Week 30: Craziness

This past week was awesome!

So our investigator family who we met because of a member's referral came again this week, and have attended all three hours of church and mutual every week since we met them! And they said they've all been reading the Book of Mormon, both alone and as a family! I'm so excited to see them progress as they continue to feel the love of the ward and the Lord in their daily lives. 😊

We also were asked to speak again at church yesterday in 24th ward and it turned  out one of the bishopric counselors brought a friend that he and his family had met at an airport 2 years ago and  they had had a gospel conversation with him and he had taken a few of the discussions and gone to church with them a couple of times, but nothing stuck at the time. But, now that he's going though a different stage in life he's been prepared and is looking to receive the gospel into his life, and we're going to be able to help him on that path of accepting it and following his Savior Jesus Christ!

There's only 3 weeks left in the transfer and, while I think it'd be fun to have a new adventure, I don't want to leave Nampa! 😥 We've worked so hard in this area to help these of Heavenly Father's children progress and learn of His Restored Gospel and we've found so many new people and taught them and  have had to watch some turn away from the truth, and to find these who actually accept and desire to have it is inspiring! But, I know that whatever happens it's the Lord's will and He knows what He needs in this part of His vineyard at this time, and Sister Bradshaw would do great if I left the area over to her care. 😊 She's a caring missionary, which is what all children of God need 😁✌

Anyways, I walked into the family history center today and an older couple came up to me and asked if I was Sister Wilcox and I was like, "Yes..?" and they pulled out their phone and showed em a picture and said, "Do you know these people?" and it was a picture of my family! With them! I was so surprised, I thought they had just taken it for a second and that my family was here but then I realized that that didn't make any sense and they explained that they had just come back from a vacation in Mexico, and they had gone on a Book of Mormon tour and they had spent 2 weeks with my family (and they said you were all well-behaved- and possibly a bit bored at times, haha 😉 gj)! They live in the stake right next to ours (which, being in Idaho, is only right down the street) so they said if we ever have an opening for dinner we can give them a call and they'd love to have us over! Since they live so close the zone leaders said it'd be okay! So mom, I might be getting to hear about all of your experiences vicariously through them! Cool, right?!

Anyways, I suppose the tender mercies of the Lord really are over all those whom he hath chosen because of their faith.. and diligence 😊

So keep on trucking!

Love you all- here are pictures of us at the mission office, the Swaynes that met both me and my family when they were in Guatemala visiting Book of Mormon sites, and some girls we teach that we gave CTR rings to!

😊✌💛

Sister Wilcox​

Week 29: Fasting works miracles

So last week we had a temple trip and we carpooled with the member we live with (Sister Welsh 💛) because she's awesome and we wanted to make a day of it with her. So she drove us there and we were talking and having a good time and she goes, "There's the temple!," and we look and it's the Boise temple! We had left mission boundaries because she thought we were going to the Boise temple instead of the Meridian one! We were like, "Oh, no!" and had to rush over to the Meridian one to make it to the session on time. We did and everything worked out okay, but we just won't tell President that we were out of our mission for a detour (and we got to see 2 temples in one day, so that was fun! 😌😂). That's why there was no email last week: pday was all out of whack!

But, things are normal again now. :)

So last week we taught a family who a member referred and they had just moved here and were looking for a church so we invited them to ours and taught them the Restoration and they came! Unfortunately, however, all of the members of that ward have been fasting with our 40-day ward fast for missionary opportunities and when they saw a family, decided to go up and bear their testimony on fasting and how they've been fasting and praying for a family to come to church and that THIS FAMILY (and called them out from the pulpit! multiple times!) was an answer to their prayers!

Sister Bradshaw and I were laughing so hard, we couldn't believe that this was really happening. We thought all was lost (as no one likes being called out from the pulpit, especially not by strangers on your first day at a news church), but went back to their house this past Saturday to see what they thought, and, though they were slightly overwhelmed, said that they were planning on going again and giving it a second try! We were so glad, and went they came to church yesterday everything went a lot smoother and hopefully they'll keep having that desire to come and to learn more about their Savior and His Restored gospel! They've also gotten their kids involved in scouts and mutual already, so it's all looking good!

