One More Week!

Hello family  and friends!!!!!!!! 

Butler Missionaries helping the Fuller's decorate

This week, so many wonderful and amazing things happened- it was great!!!!! We had a pretty boring PDAY.  It wasn't very exciting.  We just played Uno and wrote back home to the family.  I love this area and the people but the District here isn't as close knit as all the other ones have been.  I'm just hoping that it becomes more like a family- a brother and sisterhood!!!   I like to have fun and work hard too!  

I truly do love the District though and the people here in Butler.  I'm excited to see what will happen in the future as we stay and work hard.  We saw a ton of people on Tuesday and just tried to share the #lightheworld video with everyone.  I'm so grateful for this initiative and all the wonderful things about it. We then got to go to an old folks home and were able to sing to all the residents there- it was absolutely great!!!! We sang a lot of songs and it was fantastic. I even got to share my talent and play he piano. I'm truly grateful for this talent.  It has blessed me in my life as well as brought joy to others.  I'm so glad mom you kept me in piano lessons.  I love playing.  I am also glad I am able to play well enough to where I can play on the spot if needed.  After the singing and playing, a snow storm hit. hahaha!!!!  It snowed pretty hard but we pushed onward as we walked in it.  It piled on my shoes and my feet were SOAKED!!!!!! Hahaha lol  That's why I need another pair of boots.  We got home that night and got a report on our iPads all the snow would freeze over.

So guess what!?! We went out the next morning and all the roads were plowed and it was super safe on the roads!!! However, if I haven't mentioned it yet or if you all have forgotten, I'm in a walk area!!! So we don't ride in a car.  We normally walk on the sidewalks but all the sidewalks were frozen over and all the snow that WAS on the road was pushed over onto the sidewalks.  As we went out proselyting, we soon realized that it had turned from a walk area to a skate area!😅😆😂  We were slipping and sliding all around but none of us fell.  It was a little dangerous but we managed.  😉  The great blessing that came from the storm was that there were many people outside trying to shovel and scrape off their sidewalks.  We managed to pick up 1 new investigator!!!! His name is Bobbie- a younger guy.   Then we met an angel by the name of Lisa.  She is loving, kind and selfless. We offered to shovel her snow.  She declined but we knew she needed help so we eventually persuaded her to let us help her out.  As we finished shovelling, she began to tell us her story. We found out this amazing mom gave up her home, job, and time to help her own mother who is no longer able to take care of herself.  So Lisa packed up and moved from Beaver (1 hour away) to Butler to help her mom.   HE story really touched my heart (I felt this was my personal Christmas miracle to run into her and get to know her).  We shared with her the #lighttheworld video and she told us how much strength and hope it gave her.  She kept telling us how we were an answer to her prayers.  We left her a copy with he B.O.M. She doesn't have a place to live right now and she is really busy so she told us she'd give us a call! Hopefully she calls us!!! We haven't been able to see either Toby or Cassandra they had other things come up so we hope to see them this week!!!! 

The next day we went to help Loretta at a church where we serve food to those in need. I also got to use my piano playing talent again.  They needed someone to play and the members at the church were so appreciative.  We sang Christmas carols (we even had a request to sing "The 12 Days Of Christmas") and it was soooo wonderful!!!!!!! We got the youth at the church involved and all the youth sang too!  The Youth Director said they wouldn't sing unless we "rallied the troops" and that's exactly we did,  It was great!!!!!!  I've been able to affiliate with other churches and Faiths here in Pennsylvania and it's been so great.  We couldn't do the great and wonderful things that we have been able to do without them! God Bless all these religions and faiths!!!!!!!!

One day we went to a pizza place to eat.  Our waitress was sooo cool and chill.  As she was cleaning up, she dropped a tray of cucumbers that she had just cut up and they went all on the floor.  I offered help clean them up.  I told her to not be embarrassed.  As we were leaving, she handed us the check and there was $17.00 taken off our check.  We brought it to her attention and she told us that she was grateful we had helped her.  We left her with a pass-a-long card. How sweet was that??!!! 

