******* LANDON J. COOK ******* Melbourne, Australia Mission April 2015

Hey everyone! Well another week has come and gone, again, and it's December once more. My last December and Christmas season in Australia. Good. I hate hot Christmas's. Christmas is meant to have snow and cold and hot chocolate and winter coats. Not swimsuits and sweat and board shorts. So DUMB!!! But yeah, it's pretty dang hot here, and the humidity doesn't really help. The weather gets hot but luckily not as hot as it did last year when I was in Moe with Elder Vaiouga. Wow holy crap was that a year ago!?

So this week we've been doing quite a bit, and yet this was our most "normal" week we've had. We probably won't have another stable week for the rest of the transfer, because this upcoming week we've got MLC which is a big Zone Leader meeting that happens at the mission home every month, the Christmas party for the mission, and the branch Christmas dinner. Then next week Elder Wi Neera goes home, and then from then on out it's tons of exchanges because we haven't had time to do any this entire transfer which kinda sucked.

Piano at the GV Hospital.

But as for this week, we had Sister Lauder help us do our family history so that way we can actually HELP other people when we offer it, we did a TON of piano practice because Elder Van Wagoner and I volunteered to play at a hospital for their 140th anniversary, and we had to learn completely new songs because they wanted us to play old songs. I played the Entertainer by Scott Joplin, and luckily I learned that song when I was like 12 so there was only eight or nine years of rust on it to brush up on: no worries. Being a Zone Leader is still heaps of fun as always, and it keeps me on my toes and really busy. The piano thing at the hospital went really well, and the people there want to invite us to some breakfast thing where they honor and recognize all the volunteers that help, so if we went representing the church that'd be really good. President Vidmar is encouraging us to get out and get involved in the community in things like this so that way people are like "Oh, Mormons are good people!"

Elder Van Wagoner

We did some service for President Mauigoas neighbor, and that was basically just tearing up concrete and grinding fiberglass of their pool to get rid of it and eventually cave it in. Saturday we went on a temple trip with the youth to do baptisms for the dead, and we went with a priest named Rawiri Waara who was baptized just this past April. He's the MAN! He's so dang solid, and even though his knowledge in the gospel is limited he;s just like "Yeah I've got questions, but I know there are answers". Like, barely anyone ever thinks that, they just want answers NOW, and when they don't get them when they want them they get their pants in a wad. He wants to serve a mission and also wants to come with us on a mini mission, which I am SURE we could get permission from President Vidmar to do that with him which would be awesome.

I'm the one in the funny hat and glasses

That's basically our week, but I want to reemphasize that I absolutely love the scriptures. Every morning I do three things: I write in my journal, I exercise, and then I study the scriptures. I start every day with a mental exercise, a physical exercise, and a spiritual exercise. There is practically nothing better to start the day. I love how when I read the Book of Mormon I feel just so enlightened. Of course, there are still some days where I read and draw a spiritual dud, like sometimes when I go to the gym and it's just an "off" day when it's a hard day to get physically in the mode. But it happens in all aspects of life, and scripture study is no exception. But it's such an amazing book, and it makes me so sad that there are people who just kinda brush it off because it's got "religion" stamped all over it. The topic of religion is scary to people because people are so on edge here about "offending", but the reality of it is that it's as offensive as talking about politics, sports teams, and other things. This gospel is too legit! I feel like doing missionary work is SO much easier as a member, and the book "The Power of Everyday Missionaries" is a book I recommend to EVERY member within the sound of my voice (or emails).

Trying to use my weight to bend some rebar

And also, if you haven't checked out the Christmas Initiative on the Mormon.org site, I would highly recommend it because we are trying to get the members in Shepparton fired up about it. But it's not working. Oh well, life goes on! Love you all, and as always, God be with you till we meet again.