11/14/16 Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween! 

Well, even though Halloween is not celebrated here, we carved a melon and had zone games!   :)    It was really quite fun, not to mention that I won the obstacle race!#Fox pride!    :)  

Well it has been a great week!  So on Tuesday this week, we had a HUGE STORM.  The thunder would sound and the ground would shake, big!   :)  I had borrowed my umbrella to a member that was accompanying us, and secretly I was as happy as could be.  There was so much water, it was almost like swimming and I think that is the closest I will get to swimming on the mission.  It was great!  There was so much mud and water.  Flooding.   We had lots of good laughs as we walked down streets in knee high water!  

On Saturday Alvaro was baptized!  It was so nice. He has been waiting for this opportunity for quite some time now.  We had to keep pushing back his date for trips and for unexpected challenges, but it finally happened and he was as happy as could be.  It was so beautiful to think that one more of Gods children has opened the door and started walking on the path to the Celestial kingdom!  

So M. was doing really great all week.  We taught her the Word of Wisdom and she was really excited to start!  She was been smoking and drinking for years.  For  a couple of days she was doing really well, but when we went to visit her on Sunday, she filled us in.  Her boyfriend is getting mad that she is changing.  He threatened to leave her and take her baby with him.  He was really upset to say the least.  She feels caught in the middle, because she has received an answer from God that the Restoration happened and that is what she needs to do, yet it seems as if her life is falling to pieces and burning.  All I can say is that Satan is working hard.  He does not want even ONE of Gods children to make it back to Him and have eternal life.  BUT...that being said...God is there and willing and ready to help us make it work.  He is a God of miracles.  He is not silent!  I'm so grateful to have the gospel in my life.  It has helped me come to know my father and Savior and understand more of the GREAT PLAN of HAPPINESS that they have prepared for me.  I love this gospel.  I love being able to share it.  There is no greater joy!

See you soon,

Hermana Fox

starlee.fox@myldsmail.net

10/24/16 Hello Family and Friends!

Well, its been a good one!  The work moves on! 

Funny story:  At lunch with a member this week Hermana Zabala got a kick out of me, becuase I had told my companion that every time a firework goes off, (which is all the time or every time there are soccer games), that, it is a shooting and that people and someone is probably  dying.  And if its not that, it is just a signal to those in Brazil that their drugs made it across the river safely.  We all had a great laugh about that!  :)

This week we were able to work with a couple of the young women here in the ward.  It was so great!  We went with Carolina and Ingrud and Oh, what a difference is made when there are members present in the teaching!  The spirit was so much stronger, and truly felt by all.  I am so grateful for the faithful members around the globe who do all they can to share the gospel and edify Gods kingdom on the earth!  I love this gospel.  Being here, it has all come to life.  Jesus is real.  He loves us.  He has done so much and continues to help us daily.  He is my Savior.  He is my King.  I will do all I can to bring honor to His name.  He and us are part of a perfect plan made by our Father.  We CAN make it back to Him, and we will in our own due time.  Words cannot express how I feel about Him.  I know He lives.  This is His gospel and His Church.  In the name of Jesus Christ amen.

See you soon,

Hermana Fox

starlee.fox@myldmail.net

10/17/2016 Turn to him!

These pictures were taken today at 3 fronts.  Brazil, Argentina and Paraguay

Hi Family,

Well its been a great one!   The sun has come out and boy, can I tell you....IT IS HOT!!! I am a bit, well,  FRIED!   :)    It is incredibly humid and oh, what a happy day it is when people receive us under the tree shade! 

 

Well, I want to share a bit about another investigator.  Her name is Mi. We had taught her a couple of times and she is on FIRE!  She is sensitive to the spirit and takes everything to the Lord on her knees.  This week her neighbor asked her why she is listening to the Mormons?  After asking her she told lies about us and the Mormons.   She thought that was a bit weird, because her neighbor never talks to her.  She told us, "I think it is just Satan, because he doesn't want me to be happy.   So after my neighbor talked to me, I went and asked God what He thinks of me listening to the Mormons...and I felt, OH SO GOOD! "  Yesterday we met her boyfriend and although he is not a fan of us he came out when we started singing.   :)  Mi. told us that through her example, He will start changing!  I love the faith of this woman!!!