I would write some more and share with more experiences but I'm talking to you guys literally next week.  Ok. just this last cool experience that just actually happened today.  So everyone wanted to get haircuts and I was just going to email while  waited.  Then an older gentleman and his daughter came in and he wanted a place to sit.  I offered to have them sit by me.  I had a thought that I should just talk to him insted of emailing. I didn't want to though 'cause I wanted to email.  I had the thought again and put my ipad away.  I do enjoy talking to people so I asked about himself.  He talked about his childhood, his father, his 8 sons and 2 daughters.  He told me about the lessons he has learned in life.  Then he was called to get a haircut and I was just going to get out my ipad and begin again to email you.  But then his daughter, Rae, started talking to me.  There was another member there and she began talking to us as well.  Well, Elder Spyndergaard and the Dad, Braden, were finishing up at the same time so we left out the door together.  We went different ways (we were going to eat at Little Caesars).  As we were sitting down, we see Rae running across the parking lot.  She gave us a $20 bill and thanked us for talking with her dad.  How amazing is that?  I will ever be grateful for her love for her father, for listening to the Holy Ghost and putting down my ipad (twice) and for showing kindness to us missionaries (complete strangers)!!!!!!

I love this season.  I love talking to people and I love listening to people's stories. I love being out here.  I love losing myself in service and I love you guys.  Take care. Bye!!!!!!!!!!!!!❤️❤️❤️❤️

Elder Cahoon the Baboon

Christmas is coming!

Hello family and friends!!!!!!!!! 

My new District

WOW another week gone has gone by and this was one of the craziest weeks on my mission so far!!! So many things happened it has been insane! You all seemed to have a great week. I'm so glad it all went well. Yes mom I did get the package- thanks a ton- I loved it sooo much!!!!  I'm so glad you had thhose experiences mom and those answers to prayers.  Our church is at 11:00 so anytime after that is great!!! I will let you know more details.  I cant wait to be able to talk to Tyler and you all- its going to be so GREAT!!!!!!!! I can't wait  for CHRISTMAS!!!!!!!!!!!! 

I'm super excited you've been doing the #lighttheworld daily tasks.  That's way sweet!  Austi, Happy Birthday buddy!  You are getting so old now man it's so weird!!!!!!  I'm amazed how much you have changed since I've been gone.  You are turning into a real man!!  You're a total stud dude.  I'm your biggest fan and I'm rooting you on buddy.  Just be the best Austin Scott Cahoon that you can be!  I'm grateful to have you as a brother and you definitely are my best friend.  I will always remember those times we had together when we were kids.  So much fun!   You are a great example to those around you so just keep doing what you need to do to become the man you want to be!  You are a hard worker and want to improve so keep it up buddy! I LOVE YOU SOOOOO MUCH!!!!!!!!!!!!

This week has been crazy.  Lemme tell you, even if I tried, I wouldn't be able to fit it all into this letter.  This week started off great.  I mean I found out I got transferred and that was really upsetting but I've seen so many amazing things this week!  Last Monday I said bye to my District family- I really miss those preparation days. Camp Hill District pdays ROCKED!  I had everyone sign my Justin Bieber poster- it was soooooo funny!!!!!! Tuesday I was in a car ALL DAY!!!!  It was sooooo much fun.  We talked about memories with other Elders and Sisters and we just had a blast!!!!  We laughed the whole way to Pittsburgh!!!!    When i got there I went with Elder Bryant and he drove me to Butler.  I told him that he was my only friend in this new zone.  He told me that he would check up on me and email me which was nice.  Then I met my new companions.  I'm in another trio- this is my fourth trio!!!! CRAZY!!!! Its been such a BLAST!!!!! SO my companions are Elder Syndergaard (he's been out for 14 1/2 months and I served with him in Pittsburgh) and Elder Andrews (Elder Syndergaard just got done training him so I know how that goes but its all good).  E. Andrews is a fun guy and he follows Elder Syndergaard and is super humble. 

The van ride from the east to west side of the mission
They all had a blast!

