Monday, August 3, 2015

Hola Familia y Amigos!!!

Wow, this week FLEW BY! Time flies when you are having fun and working hard. Well this week my companion and I had a goal that we wanted to meet all the ´´Metas de Excellencia´´ or goals of excellence this week in our area. We have key indicators and numbers that we record every week of the lessons we teach, to whom, how many people we contact and find, etc. In our mission the goals of Excellence are to teach 25 lessons, contact 70 people, and find 10 new investigators for the week. They are some pretty high goals but we had faith that with the Lord´s help we could do it. So we set out and worked SUPER hard all week searching for people and teaching and talking to everyone. We were a little worried because this week was Independence dayS (Yes Peru celebrates it in 2 days) so everyone was traveling or partying. But we had faith and set out to do work and the Lord blessed us with our desires.:) This week we taught 25 lessons, contacted 74 people, and found 10 new investigators.

WOW!!!! It was amazing! I feel like Ammon when he said, ´´I do not glory in myself for I know that I am nothing, but I will glory in my God, for in him I can do all things.´´ It was a week of miracle after miracle. It was made so obvious to me that the Lord knows how to do his work and he knows who is ready and who needs him. All he asks is that we be his servants, willing to go where he wants us to go, do what he wants us to do, and say what he wants us to say. When we truly give ourselves wholeheartedly to the Lord he will lead our steps and work miracles through us. It's amazing to see and it applies to all of us, not just missionaries out in the field. All of us when we were baptized promised to stand as a witness of God and be his servant. How are we doing with that promise? I´ve thought a lot about that this week and really done a personal inventory of where my heart is and how much I´m giving to the Lord and how much I’m holding back. It was an eye-opener but I’m so excited to work harder and give the Lord my 100% devotion. 

One example of one of these little miracles happened Friday night. We had finished up our English class in the church and headed back to our room. We were almost there and realized we still had 10 more minutes before it was time to head in. We were exhausted and it would have been so easy to just go in a little early, but we decided to walk through the park and try and contact one or two more people. We saw a man sitting on the bench so we went over to talk to him and he ended up telling us that he is a member, but has been inactive for more than 10 years. He let us sit down and talk to him for a few minutes and told us of his story. He said he has really strayed from God in these past years and was feeling really lost and sad. He had come to the park to think and just wanted to talk everything out with someone, but had no one to talk to. He told us he knew God was looking out for him and really loved him. He told us he really wants to reactivate himself in the church and change his life around. We told him that´s exactly what we were there to help him do. We gave him a new Book of Mormon to start reading again, a pamphlet of the restoration, and decided to meet him again the next day to teach some more. We had our other lesson with him on Saturday and then he and his mom both came to church on Sunday. (His mom is not a member so we´re excited to help her too.) What a little miracle. Just 10 minutes. We gave the Lord 10 more minutes and he helped us find a soul in need who was looking for God with a desire to return to him. I KNOW that when we just give the Lord our time and our desires he will work miracles. 

Our investigators are doing well, a lot are progressing. Please pray for the Familia E..., Familia L..., Familia H..., M..., S.., J..., S..., Familia M..., J... H..., A..., and M... for this week. 

Love you all so much! Thank you for all the love and support! I know that your faith and prayers bless me and the people we are serving here.

Con Amor,

Hermana Cox

p.s. Funny story...our mouse friend is back! We hadn´t seen him for a few weeks so we just assumed he had left but last night we heard it running around in our room in the middle of the night. We weren’t sure what it was but then all the sudden I felt something run across my feet...YIKES! We spent the next 45 minutes trying to devise a way to trap it but finally just opened up the door for a few minutes and it eventually ran outside. Hopefully it can´t get back in soon. :) Oh the adventures of Peruvian housing!

pday at the church! Playing games outside with the zone :)

Happy birthday daddy!!!! We bought a cake and ate it to celebrate for you :) Thanks, it was delicious!

Monday, July 27, 2015

Hola Familia Y Amigos!!

