Long email

GUYS!! I got the email of PARKER in the MTC right when you sent it, the one with Morgan, we were at the church for Sister Smiths training. I was so tempted to email you back I can't believe it!!!!!! He looks so handsome. So righteous. Can you believe you have had 3 kids on missions?!?! I wish I could be with him in the MTC sooooo bad. I miss him, it's just different with him actually in the mission field, he won't be home when I get home. :( I'm so proud of him. Let me know any details he doesn't send me! Keep me updated, I'm so glad Morgan is there, I remember seeing one of my friends Brigham there as a teacher and it just gave me such a huge boost. Morgan will be such a blessing for him! AND WHAT HE SAW SHAYLEE?!?!? Okay. He is so lucky. I'm reading his email, and he's saying "ya our first lesson in Spanish went really well, I understood basically everything." .......I'm so jealous. Haha I STILL don't understand like....a LOT. I just got better at faking it. ;) How lucky is he???? And so funny that basically all of Heber is in the MTC. He sounds like he is really loving it, huh? I want to be shaylee right now that's soooo cool that she gets to see him there. I'm getting jipped! I left too late, too early, ne?!


I want to hear dads talk from stake conference! Do you still have the recording?


We had zone conf this past week. We heard this story. I thought it was interesting.


"So you are walking in this big city, we'll say it is Tokyo, and you
notice that everyone is looking up at the sky. You look up to see what
they are looking at and you see a man walking across a tightrope
between two skyscrapers with a wheelbarrow. It's crazy! But he makes
it across. The police try to arrest him because you can't just do
things like that, but he gets away. So like 4 months later you are in
Nagoya walking around the city when you notice a crowd gathered
looking up at the sky. You look up and you see that same man, walking
across another tightrope between two skyscrapers with the same
wheelbarrow. He makes it across again, you're not that surprised
because you've seen it before. The police try to get him again, but he
escapes. 2 years later you are at the Grand Canyon. You see a crowd
gathered and you spot a tightrope over a huge crack in the canyon. You
see the same man, with the same wheel barrow by the edge attempting to
start the stunt. But this time the police get to him before he can
start. They are telling him that this is impossible and he can't do it
and that they are going to arrest him. You run up to the officers and
start to vouch for him. "He can do it!! Officers I've seen this man do
it twice! I know that he can make it across just fine!" The officers
are stunned. The man, with a serious look on his
faces, looks you in the eye, gestures at the wheelbarrow and says,
"then get in."


What if I was that man? Although I had seen the miracle of him walking across the tightrope, I don't think I would have had the faith to get in the wheelbarrow. Although this story may sound kind of "extreme", it really made me think. We know that Christ performed incredible miracles. We have seen miracles with our own eyes. In fact, we may see little miracles everyday. But even after our natural eyes have seen the mercy and power of God, if we are not nourishing our spirit, and acting on our faith, our spiritual eyes will lose sight of that most important.
This week I have felt overwhelming gratitude for the many things I have been blessed with. Having been born on this earth with the light of Christ, having been baptized and received the Gift of the Holy Ghost, and for having been born into a good family with righteous parents who have taught me the principles of the gospel and have set a good example for me. I love you so much. I know that we are all qualified for an incredible amount of blessings, but those blessings will only come in accordance with our faithfulness, and how we choose to act on that faith.


This week we had such a good lesson with Aiko! I loooove her. We stopped by her house one night, and she was soooo happy that we came. She is a cute little 60 year old woman, living with her parents. Her mom yells "the church ppl are here" and she yells back "HIIIII COME COME COME!!" We go up to her little room with pictures of teenage boy bands hung everywhere and she is listening to J-pop...every. time. We have so much fun with her, and she has been taking our lessons more seriously lately. She is beginning to have experiences with the spirit, and I hope she will act on those promptings. She is such a special person, I love her so much, and it is so sad when people choose not to follow the spirit. So, so sad.


For EXAMPLE, yesterday we met a former investigator, Yamashita. She only met with the missionaries a couple times, she was put in a hospital for a while, had some nasty disease but is home and doing better now. We knocked on her door, she seemed so happy to see us, she invited is right in, then said "wait here I'll be back soon"....so we sat in her apartment while she left, and came back 10 minutes later with juice and donuts. Hahaha we were there for about 2 hours, she is so sweet, we talked about "questions of the soul" with her, and testified of the Book of Mormon, where all those answers can be found. We testified of Jesus Christ, and how real he is; How real His redeeming power is, and the gift of His Atonement. The spirit was so strong, i felt like my heart was wide open, and that the spirit was speaking directly to her. She is so lonely, and so lost, and we can see how acting on the teachings of the gospel could bless her life. We talked about baptism, and what blessings she could experience by choosing to follow the Savior. However, she may not be ready right now to accept our invitation, she told us she would not be baptized, but I know that now that she has felt the spirit, He will touch her heart again and again, and she will eventually follow Christ. It is the only way we can be truly happy. It is the easiest and best path to take.


