December

December
December 07, 2020

Hola mi madre,

This week I have hit 14 months as a missionary. Oh what a great time it has been. I have learned a lot about patience and working with others. I have also learned so much more about the scriptures. I am glad to be a missionary at this time. With that in mind, this week I was able to help out in the community more. Teach more lessons about Christ. And see many miracles and great times.

The service we got to do was a park cleanup. Somebody went in before us and trimmed up all of the trees. The community came together in Owyhee. Well it was a nice afternoon in that day so I wore shorts to the service. It didn't get cold until the sun went down. I forgot about that detail for three summers in the row I had. We went back the next day to help with a bit more of the piles that got left. I dressed correctly for that one. Someone did ask where we were from thinking that it was stupid to where shorts. But to be fair Colorado has some nice cold days where shorts have been worn. That was the extent of our service for the week.

The lessons we have been teaching are continuing to go great. We have two more people close to a baptismal date. We just need to work through a couple doubts or worries. We have also been given another idea of Family Home Evenings with the members so we are going to set more member visits up.

Not much else has occurred here in Nyssa besides more covid rules we must comply to. So once again I am learning patience. Some scriptures I will share for this week comes from Moroni Chapter 6 and it is just why we are baptized. I also like verse 8 in this chapter. It says that no matter how many times we repent amd seek forgiveness. And as long as we truly desire it can we be forgiven always. A lot more then 70x7.

Love Elder Cormack

PS - And I am staying in Nyssa for at least another six weeks.

PPS - I also want to say we are being fed so much. Even though we may not be able to eat at members homes we continue to be fed and have plenty of leftovers. I had picked myself up a jump rope and a trash bag to maintain weight from this amazing holiday season.

Nov 30, 2020 - Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving
Nov 30, 2020

Hola

This week was a good week. Starting with service, lessons, of course the big holiday of Thanksgiving, and then some more lessons.

We will start with all of the services we got to do. First the food pantry helping hand out thanksgiving boxes, which contained a turkey, some rolls, and other things you would eat. The next service we provided was cleaning out a cow pen. What that entails is scrapping the bad "crap" out. All we had to use was pitchforks. It was a great workout and it was such a beautiful day as well. Then to end the service of the week it was just moving food around in the food pantry.

Now with the lessons. We taught a good amount of people and had lots of fun teaching them. I always find joy in teaching. We taught a lot about the commandments as we help a couple people prepare for their baptism. After the patience and trial of acting in faith do we then see the miracles be brought. This week was very baptism focused with the people we taught. They are already and close. Some just need a little more help and love. Then others have a date set and just need to continue learning.

Thanksgiving was a great day as well. We started with a mission wide zoom. Then from there we went to dinner at a member’s house but due to certain rules we have to wear our masks all the time. So they fed us outside in the backyard. It was still great to see their care for us. Then we went off to another appointment where we just visited and made a good impression upon the non-members there.

To end this letter I would like to leave a spiritual thought about The Jungle Book. We were allowed to watch one movie for Thanksgiving Day and think of how it relates to the Gospel. I will start with a quick rundown of Mowgli. He is first leaving with the wolves but is then rejected from them and told to leave and go to the man-village. He leaves and becomes friends with Baloo and they go about on their own. Well to round off the movie. Mowgli comes back to help the wolves and beat Shere kahn the tiger. How does that relate to the gospel? We can think of three names like Mowgli. Joseph from Egypt, Moses, and then Jesus Christ. Joseph was rejected by his family. Became friends with the Pharaoh and then saved his family during the famine. Jesus Christ was rejected by the Israelites his people he came to help. So he allowed his gospel to be taught to the gentiles. Christ is resurrected and atones for our sins so that he may help save the ones that first rejected him. If we truly look we can find gospel principles in a lot of movies.

