September 25, 2016 - Orange Julius and Little Caesar's

This week was awesome. I had a lot of learning and humbling experiences so I thought I'd share a couple of them. 

But first off and more important than me, update on our amazing investigators!

Elmo: Is on fire! He reads the Book of Mormon every single day and comprehends what he reads better than anyone I've ever taught. After he read Mosiah 2 he told us the story of King Benjamin perfectly and so energetically! Elder Devenport and I decided he needs to make a YouTube Channel where he just tells Book of Mormon Stories in his own words. "Now we got our boy King Benjamin over here, he's getting all old and frail and what-not and wants to talk to alls the people before he dies. So my man King Benjamin builds this STUUUPID high tower so everybody can hear him. But you know, can't no old man talk that loud so he had them write down what he said..." 

Elmo is the man!

Laura and Brownson are getting married this Wednesday then she's getting baptized the week after General Conference!!

Aaliyah, the Liberian lady we ran into, who moved from Utah right as she was about to be baptized, is doing good and her son just turned 8 a few days ago! Music to a missionary's ears :)

Alrighty now what I learned this week.  In our training that we gave at zone conference this week we trained on finding and overcoming the fear of Opening our Mouths. We used the example/parable about "Crossing the Rubicon". Basically about how when Julius Caesar crossed the Rubicon River to march on Rome, that was his point of decision. He had made his decision and there was no going back. 

Well, we committed all the missionaries to go and buy either an Orange Julius or Little Caesar's pizza, "cuz Julius Caesar", and to look into each others' eyes as they sipped on the Orange Julius and commit to each other to talk to everyone they saw. The lesson I learned from this was that as soon as Elder Devenport and I walked out of Orange Julius we were presented with several opportunities to open our mouths that were pretty awkward. And if we hadn't have already made the decision to talk to everybody it probably would've been pretty easy to walk past the 15 year old girl who was sitting down, with earphones in, looking at her phone. But if we would've just walked by she wouldn't have referred us to her family and they wouldn't have Restoration pamphlets in their home. 

The same can be said about any gospel principle/standard. If we make up our minds that we will live the gospel, keep the commandments, keep our standards. Then when the moment of trial comes the decision is much easier. "The die has been cast."

Love you all 

Elder Cox

Took a picture this week :)