Howdy ho!

Hi everyone!

We were going to go fishing today, but there's a massive thunder/rain storm right now. So we ain't going nowhere today!

Anyways so my tales this week start on Tuesday. We biked down this gorgeous but super long and hilly road to try and find an inactive gal, only to find that the house looked slightly abandoned and nobody answered the door. Oh well. Except upon biking through an intersection on the way back I ran over a nail that went straight through my rear tire to the metal rim! Major blowout! Basically my flat tire was nailed to the rim, which ended up being a blessing cuz the darn thing stayed on till we limped to the Mays home. Jerry said he could fix it, so we went off to lunch with Katie. She took us to an Asian buffet and it was actually really good and I ate a stuffed mussel.

Katie took us back and stayed to talk to sister Mays while we tracted a nearby neighborhood. No one was really receptive until we met this older couple out doing some gardening. They weren't interested, but they invited us in and gave us water (that southern hospitality!) and they wanted to know all about what we do. Their names were Susan and Ray, and Susan taught sister Mitchell some cool cords to play on the ukulele! Random I know! We also found out that she had seen us crossing Bardstown road- right in front of her! Oops! 😅

We started heading back to the Mays and I had major blisters. My feet were killing me! Then out of nowhere this cop lady pulled up beside us and asked if she could give us a ride to wherever we were trying to get to. And she bought us chocolate milk! We couldn't say no, and she was this super charitable, Christlike woman who sees people in need and just helps them. It was awesome and she wouldn't let us pay her back or anything. She accepted our card though. The Lord seriously blesses us through the lives of others!

My bike still wasn't fixed, and Jerry brought the Springmill elders over to help and I felt bad that there was so much fussing over my bike! Sister Snow came to pick us up for dinner, and she was like, "my husband can fix your bike just toss 'em in my car!" So that was amazing too. The Snows are an incredible family anyway and now they're even more amazing! The bike would take a while to fix, so they gave us theirs (Sister Mitchell's bike doesn't really have brakes) so we've been riding around on these mountain bike things and they look awesome! Mines purple!

We have kind of hit a dry spell with investigators lately, but we haven't lost any of our enthusiasm so we tracted and did finding all Wednesday! Woohoo! We offered to do some service for some less actives, the Goodmans, and ended up not getting home till 9 something because sweet sister Goodman made us this giant meal that took longer than expected, and she called to check on us to make sure the food was good!😂 she's so cute!

Thursday was kinda nuts. We tracted this really cool neighborhood and met this biker guy that follows Nordic mythology as his religion and he had these cool sleeve tattoos. There was also this lady who opened the door and said, "are y'all doing the church thing?" We said yes, and her response was closing the door🤣! I am taking rejection very well I think.

We had a lesson with Robby, then Mary Helen a little later and we had to eat our packed lunch at a gas station and talked to this really friendly Indian guy. We biked like bats outta Hades to get to the Fransiscan on time! We got there 10 minutes early it was mind blowing! Mary Helen was absolutely glowing, she looked like a whole new person and her eyes were all lit up! It was pretty incredible to see the difference in her, to feel the difference too.

Friday we had our district lunch at Red Robin! It was fun! But what was even more fun was well first off tracting, then once we got home sister Mitchell and I went to do some yard work for the Snows! 😆😆😆 apparently Springmill told the Snows they would do what we didn't finish (y'all know I don't like that), so we left nothing for them! Mwahahaha! Then we went to the Cheney's for dinner and they made the most fabulous salad ever! I also got to see some real Georgia peaches that sister Cheney spent $80 on which was crazy! She stood in a peach line for hours. She said we can help her can them when they're ready!😄

On Saturday we tracted this cute little neighborhood. It had quite a lot of diversity, it was cool! There were Latinos and Muslims and black people and it was very fun getting to interact with them all. One guy, this funny black man named James, talked to us for about an hour on his front porch. He became an investigator! He was the sweetest and he told us all about his family and it was just adorable!😊

Later we went to weed the Phelps' landscaping and veggie garden. The Phelps have only recently been reactivated, and not by missionaries. Sister Phelps isn't a member, but I know she will one day soften her heart. She is already more active in church than some members are, it's only a matter of time! Anyways after weeding, her kids- Shili, Saben and Salek took us on a nature hike through the woods in their backyard and it was the cutest thing ever oh my gosh! Except Shili did not like the bugs!😂 we went tracting afterwards and soon got a text from Brother Phelps saying, "come back and have dinner!" So we did. They take such good care of us!