Wow, what a week here in Surco! My companion and I have been working really hard this week and finding lots of people to teach. The Ward is awesome and we had a lot of members come to lessons with us which is the best! They make such a difference. I forgot my notebook that has all the things I wanted to say, so hopefully I remember everything.

It sounds like everyone had a fun Pioneer day back home! We got to celebrate by going to the temple!!!!! Wow, I love the temple and I am so grateful to get to attend in my mission. I went with bunch of questions and it was amazing all the revelation I received and things that were made clear to me. It`s so true that when we ask with a sincere heart and do our part to search for answers, the Holy Ghost always reveals things to our hearts. I love developing this relationship with the spirit and this special communication with God. Then to make the day even better I got t see both of my previous companions outside the temple! I`ve been blessed with amazing companions so far and I’ve learned so much from every one of them. Hermana Bergeson and I had a great time together there and really had an awesome chat inside about things we had learned. We are growing so close and I love her so much. :)

Hermana Cox and Hermana Ramirez

 Hermana Cox and Hermana Davis

Hermana Cox and Hermana Bergeson

THEN, as if the day couldn`t get any better, Hermana Davis told me that one of our investigators from Mayorazgo that we have been working with the whole time I served there just accepted to be baptized in August!!!!!!!!!! I was so happy and we just hugged each other and cried as she told me how well she is progressing and that she truly has a testimony and is applying the gospel in her life. It was a little hard leaving Mayorazgo after having been there for so long and then not really having anything as far as baptisms to show for all the work I put in there, But now to hear that they are reaping the fruits of our labors now makes me soooo happy. It`s a joy I can`t describe and it makes every hard moment worth it. We got permission from President for me to go back and be able to see her baptized which I can`t even contain my excitement about! I`m smiling super big right now just thinking about it. :) Her name is R..., please keep praying for her and her progress as well as T... who also is working towards her baptism still.

But now back to my new area of San Roque! Wow, we are seeing so much progress here! We had an investigator named A... come to church with us for the second time yesterday. She has agreed to be baptized in August, but her parents want a little more information first so we are meeting with them this week. She is 18 and has a lot of family and social problems. But she is so sweet and is really growing in her testimony and loves our visits and coming to church. Please keep praying for her.

We also met with another investigator who agreed to be baptized and is amazing! She is praying about a specific date but has such a desire to follow Christ and change her life. I’m so excited to help her with this conversion process. Her name is M....

Now an update on this C... that we found that one day knocking doors. We passed by his house again one day and found him there. He talked to us for a second and told us that ever since his first little visit with us everything has been changing for the better. He said he talked to his wife and they are working things out now. He feels a lot more hope and happiness with his situation and that things are going to be ok. He has been reading the message about the Plan of Salvation and says it is really helping him. He told us he is taking it as a sign from God that this is something good and he wants to learn more. :) Such a happy feeling as a missionary seeing that the Lord fulfills his side of the promise to give people answers to their prayers and desires concerning the gospel message. Please keep praying for him as we try to help him apply the gospel in his life and learn more.

There are so many more stories I could share about the wonderful people we are finding and helping but I’m running out of time. Please keep praying for Familia H..., S..., Familia R..., Familia M..., P..., K..., and the L.... family.

Just a funny story to end....hopefully it won`t scare my parents. :) So sometimes when we are contacting people we run into people we call "sharks". Basically men that are only interested in our message because we are Young American girls. :) This week we contacted one of these people and he called us a few times to try and "talk more about the church" (Flirt). It was pretty weird and then on Sunday we received a text from him that said "Te invito a cenar"...or in other words we got invited to dinner. Yep...that awkward moment when your companionship gets invited on a date by a 35 year old Peruvian man you met on the Street. :) Haha but we`ve got his number blocked now and he`s not serious enough to actually come to church to see us so I’m not too worried about it. My companion and I were laughing about it all night though. :)

Thank you for all the love and support! I love being a missionary and I am learning more every day. Today I completed 6 months in the mission and it doesn`t seem real! Time is flying by so fast but I am trying to enjoy every moment.

