Birthday✔ Call Home✔ Baptism✔ Really Good Week✔ 5/21/2018

Hola Familia!

Sorry about the lack of an email last week, got distracted by a bunch of things, and in all honesty, just got a little lazy. I've got lots of things to talk about to make up for it though! I lost my tablet, so I've only got a alittle time to write. So, in an effort to not write a novel, and have enough time, Imma try to keep everything short. Into the rabbit hole!

First off, my birthday was awesome! I mean, it was mostly the same as any other day out here, but I did get to eat really good cake at the end of the day, so that was neat-o. My family also sent me a really cool package wth a ton of dollar store goodies (because they know I am mentally 6 years old and am very entertained by silly-putty, slime, silly string, little guns, etc.). I was fed by the Davila family. They are basically my family out here, like hugs every time I see them, lots of inside jokes and making fun of each other, dumb nicknames, good times all-around, etc. She made Seviche (really neat spanish dish with shrimp thats kinda hard to describe, but we live in the future and y'all can use Google, so do that if your curious), and an incredible cake that she made from scratch over the course of a few days and it was 11/10 on the ecstasy scale.

I got to call home on mother's day, and that was awesome! I got to talk to the family, answer some questions, and a few of my friends suprised me and showed up. I am very proud of my mother for being so patient and loving to be willing to give up a good chunk of her time for them to talk. It was a great time though! I'm grateful that they were able to hide the "Brighton is gone!" celebratory things for the call too!

Azura ended up getting a nasty case of strep thoat, so we moved her baptism back a week, but it was incredible! She is super shy, but has such a strong, kind, and loving spirit, its crazy! She was really excited, and a lot of her family was able to make it from all over Florida! I also got the dunking right the first time this time! It was honestly an incredible experience for me, and I am so grateful that she was willing and ready to make that step to get closer to Christ! I've realized a lot lately, the best feeling in the world, is coming closer to Christ, and the second best is helping someone else do the same! The work of a missionary is intense to be sure, but nothing else is more rewarding!

As for our friends, we met a few, but none are too interested...yet. Friends we've been meeting with are doing well. Nothing super intense or anything, but they've all been making some good progress! We have a few with a date for their baptism! One we've been teaching is actually a daughter of a person that was baptized a few years ago, but has since lost the desire. We've been able to help him re-ignite and in the process have been teaching his daughter, its been super fun!

Not much time left, so I've gotta cut it off here, but thanks to all who have made it this far! I know that many (if not most, haha) of you don't read to many of these, but even so, I'm really grateful you've all been so supportive of me! Honestly, knowing y'all are there for me really makes the difference some days! Thank you all for everything you do! And something I've been thniking of a lot and would like to share really quick is just how much potential every single person on this Earth (including me, you, everone you see, etc.) has. It's crazy. And I don't just mean eternally. Yeah, the capability to become like our Heavenly Father is jaw-dropping to say the least, but even while we live on this Earth, we can become a miracle! I know that sounds really wierd, but I've seen people be a "Miracle" for others everyday. So if you are ever feeling down, or like you don't have much purpose, look around, and be a miracle! It feels amazing! And it lasts, its not counterfiet happiness, its true and pure and wonderful! Thanks for everything you do for me, i love all of you! I hope you have a great week!

<3 Elder Fox

May 10 2018 Happy Birthday Brighton

5/7/2018 19 On Thursday

*insert spanish greeting here*

Hope y'all had a good week! Hope you had the chance to try out my recomendations from last week! Mine was pretty darn solid once again, we met some really awesome people! Also finally started reading the Bible from pg.1, just finished Genesis, wild ride. Pretty good normal week otherwise, so imma get into the meat.

First off, friends! We met quite a few people this week, but two of the coolest were Dalia and Rodrigo! Dalia was chillin on her porch, we talked to her for a while, and she said we should come back for dinner sometime XD, we happily accepted and then explained what we share. She was super into it, she explained she has been asking God whichchurch is true for a long time, and hadn't recieved anything yet. She then said she felt we were a part of the answer! Next, Rodrigo. Another incredible guy. He moved here from Bolivia about a year ago, and speaks super good english. We met him last week and talked about games and stuff, and he asked if we could come back. When we did yesterday, he explained that he felt that we had something very important to offer him. He said that he feels like he doesn't really feel any purpose in his life, and he felt like we could explain what it is! We talked about God's plan and then the Book of Mormon, and he was stoked! it was awesome!!!

