Hello Y'all!!

 I hope you all are doing well, and that everything is going great! I am doing well, and am loving the work. Although it is hard it is so worth it. Seeing people change for the better is always remarkable to see.

 The area here is slowly starting to develop. We are constantly trying to build up our teaching pool. The thing that we are having a problem with is that we find a lot of people. But we have one lesson or interaction with them and then we can't get back into contact with them. I feel as though Heavenly Father is trying to teach me a lesson about Patience. Things were going really well with Danielle until yesterday. We taught her the first three lessons, and got her committed to living the Law of Chastity. She even came to church for the 2nd week in a row. Then she informed us that as of Saturday night she decided that she wants to just stick with her church. Sister Olsen and I were heartbroken. We asked her why she felt that way because she consistently tells us how she loves coming to church, wants to go to the Temple someday, and loves how warm and inviting all the church members are to her. She has been so excited about her Baptism date on November 9, and she feels a change coming over her. She then said that she still wants to do "bible study" with us. But that she talked things over with her Aunt and she just wants everyone to be happy. We then told her that that's what we want. We want her to make her own decision. Not for us, and not for her Aunt. So this week we are going to really ask inspired questions, and see what the real obstacle is. Between her and entering the waters of Baptism to become a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. We also are going to re-teach the Restoration and Plan of Salvation and really hit on the points of the Great Apostasy, and living together with her Mom again (sealing in Temple). Our investigator Laddie, that we found Spiritual Harvesting (Tracting) is really progressing. We taught him the Restoration on Wednesday, and really taught by the Spirit. It was incredible! Sister Olsen and I both said things that really touched his heart. He understood everything that we were explaining, and he could feel the truthfulness of the message. We went over yesterday to teach him again but unfortunately he had to reschedule because he need to take his grandson back to Ole Miss. However, we did find out that he is reading The Book of Mormon consistently, and he really has a desire to learn more. When we got there he immediately said he was sorry for having to cancel, and wanted to know when we could have a lesson with him. It's amazing to see his excitement to learn more about the gospel, and to see his desire to read The Book of Mormon. I can't wait until we get to have the Plan of Salvation lesson with him this Thursday!

Sister Olsen and I really get along. We are quite the opposite but in a good way. I am high-stress, hard-working and she is Patient, and Positive. We really balance each other out, and we keep each other going. Our lessons are getting better in terms of Unity the more we are able to teach.

This week we were asked to help with the Primary Program rehearsal. We were asked to sit with the kids and make sure they behaved and paid attention. This was an incredible experience for me because the spirit was so strong in that program. The children bore their testimonies through short talks, and singing. It was great to see how innocent and wise little children are. They are so close to Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. It was a good reminder to me that I need to always be like a child. Humble and willing to follow his footsteps just as little children are.

This week in studies I have really focused on reading and re-reading Chapter 3 in Preach My Gospel. So that I can teach with better confidence, and can rely on the Spirit more as I teach. I also re-started The Book of Mormon 30 day challenge with a goal of writing down every scripture I come across that has a reference to the bullet points in the first 3 lessons we teach investigators. As I have done this I have realized how full the Book of Mormon is of references to The Restoration, The Plan of Salvation, and The Gospel of Jesus Christ. (Makes sense right!?!) By doing this I also feel better equipped to share scriptures that will really apply the doctrines we teach to investigators.

Let us all become more child like. Willing to submit to the will of our father, and endure our trials in Patience.

Love,

Sister W. Williams

Hello y'all!!

 I hope you are all doing well and that everything is going good for you. This week has been one of the hardest and best weeks of my mission. Within this past week I ran into 2 Bible bashers. Those encounters were the hardest things I have ever experienced. Being from Utah you never experience that type of thing. All I have to say is that I am glad that it isn't like that in Utah. Through those experiences though, my testimony grew. They couldn't tell me that what I believed was false. We just politely sat through what they were saying, and didn't tried to bash with them at all. My hope is that they realized how we acted (with dignity and respect), and that a seed was planted in them.

With lots of Hard Work and Perseverance the area is starting to grow here. It has been a little slow, but is now rapidly moving. We have been talking with everyone we see, and we have been able to get many New Investigators. We met a girl Friday, named Danielle. She is 18 years old, and we ran into her by the park on our bikes. This was no coincidence because we were trying to find a Less-Actives apartment that ended up being the opposite way of where we were going. We talked to her, and gave her a Book of Mormon and set a return appointment up for the next day. We taught her Lesson 1 (The Restoration) on Saturday, and invited her to be Baptized November 9 which she said YES to. We asked her to pray to know if the things we had taught her were true, and she said, "I already believe they are." We invited her to attend a Baptism Saturday night but she was unable to attend. However, she did come to church yesterday, and loved it. The members were so welcoming and loving and she really appreciated their friendship. She told us that she can really see herself loving going to our church. What is even more exciting is that several members have invited Danielle to come with us at our Dinner appointments. It is great to see how much the ward here is embracing member missionary work! While Spiritual Harvesting we ran into a lady by the name of Dana. Dana just moved here, and is looking for a church to go to. She doesn't have a set religion although her husband is Baptist. We taught her about The Restoration on Saturday, and she said that everything makes sense. Her husband has told her some anti-mormon literature but she asked us about it, and we were able to overcome those concerns. We invited her to church and to the Baptism but she was unable to attend both because of becoming sick. She is really into reading The Book of Mormon, and I am excited to be able to teach her more this week.

