Week #28 (December 21, 2015)

Quotes/funnies of the week:

#1) Some of the funniest black investigators you will ever meet:
*Young daughter just tooted during the lesson*
Mom: "You leave a tootsie roll?!?!?!"

#2) Two girls our age answered the door when we were knocking one day,
and after they rejected us (gigglyingly), they reopened the door and
came after us and asked (gigglyingly): "Do you guys have phone
numbers?!?!"
My companion *without thinking* says: "YAH WE DO!!"
Good thing I lied us outta that one.

#3) Super old Bible basher-
"Did you know that Mormons don't believe in Jesus Christ?"
Me: Actually we do.
Her: "Actually I have studied this church quite a bit, they don't."
Me: *showing her my really official looking ministerial certificate
from the church*                         Actually, we do.

#4) Older lady in the Spanish ward tells a story, where the two
biggest answers to the biggest questions were "a tongue"...
Right when she finishes telling the story her very old mother (who is
pretty hard of hearing) blurts out *super loud*:
"WHAT WAS THE FIRST ONE?"
"It was a tongue!"
"WHAT WAS THE SECOND ONE?"
"It was a tongue!"

This week has been great. Lots of success teaching and finding, so
that is exciting. Definitely been receiving the answers to prayers out
here in Mesquite.

BIG HAPPY BIRTHDAY to Grandma Karen!

Spiritual thought:

My Old Testament study out here has had me thinking a lot.

In the mission field and even the church in general, there are a lot
of "outward observances" a lot like the Law of Moses.

The Outward Religious observances of our lives are important, like as
a missionary, you always wear a nametag for everyone to see, with the
church's name on it.

But President Taylor has been teaching a lot about PRO, which stands for

-Personal
-Religious
-Observances

and (fittingly) it also stands for Pray.Read.Obey.

So be PRO's this week, and be just as dedicated to the Lord in your
room alone as you are in Sunday School. That is wear testimonies are
built.

-Elder Cox

Week #27 (December 14, 2015)

Quotes of the week:

#1) Roy - one of our investigators (and just a real interesting dude
all around) with a great, slow southern drawl:
"I read that part of the Book of Mormon in Nephi chapter 2... It was a
lot of 'loins' man... loins, loins, loins..., but the next chapter
was really good."

#2) Darryl Thompson - investigator who was playing college football,
about 320 lbs and my height, and who now does roadside assistance
(describing a house):
"I walk up into this house, look around, and I think.. 'Man, y'all
GOT YA OWN ZIP CODE up in hur?!?!'"

Another funny story came to my mind:
Darryl was telling me about a roadside assistance call he got, and
some lady locked herself in the car and wouldn't unlock it, and his
crazy little brother David says:

"I thought man, let's call the PO-lease, this ladee got a MEN-tull PROB-lum."

#3) Bill Nivons - a super humble guy we found tracting. He's a little
baptist guy, with super simple faith in God, talking to us about his
church:
"My Sundee School teacher says that y'all Mormons aren't going to
heaven, but I think ya are."


Christmas party week was awesome in our English ward, lots of good
food and a stellar primary Nativity performance at the end of the
night.

Then the next day we had 5 investigators at church, blessins' on blessins'.

Word to the wise, missions are really tiring, but they are super
awesome, so they're worth it.

The biggest battle on the mission is really against yourself. Just
trying to tell the "natural man" to be quiet and discipline yourself
into being diligent, loving, patient, and most of all - obedient.

Spiritual thought:

I've been thinking a lot about my own testimony the last couple of
weeks and months, where it's at, how I got it, how it's grown, etc.

I realize that my own experiences with personal revelation defy
the rest of the experiences in my life.

At the end of the day, the things I "know'" through personal revelation
are the only things I actually "know"  for sure. Everything else that I
"know" is based on some pretty solid assumptions, but doesn't compare
in value to the things I know through revelation.

The things I know through revelation are: the truth of the church, the
reality of the calling of Joseph Smith, and that Jesus Christ lives
and loves us.

