Week 80: Summer is home!!

 Can you read the Candygram that Grandma created? The candy kept falling off. (Click on the pictures for a closer look.)

 Is this a big enough crowd at the airport? The airport security was surprised when everyone started shouting "There she is!!".

 Of course, the Southern Maid that she is, she asked for biscuits and gravy for her welcome home meal!!

Week 79: Home Soon!!

Preparation day for this week was Temple Day for those going home next week so there is no time to write a newsy letter.

Week 78: Weird Weather and the Animals of Emmett

pigs

dog

cows

hail

Hey guys!

So next pday is the departing temple trip, meaning pday isn't until Thursday! I'll email if I still find time, but this might be the last time you hear from me!! Who really knows anymore.. 🙄🤔

Anyways, I decided to send you guys videos this week because I feel like they pretty much sum up what it's like serving in Idaho. It goes from being sunny and warm to snowing (or even hailing outside!). And everyone has animals. Everyone.

Tomorrow is my last MLC 😖😭 then we're going on our last set of exchanges, too! Things are coming to a close. It's weird and scary, but exciting! And then on Saturday Sisters Yeates, Bradshaw, Hopkins and I are going up to Baker for Desiree's baptism!!!!! And we get to see Sisters Estes and Saunders up there! I'm so excited! 💛

This week we started teaching Tucker, someone who was introduced to the church by his fiance and her family a while ago. He has already read the Book of Mormon a time and a half on his own! We also had a good lesson with the Johnsons (who are the sweetest family!) and met so many other great new people and had a lot of lessons with our usual friends, too.

It's been awesome being able to meet so many of God's children in the last year and a half. To get to know people where they're at, to have hope and love for them as I've been blessed to see who they are and who they have the potential to become through Christ's perspective.

There is no greater work than this. One point someone made at district council the other day is that the Lord doesn't need missionaries, or members, or anyone's help really to do His work.

As the prophet Joseph Smith said, "The truth of God will go forth boldly, nobly, and independent, til it has penetrated every continent, visited every climb, swept every country, and sounded in every ear, til the purposes of God shall be accomplished, and the great Jehovah shall say, 'The work is done!'" (Joseph Smith's Statement, 'The Standard of Truth')

It's not because He needs our help that He calls us to this work. Rather, He's blessing us to have the opportunity to take part in it! As we give our lives to Him and let Him make us instruments in His hands, He, in turn, molds us into the people we didn't even know we could become. Our joy is made more full than we before comprehended, and that joy is lasting. It is eternal!

For everyone who is reading this who has served missions or participated in missionary work, keep living so that you can have this fullness of joy that comes as we share God's truth of eternal Salvation with all of His children! You've felt it before, and you can feel it always! And for those of you who haven't experienced this Alma 27:16-18 makes-Ammon-faint-because-it's-so-full joy before, you can!!!

As we simply reach out in love to those around us the Lord puts us where we need to be to bless and touch those in need. Those who are searching for the truth who "know not where to find it" (Doctrine and Covenants 123:11-17) will finally find the peace and wholeness that the gospel brings. They will be brought to "sing the song of redeeming love" (Alma 5:26) as we are, and we will have a fullness of joy with them.

So, my invitation to you is to pray. Pray to be made instruments in His hands. Pray for Him to use you to answer another's prayers- then act! As we simply try our best to be good, to love, and to serve, we will be used by God, the Greatest of All, to bless others. Because He loves us, and He wants us to feel the same joy He feels as He's centered His purpose (or His "work and [His] glory") "to bring to pass our immortality and eternal life." (Moses 1:39)

I'll see you all soon! This week just "try a little harder to be a little better." (President Hinckley) That's all He asks. 😊

You will see miracles. Promise.

I love you all!

Sister Wilcox

Week 77: And Another One

You guys.

Every week has been awesome on my mission. But this week was pretty rad.

Why?

Savanah got baptized

Desiree was put on date for before I go home (and so I get to go back to Baker for her baptism)

Emily is finally getting baptized my last Saturday being a missionary

Victoria received personal revelation right there in our lesson as we did like EFY and had a separate-and-pray time yesterday (I have a hard time recieving and recognizing direct personal revelation most of the time and she just did it! Shes so awesome!!)

