Letter #90 (24th April, 2013)

Hey all,

So guess what... we are BOTH transferring! I'm going over to the bukid of Toledo to train again! and to be DL. Then Elder R is stepping down to open up Labangon again...(back for the third time... he hasn't found those brass plates yet! hahahahaha) and train and be DL also. Then Elder D is coming over to puli us with a new ZL Elder R. Was not expecting this... but it is an exciting transfer none the less. I am very excited to be training again. I am also really excited to be back in the bukid. I am really pleased with the work Elder R and I were able to complete in San Nicolas ward and the preparation we were able to make for Elder D and Elder R as they begin in the area this week. The members are sad but also excited for two new missionaries and are readying themselves for this next week of work with the missionaries. Have to say this past week has been great. I feel like everything has been falling into place and running smoothly. I really enjoyed this last week of work and have really felt great improvement in myself. I am starting to fell more power in my nightly prayers and they seem to be more real as a conversation.

We had a great baptism also this past Saturday of Sister D and the members really showed their support again in really being a friend to this individual and fellow-shipping her into the ward. Her boyfriend (an RM) has been a great support also and their next goal is to be married in the temple after one year. I am really excited for them because I know that they will be a strong couple in the church when they finally get to the time they can be married and sealed in the temple.

Elder R is really excited to be training also. I am so thankful to him for these last 9 weeks. I have learned so much from him, especially from his great example. He has really helped me to raise my vision even further. I'm gonna miss him. We had such a great time opening San Nicolas and getting to know all the members. We got fed often, taught always and made some great friends. I'm gonna miss them all too.

This week I have had some interesting mixed feelings which are hard to explain. I think they are partly because I am starting to realize that this is quite probably my last area and companion in the mission and that my mission is fast coming to a close. I am definitely not excited for that prospect just yet. I am much more excited to work hard with my new companion in teaching him and working with the members to have a great success in the Toledo area. I hope that we will be able to leave a great impact on the members there in helping them to progress as a ward and in terms of missionary work in these next 12 weeks of training. We will be back to the 12 week program for training and that is going to be kapoy again but it will be good. I have no idea about the area or the other missionaries over there yet but I'm sure I will find out soon.

We get to skype sometime next month too... will let you know when probably next week.

Missing you all,

Love you tons,

Elder Taylor Addison Cox

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Terri here: Taylor gets to Skype for Mother's Day!!

Letter #89 (17th April, 2013)

Hey all,

The amazing work has continues this week in San Nicholas ward and it was great to have conference to top off the week. Just a great spiritual high. We have had members work with us everyday again, it has been great and the members we are visiting are really feeling the love and support of the ward that way. 

The zone training went well last Thursday and the missionaries really absorbed the doctrine of the Godhead and really enjoyed it. They didn't have as many questions as I had expected and I was able to really appreciate the spirit of ZLC meetings in that way. There is just a deeper spirit in those meetings with all the ZLs and you get some amazing thought provoking questions. All the missionaries are doing really well and we just went on exchanges with the Capitol elders. They are really good. Elder M is a very observant missionary and what I really like about him is he is quick to apply or use what he observes. He is a very jolly missionary also and has a great spirit about him. Even though he is still fairly new to the mission he has some really good teaching skills which he tells me he has learned from Elder L. They are working well in the capitol ward and we have seen some great improvement this past few transfers. Elder W is the "greenie" over in their house and is feeling frustrated sometimes with the language, especially being in a house with 3 Philippinos, but he is pulling through and we have seen his language skills skyrocket this past transfer.

We have seen great success this past transfer in the zone. The fruits of all our efforts is really present in the baptisms that we have for this month... 6 in total and we really feel they will be strong additions to these wards.

Elder R and I continue to enjoy one anothers companionship, but it is fast coming to an end. Transfer week next week and one of us has to transfer. So we still don't know whats going down but will let you know next week.

That's Dad for you... always fixing things... I think my companions are grateful for that too... (and I am too), because they are always very thankful when things brake and Elder Cox manages to fix it somehow, and they are always like "well its a good thing you know a lot about (object)s". And I just keep quite and don't tell them that I had no idea what I was doing but thought I would try anyways, cause my dad can fix anything so why cant I... haha... thanks dad! (Terri here: We were visiting friends in the country, and Stoo does any odd jobs or fixes things he sees that need fixing!!)

I've been working out alot again (every morning) and Elder K said im looking chubby in the face again... so maybe im putting on weight again. Yay!

The work has been great and I think I might transfer but we'll see.

Missing you all,

Love you tons,

Elder Taylor Addison Cox

Letter #88 (10th April, 2013)

Hey all,

This week has been great, but also challenging at the same time. The work has continued to be great with the efforts of the members in San Nicholas ward, and our coordination meetings have been so effective as well. Every meeting there are members who are excited to work. It is a wonderful feeling when there are members willing to support the missionary work. We also went to church in Labangon this last week and they are doing okay.
The zone is doing well and really improving, especially in terms of lessons and we have really seen an improvement in their work as they have striven to work more closely with the members who are being cooperative in each of their wards.
Elder R and I have had a great experience with one of our investigators at the temple at the temple tour. She was touched by the Spirit in such a way that she gained the testimony she had been asking for. She has been progressing really well, but is still hesitant about baptism because "she doesn't know everything yet"... but we talked about D&C 20:37 with her and explained that baptism is but the first step and allows us to continue to learn. We taught about fasting and invited her to fast sometime this week last night. It was a great lesson and she is really committed to find out for herself if she should get baptized. We have been having great progress with our investigators in San Nicholas as well, with one preparing for baptism this coming 20th and then we have some youth who are really responsive to the gospel and their uncle who is a recent convert is being a great help in supporting them and helping them to realize the importance of the gospel. We do not plan on baptizing them any time soon but feel that the gospel can really bless these youths lives right now, especially because of the environment they are living in.

