Had the scar formed literally one millimeter to the left, I would definitely have some sort of blindness in my right eye for the rest of my life

Well there's not really much to report that happened this week. Wednesday we had a Mission Tour, and Elder O. Vincent Haleck was there as well, and it was really cool because heaps of missionaries were there. Basically all the east side of the mission was there in that one chapel, and since there aren't any more transfer meetings that's the first time since I've been back on the mainland to see such a huge gathering of missionaries there. SO many missionaries, probably about 100 or so, it was awesome. The funny thing was that Elder Haleck talked mainly about staying active AFTER the mission, because that's apparently a huge problem down here in Australia. Sad to say, but a MAJORITY of returned missionaries go almost instantly less active. What's the deal with that people? But yeah, it was great to see so many missionaries there and to kick back for a while and see them all.

Friday we spent almost all day making our way to the doctors and back out in Moorabbin, taking bus

Look there is a street named after me here in Melbourne

then train then bus then walking in order to get there. The doctor said that my eye has been healing "miraculously" and that I should be completely healed and 100% off the drops in the next few weeks. He said that since the scar isn't on my pupil but is in front of my iris, that I won't have any visual damage whatsoever, temporary or permanent. Think about it though: had that scar formed literally one millimetre to the left, I would definitely have some sort of blindness in my right eye for the rest of my life, but because Heavenly Father was taking care of me and watching out for me, my vision is preserved.

Saturday we went to a Seventh-Day Adventist church because one of our new investigators, Tara, invited us to go. It was pretty cool, and they actually believe a lot of the same things that we believe, except for the whole "Sabbath is Saturday" thing, which I don't think is that much of a big deal. But seriously, the two are very close, like they even strictly obey the Word of Wisdom like we do in taking care of our bodies, it's awesome! The pastor, Andrew Jasper, is actually from America, so I got to talk to him a bit before the sermon actually started. They had a Bible study class before the sermon that Casil and I went to, and it was funny because we were the biggest participants in it. We didn't quote anything from the Book of Mormon though, because it's their place of worship and I don't think they would've appreciated it if two missionaries came in and started preaching other stuff to them. Gotta be respectful.

Sunday night we had dinner with a less active family, the Donoghues. They're a sweet-as family, and Brother Donoghue is the man! He's basically an active member at heart, but his wife has completely lost all faith in it and doesn't want their young children to be raised in the church, so as to prevent any arguments he doesn't go to church himself. The confusing thing is that he served a good mission and she actually used to be a temple worker! So it's like... where do the wires not connect there? Anyways the kids really like us and we shared a short message after dinner about how reading from the Book of Mormon and praying as a family is important. Brother Lee was all ears, but Sister Donoghue was on her phone the whole time. AAAUUUGGGHHH!!! So frustrating! Why!?

But yeah, other than that, there seriously isn't really anything else to report in the side of missionary work. We've been doing a good amount of tracting this week and trying to find people, but it's hard to raise good crops when the ground is no soil at all: just tough rubble. BUT that's okay because I know that doesn't even matter! All that matters is that I do MY job, and the Lord accounts for that! I'm sure that the work we are doing is preparing their hearts for future missionaries that I might never even know about! SO all I gotta do is just keep my chin up and keep working at it and I know that I can stay happy! This mission is a growing experience to help me form good habits and for me to continue to be more fully converted to the gospel, and I won't let anything get in the way of it, not even nothin'! So yup, that's this week, and hopefully this week is a bit better! I love you all heaps, hope you are getting closer and closer to the gospel, and as always, God be with you till we meet again.

-Elder Landon Cook

Ponderize: Doctrine and Covenants 88:22

Having fun out tracting

Elder Casil action figure

Tried to do some souvenir shopping last week, but out here in the bush everything is expensive-as!

Washin' the car on P-Day last week

Elder Casil Sleeping while traveling to my Dr. Appt for my eye

Relaxing park tine while waiting for the train from the Mission Tour. Boys will be boys!

