Coming unto christ

 having a missionary really changes ones perspective on Mondays...lol we got lots of emails today...

elder cox was telling me about a brother that lives with his sister that's 10 years older then him. they got to talking and he was telling them he is way close with his older sister to. he thought it was way cool to have that connection, with them and be able to relate. :)

now you get to read my mom's letter, because he is way better at updating her on EVERYTHING lol :)

We had a challenge in our zone this week and it was to have 60 member presents. we all only had to do 6 in the week, well we did seven and so did everyone else. So for reward we are having a fun day were we all get to meet at the church and play games. So I went on exchanges for the first time and we went to the really scary area of a place called middle town. I got to teach a lady who's house had 9 cats 10 pit bulls and cockroaches everywhere EWWWWW, I almost couldn't teach. it was good thing the other guy had been before and I guess was use to it oh well ha ha. They had me go up to a guy on the street and talk to him because that was something they thought I need work on. So they wanted me to try, and then they would give me pointers. Well I started talking to this guy and taught him a whole bunch and then got a return appointment, and said a prayer with him all in the middle of the street. When I asked him if we could pray he said sure and then stuck out his hands so we all held hands and said a prayer. I guess that's just what he has been taught.....

          

 Sorry I thought I was out of time but I wasn't, we started emailing then a guy we have been trying to talk to for weeks now called and said we could come over so we took the opportunity. He is an interesting dude, he really just doesn't know were he fits in life. He and another guy we met out here have both said "isn't it better to be a Christian for the sake of being one, and not to just get into heaven" it really made me think. If we are just doing stuff so that we can " rack up points " then whats gonna happen. I mean you really have to look at service as an opportunity to serve one of gods children, and not as an obligation to something to get in to heaven. well I thought that I would share that, I love you all so much have a fantastic day!

my dad got an email from Elder Cox

Kurtis has been reading about the devil getting cast out and was just thinking... if the devils been cast out dose that mean just his spirits here? what part of the devil is hanging around trying to interrupt all the good work going on, on the earth? just food for thought

this last weekend my parents got some packages shipped to Elder Cox and Sister Barclay with fun new years 2015 glasses,  some poppers and other goodies for them and there companions to start the new year off right :)

with the departure of our cousin Sister Wood leaving for the MTC January 14 we are going to have our hands full with all the missionary's out. what a great work these young Sister's and Elder are doing to help our lost heavenly siblings find there way back to our father in heaven.

I am so grateful that I get to do this blog for my brother, and I get to learn and grow threw him and the other missionary's out there. I think being able to see his testimony and spirit grow over the next two years is only going to make me and anyone else he talks to only want to be better, and to be a better member missionary. I am so grateful that I was raised in the church, and that we had such great parents that were amazing examples to us. I don't think heavenly father gives us more then we can deal with and I know that he will be right beside Kurtis helping him know what to say. I'm so grateful for my family and all that they do for me and what we can do together. family is so big for me and I am grateful for everything our big brother did for us so we can return back to him.

try and make it a priority this new year to keep your eye's open for anyone you know that the missionary's could help. it's up to all of us to make sure as much of us can return home to our heavenly father.

have a happy and safe New Year!!!!

                                                        Re in acting the nativity on Christmas eve

Elder Cox, Elder Day with Glenda Angle after her baptism this last Saturday. 

doodling on the apt sliding glass doors

a member gave Elder Cox a hat and some Justin boots but they are way to small for him. his loss William riddles gain ha

oh yeah check out his Ohio hoodie ^ :)

"see you next year, lol"

Merry Christmas

got to talk to this kid today, he's doing great. we got some back story on previous things like... the long horn stake house birthday party. i guess the lady having the birthday loves the missionary's and wanted to cook for them for her birthday.  her daughter told her, but mom we like them...lol so they went out. 

