Take care of your colds

This week we had a lot of exchanges so I got to know the Sisters in our zone a lil better and will continue to throughout these next couple weeks. Can't believe Thanksgiving is already next week.. This mission kind of has a lot on the plate, a lot to do, so many people we talk to everyday, (which is a HUGE blessing, but can get tiring at times) a lot of routine and many of the Sisters get really stressed out and need help coping with a lot of things. So often as zone leaders our missionary work involves helping these wonderful Sisters have the strength and guidance that they need to not only have success in this work but also to find joy in it. It's a humbling experience. 

Our zone training meeting this week, the district leaders gave wonderful trainings. And we feasted on excellent food made by all the sisters. one a professional chef.

So in our special Temple Square sister missionary Sacrament meetings that start at 7:30 in the mern, the Sisters who are going home soonish are usually the ones giving the talks. I'll be giving mine next week.....so crazy. Also for those of you who don't know when I am coming home I arrive home the 24th of January in Bismarck, ND. We don't need to think about that yet, but I figure a lot are going to be asking about it in the next few months so I'd rather just let you know now, ok? :) onward. 

We had a zone service project this week and went to help out at Days For Girls. They sew feminine hygiene kits to send all over the world. People always think to give money, food, water, but do they think about those poor women and girls having periods without anything. This is such a beautiful foundation and I want to look into it more after my mission. 

This week re-read the talk "The Truth of All Things" from the Priesthood session of General Conference in October and what he wrote in his journal on his mission really struck a chord with my soul: 

“ I have pledged with my Father in Heaven and with myself to do my very best, to give it 100 percent for the rest of my life, whatever I am asked, I'll do, but for now I have the rest of my mission and I am going to make it a great mission, one that I won't feel bad about, but not for me, for the Lord. I love the Lord, and I love the work, and I just pray that that feeling will never leave me. " -Elder David F. Evans

Panos don't always catch the most accurate depictions eh? Some of the sisters in our zone.

I also pray that feeling will NEVER leave me. I have felt such a fullness being here on my mission that I have found no where else and I am so grateful for that time. But it doesn't just have to be here, that feeling goes everywhere because it's the Holy Ghost and the power of the Atonement that fills the holes, and blows me up like a balloon. But I have to work at it sometimes to keep it, even on a mission. And I was thinking this week, you know how if you run when you start to get a cold it can help to prevent the cold? TBH that's the time in my life when I DEFINITELY don't want to work out, I just want to be a bum. But that's kind of how prayer is sometimes, the times when we don't want to pray, are probably the times when we need to most. Am I right? It's cold season, so drink lots of water, get enough sleep and workout even when you don't want to and pray when you don't want to okay?  Mom, I know you're reading this, so thank you for teaching me everything I know. Love you. 

We got to go the dress rehearsal for "Savior of the World," it's a musical about the Savior's birth and resurrection and starts during the Christmas season at the conference center. It's beautiful would recommend. My comp and I right before. 

Our investigators are doing great. A family in Florida is going to get baptized soon, we have some really wonderful investigators preparing for baptism. And our investigator here who I met before out bound is still on the right track, but he lives with his girlfriend so he can't get baptized yet because Law of Chastity. So they are planning on it soon. He's so ready, and honestly has been from the moment I met him on Temple Square. I think he is truly one of those people I promised I would find on my mission. 

Alrighty, well have a good week I love you all to the moon and back.

Love, Sister Cox

Went hiking again today. Will probably go every pday until it's impossible to:) If you have any good recommendations of hikes within 20 min of Temple Square let me know. 

not much has changed...climbing mountains is still my favourite thing:)

But actually a lot has changed here in this mission, I'll only share a few things later on in the email. This week was crazy! I love being so so busy it keeps my mind focused on where I'm at. 

It's good to be near my favourite Christus statue again.

