Email received May 16, 2016

Mom,
This week went pretty well! We were able to do a couple of divisions with other areas to do some baptismal interviews there and were able to stay busy! This Saturday (14-05-2016) we were able to have the baptism of a young man that we have been teaching for a couple of weeks now! He is such an amazing young man! He is one of those investigators that once he is baptized, I don't worry about him leaving the church ever! He has a really strong testimony and is always working hard to learn more! I have never taught anyone quite like him before! He was truly prepared by the hand of the Lord to encounter and accept the restored gospel at this time and the scripture in D&C 29:7 that talks about the elect of God and how they hear His voice and willingly accept it. It was and always will be a great honor to have been an instrument in God's hands in the conversion of one of His children! We were able to have a woman that we are teaching at the baptism and then at church on Sunday which was great! It was her first time in the church building and I think she liked it a lot! We will be visiting her in the next few days to see what she thought about the meeting! When I said that, I meant as a literal and set-apart representative of Christ. I know that I will always be representing Him, but not as I do now. It will be a bit different when I get home, but I know very well that I will always be carrying His name with me. I will make up a list of a couple of things to send next week for you! I will definitely hold on to a couple of things that I used all this time, but not too much. We will be going to the part of the city that has hotels today, so I'll see if I run across anything! That would be the best way to do it. Go up to the coast right away and visit there and then come back down to Teresina. I think it would be good to pass 2 full days there in Parnaíba to see everyone and also go see some sand dunes that are there close by. Then we can come back down to Teresina and visit the areas here. We could stick around here in Teresina from Thursday until Sunday. Then head out on Sunday maybe after lunch. So glad to hear that the recent converts are going strongly and are going to the temple! That is something that really can make all the difference!
Hope you have a great week and that things continue going well!!
LOVE YOU SO MUCH!!!!!!!

Elder Cole Gunnoe

Email received May 9, 2016

Mom,
It was really nice to see you and dad and to be able to talk to you both and Conner and Renee as well! It doesn't seem like it's been as long as it has been! But soon it will all be coming to a bit of a sad
close. Sad because I may never have the honor of being a representative of Christ and because I will be leaving a place that I have come to love so much! But it is all in the Lord's time and I am excited for the things that await after the mission! Even though I know that it won't be a walk in the park, I know it'll be worth it! Sad to hear that there will be people leaving the branch! But I'm sure they have their reasons. And that's awesome that Nate will be going to Tampa!! He and Carter will be going to the MTC pretty close to each other! That'll be a bit of a changing period for their families and for the other youth! Gotta run, we have to prepare a zone meeting for tomorrow. Sorry this was so short!
Have a great week and stay out of trouble!
LOVE YOU LOTS!!!!!

Elder Cole Gunnoe

"Was a bit smaller than my hand"

Email received May 2, 2016

Mom,
This week went well! Seems like it went by so fast. It was really nice to go back to Timon and be in the city again! I was only able to visit one person that I baptized there. I went and saw Irmã Laureana! When we got to her front door, I knocked and her husband came to the door.  I saw that the weeds were pretty big in front of their house, so I jokingly asked if they needed someone to pull the weeds. He just said no and shut the door.... He isn't a member yet and I thought that he didn't like the missionaries anymore. So that made me a little sad. But I decided we should wait. After a minute or two he came back and let us in. When Irmã Laureana came into the living room, and saw me her face just lit up! I almost cried and I think she did too. I think that feeling is about what it will feel like when I come home. Because I felt as if I was in my own home and it was just the weirdest thing!
But it was such a wonderful feeling! It was truly amazing to see how much she has grown spiritually! I really could see the difference! And above all, they opened a restaurant right beside their house! So their house is full of food supplies and kitchenware all over the place! But they are both so happy! It was truly wonderful to be able to surprise her with a visit at her own home after over a year! Back here in my area, things are going well. My comp has just a little bit of trouble with always going to visit the same people when we should only visit them one time a week. And when we go there we stay more time than we should. I am trying to work on a way to bring up the subject so that we can be better about that, but you know me, I´m not one to speak up much. I still have trouble in speaking my mind and my feeling, but it's something that I am really trying to work on lately. So we'll see
how that goes. Other than that, things are going smoothly down here.  We will have a Leadership meeting with an Area 70 on Friday! So I am really looking forward to that! The rain (what little we had) has come to a stop. So it's sunny almost everyday. Sometimes we have a cloudy day. But not too often. Glad to hear that all is well and that everyone is happy! I really liked the pictures you sent! Looks like everyone had a lot of fun at the reception!  Glad to see Nana and Brittany and Vern and Amy and Eliana all there too! I really miss everyone of them!
Tell everyone hi from me and send the whole family a big hug!!!
Love you very much!!!
Talk to you Sunday!!!!

Elder Cole Gunnoe