Week 18 in LA--A Baptism and Transfers and More....Oh My!!

I thought the title was funny sorry... Anyway lets get going on the week! So yesterday we got transfer calls............. Redondo 2nd was fun but its going to be even more fun because I am staying another transfer! But the sad news is that Elder Halverson has to leave ☹. My new companion is Elder Albuquerque like the city. He is from Brazil so its going to be pretty cool. We also had Ivan's baptism--pictures included. We forgot to turn off the hot warter when it was time to put in the cold so the water cooled down but not enough so when we opened the curten there was steam coming out. The member baptizing said it felt like a Japanese hot spring, he is from Japan. The day after P day we played some chair soccer in the morning. I did a kick that ended up with me re- spraining my right ankle. So most of this week I have been on crutches. We haven't really gone out proslighting so there is no more updates, thanks for reading my emails.

Elder Cox

                                                                            

PICTURES 

1 & 2 Ivan's Baptism

3 & 4 Sprained Ankle

5 & 6 Me the only day we could go out prosilighting 

7 This last Sunday breaking the fast

8 & 9 Today watching some Elders shave their legs

Lost Christmas Email & Pictures

Here is the Christmas (actually day after) email that got lost in cyberspace.

This week and last have been some of the best yet. We got bikes, I sang at the visitor center and we did some things to light the world. We have been biking places a lot which makes my thighs hurt but it's worth it. This week we have been preparing a man for baptism next week. This week we also got to go to the temple I was so happy to be in and see it. Yesterday we handed out sweets to members who have been sweet to us and we had a great dinner.  Our apartments heater doesn't work very well so we got a space heater but we are ok now. Sorry this email is short due to time. Next week I'll send a better one! 

Pictures:

1-3 Singing at the Los Angeles Temple Visitors Center (he sang in the choir and in a trio)

4 Elder Halverson and Elder Cox with their bikes

5 The treat bags they put together and handed out

Week 17 in LA - Last Week of Transfer 3

This week has been pretty good. A lot of biking and some more biking. But on a happy note one of our investigators, Ivan, is getting baptized! We have been working really hard to get him to this point so I'm super excited for this Saturday. On New Years we had to be in by 6 PM so we had some time to just relax and keep ourselves entertained. On Saturday we went to a baptism for someone in one of the other wards and we took Ivan and he enjoyed it. I also went on exchanges back to R3 and Manhattan Beach with Elder Styer my last companion. We had such a great day. We also forgot to take pictures. The other days in the week have been just regular missionary days. I hope you all have a great day and thank you for all the support that I have seen and heard of it's very much appreciated. 

SPIRITUAL THOUGHT: Today I thought I would share a part for a talk for Presidemt Monson. He sares a poem in his talk titled The Bridge Builder fprm October 2003, "Perhaps such a somber thought inspired the poet Will Allen Dromgoole’s classic poem entitled “The Bridge Builder.”

An old man, going a lone highway,

Came at the evening, cold and gray,

To a chasm, vast and deep and wide,

Through which was flowing a sullen tide.

The old man crossed in the twilight dim;

The sullen stream had no fears for him;

But he turned when safe on the other side

And built a bridge to span the tide.

“Old man,” said a fellow pilgrim near,

“You are wasting strength with building here;

Your journey will end with the ending day;

You never again must pass this way;

You have crossed the chasm, deep and wide—

Why build you the bridge at the eventide?”

The builder lifted his old gray head:

“Good friend, in the path I have come,” he said,

“There followeth after me today

A youth whose feet must pass this way.

This chasm that has been naught to me

To that fair-haired youth may a pitfall be.

He, too, must cross in the twilight dim;

Good friend, I am building the bridge for him.”

The message of the poem has prompted my thinking and comforted my soul, for our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, was the supreme architect and builder of bridges for you, for me, for all mankind. He has built the bridges over which we must cross if we are to reach our heavenly home." 

Pictures 

Me today
Zach and his bike (this one came from Facebook)

Food

Zach as a sheep (this one came from his companion's mom)
Elder Cox, Elder Halverson and Elder Styer bowling (this one also came from his companion's mom)

Week 16 in LA--Car Accident and Christmas

I didn't get a letter from Zach this week but I did get a 55 minute Skype so I'm happy with that!! This letter will be from his companion, Elder Halverson and the pictures from Tone Halverson and Sister Sizemore.

"Today was fun. We woke up and chilled and made breakfast. Then we went shopping for our weekly food. We also stopped by another store so elder Cox could by a pillow. Then I happened to see some amazing suites for sale, so I bought them. One with Santa faces all over it, and another with candy canes all over it, and other candies. Oh ya! After that we went to the Artesia building and wrote up our weeklies, and hen went and got lunch. Then we came back and emailed real quick. After that, we were going to join up with elder Styer and his companion, and also elder Whitmore and Williams. So we drove up to the science center, looked around and had fun. We also went to this weird spooky exhibit. It was about the human body, and had a giant room with a giant robot human body simulator. After doing that, we went to dinner, which we were late to. It still was great. Then we synked our ipads at the church and came home. Ya that is all. 