We had MLC and Sister Evaga and I gave a training with the focus: Converse to Immerse. We talked mainly on how these people we meet everyday have been put in our path for a reason and we can't be robots just preaching at them. Their souls are as real as ours. We focused a lot on Elder Rasband's Talk "By Divine Design" I would recommend 10/10 read it! 

My New Zealander's. Sis Smith and Evaga

Meeting cool people everyday Temple Square is still awesome, but we haven't had as much time out on the square lately or doing teaching center because we have been preparing so many trainings: MLC, our zone training meeting, Welfare Square training (for the new Sisters and ourselves because we are white washing welfare square. Yes white washing is actually a thing here at Temple Square.) It just means we are both starting out new in the area. But Carole was baptized while I was gone and Garrett is still on date he just needs to get married! and we just found a family that are all on date for this month. Miracles.

Describes our relationship pretty well.

But one day some missionaries in the Salt Lake City mission came onto the square with a cute old little vietnamese lady and they were trying to find Sisters here at Temple Square who spoke Vietnamese, but we don't have any.... But the closest mission that does is guess where??? San Jose, Ca! And my zone leader there is in the Vietnamese program. Because both missions have facebook the missionaries there in San Jose will hopefully be able to teach her over video chat on FB. TECHNOLOGY IS SO WONDERFUL. Missionaries all over the world unite!! (ultimate punch) Also I met a woman who works for the company my mission President owns, and we will be teaching her more. Through facebook. Also we have smart phones now. So that's also a freaky new change that I don't know how to feel about yet, eventually the mission will transition from ipads to everyone using their own smartphone. 

In 1974 President Kimball shared, "I believe that the Lord is anxious to put into our hands inventions of which we laymen have hardly had a glimpse." You believed right President Kimball. So many things are being used to help move the Lord's work forward. I love that this stuff is teaching me how to use these tools better not only now but also after my mission. TBH I was a little frustrated about it at first because starting my mission, one of the things I looked forward to was escaping my phone and the world of social media. But God knows what he's doing and I have already seen so many miracles through all of these changes. But, "They need to be our servants not our masters." I just want to testify, we DO NOT NEED BE A SLAVE TO OUR SMARTPHONES. 

The most wonderful hiking day ever. 4 hours (at least) long. But so worth it. And we met some South Africans on the way up who are here in Utah for a bit. They're cool and they seem pretty potential. We invited them to come take a tour at Temple Square. 

We went hiking today up to Grandeur Peak Trail. Sister Evaga's first summitt. There were so many different analogies that came to mind but I thought of how much we anticipate that peak, reaching the summit but it is all about the journey up. We start our missions and think about that end point, even though we try not to, it happens. But it is so important to just enjoy the journey and where we are at. It's especially weird to think that I only have two more transfers here, I am almost at the bottom of my mountain. Or maybe I'm almost to the summit who knows. Either way, I am loving the climb. I could go a lot more into depth but I think I have overwhelmed ya'll with my words enough for the night. 

Always good to be in my natural habitat.

love you all have a superb week.

Sister Cox

My companion is literally Beyonce.

Also she was actually a model pre mission life. Just let me show her off:)

Hullo. I'm back in Salt Lake City Utah and it's weeeird

Sometimes I need to make lists when I am trying to organize the chaos of the week so

An update on the past week in San Jose:

• I ate Balut and cow tongue in one day! Balut was gross, lingua was good. I'll try to send a video. 

• We took a trip to the Temple and watched some movies in the visitor center. One of the girls in our ward brought her daughter and it was fun to be able to be with a kiddo again. I'm going to miss Sister Sneddon as my companion. She is an incredible missionary and we had an incredible, spirit soaked transfer together. 

• I had a birthday, we had a last final district breakfast. I love my district. Even when they cream my face. 

• Thanks for the birthday wishes I felt your love! And here was a present from my roommates that night, they put balloons under the covers. It gave me a fright. 

