Elder Spencer Cooper

Write to him at:

Elder Spencer Cooper

Georgia Atlanta North Mission

1150 Cole Dr. SW

Lilburn, GA 30047









Monday, February 24, 2014

Good Weird Week

Wow I feel like I'm the Johns Creek guru now. Seriously as I've been introducing my companion to this area I know like everyone and all the place to go. It's nice getting a new comp when you've been in an area for 6 months. But my new companion is Elder Zimmerman. He's been out 7 and a half months and was just made zone leader. He's from Utah and is a really cool good guy. He's actually a lot like my last companion Elder Coleman. On Tuesday before I picked Elder Zimmerman up we had zone training meeting. It was a little stressful running the whole thing by myself since Elder Coleman was gone picking up the brand new missionaries. I think it went well though. That night we had a lesson with Steve A. and he's doing great. He promised me he would be at church on Sunday and he kept his promise! I think he really enjoyed church too.

Elder Zimmerman and I found some solid new people to teach. One was a lady named Asia. When we knocked on her door her 5 year old daughter came and said, "My mom said she's not interested." We left kinda laughing at how people send their kids to shoo us away, but then Asia came out. She said she was on the phone and thought we were Jehovah's Witnesses. She said two sister missionaries had come by a while ago and offered a blessing on the house. At the time they were too busy but she said she regretted it ever since and wanted us to bless her home. So we did. Had a long conversation after that and invited her to church. She said she would love to come and said, "You should invite the neighbors down the street, the Davis'. They are such a good Christian family." The Davis family are active in our ward. They actually brought two of Asia's kids to church on Sunday. Asia was unable to make it, but we're really hopeful for her.

Everyone is talking about the Gilbert Temple dedication! I wish I could watch the youth cultural event. Apparently this Temple is more ornate and detailed than any other Temple for a long time. I'm going to be stoked to go through when I get home.

I ate lint out of the lint trap for 5 dollars last week. Thought you'd like to know.

Elder Cooper  Reply Forward

Monday, February 17, 2014

A Strange, Strange Week

The best way I could describe this week is... "what the junk? First of all it snowed again. Well, first it iced really bad then snowed a lot the next day. We were basically stuck inside Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. It was really boring. I got really sick of our apartment. But Thursday afternoon after it snowed a ton, the sun came out at 3ish and we got to go to work. So, at night on our way home from an appointment Elder Coleman was talking to President Wolfert about something else but President decided to tell him that he was calling him to be an Assistant and would be picked up the next day. So Friday was packing and saying goodbye. It was super crazy, neither of us expected it at all. I thought for sure I would be out of John's Creek but I'm another 6 weeks. That will be 5 transfers in Johns Creek, or at the end 7 and a half months! Crazy long. But it's good I love this ward. I don't know my new companion Elder Zimmerman but have heard he's awesome and will make a great Zone Leader. So I've been staying with some other Elders in my zone until I get my new comp on Wednesday.

This week the Witherspoons moved back. They actually aren't in our ward, but are in the neighboring ward so it should be an easy transition hopefully and the mom and aunt can get baptized. Also we met with Steve Archer! We hadn't seen him forever but had one of the most powerful, spiritual lessons of my mission. Elder Coleman and I taught really well together about the Atonement and it was just awesome. We asked him to pray there and he did, but silently. After about 5 minutes he looked and said, "I've never realized how much God and Satan both want me on their side." He is praying about a baptism date and we're meeting with him tomorrow night. Other than that Bro Mendez who was baptized a few weeks back is doing awesome. He is going to be a very strong member because the change in his life from the Gospel has been so dramatic.

Now that Elder Coleman's gone I have to run the Zone Training Meeting for our whole zone by myself tomorrow... yay. But I'm excited we're getting some cool new people in the zone.

Elder Cooper

Monday, February 10, 2014

Finally a slower week

Wow the weeks were bulldozing by at ridiculous speed, but finally things have slowed down here in Johns Creek. It was nice to not feel as frantic and crazy, but also hard to go from so much happening to finding a lot. Maybe it's good though because I will probably be transferred next week and may go somewhere the work is slow. I have no idea what to expect though, there is going to be so many change ups this transfer.

