Christmas Week

Merry Christmas FAMILY!!!!

 

The package you sent was awesome! I was astonished by the size at first, and by the fact that it looked a little abused on the outside, probably due to rough handling, but I now hold the award for biggest package in my district. haha. I've loved everything that i have opened so far, particularly the whoopie cushion (you know me too well) I opened the contacts today and I went ahead and opened the 12th day of Christmas first, because I was pretty sure it was clothes, and I was in desperate need of something to wear on sunday. Mom, the skirt and dress are so cute and both fit wonderfully! I don't know how much i will wear the cardigan, but I think i'm gonna wear it on Christmas. Thank you so much!! It made me so happy! Did you get the tape I sent home yet? have you listened to it? I guess you probably figured this out but i won't be able to get any mail after 2pm on the 23rd, including dear elders, so if anyone needs to say anything i'd do it before Friday. :) And i don't know when BYU is going to sent out acceptance letters, you might want to ask chrissy grover (she applied the same time as me) and also log into my Church Education System account, i think that info is on the green sheet. Check my BYU-I email too.

 

Ahh, so this week has been pretty great! I am filled with the Christmas Spirit (as well as the Christmas Chocolate). I came up with the idea to do 12 days of Christmas for the elders in our district and so far it's been really fun. We had a district goal this week to have more charity towards everyone and I really think that it has helped unify our district even more. I really love all of them :) So far we have done 7 pictures picking (we drew funny pictures of each of them), 6 lame jokes a joking, 5 m&mmmmmmm's (inside joke), 4 words in elvish (I'll take the ring!), three hand shakes (we gave them handshake coupons), two things for free (little sewing kits we found in the alterations building), and a note that said they love me! And we've done it all in Chinese. It's been really fun so far.

 

I have a funny story of something that happened this week, on Wednesday mornings we get sack breakfast and we are allowed to get 4 items each. I just wanted a yogurt because i wasn't hungry so i asked my companions if they wanted me to get them something too. They both wanted yogurt and one of the elders wanted some too, so i walked up to the cashier with 4 things of black cherry yogurt. The Cashier looked judgementally at my tray and then at me, and the back at my tray, and with the straightest face i could muster, I said "I really REALLY like black cherry yogurt" and at that very moment, I got a horrible nose bleed. So imagine me trying to be as serious as possible, trying not to laugh, with 4 things of yogurt and a nose bleed. It was pretty hilarious.

 

Anyway, on to the serious stuff. Our lessons this week went well! Our investigator got sick in the middle of a lesson and had to run out, we were really worried about her and we asked the leaders to give her a blessing. She is fine now. We taught her about repentance and the atonement and it was a really great lesson, we are thinking her baptism will be between Christmas and new years and we are very excited to plan it.

 

While our teacher was sick we got taught but sister Daaih from Hong Kong. She is so cute. Everyone from hong kong is cute. She told us a lot about the people and her intense love for them. We were so glad that she came in, me particularly. I am soooooooooo pumped for china. we only have a little less than 3 weeks left. It's crazy!! One thing that she said is that mainland china is ready for the gospel (she was quoting elder bednar) and that the lord is just waiting for there to be enough missionaries to send into china. I really feel like this mission is part of my calling in life. I think sometime or  another i'll end up going back to china, even if its just for a little bit, to help establish the church and to teach english. I really really want to. TRC was good this week, we taught a 65 year old HK native who liked to talk a lot. I was able to bear testimony more than once, but i have to admit that I didn't understand most of what she said. It's hard to teach to the needs of the investigator when you don't understand them, but the spirit was there. Our teacher, Jang Hing Daih, told me that he's really noticed that my tones are improving, and that i'm losing my English inflection when i speak Chinese. So that's good, maybe people won't make fun of me when I go over there. haha.

