March 21, 2016 ~ Week 90 ~ Pictures

Service project.

We put that stick house together that we are in

Papa Johns and chocolate milk after the mission conference

March 21, 2016 ~ Week 90

I think somethings in the water over here because I was sick twice this week.  On Friday we went to Arequipa to hear Elder Hugo Montoya speak at a mission conference.  He is a member of the Seventy and is now a part of the Area Presidency in Peru.  I remember when Elder Andersen of the Quorum of the Twelve talked when he visited our mission and I didn’t understand anything; grammatically or spiritually, as I had just entered the mission field.  But this time it was different. every time he talked I could feel what he was saying including every gospel doctrinal reference and it was definitely special and just something I hadn’t felt before.  After the conference as he was walking I asked him to expand a little more on a story he told us about a missionary who had his right arm amputated in order to serve a mission after the doctors detected cancer.  The missionaries all looked at me when Elder Montoya was telling that story during the conference and I got some fistbumps and some nub bumps as well.  Elder Montoya told me that that missionary in the story he told was amazing and today is now a General Authority.

My life is different; my life is special. You receive blessings through sacrifices (it sounds better in Spanish)…por sacrificios se dan bendiciones.

I like how that phrase sounds in Spanish.

Elder McCook

March 14, 2016 ~ Week 89

This past week was full of family home evenings, we meet at the towns center every night and waited for all the families to show up.  Then we went and held a giant family home evening at a member’s house or less active or investigators house.  Two of the families that we are working with said that they want to get married and baptized.  The Cary family wants to be get married in April and baptized.  

My legs are still peeling and people are still amazed watching me bench at the gym.

I heard this the past week from some Peruvians. if you have a bad dream then crack an egg under your bed and that will fight away your fears.

Gotta find more families. pray for that

Love you

Elder Mccook

March 7, 2016 ~ Week 88 ~Pictures

Found a Mexican taco truck!!

Celebrated 20 months in the mission, eating tacos!!
(hence the 20 sol bill)

The Casa Capilla in theJoya flooded!!

Because the roof collapsed.

 We had to sweep all the water out!!

March 7, 2016 ~ Week 88

This past week we traveled an hour to go to our district meeting with the other missionaries in the zone.  As we arrived we discovered the roof of the tiny church house collapsed, so we swept all the water out.

President Zobrist came down to the zone to give a zone conference, we learned more about the Book of Mormon and I was asked to give talk last moment about how I have edified the church in my mission.  It went well.

We found a Mexican taco truck and that’s where we ate dinner on my 20 month anniversary.

We are working with families now, the hard part is that most of them are couples and are not married and want to be baptized.  We had 165 people at church yesterday, that was the most I have ever had in my entire mission.

We are doing divisions with the members, and mainly the youth that are preparing for the mission.  Things are looking up and this week and the week just went by so fast!

Elder McCook

February 29, 2016 ~ Week 87 ~ Pictures

All about that baca preaching

enseñando todas las bacas

February 29, 2016 ~ Week 87

This past week we were greeted by "rain".  It was the closest thing to rain I´ve seen in Peru.  It was a semi-heavy drizzle.  Everyone was freaking out, people were outside with trash bags on their heads and all the dogs were in a state of shock.  They also turned off all the power.

Days later we went on an hour drive to come pick up beds from an area that was closed this past exchange.  4 missionaries went and there weren’t enough seats in the front so me and my companion sat in the trailer bed.  An hour nap later I woke up sun burned I was so red... the sister missionaries gave me some Aloe Vera plants to cut up and apply to the burn.  I did that for the past 2 days and now my legs are purplish.

The missionaries’ farmers tan is coming in great for this summer.  At least I get to wear a sombrero and sunglasses, this is the only area in the whole mission where we have permission to do so.

We found more than a handful of new investigators.  One of my favorite questions to ask when contacting is (let’s see how this works in English) "have you ever had a religious question in which you have not received a satisfying answer?"

This past week people asked about Sabbath Day observance, infant baptism, and tithing.

I feel so happy to have the scriptural and testimonial knowledge to be able to answer all of the questions, the church is true.

Bye bye
Elder McCook

February 22, 2016 ~ Week 86 ~Pictures

Pedregal is named after rocks...I wonder why..?

I have never had an ingrown toenail in my life..I had it

removed after suffering for the past month.

nunca he tenido un unero en toda mi vida.. pero ya lo saque


despues un mes o dos...

February 22, 2016 ~ Week 86

Hola,

This week was slower than the last, my bed situation is the same, I’m still sleeping on the floor and living out my suitcase.

Monday was a good P-day spent playing soccer outside and getting bit up by the tiny skeeters.

Tuesday we went to Arequipa in the morning and spent the whole day there with the zone for our zone conference, it was weird being in Hunter again…8 days later. I also got an ingrown toenail taken out, apparently I got it because I don’t cut my toenails straight and so this nail decided to push against my skin and it hurt to walk.  After a month I got it taken out, and it bled some but I didn’t cry.

Entonces don’t worry.

We went on divisions with the members and our cool return missionary branch mission leader went with me.  He served in Brazil and is teaching me a thing or two in Portuguese…que legal no?

We got a baptismal date this past week and por fin investigadores came to sacrament meeting, but branch council and branch correlation are awkward because we don’t have anyone LEGIT to talk about yet. We only found 2 new investigators this week.  But the branch is good, 142 came to church yesterday, there are plans to become a district.

Hay que trabajar.

Ciau ciau
Elder McCook