I Have Said It Before BUT God Is GOOD!!!

Florida Wildlife- he is loving it!

Hello Family and great Friends!!! 

This week was a great learning experience!! We met some seriously amazing people this week!! God is so good!! 

So to start off I was with Elder Jarrett for a day and a half!! He was my old companion that was in the Trio with me! We were together because we hadn't gotten our new companions yet! We were walking around knocking on doors and this bus pulls up and a mom comes out of the house and greats her son and starts heading back into the house! So Elder Jarrett and I stopped her and talked to her! She is so prepared it's crazy!! She invited us back to teach and help her daughter who isn't a believer in God!  She is going to have a church tour and should be coming to church!! But she is in Valrico with Elder Jarrett so I'm pretty jealous because that is not my area so I can't continue to teach her! But she is amazing and I'm excited to hear how it goes teaching her!

Elder Allen (my new companion) and I, met some amazing people this week as well!! I am so grateful for my amazing companion Elder Allen!! I love him a lot!! He is a super hard worker and loves the work!! We should be together for 2 transfers. 

He and I met this older man. He had heard a little about the Book of Mormon but never read it! So we taught him a quick lesson on the Restoration and gave him a Book of Mormon to read! He loved it so much!! We then had another lesson with him and had him read 3 Nephi 11! We had another little lesson with him and he told us about his experience while reading and it was amazing!! He said when he read it felt like a door was opening and "I understood what it was saying and I was applying it to me!!"  And he said,  "I felt that love and peace that we were talking about!" It was so cool!!!! Elder Allen and I were so pumped!!!! We're excited to see him tomorrow as well! 

This week I had some people try to tell me the only reason I believed in God was because It made me feel like I had a purpose and it made me feel good!! And I was like a HECK NO!!!! I looked this guy right in the eye and bore my testimony that I would never deny that there is a God and that he loves his children!! It didn't matter to him but I love sharing my testimony so I felt great!!! 

I love our Heavenly Father!! He has a big influence in this world and loves every single one of us!!! Christ really does help us receive Joy and Happiness if we do His work!! The Holy Ghost is a big part in God's plan and helps God's work move forward!!! I have seen the HOoy Ghost touch the lives of people!!!  I'm so grateful to be a missionary!!! 

I love you all!!! Have a great week! SPREAD THE GOSPEL TO ALL NATIONS!!! 

Elder Cahoon 

New Trainee Elder Allen with New Trainer Elder Cahoon

Elders Cahoon and Jarrett  What's with the mustache?

I Will Also Call You!

Hello Family and Friends!! 

First Alligator Sighting!!

This week has been great!! I have been seeing a bunch a miracles! As a missionary you see a whole lot!! And it's great! I am so happy to have a front row seat to see the Gospel of Jesus Christ change peoples lives! 

Well this week I say goodbye to my trainer, Elder Cox aka Captain Moroni!! And I really don't know what's going to happen to me but I'm super excited to find out!! Elder Cox is a great missionary and he has taught me a whole lot!! He has really helped me with my scripture study.  I love him so much!! I am excited to meet my new companion! I do hope I stay in the Brandon area! I really like it here and the members are super great and very helpful! 

Last preparation day we went to a State Park and I saw my first alligator!  I was so pumped!  We went with the wonderful Hurst family from the ward.  It was a really fun day!  I am loving my area.  The Tampa area is a melting pot of different nationalities of people.  It is neat to be around such diversity.  

We got the news this week that as missionaries we get to call home.  We have been asked to only make 1 phone call home to talk to our mom and dad- not to any extended family.  I will be calling in just a little bit!  It will be weird since I thought I was only going to be talking to you twice a year.  Elder Cox and I are going to go to Top Golf today since it is his last preparation day.  The weather is beautiful.  I know you are so jealous mom!  You are going to love it here when we visit!  

We had an amazing miracle happen this week!! We got a text on Wednesday and it was this lady who has met with missionaries before but hasn't had a chance to be baptized and hasn't been able to take the lessons. She lived in a home where they hated missionaries so they could never come by. She did, however, go to the Temple grounds to the Visitors Center and watch all the videos!  She said she is able to start taking the lessons and wants to be baptized!! So that was sweet!! She came to church with us yesterday and she loved it!!! We will be meeting with her again on Tuesday!  Mom, I love hearing about your missionary experiences.  Keep doing what you are doing because God knows what you are doing.  God is watching and knows of your efforts.  God is always watching us and knows what we do.  He also knows the good intentions of our hearts.  This is something that I have taken away from Elder Cox in our time together as companions.  

We did some service Saturday and it was fun!! We raked a bunch of leaves for this lady! It was fun and she wants to learn more about the church so that's great!! 

I am so grateful for the knowledge I have!! I am just so sad for all those people who don't listen to us!! They have no idea what they are turning down and they won't take anytime to listen! We have a lot of churches and different things down here and it is good that they believe in God and try to be good people.  I just wish they weren't so satisfied with their beliefs and would take time to listen to us. It makes me so sad! I know that the Book of Mormon is really God's word and wasn't just made up!! No evil man would write it and no good man would have had the ability to translate it unless he was instructed to and helped by God!! I know Joseph Smith was a REAL prophet of the Lord!!! I know that any of God's children can come to know this!! We must seek and ask of Him and we can know these things are true!! 

