The most wonderful family in the world,
I love coming to internet each week and reading emails from all of you (well, most of you..) It is so good to hear how you are doing and that all is well on the home front. Your emails truly do mean so much to me. Please keep them coming and feel free to attach pictures and whatnot. It's so good to see the familiar faces that I love so dearly.
This week has been a good one. It went by quick. Too quick. This is the last week of the transfer. Where did the last six weeks even go?? I'm not sure. I have learned so much this transfer from Sora Smith and the other missionaries here in Arad and I'm so grateful. Sora Smith is truly an angel. Every missionary deserves to have a compnanion like her at least once in their mission. She is the kindest, most humble, patient, intellegent and sweetest person. I hope I get to serve again with her next transfer, but if not, I'm so grateful for all I've learned from her the last six weeks. I hope I can be the kind of companion for at least one of my companions as she has been for me. I love Sora Smith.
Natali and Catarina (both working toward baptism) are progressing. Maybe not as quickly as we would like, but they are in the Lord's hands and they have baptism in mind, we can't ask for much more. Natali is eating up the gospel. She loves learning and our lessons usually go over an hour because of all her questions and enthusiasm she has to learn. (Natali is the girl with the LDS boyfriend who lives in Hungary). He is also encouraging her journey and helping her find truth. It's beautiful. She is so excited to learn how to raise a family with values and morals and at the thought of being sealed to them for eternity. She's beautiful. She's coming to Utah next week to meet Kenton's family. So excited for her, but unfortunately that means we won't get to meet with her for a few weeks. However, I think the trip to Utah will be good for her.
Catarina is also still progressing. She has been sick, so unfortunately, we haven't been able to come teach her as often as we would like and she just isn't quite prepared to be baptized this week. Once she gets better, we will establish a date and continue to help her progress and prepare. If you could please keep Catarina and Natali in your pa
Interviews are this week. I love any opportunity I have to visit with President and Sora Hill. They are such wonderful people. Our mission is so blessed to have them. Something I love about the orginization of our church is that no matter where you go in this church, there will be someone to stand by you and help you. Even aside from our Savior who is always with us. That is the beauty of the orginization of our church. It is truly beautiful. Whether it's a bishop, relief society president, home teacher, visiting teacher, sunday school teacher, we have a friend and we have somene to turn to for help and guidance. In the gospel, we have help. We have help on this side of the veil and on the other. If our eyes could be opened, we would find chariots of Heaven coming to our defense. In 2 Kings 6: 16-17 Elisha calms the fears of the king when he says
17 And Elisha prayed, and said, Lord, I pray thee, open his aeyes, that he may see. And the Lord opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw: and, behold, the mountain was full of horses and bchariots of fire round about Elisha.
I, personally, am so grateful not only for the help of my mission president, companion, zone leaders, district leaders and fellow missionaries, but also for the divine help on the other side of the veil. We all receive it. I hope and pray we can all feel it.
I've learned a lot this week. I was able to sit down during personal study (actually during three personal studies). And write out my goals. It was so nice. I wrote out where I want to be at the end of my mission in the six different areas of life and then what I need to do daily, weekly, and each transfer in order to get to that point. It took a lot of thought and prayer, but I finally finished and it feels so great. As the end of the year comes, and consequently a lot of goal setting, I strongly strongly encourage you to do the same thing. To sit down and picture where you want your life to be at the end of the year next year and what needs to happen daily, weekly and monthly in order to get there. Be specific. I strongly believe their is so much power in goal setting.
I'm so excited for the changes that are currently taking place in missionary work. Why not send missionaries out earlier? They're ready and they're prepared... and the world needs them! I'm so excited. If only I could have gone at 19. :)
I realized today I'm almost at my 6 month mark. Oh my gosh. Make the time stop! The last three months have flown. Too fast.
I love you all so much. I have lots of birthday cards and letters to send today. Hopefully I have enough time to run to the post office! So be looking for those in the mail:) Hopefully they make it there safely.
James, I heard you did the Touugh Mudder the other day. How did I not get an email full of pictures from you?? Make that happen. With a description of how it went. I want to hear! You can also add in there how you are doing.. haven't heard from you in a while. All is well, yes?
I love you all. I wish you the best of the best of weeks. Fiti cuminte. (behave yourselves). Thank you for the update on the political race. The future of our country is continiously in my prayers. All will be well. I hope. :)
Va pup va pup,
Sora Cook
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| Me with the women of the relief society (at least the ones that came to church yesterday). These women are among some of the finest I have ever met in my entire life. Their faith and their love for the gospel is inspiring. |
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Alexandra and Sebestian, wearing the hats that Sora Wahlquist made them. Words cannot describe how much I love these children. They are the children of a less active. They have not yet been baptized but we are working with them to work toward baptism. They are beautiful and their spirits are tender but strong. If I'm asked to leave Arad next transfer, these children will be among the hardest to say goodbye to, along with their mother, Mihaela. Thinking about it brings tears to my eyes. I love them with all my heart. My heart aches for their humble and challenging circumstances and know that one day, they will receive a rest from all their trials and will live among the most vallient and faithful in the life to come.
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*Jerr, I hope all is going well with the baby!!! You are both in my prayers! Anyone else expecting a baby that I should be praying for? Lizz? Amy? ...Marissa??? Mari.... you better not.
*Mom and dad, I'm so glad you got to go meet the Ewell's. I don't know them yet, but I feel like I do and I am ever so grateful for the way they raised Sora Ewell, so I already know that I love them!:) How fun it would be if you all came and picked us up together and we toured around Romania and then stopped in Italy on the way home! BUH! That would be incredible. Look into making that happen:) That is, of course, if the Ewell's are up for it:)
*Sora Ewell, happy six months. I love you! Hopefully get to see you next week at transfers.
Sadly, the Wahlquist's left. We miss them! You should go read their blog. They're awesome. And they have some pretty cool pictures on there!! Go see:)
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