 

So as far as I know Christmas is going to be pretty sweet. We just found out that we get to hear from a general authority and that MOTAB is coming to the MTC. That's pretty neat, huh? (motab is mormon tabernacle choir, incase you didn't know, mom). I also found out that since the temple is closed this week we get the opportunity to do service at the temple. I hope I get to polish moroni. I called it. It's gonna be neat because we get to wear temple worker clothes to do it and little white booties. :)

 

Anyway, I know you guys are having fun. I hope the Christmas eve bonfire turns out good! And I hope all of you will hug the cousins for me. I love you all and I miss you and I get to talk to you on the phone in 3 weeks! :) I hope that you are filled with the Christmas Spirit and I hope that you aren't sad i'm not with you, but instead are glad that I am serving the lord.

 

Love,

Sister Cook

 

P.S. Mom, Good!

Ryan- did you get my letter to the seminary class? how were exams?

Hoffs- THANK YOU FOR THE PACKAGE! I have a letter for all of you in the mail. I love you

Symonie- You are a fantastic human being. I seriously love the gifts that you sent for me and my companions. Thank you so much! There is also a letter for you in the mail today.

 

SINGDAAN FAAILOHK!! :)

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Hey family! It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood. (except for the fact its 20 degrees outside) but i wouldn't know what outside feels like because i haven't left the MTC in 6 weeks. What's going on in the world? anything exciting?

 

Anyway, this week was pretty humbling. As I stated in my last email we started a English fast last monday, meaning we were only allowed to speak cantonese all week long. Needless to say, that's pretty hard, especially if you don't know enough normal vocabulary to get something as simple as a drink of water. It was pretty hilarious when we started getting creative and saying "may we receive the blessings of water?" and "i need to go accept baptism (take a shower)" but we did learn a ton. It was pretty great. There were points in the week where we just completely gave up on trying to speak Cantonese and our teachers were pretty upset with us. Xie ji muih said that we needed to repent for speaking English (she's intense). But the most humbling part of the week was when we watched Elder Hollands talk "Miracle of being a missionary". He basically chastised everyone in earshot for wasting any time on the mission because it is the most important thing that we have done thus far in our lives. It meant everything to him and it should mean everything to us. He's right, because though we are a bunch of 19-21 year old kids, we are participating in the eternal salvation of human souls, and we need to take that seriously. It was a great talk, after which we all felt pretty guilty for not taking our English fast seriously.

 

Since that night we have been SYLing as often as possible and I can tell you, we are getting so much better! And not only that, we're happy! It is frustrating when you are trying to say something important and you can't get it out, or someone doesn't understand because you have the tones wrong, but it also feels like a huge victory coming out of lessons where we completely covered everything we wanted to, and understood our investigators needs.

 

Speaking of huge victories, one of our investigators, A-fai, has accepted baptism this week! We will be holding the service on the 21st. Even though A-fai isn't actually getting baptized, because he is actually jang hing daai, our teacher, it is still really great when your investigator can feel the spirit. A-fai is someone that Jang hing daai taught on his mission and as our teachers portray these people, they only act on and accept invitation when they really feel the spirit. When we started meeting with Afai he seemed nonchalant and really bored with everything we said, and we have seen his faith and testimony grow so much, it's been awesome! I can't wait to do it for real.

 

Another big success this week was TRC, when we get to teach lessons from cantonese people from the outside world. We didn't get to go last saturday because it was thanksgiving weekend, but this Saturday we got to meet again with Mr. Wai. He's an elderly man from Hong Kong and he lives here in Utah by himself, we taught him 3 or 4 weeks ago for the first time and haven't seen him since but we love him SOOOO much. He's awesome and really funny. After we taught him on revelation through church attendance he said "You cantonese so good! you will do good in hong kong!" haha. I pretty much want to adopt him for my grandpa. If nana ever wants to get remarried, tell her i have an eligible suitor for her. :)

 

On Tuesday night Brother and sister Yamashita (from the 70) from Japan came and spoke at the MTC. It was great because sister yamashita only spoke a little English, she has only been here for 4 months. Can I just say I love asians? anyway, she gave about a 15 minute talk in broken english, and she kept messing up, so she kept laughing at herself, but the she bore her testimony and the spirit was undeniable! I love that the holy ghost can break the language barrier, and I know that i'm going to mess up but I just gotta open my mouth, and say what i need to say with as much confidence as I can muster! Heavenly Father has got my back in learning this language, and just like dear sister Yamashita, I will be able to fufill my calling and say what the lord needs me to say when I get to Hong Kong.

