11/26/2018 I can't feel my legs!!

Hola Todos!

Hope you all had a fantastic Turkey day! Mine was pretty solid, ate enough food to kill a whale, so can't complain. The new area is pretty interesting, lots of fun people walking on the streets, so thats super fun! And now that I'm finally serving in a spanish ward again, I'm remembering how hard it is to speak Spanish! Woo! I get by pretty fine, but there are just some times when I'm listening to Cubans or Dominicans (they speak very fast) where I jsut go full deer-in-the-headlights, its a good time. Also, I'm back to a biking area, I forgot how out of shape I was! My first two days were about 25 mile ones, so that was super fun! At least its 'winter' here (70 degree-lows, its quite teeth-chattering). My new companion is awesome though!

His name is Elder Cruz, and he was born in Uraguay. He moved to the states when he was three, but grew up in a spanish only houshold deal, so he is 100% bilingual, and a super awesome guy. He has the same sense of humor that me and my favorite companion (Elder Cook) have, so this is gonna be a fantastic time! And it was definitely Divinely directed that we were assigned together.

We have quite a few new people I have met that weare teaching, but I'll just talk about a few for now. We have a guy and his dad: Nestor and Baulio Veras. Nastor's kids and wife are all members, but he has not really felt like he needs to do anything about God yet, but he has been seeing the effect it has on his kids now that they are a bit older, and has resparked his interest! HIs dad just moved here from the Dominican Republic, and he was given a Book of Mormon about a month ago and is now in Alma 55... so that was awesome to hear! Then we have Jennifer whom we just met on Thursday. She just moved from Honduras and is trying to make a better life for her kids! She heard about the church from her cousin, and feels that she needs the help from God in her life now more than ever, and was super happy to talk with us!

Its super fun being in a new area and getting that 'fresh start' feeling again! I'm sure some of y'all wish you could just kinda "transfer" sometimes to just start over, I know there were many times when I was back home that I felt that. And I have learned two solutions for that! Everything in our lives can be boiled down into something good or bad. Something we like or do not. Some things may seem quite hard to place in one of these categories, and in those cases I recommend looking at the 'why' of it (ex: you have to go to work to get money to live). With that, we have the awesome opportunity to really look at all of those things we put in our 'good' list, an just be thankful for them! I have leaarned and been reminded time and time again that the key to happiness is grattitude, and especially grattitude towards Heavenly Father! Then, we get to take all the things in our 'bad' list and let Christ do what he promised he would do! He has said that as we follow Him and ask for His help with our struggles, he "will also ease the burdens which are put upon your shoulders, that even you cannot feel them upon your backs, even while you are in bondage; and this will I do that ye may stand as witnesses for me hereafter, and that ye may know of a surety that I, the Lord God, do visit my people in their afflictions." (Mosiah 24:14)! Let Him help! It is never to late to 'start again'! Thanks to what He did for us! I love the proverb, "The best time to plant a tree is 20 years ago. The second-best time is now". I know that He will help you get over anything, as He has done for me countless times! He loves you all! And I do too! Thanks so much for everything! Have a wonderful week! I LOVE Y'ALL!!!

<3 Elder Fox

Stoves and Raptors and Transfers, Oh My! 11/19/2018

Hola Todos!

I hope you all had a great week! Mine went pretty swell, and some fun news, I'm getting transferred! I'm saying good-bye to the nice undeveloped, suburban Apopka I love, and heading deep into the heart of the wild, untamed streets on central Orlando (*cue background scream*). In all honesty, I am super sad to leave this area, I met a lot of people that I have come to love dearly, but I am excited for some change! There were many tears shed yesterday, but hey, Facebook is a thing, so it's not like I'll never see them again! Technology! There were some really neat experiences this week though, so I'm just going to focus on those for now.