 

 

The church is true.  God is aware.  Turn to Him.

 

 

See you soon,

 

Hermana Fox

starlee.fox@myldsmail.net

10/10/16 Hola Famila!!!

---

 

It has been a great week!  The sun is shining, and I'm burning!   :)  The word is being preached and people are feeling it!

  So we have been teaching a woman M.  She is so kind, and always listens.  As we have taught her the Restoration she kept saying, " This is so different than what I have learned.  Why haven't I ever heard this before?"  All was fine until her daughter in law came in.  She came in and started to bible bash.  I was just thinking...NO!  We are going to lose her.  How is she going to progress with someone like that in the house!  This is never going to work.  I took a big deep breath and prayed with all my heart to know what to do.  I was amazed to open my mouth and something started coming out.  We were able to testify with the spirit.  And within 5 minutes that complete feeling in the room changed from Hostile to Peace!  It was incredible!  In the end we could see the difference in the eyes of this daughter in law.  She thanked us and invited us over again and promised to read the Book of Mormon!  We are so excited to go back and see her progress. I know that the gospel has been restored.  It is truth.  This mighty work will move forward. It will be preached to every person.  It is the truth that Christ wants us to have and live.  It is how we prepare to live with Him again.  I feel so incredibly blessed to have this gospel in my life.  I love my Savior and know that He is! 

This week we also visited D.  She is doing so great!  She reads from the Book of Mormon so much and is starting to get it!  She prayed for the first time in her life last week and is feeling the difference that it is making in her life!  This week we went with a member and well, the situation was less than ideal.  Her mother doesn't really like us, so she kept coming in and interupting the lesson.  We had started to share about the Restoration and I felt bad knowing that we were not in an envirnment that the spirit would be able to testify of these truths.  So we quickly wrapped up the thought and decied to share that with her later. BUT...when we asked if she had questions she turned to the recent convert and asked,  " What was it like when you were converting? "  Carolina bore such a beautiful testimony and the spirit that we had wanted to come the whole lesson, came.  ALL distractions stopped and her mother even listened intently to her testimony.  It was such a beautiful experience!  The spirit will come in the precise moment that it is needed.  This is such a special work and I feel blessed to take a small part in it. :)

 Love you all!

See you soon,

Hermana Fox

starlee.fox@myldsmail.net     (Sorry on the last email, I accidentally put .com with my email and it is .net.)

10/03/2016 Feliz Octubre!!!!

I can't believe that October is here!  Months fly by!  I hope you all enjoyed conference as much as I did!  It was such a great opportunity to listen to God's chosen servants.  There were so many moving talks, but one theme that really stood out to me was that of JOY.  The gospel is joyful!  It has been created to make us happy.  It is the eternal RULE BOOK and if followed closely it ALWAYS leads to happiness and joy!  I have felt it and I know it to be true!  The only right way, is to choose Christ.  Make Him the center of everything you do and Whala!  Eternal Happiness!

So this week Alvaro had his baptimal interview and we are hoping to have his baptism on the 14th!  We are really excited for him!  I believe I have sent a couple of pictures home of him.  He is a 10 child, and we are reactivating his mother as well.  I love their family and love to see what the living the gospel brings into their home!

This week A. and D. should have had their baptismal interviews as well, but their mother has declared that they are not ready.  We are doing everything we can to help them take this leap of faith and know that God will continue to teach them and allow them to grow after their baptism.  It is so sad to see their mother impede on their agency.  They have been quite sad since she said that, but continue to faithfully read their scriptures and pray.  We are leaving it in Gods hands.   :)    All will work out in His own due time. 

