Transferencias

So just an update on transfer week.

Not much changed because I am still in the first 12 weeks with sister Guerrero. She is still hilarious, hardworking and brings me much joy. Our zone is still with Zone leader Sister Leyes from Argentina, but Sister Felhman from Germany replaced our lovely Sister Kogure from Japan who went home. District leader is still Sister Ghetti from Brasil! YAS.

Our assignment this transfer is WELFARE SQUARE. So we get to go to welfare square one day during the week from 9-4 and give tours and help people to know more about the welfare program of the Church and our goal to be more like the Savior in helping others and getting people on their feet to be more self sufficient. Here is how I like to think about it, and I'm sure I am copying the words or thoughts of what someone said once. But, yes you could just fish for the man who is hungry so he is fed for a bit, but why not teach a man to fish so he can avoid hunger and feed himself his whole life? That is what humanitarian work and the welfare system of the church are all about. Welfare Square is seriously so cool. I've been dying to serve there or the Humanitarian center every transfer. Heavenly Father loves me.

Last week Thursday we had a Mission Tour or Mission training from Elder Kim Clark of the Quorum of the Seventy. He is a pretty incredible human and I learned so many things. Too many things for one email I have like 11,623 pages of notes. 

This weekend a few of our investigators were baptized, one of them a woman named Manogna, from Texas. I've had such an incredible journey with her in the past few months so many ups and downs and challenges but she stuck through it all and finally made the first step to entering the Kingdom of God. We didn't get to skype for the baptism but we called her afterward and it was so amazing hearing the happiness in hear voice and hearing her say that she wanted to stay in touch "forever." (so sweeeet!:)) Filled me with an inexpressible mutual feeling of happiness.

Post script, I have gained more wrinkles since being here on my mission. Dry weather+smiling a lot will do that to you I guess haha.

Have a good week all. Update me on your lives please:) 

Sorry no pics this week...

Xoxo,

Sister Cox

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Hey there amigos y familia,

We sent our investigators Valentines Day texts and the replies were so sweet. Many ghetto keyboard hearts were sent and received, because we don't have emojis on our computer phones. <3 We loved it.

My Valentine. We ate at the Lionhouse for lunch.

It has been my favourite year celebrating this holiday because it has always carried an annoying connotation and meaning to me: all that mushy gushy love PDA stuff. Don't get me wrong, I dig love, but other holidays have always held more favour to me. (although valentines day does hold a lot of good flavour, (e.g. candy)

This time around though, I think because I am experiencing love with a new lens in a much deeper way, I really appreciated it. So here is my favourite verse about the best most perfect love out there:

"For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord."  (Romans 8) 

I have a conference talk and a video suggestion for you all this week that are superb that really helped me with the ups and downs of this week and really prepared me for what the Lord needed me to communicate to others esta semana:

Opposition in all Things - Dalin H. Oaks (conference talk) https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2016/04/opposition-in-all-things?lang=eng

We aren't God's Only People - Samuel Hislop (mormonchannel Hope Works Video) https://www.mormonchannel.org/watch/series/hope-works/we-arent-gods-only-people-samuel-hislop-hope-works

Love you all

extra XOXOXOXOXO

Sister Cox

Haha this pic just makes me feel happy every time I look at it, so I thought I'd share. In case you can't tell, her vision is terrible so when she moves her glasses forward it makes her eyes look tiny hahaha. Sister Williams from Japan

Only a Stone Cutter

This week Sister Guerrero and I watched a short film about a stone cutter who helped to build the Temple here in Salt Lake. He is faithful to his calling his whole life and walks 22 miles to the temple everyday even after losing a leg. One of the first quotes that was said: 

"There are two kinds of people in this world, those who are acted upon and those who act." 

Think about it for second. Which one are you? Which one do you want to be? For me the answer was obvious. Faith with out action is nothing. I love the Bible Dictionary so so so much. It says this about faith: 

"Faith is a principle of action and of power, and by it one can command the elements, heal the sick, and influence any number of circumstances when occasion warrants (Jacob 4:4–7). Even more important, by faith one obtains a remission of sins and eventually can stand in the presence of God." 

I think I could spend the rest of my life studying faith and I would still learn or appreciate something new every time.