Members are essential in the success of missionary work, whether it's referring those you know who've recently moved in, referring friends who you know are going through a hard time or who you've been working with to prepare them to meet with the missionaries, or reaching out to those who the missionaries have already found to help them feel welcomed, your effort helps a lot! And when we all work together to make every Sunday experience a good one, miracles can happen!

Love you all,

Sister Wilcox

Maybe there is a bit of time for pics :) Click on the picture for a better view.

1.  Chalked sidewalk.

2. 6 lbs of gummy bears- we went to Costco!
3. Meridian Temple

4. Our zone going to the temple  :)

5. Pokemon missionary

lol

Week 28: No letter this week

We were at the temple on P-Day so we didn't have time to write a letter. Expect one with pictures next week!

Week 27: Transfers

This week is transfers (so p-day was moved to Tuesday) and next week we get to go to the Meridian temple as a zone! (so p-day will be Friday). It's a long stretch, but well worth it for the temple! It'll be cool to go inside now that's it's dedicated, after all of those hours of helping with the open house!

Sister Bradshaw is still being trained, so we're both staying in Nampa, and I'm glad. I love the people here and it's too soon to leave! She just started driving, so I'm happy (it stresses me out; and I got a ticket 😑 so that stunk) but things have been going great with the work!

This Thursday, we planned on doing our weekly planning and then wanted to catch up on 12-week training (for new missionaries) and, just as we were about to start, the other Sisters called needing our help for something. So, we dropped everything and went and helped them for a bit, then, when we got home, attempted once more to start our planning. Again, however, as we were about to start, we got a text from one of our investigators saying she wasn't feeling well and we offered to find someone to give her a priesthood blessing! She said that that sounded good and we spent the next hour or so helping her with that. Then, after the blessing, she asked if we could help her out with dinner. She gave us a soup recipe that we offered to help her make for dinner and ran to Wal-Mart for some of the ingredients. One our way out, we saw a needy woman with a sign that said, "Single Mom, Anything Helps," so, naturally, we went and bought her a hot chocolate and when we went back to give it to her we had a long discussion with her about where she was from and her story and she said she was familiar with the church and had recently thought about going, and saw this as a sign that she should! We gave her a Book of Mormon and said we'd pass her info on to the missionaries that cover her area and she was excited about learning more about the peace and comfort that comes through Christ our Savior! 😁 It was cool to see how the Lord made us instruments in His hands to bless and find His children who were in need, even though it wasn't what we had originally planned on doing that day. As we were willing to go where He wanted us to go, simply by being willing to help those in need, He let us see His hand in the guidance He gave to us that led us to touch the lives of people we didn't even know! But He knew them! And He knew we'd listen and would help them. 😊

In Bunnell, some of our missionaries a couple of years ago did a 40-day ward fast for missionary opportunities that ended on Easter Sunday (which my mom signed our family up for the last day, so we were all sitting in our beds listening to General Conference with chocolate tempting us downstairs all day long that Easter) but miracles came! So, we suggested it to our ward council a while ago in the ward that we cover that has a bit less work going on, and as the families have been fasting day-to-day, the miracles have been coming! 😊 (and, again, we have the last day on General Conference and Easter Sunday 😌)

One miracle was that a referral that we finally were able to contact, we taught the first discussion to, and they've moved in recently and are looking for a church to go to and said they'd come with us next week, and, also, that they'll read and ponder the Book of Mormon for themselves and they'll ask God if it is His word! I'm excited for them to add to the truths they treasure and to come to know their Savior and His gospel even more through the revealed truths that were restored through the prophet Joseph Smith that are found within the Book of Mormon. 😊

We also were trying to contact some potential we met a few weeks ago, and decided to knock on the house next door when they didn't answer, and a Christian family was home who, though the parents said they weren't super interested themselves, their 9 year old daughter, R, said she wanted to learn more and they said it's her choice and gave us their number so we could come back and teach her. When we saw her outside playing a few days later, she thanked us for the Book of Mormon we had given her and said that she was still super excited for us to come back!