My companion and I are doing great, and are working well together. This week was pretty rough until things got moving this weekend. But through it all Sister Olsen was upbeat, and positive. This really helped me since I am easily stressed. She has helped me to believe that I can do it, and to remain optimistic even though things have been hard. We are still trying to get used to how each other teaches but I know that with more practice, and teaching more investigators our Unity will increase. 

Last Monday, I was able to give a Book of Mormon and a pass-along card to the cashier at Old Navy. It was the neatest experience because I normally would not have the courage to do such a thing. As the cashier was scanning my clothes she was reading my badge. I then asked her if she had ever heard of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints before. To which she replied, No. I then asked if she had ever heard of Mormons. To which she said, Yes. She then asked me what the difference is between what we believe and the Baptists. I told her (as I was scanning my card to pay) that we believe the Bible to be the word of God, as well as The Book of Mormon. I then gave her a pass-along card and told her to go to www.mormon.org, and she asked if it would talk about "the book" on there .So then I handed her The Book of Mormon, and as I was in the process of saying that she could call us if she had any questions she finished my sentence for me. I am so glad I was able to have this experience because it build up confidence in me. 

This week in studies I have focused on The Book of Mormon and reading Preach My Gospel Chapter 3 everyday for 30 minutes. I was able to finish The Book of Mormon challenge (read it in 30 days), and was able to once again feel the truthfulness of the message it contains by doing Moroni's promise. I prayed to know that the Book of Mormon is the word of God, and felt a tingling sensation in my arms and legs. It was strange but I know that it was the Holy Ghost manifesting the truth of The Book of Mormon unto me. I have also noticed that as I read Chapter 3 in PMG everyday I become more confident in teaching, and I feel better equipped to teach.

Love you all!! Go and find people you can share this wonderful gospel with!!

-Sister W. Williams

Hello Everyone!!

I hope you all are well, and that everything is going well for you. My new area is Bartlett, Tennessee and I LOVE it here!! It is a little rough right now because we don't have a big teaching pool, and we go Spiritual Harvesting a lot ("Tracting") but I am still loving the work. I do have to admit, it has been a rough couple of days because I am 6 weeks out, with another 6 weeker and are re-opening this area for sisters. It is a lot of hard work, but I know that God gave me this challenge because he knows that I can do it! The members are really friendly here, and have welcomed us with open arms.

Right now we are working on trying to build up the Area here. We don't have a lot of Investigators, so we are trying to build up our teaching pool. We did Spiritual Harvest into a house owned by a man named Sammy. The first visit we had with him went great. We summarized all three of the Lessons because he wanted to know all about what "mormons" believe. We gave him a copy of the Book of Mormon, and he couldn't believe it was his! We invited him to read it, and he said that he will read it with an open mind. He also wants to do more research on the church so we gave him www.lds.org and www.mormon.org to look up information. We invited him to church and said that he couldn't come (yesterday) but taht he will really try to go next week. We also Spiritual Harvested into a house owned by a lady named Angela. Angela is one of the happiest people I have ever met! She works with Disabled individuals and loves her job. She finds joy in everything that life has to offer. We told her how we felt prompted to knock on her door, and how we knew she was God's elect. She answered with, "I know I am!" She also said that she knew that God sent us to her for a reason. We gave her the Book of Mromon and invited her to read the introduction along with the testimonies of the witnesses and Joseph Smith.I am looking forward to being able to share more about the gospel with both Sammy and Angela along with their families.

Sister Olsen and I are getting along well. We both are working hard, and have the same goal in mind of building up the area here. We work well together, and are having fun re-opening this area for sister. I am glad that I have this opportunity to serve with her, and am excited to learn how I can become a better missionary from her.

Coming into this area Sister Olsen and I decided that before church on Sunday. We would try to meet some ward members and get a feel of the area. Also, to let them know that we are here to help and serve them. This turned out to be really effective for us because we got a lot of referrals (10!!) from the members, especially the Less Actives. It was amazing to me that as long as I am obedient and am aligning my will with Heavenly Father he will help me in this work.

This week in studies I have been reading up on The Restoration so I can teach it more effectively. The interesting thing that I found out about is that Joseph Smith prayed three times about giving Martin Harris the manuscripts. The first time was a solid no, and the third Heavenly Father told him yes. I then read about how Joseph Smith after receiving the news of the 116 pages being lost that he was tormented, and was truly repentant in order to further the translation of The Book of Mormon. I know that this is information that isn't needed for investigators but it really built my testimony up of Joseph Smith being a prophet of God. I also have been studying 3 Nephi, and what caught my eye were the verses that say, "he wept" and "his countenance smiled." It brought Christ more to life, and really made him more personable to me. It helped me to know that he prays for me, weeps with me, and smiles at me when I do what is right.