Love, Elder Cormack

Nov 23, 2020 - Faith

Faith
Nov 23, 2020

Hola madre,

I would say this week was a great one. I am grateful to be a missionary here. Zone conference was great and helped me feel that there are things to do better such as how I teach people and share why we do certain things. And then all week we have been praying and planning on how we can hit our key indicator goals. We called a bunch of people, tried to set up appointments with progressing friends and no answers from there. Then it all came together on Sunday, we found two new people, we had three sacrament attendance and then a baptismal date was set. I am very excited for this family that set the date with us. The mom and dad were both inactive members and had some addictions. But now they have made a change in their life and are working back towards Christ. I can see happiness in the home and the effort they are putting in is amazing. The date has been set for the 12th of December. In that time we are going to keep helping him prepare for the ordinance. As I prayed Saturday night and expressed gratitude for the trail of patience and all of the blessings and miracles I saw in my life. I felt the reassuring feeling that our key indicators would be met. I am grateful for that which has strengthened my testimony in the lord, has a timing for everyone and will guide us to the people he has prepared.

The other thing we did this week which was very exciting was extending the baptismal invitation. We have a zone goal to extend the invitation once a week. So the people we are teaching can have understanding of where we are going next. And by extending the invitation we can see what their needs are and what may be holding them back.

We also did lots of service this week which included moving bags of rice and food for the food pantry, and then painting a gutter for one lady we are teaching. That was most of our week we continued to get newer and updated rules for the lockdown and quarantine of the mission. Since 40+ missionaries are quarantined.

Love, Elder Cormack

Nov 16, 2020 - Lock Down

Lock Down
Nov 16, 2020

Hola mi familia,

I would say this week has been a week. Oregon has gone on a lockdown till Dec 2nd. So in the meantime we are going to be getting better virtually. We also have a bunch of rules that we must now follow to remain safe and help it open back up quicker. But for this week the main things I got to do was some service and teach a couple lessons.

For service we went to an older couple’s house and helped clean up the yard and do some yard work. It meant raking leaves together, pulling the dead weeds, and just making it look nice. Well all of the leaves and weeds were raked into a big pile and then we burned it. I had forgotten how hot a fire can get in a short amount of time. It was a lot of fun being out and helping someone out.

Then with the lessons they had to be zoomed since the lockdown started on Wednesday. It was a different way of teaching. I have received some training over zoom but I never had to host or run the meeting. It took a while to figure out what is going on and I am continuing to learn. It sometimes feels like learning a new language how to online teach people. I will say the lessons do go great and could feel the spirit in them. The people we were teaching were still able to learn and understand what we wanted to get across.

I am also working on making more and more Facebook videos to help find those interested in the gospel. So this week I was able to make a video about baseball and connect it to the gospel. A member from the Owyhee ward gave us a bat and baseballs. When we heard about this lockdown, time opened. We decided to go down to the church field and hit the baseballs and that is when the idea hit me. Like the one guy at the baseball game who was wondering why the ball kept getting bigger and bigger than, it hit him.

I was also able to learn something new through my Book of Mormon studies. In chapter 2:25 I compared the great deep to our lives right now. If Christ didn't prepare a way for us then we couldn't make it through this life and receive eternal life. I also was able to learn more about prayer and that sometimes the Lord wants us to come to him with a plan. When we come to him with a plan and some action to do he is then able to confirm that we are on the right path or if we need to take a step back and think of another way. That is what the Lord said to Oliver Cowdry as well study out in your mind and then ask me. It shows faith and the desire to grow and learn.

Love, Elder Cormack

Nov 09, 2020 - Cows

Cows
Nov 9, 2020

Hola mi madre y a todos,

This week has been a very good week. We were able to do some service for the mom of somebody we want to teach. She has given us permission to teach him. We are also building a relationship of trust with her. We are also teaching an unbaptized youth of a less active member. The members are so amazing as well. At mutual we asked the youth to think of someone that could use a visit from the missionaries or is ready for the gospel. And then to send us that name. We got about 14 youth to send us a name. I can also see the members having trust in us that we are asked to help them serve their neighbors and willing to let us teach them the gospel.

We had Spanish conference and I felt that I wasn't using my ability to the fullest so I can still practice to be better. It was all Spanish and felt great to just hear the language again and know that I could still understand. I was also able to meet with lots of other missionaries I have met when I first came to the Boise Idaho Mission. As the days continue I realize I get closer and closer to the end. Later on this week after Spanish conference I was able to talk to some people we were passing by and offer to help them because I was able to speak Spanish we could understand what they needed us to do.

