New Year and Change

This week was so great! Missionary work was non-existent but that's okay. Both Elder Ross and I just were counting down the days till Christmas! We got to go over to Sister Couch's for "dinner" that was all day long ha-ha. It was so nice. She has taken care of us this last transfer. She is kind of like another Grandma. Her famous words: "Come on in. Sit down. Take your shoes off. Stay a while. Are you hungry? Go get some food. Take a load off."

Since I've been on my mission, as I meet people, I find things I like and want to take home with me. The way Sister Couch's home is is how I would like mine to be. Her whole family came over on Christmas and it was just like we were at Grandma Summers' house. It was loud and crazy. Everyone laughing and picking on each other. It was great! You would have thought that we were just part of the family! It was so great to just be there! We even had a gospel discussion. After supper, one of the aunts asked me a few questions and we all sat and talked about it. Sister Couch's less-active sister even helped answer the questions. It was just so nice!

Transfers happened!! We are both leaving! They are going to put sisters in our apartment! The other elders in our district aren't too happy about it. I just want to clean so its not nasty in the apartment. There is just no way. I had a dream that i went back to Dearborn with Elder McCormick. I would be okay with that but we'll find out for sure tomorrow! Wish me LUCK!

Love,
    Cooper

Baptized!!

This week Cody got baptized!!! It was so great! They talk about people being prepared and he was one of them! The baptism was on Saturday at noon. We got there, the font was full and ready to go. We had such a great turn out. We filled up the Relief Society room with people. Everyone that had a hand with Cody was there. He's pretty social, so there was a lot of people! Even President and Sister Gerber came.

There was a couple short talks and one I thought was great. It was about how the ward/church is his family now. That's really how our ward runs. It's not a ward--it's a ward family. He also talked about how this is just the beginning of Cody's path of ordinances.

On Sunday I got to stand in on his confirmation. There were probably about 12 of us standing in. It was neat. Bishop Day had him come up on the stand and he presented Cody as the newest member of the ward. While he was up there, he asked that Cody be sustained to be set apart to be a Priest in the Aaronic Priesthood and to the calling as a ward missionary. Talk about cool!  Bishop Day is so great! He started to cry as he said he found Cody worthy to progress so quickly. It was awesome!

Other than that, there was not a whole lot of exciting things that happened. In church it was all

Me & Elder Ross

musical preferences. The Spirit was so strong! It was a great way to start the week! I'm pumped for Christmas and it's suppose to get back into the 60's by the middle of the week. Yes! A green Christmas! ha-ha

Only a couple more days...I'll talk to you soon!

Love,
   Cooper

Counting down til Christmas

This week was pretty good. We have had such great weather. It has been in the 50s and yesterday it was 63! I am so thrilled with the weather! I mean, what could be better than a green winter? No tracking in the freezing cold!

We've pretty much spent the whole week going around talking to people and inviting them to the ward Christmas party that was this Saturday. No one came except for a less-active sister, Sister Mckenzie. She has been been active for a while but Bishop Day took us over to invite her. She has been prepared. She wants to be active again and her 8 year old daughter is talking about being baptized--so that is super cool. This is one of the most gospel-orientated wards I have ever served in. Like, wow! The Bishop is just the greatest. It's all about the people and their experience with the gospel and their next ordinance. It's so neat! He is such a great guy!

The party was great! We had a really big turn out. There was plenty of food and absolutely no seats left. They had to pull out more tables for everyone! They had a talent show and Cody, our investigator, sang. He did really good. I didn't know he could sing that good! He's on date to be baptized this Saturday at noon. It sounds like the whole ward is going to try and be there! It's super exciting for him. Hopefully he pass's the interview tomorrow.

Yesterday we went to a choir concert that Grandma Lavely was singing in. It was so good. They did such a good job! It's the Michigan Concert Choir. Elder Ross wasn't too happy to go but we all ended up enjoying ourselves! Only a couple more days until Christmas. I'm so pumped! Hopefully this week is a good one!

Love you,
   Cooper

To Hell and Back

My visit to Hell

This week we did a couple of neat things. We got to go to a zone conferece and listen to President Gerber and our stake president talk to us and have other instructions. I just love it when we get together! I can see all my old friends and get to be with President Gerber. It was a good conference. We did a lot of practices and less talking, so that was cool (if you had a comp that would work with you!)

Then we went out with the Bishop. He is on the top of my "favorite bishop list" right now. He just gets the gospel. He makes it so simple to understand. We went and visited some less-active members and he asked if they would let us come back. They said yes! It was just so cool. The way he goes about his work is how I could see Christ doing it. It's not about programs...it's about people and helping them. Bishop wants us to take the Deacon's Quorum President out to one of the boys that is in his stewardship. What a lesson. That is how the work should be done. It's so cool


We also got to go with Cody, our investigator, to a Christmas program--not the First Presidency one, although we did see that with him too. This one was different. It had the nativity broken down into the people and their experiences--like the shepherds and the wise men. The spirit witnessed again to me that Jesus is my savior. Then, just this morning, as I was reading in Mark about Christ's suffering in Gethsemane. It said He was amazed at the load or astonished and He felt heavy and asked God to take it from Him. And He went and fell down and prayed again. He did that for me!! What a marvelous gift! It was a sweet experience!