Zone activity today, Pizza and played mafia Book of Mormon style.

This week our district buried our swords. Well metaphorically. But kind of literally at the same time. We wrote down things on a piece of paper that we wanted to give up and we actually buried them in the ground. Like the story in Alma 24 when the Anti-Nephi-Lehi's bury their swords because they would rather give up their own lives than to shed the blood of their brethren. So we decided that we would give up something in our lives "in behalf of the welfare of the souls of those who knew not God." (Alma 6:6) I think the gardeners planting the flowers for springtime might be in for a bit of a suprise hahah.

After burial. It had to be at a time during the day when people weren't able to see we didn't want to freak any poor souls out. Cause to be honest it looked a little weird haha.

Love you all, have a wonderful week! Xoxo

Sister Cox

The weather lately has been glorious. The time of night when we took this picture is my favorite. I realized this week my favorite season is the one that's in between. Between fall and spring, between summer and fall, between fall and winter. I dig the change.

Febuary

Growing up in elementary school I sucked at math (still do) but fortunately I excelled at spelling. However, one word I could never remember how to spell was the month FEBRUARY. What is up with that extra R? Still confuses me to this day. Also here is a pic from my childhood and those years of rebellion and doing hood rat things ft. my best sister friend.

EXCITED FOR THIS MONTH OF FEBUARY AND ALL IT HOLDS. 

And now on to more important and relevant missionary topics.

If you have anyone else on a mission you will have heard that there was a mission wide broadcast about "Teaching Repentance and Baptizing Converts." Big deal #1: The key indicators have been changed for all missions and big deal #2 the daily missionary schedule has also been changed.

Now we just have extra time on pday for ourselves and at night when we get home at the end of the day. We have daily planning at different times(what works best for our mission and schedule) and we are focusing on fewer key indicators. It kind of varies for each mission, time zones, culture etc. But basically we have been given more flexibility and trust. We're excited to see how it goes. And Elder Oaks shared some excellent advice and correction for all of us. He is still my favorite.

Went to Fat Cats for our district activity and ran into a member family whose son served in Sister Blocher's (third on the left) ward back home in Texas. They bought us dinner, we shared a message with them, and they shared their testimonies with us. It was a cool experience being able to feel the spirit in a busy, noisy crowded bowling alley.

Just wanted to share one more thing before I make like a baby and head out.

I was talking to one of our investigators on the phone this morning before Pday started and we talked a lot about empathy. She is just beginning to meet with the missionaries in Louisiana and she told us that she has the ability to feel empathy so strongly for other people and she has been learning more about that word this week. We were able to help her understand more fully how the Atonement and our relationship is the most incredible example of empathy in existence and she shared how she is beginning to find so much more purpose in her life. This fills me with the kind of joy that can only be found doing missionary work and I feel so blessed.

S/O to my sister Mel and my mom for really helping me to understand that word and prepared me for this conversation before my mission. 

Sister Orellano from El Salvador trying on my hair.

Today was sunny, the birds were chirping, and it's the beginning of a new month. I hope you all enjoy it.

Snow last week. It's all almost already gone.

Love, xoxo

Sister Cox

The Rain in Spain Stays Mainly on the Plains

Just because My Fair Lady is one of my Audrey Hepburn favourites, because my companion is from Spain, I am from the plains, and it hasn't been raining but it sure has been snowing a lot. Killing 5 birds with one stone. Boom.

This week has been really really good. We have been finding new investigators on the square and from teaching center like crazy. Here we always have so many new investigators because we are a very finding centered mission and sometimes it's a little difficult to stay organized and find the time to keep track of all of them but it is a huge blessing that we have the opportunity to share the gospel so frequently. Many of them follow through and meet with local missionaries, and yes quite a few have been baptized these past transfers, and also many don't. But lately, the conversations we have been having and the people just feel very prepared and just very much in tune. I love these people so much, even just after one conversation. And I am so excited for the future that is ahead of us all.