As we teach her, I hope the Spirit will bring the truth of our message to the hearts of her parents as well, so they can all draw closer to their Father in Heaven and His Son Jesus Christ and they can all choose to make those covenants that will allow them to be together as a family forever and have everlasting joy and eternal life. 😊

Also, Jaidyn's baptism is this Saturday morning! I'm excited for her to enter the gate of baptism and embark on the straight and narrow path that leads to endless peace and comfort and blessings from her Savior and her loving Father in Heaven!

I invite all of you to look for ways to be the Lord's instruments this week by simply being willing to lift others who are in need, and I know the Lord will use you as an instrument in His hands to bring forth mighty good in the world and to touch those who are hurting or in need!

Love you all- sorry it got long,

Sister Wilcox

 

 1. Bailey is the cutest guard dog- she sits on her chair and watches out the front window 24/7! She's adorable 😊

2. Cutest calendar everrr! Thanks family!

 

3. Reindeer thingy I saw..

 

4. We thought the horse was dead..... it was just sleeping apparently. 🙄

 

5. Sister Jensen is going home! 😭💛

Week 26: There Can Be Miracles When You Believe!

The miracles go on!

I feel like every week I'm writing about more miracles that happen, but it really is unbelievable how much the work is picking up and how many tender mercies we are seeing constantly as the Lord continues to touch the lives of our investigators and guide us in this work!

So, we got another 2 new investigators! One was the sister of one of our past investigators- she started joining in on the discussions and she's only 10 or 11 years old and has been super quiet so far, but she listens! But, their mom said they can't be baptized until they're old enough to "know that that's what they want" and experience the world a little more- but we'll keep teaching them anyways to help teach these gospel principles to them while they're in their youth so that they can make the right choice when the time comes (and choose to follow Jesus Christ!).

Our other new investigator was a referral named Cameron. He was referred from a member in another ward who started working at the same place with Cameron about 3 weeks ago and saw that he needed help and so he offered his support! He really helped show that missionary work isn't as scary as we tend to think it is as members of the church- it's basically knowing how much the gospel blesses us and wanting those blessing of support and love to touch other's lives as well! So, we went over to Cameron's house with him, and Cameron is the first person I've taught so far in Idaho that isn't sure he even has a belief in God. But, we're returning this next Wednesday to continue to teach him, so I'm excited to help him come to know that His Heavenly Father and Savior really do know and love him personally, and to see the change that that knowledge will bring to his life. 😊

We also went to visit a less active part member family who said they were interested in us teaching them a couple of days ago, and in this on subdivision that we're over all of the streets are named Fairy-tale themed things, and all of the houses look exactly the same, so I drove to the wrong house! When we knocked on the door and someone else answered we were like, "Oh, you're not the Dorries..." But we introduced ourselves and told him about the Book of Mormon and he said he'd actually grown up with missionaries visiting his parents, and he said they weren't ever baptized (that he knew of), but he remembered a bit about going to LDS churches and said we could come back! We gave him a copy of the Book of Mormon and will follow up soon.

We also have been looking for a less active who moved to "a blue house on Robinson Rd" and whenever we happen to be on that street we visit any blue houses we pass by, and one of them this past week ended up being a potential investigator! We gave him a Book of Mormon and he said we could come back in a couple of weeks, so that was exciting.

Finally (to keep it semi-short), we went back to Omar's house (a boy who we gave a BoM to about 2 weeks ago who none of the rest of his family spoke english) with the Spanish Elders and they were able to talk to the rest of the family while we sat there trying our best to interpret in our heads and asking Omar for what they were talking about every now and then and the mom said she'd have to ask the dad if he wanted to investigate the church with her (she said they only do things if they do it together) but that we could teach Omar more about the gospel. So, we set a return appointment and are going to start teaching him this next coming week. 😊 I'm excited!