 

I want to bear a quick testimony that I know life is hard. Missionary work is hard. But the reason it is and always will be hard is because the Atonement isn't cheap. What Jesus Christ went through was far from an easy experience. But I know that the more I forget my own wants and desires, and focus my work  in the Lord, the happier I am. Every time we keep the commandments, we are only giving back what heavenly father has already given us. When we pay tithing we are giving back only 1 tenth of what he has blessed us with. When we dedicate a year and a half to serve a mission, we are only doing it on the life and energy he has granted us. But the one thing we can give him, that he didn't give us, is our will. And I know that by being a good missionary because I love god, and I love people, is a lot more satisfying than doing it for any other reason.

 

The church is true! I love you all. If you could this week, please pray for my companion sister taylor, her knee has been hurting her so she has to do some PT exercises too. Oh and mom- For Christmas I would love a new dress. I am SOOOO tired of my clothes already that it makes me sick. haha. I have worn some very interesting combinations in order to switch it up a little. Who needs to match anyway, right?

 

:)

 

Joigeen!

 

Gou Ji Muih

 

 

Thanksgiving

WELL HEY FAMILY.

UH, FOR SOME REASON MY CAPS LOCK WILL NOT TURN OFF. oh ok, i figured it out. that was weird. anyway, happy thanksgiving! i am missing you all very much around the holidays but i think that thanksgiving at the mtc will be fun. we get to hear from some supposed apostle on Thursday, and we get to do some service and have a little extra time to write letters and such, so that's good. i guess I'll take a minute to tell you what i'm thankful for since i won't be around the table this year to do it. i love my family! you are all spectacular examples to me. everyone in my district has heard at least one story about the cooks, and they all seem to approve. haha. i wish i could be with you for thanksgiving (and aunt brenda's pink stuff). I am also grateful for little things like emails, showers, and the fact that my companions think poop jokes are funny. (p.s. i laughed soooooooooo hard about mitchells baptism comment). I am greatful for the truetts, who sent me some awesome bread this week along with some colorful pictures in it, i think luke or lilly drew Darth Vader, i really appreciate that one, it's hanging on my wall. i am also thankful for cocoa bean cupcakes courtesy of the grovers! (chrissy/ma grover, if you are reading this, i need your address! and i love you!)   i am grateful to be able to attend the temple weekly. I'm thankful for everyone who pays tithing, i'm grateful for the lord and i'm grateful for this opportunity to serve him! I'm grateful for prayers and answers to them, and i am so grateful to be where i am right now.  i am happy :)

so the language is coming.....along. haha. it's really hard. i'm not going to lie. i think heavenly father has an awesome sense of humor sending me to a mission where people talk 800 miles an hour. seriously. it's ridiculous. but i had the opportunity to fast this week. i know that as i focus and try my very best, heavenly father will come in and fill in all the gaps. he can take me the rest of the way. it's weird but i swear, when we are teaching lessons to our investigators, i am able to remember words that i was never able to remember beforehand, just because i needed to say them right then. i think my hardest trial at this point is just staying focused all the time, its really hard to study when you have a district as hilarious as mine is, but i know if i work my hardest i'll be able to master this language. I grow to love my companions more each day, though i know we have challanges, we always learn and overcome them with surprising speed. so i can't really complain about much.

being a sister missionary is awesome. i am filled with so much love for those around me, i am able to see people in the light that Christ sees them. when we got here, the mtc president said " if this isn't the hardest thing you have ever done, you aren't doing it right". i know that my desires to to good are going to be met with opposition, but the beautiful part of that is, i know if i try my best that i'll always overcome! I'm so glad i decided to serve a mission. i know it's where the lord wants me to be and i know my life would feel empty without it.

i have a huge favor to ask for mom: can you send me some contacts? i really like wearing them when i work out. and i've been wearing my glasses every day, but i didn't bring enough to last me the mission, two boxes would be awesome if that is at all possible, also i need sweater tights! my Florida legs are not meant to suffer in this cold. (it's been snowing this week). i think my prescription is +4.75 mom, if you don't have it written down. and i promise to write the kids individual letters on thursday!

here is my very short testimony in Cantonese (without the tones, because i have no idea how to type those):

ngoh jidouh yeh sou gei duk ge fuk yam haih jahnshatge. ngoh ngoi mouh yih mhun ging haih sahn ge wa. ngoh ji douh gating haih whingyhun tuhngmaai haih tinfuh gaiwhakge hatsam.

