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
 
 

July 2020

Jul 6, 2020 2:00pm

4^th of July

Hola a todos, esta semana fue muy bueno y mucho cosas happened. This week we continued to have lessons and was able to find one new person to teach. That is when I realized that a state mission is very different than foreign. I still continue to look for ways to find people that I can bring closer to Jesus Christ. And it has been harder without being able to go door to door.  

Once again we had service for the food pantry and on Friday we did some gardening for this older lady.  With the service on Thursday we were able to receive the help from our zone leaders and got to know them more. 

Now for the fourth of July. For this day we were able to go to a baptism the Spanish sisters were having and show our support. And after the baptism a member invited us to dinner where we were able to share a message and talk about the many freedoms we have here and how our loving Heavenly Father provided a way for the gospel to be restored. Without this independence and freedom many religions couldn't have formed. In result Joseph Smith would have a desire to know the true church. I am thankful for this wonderful plan and gospel we have. 

Sunday was amazing as well. I had the opportunity to return to a sacrament meeting and feel the peace of being in a ward. I hope that this virus can pass quick so we may come together again as ward families and partake of the sacred experience.  

My scriptures for this week will be Ether 2:12 and 1 Nephi 13:17-19 

Love, Elder Cormack

 

Jul 13, 2020

Rodeo

Hola a todos, this week got busy at the end and started over slow. 

Wednesday started with getting together in our district and trying to plan a post about adversity. Then it was a couple little lessons with some members and help strengthen their testimony. Now about that adversity. We all have the questions " Why do I have to deal with this?  Why now? Is God even there?" Through this week I have learned a beautiful scripture to answer these questions in tough times. 

Helaman 12: 3 And thus we see that except the Lord doth chasten his people with many afflictions, yea, except he doth visit them with death and with terror, and with famine and with all manner of pestilence, they will not remember him. 

We are given trials so we can remember the Lord is there and can help us. Many times we get prideful and need a little cut down to humble ourselves. Compared to the analogy of control burns in fields. The farmer sets the ditches and field on fire to rid of the dead undergrowth and restrictive weeds. Allowing a greener and better crop to flourish. We may not see the restrictive weeds in our fields so God sets us upon fire in trials to help us become better. 

Thursday, Friday and Saturday were lessons, training, service, and then some American events. We had some great lessons teaching members more about the Gospel and happiness it can bring. Then as a companion to district leader, I had the great opportunity in learning how to be a better leader and serve others.  Service was our normal food pantry work in Nyssa helping give back to the community. Now on the greats of the week was the American events. We had the privilege to go to a rodeo in Nyssa for their thunderegg days. President said we may go, but to remember your mission purpose and don't ride the bulls. It was great to see the rodeo once again. It was my favorite pass time back home. From this opportunity we got to learn more about our neighbor and give him our number and Facebook page. We also got to know some inactive members. Hopefully we can get in touch with them again and help them return to the church. And then Saturday there was fireworks right across our street so we wondered outside to see the beautiful art in the sky. 

And then Sunday was one of the first days we were actually out of the house all day since quarantine and this isolation. It used to be an appointment here and there and then back home to video call and contact people and maybe a dinner to go to. So it felt great yesterday to be back out and help the wards we cover get stronger. 

To end this remember that the Lord may cut us down and gives us trials that we may become stronger and remember that he is there to help us. All we must do is turn to him and reach out. He will be there. Ether 12:27 If we humble ourselves and have faith the Lord will give us strength. 

Love, Elder Cormack 

 

Jul 20, 2020 8:06am

Duck Duck Goose

Hola a todos, Just a catchy title. I didn't see any ducks or geese. But getting to know so many members and then bringing up where I live and finding out I live on a farm I’ve said ducks and a goose many times. 

This week we have been able to meet with many ward members. I have found the mission purpose here in Boise is to help bring people unto Christ as well as strengthen the members in the ward. And I definitely was able to help the members. We went all the way to Adrian on Tuesday and was able to get to know a very great family. The road to Adrian goes a bit along the snake river and through some rocks and the beautiful farmscape. It was very beautiful and gave me another reminder that there is a God (Alma 30:44). Wednesday I was able to get in contact with many families and just calling to see if we can set up any appointments. Thursday we then had back to back appointments and able to stay busy. It used to be an appointment every so often because our phone calls weren't going through so much. We also had a zoom meeting over missionary work and got us excited once again to reach any member we can and see if we can get their help. 

Well the coolest thing has happened through this week in meeting with members and I know it to be the work of the spirit and the timing of God. At dinner on Thursday we got to talking about our future plans and I started talking about my rodeo dreams and wanting to do something with rodeos and possibly being a doctor in the rodeo. Well the family suggested meeting this one family that raises cattle. Just a little impression that we should. The next day, Friday we give him a call. They are leaving for the coast and we can get back to them on next Wednesday. Well Saturday comes along and we schedule some more appointments with members and while teaching we ask if they know any families that may want service or a visit from us elders. They gave us the same name as the family before. And in our teachings on Sunday the same family name came up. It was from there I realized that the spirit is working through the ward and wanting us to reach out to this family and get to know them and help out. It was a very great teaching experience to me. 

