30 days left!!!!

Hello family and friends,

I had an awesome week this week. We went fishing all day yesterday and caught some bass. I had an awesome time. I love fishing... I cant explain myself enough by saying I love fishing because Louisiana raises fishing to a whole new level. I got some sun and had a good time. After fishing we went to a craw fish boil to end our P-day. I cant think of a better day haha:)

I only have 30 days left on my mission. I have been enjoying this area a lot and plus it keeps me busy. I am very happy that I got moved  to a new area to end my mission because it will keep me busy and non-trunky because I am constantly meeting new people. There are a lot of people in this ward. There are 964 people on our ward roster and 326 were at church this week. There is always something to do haha;) 

2 years has gone fast and 30 more days will go even faster. I feel very exhausted and worn out haha. I remember getting off of the plane, riding to the church for transfer meeting and thinking to myself "I dont know if I can do this for 23 more months". The funny thing about this is that I still feel like that even with 30 days left. I feel very blessed for these experiences in my life. I would never trade these experiences; I know that they will serve me for the rest of my life.

I have been asked a few times what I will miss the most when I leave and my answer would have to be the culture. They have also asked me what I have missed the most about home and I would have to say I miss being able to put actions behind what I want to pursue in my life. Yes I still do that on my mission but it isn't balanced. I am working on a lot of spiritual and mental goals out here but I cant wait for being able to balance them all out and take direct action in my life. I have a dream and a vision of what I want to create in my life and It hurts not being able to work on all of it.

One of our Hispanic families moved out this week to follow the work that they found in Texas. When we had found her she had all ready read up to 3rd Nephi in the Book of Mormon and had a lot of questions. We did our best while she was here and I hope she has continued with the missionaries in Texas. We are visiting with some other very cool people and I will let y'all know more if anything comes about.

Well family and friends, I don't have anything else to write about but I hope that all of you have a wonderful week.

Much love,

Elder Cooley

Elder Cooley has discovered- SMILING ;)

I had an awesome week and I am doing good. We have transfers today and Elder Peterson and I are being doubled out haha. They are losing a lot of elders and especially Spanish elders so they they want the new ZL's to be ready for the next wave that will come in. Elder Peterson is staying in New Orleans zone but I am being moved out to who knows where haha... I will let y'all know next week as to where I am moved.

I only have 6 weeks left and I feel like I have been learning So much. I discovered this crazy new concept these past few weeks... its called "smiling" hahahaha. I have been trying to work on my people skills and this gives me a great desire to talk to everyone if I get the chance. I love seeing how people act and react and it is amazing to see how society works as a whole. Have you ever noticed that it is rare to see someone that doesn't have a gloomy face? Life's circumstances have conformed them into who they are being and it should be the other way around!

Everyone wants to feel significant. This "Fact" is why people do a lot of what they do. This is why a lady screams and rants and rages in line while at the grocery store because the register isn't working. Either she wants to feel significant to the people in the store or she wants to feel significant in some other odd twisted way. For whatever reason, why she acts like this can be attributed with how she feels. I too would rant and rage at a cash register in public if I didn't feel significant enough in my life. This is also why kids do drugs, adults separate in marriages and many more examples that I could very easily think of. 

The reason I talk about this is because of one question that I want to ask; Can you imagine what a benefit it would be to your life if you felt very significant and made everyone else around you feel significant? You could go through the worst things possible but because you felt significant and had meaning behind your suffering you were able to endure and live through it; the Holocausts and POW camps are great examples of this. Most of your life problems could be solved by finding who doesn't feel significant enough. The impact that we have on other people can be HUGE and even life changing. If a store manager walked up and made the crazy lady screaming at the cashier feel more significant by paying more special attention to her and being sincere while doing it then the problem would most likely stop and even more so maybe even take a complete U turn because she was so pleased about how she was taken care of.

 The reason behind this paragraph is to prove to you that you can make a bigger impact in the world than you think. A simple start is to become one of the rare few that smiles instead of having a gloomy face all the time. If you were able to make everyone feel significant around you Imagine the success you could have in every endeavor that you pursued let alone an increase in your own self significance! Go out into the world and make every life moment worth it for yourself and everyone around you. I am not saying to go and be an entertainer on a stage because that will become exhausting. I am saying that every action you do towards others reflects what you think of yourself and who you are. I am saying to become a better you by helping others do the same. If you want others to be interested in you then you should become More interested in others and stop thinking about yourself. 

