Spring is Coming

Hi Family!🤓

So currently Sister Wilcox Sr and I are in the hermanas apartment helping our Hermana wax her legs. She hasn't shaved since December... apparently I'm really good at ripping off the strips unexpectedly.

Anyway, this week has been an interesting one. Sis Wilcox has been sick pretty much this entire week and has gotten herelf dependent on herbal teas. The J-Town elders are enablers because they bought her some. Last transfer we got a new set of hermanas, so now our building has 4 sets of sisters running around. I'm not the youngest missionary out here anymore! Woo! No it's weird. I'm mostly weirded out by that.😨

Tuesday we weren't going to go out at all but we got a plea from a less active, Sis Holloway, to walk her beagle Willow. We haven't had hardly any contact with this gal after trying several times to meet up with her, so we headed out despite my companion's lethargy. We walked her dog for about 2 hours before getting back. Sis Wilcox and I then took like a 3 hour nap.😴

On Wedenesday we had our zone conferenece that lasted for 8 hours. I developed a pinched nerve or something in my shoulder by the end of the first half and my companion was soffocating herself trying to hold in the coughs... the training was awesome though! I learned how to plan better and how I need to be more bold. There was this cool sister who told us that we are like the iron rod guiding people to the tree of life. We need to be firm and straight up with people about our purpose and what we are out here to do so that there is no questioning where it is they are going or what is at the end. I really needed to hear that and since then, I have been less afraid of talking with people. I've actually, a couple times, been the one going up to people and chatting it up! The Lord is a worker of miracles everyone! You just need a little faith and trust! 😉

That wasn't all though. We went and did our Dare to Care service and afterwards went back to the church for Pie Day. Pie Day is apparently a thing on March 14th because the date reads 3/14, like 3.14... yeah that went over my head until someone explained it to me yesterday😒. Oh man. We helped clean up afterwards and there was all this leftover pie, so Sis Wilcox was suddenly like, "I know what to do with this!" She convinced Elder Johnson to join her in her little scheme and they each took a pie, went outside, and smashed eachothers faces into the pies! I barely got it on camera! My companion keeps surprising me, and boy she hit him good!😂

Thursday was produce day at the Jeffersonian church, but the produce truck was 2 hous late (big surprise there😐), but we got to do some odd jobs though and met this really adorable old man from Moscow named Gregory. He told us how, growing up in Russia, they were told there was no God and religion wasn't allowed, but he always believed there was a higher power. We totally got his number and contact info! And he waved us goodbye and told us to be safe biking with his little accent. SO CUTE!

Friday night we got our investigator Tim to come to dinner with us and a member family, the Browns, and it was awesome! He came all dressed up and he got along with them so well. We all bore our testimonies at the end of the lesson, and Tim did too! He told us that he needs to come to church, and we were like YEAH! Then he told us that his boss is having him come in at 10am instead 8 for work. We have been prayng about this forever! AND he agreed to come for half an hour on Sunday! I love him so much!

Saturday was a bust, but we shamrock attacked one of our sick investigators and got a member family in on it. Then she totally posted it ON FACEBOOK and it was just adorable!

Sunday was flipping awesome! Tim came! He said he was able to get to work on time which was exactly what we promised him if he took a leap of faith by coming to church! Sooooo coooool! We also got our other guy, David, to come who's from a part member family and he stayed for second hour. He's like, already a member, but not... he knows so much already he just needs to be baptized!

After church we got called by our referral Julia who immediatley drove over and picked us up so we could help her clean her house. I washed a mountain of dishes and Sis Wilcox dusted and vaccumed and stuff. Her marital situation is rough, so we'll see how this all goes. She became an investigator though, so that was cool. I just hope we can help her.

Next we visited our man Kuria who's been sick this whole time and then got in a car wreck! He has a fractured rib, so we offered him a blessing of healing and he was like, "yes please!' Two sweet guys from our Louisville 2nd ward came and we taught him a bit about what blessings are and what priesthood authority is. This man though, was like, "please bless my children, they're having a rough time and it hurts me more than my rib." He just amazes me. This man turns outward instead of inward. He couldn't even be angry with the crazy lady who hit him either!

We visited our favorite lady Kim on our way over to a missionary farewell party to check on her. Then we talked to a few cool guys and got a return apointment with a dude named Randy. He rapped for us. The party was great and a bunch of missionaries came to wish Livi (the cute gal leaving for her mission) good luck and stuff. She's going to Redlands California, Spanish speaking.

Sorry this is so bleeding long! It's just that I actually remembered everything that happened this week and I feel so much more optimistic and happy. Not gonna lie, I think the naps helped! Also, the suns coming out, the daffodils and hyacinths are blooming and I just feel so much better about everything right now. Prayers are being answered!

Thank you all for bearing with me in this email, hopefully it was entertaining and not boring!😶 Thank you for your love and prayers! I love you all so much and I pray for y'all all the time! God loves you!

With buckets of love,
Sister Wilcox Jr ❤❤❤