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:

Week 51: Toto, I have a feeling we're not in Idaho any more

So, the Christopherson boys got baptized this past Saturday and their dad is a limo driver, so they rode up in their limo and we all got to go for a ride after! It was so fun!

AND OMG transfers happened and I am now in Baker City, Oregon! I finally crossed the border and left Nampa!

It's so beautiful here, like living in Gillmore Girls! Idk how long it'll last but it's seems like it'll be a good next 6 weeks at least!

It's called "banishment" b/c it's so far away from all of the other missionaries we only see our district once (sometimes twice) a week and practically never see our zone. Also, we cover a couple of different towns and apparently we're going to be driving at least 30 mins to basically all of our appointments (which is different from covering like 3 subdivisions from the rest of my mission thus far!).

My companion is Sister Yeates and we came out from the MTC together! She's so cute and is always laughing which is fun. It's going to be a blast! Here are some pics from this week- hope you enjoy!

 Riding in a limo

Looking for and waiting for people the old fashioned way

and though family history

other fun pictures

Week 50: Service with a Smile.

Hi everyone! This week we had a lot of little miracles again and we had interviews with President which was awesome- he's always so wise 😁 love him!

We also made a video for the people we're teaching that shows ways we can do missionary work- I'll link it to you. 😉

Pretty funny if you ask me....

Also, we had another tracting blitz with our district- THE BEST DISTRICT!- and we found a lot of new people for the Elders! I feel like there's always so much more success as you take time to serve and help others (i.e. other missionaries by tracting in their other areas with them, even if it is just for an hour)- it's cool how the Lord makes things work.

Service in general is such a great way to lighten your own load, and others', and my testimony of working hard and serving others even when/ especially when it's hard has really been strengthened this week and throughout my mission! I know that when you're feeling down or you don't feel like you can go and do what's been asked of you for any longer without a rest or break but then you still choose to press on anyways, those moments are when you are able to see yourself becoming an instrument in His hands and an answer to others' prayers, and- miraculously- your own struggles are lightened as well! 😁

The gospel has been restored and the truth is found here, in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I know it, and I'm grateful for the blessing it is in my life, and I'm grateful for the Book of Mormon, which truly is the word of God. We are all beloved children of Heavenly Father, so if you seek to know the truth for yourself just ask Him! He will answer. I know it- and I know the Lord has a plan for each of us that will allow us to reach our full potential if we choose to let our challenges be our opportunites for growth. I'm grateful for this and I testify that these things are all true in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Love you! 😊

Sister Wilcox

Week 49: 11 Months Out!!

A lot happened this week! We found a new person to teach, we had exchanges, we had 3-week follow up trainer's meeting, and we had lessons everyday to help those we're teaching continue to progress in their faith. It was a pretty good week! But, lack of time.

Week 48 : Dude, Our MP is Cray!

So apparently gunner isn't a word everyone uses.. so the "gunner" sign last week was just funny b/c in our mission we call people that try to get "promoted" or whatever to be a zone leader or AP, etc a gunner.. so when we were driving and I saw the sign I just thought it was funny. 😅

Anyways, this week we had zone conference and our cars were checked for cleanliness and whatnot, and after when we went to go home, we walked to our car and inside of it was this creepy head that a bunch of missionaries from the past have signed (pic below)! Sister Sanders screamed so loud- it was so funny! President and Sister Sorensen started laughing and it turns out they put it in our car b/c they knew we could take a joke and are just funny people in general.. 🙄😂

At church on Sunday we planned with them how we're going to pass it on and prank the AP's and they're going to help us- mission shenanigans lol.. But don't worry! We've been working a lot, too!

We have been trying to contact a potential for a long time now and have been referred to talk to him by a few different people on different occasions, and we finally got in contact with him and gave him a Book of Mormon and set up a time to come back, so we're excited for that.

There were also a lot of other things but I'm out of time.. but there are always miracles- big and small- on exchanges and everyday in general, and I know that this is the Lord's work and He's guiding it, so I'm grateful for that- we could not do it alone and I wouldn't even want to try!

I know that if you have any questions or things you're struggling with, you can always turn to the Lord in prayer and He will help you and guide you to find your answer and to find peace, because He loves you and knows what you need and how to help!

He is always there. Just look up.

Love you guys,

Sister Wilcox 😊💛✌
Hope the picture is not too creepy.. Sorry this is all I have for the week 😅