Thanks for your prayers and support- always be willing to share your testimony!

Sister Wilcox

It's snowing again!! Thanks for all the warm scarfs and hats you made to keep me worm. They came just in time!!

Week 25: Teach when you find, find when you teach.

This past week has been really cool. 🙃 So many little miracles!

We met a guy named Miguel while walking in one of the subdivisions of one of the wards we cover and he was loading his family into his car to get ready to leave for Lowes, but we started talking to him and were able to testify of the Book of Mormon and gave him a copy. He said he'd read it and that he'd pray for himself to know it's true! We said we'd come back in a few weeks to follow up and he agreed. It was so simple, but nice to be able to share the gospel so quickly and powerfully. 😊

Then, while looking for a potential investigator who's info we found in our area book, we met a girl named Ashley who had her 2 y/o son Emmett with her. We were able to talk to her about the temple open house and testify of how families can be together forever because of the covenants we make inside and we also gave her a Book of Mormon and we exchanged phone numbers with her and she said she wants us to come back so she can learn more. 👍

Then, she said something about the people across the street maybe being interested as well, so we went across the street and met a man from Honduras named Lester who said he'd met with missionaries 4-5 years ago when he lived in California. He said when he read some of the Book of Mormon and prayed about it then, but he didn't get an answer. But, we extended another invitation for him to read it again and as we bore our testimonies that we knew it was true because the Holy Ghost testified it to us we were able to give him another copy of Book of Mormon and he said he'd give it another try. ✌

Also, last week we taught a couple whom a member referred and they had invited us back again to have dinner at their house this past Friday to celebrate Sister Bradshaw's birthday with and to talk more about what we believe and their two children were there (a girl who's 22 and a boy who's 15) and they were all asking a lot of questions and super interested in learning more about what we had to teach them. I'll send a link to our mini-party next week when there's more time (warning: you'll see that missions are actually really fun; viewer discretion is advised). 😉

And finally (to keep it short), we taught a couple of the grandchildren of a member who is returning to activity this past weekend (they've been going to church with her off and on for a while now and we just got their parent's permission to teach them) and after we went through the Restoration with them we asked if they believed that what we taught was true: that the Book of Mormon was the word of God and that Joseph Smith was His prophet through whom He restored His gospel again to the earth. One of them, only 13 years old, exclaimed, "With all of my heart, yes!"

Sister Bradshaw and I weren't sure what else to say other than, "Here are the waters of mormon...." 😂. But their parents said they have to investigate for at least a year before they can be baptized to make sure it's what they really want and not just "a phase" their going through. But it was touching, because as we were leaving, the same grandchild said to us, "I will be baptized one day- even if I have to wait until I'm 18, I'll be baptized!"

I hope and pray that we can all have that same vigor that this 13 year old has when it comes to the Book of Mormon and our testimony of this blessed gospel! I know that the Lord blesses us for our faith and for our efforts to put Him first in this crazy world and He can and will help us with whatever we struggle with because He's already been through it Himself with His infinite and everlasting atonement. 💛

Thanks for all of your prayers and love- all of you help a lot,

Sister Wilcox

P.S. We're supposed to make Facebooks now, so if I add you on my missionary account don't freak out. 😊 I'm not a "ratchet dis-o" (@Sis Campbell)

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Sister Blood

Sister Sorensen

Week 24: Another great week!