Micricles

leih hou, Gating!

 

I just got back from the temple, so life is wonderful. I don´t think ill ever get used to pouring a week worth of information into one 30 minute email. But I have to start somewhere! Ok so here is the news on my shoulder,

 

It feels like 500% better. It´s amazing. My entire district fasted for me on Sunday and praying for me to get better and it´s working. It´´s pretty much a miracle. I got up in testimony meeting on Sunday and bore my testimony of priesthood blessings. Though my shoulder still hurts every once in a while, i´´m still able to devote all my efforts into my work without it distracting me. Heavenly Father is awesome!

 

I´´m supposed to see a physical therapist once a week, and friday was my first day going. It was neat because they did this thing called electro'stimulation, where they basically zap me with as much voltage as I can stand and then they put ice on top of it. It´´s supposed to relax my muscles, but it makes me really twitchy sometimes, which my companions think is kinda funny. Oh, and I got really strong drugs that help me sleep reallllllllllllly well. haha. so i´´m kinda loopy. but I suppose that´s normal. Thank you for all your prayers back home.

 

I found out that missionaries in the MTC aren´´t allowed to call home for christmas, but i´´ll talk to you two weeks later when i´´m flying out to hong kong. So i guess that´´s not so bad. The weather out here has deff gotten...wintery. We were able to take a temple walk as a district last week and play in the leaves, and it was the first snow that ive seen since i got here. I sent home a letter today with some fun pictures in it from our temple walk. so hopefully aunt B or someone can help you scan them to get them on my blog.

 

Our language study is getting more intense every day. I can now say a full prayer in Chinglish. (chinese and english) and i´m getting better at focusing and retaining information. This week we have two new investigators, Bonnie and AFai, who we are supposed to teach entirely in cantonese. My companions are pretty fast at looking up words so usually were ok, but this time we can´´t have our dictionary with us, so we get to rely on the spirit! hoorayyyyyyyyyy. haha,  no it´´s really exciting. This week im praying to be better at interpreting what our investigators are saying...because it´´s hard to teach to their needs if you just do the nod and smile thing whenever they talk....you know, like when you´´re talking to a two year old. (except i feel like a two year old most of the time when i speak)

 

I´m glad everyone had a good Halloween. You should send me some mail. like....real mail. My companions always get tons of mail and it makes me feel like an orphan or something.

 

So....funny story that happened this week, Elder Moreno (the one from puerto rico) was saying a prayer in class and the word for Jesus Christ in Cantonese is Yeh Sou Gei DUk. and the word for Joseph Smith is Yak Sat Si Mat. and he messed it up in front of an investigator and said ´´in the name of joseph smith amen´´ and his companion and the investigator started laughing really hard. haha. Also, someone from our district was trying to say ´´do you have any questions´´ and accidentally asked the investigator...´´do you have any private children¿´´ lol. I really can not relate to you how funny everyone in my district is. Mitchell would aprriciate that whenever someone in the class says something sarcastic we all go ´´ohhhhhhhhhhhh!´´ (like in the regular show). haha.

 

Cantonese is awesome.

 

Anyway I´m running out of time but i love you all. The church is true and I really feel like i´´ve grown so much already. My testimony of prayer has definitly grown. I´m so glad that we have a prophet today that guides us and helps us know what to do. And I love Jesus Christ. Annnnd....oh! I found out one of my room mates is related to Hannah and Karen garner, my room mates from college! Her name is sister Neilson and she is soooo cute. I´´m not sure why i interrupted my testimony with that but oh well...i´d try to fix it but someone who is learning Spanish totally screwed up this keyboard and none of the buttons work right. aiieeeeyaaaa.