It's been a pretty uneventful week this week, sad to say. Tuesday was transfers, and Elder Casil and I are staying here in Moe. Monday was interesting because we spent all day getting to and from the doctor in Moorabbin, because since we're limited on the amount of kilometers we're allowed to drive we had to incorporate the train and bus systems into our travel, which have been dodgy for the past few months.  Tuesday and Wednesday were DEATHLY boring because we stayed inside all day long, and all day those days Elder Casil just napped. I hate naps because they just throw off my sleeping during the night, so I was awake by myself with absolutely nothing to do. I kept asking Elder Casil if he wanted to play any games that we had in the flatt, but he just wanted to nap all day. To keep it blunt it sucked.

Thursday was fun because since I wasn't allowed to drive we had to use the train and bus from Moe to Clayton, then the bus from there to the doctors appointment. Things just went wrong with the train systems, so even though we had left our flatt at about 7:30AM to get to our 11:30AM doctors appointment, we didn't get there until about 1:00PM. Long day on the public transport and trying to figure out the bus schedules and where to go! And then we didn't end up getting home until about 5:00PM.

Found some seven foot metal King Kong statue holding 

an inflatable M&M man in his hand in some guys yard

Elder Johnson

Saturday we went on exchanges with the District Leader, Elder Johnson, and luckily for me I was able to go with the District Leader. We had a great time working and we had some pretty funny experiences, like some dude just opening the door with a really expensive looking accordion in his hands and told us "Tell me this: did Adam and Eve go to heaven!?". Like what!? First things first buddy, why did you bring an accordion to the front door? But yeah, interesting. 

I also got a haircut from Maddy Pollard, who's a member who owns a hair salon not too far from us. I

had to get it on Saturday because she doesn't work on Monday and on Wednesday we have a HUGE Zone Conference thingy going on where one of the Seventy are supposed to be there. It's called a Mission Tour, and I'm still not too sure what it is. But all I know is that it's important.

I can feel Elder Casil beginning to distance himself from me further and further, and I'm not really sure why. A lot of missionaries who aren't from America do not like American companions, and nobody is really sure why. Of course, not every foreign missionary is like that, but a lot of them hold resentment towards Americans for some reason. But yeah, Elder Casil barely even speaks to me, and even though I try to get him to talk so we can have a good conversation he's always so shut up towards me, but when it comes to being with other missionaries he's the chattiest person in the world! It does frustrate me, because when I try to talk to him on it he just says short phrases like "Don't worry about it" and then resumes ignoring me. I try to incorporate him into activities that we're participating in, but I feel he just does not like me because he never talks to me! This week I've been doing a lot to get him to open to me, but this week he's been the most shut out to me than ever. Not really sure what to do, but I think all I can do right now is to endure it because I don't see much change going on here in the nearby future. :(

My legit Lady Gaga shades that I can wear over my normal glasses

That's my week, pretty uneventful. Although we did do missionary work there wasn't much that came out of it. Hopefully this week is better, but we'll just have to wait and see. Anyways love y'all's heaps, I'll catch ya later mate, and as always God be with you till we meet again.

-Elder Landon Cook

Ponderize: Alma 34: 15-16

Found some seven foot metal King Kong statue holding 

an inflatable M&M man in his hand in some guys yard

TALK ABOUT A MIRACLE!

EMAIL Landon sent about 12 hours before his email below.  This short message was sent Saturday evening.  He didnt know if he would have time to write us a complete detailed email Sunday our time.  Landon writes: "Hello family :) I am doing well, and my eye is recovering at nothing short of a miraculous speed. I can now see almost perfectly, and the doctor said that I will only have a small scar on my iris with no other permanent damage. I have been taken VERY well cared by the members, and the church has been able to provide me with the best of the BEST of medicine and doctors. I won't be able to email tomorrow because I have to go to a doctor early in the morning to follow up my eye, but I just wanted to email you tonight to tell you that I love you, my eye is doing great and my eyesight is recovering rapidly, and that I probably won't be able to email tomorrow. Love y'all's heaps, catch ya latah mate, and as always, God be with you till we meet again :D  -Elder Landon Cook"
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EMAIL WRITTEN SUNDAY 4PM
Wow, so this week has been a lot different to normal ones. Monday night, just at the tail end of P-Day, my eye gets seriously red and starts getting painful. I didn't really know what was going on, but I just put some generic pink eye drops in my eye thinking it was pink eye and that it would go away in a few days or so. Big N to the O-P-E. I didn't sleep at ALL that Monday night, and throughout the night my eye just hurt worse and worse, and it was weepy and teary all night too. SO many times I got out of bed and on my knees to pray that the pain would go away so that we could work Tuesday. But I never did get any sleep that night at all, so it really was probably one of the longest nights in my life. I thought it was some kind of infection, and get this: it literally hurt so bad that I actually considered flushing my eye out with hand sanitizer thinking that it would make it feel better. I never did, but it hurt that badly that I honestly considered it.

