July 1st 2019 It's the final countdown......Buh..na..na..nuh

Hola Mis Queridos!

(sorry, totally forgot to click send on this last monday, so this is for the week before last, I'll send out this weeks later today, love y'all!)

How has it been? Can y'all believe summer is almost halfway over already? I feel like everyone just graduated yesterday. It's insane how fast time has been moving recently. Especially everytime I think about how this is my last calendar month...it's really freaking me out, haha. Just knowing that this month I will see you all again is just insane to me! Knowing that I will get to try this months Monthly Pizza at Lucky Slice again is pretty exciting though :D! Haha, but seriously, I just can't fully comprehend it still, it's nuts, but I still have a few weeks to go! And I'm not about to start getting lazy out here yet! We are seeing some awesome progress recently, and it has really helped me stay focused, wanna hear about it? Well, either way, I'm gonna write about it!

Some logistical stuff first. This was the last week for my mission president, President Clark, and his wife out here! They have finished their three years as our inspired leaders, and are heading back home as we speak. It's nice for them, but also quite sad. I was super blessed to have such an awesome mission president basically my entire mission. He has helped me out in so many ways, and really showed me how to be a true leader! I will miss him dearly and always remember what he did for me! Also, I had my last Zone Meeting this week! We do those every six weeks for those unaware, and it is just a gathering of a bunch of missionaries from different areas to discuss what we can do to be better missionaries, they're honestly really nice. But the fun part about this on is that I offered to cater it as a good-bye present, haha. It was super fun. I made a bulk amount of Hawaiin Haystack (never handled so much food in my life, all eight stovetops were going and the oven, haha) and them my mother's green apple dumplings! I know this isn't that interesting, but I just want to remember it, so in the weekly it goes!

We saw some good progree in our friends and met some cool new people this week! Larissa and Erminda (the Venezuelan mother-daughter combo that showed up to church) are doing really well! We talked to them about baptism and praying about a date they can prepare for, and they said they would absolutely do that! They love the Gospel and are super excited to learn more. A few days ago, we got a text from a lady named Yollybell, who explained that she was taught by missionaries almost a year ago, and really missed them coming over and the spirit they brought. We gladly accepted her invitation to come by, and she and her mother, Paula, even came to church yesterday! And they loved it!

This week, we also got to start teaching Lily. She is really, really cool. It's kind of a weird story of why we  are teaching her now, but long story short, we are running really low on Spanish elders in the mission, so we had to take over another areas by ours, so now our area is massive. Anyways, she is awesome! She has a son with low-level autism, and about a year ago, he was having some really tough times. She explained that he would have absolute tantrums almost nightly, and no-one really knew why. She was desperate and started praying a ton for help, and she said he started to improve a bit, but was still extremely difficult. A little after she started praying, she got a knock at the door. Two elders introduced themselves, and said they felt inspired that she needed help from God. She readily relayed her story, and the elders offered to give her a blessing of comfort, and her son a blessing of healing. She accepted, and they did what they could, after the blessings, they gave her a Book of Mormon, and went on their way. No clue why they didn't come back, but after those blessings, Lilly explained that things changed drastically. Her son would go weeks without a loud night. Everything finally felt 'manageable' she said, but the elders never came back! Who knows why, but she always remembered them and what they did for her. Fast forward a year and some and two elders knock on her door. She let them in with open arms and has been loving everything they have shared., and happily accepted the invitation to be baptised. And now we are teaching her! She is awesome, and it has been amazing getting to know her and her testimony! Sorry that was kinda long, I just wanted to do her story at least a little justice.

Between Yollybell and Lily though, I have been thinking a lot about the affect we can have on people. I know that the stories were of missionaries, but very similar things happen all the time for many other people. Some little act they did for someone else, had a rippling effect on that person that eventually made a big difference. And many times, the person who did the act never got to see what came of it! We will often never know to what extent we affect other people's lives, for better or for worse. Things we do that may seem mundane, casual, or little may be the seed planted in someone life to eventually spring into a vast meadow! Honestly, think about when you were having a bad day, and someone gave you a little compliment, gave you a hug, or even just smiled at you. These things can have a huge affect! Be cautious though, because it only takes one seed to create a valley of thorns and thistles. Our actions can have huge affects, for better or for worse, in the lives of those we love and those who we don't even know, and all the ones in between! So take those few seconds to really think of something you can do to brighten someone's day! It is an amazing experience for all involved, haha. Never underestimate the power of a smile! Have an awesome week! I LOVE Y'ALL!!!

<3 Elder Fox