So today was dumb. We got up and had to leave right away. We drove to Gardena to the elders apt and picked them up. So we were going along and I wasn't paying attention and rear ended the car in front of me. We pulled over and exchanged info then went on our way. We drove slowly and got off the freeway and then went on Sapolvida the rest of the way. It was hard driving to the mission office with the other missionaries. We did interviews and then the temple session. I really tried to get some answers and prayed hard. We drove the car to Enrique shop. Well, I think my tiwi card will probably be suspended for three months, since the damage is probably over 1,000. So we took the bus back. Barely made it. Then went to the Sizemores and they took us to our dinner appointment. It was awesome to go there. They were so nice, and the husband has super gospel knowledge, so we asked him some deep questions. Then went to the Sizemores and tried to fill out the online report but realized we didn't have all the info. So we talked with them and theirrelatives. Then they took us to get our bikes, and then after that went home and ya. So ya., ya.

Today was okay. We got up and did our normal stuff. Then we waited around until elder Baldwin came and we got our bikes. Then after that we went to the Artesia building and did the accident report. Then we asked brother Sizemore to come and help us with some bike stuff. He came and took us to a bike store but they were closed on Thursdays. So we went to another one and they couldn't do the repair fast enough and didn't have the locks we we wanted, so brother Sizemore just preordered it. So funny! Then we went to our house and did some stuff with the bikes and then biked to the Chen's. They have a nice big house and they were having a party. It was great. We taught 19 people to pray. Yo that's whats up! ha, ha.  So then the Sizemores took us home, and then we waited for the zone leaders to exchange with. 

Today we got up, and I didn't know we were doing a service project, but we went and painted the inside of this guys house. I got a headache from the paint so I took a break. Then it went away. I did some more work, and then it came back. It was so bad! I had to stand outside the rest of the time because i couldn't take it anymore. So that was hard. Then we finally left. We went home and  took some ibuprofen and laid in bed. After that we did our book of Mormon reading.  Then we road our bikes to dinner and then went to the Sizmores and they gave us a ride to the Artesia building where we did weekly planing. Then we went home.

So today was okay. We woke up and laid in our beds for a little bit. Then we rode to the church and did our normal ruitine. We locked up, and then realized that the zone leaders had our keys so we waited for them to come. Then we had to wait for elder Styer. He wasn't coming, so we found some stuff to do while we were waiting. Then we went to the Vindas'es and they had allot of people over. Then we did comp inventory. 

So today was awesome. First of all we opened up our presents. Then we played with them. After that, we went home and ate lunch. Then I decided that we should put candy in bags and give them to different members, and elder Cox wanted to put cards in them. So that took a little bit. Then went and gave some members a lot of candy because our apt is overflowing. We went over to the Sizemores and had dinner and then saw our families. It was so nice. Then we went and tried to visit some more people, and went home. Merry Christmas!"

I am so grateful for the Vindas Family for taking care of Zach and his companion on Christmas Eve. What a blessing this family has been to these boys as well as to me. I love them so much!! And I am BEYOND grateful for the Sizemore's. They had Zach and Austin over on Christmas. They provided them with a nice dinner and a present. They also have been so helpful with the new bike situation. They have gone above and beyond for these boys and I love them so much!!

Pictures:
1-3 - Elder Cox and Elder Halverson
4 - Torrence North Zone
5-6 - Christmas at the Sizemore's

 

Week 15 in LA--No Letter From Zach This Week--(J/K He Sent One Today (12/20)) Christmas Fever

Hey Everybody! It's not beginning to look like Christmas out here but the season spirits are high. This week has been pretty eventful, so I got to sing in the LA mission concert at our Temples Visitor Center. There were so many people there and I was kinda nervous but everyone said I sounded great. We have gotten in contact in all of our investigators which is good and we are supper happy. I get to go to the Temple this Tuesday and I always love going to it. We also have gone and sang Christmas carols to people in Care homes and they loved it. We also had the ward party which was fun, they asked us to be the wise men in the still nativity scene and that was fun. We also had a member give us a professional companionship photo. The area is nice and the members are too. We are supper excited for the coming weeks when our investigator will be getting baptized. I hope as you go through this Christmas Season that you remember that Christmas broken up is Mas Christ (more Christ) and remember that he is the reason we celebrate this holiday. 

Love Elder Cox 

This is a first for me. Zach didn't send a letter home on Monday. Luckily for me, his companion's mom emailed me her son's letter and gave me permission to use some of it on the blog.