The other great thing we did this week was service for another older lady. It was some farm work. We helped her move the calves to a bigger pen. But the only thing we used was a milk bottle. So I had to move quickly and make sure the calf kept eating. Then when the calf was in the bigger pen it was trying to look for a way out but kept shocking himself. It was funny to see him learn. After we helped with the calves we then got to build another fence. Once again I may be a fence builder for a college job.

I also was able to give another talk to the Owyhee ward all about hope. I am going to share a little bit of it with you. (Moroni 7:41) "And what is it that ye shall hope for? Behold I say unto you that ye shall have hope through the atonement of Christ and the power of his resurrection, to be raised unto life eternal, and this because of your faith in him according to the promise." My favorite part of what we should hope in is the atonement. In chapter 5 verse 21 of Alma we read “I say unto you, ye will know at that day that ye cannot be saved; for there can no man be saved except his garments are washed white; yea, his garments must be purified until they are cleansed from all stain, through the blood of him of whom it has been spoken by our fathers, who should come to redeem his people from their sins.” Christ brought to pass the atonement so we may become purified and clean once again. President Boyd. K Packard said this about the atonement of Christ. "Had He not accomplished the Atonement, there would be no redemption. It would be a difficult world to live in if we could never be forgiven for our mistakes, if we could never purify ourselves and move on." What a hopeful gospel we have knowing that we can strive to be better. We have this confident expectation of having eternal life as long as we use the atonement to become better. I end with the teaching of President James E. Faust as well, “Hope is the anchor of our souls …“Hope is trust in God’s promises, faith that if we act now, the desired blessings will be fulfilled in the future. …“The unfailing source of our hope is that we are sons and daughters of God and that His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, saved us from death”. So as long as we have faith in Jesus Christ and have hope the world won't be so crazy we can find the peace and happiness in our lives.


Love, Elder Cormack

Nov 02, 2020 - Farmer

 

Farmer

Nov 2, 2020

Hola Madre, 

This week has been a good week in our ability to meet with members and help build their trust. We have found someone new from Facebook referral. We started off with painting her house and having a youth come help us in that. Then we set up a lesson with her we looked towards the youth to help us as well. But the two youth we turned to both were busy that day and the only other priest we could think of is one that we haven't seen at church for a while. But he was so happy and willing to come help us share the gospel. It was great to see him there, he also had come to mutual this week as well. It is amazing. We have also received a referral from a member for a potential family. And as we talked to them to set up an appointment we could tell they are very excited to meet with us and hear about Christ. The first few months I had a hard time and learn a lot of patience and hope. We are now teaching three people in Nyssa and two of them are very close to baptism. 

We also made some cookies for a family that is going through a hard time right now to show that we still are for them and are here to help. I am now a great cook from my mission. I also made hot chocolate from a Hispanic brand. 

The other service we did this week was door framing for a member in the ward that is building a house. And for Halloween we had a district council then watched the movie UP after to celebrate the day. We also were able to attend a little Halloween party for some youth in the ward that invited their non-member friends.

That is my week for all. I hope all is well. I do want to share with you Chapter 5 of Mormon where he shares the purpose of the Book of Mormon is to convince all that Jesus is the Christ.

Love, Elder Cormack 

 

Oct 26, 2020 - Hace Frio

 
Oct 26, 2020 3:17pm
Hace Frio
 
Hola mi madre, 
 
This week was good. More painting and service was done this week. And then actual lessons. We are starting to find more people interested in  learning about Christ. I am so excited to teach them. I find joy in helping others. 
 
For service this week we finished painting the house of a non-member. Then we did service for another non-member of pulling weeds. We also did a lot of other little service projects. 

 We also had some great lessons. One of them was in Spanish. It was great to get back in that groove and testify in the Spanish language. We also were able to help a member share a Book of Mormon with his friend. It was so great to see his happiness as he shared the gospel. I am grateful to be a missionary and help others in their life find happiness.  
 