Yesterday I had a really amazing spiritual experience. Elder Breckenridge, my District Leader gave 3 of us Sisters Priesthood Blessings. (My companion and I are over 1st ward, there are two sister over 2nd ward, and we have Elders over both wards). I have been really stressed out because I didn't think I would be re-opening an area, and we are needing to find many people to teach. The blessing was so powerful! Heavenly Father was truly communicating with me through Elder Breckenridge because he said things that God would only now right now. The blessing was such a comfort because it let me know that God knows I am nervous, but knows that I can do this. Please all of you at home take advantage of Priesthood Blessings, they are such a comfort, and can truly bless you in your lives.

My challenge for each of you this week is to recognize God's hand in your lives. Recognize the little miracles that you experience everyday because of his tender, loving hands. I KNOW that he is always with us, and that we are never alone. We all can do HARD THINGS because with God, ANYTHING and EVERYTHING is possible!

KEITH was BAPTIZED!!! He had to go under twice because Elder Henderson didn't have him go far down enough the 1st time (knees showed) and the second time on the way up Keith nailed his head on the bar in the font because Elder Henderson wasn't paying enough attention...

Love you all!!

-Sister W. Williams

Hello y'all!!

 It seems as though Arkansas is kicking me out....it's had enough of me. I say that because I am supposed to be getting transfered to Bartlett, Tennessee on Wednesday (right by the Memphis Temple!!) I say "supposed to" because President Petersen originally said that I was staying in Danville then on Friday said I was getting transferred, and I haven't got a transfer call yet today. So we will see....If so, my companion will also have been out here for 6 weeks, so it should be interesting...Anyways, I hope you all were able to watch General Conference this weekend. It was AMAZING! I learned so much, and wished it could have been longer...I loved how on Saturday the focus was on Member Missionary Work. I just want to re-emphasize what they shared. We (Missionaries) cannot do this work alone, the members are the key! How great will be YOUR joy when you bring your friend, neighbor, or family member into the gospel! We need you, and the Lord needs you! Get. to. work.! :)

 The area here is really starting to grow. A lot of exciting things are happening, and I can feel the work progressing rapidly here. Keith is our main focus right now since he is getting baptized this Thursday! He has not had a cigarette for about 4 days now, and it's amazing to see how focused he is on quiting cold turkey. He neither confirms nor denies that it is easy or hard but he says that everytime he has the temptation to smoke he prays, and it goes away. What's remarkable to me is the great Faith he is, and how strong he is. He has Faith that God will get rid of the temptation and as a result God does. He came to the Sunday Morning Session of General Conference and loved it! He said what great talks they gave, and I could tell he was uplifted by what he heard. He is excited for Baptism, and looks forward to being able to go to the Temple when he is able. We have another investigator; Chelsea that has said yes to Baptism. But it is really hard to catch her because she is never home. However, when we have been able to have lessons with her she just radiates the spirit, and listens very intently to the message we share. Our main goal right now is to get her reading the Book of Mormon every night.

My companion and I are doing well. I am constantly learning from her, and she has definitely helped me to become a better missionary. As we have strived to teach more in unity, I have noticed that the Spirit is a stronger presence in our lessons. The great thing about my companion is that she challenges me to do hard things. We went street contacting this week, and she had me start a conversation. I was hesitant but after I did it I recognized that it isn't as hard as it seems. What's also great is that she uplifts me when I am down, and keeps me from dwelling on the negative.

This week we had a remarkable experience with Violet. The last time we had seen her she wasn't too keen about talking with us. This time she came out and actually seemed happy which is unusual. As we were talking with her I was really trying hard to listen to what she needed. As she spoke I noticed how charitable she is to her family. I also noticed how even though Violet has gone through some really hard things, she has Faith that it will get better. All because according to her, "it has to." As I listened I felt prompted to share Alma 7:24, "And see that ye have faith, hope, and charity, and then ye will always abound in good works." I told her how she inspires me because of her faith and hope that things are going to get better. Also, how I can see the love that she has for her family and that that's a great quality to have. As I shared this, her countenance changed even more, and she laughed and smiled. Sister Martell built on that scripture and shared a little more. After sharing those scriptures Violet said, "I found that book in my closet" and mentioned that she has a lamp so she can read at night. She hasn't been reading it, but as she said that comment I knew that she was going to read The Book of Mormon.

This week during studies I have really been trying to study the scriptures. As I have, I have been able to recognize how great of a book The Book of Mormon really is, and how God truly reveals things that we need to know in our lives as we do so. I have also studied the notes that I took during General Conference. What really stuck out to me in Conference was when Boyd K. Packer mentioned that "the scriptures hold the keys to spiritual protection." The word keys really stuck out to me because keys are usually associated with the Priesthood. This helped me recognize that as I immerse myself in the scriptures I will be protected from evil, and that it will provide me with the tools to better myself.

 I hope that as you watched General Conference something pricked your heart, and that you recognized what God wants you to do right now to better yourself. I know that as you take what you learned and apply it, you will receive blessings beyond measure. I also know that your relationship with God will be stronger than ever before.

 Love you all,

 Sister W. Williams