"...but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets."

Monday, October 7, 2013

This week was lots of fun, because I was looking forward to Conference every day. This is the first time in my life that I have been able to watch all 10 hours of it, and it was very uplifting. I was particularly inspired by President Uchtdorf's message about "you can stand now." It was such an awesome reminder that I need to be always reaching out to my Lord and Savior and allow him to help me up. I also found Elder Holland's words of hope to counter depression uplifting too, even though I don't suffer to the degree he was talking about.

Another thing that I like to look for in Conference is a sort of theme, like how when President Monson lowered the age for missionaries, the majority of talks seemed to revolve around missionary work. This Conference I was expecting more about being prepared or to not to worry about warmongering. I was surprised (though not really) to find that they talked a lot about the family, eternal marriage, and about civil governments. I am so grateful for the Gospel and the eternal importance it places on families, and how through them we are able to overcome many of life's difficulties.

That's about it. The work is going a little slow, but I have faith that conference will spark someone into action. I love you all and hope that you have a great week!

Elder Cox

 

Here's a picture of me and Elder Eisele. We helped on the wall in the foreground.  The wall in the mid-ground and the back ground were built entirely by me. Well... my companions helped too, but it was mostly me.

 

We'll pass through the Mines of Moria!

Monday, September 30, 2013

E'erybody -

 

First, some funny stuff that happened this week. On Friday, we (meaning myself, and Elders Eisele, Flores, and Gillies) had to help move some furniture.  During the course of the work, we started referring to ourselves as "Lord of the Rings" characters: Elder Flores is Aragorn because he is the reluctant (district) leader; Elder Gillies is Legalos because he is this quiet, lean figure; Elder Eisele is Pippin because he has nervous energy and a high-pitched voice; and I have the supreme pleasure of being Gimli, son of Gloin, because I'm short and everyone loves me. So now since then, we have been quoting the movies almost nonstop and it is so much fun to geek out with people again. We also got to scrap some paint off a shed at the top of a mountain, which the paint did not want to be scrapped, so it forced us to punch the wood frequently and I got some gnarly abrasions. All for the common good!

 

Also this past week, we had our weekly planning with the Zone Leaders in a large group setting. It was kinda weird to say the least; at times it was difficult to feel the promptings of the spirit because I was distracted by the other missionaries, and I felt that the Zone Leaders were "hovering" sometimes. But we got through it in one piece and actually I had the principle of planning for specific people (not just a vague list) at a specific time (not just a range) reaffirmed to me and have since seen the importance of it in missionary work. Because although the investigator may drop you in the days leading up to when you plan to see them, it is still vital that you show your faith to God that you will be in a specific place and he can put people there that you can reach. 

 

We also went on temporary tripanionship (a group of three elders) exchanges with Elder Gillies while his companion Elder Flores was in leadership training. It was a lot of fun and we had many doors open to us that would have been closed. One guy in particular said that he usually sends us away when we come to his door, but we caught him at just the right time when he was distracted and had his hands full. Increases my testimony of exchanges even more.

 

That's about it for the week. It felt like I did a lot of nothing, because my numbers were really low. And for those of you who aren't familiar, when I say numbers I mean something called "key indicators". They are events in peoples' lives that lead them on the path towards making covenants with their Father in Heaven, and we record them to get a sense of how the area as a whole is faring. They include stuff like how many lessons did you teach with a member present, or how many new investigators did you get this week. However, what is not recorded is how many times you render service, or how many people you plant a seed when you tell them about the Gospel (just not in a formal lesson), and stuff like that. So it's hard sometimes to think that you have done any good in a week when the numbers that are recorded aren't all that great.

 

At times like that, it is always important to remember Doctrine and Covenants 18:15 which says, "And if it so be that you should labor all your days in crying repentance unto this people, and bring, save it be one soul unto me, how great shall be your joy with him in the kingdom of my Father!" And when the going is rough remember, you can count as that one soul.

 

I love you all and hope you have an excellent week -

 

Elder Cox