Hey family!!!
Happy Birthday Mom!!!! I hope it is a wonderful day.
Okay so as you now know.... We are staying here another change. It really is an answer to our prayers!!! We are so excited!!! Hermana Burbank and Hermana Zelaya are also staying!!! Yeah!!!
It has been a crazy week once again. On Tuesday, we went to zone conference and they told us that that day we were going to have an intercambio, and we didn`t even know until that day. So, Hermana Burbank and I worked together in our area. Her Spanish is coming along great and she is no longer an oro.
I can`t remember if i had already told you guys this last week, but these are the three most common topics of conversation:
1. How awesome jose Martin is!!!
2. How much we didn`t want to get changed (how fast the time is flying)
3. How much we miss fruits and vegatables
Jose Martin accompanied us to go visit a less active young man named damian. He got baptized when he was 14 and now he is 16 and he has a baby that is a year and a half. We went to go visit him and Jose Martin was incredible! He sounded just like a missionary! It was awesome to hear him testify to Damian and be his friend. He bore a powerful testimony to Damian`s evangelica grandma that was there too. He even offered to pass by to pick up Damian on Sunday so they could go to church together. It was great!
hermana Coon and I have had a very interesting week. It has been a lot like last week, where we just haven`t felt like we have found anyone that was really interested. So, as far as finding goes, it has been another rough week. We have worked super hard this week, we committed so many people to go to church on Sunday, we sent people messages, made phone calls, and even passed by their houses, but we only had one investigator go to church on Sunday. It was Jose Martin`s brother, Diego that was visiting from 33. Like I said before, the most difficult thing about the mission is people`s agency. Thank you for the emails that you guys sent me last week, Mom and Dad. it was exactly what we needed. You are so inspired. But yeah, this whole week has just had a weird feel about it. We have had so many people to go visit and all of our numbers have been some of the highest numbers I have had throughout my whole mission, but for some reason, we felt like we have been walking around aimlessly and working super hard but not really knowing what to do, because none of our investigators really want anything and we didnt` and couldn`t understand why. We have been analizing and thinking about what we can change. Various time throughout the day, we stop in the street to say a prayer to have the spirit guide us to the prepared people that are waiting for us, but day after day it seemed the same. It was very strange. And on Friday, we had some interesting experiences. We couldn`t pinpoint exactly what it was about the day, but we just felt the world and Satan bombarding us from all sides. We could see and feel the power that Satan has in the lives of so many people here. It is sad when we see the way people are living their lives in sin when we have the greatest gift and message of happiness that they could ever experience and they don`t want to accept it. I know that the Lord really does answer our prayers because lately I have been praying to learn and experience all that I need to here on the mission and we have been given these trials. But, my companion and i are not discouraged or sad at all. In fact, we have even more desire to go out and work. We are not discourged or upset, because we know that we are doing all we can and we are doing our best, the rest is left in the hands of the Lord. We are learning to depend on him more and more each day. And we know that there are miracles waiting for us this change!!!!
We prayed for miracles to happen at church this Sunday with people going to church. Unfortunately, it rained on Sunday, and I think the people here are afraid of the rain because many of the people that we committed to come didn`t go. But the Lord showed us an even greater miracle on Sunday. First of all, Jose Martin went and picked up Damian and brought his brother Diego as well.
Also, while we were in sacrament meeting, I was sitting up on the piano bench behind the organ with Hermana Coon. They announed that they were going to extend a few callings. They announced Jose Martin`s name and called him to be the 1st counselor in Young Mens!!!!!! What?!?!?!?! We couldn`t believe it. We had no idea! We immediately started crying. It was awesome! Then, guess what. Richard de Los Santos got called to be 2nd counselor!!!!! We looked at them both and they had the biggest grins!!!! They are so excited to get to work!!! The two of them are exactly what these young men need. They are going to be so great!!!! In fact, they had their first meeting at 10 this morning. They are excited to contribute!!!! We are sooooooo happy for them!!!! They both left church that sunday with their red handbooks and ready to go to work!!! That has definitely made this week worth it.....to see the gospel change their lives. I can`t believe it. We met Jose Martin just a week ago today and he already has a calling in young Mens!!!!
