Happy Thanksgiving!

Just so you know I'm still alive!

This week was good. Nothing too exciting that happened, the weather was crazy though! They told us that the weather was going to turn cold and it did! Wednesday it dropped into the 20's and 30's. It was crazy! It snowed and kept snowing. That was kind of a cool thing. It's definitely a new experience riding a bike in the snow. The thing that I hate is that in Michigan they use salt like it's going out of style! It's awful! It melts the snow but it makes your bike rust really fast and it flips all over the place while you ride. I joked that God should work like these people. If the salt of the Earth loses it's savor, then just put more down! ha-ha. I know that's not how it works but really, the salt on the roads is nuts.

We found a couple new investigators this week. Sadly, neither panned out though. We had a good lesson with Pamela. We covered all the commandments with her and are getting ready to answer the questions she has about what she doesn't know--like the Word of  Wisdom and things like that. We probably won't get to meet with her this week so we'll have to wait until next week.

Elder Warner getting ready for the cold. 

We had stake conference this weekend it was great. There were some families from the Northville Ward that I was happy to see again. The talks were great. It was good to get to listen to the stake president talk. I think that he is an amazing guy. You could feel the love he had for the people in the meeting. It was sincere and heart felt. It was great! Then Sunday we got to go to the rest of conference. There were some really good speakers. They did a great job covering their topics.

The weather warmed up into the 40's on Saturday and Sunday so all the snow is gone again. Saturday morning we came out and it was raining and it was freezing rain! It was really bad in the apartment complex but once we got on the road, it was good. It was nice not to have the snow sticking to the tires of the bikes. Other than that, it was a pretty uneventful week.

Well, I have to go. I love you. Know that I'm happy and that I haven't been shot or mugged yet. I'm the one that people worry about here!  I know how to use the Good Book!! ha-ha! I hope you have a great week and Happy Thanksgiving!

Love,
  Cooper

This is a squirrel we feed once in a while.  He is super fat and comes
right up to you. I now know why Uncle Si, from Duck Dynasty,
 said he went to pet a dog and it was a squirrel. They are huge here!

Ready for Snow!

This week was good. The weather was really nice Monday and Tuesday but after that it got cold. It snowed a little but it didn't stick. Today we got up and there was snow on the ground and its cold enough to keep it there. I guess that we are suppose to get at least two or three inches by Tuesday. I'm pretty excited still. It will be something to throw some spice into our rides. I decided that Michigan was okay. It wasn't all bad. They have a Kohl's,  so I went and got a big winter coat and some boots. I should be ready for the snow but everyone here is really not looking forward to the cold.

We found a couple cool people this week. We found two new investigators. One is a newly married couple--they just moved from Utah. The wife invited us to come back and we could talk to her and her husband. The other lady was older and she invited us to come back and gave us her phone number. It was really a shock! Most people don't really like to give us a phone number and she was more than willing to. I'm excited to see them both this next week.

Another kind of cool thing is that there was a Muslim guy that let us come back and talk to him. He totally turned the table on us! We told him that we invite people read the Book of Mormon and pray to know if its true. He told us he had already read it and the King James version of the Bible, old and new testaments. He's read the New International Men's version and the Jehovah's Witnesses version  and he gave us a copy of the Quran. He invited us to go and read our book's first and then read this. It was crazy! He did to us what we do with people every day. It was a little different. So now I can say that I've been given a Quran and a  Jehovah's Witness Bible. I know neither hold the truth but I think it's still cool that I've gotten them! Other than that, this week went by without too much excitement.

I was going to send pictures but I forgot the cord to my camera. Next week, I'll send you pictures.

Love,
   Cooper

Taught by the Spirit

This week went really good. I started to fall apart closer to the end of the week. It's weird to think that only a short while ago, I didn't like to go to church and being there was a chore for me. I can say that now I've changed. When I first got out here, Elder Olsen told me that eventually you, as a missionary, need to go to church. I thought that he was crazy but I get it now. If I couldn't go to church, I wouldn't be able to get through the week. I would be so dead. My spiritual battery would give out on me. It's nuts! I was thankful to go yesterday. It gave me the peace and strength that I need to go out and keep talking to people.

We got to teach Craig and his wife this week. We met his wife for the first time and she was really nice. We taught her the restoration. I was super glad we had a member there with us. We teach simple truths and Craig knows those really well. He wants to know the "meat" of the gospel. The member answered his questions and finally he was content. Afterwards, I was so drained it was bad. We went home and had dinner and went to bed. I was glad that we taught him at the end of the night. I'm excited to go and see him this week. I hope that he has been reading so we can talk about it with him and his wife.

