love

this week FLEW by. Cant believe it is already P-day!

Hey mom do Yuri and Ruri talk a lot?--i think she could be such a huge influence on her conversion! We didnt have an appointment with Ruri, but we just stopped by her apt one day, she seemed glad that we stopped by. She said that she loves missionaries, sisters and elders. We love her! While we were there, she showed us several photo albums of her wedding, America, and again the photo album of you after her son was born. so fun. I asked her why she thinks that Yuri entered the church. She said probably because she loved Sean. I believe it was so much more than that! True conversion comes directly from feeling Heavenly Fathers love through the sensitive and personal whisperings of the Holy Ghost. Anyone and everyone can gain the knowledge for themselves. I plead with Heavenly Father for Ruri to have that desire. She said that she had read some of the Book of Mormon, and we shared our favorite scriptures and bore testimony. Little by little and overtime, i know Ruri will recieve answers to her prayers.

We met with Evangeline, please pray for her! She is using her head too much, and not allowing the spirit to enter her heart. She wants it so desperately!

We found 3 new solid investigators this week! Yesterday on our way home from a LA visit, we stopped a girl, as we were talking she said `sugoku kyomi ga arimasu.` THATS REALLY GOOD. we made a next appointment and we are sooooo excited to meet her again.

This week, I was so grateful for the sacrament. We sang `There is a green hill far away`- one of my favorite hymns. I watched the priesthood holders break the bread, and thought of people destroying Christs body..piercing his hands and feet and showing cruelty toward our Savior. It hurt me to see them break the bread. Then, i partook of the broken bread. I was taking upon myself Christs name and accepting His sacrifice. It is incredible to me that Christ suffered for all, and yet He knew that so many would not accept the gift. `His was a great vicarious gift in behalf of all who would ever live upon the earth.` I love Him, I serve Him, and I testify of Him.

I hope you all have a great week and find time to let the spirit testify to you. He wants to. Heavenly Father wants to talk with you- give Him opportunities to help you. It really is up to you.
Love you love you LOVE YOU LOVE YOU!

Love, Sister Wilcox

Preparation

Fam--your emails are incredible. Incredibly motivating and powerful. It makes me happiest to hear about your experiences in life that bring us closer to Heavenly Father. I see that each of you are staying as closely as you can on the path of righteousness and doing your very best to be successful in the `work of salvation.` I love that! You are amazing, I love you and am in awe at your righteousness- your desire to do the right thing! Thank you! I was thinking about Stake Conference and having an area authority in our home. How awesome! We have had so many opportunities to meet some pretty awesome people and learn from them. We have been blessed. Did the boys enjoy it? I remember sitting at the dinner table when we were younger and mom and dad would say, `how would you act if the prophet or apostle were eating dinner with us??` haha  Mom were you with Sister Leavitt most of the time?? How was that? I dont remember that experience with the sacrament at the care center. I wish i did, how old was I? Hey guess what! Elder Ballard is coming to our mission on Feb 20. And Elder Rasband! Isn:t he `over` you dad?? I hope i get to talk to him. Super exciting. The work is moving forward! It is so neat to see and be apart of.

RURI:
isnt that CRAZY that I saw of pic of Ruris mom at grandma and grandpas house?!! My companion doesnt believe that it is. I SWEAR it is, i will send you the picture. Did she stay at grandma and gpas house?? Crazyyyy.
We got to spend quite a lot of time with Ruri this week which was AWESOME. I`m telling President Yamashita that he cant transfer me until she is baptized. ;)Monday was fun- I was so glad to have her in the church with other members having a good time. We went to her restaurant and ate Ramen, then she asked us to meet her on saturday. She drove us to her daughters restaurant, we waited for about an hour to eat, then spent another hour and a halfish. We had so much fun talking and laughing with her, we werent able to talk a lot about church/prayer but we gave her a book of mormon that i had highlighted, hopefully she will find comfort while she reads. I have so much hope and faith that a new page is turning in her life. This is what is going to bring eternal happiness, this is what everyone on earth needs! I know Ruri is going to take this opportunity and accept Christ, I know she is going to apply the atonement and find what she may be missing. Sweet is the peace the gospel brings. After that, as she was driving us back to the church, she asked if we wanted to call the elders and all go bowling together! hahah i was surprised she wasnt sick of us! Mineta Shimai told her we couldnt (okay i:ll be honest i probably would have said yes..haha i want to spend as much time as we can with Ruri! She cant meet anyother days than saturday!) MOM im so so so thrilled you went to dinner with Yuri! I asked Ruri if she would be coming to Japan, she said no, i think she is pretty sad about it.

