Part 2: Week 17--MY BABY AU (training) 💕💗💕💗💕💗

Scroll after the dots for cutie Hong Kong companion-to-be Au 姐妹 info!

We went on splits with the Scarsdale sisters this week. They are doing awesome. They are both so diligent and kind.

Our area has really great things in store. We are teaching a Chinese sister and her cute family members. Her kids kept running away when we first opened the door and coming back with treats for us over and over again (oranges, chocolate, cookies, crackers), because they were so excited to see us speak Chinese (I was with Hermana Clark who remembered a couple of Chinese words as well from her split with Sister Ellsworth a transfer ago). We just kept laughing at how cute they were and saying "Xie Xie, 谢谢 !"  We have some members who speak a bit of Chinese who can fellowship as well, and she goes to church in Chinatown some times, so we have her number to Chinatown sisters as well. She does know some English though, and lives right next door to the chapel here in New Rochelle! 
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We had a Christmas miracle. We had asked a member if she knew anyone who might be alone on Christmas, and she said to knock around her building, because there were a lot of senior citizens who lived there. We ended up finding a sweet lady who was spending Christmas alone. Her husband had died a while ago and she had no children. She had told us that we were angels to her-- Heavenly Father allowed us to be the answer to her prayer. What a beautiful opportunity for us. She had tears in her eyes when we testified that she could see her husband again, and that she could have an eternal family (her siblings and parents mean so much to her as well). She marked in her calendar the times that she could meet with us again, and was so thrilled when she learned that she was welcome at our church. Our member's daughters grew up taking dance classes from this woman, and she already had a love and respect for their family and religion.

We loved bringing cookies to those working in hospitals and nursing homes (and to some policemen) on Christmas day. It meant a lot to them. The cookies had a quote from the Book of Mormon (Mosiah 16:9) and a thank you message, as well as our number and church address. One man working jokingly said "at least someone remembered," and all of the people we visited has such big smile on their faces! It was really fun and so lovely, I want to make it a Christmas tradition for my family to come!

We also went to visit a bible referral family, and happened to find a Less Active who has not been to church in many many years! He lives in Long Island, but happened to be visiting this family to help do a service project with Christmas gifts on that exact time and day. When we walked up, he asked if we were Mormons, and then proceeded to tell us that he was a Mormon as well. He still believes in Christ's Restored Gospel.  He said he didn't think he was welcome at church anymore because he had gotten a tattoo. But he told us stories of how he remembered going out with the missionaries, and particular members that helped him to feel so loved. It was amazing to find him. There is no information in his records on area book, and so we know this truly was a small miracle, that shows of heavenly fathers great love for each individual! He gave us number and would like to meet with the missionaries again some time, and take his now-fiance to church.
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Skyping my family was lovely! They are so fun and great, and make me so happy to see their smiles and cute personalities. The Skype call was so random, lol. We got to have an awesome dance performance including a christmas song and the song "Be Humble" (clean)-- Sister S Wilcox and I were like "what are our ears hearing rn," but it was also really awesome (amazing dancers). And we watched corn on the cob from Idaho pop in the microwave. Lol. My family is so adorable, and I love them so much, so most of the pictures are of us all on the call!!

We were helping Sister Clark move some things in her house and I used my cheerleading skills to stand on a box and move some sheets from a top shelf! But the lid collapsed, and I almost fell, hahahaha. Awesome.

The sweet Thompson family had us over for dinner on Christmas Eve! Their family got me so excited for future motherhood and for my future family! Such cute and sweet kids, who held a little musical talent show for us.
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My greenie companion Au update: The Lord needed to hold her in the MTC for another 6 weeks to prepare her with her English. Or the Lord needed to hold her in the MTC for another 6 weeks to prepare me. That rang so true to me. I just kept thinking in my heart how aware Heavenly Father is of each of us. I have grown so much this transfer, and really learned how to have joy in life and in this great work. How to handle things well and with patience. I've been so prepared to learn to find happiness in every aspect of life, and to love so deeply my companion and missionaries around me. I've learned more greatly the importance of goals! I love this work! I am so grateful and love Sister Au so much already. I've been praying for her, and will continue to do so. I'm thankful for the impact my lovely companions here have all had on me. I love them so much.

I will be training this transfer!! I will never forget that strong confirmation I felt in the temple two transfers ago. "There is a sister coming in from Hong Kong to the New York New York, North Mission. Sister Wilcox, the Lord would have you to train this sister." It was one of the strongest spiritual experiences I've had. I don't know what is to come, but I'm so thankful for this opportunity to learn and to love. I love her so much already, and am excited to grow together and to serve in this awesome area together. 

