Monday, December 28, 2015

FELIZ NAVIDAD!!!!

Presents from our ward mission leader...so sweet of him

 (A Felt Christmas tree my mom sent)

Wow, I can`t believe we are already ending this year!! This transfer flew by so quickly and this week especially. It was a very fun Christmas, we had a big Christmas dinner with our pension the 24th and then on Christmas day we got up early and opened presents before we went to our zone activity. President visited us with his family for a minute and then we ate pancakes (YUM!), did a white elephant gift exchange, and had a devotional. It was a very fun morning. Then we ate with some members for lunch and spent the day visiting families in the ward and less active members. Talking with my family was the absolute best gift ever! I am sooo blessed to have them. The work was a little harder this week because everyone is gone or with family for the holidays but we did see some miracles and find people to teach who are really looking for Christ in their lives. 

Christmas here in Peru is very family oriented and there is more of a focus on Christ than in other parts of the world which I loved. Everyone has their nativity and they wait to put out the baby Jesus until 12am on Christmas to represent him coming and being born. :) They all get together about 8 at night and have a party and then eat at midnight. Then they open all the presents and set off a bunch of fireworks. They go to bed about 2 in the morning and then sleep all day on the 25th. Super fun but it makes it hard as a missionary. :) 

I don`t have more time but I love you all and hope you had a great Christmas and enjoy this New Year! As you set your new goals, remember to think about what you want to do to draw closer to Christ this year and how you will become more like him. Love you all!!!!! Thank you for all the Christmas wishes!!

Hermana Cox

And BBQ cow heart! It was actually really yummy. :)

Food from our Christmas Buffet!

A Christmas tree...tropical style. :) 

My Friend, Colton, from high school is standing next to me.

My Christmas gifts!!! 

 The famous Panetòn that everyone eats here all Christmas. We have had 5 given to us in this past week and still have 3 in our room we are trying to give away. :) 

Our Christmas Dinner! Yum!

Monday, December 21, 2015

Hola Familia y Amigos! 

I don`t have much time this week but we`ve been super busy! Lots of Christmas preparations and little miracles every day. We had intercambios with some sisters which is always a great learning experience for me...and it also happened to be in my old area of Mayorazgo!!! That is where I started my mission and spent 3 transfers so it was so fun to go back and see so many people I love so much. I love being able to go back and see people still faithful and still progressing in the gospel. 

This week my testimony was especially strengthened of the beauty of the Plan of Salvation. I know we lived with God before this life and that we were sent here for a purpose to learn and grow. I know that this life is not the end. In Alma 40:11-12 it teaches us that after we leave this earth we are taken home to the God who gave us life and dwell in a state of happiness, peace, and rest. There is still much to do to prepare for the day that we will all be resurrected again with perfect bodies and stand before our Lord to be judged. According to our deeds and desires we will be awarded our final dwelling place, hopefully in the Celestial kingdom with our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ, along with our family and loved ones. What great joy, what great peace.

This Christmas season I am grateful for my Savior who came and was born on this earth as he promised. He too lived and walked among men, living a perfect life and giving a perfect example. He too died and his spirit went to the Spirit World where he organized the missionary efforts for those who had died without a knowledge of him. He rose from the grave as promised and appeared to those he loved with a perfect, resurrected body. In this Christmas season he calls to us with open arms to come to him, to learn of his life, to follow his example. This Christmas season I remember His life, His promises, His love. He came, He lived, He died, and He lived again. HE is the best gift we have ever and will ever receive. I love him. I trust him. Because of him I have peace. Because of him I know who I am. Because of him I know no earthly sorrow is lasting. I know death has no sting. I love my Savior and am so grateful for him. Remember Him this season. Take time to ponder about what his life means to you and what you will give to him. 

I love you all so much and hope you have a very merry happy Christmas, filled with beautiful memories and peace. 

Hermana Cox

Monday, December 14, 2015

Hola Hola!!!!!!!