Yesterday was pretty awesome! There was a talk in church on the Mormon pioneers and it was the most vivid thing I've ever experienced. It was incredibly real and I loved being reminded of the sacrifices that were made to restore the whole gospel of Jesus Christ on the earth. There are still saints sacrificing everything to have this gospel in their lives and to share it with those around them! What a cause to rally around! There is no other work I would rather be doing than being part of this united effort to bring all of God's children the restored gospel and to give them a chance to accept it.

There was a fireside as well for converts to bear their testimonies last night. The people we were going to bring didn't end up showing, but we were singing in the program so we kinda had to stay. We were going to sing "How great thou art" but somebody had put that in as the opening song! Whoops! We were able to fling together "Nearer my God to thee" and I have never been more nervous! It all worked out though, and the testimonies were powerful! I cried a lot.

It was nice and overcast most of the week which was such a blessing! It rained on the first day of summer and I was like ah yes this is perfect!

Sorry my emails snowball into these ginormous monster emails but I just can't seem to shut myself up!😅 I love emailing y'all and getting to look back and see the hand of God in my life every single day. I know He is in the details of all our lives and I know that He loves all of you, whether or not you feel it. He is there for us always.

I am a firm believer of prayer, if you are in a dark time in your life and feeling the weight of the world on your shoulders, pray to Heavenly Father and ask for strength. I know it will be given to you. Your burdens won't be taken away, but if you give it all over to the Lord he will make your burdens feel light and you will be able to endure with a joy and a hope that can't be compared to anything else.

An elder last night said that this gospel is the only way to true happiness and joy. He said if you don't believe that and choose to look in other places, you will search your whole life and never find it. That one hit me like a ton of bricks.

I love you all and I hope you have a fabulous week! Enjoy the summer!😘

With love,
Sister Wilcox💗💗💗

Y'all won't even believe this

Well howdy everyone!

So get this: MARY HELEN GOT BAPTIZED ON TUESDAY!!!!😆😆😆😆🎉🎊🎉🎊 I'm not gonna lie, it was the craziest 24 hours of my life!

So first, Monday, Mary Helen was all down in the dumps. She and Brother Kessler got in some kind of disagreement and she didn't want to be baptized no more. But she BORE HER TESTIMONY to us on over the phone, because she knew it was all true but her emotional circumstances just weren't right to be baptized yet. We prayed sooooo much for her that day and we asked our fellow missionaries and ward members to pray for her as well. So guess what happened??

Well Tuesday morning we get a call right after we done worked out, 7:20am, from Brother Kessler saying they patched things up and she wants to be baptized... that very day! After we were done freaking out and praising the Lord because all our prayers were answered, we had to get right on calling people and planning. We had cancelled everything and now we had to redo what we undid.😣

Bishop was at scout camp and the member Mary Helen wanted to baptize her was in Scotland... it was just unreal. Oh, and she wanted to be confirmed that day too because she wouldn't be able to attend church the next Sunday (which is a whole nother story) so we were scrambling to get permission from President and bishop to confirm her. We also had a few lessons to get to that morning and we needed to be at the church by 3 to have a few hours to fill the font enough (Mary Helen is a tall lady). Our beloved Katie, our gal who always has our backs, had been out of town for 2 weeks in Colorado and just so happened to get back the day before this madness and was conveniently free to drive us all the way to the church! Miracles!