i guess because of the big boom in Missionary's when the age dropped, in the next few transfers there will be 90 some odd missionary's coming home. Kurtis was saying they do have a car, but ride there bikes on good days. it's a silver Toyota corolla, and gas is 1.89. he said with all the people coming home they may dissolve his mission and send him to Indiana or the Columbus Ohio mission. 

he said his companion thinks he's the best Greene he's known. (elder days been out a year) Kurtis is approaching people and teaching lessons. most Greene's according to elder day just hang back and don't say much. Kurtis also said they don't do much tracking door to door, they might do 3 houses on one side of a street and then the 3 houses across the street but that's only if they have an appointment at one of the houses first. 

his first baptism is this coming Saturday and he'll have a another the week after. 

he said he thought flying was awesome kinda like a roller coaster. right when you were getting use to it, it was time to decind. but he got his wings, a blanket and lots of treats and soda. 

he's doing great work, and has a very strong spirit. he said as much as he looks forward to coming home, he was told being realised from a mission isn't something to look forward to. it drains you and you just don't have the same spirit that you became used to the last two years. my mom reminded him that it's okay because After his Mission will be a great time, he'll get to share with a eternal companion. :)

remember to #sharethegift there's so much that can come, when someone finds the truth. 

 merry Christmas everyone

Mail call day 2

Elder Cox is having an awesome Christmas up there in Cincinnati, thought we would share some picture's from there area Christmas party. they have a pretty awesome mission president and family ward to have such an awesome time.

can you spot Elder Cox.......? he's kinda in the middle, his head is right by the girl with the green shirt kinda by himself behind the row of sister missionaries :)

there he is again at the end of the row ^

receiving his Christmas gift's from Mom, Dad, Kristin, Kimber, Grandparents Cox and Grandparents Wood  :)

I got my awesome letter today from the .....

because I've been writing Bristol, Olive and Peanut's name in the return address he thought I needed to know he was still waiting for me to write him. lol  also he just sealed his fate about getting an egg plaint in the mail this coming summer :) HA HA  I'm going to grow that kid the biggest egg plaint I've ever grown yet !!

 

my mother got a letter also :)

 

it's the best Christmas gift this kid could give hearing from him three times in one week!!

 

he was telling her about a lady and her son that they are teaching, the mom is getting baptized soon. (I can't remember if he told her the end of this month or the beginning of next)

the son was having a harder time focusing on what they are teaching so they were teaching him the lessons twice. he was saying that they were using LDS.org to teach him some of the lessons because he was all about watching the videos.

 

he was also telling her that he got a hair cut from an investigator that just got out of jail.. it's short for him but he looks good.

 

                                                         (hair cut shown in all pictures in this post)


then another surprise came when the family Kurtis is spending Christmas with text my dad this evening .....

 



These fine young men joined us for dinner at Longhorn steakhouse to celebrate my mother's 86th birthday today.

They will be calling home from our house on Thursday.

Merry Christmas to you.

Sister Wheeler


we are so grateful for all the members in Elder Coxes mission for all the awesome pictures and text's that my parent's have received. he says he is adjusting to the time change and life out there away from all us crazy people. (I think his companion is taking care of the crazy for us, making him feel at home) lol   we sure do love this kid even when half his letters are "ha ha ha" and can't wait to post on Christmas after our Skype time :)


one last question from Elder Cox for everyone ....
HOW WILL YOU #SHARETHEGIFT

 

Meeting new people

this morning was awesome!! as soon as i noticed i got an email from elder cox i emailed him back and got to have a short conversation with him. (thank you technology) he told me he sent me a letter yay but until then ...

lol this kid kills me. i guess we are still having a wet Willy fight even though he's 1,940.0 ish miles away that's 29 hours driving time people. this is a win/ lose to want the time to pass quickly for me but i can't wait for his two years to be up. 