First off, our friend we've been teaching for a while, Annie, has been without a stove/oven for a few months now. She just told us this last week, so me and my companion tried to find a solution, and it turs out a member just got a new one, and was very willing to give her the old one! We told her, set it all up, and got it over there this week. And I have never seen someone so overjoyed by an appliance. She was absolutey ecstatic to have a cooking element. It was a wonderful feeling to see it. She has also really been enjoying church, and upon hearing that I will be leaving, gave me (despite all my attempts to tell her she didn't have to do it) a really nice watch to remember her by, and told me that I had an absoutely incredible lady for me in my future, haha, so that was awesome.

I am pretty sure I talked about the Avian Reconditioning Center last time, but we had an awesome experience this time! Usually they make their volunteers wait until they have quite a bit of experiencce until they get to hold any birds, but they think we are literal angels and were super grateful for everything we've been doing, so they let us hold two Kestrels! They are the smallest raptors, and mostly eat small mice, but it was awesome, they were adorable, and it was just cool getting to holdthem. THEN when they found out I was leaving, not only gave me an awesome shirt, but let me hold Henry, a European Barn Owl that doesn't like being held by new people (he tries to bite off his anklets a ton, and almost succeded while I was holding him :P)! It was fantastic, an experience I never thought I'd have, but a really neat one! (pics below)

As for the other two  things, they were pretty sacred, but to put it simply, I got to see two really awesome miracles in which Heavenly Father used me as a tool and gave me very specific information to help these two people in very personal ways that I had no way of knwoing or understanding. Sorry I can't explain fully, but they both were such incredible oppurtunities which I will never forget (so ask when I get back, and I'll explain them then)! Both of which, once again, confirmed my testimony that Heavenly Father continues to be a God of Miracles! And acting as a tool in His hands is one of, if not the, best feelings in the world. To see Him preform a Miracle through you is breathtaking, just such a joyous and peaceful moment. And you don't have to be a missionary to do it! He wants all of His children to experience His miracles! Like it says in Mosiah 24:14, He wants to do this to have us "...stand as witnesses for me hereafter, and that [we] may know of a surety that I, the Lord God, do visit my people..."! Please never doubt that you can be the instrument God uses to preform a miracle and change someone's life! I know He will, the only obstacle to overcome in that situation is our own self-doubt, so please, "doubt not, but be believing"! Thank you all for everything, I love you all so much, and hope you have a fantastic Thanksgiving! LOVE YOU ALL!!!

<3 Elder Fox

(sorry for the blurry photos, phone camera is really bad, and the lady is named Darlene, and hearing a 62 year old lady sob over your shoulder while hugging you is not a pleasant noise, in case you were wondering, haha, but she made me promise I'll come back with my family as soon as I can and was okay after that)

11/12/2018 I got to hand feed a Eagle

Hola everyone!

Hope you all had a great week. Mine was amazing! Today included, our entire zone went out to a rich person's house to play in their backyard (on the lake), they didn't really have wifi sadly (it was down), so I didn't get to talk with any of y'all, sorry. I got to do a ton of fun things this week though as service, and got to see some miracles! I'm gonna get into it all before I have to cut stuff out because I procrastinated writing this again.

As for the people we are teaching, we got to see a ton of success with them! We recieved a message for a guy named John Lowe who got a hold of a Book of Mormon and he has "not been able to put it down, [he] loves everything it teaches, and it all fits in so perfectley with the Bible. It basically seems like it is a bunch of books that were missing from the Bible". He is awesome! Annie has been going through rough times, including her stove and washing machine going out. We got in contact with some members who just got a new stove, and they said we could give Annie her old one! That was awesome, and Annie was immensely grateful! Then, we got to see Tarlesha again! We were heading home one night, and I jsut got the feeling we should try by again (always listen to the spirit), and she was there! She was super sorry she missed or last thing, and she invited us right in. She was ecstatic to learn about the Book of Mormon, and was super happy to accept the challenge to be baptized. She plan to be able to on December 22!

