"Let us reason even as a man reasoneth one with another face to face" - D&C 50:11

Monday, August 26, 2013

    Unfortunately, this letter is going to be short this week. People just did not seem to be in the mood to talk to us. However, there is something that I had reemphasized to me this week, and that is the importance of communication between companions.
     Elder Eisele and I settling in together well, and he is getting more comfortable in the mission field every day. Lately though, I have noticed that he seemed to not understand basic (in my mind they were basic at least) facts about life, and frequently I have to define some "big words" that I use without thinking but words he appeared to have trouble comprehending. I first I thought that it was an act, that he was doing it just to annoy me. And it was working.  I was finding it difficult to "keep my cool" whenever he would act ignorant and pretend not to know something. We had a talk about it and come to find out it wasn't an act - he actually doesn't know a lot of these words and is naive about a great deal more. I am so grateful that we had this talk, because now that I know that these problems are who he is, and they are real struggles he faces, I am so much more forgiving and tremendously more patient than I would be if it was an act. And as I reflected on that this week, I thought about Judas Iscariot, and how he was offended by something Christ had done and allowed Satan into his heart. How very different those last days would have been if Jesus and Judas had just had a "companionship inventory" and resolved their problems. Then a man's soul might not have been lost to the wiles of the devil.
     We also had the chance to give a member and his nonmember wife a blessing before he went into surgery on Thursday. I know she felt the spirit as the blessings were given, and I hope that during this ordeal she felt the peace that the gospel can bring and we can make some progress with her. And for those of you who are wondering, the surgery went well. It was scheculed to go for 4 hours, but ended up lasting 7 hours. The reason being was that when they opened his back up, there was much more damage than they had originally thought, so much more in fact that the doctors were flabbergasted how he was even able to walk. But everything went well and though he is in a tremendous amount of pain, he is on the mend and should be home soon.
    That's it for this week.  We have a zone conference on Thursday, so I should have some "mind grenades" to throw at you all next week.

  

Love you all and keep safe -

Elder Cox

Four Island Lake in Bear Valley

"Be still and know that I am God" - D&C 101:16

 

Monday, August 19, 2013

 

     I hope that you all had a good week.  Our's was a little slow as far as teaching went, but it was a good week for learning things, at least for me. One of the biggest things was that impressed upon me was the acceptance of other faiths. Allow me to explain: before now I had been struggling with other Christian faiths and whether I should be supportive or distrustful of their views. I know as missionaries that we are to build up everyone around us regardless of their faith, and that we are to add upon the knowledge and truth that they already have and not tear them down. But it wasn't really until this week that I realized just what that meant. I likened it to the parable of the talents; but instead of money, the servants were given truth. The servant that was given the smallest amount of truth chose to hide it and to close himself off from the accumulating of more. The other servants, however, chose to increase the truth that they had been given; and they were blessed for increasing the knowledge that they had. So it is with us - as members of the restored church, we have been given so much truth and are encouraged to seek it out where ever it may be found. We also encourage those around us that have been given a little truth to increase their knowledge and testimony of Christ and His plan for us. It helps me in teaching people to then see their sincerity and devotion to Jesus Christ and God, help them expand that, and to always encourage them to come closer to their Father in heaven. 

     I also learned that many people have lives and literally don't have time for the missionaries to talk to them. On Thursday, every single person we had planned to see wasn't home, so we ran around for no reason. I learned a very important lesson in trying to call people to see if they are even home at the time we are hoping to see them, instead of running around and getting nowhere fast (hence today's title).
     We also were able to take part in a parade on Saturday. The wards had put together a float and some flyers about being prepared in case of disaster. They also had the idea to staple pass-along cards to the flyers and hand those out as well. They asked the missionaries to hand them out during the parade, and I'm sorry to say that I just couldn't bring myself to do it. The Gospel is so dear to my heart that when I share it, I want it to be with sincerity, not in some mass produced flyer that I'm throwing at people as I'm running past them. The flyers were still handed out (almost 400 of them), and we had a great time.  I just felt sick to my stomach when I tried to hand them out. That was an interesting day.

