It's All Good In The Hood!!

The palm trees I walk by everyday!

What is up family and friends!!! 

This week has been super good!! I love the Tampa Mission! BTW, every week of the mission is going to start out that way in my emails haha! But it's been great to be in Brandon! I guess I didn't explain last week but the Tripanionship is no more! The Three Nephites split up. It's just me and Elder Cox in Brandon! The other Elder went to his area. Elder Cox is a beast!!! He has been teaching me so much!! He has been out a while and is a great leader so he has been giving me some good ole knowledge!! 

That's cool Mom that you found some things out for yourself in your New Testament studies!! I have actually been studying and learning more about the resurrection and it is pretty cool!! But hey, also, I never received my package!! 

We don't ride bikes in our area! We have a huge area!!! It's a giant rectangle!! So we're in a car right now! Some of Tampa is in our area so we have the city in our area! Our area is like so diverse! We have rich and middle and poor classes and we also have a hood!!!! I love the hood!!! I have only been there once but I meet some pretty hilarious dudes!! The weather is pretty chilly at night and in the morning! I like the weather and it's only supposed to be cool for a little longer- I'm trying to enjoy it because everyone says the summer is brutal!! It rained yesterday so that was fun.  We got pretty wet but don't worry we brought umbrellas!!  And I LOVE THE PALM TREES!!!  It makes me happy every time I see one!! We live right by some and walk by them everyday! (see pictures).  

The Mission Zone is really cool!! It's been cool to meet everyone!! I love the missionaries out here- they are super cool!! We had an awesome Zone Conference and it was super inspiring!! I learned a lot about following up with commitments and getting people to church and committing to baptism!! Elder Cox and I have been trying to apply it to our lessons and things and it's been going great!!

We have been teaching some great lessons to people!! Gregory is doing ok but he has been going through some really hard things lately so please pray for him!! I hope he continues to pray and read and come to church because I know it will help but he hasn't been doing those things! Something that I hate is Anti-Mormon things on the internet!! HOW CAN PEOPLE ACTUALLY BELIEVE THAT STUFF??!!  At this point, I know almost all of the dumb anti stuff.  Some people actually have good questions and or their doubts are understandable but all they/you/we have to do is pray and ask God- not the internet!!  Anti stuff has been kinda affecting some people out here and it really makes me sad because they won't even give us a chance to actually explain or anything.  I'm just so sad that people become hardhearted and turn to other sources for help and knowledge. 

But enough about that! I have been working on noticing and using the Spirit more as I teach and in almost everything else during my day. I love having that companion everywhere I go!! 

I also love the power of Scripture!! Elder Cox is amazing at finding scriptures and using them!! He has a lot of scriptural knowledge!! And I have been trying to learn and memorize good scriptures that apply to the lessons!! 

Hey Pops I just wanted to let you know how much I love you!! Thank you for the amazing example you have been to me!! You may also never know how much I appreciate you and love you so much!!! Thank you for being a righteous father and helping me and always loving me!! You, being so loving, helped me through the toughest times in my life!! I hope to be a good father like you one day!! I love you!!!  And that's good that you are getting paid!! That stinks that it went on for so long!! When anyone talked about it I always chuckled because I thought of how mad you probably were for working without pay! 😂😂 

Where I live.  This is off my apartment balcony

This is where I live! I love all of you and thank you all for everything!! I am excited to see how this next week goes and I hope you all have a good week!!! 

Love, Elder Cahoon

Awesome Week!!

Hello family and friends!!!!

Wow this week has been just super great!! I love doing missionary work!! I have just great joy when I share the Gospel of Jesus Christ!! And I know it's all true and I just want others to know too!! So I'm just doing great and I love that I represent Jesus Christ and get to feel His presence with me as I am out there serving him!! I had felt the Spirit a lot before my mission but wow, it is just a whole different level now!! So I promise I'm not crazy ok but yesterday I was talking to this one lady and the Spirit was giving me promptings- He and I had like a conversation in my head!!!! It was so cool!! I was asking Him (the Holy Ghost) questions and He was telling me what to say.  It was super cool!! I know the Holy Ghost is there to help all of us!! I'm so happy to be a tool in the Lord's work!! I know that God has so much love for all his children. I can't even describe how much love he has!!! 

