Dear Family,

That's crazy that all those kids in the ward just graduated.  Thanks for sending those shoes!

This past week was awesome!  A week full of OYM's and lessons.  This Saturday all 3 Houston missions will get together to hear from Elder Paul V. Johnson along with another Seventy and then on Sunday there is a multi-stake conference.  There is speculation of some changes in stake/mission boundaries.  

We had the confirmation of Jose Moncado; he just loves being a member and feels very blessed to have fallen into our hands.  I've really noticed this past week the importance of trusting in the Lord's timing.  Sometimes when things don't work out the way we had hoped, if we just put our trust in him then his purposes will be realized and we'll know that everything is in His hands.

 I hope you all have a great week!

Love, Elder Cooley

Dear Family,

This past week was great!

So on Sunday Jose Moncado got baptized, the man who stopped us a couple months ago and asked us to teach him; it was a very sweet experience and Elder Tonn was able to perform the ordinance.  Also, transfers happened.  All 5 companionships are now in 1 district (before it was 2).  Hna. Martinez, a native Mexican, is training Hna. Moreno Cordero, a native Spaniard.  They add a little bit of culture to the district.

Joseph Matuk just left for a couple weeks to visit his daughter in New York.  I definitely have to say that of all the tamales I've tried, Guatemalans make the best.  They make tamales de masa, de arroz, y de papa and they're all amazing.  We taught lessons and talked to people on the street, there's nothing better.  Well, I hope all is well back home!

Love, Elder Cooley

Hello!

How's it going?  It was crazy to see all those little kids and how they've grown!

Well, it is the start of a new transfer and Elder Tonn and I are staying together!  So this past week was amazing.  We got to teach a man named Jorge; he is from Cuba and has been searching for the truth for about 6 years.  At that time he lived in Cuba and saw about 7 different churches, all claiming to have the truth but one night he raised his Bible to heaven pleading to God that He would show him the truth.  Well, just recently he touched down here in the US and is a doctor at a clinic that a member works at.  He preaches in front of a congregation of another church and he told us about how his leaders gave him the topic for his sermon in 2 months - the topic being to preach against the Mormon Church.  He thought in his mind and later asked his leaders, "How can I preach against something of which I know nothing about?"  Their answer was simply, just do what we tell you, but he wanted to know more fully.  Well, that's where the member comes into play.  He found out that this member with whom he worked was Mormon and they began talking.  Well, he's been reading the Book of Mormon and believes it to be the Word of God.  He feels very strongly about personal revelation and is a very sensitive to spiritual things.  And we will be teaching him again tonight so we're pretty stoked.

Also this past week I had the opportunity to exchange with Elder Soutas (an old companion in Galveston) so that was fun to work with him again.  An investigator of ours, Denis, was able to come to Sofia Ramos' baptism and also to the Mother's Day party we had.  He loved both of course.  There are just so many things going on but time is short.

I love you all!

Love, Elder Cooley

Why Hello!

How's everything going?  I haven't gotten the shoes yet but I'll probably get them this Thursday.

You mentioned how everyone is growing up and I was thinking of how crazy the concept of time is.  Just yesterday we had ward conference and the bishop talked about how 2 of the great gifts we have from God are time and agency.  It's up to us how we use that time and God will hold us accountable at the last day for what we did with it.

Gonzalo, the man from Guatemala whose wife is a member, made it to church yesterday. It was good to see all the fellowship he received from the members.  I love how as we follow those little promptings of the Holy Ghost then the Lord will bless us with that testimony that it was from Him, but only after the trial of our faith.

As for writing in my journal I try to do it at least once a week.  This past week was great and we saw many small miracles, just how little things worked out and came together so well; being a missionary is good stuff.

Well, I love you all! Have a great week! See ya Sunday!

Love, Elder Cooley