As for friends we already know, lots of progress has been made! For one, Azura's baptism is this Saturday! I'm so stoked, she has come a long way! A lot of her extended family from outside of Florida have told her that they would come! She's really excited for it too! We also had a dinner with an investigator named Margaret. She told us to come over and have some chicken, we showed up to chicken, burgers, brautwursts, hot-dogs, really good mac'n'cheese, chips, and soda. And she is one of those super awesome "everyone below 30 is my grandchild" people, so eating anything less than 17 plates was unacceptable. It was a good day. Most of our other friends are doing really well!

This week, we've been talking a lot about Ministering with everyone! I'm sure that by this point all the members know of the updated program, but for those who don't, essentially, every person in the church is assigned to watch after and help a few other families in their community at every oppurtunity. I am super stoked for the updrade, it reminds me a ton of the switch from the Law of Moses to the Spirit of the Law that Christ introduced. We are getting closer and closer to the Second Coming, so Heavenly Father is giving us more spiritual quidelines so we can prepare better! It's no longer about visiting just to check off a box, but actually being a spiritual anchor and physical help for those families/people you get the chance to watch after! I found a verse I really love from the New Testament that says, "Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction" (James 1:27). The simplest, purest, and greatest thing we can do to serve God, is to serve those around us that need it. It's awesome! It's all about doing things for others! We all have the chance to serve, dont be afraid to take it! have an awesome week, LOVE Y'ALL!!!

<3 Elder Fox

True Floridian 4/30/2018

Hola Familia!

Hope you have all had an awesome few weeks! Sorry for the lack of email last week, it was super busy. This week has been awesome though! have a good amount of stories, and I remembered to take a few photos this time around! I've got lots to talk about, so I'm just going to skip to the meat.

First: Friends! Weve actually met a lot of cool new people these last two week. An awesome old lady from Trinidad who just "felt" like she shoud answer the door this time, even though she has never answered when people dressed like us come by. Cool kid from Bolivia, who knew missinaries back there. A 92 year old lady that wants us to come over and play Phase 10 while we talk about God. A guy who is trying to turn his life around, and saw a picture of the Book of Mormon on facebook, and felt strongly that he needed to read it. Its been awesome! We also have a lot of people weve been talking with that are doing really well! Most exciting of which is Azura! She is 13, and met the issionaries a while ago, but stopped meeting with them. We've been meeting with her again, and she is now really excited to be baptized! It's awesome, she understands the meaning and purpose of baptism more then most other adults. And we finally got permision from her mom to let her get baptized! She has it set for the 12th of May! We're super stoked! Other than her, everyone else is doing really well!

Now for a fun story! So this week we were asked to come help out a member fix his fence. It is a chainlink fence seperating his yard from Florida jungle.The hurricane a few months back knocked it off its posts, but it was being held in place by the plants. So we got to go to town with machetes to cut off all of the vines and roots and things. then rolled up the fence. While doing this, several interesting things happened. First, a bee fell out of one of the trees and went straight down into the back of my pants. It was not happy, and very quickly, nor was I. Took a bit, but I finally got the stinger out, not a good time these last few days. We also found a ton of raw, wild, sugar cane. The member showed us how to cut it and chew on it, so we had a snack for the rest of the time. Then the finale. We finished getting the fence all off, and were rolling up the last bit when we suddenly smelled gas. We turned right when the member set it ablaze. There was suddenly a 6 ft wall of flames along the back edge of his yard, and we all went into shock. I noticed the gas can was about a foot from the wild flames, so I bolted and grabbed that. Then he came around with a hose and very calmly started surrounding the flames, then quenching them. Neighbors gathered, smoke billowed, we chewed some more sugar cane, it was a grand 'ol Floridian time (pics below).

Other than that it was another week of livin' the dream! This is a really fun place. The people are all just really fun and most just are really down to talk! Its been incredible to meet so many people and hear so many stories. It's honestly insane to just think that everyone that you see has a life and story as complicated (or moreso) as your own! We are all on this journey together though, and we're all here to help each other out! We are supposed to do everything we can to follow the example Christ set for us, and I can't imagine a better way then to help everyone else come closer to Him. We can all do a ton to help out each person we know and even each person we see, it doesnt have to be huge either, there is so much power in the little things I've learned. Wave, Smile, High-five, Hug, Say "I Love You"! It's amazing what that phrase does for people. The world is starting to become afraid of showing their love, People who do are soetimes labled as soft or weak, but that's just not true. Show love! Be strong enough to be willing to give up your own pride and selfishness to help someone else who needs it. I have seen lives change from the simple phrase "I love you". Many people today feel alone, please don't let them! And I hope no-one recieving these emails feels that way! Because I truly Love all of you! Tahnks for everything! Have an awsome week! LOVE Y'ALL!!!

<3 Elder Fox