Sveiki

Hey Family-
Well it has been a fun week. Thank you for all of your letters it really helps to hear from you all. We had an interesting experience this week. My companion and I were walking across a street when we saw a VERY large bald man on the other side. We were about halfway across when he motioned for us to come to him. We got over to him very apprehensively and he told us to give him our phone. We did what we usually do when we are unsure about a situation. We said WHAT!? WE DONT SPEAK LITHUANIAN! WE CANT UNDERSTAND YOU! If people can't communicate then they usually dont give you much trouble. Even though we were speaking english he kept talking to us in Lithuanian. He said we shouldn't be afraid of him and that he just needed our phone for a second. He even pulled out some money for us. I wanted to trust him but with the crisis going on crime rates are out of control. So my companion just turned and walked away. The man then turned to me and said, "ARE YOU IDIOTS???" I just looked blankly into his big bald face and shrugged my shoulders, then walked away. He started chasing us down yelling at us and then I said in Lithuanian that we are not from here and don't speak Lithuanian (kind of ironic) but then he stopped and just yelled in frustration.

Here are some pictures-
This is from our last transfer with Elder Fitzgerald when we biked to Kryziu Kalnas or
"The Hill of Crosses"

The Lithuanians put up a bunch of crosses on a hill. The Soviets then mowed them down with tanks. Over the night people went and brought in hundreds upon hundreds more. They were again mowed down. This happened numerous times but the Lithuanians would not stop. Now thousands upon thousands of crosses have been brought to this hill by people from all over the world.

Also a pict of the scale showing how much I weigh now 160lbs
(it is actually me, you can tell because I have the Cooke toes)


So other than that it wasn't a very eventful week. They had a big party called "Siauliai days" which was kind of crazy. There was traditional Lithuanian dancers and people from surrounding villages in the streets selling little things. We got woken up in the middle of the night to fireworks. We figured that Russia was invading again. The next morning I felt as though it was the "DAWN OF THE DEAD" the whole city was all but abandoned except for lots of trash blowing in the wind and a shopping cart overturned on a fountain outside our house. It must have been quite the party. Good thing we missionaries were safe in our beds at 10:30.

Oh yeah, and transfers are next week (probably will stay here but who knows, i havent stayed in a city for more than 2 transfers yet and i havent had the same companion for more that 1 since my trainer, we will see) so i wont write until THURSDAY. thanks again, love you!

Well everyone thats about all I have time for Thank you for all your support. I hope you all know I have recieved inspiration more than once to fall on my knees and pray for each one of you. I am truly grateful for the restored living church that can guide us and give us the help that we need when we need it. If you feel down this week try and see who can serve. Then go and serve your butts off. I love you all.

Elder Cooke

Howdy

Well...
Im here and still alive. Elder Newman and I are still hard at work here in Siauliai. Some fruits of previous labors showed up this week. One was showed by a man who we had met with a couple weeks previously unexpectedly coming to church. Also a man that I had contacted the first day of the transfer met with us yesterday. Both men are actually showing some real interest in the church. It was nice to see some actual progress. We took some major opposition this week from hosts of Jehovah Witnesses and from a wave of Baptists that have overrun the streets handing out pamphlets. As I was talking with one of them a woman came and said they shouldn't be talking to us because it "gives them a bad name." Other than that we just had a ton of people make fun of us this week and try to fight. The young men here usually don't have a problem trying to call us out and make us look foolish. But we learn to live with them. I guess what I learned this week is that as long as I get rid of pride people cant really have an affect on me.
It sounds like life in Idaho is just crazy right now. Everybody sounds way busy. Thats good. I am getting excited for conference again.(i can't really believe its already another conference.) I hope all is well. The package still hasn't come but I am definately waiting for it. Thanks for everything you all do.

sudie
Vyresnysis Kukas
(Dzesys Kukas)
jesse cooke

p.s. I wont have a chance to write Leslie and her fam this week but I wanted to say that I had the coolest dream ever. I was talking to Tillie and Gabe in Lithuanian! It was way cool. anyway, BYE

