Week 101 & 102 in LA--The Time Has Come!!

Zach called last week, but there was nothing significant about our conversation. We talked about college, dating and some other random things.

He called yesterday and said, "Hey, I'm fine see you Wednesday." Punk!! He actually talked to me for a while because they were kicked out of their apartment until after 4 because it was being SPRAYED FOR ROACHES!!!! 😱😨 Ew, ew, ew!!!! 

He said that a lot of amazing spiritual things happened this past week. When they were driving around he felt very prompted to visit certain people and was an answer to many people's prayers. He said the ward is very sad to see him go. He hasn't been sleeping very well, and has been waking up in full blown panic attacks. He is worried about school (getting everything he needs, etc.) and finding a job. I told him that it's no big deal. We are going to help him until he gets himself established and back into the real world. Hopefully that relieves some of his stress/anxiety.

He sent some pictures of his final district--which was a complete shock since he doesn't take/send many pictures. I asked him what the meaning of the pictures were and he said, "I'm on trunky island." 😂😂

Pictures
In order from the first picture: Elder Hamp, Elder Meldrum, Elder Lestarpe, Sister Viera, Sister Shay, and Elder Larsen.

Week 100 in LA--A Lot of Talking, Another Person to Teach & HOT!!!!!!!!

Zach called yesterday, well, he actually called 3 times (whoot whoot!!). We talked first thing in the morning, for about an hour, because we needed to get college all sorted out. He needed his SS number, we talked about scholarships, FAFSA (which is required even though we won't even come close to qualifying) and we had to figure out some other things to get him all situated. He has been accepted to LDS Business College and will be starting there on September 16th. He was also picking classes and has everything all figured out. this kid is very responsible and I was more like a sounding board than anything (but I am so glad that he trusts me enough to work things through with him). He called again in the afternoon because he needed insurance information. He had to rearrange classes but got it all figured out and how he wants it--which is great! the college will be applying his 10 credit hours that he has already earned through concurrent enrollment this week. Things are falling right into place and we all feel really good about this decision.

On his final call, we were able to talk about his week. He said that it was more of the same, proselyting, talking to a lot of people, meetings, helping the ward out as much as possible and the other regular things they do everyday. They found a third person to teach this past week, which is awesome! They are currently teaching 3 men, Mario, Jamie and James. Mario and Jamie are friends and James is dating a member and has gone to YSA Wards in Idaho before so he knows whats up. He said that they didn't have many dinner appointments last week, but that was ok. He also said that when the ward found out that he was going home on the 21st, the dinner list filled up in a few minutes for this week and next week. The people in the N. Hollywood ward really love Zach and even though most of them don't have much, they still take good care of the missionaries (and I am super grateful for that). 

I asked him what he did for P-day and he said that he and his companion met up with Elder Seipel and his companion to hang out for the day. Elder Seipel wanted to spend some time with Zach before he goes home. He said they met downtown at Little Tokyo and spent the day together just walking around and hanging out. He said that it was great! He also said that it is HOT!!!!!!!! And worse than the heat is the humidity. He said he is just sweating all the time because it's so hot and humid. Yuck!! 

Pictures
They are both from P-day yesterday

Week 99 in LA--Emails From Mission President, New People to Teach and a Funny Ward Party

Zach called last night. He was hanging out with Elder Montgomery and his companion for P-day, but it got way too hot so they went back to their apartment and just chilled there. He said they went to Burbank and just had a pretty chill day. 

He is doing really good. They were able to find 2 new people in the ward to teach with a possible third (they are meeting with that person this week). He is super stoked about that. Even though he only has 22 days left, he said he is still going strong (which I think is great)! 

We talked about college. He is all enrolled in LDS Business College and his transcripts and already earned college credits are being applied to his application this week so everything should be all good to go this week. He was required to write an essay as part of the application process. I asked him when he was going to make time this week to do that so that the application process would be complete. He told me that he had already written and submitted it. Go, Zach!!!! Things are falling right into place and I think this will be the perfect place for Zach to go right now. We all feel really good about it so that's a bonus! 

We talked about his missionary release. He wanted to get it done asap so that he doesn't have to have a companion, wear church clothes, or not be able to watch TV or listen to music. He was very concerned about this. Luckily for him, I had already contacted our Stake President and had it all set up. He was very glad. He said that he is truly ready to come home now. He is tired and wants to take a lot of naps. 😂😂

He said that the ward he is serving in had a Pioneer Day party, talent show and dance. Of course they were invited so they went. He said that a lot of funny and crazy things happened at the party. The guy running the music for the talent show forgot his aux cord so he was just holding phones up to the microphone. The DJ (who is not a member) showed up to get ready for the dance and offered his. The man blatantly ignored him several times. Zach decided that he would politely talk to the man because he was being so rude. Zach told him that the DJ was offering him his aux cord and that it was very nice of him. The man flipped out, screamed at Zach that he didn't want to use his aux cord, and was very rude about the whole thing. Zach was MAD!! He said he had to walk out and calm himself down. He said that he was salty the rest of the night.

