Also below is the text that came with the picture from his Ward Missionary Leader. I love getting those!

"The baptism of Michael Tyrell Williams Jr. at the Coker Spring Ward, Aiken, SC. Your families have sent us wonderful Missionaries...thank you!  Max Bassett (WML)"

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Week of October 12 - October 18, 2015

This week I had an awesome Birthday week!

Monday we went to the Polo game which was a blast..it was super cool to watch...kinda scary when they get close to you and they are hauling tail toward you but super cool...And we found a polo ball in the ground that a horse stepped on so it was buried so we dug it out and I got to keep it cause I pulled the "its my birthday" card. I also got a sweet confederate flag jacket so that was pretty sick! One of the recent converts from the Aiken Ward found it at Goodwill so she bought it for me. Then Scott took us out to Flanigans for ice cream and we headed home!

Tuesday we had district meeting and then I went on exchanges with Elder Weston (a fellow runner). It was awesome to be able to talk about past times and racing...We had a super successful day of missionary work too which always feels good! We met a referral named Aretha. She was homeless for the 6 months of the past year she was in Aiken and then the Elders started teaching her and she was able to get back on her feet. She is super duper cool and will probably be baptized pretty soon! It was super cool how my ponderizing scripture last week was Mosiah 3:19 and it helped so many of our investigators! Especially the ones we taught today. This week I am doing Mosiah 24:15.

Wednesday we exchanged back and then we went to teach Isla with Brother Wheatley which was awesome because usually she just talks, but he overpowered her and then taught her the whole restoration himself and it was super awesome! Then we had interviews that night which was a super awesome experience and I learned tons so that was really really cool! Oh and on Tuesday one of the Aiken sisters, Sister Bradford, broke her foot so we also gave her a blessing tonight with President.

Thursday we just had a normal day of missionary work and Elder Hansen got his flu shot. The Spirit taught me something really cool in Book of Mormon class though! So we are referred to as representatives of Christ all the time as missionaries so we are representing Heavenly Father in a sense as well. Here on earth when a child misbehaves the parents get blamed for not teaching the child correctly so therefore they are representing their parents by the way they act. We too as Heavenly Father's children have the same relationship so we have to do the best we can so that we can represent Heavenly Father well and make Him proud of us.

Friday was mostly just a normal missionary day of serving and teaching.

Saturday we had the baptism for Michael Williams Jr. If y'all haven't noticed yet everyone I have baptized has had the last name of Williams.

Then I applied for a job at Ihop...well not really but we helped one of our investigators do that. Then nothing out of the ordinary happened the rest of the day.

Sunday, Church was awesome! I learned so much. It was kind of a bummer because Sister Williams was sick so Michael didn't come to church to be confirmed so technically he isn't a member yet but he will be by the end of this week. In Church we learned all about the Holy Ghost and about teaching and learning so those were both really awesome talks. The rest of the day was a normal missionary day!

Week of October 5 - October 11, 2015

This week was a really busy week! Monday we had our nerf war which was fun as usual then tuesday and wednesday we just had normal days of missionary work with not much of anything exciting. Thursday was awesome! We had a zone training meeting in Evans. It was kinda weird because I didn't really get any notes out of it and usually I get tons and that is one of the missionary meetings I learn most in but nothing was really taught to me and I was trying so hard to be spiritually prepared and listen to the spirit but I guess he just wasn't talking much. At the end Elder Shelton and Elder Schlaich shared their testimonies because it was their last zone training meeting. The spirit still didn't teach me a whole lot in that but later in the day I was thinking about it and then the spirit finally taught me. It was so cool! I only have 9 months left and I got super trunky to make those 9 months count more than ever. Becoming what Heavenly Father wants me to has been really hard but some how at that time my faith was increased so much that I had no fear or doubt at all and ever since then I have been able to submit to the will of Heavenly Father so much more...

This last week I ponderized Ether 12:27 and learned from Alma 32:5 that to make those weak things strong we have to humble ourselves by asking what we shall do. Then Phillipians 4:13 says that we can do all things through Christ which strengthens us. The key word is DO. We just DO what he tells us to and submit to His will and then He will make it possible for us to do that and as we do it, it strengthens us. I learned so much last week and now I am ponderizing Mosiah 3:19 that talks about yielding to the enticings of the spirit or what the spirit tells us to do. Then after the meeting we met 2 of the coolest new investigators but one of them was kinda crazy and said the pleiadians abduct her and show her around...apparently she has been to the galactic federation building to listen in on meetings...she was crazy but kinda cool...she basically described the Kingdom of God on Earth the first time we met her when talking about going to these other planets. 

Friday we had a crazy day and taught tons of awesome lessons and one of them is getting baptized next saturday so that is pretty cool! it is Jo'Cheryl's brother! Then Saturday we had lots of fun seeing the alien lady again and we went to a baptism that was really good. Sunday we just stayed really busy with regular missionary work running from one appointment to the next so that was really fun. It was an awesome week! Love you and miss you guys tons!