Love you all so much!

Hermana Cox

 Our new district! 

 Sister Romrell from my old district. :) The one from Oregon that has family in California.

 We went to a big shopping center for pday, it was crazy full of people everywhere. And yes that is a hill covered in houses. That`s what a lot of them look like here. :)

Monday, July 20, 2015

Hola Familia y Amigos!

Wow, this week has been a big one! Yes, I was transferred to a new area and have a new companion, Hermana Bergeson from northern California. She is amazing and we are getting along super well. She just finished her training so this is her first normal transfer as a ¨real missionary¨. That also means I only have one more transfer than her and am the senior missionary.  It`s a little strange because I still feel super new, but we`re going to have a great transfer learning together.

I am now in San Roque, Surco which is on the very edge of our mission, touching Lima South. It`s very different from my other area but I am loving it. Our area is actually an  air force base so there are tons of apartment housing for military families. The airport is really close and we hear planes flying over all the time. The area is a lot poorer than my other one and more city-like as well. More people in the streets and more humble conditions.

Our room is pretty small, about the size of my bedroom back home, with a tiny bathroom added on. There is no door to the bathroom, we have ants and a mouse sharing our room, the door to the outside doesn`t reach the ceiling so it gets a little chilly at night, and our neighbor`s dog whines in the mornings and sounds like it`s dying....but I love it!!!! It`s an adventure and I’m really just enjoying every moment. :) This week all the water in Surco was shut off for 2 days so we had to store water the day before in any type of container we had and then couldn`t use the sink or shower. But we survived and all is well now. :) 

There is so much potential in this area and I’m super excited to work here. The ward is awesome and the members are always giving us food to take home...I`m getting so chubby!!!!! :) The ward is really awesome and supportive of the missionaries. We do lots of door to door contacting here in the FAP buildings, housing for the military families, and we have found a bunch of new people this week doing that. It`s awesome because they are families, not just apartments with single people like in my other area. 

A few quick miracle stories:  One day we passed by to visit an investigator but she wasn`t home, we turned around to go back down the stairs but all of a sudden I had a strong impression to knock their neighbor`s door. We did and a man answered the door and we began to introduce ourselves and gave him a contact card about Jesus Christ. We then realized that he was crying. He didn`t really say much but told us we could come back another day. We asked if there was anything we could do to help him but he didn`t really want to talk too much. We left the building and entered another building to look for another investigator and when we turned around he had followed after us to tell us that the time we had arranged to come visit actually wouldn`t work for him. He was still pretty teary-eyed so we kept talking to him and he ended up telling us his story about how his wife had just left him and he is home with his 2 daughters and doesn`t know what to do. They have a lot of family problems and he just cried and told us everything. It`s amazing how much confidence people have in us as missionaries; two 19 year old girls from the U.S. It`s a big responsibility. We gave him a pamphlet about the Plan of Salvation to read and told him we`d pass by another day to visit him. Then we tried to go and visit him another day and brought a member with us (we can`t teach men alone without another woman) but he wasn`t home. So we decided to pass by another family of investigators with her. We got to the door and I realized that I had looked at the wrong address and we were at the wrong house. We decided to talk to this family anyway and they ended up letting us in and all of the family came in to listen. They shared some family problems and concerns they are having and we were able to share a little bit of the gospel with them and then arrange for another time to come visit. They are really grateful and excited for us to come visit. 

We see little miracles every day and it is so obvious the Lord is in his work. I love being a missionary and can`t believe my time is already 1/3 of the way over! It makes me super sad, but I know that the things I am learning and the person I am becoming will help me be a servant of the Lord throughout my whole life, not just now on my mission. 

Thank you for all the love and support, I love you all so much! Please pray for A... (an investigator we just invited to baptism and she accepted but we have to talk to her parents), E... (her son needs lots of help, his name is S...), S... ( a less active who is progressing really well), and family L... (recent converts that need help paying their tithing). 