This week I had also been able to partake of the sacrament within in the ward. And get to know them more. I was able to feel the spirit so much more, and feel the love of Christ. We were even seated in the stands for the Owyhee ward and gave the prayers so the ward can know we are back to work.  

No other stories for you all besides that this Gospel brings happiness. It is gonna be a hard path but we must continue in living it. Doctrine and Covenants 14:7 When we endure to the end we will receive eternal life. Which is the Greatest gift God can give us of all his gifts. 

Love , Elder Cormack

July 28, 2020 11:58am

Chicha

Hola a todos, within this week we were able to meet with many members and serve them in a loving way. But before we get to this week. I have forgotten to mention that I found myself some rocky mountain oysters. I was happy to try them again. .

Back to this wonderful week. Tuesday we had zone conference and got to learn some great trainings and how we can develop the attributes of Christ. We then had dinner with a family that grows melons. From this me and my companion each got three small melons. 

Wednesday was meeting with members and service and that continued through the whole week. So nothing real big in stories. 

But a way in the Lord has a plan for all of us and helps influence our daily plans. A couple weeks ago. We went to a rodeo. From there I had a desire to work in rodeos some way as a career. Well that lead to the thought of raising the stock animals. As we went through visiting members they would ask about future plans. I tell them about rodeos. Leading to a name of a family that raises cattle and we could visit. So we give them a call to set up a time. They are leaving town and came back this week. Well we waited for their come back, and during this wait many other members keep bringing up this one families name. Well we finally made it to their house and it was such an amazing lesson and a great spirit. There was a non-member there during our lesson. And we found out Sunday that he asked a bunch of questions after we left. We made a great impression upon him. This week left so many great things. 

I'll end with continue reading with the Come, Follow Me there are so many great lessons in it. 

Love Elder Cormack

 

June 2020 Part 2

 Jun 22, 2020, 10:55am

Lidre

Hola a todos, this week we have had some great things happen. Service, Charity, and Teaching. There were a couple families that had asked us to come over and do service then we can be fed for it. A nice payback in my mind. It was just a little gardening. But I am glad that there are people that want this help and we can get out of the apartment for some time. 

The families in this area are very loving. They all make sure that the missionaries are well taken care of and have food. Starting on Tuesday we went on a nice drive to a house tucked in the mountain valley. The whole way was beautiful. The family made lots of food and told us what we don't eat there we will have to take home. So we got leftovers and food for lunches. 

Wednesday was a very packed day. We first off had exchanges with the zone leaders and then service all day after one. I was very tired and forgot how much happens when out on the mission. Being inside has made it just a bit easier.

And then Friday we had our first lesson since coming to the area with a new member and just teaching more about the church. My goal is to develop a love for the gospel and a strong desire. There is a video on gospel media called "Listen to the music" and it talks about how we may know the dance steps and what to do but if we can't hear the music then we will have a harder time. The music is the love and desire to follow.

That is really my whole week for y'all. Just lots of dinners and chances to get to know the awesome members in the town of Nyssa and Owyhee.

Love, Elder Cormack

 

Jun 29, 2020 12:31pm

Nyssa bonita

Hola a todos, this week was a normal service and teaching. We were able to continue teaching  new member lessons and practice the lessons. But the biggest thing we had was service. 

Wednesday was our big day of service. We went to this nice older family and helped them lay down pavers for a nice walkway. And when we finished it they were surprised how fast it took us. I guess when you get younger bodies in, it goes faster. We were then provided a nice lunch and while we waited for this lunch we took some time and just looked at the beautiful scenery we have and realized that this earth was created by a loving Heavenly Father and his Son. It's hard for me to believe these beautiful mountains and rivers we have could have came from an explosion. (Alma 30:44) After that service we had more at the food pantry and then ended the day with a member dinner. Once again seeing the beautiful creation of earth and farm animals. I love being in my area. Friday  was a 3 week follow up on the newer missionaries. It was a fun time learning more about the rules in this mission and the other things we need to do to be more successful in the Lords work. 

Nothing else big occurred in this week besides our normal member teachings and serving the community. I do want to share what the gospel means to me though. A question asked by President Nygaard.  This gospel is so important in giving a purpose to our lives on earth. It gives us an eternal goal we should strive to achieve. The ability to live with our loving Heavenly Father once again. In this purpose we are also given a plan and ways to achieve our goal. A step by step of how to live. One conference talk I've read talks about how we should focus our lives on how we can best help people around us. A job we may want, or which school to go to. This gospel has helped me see that I want to help others and is why I am here to serve. So they can feel the happiness of Christ as well. I testify of these things in the name of Jesus Christ  Amen. 

Love , Elder Cormack

Hello Again

 WOW it's been awhile since I've updated Jake's blog.  I'm getting to that today!  Stay tuned...