This last week has blown by super fast!!!

Nov. 18, 2013
Hey Mom!

This last week has blown by super fast!!! It's crazy! We got a new bishopric yesterday. Our old Bishop (Bishop L'heureux -sounds like Ler-rew) got called to the stake presidency. our new bishop is Bishop Ackerman and he is going to do so good! he reminds me so much of Brother Russell. He is super tall and has such a fun sense of humor. He is going to do great things for the ward!

So funny story about church yesterday... I was leading the music and at the end of the 3rd verse I turned around and started going back to my seat... there was another verse... so I turned back around and continues to lead the music. All of the Elders and my lovely comps just busted out laughing... They told me it was a comical relief that they all needed... :)

We had a teaching appointment last night with a lady named Trudy. A member of the ward invited us over to give her the first discussion. we were actually super nervous because the member that invited us over has that whole serious uptight thing going on... but once we stepped into his home there was a completely different feeling, he was warm and welcoming and it just made the lesson go that much better. Trudy has lots of questions about the church and we are excited to be able to teach her more! She committed to read the Book of Mormon and to pray about it! Yay!!!

Within 20 minutes of the end of that lesson we got an additional 3 new investigators! All it took was a simple phone call to a part member family to see if we could come and teach them! 4 NEW INVESTIGATORS IN ONE NIGHT!!! It was so fun!

I think that my most favorite part of being a missionary is working with the people. Whether it be the ward members or investigators. Right now I am building relationships that will last me for ever! And all of this happens in the shortest periods of time! But even just to see them grow is amazing. Even the members who do have this strong testimony of the gospel, to see that they can feel the spirit and that they are learning and growing closer to the Savior makes me feel so happy because that means that I am fulfilling my purpose as a missionary.

Sister Williams is doing great. she has to call the doctor here soon to find out what exactly is going on, but the work is still going forward! She continues to work hard everyday. Sister Hall is doing great too!

You didn't tell me that dad was going to help the governor pardon the turkey! that is so cool! take lots of pictures for me! My companions think that I am so crazy for being raised on a turkey farm. they don't like the idea of having turkey all year round... but I love it! We actually got a turkey dinner this last week and I felt right at home!

Did spencer get his Birthday card? I will have his and mikaela's birthday presents sent out probably tomorrow... I hope that they like them.

That is so lame that they are starting the black Friday sales on thanksgiving! Thanksgiving is a day that we show our gratitude for the things that we have, not for being greedy and looking to buy things. We live in such a commercial world, its not even funny how people put things that have zero value before things like spending time with their family on thanksgiving.

Anyways, things have been going great. I haven't gotten sick yet... but they say that 1 in every 3 people get sick from the flu shot... there are 3 of us. I just hope it all goes well when we go and get those done this week.

Anyways, things are going great, we are having our zone conference this Thursday and will probably start our training for our ipad minis I can't wait until December so that we can use them in our teaching appointments!!!

I love you lots!!!

Love,

Sista Jess Cox

p.s.

we all got matching shoes last week at H&M! it was sweet and we saw herby driving on Roosevelt!

Another week in the City of Brotherly Love

Nov. 11, 2013
MOM!!!

Things here have been going pretty good. We got a new investigator. Her name is Myrna. She lives like 2 blocks away from our apartment. She is an older lady who lives alone and doesn't have a car. We were actually trying to find one of the less-actives in the ward and when we saw that they weren't home, we decided that we would knock on some of their neighbor's doors. That's when we found Myrna. I swear we stood out on her doorstep for 45 min. just talking to her, and it was a little chilly too. Finally we convinced her that we are good people and so she let us in and we now have an appointment with her tomorrow. I don't know how this is going to turn out... but I sure do hope for the best.

The tripanionship is great. I am so lucky to have them. This last week, for one reason or another I got a little discouraged, but they were right there to help me through and to lift my spirit. I am so grateful or them and for their examples. There is definitely a reason that we are still in a trio. Right now I don't know for sure who is staying and who is leaving. We think that Sis. Williams is going to stay until they figure out for sure what is going on with her stomach problems (Speaking of which, we get to go to the doctor's on Wednesday to get an ultrasound!) Hopefully all goes well! 

I got Sadie's letter! I got a letter from grandma Maylett on the same day! And they came at the most perfect time. Be sure to tell them thank you for me! Oh and tell spencer happy birthday! I will for sure send him a card this week, but I might wait to send his present with Mikaela's... But it will be his MAGIC BIRTHDAY! So make sure he has a really good time :) Good luck to the football team!!! I think that is what happened my freshman or sophomore year? But I can't remember... Tell Mikaela and Spencer good luck with try-outs for me! I have such talented siblings! Keep up the great work there.

Now, for the Ipads and Iphones. We will get them by the end of the transfer in December, we will have a training on them and what is expected. There is a lot o trust with our missionaries. We will have access to the internet all the time, and we have access to the internet anyways because we come to the library everyday for facebook... It is goin to be such a great tool in missionary work! You really have no clue how much easier this will make things for us. Right now we have an hour of facebook a day, but there has been a rumor going around that we will have even more time to use the internet per day with the new resources that we will be able to use. But there really is a lot of trust in this mission. We have been told over and over, even by general authorities that our mission is one of the highest ranked mission out there. It is so important for us to keep that trust. I know I don't want to loose their trust.

Can I just say how much I love writing in my journal? I took it so much for granted at home! I wish I would have written in my journal at home like I do here. If I ever do have a bad day, it is so easy to write down my thoughts and get it out o my system, it also allows me to be able to look back and to see what was going on earlier and even just to see the kind of progress that I have been able to make while here on my mission. I would encourage you to write in your journal daily! Even if it's just a line. It makes the world  a difference! I guess that is your challenge for the week! Make I a goal!

Thank you so much for all that you d or me! I think I often take for granted the kind o lie that I was given at home and now being away I see how much it has truly influenced my life! Jus like Nephi, I have been born of goodly parents and like the stripling warriors I know these things because my mother knows it. I love you so much!

Love,

Sister Jess Cox