我对你们有很多的爱。

Sister A Wilcox

韦姐妹

Pictures of David setting up three way Skyping so my sister Summer on her mission in Idaho could join us in the conversation.

The cookies we delivered on Christmas day.

Our Christmas Eve dinner.

Part 2: Week 16--Another Day, Another Holler?

Don't worry about me suffering in the snow. After it snows, the next day it usually clears up. It feels like fall again here. All of the snow is gone, and it is pretty warm (40-50 degrees)! It's nice!
 
This transfer I moved from Chinatown in Manhattan (where my investigator Sarah from my last companionship with Sister Tai will soon be baptized this month! Blessings. And we were able to help Daisy and Sister Li come unto the waters of baptism).

We met a family in Mount Vernon (bible referrals) the other day who has such sincere questions. They were asking how to know which bible was true and which church was true. They told us, "Of course we will read the Book of Mormon! How else will we know for ourselves if it is true?" I love that so much, because they really have a desire to keep their commitments and to find out for themselves. And that is how true testimonies are gained!

One of our other investigators finally read from the Book of Mormon on her own (it helped that we left her a sticky note to remember.. We are going to always do that now for our investigators), and when she told us that, we got so so excited and were so happy for her! It made her super excited and happy, and then she didn't want to stop when we were reading the book of Mormon together. She is so sweet, and following up is super powerful (of course, but being excited about it made a huge difference in her desire to keep commitments). 

The members in our area are so sweet and helpful! People are always willing to help and serve and are kind, thoughtful, and loving. A member named Sister Lovallo went to school in Miami (and was baptized there) and makes me feel so at home and reminds me of some of my family members on the Wilcox side. She is super humorous. In a Wilcox way. I love it. She also has a strong view in politics hahaha (We had a Sunday school lesson about politics and it was really.. interesting. Lol.).  Cute sister Thomas' family is eating dinner with us on Christmas eve. It has been awesome to help with ward service (setting up for activities and doing little things) that has really built their trust and relstionship with us. I just really love them all so much! One recent convert is so cute and reminds me of Katie Morales (Katie are you there? :D.. ). And we found another member the other day whose faith is struggling, but she is willing to have a priesthood blessing and is very excited for it. It is awesome to see the miracles as we are led by the lord.

My companion is so sweet and helps me to be calm and joyful, and to love each moment. I enjoy chatting with her in our car rides and working with her. We have really good unity teaching and being sensitive to spiritual promptings. And we have a love for the people. We encourage each other to be better missionaries in a peaceful way. This is her last transfer! We enjoy listening to our classical music in the car. We have a cool CD called "Christ the lord is risen today", love that song.

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Other

I went on a split with the Hermanas (trio while my companion went to the temple with the other missionaries who are going home this transfer!) and we taught in español. I was able to use some of my middle school Spanish class learnings to ask a couple questions and read from the Book of Mormon together (the Hermanas were surprised at my Spanish accent/ pronunciation. It made me happy because I didn't think I remembered much from that class). The Hermanas are so cute and fun and they have a little rag bunny on the dash of their car that they made, and they like to see where it travels when they turn (if they accidentally make too sharp of turns). It is really funny.
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FUNNY. Haha. Read this (awesome Christians holla at ya missionary sista)

A sweet mother and son we met on the street invited us into their church to quickly introduce us to some people, because they were really inspired by the missionary work that we do! We went in, and they were having church service! We sat down with the kind sister, and the preacher asked a couple moments later if anyone felt moved upon by the holy ghost to share their testimonies.  My companion and I looked over to the woman and asked if we could share and she was so joyful (but unsure) and said yes! So my companion stood up and bore her testimony of Jesus Christ and eternal families and her gratitude for their smiling faces and their faith. The entire time they were saying things like "Praise Almighty," "Hallelujah," and "Amen" and when she finished they all started clapping. It was really awesome and fun. Then we all read a scripture from Romans together and we slipped out after hugging the sweet lady and saying goodbye to the son. They were really touched by our love and gratitude for their faith as well. It was an awesome experience! We kept laughing about the situation afterwards. You had to be there to understand how random and hilarious it was. 

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The other day a young man we talked to was thankful for us sharing the gospel with him, and tried to offer us a discount gym membership.

And we almost got run over by a car last night (don't worry though, we are super cautious and they just came out of nowhere)! Ran real fast out of the way. Exhilarating.