As for the fun service and the subject line, we have been going to a local avian rehabilitation group to help them out with stuff every Saturday. Basically, people call them when they find a raptor (eagle, hawk, falcon, and bird that mainly eats living things) that is injured. They determine if it can be helped to be able to live in the wild again, and if so, care and feed it until it can. If not, they will usually keep them and use them for educational things, its really cool. We usually just help with keeping everything clean, the birds all live in these 10x10x10wooden boxes called mews, which we help clean. We also get to help with feeding every now and then, and so that is where the subject line came from! (her name is Windy btw) It is super fun, and the people are awesome. Only two are payed for it (the lady who made it, and one retired veteran), and they recieve next to nothing, the rest (about 10) are volunteers. This last weekend they had a huge festival they do every November called Owl Fest, and it was super fun to organize and help with all that. Sorry, it is call the Avian Reconditioning Center, and its in Apopka, I think the website is arc4raptors.org , you can see pics of all the birds they have. They are awesome! My Favorite is the CaraCara named Quixote.

Other than all of that, this week was just really nice. A lot of stuff jsut kinda lined up, and it was an incredible 'light at the end of the tunnel' for these last few weeks, haha. I'm super gratedul for everything my Heavenly Father made possible this week, and I rediscovered my testimony that just when our challenges and trials seem to much to bear, is exactly when (if we are doing what we should) he delivers us from them and gives us great blessings for enduring them! I know that we are here to be tried and tested, but he will never put us through more than we can bear. So if any of you feel like you are going through that, you have two things to consider: 1. Are you doing all you should for him? and if so, 2. remmeber, He know you better than you do, and if He feels you are ready for these trials, you are! Don't doubt Him! He know and loves you! Thanks again for everything! I'm not sure when we will have wifi tonight, but I hope you all get thisbefore long. I love you all, have an incredible week! Thanks for all the prayers, I feel them every day. I LOVE YOU ALL!!!

<3 Elder Fox 

11/05/2018 It's November, why do you have lights up

Hola mis amados!

I hope you all had a great week, and an awesome Halloween! It was once again pretty lame having to miss my favorite holiday, but hey, I'll be there for the next one (you've made it this far mom)! This Halloween was actually quite a bit better than my last, we were still not allowed to go out and do much past dark, but our apartment complex had a sweet party with free pizza and candy, so that was awesome. And we got to go visit a family that goes All Out for halloween ($1000's of dollars worth of decorations), so that was fun getting to watch the dad (who rigged up everything that moved, lit up, or made sound to a remote by his char) spook the kids then scare the crap out of the parents (his timing was good). Also, a thing I renoticed. There is like no shame in Florida for whatever age you are to trick-or-treat. Like 30-year-olds were going around without any kids. That was fun. And as for the subject, I know this isn't just a Florida thing, but seriously, November 1st, so many lights and Christmas inflateables. Chill people.

We met a few new friends this week, and not many last week (I am glad to say the sickness finally stopped being a jerk). The main one was definitely Derrick Mighty. He is an awesome older black man from Jamaica that is mostly blind. He has been interested in the church for about a year now, and he comes quite often, but whenever we would go over and talk, he just never really showed any true intent to follow Christ. Until lsat week! He called and asked us to help him with something, and then we got to talk for a bit, and he seems much more sincere in trying to figure out if all that we claim really is true! So I'm stoked for him. We also met Margie, she is also from Jamaica, and she is a grandmother of 12 (that is a pretty good number by non-Fox standards in case any Fox kids didn't know). She is super funny, and was pretty accepting of the Book of Mormon!

We have also been able to talk with the friends we have known a good amount. Nothing too groundbreaking though. I hope all of y'all had an awesome Halloween, and are planning on having a great Thanksgiving! I'm honestly not 100% sure when that is right now, but I know its coming soon. So that's pretty exciting. And as annoyed as I am with the premature Christmas decorations, I am a huge fan of the idea of the season! While most don't really take advantage of the chance to be able to go around and just do some random acts of service "in the Spirit of the Holidays". I know I've talked about it before too, but honestly, the pure power of service is still incredible to me. On both sides of the action! I don't have much time left, but seriously, once again, if any of you ever feel like you just need a boost or just wanna have a great day, go serve someone, ask for nothing in return, just go help, it works miracles! Thank you all for everything once again! I know the Gospel is true, and interesting enough, it works! I LOVE YOU ALL!!! THANKS FOR EVERYTHING!!!

<3 Elder Fox