October 7, 2013

Hey everyone! 

I´ll right into the news for the week, though I´ll have to be a bit short again, sorry. We went to Segovia today and we´re running short on time. It was a great time though! We had beautiful weather and I got some great pictures and saw some parts of the castle I didn´t see the first time. 

Well the biggest news for the week is that Conference was amazing!! Did you guys love it? I´ve gained so much more appreciation for Conference since being out in the mission. It´s amazing how what they share is so relevant to our lives and how what they speak about continues to become more relevant as time goes on. For example, one of the Apostles said that The Living Christ would become more relevant in coming years and I felt impressed to make a note to study it because I would need it in the future. Any thoughts or goals from Conference for you guys? 

Also, we went down to the stake center in Pavones to watch it, so we were there all day on Sunday. And guess who I got to eat with in between sessions? Beatriz and Kancho! It was so awesome to see them again and be in their house again! It was such a special time to be with them again. They mean so much to me and I´m so happy that they are still doing good. They are receiving visits from a senior couple to prepare them to enter the temple at their one year mark (March!). Unfortunately still no date for the boda (the wedding). Also Kancho seems to be resisting receiving the Priesthood, I´m not sure why, but the missionaries are working with him and I´m not too worried. I know in the end he will do the right thing, even if sometimes it takes him awhile :) 

We also had a few investigators attend various sessions. We have 4 main investigators right now, or those who are progressing most. Mayte is doing better than ever. She came to two sessions of Conferene and loved it, but said some stuff she didn´t understand. In between sessions we took her on a tour of the temple grounds and explained why we have temples and what we do there. It was good. Sometimes it´s a little hard with her, because I´m not sure she´s paying very close attention to what we are saying. But she says she loves the church and has been praying about doubts she has and is feeling better, so that´s good. Unfortunately she does no want us to talk to her dad about her baptism. She feels it would be better to leave it for a time, until she is better prepared as well, and maybe he will see how happy she is here and let her be baptized.

Arthur also came to Conference and enjoyed it, although he thought we were going to actually see people talk, in person. Maybe we didn´t explain that very well. He is amazing and wants to be baptized so bad, but has trouble with smoking. We have challenged him to pray about being baptized by the end of the month, and he says he hasn´t received a direct answer, but he is warming up to the idea. We fasted with him yesterday to be able to leave behind all of his addictions. I know you pray for me and the people we teach, but PLEASE pray for Arthur. We are going to do everything we can to help him, but it is the prayers and faith of everyone that are going to cause a miracle in his life. Also, please keep praying for all of the people we teach. I know, know, know without a doubt that it makes a difference. I can feel it. Please don´t forget them in your prayers.

Viki is doing well although she didn´t show up to Conference. Her member friend went to get her and she wasn´t there. We´ll have to see this week, but she is wonderful. Also set a goal to get her baptized by the end of the month. We have a goal of 4 baptisms by the end of this month that we set in Zone Conference, so if you also want to pray for us that we can reach those goals, it wouldn´t go unappreciated.

Finally we have Beto, who has made a huge change since the strong lesson we had with him. In the last week he has read about 30 chapters in the Bible and bout 20 in the Book of Mormon. This is the man who would tell us week after week that he hadn´t read anything, that he didn´t have time. I´m so excited for him! He says he knows the Bible is the word of God so he is comparing the 2 to see if the Book of Mormon teaches the same thing. Which is great but we may need to focus on spiritual certainty a little bit there. In any case it is already helping his family. Their 10 year old daughter has noticed her father reading in the scriptures and mentioned to her mom how it makes her want to read more and be better too. :D 

That is all I have time for this week, I´ll try to take a bit more time next week to write more. Time, time, time. El enemigo de todos. I hope you all know how much I love you. It may be hard to feel through an email like this, but know that there are 2 things in this life that are most important to me and that I love more than anything else: this Gospel and my family. And I don´t plan on changing that ever. I love you with all my heart and am aware everyday of how much you each have blessed my life. I thank the Lord every day for the blessing of growing up in a family rooted in the truth and bound by love. I can never repay all that you have done and continue to do for me. Thank you for your prayers and thoughts. Thank you for your love. I love you.

Elder Cousins