That is the big news of my week. I am getting more and more out into the work. It is a great time to help others.
 

Love Elder Cormack

Oct 19, 2020 - Apple Juice

 
Oct 19, 2020 1:21pm
Apple Juice
 
Hola mi madre,
 
This week was awesome. We painted a house, juiced apples, invited others to be baptized, and had exchanges with a zone conference.
 
Starting with painting a house. The Ontario elders received a message from someone in Nyssa asking for help, so they referred her to us. We painted just about all day and talked to her about our purpose as missionaries and church. It was so much fun to be doing that service. It has now been the third house I painted on my mission. The first two being in Peru.

Next in the list is the apple juicing. The sisters in Vale had a family that was gonna need some help so we went out and helped. It was lots of fun as well. They take the apples and throw them in a wood chipper. Then the chipped apples get crushed by an air pressure jack. The juice then goes into a vat and heated to be pasteurized. I ate so many apple pieces after they were juiced and later that night it wasn't the best.
 

The next great event in the week was our lesson with our friend Karen. She is so sweet and kind. I can see the faith she has the desire to learn more. As we taught her about the gospel of Christ and baptism we invited her to be baptized. She said she would like to, but would like to learn more. I am grateful for the opportunity to see the change and desire people have. It adds to my testimony that the atonement of Christ helps all people feel peace and joy.
 
Then we had a zone conference on Thursday, Not much to say from that except the opportunity to learn how I can be a better missionary and show others that I care and listen to them. After zone conference we went on exchanges with the zone leaders. I always enjoy the exchanges cause I am able to see how other missionaries interact with people and how others teach. There is always something that can be learned.
 
That is my week for ya. Getting busier and finding better ways to share the gospel and help invite others unto Christ. I would like to share this scripture. Moroni 7:33 And Christ hath said: If ye have faith in me ye shall have power to do whatsoever thing is expedient in me. Having faith also takes actions such as reading our scriptures, praying , or acting upon a prompting we receive.
 
Love, Elder Cormack
 

 

Oct 12, 2020 1:52pm

Fuego

This week was service filled once again. I am gonna say every week is filled with service. That is where we do great work and can meet with people in a non pressured way and see we like to have fun and are great people. For service this week we did some more fence work and unraveled barb wire. More and more like a farmer each day. Then the normal weed pulling. Also helped out at a funeral serving lunch to show people we do care about them and love them.

                

Thursday we had a progress meeting so since I was training we went to that. It was great to just learn more on how to become a better person. It is what I have enjoyed my whole mission is growing into a better person. Becoming more mature and patient. We also had interviews with the Mission President and it was so great to talk to him about my future careers and other things I have been thinking of. He was able to help answer my conference questions. He is an amazing leader. Not much else had occurred this week besides the normal member visits and service. That was one of the biggest things to happen.

There is my week for y’all. I want to encourage you to read the talk by Holland and Uchtdorf. They are filled with great things about the times we are in and the trials we face.

 

Love , Elder Cormack

Oct 5, 2020 - Halftime

 

Oct 5, 2020 3:11pm

Halftime

 

Hola a todos,

This week was one full of meetings and member visits again. We weren't able to teach any one new but we are hoping through all of the service and people we had visited with this week that we can see fruits from our labors. It just takes time and requires patience on our part.

On Tuesday I had to go to a district leadership training. It was great to be able to go and learn how I can be a better leader and help others out more. Then we came back home and set up more visits with members to meet them. Well one of the people I called has the wrong address in our Area Book so when we went by it was his brother that lived there and had the same last name but different family. So I didn't know this until we had met with the elders quorum president and he told us of this mix-up. It was a lot of fun and the family did give us farm fresh eggs which I do miss eating.

The other big thing that occurred this week besides General Conference was zone council. It also happened to be my one year mark. It was a great day where I continue to learn how to be a better missionary. How I can teach those wanting to learn more of Christ in a better way. I was also able to reflect that day on how far I have grown closer unto Christ, and became more knowledgeable in the scriptures. I have enjoyed the last year so much.