We talked about some other things, random things. personal things, etc. It really was a great conversation. We actually messaged back and forth all morning and then had the 1 hour phone call. It was great!!!! 

Our Bishop as well as Matt & I received emails from President Cordon this week. It is so nice to hear such great things about your son!!

Email to the Bishop:

Dear Bishop Stone,

On 21 August 2019, Elder Zachary Matthew Cox, will return home after having served an honorable and successful mission. President Brumble will release him and present him with his certificate of release.

Elder Cox has been a terrific missionary and has grown through his service. He has seen and been part of many miracles in Los Angeles. He has learned to love, work hard and serve the Lord. I would encourage you to bless him by putting him to work with a challenging assignment, such as fellowshipping less active members back into activity.

Sister Cordón and I love him dearly and will miss him. He has committed to continue to grow in his discipleship for the rest of his life. Our prayers will be with him forever.

Yours in the service of our Master,

Valeri V Cordón
President
California Los Angeles Mission

Email to Matt and I:

Dear Brother and Sister Cox,

On 21 August 2019 Elder Zachary Matthew Cox will be given an honorable release from the California Los Angeles Mission.

Sister Cordon and I love Elder Cox.  You can be very pleased with the contribution that he has made while serving in the California Los Angeles Mission. He has blessed the lives of many, including those who have accepted the gospel of Jesus Christ as a result of his efforts and those he has helped to return to activity within the Lord's kingdom. His name will be remembered for generations to come among many. He has grown in his testimony of the Savior and in his ability to work with people. We also have been deeply touched by his service in the mission and we trust you were greatly blessed through his labor.

Elder Cox will be part of our lives forever. Sister Cordon and I are grateful for all he has done to help the Lord hasten the work of salvation. We feel that he and his colleagues have a rendezvous with destiny. Our prayer is that he will continue to grow in faith and good works as he continues to serve our Heavenly Father.

Sister Cordon joins me in wishing you and Elder Cox the best.

Sincerely,

Valeri V Cordon
President
California Los Angeles Mission

Pictures (I got no explanation for any of the pictures so........😂😂)
Zach and Elder Meldrum
Zach with a pot on his head
Zach ripping a shirt

Week 98 in LA--A Funeral and a Dodgers Game

Zach called Monday night and it was later than usual because they got on the wrong train to go home from Universal Studio's. Instead of N. Hollywood, they ended up in the heart of Hollywood (at Grauman's Chinese Theater) and there was a movie premiere. He said that it was well blocked off but they could see the red carpet. It was for Once Upon a Time in Hollywood and he was bummed that he didn't get to see Leonardo DiCaprio and Brat Pitt. 😂😂 They got on the right train and made it home in time for us to talk for about 30-40 minutes. 

I asked how his week was and he said it was good. They had to go to a funeral for a lady who had very recently converted to the church. She was only 60 years old and she died of natural causes. She and one of her granddaughter's were the only members of the church so Zach said that her funeral was quite different than he's ever seen. He said there were a lot of "Amen" shouts and stuff like that. He said after it was over, there was a full on basketball game that broke out in the gym during the luncheon. He said that the ward fed them Costco meatballs covered in BBQ sauce and then the family brought a whole bunch of "ghetto food" that was nasty. They made Zach and his companion take all of the leftovers and he said they didn't want to be rude so they took it, but when they got home, it went right down the garbage shoot. 😂😂

Zach and his companion, Elder Meldrum, got to go to a Dodgers game on Friday night. They had to take a less active with them to be able to go. Elder Neil L. Anderson, of the Quorum of the Twelve, threw out the first pitch and there was a huge fireworks show after the game and he said that they played a bunch of funky music from the 80's (nope--when I got the videos the music is from the 70's, but what's a decade difference?! 😂😂). They played the Miami Marlins and the Dodger's won 2-1. He said it was a great game and that he had a lot of fun. 