Tuesday went to the doctor in Latrobe Valley, which is about a 20 minute drive from our flatt, and we went there because Moe is a pretty small community and the doctors here are pretty much useless. The drive was terrible because my eye was so sensitive to the light, and I had to pull over a few times to let my eyes rest from the sun, even though it was a pretty cloudy day. Long story short the doctor diagnosed it as pink eye, so whatever, I took his word for it. That day we spend the day inside because I could barely open my eyes in the light, but the next day it was worse.

Wednesday morning we had a member that used to be a nurse come look at my eye, and as soon as he saw it he said "That's not pink eye: you need to go see a specialist right now". So that morning we had a different member take us to a different eye specialist because I couldn't drive at all. He took us there and said I had an iris ulcer, so he gave my some drops and said to come back Friday.

As the day progressed the drops didn't help: in fact it made it worse. There was a point where I would wear an eye patch with TWO pairs of sunglasses on to keep the sunlight that was coming in out of my eye, and even with all that, I would look at the closed blinds with both eyes closed and cringe from the pain that was in my right eye. For about an hour I had to just sit in the bathroom with my eyes closed and my hands over my face to keep the light out. Towards the end of the day I had Brother Winfield take me to a hospital in Warragul, and we had to wait in the hospital waiting room for about an hour before I could see someone. The doctor I saw gave my some numbing drops, and HAULELUJIA those drops worked instantly!!! But they said what I had was very severe, so they referred me to a hospital in Melbourne where all the top notch specialists are.

So it was probably about midnight at this time, and the Zone Leaders drove us to the hospital about two hours away. Even in the dark of the night, the street lamps were blinding to me and I had to keep my face covered with my hands because of the sharpness of the lights.

That early Thursday morning can only be described as hell. Seriously, I was unable to see properly, I

Elder Steele is the man!  He sacrificed so much to help me!

was exhausted, I was in pain, I just felt terrible. For the next few hours it was just test after test after test, and they were the ones where they shine the ridiculously bright light in your eye to see, and with the sensitivity I was experiencing, that was terrible. A few of the tests involved doctors numbing my eye and swabbing it for samples, and in order to get some of the samples they had to stick needles in my eye. About nine times. Even though I was numb, it was still crazy painful. The doctor chucked my previous eye drops away and gave me like three more that I needed to take, one of them being every hour day AND night. We spent the next few days residing at the Zone Leaders' flatt sitting and doing nothing because of the pain in my eye, and those days were mixed with a lot of calls from doctors, hospitals, members, and President and Sister Maxwell. But throughout those days at the Zone Leaders' flatt, my eyes improved significantly, and even now my eyes feel fantastic.  One of the Zone Leaders, Elder Steele, was definitely amazing help!! The first few nights I had to get up every hour to put the drops in, and he committed himself to waking up with me and actually putting the drops in my eye for me. It was a huge example of Christlike love because I know that he was just as exhausted as I was, if not more tired. And yes, missionary work is going to have to be put on a halt while I recover, but that's okay because we basically have permission to chill with the members instead of just lounging around in the flatt bored stiff all day.

So Sister Maxwell is preventing us from doing any work until my eye is 100% healed and we have the doctors green light, so I don't think this week we will be doing much work either. Sunday we just hung out at the Winfields house after church and had dinner at their place. The end of the transfer was this Sunday, and I was surely convinced that I was getting to get transferred out so I could be closer to the doctor that I see regularly. Luckily I am staying in Moe, and because of some funny things that the MTC is doing this transfer is an 8 week transfer, so that's even better because I love it here!