It all came together bit by bit, and we totally got permission for her to be confirmed! More people came than we thought (because it was so last minute) and it just went beautifully. Mary Helen wanted I am a Child of God as the closing song, because she thinks it's the most beautiful thing ever and she is just the cutest! Brother Kessler announced at the end that he and Mary Helen planned on getting married a year from that day, in the temple! Coolest part was that if everything aligns I will be in the temple that day as it will be my last day on the mission, so maybe perhaps I'll get to be there when they are sealed.😊 That would be so amazing! I felt so completely happy during the whole baptism, I couldn't stop smiling. Mary Helen is so happy too and it's just the best!😁

After that the week was pretty chill in comparison. Wednesday was Zone Conference and I just love those things! You get super pumped and inspired, plus you get to see all the lovely folks you missed for a month and a half. I stole the key card to unlock the church building from our ZL'S cuz they don't know any of the passwords and I felt like I had all the power! Except I kept locking people out... oops. Technology hates me. 😅 one of the trainings we received was on using our technology resource more so I guess I gotta get over that! We have tons of missionaries leaving this transfer, so a whole bunch bore their testimonies and one elder said that "a mission can seem like the longest but also the shortest time of your life. Don't waste it." It really spoke to me. The mission is so short, I'm basically already 6 months out and I just got here! I don't want to waste the Lord's time, I want these months to count. Not for me, but for all those who need the gospel. I'm here for them.

Thursday we pretty much tracted all day. We stopped by this one house and a guy answered the door saying he had to get to work. We were chill with that. We came back up the street by that same house later and the guy was out there putting a brace on his ankle. So I said, "Oh man, are you gonna be late for work?" because we were thinking it was the same guy. Wrong! It was the roommate! This new ankle brace guy, Robby, invited us to talk with him for a bit and we actually had a cool discussion with him. He had so many questions. He was brought up Catholic and he hates the Catholic church so much, but he was very curious about Mormons and what we believe. He accepted a Book of Mormon! We don't know how solid he is, but it was still really cool.

And it was a good thing we met him because our progressing investigator Jennifer, who's attended church for weeks and taken nearly all the lessons dropped us suddenly. She said the rules were too conservative for her and she wants to explore other churches. She still wants us to come over sometimes and all that, and we know that one day she will be baptized. It just won't be while we are around.🐉

Friday we tried contacting all our potentials and investigators, that was fun! We were in the area when one investigator, Rose, told us she won't be able to meet with us on Saturday because she was suddenly called in to work that day. We were like, "are you available now?" And she said yes so we biked on over there and had a mini lesson with her. She is the sweetest human being in existence and we are so thrilled that we get to teach her!

On Saturday we got honked at a lot and it was super hot and I was not loving life at all at that point. But that night we were going to a surprise birthday for brother Snow for our dinner appointment. It was at this pizza place with a crazy hard to pronounce name. I got pesto thin crust pizza that was amazing and we got to be with all our favorite families! I talked to brother Snow's uncle for awhile and found out he used to raise Beefalo, which is a cow crossed with a buffalo. I didn't know that was a thing. It was a good time! Then I made cookies to take to church for father's day.😄

Sunday we went to church and listened to this amazing talk about Father's by brother Probst. He went over three points from the family: a proclamation to the world about a fathers role which is to preside, provide, and protect. After church we biked in 104 degree weather trying to track down less actives. It was awesome and we had no idea it was that hot till we were on our way home and read a sign that told us that, so we couldn't psych ourselves out. We literally melted. We did weekly planning for the rest of the day so I guess it wasn't that bad.

So yeah that's my week. Twas pretty darn good! I love y'all!

With love,
Sister Wilcox😘

When 91 degrees with zero humidity feels like 70

Hello lovely people,

The week has blown by yet again. And we almost got by with no storms! Almost.

We did a ton of tracting this week and it was awesome! Never thought those words would ever come from me. Actually I think I've said that before but whatever. You can meet so many different people in just a few hours! It's the bomb! It's crazy the things you learn to love.

So Tuesday Mary Helen was getting her baptismal interview, which we biked to of course. Along the way it seemed like Satan was trying to stop us! Or at least put us in a mood. We nearly got hit by this very rude jeep that honked at us till we stopped in the middle of the road so he could make his left turn... We made it anyway, so ha! Mary Helen passed with flying colors and she was just so excited! Her baptism is scheduled for tomorrow actually. Did I forget to say that before??

