Dear Everyone

How are you all?
I can't believe this weather. One day I woke up and it was fall.
This week is transfers. I have been in Vilnius for a while so I might be on my way out but there is still a good chance I will stay. If I go one more transfer then I will have served in Vilnius for a full year total. That is crazy. Things are going well. We almost hit our mission goal of 19 baptisms.
We had 17 which compared to last month (4) it was a very good month. We all saw a TON of miracles. Elder Gearhart and I had one miracle that was a great experience.
     We were walking across a bridge in city centre and I felt like I should talk to the man next to me. He got a big smile on his face and said he would listen to us. As we started to teach him on the park bench our lesson started to go an interesting direction. Instead of talking about the restoration and prophets as usual we started to both talk about and testify of returning to Christ and using his atonement. We both were wondering why we were teaching this type of lesson when absolutely nothing he was saying was instigating it.  After we finished we found out a couple things.
He was walking on the bridge and, having seen us, told God that if we talked to him then he would give God another shot and would listen to us. When he said "another shot" he was meaning returning to the fold of God because we found out that he was an inactive member from Kaunas that was living in Vilnius and had fallen off the map. He had recently been thinking about coming back to the church when he ran into us and we were led to tell him what God had been trying to say for a while. We can all come back to the arms of Christ's atonement whenever we are prepared to change. Nobody has strayed to far. We can all come back.

   Experiences like that help me to know that we are successful missionaries because the spirit is working through us. I think that brings more peace to a missionaries soul than anything else to know that the master is happy with our service. Right now we are working with Kęstutis. He is a good guy. He is separated from his wife who lives in England but he still loves family and believes it is an important unit in life. We are trying to get him to have a greater desire to change. We had a good lesson where we talked about the word of wisdom. We had a member there to testify of the blessings of living according to the Word of Wisdom. He didn't commit to live it 100% but he is showing progress.

   I am feeling good. I am healthy. I am in good company. Elder Gearhart and I have now been companions for about 21 weeks now.  We won't be companions next transfer but we are both ready to work even harder. 

  My goal next transfer is to work so hard I actually pass out. It's possible. I am excited for what is ahead. Stay strong everybody. You only live once (not twice like James Bond) I love you all. Serve where you stand.

 

 

Vryesnysis Kukas

Dear Fam

How are you all doing. I am just livid with jealous rage after seeing that Alaska trip picture. That looked way fun. 

 

We had a busy week this week. Elder Gearhart and I went to Klaipeda on an exchange. We took the train so i just slept to the whole way and read Jesus The Christ. I also had an exchange in Kaunas witch was way interesting. I have never served in Kaunas so it was fun to get to know the city. There will not be sacrament meeting next week because we will have the Kiev temple dedication. I am way excited for that. It is so wonderful to see a temple going up in the former Soviet Union. That is something of great value to the members here. Lithuania had 4 baptisms last week which was just wonderful. The mission is up to 14 this month and we are trying very hard for 19. pray for that if you could. It would be the most in a very very long time. Thank you for all your support. We are working hard and staying focused. I love you all.

 

 

 

Elder Cooke

Tired, But Happy

Well everyone,

   It was another fun week. I had to go to Šiauliai two times this week so we could run a baptisimal interview with a great family there. A family of three is all set to go this weekend. We are way excited. But two trips to Šiauliai just takes it out of you. A train takes about three hours and a bus back takes four hours so in two days I got to read Jesus the Christ for about fourteen hours on the bus. This week we have to go to Klaipėda so I can interview a father of a family who was recently baptised. He is a way great guy. I met him once and he will be great addition to the branch there. It will be more train rides however. Also this week I will get to go on an exchange to Kaunas wich will be fun because I have never served there before and it will be a fresh new city for me. I have been in Vilnius for almost seven transfers now. That about ten months. It's quite a city. I love it.

   We had Zone conference on monday. Thats why i didn't write. It was way fun. It was a little sad seeing how the next one in November will be the last one. President rent his shirt and made a title of liberty. It was sweet bacause he ripped of his shirt and buttons went everywhere but he had another shirt and tie underneath the one he ripped off. It was way cool. He got us all excited. Well. Thats all that is going on in my world. 

   I hear times are tough. Imagine that.

Keep the faith.

   I love you all tonz,

Elder Cooke   

Back in Vilnius

Hey everybody,                                                                    Monday August 9, 2010

   It is nice to be home after being gone to Riga for so long. It has been a little bit cooler which is very nice. We didn't have a very succesful week last week which was a little discouraging. Despite out efforts and due to a lot of meetings Elder Gearhart and I reported 1 lesson for the week. I am not excited about that but I know that we still fufilled our pourpose. The zone here is doing well. We have 6 baptismal dates set for this month which is just unreal. Elder Gearhart and I need to go to Šiauliai to do an interview for a family of 3 getting baptised the weekend after next. I am excited for that. I am grateful to see fruits as a mission even if it is not in my area. I know I am working hard even though things seem a little dry sometimes. It is hard to stay focused but I know it is betted to just get to work. I love it here and an excited for this week. It should be a lot of fun. Thank you for everything you do as my family and friends to support me. I love you all.

Elder Cooke

A week full of wisdom

	Well,    It was a fun day today.  Elder Gearhart and I got all of our district leaders togeather yesterday after church and we all took a bus up to Riga where we will spend the greater part of a week. We are doing new training put out by the church for missionaries headed by Elder Holland and Elder Perry. It is really good stuff. I am excited for the coming days. Everybody is receiving new companions for the week. My 'temporary" companion is one of the AP's Elder Johnson from Rupert. I will be with him for just this week though. Elder Gearhart and I are doing fine. We are getting a lot of work done. I am feeling good and excited. However, my Lithuanian will be totaly useless to me here so i will have to resort to my broken Russian and Latvian. This last transfer I learned a little Polish contact because there are a lot of Polish people in Vilnius. Tell your friend's son, Elder Justice, who served in Poland "Vytam" for me. This mission is the greatest in the world. I just love it. It's a dream come true. I still have a lot I need to improve. I keep thinking a day will come when i wont need to say that but it doesn't seem like it will be anytime soon. I am just grateful for the chance to serve. I love you all and it seems like you are all having a good time. Thank you for all the love for my birthday. Saturday was a celebration "Rumsiskes." It was way fun. All the members go to the country and all the missionaries go and we just have a big party. I had to juggle for it which is unfortunately one of the only times i have used juggling on my mission. Oh well, I know i am doing what i should be doing so no worries. I love you all. Thank you for everything. Elder Kuks   <--Latvian