I do want to talk about Conference and all of the amazing things we have heard. I really enjoyed the message from Elder Anderson that goes over the scripture of 2 Nephi 25:26 where we need to talk more about Christ. The world is falling away from the basic gospel principles and those principles of Christ are what makes us better people.

One more year to go of learning how to become by better self and learning to "let God prevail".

Love, Elder Cormack

September 28, 2020 - Lime Juice

 
Sep 28, 2020 1:47pm
Lime Juice
 
Hola mi madre,
 
This week was a good week. It was once again filled with lot's of service and opportunities for us to share the gospel with people face to face. And our days are getting busier and busier the longer I am in the area. I am starting to understand the members and they are trusting us more and more to do service for their friends. We have also become more effective missionaries by visiting people that are around one area we may have service at or a dinner. We are also getting out into the community more, so people can see the missionaries and who we are. 


The big things of the week was a potato activity on Thursday night and services. There are a couple families in the Oywhee ward that farm together and every year they have this big get together from the harvest and give out potatoes to the community and have a giant potluck as well. This year there was no potluck but they still gave out potatoes. We came to get to know more members and people in the Owyhee area as well. It was a lot of fun to just talk and get to know people we have not seen before. We also took some of the potatoes home and put an ad on Facebook. That was the other way we got out and met different people.
 

We did service for two non-member families. They were both set up by the members. It is so amazing to see their desire to help others and the love of Christ they have. The first service we did was just some yard work such as mowing and house washing. It was lots of fun. The other service we did was a bunch of farm work like moving barb wire.
 
So going back to the title of lime juice. While we were at the food pantry they gave us a gallon of 100% lime juice. So we are going to make limeades or have lime water. But on Sunday when I had to do call in's my companion started to just drink it straight and then got me to do it was well.

 
This weekend is the General Conference and I am so excited to hear the prophet and apostles. We have been listening to so many talks in the last week to prepare and all of them are just so wonderful and give me so much hope. I invite you to listen with questions and they will be answered. 
 
Love Elder Cormack

Sept 2020

Sep 7, 2020 12:38pm
11Months
 
Hola a todos en mi familia,
 
Starting on Wednesday the 2nd of September. I have hit 11 months on the mission. Wowzaaz it has flown by quickly. I always thought two years was a long time. But as I am serving others and just sharing my testimony of the greatest message. I have found that time flies like an arrow, and fruit flies like a banana.
 
Now back to the day before the 11 month mark. We did service on the onion harvester again. This time we were able to meet a non-member and share our purpose and why we are far from home out on the onion harvester.  More of the food pantry service. Where we make boxes of food for people and load it into their cars. Another great way for the town to know missionaries aren't teaching robots but we want to serve and love helping all. We did some teaching with members and one of the families filmed our lesson. I will have to continue getting it so you may all watch me at work.

 

Friday was zone council, just some more training on what we could do better and how we can continue having hope in these hard times. Then Friday night we went to a member that owns a feedlot. We just talked about animals, and my time in Peru. I enjoy getting to know the people around here in Nyssa Oregon. I was able to make connections with them and talk about all kinds of different things in life. But what was the coolest is that we can always bring the gospel back into the conversation. It connects to all aspects of life.
 
Saturday there was a funeral we went to help set up and offer support to the family. As I listened at this funeral and felt the spirit, love everyone had, and the faith they will see him again. I was reminded of why I became a missionary. I came out on this mission to teach others that through Christ they can be with their loving family forever. That death does not separate us. Through the week I was reminded of my purpose and the desire I have to be here as a missionary for the Lord.
 
Later in the day we did some service with a non-member and it was so great to share with him and be a missionary once again. To have that face contact and initiate the conversation towards Christ. It has mostly been just members we have talked to about Christ.

