November 25, 2013

Dear Mum, 

    What a week. It was a testing one for me, that's for sure. They come every now and then. Finding, finding, finding! I was sure shattered (in British that means exhausted) by the end of it. 

     But I'm so thrilled to hear from President that we will be going to the temple this Christmas! Finally we'll be able to see the new temple video!  This will be my first Christmas away from family (not from home though, I remember spending it in Denmark!). I won't open the packages I shouldn't before Christmas though! 

      This last week was Stake Conference in Bristol with a very excited atmosphere, a new stake president was called! That also means that general authorities were present. We had some presidency of the area seventy there who spoke incredible well! One talk by Elder Donaldson went like this: 

     

     "Ok we've got 20 minutes to do a miracle, and I need your help. Will you two elders in the front bring the whiteboard over here? Ok this is what I'm going to do; I'm going to read some passages and ask some questions, and when the Spirit prompts you I want you to get up and write the initials of the person you will reach out to." 

      

       He then proceeded to read various scriptures from 1 Nephi 8 on the tree of life vision. After each group of people was described, he would ask "who do you know that is...?". People started to flood the board. It was REALLY interactive. At the end he said in essence that we would be condemned for not acting on those impressions. 

       

        Elder Dykes spoke afterwards and called up all the missionaries to the front. President Millar was there with us. He told the audience:

     "Look at all these missionaries and find the companionship in your ward. They are YOUR missionaries. Now, I have two elders here who haven't been told of this, but they are going to do this for me. This is the message that your missionaries will tell your nonmember friends. Then a humble french Elder who'd been speaking English for one month total and his St. Louis farm boy companion proceeded in testifying of God, of family, of the Lord's servants, of apostasy, of restoration, and of the Book of Mormon and prayer." It was touching. 

      It softened my heart, I was stiffening from the opposition of the week until that moment. It's amazing to look back on the experiences. At the time some of them one could barely recognise until it had already  happened. 

    This week is zone conference, which means that we'll be traveling down to Poole for a day or two. We might have a thanksgiving there! President Texiera of the area Presidency will be speaking to us. Last time I saw him was on the right hand of the apostle M. Russell Ballard. It was a really great event then! 

   I will be writing a letter this week to you. Probably on the train! Until then, I'll be continuing to find those around us in Clevedon and Portishead. Fun fact Heather: Elder Patrick Kearon (the British seventy who spoke about scorpions in a general conference talk) came from Clevedon. Also, Stanley Thomas, a member here in Portishead, was baptised by Brother Ajax in our ward! Small mormon world! 

     Love you all!

         Elder Cooper

P.S. Watch out for Stan's email to you mother. He's 84 and crazy! As for Heather, I found a British elder about to go home. He's totally awesome. If you want me to do anything let me know. However, he's 20. Your call.