Week #34 (January 25, 2016)

Quotes and Scenes of the Week:

1) I hand my companion my iPad to put in an appt. he had set. As we
walk back to the car to go to the next appt, I hear this huge splash
behind me. I turn around.
He had fallen off a 4 foot mini bridge, and he is laying face down in
a mini sludge/mud river - motionless.
Good news? He saved my iPad.
Bad news - His clothes were pretty well ruined.

2) We go up to contact this guy inside of his car -
And when he rolls his window down, there he is, with a prescription
bottle upside down pouring into a 24 oz Sprite. He just looked up and
casually accepted the card.

3) We go back to contact a guy and teach him his 2nd lesson. When we
get to the door to teach him, we knock, and his "girlfriend" opens the door,
who was clearly a very large black man at one point in his life. We
didn't end up teaching though, because he was still at work at taco
bell.

4) In Priesthood, a brother reads out of his Bible for the group, but
there is a catch - he has a recent "translation" from some random
group, and ends up casually preaching to us all that the Sabbath is on
Saturday, yikes.

You learn a ton about yourself on a mission: for instance, that you sleep-talk.

According to my companion, I usually teach full Spanish lessons to
people. It so happens I taught seminary in Spanish the other night,
and last night I repeatedly recited the scout law, good stuff.

I had a couple of very powerful promptings this week and miraculous
experiences that followed them - let's make one the spiritual thought:

My companion and I had made TONS of plans one night. The next day we
woke up, really content with how much work we were surely going to do
that day, all of which would take place in Dallas.

As we pulled out of the complex, I got a very strong impression to turn
South (instead of West) and head toward Balch Springs, where we had
no plans for the day.

My companion was driving, and I told him to turn South. He was so
confused, and pretty ticked off, but listened to me.

As we turned and headed toward Balch Springs, I felt that we should go
to one of our really important investigators, but it didn't make any
sense because he was with his son in Tyler, TX for the next few days.

I just decided to obey the prompting - assuming that the Lord really
had something else He wanted us to do around this guy's area.

So when we parked outside of his house, I began offering up the prayer
(like we always do when we get out of the car), and mentioned "we don't
know why we are here, but we are hoping to see why..." Before I
could finish the prayer, my companion hits my arm...

I looked up bewildered and see our investigator, walking toward our car.

He's now preparing to get baptized.


Y'all have a great week!
-Elder Cox

Week #33 (January 18, 2016)

Quotes of the week:

1) Met a total crazy person on the side of the road this week; this
quote is only a slice of his yelling philosophical rant:
"People just be out here LIVING IN THE MATRIX WORLD!"

2) New investigator named Alfonso--quote from one of our lessons:
"What is the purpose of life?"
(we answer)
"And.... What do you think about witchcraft?"

This week was radical, highlighted by an investigator's baptism -
Collin Campbell!

I learned a lot teaching this guy, but I realized one big thing.

I realized that there is a big conflict between having enough sure
knowledge to act in faith and having enough faith to act without sure
knowledge.

Collin showed me that just acting in raw faith is acceptable to God.
He has so much faith, and I realized with him that "knowing" is not
something God always wants for us.

Knowledge obviates the true test of how "good" we will prove ourselves
to be in this life.

Here's Collin and I:

service project

Week #32 (January 11, 2016)

Quotes/scenes of the week:

#1) "There is a lot of nakedness in here."
- super hilarious black dude we met (referring to his kids inside)

#2) My companion, in response to the bishop asking how many people he
had helped get baptized thus far in his mission:
"I don't reveal my number."

Big news of the week- got a new companion: Elder Crockett.

I also got to go on a little exchange with one of the elders in my
district this week, some cold weather, but it was a good time.

Spiritual thought:
"Never let a problem to be solved become more important than a person
to be loved."
-Thomas S. Monson

Dealing with a person's imperfections or their struggles is always a
difficult thing, but I have come to realize that "people" and their
"problems" are two very different things that we need to treat
differently.

Have a great week - pictures at bottom= 1. Bye to Elder Maxwell 2.
Hello to Elder Crockett

-Elder Cox

Elder Maxwell leaving

My new comp, Elder Crockett

Week #31 (January 4, 2016)

Funny quotes and scenes of the week:

1) I went on a split with a hilarious Elder from rural Montana this
week, funny and patience testing events of the day included:
-When he declined to microwave the ramen I gave him for dinner and ate
it raw (w/ powder on top).
-The 3 separate occasions he asked to stop at gas stations for slushies.
-Stopping me in the middle of teaching an investigator to remind me to
be "more loving."

2) In testimony meeting, one of our recent converts (a former Baptist) gets up and says, "Today I am going to bear my testimony with a song,"
- starts singing, and what song is it? "I Believe I Can Fly."

3) Crazy Evangelical lady in a wheel chair, during a lesson, just
starts yelling out psychotically (staring at my companion):
"I SEE WINGS ON YOU!!" (as if he was an angel-yes)

BIG NEWS: Got my transfer call this morning, Elder Maxwell is leaving
the area and I'm staying, and I'm also District Leader now. My new
companion is Elder Crockett (my trainer's last companion), and I hope
he is ready to work!!

Transfers are so nerve racking. Nothing scares you more than the
prospect of getting a real disobedient or lazy comp, it can make your
next 6 weeks a real slosh.

Spiritual thought of the week:
My message this week is that the little promptings count!

In the same day, I received two little promptings that made all the difference.

The first one was to leave a move a bit early.  I felt that "They can
handle the rest no problem, go back home and finish your studies", but
instead of listening to it, I just thought "Nah, I think they need us
still, it doesn't look so good."

I disobeyed the prompting, and it ended up ruining the whole day's
plans, they didn't need more help, the Lord was right.

The second one was at the very beginning of our 2nd lesson with a
random investigator. I felt prompted out of nowhere to teach him about
the word of wisdom (pretty heavy for the second lesson).

I obeyed the prompting, and during the lesson he got up and threw his
cigarettes in the garbage right in front of us, totally miraculous.

Be good this week!
-Elder Cox

Week #30 (December 28, 2015)

Quotes/scenes of the week:

1) Little hispanic member (like 6 years old), sincerely approaches my
companion at dinner and asks: "Do you ever take your pants off?"

2) We knock on an older lady's door, she opens the door, stares at us
for a solid 23 seconds (while we introduce ourselves and try to start
conversation), then closes the door slowly... the whole time without
saying a word.

3) I beat the 6 year-old (from quote #1) that same night at chess
while his mom set the dinner table. (AND that's even after he cheated,
yeah).

Mission Christmas is super strange, you just do missionary work the
whole time, so it doesn't feel super different.

Skyping your family is the coolest thing ever on the mission, but also
extremely sad.  I miss those people a lot.

Spiritual thought of the week:

Your testimony does not have to be rock hard on every facet of the gospel
to stand. The whole message of the church is like one big blanket.
Truths about Joseph Smith, the Plan of Salvation, the Book of Mormon,
eternal families, prophets, and this church are all knitted together.
If you pick one end up and like it, and decide to wrap yourself up in
it, you can't keep yourself from believing all of it.

My own testimony is pretty simple, I have only had real serious
spiritual experiences with regards to a few big points of this
message, but that is what holds the rest of it up. I can feel
comfortable saying it's all true right now!

Much love,
Elder Cox