and who are showing interest in the Gospel and are willing to work to find out if the Book of Mormon is true, like on Tuesday we met a guy named Demorris, and we taught him for about an hour about the Restoration and Book of Mormon, and he took one and has been reading it. He works at the oil fields, so he's here and gone for two weeks at a time. 

Some days we have a bunch of appointments that are set up, and they ALL fall through, and then we've got a TON of time left on our hands, so we either do swing-bys or start our tracting early.

So for the first week I've been here we did a bunch of walking, and then we had exchanges on Wednesday, and Elder Kulu, the elder I went with, had two bikes that we could use. Hallelujah! So he went to pump up his bike tire...And the tire popped...Why do bad things happen to good people?
So we had to walk the whole day, which was about 8 miles. We did a bunch of work, but all day we were only able to get one lesson. THE WHOLE DAY! Gosh dang! But oh well, we did our work as much as we could.

So last week we got into a heated bible discussion with a black lady who was really relentless, and she was sitting outside with a few of her friends in front of an investigators house. Well, Thursday we went tracting and actually ran into her house. She seemed REALLY mad to see us, but it was hard to see who she was because the inside of her house was so dark. When she stepped outside, we remembered who she was... Oh boy...I did not want to stay there, I wanted to leave. I know, not the best courage for a missionary, but she was relentless last time, and I didn't think she'd be much more receptive this time. Well, we ended up staying and convincing her to hear our message, and she did, but pretty reluctantly. She said she knew what us "Mormons" were about, but as we talked to her, we realized that as a matter of fact, no, she didn't. So we talked to her, and somehow we were able to get a message and a return appointment. I didn't even know how it was possible, but yeah, we got an investigator out of a bible basher.  

So on Saturday we went and gave our return appointment lesson to this lady. We asked if there was another man in the house, and she said "ANOTHER MAN!?", like getting all bent out of shape like we were assuming she was sleeping around. Se, we explained to her that there are possible law suits that could happen if there wasn't another guy around, and she somehow got onto this tangent about this and that. We talked about other rules for missionary safety and security, like traveling in companionships, returning home at a certain time, stuff like that. She started going off "WHERE IN THE BIBLE DOES IT SAY THAT YOU CAN'T CALL YO MOMMA ON A DAILY BASIS!?! WHY DOES THERE HAVE TO BE ANOTHER MAN IN THE HOUSE!? THESE ARE MAN RULES, NOT RULES OF GOD!! WHY DO YOU DO THESE DUMB, MAN MADE THINGS!?". She went on like this for about 15 minutes, no joke. But it was a good thing her boyfriend was there, because he was actually listening to what we had to say, and at times when she'd go off on her stupid rants, he'd come and back us up like "Shut up Wanda, I'm trying to listen to what these boys have to say!".... Thank you Marvin for the moral support! We invited her to church, and she invited us to her church too. Well, we can't go to other churches on Sunday if they conflict with our church times, but we said we'd come to her bible study class on Tuesday night if she would come to our ward this Sunday. She said she would, but knowing the people down here, I doubt she actually will. We'll just have to wait and see! Her bible study class in this Tuesday, so hopefully all goes well and we aren't singled out for being the only non-baptist white people there. But she has a huge problem with the Book of Mormon, and she wants solid, proven evidence of it in the Bible. Well, we showed her Isiah 29: 11-12, Ezekiel 37: 15-20, 2 Timothy 3:16, and about half a dozen other scriptures referencing to the Book of Mormon, the apostasy, and the restoration in the Bible, but she said that proves nothing. Oh well, she could probably be shown the gold plates and still wouldn't believe. We were there for almost an hour, feeling nothing but frustrated when we left because she loves to talk about how wrong we are, but when we leave she always wants us to come back. Why do you want us to come back? Oh well, it's hard to love everyone, especially people like that, but at least we got her boyfriend as a new investigator, so that was cool.

We're supposed to do as much service as we can, but many people down here don't want help from anybody. The only service we were able to do was trimming bushes for about 10 minutes. I did it myself because the guy only had one pair of trimmers, and dad's taken us to our rental houses and made us trim bushes enough times that I felt I knew what I was doing pretty well. He seemed really impressed with my job, and he wanted us to come to his house sometime (we were at his cousins house when we did it) for some service and hot dogs. Sweet! The only problem: he didn't leave us with an address or phone number, so we have no way to get back in contact with him.

Our branch isn't very large, maybe about 40 active members or so (did I say that in the last email? I can't remember if I did or didn't...), so dinner with members is only about once or twice a week. But it's all good, we can take care of ourselves. We're big boys with pull ups! I'm a big kid now!

But because it's such a small branch, we as missionaries have a bunch of responsibilities I haven't usually seen normal missionaries do. Yesterday we went to Branch Correlation meeting an hour before church, each did a 15 minute talk, taught the youth of the branch (there's only like, 4 or 5), and also taught priesthood session. We do quite a bit for the little Hazlehurst Branch! After church we were talking to the Branch President (President Miller) and he said only the strongest missionaries are able to handle the bible belt, even if I am only waiting for a visa.

But Sister Francois (Fran-swa) and her family are awesome! We went with her 16 year old son Matt to do some member present lessons, and that was cool. Matt's a really awesome kid and plans on going on a mission, but his older brother's our age, and he's got a girlfriend whos not a good example and a good paying job, so that's making him not want to go, and I can see that it's really hurting Matt that his older brother isn't going on a mission. We try to work with his older brother Josh as much as we can, but he's gone 5 days a week away from home for work, and his spare time is spent with his girlfriend (who I've heard some stories about her and how abusive she is), so we do as much as we can.

While tracting yesterday we met with an older man named Joseph, and he's probably in his late 70's. He heard and really liked what we were teaching, and the spirit was strong in the room while talking about the Book of Mormon and the Restoration, and he said that we could "come back some time for another lesson, supper and some ice tea!". Awesome! The next lesson will probably be on the Plan of Happiness, and maybe tie in some Word of Wisdom hahaha

There has been a ton of rain too, but thankfully it all happened while we had the car this week. Elder Hill says that the more rain drops that hit your missionary name tag, the hotter your wife will be, because every drop that hits your tag is recorded in heaven. So while we drive and it rains we take our name tags off and hold them out the window hahahaha I know it isn't true, but it's always fun to think it is!

Well I think that's all the important things that have happened this week. I love all of you, and I keep every one of you in my prayers every day, and I hope all is well where you're at. Sorry the email was more like an essay, but there's so much that happens in a week! Don't worry, I always write in my journal every day about what happens. 

 

Train track that's right next to our house

I also love getting letters! Love it love it love it! It doesn't matter who it's from, I just love getting mail, so if you've got some spare time and love me, send me a letter! 

 

Elder Landon Cook

120 Asbury Drive

Hazlehurst MS  39083

 

Anyways, hopefully everything is going well wherever you are, and as always, God be with you till we meet again!

-Elder Cook

Elder Hill reporting weekly numbers to the district leader

 

introducing, the smallest frog you have ever seen. Elder Hill found it and thought it was a bug

I've always got my emergency fishy crackers on hand

one of the elders during Zone Development Meeting had these sent from his mom but he hates Twinkies and gave them to people who wanted them