Elder Austin Cahoon's Mission: 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!!