Hey y'all!
Hope y'all have had a great week. It has been a pretty good one here for me!
Things are going really great here. We have a lot of good things happening. Jackie is doing really great, and has invited quite a few family members and friends to her Baptism this Saturday. It's great to see her continued excitement towards Baptism. I have really enjoyed being able to work with her. Since she was so prepared to hear the gospel. Not only has she learned from us but I have really learned from her. I have learned how important Faith is. Her Faith is remarkably strong, and as a result she has had no problem accepting the gospel. Every aspect we have taught she has been willing to do and commit to. I am so excited to see her come up out of the water Saturday. Since I know it will be life-changing for her. She truly wants to follow Christ, and be a better Christian. There is no better way she could be doing that then entering that gate this week!
We have been a part of something pretty remarkable here. We are working with the Ross family. Shane has been less-active for some time, and Jenny is a non-member. Yesterday they stayed for all three church meetings, and really enjoyed it. Previously they have only been coming to sacrament. So it was great having them stay for all of church. Jenny is really feasting upon the Book of Mormon. It's been less than a month and she is already in Alma. Yesterday, she told us how every night when Shane comes home she shares her insights to what she has read. Now, they are going to be reading it together. It's amazing to see how through Jenny's conversion her husband is being strengthened as well. It's neat to see the power of the Book of Mormon in action, and how one person really can make a BIG difference.
Sister Mackliet and I are doing great. We really back each other up which really helps with getting investigators to progress. I am learning from her everyday. She has a great Faith and Optimism. Which has really helped me because I struggle in those areas. She is great at testifying, and you can really feel of her love for Christ as she states what she knows to be true.
This week we had a really great first lesson with Lynda. She is currently living with a less-active member. She loves the fact that we invite her to pray to know that the Book of Mormon is true herself. She also understood the great apostasy more than anyone I have taught. She asked what happens to those people who didn't hear the gospel during that period of time. We made mention to the Spirit World, and she said that it made a lot of sense. It's neat to see her understanding of the Restoration and link it to other aspects of the gospel.
I learned a lot from reading Mosiah 1-5 this week. The thing that really stuck out to me was being a Representative of Jesus Christ in all things. These chapters talk about service, repentance, and obedience. I believe that all three can be summed up as simply following Christ. Christ served all those around him, he gave up his will to God, and he was obedient with exactness. As we represent Christ we will be doing all these things. How will I apply this? Everyday I am going to pray for the ability to be a true Representative of Christ. Really think about him during the day, and think of ways that I can better represent him.
I pray that we all can be better Representatives of Christ. May we each find a way each day that we can better ourselves. Love y'all!!
Sister W. Williams
Monday, February 24, 2014
Monday, February 17, 2014
Hi y'all!!
We had an amazing week this week. We saw many miracles. We also have a lot of good things happening here in Pocahontas. First off, things with Jackie are really taking off. She is working towards her Baptism date of March 1st, and is really excited for it. We had an incredible lesson with her on Friday. We watched the Restoration DVD with her, and it really solidified things for her. At the end of the lesson she said Yes! with solid conviction to the following: If she believed the Book of Mormon to be true, if she believed Joseph Smith saw God the Father and Jesus Christ, and if The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is Christ's church on the earth today. It's amazing to see how prepared Jackie is to hear and accept the gospel. The amazing thing was that she asked us why it's hard for people to believe in the Book of Mormon. Also, why people find it so hard to believe in what Joseph Smith did because she said that it "just makes sense" to her.
We also are seeing a lot of improvement with Sharon Adams. We are getting her to read the Book of Mormon on her own which has been a struggle from the beginning. In fact, when we went to see her Saturday we had kind of a doozy. We asked her how her reading went, and she acted as though she didn't want to read anymore. She was bothered by 1 Nephi 4 because she couldn't understand why the Lord would command Nephi to kill Laban. We read 1 Nephi 5 which overcame her concerns with it. In response she said, "I guess I should have just kept reading". I was glad that the Lord directed me in knowing how I could overcome her concern. So that she could feel comfortable with reading the Book of Mormon again. We then had her pray about the Baptism dates of March 15 or 29th. Afterwards, she said she could work towards the 29th.
So needless to say, the hard work has just begun. I am so glad I have this opportunity to be a part of this great work!
Sister Mackliet and I are really enjoying the work here. We have a lot of good things happening, and we are continuing to work hard. We teach in unity, and are really involving the members. As a result we are seeing lots of miracles happen. Sister Mackliet is great at sharing personal experiences, and really emulates the spirit. I love being able to serve with her.