I was in the MTC when Elder Ballard spoke to us. He said to let your families be serving the mission with you. Let them be apart of your experiences and your work and encourage them to also participate in missionary work. That is so special to me --I feel like you guys are apart of this journey with me, Mom and Dad i still wear your rings everyday. ;) I think of you often, how dedicated missionaries you were and are- that is how i want to be. Shay i think of your diligence and happiness as a missionary and back home. You have so many Christlike attributes I hope to more fully develop. Parker- when is am discouraged or sad, i try to be more like you- you make the best of any situation and always include others. I try to think of others and forget myself. Jaren- I think of your humility and charity- two of the best characteristics of Christ. You are so awesome.

I am so glad to hear that Grandpa is doing better. This week, the woman i call `Okaasan` went to the hospital, and she seemed so happy to see some friendly faces. I wish i could be comforting Grandpa in the hospital, but I`ll do my best in japan until I can see him again.

PARKER AND JAREN-- Im glad to hear you are both looooving piano. ;) The Elders` investigator is a professional pianist, we went to his concert this week with some members in the ward. KEEP PRACTICING piano is so cool.

Evangeline is slowly progressing. She has been noticing good things in life and relates it to God. `Maybe God sent you to help me and be my friends.` We love her. Ahh i hope she can see how much the gospel would bless her life.

KINJIN KINJIN WE FOUND A KINJIN! One night we were OYMing and talked to a 16 year old girl. As we started talking about the church, she was very interested. We asked her if we could meet with her one day and talk more about it. She said, `can you tell me more right now??` So we taught her how to pray and basically taught her the first lesson. THAT NEVER HAPPENS it was amazing!! we are meeting with her on tuesday and we have been so excited!! That night she texted us and said she wanted to pray but forgot how and she asked us to teach her again. YAYYYY PLEASE PRAY FOR KON CHAN! :)

This week, I studied President Eyrings talk from conference called, `The Preparatory Priesthood.` It is sooo good. please read it. It talks about the aaronic priesthood as preparing for a greater priesthood. It also talks about preparing for life in general. As I have been on my mission, I realize how beneficial preparation is. I wish i would have been more prepared for my mission. I heard that all the time but i didnt really know how to prepare. Parker and Jaren-- you can come on your missions with a little testimony, and go home with a powerful and incredible testimony. But think about how more influential you will be in the lives of God]s children if you come with a firm and strong testimony. As a representative of Jesus Christ, as one set apart to preach His word, I want to take this as an opportunity to invite you to prepare. I had the desire to prepare, but I dont think I put forth enough effort. My advice to you is to develop a strong and special relationship with Heavenly Father. Do anything you can. Of course the best way is to read your scriptures and pray. But if reading is hard right now, FIND OTHER WAYS. Listen to efy music, watch mormon.org vids, make some cooking for your friends. Anything that will bring the light of the gospel, please do it. Dont give up. Pray and pray and pray until you know that God is listening. Pray until you can talk with Him, not to Him. Parker, as you are making major decisions in your life right now, let God decide. He knows what is best for you.

I love you guys. Heavenly Father loves you. Pray for missionary opportunities, I know they will come!

Love, Sister Wilcox

happy

fam and friends--

GOOD WEEK EH?? did you have a good week? cuz we had a sweet week here in good ol Toyama. Mom I hope you are stoked to read this email cuz RURI IS THE BEST!

Okay so Ruri. ...We went to her restaurant on Friday but she had already left. We called her and she said we could visit her at her house the next day! FINALLY we got to visit at her home. Going out to eat was fun with her but the setting is hard to really talk about ..you know..the gospel haha. She lives in a mansion...like a really nice apartment...(did you call them mansions?) and she gave us yummy dessert that her daughter had made. We just laughed and laughed and talked together for a long time. I showed her more pics- she kept saying that mom looked like a model! She said you could be famous cuz youre so beautiful! She showed me pics of her family and her mom. I was looking at a picture of her mom in america..and she was in Grandma and Grandpa wilcoxs HOUSE!! It was crazy!! We freaked out hahah we were screaming it was hilarious. SMALL WORLD. Anyway, SHE started asking us questions about the gospel, i love that about her. she is so open and will ask us anything. We talked for a long time about plan of salvation. After we prayed with her before we left, she put her hands on her shoulders and said she felt warm and has the chills! She said `hisashiburi` (it has been a long time since I felt this way). AHHHHH we left and Mineta Shimai and i were hugging each other and jumping up and down. I was so so happy. MOM is this not the coolest thing??! Then she came out of her house saying `Wilcox! Wilcox!`...handed me my scarf. that was awk as me and mineta were freaking out haha. THEN she came to Mochi kai this morning! She brought her friends` two daughters that we went out to dinner with before. It was so fun. We pounded that rice together...good memories. Sooooooo she is officially one of our investigators now and i couldnt be happier. I KNOW Heavenly Father has a special plan for her. I am so glad Mom and I get to be apart of it. Mom--she said that it was a miracle from God that we met. Write her a letter-you won:t regret it.

