Christmas

Not a letter from Elder Cooper - just a transcription of some of the phone call.

There is a lot more going on in Iowa than he is telling us in his letters and e-mail.  Go figure.

The weather - we know it is cold but he also talked about freezing rain and lots of snow and really bitter coldness and big dry snow flakes.  The weather is very extreme.

The people - he is living in a college town with a medical school so there are a lot of people planning to be doctors and going to med school and a big turnover at the end of the school year.  Everyone is nice and he hasn't had any trouble but he is also become very positive and there was no bashing or gossip of any kind.  He was running an errand for the sister missionaries while talking to us and wouldn't complain about it but only say, "well, isn't that what Jesus would do?"  That's my boy!  We are so proud of him. 

There was some talk about the local lingo and he found himself using some old farmer colloquialisms the other day.  It was pretty funny to hear him talk mid-west farmerese.

They took a day trip to Nauvoo and Carthage, went to the Temple in Nauvoo and did the tour of Carthage.  He was impressed with the staircase in the temple and the font (which apparently is huge).  Told a nice story that he learned there about how the stain glass in the temple came to be.

He is pretty sure he won't be transferred when changes come up the end of December, based on some things the mission president said in their last interview.

Played hero with his companion to a neighbor girl.  She was being abused by her boyfriend, a lot of yelling and screaming and pushing going on and they went over and insisted on seeing her and asked if she wanted to come with them.  She said she would be OK and a few minutes later the boyfriend left after a good talking to by the missionaries.  Brendan said his companion knocked on the door with the force of God when they first went over there, and there is no way they were going to leave her there with the guy.

They also do volunteer work at a veteran's hospital on Tuesdays - running errands and stuff - and at a group home on Wednesdays - washing dishes and visiting with people and such. 

He is still driving a mini-van.  Finally got an answer about why.  They use the vans to transport the missionaries on transfer days and don't want to leave them just sitting in between so they assign them to companionships to drive.  It is silver.  In Brendan's words "I drive a mini-van and spend my time asking people if they want to learn about Jesus"  Cool is far, far from his mind at the moment.  Much bigger priorities.

As far as I could tell after talking to him, he really is happy and having a good time and adjusting well and doing his best and making friends and helping people. 

But, May and the Mother's Day phone call can't come too soon...

December 21st

Good morning!


The snow here has actually melted a little bit. It snowed yesterday, but not very much. We should be getting a ton more snow here soon I think, but we don't exactly get to wake up and check the weather here lol :) Usually if you haven't told me there's a storm coming, we hear it from someone the day that it's supposed to happen haha.

Sorry about not sending any pictures yet lol. I keep meaning to, but every time we go to the store where I can mail them, I forget to bring the memory cards :S lol. I'm going to get some blank CDs and I'll download the pictures onto there, then send you the memory cards so that way I can get prints here and you won't have to send me prints.

There are some videos too of the Zone Conference talent show. Pretty sweet! :) You might have to boost up the volume, they're kind of quiet.



I'm not really sure what we do for Christmas haha. Although in President Talbot's Email today he told us we get to sleep in until 9:00! :D We're going over to 2 member's houses, and both of them are really cool! so I'm excited. From what it looks like, we don't proselite on Christmas. We'll just be visiting members and stuff.


The work is going good! We have had a ton of referrals lately, so we have a lot of people to go visit. We on;y have 1 date set for right now for the 26th, but that will be pushed back because he still needs to stop smoking >:( lol. It's okay though. He got hit by a car like 15 years ago, and was in a coma for about a month and has some afteraffects from that.

The mini van is still very soccer momish haha. But whatever. It's all good. If I stay in this area after this transfer (90% chance I will. And transfers are on the 31st BTW) We'll probably be in a car share, so that means the sisters will have the car Sun, Mon, Tues, Wed. and we will have the car Thurs Fri Sat. So that means we'll be taking the bus a lot more! haha :D

My companion is Elder Ware.  We get along just fine. It totally feels like you're married to a dude out here haha. It's weird. But he's a smart and cool kid. We get along pretty well.

Talk to you Friday!

Love you!

October Zone Conference with Elder Zwick - let's play "Can You Find Brendan?"

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving here was...interesting.  We went over to a member's house.  He served his mission in France and is now a French professor at the University.  He had a bunch of friends over that also work at the university.  There was a couple from Hungary and only he was a US citizen, his wife wasn't.  They have only been in the US for 3 months or so.  There was another couple here from Africa.  The 3rd couple was from the US but she was from Cuba originally.  So there was an interesting mix of people.  Despite the copeous amounts of food, it didn't really feel like Thanksgiving.  It felt like a four hour dinner appointment.  It was still a good day.
Theresa is set to get baptized on February 13, but she moved to a different part of town, so she's not our investigator anymore.  But we have a new one!  We have only taught him twice, but he believes everything, and so far wants to get baptized.  We just have to tell him that he can't smoke anymore...lol.  Hopefully that goes okay. 

Things are going good here.  Everything is peachy :)

Peace out man.

Love,
Elder Cooper