I love you all! Have a great week!!

Hermana Cox

P.S.  Also fun news that mom will be proud of, I was asked to be the pianist here in my new ward. They don`t have anyone who plays the piano so they were super excited when they found out I did....I haven`t practiced since I left for my mission but I’ve got faith the Lord will help me :) I love you all so much!!! Have a wonderful week!!!

Monday, July 13, 2015

Hola Familia y Amigos!!!

Wow, I can`t believe another transfer (cambio) has come to an end. This one flew by so fast, and I know they are just going to keep going faster and faster. We started off the week with an awesome Pday to Centro de Lima. The architecture is incredible and so fun to see the buildings and history there. We ate at a pizza place and got some ice-cream too which is always delicious. It was 5 soles which is the equivalent of about 1.75 dollars. Pretty much a score for Hermana Cox. :) Then we went and looked through all the tourist shops. It`s so incredible all the beautiful trinkets and things they have here. I loved just looking at everything. And it`s all super cheap so it was a temptation not to just buy everything. :) But super fun. Lots of llama fur things, awesome ponchos, sweaters, trinkets, and anything you could want. I`ll send some fun pics. :) 

Then we started off the last week of the transfer. Hermana Davis and I decided that we wanted to make it a week of èxito (success) so we gave it all we had. Let’s just say we are SUPER exhausted but I also don`t think I’ve ever been so happy and felt so accomplished in my mission. It was incredible to see how the Lord just gave us one opportunity after another to teach, testify, find, and serve so many people this week because we consciously offered every minute to him. We taught so many lessons, found a bunch of new investigators that we are super excited about, and really used the members to help us in lessons. We have seen so much growth in this area and it is just brimming with potential! When I got here we really didn`t have much progress so it`s been so fun to see how much has changed and all the work we have to do. There are people waiting everywhere for the gospel and when we show the Lord our willingness he works miracles through us. I love this work :) 

OUR district from this transfer :

Sadly, another transfer has ended and although we don`t know for sure what will happen (we find out in about an hour), I feel like my time in Mayorazgo is probably up. I started my third transfer here thinking that by the end I would be so ready to leave but now that it`s probably here I don`t want to! I LOVE this area, I love the people, I love my companion, I love the investigators we have found. It tears me apart to think that I won`t be able to see them keep progressing, but I know that the Lord is preparing people in other places as well. I will be so sad to leave, but I also know that I’ve done what I could here, given everything for these people, and I can leave in peace, knowing I did what I could. But I’m excited for a new adventure and to see what else the Lord has in store for me to learn and to accomplish. I have total confidence in him and total trust in his plan. I guess we`ll see what happens. :)

This week we ¨rescued¨ a less active member (taught all the lessons and reactivated her) and next week another man we`ve been working with will be officially ¨rescued¨ as well. T... is still planning on being baptized at the end of July or first week of August. Please keep praying for her. We are seeing a change in her and her conversion is coming along, but still needs a lot of motivation and prayers. R... has accepted baptism and is praying for a response from God that it`s true. She`s also working on setting a specific date. P... is still progressing and learning more and more. There are many others as well that we are working with that are understanding the importance of the message. R..., R..., C..., E..., and A... are recent converts that are working on getting to the temple. Please pray for them and that they can be strong and keep faithful. 

I love being a missionary. I find so much joy in every day. I love teaching people the gospel and seeing the joy and peace that comes into their lives when they accept and live the principles we teach. Thank you for all the love and support. I`m out of time but I love you all and hope you have a wonderful week. Never tire of sharing the gospel with others and developing your own testimony and relationship with God. I know it`s true and I`m so glad to be sharing it every day. 

Love you all!

Hermana Cox

P.S.  I ran into Hermana Kaylee Kingston from my high school the other day! She is in the CCM and we ran into her in the store when we were out buying our groceries. She is going to Lima North and is super excited. So random but so fun to see her! 