 
Now on to our busiest day, Sunday. We started off with church at 9 to 9:45 ten 10:30 to 11:15 all still for the same ward. Since we went down to phase 1. Only 50 people could be in a building at a time. Then we had some meetings the rest of our day. Sunday evening there was a farewell party for a member going off to college. She had invited her friend to come to this party, but a couple weeks before this she gave him a Book of Mormon as well. We were able to meet with him and share some thoughts with him and see if he is interested in learning more. I was also able to connect with him since he is going to the University of Oregon. Go ducks. That's all I got. Ya’ll have a good week. And don't have too much fun.
 
Love Elder Cormack
 
 
Sep 14, 2020 2:34pm
Jovens
 
Hola mi familia,
 
This week I kept busy and tried to have less and less free time.  We did a lot of work with the youth and served the people around as well. This Saturday we had gotten the transfer boards as well. They let us know who is staying or going. I found out that I am staying here in Nyssa but becoming District leader and a trainer.
 
Tuesday we stayed out in Owyhee and just visited with all kinds of families and continue to get to know them. Wednesday we had our normal lesson plan with a new convert then service once again at the Food Pantry. We also had a fireside that we once again went and met with the youth. Thursday was service again at the food pantry but oh boy it was lots of work and very heavy boxes. 

Friday we did service with our ward mission leader in Owyhee and it was a lot of fun work that reminded me of back home on the farm. We had to pound t-posts and re-build a fence. Saturday was fence service as well. Then we had a youth fireside. It was a good time for us to get to know the youth and allow them to know us as well. We each got 15 minutes to do a game and then a spiritual thought as well. The youth are so amazing and are excited to help us in the work. They brought some of their non-member friends which was amazing. 

Sunday was a good one as well. I was able to give a talk in church as well about Coming unto Christ. It was such a beautiful talk. We must stay strong in the gospel before we can invite others. The best way we can bring others unto Christ is by the example we show.

 
Love Elder Cormack
 

Sep 21, 2020 1:19pm

Apples
 
Hola madre,
 
This week was a good week full of great blessings.  The Vale sisters had a Facebook ad for produce and someone from Nyssa contacted them asking for produce. So the sisters got in touch with us asking if we may drop off some produce and talk to her. Well as we went to drop it off we started to ask her about the gospel and if she has met missionaries before. From this meeting we were able to come back and teach her a lesson. We had the Vale sisters come with us because she is a single sister. It went amazing, listening to her tell us about her life story I was prompted to go over the plan of salvation. I have a cutout to where it spells love and taught that God loves us so much he gave us this plan. And she accepted a commitment and return date. Now in Owyhee we are teaching Nico, he is 10 yrs. old and we have been meeting with him for a while. When we last visited him we went over the plan of salvation with a focus on baptism and repentance as our purpose in life. We then asked if he understood what baptism means and if he would follow Christ and be baptized. He said YES. I was excited and happy to hear it. So we invited him to think about what that means for him and hoping that on our next visit we may put a date down and finalize his desire to follow Christ.
 
Besides all of the teaching I have been doing, service is the next biggest thing we have done. First off starting with moving irrigation pipe out of the hay fields, then we had service at the church apple orchard. It was so much fun picking apples off the tree and wearing the special buckets they pick them in.

 

Next big news is my new companion fresh out of the MTC. I am a trainer at the moment. He is a really cool elder. He is from Cheyenne Wyoming, and we are pretty similar we have found like family size, farming and being outdoors. I am really excited to teach him how to be a missionary and excited to show him a hard work ethic and how to love the people we meet. Not much else about the week besides all of these.

 
Love Elder Cormack

August 2020

 
Aug 3, 2020 11:54am
Servicio
 
Hola madre y a otros. This week we met with lots of members and provided service to others. We still haven't been able to find new investigators but continue to look and ask for referrals from members.
 
I was able to meet a member that is a physical therapist which is an area of interest to me. He said that he will be willing to sit down and show me how he did it and the straight facts on how much it would be with to follow into. We also met some other members that were great to know and talk to. While we went to meet one member we met his son who hasn't been baptized yet but was taught before. I was excited to get to meet him that I could help him make that commitment to come unto Christ. There wasn't much else to share from this week besides meeting members every day.

