Dear Davis,
We had an amazing fast and testimony meeting today. There are so many people being asked to endure so many BIG things. One sister in our ward is still just struggling so much with her heath and they cannot find anything to treat. She talked of how some days when she can't see and is falling and can't read, walk or drive that she has been questioning whether or not she is enduring well. She shared her testimony of discovering that physically she is not doing well, but that enduring well to the end to her meant that she would be able to maintain her testimony through it all and in the end be able to share that love and faith in Christ with others. Amazing...people are amazing!
There is this new show on BYU TV where a guy gets to drop a pen on a map and then goes to wherever it lands and searches out people to tell their "story"! I WANT this job...The first episode I watched was a lady that was at first very excited to see them, because her husband loved their show, she called her husband to come home from work,10 minutes away, as a surprise because the camera crew was all there. It was funny because as he drove up, he just kept driving by. He does love their show, but he wasn't ready to tell his story. So the lady asked if they wanted to take a casserole dish back to her neighbor a few miles away and talk with them?
So this new family, when approached was unsure of their story being any thing special. Seriously, she talked of their kids, their neighborhood and was just very humble when she "mentioned" that her husband had donated a kidney! The even more amazing part of their story was that several years back they had come upon hard times, they started interviewing the husband and he started telling the story that he wasn't in the church at the time that his family was struggling, he was having a hard time finding work, and one day he decided he needed to go and serve. He went to the hospital, and as he was serving had the impression that he needed to donate a kidney. He started the process which is lengthy and long to donate a kidney... just open donation, no one in particular that he knew needed one or that he could be a match for. The day that he was to donate he met a teen-aged kid that needed the kidney after three years of dialysis. He donated the kidney, the kid is now a man with three children and a family living a great life. They are good friends to this day.
The man was very humble in telling his story and how once he did serve and donate the kidney, that after that he was able to provide for his family and find jobs and they were now living in a beautiful home and doing very well. So amazing right. So inspiring to me. I would just love to travel the world listening to people's stories!
The other job that I really want.. I met a man that is a financial adviser. He has three older-in age siblings as clients that live on a farm. They have never been married and live in the same house that they were born in, they are each worth several million dollars from a well run family farm and business. They live humbly and he financially advises them how to give away their money each year. He helps them invest to make more money and sell off their land. They give away millions each year. I want that job too! Wouldn't that be amazing!
I think you are amazing. I hope that you are sharing your story and faith in enduring well to inspire and encourage others who might be struggling. No two trials are the same, however, the need for the peace of the atonement is universally felt, whether for peace from sins or being sinned against, of discouragement or loss of faith,m there are similarities that can bind people to one another and the atonement.
All my love, MOM
So my mom emailed me about a show on BYU-TV where a guy gets to go around the world and ask people their story and hear about the amazing things people do. Dream job right?
I'm lucky because I get the chance to basically be the host of that show but without camera's. Every person's home we go into and teach I get to ask them their life story. It's amazing I get to see the amazing trials that people go through as well as the things that people do. So I'd like to share some of those today.
4 days ago we chased a lady down from across the street in the rain to ask her if she'd ever talked to missionaries before. She had Mormon friends and respects our church a lot. In the 5 minutes of standing there in the cold getting to know her she told us how Christlike service has shaped her life. She is about 60 right now and has adopted 4 teenage children from orphanages in Chicago. When they first got there they were trouble children who didn't trust anybody in the world. They are now all on the honor roll at their high school, all play a musical instrument, and they are being recognized as 4 of like 20 kids in Iowa for outstanding improvement and are going on a trip to Europe. Those kids lives have been completely changed by this 1 Christlike woman.
Pierre never ceases to amaze me. He is a refugee from Burundi. Speaks 6 languages and is the president of the African community here in CR. Every waking minute of the day he is not working he is helping African people or teaching them the gospel. Usually both at the same time. The other day he asked us for help moving in his new table and chairs. I asked him where his old table went, he had a nice table. He told me there was a family that just moved here from Congo so he gave it away to them. He has 4 adopted children who are in a refugee camp in Kenya right now, surrounded by wars and gunshots everyday and he is working on getting them over here to America to be safe.
Chris is an investigator that we are teaching right now. He grew up in Chicago. He was dropped off on a street corner when he was 12 years old and told good luck with life. He sold drugs as 13 year old to be able to feed himself. He is now 32. He moved here to CR to get away from the Chicago lifestyle, but within the last year has gone through a divorce and several other life changing events. He has been praying for God to lead him to good people and help him find his way back. We talked to him in front of a KFC downtown, taught him that Saturday at the Library, and he came to General Conference the next day. He said he knew when he heard the prophet speak that this was his answer to his prayer. That God still loves him and hasn't forgotten him. Yesterday at church he had over 20 people walk up to him, introduce themselves, and tell him they were glad he was there. He knows he has found where God wants him to be.
Man I could write pages and pages of stories that I have heard over the last 14 months. They almost all relate to the same principles we teach in the restoration: God is our LOVING Heavenly Father, He blesses individuals and families as we live the gospel, He sent his son Jesus Christ so that we could overcome the pain and sadness and sin of this life and have peace in this life and joy in eternity. I love the gospel.
This week Sam will be getting baptized on Saturday! But he and Sophie are only tribally married... And they need to be legally married to get baptized... So we're going to get him married on Friday and baptized on Saturday!! Pray for him and us! I'll have another great week to report next week!
Love you all go out and serve somebody this week! You could be the one their waiting for to answer their prayers.
Love Elder Cox
“The sure way to peace and happiness in this life and life hereafter is to serve the Lord today and every day.”—President Marion G. Romney