 

I feel like im forgetting something.....oh yeah! Give Emma a high five for me. People should not give out fruit for Halloween.  that´´s blasphemy.

 

ngoi,

 

Gou Ji Muih

1st email from MTC

Priority: Normal Date: Tuesday, November 1, 2011 6:15 PM Size: 16 KB

Hi family!!     So i found out pdays are tuesdays. I've found out a lot of things actually, and I only have 30 minutes to type so I gotta type fast! First, mom, thanks for the dear elders, i got them. That's the easiest way to get to me. so you can pass that info around to other friends/family. Also I got a dear elder from jared wadsworth and letters from sam and chris and the gang, if you could somehow get on my face book and get those addresses for me so i could write them back that would be super helpful!   Ok, so the MTC. wow. it's been crazy. No one ever told me exactly how hard the first couple of days were going to be. I think that I am adjusted now but there was an overload of info on the first couple of days. My companions names are sister taylor and sister hintze (yeah, I have two!) You would think that would be awkward but it's totally not. I love them both. I know that god's hand directs companion assignments, because i couldn't imagine being with anyone else but my sisters. Sister taylor is super smart. she was born in florida (west coast) and grew up in utah. She graduated the University of Utah with a bachelors in some crazy chemistry thing. I dunno. Anyway, she is good at keeping us focused. My other companion is sister hintze and she's also from utah. She's chill and she has a goofy sense of humor so I like that she can lighten the mood when we're so stressed out with the language. oh yeah, and i don't remember if i put this in my other letter but my cantonese name is GOU. and the other sisters are sister Hohn and sister Daai. so when you put it together it sounds like "go and die." and that's how the elders in my district remember our chinese names. haha.   THE LANGUAGE. OH MAN. it's pretty tough. I mean really tough. but I know that the lord is gonna help us to learn it. We taught our first discussion entirely in cantonese on friday. It actually went pretty well! I've learned a ton in the last few days, including how to pray in cantonese. (sometimes i cheat and look at my language book while praying though).   Ok so my district is hilarous. Really. I think they stick all the quirky weird people in the asian language missions so that they can entertain them selves for 12 weeks without dying of boredom. WE have an elder from england (like...tea with the queen/ harry potter british. its hilarous) and we have a elder from canada, and one from puertorico. They all make me laugh and they are really nice. I think i'll enjoy these 12 weeks with them. I've started a book called "the funny things of district 5a" where I write down things our district says. One of the elders plays trombone and he's got flaming red hair and he's from lincon nebraska, and he reminds me of ryan SO MUCH. We all went to the temple on sunday to take pictures and i'll be sure to get some of those to you,   Our roommates are the older district going to hong kong, they leave 6 weeks before us. we love them a lot. there names are sister nelson and sister neilson and sister leir. and together (they have about 6 elders i think, we make up the entire mission!!!)  My cantonese teachers name is brother jackson, and he served with the guy (mike hyde) that I knew at BYUI, who showed me all the hong kong stuff before I left. He has only spoken english in class like...once. so we are realllllyyyy learning to rely on hand gestures...haha. and memorizing vocabulaty.   You might have gotten a call from the stake president...Since I have been at the MTC, my shoulder, the one that has always given me problems, has been really really bad. I had to go see the doctor because it was hurting me so bad I couldn't concentrate in class. I'm supposed to see if the stake can help me with the medical bills of seeing a physical therapist because if i don't get the issue resolved the doctor said I would not be able to go to Hong Kong with my district. The good thing is I have 12 weeks here (or more like 10...we leave on the 9th of january) so plenty of time to get it fixed, and I also have my entire district praying for me. I know here is where the lord wants me to be, and as bad as my shoulder hurts sometimes, I just have to bear it until I can get it fixed. If you could remember me in your prayers this week I would appreciate that. (the biggest comfort that I get is reading mosiah 24:14-15. you should read it if you get a chance.   Tell mitchell that the food here is good, but it does give you gas. tell ryan i smelled teh cream soda tree. Tell lisa thanks for the note, and tell symonie thanks for letting me stay and having matt drop me off. It was pretty painless that way, I miss you all so much, i was glad not to be one of the crying families on the curb. it was kind of awkward.   How was halloween? What was everyones costumes? is mom still crying about not talking to me every day? (I love you mom)  Oh, I also found out i needed to get a hep A shot. so I got that. ummmmmmmmmm and i know i sent a letter home, but i don't remember if I put in it that i need a few things: winter tights and body spray would be awesome. and my shark, I miss sir digby chicken ceaser. oh and i have my camera charger mom, thanks for asking. I am going to print off pictures here and mail them to you in my next letter.   I only have 5 minutes left but I just wanted to say that I know the church is true! The book of mormon is the word of god. And I'm so greatful to be here. I pray for my family every night and I miss you all very much. I know that i;m in good hands, because i'm in the lords hands. Thank you so much for teaching me these truths before I got here, otherwise I don't think i would make it!!   I'm sorry this letter is so scatterbrained. i just had a lot to say! dear elder me back! and get me addresses! loooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooove you!!!   Ngoh Ngoi Le!!   Gou Ji Muih.

