Oh it is great to hear from you and it sounds like you both had an amazing Thanksgiving! Haha we had so much fun at the Turkey Bowl last week but yeah Dad it went exactly as it should have;) haha. Sorry I emailed so late last week! We went to Play football first thing and we ended up emailing last so that's why. Thank you so much for the pictures mom! I love seeing the family and how everyone else is doing. Ah I missed Thanksgiving. Elder B and I went out to Mcdonald's for Thanksgiving haha. Nothing like a Mcflurry to celebrate the Holidays! I think they should celebrate Thanksgiving all around the World;) haha. Ah I can't believe it is wrestling season! I didn't think I would say this until my senior year but I am going to miss the heck out of wrestling. I am so glad that Gage has decided to do it. Tell him that I didn't really want to wrestle when I was younger either! But oh how grateful I am that I did. I know it is weird but wrestling is the only sport that actually prepares you for a mission! The season is seriously a shortened version of a mission with just different type of work. Oh how grateful I am to have learned the lessons that I did as I wrestled. You learn to deal with discouragement and disappointment and just flat out doing things when you don't want to! We can all do hard things. It is just the doing them part that gets in the way. We are the only ones stopping ourselves. Ah I could talk about wrestling for days but I'll stop haha. I thank you dad from the bottom of my heart for making me wrestle haha. I hope Brays can keep his weight down.
Ah I miss playing corn hole and shooting clay pigeons. So much fun!
Thank you for your email mom. I really wish that I had more time to talk about the things that are happening with you I really do. I want to help so badly. But the most reliable source of help is your Heavenly Father. Please counsel with him! Really think about your prayers and pour your heart out to him. The way we speak to God is through prayer and the way that he answers is through others and most importantly the scriptures! I plead with all of you to read and study the scriptures. Make a goal to read just a verse a day and do it! I promise your mind will be enlightened and your heart will be opened to revelation. After you do all you can and should do, God will direct your paths. Look to Chirst. He is the Light of the world and where all truth is found!! 3 Nephi 15:9.
i am very sorry to hear about the things that Have happened and yeah it is hard. But what now? Where do we go from here? It is a personal decision that we all have to make. I really wish that I could send you an individual email mom but I don't have enough time sadly. I hope you know how much I love you and that I have forgiven you. Some talks that have helped me is one by Elder Holland titled Good Things to Come. And if you want a guideline to happiness Read the talk by Elder Klibengat from the last session of conference titled Approaching the Throne of God with Confidence.
Ah I can't believe that I have already been here in Stockport for a transfer! It seems like I just got here when I look back to the first day that I arrived. It has been such an amazing transfer and again I am so grateful to be here with Elder Bradley.
This week seemed to be a really busy week for us.
The Recent Convert we have here, Jewel, was able to get the Melchizedek Priesthood this last week and that was such a good experience. I love Jewel so much. he is progressing and growing every single week! There is definitely a language barrier a little bit but I love when he bears his testimony because it is so simple and so powerful. He just simply knows that the church is true. He always speaks of the different feeling that he gets when he attends church and it is so amazing. His Visa has been denied so he isn't really sure how much longer he will have before he has to go back to Bangladesh. I have no doubt that he will be a leader when he returns.
Mark is coming along really well. We have taught him everything except some of the laws and ordinances and he has received and accepted everything so well! He loves to read the Book of Mormon and reads several chapters between each visit! We can see a change in him each and every time we see him. He is down to a half of a cigarette a day which is amazing. Sadly he wasn't able to make it to church yesterday so we are going to have to push his date back to the 20th of December. He has received multiple spiritual witnesses and he knows that the church is true.
Courtney is coming along great as well. The only thing that is standing in her way is her mothers approval. We have told Courtney to just consider herself a member of the church as of now and faithfully live the gospel and one day you will be able to be baptised. She shared her testimony with her mother which was a very big step. Her testimony is so strong. She also told us that only God knows when she is going to be able to be baptised but she said that she will be ready whenever that time comes. We really hope and pray that it is soon because we all know what Satan can do if he is given time.
We were able to teach Pole' with our Ward Mission Leader last night and the lesson was amazing. We watched the Restoration in French and the Spirit touched his heart. We talked more about the priesthood and I think he finally started to understand that baptisms are not valid without the priesthood. Baptism is always a great experience and charge to follow Christ but only works through the Priesthood. He expressed his gratitude towards us for teaching him these things. He has been reading the Book of Mormon frequently and he said he will read Mosiah 18 and pray about baptism on January 17. He already has a great background and belief in God and it has been so much fun teaching him.
Bryan is coming along really well. We watched the Restoration DVD with him as well. That video sure is good at inviting the Spirit. I get the chills every single time that I watch it. Especially when Joseph sees God and Christ as well as when Joseph's father gets baptised. Bryan's goal is to quit smoking by Christmas time and we are on a bit of a plan to help him cut back just like Mark has.
Since this last week I was really trying to focus on being thankful for things. I think God was trying to see how thankful that I could be haha. I truly have so much to be grateful and thankful for. I mean for goodness sake I am a representative of the Lord! How neat is that? It has really helped to think of what I am thankful for when I get a little bit frustrated or discouraged on occasion.
I have also been researching a lot about families and what makes a happy and strong family. I watched the speech that Elder Eyring gave at that colloquium a few weeks ago on marriage and families and it was truly amazing. I think the main point that he made was that happy and joyous families are families that are centered in the gospel and that are Unselfish. I think that is so key. In a family and in any relationship, as we give to one another and just love one another, that is when happiness and a healthy home comes. Instead of asking what do I get from this? You should ask what can I do for you? Just like our relationship with the Savior. We have to make the gospel our whole life and not just a once a week thing or for a social experience. It has to become who we are. Selective obedience brings selective blessings.
I am so excited for Christmas! I can't wait to get your packages and I am sending one home to you all today so hopefully that gets there by Christmas! Oh and I am skyping home on Christmas so send me the Skype address you want me to call and I'll let you know what time will be best!
I also got a letter from Grandma Bobbie this week and it was so good! Please let her know I got it and that I sent one back!
I love you all so much and I hope and pray that you have an amazing week! Have Faith!!
The study and practice of correct doctrines and principles will change behavior faster then the study of behavior will change behavior.
Love your Eldest son
Elder Wilcox
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