April 8, 2013

Hello, family!

Thanks for the pictures! It looks like your trip was incredible! I´m super jealous. I would have loved to stay in that little cabin right there in the woods. I´m surprised though. Are the girls really that tall? It took me a minute to figure out that was Sarah walking beside Mom, and Erin looks like a giant standing next to Dad on the beach. Maybe I´m just crazy (it hasn´t been that long) but they look like they´ve grown. I like the one of them in their holes in the sand :)

So conference was great! How did you guys like it? We watch the morning sessions live (so at 6 at night), Priesthood Sunday morning, and then we miss the last session. I think we might watch it today though, I need to see Elder Holland speak! One thing I really loved from it was a phrase that I heard in a few talks: "simple acts of obedience." I also liked that there was a lot about family and teaching in the home, just like last conference. 

I´m doing pretty good here. Life in the office is the same as always. This morning I´m working on re-doing 94 letters because imos was designed by a drunken monkey. It´s fun. Everyday it´s something else. 

I´m getting to know the ward better. There are some really good JAS or young single adults here that like to help us out, so that´s good. We also eat with members more often than I did in B6. Combine that with the fact that I spend most of the day in an office chair or the car, and I´m getting seriously worried about getting ridiculously fat. Oh well.

I realized that I haven´t really told you anything about our investigators yet. I´ve been too focused on the office and stuff, but the truth is we have a couple of really great investigators. We are teaching a man named Marcelo who is one of the most prepared people I´ve ever seen. His wife is a member who was lees-active and that´s how we found him. A few months ago his two kids were killed and his wife was beaten by a man that was renting a piso from them. It´s incredible to see how he wants to forgive that man and how he is fighting to do the right things. The gospel is bringing light again to his life and it´s incredible to watch. He loves his children so much and he loves that he will see them again one day. He is very sensitive to the Spirit and more than anything his desire to do good is remarkable. He is going to be baptized this Saturday. 

We also are teaching Madai. He is a 19 year old kickboxer from Brazil. He´s a super cool kid. His mother has been inactive for years and still has no interest, but he is progressing well. He has already been taught nearly everything, he just needs to come to church some more. So we have his baptism scheduled for the 27th. 

That´s about all that is going on around here. Sorry if my e-mails are more boring lately. Being in the office is. . .weird. But I have an awesome companion and we have a lot of fun so, no worries :) 

Well, I´ve got to run. We have a trip planned to Toledo today and we need to get on the road (there are advantages to having a car). Fun fact, Inigo Montoya in the Princess Bride is from Toledo. Other fun fact, my companion can play the main song from that movie.

I love you guys and I hope all is going well for you! I know I´ve said this before, but I´m so grateful for all that you have done for me throughout my life and all that you still do for me. I´m grateful to have been raised in a home where the Gospel and Christ were the center, where what is right and wrong was never in doubt. I´m grateful for all the love you´ve shown me and your continued prayers. I love you so so much.

Elder Cousins

PS Thank you so much for the package! It came just in time to be general conference snacks! :)