Me on Skype with Dad, Brooklyn and Mom..

we are missing my brother Austin who is in the 

Philippines on his mission and my older sister 

& new brother in law Austin Gee who got married 

a month ago are in Kentucky but they are in the 

lower right hand corner of the tv also included in 

the Skype but connection was bad for them in Kentucky

Well there was no email from Elder Landon Cook this week because we got something better  better.....we got to Skype with our son Christmas Day!! It was wonderful listening to his developed Australian accent.  What a joy to see his smile and hear his voice. We are so proud of him.

Elder Rock (Dwayne Johnson) action figure was sent to Landon 

from his brother Austin on his first Christmas and has been with 

him along his journey the whole time.  So of course he had to 

say hi to the family :) 

So hey howdy hey this week's been another really fast one! Elder Wi Neera went home on

Lunch with the Assistants (Yup, Elder Howell, 

one of my last Zone Leaders, has been Assistant 

the past two transfers)

Wednesday back to the Gold Coast and we dropped him off on Tuesday at the temple for a last temple session as a missionary. Sad to see so many great missionaries finally going home, and the strange thing is that when I knew them last year I thought "Man it'll be AGES before they go home, because when they go home I won't be too far behind them." And now freak, they're home now and I'm not all that too far behind them. Four and a half more months to go...

But yeah, this week there really isn't all that much to talk about. I think with only three in the companionship that makes things a lot easier, and with only two Zone Leaders again it means that the chief to Indian ratio is even again. This week has basically just been preparing for Zone P-Day and Zone Meeting, and the reason it takes so long is because Elder Van Wagoner LOVES to go all out on these things.  I love being a Zone Leader because transfers no longer scare me! Because the only options I have for companions are also Zone Leaders!! No more useless or disobedient companions!!! Sweet hallelujah!!!

Sunday was pretty interesting though, because once church ended two of the Samoan members got into a fisticuff and got with each other and there was a good amount of blood on one of the guys' ears. There were a couple of shirt buttons on the ground afterwards, and their poor kids were shaken to the core at seeing their dads get into fist fights with other members of the church. I love Samoan members and all, but certain ones in Shepparton literally act like children sometimes when problems arise. Big, very rough, and, using Elder Van Wagoners words, "primitive" children. It's a good thing that none of our investigators came to church, and after that I almost don't even want to bring investigators to church to our branch anymore. "Hey come to church, feel the spirit, and watch some Samoan men UFC the crap outta each other!" Yeah, THAT's how we'd just LOVE to introduce the church to people who want to learn about how they can feel the spirit more in their lives. It's really frustrating that the members do that, and it's only certain Samoan members! Okay I might sound a little harsh but serious, this isn't an uncommon thing amongst some Samoan members.

So that was my week, and it's a good thing that for Christmas we'll be in Finley and not Shepparton, because the Finley branch is just full of some of the most beautiful people and they LOVE missionaries. It's great. It's just fantastic, and then we'll be spending P-Day with them as well. Van Wagoner will be in another area with a missionary who won't have a companion so it'll probably just be me and Faanunu in Finley on Christmas and that P-Day. And on Christmas day we've got to deal with transfers two days later, so it'll be another interesting week. Anyways, love you all, and this'll be my last video call session with family before I come home! Crazy... but I love you all, and as always, God be with you till we meet again. 

-Elder Landon Cook

Pictures with the legendary Elder Swenson

Elder Swenson and Elder Summa have basically been mascots for my mission because they've both been in my District in different Zones.  Elder Summa and I being in the same districts for about nine months of our missions. I love the crap outta both of them so much, but now they're gone back to America. Land of the free, home of the brave.

Pictures with the legendary Elder Summa

Pledge of allegiance every morning to the American flag
that Elder Van got in a pop-up card from his family

Our car got attacked with tinsel by the young women
a few days ago. We've still got it on

Some of the Primary kids made us some Christmas cards!!!

Some of the Primary kids made us some Christmas cards!!!

Some of the conversations we have with President Vidmar.
I love the heck outta him.  He's such a great President 
and can also have some fun too

Hey howdy hey anyone there?