Ohhhh hahaha I pulled a MRS DOUBTFIRE this week. We were on our way home from a lesson, and I got hit by a car! First time on the mish. The car hit me, and I fell on top of the hood and took out the Mercedes symbol hahah. I didn't get hurt, but her poor Mercedes was scratched up from my bike.


We met with the Tsuchiya family this week, they are just like you guys. It was soooo fun, one of their daughters wants to go to BYU! I love the people in the Shizuoka ward so so much. TOO MUCH LOVE.


Sorry for the crazy long email this week. Love you guys. PARKER have fun in the MTC. Seriously, don't get discouraged at all. Just enjoy it. You'll want it back when you're gone! You are awesome! Love you.


Love, Sister Wilcox

Train Dendo (From Jul 12, 2015)

Itssss a sweaty day in the neighborhood, a sweaty day for a
neighbor....GUYS ITS SO HOT HERE. It's super yummy how everyone
carries rags with them and is wiping sweat from every part of the body
cuz the dripping is no fun. Humidity is real and breathing is
difficult buttttt, the work is still progressing and this week was so
fun!

We finally got to meet our new mission president and his wife, they
are so sweet. So so sweet. I shook his hand for the first time and he
said "I love you" and I said "Thank you". Haha whoops. But he loves to
make jokes and laugh, and he has the sweetest spirit about him. I'm
very excited to learn from him and soak up all the time I can with
him. He was definitely called from Heavenly Father to preside over our
mission.
I think you might be seeing "Down by the banks" videos more than you'd
like, but it's kind of become my new way of dendo ...haha. On the way
to Nagoya to meet the mish prez, we were sitting next to these people
on the train who looked just as bored as we were. I woke up my comp
and started playing down by the banks with her. I looked over after
playing and asked them if they've ever played, and asked them to play
with us. We had so much fun, and they seemed so happy to be included.
So on the way back home, we were traveling with other missionaries,
and there were these four business men sitting next to us. I grabbed
the other missionaries and played a round, then asked the people
sitting next to us to play. They wouldn't, buuuut I stood up and
grabbed their hands and we played! Haha the man in the blue joined us
later and actually became an investigator!! He followed us off the
train and talked to us for a long time. We showed him the "Because Of
Him" video, and it was so fun.

I have so much more to tell you, but I'm out of time. This week keep
Aiko in your prayers! We had an amazing lesson with her this week, and
she is so close! I hope you know that I am cheering for you and I
love you. I'm so proud of you, and think about you all the time. :)
this gospel is GOOD and Christ lives. I love Him. Park, so so so proud
of you. Send me your MTC address, I have a letter for you! Love you,
Sister Wilcox

THIS WEEK (from Jul 5, 2015)

GUYS! THIS WEEK! THIS WEEK WAS SO GOOD! I wish you could all be
missionaries here with me in Shizuoka. Dad and President Daniels would
just spiritually-lightning bolt every heart here, Mom and Sister
Daniels would serve everyone and your hugs and smile would convert
like crazy, Shay, people would be flocking to be best friends with
you, Parker and Michael and Jaren would make everyone laugh and preach
with power and we would just KILL IT over here. Miss you all so much.

SO. Takayama. We had two lessons with her this week. One was at the
church with a member, which was huge. She only does lessons at her
house. She opened up a ton, and Fujiwara shimai bore such powerful
testimony. During these experiences, I truly feel like a missionary.
Helping members fulfill their responsibility of enduring to the end,
and also bringing the lost sheep back to the fold. It is those moments
that I feel the most joy and most satisfaction. I feel most guided by
the Lord during these moments, Parker you are going to looooove it. On
Sunday she came to church with her husband and 2 kids! Please keep her
in your prayers.