We picked Jacob back up b/c he still has a strong desire to learn and follow Christ and improve

We have a lesson set up with Tucker who's reading the Book of Mormon, knows it's true, and wants to be baptized (and our beloved Letha ward members set it up for us b/c we had to be somewhere else in the window of time we could've contacted him- every member a missionary!! You make a huge difference when you work with your full-time missionaries guys!)

We had my last zone conference (okay actually that one's sad :( but I didn't have to give a "trunkimony" or final testimony, so that was good)

We had a great lesson with Adysen and she still wants to get baptized and now all we have to do is set a date with her to work towards

I was an answer to someone's prayers (my favorite thing in life is when someone tells you you answered their prayer. Honestly, No. Greater. Joy. )

We got Tom to commit to come to church (but he's going to wait until it warms up a bit.. but still exciting!)

We got to ride on a small trailer pulled by a fourwheeler to help a potential feed his horses (it was such a tender mercy.. I love the smell of gas exhaust.. hmm, that's probably dangerous, right? It takes me back to fourwheeling times though 🤔🤷‍♀️ It'll be legal again soon enough! 😅)

We got to do some service at the senior center.. finally!!!

We had some really fun dinners 😁😂

Anyways, so many great things!

Never stop giving you guys, b/c when you give the Lord crumbs He gives you back loaves of blessing.

Love you all!

Sister Wilcox

Pics:

-this little calf got run over and they casted up her broken leg 😯 how cute

 

-my beautiful past compies (all dead ☹)

 

-Savanah got baptized this Friday!! 💛

 

-nice viewsss 

 

-lots of snow (we built a snowman named Benny and it took him days to melt!)

 

 

-saw the license plate of some of my people!! (Flo grown 💛🏖☀️)

 

-we got the new edition of TiWi and she's a woman!! 😮 and more annoying now ☹

Week 76: There Can Be Miracles When You Believe!

My first day in the field my trainer, beautiful Sister Abbott 😍😁, gave me a  planner she made (b/c back before the days of technology all of the Sisters decorated their planners every transfer to be beautiful.. naturally 💁🏼‍♀️@Mary Jensen the best planner-maker out there 😂). Sister Abbott loved "The Prince of Egypt" so mine said, "There can be miracles when you believe." (a line from one of the songs)

It's so true, and I have seen that every single day on my mission! He works miracles in our lives according to our faith.

So here are some of the miracles we saw this week:

-Savanah passed her baptismal interview!!

-we met the standard of excellence again with our key indicators (whenever we try or best the Lord helps us do it! 1 Ne. 3:7)

-we survived and made it to pday 😁👍

-we get to call home on pdays now?? (Not this week though, we have to wait until President trains us on it at ZC.. and then I only have a few pdays left so I'll probably just make you all wait until I get home 🤔🤷‍♀️- still exciting though!)

-the Lord is so aware of us each individually and truly does care about us. If you don't already feel that kneel down and ask Him! 🙏

-also, just reaffirming that the priesthood power is real. And it's powerful. Let it bless your life as you let Him bless your life.

-we slept well (always a good thing to keep you running lol)

-a family that the whole ward has been working with and praying for came to church again for the third time in 2 months!

-we met a lot of cool new people that became some solid potentials to follow up with again! New people are always good 😊

-we had interviews with President and Sister Sorensen and I LOVE THEM 😫💛 saddest part about going home soon? Probably.. it's definitely up there!! I'll just adopt them as family 👍

-our last set/transfer of exchanges started (by the end I'll have gone on at least 50 exchanges on my mission!! Fun stuff- I'll miss these Sisters! They're all so great 😫)

-we had gathering council with Letha and Riverview and they're always so productive and FUNNY at the same time. I love the people of Emmett/Letha! I'll miss all of them so much too!!!! 😥

-we had an awesome lesson with Calli where she literally progressed so much in the past week and she remembered everything we talked about and could teach us what she learned last week about the gospel of Jesus Christ! She prayed every day this week and I think it gave place in her heart for the Spirit to help her grow so much more than she had been before! We've seen the same change in Victoria ad she's prayed every week, and anyone who acts to include the Lord in their life. He helps us grow at an accelerated rate to become more than we ever could on our own. 💛

I love the Lord and I love my Father in Heaven so, so much! They are guiding this work and it's great to be a part of it and to see their hands constantly leading and helping us win battle after battle over the adversary to help His children come back to Him.

Choose to be on Christ's team b/c (spoiler) it's the winning side.

