To be honest I don't really even remember much of what happened this week, awesome right??

But I know that our work is going well! Just the other day, we had a random investigator show up at church who we only taught once and that was like two months ago. She's 16 years old and came to church with another one of our investigators, and then after church, her and two other of our investigators decided to join in on a church choir practice! It was actually really funny because they didn't know the songs at all, they just thought it would be a fun way to get involved in the church I guess. So yes, our investigators are doing well!

So transfer day comes up in about 2 more weeks, which means in about two weeks, I will most like be leaving this area. It feels like I've only been here for about two months, so I guess time is moving pretty fast. I remember when I came into this area, I had the worst attitude about it. Between the companion and the difficulty of the work, I just wanted to leave the area. But fast forward 6 months later, and I could easily stay in this area for the rest of my mission. That's how it was in Irosin as well, I could have stayed there forever (Except Irosin has a more special place in my heart). I love this area and the people that I've met and the relationships I've made, and I especially love Elder Caballes, he's a champion. I'll be really sad if I don't get to stay with him for another transfer, but hey, I know it's all in God's hands.

It's interesting to go around all day and get a really close look into so many people's lives. We really get to see what makes people happy, what makes them sad, what makes them excited, satisfied, hopeless, loved, etc. And I can say with confidence and conviction that it is our message that makes these people find true happiness. One of our investigators just said to us yesterday, "Elders, I've lost my home, I had a stroke, and my husband was killed just earlier this year, but somehow I am happy. I don't know what you two have done to me, but I am so happy now." Well it's because she finally has a perspective that she has never had before. We have opened her eyes and she has found that source of eternal happiness. It makes me so sad when people reject us without even giving us a chance to tell them what it is we have, they are voting against their own happiness by rejecting us. I wish that everyone could just accept what we are teaching because it is the truth, and I love inviting everyone to learn what we have to teach because it has blessed my life and has blessed the life of my family.

I guess that'll be my short little email this week, but I love you all and hope you all stay well this week :)
Elder Austin Cook

Following is some photos from our activity today!

Got these dope sunglasses my mom sent me
in my package. From left to right Elder Caballes,
Elder Semaning, Elder Alutaya, & I.

So this week was fantastic kids. On Tuesday we had this thing called a "Cluster Conference" in which like half of the mission gathered together to listen to President and Sister Kotter speak to us. Their focus on this cluster conference was planning correctly and learning how to find people to teach correctly. It was nice, but that was kind of mine and Elder Caballes' strong suit, so we didn't really get as much out of it. But it was nice to sit in the air conditioning for a whole day!

Wednesday I went on exchanges with Elder Hoecherl, who is companions with Elder Duerme. They live in the house with us, so we always work together on stuff. Anyways, it was a really nice day working with him, just two Americans hittin the city and such. But we actually ran into a guy who I had never met before named Michael Pines. He apparently was baptized like FOREVER ago, but he told us that he went inactive about 15 years ago because of some huge mistakes that he had made in the church and the guilt just scared him from going back to church. Anyways, I started talking to him while Elder Hoecherl was talking to some other family nearby about our message. But Michael opened right up to me, telling me that he wants to change and that his past 15 years has basically been hell because of the guilt. But he wants so badly to change and after our long conversation, he thinks now would be an appropriate time to start. I had no idea why he opened up like that to me (seriously, I had never even met him before) but I'm glad he did because I was able to help him and show him that we would be there for him in anything he needs.

Our incredible investigator Maria Christina Saya

Thursday we only got two lessons in the morning with Maria Christina Saya and her niece, Judy Ann Saya. We taught about the Book of Mormon and why it is so important for all of us to read and understand. Maria Christina has quickly become one of my favorites, and she always calls us her sons. I remember when we first met her about two months ago, her life seemed so dark and dreary, and she just had this depressed look about her. But now that she's been doing what we ask her to do and finally went to church last Sunday, her whole countenance has changed and she is always smiling. I swear her face gotten brighter.

We had been walking for about 30 min and just got board

Friday we taught the Docot family and Maria Christina Saya came along because she wanted to listen as well. Well we ended up showing the restoration video, which is basically a little 20 min video about the life of Joseph Smith. Anyways, after we showed the video, they finally understood what we claim as missionaries. They finally understood that we claim that THIS is literally the ONLY true church on the face of the earth. While others may be nice and happy, this is the only one that Christ himself established. Once they understood that we extended the invitation to be baptized on October 7, which they all happily accepted! We are so excited for all of them!

On Sunday we finally saw Maria Christina Saya at church for the first time, and let me tell ya what, that was a hard one to accomplish. But it happened and she had an amazing experience!

Just helping some random people move their 

pumpkins from off the street

This past week has really been awesome! Everything here is still hot and still sweaty (honestly I thought I would just stop sweating after a while, but I guess it just never goes away) but we are still loving it! Being a District Leader is great and I love all of the missionaries in the District. They all have some baptisms coming up as well, so I'm super excited for all of them.