• Said goodbyes to the wonderful branch and had an incredible conversation with a man on the plane back to temple square. Heavenly Father is always putting people in our paths. Shout out to my mom for always doing awesome missionary work on airplanes. (Have to sit and listen because trapped right?:)) 

In Utah:

• Everything feels new all over again, and I am officially back at Temple Square. There are so many new sisters and I know a handful of them because so many new ones came in while I was gone. Lawls
• Sister Evaga and I will be zone leaders at Welfare Square! Yay for cheese and chocolate milk! 

• It's pretty quiet here this time of year at temple square especially in comparison to the San Jose campus, but looking forward to bringing some beautiful souls to Christ. with sister Evaga this transfer (pronounced evanga) 

And I might need to take some time to do this more often this transfer. Thanks for your example Sister Sneddon. 🏼

Love you all, have an incredible week 

Sister Cox 

Fear and weakness in 3D

Yellow 

We had really awesome lessons this week even though, half of our investigators/less active members bailed. Our ratios for lessons set up to lessons actually happening is about 6:3 so it's a solid 50% that all of the people will come to our appointments. Haha not too shabby. Just need to book up our days and prepare for the best:) 

We will hopefully be taking a trip to the temple/visitor center in Oakland with a bunch of investigators and less active members and members on Saturday. Should be good.

The Branch here is tiny and the person who was supposed to teach Sunday school wasn't there so we taught and the lesson was the Law of Chastity. But it totally wasn't awkward. Actually a great lesson, everyone was super involved. We would be nothing without the spirit, holy cow. I seriously know that God gave us the commandment to reserve our abilities to create life until after marriage for a sacred purpose. And wow has it blessed my life and my family's life as well. Shout out to my siblings and parents for getting married in the Temple and for being able to maintain their marriages through the tough times. 

We had an awesome Zone conference this week and here are some thoughts and noteworthies: "we don't need to be forgiven of our weakness. Our weaknesses are given so that we can be humble and learn to rely on the Lord."

Something I needed to hear and I think we all need to hear sometimes. To compare it to gymnastics, I grew up with it as part of my life so it's fun to relate it to the gospel. It was easy to get caught up in feeling self critical for the weakness I had in not having the natural strength on the bars or the ability to have no emotions while on the beam so I could just be focused, I WANTED SO BADLY NOT TO GET NERVOUS in front of a crowd! I felt those were the things I needed to change. But in essence those were my weaknesses. The things I would need to "repent" of would be, not doing the workouts during the week to give the strength I need for bars, or practicing the routine enough times so when I am in front of the crowd and the nervousness hits, I can rely more on muscle memory. 

I have felt these things on a mission a lot as well. The weakness I have in not being brave enough to talk to every person I see about the gospel, or my inability to be consistently full of energy in the morning. But I can strengthen my faith and rely on prayer to overcome my fears and I can go to bed early to be able to be better at waking up on time. There are things we can control and things we cannot. But the most important thing is to rely on the Lord.

President Hunt also shared about how Satan has a 3D attack:

• Destroy 
• Distort 
• Distract 

He sneaks up in the most unobvious ways. Watch out for him and read your scriptures and pray everyday this week okay? I love you people and don't want Satan to sneak attack you. I WILL NOT LOSE YOU.

In the spirit of Halloween we and our roommates have been hiding a massive plastic spider everywhere around our apartment (in our beds, in the pizza box in the fridge, in the shower, etc.) and it finally doesn't give me a heart attack anymore. It's fun. 

But to end here is a good scripture that I put up on the door before leaving everyday to go do the Lord's work: 

Job 31: 34 ​"Did I fear a great multitude, or did the contempt of families terrify me, that I kept silence, ​and​ went not out of the door?"

And to answer that with another scripture Isaiah 41:10:

10 ​​¶ ​​​​Fear​ thou not; for I ​am​ with thee: be not dismayed; for I ​am​ thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.

Have a great week everyone! 

