June 26, 2016 - Hannah was baptized!

Hannah is Baptized!

This is Hannah at her baptism. And next to her is Mom's new best friend Sister Katzenbach.

Hannah was baptized yesterday and confirmed today!!! It was such a happy day I don't think she's stopped smiling since then. I can't remember if I included this in one of my past emails, but if I have I'll tell it again. Hannah heard a story from a recent convert that had met with missionaries for years but never felt right about baptism. But finally one day they felt like they should be baptized, so they called the missionaries and asked if they could be baptized the next day and they were. 

Hannah wanted this kind of experience so she could know for sure this was what she was supposed to do and 2 weeks ago she had that experience reading the BoM. She read, she felt the undeniable spiritual confirmation, and called me and Elder Lords while we were driving and asked if she could be baptized on June 20. Well that was a Monday night, family night, so the ward didn't want that so she was baptized yesterday. And she's SO solid I love her!

Another miracle:

Today during Elder's quorum Elder Lords stepped out to take a phone call. When he came back in he said it was Patience, a former investigator who was supposed to be baptized about 2 months but didn't show up to her baptism then dropped out of contact for a while. SHE called and asked if she could be baptized tomorrow! (Once again a Monday, great) We have to work a little with her so she won't be getting baptized tomorrow, but we're excited for her to be baptized soon.

This week we had Zone Conferences and our last one was in Nauvoo. Afterward we got trained by the Nauvoo sisters about the Nauvoo pageant. I'm so pumped to be able to experience the pageant again and the great spirit in Nauvoo. Elder Lords and I stayed in Nauvoo the night before Zone conference and were able to go through a session and the spirit there is amazing!

Love you all, Elder Cox

Alma 29:9

THIS is my joy. 

PS Heidi Z IS in FACT one of my new best friends!  What started out as a simple text request from Elder Cox for replacement contacts turned into a 3-day deep and spiritual conversation about the gospel, life, health issues, the refiners fire, family, the mission... Iowa, you name it, we talked about it! We joked that afer three days of back and forth texting and sharing, we could have just picked up the phone...However, who ever gets to have a three day conversation.  Of course life kept going all around us and we would pause the conversation and then pick it up again the next hour or the next day.  The most important conversation was the tender bond we shared when talking about the love between moms and their sons. Heidi and her son Jacob were baptized into the church together 10 years ago, becoming true pioneers for their family.  Jacob was killed a few years ago in Afganastan while trying to resue a wounded Afghani soldier 2 weeks before he was to return home.  The tender testimony of the Plan of Salvation, how her son was strong and good and that she looked forward to seeing him again touched my heart.  Struggling with her own severe health problems, we talked of the need to allow others to serve you, how difficult it is to be on the receiving side of service, yet how important it is.  That night, after our conversation during the day, my Elder Davis gave her a blessing very similar in nature to our conversation.  That was amazing.  When any one scrolled through our 3 day conversation they asked why we didn't just pick up the phone and call, we laughed.  Davis said he was not surprised that we were the best of friends now, because he thinks we are alike.  I take that as a compliment as I was drawn to be friends with this incredible woman and her abounding faith, determination to live a good life and ability to endure well.