Lab dien

Hey everyone.
Wow, it sounds as though a lot is going on back home. I hope everybody is healthy. I pray for all of you all the time.
Well another week here in Siauliai. We had zone conference yesterday. It was really awesome. Learned a lot about how I need to improve as a teacher. Other than that it was a normal week. I went on exchanges with Elder Johnson. He gave his last testimony in Zone conference. He with be the first Lithuanian Elder to go home since I got here. The mission is down to 82 missionaries from 112. Still no sighn of new Elders comming to Lithuania. They are going to have to close another city to sisters next transfer wich is sad because WE NEED SISTERS MISSIONARIES. Anyway, I hate to say it but I dont really have any investigators to talk about. That has been one of the most frustrating parts about this transfer. I have been working harder than I think I have my whole mission and we are getting lessons but nothing is coming from it. It is really just a kick in the pants sometimes. But as long as I can say I did the will of the Lord I dont have to worry about what results come about. Everything is according to HIS time and HIS will. It is just hard when you work harder and results go down. I guess I just got to work harder then. I know somebody is here. Well fam I got to go. I love you all.

Elder Cooke

p.s. It feels like Cross Country season here. I tell people that all the time and they have no clue what I am talking about :)

Sveiks

Hey Fam
That is so crazy and sad about Liz's dad. I hope everyone is doing alright.
On this side of the pond it was a good week. We had an unexpected mission conference!!! The way this misson is set up, we usually dont have opportunities to see all the missionaries from the mission. HOWEVER, this week President Razband from the presidency of the 70, Elder Powell from the 70 and Elder Perry from the quorm of the twelve all were in Riga to speak to the members there. But thursday we found out that on Saturday the whole mission could travel to Riga, Latvia and The general authorities were going to have a special meeting for all of us. It was just absolutly amazing. We were all so excited. All the Lithuanian missionaries were there about 2 hours before everyone else. The talks were amazing. Elder Perry is so funny. He shook all the missionaries hands also. It was a great expieriance. We took a picture as a whole mission. It was wierd because before that day I had never set eyes on 2/3rds of my mission. But it was way neat to see the other missionaries. We have a lot in common but also alot of differences. Each country has a whole different culture with different major religions (Lithuanian-Catholic, Latvia-Lutheran, Estonia-Athiest). Not to mention all of us missionaries together speak 5 different languages (english included). It was just such an awesome expieriance and I am so thankful we got to go.
This week was also way good for the work. We took this area, which was getting an average of about 6 lessons a week and we got 16! MY companion and I are working around the clock. I swear we hardly waste one second of time. Its way good but it makes the days go by to fast. We found a beutiful family who just got married. We were so excited and they were so prepared and ready but then they told us they are going to Norway. That is what everybody here is doing. Nobody can find work in the Baltics to they are all leaving. I know the unemployment rate in Riga is aroud 40% right now. Thats just crazy. Anyway that was kind of frustrating but we found some other really good investigators who we are really excited about. I guess I dont have to say it but I still havn't seen one baptism come from me being here. I have the temptation to let that get to me but I know I am doing what I am supposed to be doing and that is good enough for the lord. It seems like the other cities have been seeing some succes. There was a babtisim in Kaunas (the only city i havent served in) wich ended a dry spell that had lasted for over a year. So that was exciting. Thats one thing I love about this mission. The missionaries are never competitve with baptisms. If anybody gets one in the country then thet whole country is SO EXCITED. It really brings us all together. I cant express enough how much I love this mission and the Elders and sisters serving here, especially in Lithuania. We all get to see each other every zone conference because we do both zones in the country together. It really just makes us one big family. I love it. Anyway I love you all. THank you so much for the support. I know it would be impossible to keep going without it.

su meile
Vyresnysis Kukas

Hey all

Labas Fam!
Well transfers came and went and I have a new companion. His name is Elder Newman from American Fork Utah. He is a way solid missionary. I am still in Siauliai but I got moved areas. I got whitewashed again so we both don't know much about this area. We are ready to get to it though. There are still only 4 elders here. Elder Fitzgerald is in my old area with Elder Johnson. Elder Johnson is from good old Payette Idaho. Me and him are the only Idaho-ens so we were way excited to be serving together. Not to late either becasue this is his last transfer. Elder Newman and Elder Fitzgerald were in the same MTC group and they go home in 3 transfers. So this is a REALLY old district. Then you got me who is 10 months old! I love it. I wish I could always be a missionary.
Anyway I am excited to start another transfer and I have a lot of things I am working on. I just finished the Book of Mormon in Lithuanian again so I am ready to hit D&C way hard. We have a ton of stuff to do today so its going to be short but know that I love you all and I am workin hard.