Thursday we had a meeting in Manhattan, and we ran across the big city to give a card to a professional dancer (We later found out), because as we had been talking to a nice young woman on the subway about the Gospel, he had kind of been watching and interested, and we were prompted to give him a card! We ran super far to catch up to him after we saw him again outside of the subway (weaving in and out of people around us and between the skyscrapers all around) station walking to work.

Friday mission Christmas devotional. All the Chinatown sisters ran up to me and hugged me. They are so special and cute, and they made me feel so loved. The meeting was so spiritual and some missionaries played a piano/ organ accompaniment that was so beautiful and moving. We also gave rides to city missionaries to and from the train station and there was a lovely sister from Bolivia (so quiet and sweet) who was so excited that I had been to her country (for HEFY in high school). She said i was the only missionary who had been there! We have a special connection :P and i love her and her trainee so much!

We went to this awesome healthy restaurant called Dig Inn. Yummy. And went with the relief society president to look up less active members. She is from the Philippines and is so cute and kind to everyone. So excited and looking for more ways to love the sisters.

Sweet sister Fellows came to church on Sunday and she was so at peace/ loved every minute of it! It was the Christmas program, so lots of musical talent (We also have an opera singer in our ward and some young musicians-- one with a little zebra print violin, lol).

Kylie is so fun (our investigators cute little daughter) and always loves to pray all together with us. She also always plays with my hair when we teach the lesson (she pretends to wash it and brush it, and then braids it) and is only 3!! She always wears pants on her head and pretends like it's a wig, and always cherishes the princesses I draw for her in her notebook after the lessons (Ariel, Cinderella, Tiana, Elsa, and Anna are her favorites). She is adorable and I love her so so much. So sassy. I want to name one of my kids Kylie!

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Will you.... Read "the eternal everyday" from october 2017 general conference? I love that one

Merry Christmas!! 

韦姐妹

Sister Wilcox 

Candid pictures of me and my companion

My picture of a Disney princess for Kylie

Part 2: Week 15--Winter Wonderland

Hello, everyone! Merry Christmas.

It has been awesome asking people how they've served in the past month, and seeing their hearts softened and at peace as they've thought about the small and simple experiences. Things like helping a niece with a newborn have a place to stay, helping with a Christmas play for their church, being a listening ear to those at work who need comfort, smiling more. We've heard a lot of awesome things that have uplifted the people sharing the experiences. So many good people in the world who are lighting the world this Christmas. 

One cool thing (no time to write all of the experiences). We met a woman waiting outside of a church (she must have had the wrong time ) at night. We asked her how God has helped her in her life and then shared the Light the World video. We sat next to her and cared about her. She was sitting there alone in the cold. After the video, she started crying and telling us how that question we asked had meant so much to her. She told us she had left Jesus Christ, but he had never left her. And when no one else had been there for her, He still was. Ws talked more and it was really touching. Then we got some christmass Toffee and oranges from the car trunk and gave it to her. I can not describe what it was like seeing her there hugging my companion and then hugging me in such gratitude. The spirit was so strong and the gospel truths and God's love for her was so real and really meant a lot for her to hear. It was awesome. We are so blessed to experience this day by day. We also got to meet many of our cute, or diligent, or sassy, or smiley members at the Christmas parties (including those who have been needing some extra love)! I just really enjoy being with all of these awesome good people. 

3 Nephi 11:11, 18:24

Sister Wilcox 韦姐妹

很不好意思。我没有时间。爱你们。下个星期见。

Part 2: Week 14--The Ocean is my Heart

Here is so different from Manhattan! New Rochelle is suburban city. The area starts in Upper Bronx and then goes more North to Purchase city. There are some neighborhoods with mansions, and some neighborhoods with government housing buildings. There are also a couple small colleges. So we have a lot of variety. We've also had the opportunity to meet a couple people who spoke only Chinese and get their numbers! Two of them we got after making the decision to tract outside our building for 10 more minutes before going in (We arrived home from mount Vernon, but still had time). Exact obedience brings miracles!

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We did service with the Bishop' s wife! We made loads of toffee to give to less active members of the church this Christmas month. And we also made simple lasagnas to give out as well. Their home is so full of light and festive with Christmas decor everywhere. Sister N is such an amazing homemaker! She is always laughing and joyful and her children are so sweet and good. She is an amazing example of motherhood to me, and I've really learned a lot from her. We feel so special and loved to visit their family and help prepare things for others. It is like a mother away from home (like Sister S Wilcox felt this past week as well!). We have the opportunity to do some service with Sister Smith this week as well. What a blessing to have these great examples all around us and to feel a part of their family.