On Wednesday we visited some less actives and that was cool because even though they're struggling with their testimonies or church attendance or whatever, they are still loved by the ward. We get those people as referrals from the ward. You may feel like no one's gonna notice if you leave, but there are always people who will miss you and want to see you come back.

That's one of the important things about going to church that I think a lot of people don't realize. Of course we go to take the sacrament and renew covenants we've made, but we also receive strength from our brothers and sisters and we can comfort those who need comfort and uplift those that need upliftment. We can't do life on our own, and you can't fulfill your purpose if you don't share your light with others.

We had exchanges on Thursday and I led the area again, but hey it's good for me! I wanted to work on confidence anyway so it worked out perfectly. Sister Cook was my 24 hour companion and she was super chill. She's been out a year already, and she's been in all city areas which kinda freaked me out. I want the boonies!😣 We tracted an apartment complex and got a new investigator and a potential! I didn't even know what to do with myself I was just like holy cow exchanges bring forth miracles! Then we had a lesson with an investigator we met the day before. Her name is Summer, and I couldn't help but think of Napoleon Dynamite!😂 I miss that movie! The lesson went well and we set a baptismal date with her which was crazy! I wasn't expecting to do that!

Friday we nearly missed the bus for district meeting and I got us off on the wrong stop... but we ended up being right next to Sister Cook's apartment so we just went there, dropped off her suitcase and got to study with Sister Shumuy and Sister Mitchell. So things worked out! Plus I got to read President and Sister Nelson's address to the youth. It gave me chills! The entire time I was like YESSSS!!! Our prophet is amazing and he is pushing the work forward! He is on fire! I know he is our prophet meant for us in these latter days. We need to be doing everything we can to follow our prophet and the revelation he is receiving is precisely for us at this time. He is here to guide us and to warn us and to tell us the things God would have us know.

Our meeting went over and Sister Mitchell and I were just a little frazzled cuz we had a lesson with Mary Helen at 2 and we didn't quite know how we were gonna make it. Our wonderful STL's rescued us though and took us to lunch AND got us to our bus on time. I love our sisters! We had to walk to the assisted living center with a suitcase and an extra bag that Mama Wilcox passed down to me, but that was okay! We made it exactly on time. Mary Helen was playing bingo.😊 We had a lesson on blessings and immediately she wanted Brother Kessler to get one. We called up our elders and they just so happened to be a mile away from us so it was all meant to happen! Woohoo! She got a blessing too and right after they left she was like, "I immediately felt everything relax as soon as he opened his mouth!" It was a very spiritual experience for her and I am so grateful we get to see her grow in the gospel.

We also had our lesson with Jennifer and Will who are both progressing so well! They've grown so much from when we first started meeting with them. Will wasn't even interested, but he's seen the difference in his wife and now he's asking questions and following the Word of Wisdom with her! He's reading the Book of Mormon and prays, he even helps Jennifer remember things she's working on! We are just so blessed with the people we get to work with!😄

Saturday we tracted into another investigator! She may not be super interested right now, but she lost her grandfather a year ago and she really needs some closure about it. So we're gonna see how we can help. We were planning on visiting an inactive member, Brother Green, so Sister Mitchell asked me if we should finish the row of houses or go to his house. I was like, "let's finish!" Which I never say, and sure enough we get a honk, turn around, and there's brother Green! He and his girlfriend were heading to Lowe's for some gardening supplies. Of course I immediately perked up to that! Then we got ourselves invited over to help them weed their garden! Aww yeah! It was the best, and we got to talk to them A LOT about everything. Gospel included. 😉

Our Sunday was the best because WILL CAME TO CHURCH WITH JENNIFER!!!😆😆😆 we've been trying to get him to come for like, 3 Sundays. It was awesome! So church was the bomb, more so than it usually is, and Mary Helen came with her little Allie again. That dog is cute! We wanted to go out finding but then it decided to pour, and we did weekly planning instead! It cleared up enough for us to go out later and check on some people, and then this black cloud started moving in fast so we were like nooope and biked home just before the waterbaloon droplets could get us. It was fun!