Wi Neera's not actually going home we're training a new missionary in a trio

Another week has been flushed down, and I've now entered the "600 Day" mark of my mission. It's pretty strange. This'll be a short email because I haven't much time and there's not really much to talk about, just more like a ton of pictures. So Tuesday we went to MLC down in Wantirna South and that was pretty good, but it took like a three hour drive so we had to go down Monday night. I thought it was really good, but Van Wagoner had his opinions on it and he kind of watered down my excitement on it saying that he's seen better. I still thought it was great, and it was good to see so many missionaries that I knew. It's really freaking weird and almost uncomfortable being there: so many missionaries that are Zone Leaders have been Zone Leaders for a LONG time, and if they are new then they really seem to know what's going on.  And then there's me. I just kind of fart around and do my best.

Wednesday wasn't all that interesting though because Elder Wi Neera used that day (since we were down towards his old areas anyways) to visit people, so while Elder Van Wagoner and Faanunu went to the temple I drove Elder Wi Neera around as his taxi driver so he could visit people from old areas. Pretty boring, but he goes home on Wednesday so I knew how important this was to him.

Lots of missionaries at the Christmas party with The
former Olympian gold medalist and awesome mission
President Peter Vidmar Handstand contest

Thursday was the Christmas party at the mission office, so that was a lot of fun seeing everyone at one place (except for the suckers banished down to Tasmania!). We basically had some kind of Olympic competition against all the Zones which was fun but we didn't win any, and what I thought was great was that President Vidmar joined us and was wearing a polo and some shorts! I love the living heck out of President Vidmar: he feels more like a very motivating and spiritual dad than a Mission President, and people just want to BE better when they talk to him or are around him. I feel if he keeps that vibe about him then this mission will soon soar. He's the man I love him. And plus he's really short and that makes it all the better.

But then once we got home to spend the night at the Narre Warren ZL's place I felt sick and then

President Vidmar and another Gymnist elder in a handstand compatition

ended up throwing up all night. The devil came out of me in about the same quantity of a gallon of liquids. It was fun. Probably from intense dehydration from the sports from the all-day Christmas party but I'm not dead and I feel fine today. Yay! I didn't sleep at all that night and so I just spend the whole day lying in bed trying to get some open-eyed rest in the Narre Warred ZL flatt until I felt good enough to leave back to Shepparton on a three hour drive. The weekend was pretty uneventful to say the least.

Mission Pres. Peter Vidmar and his wife

At Mission Leader Council

So that was my week and this week's gonna be fast too. I've gotta admit being a ZL is fun but it kinda sucks: every dang P-Day is so STRESSFUL and scheduled with stuff to do. I haven't had a "do-nothing-P-Day" this entire transfer and I really miss it because I'm just burnt out to the bone, and then before I know it another busy week is in front of us. No saw sharpening time because every time I want to sharpen the saw it"s like "Aw wait JK we gotta go do some ZL stuff and drive the crap around the Zone for some reason or another". Freaking sucks, I just wanna relax for one day! And next P-Day and the P-Day afterwards are going to be no different because we've got a Zone P-Day next week and then the P-Day after that it's preparing for transfers and being with the members up in Finley because they want us to hang out with then. No lie, it's fun, but holy crap I just want to take a nap dang it... But if I get burnt out and cry myself to sleep in anxiety then it's just "Suck it up buttercup: this is WAR!!!" It's not really that bad but ya it's stressful sometimes. I'm so tired all the time! Love ya's, and as always, God be with you till we meet again!

-Elder Landon Cook

All the Missionaries shoes at the Mission Leader Council

During the Missionary Mini Olympics

With our mini Olympic headbands on

Our mini Olympic team

Me photo bombing the other teams photo

More Olympic games

Don't ask me... At the Christmas Party 

Selfies at the Christmas Party

Christmas Party

At the beach with Elder Van Wagoner down near the mission home

President Vidmar & his wife gave us all these awesome 
Australia Melbourne Mission pins for Christmas

because the pin on the strap came loose,
my watch hit the concrete and boom, done.  
Kept it pristine for the past three years. It still works though