We are so thankful for the cute members of our ward. Our companionship got to teach the youth and the young women's last week and share Light the World message! They all have such good ideas to serve this month, if even in small ways. The small things make a big difference! Sister E, a recent convert, helped fellowship our sweet sister on baptismal date and they were both able to bear testimony and uplift one another! This sweet sister who we are teaching, told of how she had been having a lot of depression when she met the missionaries, and that the days we had been visiting brought such light and a feeling of love and sincerity to her home. She is so excited to read the Book of Mormon and come to our Christmas party this week and to come to church. The lesson was guided by the Spirit through inspired questions and was just what we needed! Members are the best!

Missionary work is hard work!.. I just wanted to let everyone know that the fun pictures sent are from brief Preparation Day moments, but that every other day is filled with tracting and meeting new people and teaching in the homes of many wonderful people. We are giving all of our time- but seeing people who feel the spirit and gain little testimonies make it worth it. And we had another sister accept the invitation to be baptized! It is hard to help people come to church, but our goals to stop by peoples houses briefly during the week when we arent teaching them and on Saturday nights, will help them to come. And helping them each be involved with and learn from members is key. We will help them get their own conviction! What a blessing to visit with so many cute and powerful women during the week. One cute sister reminds me of Mimi!


I'm so thankful for my family. You all are my greatest joy! And Grandpa/Grandma Thompson- thanks so much for always making the missionaries welcome in your home and feeding them and uplifting them. It has been super awesome to feel what it is like to be the recipient side of awesome members like that. I'm also so thankful for the temple. It is pure and perfect. The place for solace and peace and revelation and answers. I'm grateful to always have the ability to go. Blessings. Will you make the goal to go this week?

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Today we visited a little neighborhood near where we live, and the cute little boat docks/ beach near our apartment in New Rochelle. So those are the photos.

And cool fun fact: the man who wrote "Santa Clause is Coming to Town" was from New Rochelle! (I think it was that Christmas song). Let's always have Christ's light with us and our families this Christmas.

Love you all. 我非常爱你们啊啊 💕💗

韦姐妹
Sister Wilcox

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AfrikaansAlbanianArabicArmenianAzerbaijaniBasqueBelarusianBengaliBosnianBulgarianCatalanCebuanoChichewaChinese (Simplified)Chinese (Traditional)CroatianCzechDanishDutchEnglishEsperantoEstonianFilipinoFinnishFrenchGalicianGeorgianGermanGreekGujaratiHaitian CreoleHausaHebrewHindiHmongHungarianIcelandicIgboIndonesianIrishItalianJapaneseJavaneseKannadaKazakhKhmerKoreanLaoLatinLatvianLithuanianMacedonianMalagasyMalayMalayalamMalteseMaoriMarathiMongolianMyanmar (Burmese)NepaliNorwegianPersianPolishPortuguesePunjabiRomanianRussianSerbianSesothoSinhalaSlovakSlovenianSomaliSpanishSundaneseSwahiliSwedishTajikTamilTeluguThaiTurkishUkrainianUrduUzbekVietnameseWelshYiddishYorubaZulu

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Part 2: Week 13--New Area, New Responsibilities

Hello 你好 people of the world who I love!
Heavenly Father is so aware of each individual. I am now in New Rochelle which is an English speaking ward in Uptown New York! It is beautiful. A suburban city with lots of Hispanic and African American cultures (so the food is super good)!
We drive a car and there are christmas lights on a lot of the houses already! So exciting. We also have the Assistants to the Mission President in our ward and the Office Elders in our district, and some lovely Hermanas in our apartment. So many awesome missionaries around us who serve in different ways or with different responsibilities, but are all uplifting and hard workers!
We have been cooking awesome healthy things together, and are learning how to be good homemakers! And of course, setting a goal to run extra in the mornings! The weather is lovely here and the air is so fresh.
It is such a blessing to be in New Rochelle. It is suburban but still a bigger city. You can see the Manhattan skyline in the distance. The apartment is beautiful and clean and bright and peaceful. There are huge windows that look out to the city. We drive a car, and it was so peaceful driving through upstate to get here-- seeing all of the fall leaves.
Sister Au from Hong Kong will not be coming until next transfer; she is currently in the MTC!
The lovely sister in the photo accepted a baptismal invitation! We are so blessed to work with such cute, sweet people who have true desire to do good and to change. They really acknowledge Christ's light in their lives.
There are also a couple photos from last week in Manhattan. Some of the city near Grand central station, and the Chrysler Building. We also have some photos from our ward Thanksgiving party, which was a huge success, and I finally got to meet Sarah (our cute English class student)'s son Marcus. He is adorable and reminded me of Stephen!