So yeah, that's my week, just a lot of different doctors and what not. We actually have to go see ANOTHER doctor about two and a half hours away today, so out P-Day is basically shot. BUT!!! I am going to make a full recovery despite a scar on my right iris. But for like the next month I have to wear these ridiculous Lady Gaga-lookin' glasses to shade my eyes from light. But that's okay because I look like a bug. But I love you all, I really can feel the prayers that you have offered on my behalf, I appreciate and love all the love and support I am getting from near and far, and as always, God be with you till we meet again

-Elder Landon Cook

Monday night celebrating Elder Casil's birthday 

at Callan and Catherine Brook's place. My eye 

hasn't gotten red yet at this stage

Progression of my eye infection from 

Monday night to Wednesday afternoon

1st picture of the Progression of my eye infection from 

Monday night to Wednesday afternoon

2nd picture Progression of my eye infection from 

Monday night to Wednesday afternoon

The dilation medicine in my right eye, and my was feeling heaps better that day

Me being a pirate (before realizing how serious my infection really was)

Still trying to figure out whats wrong with my eye

My eye hurt from the light so back I had tissue, 

then plastic black eye patch, then two sunglasses

 on and it still hurt. :(

SO Many DROPS!!!!!

Just a quik update email from Elder Landon Cook

Hello family :) I am doing well, and my eye is recovering at nothing short of a miraculous speed. I can now see almost perfectly, and the doctor said that I will only have a small scar on my iris with no other permanent damage. I have been taken VERY well cared by the members, and the church has been able to provide me with the best of the BEST of medicine and doctors. I won't be able to email tomorrow because I have to go to a doctor early in the morning to follow up my eye, but I just wanted to email you tonight to tell you that I love you, my eye is doing great and my eyesight is recovering rapidly, and that I probably won't be able to email tomorrow. Love y'all's heaps, catch ya latah mate, and as always, God be with you till we meet again :D
-Elder Landon Cook

This is a post from Elder Landon Cook's mother:

So last night our son called us from the hospital in Melbourne Australia.  I do not have the whole story because I was not home when he called. He had an incredibly painful cornea bacterial infection in his eye and it was so severe that the Doctor told him that if he had waited one more day he would have lost his eye. Landon held it in, not to worry anyone, until he couldn't bear the pain any longer, and grateful he broke down crying from the pain and called his Mission President. I'm sad I wasn't able to be there for his phone call, but blessed he was able to talk to his dad. The Mission President, his wife, doctors and incredible zone leader has been taking good care of him. He has to put antibiotic eye drops in his eyes EVERY hour all day and set an alarm each hour throughout the night to put in the drops. Didn't know it at the time, but most of the pictures from his last email show him wearing his eyeglasses because his eye hurt him so bad he couldn't wear his contacts. I guess this was the start of his painful eye infection. Truly blessed by the Lord for the care he has received from all those around him. Can't wait to give this son of mine a big hug. It's hard for me, as his mother, to not be able to be there and care for him.  This morning at 3am Russell and I received an update email from President Maxwell's wife and the email reads as follows. 


Dear Brother and Sister Cook,

Just a quick update.  Elder Cook is doing much better.  He had a visit with the eye specialist we wanted him to be able to see--Dr. Lawrence Sullivan was able to get him in today and he will visit again tomorrow.  Today they still did not have the culture results which tells them exactly which microbe is causing the infection, but the antibiotic drops are doing the trick, and his eyes are much less inflamed. Dr. Sullivan also gave him some drops to help get the redness out.  

 

Elder Steele is our hero during all of this--he is the zone leader who has been giving Elder Cook his antibiotic eye drops every hour on the hour since yesterday early morning at 5 am.  He will be up every hour with him tonight.  Elder Steele has been driving Elder Cook to appointments and giving me updates.  He is a remarkably caring and competent leader.  Elder Cook has been a trooper.  He has gone through a very traumatic experience, but has been very positive and happy except for the phone call last night--I'm glad he was desperate, because that let us know how really bad things were.  Otherwise, he is as low-key and pleasant as ever, and no one would suspect that he's gone through an intensely painful and worrisome night or two.  

I'll update you tomorrow after the next appointment which is at 11:45 am. Hopefully we'll have a bit more information on the cause (most probably the contact solution) and the expected outcome. 

Thanks for your kind words and your patience--I know it must be so hard to have your dear son going through this at such a distance.  We do know the Lord watches over His missionaries!

Sister Maxwell