Weekly Letter

Dear Family and Friends, 

Today is our official half-way mark for our mission. We entered the MTC six months ago today.  It has been a very interesting and life-changing experience. Sometimes it feels like we just got here and sometimes it feels like we've been here forever. We have learned much and have made a lot of new friends. We feel like we have made a big impact in the branch.  These are such good people who we have grown to love and appreciate.

We have a branch activity night every first Thursday of the month.  The adults have had emergency preparedness and family history activities. The Primary kids and Young Women have their activities that night as well.  Up to this point there haven't been any Young Women activities in a long, long time.  Most members don't remember ever having them.  Mom is determined to have activities and she had her first this past Thursday. She actually had two girls come out this week.  That's 50%!  She volunteered me to make cinnamon rolls with the girls. I made the dough and they helped with the rest.  We had enough rolls to share with the Primary kids and the adults, and of course everyone loved them. I still have the touch!  Mom felt like she made a lot of progress getting to know the girls and showing them that the activities will be fun to come to.

I taught Sunday School again today. The lesson was mostly about the miracles Christ performed, especially healing the sick and afflicted.  He also raised the dead and calmed the storm. We talked about miracles in our lives today.  There are miracles happening all around us.  Sometimes we recognize them and sometimes we don't.  They almost always happen when we exercise faith in Jesus. I told the story of healing our van on the way back home from California many years ago.  That was a true miracle for us.

We spent a good chunk of Saturday afternoon cleaning an apartment the young missionaries moved out of  a few months ago. They left it pretty dirty. The bathroom looked like a public restroom, they left food in the freezer, dishes in the sink, they had broken a window and just left it, and they burned something in the fireplace and the fireplace is just ornamental. When we left it looked at least livable.  We also took out a couple of air conditioning units that belong to the mission.

The young missionaries had an investigator out to church today. This is the young man we talked about a couple of weeks ago that is autistic but understands what is being taught and wants to be baptized.  He is scheduled to be baptized next Saturday.  Mom and I have been asked to give talks.

The rest of the week was just a typical week for us.  Tuesday dinner at the Institute, volunteering at the hospital on Thursday and dinner with the Flanagan's on Friday.  We didn't make the drive to Morgantown for District Council on Friday because of a high wind warning and freezing rain warnings. It's been a mild winter and we have only had to miss a couple of meetings.

My scripture this week comes from our Sunday School lesson. It is Mark 4:35-41. "And the same day, when the even was come, he saith unto them, Let us pass over unto the other side.  And when they had sent away the multitude, they took him even as he was in the ship. And there were also with him other little ships.  And there arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the ship, so that it was now full.  And he was in the hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow: and they awake him, and say unto him, Master, carest thou not that we perish?  And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. And he said unto them, Why are ye so fearful? How is it that ye have no faith? And they feared exceedingly, and said one to another, what manner of man is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?

All of us have times in our life when we face great challenges or storms of faith or uncertainty. We all have trials. The Savior can bring us peace. If you notice in the scripture, Jesus is sleeping soundly in spite or the storms all around him and his apostles. He had no fears of the storm because he is the master of the elements. But when his disciples cried out to Him for help, he immediately arose and calmed the sea.  In our storms of life, He is there for us, to calm troubled hearts and to bring peace into our lives.  We need to trust Him and have faith that He will be there to help us.

That's all for this week. Have a great week.  We love you and pray for you daily.

Mom and Dad

Grandma and Grandad

Jamee and Kerry

Sister and Elder Cooper