This week we also had Sisters conference! It was so fun. A Japanese lady that served a mission came and spoke to us. Her goal was 1000 baptisms on her mission, and she baptized almost 50 people every month! She was a stellar missionary. I learned so much from her. We had an incredible testimony meeting. It was girls camp x10. SO GOOD. I was wishing our investigators could have been there. the spirit was undeniable and beautiful. The plan of happiness is real. This earth is not our home. We have been sent here at this time for a special purpose. find your purpose. You each have qualities of our Heavenly parents. Every good thing comes from them. Magnify those talents and qualities, make the most of this precious time that we have to prove ourselves and grow closer to Him. I have been working on developing gratitude for the Saviors atonement. Only through Him can we make our goal and return to our Heavenly Home. I love you guys. Have a great week, have a prayer in your heart and walk the straight and narrow path. Its the only way to go!

LOVE YOU!
Love, Sister Wilcox

Sister Yamashita

SOAKED and STOKED

WOW what a crazy week you all had! I am praying for grandpa. My heart aches for Grandma and Mom-- me and shay both agree it would be the hardest thing to go through that. Sending my love and prayers to you grandma and grandpa. I love you I love you I love you!

So happy for Melina and Steven! My aunties are all getting old and married off! Crazy. Time is FLYING. Parks and Jar your new years sounded sweet! Fun fam memories.

So 2015 IS GOING TO BE THE BEST....I will be a missionary for the entire year! So exciting! I have been studying and deciding what my new years resolutions will be. ...honestly..im still studying and trying to decide. haha its like this HUGE deal among the japan nagoya missionaries so...ill get back to you on that. :)

This week was a little different than most weeks here on the mish. Christmas dendo was sooo fun. New Years dendo was...not dendo. ha We had member appointments for lunch AND dinner almost everyday this week! Very nice and very fun...but WOW stomach ache for days. After eating more than what is comfortable for lunch, we go eat MORE 3 hours later. It was awful to be honest haha. But we had some special experiences with members- i learn so much from their diligent examples.
One night we went to the Fujii`s. They are an old couple in the ward, i call her Okaasan- she and i had a special bond from the first time we met. I love her! She gives me the sweetest hugs and makes sure we are happy and warm. She knows that nashi is my fav and gave us some for New Years. Anyway, during our lesson with them, we started talking about life after death. In the middle of our lesson he piped in and said I am so excited to die! And then went off about how he is excited to be a missionary in heaven, and to see Heavenly Father and Christ again and to live with his family forever. That really made me think. How sweet is that? To know that you are worthy and ready to live in Gods presence, to be so excited for the next life. ..great motivation to live up to our full potential here on earth.

Mineta Shimai fell on her bike earlier this week. She messed up her knee pretty bad and we havent been able to ride our bikes. Yesterday, we wanted to visit a PI and visit Yuu chan--we havent seen her forever! So despite her pain, we were able to ride our bikes. I felt bad for her, I think she was hurting but also it was so nice to be outside dendo^ing again! Member lessons are nice but i missed inv. dendo sooooo bad!!! It was pouring rain but I was so happy to be out on the Lords errand again. Singing efy songs while riding my bike and talking to people on the street is my fav! Truly SOAKED but STOKED to be doing dendo. :)

I hope you have a great week. Have fun at school. Study hard. Be GOOD. Keep your standards high. `You survived the war in heaven; you can win the war on earth! Do not live for the moment but rather for the eternity.` Remember who you are and stay true to yourself. Dont let Satan win ANY battle. We can be strong together! The Lord knows our struggles and asks us to trust Him. I know He will. I know He does.

Love love love you!
Sister Wilcox

ps...atarashii dendobukaicho waaaaaaaaaaaa President Ishii desu! He is a member in one of the wards in our mission!
pss...MOM im in love with the stuff you sent! Thank you sooo much! Ive decorated our apt with everything you sent. LOVE IT feels like home. The scripture case you made is so cute!! I was so sad it is too small for my scriptures. :( But i put it on my journal that shaylee gave me. love it. thank you!