At first I was not looking super forward to the new area.  But then a huge miracle exchange happened the next day! I was with Elder Whitehead and Andrews and we did a lot of street contacting- trying to talk to everyone- and by the end of the day we picked up 3 investigators!!!!!!!  It was absolutely insane.  That has never happened with me before.  We were all blown away!  We talked to sooo many different people and we shared so many things.  We shared the #lighttheworld video with a kid who was looking for the truth and he enjoyed it.  I have seen and met a lot of people in the Butler area.  My area is about 45 min. from Pittsburgh so I'm back on the West side of the mission and I like it!  Maybe we will go to Pitt for a Pday.  It is good being in the same stake as the Wexford ward (that's the one with the Jenkins family- I love them!!!).  We did service at a place called Katie's Kitchen and it was a lot of fun.  We go with the Sisters (by the way, their names are Sister Fenton- been out 3 months and Sister Mackelprang).  They are a ton of fun and they drive us around just like all the other Sisters I've served around.  Oh, also its snowing here now which is awful.  I hate the Pennsylvania snow- it's soooo cold.  Thank goodness for the coats and gloves I got from other elders.  

We have been running around like mad men. We walk around (we don't have bikes) but I enjoy walking around and talking to people!!!  While on exchanges, we got to go on a team up with a member (that means the member joins us when teaching or contacting).  We were waiting for him when we struck up a conversation with a lady.  We showed her the #lighttheworld video and she really liked it.  Her name was Hope and as we began to share the some stuff about the Book of Mormon, Anthony (our team up) turns the corner and joins in the conversation.  He then begins to testify of how he is preparing for a mission like us and that he was able to read the BOM and pray about and received a witness from the spirit that it was true.  Sweet!!!!!! Hope took the BOM and was willing to take the challenge.  

Then had a sweet lesson with another investigator.  He had a lot of questions about life before this life and life after death.  We were so excited because no one ever has questions thatfit so perfectly into our lessons.  We taught him the Plan Of Salvation.  He had previously been studying this topic out for himself and a lot of what he had discovered fit into what we were teaching him.  It was amazing!!!  Powerful testimonies were borne and as we knelt in prayer after the lesson, he asked it he could offer it (which also never happens).  So what tender mercies from God I have been given as I first struggled with being transferred!!!!! 

We don't see very many of the members who haven't been at church for a while- the sisters stop by and visit them.  We usually try and find investigators through the members and by our own efforts.  Speaking of which, we talked to this lady on her porch and we shared the #lighttheworld card and a BOM with her.  We set up a return appointment as well.  :)

The best reunion happened yesterday (Sunday).  We went to a stake devotional and I got to see a few people I knew from the Wexford ward.  I saw Brother Lubin and that was such a great reunion.  It was like seeing family. I told him I missed him and he was so great to me.  He started to tear up and gave me about 3 more hugs- such a tender moment. I didn't see the Jenkins family but if I did it would've been amazing!!!!! We drove back home with members and it was a ton of fun!!!! 

We were also able to provide service at another place called the Lighthouse.  Everyone was nice and we got to meet all sorts of  people.  Even though the people didn't have a whole lot for "stuff" for Christmas, they still were happy and grateful for what they did have.  I have been in some poor areas and have seen people that didn't have much.  My mission has really helped me to realize if you want to be happy it's a choice.  Being grateful for what you have IN your circumstances (not BECAUSE OF your circumstances) will help you to feel happiness within your heart.   A positive attitude will help you to have a love for people and to have a desire to help others.  This will bring happiness. The world and what it offers doesn't make people happy.  It's temporary pleasure.  This is Satan's deceitful way.  The world will tell you that the new cool thing is what brings happiness or eating or drinking this or that will make you happy.   

I'm glad I'm in the Pennsylvania Pittsburgh Mission as it has helped to teach me to live the way God was us to live- to be wise in our everyday decisions and to make a concious effort to keep the commandments.  So thank God for the opportunity to change through the Atonement that was made possible by Jesus Christ!  I am glad I can change, even if it is hard!  

I had some amazing inspiration this week as I was reading in Romans chapter 12.  I read in verse 1-2 where it talked about the Sacrament and its importance in our lives.  I received some revelation on how truly important it is to me and how I need to partake of the Sacrament so I can be blessed to be spiritually fed by the Spirit (or in other words I can prepare myself to receive the promptings I need to help me be a better person and better missionary).  If there was anything that Bishop Hintze taught the most about while I was in Lewisberry, it was the Sacrament and how sacred and important that ordinance is.  I learned a lot from BIshop Hintze.  I'm finishing up Romans and it's been great. I mark my scriptures like crazy. lol  

Saying goodbye to Bishop Hintz and family- I love them!  My face says it all!

A family made this cake for me before I left! 

