WHO AM I? MY PERSONAL MINISTRY

Haha it's funny that you thought of me going back to Alkmaar even though you knew I wouldn't, but you were really close. Elder Corsini got transferred to Alkmaar!!! Such a crazy one because it's like the Rotterdam and Amsterdam zones just keep switching Zone Leaders. Elder Chantry went there from Rotterdam, I went from Alkmaar to Rotterdam and now Corsini is going from Rotterdam to Alkmaar.

Kind of a funny thing there, it's a trend I'm noticing in my life. Heavenly Father likes to keep me in really tight knit circles (which I'm fine with cause that's where I excel) because I've basically been around the same people my entire mission! Obviously I've met a lot of new people and will continue to as well but there are SO many reoccurring characters in my story :) I love it! For example, my new companion is Elder Krebs. I met Elder Krebs and worked with him a lot when I was in Alkmaar and I love that man's guts! He has this awesome gift of being able to expound things, even things that are non-scriptural.  So yeah, we'll have a good time together. Example number two, with this new transfer coming up I will officially be Sister T's zone leader for 5 transfers (or 7 1/2 months)! She was telling me yesterday that I'll be the zone leader she had longest her entire mission. Crazy huh? I could go on but those are the two most obvious ones.

Elder Cooper and Elder Corsini

So, these new transfers...they were kind of rough to swallow at first. 

Catalyst: Elder Corsini is going to Alkmaar. My first thought;  that is MY heart. I love Alkmaar with SO much of my heart, and the people are my family.  It was an incredibly special time of my mission I guess it's hard to share sometimes. :)

Elder Corsini  loves me to death and I love him too so we don't like seeing each other get hurt and somehow, this one hurt me. He knows the effect he has when he goes into cities, he's seen the results his whole mission. He's wary about going there and while he may not have said it I feel like some of the reason is because he knows how I feel about it and how close to them I feel. But he and I both know he is needed in Alkmaar so he can go and do the things the Lord has commanded the way he's been taught.

So that all started swimming through my head yesterday, you can imagine what kind of night I had. Yup, a sleepless one. I eventually did get to bed though :) just had to concentrate all my thoughts on the color black. Worked like a charm.

I know these thought processes are so messed up. They're dripping with pride, self-absorbent and selfishness but hey, it's how I was feeling. I realized exactly what you said, that in having a gift to notice and help others find their strengths, I

often turn it in and find myself inadequate. My strength becomes a weakness. haha Funny world! I'm going to be able to process things SO much better because of that! Thanks!  It has helped me to realize what I was doing. My whole goal in life is to do my best and truly be who Heavenly Father needs and wants me to be, sometimes I just struggle to know if I measure up.  On the other side of things it really helped me focus in and just submit to who I am and what I was meant to do. 

The Lord gives us assignments and helps us grow and develop in certain ways so that we can succeed. There are many things I will not do, and I will not change the world, but what I do have a testimony of is that I will have an influence, I just needed to be reminded about where I needed to be looking. 

I honestly believe that and it's something I learned in Almere but had forgotten: all of us have an influence. The only reason we ever feel that we don't or won't is because we're not looking in the right places. It's like looking through binoculars. There can be a HUGE pile of gold right in front of our noses,

but if our binoculars are looking into the empty hole next to it all we'll feel is as if we failed, for we were told to find gold. That's where heaven's perspective comes in. If we allow Him, Heavenly Father will guide us back to a look-out post down the road always. He will point us in the right direction until we can see both the pile of gold and the empty pit. Then Christ will help us figure out how to work the binoculars until we are completely focused upon the gold and it fills our entire vision. That's how it works.

Let's all get our binoculars focused on the gold, at very least that's what I'm going to be doing. Time to stop staring into that empty pit wishing that there would be gold in there and move to the tower. Time to gain an eternal perspective. That's what I'll be praying for, or more specifically I'll be praying to have this perspective and knowledge (especially of who I am and my assignment on this earth) engrained in me; cemented there that it will never leave.

Thank you SO much for supporting me in this :). I truly feel the love from everyone and the influence I am having through your e-mails. They always come at the right times, saying the right things. 

The Zone is doing great and great work is being accomplished. Trials are happening, but the love that people have for one another is evident. 

I LOVED hearing about the wedding :) it sounds SO great! I know I helped Court out and stuff but thanks to her and Tallen my whole perspective on marriage and finding a wife changed. It is of utmost importance that you find someone on your level, that is as motivated as you, to develop together, at the same place and pace. Ideally you should motivate each other to want to be better and together you push each other to become the very best possible. Court and Tallen were perfect examples in that for me. THANKS GUYS! :) 

Grandma and Grandpa Green with
the bride. 

Please send Grandma and Grandpa my love. I think about them a lot and they will be in my prayers. Those three are my heroes. Let them know I love them a TON and thank them for their support for me. Couldn't have done it without them. And no worries, I feel the same kind of love for Grandma and Grandpa Cooper, they have my respect and love too.. I just have great examples all around me, I truly am SO blessed.

The newlyweds made a special visit before the reception

So, I'm good. :) The Lord's got my back and is supporting me so I guess I'll just enjoy it!  I'll just keep moving forward, doing what I do best :). That's what the Lord needs and what I want to do. I truly am learning that everything that I find a bummer or that I wanted to do that got "taken away" was just Heavenly Father expressing His love even more by giving me what I really wanted/needed and could learn from. He knows me that well and I really do love it :)

Thank you for everything! Hope everything keeps going well and that my cardboard cut out still exists when I get back! SUPER excited to check out the rope over the pool haha! Till next week!  Time to go to work. LOVE YOU!

Love,

Elder Cooper

Cultural Note: NO AC?! So Europe seems to be behind in a few things. Plumbing and AC are two that really stand out. You may think I am joking but my guess is 90% of homes here in Europe have 0 AC. They rely on open windows and shade to keep things cool. I think it's less of a "they don't know how" and more of a "it's not environmentally friendly" thing but still. It's SO humid here! It's not like Nevada heat where you walk into a wall of heat, it's like it cooks you from the inside out. You feel warm on the inside and like there's an extra layer of clothing on you, and we're so far in the north the humidity is probably not even that bad compared to Florida or Brazil! Guess that's why I'm here and not there huh? haha! :D

***  "Oh yeah...got something to ask/say as long as you promise you won't get worried. I just think it's funny :)  Guess what my weights done out here? Elders usually gain pound right? I've lost 20 pounds on my mission!!!  I work out, most of the time I have 3 meals a day. I eat eggs or peanut butter sandwiches for lunch. So it's fine right? "