Today we got a call from brother Kessler who told us that he and Mary Helen got in an argument and he isn't sure about her baptism tomorrow. We're calling her tonight to see what's up. We may or may not have a baptism tomorrow folks, I'll letg you know next week! We are currently sitting on the porch of a members home using their WiFi. It is also pouring. Surprise there!

Also, I think I've gotten so used to the weather here because this week was in the 90's but I couldn't feel it cuz there was no humidity miraculously and I was loving life! I am seriously blessed I don't know how I'm not dead yet!😅

I love you all so much! Bye!

With love,
Sister Wilcox😘

The Nothing... oh wait, that's just a hurricane

Hello!

It's only been like, four days since the last email.

So on Thursday we went out all morning, to what felt like the edge of the earth, and were graced by the sight of an incredible lightning show. The only comforting thing was knowing that we were on rubber tires. Then we were going to bike to our lesson with Mary Helen, but we kept getting all these warnings from people along the way. "There's rain coming" "We hope you get to some cover quickly" and we were like, "what is going on?" Meanwhile, the sun's out and it's pretty hot, things are looking good. Then this thunderhead catches us out on the back roads and we got soaked once again! Yeah, we got a ride to our lesson. It was some kind of freaky backlash from the hurricane that hit Florida, or something like that. Oh and then AND THEN at our ward coordination meeting one of our elders was like, "We biked 5 miles and no one was home!" and he was so mad and Sister Mitchell and I were trying to keep it together! Buddy, we biked 14 miles and it was all hills, and ain't nobody was home! NOBODY!

I mean, it's not a competition......🙂

We have a lot of rich neighborhoods too that are out in no-where's ville. Fun to look at but not to tract. We mostly do finding in those places, but even that can be hard. It's especially encouraging when the maid opens the giant French doors and goes, "no sorry, you'll have to make an appointment." Right... appointment... who are these people and what the heck do they even do for a living?

Our district meeting was on Friday and we got to have interviews with President and Sister Hughes! We also had this wonderful training on how we need to let go of the things holding us back from being all in. Just what I needed!👍We did some finding before our lesson with Jennifer and found a new investigator! Her name is Stephanie and we contacted her on the street, she seemed pretty cool.

Saturday was a day that started out weird and I didn't know how to feel, but it ended up being awesome. I thought I had annoyed Sister Mitchell all morning, (and I was annoyed at myself for being so insecure and timid) so I asked her about it while we were out tracting this neighborhood. She told me she wasn't annoyed at all and I was like whaaaat. Then we spent the whole day while we were finding having the longest companion inventory ever! We have been able to be so much more unified because we just tell each other everything! I have become so much more confident and bold just because of it. Well, mostly from being around Sister Mitchell- cuz she's awesome. 😊

Yesterday we had both of our investigators at church, and Mary Helen brought her cute service dog, Allie. Mary Helen is getting baptized on the 12th and she's engaged to brother Kessler! They're getting married on August 20th which is just crazy to me. After church we got a ride home with the Hill's, whom we love dearly, and then we got invited to the bishops massive house for a break-the-fast dinner. It was awesome, and there was this adorable little boy named Tommy who was trying to see how many stuffed animals he could balance on my head.

I started color coding my scriptures because I'm sick of being disorganized, and I decided I'm not going to second guess myself anymore, I'm just gonna do things on the first instinct I have! I could save myself from a lot of stress if I was more confident in my decisions!

Well I think that was it. I feel like I might be forgetting something, but oh well!

I love you all so so much and I think y'all are just the best! Have a beautiful week!

With love,
Sister Wilcox❤❤❤


Sorry but some of these pics are from last week and probably the week before because I'm terrible.

The feet belong to sister Mitchell. Just thought I'd keep y'all updated on her ridiculous tan line!😜