     We also have an investigator that is ready for baptism, we just need to coordinate schedules now. I'll keep you all posted!

     And let's try these pictures:

 

Some elk, one of which has a balloon stuck on it's antlers.

A sunset over Tehachapi.

Tehachapi.

Landscape of Tehachapi.

Elder Eisele (Ethan's companion) and Elder Flores (in the background).

 

 Love you all and hope you have an excellent week!

Elder Cox

It's a boy!

Monday, August 12, 2013

     Well, my first week of being a trainer and senior companion is over, and I'm exhausted. There is a different kind of stress associated with being senior companion. Then add the stress of training where you have to watch every word you say and every step you take to set a good example for your "boy" (when you train for the first time, they are considered your "son").

     Speaking of - when I got the call to be a trainer, I said I could handle anything except an 18 year old or a Utahan. Guess what! Elder Eisele is from Lindon, Utah and his 18th birthday was in July!!!!!! I should have kept my mouth shut.

     But it has been good. Elder Eisele is just what I needed for two reasons. The first is that I really didn't have a testimony of the age change. I do know that President Monson is the prophet leading the church and that he was inspired to lower the age change. But when I came out, I was seeing so many problems with having younger Elders come out that I was starting to question whether it was such a good idea or not. This week with Elder Eisele has changed that: he is more mature than I was expecting and more ready to share the gospel than I was at his age. Yes, he still has his little quirks; but the vision I had in my head of the 18 year old missionaries was that of "bubble boys" that were going to have a nervous breakdown when they realized that they couldn't go to their mom for help on every little thing. I admit it was a very cynical view of the younger elders, and I will be forever grateful to Elder Eisele for changing that view and giving me the opportunity to repent of my cynicism. The second reason that I am glad for my new companion is a renewed energy to the work. Elder Broby was just hitting his year mark, or "mid-life crisis," so there were days that were hard to go out and proselyte. There is so much more energy now, very infectious energy; and I've already seen the blessings from this refocusing of our purpose.

     That's not to say this week was all sunshine and roses. We had to drop an investigator that we have been working with for a long time. She was going to be baptized, then through some words from her fellowshipper, that was cancelled.  Now she has gotten her hands on false doctrine, believing the church is run by "male chauvinist pigs" who force women into subservient roles and that baptism is just a humiliating public display. It was really sad to see her change so much, but we had been losing her for a while and nothing we did was able to stop it. So we let her use her agency, and just like Lehi taught in the Book of Mormon: "Wherefore, men are free according to the flesh; and all things are given them which are expedient unto man. And they are free to choose liberty and eternal life, through the great Mediator of all men, or to choose captivity and death, according to the captivity and power of the devil." It was just really painful for me to see that change; and for a few days after that incident, I kept thinking, "was there something more that I could have done?" And the answer I came up with was "yes".  However, my purpose is to invite not to force others to come unto Christ.  And as difficult as it was, I know that there are many other souls that are in need of my attention; and I cannot be distracted by this one rejection.      And the work goes on.  The weather is amazing; but I've been told that the next transfers, September 16th, are right around the hottest days of the year. So as that time draws closer, either pray for me to stay in the mountains, or that there will be an early frost.

 

I love you all and hope you have a fantastic week!

Elder Cox

I Dreamed A Dream

 

Monday, August 5, 2013

 

Sorry that this letter is short and late, our internet was down where we usually email.

     This week was good, particularly because of a dream that I had. I dreamed that I was back home watching a movie with my mom. All of a sudden, I realized that the year was 2015; and I couldn't remember anything of my mission. I frantically tried to remember something, anything about what I was doing in California for two years and my mind was completely blank. When I woke up, I thought about what it could possibly mean, because I don't dream very often and never so vividly. I pondered and prayed and felt that the reason I had my dream was a warning, that I needed to make sure that these precious months are amazing. And also to that end, I made a goal to write in my journal every night (I wasn't very faithful on that score) so that I will never forget what happens out here. So far I am doing a fantastic job!
     We also gave a blessing to a member who will be going into back surgery soon, and it was good. The best part was that his wife, who isn't a member, really had the spirit testify to her that all will be well. We hope that this will kindle a fire in her to change her habits and act upon the faith that we know she has.