So that's all for now folks. I wish I could explain even 15% of what really happens here, but I guess I'll save it for when I get home to tell you all :) Anyways, I love you guys and hope yalls have a great week!

Elder Austin Cook

Now that both members of the companionship are being obedient and truly loving the work, people just walk up to us on the daily asking if we can teach them and their children

Alright so we FINALLY had the baptism of three of our investigators this week! Sister Lilia Cerdena, Estanley Arao, and Connie Sabas. Their baptism went great and they really really loved it!

Baptism day

This last week Elder Caballes and I have been working hard as usual! It's really funny, now that both members of the companionship are being obedient and truly loving the work, people just walk up to us on the daily asking if we can teach them and their children. In fact, just yesterday we had a woman named Evelyn walk up to us and asked us for a pass along card and told us to come and teach her family so that they can all go to church. So yeah, I'm really loving this area right now!

Baptism day with Estanley Arao

So we have been teaching this one lady named Maria Christina Saya. I've mentioned her before, she's the lady whose husband was basically beheaded in front of her a couple of months ago. Anyways, she has been absolutely LOVING our lessons and the Book of Mormon, and she really has been feeling the spirit when we teach. But last week for some reason she told us that she can't continue listening to us because of "Personal reasons." Well we remembered the last time that happened to us with the Docot family, and we were determined to not have a repeat, so we called her and told her that we would visit one last time and she hesitantly agreed. We went over there and I guess we just asked the perfect questions for her to open up to us. Honestly her reason for not wanting to listen was so sweet. She told us that our lessons and the Book of Mormon have been infinitely helpful in her life, but she knows that we missionaries get transferred around a lot, so she knew that we will eventually leave. She said that Elder Caballes and I are just a perfect team, and that she can see and feel our kindness and love for others, and she said that we are like her sons, so she said that she doesn't want to get too close to us and have it hurt too much when we leave. It really was such a sweet thing coming from the honesty of her heart, but we were able to comfort her and explain to her that even though we might leave, the other members in the church won't and that she will create eternal friendships in the branch in Libon. She really took courage with that and has agreed to continue following what we ask her to do. Even though I'm probably going to get transferred in a couple of weeks, I really believe that she will become a very strong member of the church.

On our way to the baptism

That's really all I wanted to tell about this week! Being a District Leader is really a blessing in my mission and I just LOVE having the opportunity to help all of the missionaries in the District! Every week their work is getting better and better and they are all becoming more and more obedient, I really do love them all!

That's it for this week. I love you all and will update you all again in another short week!

Elder Austin Cook

I dunno... just for fun

Just for fun

super silly selfies

silly selfies

who knows...

photos of our apartment

our apartment ... no air and really hot and humid

our abode

This is actually the area where we sleep. We just lay our little 

pads down on the floor and sleep their with all of the fans

Being District Leader is awesome because it gives me such a great opportunity to get closer to the lives of all of the missionaries in the District.

Hey ya'll, how is everyone doing? This past week has really been quick, and has been as great as ever!

This is Monique. She's a Return missionary and 

is by far one of my favorites in the branch. 

She's like my sister here, so yeah, she's pretty dope.

So last Monday, literally RIGHT as we got done emailing, we got a text that our branch president's wife had passed away. She has had a REALLY nasty heart disease for the past 5 years that kind of makes it so that she can't even move and literally every breath is painful. So to be honest we were really shocked about it and were really sad, but then when we showed up to President's house he was joking and laughing and getting excited because, in his words, he can finally get married again. He really loved her and took care of her, but we think her heart disease was just a huge trial and burden in his life as well, so he's probably relieved that she's finally in that better place.

The rest of the week was just normal missionary work. Our only problem is that we have A

Having a little fun

TON of people that we want to teach, but it's a bunch of mothers and their kids. Of course, that's not a problem, but as missionaries we have a rule that if we want to teach anyone, there needs to be at least one more male present who is 18 years or older. So there's a lot of people to teach, we just don't have that male presence that we need, so it's kind of bumming us out a little. But we aren't worried  in the least, we always have hope and are always smiling!

We have ourselves several baptisms lined up for this Saturday, so life's going great. Being District Leader is awesome because it gives me such a great opportunity to get closer to the lives of all of the missionaries in the District. Most of the District Leaders that I know hate their calling, but I absolutely love it! All of the missionaries did much better this week than in previous weeks, so I'm proud of them all.

Selfie before coming to email today

I'm in the middle and Elder Hoecherl is in the blue sweater

That's all for now folks! This week will hopefully bring miracles and awesomeness (Of course, we always need awesomeness) 

Love you all, Ingat kayo!!

Elder Austin Cook

ps:  So Elder Hoecherl is one of my roommates and he found out it was my birthday on the 29th and bought us a cake and stuff, so hes great!

 Elder Caballes 

with my awesome companion

having some fun

This is called Fiesta. It's a HUGE event. There are a 

ton of street dancers, bands and stuff literally all day. 

One band group of street dancers can last about 2 hrs

We had to carry a bunch of chairs across the river.
This guy who is carrying 10 chairs...Yeah, hes a grandpa,
about 68 years old.