Past that, the other parts of my testimony, my other worldly
knowledge, etc. is strong, but it's not the whole package deal.

-Elder Cox

early Christmas present from self-interested parents who like easily written letters

taken at new convert's house

Week #26 (December 7, 2015)

Quotes of the week:

#1) Totally crazy dude on his porch *accompanied by dramatic hand motions*
"You know when you got your intellectual over here, and your soldier
over here, and your spiritual in the middle?!"

#2) Baptist convert giving her testimony this Sunday:
"I'm gonna be honest, I'm having a culture crisis in the church, I
just wanna shout 'Halelujah!' and (pointing behind her) CAN I GET
SOME DRUMS?!"

#3) Another Baptist convert during Sunday school:
"Mmmmm I luh me sum Jesus!"

This week was a long one, every now and then you get a little sad in
the mission. But I know this next one will be a bit brighter, there's
always hope and happiness ahead, just like Holland says.

We have some great people really progressing towards baptism, I'll
send pictures of there services here in a few weeks, but until then,
just keep praying for Roy, Hazel, Jackie, Shaqueeta, Oscar, José, and
The Aldrege family- they are so close!

Miracle of the week:
One of our investigators who is preparing for baptism shared an
amazing experience.

She said she came home one day and her mom was watching an anti-Mormon
documentary, she started yelling at her and berating the church.

She said she just started praying that her mom would calm down, and
then, her mom just chilled out. Like completely calmed down right in
front of her. She said it literally was like an instantaneous thing,
really dramatic.

I can honestly say I've seen and been a part of miracles in the
mission field. I've said things in blessings and made promises in
lessons I can't support logically, but they happen.

Truly my witness of this gospel doesn't come from those, though. My
witness of the gospel is the same it was when I was a 14 year old who
prayed about it for the first time.

I know that our Savior lives, I know Joseph Smith was another one of
his prophets.

Be good this week!

-Elder Cox

With new companion, Elder Maxwell

**an additional experience he shared in his family email

I can honestly say that we experienced a miracle this last week.

I was driving home and approaching the freeway when I felt that we shouldn't get onto the freeway. So I kinda swerved out of our lane going to the on ramp and kept going towards a part of the area I've never seen. Felt prompted to turn onto another random street.

I stopped and pointed to a random house and said' "we are gonna knock this door."

Some random guy named Jeremy we'd never met came out. He knew quite a bit about the church, had been before, and told us he was just thinking about coming back recently, and committed to come to church. As he told us all of that info my jaw literally dropped. Amazing.

With the way the work is, I've had a lot of those prompting experiences having to do with knocking or teaching a specific principal.  The Spirit is a real thing.

I know that this week he will work with me to get me more energy and more happiness in the work.

I know that this work is God's, the sacred truths of the Gospel are so special and unique. Enjoy them and study them daily!

-much love
Elder Cox 

Week #25 (November 30, 2015)

Quotes of the week:
"Elder Riggs will be replacing Elder Langford as Assistant."
(I teased him saying that would happen for 3 months while I lived in
the same apartment).  Elder Riggs in fact being made Assistant.  I'm clairvoyant.

One of our part-member families we're working with - her husband tells us
this when we ask him what's keeping him from baptizing his wife:
"I need to lose this weight first. I can't go into the font looking like this."

Happy thanksgiving everyone, I hope it was great, mine was awesome with two dinners,
both from my new Spanish Ward (I'm covering an English one as well).
First we ate American food, then we ate El Salvadorean turkey. Both were delicious.

This new area is huge.  I'm in Mesquite, TX. We cover parts of Dallas,
Mesquite, and Balch Springs. We are in a car- which is the most
depressing thing ever. Nothing beats the bike life.

Elder Maxwell, my new comp, is awesome. Hilarious little dude who is
strong on obedience and wants to work hard with me!

Here's me and the Cuban maintenance man from my last apartment- hardest goodbye there was.


Spiritual thought:  our restored knowledge of the Plan of Salvation makes the Savior and his role so much larger in our lives.  The Plan of Salvation answers questions like - why did Jesus come? What would happen without him? Why would that happen? 
Be good this week!