Have a great week! (B/c every week can be a great one if you choose for it to be!)

Share your miracles with me too! B/c it's not fair if this conversation is only one sided 😉👍

Love you all,

Sister Wilcox 😊💛

P.S. I'll try to remember to send a pic of my first planner next week b/c I forgot this time....

 

 

Week 75: Only 5 Weeks left?

Hi guys!

This will probably be a short email because these things are a lot of effort to write.. sorry.

But this week we had some really cool things happen.

First, Tom, an older guy who's super gruff and swears at least once every lesson (though I think now we're down to almost only once, so progress!!) got sick and wasn't feeling very well. While we were teaching him, the sister that came with us offered to have him get a blessing if he'd like and he said yes. So, we called up our ward mission leader who got ahold of the bishop and together they went to give Tom a blessing to help him heal from whatever was causing him pain. We didn't get to go to the blessing (because no third female was going :/) but we talked to Brother Weekes afterwards and he told us it went well!

Haha so apparently he and Bishop Church showed up to Tom's house and started talking to him, explaining further what a priesthood blessing was, how it's God's power he's given to men on earth to use to bless His children and to help us. As they were talking, however, there was a knock at the door and the JW's showed up! Brother Weekes is super funny, so naturally he invited them in to be a part of the religious learning. As they were awkwardly sitting there Tom apparently said, "There's gonna be a holy war in my living room!" as he was cracking up. 😂 Oh, Tom.

But after a bit they left and then Tom got  blessing of health and even teared up a bit! It was awesome to hear how he was touched by God's power as our Heavenly  Father loves Him so much and is very much aware of Him and the progress he's making to come to know of and follow Him better in his life.

Another great lesson we had was with Victoria. She was able to feel and discern the Spirit as we talked to her about it and watched Elder Bednar's patterns of light videos (the best!). We invited her to be baptized and have a soft date set, and hopefully next week we can make it real as she continues to pray and journal the thoughts and feelings she gets as she prays and reads in the Book of  Mormon this week!

And we taught Adysen, a 9 year old girl, who literally is genius and so guided by the spirit! She comes up with analogies to teach us back the things we tell her to show us she's understanding- a lot like Aaron Brown. 😊💛 Kids are amazing!

Anyways a lot of other stuff happened too, but overall it was just cool to see (once again!) how the Lord works with us as we try our best to help other people. He makes us into the tools that He knows can help them!

And He does it because He loves us all.

😊💛

Love you guys!

Sister Wilcox

P.S. it snowed again 😑 a lot.

Pics: snow, and me in a random silo because it's Idaho

Week 74: The Last [Transfer]

Reference to ice age.. kind of.. ⬆️🤷‍♀️

Okay anyyywayssss,

This week was pretty great! The week before transfers is always so full of miracles. It's miraculous! 😁

I am staying here in Emmett for my last 6 weeks and there's no place I'd rather be! The people here are the best, the members are so caring, and the people we're teaching are making changes and trying to come unto Christ (which is a blessing to see and to be a part of) and I love them all so much! 💛

Also, Sister Frandsen and I are going to stay together another one. 😊

So, things aren't changing too much out here- for me anyways. 🤷‍♀️😊

I'm sorry I don't have any cool pictures or a lot of time to make this a good email, but enjoy these pictures of the sky (beautiful! 😍) and email me interesting things going on in your lives!!

Talk to ya next week!

Sister Wilcox 😁💛✌

 

 

Week 73: Does the Lord really want to speak to you?....YES!!

Hello!

I realized since I have only 7 more of these to write I should try to make each weekly from now on a good one!! 😁

So, this week was pretty crazy (literally every week..). We had zone conference on Tuesday, then on Wednesday I got super sick with some bug that's going around (I honestly haven't felt that sick since I went to Bolivia my junior year and thought I was going to die.. it wasn't quite that bad, but close!! The Sister we live with caught it and is hospitalized right now 😬 But we're both doing a lot better so don't worry 😁😉).