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What a wonderful week to be in the New York New York North Mission!
Sister Christensen is exactly who I should be with right now. I feel so grateful for how happy and kind and loving she is. I have been able to feel the spirit so strongly as I've been here. I've been able to feel the sacredness of this mission and a true love for people.
We have already visited with a couple of sisters in New Rochelle, and one accepted the invitation to be baptized! I have felt so inspired and at peace. I am thankful to be able to visit with people and ask inspired questions, to teach with balance and unity with my companion, and to really be focused and involved with people. I love that our companionship uses technology as a tool for the work in a way that doesn't consume time or distract from people. I love the peace and cleanliness of the apartment. I am so grateful to have a love for missionary work and a spirit of peace in my heart. I know that this will be a great transfer. I am so excited to meet the members.
I really feel grateful for how aware Heavenly Father is of each of His children. I feel that this companionship is perfect for me where I am currently to grow and to love and improve as prepared to.
I was called as a Sister Training Leader! It will be such a learning and growing experience for me, and I'm thankful that Heavenly Father trusts me to love and watch out for a few of His Sister Missionaries who are so important to Him; to help love and lift as Christ would. It is humbling and heart-softening.
Day 1
https://www.mormon.org/christmas/25-ways-25-days/day-1
12-13 seconds on light the world !! I'm in the reflection, which is super cool/ a good memory, so I wanted to share!

It was really fun to be a part of. But more importantly (it's not about me)-- I would love for you to watch the Light the World videos. Each day is a different idea for service. Will you choose a day on the calendar and use one of their video/ideas to serve? Service softens our hearts; this Christmas, let's remember Christ and serve. I know that as you do so, you will feel peace in your hearts. You will more strongly feel His light in your life.
韦姐妹
Sister Wilcox
Have a great week!
(Chinese style Thanksgiving food! So funny).

Part 2: Week 12--Columbia University

感恩节快乐

Going to Columbia University for finding was a miracle. An answer to prayers! We met the exact person we prayed to find. Someone who was sweet, calm, and introspective. He has such a prepared heart, and every question we asked for his personal insight and beliefs seemed to tie in exactly to gospel principles (agency, premortal life, God, Jesus Christ, etc). He has been so excited reading the pamphlets and Book of Mormon and praying.

He told us that the day before we met, he had decided to believe in the possibility that God was real. It was so peaceful, and spiritual. It was refreshing and we were able to ask so many inspired questions and really learn a lot from his desire/ search for truth. The moments like this are what make the mission so sacred to me. I thank Heavenly Father so much for this experience and those like it... Being able to meet His children who have prepared hearts. To be able to love and empathize with random people, and to see how faith in Jesus Christ blesses their individual lives. It is beautiful.

There are so many people we know now and can meet with and love-- to help come into Christ. And there are so many more out there, who are so sweet and simple and are ready to be found (I always think and ask Heavenly Father to help me find my New York "Yan Chan." She is our recent convert from Hong Kong who I love with all of my heart and soul. She was so teachable and ready to listen and learn). There are people who are prepared. And how sacred is our opportunity to find and to love them. I'm thankful for the investigators we are already in contact with. They are so earnestly seeking, it is really inspirational and awesome.

I have hope and trust for the future.

There are actually many Chinese people in New York. Especially at the universities. We do however, find a lot more English and Spanish speakers who we send as referrals!

Yesterday someone yelled at us terrifyingly in Chinese to leave. It is not a story I can really explain except that there was so much darkness around him and in his words, and his eyes were not clear. The cool thing is that right after we had prayed for whether we should go upstairs and continue tracting or to leave, he came out of his house and started saying those things. Who knows if he would have actually harmed us, or if something worse could have happened , but it felt like angels were around us to protect us. A really interesting experience. And an interesting answer to our prayers!

Contention is often something you can't reason with. There are people with prepared hearts, and then there are some who aren't trying to learn yet. Let's not fight off a ram with a Twinkie! Let's not testify to a brick wall. Hahahaha. These are things I'm quoting from Aunt Kim that are so applicable!

Tomorrow our ward is all getting together with many people of New York in our chapel to eat Thanksgiving dinner together and share what we are thankful for!

Happy Thanksgiving. I love my family. An eternal family is the best gift I can ask for.