     Also, I am losing Elder Broby, but am staying in Tehachapi and training a new elder. My second transfer and I'm training!!! From what I've heard from other elders, I have now reached legendary status. Cool, I guess. Just hope that I don't mess this poor elder up with my inexperience. Wish me luck. 

 

Love you all and have you in my prayers.

Elder Cox

Honest Seeker of Truth

Monday, July 29, 2013

     This week was pretty hard, well, at least Thursday through Sunday. I got a stomach bug and was worshiping false idols via the porcelain gods. However, "I'm feeling much betta".  I just need to teach my body that food is okay again. But from that experience, I was able to gain a stronger testimony of the power of the priesthood, just like in Zeezrom's story of conversion in Alma 15. While I wasn't "harrowed up" by the memory of my sins, I was still really sick and feeling really puny. So Elder Broby and the Tehachapi Elders came and gave me a blessing, just like Alma and Amulek did. And while I didn't leap upon my feet and begin to walk and do cartwheels, I still recovered a lot faster than I thought I was going to. So it was a great blessing in that regards; but, unfortunately, we were not able to do a whole lot in terms of teaching. And I'm really not in the mood for Doritos anymore...
     When I was on exchanges with Elder Flores (one of the Tehachapi elders) on Wednesday, we street contacted a man named John, who was one of those disciples of Christ that Elder Bednar described as an "honest seeker of truth" in his talk "Converted Unto the Lord." John had been studying the scriptures for years, and actually was only recently able to read them. He listened to everything around him and pondered long and hard about things that he had learned. Many of his ideas aren't quite true doctrines, but the fact that on his own he was able to get that close to truth is incredible. So many people have truth given to them and they take it completely the wrong way. But here was a man that started with nothing and continued building upon the knowledge that he had, seeking to understand Christ and the role that he has in his [John's] life. I pray that he'll take Elder Bednar's advice and exercise "...the necessary 'particle of faith' in Jesus Christ to 'experiment upon' (Alma 32:27) and 'try the virtue of the word' (Alma 31:5), to yield 'to the enticings of the Holy Spirit' (Mosiah 3:19), and to 'awaken unto God' (see Alma 5:7)."

     Another positive note was that we had what is known as Munday-Funday where we play sports with the youth and just have an excellent time. The whole district was able to make it up, so we had 10 Elders playing dodge ball. Then we went over to a member's house and just chilled and had dinner. It was great, even though it's exhausting at the same time. We were going to have a Zone activity up here, but through some hard feelings being exchanged in the zone, that was cancelled. I won't bore you all with the drama of the mission, so we'll just leave it at that. If you really want to know, you can write me and I'll explain more.

     Other than the being sick part though, this week was great. We are on week 7 of transfers now, so transfer calls are going to be August 5. So don't anyone send letters to my "personal" address this week, or it might not make it. If you lost the Bakersfield address, here it is again:

Elder Ethan L. Cox

California Bakersfield Mission

3512 Coffee Road, Suite B

Bakersfield, CA  93308

Love you all and hope you have a most excellent week!

 

Elder Cox

"And also all they who receive this priesthood 

receive me"

Monday, July  22, 2013

     This week was fun for two reasons. The first was because I went on exchanges with Elder Bullard in Monica Ward and it was an awesome time. He has less than 30 days left, but he has the same drive as if he had just came out into the field. I learned a lot from him, especially about finishing strong. We had some little miracles during the exchange, but they all pale in comparison to the second reason this week was awesome.