Wow what a week!!!! SUPER crazy and full of lots of activities and things going on. First of all, thank you for all the birthday wishes, I am so blessed to have such an incredible family and so many wonderful friends. It was a great day! We had our district meeting in the morning and while we were there my old ward Mayorazgo was having a Christmas party in the church. Such a beautiful birthday present to be able to see so many of them again. So many members I love and less active members that we helped return and are still active!

Here I am on my Birthday

Then we had a delicious lunch and I ate a new weird thing to put on my list! It´s the part of a fish that holds all the eggs...fried. It´s called caviar? Haha fried baby fish :) But hey, it was actually pretty good! Then my companion got sick and we ended up having to spend the afternoon in the room while she rested...but I got lots of time to study, ponder, and think. It was actually really nice. :) Then we went and visited another member who shares her birthday with me! Her name is Giselly and she is the blessing of the missionaries, she always wants to accompany us in lessons. She is the best. 

Giselly and I...the member who shares a birthday with me and the gifts she gave me.

We also had cake at the pension at night which was super delicious and so fun. I am so blessed to be surrounded by wonderful people wherever I am in the world. 

(This video was put on facebook by her Pension's family)

My birthday cake...tres leches...super yummy! And my companion at my Birthday dinner.

Blowing out my candles and my birthday dinner. :) My pensionista is the best!

 

Then this week we did another division with a missionary from Australia, Hermana Funaki! She is the best and I learned so much from her. We also had a fun ward Christmas party that reminded me of those back home. :) Also a stake Christmas devotional where we got to sing and I saw all my old ward of Mayorazgo again! I saw my old pensionists and her sister and little daughter, M...! Also R...!!! She got called to be a primary teacher in her ward now...how sweet! :) So fun. 

A great week and lots of Christmas preparations everywhere. Luckily we are so busy I haven´t felt too homesick. I´m excited to spend Christmas here with all these wonderful people and get to spend it sharing the glad tidings with everyone. 

Please pray for my companion, she´s struggling a little bit since she goes home in 2 weeks and is having a hard time knowing how to handle it all. Also A... and E... R..., F..., K..., and that we can find new investigators. :) Love you all so much! Have a wonderful week!!!!

Hermana Cox

Fun pday last week. We went to the inca market. A cool statue thing and then the llama fur store. They have a bunch of them just full of fuzzy soft things...super tempted to buy a huge llama rug to bring home ;)

 I just had to send a pic of what we ate last night for dinner. I´ve mentioned before how much rice peruvians eat here...but rice pizza?! I thought it was too funny to not share. :)

Monday, December 7, 2015

Hola Familia y Amigos!!! 

What a week! We had SO much going on, but it was really fun. Lots of meetings and a multi-zone Christmas conference with Pres. Boswell. We also did a division this week.  Hermana Verdezoto went there with Hermana Sanchez and Hermana Salazar came to Monterrico with me. It was a very spur of the moment intercambio, but we felt the spirit tell us very strongly that we needed to have a division now and not wait any longer. So at about 9:30 in the morning we called to inform them and at 11 we started the division. But it was a very neat experience and I for one learned so much from Hermana Salazar. She has an amazing story.

She is the only member of her family and only has 2 years as a member. When she decided to go on a mission her parents told her they weren`t going to support her and she had to buy everything and pay for it all on her own. She still wanted to go and worked and saved up to come. Then her parents also told her that when she got back they wouldn`t pay for her studies any more either and stopped sending money for her food and transportation. She lived a few hours away with her brother because they were both studying in another city but received support from their parents. She said that before she left her brother dropped her off at the airport and her parents called real quick but they didn`t come to say goodbye. She`s been out for a month and has only received 1 or 2 emails from her dad saying hola, como estàs (hi, how are you). It is really hard for her but she is trying to focus her hardest on her responsibilities as a missionary and learn all she can. We had a great day together and I learned a lot about the power of conversion and true sacrifice and trust in the Lord. She has so much desire to learn all she can and to be the best missionary possible. I can`t wait to see the miracles that come from her service and how much growing she will do here. She`s a little miracle. Please pray for her. 