Addresses

Here are my addresses for when I go to Hong Kong, since I won't be able to email or facebook, if you want to hear from me you can write to me at these addresses accordingly.

from October 26th 2011-Januaray 18th 2012

Sister Kayla Renee Cook
MTC Mailbox # 138
CHN-HK 0111
2005 N 900 E
Provo, UT 84604-1793


From January 19th 2012- April 26th 2013

Sister Kayla Renee Cook
China Hong Kong Mission
18 Dorset Crescent
Kowloon Tong, Kowloon
Hong Kong

Another option for written mail is using the site www.dearelder.com where you essentially write an email and type my name in and select my mission, l and if I'm in the MTC, they print it out that day and hand it to me for free. And if I'm in China you just pay the postage (98 cents) and they will print it out and deliver it with the other pouch mail.You can also send cookies. :3 Please don't send reading material or food with a shelf life of less than a few weeks.

Thanks a ton, I hope to hear from you. :)

See you all in 1.5 years!

-Sister Cook

*this will be my last post that's actually me! from now on my mom will be doing it. Just so ya know :)

Farewell Talk

Farewell Talk given October 16th at 9:30 Am in the Palm Bay Second Ward by Sister Kayla Renee Cook



Good morning Brothers and Sisters, I'm so blessed to be able to speak with you all before I leave for my mission to Hong Kong next week, I can't believe it's so close! Normally on the third Sunday of the month we get to hear from someone in the stake high council, And because October is such a busy month with conference and primary programs, Today is the only day they could fit me in. So I feel very blessed to speak with you today along with brother Langdorf, and I ask for the spirit to be with me as I speak to you about the Book of Mormon, which is the topic the stake has felt is important for us to hear today. And I really feel like it's inspired, because I can't think of a more appropriate subject for a missionary to speak on! To begin, I'd like to read one of my favorite scriptures in 2nd Nephi:


3 Angels speak by the power of the Holy Ghost; wherefore, they speak the words of Christ. Wherefore, I said unto you, feast upon the words of Christ; for behold, the words of Christ will tell you all things what ye should do.

I love this scripture especially because of the verb "Feast". When I think of a feast i think of a hearty thanksgiving meal, with a little bit of everything to stuff you full ( like Turkey, stuffing, gravy, and pie). When you apply this metaphor to how you study the scriptures it should be equally as filling. You should use all your resources to create a feast for the soul that leaves you so full of the spirit that you are overwhelmed with joy and appreciation for the blessings you have been given. The scriptures are truly food for the soul.

Preach My gospel states: the Book of Mormon is powerful evidence of the divinity of Christ. It is also proof of the Restoration through the Prophet Joseph Smith. An essential part of our conversion is receiving a witness from the Holy Ghost that the Book of Mormon is true. As a missionary, you must first have a personal testimony that the Book of Mormon is true. This testimony can lead to a deep and abiding faith in the power of the Book of Mormon during the conversion process. Have confidence that the Holy Ghost will testify to anyone who reads and ponders the Book of Mormon and asks God if it is true with a sincere heart, real intent, and faith in Christ.

