September 24 2023

 I will attempt to share a little  of what going from  CES training in Provo to Sunday night in the mission field in Alaska has been like!

We actually had amazing teachers from CES. Day one was a brother from the Philippines here since January . A great teacher and helped us feel  more prepared for Alaska!  Our others couple have become good friends!  We learned about pathways too.  We really appreciated what we learned there!

We also got to join Joshua’s family for Bella’s And sophies game!! Fun to watch them!! Went back for a devotional with Elder Nash!  Then vack for Jace’s flag football that we got there just in time to see him throw a touch down pass and extra point!!

Wednesday afternoon we decided to go home to do our wash and let Chalae feed us again!!  Good to see them one last time!

Chalae took us to the airport Thursday morning at 4:30.  She got us there then had a flat when she got home!!  We were on a flight to Seattle with at least 21 young missionaries.  All went smooth so when we got picked up at the airport by the office elders we were glad to see them. There was a uhaul to get all of the luggage!

We met office and got our car, a grey Nissan rogue.  They send us on our way!  Our townhouse is about 12 minutes from mission office.  The previous missionaries left us well stocked  in every way.  Lots of canned goods spices and basics and all the cleaning supplies!! Really nice of them!!

A office couple the whites took us to dinner and answered a lot of our questions so that was great!

We went to orientation Friday morning and learned a lot about Alaska and met more missionaries. They fed us breakfast and lunch and I got my new Serger!!! We met the tech specialist for the mission who got us set up with all that stuff! We went for a walk by the institute where really beautiful river runs through and oh the trees!!

Our p-day is Saturday so we shopped a little when on a bit of a hike really close to where we live and explored our city a bit.  We had the night meeting fir Stake conference.  It was great and it was right by the temple!

We got to stake conference and YSA sacrament in other stake! Dinner with one of the teachers. The Kincaid. Ended our day with a zoom meeting with mission president on preparing for winter.  It starts any day we hear! I am already loving thermals!!  High has been 52 but we have seen the sun!!

We are happy and i have the best comp in the mission!  Love you all! Mom

September18 2023

 As promised our blog will be my journal where I can share our experiences.  We have been here at the MTC for a week now!  It has been exhausting but in excellent ways!  We saw and talked to Heidi’s son two hours after we got here!  Really a miracle as there are 2600 young missionaries. We came in with 105 senior. We have not even talked to all of them but many!  They are all outstanding people from all over snd going all over.  Some favorites were in our district. One couple from  Montana going as employment specialists to New York, New York.  Taylor’s. Bertetts returned mission president from Mexico going as communication specialists to Mexico!  Allen’s from Gilbert Arizona going West Virginia institutes like us!! Love all of them!  The Badgers  from Mapleton are coming with us to Alaska to record the building of the new temple!  The Swenson’s who we paired up with to teach. They are from salt Lake, going to palmyra. As we got to know them we realized she and I taught school in Firth together 48 years ago! We were actually great friends but never connected after for who knows why!!

  At meals and when ever we can we talk with those around us.  We’ve found people from England, French speakers from Montreal! Sister from the Netherlands!  Missionaries going all over the world including Layton Utah mission.  We know we travel to Alaska with 30 young missionaries but have not met any yet!!

Our preach my gospel teachers were Sister Lunt and Brother Mason. Amazing young people we really enjoyed. 

We had a great devotional with Elder Nattress , the same general Authoity that spoke at Island Park this summer!  We have also had devotional by our MTC president  that Elder Bednar has been recorded in and they have been very wonderful.  One a girl who was raised in McCammon shared her story.  It was amazing!  We also got to go across the street to the temple Thursday!

We are in a motel down town and eat lunch and dinner in the MTC cafeteria!!! Wow that is an experience!!

Our teacher today is from the Philippines and really helped us have a feel for our future in Alaska.  Two more short days and we are done here!!

Also a highlight was going to Joshua’s house and spending sat evening with ‘‘em and watching the game.  That was great fun.

 

September 6, 2023

Dear Family,

Only a few days till we leave on our mission.  We are almost ready & most eager to jump into this new adventure in our lives.  This will complete a goal that we set However, we are very anxious about leaving for a whole year.  It will be hard not seeing all of you for such a long period of time.  But we have faith that our family will be blessed because our service.  We would like to share our experience with the family in as many ways as possible.  One way we will share is that we will start a blog, on blogspot for a weekly letter/communication.  Our address at blogspot is garycaroleecox.blogspot.com.  On the blog you can reply back and we can have any discussion we want. We can post pictures there too, so it will keep the mission experience all in one place.  (We promise that we won’t post pictures of food) 😊 That will keep the GroupMe site free for the regular chat that happens (which I think is great!) and which we will continue to join in as well.  The kids can get on and read it too if they wish.

Another way we’d like to have you share this missionary experience is by way of invitation.  We would like to invite every member of our family to read the Book of Mormon with us during the year we are gone.  Obviously, with an invitation, you can easily choose to accept it or not.  We hope you will accept.

We acknowledge that not all of you agree with or believe the same things we believe, but we still extend the invitation to you…after all we are going to be “missionaries”. 😊

So, in the Gospel Library app at ChurchofJesusChrist.org, you can set up and customize a reading plan that will divide the Book of Mormon into 365 segments.  Once set up, you just click on the assigned reading and it takes you to that chapter and verse and you can read it right there.  Then there is a place to check it off and it will record it for you.  It is very slick and easy to set up.  It will be about a chapter a day.

Instructions:  On your phone, go to gospel library app and make sure you are logged in with your church ID.  Then scroll to STUDY PLANS and click + Create plan.  Select Book of Mormon and follow Prompts.  We have selected start date of September 12, a one-year plan. 

In our weekly blog, we will be able to share about what learned that week in our reading as part of our sharing.  We also recognize that the younger children may not have a device and/or can’t read.  If they can read, you could make sure they know where to read, the others don’t be worried about them.  An unintended benefit will be we’ll have a jump on next years Come Follow Me, Book of Mormon. 

As we’ve talked about, senior missionaries really have no rules, so we can call, receive calls, portal (we are taking the portal), and text anytime. If we can take a call or text we will.  If we are tied up or can’t take it, we will call back when we can.  Technology and the flexible rules will make a big difference in being able to stay connected!! 

We love you all so much that it hurts…😊

Love,

Mom & Dad