Anyways, after lots of rest I was feeling well enough to still have our last exchanges of the transfer with the Sisters up in McCall! And, lucky for us, it also happened to be the time of year when the winter festival was happening up there! So, we got to walk on the frozen McCall lake, see the ice sculptures for their annual ice sculpture contest that the businesses all participate in, and even watch a part of their small Mardi Gras parade, haha. It was so fun! And, we got to be with some awesome Sisters, too, so win-win! 😁

We finally got home Saturday night (it was a double exchange b/c we did both companionahips back to back so 3 days 😴) then went to church yesterday and had a full day of lessons scheduled for after it! Sadly, however, the bug that's going around knocked out half of those appointments, then another 1/4 forgot and had to reschedule, so we ended up with just some good contacting time and a lesson with a teenage girl named Victoria that we've been teaching.

Victoria has been coming to church for over a year now and has had a lot of spiritual experiences that have helped her to know that God is there and that He loves her, but she still has a hard time sometimes believing it. So sometimes our lessons are super spiritual and amazing, and other times she struggles more- as I think all of us go through in our paths of seeking and finding answers and guidance for our lives!

But this week was such a good week for her! We had texted her earlier in the week to follow up with her daily prayers (which she has been so good at doing!) and she shared some awesome experiences she's had before with praying. Then, as it was on her mind, she noticed an experience that she shared with a friend of hers that same day, where she prayed and saw a little miracle work before their eyes! (They got pulled over and her friend said a prayer that she wouldn't get a ticket, then she didn't.. Victoria was so impressed, haha- always be an example of the believers guys!).

So, as we talked last night about receiving our own revelation for our lives, the Spirit was strong as the Jensen family (literally the best friendshipping missionary-minded family ever!!) bore their testimonies of how God always wants to talk to us and we just need to listen.

We read a bit of Enos 1 (because the Lord's word is always so powerful!) and pulled up an excerpt from President Nelson's talk in April 2018 GC called "Revelation for the Church, Revelation for our Lives" and we all were edified together as we learned from the Spirit how God does want to answer us. He does want to guide us. Because He loves us.

And He loves you! 😊

In his talk, President Nelson asks us, "Does God ready want to speak to you?" he then pauses, and after a moment he smiles and answers emphatically for us, "Yes!"

I know that this is true! Our Father in Heaven is very aware of each one of us. Our trials, our worries, our circumstances and our weaknesses.

He wants to help us, and He always loves us. He knows EVERYTHING about us, and He still loves us more than we can comprehend. And I'm eternally grateful for that. 😊

I love you all (though not as much at He does 😉)- have a great week!

Sister Wilcox

✌

Pics:

McCall.... So. Much. Snow.

Week 72: 8 Weeks Left!

We had Shane Littlefield come from Salt Lake to our mission this past week and his goal was to help inspire us in setting inspired goals that, as we work to achieve them, will help us to be made more effective instruments in the Lord's hands.

So, after his and President and Sister Sorensens' inspiring trainings, we went home and applied what had been talked about.. Although I've seen so many miracles everyday throughout my mission, every week literally feels like it's somehow even better than the last as the Lord provides us with new opportunities to meet and to help and to lift others around us that He puts in our path! It's amazing!

So, we set a goal to find 2 new people to teach this week, and spent the whole week working to set up appointments with a few different families that have been on our radar that have a lot of potential and interest, but just have crazy things happen every time we set up an appointment so we haven't been able to teach them yet (story of every missionary's life, right?). So Sunday comes around and it's the last day that we have to start teaching someone to reach this goal that we felt inspired to set. All of our appointments fell through and no one came to church (☹) because everyone's getting sick right now and things were not looking too good. But, we had one appointment left for the day and as we knocked on the door no one came to answer it and we thought no one was home and they had forgotten (not too uncommon, sadly).

But, after we knocked again the dad answered and we were able to have a really good visit getting to know this sweet family where the dad grew up a member and the mom and their four sons are all not members of the church but love the programs we have and are all wanting to learn more about it! They asked us to give them that "push" to be more involved in going to church and making it more of a center of their lives!

It was a great day and we reached the goal Heavenly Father inspired us to set as we worked towards helping His children find Him by simply trusting His plan and never giving up. And that is sometimes the hardest thing to do! But I know that the Lord doesn't give us any commandments that He doesn't help us to keep- He tells us who we can be, and then He leads us as we slowly walk the path to get there because He loves us.

We are His work and His glory. Our eternal life with Him. 💛😊

Never forget that and never give up.

And always remember that He is a God of miracles and He works in our lives according to our faith.

Love you guys!