 My llama sweater I got on our shopping trip

Monday, July 6 2015

Hola Familia Y Amigos!

Well this week was super interesting! This week the Copa America (Soccer Tournament with all the countries of South America) was going on so almost every day there was a game. Soccer or Fùtbol, is life here so when there is a game the whole world watches. We spent a lot of time walking the empty streets and trying to find SOMEONE to talk to or that would turn off their tv for 30 min to let us in. It was a little challenging, but that also means there was more opportunities for us to rely on the Lord and see miracles. For example, on Monday there was a holiday so no one had work and Peru was playing so EVERYONE was in their houses with their friends and families having a party and watching the game. All our appointments cancelled and there wasn`t anyone in the streets to talk to. But we said a prayer and went out with faith that we would find someone who really needed us. We saw a lady in the street, the only person in the whole street, and decided to talk to her. It turns out that she is a member but has been inactive for years since she moved. She has been through the temple and everything and still has a really strong testimony and love for the Lord, just has never gotten back into going to church. We visited her again during the week and on Sunday she came to church again :) She has a really strong desire to come back and get back to the temple. What a little miracle that we found her and can now help her rediscover the joy of the gospel in her life! Her name is S.... 

Then throughout the week we had some really awesome lessons with investigators and are seeing a lot of progress in our area. We found a lady named P... who we contacted in the street and she let us come and visit her. We shared the Book of Mormon in the first lesson and she and her mom, who is super catholic, both were excited about it and agreed to read it. Then we passed by again to visit P... and taught about the Restoration and she LOVED IT! She was just so enthralled and interested in what we were teaching and when we explained that after this time of apostasy the Lord called another prophet to lead his church, she was super excited and believed it all. She was super interested in Joseph Smith and even started saying things like, "Wow, how incredible! Did people believe him? Poor thing he had this great vision and no one wanted to believe him! I believe him! There`s no way he could lie about something like that. Those poor people that don`t know what they are missing when they reject him!" Haha she was getting all worked up trying to defend the prophet Joseph :) But my favorite part was when we told her that because God called Joseph Smith to be a prophet, this line of authority has been passed down to our day and we too have a prophet who is living and guiding the church. She practically screamed with excitement and I thought she was going to jump out of her chair. The spirit was so strong. Some people feel the spirit and cry, I think she feels the sprit and just explodes with excitement and emotion. It was so awesome! She wanted to see a picture and know all about President Monson. Sometimes I forget what a blessing it is to have a living prophet guiding us through direct revelation from God, but she helped me remember how marvelous it is. :) We`ve got lots of hope for our dear friend P.... :)

One more little miracle for the week...ok a pretty big one :) We have an investigator named T... who we are working with to prepare her to be baptized at the end of July. She was super excited and everything but over these past few weeks has lost a lot of her desire and motivation. She has cancer and is in the hospital almost every day. She is a single mom and doesn`t have a very steady job, especially because she is always in the hospital. She has lots of debts and is super stressed about her financial well-being as well as her health. Then this week she got news that the cancer has spread and she now has a tumor in another part of her body. She was really struggling with feeling like God was there to help her. On Sunday we called her to remind her to come to church but she wouldn`t answer. We were fasting that day and especially for her, pleading that the Lord would help us know how to help her. She has her big operation in August so if she doesn`t get baptized before then she`ll have to wait until after her recovery and everything. We decided to pass by her house but she still wouldn`t answer her phone. She lives on the very top floor of an apartment building so we talked one of the little kids in the second floor to come and open the door for us so we could go up and knock on her apartment. Haha, kids are the best. :) We knocked on her door and found her and her son (who is a less-active) still in bed. We talked to her for a little bit and then they decided to come to church with us. WOW. All the messages and classes were perfect for her. She even got up and bore her testimony in Relief Society! Super awesome. Afterwards all the Hermanas in the ward came and talked to her and welcomed her. She ended up staying almost an hour after church talking with people and one Hermana even took her to go and meet the bishop and talk with him. So awesome! We visited her that night with some Hermanos from the ward to give her a blessing of health and comfort and she felt so much better.

