Sister Wilcox is Out, Peace! ✌

Hey y'all,

This is the last hoorah!

I'll be honest, I don't have much to say. I am still in shock that this is my last p-day and that I won't be writing anymore emails! I can't believe this!

This week has been crazy! We've been running around trying to do missionary work and still get to see everyone we planned on seeing. We had a really good lesson with Ron and Madonna one last time, if y'all remember them, and I am curious to see if they have opened up more to what we teach... I guess I'll just have to stay updated through Sister Johnson!

Oh I forgot to mention transfer news! Sister Johnson is getting Sister Jackson, a sister that would be going home with me but she decided to extend her mission 4 weeks! She is the bomb! But that's not all, sister Jackson and Sister Johnson are training a new missionary! So this area gets a trio again and it'll be training again! Super exciting stuff!

Sister Johnson told me that this was answering her prayer perfectly. She wanted someone to be an example to, but she also didn't quite feel ready getting out of training, so she needed someone to help her and encourage her to keep improving. So the Lord blessed her with a trainee and a really experienced sister who loves her mission! Isn't that amazing?!

It also answered my prayers. I wanted sister Johnson to be excited about change and feel comfortable taking over the area, and the Lord totally answered our prayers. He is so good to us!

So yeah, sister Johnson is feeling good, and I feel like a psycho. There is so much I need to do to be ready to leave and I am a little stressed, but it's a good kind of stress. I am excited and ready to be home! I am ready to see all y'all!

I keep getting flooded with memories and experiences from my mission, it's been hard to contain my emotions. I'm just so grateful that I got to come here, that I got to be a missionary. That's something I never thought I would do. Yet here I am, about to return from a mission. God's plan for me has always been better than my plans for myself. He has helped me see that I can do more and be more. He has helped me to see what is truly important in life, and He has directed me onto the path that will lead back to Him. He course corrected my life. He helped me understand the Atonement better, and helped me to seek to have an Eternal Perspective in all things. He has helped me to love my brothers and sisters more. My testimony was never like this, I never had a love for the book of Mormon that I do now. I am so in love with the Lord and His Gospel, my heart is full. ❤

Thank you for all those that have stuck with me on this journey! I have loved hearing from you, and I have appreciated all the wisdom and support I have received! I would not have had nearly as wonderful an experience without all of you. I love you, and I can't wait to be reunited with you!

See you soon!

With love,
Sister Wilcox
 

Well, I Don't Really Know What to Put Here

Hey y'all

It's been a pretty emotionally draining week this week, and I'm sure next week will be too. 😥

Last Monday we hung out at the Rodenbergs pool all day long with the branch. We couldn't get in, but it was still fun to be with everyone. That night we visited Sister Gribbins and had a good little spiritual conversation with her. She is just the sweetest. Then she told us her chickens had gotten bigger and I perked right up. She has afro chickens and fluffy chickens, and they are all mixed and funny looking, I was in heaven! I got to hold her little banty Cochin rooster, he made me miss the one I used to have a couple years ago 😢

Tuesday we visited Sister Hersey and had dinner with the Adams. I love the Adams, they are chill RM's and they just understand us so well, because they have already been there and done that! We get to just talk about our mission experiences and I love it!

Wednesday we had district council in Glasgow instead of Sulfer Well, and I didn't know this before but Glasgow meets in an old Baptist church! It was kinda cool! The font is in the chapel!

We visited Ron and Madonna later that day. I have been putting it off and off and off and finally I was like I just need to do it and go over there, so we did! It's been since March, I think, since I've seen them. We thought they were going to be mad at us, but instead Madonna was like, "Where have you all been?! I've been praying that y'all would come back!" So that was a pleasant surprise! We had a good visit with them, and Ron kept trying to quiet everyone down because he wanted us to share a message with them, so that was great! They insisted that we come back sometime this week before I go, I'm glad they don't hate us! 😅

That night we had dinner with Jack and Renee! Everytime we go over there I feel like Renee is getting more and more comfortable with us and the church and all of it. I really think it will just take time for her, and maybe one day she will want to take the discussions. It was a really good visit with them, and we got to play with their German shepherd puppy!