New address is:
913 W Cartwright #102
Mesquite, TX 75149

Awesome Cuban Maintenance Guy at our Garland Apt.

Week #24 (November 23, 2015)

Quotes of the week:
1) Tony, relatively toothless investigator we found this week,
speaking on the topic of his lizard:
"Yah sometimes he dudn't move fer 2 or three days and I think he's DEAD!"
*hysterical toothless laugh*

2) Tony, now speaking on the topic of a guy he rents a room in his
apartment to:
"Yeh he's got a pretty big scar on his face, someone tried to cut him
in half with a machete."

Scene of the week:
Freezing night (below 40 deg), we tap on a door, walk away, and 5
minutes later when we pass back by, the man we had met there the other
day- named Calendario ("Calendar" in Spanish)- is outside shirtless
smoking a cigarette. Dude, seriously?

This week is absolutely a tragedy- I'm getting transferred out of G6 Spanish.

Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years are all gonna be spent
somewhere else now. Where? And with whom? That will all be found out in
transfer meeting tomorrow.

Spiritual thought:
I've had multiple lessons, contacts, and discussions this week
centered around the same idea->

The difference between an evidential and a spiritual witness.

Whether it was someone who asked to see the Gold Plates, someone
curious about locations of Book of Mormon battles, or just someone who
plainly challenged my belief that JosephSmith was a prophet - many
instances this week lead me to the same truth.

A witness of spiritual truths (i.e. Truths that are intertwined with
God and religion) will be a spiritual witness, not a physical or
evidential one.

Of course I find comfort and happiness knowing that the evidence of
Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon's truthfulness is plentiful and
convincing, but I don't rely on that.

If an Apostle went apostate today and started his own church, if my
mission president fell away, or even if some "new evidence" emerges,
my spiritual witness of the truth of this gospel and church remains
untouched.

Have a great week!
-Elder Cox

Week #23 (November 16, 2015)

First of all-Happy B-day to Kaylee Cox and Maddy Hawkes!!!!

Quotes of the week:

Exchange with little lady cutting our hair in the little tiny Vietnamese shop:
My companion: "Am I gonna go bald?"
Little lady: "Nope.... Not unless you MESS UP YA LIFE!"
(She also gave us some tasty sweet Vietnamese fruits.)

The most common exchange in Spanish (happens about 20x a day):
(10 minute conversation about how many churches there are, how you can
know which one is right, and why it's important to look)
Us: "And so, would you like to hear our message, about our church, and
see if it's the right one?"
Everyone: (super intense 10 seconds of thinking, uncomfortable shrug,
heavy sigh, then super quickly and while walking away) "I mean I'm a
good person and that's the point of religion right?"

Last but not least, Hermana Lopez, a super intense Hondureña en the ward:
Elder Riggs: "Your wifi isn't working to send the pictures."
Hermana Lopez, frazzledly: "YOU ARE THE ONE NOT WORKING!"

Those pictures that elder Riggs was trying to send to the mission nurse were of my finger. It's actually a pretty good story:

I emerge from eating dinner at the Lopez house (riding my bike), and
start riding down the street.  A tiny dog emerges and starts chasing me, I turn on the bike and give
it a sweet kick to the face, just as it comes to bite my ankle, but
right as I turn away from my sweet kick, boom-slam into a parked car like an idiot.
My hand went right through the tail light and got pretty sliced up.
6 stitches later, and my middle finger looks just as beautiful as
ever.  The Lopezes are amazing and got us from the hospital late that
night.

Spiritual thought:

Don't let the little dogs in life pull your attention away from my
important stuff.  Mosiah 3:19 talks to us about "yielding to the enticings of the Holy
Spirit."  Those are subtle; if your attention is elsewhere you aren't
gonna catch 'em.

Just last night, I am walking through an apartment complex when I feel
the subtle enticing of the Holy Spirit to knock this random door. It's
a contact we made weeks ago. She asks why we didn't come to her lesson
scheduled days earlier, and we reset the lesson time for later this
week.

haircut 

bike accident 

6 stitches 

Week #22 (November 9, 2015)

Garland is amazing right now, we've recently found some amazing
families. And it's cold.