Love,
   Cooper

No Complaints

This week was really slow with Thanksgiving. We just kind of  waited around for Turkey Day--I mean there is food and stuff. All elders are excited for food! A recent convert, Mike, had us over to supper with the other elders from our ward. We sat and talked and just laughed. It was good to just be and not feel like we had to leave. That's one thing I still don't like is feeling the need to leave after a certain time. The food was great and so was the company. I can't complain. We ate so much!

Before Thanksgiving dinner we went on exchanges. I was with Elder Park, the district leader, who is from Idaho. We went and knocked doors for a couple hours.....not such a hot idea. No one wanted to talk, of course and if they did it was like they thought we were Jehovah witnesses. "Don't you know that today is? Thanksgiving!" Uh ya, we'll be eating turkey in a little bit too but we're thankful for Christ, our Savior.

Yesterday in church we had some great talks. They were personal, well prepared, and the speakers got choked up so I liked it!  ha-ha. The ward here is great! We get fed a lot and the members are all pretty missionary-minded, the one's I've met anyway. The bishop is awesome and the ward council is right behind him. It's going to be good! The elders were teaching an investigator named Cody before I got here. He has a baptismal date for the 19th of December. That is exciting! I had nothing to do with it but I'm along for the ride.

All in all it was a pretty decent week!  I'll talk to you next week!

-- Cooper

Moving On!

The District

This week was good. We worked a lot doing service, so that was great! There is a couple that is moving out; they have a big house and they're going into a little one. They're both older and have health issues. So we went a couple days this week and spent time pulling boxes out, going through them, and then helping them throw stuff away. Honestly, we probably spent half the time just watching them argue. Ha-ha! Not like mean argue, but the old, cute argue where he is just playing dumb and she is about ready to beat the stupid out of him! We laughed and told Brother Taylor that its a good thing his wife doesn't curse or he would really get an earfull! It was good just to be with people.

We also had a specialized training with President Gerber. Right afterwards, we went and had dinner with Vicky. She is so great! Too bad she isn't Mormon, yet! She could use the peace that we have. She has part of it, but we could double it, if not triple it!

Brother Gleason, one of my favorites!

So I'm getting transferred! I'm excited but sad. It's so weird. I wanted to leave but I love the people here and it's hard to leave them. Elder Dev said he would take care of them for me though. That's a plus!

Yesterday I went to say good-bye to Sister Cole, the Relief Society President. She said after we had talked last week, she knew I would be transferred. She seemed disappointed. She told me to stop moping and get it in gear! Ha-ha! She is really great! I'm pumped to see where I go next. Hopefully I get a good companion. I feel like I did what I needed to here. The ward is doing so much better. They are working on a mission plan and doing splits. I honestly think it's because of all of the prayers of  us missionaries that has helped it along. It's so good to see!

I'm going on another adventure! Wish me luck!!

Love,
    Cooper

The Henderson Family

FBI Elders

This last week was dull but full of laughter as we tried to focus on our finding! That pretty much sums it all up...in a pretty little sentence! We really didn't have a lot to do but the weather was great! We had a week in the 70's and one day in the low 80's. It was so nice get the chill out of our bones. We even had to crack out the short sleeve shirts again! With fall being here, we helped a couple rake their leaves. We got to use a leaf blower--that is the first time I have used a leaf blower to actually clean up leaves! ha-ha Chicken coop clean up is nasty! Leaves were a lot better! The couple was so grateful! It's amazing to me that such little acts mean so much to people.

We also go to meet with Micheal. We are going to have to drop him--if we can see him again. We have been trying to help him stop smoking but the desire and determination just don't seem to be there. We were over and there was a pack of cigarettes sitting out. I had already walked off with one of his lighters previously so I thought "what the heck!" Elder Dev covered me and I walked out with a carton of smokes. Well, we got in the car and I realized we had walked out with a little more than cigarettes! Thanks to Elder Oviatt, I have a nose for weed and our car stunk of it! We had just walked out with his weed! We flushed it down the toilet to the hell hole where it belonged! We feel like FBI agents!  ha-ha We called Michael's mom trying to get a hold of him after he stood us up. She said that she wants him back in prison and that he has been lying to us. She talked with us for like 30 minutes about it. So if we can, we will drop him in person. If not, we will just not see him again. That was the most exciting part of the whole week!

Sunday was the primary program. I loved it! The spirit was so strong and they sang some of my favorite songs!

Sorry I didn't email yesterday. We had been asked to help a member move his daughter and put it all in a storage unit. We did our laundry during studies, well as we did studies. Then we drove to the church at 10:15. We got home at 5:30. P-day ends at 6. So we are taking p-day today! It was good to work. I just wish that they were more organized. We fit an entire house into a 10 by 10 storage unit! Mormon Movers! ha-ha We could make a lot of money out here but at home we have too many members!

Elder Dev is awesome! He is always laughing--like non-stop sometimes. I laugh just watching him laugh! He is a godsend! We aren't to sure what will happen this weekend with transfers. Dev feels like he is moving on. I kind of want to leave. We were talking to Sister Cole about it. I said that I kind of wanted to leave and dang! She rebuked me! I said something about new missionaries getting in here that have more faith something like that she called me out! "You're giving up, aren't you?" I was like, "no." She looked me right in the eye and said, "You are! You snap out of this right now! Satan is doing the happy dance and God should be!" So I am torn. Whether I stay or not, it's in God's hand.  I think Elder Dev might leave though. Transfers are this Saturday. We'll find out then and be able to tell you next week what is happening!

Love you!
   Cooper