We talked about his My Plan interview. He had it with President Golrath (I'm sure I didn't spell that right). He is in the mission presidency and he LOVES Zach and Zach loves him. He is really sad to see Zach go home and he made him promise that when we go back in December, that he takes us to his house to meet him. Zach told him what his plan was when he got home. He told Zach that a lot of missionaries are having problems with the Pathways program not accepting their previous college credits (which Zach has 10 of) and with transferring over credits when they move to a college. He told Zach about LDS Business College and the benefits of going there to finish his associates. This man is a self-made business man with his own software company and his own email domain (Zach is pretty impressed by that) so he is taking his advise (and the funny thing is, our Bishop said the same things to Matt on Sunday so I guess they were inspired) and registered at LDS Business College. He will have several companions that he served with there with him so I think it will be a good thing!!

He talked to his dad for a few minutes and then he had to go. We were a little bit past his P-day time (oops) but I loved talking to him, hearing him laugh and joke around and just knowing that he is doing good and finishing strong!!

He sent a bunch of pictures and 2 videos (he makes an appearance in the first video and in the second video you can hear him singing Rocketman--LOVED them). They are all of the baseball game except for the 2 from the funeral.

Week 97 in LA--Good Week

Zach called on Monday. He called earlier than he usually does because his companion had an appointment so I got to talk to him for over an hour--it was great! We talked about so many different things. Talking to him now is like talking to a best friend and I love it!!

He said that his week was good. He and his new companion, Elder Meldrum, get along really well. Zach said that he is very funny and super nice. He said that they went out and contacted a lot of people in the ward during the week and that's about it. He said it was good though.

I got a phone call from Brother Lee who is in the ward. I made a big Facebook and Instagram post about it. To paraphrase, this elderly gentleman is very thankful for Zach because he holds the door open for him and greets him every Sunday. He is very impressed by Zach and his manners and he said that Zach is a very spiritual man. It was a very nice phone call to get as a mom. 

Zach said that the past 2 years are really starting to catch up to him. He said that he is super tired--probably more like exhausted. He said they come home and he intends to do things but finds that he falls asleep by 9:00-9:30 every night. He's one tired guy!!

He talked a lot about coming home and how for the first week he will probably be busy getting a phone, car, getting his room in order, trying to find a job and most importantly, taking a lot of naps. 😂😂

I asked him if he took any pictures this past week and he said a few. I asked if he had any of himself and his companion and he said no. I told him to take a selfie of the two of them and then to text me all of the pictures he had. Guess what?!?! I never got any pictures (shocker). 😂😂 I told him that pictures are the only way I get to see him and his response was that I get to hear him and I'll get to see him really soon so it shouldn't matter. Punk!! That is really all we talked about and since there are no pictures, this will be a short one. Hopefully next week will be a bit longer and include some pictures. 

Week 96 in LA--Last Transfer

Zach called on the 4th of July which was awesome and totally unexpected. Everyone got to say hi to him and or talk to him for a bit. I of course got the longest time and it was amazing!! We talked about anything and everything and we had a really nice conversation. He had to be in his apartment at 6:00 that night because things get a little crazy in LA on the 4th. They were invited to a 4th of July party by a Jewish man. Zach said that he is the nicest guy and told them that he loves the missionaries and that they are always welcome at his home. At this party, they like to try different kinds of food so Zach was able to try duck, venison and one other meat that I can't seem to remember. He said that he liked the duck best. After dinner was over, they loaded them up with lots of food to take home (like LOTS), which was so nice. He said that the majority of the people there were non-members or inactive's and they had a lot of great conversations with them. He said that there was a gay couple and they were pretty stand off-ish with them. Zach felt the strong impression to go over and talk to them. They thought that Zach and his companion hated them because they are gay. Zach sat with them and told them that in fact, he loved them. They went on to have an amazing conversation and were so thankful that Zach took the time to talk to them. Zach said that it was amazing!!

He called again on Monday. He said that their P-day was extended because they had to drive to the mission home for Zach to get his temple recommend renewed. He now has a recommend signed by a General Authority, but only for the duration of his mission. Kind of cool!! He said that President Cordon is such an amazing man and that he really likes him a lot. 

Ted was baptized on Saturday. Zach was able to go to the baptism with one of his former companions, Elder Leavitt. They swapped companionships for the day and drove to Woodland Hills. Zach said that the traffic was really bad so they barely made it in time (with only 3 minutes to spare). So, sadly, they missed most of the photo opportunities, only getting one picture because traffic is so bad and they had to leave right after to get back to their companions. However, Zach said that it was an amazing baptism!!