President Ezra Taft Benson said that the Book of Mormon is the keystone in at least three ways:
Witness of Christ. “The Book of Mormon is the keystone in our witness of Jesus Christ, who is Himself the cornerstone of everything we do. It bears witness of His reality with power and clarity.”
Fulness of doctrine. “The Lord Himself has stated that the Book of Mormon contains the ‘fulness of the gospel of Jesus Christ.’ (D&C 20:9 [;27:5].) . . . In the Book of Mormon we will find the fulness of those doctrines required for our salvation. And they are taught plainly and simply so that even children can learn the ways of salvation and exaltation.”
Foundation of testimony. “Just as the arch crumbles if the keystone is removed, so does all the Church stand or fall with the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon. The enemies of the Church understand this clearly. This is why they go to such great lengths to try to disprove the Book of Mormon, for if it can be discredited, the Prophet Joseph Smith goes with it. So does our claim to priesthood keys, and revelation, and the restored Church. But in like manner, if the Book of Mormon be true—and millions have now testified that they have the witness of the Spirit that it is indeed true—then one must accept the claims of the Restoration and all that accompanies it” (A Witness and a Warning [1988], 18–19).

Perhaps my favorite general conference talk of all time is one given by Elder Holland two years ago, and it's featured in this months ensign

As my great-great-great grandfather said in the early days of the Restoration, “No wicked man could write such a book as this; and no good man would write it, unless it were true and he were commanded of God to do so.”1
To my first convictions have been added all of the other quickening moments and sanctifying manifestations that today give deepest meaning to my days, purpose to my life, and a solid foundation to my testimony.
Now, I did not sail with the brother of Jared. I did not hear King Benjamin speak his angelically delivered sermon. I was not among the Nephite crowd who touched the wounds of the resurrected Lord, nor did I weep with Mormon and Moroni over the destruction of a civilization. But my testimony of this record and the peace it brings to the human heart—given to me through the whispering of the Holy Spirit just as it is given to you—is as binding and unequivocal as was theirs. I testify of this book as surely as if I had, with the Three Witnesses, seen the angel Moroni or, with the Eight Witnesses, handled the plates of gold.
I further testify that not one of us can come to full faith in this latter-day work and thereby find the fullest measure of peace and comfort in our times until he or she embraces the divinity of the Book of Mormon and the Lord Jesus Christ, of whom it testifies. As Mormon said to Moroni in one of their most demanding times, so I say in our demanding times: “Be faithful in Christ. … And may the grace of God the Father, whose throne is high in the heavens, and our Lord Jesus Christ, who sitteth on the right hand of his power … be, and abide with you forever” (Moroni 9:25–26).
The Book of Mormon is the sacred expression of Christ’s great last covenant with mankind. It is a new covenant, a new testament from the New World to the entire world. The light I walk by is His light. His mercy and magnificence lead me—and you—in our witness of Him to the world.

As a missionary I know The Book of Mormon, combined with the Spirit, will be my most powerful resource in conversion. It is the most correct of any book on the earth. It teaches the doctrine of Christ plainly, especially in the lessons that I will teach investigators. And as the people that I teach come to realize its truthfulness, they can build a foundation for an eternal family, and an eternal happiness in the presence of god, if they live by the teachings of the prophets in this book.

