Elder Cox says Hi...

                                        


This week felt like we did nothing which was really frustrating.   My comps tooth started hurting and we just figured it would pass eventually, but after a split and a meeting with President his face swelled up like a balloon.  We literally could not recognize him, it was ridonculous.  

                                                                         

So Thursday, Friday and Saturday we were stuck at the dentist's office to get it all checked out.  And guess what?we went back today again and we get to go back two more time this week before he gets a root canal... Joy. Right?  It's good because he's getting it fixed but it's a bit annoying because we're out of our area so much that I feel like we didn't really accomplish anything. It's okay though. We'll get this figured out and then we can focus on missionary work again.

                                                  

The last couple of days I've thought a lot about those who get offended by the church and leave and refuse to come back and when you try to work with them, they only don't come back if they don't act or do what you say in a sense.  They turn away from God, and then Satan just makes there lives horrible until we're willing to invite God back in. If we want to be happy in this life, we need to act it's that simple.  It means studying the scriptures not just reading, it includes meaningful thought out prayers not just repetition and means preparation for sacrament every week to renew our covenants with Him. During the hardest times of our lives, the natural man would want us to just sit around and mope and believe no one cares about us, but that's the brilliance of the Gospel is that we have to combat that feeling.  We have to turn to God, we have to let him into our lives in order to come out of our hard times.

                                   

I find the most strength and comfort in the scriptures. I love the Book of Mormon, it has become kind of a close friend to me on my mission where I can always look to for answers.  I think it was Elder Scott that said memorized scriptures become friends, shields, comforters etc in our time of need that we can pull out in a moments notice. That is definitley true. I don't know if I can testify of many things more than that I know that the Book of Mormon is true and that it was translated by Joseph Smith. I've never found more answers, more comfort, and more hope in any other thing than from reading that book.  Christ Lives, He walks with us everyday. When we feel He is far, I imagine that is when He is the closest to us.  He suffered in Gethsemane and on the Cross, so that today we wouldn't be alone through whatever challenge we are going through. We need not walk alone, we only need to look and see the works of God being worked in front of us.

I love you all, I think.

Մեծ Սիրով, Երեց Քրիսչենսեն ու Քոքս

Tradition of jumping over a fire...

This building in Char is falling apart and people still live there.  It is so sad...