The Lord is incredible and is helping us in every aspect of the work. Sometimes I forget that it`s really his work, not mine, and he`s got everything under control. We just need to be open and willing to be his instruments. Really we as missionaries are the lucky ones. We get a front row seat in seeing the Lord about his wondrous work and he allows us, as weak and simple as we are, to participate in this grand miracle of Salvation. I am so grateful for Him and for all he is teaching me. I wouldn`t want to be doing anything else in my life right now. The mission is one big miracle for me. :) 

Please keep praying for the people here, I know it helps. We are seeing miracles every day and I am constantly reminded of the love of God for every single one of his children. 

Love you all so much! Hope you have a great week! Take time every day to ask the Lord how you can help in his work and I know you`ll be amazed with what he can do with you if you are just willing to give a little time. Be a part of his miracles, there is nothing better. 

Con mucho amor,

Hermana Cox

Red, white, and blue! and a creepy bug we found in our room, probably the size of my whole thumb. :)

Monday, June 29, 2015

Hola Familia y Amigos!!!

Well this week was just a little bit of everything. :) It was a little rough as far as missionary work goes, but we also had some incredible experiences and I learned so much. It`s always that harder times that the Lord uses to teach us. :) On Tuesday we got a little surprise and received a new companion. She is from Peru and is waiting for her passport to leave for her mission in El Salvador. She was planning on staying about 2 weeks but then Tuesday night we received a call that everything had come through and she could leave. So really it was only for 1 day but it was still a really good experience for us to have to adapt and work with another missionary. It gave me a little glimpse of what it`ll be like when we have transfers soon. I`ve gotten so used to my area and Hermana Davis so it`ll be an adventure :) 

We also had a big multi-zone meeting this week with President and it was a spiritual feast! We learned so much and I am so grateful for my wonderful leaders and the people I am here serving with. They are inspired by God. And we got to eat Subway for lunch with chocolate chip cookies which was super exciting :) 

I was a little worried with how this week would go with Steven leaving for the MTC. I was worried about how I would handle it and whether or not I would be able to focus. But I prayed a lot and really asked the Lord to bless and protect him and then help me to focus here on what I needed to do. I was blessed with such peace the whole week and knew that he would be taken care of. The Lord is so good and as we dedicate ourselves to him he always takes care of the rest. I`m super excited for him though and know he will be an amazing missionary. 

This week something else exciting happened...I completed 5 months in the mission!!!! WOW! Time is going by so fast, I can`t even believe it! I`ve learned so much in this short time and can`t even imagine how much more I’m going to be learning in the coming 13. 

Just an update on some investigators:

T...

Please pray for her!!!!! She has accepted baptism for the end of July so we are working really hard with her to get her ready. She is about 33 years old and has a son who is a member. She is a single mom and also has cancer so she is very stressed and trying to deal with treatments while still trying to provide for their family. She really feels like it is her time to turn things over to God and has faith that he will bless them. Her son, M..., has gone inactive but is still such a good kid. He`s 15 so I think it`s hard for him to be the only member in his family. But he is super excited for his mom and now is helping us in the lessons to teach her and I can already see the blessings that are coming into their family. Please pray for them. 

N...

She is 22 years old and studying here in Lima and living with family who are all members. She is awesome and really has a desire to learn. She is praying about baptism and trying to overcome some doubts that she has. 

B...

She is coming to church and activities but still won`t accept a baptismal date. Her husband is atheist so I think she’s a little afraid of him and what he will say. But she has some family problems and is really just looking for peace and help. She is bringing her kids to church now too and they are starting to like it more and more. Please keep praying for them and that we can find how to help her have the faith to move forward and be an example for her family.

Thank you for all the love and support. I`m doing so well and love being a missionary. It isn`t always easy but it`s always worth it and the experiences I’m having I wouldn`t trade for anything. I love you all!!! Have a wonderful week!