Well, Mom and Dad that's awesome you guys have plans to spend time with each other and go on vacation!! How is Dad doing with the shutdown? What is it even about? And that's good you guys are getting ready for that rand Canyon hike- that will be super fun!!! I love that stuff. How come you guys do fun stuff after I leave!!? Just kidding!! We did lots of fun things!  I can't say I wish we had done more of that (we did plenty)! But I'm happy you guys are doing good!! And ya I'm sorry about those airsoft holes in my walls! Haha But man, I'm gone for barely a month and you guys just totally change my room!! 

Gregory is doing awesome!!!! He actually likes to be called Gregory.  I love that man so so much!!! He was my very first, real lesson and he is just really, really wants to be baptized and go to the temple and change his life so much!! It's so amazing to see that! We actually did a church tour with him a few days ago and he felt the Spirit so much!! We explained the importance of the sacrament and what baptism means! We showed him a couple of pictures in the church and he was saying that he felt a little weird but super good and happy when we were going through the church!!  We explained that he was feeling the Spirit! He loved it and he came to church yesterday!! He understands everything and is so excited to learn more!! 

We are also teaching this other family!! Kat and John! They are awesome!! We hope they continue to have lessons with us.  They are very curious about knowing what we believe in and how to come closer to Christ!! 

This week has been a little different as we have had quite a few exchanges but it's been super cool to be with different elders and to see different areas!! I still haven't seen an alligator but I really am looking forward to it!! And hey, my address is 529 S Parsons Ave Brandon, Florida Apartment #410 so send me whatever you need!! And hey, could you send me a long sleeve shirt that's the same as those nice shirts that I have?!! I need a long-sleeve shirt for my suits- President's request (for all missionaries)! 

I love it out here! It's amazing!! I love teaching and contacting new people!! Christ really does live and this is His church.  He really talks to living prophets today!!! I know we are all children of God and I am so happy I get to teach people that don't know that yet!! Love you all!!!! Thank you so much for all you guys do!! 

Love, Elder Cahoon 

God is Good!!!!

Hello Family and Friends!!!!

This week has been just super amazing!!! I AM FINALLY OUT ON THE MISSION!!! I love talking to people!! It's fun to listen to people’s stories and make jokes with them!! But most importantly, I love sharing the gospel I love it so much!! It's so cool to share the truth!! I just wish everyone would accept it but it's their agency! 

This week has been super fun tho! I really love my companion and my trainer!! His name is Elder Cox and he is from St George and he is a country guy!! He is super funny and we have such a fun time!! He and I have a lot of similar stories!! He really enjoys teaching with me and I really enjoy teaching with him!! He is an amazing missionary and he is a lot like me! I know if I just work on a couple of things I can be just like him!! One of my favorite things is to testify of Christ and the Book of Mormon!! I love people’s faces when the spirit hits them!! 

Ok so this transfer is a little crazy!! I got my companion on the first real day here and it's been great.  We both got put in a new area (Brandon, Florida) and we have just been working on contacting new people! But the reason it is crazy is because the area right next to us is Valrico and one of the missionaries in that area needed to go home and get surgery so his companion is now with us!!  Yesterday, on Sunday, he left and so now I am in a Tripanionship and we cover two areas- both Brandon and Valrico!!  So it’s super interesting!  My first area is two areas!!  Kinda cool huh?  We call ourselves the Three Amigos or even sometimes the Three Nephites!! My other companion is Elder Jarrett! He is pretty cool and he is a great teacher and super fun to be around!! 

It has been interesting to see how the Lord really does prepare people!!  We got a referral from the Sister Missionaries that get online calls and they told us about this guy named Gregory! Gregory is the most prepared person!  He was actually my first lesson I taught out here!!  We taught the Restoration to him and it was super amazing!!!  He answered the questions like perfectly!  It was almost like teaching a member who already knew about the Restoration and was just trying to go along with it!  BUT IT WAS REAL!!!  He is super amazing and he even got a new job and told his boss that he can't work on Sundays so he could go to church with us!!! He is crazy amazing! He even told us when he could be baptized in the middle of our lesson!! It was crazy!! I just wanted to give him the biggest hug!! It's was pretty funny because at the end when we bore our testimonies, he said, "I don't need convincing. I just want to learn more and understand it!" It was pretty funny and he is a super cool guy!! We have met some other people here that are amazing as well!! 

