Week #99 (April 24, 2017)

Quote of the week:

"Más sacerdotes... más poder" - Our First Counselor in my new Spanish
branch talking about priesthood blessings (translates to: "More
priests... more power" - complete doctrinal disaster)

It was a great week.

My new companion is Elder Jackson Callister from Las Vegas. He played
volleyball for Basic HS and graduated in 2016. Great guy - we are
having a blast together.

President Taylor is incredible, the mission is on fire, The Book of
Mormon is God's word.

-Elder Cox

PS - My boy Manix got baptized!

I helped move out the G6 apartment the other day, and it was raining, such good memories. 

A cake we made for Bishop Hill of the Kessler Park ward (to get referrals)

Got locked out of the apartment

These are me with a couple of people my friends were companions with in Chile - Elder Reyes (knew Dallin Bryan) and Victor someone who knew Harry Truman and Cole Ballard

Elder Brimhall and HIS trainee (Elder Villatoro) - my grandson

Week #98 (April 16, 2017)

Crazy week, training the new missionaries right now - they are
awesome. The church is true.

A talk we gave with President to 2,000 scouts

Returned to Shady Grove to see Yuritzi Hernandez (a street contact of Elder Frausto and I) be baptized

Dalton (Elder Watkins' long-term investigator in Kessler Park ward) at his baptism

bday presents in the mail

Week #97 (April 9, 2017)

Quote/scene of the week: Our investigator got up in testimony meeting
and talked all about how many times she's been shot, other instances
when she almost died, the tough life in the hood, and ended it all
with a song she sang - awesome.

The previously mentioned contrast in our ward's demographics was
epically apparent when we dined that night with the most stable young
couple, the Busby's - who just got in from California where he
finished law school at Stanford. Kessler Park Ward = The Twilight
Zone, I love it though.

Highlights of the week were many. 2 investigators passed baptismal
interviews for this coming Saturday, awesome. President got back from
70's trainings in Salt Lake and did a Q&A with us and the office
staff. My companion and I got the best note ever from lil Sis. Busby
at dinner (see pic below). It was just all around awesome sauce.

The coolest line from President Taylor's Q&A with us was this one:
(after being trained by the entire quorum of the 12 and President
Monson all week)
"It's all real. We really have prophets. Jesus really lives. This is
really His Church."

He is my idol in so many ways.

Love yall, keep reading and praying and going to church!

Elder Cox

Super cute little Sister Busby drew the elders a picture

Elder Baldwin - old mission bud

The Galvan Family (favorite family from Shady Grove)

Week #96 (April 3, 2017)

Quote of the week: "This means he is no longer 'P-Tay'.... Now, he's 'Seven-Tay'!" *this is one elder's revelation for the nickname update we'll give president since he was called to the 70's.

Been a killer week - mostly because of conference. Pretty neat watching President walk up the stand, and listening to Elder Christofferson's talk. Between those two things, I don't think I ever need to watch television again. D. Todd gets me EVERY conference, I don't know how he does it. 

I was particularly touched by the thought of guilt culture vs. shame culture as I reflected on what motivates me to change, or often times "who." Another talk that caused some good reflection was Elder Uchtdorf speaking about fear and encouraging us to recognize when we motivate others through it or allow ourselves to be influenced by it. 

Every conference I hear a few "personal calls to repentance" that really shake me up as well. Elder Rasband's call to be a "first-responder" to spiritual promptings definitely stung good.

My companion and I are still trying to get on the same wavelength - probably due to the fact that I am just a weirdo, but thankfully he is patient. The Church is true. Jesus lives. Thomas S. Monson is His prophet in these latter days. We are His Saints in these latter days. What a blessing it is to serve in His kingdom!

Me holding the parakeet at the home of a part member family in the Oak Cliff English Ward (Kessler Park)