On Saturday, as we were eating at a recent converts family`s house, Hermana Coon turned to me and said "my tooth is going to fall out". What?!?!! One of the screws from the untensils was in her food and she bit down into it and her fake tooth moved. Well it is still in there but it is loose, so we will see how long it lasts!
The temperature here has been crazy hot! Yesterday, I was wearing a short sleeve shirt and i was sweating! What?!?! This is winter? Okay, yeah, I can deal with this kind of winter.
So yep changes are tomorrow! Even though we are not getting changed, Hermana Coon and I will be going to Montevideo tomorrow at 5 in the morning. We are so grateful we don`t have to pack or anything! What a blessing!!!! Last night, after planning, we were anxiously waiting the phone call for the changes. I honestly thought that Hermana Coon would be leaving me. But as we were waiting, we got a message from Richard de los Santos telling us to text them as soon as we knew changes. We got the call and one by one Elder Lambert our district leader, told us that we were staying!!! We were so excited! We immediately sent Jose Martin a message and the Family de Los Santos a message too. We got a message back saying that Richard and his family were so grateful that the Lord had answered their prayers. They told us that they had been fasting so that we would stay. wow!!!!! What faith!!!!!! It is a good thing we are staying!!!!
The Lord really has answered our prayers!!!
Well, it is time to go now!!! I figure tomorrow I will finally receive the package!!!! This week I have been feeling really great! I think that that drink has been helping me a ton. and I have been eating a ton of oatmeal. Just in this past week, I think my companion and I have eaten about 2 kilos of oatmeal!!!! It is what we live on! haha Thank you for all you do for me! Thank you for your letters, pictures, and prayers. I love you all!!!! have a wonderful week!!!!! I love this work!!!!
-Hermana Cox
hermana Zelaya`s birthday!
I don't know if we told you or not, but Doug likes to send our two missionaries top ten lists and challenges for each week. I am not sure if Katie told you what the challenge is these pictures are referring to so, I am sending it to you. Here it is...
'Are you ready? Are you ready for “This Weeks Challenge”?
"Often times missionaries don’t get the attention that they deserve or need. This weeks challenge is designed to fix that and be fun in the process! You might need the assistance of a Ward member too. If so, this can assist in Ward relationships with the missionaries. It is a win-win all the way around."
"This week’s challenge is:
For you and your companion, make and wear superman capes."
Also, here is a couple Top Ten lists that Doug sent to Gabrielle of which you might be interested in as well...The following is a small portion from Doug's letter to Gabrielle following our wonderful visit in Farmington:
"Grant and Jill miss their Hermana almost as much as we do. I could go on and on about our quick conversation due to the feelings I had the entire time. They are wonderful people. If the world was filled with Coon-like people it would be a Heaven on earth."
"I figured there is a Top Ten list in meeting them. Here goes."
"Words Typically Used to Describe Members of the Coon Family"
10 Loving
9 Accepting
8 Considerate
7 Fun
6 Blessed
5 Cheerful
4 Wonder-Daughter-Raisers (Parents only at this point)
3 Saints
2 Service
1 Disciples
"If there are words to describe them, then there must be the following:"
"Words Rarely Used to Describe Members of the Coon Family"
10 Lethal
9 Vain
8 Contentious (See 3 Nephi 11:29)
7 Grating
6 Hillbilly/Backward (tie)
5 Ornery
4 Offensive
3 Stoic
2 Defensive
1 Tattooed
Silly, I know!! Poor Hermana Coon had no idea what she was in for when she met up with our Gabrielle! Katie is such a good sport to help make Doug's challenge come to fruition! It made his day!!
We are so grateful for your wonderful family!! How thankful we are to have your example and friendship in our life and in the life of our daughter in Uruguay!
We love you!
- The Cox Family
Okay so my companion and I have really been working hard on these challanges that you have given us, Dad. And this week we have proof of one of the challenges that you gave us two weeks ago. I think it proved to be a great success. Tell us what you think!!! I think it might just be our new look!
I love my companion!!!
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