Quotes/scenes of the week:
#1) Riding down the sidewalk, Elder Riggs behind me (on an exchange), I hear:
"RSHHHCUHSCRUSH," turn around, Elder Riggs is on his back.  He was zoned out
and hit a cable, and just cracking up with his bike on top of him....
He went to the hospital that night.


#2) Street contact:
Us: We share about how God has provided his gospel so we can improve
to become more like Him. Would you like to hear about it?
Him: "I think that's sacrilegious because you're saying you're
becoming like God."
Us: Remember when God said 'Be ye perfect even as I or your Father who
art in Heaven is perfect?
Him: "I just think God wants us to be individuals."


#3) African Street contact,
"I grew up in a Muslim family, but I just believe in 'One Love'. It's
like where everybody really is just worshiping one God. Because you
see if I focus on just one religion, that would require me to say that
some other people are wrong."


Quite the week. Nothing overly notable, just found a lot of amazing
people, so here's a spiritual thought:

Quote #2 who just sounds ridiculous and #3 who says "...that would
require me to say that some other people are wrong..." may sound like
a breed who we rarely encounter. He's actually more common than any of
us want to think.

If I'm being honest, every Spanish contact or lesson begins with:
"You know we're ________, but basically are all worshipping the same
exact a God, so religion isn't even real is it? There is actually just
one religion, worshipping God!"

While they don't mention "One Love", it's the same idea. The idea that
we don't have to draw definitive lines in the sand. The idea that an
offensive truth is unworthy of acceptance.

Let's all step up, out on big kid pants, and think a little more than that.
Start by answering the 4 primary questions we learned I the area
conference Sunday:

1) Is there a God? Is He my Father?
2) Is Jesus Christ His son?
3) Was Joseph Smith a prophet of God?
4) Is the Church God's kingdom on Earth?

The answers to those questions are definitive, but they are definitely
not popular.

I know that God is our Father. His Son Jesus Christ lives and I know
Him. Joseph Smith was Their prophet who guided the Restoration of
Their kingdom to the Earth.

And with those answers, it appears we must get to work.

Love ya all, keep it up!

-Elder Cox

Eating at Branch President's House (his young daughters featured here, as well as Elder Richins - Elder Riggs' new companion from Idaho)

Got the Coat!

Week #21 (November 2, 2015)

Quotes of the week:
#1) Elder Nash (hilarious elder I went on a split with this week), the
night before Halloween:
Investigador: "Why don't you all work on Halloween?"
Elder Nash (being serious): "Because some people think: 'Halloween,
great night to kill some missionaries.'"

#2) Random street contact
Me: "Hey would you mind if we left ya a card from our church?"
Him: "Sure, if you don't mind some Marijuana smoke!"

#3) La Estrella (tiny El Salvadoreña who I call "The Star")
(on the phone at 12:37 am before church)
Me: "Hey! Will we be seeing you at church today?!"
La Estrella: "The thing is, my kids are sleeping right now, and their
uncle has to take them to school tomorrow. Sorry, can't make it."

This week was lots of fun.  Halloween night, we did an ultimate frisbee
tourney in the church with the whole zone (because we can't be
outside), and my branch won the tourney!

One of our newer investigators -Ana- came to church this Sunday for
fast and testimony meeting -- she is awesome as well. Looking forward to
her progression in the gospel.

Special shout outs to Auntie Jill for another thoughtful letter and
Grandma Karen for a couple of SWEET jackets and some really sweet
letters -- y'all are the best.

Keep in mind this week President Bednar's advice that "You cannot live
on borrowed light."  A personal testimony of our Savior is really what
makes life on your own meaningful. Don't leave your house when you're
18 without your own testimony. So many people tell us about religious
parents and the great opportunities they had to follow God, and yet
feel empty inside.

My own testimony has become my most prized possession here away from
the ones I love. It ties me to my Heavenly Family and keeps my
perspective on something far greater than myself.