I love you guys.  Hope you have a great Christmas.  Love you.  Bye!!!!!!!!!!!

Elder Cahoon the Baboon

Tears, Triumphs and Transfers

Hello family and friends!!!!!!! 

This week has been so memorable and such a great, fantastic week; however some bad news... I'm being transferred 😱😭😱😢 I know, I can hardly believe it myself.  Right before Christmas too UGGGGHHH!!!!!!! Very frustrating. I'm going to know absolutely nobody in this next ward I'm in so that's no fun.  The address is "209 S Main St #2, Butler, PA 16001"

Guess what!?!? I'll also be in another trio AAAHH!!!!!!! This will be my fourth tripanionship. I'm excited to see what will happen and what the new experience will be like. I hope all will be well!!!!  I've loved being here in this ward- I've learned so much from all the members here! I'm grateful for all that they do and I've definitely been well taken care of here!!!!  Thank you dad for your email and advice.  I will definitely use that to my advantage. I'm glad I have you as a dad.  You definitely are a light and wonderful example in my life! Thank you Dad!!!

This week we had many miracles and it was definitely the best way I've left an area so far.  I'm so glad I was able to see the changes in the people and the area.  The beginning part of this week I was able to go on exchanges with Elder Hatch, our district leader, (we came out together) and it was so much fun.  We were able to do some service for a member in that ward. The lady that lives there is nice and loves the missionaries.  She has a lot of "stuff" and piles it in her room.  We were able clear some of the room.  It was good exercise.  I also was reminded of the lesson I have learned of cleaning things and making sure everything is neat.  We also got to go to a Greek Orthodox Church.  It was so cool hearing about their belief.  It was interesting listening to their beliefs.  I was awe-struck with the spaciousness of their chapel.  The preacher was such a kind man and answered any questions we had.  

We then had zone training that week and it was a blast!!!!! I volunteered to play a piano musical number.  I played "In Christ Alone."   It went pretty well and I'm glad I was able to help out. We got a great training on how to use the #lighttheworld LDS Christmas initiative in our missionary efforts and how to help members do that as well. We got to watch the mission video for his year.  It was good to have those highlights on the film.  Sister Wells and the other 3 sisters that died in the car accident were brought up and talked about in the video.  Even though I didn't know any of them, I'm glad that others talked about them and shared their experiences they had with them. There were a few people that were going home and shared great testimonies!  I loved one Elder's testimony as he talked about the book,  "You Are Special."  Do you remember that book and movie mom?  You read it to us and we watched it when we were younger.  The Elder talked about the stars and the dots and how the dots resembled sins.  He then talked about how Heavenly Father is the woodmaker and when we figure out our divine heritage and that we have a loving Heavenly Father, we know that we are special.  He talked about how we only let sins/dots stick to us if we don't use the Atonement.  We can overcome temptation with the help of Christ.  Christ is able to remove those dots from us permanently. I loved that testimony!!!!!  It's true.  If we know where we came from then we know that we are special.  I know Jesus Christ he can remove my dots and I want to use the Atonement so no dots stick.  It was a great meeting!!!  Afterwards, we went to a Texas Roadhouse!!!!  Then we drove back home.  

 

There wasn't just onea highlight for me this week- there were many things.  We got to show Michael the #lighttheworld video.  He loved it!  He was posting it on instagram!  He is so excited he even helped his mom with the dishes before we left!  I mean this kid is a stud!!!!!  I'm so sad I'm leaving him.  We actually had him come to a chapel tour with us and I really could feel the spirit and I know he could too!  We invited him to the ward Christmas party and he came. We also invited Chandler, another investigator, to the chapel tour and he showed up to the tour and ward Christmas party too!!!  Turns out they know each other from school and are actually friends!!!!!!!! lol Isn't that crazy??!!! They had a ton of fun and hopefully they can help support each other!!  I saw Stephen on Sunday night and we had such a powerful lesson.  The Holy Ghost was sooo strong!!!!!!  Stephen truly felt the Holy Ghost.  He told me he was grateful to get to know me.  As we were leaving, Stephen and I hugged and I began to cry (which was really weird because I don't cry very often) but it was such a special moment.  I'm so grateful for him!!!!  I will never forget that family.  I love you guys. Take care.  Bye!!!!!!!!!!❤️❤️❤️❤️

Elder Cahoon the Baboon