韦姐妹

Part 2: Week 11---Living in Chinese NYC

Chinatown here is like being immersed in another country. Most people don't speak much English and the grocery stores and food is all authentic. They serve real authentic Chinese food here. The ward has many dialects including Fujinese and Cantonese. I spend a lot of time speaking Cantonese and Mandarin with my companion (and English, of course). We teach in Cantonese when necessary but stick to our mission language as often as possible and for studies.

We find people new every day and witness miracles. A lady on the subway teared up the other day when we were talking and asking inspired questions, and said that God answered her prayer through us. It was so sweet. We have another person who we found who adores expounding upon our beliefs and sharing his insights. It is really cool the miracles you find daily.

Our area is gaining more potential investigators day by day. We know that some of these sincere hearts will become new investigators, whether in Chinatown or another area, and are thankful for the opportunity to explore the city and meet new people interested in the Gospel day by day. We will try to find at the Universities soon, as well, and keep finding in new places.

Im so thankful for my mission president, President Smith. I'm so glad I can trust that he will have the right things to say. It reminds me of the talk, "Then Jesus beholding Him loved Him." He is so loving to his missionaries and always encourages us to be better. And he is guided by the Spirit to know what to say. I trust that and am thankful for that.

I love my family! You are all what brings a smile to my face when I need it.

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I know that this Gospel is true. I cannot deny it. And I'm so thankful for that knowledge; it brings such comfort and peace at the times when you truly need it. It brings purpose and direction in the times when you think you don't.

Christ's grace is saving, and He is perfect. I'm thankful for Him.

Sister Wilcox
韦姐妹

Sometimes I wonder which country I'm in!!

Part 2: Week 10---New Companion

My new companion from the Temple Square Mission is Sister Tai. She is from Hong Kong and knows some of the missionaries I was in the MTC with. They were close with her and uplifted her ward! We speak lots of English and Cantonese (sometimes we have to clarify in each other's languages), and of course, practice lots of Mandarin together. She loves to eat lots of noodles and vegetables, and we always love to cook asian food to eat or go to Decheng to buy cheap but delicious large quantities of vegetables, rice, tofu, and meats (the best authentic chinese food you can get). She has a cute accent and is always hyper and happy. But she's a powerful teacher and is amazing with inspired questions.

Isn't the atonement a blessed thing? Our mission culture is "repentance is cool." And it's awesome always thinking of what more you can do to repent, and having people around who are also always trying to change and become better-- who are also so willing to forgive!

I feel so positive and happy. My companion is an angel to me! We always plan our tracting hours specifically so that we can use time wisely and find specific souls who are prepared. We have seen miracles! We have also been teaching the restoration on the street with pamphlets, and many people have been prepared to hear!

The first couple days with this new area felt a bit tough (we opened a new area in Chinatown)-- we spent hours upon hours tracting; but then we felt to break up our finding in different ways. We now have many set appointments with members with different levels of activeness (meeting in person or over skype; we can get to know them and ask questions to help them think of people in their lives who are prepared to hear about the Gospel), and with some investigators or referrals! We still spend consecrated time tracting and utilizing our tools to find! Wechat has helped us to already be in contact with many former investigators, less active members, and potentials.

Sister Tai has helped me so much already in becoming a better teacher (roleplays in all the languages always). We always practice "how to begin teaching" points and ponder on the different inspired questions to use during the day (Temple Square missionaries have a sheet list of inspired questions ideas and a planning sheet for how to tract effectively and specifically in that hour). She is always so full of energy and diligent and wanting to improve. She also is so friendly to all those we meet. It has been a blessing and a strength to our ward, and I am excited to continue to work well together! I will do all that I can to help her to feel loved and to know how much we appreciate her.

Miracle

We met a man on the street, and after explaining some HTBT points, began to teach the restoration. It was amazing-- at the time we began to speak of Christ's ministry on Earth, he said that he believed that Christ also came to the Americas to minister. We were so excited to hear this, and were able to tie in his own beliefs with the truths of the Book of Mormon. My trainer in Hong Kong always had ideas like this before she found the missionaries in the Phillippines; her soul was always searching for the missing pieces of truth. I know that peoples' hearts are being stirred, and that everyone has a Christian background, and perhaps a recognition of the restored Gospel. These eternal truths were a part of them before they came to earth. They can recognize the Spirit and the truthfulness of our message.

Fun

We have done some exploring on P days. They have ice skating at Rockefeller Center. We might go to the MET and Natural History Museum (both where night at the museum was filmed) and to the 911 museum. We had a fun time exploring SoHo today and doing some window shopping. It is such a different world, and only a couple blocks down from Chinatown-- though it feels like it could be another country (modern New York vs China)!