We had a really unique experience at church yesterday. 3 individuals just walked into sacrament meeting and sat through the whole meeting . Afterward we went and introduced ourselves. In response they asked if we could share the core of our beliefs with them. So we spent all of 2nd and 3rd hour going over the Articles of Faith/ Plan of Salvation. Not only did it help them, but it helped Jackie as well. What's crazy is that they were supposed to be going to a completely different event, and ended up at our church. The Lord truly lead them to the church. They were mainly doing it for a college course- but none knew about our faith. One of the three seemed liked a genuine seeker. We are hoping she comes back, and calls us to learn more. (I still can't believe this actually happened...;))
This week in studies I have continued to study the Book of Mormon. I have noticed this time around that I am really fascinated with the stories. Things are really sticking out to me, and I am really trying to apply them to my life. I know that the Book of Mormon is powerful, and that as I continue to feast upon its words I will be strengthened and uplifted by it.
I would challenge y'all to really feast upon the word's of Christ. To not just go through the motions of reading. But really apply the scriptures in your lives. I know that as you do the Lord will bless you, and you will gain the knowledge that you seek.
Love y'all!!
Sister W. Williams
We had an amazing week this week. We saw many miracles. We also have a lot of good things happening here in Pocahontas. First off, things with Jackie are really taking off. She is working towards her Baptism date of March 1st, and is really excited for it. We had an incredible lesson with her on Friday. We watched the Restoration DVD with her, and it really solidified things for her. At the end of the lesson she said Yes! with solid conviction to the following: If she believed the Book of Mormon to be true, if she believed Joseph Smith saw God the Father and Jesus Christ, and if The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is Christ's church on the earth today. It's amazing to see how prepared Jackie is to hear and accept the gospel. The amazing thing was that she asked us why it's hard for people to believe in the Book of Mormon. Also, why people find it so hard to believe in what Joseph Smith did because she said that it "just makes sense" to her.
We also are seeing a lot of improvement with Sharon Adams. We are getting her to read the Book of Mormon on her own which has been a struggle from the beginning. In fact, when we went to see her Saturday we had kind of a doozy. We asked her how her reading went, and she acted as though she didn't want to read anymore. She was bothered by 1 Nephi 4 because she couldn't understand why the Lord would command Nephi to kill Laban. We read 1 Nephi 5 which overcame her concerns with it. In response she said, "I guess I should have just kept reading". I was glad that the Lord directed me in knowing how I could overcome her concern. So that she could feel comfortable with reading the Book of Mormon again. We then had her pray about the Baptism dates of March 15 or 29th. Afterwards, she said she could work towards the 29th.
So needless to say, the hard work has just begun. I am so glad I have this opportunity to be a part of this great work!
Sister Mackliet and I are really enjoying the work here. We have a lot of good things happening, and we are continuing to work hard. We teach in unity, and are really involving the members. As a result we are seeing lots of miracles happen. Sister Mackliet is great at sharing personal experiences, and really emulates the spirit. I love being able to serve with her.
We had a really unique experience at church yesterday. 3 individuals just walked into sacrament meeting and sat through the whole meeting . Afterward we went and introduced ourselves. In response they asked if we could share the core of our beliefs with them. So we spent all of 2nd and 3rd hour going over the Articles of Faith/ Plan of Salvation. Not only did it help them, but it helped Jackie as well. What's crazy is that they were supposed to be going to a completely different event, and ended up at our church. The Lord truly lead them to the church. They were mainly doing it for a college course- but none knew about our faith. One of the three seemed liked a genuine seeker. We are hoping she comes back, and calls us to learn more. (I still can't believe this actually happened...;))
This week in studies I have continued to study the Book of Mormon. I have noticed this time around that I am really fascinated with the stories. Things are really sticking out to me, and I am really trying to apply them to my life. I know that the Book of Mormon is powerful, and that as I continue to feast upon its words I will be strengthened and uplifted by it.
I would challenge y'all to really feast upon the word's of Christ. To not just go through the motions of reading. But really apply the scriptures in your lives. I know that as you do the Lord will bless you, and you will gain the knowledge that you seek.
Love y'all!!
Sister W. Williams
Monday, February 10, 2014
I hope you have had a great week. I sure have! This week has been full of adventure and miracles...
This week we came into contact with Kayla. Sister Mackliet felt prompted to see Kelly who is one of our investigators. So we go to Kelly's house, and her sister Stephanie tells us that Kelly has gotten herself into some trouble. But Stephanie invited us right into the house (for the first time). That is when we met her friend Kayla. At that first contact Kayla recognized that God sent us to Stephanie's that night for her. Kayla is a very sweet spirit. She has a strong desire to be Baptized, and to follow Christ. We have had two lessons with her so far, and the spirit has been strong in each one. She is working on the Baptism date of March 15th.
Sister Mackliet and I are really enjoying the work here in Pocahontas. We have a lot of good things happening here. I continue to learn from her everyday. She has a very strong spirit about her. Her testimony is strong and very sincere. What's neat is that those who hear her testimony can really feel the spirit. Since she shares it with such power and conviction. It's great being her companion!