FYI I will have one more week here in San Jose and then will be heading back to Salt Lake City on November 1st.☹️

Love,

Sister Cox

I'm a cucumber

It was a wonderful week! 

All week this random cucumber song has been in my head and one random night after a crazy busy day I was singing it and made an analogy about how we need to go through hard things like vinegar to become a pickle and then on Sunday someone spoke about that exact same thing and how our personal conversion sometimes is like the process of becoming a cucumber to a pickle, needing to be cleaned prepared, and then soaked in vinegar for a long time. We are all cucumbers becoming pickles!

Also Erik was baptized this week so that was beautiful. 

We had a big group come for his baptism and he's already doing things like indexing and getting a calling and he's just such a good egg. It'll be weird to leave this branch after becoming so close with everyone just in a few weeks! 

We had a service project a couple mornings ago helping set up a pumpkin patch/carnival event. The parks and recreation director was there and guess what her name was? Yep. Leslie.  (for those who watch parks&rec) 

We went to Santa Cruz today with our district and played on the beach all day and we are taking a bus home, where I am currently writing this email. But I'm starting to get car sick so I will wrap this up quick. 

We are teaching some amazing people right now, one of them is 7th Day Adventist that we met by the bus stop last week and others we met through an institute instructor here at San Jose. Some kids in his class were interested in learning more a little in depth and on a more one to one level. So we are pumped to teach them all more this week. 

I love you all! Let me end with some wholesome readings from this week that I loved:

Read about Nephi being so good at keeping the commandments. I loved his determination, "we won't leave until we have accomplished what our father has asked us to do." I need to have that kind of determination. Figure out what my father wants me to accomplish here or in life, and then do it. And don't give up till I have done it. 

Also read about the parable of the friend at midnight. Someone comes to his friend's home at midnight asking for bread, but he doesn't have bread so he goes to his neighbors house and persistently knocks until he answers and he gives him the bread even though he is hesitant. 

"The Lord’s lesson was, that if man, with all his selfishness and disinclination to give, will nevertheless grant what his neighbor with proper purpose asks and continues to ask in spite of objection and temporary refusal, with assured certainty will God grant what is persistently asked in faith and with righteous intent." 

(Jesus the Christ Ch 26) ASK AND YE SHALL RECEIVE KNOCK AND IT SHALL BE OPENED UNTO YOU. We need to have the faith and be persistent. It will come, and it is always good to ask for good things like the Holy Ghost to be with you. 

Have a great week! I LOVE THE SAN JOSE MISSION AND I LOVE BEING A MISSIONARY. AND I LOVE YOU ALL 

Our district went to Santa Cruz for pday today

District meeting this week. It's a big district

Pizza lovin

On the way to Santa Cruz 

I've been on my mission for 14 months and so has my roommate sister Larsen.

Eriks baptism! 

Eriks baptism!

There's a light at the end of the doughnut

More pics from Santa Cruz last week: is this not just a total iconic Cali pic?

Quote to begin the day: "there's a light at the end of the doughnut." 

District Service at the Institute

Haha just misheard a phrase from Sister Sneddon. She said there's a light at the end of the tunnel but I heard "there's a light at the end of the doughnut." I must have been hungry. There's always a good thing that can come of situations, whether it's light or doughnuts, I know not. But I enjoy both. 

Also I live with Sis Sneddon, Sis Larsen (Utah) and Sis Grumal (Philippines).

Goodbyes with the ward mission leader in mo hill.

This week was full of so many changes..again! I do miss all of my people in good ol' Morgan Hill a lot but it is good to be in the heart of San Jose, right next to San Jose State University. It's interesting being so close to a campus when I'm not going to the campus to study, I'm going there to share the message of the restoration. We've already had some pretty neat experiences and it's definitely a push out of the comfort zone every single day. Haha sometimes it's awkward to be a missionary, but then you just learn to make it not awkward or just shake it off. Like that one time a couple of days ago when I tried really hard to make a conversation out of a bagel sitting on a trash can next to some guys, they were totally not interested. Practice makes perfect. 