It is cool that our family history has such a connection to New York in the past. I've loved looking through where people came from and where they lived when they came to America, in my free time.

( I remember that Aunt Carrie lived here, and it is cool how it ties together with so many of the Thompson families memories/ decisions. I would love to go to a ballet when I return to New York. )

Alma 32. We have to take action to again feel the spirit in our lives and to remember the truth that we knew and felt before. We have to prepare our own hearts to develop faith. I know taphat as we work for it in diligence, and pray for it, our faith will grow and we can add that light to our lives.

韦姐妹
Sister Wilcox

Me and my new companion Sister Tai

Our area

Part 2: Week 9--Halloween fun

I am learning Chinese characters pretty slowly as I type on our computers. I type the pinyin (or the version of Chinese in our alphabet} and the computer changes it to the Chinese character.

Last night I just learned that Sister Tai is my new companion! She is a cantonese/mandarin Temple Square missionary who will be here for 1-2 transfers. I will be with her for 4 weeks until the other sister from Hong Kong comes!

I am so thankful that Grandpa has told me about my LDS heritage and the good examples in my family tree and extended family. I am so excited to discover more about my ancestors and their gospel adventures . What great people have prepared the way before us.

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I have loved being able to love and visit an elderly lady Xu Nai Nai from our ward. She is so cute and sweet.

I learned that I must do all I can to serve, get to know, and love my companions, just as we would with our eternal companions. I love my sweet companions. They have so many strengths; there is so much to learn from them. The apostles always say beautiful, positive things about their wives, and recognize them as daughters of God. I want to always have that eternal perspective. I've learned a lot about sacrificing in order to work in harmony and allow the spirit to be with us. I've been pretty harsh about exact obedience, cleanliness, and diligence in the work.. I think now, that being an example is enough; that being at peace and choosing to love one another is more important. And we can all stand to humble ourselves a bit more (that's what we've all learned through this, I think)!

The Halloween FHE was awesome. Our planning and the help of the members all came together. We shared the story of the Tree of Life and the children then held on to the iron rod to knock on doors to get candy. If they let go to knock on the other doors, they would be in scary rooms with black lights and jello grapes (bloody eyeballs to feel). The kids also enjoyed playing in a streamer spider web/ obstacle course (if they let go of the rod, and "got lost"). At the end of the rod, there was a glowing Christmas tree!

We also had face painting, and lots of fun food from the members. It turned out well and there were so many families who brought their nonmember friends (also families)! Some of them are interested in coming to church. It is so special how many referrals we've been getting lately. Exciting things to come.

I am excited for my new companion. I love her so much already! I love all of my roommates; they are so sweet and full of faith. They really enjoy and love their fellow brothers and sisters, which is a great example to me. I'm excited to have a one on one companionship where we can support one another, and grow together. Sometimes it is hard to find balance in a trio, but I am so thankful for the ability to trust the Lord in all things. I have grown a lot and have had a lot of humbling experiences. I love these Chinatown sisters! They are such lovely spirits.

The pictures are of Chinatown,the firefighter station, a part of South Manhattan, getting ready for a Skype lesson with our awesome Zhang 姐妹， the Halloween FHE, and the Brooklyn Bridge again.

爱你们 Ai Nimen !
Will you read Alma 37:38-47 with your family? How can we apply these scriptures to our lives? The Word of God will guide our lives just as the Liahona did in times of old. Look to God and live. What a simple choice! 😊

Alma 5:26 "And now behold, I say unto you, my brethren, if ye have experienced a change of heart, and if ye have felt to sing the song of redeeming love, I would ask, can ye feel so now?"

韦姐妹
Sister Wilcox

Chinatown, the fire station, and fountain in lower Manhattan

Our skype screen--click on the photo to see the Chinese writing on the instructions.

The Halloween family home evening

Us standing on the Brooklyn Bridge

Part 2: Week 8--People Miracles

My new outbound missionary from Hong Kong, who is serving in Temple Square right now, will come here on November 1st.

My companions try their best, and that is all I could ask for! Good things.

Thank you to the lovely people who sent a package and to those who sent letters. You know who you are, and you are so appreciated. I am thankful to have people who care, and it means a lot. I love you!

Congratulations, Stephen! (He can now ride a bike)!

My goal is to be able to read the Book of Mormon well in characters before returning.

P.s. How do you help someone addicted to video games? They've given up church because of their obsession to spend every hour on the computer.