Today was the last transfer for my mission.  I am happy I will be staying here and continue serving with Hermana Buckles.  I am excited.   Argentina has prohibited all packages so please don't send any at this time.  Thanks for all your support!

I love this gospel.  I dont know why I was so blessed to have grown up in it, but I will forever be grateful!  I love my Savior.  He is my King and my all!

See you soon,

Hermana Fox

starlee.fox@myldsmail.net

09/26/16 Hello!!!

 

Well, spring has officially arrived, but I would call it SUMMER!  It is getting so hot, but at least it is cooling off in the night still.   COUNT YOUR MANY BLESSINGS!  So this week has been special!  I got a call from President this week and he invited me and my companion to dinner at their hotel.  Can I just tell you how out of place I felt walking into there?  It was so very nice!  We were treated to a 5 course meal and great conversation.  Can I tell you what it feels like to sit down and spend 2 hours to eat a nice meal ?  After shoveling food in my throat for the last year in a hurry to get out the door and to work, it was amazing!  Ha.  I love President and Hermana Svek.  They are so good to us.  Our leaders are so inspired to know how to help their missionaries!  P.S.  I ate Sushi and LOVED IT!  Then I ate some weird robin egg or something like that and I LIKED IT too!  Ya, what?!   The next day we had a zone conference.  It was so very nice!  

Yesterday we were in a lesson with a woman.  All was going well.  The spirit was strong and she was understanding and feeling the spirit as well.  Let just say that getting a call in the middle of sharing the first vision isn't exactly what I had it mind.  The spirit was driven away quickly, but nonetheless we were able to invite Him back and it turned out well.  I was led to think about how sensitive the spirit is.  It doesn't take that much for Him to be offended or driven away.  If we are not careful, we may not even notice.  It is our decision how much we invite him in our lives and how long we allow him to stay with us. 

I got to go see an awesome baptism of a great man we taught in Barrio.  See picture.

So, as much as I hate the feeling I get from sinning, I am so very grateful for it.  It is the perfect way to be able to recognize sin and get back on the right path.  The burden is immediately lightened as we ask forgiveness and repent.  I am so grateful for the Savior and the gift of becoming clean that he gives me!  I love this gospel and am so grateful for it in my life! 

Thanks for all your support and prayers!

See you soon,

Hermana Fox

starlee.fox@myldsmail.net

09/21/16 Hola Familia!

Bueno, I hope all has been well for you, as it has for me!  Well, I'm sure it hasn't been PERFECT, because things in life usually aren't that way.  If things always turned out how we wanted them, how would we ever grow, change, and learn?  Life would be pointless and we would finish, being the same as when we came.  This week has been great in the Lords book, but different from how I planned it out in my book.  

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE WEEK:

Alecis and Dani came to church this week!  BUT...WITH THEIR MOTHER!! For the first time!  It was so great to have them all there! This has been their hold up for baptism.  (They wanted their mother to get to the church and support them in their decision.)  So, they are taking one small step closer to their baptism and their Savior!  We had had a lesson with their whole family during the week that was really special and helped us better understand where they are coming from. It was a "Christmas day"  in the life of a missionary, to see them walking into the church!

Last night we had an excellent lesson  with familia Morinigo!  It was so fun to see their faces as we explained about the Book of Mormon.  Her eyes got so big as she grabbed it out of my hands.  "I have got to buy glasses this week!"  she said.  She was so touched that we would just gift the book to her and invite her to read it!  The spirit was strong and we invited them to be baptized on the 22 of October!  WAHOO!  They rejoice fully  accepted!

Well, also A. and her son came to church this week!  She is a less active, that has great desire to come back to church!  We are teaching her son and preparing him for baptism!  

All is well, God has been good to us, and we are happy!  I am so grateful for the experiences that I have had.  I am grateful for the relationship that I have been able to have with my Heavenly Father.  He is so good, patient, and merciful with me.  I love Him more than words can describe, and will do whatever it takes to make it back to His presence.

See you soon,

Hermana Fox

starlee.fox@myldsmail.net