     Jerry is a less active member who is going through a hard time with his family and health. So he asked us for a blessing. Before the blessing, Elder Broby asked some questions I could feel were all inspired. Then Jerry turned to me and asked if I had anything to say. I answered truthfully and said that any words that I would add would be redundant or useless to what was already said. So he asked me to give the blessing. I started out with the words that needed to be said then waited for a prompting to know what was next. What followed was nothing short of a miracle. All the words that I was prompted to say were exactly what he needed to hear, including an almost direct quote from his patriarchal blessing. The spirit was so strong, and reminded me so much of when I confirmed my best friend a member of the church. I am so thankful for that opportunity to help one of God's sons with the challenges in his life by being the mouthpiece for the Spirit. And this leads me to the biggest lesson that I learned this week: that when I have the chance to use the priesthood, those are the times that I feel the closest to my father in heaven (outside of the temple).  Because when I do, I know that I am on the Lord's errand, and that blesses the lives of those around me just as Jesus Christ did. Maybe not with the same magnitude as Christ, but it still is special for those people.

     I am so grateful for this knowledge that I have that the authority of the priesthood has been restored upon the Earth. I love the many ways that it blesses my life, and how I know that it will continually bless my life. "For whoso is faithful unto the obtaining these two priesthoods of which I have spoken, and the magnifying their calling, are sanctified by the Spirit unto the renewing of their bodies." (D&C 84:33)

I love you all and hope you have a good week!

Elder Cox

I'm way late posting this!  I got to go to Beehive Girl's Camp (which I absolutely LOVED) and am now just getting to this.  Enjoy!

I Believe In Murikels!

Monday, July 15, 2013

 

     It was another beautiful week in the mountains of Tehachapi, all the more so because of miracles.
     The first major miracle came when we went on exchanges with the Monica 1st missionaries on Wednesday.  Elder Walker and I were in Bakersfield, and Elder Broby and Fernandez were in Bear Valley. The day was a little dreary.  It looked like it was going to rain but it was only muggy. Elder Walker and I just trucked along and were knocking on some doors, ignoring the weather, and having a great time. We then knocked on this door and a man in his late 50s opens the door. We greet him and introduce who we are and he asks, "You got any single women in your church?" We said yes, that there were; and he seemed interested in coming to church at that point. When we asked for his name as we were leaving, he said it was Julian. All of a sudden, Elder Walker's eyes started from his head and his jaw dropped a little bit; but I didn't say anything about it until we left the porch. When I asked him about it, he said, "During the second week of this transfer, I woke up one morning with a name in my head.  Ever since, I've been looking for someone named... Julian." It was really cool for me to be involved with something so profound as that; just as it speaks in Jeremiah 23:25 - "I have heard what the prophets said, that prophesy lies in my name, saying, I have dreamed, I have dreamed."
     The next miracle that came to me was at church, when we had three less-active/part-member families attend church.  The part-member family came so they could hear Elder Broby give a talk. Afterwards, when we talked to them about it and how they felt, the non-member said that listening to Elder Broby's talk made her feel all fuzzy inside. This just reinforces the importance of everyone attending church, because the chapel is a consecrated building that invites the spirit - "...where two or three are gathered together in my name, as touching one thing, behold, there will I be in the midst of them even so am I in the midst of you." (D&C 6:32)

     But the best thing happened on Friday during District meeting. We started out and it was good; but all of a sudden during our "War Council" (where we talk about investigators that we are struggling with and seeking help from the other Elders), someone had the idea to write all our investigator's names down and have it be a District Prayer Roll. Then, someone said, "Why stop at investigators?  This sister in our ward is in poor health, can we pray for her too?" After that, family members got on the list too. When we were done, we had about 25 names of people that we personally knew that were struggling in the gospel, with health, finances, etc. It really strengthened us as a district to know that we are praying for each other and those that we care about. I don't know how everyone did, but I know that my testimony was strengthened. It brings to mind the story of Alma the Younger and when he was struggling with the gospel.  His father and many members of the church prayed that his heart might change (see Mosiah 27). The power of prayer is real, I see it work everyday out here, and I know that you all can too.

Love you lots and lots,

Elder Ethan Cox