This week we have also been trying very hard to find new investigators to teach. A few days ago we decided to knock doors on a street we hadn`t visited before and weren`t having too much success. We contacted a lady who is part of a Baptist church and wasn’t super interested, but we felt that we should ask her for a referral to see if she knew of anyone else who needed our message. She gave us the name of her neighbor G... and said she probably could use some help. We went and knocked on the door and when she answered, introduced ourselves as missionaries and explained that someone had referred her name as someone who could use some strengthening at this time and we were there to see how we could help her. She just looked at us for a minute and then explained that she was going through some big challenges right now and was just about ready to give up. She told us that she had even pondered taking her life the day before because she was so burdened down by all the problems in her life. She explained that she had been praying all week long for help and strength because she didn`t know where else to turn. She told us to come back a few hours later and when we did we had an awesome visit with her where she told us her story and all the awful things going on in her life. We assured her of God`s love and that as representatives of Christ we were there to help her find her way back on the path and find the peace she so desperately needed. It was an awesome experience and really strengthened my testimony that God knows each one of us and will put people in our path that need our help. We just have to be constantly looking and working to find those lost sheep. Miracles every day. :)

The mission is the best and I love seeing the hand of God in my life so openly and obvious. Hermana Chavez sent me a letter telling me of all the miracles that are happening back in Chosica and said that J... and his mom are going to the temple this week to do baptisms for the dead! First time for them both! Also there is a less active family that will be sealed and another boy we taught that is planning on getting baptized this month! Also back in Surco, I found out that G..., our miracle contact that we found, got baptized a few weeks ago as well as another boy we were teaching named J.... Wow, the Lord is so good!

Please pray for Familia D..., Familia R..., and Familia R... who are less active members. Also G..., A..., C... who are investigators. And in general that we can find more people to teach who are ready to accept the gospel. 

I love this work and I love my Savior. I have been trying to focus my studies on him lately and giving all my time and efforts to him as my Christmas gift. I love him with all my heart. Thank you for all the thoughts and prayers, I love you all so much!! 

Hermana Cox

Monday, November 30, 2015

Hola Familia y Amigos!!!

Wow, what a week!!! It´s been so busy but I am so grateful for that because I haven´t had time to feel homesick for Thanksgiving festivities. We had a bunch of meetings and also did 2 intercambios with Hermanas in our rebaño (flock). :) An intercambio is when my companion and I split up with another companionship of Hermanas and spend 24 hours together learning from one another and helping each other. It is a great experience to learn and grow and also great practice with following the spirit to know how to help the Hermanas. Loved it. :) Our area is progressing, slowly but surely. Super rich areas are a little harder but with lots of faith and diligence we know we will see miracles. :) 

I´m glad you all had a great Thanksgiving! They don´t celebrate it here, but our Pension did make us a Thanksgiving lunch which was super sweet. Peruvian style with steak, chicken, hot dog, rice (of course), Veggies, Potato, Sweet potato, and boiled banana. With a little cream pie to top it off. Super sweet of her. :) 

I don´t have much time but we did see many miracles this week. The Lord truly is leading this work and preparing his children to receive his word. Please pray for my companion, F..., A..., J..., L..., K..., and Familia G.... 

Love you so much!!!! I´m so excited for this Christmas season to be here and be able to dedicate this season to testifying of Christ as his representative. What will you give as a gift to Christ this year? This month I am going to be studying of his life and really dedicate time to get to know and serve him so that I can better find him in my life. Love you all so much!!!!

Hermana Cox

 Samantha with her Pension (the lady who cooks her dinners), her Companion, and the other companionship that is fed by the Pension.

Samantha's little sister, Kylee, sent a letter.  Letters make Sammy very happy especially when they come from Kylee.