Humbled

So this week was pretty good. I hate the thought of leaving Howell. We get transfer calls this week and I am praying I get to stay. It's crazy how you can learn to love the people so quickly. We had a good week.  Monday I was in a bad mood so the Douglas family took us out to ice cream and dinner to cheer us up! They're so great! I want to have the Elders over just like them. They are our family away from family. Tuesday we took a vacation day and just did service all day. Perfect! I miss just working and I missed Dad a ton! We helped Brother Douglas build a deck. I guess there is a rule missionaries can't use power tools...well, I broke it! Just get out of the way, I'm working here!! ha-ha It was hard. I loved to help but I just wanted my dad!  The smell of the wood and Brother Douglas giving me the "I'd-say-something-about-how-you-measured-all-those-boards-a-quarter-inch-too-short-but-you're-not-my-kid" look. It was nice!

Afterwards we went to "The Roost," an antique store down town and helped them reorganize the store. Kim and Jerry are such good people. They own the store and James is the store manager. They just instantly became our friends when we stopped in that first time. It was good. We talked about what we do on missions and stuff--nothing to heavy. Then on Saturday night, we had been asked by the other ward to come and judge their chili cook off. We thought they should have just asked their own elders but whatever. I asked Todd if we had any friends we could invite and Jerry and James came to mind so we texted them. We weren't sure how they would respond--they don't live the morals that God instituted, but we thought we should try anyway. They CAME! and they had a blast! It was so cool! They just hung out with Todd and I and the other elders. I had fun and they had a good time. James had a really bad experience with Mormons before and had this bad feeling. He told Todd that we had totally changed that. Perfect! One heart softened, that's all we can ask for. Pray for them! We would love to pick them up as new investigators!

I talked to President this week--I was his first interview! I had emailed him on Monday and said that I loved him and wanted to sustain him and I covenanted to do so, but I was struggling with some of the new misison rules.  We got to interviews, he called me in, and we talked.  I feel so bad. I was just stressed and struggling to understand and it turned to anger. Then I just couldn't tell up from down! We had a really good talk and he was so personal about it, telling me how he too struggled and how he had almost weeded himself out of the church a couple times. It was great. He wasn't my leader for a while, we were just friends talking and figuring things out. I saw him as he was--a tired old man trying to do right in God's eyes and keep us all safe, happy, and spirit filled. It was good and I walked away humbled and ready to follow again. ha-ha  Some times I'm such a jerk! You'd think I would just follow and know that he's trying to help me. Instead, I fight like he's the devil and throw a tantrum! It's all good now!

I can't wait to talk to you on Mother's day!

Love,
   Cooper