We have some pretty cool investigators right now. I think I mentioned how the Witherspoons moved last week and how sad that was, but they should hopefully be moving back close to us again this week which would be great. The mom is so close to being baptized and wants it so bad, she just is so busy and lives so far now. I know if she puts forth the effort though the Lord will help her.

We had a really crazy leadership meeting this last week too. President told us that we are going to be more and more segregated (for lack of a better term) from the Sister Missionaries. It's going to be hard but I think it will be really fun too. Like today we had an Elders Pday and it was a blast. What was craziest is my trainee or "son" Elder Packer came and visited me! He left the mission around 9 months ago for medical reasons, and was visiting GA with his parents. So he dropped by today and played Ultimate Frisbee with us. It was awesome to see him and see how well he is doing. I also got an email today from a recent convert James Alverez in Woodstock. Elder Packer and I actually taught and baptized him. It's so amazing to see the way the gospel has made him SO much happier and improved his quality of life so much. My companion Elder Coleman baptized his wife when he served in Woodstock later. James said in his letter that he considers us both sons and is so grateful for the truth and happiness we've brought him. That was so great to hear. That's what I love about missionary work; you have the ability to improve someone else's life, sure, but also create bonds of friendship and love that will last forever.

Elder Cooper

Tuesday, February 4, 2014

If I thought last week was crazy....

Man this week was so stinking bonkers! First of all, on Monday it was nice, 60 degrees out and we played Frisbee and soccer and had a great time. Then the next day around noon it started snowing. And it has "snowed" before but this was legit snow. Got about 2 inches which doesn't sound like much but for ATL it's crazy. The whole city shut down. Like everything. People were stuck in traffic from the city for 12 hours or more. A ton of people just abandoned their cars and went somewhere I guess I don't know. The roads were all iced up and there were hundreds of accidents and the only stores open were grocery stores. We were instructed only to proselyte on foot. So Elder Coleman and I started walking to a place and as soon as we get there we get a phone call saying to return back to our apartments and stay in all day. Snow and ice stayed for a couple days but by Friday it was back in the 60s again. So weird.

On Thursday we went to the BOM Musical!!!! We didn't attend obviously but they had us stand outside the Fox Theatre as people came out. The Assistants to the President and E. Coleman and I were the first people to go do this in our mission to test drive it and see how to do it right. It was so cool to be in ATL. There were a few people who came out during the intermission  and were disgusted by the play. Had some good contacts there. There were a lot of homeless people wandering around too which was sad, especially because it was still so cold outside. Then at 10:00 the play let out and 5000 people flooded out of the doors. There were only 4 of us missionaries so we just tried to talk to as many people as we could at once. We had all kind of reactions; people who laughed at us, people who ignored us, people who were interested and excited to get a Book of Mormon, and everything in between. One guy grabbed Elder Coleman's Book of Mormon and threw it in the gutter. He picked it up and said, "I'm sorry you feel that way!" Then tons of people wanted more. It was so different than anything I have ever done on my mission. Felt like a street-side preacher talking to so many people. We didn't get home till midnight! It was so fun I hope I go again.

We had a baptism this week for a 12 year old named Max Ruiz. His parents were baptized around a month ago. So we taught him and his sister who is 8 and was also baptized. It was a good baptism.

On Friday we called Alex to see if our appointment with his Mom was still good. Her and her sister were on date for this weekend. But Alex told us they were basically getting evicted. So sad. We rushed over and helped them pack all their stuff and now they are in Stone Mountain, which is out of our mission. They may be coming back to Duluth but we'll see. I really hope so, Alex, Anthony, Natallie, and Nala are all so new in the gospel it will be so hard for them to switch everything so soon. Also it's going to be hard for Laueddia and Laquanda (the mom and aunt) to get baptized now I think. Please include them in your prayers.

Other things happened this week too like Chinese New Year, but that was the most of it. I know this gospel is true and there is no where else I would rather be than here doing this

Elder Cooper