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