This week, we stopped a lady on our way to a less-actives house. She
actually started arguing a little with us about how Christians are
changing Japan's culture, and a lot of Japanese people are worried
about it. Before we could say anything back, she said BUT, I would
actually like to ask you if I could come see what church is like,
would it be possible for me to attend church this Sunday? Ummm what?
Wait are you sure? Haha that was definitely a first. She came to all 3
hours of church, and I asked her before relief society started, "so
how are you feeling? How has church been so far? She said "I feel very
welcomed here. I feel like I'm in a big family and feel very
comfortable here." Yeeeaaaaa you do, we are family, my sista! She
agreed to meet with us tomorrow, I know the spirit touched her heart,
and we can't wait to see if she let the spirit affect her. Also, at
eikaiwa, a new boy came named Hanashiro. We talked to him after,
invited him to church, and he attended all 3 hours as well. He said he
enjoyed it, and is meeting with the elders on Friday.
We met with Nakayama yesterday (eternal inv). She has been in and out
of the hospital, but she said she had several experiences with
Heavenly Father during that time, and she is excited to tell us about
it. She said she prayed everyday during that time, and she knew
someone was there with her. God is hastening his work. It is so neat
to see a glimpse of the bigger picture and be on the winning side.
This morning, I studied 2 nephi, 9&10. In chapter 10, the last 5
versus are so applicable to us. Parker, especially for you as you are
about to leave for your mission. You may think your life is going in
one direction, and God will direct you on a different path. Take that
path, and be happy about it! Trust that our Father is taking you on
paths that will bless you more than any other. Isn't is awesome to
know that right now, your will and our heavenly fathers will are
aligned. You have the same goals and same purpose right now. Always
work on his terms, and do what he asks. Whether that is from direct
revelation, through the mouth of your mission president, other
leaders, or the scriptures- apply it and make the most of it. I know
you will see incredible miracles. Your heart is in the right place,
and I am so proud of you.

Yesterday, I told Nakayama San this experience, and I cried and cried
and was filled with an overwhelming spirit and love, especially for
grandma waddoups. Right before my mission, I was really struggling
with feeling worthy and ready to work with the Lord. I wondered if I
was able to fulfill all that the Lord wanted me to do, and I didn't
know my standing before Him. It was during sacrament meeting in Idaho
when I prayed so earnestly and was pleading with God to help me feel
love from Him that I felt His love more powerfully than ever. Right as
I asked Heavenly Father and poured my heart out to him, grandma
waddoups reached over and held my hand. It was what I needed right
then, and my heart was so full with the spirit. God uses what he has
to bless others. And we are all He has. Grandma Waddoups helped me
feel Gods love that day, she was worthy and I know is always willing
to do whatever the Lord prompts or asks of her. I hope that you know,
as a member of gods church and family, that He wants to use you to
help others. He will if we are willing. And I know if you do, you will
never be happier. You will never be so full of joy and love and the
spirit. It is so worth it. Love you all so much. Hope you have a
goooood week.
LOVE LOVE LOVE YOU
Sister Wilcox/Twit

america and love

I loved the pictures! LOVED your emails and felt like I was able to be apart of that special day. PARKS wow. I still cant believe you leaving so soon. Im so so proud of you. love you little man.

This week was super AMERICAN. I feel like I was in America this week. Let me tell yall about it...
First of all, our investigator who comes to eikaiwa, Aiko who we recently started teaching lessons to, came to Aoyagi Choros devotional yesterday! It was a miracle, and the Lord touched her heart through the spirit, the words spoken were addressed to her needs, and it was really neat to see her slowly changing and softening her heart. Yesterday was also a little tender mercy for me. Ever since that experience of seeing the light of Christ in people, ive been wanting and trying to find ways to show that light and love so desperately, I know that it only comes through being worthy and happy and having the spirit. Yesterday, before the devotional, Aiko said that my eyes were shining, after the devotional, she said my eyes kept getting brighter and brighter, and before she left, she said that she loved me and wants the "shine" that i have. It was really a tender mercy, and I know that the Lord can use us as His tools. We are His servants in this critical time of hastening the work. So charrenjee--- be HAPPY this week. and Smile at everyone. the light will only come through love and a smile and the spirit. :)))))

This week, I slept on a BED. ya. guys. i slept on a bed. The first time on my mission. We had companion exchanges, and the apartment in Fukuroi used to be a senior couple apartment, so they had beds. It was lovely.
We met quite a lot of americans this week which was not normal, but 2 couple missionaries from Orem came and spoke in our ward yesterday. Elder Maetani worked with President Pullan, he says yoroshiku.