OH AND HEY I'M TRAINING!! I'm going to be training and I'm staying in Brandon!!! I'm stoked!! I just found out!

I love you family and friends!! I am so happy you guys are doing well!! Search and pray for missionary opportunities!! It's amazing!! Love you all!! 

Companions Cahoon And Cox

Elder Cahoon

Pday and Playing

Missionary Work is the BEST!!!!

Hello Family and Friends!!! 

Wow this week flew by!! And I honestly have hard time remembering what happened! But I know it was good!! We have been teaching some good people! We still need to find those who are truly prepared from the Lord! It's been a good week full of the Spirit! We have had some super good lessons!  Before I forget, thank you  Grandma J for your letters! 

We actually met this amazing family yesterday!! Which is what we have been searching for!! We taught them the restoration and Danny, the dad, was eating it up!! He loved it!! 

We also played some ball with these one guys and we taught them as well and it was pretty fun!! I got kinda sweaty though! It's pretty hot here sometimes! And the summer is going to be super hot! 

We haven't had a chance to hook up with B and Lisa, and some other people out here so please pray for them!! It's weird the amount of love you gain for strangers out here but it's a good thing!! 

One thing that I have really loved is being able to study the Scriptures in a different way!! I have been studying topics and Preach My Gospel topics! And I have been studying the Atonement and also the Spirit!! I love the scriptures and I have learned so much from them!! 

I love missionary work!! Do missionary work!!! It's super amazing and it builds your testimony so much!! I know God loves and knows each one of us!! We are God's children and this life is meant to work toward being like our Savior!! 

Love you all and keep reading and praying and coming closer to Christ- it's the only way to true happiness!! 

Love, Elder Cahoon 

Being Obedient and Consecrated to the Lord Brings Joy and Happiness!! Also a lot of fun!!!

Dear family and friends,

This week has been full of Miracles!! I love being a first-hand witness to people changing and having a desire to learn and grow!! I love the people out here!! There are people now that are ready!!  We just need to find them and help them the best we can!! 

So this week has been super great!! We have had a lot of Miracles!! So yesterday we went to this women's house (her name is Lisa).  We had given a Book of Mormon to her along with a short little explanation lesson about it. We had her read The Book of Mormon around 1 or 2 weeks ago and we just got back in contact with her! We asked how the reading was going and she said she had read about 100 pages of it!!!! She said she has been reading it during her breaks at work!! She said that she likes it and has no problem with it! And we taught her about the Priesthood and had a short lesson about Priesthood restoration!  So we will be in contact more with her!! We got her number and are going to set up a time to teach her more! 

We also met this other lady named "B" whose husband is an inactive member and she never was told what The Book of Mormon was about!! We taught her the about the restoration of the gospel.  She is really intrigued by Joseph Smith! Her husband threw his back out yesterday and we offered to give a blessing and she said she would ask!! So hopefully we will see them either today or tomorrow!! 

But we have had some super funny moments here!! Elder Cox and I get along really well!! We laugh a lot and have a great time!! So a couple of days ago we had to ride our bikes in our area because we ran out of miles in our car and Elder Cox was trying to bike and text at the same time and crashed on the road barriers on the side and flipped over his bike!! He wasn't hurt too badly but I couldn't stop laughing. I just wish I had it on camera!! We also saw a couple of ducks fight today in the pond that we live next to!! It was pretty fun to watch!! 

We had specialized missionary training this week!! It was really fun! It is meant for new missionaries to go out and contact a lot of people and help them work on things and improve their skills! So I went with one of the Assistants to President and we had a wonderful time! We went to the college and talked to a bunch of college students! It was an amazing experience and I got to talk with some football players and gave them a pamphlet and a Book of Mormon! We also got their numbers so the YSA missionaries could teach them!! I also got to have some Jamba Juice so that was a plus!! 

I heard the Patriots won!! Man those guys stink!! I heard it was a hard offensive game for the rams but I heard their defense was doing good!! Sorry Dad, I know you hate those Patriots haha! But I'm glad you guys are doing good and I'm happy to hear you guys have a lot of goals and are trying help each other be better!! I love you both a lot!! Elder Cox already wants to meet you guys!! I have told him some stories of you two!! But I haven't yet received a package from you mom! Although I did get Aunt Cami's!! She got me a bunch of food!!! I Love it!! TELL her thank you so much and that I love her!!   Sister Hurst, in my ward here, has been great by the way.  She and Brother Hurst (Ward Mission Leader) are super fun and kind!! She takes lots of pictures as well so I'm sure you love that Mom!! 

I am loving the work!! The Gospel of Jesus Christ simply blesses your life if you truly live it!! I love Jesus Christ and I'm so grateful for His atonement and His love that he has for me!! GOD is all-knowing and is a very loving father!! He wants the best for us!! We just have to be willing to live the way he wants us to and then listen to the promptings the Holy Ghost gives us!! Wickedness never was happiness!! I know that's true!! But love you all and have a great week!! 

Love, Elder Cahoon

Bike Riding