Goodbyes with Peggy and Sis Hansen

The members we are with here are great. It's not a ward but a branch. Which is basically just a small congregation. And it's ysa (young single adult) so everyone is basically age 18-30. 

Amanda..someone will be joining the Branch this week ERIK! ERIK IS GOING TO BE BAPTIZED THIS THURSDAY. Erik saw a booth on campus for institute and decided to sign up as a social thing, started meeting with the missionaries and within a couple weeks is ready to be baptized. He is as gold as Pony boy. 

Sister Sneddon's birthday was this week. She's 20!

Another cool thing this week, I would randomly say things like, "Do you think any of the sisters have a blow dryer I could borrow I don't have one." 

Boom, Found one in the missionary boutique.(a clothing exchange thing for missionaries)

Or "ah I don't have nail polish remover I need to buy some." One minute later opened one of the drawers next to my bed, boom there is a bottle of nail polish remover. And I had lost my water bottle in the transition of transfers. We were at the church building where the mission office is for zone sports on Saturday morning, and just as we were going out the door, Boom there's my water bottle right in front of the door, just sitting there like, "here I am, did you miss me?" YES I DID.

MIRACLES. 

From General Conference last weekend, I loved the talk from Elder Donald L. Hallstrom where he spoke about Miracles. He said:

"Today I testify of miracles. Being a child of God is a miracle. Receiving a body in His image and likeness is a miracle. The gift of a Savior is a miracle. The Atonement of Jesus Christ is a miracle. The potential for eternal life is a miracle."

Because it's OCTOBER

I believe that with ever kinky hair on my head, and I see miracles every single day here on my mission that let me know God exists and hears my hopes and thoughts and desires. Even the small silly ones like, nail polish remover, blow driers and water bottles.

You can find the whole talk on LDS.org. The talk is titled: "Has the day of miracles ceased?" 

I love you all and dont forget to notice the little & big miracles in your life this week! 

Sister Cox

Met this family and had to say goodbye to this family all in one night. LOVE THEM

Read Book of Mormon stories children's picture book, the illustrations are killer like this one of kids playing leapfrog.

Last pic with the Trio before Sister Ting Tang walla walla bing bang left.

Happy October!

Happy October! Can't believe it's already October..

It's Transfer week so here are the new news. I will be transferring up to San Jose to be with the Young Single Adult ward and will be spending a lot of time near San Jose State University. I will be with Sister Sneddon from Temple Square.. weird..and will be there for about 4 weeks and then we will head back to Temple Square. Kind of random and weird but President Hunt is excited about it so I suppose I am too. I will miss all of the wonderful families I have met here in Morgan Hill. Part of my heart will always belong here.

Exchanges

GENERAL CONFERENCE THIS WEEKEND WAS SO GOOD, like I can't even pick favourite quotes or talks because I seriously loved every single one.

At the Temple, San Fran is behind me! 

We also went to the Temple in Oakland this week so it was a very, very good week. 

Last week pday we went to Santa Cruz and went to the beach (didn't swim of course). And Sister Tang has been getting ready to head back to Hong the Kong. I will miss her!

The beach!

We had splits this week again and I got to teach some more in Espanol with Hermana Iverson. 

Sorry to keep it so brief. But I'll just end with a scripture I read in D&C this week:

"38 What I the Lord have spoken, I have spoken, and I excuse not myself; and though the heavens and the earth pass away, my word shall not pass away, but shall all be fulfilled, whether by mine own voice or by the voice of my servants, it is the same."

With General Conference happening, I feel this scripture encompasses it well. Those who speak at conference are called to represent Jesus Christ. Their words are His words. 

Kind of cool that we are called as missionaries to do that too. 

Combined DM

Time to get back to the work. Have a wonderful week everyone. Love you

Sister Cox

A magical place where hundreds of monarchs migrate every year