Hermana Cox

Matching Scarfs :) Our whole zone bought matching ties and scarfs because we sang in the multi-zone conference. It was super fun and I also sang in a little group of soloists as well....wow, i`m so brave now ;)

Monday, June 22, 2015

Hola Familia y Amigos!!!

Wow, this week flew by! But it was an awesome one and I learned so much. We started off with a fun Pday where we got together with another zone and had a marshmallow war with pvc tubes as guns. It was pretty fun. :) Also Elder Taylor Griffin from my stake was in the other zone so I got to say hello to him and talk for a minute. He`s doing really well and almost has a year in the mission now! So crazy! 

Then I also found out that I am going to be the new English teacher in our zone....ahhhh! I am a little nervous about it but I know the Lord will help me. We have an hour long "English Class" every week before our district meeting to help the Latino missionaries learn English. It went pretty well and I`m excited to keep working with them and help them learn. 

We also got to go on Divisions this week, which means that one of our Sister leaders comes to our area and she stayed with Hermana Davis and then I went to their area with the other Sister for the day. It was so good for me to get out of my area for a day and see a new part of Lima and spend the day learning from Hermana Ossola. She is from Colorado and is absolutely awesome! I love her so much and learned so much from her. She really helped me remember the joy of being a missionary and that it`s about loving and enjoying every experience. Such a good boost for me this week. 

My awesome Hermana Leaders that we had divisions with this week.

On Sunday we celebrated Father`s day with a super special event...The Trujillo, Peru temple was dedicated!!! Wow, it was such a beautiful dedication and we got to see the corner stone ceremony and everything. All through transmission to the Stake Center of course, but sooo fun. Elder Uchtdorf and Elder Bednar came as well as the area presidency for the South America West area. We brought 3 of our recent converts too which was so neat and they loved it. We are so blessed to have temples and to be able to receive the strength we need and feel close to the Lord there. And to be able to bring even more people who have already passed beyond this life to their Savior. 

We spent the day with lots of members since it was harder to find people to teach being Father`s day. It was a little strange not being with my family or being able to tell my Father how much I loved him and celebrate with him, but I was able to focus more on honoring and celebrating my Heavenly Father and giving him gifts of service and love to his children. It was a really special and beautiful day. 

I hope Steven`s farewell was so fun! I thought about you all day and was there in spirit. It`ll be strange to have him out in the field as well but I know he will be an amazing missionary and I`m so excited for him! My prayers will be with you all week. 

As far as investigators go, please pray for Tania! We are pushing for July for her baptism but we`ve been having trouble finding her and being able to teach her. Also pray for Nataly, she is praying about a baptismal date!!! Rocio, Silvia, Beatriz, Nelly, and Angie could also use prayers. We are seeing some good progress in our area and are hoping to find even more people to teach. :) 

This week I am going to complete 5 months in the mission....WHAT?! It`s going by so fast, I can`t believe it! Wow, almost 1/3 of the way done and I know it`s just going to go faster from here. But I have learned so much and changed in these past 5 months it`s incredible. The Lord is so good and it`s an honor to give this time to him. 

Thank you for all the love and support! I feel the prayers of my loved ones back home and it gives me so much strength. This week I loved being a missionary. For a little while I got caught up in the routine of things and lost a little of my excitement and enthusiasm. It`s not easy being in the same area for 4 months working with the same people. ;) But this week after our divisions, and with lots of prayer and studying, I was able to really find the joy in my service again and I can honestly say I am so happy to be a missionary right now here in Peru. It`s such a blessing and I love feeling the spirit all day and helping others do the same. It`s such a privilege and I wouldn`t want to be anywhere else. 

I hope you all had a great Father`s day and have an awesome week! The gospel is joy and Christ is our example. I love being a missionary :)

Hermana Cox

 We had a hot chocolate night this week that was super fun. Haven`t had that in a while!!!