Week 56: A Lot Happened.

So this week is kind of a blur.

I wasn't feeling 100% (my first time being pretty sick while out here that I can think of)- and we had to give talks at sacrament meeting (my first full-length talk as a missionary! I know, everyone is surprised I was able to avoid it for so long!). So those things both kind of.. yeah (talks aren't bad and if you're asked to give one do it! It's a great learning experience lol I just am not the best at it..😂).

But, one miracle that happened is when we went to visit Linda (it had been a while since we've been able to go over and teach her) she had her neighbor Trudy over and they were talking and visiting with each other. We were able to join them and get to know her a little bit and as we shared our message we invited Trudy to join us in our discussions with Linda and she said she would like that! After we left she told Linda that she liked the way she felt as we talked with her. 😊

So, now we have another new person to teach! We invited her to church this Sunday (she said she's gone with her friends who are members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints before) and something happened and so she couldn't make it, but she went through all of the trouble of calling us and letting us know she wasn't going to be able to be there this week! She is the cutest! We have another appointment set up for Tuesday so hopefully all will go well!

Also, our friend Desiree's mom passed away a little while ago so contact had been far and few between for a while, but she told us she missed us coming over this weekend, so we are going to be able to start teaching her again, too!

Anyways, have another awesome week- love you all!

Sister Wilcox

1. for pday last week we got together as a zone down in Ontario and had a flour fight 😂

 

2. I lost "what are the odds" to bite a chunk our of a watermelon whole (he did 1 in 2 so of course we both lost! 😑😂) ti didn't work

 

3. I feel like this looks like England.... maybe a little? I just want to go there so bad 😂

 

4-6. The Isaacsons had us over for dinner and we celebrated his 1 year anniversary of his belly button getting removed for a medical reason hahaha

 

 

7. a handle-less bike is a way to exercise while you study!

 

8. cute Gazebo we found and had to take pictures in .. naturally

 

9. Sister Yeates on Belly Button Liberation Day

 

10. beautiful view

 

11. Bradford boy and chicken lol

 

12. when you try to missionary.. 😁😎

 

Week 55: Alma 26:1-8

So many miracles this week!

So we were in Caldwell for half of it (2 exchanges and zone conference making 3 days of couch surfing.. good times 😁😅) and it's just so cool to see how the Lord always provides a way for the work to happen as long as you're trying your best and willing to help Him bless His children!

So, on Tuesday we got a call from a member who said that she had been talking to her granddaughter and her family about the Plan of Salvation and they wanted to meet with us to learn more! So, that same night we went over and taught the family and now have four new people to teach (her granddaughter was baptized already when she was young but she doesn't remember a lot so we're teaching her and her comp and 3 kids).

Then, when we finally got back to Baker later in the week, we got to teach a brother and sister who had been reading the Book of Mormon and had questions, and we have a return appointment with them as well! They too had interest b/c they grew up with friends who were members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Your examples really do make a difference to those who are around you!

And, to end the week on a peak we finally got to teach Kyle (one of our investigators) kids so, in total, we have 9 new people we taught this week!

It was awesome.

So, be an example of the believers in all that you do and taste of the joys of missionary work and helping those you love come to feel the love their Heavenly Father and their Savior for themselves! There's no greater joy. 😊

Have a great week!

Sister Wilcox

Here are some pictures from this past week, including some P-day adventures.

 

Week 54: Lots of Meetings

So, this week we had MLC  (Mission Leader Conference) and DLC (District Leader Conference) and lots of other meetings so not a lot of crazy things happened, but here are some fun pictures of things we did/saw!

1. We got frozen hot chocolate at a cute art gallery-coffee shop place and it was made with real chocolate that they processed into a liquid; it was so good!

2. Powder River

3. Look how cute these kittens are!

4. Powder River (again)

5. This bear was huge! It was actually really nice hugging it..

6. El Erraderro- good Mexican 👍 (thanks Grandma, Grandpa & Aunt Kim for the $$!)

7. Sister Yeates and the Powder River- she's so cute!

8. So Sister Yeates came in to District Council with a knot tied at the bottom of her dress (b/c it's cute) and the Elders just thought it was the weirdest thing.. so, naturally, they tied their suits together in the name of fashion.. it was funny 🙄🤔 you might have had to have been there....

9. Sister Yeates and I @MLC

10. Creepy Pet Shop

11. Jelly Bean 💛 When the only babies you get to hold are dogs you make it work.

Love you all! Stay safe 😁💛

Sister Wilcox

Week 53: Two Hobos and a Rodeo

Okay so this week was pretty crazy, and I'll try to make this short to give you a brief look at what missionary life is like here in Baker. 😂

So, our first hobo encounter was technically last week, buy I forgot to write about it! So I'm going to add it into this week.. His name was Jimmy...