Transfer calls came in on Sunday night and..............Zach will be staying in the North Hollywood ward only, he is no longer district leader and his new companion is Elder Meldrum. Elder Hill will be serving in the Studio City ward with a brand new missionary as a trainer. Zach said that he was super sad that he wasn't assigned to be a trainer. That is the one thing he wanted to do before he went home, but it wasn't in the cards for him. I told him that he had the amazing experience of being a district and zone leader for half of his mission and that is a great thing so not to be too upset about it. He was feeling much better about it on Monday night when we talked. This is his very last transfer and he said that all of the people they were teaching were in the Studio City ward so they have a lot of work to do in this 6 weeks.

He said that he is ready to come home. He has accepted that his time is almost done, he's not at all trunky and he will finish strong, but he is ready to come home, get a job and start college. He has made plans for himself so he doesn't waste time and is productive when he comes home. This guy has matured so much and he has such a good head on his shoulders! He is going to do great things in life!!

He taught me the restoration lesson over the phone. He has it memorized (along with all of the others). We had a nice and kind of deep gospel conversation and it was really good. We talked a lot about the Book of Mormon. He said that he set a goal to read it completely before he comes home and he is doing it along with a study guide that was given to him. I am excited for him to bring that home so I can read and study with it. So cool!!

We were able to talk for 1-1/2 hours and it was so nice. At the end of our call, Elder Hill got on the phone and thanked me for raising such an amazing son and he said how much he enjoyed having him as a companion. So sweet!! 

He sent quite a few pictures and a video of all of the fireworks that were going off all around them (they may or may not have went up on the roof to watch them--shhhhhhh!!). Sadly, the video won't share so I'm not going to be able to attach it here. 

**A few side notes--Zach felt both of the earthquakes and was able to email us on Sunday letting us know he was ok (which I already knew thanks to Julie). Zach was really glad that he got to spend time with Elder Leavitt on Saturday and again on Monday because he goes home today. Also, when Zach went to get his recommend, he said that this car was trying to "run him over" but he realized that it was Jeffrey (Elder Yi). He was in town for a few short days so it was a total coincidence that Zach got to see him but he was super glad that he did!!

Pictures
1-4 P-day with Zach, Elder Hill, Elder Leavitt and Elder Jeon
5 Ted's baptism day
6-10 Some of his district
11 Zach and Elder Hill chilling on their couch

Week 95 in LA--Back to Two and a Famous Guitarist

Zach called again yesterday. He called really late so we only had 15 minutes to talk. He said that a missionary had to go home early due to medical issues. He has a seizure after church on Sunday (they were back at their apartment) and when he fell because of it, he broke his jaw. Zach said that he was seizing for around 2 hours--which was super scary. The decision was made that he would go home for surgery because he only had 2 weeks left of his mission. So scary and so sad!! Because of that, his companion needed a companion so they transferred Elder Laybourn there. So, that leaves Zach with just 1 companion now, Elder Hill, and they still cover both the North Hollywood area and the Studio City area.

He said that Kyle, Julie and Olivia took them to lunch on Friday. Julie was awesome and took pictures and sent them to me. They went to a pizza place and Zach said it was really good. They are so awesome and they take such good care of Zach!!

He said that they did a lot of proselyting last week--like a lot. And that it was just a normal missionary week. And then he said, "Oh yeah, I went on splits with Elder Sands and I got to meet Michael Herring. He is a famous guitarist who has played for Prince, Boys II Men, New Kids on the Block, Christina Aguilara and others." Um..........hello?!?! That's a pretty big deal!! Prince is one of my all time favorites!! He got to go to his home and see his guitar collection--which was a huge deal for Zach. It was perfect timing too because he left to tour with Christina Augilara the next day in Europe. Soooooo cool!!

He said that he is super excited for the baptism of Ted on Saturday. One of the members of the Woodland Hills ward, Brother McKeown (he is the Elders quorum president and Zach had Easter dinner at his house), was a guest speaker at zone conference. He talked about Essentialism, which is actually a book that he wrote and he travels all over the world speaking to people about it. He geared it more gospel centered for the zone conference and Zach said it was great. He said that when he saw him, he came over and gave him a big hug and told him how much he misses him. He also told him that he was super excited to see him at the baptism and that he would bring Zach a copy of his book, signed. Zach said he is from the UK and is a really cool guy. 

That is really all we talked about because of time. Oh, I did ask him if he was feeling better after that nasty stomach bug and he said that yes, they were all better. Whew!! I also asked if he had met his new mission president and he said that they are meeting him today.

Pictures
1-2 Lunch with Kyle, Julie and Olivia
3-4 Service projects
5 Zach with President and Sister Haynie before they went home
6-7 Last zone conference with Haynie's--Zach and his zone and eating lunch (he's at the very end of the table on on the right)
8-10 Zach selfies??

Week 94 in LA--Dinner w/Lindsey Stirling, Sickness and Warner Bros.