From Elder Halverson:
"So today..... holy freak stuff happened. Well it started out with us going to my doctors appointment. Traffic was horrible and we were a half an hour late. Super stressful. My blood pressure was high ha ha. ( So Austin's mom does not find this very funny, since he actually has high blood pressure, and I don't know if this was a joke or if he measured high....I am assuming no news is good news) Well they did their tests and all that. What was interesting is i was having a normal conversation with the person doing my ultra sound. Then we had a convo about the restoration and when it got to the Book of Mormon, he nonchalantly said the Book of Mormon is just plagiarizing the bible. Well that was too bad. Well we drove home and did our studies. Then we rushed over to brother Garcia and had ward correlation with him. After that, we went home and got the food that we received yesterday and took it to the church and ate it, as we waited for Eric to show and also brother Rampton. We met with them and told bishop where we were so he could come say hi. So we talked for a sec then then bishop came in with brother Jones, so we had three guys in there talking with Eric. It was great. When they left, we got to teaching, and then he had a question about the god head and it all kinda went down hill from there. What I mean by that is it derailed from what we were going to teach, and it was going into some deep doctrine. When that was over, we ended the lesson and they left. Then we walked outside and one of the members were talking to a man and he waved us over, and the guy was a non member from Iran.

Today we  woke up and did our normal stuff. We then went to a lesson with a less active. It was okay, but it was still an inspired lesson. She fed us sandwiches, chips, and juice. After that we went to the church and posted something on facebook and I practiced my training I am giving in district meeting tomorrow. Then after that we drove home and got our suites and then headed up to the visitor center. We also stopped and had some lunch. Then we went to the visitor center and my companion practiced, and then the performances began. They were all so good! I saw the Edmundsons there. They were so glad to see me. After that we went home. I was surprised we made it home just a minute late. So ya that is the day. Wish me luck tomorrow.

Today was okay. We went to district meeting and I did one of the trainings. I borrowed a couple of ideas, and it went really well. After that we dropped of elders Whitmore and Williams to their apartment. Then went back and ate lunch. We did some weekly planning and got some things done. Then we went to dinner, and it was pretty cool because they had a skillet out on the table. Mongolian barbecue style. Then we went and taught Ivan with the Yamazakies. We went over his baptism. It was a good lesson and ya that is it.

Today started out not so good then finished okay. We woke up and I did my in-bed work out. Then i made some oat meal and we went to the church and did a couple of things. Then we went to the Knob Hill building. After that, we his the street and prosolyted. We checked out the Luceros, but they weren't home, so we saw some more people. Then we checked on the Luceros again and they were there!!!!!! It was awesome. After that we worked around dinner and then went to dinner and helped them with their Christmas decorations. After that we synced our ipads and then went home.

So today was good. We went to ward council as usual and did the normal waiting around for our church to start. Church was good, but Eric did not come!!!!!!! Gosh dang-it Eric!!!!! Well that Persian guy came so that was cool. Then we joined the elders Quorum lesson and guess what... the lesson was on the gathering of Israel. Yes! So after that we did stuff after church also synked and sent in our numbers. Then we went and had dinner with the Spring family. They were funny. After that we tried to think of stuff to do, so we went and visited the Persian guy. That was cool! We also visited a new recent convert move in. She is super nice. Then we stopped by a member to let them know of the recent convert, and went home to do companionship inventory and companionship study. Ya. That is all."

Pretty good summary of their week and I am beyond grateful that Elder Halverson's mom is so amazing and shared this with me. She also sent me one picture--it's kind of blurry but it's better than nothing.

Week 14 in LA--Awesome P Day

Hey everyone! Today was really cool we went to the Ghetty Villa, which is this super fancy art museum filled with Roman statues and other cool things-- I'll add some pictures. I also did the fatburger challenge with one of my Zone Leaders Elder Ratamales . This week has been pretty good. I got to meet some more people in the ward and teach a couple of returning members. We do service every Wensday and we go to an elderly care facility and we help and talk with them. It is so nice to see their happy faces. Sorry this week will be short due to time but I'm singing at the Los Angeles Temple Visitor Center and there will be pictures and a video maybe so be excited for that. I'm also going on exchanges tonight and I get to drive the mission cars! I'm a big boy now! 😂🚗 Thanks for the love and support. 

Elder Cox 

PICTURES 

P Day and missionary Fun in LA

Week 13 in LA--New Area, New Companion And All New Challenges

This week is the first week in a new ward, Redondo 2nd. The ward is awesome, they absolutely love that there are Elders in the Ward now and they are super happy to have us. We haven't been able to teach any investigators yet as we haven't met any of them except one who's lesson is this week. But we are still excited to work in this area! We have a big ward and a lot of investigators with baptismal dates, we have 3! One of them Elder Halverson found in his old area but he lives in our ward boundaries and we are super excited to work in the area with him. The funny thing is all of our baptismal dates are the same day. It so funny the ward is like another! I am doing well, it's just a little cold in the mornings and hot at night. We live super far out of our area so it is a little hard because we have to drive super far everyday, but we are making the best of what we have. Thanks for the love and support. 

Elder Cox  

Light the World Day 4 

Matthew 22:39 "And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself" go out and serve your neighbors. 

Pictures:

1--At La Brea Tar Pits

2--Before sacrament meeting yesterday 12/3/17 (sent to me by a ward member)

3--With his new companion, Elder Halverson

4--In sacrament meeting yesterday (12/3/17) with Elder Halverson (sent to me by a ward member)

5--Doing dishes (sent to me by his companion's mom)