We also got to teach Pamela this week. I don't think I've told you about her before. She is an engineer and is super duper smart! She knows her church stuff! She is probably 25 and taught six years of Sunday School in a Lutheran church. She has been meeting with us the whole time I've been here. She is a hard person to teach. Finally we gave her a teaching record and told her, "These are the things we can talk about and these are the commitment we leave with people. Why don't you choose what we talk about?" So this last week we talked about the atonement and why we need it. It was great! The Spirit was there and Elder Warner and I knew it. We were able to talk and teach and she said she had an "a-ha moment." It was great! It was so cool. I learned and understood mercy and justice better now and why we need them. I was just as much the student as she was. It was amazing! This next week she asked that we define love, yep, love. It's going to be a new experience. I'm pumped about it!

Those were the highlights of the week. I do wish that the weather would change already. If its cold, it needs to snow. I hate the wind--it's nasty! But I guess when I get home I won't need a car. I'll be conditioned to ride my bike through all types of weather! (But I'll still choose to drive over the bike ha-ha!)

Love,
  Cooper

Keeping the Faith

So this week was good--nothing really too great happened but I did have some really cool experiences. We found a new investigator. We knocked on his door and heard someone inside drop something and then it got quiet. We waited and knocked again--nothing. So we left a card and went to the next house. We heard some one call out "hey guys!" so we stepped around the garage and the guy at the house we just knocked was calling us back. He let us in and offered us some water. He said he was Catholic and his wife was from the Church of Christ. He had gone to her church once thinking it was one and done, but he never went back to the Catholic church. He wanted a Book of Mormon. He is trying to find the books that should be in the Bible that the Catholics took out. So we have a return appointment with him on Tuesday. He is sneaking it! He doesn't want his wife to find out about us meeting with him or she'll freak! It's funny. Normally, it's the other way around! His name is Dave. I can't wait to see him. Hopefully he is ready for the gospel. He seems "golden" so keep your fingers crossed.

We didn't get to meet with Craig or Fred, so that's a bummer. We are going to see Craig this Saturday. Fred is getting married so it might be a while till we can see him. But we know where he lives so we'll just keep going back!

On Halloween we didn't get to go trick or treating, that was a bummer but we had interviews.  We also got to watch "Meet the Mormons." It was awesome! I loved it! It felt good just to check out for a while and watch something and not have to knock doors or ride our bikes. The interviews were great. I love to meet with President Gerber. He gave me some things to help along the path to becoming better so I'm stoked. It's not going to be easy. Hopefully I get it all figured out!

Some really good news is that I get to stay with Elder Warner for another transfer. I'm excited. He's awesome and we get stuff done. That's the best part. Ha-ha. Today we were feeling it, so we broke out the Christmas music. I know it's not Thanksgiving yet but it made me happy so what more could I have asked for!

I forgot to tell you about Jacob. He's was excommunicated, had a really tough life, and he wants to come back. He contacted us. We went over and pretty much told him he had to do everything we told him or else he wouldn't make it back. He followed our commitments to the "t" and more! In three days you could see the change. You could feel it in the way he sat and talked. His apartment felt different. It was amazing! So cool! I hope to find more people like him who are willing to do whatever it takes to get on the right track!

You and Gramma would be so proud of me. Last week, the hem hem came out of one of the legs of my grey suit pants. I had to fix it! I tried and failed...there was a pucker in them. I was so frustrated! So a few days later, I sat back down and got them out. I worked on it for over an hour, working as patiently as I could. And I actually fixed them! I was so happy! I know it's small but I was super happy about it! God totally had a hand it in!

I hope that you have a great week. Know that I'm thinking about you and hope that everything is working out back home.

Love,
   Cooper

True Christians

This week was good. I'll only give you the highlights. So Tuesday I met the nicest family.  They were the definition of christian. We had been knocking doors for a couple of hours and there wasn't anyone on the street that wanted to let us in or even listen to us. So that was such a bummer and it, of course, was cold. We were almost done--we had like three more houses until we were back on the bikes. We knocked on this door and we said our little speel. The lady was older and she said she had just been telling her grandson about us, explaining that we were missionaries out sharing that God loved people. She asked us if we had eaten. We said we hadn't and she told us to come and join them for dinner.

She apologized for not fixing something better but she didn't know that we were coming. Her daughter-in-law and two grandsons were over. We went in and they moved over for us and got us plates. It was the weirdest thing ever! I have never felt so welcomed or at home. They made every member that I've ever met look bad! They were so nice. They shared what they were doing in their; lives the big stuff that the boys had done at school that day. They were completely okay with us being there. We were there for a little over an hour. They asked once what church we were from because she had got a phone call and the person had asked. Other than that, we believed in Christ and so did they. That was enough.

I can't say enough good things about them. I would have no problem standing up, when they get to the judgment seat, and ask that God let them in. If not, give them my spot because they are more worthy than I could ever be. They are true Christians! That was the highlight of the week!

The rest of the week went really good. We got to teach Fred and Willy this week. Come to find out, Willy, our 90-year-old Swiss guy, is so old that he shook Henry Ford's hand. I was like "what? that's crazy!" Other than that there wasn't anything too great that happened.