Sister Wilcox

Pictures:

-temple trip round 2 with the district (we got to go through it for real this time 😁)

-our dinner made us kiss their moose "for tradition".... 😂

-last-last week's mission conference (you can play "where's waldo" if you want lol)

-some longhorns.. they were watching us so intensely 😅 cute bb

Week 71: Alma 6:5-6

Hello everyone!

Sorry it's been longer than usual since my last email- our pday was changed to today b/c we had another trip at the Meridian temple! But then, a live endowment was happening and the session got too full so they kicked us (the missionaries) to the next session but by the time we got the permission from our MP to do the not-noon-session we missed it and had left. So, we sat in the temple for two hours, but didn't actually go through the temple.. Next time!

Anyways, this week was literally so cool.

So this transfer my comp and I are part of a small group called "The Mission Commitee" and basically that means it's our job (along with the other companionships in this group) to help motivate and unify the mission and solve any arising problems that we see happening around us. So, together with the AP's, we decided the mission needed to focus most on seeing miracles right now, and a big part of that is recognizing the miracles already happening so much around us!

So we sent out a text inviting all missionaries to fast together as a mission this past Sunday to see miracles happen this week in "finding one more" (referring to new people being taught), and within that first night it was great and a few miracles were posted to the INM FB page, and it was cool!

Then, Monday comes along and it's pday for most of the mission, but not for our district (as you can see from this email coming today lol). So, being a day we don't have any regular set appointments, Sister Frandsen and I spent the entire day visiting former and potential investigators that have been sitting on our list for a while now that we just have never had enough time between teaching appointments to visit yet. And the Lord definitely knew that this was the day we needed to contact them! Every person we tried was home and answered the door and we got to meet with them and by the time we went home that night we had 11 return appointments set for the rest of the week (which, if they all become new investigators, would beat our PR of 9 new people that glorious week in Baker a while back 😁)!

It was just such a testimony builder to me that the Lord knows us, He knows everyone around us, and He constantly inspires us in so many different ways- sometimes so small we don't even recognize it! But as we are willing to sacrifice, to show Him our faith and the desire we have to be made instruments in His hands and to have our eyes opened to His miracles He will show us His wondrous works!

God is so good. 😊💛

Fasting and mighty prayer work miracles according to our faith, as our faith allows the Lord to work miracles in our life.

Needless to say, the FB page now has a lot of miracles posted onto it and the Idaho Nampa Mission will live on to be a legendary time of miraculous missionary stories for those who served here 😁👍.. because yes- the rumors you've heard are true- we are becoming the Idaho Boise Mission in July when the currently existing IBM gets divided in half and we take over their largest city (Boise), their name, and half of their missionaries.

But it's all in the Lord's will! He knows what He's doing. 😉 And we aren't actually changing at all other than just growing. 😊👍

Anyways, I invite you all to look for miracles this week, and I promise you will always find them. You are never alone and you will find that God is in even the smallest details of your life because He Loves You.

And I love you too. 😊💛

Email you again soon!

Sister Wilcox

P.S. Pics are of exchanges and the temple and all of my favorite peeps at the mission conference we got to have to discuss the mission changes! It was a good day to see everyone I love in one place! 😍😊

 

 

Week 70: Happy New Year!!!

Dec 31, 2018 at 1:16 PM

This week was awesome!!

Aaron Brown, a boy we were teaching in Fruitland, got baptized this week and it was the sweetest thing I've seen in a long time! I love him so much and getting to know him and being a part of the process of seeing him change and grow has been such a blessing. He has such a sweet spirit and all of the missionaries that were a part of teaching him over the past year or so definitely felt that this Saturday when he finally was able to be baptized!

We also have been feeling the member support so much these past few weeks as we always have places to go for the holidays and are well taken care of AND have been receiving referral after referral from members asking for us to visit with or teach their friends that they've been able to share their testimonies of the restored gospel with!!

We literally have trouble finding time to teach them all.. nice problem to have! 😉🤷‍♀️😊👍

We also got to give talks yesterday in Letha ward.. not my fav, but it was on conversion, and if there's one thing I can talk about for forever it's the Book of Mormon !😊💛

So, all in all, it was a great week!!

If there's anyone who's been on your mind who could use the gospel in their life, reach out to the Missionaries serving near you. Get to know them, invite them over, and help this great work move along! 😊

As you do so,  you're life will be filled with joy- I promise. 😉

Love you all,

Sister Wilcox