This past week has been another great one. 😊

We have Jaidyn, our 9 year-old gymnast friend, on baptismal date for March 10th still, and everything is going well! Her and her dad have been coming to church weekly, and it's cool to see the change that's happening within their hearts! Brother Davis (who has been less-active since teenage-hood) used to come to sacrament meeting with Jaidyn, but then would leave and come back at the end of church to pick her up at the end. For the past two weeks, however, he's stayed all three hours and has really enjoyed it! And then this past Saturday they had a gymnastics competition over in Pocatello (about 5 hours away) and when we saw them at church the next morning they told us how they had driven all night to get back in town so that they could go to church the next morning. 💛 We're seeing their faith and their love for the gospel increase so much as they are beginning to make sacrifices for the Lord. It's awesome. 😊

Also, we got a referral from a member who said that her neighbors next door were very Christian people, and that we should see if they're interested in adding to the truths that they already hold dear. When we stopped by to meet them they were in the middle of eating lunch, but they invited us to come back the next day to talk about what we believe. They said to come at noon, so the next day we made sure to eat lunch a bit earlier so we could make it to their house in time for our appointment. Then when we got there they said, "I hope you came hungry," and had prepared for us a cute lunch to eat while we talked! We were so full, but ate it anyways because it was so thoughtful of them. We talked a little bit and gave them each a Restoration pamphlet and they invited us to come back this next Friday so they can feed us dinner (and celebrate Sister Bradshaw's birthday) and teach them more about what we know. They were busy this past Sunday, but said they'd come to church with us next week, and I'm excited to help them receive even more truth about their Savior and His restored gospel that will lead them to make covenants with their Savior that will allow their hearts to be filled with His love even more! Sweet is the work. 😁

This past week we also got permission to start teaching the grandchildren of a sister named Violet that we've been working with to bring back into activity because she wants to go to the temple with her husband to be sealed for time and all eternity! Her daughter (another less-active member who is married to a man who is not a member of the church, who live on the same property as Violet) said it'd be good for us to teach her children and to help them prepare to be baptized. So we're going to start teaching them this coming week, which I'm excited for!

And finally, our investigator Daphne has been going through so much over these past couple of weeks (she was sick, then her son was sick (which the flu has even killed some people this past year, it's dangerous!), then they were robbed, then she had spinal surgery for her scoliosis, etc), so our contact with her has been minimal (texting and occasional stop-by's), but she's been reading her Book of Mormon and continuing to pray, and she texted us this past week saying that she had her "epiphany" and that she wants to start completely living the word of wisdom, as she had "a chat with the Lord" and, starting March 1st, "it's all gone." She then told us that she had other news too, but that she wanted to share that with us in person! We have an appointment with her tonight and we are just so happy to see how reading the Book of Mormon and praying has allowed that gateway for personal revelation from the Lord to open up for her in her life. I know that our fasting and mighty prayers have helped, but that, just as my inspirational sister (Sister Aurelia Wilcox) said: the Lord loves each of us. He wants every one of us to be happy, and He does all He can to bring each of us to Him, and we just have to allow it. Turn to Him, let Him heal you, let Him in. He will fill you with peace, and He will make you happy. He will make your burdens light through the joy of His Son even that you cannot feel them upon your backs, even while you are in bondage. (Alma 33:23, Mosiah 24:13-15)

Sometimes members have great referrals that lead to baptisms and long-time membership in the church- but something I've learned here in Idaho (where a lot of people are already members) is that most people have lived in the same house and had the same job for 20-50 years, and they've already referred all of their friends, neighbors, and co-workers and don't know who else to refer! So, we've been doing a lot of finding efforts with family history and all of the other wonderful suggestions found in the "Finding People to Teach" section of Preach My Gospel. Of course, we always ask everyone for referrals, and sometimes they do pan out, but it's the awesome little experiences of finding those who've been prepared simply by being guided to them by the Lord that is so exciting!

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Love you guys,

Sister Wilcox

 

Images:

 Favorite Picture! Let Him In!

Got to wear the hat Victoria made me because it snowed again!

Got heart-attacked from the Bunnell ward primary 💛 thanks guys!

Baptists put a pamphlet on our windsheild while we were in an appointment lol (you can see our little Christus on the dashboard- so cute 😊)