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Miracles/ People

Zhang JM. We found her in the old area book, and she has a baptismal date! There are a couple of members in her PA ward who speak Mandarin and were able to translate for all three hours. A senior missionary in the ward made a huge effort to get her there and get her translators! She told us of how big a miracle the situation it was. She doesn't usually open messages from unsaved contacts (we found her number on the online ward locator), but she opened ours, because the area code was from the NYNYN mission, the same mission her son served in under Elder Rasband as Mission President. She happens to be assigned to this very ward, far from where they live. I felt the prompting to ask her to share the miracle with her son, who I then learned was inactive. The members will help to testify in our lessons and we will help her to become a part of the ward there, to then switch her off. Lovely missionaries helping with that. We want to help her have a lasting conversion, so perhaps we can get them a gospel principles book (and a Book of Mormon) in chinese.

Mariah. Knocked on her door, and she said "Can you come and teach me every week?" She asked why we knew to knock on her door. We asked her why she thought Heavenly Father wanted us to knock on her door. She then said, "Because He knows I want to learn!" It was very touching. In her prayer she asked for her friend Angel to know that Jesus Christ is real. Her grandmother would like to be part of the lessons and only speaks Spanish, so we will be giving some Hermanas their info and the opportunity to teach them!

Ryan. He is an EMT who we met near Lincoln Square. We have been trying to help him get to church for a couple weeks now, because he had seen the Temple before and loved the light we had as missionaries. He was always working on Sunday, but we told him we would pray for him to do well on a certification test he had coming up. We prayed every day for nearly a week until the test came, that he would learn well, have clarity in his mind, and know that the prayers helped him. After we followed up on his test, we were able to have a kneeling prayer over the phone together. He was so touched and made a point then to look for time to meet with the missionaries. We were able to set up a meeting with the Lincoln Square YSA Elders on Tuesday. After the lesson, he told us how intrigued with the Book of Mormon he is, and how he will do all he can to make it to church on Sunday. He is reading so fervently!

Cathy. We prepared for her lesson. Our Hong Kong miracle, Amber (her niece) showed up randomly, when she had not responded for a long time. We were able to teach them the Plan of Salvation together! We learned that Amber's mom had a bad experience with church and religion earlier in life, and that her family often asks Amber why she takes church so seriously. They don't want her coming. Inspired questions helped us to uncover parts of the iceberg! She knows who to turn to when she feels alone. The Missionaries and prayer. The ward youth are still texting her and helping her to feel loved.

Sister Li. She has a testimony of gospel blesses families. Her son loves the other kids in sacrament meeting and class (he used to be so shy and never smiled-- now he is always smiling at church!). She stays as long as she can before work, and makes sacrifices to be there every Sunday. It is so special to see the change and happiness, and the closeness she already feels with the ward. Their effort, love, and lesson testimonies have helped them to feel that.

On splits, our goal was to get a number of someone who will be interested in the gospel. We went all day and as walking home from tracting, just kept saying we can't go home until we find someone! On the last stretch before home, we kept praying in our hearts. Right before our house this lovely lady (50-60s) who speaks Mandarin was able to feel love through my testimony and our promised blessings of the Gospel (Isn't it the best when Heavenly Father blesses you with the ability to speak a language super well in a matter of a couple months? Gift of tongues is real. Thankful. Alma 26:11-12). She will be coming to Halloween FHE and is so excited for us to call and teach her. The Lord will help us to obtain our goals!

Knocking doors is so fun! It is like a language roulette, you never know which Book of Mormon to have ready.

"If we spend all day tracting in faith, the Lord will give us a referral that night, because we've shown he can trust us."

A lady came into church today asking us for family history help for her boss and herself. She only speaks Cantonese. She will come to church on Sunday and is so excited. I believe this is because we spent so much time praying about and searching so earnestly for new investigators. Sister Qian, Sister Su, and Wendy are our miracles! They are our new investigators gained through the Lord's trust in our efforts.

2 cor 9:6
Accountability. Jacob 1:19. We must always be diligent. It is important to make the most of our time to find those who are prepared, or will be prepared, to learn and change and come unto Christ. That is our purpose. We must have charity, it is everything, but we must not waste our time being best buddies with everyone, when we could be helping others earnestly make commitments and repent! Do all we can to find and teach. To preach repentance and to serve as examples as Alma also did.

What can you do to show your family member your love and heavenly fathers love for them? How would that change your relationship with them for the better! Will you do that for me?

爱你，
为姐妹
Sister Wilcox

Can you guess who is in this picture?