Going on a mission is a scary thing for me, and for anyone I think, especially when it's half way across the word. I've grown up in this ward and I feel a strong sense of family here among you. And I know that when I leave, the gospel and the book of Mormon will still be true, even if they are written in Cantonese. Your examples have shaped me, your testimonies have fueled my desire to serve, and your support will keep me going through the hard times ahead. But I know more than anything else, that my call as a missionary is a call from God. I am prepared to go and to testify of the truthfulness of the BOM, of all of the principles found inside, of Joseph smith, of Thomas S Monson, and of the Lord Jesus Christ and to give everything I’ve got to serve the people of Hong Kong. I want to promise my family, my younger brothers and cousins especially, that a call to serve is a blessing, and that even though I will miss all of you, I couldn't be a happier person. I'm blessed to have a family and extended family here with me today, that have been more than wonderful in helping me to make the preparations necessary to embark on my journey, on the lords journey. and I'm glad they are here. The hope of my message to you today is that you would be reassured in your Testimony of the truthfulness of the book of Mormon and the restored gospel of Jesus Christ, and also to instil a greater desire to study it daily and live it's teachings. If you don't know,brothers and sisters, you should ask! The Lord is not trying to trick us, he's trying to help us see the truth so that we can be happy. But he can't do that if we don't do our part, and act on a particle of faith. For that, and a sincere desire, is all that we need to receive revelation directly from our loving heavenly father. I know that our faith in Jesus Christ can sustain us each day as we “do all things that lie in our power,” knowing with the “utmost assurance” that those promises we may see “afar off” will one day bring all the blessings we hope for.

I bear my testimony, to all of you, that the book of Mormon is true. I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Getting ready to go!

Two weeks from today I'll be in the MTC! Hip hip Hurray! How time can move both fast and slow amazes me. I'm working on my Farewell talk for this Sunday on the Book Of Mormon. Kind of a broad topic for a farewell but I like broad topics because it means I get to be creative. However, the stake speaker that is speaking with me has made me promise not to go over 16 minutes. And I know from past experiences (teaching RS) I tend to get caught up in the spirit and keep on babbling. But as Mitchell puts it, I don't want people to think I'm from "Babylon". :)

I got to spend three wonderful days in Orlando with my favorite cousins and aunts and uncles. Brenda, Abby, and I went shopping at the Florida Mall and I got yet another missionary outfit, and a bag to carry my stuff in. I also went out with Lisa and James and we ate at Macaroni Grill (which was really good, too bad i'm not going to italy for my mission, because I wouldn't mind 2 years of Italian food). And we talked about traveling the world! But the time with my little cousins was wonderful. I love them! Abby and Grace are going to be such interesting young women, I hope they get a chance to serve a mission, I think they would both be wonderful.

I also got to spend some time in the temple on Tuesday. I realized the part of my patriarchal blessing that says I should pay attention to the little ones around me could very well mean my cousins. I didn't realize until recently how much of a trend I'm setting, being the oldest. I have to make sure that I'm living a Christ-like life because sometimes I forget how many little eyeballs are watching me. Hopefully my mission is a step in the right direction.

I also got to do sealings for the first time which was crazy cool. And I want to go again before i'm set apart. Thats all for now, i'll post farewell talk and pictures next time.

A day at the temple

 

Before missionaries are set apart they get to go through the LDS temple. I was blessed to have my family with me along with a lot of other people from my stake. It was a really neat experience to see so many people that I love there to support me. The spirit was strong for sure. Nothing's more important than family :)

sister cook's favorite scripture!

testing 123

Hi! For those of you that don't know, I was called as a missionary for the church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day saints! I'll be serving my mission in the China Hong Kong mission. I still have a month before I enter the MTC but i figured that I should start getting people familiar with my blog so you can keep up with my mission adventures, should you choose to do so :)

 I'll have my Mom copy and paste my weekly emails/photo's while I'm on my mission to this blog. I am allowed to receive emails at kayla.cook@myldsmail.net but I'm only to email family in return. There's this really neat thing called dearelder.com where you can type me a letter (or send me cookies! haha) and get it send directly to China for the price of postage (.98 cents) and that would be killer as well, and I will totally write you back!

For the first three months of my mission, I'll be in Provo, Utah at the Missionary Training Center. Here I will learn how to be an effective missionary in Hong Kong, and how to speak the Cantonese Language. I'll put that address up as soon as I know my mailbox number. And you can see my Hong Kong address to the left under my picture.

Anyway as of right now the mission prep is going strong. I have a lot of things to do to get ready, but my master list has more things crossed off on it every day! For anyone that is not a member and is curious about what exactly I will be teaching/doing on my mission you can ask me and also visit www.lds.org for information about my church.

That's all for now!

K