We had quite the experience this week. Sister Land has found us an investigator, and is really taking on the role of being a member missionary. She invited her friend Jackie to church on Sunday, and to stay the night Saturday evening. So she had us come over for dinner. She also had us teach the first discussion using the cup-demo, and introduce the Book of Mormon. Things went really well. The whole time we were talking, Jackie's eyes were fixed on us. I could tell she was listening intently. We then got a phone call last night from Sister Land saying that she is going to set up some times to do a couple of lessons this week. What was really neat is to see Sister Land's excitement as she is doing missionary work!
Yesterday was also exciting because Sister Lowtharp came to church yesterday! She is a less-active who I have been working on getting to church since I first came to Pocahontas. When she came walking in my heart rejoiced, and my jaw dropped. She came into the investigators class with us, and was really involved in the lesson. I am so glad God helped her to get back to church.
This week I studied Mosiah 11-18 focusing on Abinadi, and his missionary work. I found that Abinadi was very bold, and direct. He wasn't afraid of what men thought. He knew his purpose and never strayed from it. Even though he didn't see the fruit of his labor he was very successful. He converted Alma who brought many into the body of Christ. I learned that the importance of being bold is that there is power behind your words. Also, that even though I may not see the fruit of my labor immediately or at all. That I shouldn't get down on myself. That I need to remember that as a Representative of Jesus Christ I am changing the lives of all those I come into contact with.
Tuesday, February 4, 2014
Hi y'all!
I hope y'all have had a great week. I am doing well, and am really excited about the work. L. Tom Perry came to Memphis on Friday and talked about "Hastening the work of Salvation." It was a testament to me that the Lord truly is hastening his work. We all need to be missionaries at all times and in all places. We need to share what we know with everyone we come into contact with. May we all get into the spirit of the work, and bring souls to Christ.
I feel that the area here is on the verge of exploding. We are really starting to work with Part Member families, and getting branch members involved in teaching with us. On Thursday we had a really good lesson with Robin, Savannah, and Haley. We taught the Plan of Salvation. Robin doesn't have a Christian background, and through prayer we thought that this would be of most benefit to her. She has been struggling with feeling God's love, and usually doesn't answer our questions. This time however, was a lot different. She was answering our questions, and was able to recognize a small part of God's love for us as we explained the Plan. She read 1 Nephi 1 although, she said she didn't get anything out of it. So now we are working on helping her understand The Book of Mormon, and recognizing feelings of the spirit in her life.
This week was a little frustrating because we weren't able to see Sharon Adams at all. We were supposed to see her on Monday but she ended up not being home. We believe she is probably visiting her sister in Paragould. The hard thing is she is really progressing, and is developing a lot of understanding when we teach her. But she keeps visiting her sister, and then she doesn't read The Book of Mormon. We are just praying that she makes it back to Pocahontas this week despite the snow we had. So we can keep getting her to progress.
Sister Mackliet and I are doing great. We teach well in unity, and are really striving to get the members involved in the work. I am learning a lot from Sister Mackliet. Such as positivity in the work, and taking things one at a time. Too often I get overwhelmed by all the things I need to do. She is teaching me to focus on one thing at a time. So that I can be most effective that way.
This week we had a unique experience of the Lord working in "mysterious ways" as it refers to in the scriptures. We were walking down a street, and I felt prompted to knock on a house. I was a little hesitant at first because I had just seen the lady walk in her house. I figured she probably saw us, and the door approach would be a little awkward. But I knew I needed to do it since it was a prompting from the Spirit. So we knocked, and although she wasn't interested she gave us a referral of a family who just moved in all the way down the street. So down the street we went. We knocked on the door and the woman; Annita let us right in. We prayed with her, and afterwards she gave us both hugs. She said that she had been praying all morning for mercy. I am so glad that we were able to be an answer to her prayer. It was another witness to me that everything happens for a reason, and we need to follow every prompting we receive. Even though it may not turn out the way we would expect it to be.
We also had a neat experience getting back into contact with Park and Lynda Leathers. We had put them on pause for a couple of weeks because they weren't progressing, and we prayed to know how we could best help them. Now, we had planned to see them February 1st but I was scared too. We prayed to know what to do after all our plans fell through. God told me in my thoughts to go to the Leathers. We went despite how I felt and it went really well. We found out that Park's main concern is the Book of Mormon. We reinforced the notion that he won't know it's the word of God without prayer. He also prayed about coming to church, and said he will come out sooner or later. Good things are coming. I am so glad I followed this prompting and gave them time. It's all about the Lord's timing! :)
This week in studies I have started the challenge of reading the Book of Mormon in the month of February. With the focus in mind of prayer. As I read I have noticed that prayer is found all throughout the pages of the Book of Mormon. The prophets of old, and now supplicate themselves in mighty prayer consistently. Also, they pray from the heart not just muttering the same words over and over. This has created in me a increased desire to pray with greater intent. Also, to make my prayers more personal. To converse aloud with God, and talk to him as I would anyone face to face.
May y'all be involved in the work of salvation. It is only through being a part of the work that we will have Joy. Love y'all!!
Sister W. Williams
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