I hope you have a great week.Thanks for the letters, emails, and the prayers!

Love,
   Cooper

Process of Purification

This week was great! Elder Warner and I are doing this thing called the "process of purification." It's where you fast and ask God to help you get your will more in line with His. It's pretty awesome! You start with a fast. Then you write the things that come to you through prayer or study.  Those are the things you give up. Lets just say that it is super hard! This is the second week doing it and I feel a change in us already. It's amazing!

We knocked more doors this week than I have ever done before and I actually loved it. I realized that nothing really makes me happy out here. The food is blah and sleep isn't satisfying. It's sad. I recognized I was happier out knocking doors than I was doing anything else. I'm not saying that it was any different but we changed. We are getting a lot better at stating simply what we are there for. We found three new people to teach, all in the same neighborhood. It took us 25 hours of knocking doors to do it, but we did it and actually enjoyed it! Two of those new investigators are "golden." They are looking for it.

One man is Craig. He's in his 50's, married with kids and is super cool. He let us right in his house when we knocked on the door merely because we were Christians. He also didn't want us to shake the dust off our feet on his door. Really cool! He was amazed that we knew so much theology at such a young age. We gave him a Book of Mormon. I'm excited to meet with him this week. The other "golden" guy is named Fred. He's a single dad. We knocked on his door after it got dark and he let us right in. He said that he had one question and he asked it (cant remember what it was) and we answered it. He said he was in! We have a return appointment this Saturday for him! The third is Willy. He's from Switzerland. He also let us right in. He asked who we were. We told him we were missionaries and that we were out sharing a message with people. He said "Mormons?" And we said "Yes." He was like, "Why didn't you just say that?" He's super cool. I already love him. He's 90 and just fell backwards down a flight of steps and he wasn't hurt at all! I loved visiting with him. He has had missionaries come before but it was like eight years ago. We sat and talked about his wife who has passed away and the stuff happening in the world. It was good. I love that old man already!

So, yep! That's about how my week went. It has been a week with a lot of learning in it. One of the quotes that I love from my calender says "It takes courage to grow up and become who you really are" by E. E. Cummings.  It totally describes my life right now! I love you. I hope you have a great week. Know that I pray for you and the rest of the family every morning and night. You guys never leave my heart.

Love,
  Cooper

Finally wore the shirt you sent me. Have a picture for proof!

The Priesthood is Real

I'm doing good in my new area. It gets a little hard. I get to learn how to be self motivated now. We do a lot of knocking doors and it's good for the first couple of hours but then it gets old--like super old! Elder Warner is awesome. I love him. I can learn a lot from him. He is a good, honest guy that has the Idaho work ethic, so that's even better! The other night we were sitting there and talking about home (a very dangerous pastime) and I showed him the picture I have of me and the Cadillac. We kept on talking and then he was like. "I know you! We've met before at a basketball game." Really odd. I guess he was with a Shelley kid and I walked past. They said something about me and he called my name out. I turned and gave him the "who-are-you-look" and kept walking. Weird, right? I totally know how small this world is. Hyrum Stonehocker, from Shelley, is coming to this mission at the end of the month. I think the world is going to get even smaller!

Elder Warner fixing my bike.

So Melvin didn't get baptized....He doesn't think that financially he can pay a full tithe but he was more than willing to pay as much as he could. I guess that the interview with the district leader didn't go so good. Melvin got really ticked off that the district leader kept asking questions about tithing. He was so mad. When I saw him the next day, he asked why I didn't come and shut the guy up. He said if he saw him again, he was going to hit him. I don't doubt that! He meant it!  I got him calmed down. So that's good and he is still going to come to church...just as long as the other elder isn't there.

Extracted from my tire.

I got to give my first blessing and the spirit was so strong! I was so scared. I thought "I hope that the sisters ask Elder Warner to give the first blessing so I can copy him and see how he does it." But the sister asked that I give her the blessing. I said yes and gave the first blessing of my life! I felt total peace. Once I started, it just came to me and I said what was in my mind. I know I spoke to that sister what God himself would have told her if He was there. After I said amen, she stood up and looked at me and just said "holy crap! the priesthood power is real." I never realized the power God entrusted me with until that moment. It was amazing. Elder Warner gave the next blessing and I was asked to give the third sister a blessing. By the time we were done, I was in tears. Thank heaven you sent me out with handkerchiefs!  It was an absolutely powerful highlight of the week for sure!

Another great thing that happened is we were out knocking doors and we were tired of it so I decided I'd have to pee by the time we got to the church. So I said I had to pee. Well, I didn't realize how close we were to the church. We pulled in and there was a lone car there. A guy was just getting back into it. We pulled in and he asked if we were the missionaries. I said we were. He said that he was a less active member and he wanted to come back. He had come to the church hoping to find some one and was about to leave when we pulled up. Super awesome! God sure works in mysterious ways!

I hope that you have an awesome week!

Love,
   Elder Kniffen

Loving the fall colors!