I know that Jesus Christ lives, I know that the Book of Mormon is
true.  If you aren't sure of these things, I hope you all can arrive
there soon, or hold onto those testimonies you've received.

Much love,
Elder Cox

My 3rd Companion, Elder Brimhall

Mom and Dad's Halloween package

Week #20 (October 26, 2015)

Quote of the week:

Random electrician mowing his lawn: "I personally find the King James
Version to be a good translation of the bible." (Apparently an expert
in Hebrew as well) and later, "I could be an English professor, but I
prefer to work with my hands."

Random guy (who happens to be African American):
"I debate my equals, everyone else?-I teach...Get out your pen and
take a few notes on some historical facts."
"God is black... According to Egyptian Scrolls...Gay Europeans changed
the Bible."
"Did you know whites people are outnumbered 15:1 on this planet?!"
"The idea that I would be found getting taught by a couple WHITE BOYS
on the street!..."

 Pretty ho hum week.... Except for the fact that it was the week
before my mother's birthday! Everyone better get that lady a birthday
wish ASAP, it's not everyday you turn 27.

We got a couple investigators to church this week, and one I see huge
potential in.

My new trainee Elder Brimhall is a beast and spoke this Sunday. Also
we got soaked this week in some serious rainstorms - that was a blast.

Got some amazing packages from Grandma Karen and my mama, magical to
say the least.

Spiritual thought of the week:

The Savior actually lives. Just spend a few minutes thinking about Him
today or tonight. The more I think of Him, the better my days go.
I know that He lives, He has carried my burdens during my really short
time as a missionary.

Love you all,
Elder Cox

Week #19 (October 19, 2015)

Quotes of the week:

#1) Atheist (like 45 year-old white guy) pulls of the street and just
starts cussing us out like crazy in this parking lot through his
large white van-window. The homeless people we had said hello to
proceeded to defend us by cussing him out back (and threatening
physical violence), and once he leaves, the craziest homeless dude
says "Don't even worry about that guy man - he's just jealous that you guys
can have 2 wives."

#2) Chinese lady walking into a Chinese store:
Me: "Hi how's it going, do you speak any English?" (Reasonable
question in Garland, trust me)
Her: "I BEEN IN THE UNITED STATES SINCE BEFORE YOU WAH BORN! Citizen
since 1979 BABY!!"

Exciting week, in another electric transfer meeting I found out that I
am training again!  My trainee Elder Brimhall is a stud from Snowflake, AZ and he already
has pretty solid Spanish, he practically be training me this transfer.

My new zone is awesome as well. We have an Elder Ahmed from Syria. He
is amazing, has stories of getting stopped at checkpoints with church
materials, escaping, terrible war all around, but coolest of all....
His 10 member group that meets in a tiny room for sacrament.

The investigator pool we have is huge, but in all honesty not too
amazing - only a few are truly progressing towards ordinances. We really
have a hard time helping people come to church and read.  Just
commitment in general is a big challenge.

We do have some really exciting investigators though. Can I tell a cool story?

One investigator, named Armando, accepted the Plan of Salvation lesson
really well. In our return appointment I started asking him questions
like, "So what do you think our church has to do with this?" "What do
you think is the relationship between our church and the 'Gospel of
Jesus Christ' and baptism?" "What do prophets have to do with these
things?" I was just seeing what his interest level/understanding was
like...

He responded that he really didn't know, that was what intrigued him.
We left a Restoration pamphlet and just the thought that we need
prophets to administer the gospel with the Priesthood. And before he
even looked into the Pamphlet and read about Joseph Smith, he
commented, "I've definitely thought before that we need one of those
men like Abraham or Moses in our day."

God definitely prepares the minds and hearts of people to hear this message.

Be good this week! Read and pray everyday.

-Elder Cox

PS: Major congrats to Sœur Jackson who will be killin it in the Paris,
France mission!!

Hermano Lopez- awesome ward member!

Ward Mission Leader Oscar Garcia 

my new companion, Elder Brimhall

Transfer Meeting

Elder Huber (one of my very first zone leaders)