Iki
Kukas

Kuku kachu

That means "With the Cooke of cats" (our name Cooke. Not an actual cook, that word is Virejas)

Hey Fam!
We had a fun Sunday this week. You could call it "Missionary Sunday" Because all the youth went to a youth conference in Saint Petersburg, Russia. This means mostly everybody was gone. This also meant I passed the sacrament Elder Neilson blessed it. I led the music and Elder Fitzgerald played the piano We both spoke and Elder Mcnevin led the meeting. It was fun but I hope we dont need to do it again. We are trying hard to get as little missionary involvment as possible. Although already assighned for next week is Elder Nielson to speak and I'm to play the piano. It's fun here in Siauliai.
I suggested to our district that we all finish the Book of Mormon in Lithuanian no matter where we are by the end of the transfer. (That is next week) Elder Nielson and Mcnevin are near the end so it shouldn't be that hard for them. I, however, am in the begining of Alma. This is good though becasue I have found out about myself that when I make a really tough goal I usually reach it. If it is to easy I usually lose interest. Anyway I am reading about 50 pages a day in Lithuanian so I can finish. I will tell you how it goes. I am pretty sure I am going to stay here with Elder Fitzgerald next transfer. I really don't know what else they would do with me. I have already been to as many different cities as most of the missionaries here. But I really don't care where I am. I just love the members everywhere. Plus I love being with Elder Fitz. We get along very well. Also we had two investigators come to church on Sunday. Which is good becasue they made up about 20 percent of the congregation. They are both way good guys. One is from english class and is just one of the kindest men I know. The other other we found street contacting one day. He had been meeting with the Jahova's Witnesses but after he came to church he said he is going to "say goodbye" to them. So that was cool.
Anyways fam I better go.

Love you all.

Taika
Vyresnysis Kuku Kachu~!

Hey fam
So we had a good week this week. A family we have been meeting with started showing some progress. They are a part member family. Irena ,the mom, is a member and so is her son Valdas. Her husband, Valentinas, is not a member. They are in some really tough times right now. They live in a Bendrabutis (a community housing apartment) So everybody on a floor shares a bathroom and a kitchen. They just live in a little 10 by 10 room. They are way nice people though. We cooked them dinner one night becasue the only thing they had money to buy that day was sour cream. They next day we "broke the fast" with the branch and so we invited them to that and they had food to eat for another day. We talked to the branch president and the branch gave them some money for this week. The wonderful part is that Valentinas came to church this week! He hasn't been for a very very long time. We are way excited for him. It's great because Irena wants to get sealed in the temple really bad. I hope he comes around.
Other than that not a lot is going on with other investigators. We haven't met with the gypsys for a while. Zone conference was this last week and it rocked as usual.
Thanks for the package!
Also thank Liz for me. She sent me a way funny package for my birthday and it arrived to the day so that was a score.
Oh I almost forgot. We met with some members from Vilnius yesterday and they taught us how to cook Bulves Blynai (potato pancakes)
p.s. it just took me forever to remember how to spell potato. They were way good. They put me over 155 pounds for the first time in my life. That means i have put on about 20 pounds since i have been here. Which is weird because you can't tell i don't think. Its wierd.

Well fam Thanks for everything now for my testimony:
Tikrai zinau kad dievas dar gyvas. Jis yra mano asmaninis Dankiskasis Tevas. Ir zinokit kad Kristus vaikciuoja su manim cia Siauliuose ir tiesog jis visada vaikciuoja su visais savo vaikais. As esu labai dekingas jam uz viska jis dare del manes. Aciu uz tavo pagalba ir zinokit kad As su visa savo sirdimi jus myliu. Laikykites

Vyresnysis Kukas