Not much else to say...

miss you

love you tons

Elder Taylor Addison Cox

Letter #87 (3rd April, 2013)

Hey all,

This week has been great and so much has been accomplished with the San Nicholas ward. Almost every single member we visited this week, active or inactive, came to church this past Sunday and the attendance broke the 100 mark. We have had members work with us everyday and our investigators are progressing. We are excited for this next week also. We had a great workshop on Sunday in our missionary coordination meeting about endurance in terms of the work and it was received really well. The leaders in the ward are functioning well as well in their respective callings and they had a successful PEC meeting without us being in attendance, which has been a great success.
Labangon ward is also starting to pick up. Bishop Sawal worked with us last night and we visited one less-active that really needs member nourishment. It was great to have the bishop of the ward to work with a family in need of spiritual strengthening. Then the Labangon ward now also has a ward mission leader who is a recently returned RM of 2 weeks. It was really sad when we first were pulled out of the ward, because all of our investigators slowly just stopped progressing, but we have tried to enlist the help of some of the members who are willing to work to help to teach and to fellowship.

My personal study has been great, from the account of Mormon and the final destruction of the Nephites because of their wickedness. I have learned a lot about repentance and the pride cycle of the Nephites recently. It is crazy to think about the numbers in the Book of Mormon of the people that we wiped from the face of the earth for their own wickedness... makes you think about what the second coming is going to be like, huh!?

We had a surprise visit to the Capitol ward also this Sunday and it went really well. We could really see the great work of their Bishop there in trying to get the members in the ward to fulfill their responsibilities and duties. They had a good missionary coordination meeting as well, in which Elder L and Elder M gave a great workshop on the importance of scriptures, especially in bringing them to church.

The mission is going so fast! Noooo! Looking forward to some of that sticky date when I get home, haha. It seems that as it gets closer to that last day I have less and less to say. So that's all for this week...

Miss you,

Love you all tons,

Elder Taylor Addison Cox

Letter #86 (27th March, 2013)

Hey all,

This week has been great in really being able to start to focus in the San Nicholas area and getting to know the area and work with the members. They are very excited to have missionaries. We have seen a great attitude towards the work and our work has greatly increased. Our lessons went up to 30 this last week, and I can confidently say it was because of the assistance of the members. I really see now the inspiration President Schmutz had to move us from Labangon to San Nicholas. We had an interesting day on Sunday working with both wards, and officially announcing to the leaders in ward council that we had been pulled out.
San Nicholas is progressing well... we have a work schedule with the ward missionaries and other members and are even getting fed sometimes too (yay!). The only problem that we have found is that our apartment is relatively far from our area and it makes it hard for us to work in the evening because we have to finish work earlier so we can get back to the apartment on time. We are going to talk with Elder E about the possibility of getting an apartment closer to our area... maybe, we'll see. But both Elder R and I are excited for the work in San Nicholas.

I have had a really good week this week, apart form being really tired at then end of each day, it has been great. I have started to exercise more in the mornings, trying to exercise every day. It has been good and it helps me in the mornings I find. There have been some mornings recently that nave been a struggle to get up, but I try to push myself out of bed and get downstairs so I will start to wake up. 

We have had real success in the work with the members as we continue to focus on reading the scriptures each day. We have members thanking us all the time for reminding them of the things they need to be doing... sometimes that's all the members need, just a simple reminder of scripture study.

I have had a really good week this week, apart form being really tired at then end of each day, it has been great. I have started to exercise more in the mornings, trying to exercise every day. It has been good and it helps me in the mornings I find. There have been some mornings recently that nave been a struggle to get up, but I try to push myself out of bed and get downstairs so I will start to wake up. 

We have had real success in the work with the members as we continue to focus on reading the scriptures each day. We have members thanking us all the time for reminding them of the things they need to be doing... sometimes that's all the members need, just a simple reminder of scripture study.

Some elders in the zone were talking to me on Monday after district meeting about their ward and they said that it feels like they are forcing the members to fulfill their responsibilities and meetings. So I told them that they are there to remind, invite exhort, encourage and warn, but they should not force the members to have their meetings or do their callings. They said they will try this week and see how things turn out. All the missionaries are doing great despite the struggles and challenges here in the central zone... just this past week our average lessons per companionship per week got up to 28. I was so happy and proud of the progress we have made, and am positive we will continue to improve.

I'm loving the work right now. so much progress and it is just great to see people happy from them following the simple gospel principles of prayer, scripture study and church attendance.

Miss you gamay, (jujuju)

Love you tons

Elder Taylor Addison Cox