To send a letter is a good way to go somewhere without moving anything but your heart. ~Phyllis Theroux

So I am looking for fun ideas of things to send to Mike, letter, packages..... and thought I would share a few of my favorites...... and advice that I have picked up and thought I would share with anyone who is writing to him, or thinking of writing to him.

Things to ask about ·           The work ·         Their schedule ·         The culture ·         Their  experiences ·         Who are they teaching? ·         When they tell you about an investigator, follow up and ask about them	Things to share ·         Insights you’ve gained in the scriptures, seminary or Church lessons ·         Testimony building experiences you’ve had ·         News about mutual friends who are also serving missions	Things to avoid ·         Asking how many baptisms they have had ·         Don’t complain or criticize  if  they have not written back to you ·         Mentioning problems that arise at home.  There are some problems they should know about, but many that would only distract or worry them unnecessarily
Good things in small packages ·         Missionaries love receiving thoughtful packages but make sure to honor the guidelines of their mission ·         Remember to keep your  gifts simple.  Include an extra item for their companion	Messages from Family and Friends ·         Tell them the important things that are happening in your life with school, family, and the gospel. ·         Encouraging, friendly, non-romantic letters ·         You can help them focus on the work of the Lord with uplifting letters and reassurance that they are where they need to be.	·         Avoid gossip stories or what party you went to last week ·         Do not write “I love you”  “I miss you”  “I can’t wait to see you again"..this is very distracting. ·         Avoid romantic allusions

so now, on to the 'fun' stuff!!!

"Open When..." Letters!

If you don't know what Open When letters are they are letters you write ahead of time and label then "Open When..... (fill in occasion)"

A couple of my ideas were:

-you are sick

-need encouragement

-the weather is bad

-you are home sick

-miss me

-you need a pump of patriotism

-you need to be uplifted

-you get a baptism

-you need a good laugh

-you have 6 months left

-its the last day of your mission

The only question will be if he can be disciplined enough to not open them all at once!!!!

and I am going to put mine in homemade envelopes! 

Setting this up at our house what a great idea!

Blow up a balloon, write your letter in marker, deflate, pop in mail, voila!

Send a small package in a soda pop bottle, I have the how to's if you like, or check out the missionary board on pinterest!

Write your letter on the back of a small puzzle, take it apart and send it off, great activity for a p-day

New year, new start.....and things to share with you!

We got to hear him singing Christmas carols with his zone, that was a fun treat!  We also got to talk him on Christmas day, while I loved every second of it, I missed him terribly for the next few days.

 Just an FYI for you future missionary moms, the call is a bitter-sweet blessing.. 
But look at that smile!  He is so happy to be there, and is working hard!

The following pictures are from a zone conference November 2013

Dad I thought you would especially enjoy this one, notice his mouth....

 

Happy Birthday to Mike, tomorrow!!!  He just found out that he is getting transferred  and while I know how much he loves the people he has worked with and served, I am so excited for the new adventures that await him.  

So Potlatch Idaho, personally I have never heard of it before so here is the results of my initial google-ing:
Potlatch is roughly 75 miles south of Spokane, just north of Moscow, Idaho.  

Potlatch is a city in Latah County, Idaho, United States, located about 6 miles east of the Idaho-Washington state border, in the north central part of the state. Wikipedia

Area: 274 acres (111 ha) Population: 812 (2012)

Population 812, 812!  That makes it smaller than Parowan, so from the big city to the small town, he should feel right at home, can't wait to here all about next week!  This is a copy of his email, so please don't blame for the spelling, grammatical  and other errors that may, or may not exist in the following:

OK DOKAY soooo. i leave for Troy and Potlatch Idaho i leave tomorrow at like 8:30. so well this week was pretty slow and i forgot my planner to tell you all what happened specifically.  the missionary shirt idea is doing really well here and i am sad that i cant see it grow to it's full potential. Momma gave me another lavalava and a hawaii towel and a cool necklace. i am  going to go say goodbye to all my peeps and then for my B-day i leave Moran Prairie. my new comp is Elder Bobo. i havent met him yet but i heard that this was his last transfer. i love you all and as of this day there are only 19 1/2 months. ill see you all then love ya.

Elder Cox

Oh and a word of caution to the people of Idaho, Mikes new area is a car one, so he will be behind the wheel of a car, and hopefully walking. A lot.  

Between his busy life and my busy life and our crazy schedule here at home, there either hasn't been time for Mike to update us, or time for me to update the blog.  So here goes nothing.......

Not sure of all of the names of these amazing young people, but Mike, Elder Kelley, and Elder Wong are in this group, Mike on the far left, Elder Kelley on the right , and Elder Wong chilling on the floor.  (Elder Kelley has been called to serve somewhere in Argentina, and was only with them for a little while.)

For a brief glimpse into the life of my missionary, may I present the following video for your viewing.......enjoyment?  It is as usual Mike eating something, and the rest of us have no idea why he thinks it is a good idea......

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P1j-CRRLVHE&feature=youtu.be


I had a discussion about what 'treats' to send these three elders, more because I didn't know what Elders Wong and Kelley enjoyed, Hannah's response, they will eat anything, obviously, that she gives them. (at least anything that she gives Mike.)

He has had two baptisms I will update correct names and dates when I have the letters sitting in front of me.

This first picture was taken in Sept, I think.....

This is Jan, she was baptized just last Saturday, Oct 12,2013.  Mike said that the day before and the morning of her baptism they had some training meetings.  When the Saturday meetings were over they went to fill the baptismal font and there was no hot water, they tried again, still no hot water. They formed a hot water brigade between the kitchen and the font, but any of you who know the size of the fonts know that it was a futile effort.  Poor Jan was baptized in a chapel, and can still tell stories of being baptized in very, VERY cold water.


I think I mentioned in an earlier post that Mike has been living with Brother Fletcher in Spokane, and while I don't know the story behind this, I do know that all of Brother Fletchers Elder say beep beep, as in the Road Runner, so here you go.....

and I think maybe the most disturbing image I have seen to date, besides the accident pictures in June, of course is this one....

Can you believe they let Mike drive?  In Spokane???  (just kidding, sort of.)  (Insert smiley face here)

Mike is doing so well, every letter  and email home is positive and he talks about new people he has met, different service projects he has been involved with.  It is amazing to see my same sweet, dorky, lovable boy, but also see the growth in him, guess he really hasn't been my 'boy' for a while, but is truly growing into one of the most amazing men I have been privileged to know.  

His birthday is coming up quickly, it will be difficult to be away from him, but wouldn't want him anywhere other than where he is right now!!!  If you would like to add to the birthday box, let me know.  And he love mail, as do all missionaries,  So feel free to write or email  him at the following, just to say hello, or to ask questions about the work he is doing?

michael.cox@myldsmail.net     or    

 Elder Michael Cox

644 Richard Allen Ct

Spokane WA 99202