I have been So highly blessed to be working with so many people out here in Louisiana on a mission, but, the mission doesn't stop here. A person doesn't have to be a missionary to work and learn with people. The one thing that a person needs to start this process is initiative. Shake your life up, face your fears and go out into the world not knowing what is going to happen next. The most awesome thing about 'certainty' and 'uncertainty' is that it will help you take risks. If things go south then it will fire you up to do better. If things go good then it will inspire you to do more. If you cant have prosperity then pray for adversity because you will either become better because of 'inspiration' or 'desperation'!

I love you family and friends. Remember that love is the friend and that fear is the enemy so keep your friends close but your enemies closer because the enemy will drive you to 'action' and 'decisions' that need to be made in life. Face your fears and live your life to the greatest.

Much Love, 

Elder Cooley

The Rubber Band Game

I have had a good week this week. We tried a lot of doors this week and not a lot of people answered. Hahaha I have to laugh at those moments when people look through the blinds straight into your eyes and still don't answer. Also When the kid answers the door and has a full conversation with his mom and comes back and tells us that his parents aren't home. Or the moments when you get to a house at the exact moment someone is coming home from work and you knock their door as soon as he walks inside but he still doesn't answer haha. Those moments actually make me laugh and make me appreciate the good moments that much more! Those moments make me appreciate the contrast between light and darkness and the principle that You can CHOOSE which one you are going to be. 

Our zone is doing very well and some of the slower areas are getting better. Our area is pretty slow so we need to switch things up or something. We had some good moments and it was awesome to see some people show up to church that are now progressing. A man that I was visiting at the start of my mission came to church and we talked for a while. I haven't seen him in almost 2 years so that feels weird to say. He is a less active friend that took a break from coming to church because he didn't feel supported at all. He had heart surgery and the bishop stopped by with a box of chocolates and no one else came by. After that his wife died and no one visited him. After that his son died and no one came to visit him. He said in a testimony that he was offended but he knew that the church helped him to better himself so he came back. He has more trust is God and Jesus Christ then the flesh of man.

Do you remember the rubber band and close pin game? One of the nights that we came in from working we had two elders with us and we started to shoot Q-tips from my exercise bands. One thing led to another and we started launching red beans and anything that we could find at each other from across the apartment. it was really fun and everyone said that they haven't had that much fun in a long time haha. It is very important to go out and work but to have fun is VERY important also. To love what you do is very powerful. Make the best out of your days, get rid of doubt and worry and get things done. If you do not love what you do then you need to strip everything away and review the basics so that you can find the problem. Most often you will find the problem and realize that it is yourself; haha I have done that many times. A change in knowledge is a powerful force that changes our perspectives; it is swift to change our actions and attitude.

The Sisters in our area are going to have a baptism this week on Saturday.

Life is good and I can NEVER Complain! I feel good and hope to have the same influence on others. 

Have an awesome week family and friends. 

With much LOVE from,

Elder Cooley

Time flies

We had a good week this week. We found a few new people and are planning to go back this week. I enjoy going out and talking to people, It really gives you a lot of experiences through out your day. It is interesting to see how people treat you and to observe how they live. 

We also went on exchanges with the assistants to the President. We found a few people with them and we also did some service hours. It feels weird to be with other missionaries sometimes because it makes me realize how long I have been gone for; I am one of the oldest in the mission. Time flies. 

We have zone conference tomorrow but we don't have to instruct this time. We show up at the church and have our car inspections and then have our meeting. 

"So live as if you were living already for the second time and as if you had acted the first time as wrongly as you are about to act now!" -Viktor E. Frankl.

 "It doesn't matter how long you live, but HOW you live" I hope that I can one day fully grasp this and use it to come closer to God and my Neighbor.

-Elder Cooley

Enduring Well

Hey fam, I am doing good and am hanging in there! I have had a good week and I feel good. So I am with the same companion as a ZL in Metairie. We are moving apartments this week. Our Ac went out and when we opened our Ac box and we found black mold all over and up into the dry wall. The apartment had been painting over it to avoid law suits and having to do reconstruction. This would explain why we don't feel good and are always tired lately. We got out of there and we all ready feel better from not sleeping in there.

