Suzie Cox's LDS Missionary Blog: Fish out of water

Hello from Morgan Hill, CA

I already miss my wonderful Temple Square sisters and it was hard to say goodbye to sister Silva but I know Heavenly Father will take care of all of them while I am gone. Just a funny thing that happened before I left, we were in one of the visitor centers and started to talk to a guy walking out and he just kept walking and said "GET LOST!" We were already having a lousy day so all we could do was just laugh and laugh about it. We did not get lost, quite the contrary actually. :)

I have been assigned to a city that reminds me a bit of ND and AZ and CA all mixed into one. So I feel right at home. But in other ways I feel like a fish out of water. Coming from an ocean at Temple Square, a sea of people every day to this small pond is a weird transition. I have always felt I really belonged at Temple Square. But the ward here is great and I already have learned so much, and I know I have a lot to learn still.

I am in a trio with Sister Carter from Chicago, IL and Sister Tang from Hong Kong. They are so great and we get along well.

There is only one week in the transfer left because I came a little late in the ballgame. But looking forward to all that we will accomplish. We have set some good goals and I hope to accomplish a lot here in Morgan Hill. There have been a lot of Sisters from Temple Square who have come here so they have in their minds probably their own opinion of me already but all I can do is work hard, be obedient, love muito and be a representative of the Savior and let Him do everything else. Things are definitely different here. One of the wonderful ward missionaries said this on Sunday: "doing nothing is the hardest work because one can never stop to rest." haha

This Saturday the Ward had a Temple Trip so we came with a less active and one of our recent converts so she could do baptisms in the Temple for her grandma. The other sisters went and watched baptisms and I stayed with Guinan, we talked a lot and read a conference talk that I felt she really needed to hear and walked the beautiful Oakland temple grounds. Oakland is about an hour and a half out of Morgan Hill and not technically in our mission so we were pretty lucky that we got to go. And we also get to go to San Fran this coming weekend because Sister Tang needs to take an english test so that she can apply to BYU. She is going home in OCtober. I am so blessed to get to go two weeks in a row. Plus we get to go as a mission for every general conference, and I will be here for that as well. So blessed this one is.

We have been meeting with an investigator named Peggy who came to church with us yesterday. Her son does not like mormons so she has been scared to tell him but she finally did. All in one week she's moved leaps and bounds. We are so proud of her.

My first evening we visited Joshua and his daughter Morgan wasn't there but we had a really good conversation with him and his nephew on their porch and I really felt the spirit as we spoke with him. He has a great love for his daughter that I believe will lead him to do many great things. But most of all we hope to strengthen his love of the Savior. He said he might come to church with us next Sunday with her.

Whether I am a fish, a human or a dog in or out of water I know it's where I need to be and I can choose to either sink, swim or walk on the water with the Savior. But whatever we choose he will always be with us.

Love you all have a wonderful week! I wish you a week full of swimming instead of sinking.

Sister Cox