The other part I want to share is the service we did this week. It was the normal food pantry work to start our week. Through the week we were placing flyers for service like scripture study classes, or yard work. Just all kinds of things that people may want. As we went around looking for who we should put these flyers, I got a reminder of a family that moved in recently and they may want some. On the way to their house an inactive member was outside so we stopped and asked her about her new neighbors. We of course asked her for any service she may have. She told us about her son that may have something for us to do. Friday night we received a call from her that she could use our help so we set up a time for us to be there at 11 in the morning before it gets really hot.  Well we also had service at 7:30 Saturday morning. So we spent some time helping an older couple in Ontario. Went in for interviews with the president at ten. Then comes the time 11 o'clock.  We showed up and it was putting in railroad ties and the holding boards up to screw. If that isn't making sense we built a fence. It was supposed to go easy because the holes were pre dug, but he didn't do it right so we also dug holes. At the end of this service we moved 16 railroad ties and lots and lots of 2x6 boards. I was glad to be out there and help him out. We were given the chance to show him that we still care and would like him to come back to church.
 
I also want to share something from my studies this week. It is about Jesus Christ our mediator. Click on the word video to watch about justice and mercy and why we need a mediator in our lives. I also suggest reading the talk The Mediator by Boyd K. Packer in the April 1977 conference. He teaches us that a price must be paid for everything. When we sin there must be a punishment. Well you pay this punishment. Without Christ it would be us and we couldn't live with God again. He explains that Christ pays the only punishment so he may give us mercy and help us feel clean once again. From these studies, I testify that Jesus Christ is our savior. That he has an infinite love for every person that has lived, does live, and will live in this world. He wants us to use his atonement and follow him in his commandments.
 
Love, Elder Cormack
 
 
Aug 10, 2020 12:44pm
County Fair
 
Hola a todos,
Esta semana fue muy bueno. We started off with going on exchanges. I got to go with zone leader Elder Larson. It was a great exchange and lots happened from it. I learned how to Facebook find and help teach Elder Larson about looking for part member families. He served in an Area where there wasn't many of them because they were mostly international students and younger adults.
 
I went to the county fair this week as well. It was so much fun to get to know more people from the surrounding areas. I was also able to make great conversations with them about their animals and how they raise them. 

 

We also went on a hike with one of the little kids we are teaching and just make a better connection with him that he can trust us and likes meeting missionaries. Since it is hard to go back to church we aren't really able to find kids his age. In all it has been a great week with meeting members and making connections. I have been able to learn lots of farming history and other things.
 
I want to end with the spiritual thought of Alma 47.  This is when Lehonti takes his Lamanite army up to the Mount Antipas, because he doesn't want to fight the Nephites. Well Amalickiah comes is at the bottom of this mountain telling him to come down. Leave his safe haven. At first Lehonti says no and again the second time no. But this third time Amalickiah tricks him into just coming down a little and from there he has him in a trap and then gets what he desires. We can learn from this to never leave the high ground. The simple things we do every day such as prayer, scripture study, the come follow me now. We must continue this so we don't come down this mountain by little degrees.
 
Love, Elder Cormack

 
Aug 17, 2020 2:19pm
No subject this week
 
Hola a todos,
Mi semana fue muy bueno. Algunos dias fue ocupado. Once again it was service and meeting with our members.
 
Tuesday started with an all-day in Vale. Had interviews with president and planned a Facebook video for our page. That took forever coming together and trying to all agree. Went to lunch and once again I got the land-lock oysters, Rocky Mountain Oysters. And then had district council.
 
Our dinners were very great this week. We were able to talk a lot about the come follow me through the week and how we can exercise our faith. 
 
Friday there was a missionary leadership council. So my companion got to go and I stayed in my area with another Elder. We had a good day. I showed him ways to practice teaching in isolation. We had a good language study.

Saturday we went out to Caldwell and helped the Parma sisters with sheep. So that meant moving fence panels and pounding t posts around. It was like being back at home. I enjoyed hanging out around the sheep.
 
Sunday was a very great and busy day. Going from one sacrament to the next. Then a lesson. After that we went home and had a little time for studies. Then it was off to more lessons and getting to know more members. One family gave us beef as well cause they needed to make room for another cow. It was an overall great week.
 