Thursday we went to Sister Shoffners place with the Karrens and planted some tiger lilies and did some landscaping. We found a turtle after pulling up some weeds, it hissed at Elder Karren. We got some cute pictures with it though!

We had a lesson with Allie, Clay, and Kat, and this time we had them teach us. They taught the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and they actually did better than we did! Not even joking. Allie asked Kat at one point, "should we move on to the next point?" And Kat goes, "well do they understand what we just taught them?" And I about died! They both need to serve missions! 😂😂

On Friday we went up to Columbia with the Karrens and had dinner with the Isaacs. It was so much fun, and Olga made a ton of food! I was dying. We helped them get the food ready because they were running a little behind, and I swear everytime we help with food I always end up cutting the watermelon. Thank goodness I worked at a produce store!

Saturday we volunteered at the local county fair. That was such a blast! The Karrens were the ones who hooked us up with the fair, and they told us that people were kinda leery of having missionaries from our church there. I think they thought we had some kind of ulterior motives, but whatever. We got there and greeted everyone and worked in the food booth. It was a little slow, but we got to talk to and get to know quite a few people. And they seemed kinda upset when we said we could only work next Saturday. I think we broke down their walls 😁

We also visited a member family that just popped into our area book. We pulled up and there were people outside so that was helpful. The lady walked up and said, "I'm Jennifer, but I assume you already knew that." And I immediately felt the hostility. They knew who we were, and she asked us who sent us, and I told her that no one had sent us, we came on our own cuz we noticed they were new. Some of that hostility went away. They aren't interested in us coming by to share any kind of message with them, but she said we can still come on over to visit. It was interesting, but the fact that they invited us back was a good sign.

Sunday was crazy cuz it was the Karrens last Sunday, and it was a testimony meeting so I had to get up there and that was stressful but good. I cried a lot. After church we went back over to the fair with the Karrens because the fair people invited all the volunteers to a dinner. It was really good and we got to talk to more people. Granny, one of the ladies we worked with, invited us over for breakfast this Friday! So that was awesome and I'm so excited! I love that gal! I love all the fair people!  We also visited Sister Mayer last night and she gave me a Magnolia blossom. I have been wanting one of those and she just fulfilled my dreams! It make the house smell so good!

Today has already been busy. We said good-bye to the Karrens this morning, it's weird not having neighbors anymore. So that was sad and depressing. Then we had lunch with Lucy and Joe at an excellent taco truck, they only spoke Spanish to me because Lucy told them we needed to practice 😂 Oh and then I mailed some junk home and that has been my day and my week folks. Looking forward to crying some more and freaking out and packing, and yeah. I cannot believe it's my very last week in the mission. How did I end up here? Where has all that time gone? I felt like this would last for an eternity at first, but then I blinked. Now I'm here. It's so bizarre.

I've spent a lot of time this week contemplating my mission and the things I have learned. The mission has been hard, yes, but now that I think about it, it has kind of been like finding a great hidden treasure. The people I have met and the experiences I've had and the things I've learned are priceless. It has made me rich in ways I never would have known had I never come. It has mostly helped me realize how divine and priceless the book of Mormon is. I have never had so much respect and love for a book. It has proven itself time and time again to me how true it is, how powerful it is. It is exactly what it says it is, another testament of Jesus Christ, and it has brought light and understanding into my life that I have never known before, and I continue to learn. I can see very plainly how it is that rod of iron that will lead us all back to our Heavenly Father, should we choose to grasp hold of it and never let go.

I love you all and I appreciate you all so much. I can't wait to see you in 9 days!

With love,
Sister Wilcox ❤

Some of these pics are old, or repeats, I don't remember what I've already sent or not 😅