Temple Certified

 Well, I'm officially a temple worker now. Yesterday I got to go to the Jordan River Temple for my first time working as an ordinance worker & training. It was so good! I've already got a bit of stuff memorized, and got to do a bit of work. I'm very excited to really get this going. I'm also very glad I got to put some of my new Spanish skills to good use in the Spanish Endowment Session! My parents have been working there for more than three yeras. Once a month, they go, and now I get to join in with them.

Once our Elko Temple is completed, we will transfer to there, but who knows when that will be? I keep hearing a lot of different and contradicting things about the open house of the Elko Temple about when it's gonna be. I've heard it could be in March, June, this fall, next fall, all of it! At this point I'm expecting someone to say it'll be 2 years into the Millennium. I don't know who's spreading around all these rumors, but cut it out!

My in-person English Connect class has been going well, although the schedule is a bit wonky. Right now it's set up for Mondays from 4-6 and Wednesday from 5-7. The problem is that nobody came on Monday until 5:00. We'll see if it stays that way, and if it does, then we'll change it to be only from 5-6 that day.

I also go to help with English Class in Elko, which is always fun. I'm excited for this week when I'm going to get the chance to teach the class. I hope I'll do well! Also, on Thursday afternoons I will start teaching an English Connect 3 class on line. It is to help students preparing for Pathway and getting on on-line college degree. From what I've heard my students for that class will be from South America. I have two other missionaries I'll be teaching with.

I got to go to help at FISH (a food bank) this week with the Spanish Elders. It was fun! I'm gonna see them today at the Spanish Branch in Elko, which is exciting. Then, after church, our family is having the Cabrera Family, Riller, and the Spanish-speaking sisters over for lunch and a missionary lesson.

I'm now the Ward Music Coordinator for Wells Ward, which means I now choose people for special musical numbers and make recommendations for musical callings. I wish I was more qualified for it. I don't know very many people well, and I know the hymnbook even less. Oh well. Ni modo. Me toca.

I got to go to institute this week! There was almost nobody there that I knew, or even that I'd seen at the YSA activities. I'm a little disappointed by that, but I'm still enthusiastic to take the class.

For my Spiritual Thought, I've been thinking a little bit about questions and doubts. There is a difference. I am talking specifically about questions and doubts in regards to the nature of God and His church. I think that questions can only be harmful to our testimony if we choose to let them be, but we can also choose to let them be a chance to grow our testimony! We can find answers to so many questions, and be patient when we can't. I love what Elder Uchtdorf said in his most recent conference talk and the analogy he used. If we focus on nourishing and watering the roots of our testimony in the Lord Jesus Christ and His Gospel, then all of the topics that branch out of that will also be nourished. Our questions that are at the tips of the branches wi



ll undoubtedly be taken care of. About doubts: I believe that they come into existence when we give individual topics questions too much attention. When we become caught up in this, we are so distracted that we can't see that our roots are withering. I want to focus this week on keeping the long view and my priorities straight.

Take care! May the Lord bless you.

Sincerely,

Elder Cobian

Pictures:

My parents and me before our shift at the Jordan River Temple

My mom, my sister Lili, Me, and my dad at the Orem Temple. We went there to do sealings after our temple shift yesterday.