Have a great week y’all
 
Love Elder Cormack
 
 
Aug 24, 2020 1:21pm
Manznilla
 
Hola mommy,
This week was amazing. I had a zone conference on a Tuesday. And the rest of our week was service and service. We dug holes for a member while he showed us around to non-members he found. We then did work at the food pantry. The other service we did was random things in Vale.  To help the sisters. After our service we went and met the sheriff officers. My companion wanted to get to know more law for his career. Friday was busy as well getting to know the members. We also had exchanges going on from Friday to Saturday. Friday for dinner was Chinese food. I tried crab once again at the dinner and it was really good. We also had a really great conversation about being missionaries. There wasn't much else that occurred this week. Just little lessons with members and helping them feel they are cared for.
 
I do want to share about my studies of this week. I saw Helaman 5 in a different way as I studied it. The word remembered is used 13 times. It just shows how much more important what Helaman says. I also liked the very end of the chapter where he shares about the darkness covering the prison. I took it as sin. We are covered in darkness and the light is dimmer hard to find. But as we repent and look towards Christ. We are then filled with light.
 
Love Elder Cormack
 

Aug 31, 2020 12:27pm
Hard Time
 
Hola mi familia,
 
This was a service week once again. I would say just about every day there was a service activity going one. Tuesday was just contacting people to teach and meet. Like I do every week. Then we had dinner at a restaurant in Nyssa that sells Rocky Mountain Oysters so I got those again and enjoyed having a piece of home with me. Then it was to addiction recovery class and I was able to learn some really cool things that I can apply to everyday life and things about revelation. Wednesday was normal like every week, teaching a recent convert, then off to the food pantry for some service. 

But this week I had found myself receiving more revelation and promptings than I have before. I believe it is due to the addiction recovery classes and learning more about it. Well the prompting I received was to visit this one member that lived close by to an appointment we had scheduled. There was some open time so we just stopped in to say hello and what we could do for them. Well the wife had just gotten surgery that morning so it was great to show that we care about them and offered our help. 

Thursday was service in the food pantry and then some potato picking. One of the members in our wards grows potatoes and invites us to grab some and take them to people and use it as a way in getting to know families. That was fun being back out in a field and on a tractor. Friday was a great day as well. I got to help the Bishop with onion harvesting. He had a really rocky field so the machine that picks the onions also collects rocks. Our job was to pick the rocks of the belt and the dirt clogs as well. It was so much fun. Then it was off to district council, more service, and dinner. 

Saturday morning we had service planned but then cancelled. So I was wondering what we should do in place of that and had the impression to call the Owyhee ward mission leader. He usually has someone in mind we can help. It was at the very moment he was going out to serve somebody and wishing that he had help with him. Our phone call was an answer to his prayers. 

Then we were sitting at home after all of that service until that evening where we went to a wedding reception. There I was able to meet more members and see how they are doing. I did also meet a couple people and just say hello, but they live out of the area. But this interaction can open them up for the missionaries where they live.

This whole week I have been trying to stay more positive about being out here as a missionary. When I am at home and not able to get appointments set, I get discouraged and feel awful that I am not teaching anyone. I feel that I am doing things wrong. Me and my companion also have a different mindset on finding and working in the field. There is where the hard times come in.

I'll end with a thought from my studies this week and it is the power of prayer. Nephi prayed for the war to be replaced by famine and it was. Then he prayed for rain. What fell down? the rain. God answers our prayers and wants to help us out and does listen to us.  My favorite song about prayer is "A Childs Prayer".  The second verse is really amazing. "Pray, he is there; Speak, he is list’ning. You are his child; His love now surrounds you. He hears your prayer; He loves the children." He wants to hear from us and does answer our prayers in ways we may see instantly or later as we look back on life. Like the mission leader saw with our phone call it was instant. Or later as I looked back on my week I was able to see that God helped me ask prompted questions in a lesson and helped an individual come closer to baptism. Prayer is the best way to communicate with Heavenly Father, who loves each of us.
 
Love Elder Cormack