We went and had a nice lesson with Fernando again. He is doing AWESOME with not drinking. I am very happy for him. He has completely turned his life around and knows the dangers of how easy it would be to slip again. 

We have had a less active friend of ours come back to church these past two weeks. He said that he wanted to get back into church and do better. He was a missionary in Texas. We work a lot with less active people. I don't like to go around and tell people how to live their lives but I am all about telling people that there is hope and there is always a way. Life is hard but there is no excuse for a bad attitude and a pessimistic tragedy. Life can always be turned into a learning experience and we can always seek to change if we need and want to. An optimistic tragedy is a powerful way to live through your life struggles. 

I'm sorry to hear about the shoulder injuries this past week. I can testify of how important helmets are. I have also been in the same spot of not being able to lift my arms. Take time with your recovery. 

I have been doing good and I am trying to endure well. I know that my emails are pretty short but it is hard to write sometimes. We go out and visit people but It feels boring and too regular to write y'all about it. we are doing good though and are looking for the good in the world, don't worry about me:) I know my mom hates me saying that because parents will always worry for their family but I am doing good. Life is good.

I love you family and friends. Have a wonderful week. 

Elder Cooley

Have you noticed Elder Cooley Never Complains! -Momma Cooley

Like the usual I can not complain. I know that nothing belongs to me except for my attitude and how I react to the daily situations of my life. I know that I am nothing, as to my strength I am weak. I believe in a God that cares and catches the same vision that I have in my life. I believe in a loving savior. With how bad the world can get at times we are so blessed to have what we have. 

These past few days have felt strange, I don't sleep as well anymore. last night I laid there until 1:00 when I could finally fall asleep. I think that a lot is on my mind and it keeps me bright eyed until I can actually get some real rack time. I wake up and do my studies but it just doesn't feel the same. Life is good though and I am moving forward. I try hard to progress every day in some way or the other. I love reading the 23 psalms, in fact I have it memorized and love thinking about it. It is an outline to me for a humble yet strong life.

One of my friends out here just recently had his mom pass away. He said that he cant sleep either... boy do I feel small compared to that trial, but I guess we all have our own struggles that cant be compared to others. He asked me to draw him a picture of him and his mom as an angle sitting next to him. I drew him a rough draft and will be putting my spare time towards drawing him a good one. I really feel for the kid.

We met a new guy this week that is interested in having Bible studies with us and learning more about the church. He has never been interested in church before and said that he is envious of people that are able to live that kind o life style. We will be going over thee to visit with him more and see what questions he has. 

We went to the Book of Mormon play that was in town all this week and handed out books and cards to everyone. We had some good results from it and had fun. At first everyone thought that we were the cast for the play and once we told them that we were real missionaries they got a kick out of it and wanted to talk to us about the church. that play gets the church a lot of positive feed back.

We have had a lot of good visits this week and had a good time. I look forward to another great week and hope that y'all do too. 

Love Elder Cooley

Crawfish Boil... and Awesome News!

Hello Family and Friends,
That is some awesome news this week! I knew that I would one day get an email about Jesse and Kim's family. Congrats! I will be home for that date. I am happy for y'all. 

This week I went to a craw fish boil in Albany after the Giachetti family's temple sealing. we had an awesome time and had some GOOD food. I love that family. I think that they have had the biggest influence and most support for me in my mission out here. I saw some fire flies that night also... they were probably the last ones that I will see for a while seeing that I live in New Orleans. I played baseball, kickball and football the entire time with their kids and  all of the young adults there. It was all a blast and brought back some good memories. I saw a lot of friends that I haven't seen for a while.

I have been In contact with Fernando a lot since I am living in New Orleans again. He quite drinking completely with even more help from a different church and he is trying to start his own business now. He has come a long ways from when we were first with him. He is very happy and you can see the difference in him too. He has his own car now and does a lot of service for the other church such as driving their church bus and translating during their masses. He has also been a highlight to my mission and is a very good friend to me now.

I hope that y'all have an awesome week. 

Love,

Elder Cooley

Life is good.