This week, we did a ton of less-active work. It is hard to see people who once knew the gospel, who were familiar with the spirit, and who had a relationship with God, to be in a state now of unhappiness. Please dont ever let yourself forget the feelings of the spirit. It is SO important to nourish your spirit everyday. Pray fervently everyday. Love you so much, and I know the Lord loves you perfectly. Thank you for your example and dedication. You are incredible. Love you so much.

 

the good times...

ohhhhh. k. PARKER. Are you going to the temple this week? Oh Parker! Parker! It is such a special experience. That day was one of my favorite days, I cherish that memory. It will be a day that you never forget. Go wholeheartedly and open your heart and mind for the Spirit to speak to you. I cant wait to go together in 2017. :) LOVE YOU. love love love the choices you are making. You will never regret following the footsteps of the Savior, doing what He would do, and doing what he asks. It is never a burden, it is the easiest path to take. The gospel isnt hard, life is hard. bahhhh proud of you chummy boy. hope you know i love you.

This week...Lots of blessings, the Lord is hastening His work. I only have time to mention a couple of the many amazing things that happened:
So. We met with a former investigator- S.Y. She is the lady that gave me the bag she made, we took pics with her in clothes that she made right after skyping you. remember those pics? Well we helped her write a letter in english, and saw a letter that Lauren Stott wrote! Is that our Lauren Stott? thought that was fun. we are both teaching the same lady! We had a great lesson with her, I felt like the Lord blessed us with confidence in knowing that we are representatives of the Savior, and we taught with boldness and power. Sister Smith is a great teacher! We invited her to be baptized, she still has problems with her mom being buddhist, but she says she believes everything and believes that the SAvior atoned for her. SHE BELIEVES THE SAVIOR ATONED FOR HER SINS. do you realize how huge that is???? investigators in japan just dont understand that, so we are excited to meet her again this week.
K shimai, my favorite girl ive met in japan (truly. you WILL meet her. she speaks great english and is our best friend here.) gave me a pic of the Salt lake temple for my birthday that says the quote--if this isnt his castle then hes not your prince. haha cute. But we also had a great talk about faith and enduring to the end. I know that on a mission, it is a lot easier to feel close to the spirit and have a great desire to do what the Lord wants us to. But i also know that a mission doesnt last forever. it is too short! there are hard times. of course. parker-- there will be hard days. but WHATEVER. they dont last. there are good times and amazing wonderful spiritual moments- they dont last forever. there will be hard days and hard lessons and hard companions and maybe even hard transfers, but they dont last forever either! I am beginning to appreciate my mission more and more and dont want to take it for granted. The mission will end, and i dont want to lose this zeal to endure righteously. Sometimes, the work of the Lord doesn't go exactly how we planned, or how we would like it to go. But it is a great reminder to always exercise faith, and trust in the will of the Lord. He is in charge. He is our rock and our merciful Savior. I trust Him. And I am here to serve Him, whatever His will and requests may be. Not only for missionary work, but also "normal life":). I hope I can be diligent and faithful to the will of the Lord always. FAM thank you so much for not only enduring, but fulfilling the responsibilities we have while enduring. I know the Lord is proud of you and trusts you. love you all so much.

pics...this week we ate fish hot dogs. mmm. stinky. met with H she is getting baptized next week, she lives in fujieda which is a different area, but we met her at the music conference, and she came to visit and we went to dinner with her! in the vid she was trying to teach me SA. did you use SA?? also david mailed me a while ago, i emailed him back but i dont know who he is haha. also.. sorry michael for not emailing you back. but. thanks for taking shay to hawaii. you both are tan and beautiful and full of the spirit. :D. heeeee love you. fAM sorry for the tsukunai details. love you so much. you are amazing. dad your conference notes were awesome. lvoed reading them cant wait to study them. you are incredible.
talk to you soon. :)

MOM AHHH igot your package! hahahaha the wrapping on the jumprope, the DARLING scripture case. so happy. i was so happy. you are darling. thank you so much. ippai ai o kanjimashita yo. arigatou gozaimashita. honto ni minnasan ga iesu kirisuto no shimobe toshite, kare no hikari o shimeshiteiru. mohan arigatouuu! love love love you
love, twit/sister wilfcox.

Trying...

Dear Fam and Friends,

BAHH I cant believe Devin Brown and Spencer Richards are already home! I bet that is so fun to see everyone.

This week we had so much fun and worked so hard! We visited as many less-actives as we could, called the ones we couldnt visit, and yesterday at church there were more less actives than we have seen in months! It was so fun to see all the members excited about missionary work, there was a special spirit in church yesterday. The members here are incredible. 

