YUP. Week 46!

Lieve familie,

          So this email I really have no idea where to begin because this week has seriously been a crazy roller coaster ride of emotions and just hard hard work. This past week Elder Argueta and I found ourselves being workaholics as far as the missionary work goes. I think that it was one of the hardest working weeks of my mission. In church yesterday I could barely keep my eyes open just because of how exhausted I was from the whole week- I was physically, mentally, and spiritually exhausted and this is why.

          Physically exhausted because Elder Argueta and I have spent literally every single day on our bikes, biking a minimal of 60 kilometers per day looking people up, knocking on doors, trying to keep good contact with investigators, and going to appointments. I love biking. Every single night though we were so tired that we wouldn’t even say one thing to another, but instead just crawl into our beds at like 10'o clock and fall asleep.

Mentally tired because we have just been getting messed around with and humbled as far as the missionary work goes. Our Phone has been broken the entire week so we have had no real way to contact anyone, which has been so stressful. We have been working sooooo soooo hard and just when we think things are going great.. BAM!..Things with our investigators all the sudden take the wrong turn. So now we are just thinking.. Really?. Come on! For example Patrick couldn’t come to church yesterday because of his health and then last night we got the most surprising text message saying that he wants to stop everything with us... seriously it has been a mental and emotional roller coaster for us Elders here in Kortrijk!  But yeah we have no idea why we got this message from Patrick and His wife Mimi, but tonight Elder Argueta plan on going over to see what is going on. Pray for us:)

         And Spiritually tired because this week I have never born my testimony so strong before during appointments, nor felt the spirit working on me so hard to lead and guide me about what to say and do. Yesterday we were asked by some more members in the branch if we could give them blessings and really I am just so grateful that I have this chance to be an instrument in the hands of the Lord. But IT HAS BEEN EXHAUSTING AND A CRAZY WEEK.

         So now I am sitting here on a Monday- the begining of a new week - just thinking and hoping/praying that this week will be just as great as the last one.. hahah

         On a much brighter note I am learning more and more about the way our Heavenly Father works and just being humbled every single day. I am grateful to be here and I am grateful to have these many chances to learn to grow. As for this upcoming week thankfully we have Temple Conference, which means I will finally have the chance to go to the Temple and figure some things out with the Lord. We will also be spending a day or two in Den Haag... so you could say that I am pretty darn excited to see my friends there!

           I love you all with my full heart. The Lord gives us all our free agency to choose for ourselves how we want to act. I do not like the free agency of others... but I am grateful for my own free agency and that I can always choose to be happy no matter what circumstances I may be in. The Gospel Of Jesus Christ is the definition of TRUE HAPPINESS.

-Elder Cook

  

As for the photos... yeah last p-day we got to hit up the amusement park that is here in Kortrijk for the next week. See if you can find me on the ride.... hahah it was CRAZZZYY!