Love Elder Cobler

Don't forget to wish Elder Cobler a Very Happy 20th Birthday on October 12th.

Conference Weekend 9/28 - 10/4

This week was pretty chill! we didn't do much this last week that was all that exciting other than conference and a wild game dinner we went to on Friday that was pretty fun! PS wild boar does not taste like regular pork whatsoever. It is actually pretty gamey...unless he just didn't cook it a good way...brunswick stew is also pretty awful...

Saturday and Sunday all we did was stay at the church all day pretty much for conference which was awesome! I think my favorite talks were...well really I didn't really have any favorite talks because I was able to pull lots of things out of each talk that really helped me. It is so cool how when we listen to the spirit during things like church and General Conference how we can be taught things that are totally different than what they may be talking about or what other people are being taught. Our guidance from the holy ghost is so individualized and personal. I loved all the talks about light and becoming what God wants us to become and about keeping the commandments.

Transfers and Saying Goodbye 9/20 - 9/27

Last Monday we went to teach our neighbor Tom. He is super cool and we teach him about every day. He is so humble and just wants to change his life. He is an alcoholic which has given him the mind of probably a 6th or 7th grader but he is so amazing!

Tuesday we had our last district meeting for this district since Elder Williams, Sister Landis and Sister Goade are all leaving. Sister Landis is the only one going home though. It was probably the funnest and one of the most spiritual District Meetings I have ever been at.

Friday we helped a 90 year old change a flat on his car and then we got rear ended but it wasn't too bad. Only a dent the size of a quarter and some scratches. then we hustled home and I changed and then I went and ran...I went out with some 14 year old and did all that I could not to push him...I was just trying to stay with him without making him go faster but I died after about a mile and a quarter and then I got passed by some 50 year olds and that freaking 11 year old girl. She does USATF and is like 3rd or 4th in the nation according to their coach so its all good. I haven't run the past 2 weeks but I am trying to get back into it. I am doing pretty well. Then we went and taught Tom again and it was super spiritual and an awesome lesson.

Saturday we listened to the Transfer Call and I already told you who was leaving so that is going to be rough...I've never been so close to a district. It was really cool how well all of us got along. We then spent forever signing each other's Airplane books which is basically just a missionary yearbook. Elder Hansen and I went and tried to teach a few people. Then we taught Tom again and had an even more spiritual lesson so that was awesome. 

Sunday in the morning we pranked the sisters back one last time and covered their car in shaving cream and then we helped them clean it and we got in a shaving cream fight. We then hustled to church and then we had to teach gospel principles randomly and we totally had to wing it but it was an awesome lesson about the gathering of Israel so it was pretty easy to talk about that. We saw people the rest of the night and then called it a day. It was a blast of a week but saying good bye is always pretty tough.

Golden Infishtigators   9/7 - 9/13

Tuesday not much happened it was about our only time all of last week to actually proselyte. We did go see Rick to give him a blessing and it was super cool because in the blessing something was said about putting one step in front of the other on your path of faith and then as we walked out he goes "Well Elders! I'm going to put one foot in front of the other and come to church this Sunday!" He didn't come though. We can't really do anything else for him. We already have his baptismal record all filled out and he just won't commit. he gets about a week away from the date we set for him to be baptized and then he bails. Oh well. He'll get baptized one day.

     

Wednesday we went to Macon and we were there or driving all day. It was a meeting for trainers and trainees so that was pretty good. I also got to see Sister Dayton from East again so that was pretty cool. After that we headed home and did our baptismal interview for Jo'Cheryl. 

     

Thursday we had a Zone Training Meeting in Evans which was really good and the Sister Training Leaders talked about finding golden investigators and then they took us in the gym to look for a prize and I found the "Golden Infishtigator" so that is what the picture of me holding goldfish with the Sister Training Leaders is. It was a pretty fun day and we had an awesome talk about all kinds of things at lunch. When we got back we had BoM class which was awesome! Scott taught it for us and it was about Alma 26:13 and then we talked about the question have we not great reason to rejoice? and it was the best BoM class we have had so far. After BoM class I interviewed Timothy for his baptism this next Saturday and that was a really cool experience because of how strong the spirit was telling me he was ready. 

     

Saturday we had the baptism which was awesome and then on Sunday she was confirmed but we practically had to drag her up there because she was so nervous but it was all good and she did it! It was a really good week!

Answered Prayers  8/31 - 9/6

Saturday we met this super cool lady. She told us that 2 days ago she prayed and asked God to help her continuing believing and then we knocked on her door. She definitely took it as her answer so that was awesome and now she is probably our coolest and sincere investigator even though we have a baptism for a 9 year old this Saturday! 

This next week is going to be insane because we are going to Macon for basically all of Wednesday then Evans GA for Thursday and Augusta GA for all of Friday and then Saturday is the Baptism and we are teaching the Cottles so it is going to be crazy hectic