So every week all of our district gets together to have district council, a meeting where we talk about how to help the people we're teaching, etc.. good stuff like that.

And b/c it usually lasts until lunch time we'll all get something to eat right after and just eat it at the church and then go on with our daily lives. This time, however, after DC when we went to the taco bus (literally a broken down greyhound bus that some Hispanics turned unto a taco joint lol it's pretty good tho) and brought our food back to the church to start eating, no one locked the door behind them. So right after we blessed it we looked up and there was a shifty-looking man slowly walking towards us in the Relief Society room! He wasn't all there (under the influence if you know what I mean lol) and it was pretty sketch. We went and called our bishop and he said to all leave and tell him we have to lock up so he's gotta go. It worked and he eventually left and we gave him a BoM with our nuber in it but havent heard anything since.. Then we all went and ate our lunch at a park and contacted a potential we've been trying to see, so all's well that ends well!

Then, one night this week we were at the church contacting some people right before curfew (so it was dark out) and after we went to lock up and go home like normal. I hate the dark so it was scary backing the car (we do that every time we back up- missionary rule) and it just felt extra scary this time for some reason, but nothing looked out of the ordinary so I did it anyways and just ran into the car right after. Then, as we pulled forward to leave the church parking lot a hobo was standing right in front of our car!!! It was pitch dark so we didn't even see him until he was right in front of us! Sister Yeates and I screamed bloody murder and maybe even cried a little... Idk if this telling of the story gives it credit for how scary it was.. you might of had to have been there- but it was terrifying! I think that we now have hobo PTSD lol..

Good things that happened this week though are that we got another new person to teach and put two people on date to be baptized! Kyle (he's sooo awesome!) and Linda. Kyle loves the church because of our belief in joy and how achievable it is. Linda recently has seen miracles happen in her life from trusting in God. They're both super awesome and even though I haven't been here long they're so easy to love! 😊

And really quick, the story about the rodeo is we went to the far outskirts of our area this weekend to a little (very little- like population 293) town called Halfway and they had a "fair" going on (but there were no rides so it was more like a mix between cracker day and 4-H imo) and were able to contact basically everyone we had planned at the one little event! So, we hung around all day walking around talking to people and it was super cool (still missionary-ing but in a fun new way lol). We also got to stay the night in a member's cabin which was pretty sweet!

Oh, and we also got mooned by a 7 y/o kid in SM yesterday.. strange week 😂

Love you all,

Sister Wilcox

 

A look at Oregon:

 

 

Week 52: It's already been a year?!

Okay, so this week was a success by my standards!

First of all, Sister Yeates and I hit our year mark on Thursday! How crazy is that?? So, to celebrate, we're planning on doing what's called the "half gallon milkshake challenge" at a place called Burger Bob's and are probably going to die but it's okay b/c it's for a good cause..We're doing it with some Elders in the zone who are also hitting their year and we also happen to have interviews that day so maybe President will join us.. we'll see 🙄😂

Also, we got 2 new people to teach by way of a referral from members (member referrals are the best way to find because you guys know your friends so much better than we do and have a relationship with them already and can help find those who have questions and are being prepared so that we can help you to help bring them the gospel!  We all make such a good team when everyone does their part! lol).

Anyways, so the ward council asked us to visit a woman who has health issues named Jude who- while going through an especially rough time and was about to have surgery- got a blessing from one of our ward mission leaders. She wasn't miraculously healed or anything (yet 😁) but when we went to visit her, her and her daughter Desiree both said that they have questions about our church and would love to learn more! So we have an appointment this week to come back that we're excited for.

Also! Kyle, a man that the Sisters have been working with for a few weeks, asked us at church this past yesterday if he could set a date to be baptized! I haven't met with him yet but Sister Yeates said that they've been trying to set a date and it just wasn't happening, so this is a miracle that he's had this change of heart and a new found desire to come unto his Savior and make covenants with Him that'll bring countless blessings to his life!

The members here in Baker are all so awesome and make you feel like you've been here forever the first time you meet them, and the mountains and fields are all super pretty, too. It's going to be an awesome transfer. 😊

Anyways, the pics of the field are a) b/c it's pretty and b) b/c SIster Yeates said it's apparently wheat and this is what a field looks like when it's "white and ready to harvest".. enjoy lol

That's basically all for this week 🤔😅

Love you all,

Sister Wilcox

Some sights in Baker City, Oregon.
Me and my companion:

 The countryside:

Some friendly animals: