Week 20: We have a car!

We got a car!

The glories of technology and vehicles! We can travel from one house to another without having to take up time for traveling and walking, and we are visiting so many more houses now, it's great!

Something that I think is cool that has really let me see the Lord's hand in our weeks of walking in the cold, wet snow, however, is that our progress records (which we use to keep track of the people we see and visit with/teach every week) were never any less full when we didn't have a car than they are now.

 

The Lord knew that without a car, the people we made time to walk to- to go and see- would have to be there at the time we went to see them because our time and travel situations were a lot more limited. So, He made it happen. Same with when the temple open house was going on last transfer: We had so much less time to work in our area (with the open house taking up a good half of our week, every week for at least a month), but our progress records were always full. The Lord helps us to accomplish the things He's asked us to do, and He delivers every time. Just trust Him :)

I love to read about the miracles my sister (Sister A. Wilcox) experiences constantly in her mission in NY, NY, as well as the other missionaries in areas all over who try their best and the Lord does the rest. This is His work, and He is at the head guiding it all the way, and seeing glimpses of that eternal truth is a miracle in and of itself.

In our car (pictured below) we've been listening to the bibliography of President Hinckley, and it's cool to see how humble and willing he was to be made an instrument in the Lord's hands throughout his life, and to see how the Lord shaped and refined him to be the man, leader, and prophet that He  knew that he could be. As he did what the Lord asked, one prompting or good thought at a time, he became the Lord's instrument. Watching Pres. Monson's funeral last week helped me to see that again, as he too was made an instrument in the blessing of so many other's lives, simply because he was willing to always do what the Lord asked.

He never put a problem to be solved above a person to be loved.I.t's my hope that I can one day learn to never put off a prompting and be able to bless others and be the answers to others prayers as I listen to the Spirit and do my best to follow the promptings of the Lord in this work  and throughout my life. Feel free to join me in this goal 🤗

Love you all,

Sister Wilcox​

Our car and some interesting discoveries when we drive to visit people.

Me studying and the sisters in my district.

Week 19: Titles are hard to think of

Hello🤗

On Sunday, two of our investigators came to church, and for one of them it was her first time! We were so excited to have her there, as her health makes it difficult, but she showed her faith by coming anyways! I know that the Lord is pleased with her efforts and that he'll bless her as she continues to try her best to do whatever He asks of her!

Also, this past week we were able to visit a less-active sister named Carol, who is from Florida! She joined the church a couple of years ago when she met and married her husband, who was a member growing up. Carol explained to us that her first husband owned a funeral home, so she was introduced (through that) to all sorts of different religions, but as she talked with these people about their beliefs she said she could tell that all of them only had pieces of truth. She said she started to think that no one had the whole truth, until she met her husband and learned about the LDS church. As she read the Book of Mormon and took discussions from the missionaries she knew she had finally found the whole restored truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ! Once she was baptized, unfortunately, the members and the missionaries got really busy and she became overwhelmed with some things and sort of slipped through the cracks, and has gone to church off-and-on since then. So, we're going to start going through the new-member lessons with her, and help her read the Book of Mormon regularly again to get those good habits of spiritual CPR (church, praying, reading) back into action so she can keep her faith in store and become active in the church again!
 

But I'm so grateful to have the knowledge of the gospel of Jesus Christ in my life, and I know that it is the whole truth. That, with the Book of Mormon, the restored gospel and teaching of Jesus Christ in it's fulness, are here on the earth again today and that Jesus Christ Himself is at the head of this church, leading us through His living prophets. I'm grateful for President Monson's service, and I know that our next prophet will be a man called of God as well, and if you ever struggle to believe that, you can ask God yourself and He will manifest the truth of it unto you by the power of the Holy Ghost, because by the power of the Holy Ghost, you may know the truth of all things! (Moroni 10:3-5)

Love you all,

Sister Wilcox ✌

 

Almost a Florida sunset

 

 

Week 18: Smart Phones

We're getting technology by the end of this month! Crazy new year.... Happy 2018!

This past week has been pretty fun, and we were able to teach a new couple and make progress with them (so they're new investigators now!) and so that was cool. Right now, however, it's been a bit discouraging in our area, because the people we're meeting with weekly aren't really progressing very fast- but, slow and steady wins the race, right? Teach repentance, baptize converts..... and patience is a virtue. 😸
 
We're teaching an over-age youth who is moving soon, so we're scared to put her on date for baptism just in case it makes things more complicated and makes her "fall through the cracks" in the move with new member lessons and everything, but I think we should just go for it anyways and have faith and just keep her record very up-to-date (because they're planning on moving when their new house is done being built, so it could be a while!). But, no matter what happens, it'll all work out in the Lord's way and timing! 😊

Sorry time was short today, but Happy New Year! What are some resolutions you guys have for this upcoming year? One of mine is to finish reading the New Testament (along with the Book of Mormon) all the way through!  I 💛 the scriptures.

Love you guys,

Sister Wilcox

My Christmas socks

Our chapel

Week 17: Christmas Time!!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

It was a lot of fun being able to talk to my family yesterday and find out all of the fun adventures they have been having helping their friends come to church and just in general (ever member a missionary)! Because it's snowed a ton over the past couple of days​ (at least from a Floridian's perspective), there's lots of service to give, and lots of people outside we can talk to as we walk from door to door. We still don't have a car, so members are always giving us rides, and it's such a blessing to be around such loving people. 😊

Also, we were allowed to watch G and PG movies on Christmas, if the members' homes that we were in were playing them, so as not to disturb their holiday lifestyle too much (so Prince of Egypt, White Christmas, and It's a Wonderful Life were all very much enjoyed!). Also, my google drive photos has a bunch of new pictures on it in the Nampa Transfer 3 folder (if you don't have access to it email me and I'll give it to you😊). Several pictures are included below.

Anyways....

...........

This past week we were able to visit with a less active part member family named the Burtons. The sister missionaries in this area have been teaching them and sharing messages a little bit at a time over the past two transfers and, while their progression is very slow and gradual, it's cool to see how, as a family, they're slowly gaining more faith and love in and for their Savior and their Father in Heaven, and to be able to be their guides to help them know how to continue to stay on that progressive path!

We also visited with another less active part member family and taught them about having the faith and the courage to do whatever Heavenly Father asks, showing Him that we love Him and trust His plan for us, and that He'll bless us for it in return. Daphne (the mom) had a date she was going to be baptized on, but, due to financial difficulties and a lot of different hardships, her desire is still strong to be baptized and to one day have all of the blessings of the temple, but it might take longer than we'd originally thought. But I know that because she really wants to follow her Savior and to have the promised blessings of making covenants with Him, it'll all work out okay for her in the Lord's timing. 😊

We also had a lesson with the daughter of a less active family (she's 9 years old and does gymnastics- MARY!! she reminds me sometimes of you 😁) and is super cute and willing to learn and it's cool to see that, even though her dad hasn't been active for years, he's still always there in the lesson bearing his testimony to her about the truths of the gospel and is super willing to start becoming more involved and to go to church so he can return to activity to raise his family in the gospel.

The gospel truly does bless and unify our families so that we are happy together, in this life and in the eternities, no matter what hardships may come! I know that we truly can overcome anything with the Lord's help, and all He's asked us to do is to have faith in Him. To follow His example- and that's what makes us happy! Living pure, peaceful lives like He did, loving all of our brothers and sisters. 😊✌

...........

Pictures: snow, snow, and Sister Campbell standing in a puddle of slush. She jumped on the thin ice on top and went through, and the ditch was a lot deeper than she thought, haha.

Me and my companion. Does this Florida girl look cold?

An icy Idahonian who needs the warmth of the gospel.

It says "Robinhood" but it sure doesn't look that the street I was raised on.

Week 16: Merry Christmas to All

So, recap: I'm in Nampa and my companion (Sister Campbell) is super fun! We had church yesterday, and now I'm only over 2 wards rather than of 3, so we only have 7 hours of church now whereas we used to have 9 (7 am to 2 pm). But, we stayed a bit later yesterday anyways because we stayed for the Christmas choir practice (Sister Campbell is a professional singer!... she's teaching me her ways) and now we get to sing in it next week for the Christmas Eve service. I'm excited- I love music!

Here in my new area we don't have as large of a teaching pool as in Middleton, so finding people has been our main focus right now. We're in a walking area (which, it snowed a couple of days ago!) and so we are able to stop by members' homes more to get them more involved in the work and to try to get referrals of more people to visit, but whenever we ask for names, most of them seem to not have any come to mind. So, we're really working with them to build their faith in the Restoration and the Book of Mormon so that they'll then be more excited about missionary work and to meet more of their neighbors and will hopefully always be more ready to share the gospel whenever the opportunity presents itself. Member's help is everything to missionaries!

Because our area is without a car (we might get one soon, though 🙏) we're always walking alongside cold, snowy roads from one subdivision to another to visit people, and so many members have randomly seen us, pulled over and given us rides! It really does touch your heart to see how kind and ready to serve people are when you're in need. Be the answer to someone else's prayers and always be willing to help light the world for the children Heavenly Father has placed around you. He knows you can touch their lives if you're willing, so keep your eyes open for an opportunity to serve and to love and you will be happy, too! 💛

Merry Christmas!

.:Mosiah 2:.

Jesus loves you all,

Sister Wilcox 🌝😸

P.S. Dear Members, missionaries need your help! Give the missionaries in your area a new referral this week and let the kingdom of heaven on earth grow! Amen and amen. 😉

A new way to meet people that we tried in Middleton

 

Week 15: Transfers

So this past week has been a bit crazy, because we've gotten so many new investigators and have met so many wonderful people, and then transfer calls came around and we found out Sister Abbott (my companion) is going to Baker City, Oregon, and I'm going to Nampa East! And all of Middleton is going to be run only by Elders! We and the other sisters are both being whitewashed out.

All of our beloved investigators and friends are going to love them I'm sure, but it's so scary/sad passing them on! We left extensive notes and I feel like a mother letting my kids be babysat by someone new for the first time. It's scary thinking that any of them could be forgotten or left behind, but I know that the Lord has brought these Elders here for a reason so I trust Him.

Anyways, my new companion is Sister Campbell, and I already know her because of the temple open house! She's really fun and full of energy and it's going to be great (and it's a walking area, just in time for the snow.... 😅😓😜)

I'll keep you all updated on what happens, but Merry Christmas until next week!

Love you all,

Sister Wilcox

Our Thanksgiving dinner

Week 14: Be His Hands

This past week's been pretty fun. The pictures are of our roommates, Sister Jensen and Sister Blocker, dancing to Prince of Egypt (they do it every time they carpool with us). They're cute!😂

Also, my awesome Aunt Kim sent me a package full of treats from Australia, which was sweet! And a cat we named Pumpkin always tries to run into our apartment as we open the door, and the other day he actually made it in! We aren't allowed to have pets so we had to kick him out but Sister Abbott feeds him so he keeps coming back. But anyways, that's what the picture of the cat is.😸 

Also, a sweet family in one of our roommates' ward gave them Christmas decorations, so we were able to decorate our apartment to make it more festive, and we even have a cute tree! I love it! People here are the best- they're all super sweet and very generous (members of the church and those not of our faith alike). I often feel like I'm in Zion (where we are of one heart and one mind and there are no poor among us), which I love because it's the people that make it heavenly. So, may we all choose to make our locations of habitation Zion, wherever we are! 🤗💛

Today, we spent all day winter shopping with a sister from one of the wards we're over, and it was like having a mom away from home (she was such an angel in helping us know how to deal with snowy winters)!

It hasn't started snowing here yet, but it will any day now they say. We'll see.

I hope everyone's December has been going well so far, and that everyone's keeping their eyes open for ways to serve the people Heavenly Father puts all around you.

Light the World is amazing, because each calendar day you can read a scripture that Jesus taught, then find a way to live that scripture and to help lift those around you. It's such a blessing to be able to have so much time (really, all of my time!) to just serve people on a mission, and I hope that even though all of you at home don't have the opportunity to give all of your time to serving others, that you will still look around for ways to help people know that they're loved this Christmas season- because that's what it's all about.😊

As we love others and serve them, we can be Christ's hands on the earth so they can know of His eternal love for them, which is so much greater than we can even imagine.

So please, look for ways to let people know that you love them this Christmas, and participate in Light the World (it's on mormon,org if you haven't already looked at it), and together, we can make all of the world feel like Zion, one sheep at a time. 🌎😁🤗💛

2 Nephi 33

Watch the Christmas Devotional if you didn't get the chance yesterday. It's on lds.org 😉

Love you all,

Sister Wilcox

 Our Christmas tree

Our friendly neighborhood cat

Aunt Kim's goodie box from Australia.

The other sister missionaries "seat dancing" to Prince of Egypt in the back seat of our car.

G

M

T

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AfrikaansAlbanianArabicArmenianAzerbaijaniBasqueBelarusianBengaliBosnianBulgarianCatalanCebuanoChichewaChinese (Simplified)Chinese (Traditional)CroatianCzechDanishDutchEnglishEsperantoEstonianFilipinoFinnishFrenchGalicianGeorgianGermanGreekGujaratiHaitian CreoleHausaHebrewHindiHmongHungarianIcelandicIgboIndonesianIrishItalianJapaneseJavaneseKannadaKazakhKhmerKoreanLaoLatinLatvianLithuanianMacedonianMalagasyMalayMalayalamMalteseMaoriMarathiMongolianMyanmar (Burmese)NepaliNorwegianPersianPolishPortuguesePunjabiRomanianRussianSerbianSesothoSinhalaSlovakSlovenianSomaliSpanishSundaneseSwahiliSwedishTajikTamilTeluguThaiTurkishUkrainianUrduUzbekVietnameseWelshYiddishYorubaZulu

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