I am so grateful to know how to receive answers to my prayers!! And I’m so grateful for the knowledge of Christ's gospel!!  We talked to an atheist the other day who wanted truth but didn't want to get it from God!  He was stubborn and didn't really care for our message!!  But something else that happened with another person we met was when we were talking to a Christian who said he knew God and Christ and that he was saved! This of course was awesome but he didn't understand that God can still give us knowledge to help us in our life.  We gave him a pamphlet that talked about this and that could help him and he totally gave it back to my companion.  I got this burning sensation and I was overcome with the Spirit.  I got a sudden jolt of just boldness and I grabbed the pamphlet and I opened it up.  I explained it to him and bore my testimony of it and I said if he really believed in God, than he needed to ask Him if it's true.  I testified that God would answer him if he tried!!  After my speaking to him, he just took the pamphlet from my hands and began to talk to us more. I don't know if he really read it after we left because he was just a street contact guy we met but it was super cool to be overcome with the Spirit and just completely talk by the Spirit!! So it was a cool learning experience!! 

Yes the weather is amazing!! The winter is amazing to be down here!! The summer is probably going to stink but it's good right now!!

Alright, I love you all!!!  And have an awesome week!!! For those who are members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints:  share the Restored Gospel!!!!! 

First Day in Mission Field. He is wearing the tie Bishop Nygren gave him.

Somewhere in Florida.  He has always loved war aircraft. 

I Leave The MTC Tomorrow!!!

HEY FAMILY AND FRIENDS!!!!

This week was pretty cool!! I had a lot of fun! But it was also kinda sad!! Most of the people in my district left yesterday so that's kinda sad! It's just me and two other elders that are going to Tampa- just my companion and another Elder!! I was a Zone Leader here for a bit and it was super cool!! Yesterday I got to help out one of the new missionaries and it was super cool!! He is the new District Leader and he has been kinda having a hard time. I was able to give him a priesthood blessing and it was a super cool experience!!

I'm so excited to get out to Florida!! It's been an awesome experience here though!! The MTC food is super good and I get a lot, which of course, I like!!  But I am excited to get outside food as well!!  I have increased my knowledge so much as I have been here at the MTC! It's so crazy!! It’s cool to see what I can improve on to get better with!! I am loving my mission and all I am doing so far!!  And by the way, I DON'T MISS VIDEO GAMES!!! I just wanted to tell you so I can prove to you I wasn’t addicted!! 😂 

I love you all so much!! You guys are awesome!! And hey mom by the way I can't find my watches!!!! Do you know where they are! I searched everywhere!! And thank you for the pictures!! Enjoy these pictures!!

Update:  I had packed the watches because he was doing some other packing (he is a watch guy and wanted to take all of his watches).  Before he left for the MTC, I showed him where they were.  I guess he forgot so I reminded him where I had packed them.  He found them. lol  

"I'm going here tomorrow!"

MTC Missionary Friends

MTC Missionary Buddies

MTC missionaries during their down time

He is a MTC Zone Leader

Alright.  Well this week has been super great!!! We teach people here at the MTC and I have learned so much about teaching!! I really love teaching!! It's so amazing- the spirit that comes from teaching is amazing!! I love the things I have been learning here!! 

And hey I'm so happy all the family is doing good!!  That's such a cool experience with Hadley and Tyler!  I love them so much.  Hannah are Tyler are going to be such great parents!  I'm so happy you guys had a super fun Christmas!!  And hey I have some pretty cool news!  I got called to be the Zone Leader in the MTC so that's kinda cool!  So far it's been good!  I'm just trying to be even more loving towards the missionaries in my zone!  But it's been a cool experience so far!  My companion and I will be greeting the new missionaries that come in on Wednesday and make them feel welcome so that will be fun!  It's crazy I only have about 1 more week left here in the MTC.  I feel like I just got here but I'm so excited to go to Florida!!!  I can't wait to teach the people down there and to find those who need the Gospel!!  Hey I love you all!  Have an amazing rest of your week!  

Some MTC Missionaries in his District 

MTC Elders

Could you also send me some pictures of my artwork- like the Spider-Man ones and some of my Dragon Ball Z ones that are good! Also, I need more pictures of you guys!  Send those pictures so I can show people here!!  The art pictures are murals that are around the MTC!  They are super cool!!  The picture with all our food is like our pantry! haha  It's so sweet!  We have so much food that we have had to start storing it!  

Love all you guys!!

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The Pantry