She's going to kill me, but my District leader from Brasil had her wisdom teeth out this week and we were on exchanges and she didn't have one of those cool ice packs so we made one ourselves. :)

I wanted to share something that I really liked from a General Conference talk I was reading during personal study the other day, The Pleasing Word of God by Elder Francisco J. Viñas:

The key words are “turn away … from doing thy pleasure,” or in other words, doing God’s will. Oftentimes, our will—shaped by the desires, appetites, and passions of the natural man conflicts with the will of God. The prophet Brigham Young taught that “when the will, passions, and feelings of a person are perfectly submissive to God and his requirements, that person is sanctified.—It is, for my will to be swallowed up in the will of God, that will lead me into all good, and crown me ultimately with immortality and eternal lives” 

Okay. Eating natural food, letting your hair grow out to its natural color, living in the woods without electricity...that's not what the scriptures mean when they speak of the natural man. Thank goodness, because I really dig all of those things. The natural man is the one who is unwilling to follow God's will. Who puts the things of the world before the things of the Lord. I'm going to be honest, it's one of the most difficult things in life, rising above the natural man, because we are material girls and boys living in a material world. But we really gotta watch what kind of passions and desires are really motivating us. The promise that Brigham Young gives, that a person is sanctified, made holy, and crowned with immorality and eternal life, is a pretty incredible promise. You'd think that would be enough motivation for us all but sometimes we lack the strength to rise above it all. I look forward to the day when we really are able to rise as the Savior did. Love Him, love you, have a wonderful week all.

Xoxo,

Sister Cox

Scary protests in the street the night of Inauguration. It was SO LOUD and so angry. Felt good to be safe inside of Temple Square. 

Que Guay

FYI this week's letter jumps around, I hope you can keep up. 

My name is Sister Cox, sorry for the Ramen noodles covering the name tag.

So we walked into our glorious chapel for sacrament meeting and guess who was sitting on the Stand next to President Risenmay. ELDER COOK WHAT THE WHAT. QUE GUAY. No one knew because he and his wife last minute decided to join because they had later assignments during the day. We were all pleasantly very surprised. He spoke for a few minutes at the end and he said something that I will never forget:

"Now I am not going to tell you any of my sacred experiences because that is something that we do not share with others, but I want you to know that I have seen the Savior's face and I have heard His voice and He is real." 

The prophet and apostles are called by God and they are literal witnesses of the Savior Jesus Christ. This is not just a belief my friends, this is a truth. So grateful to have them in these latter days of increasing chaos. 

Sister Guerrero and I were exploring the Church History Museum for pday today and we found out we both share a favourite scripture in the Book of Mormon. 2 Nephi 30. This painting is such a beautiful depiction of the peace that will be on the earth someday.

So my new companion is the greatest blessing ever. She 1. Is such an incredible human being. 2. Is beautiful. 3. So humble and hardworking 4. Knows how to really enjoy life no matter what circumstance we are in annnnnd 5. Speaks very minimal English. But she has been constantly practicing and working on it and the gift of tongues is real. I have to say though, I always thought I was pretty proficient with the English language. But man has it been a wake up call trying to explain why we have so many versions of words and linking junk and past present future, rules that don't include blah blah blah. I love how many words we have to be able to communicate and express ourselves but holy cow is English complex. Because of this challenge, I am learning right along with Sister Warrior and with all of the miracles we have already seen together I can't wait to see how the Lord continues to work with us this transfer and work with her for the rest of her mission. 

Square friend meeting

So one of our investigators from Canada that I met a few months ago, has been learning about the Gospel for some time. He married a woman from the Philippines who is a member of the church but he is "just spiritual" and doesn't believe in religion. He is an incredible man with a good heart but very very stubborn. These investigators make me think of the ice and snow that accumulates on the streets and side walks. It accumulates around their hearts for some reason or another. But we "are the salt of the earth." (Matt 5, 3 Nephi 12) And just as we toss salt on the ground to melt the ice, we are placing ice on their hearts with the spirit and the love of the Savior but the hardest part is that sometimes they just brush the salt off rather than letting it rest there and soften/melt their icy hard hearts. It really is all in God's timing and I really do enjoy the process of all of this and being part of this great work. 

Music and the Spoken word first Sunday of the transfer, all new sisters and their companions attend. That's us! Sleepy face and Asian eyes, I know. :)

I hope you all have a wonderful week! 

xoxo,

Sister Cox

Bebe

My beautiful new companion Sister Guerrero, from Spain! 

Her name means warrior how cool is that???

More to come next week! 

Sister Cox