Zach called yesterday. He called a lot earlier and I could tell immediately that something was wrong. I asked him what was wrong and he said that he was sick and had been since Saturday. He didn't know if he had a stomach bug or if he ate something that gave him food poisoning. He said he thought it might have been food related because a member took them to Home Town Buffet for dinner. He said at that moment he had body aches, chills, fever and a severe headache. I asked him if they stayed home and he said no. He still pressed on and did missionary work. He told me that the ward mission leader of the Studio City ward took them on a private tour of Warner Brother's Studios yesterday and that he felt like garbage but he didn't want to pass up such an amazing opportunity. I told him to take some Tylenol or Ibuprofen to help with the fever, body aches and headache, get a blessing from his companions and then to lay down and rest for 1-1/2 hours. They were supposed to take some investigators to the visitors center at 5:00 so I told him to rest as much as he could before they had to leave. I asked him about dinner with Lindsey Stirling and he said it was really good. She took them to a place called Collard Greens and I asked if it was southern food and he said no, it was healthy food. He said she is really nice and that they had a good time. We only got to talk for 13 minutes but I needed him to rest.

So, we hung up and about 10 minutes later he sent me a text and said that it was a stomach bug because Elder Hill was now sick. They called the mission nurse and she gave them mandatory bed rest for the night. Zach said that he wanted to text for a while so I sent a few texts and then heard nothing. He called me 5 minutes later and said that he was in the bathroom so that's why it took some time for him to respond and that it was easier to call than to text. 

He was able to take some Tylenol, thank goodness Elder Hill had some because all Zach had was Excedrin. He was starting to sound better as the Tylenol started to kick in and he said that he was actually feeling better, at least his head and body aches. He told me all about the Warner Brother's tour. The guy that took them on the tour works for them in the DC department in the movie/TV part and his wife also works there but in a different department. He said that he learned a lot from him about Looney Tunes, DC super hero's, Harry Potter, etc. He said that they were there a long time but still didn't even get to see everything. He said that it was a very cool experience (there are lots of pictures too). 

He talked about some of the best places they have been taken to eat. He said that they went to Mexican food and he ordered tamales. This place wraps their tamales in grape leaves instead of corn husks and he said they are out of this world (there is a picture of one below)!! He said that they were also taken to Four N 20 and it was expensive but so good. He is looking forward to taking us to some of his favorites when we go in December. 

He talked about some of his areas he's served in. When he was in the Wilshire Ward, I had NO CLUE that part of it was South Central. I guess it's a good thing he told me later or I would have been a train wreck that entire 6 months. He said that when we go back to visit, for a lot of it we will just view if from the car and not get out. 😨 He said that across the street from his apartment was a vacant lot and there was a guy that basically lived there and smoked crack. He also told me that the one guy on the bus that told them he was Jesus or whatever, also had a large knife that fell out of his bag and he told them to be quiet about it. HOLY SHIZ!!!! It's a good thing I'm just hearing about this stuff now.

He really likes his areas and hopes that he finishes his mission there. They are getting a new mission president this week so who knows what will happen. He said that it would be so nice not to move, packing and moving is not fun. But whatever will be, will be. He said that they are working hard and they had 2 baptisms scheduled for July 6th but they didn't come to church on Sunday so they have to push the date back. It's kind of a good thing because Ted Ball, from his last area, is getting baptized that day. Zach sent him a text last week asking him how things are going and if the baptism is still on. He told him things are great and that yes, it was still on. Zach told him he would be there and Ted told him that was good because if he wasn't there, he would have stopped the whole thing and gone out to find him and bring him there. He is having a good friend from Utah baptize and confirm him but he asked Zach to be a witness. This all made Zach so happy and humbled that Ted cares so much about him. 

We talked about a bunch of other things too (because we got to talk for 1-1/2 hours) but I'll end here and post all of the pictures.

Pictures
1 Zach and Lindsey Stirling
2 Selfie of Zach showing me how good his face is looking (acne has been a struggle out there)
3-8 Warner Bros--Wonder Woman
9-15 Warner Bros--Superman (original cape) and Batman (first Batman mask was Christian Bale's and the second one was Micheal Keaton's)
16-28 Warner Bros--Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts
29 Warner Bros--Mars Attacks
30 Warner Bros--Alley were Newsies was filmed as well as the infamous upside down kiss in Spider-man 
31 Warner Bros--bad guy costume in Aquaman
32 Warner Bros--hat and trombone from Music Man
33 Warner Bros--Bugs Bunny and Iron Giant drawings
34-35 Tamale wrapped in grape leaf and menu from Four N 20