December 2, 2013

Querida familia mia,

How’s it going?  So how was the week?  Do anything super exciting?  Are you guys getting snow yet?  It actually snowed here!  We woke up one morning, and there was a tiny bit of snow still stuck to the cars and the branch of the tree outside our window.  Isn’t that great!

It certainly is plenty cold, though.  It’s weird to think that I got to this area in the hottest part of summer and now it’s freezing cold.  Time is just going faster and faster.  I’m starting to confuse things I did with Elder Kinghorn and things I did with Elder Weixler.  It just seems like such a short time I’ve been here.

So the work continues onward aqui.  Our investigators are doing well, but we’re having a hard time finding new ones.  I don’t know if it’s the cold weather or what, but we’ve only gotten one new investigator in the last three weeks.  I’m not sure what we need to change, but we need to keep finding people.  

Luckily the Lord has blessed us with some incredible people that we are already teaching-- foremost being Ruth.  She is just amazing!  And she’s going to get baptized!  She has a baptismal date for the 14^th of December.  I’m super excited for her! :D  We set the date with her on Wednesday and then on Sunday at church we talked with her and she said that she had already checked with her boss and got the afternoon off.  She is so solid, and she has such a strong testimony.  She is just one of those people who has so much faith.  I feel like we hardly did anything, which I guess is how it should be.

Our other investigators are struggling a bit.  I’m most worried about Juvenal.  We didn’t meet with him last week and then on Saturday he didn’t show up to the lesson we set and hasn’t answered since.  He’s a great guy and has sincere desires, but I’m afraid he’s letting life get in the way, with all of his studies and everything.  Be praying for him.

Jose didn’t read or pray all week and he still hasn’t talked with his wife, but those are just setbacks.  He is still strong and just loves learning the Gospel.  Each time we meet our relationship with him gets stronger.  On Friday he gave each of us a huge hug as we left and thanked us a bunch for the work we are doing.  The Gospel is really having an effect on him and his life, and I just want so badly for it to be able to bless his family as well.  We recommitted him to talk with his wife, and we are setting up an FHE with a member family as a more subtle way to introduce what we teach. 

We didn’t get to teach Jhony this week, but he did show up to English classes and Noche de Hogar, and he made good on his promises to read.  Sadly he said “no” on coming to church.  He was so close to saying “yes”, too!  He said “little by little” but promised to come next week, and he seems to be a man of his word, so that’s good.

Arthur is suddenly making more progress in quitting smoking than I’ve ever seen. He went down 2 or 3 a day in just this last week.  He and Elder Weixler have formed a really close bond, and I think that’s what’s really making a difference now.  If Arthur gets baptized it will be thanks mostly to Elder Weixler.  He’ll need to start coming to church again though; it’s been a few weeks now.

That is the state of things here in B5.  We have some FHE’s and visits set up with members for this week.  We have a great amount of support from members, and we are trying to get closer to them.  We just need to start getting references out of them.

Elder Weixler and I are getting excited for our birthdays (his is the 7^th), Christmas, New Year’s , and 3 Kings Day!  It’d that time of year.Oh, and if your Christmas package arrives late again, it is your fault for not giving me any ideas of a present for Dad! Just kidding, sorry if it arrives late, I’m really hoping to get it out soon.

That’s all for this week.  Thanks again for all your love and support and prayers.  And for being the best family ever!  I am so hugely blessed to have such a wonderful family, to have a testimony, for the opportunity to share the gospel with others.  I love this work!  And I am happier than I have ever been before.  I hope all is well at home and that the Lord continues to bless you.  You all are in my prayer.  I love you!

Love,

Quinn

P.S. We had a huge Thanksgiving feast with a family of Americans in the ward.  We even had stuffing!  It was amazing!  Hope you had a good Thanksgiving.

November 25, 2013

Querido familia,

Hello, again!  How’s everybody’s week been?  Thanks for sending along that email by the way.  In case there is still any question, you should write by snail mail.  I won’t see any emails you send.

So yesterday we had transfers.  As expected Elder Weixler and I stay.  This will probably be my last here in B5 so let’s see if we can get some baptisms together.  I’m glad to stay.  Our awesome district got split up though!  Hermana Hone and Hermana Caballero, both of whom have been here since I got here, get shipped out.  It was pretty sad.  Our district is really close.  It’s been a while since I’ve gotten kind of bummed out by transfers.  But luckily they are both close by so we’ll see each other around.

Things are going pretty well with our investigators.  We’ve been so blessed to find people so prepared for the gospel.  Unfortunately we didn’t get to meet with some of them this week, so progress is a little slower than usual.  

Ruth is doing great.  We didn’t get to meet with her, but she came to church on Sunday.  Almost on time, too, so we got to show her where Relief Society was and everything.  And then she was just with members the whole time and even stayed after for something the Single Adults were doing.  That’s something I really like about Ruth: she just goes up and talks to everyone on her own.  From the first time we met at the church she went up and introduced herself to everyone there and called everyone “brother” and “sister”.  She already talks like she is a member of the church, too.  Feel like she already has a pretty strong testimony.  I think next time we are going to talk about baptism.

Sadly, she was the only one who came to church apart from Isabel (a lady we taught once in a group like the tea party thing).  Valencia, a kid we’ve taught a couple of times just whenever we can find him.  We have no  other way of contacting him other than to pass by his house, and we’re not sure how interested he is, but he showed up at church so that’s something.  Isabel could have a lot of potential, but as of right now we have no contact info or her.

Jose is also doing great.  I don’t know if I said earlier, but he works on Sundays so he hasn’t been able to come to church, and until he has a solid testimony I don’t try to talk about changing work.  But we’ll get there.  He read the chapters we left him last week, twice.  He said it was hard to understand and then explained to us exactly what it all meant, so that was cool.  He also prayed for us!  It’s something he said is hard for him, so it was awesome to hear him pray.  I just love his sincere interest.  He just has such desires to know the truth and to know God.  He wants to believe, and I know Heavenly Father will bless him with a powerful testimony.  We taught part of the Plan of Salvation this week, and he was really into it.  He also said that he is going to talk to his wife and daughter about meeting with us as well.  He said his wife is not as open to this kind of stuff, and he actually hasn’t told he is meeting with us as yet, but he is going to tell her and invite her to listen as well.  That shows that this is something important to him if he is willing to take that step.  I’m really excited.  I hope we are able to teach them all.  

Juvenal ‘s doing pretty well, but he didn’t meet with us or come to church this week.  He did come play soccer with us but then said he couldn’t meet with us that afternoon because he already took time out of studying to play soccer.  :(  I’m hoping he’s just really busy lately and we’ll be able to meet again soon.

We had a lesson with Johnny which was really great.  He expressed some really sincere desires to learn more.  He committed to read and pray even though it’s been years since he prayed.  

Arthur is progressing along at his own pace.  He said he is down to 13 a day now.  Little by little. 

Some good news: I don’t know if you remember Merci and her family?  We’ve heard that they get back December 3^rd, so pray that we’ll be able to find and teach them again.  

Well, I can’t think of any other news to share.  I’m super happy to be staying here in B5.  I’m really excited for this next transfer.  I feel like good things are going to happen for us here.  Wish me luck and keep praying!  I love you all a whole bunch!  Thanks for everything.

Love,

Elder Cousins