we love you kurty

merry Christmas family

 We had a crazy week since I got here. We have hit the standard of twenty five lessons a week which hasn't happened in my area for a while. Its been awesome! We taught this lady and gave her
 a Book of Mormon and asked her to read the first chapter Then she text us the next day and said, "can you come over? I have a lot of questions."  When we got there she was on chapter five
 and had some really great questions. It just shows you how God prepares people to want to know the gospel. We also have been trying to get a hold of the guy and yesterday we finally did.
 I was talking to him about work when he goes, "so what church are you and what do you believe?" and so we told him and he goes, " oh I have been avoiding you I thought you were Jehovah
witnesses and I don't like them. But then he became really interested and we are going back today to start teaching him and his 8 kids. He says they need church. Well our p-day is cut in half
 today because they are giving us the other half on Christmas ha ha. We are going to a members house. She took all of our presents and put them under her tree and stuff ha ha. We will get to
 Skype you on Christmas so we will Skype you around noon here and about 10 there. Yeah the time here sucks and my body hates it, oh well I'll get there other than that everything is great.
 I havn't got my bike and I don't know when I will. It depends when someone from down there comes up here again. Well thank you for all the support and love you guys give me.
 I love you so much,

 Elder cox

I'm not sure who these people are but it's great to see our Kurtis :)

oh Christmas tree, oh Christmas tree how lovely are your braches... :)

Elder Cox would find a tropical smoothie out there lol 

companion selfie Monday *UPDATE*

Oh man I have to tell you about the dinner appointment I had the other day. We walked through the front door and bam hoarders ewwwwww! The dinner table was four TV trays duck taped together with a table cloth on it. As we got to know them and talked about the dogs, they told us that the make their own dog food because its cheaper. Well then they bring out this soup to eat and we're guessing whats in the soup and It turns out the only difference between the soup and the dog food was our soup had a cheese sauce in it ewwwwwwwwwwww! Yep that was the worst dinner appointment yet ha ha!  We went over and read story's to this old less active man that has terminal cancer and as I get to know him he goes you remind me of myself when I was younger. He said it was my demeanor ha ha, Well as he told us about his childhood and about his crushes and what he had done and got in trouble for it was creepy our story's matched up perfectly and it was like he lived my life years before I did ha ha ha creepy huh. Then there is a lady named Glenda an investigator about to be baptized and every time something bad happens she tells us how she has had a dream about it and that she knew it was going to happen.
  
first week out and we're already getting some gems lol 

have a possum- ly great week

fun mtc pictures :)

 hanging out with friend's

hanging out with my brothers and the sister's 

Elder cox made it to Cincinnati

oh my gosh, the short time elder cox was in the mtc went by so quick. its been just over three weeks that he's been making the change to becoming the Lord's messenger full time. 

now that i sit and think about it, it feels like he's been gone longer. it's going to drag for us over here. lol 

lucky enough for us, he's got such awesome people in his mission. the really awesome kind that have a few mission Facebook pages.. that means we (all family's with elders and sister's in this mission ) get lots and lots of pictures YAY

This last Monday Elder cox had to get up at 3am to get ready to head to the airport. but that was after he was up playing a ukulele he found from another elder, the night before till 1am. crazy kid

 he road the Trax train all the way to the salt lake city airport. he got to call my parents around 8am, i had just missed him when i was dropping Bristol off :(

this was his first plain ride... I'm still waiting to hear if he liked it or not lol

here's some picture's of arriving in Ohio and picking up luggage...

 getting rides to their new homes with all there stuff...

 Elder Cox looking sharp well waiting to get put with a companion :)

Elder Cox and his companion/trainer  Elder McDade

these are pictures of all the newbies ready to get to work :)

he's looking like so far he's loving it. last night a member fed elder cox and sent my dad a picture of the three of them. turns out the member went to byu!!! ha ha can't escape the blue, but he looked really happy.

Elder Cox would love love, love to get a letter from you. his new address is....

Elder Kurtis Cox.   
31 Rue Royale Apt E
Kettering OH 45429

his next p day is Monday :)