This week was President and Sister Yamashitas last Zone Conference! Sooo sad. Love love them. He played "Im trying to be like Jesus" at the end. He wants this to be our goal- to focus on being like the Savior. It was a tender mercy, as I was thinking about driving to the MTC listening to dad sing that song.

I'm trying to love my neighbor;
I'm learning to serve my friends.
I watch for the day of gladness when Jesus will come again.
I try to remember the lessons he taught.
Then the Holy Spirit enters into my thoughts, saying:
Love one another as Jesus loves you. 

Try to show kindness in all that you do. 

Be gentle and loving in deed and in thought, 

For these are the things Jesus taught.

I love the message of this song. We don't have to be just like the savior,there is no way we can be! But we can TRY. I love how close we can feel to the Savior. Through the plan of Salvation, we know that we can accomplish all the trials and harships in this life- the Savior knows everything, and Him and our Father know and love us perfectly. Any hard time can become a beautiful miracle and tender mercy, because they can each bring us closer to Christ. 

Thank you so much for the birthday love! That day was actually a very spiritual experience, because I felt so much love from so many people. Im sorry, no time but love you so much. SO MUCH. Keep pushing and enduring. By living the gospel of Jesus Christ and enduring to the end, you are doing everything right. 

Love love love you!
Love, Sister Wilcox

 

Harvest! (email from May 31, 2015)

Hellooooooo

Parker P-dizzle you are graduated! Time is FLYING, and I have been so excited to tell you about this past week. You are going to LOVE your mission.
This week was so crazy busy but crazy awesome. I feel uplifted by the Lord and the Spirit everyday, and I am so grateful to be His missionary right now. I know that He is no stranger to His servant, and Park as you get ready to leave on your mission, you will start to understand the Plan more clearly than ever before.

This week, Sister Smith and I wanted to really set goals that would test our faith and push us. We chose one goal from the standards of excellence- find a new investigator everyday- and we prayed and fasted and worked to accomplish this goal. Everyday, with the guidance from the spirit, we found a new investigator. This has never happened on my mission, and we truly felt led by the spirit of the Lord everyday. Ahhh it was so fun and sooo incredible. One night, we went to a members house, Iwano Shimai. okay. i love this woman. She is the strongest lady ive ever met, an awesome missionary and so solid. Her husband and 2 children have not been baptized, she was less active when she got married. But i think especially lately, she has been desperate to have her family know the blessings of the gospel. Missionaries for years have been trying to work with the dad and become friends with him, but his heart has not been open. Wellllll one night we were at her house, and she said the next time her husband is home to invite him to take the missionary lessons. I thought, `okay perfect! she wants her husband to hear the gospel, and we have time to pray and prepare to ask him to take lessons.` Just then the dad and daughter came home. They came and knelt around the table with us and he started drinking his beer and chatting with us. Okay i will try to explain this the best i can, but it happened so fast and was sooo stressful haha it was craazzzzyyyy. The mom looks at me, and in english she whispers under her breath `ask him now. NOW ask him now!` like literally kicking me under the table. I said a prayer and opened my mouth. We asked him, at first he was hesitant, but eventually agreed to listen to our message. WHAHAAAA so happy! Please pray for him! We will be teaching their whole family, our first lesson is on my birthday! whooooot. Im so grateful that Iwano Shimai trusts us to teach her husband, and especially that the Lord trusts us.
BAHH i have to go but one more..
This week we called an FI, Jessica, she is from Phillipinnes. We met with her for the first time, talked with her for more than 3 hours! And she agreed to be baptized! Incredible! It is so fun to teach her, she loves Christ and has a huge desire to follow Him. ...just a little different than most of our investigators here. :). But thats why I was thinking about you so much this week, park. It will be soooo FUN and amazing to teach people that have a desire to follow Christ and have more of a desire to listen to your message. Im so so excited for you!
From what we learned in ZTM this week, the time for planting seeds is over. People have been planting seeds for hundreds of years. It is written all over the scriptures the field is white all ready to harvest. The world is READY! We are here and serving and HARVESTING. Work, serve, love, and reap the fruits. Joseph Smith is ready to see the fruits. The Lord is ready. Let us serve and keep enduring to the end. Missionary work is part of enduring to the end! It is my duty, it is yours. LEts be faithful to our covenants and to our Savior! I love Him!
Love you so much, more deets next week. love love love you!
Love, Sister Wilcox