Hi y'all!!

I hope you are having a wonderful holiday season, and are focusing on the true meaning of Christmas. What's interesting is that many people we have been talking to lately. Are constantly bringing up how much the world is ruining Christmas. They dislike how materialistic the world is coming during this season. So my hope is that y'all focus on the true meaning of CHRISTmas being CHRIST himself, and all that he has done for you. Especially the greatest gift that has been given to us, being his birth resulting in his great atoning sacrifice.

The area here is really starting to pick up. We found two Spanish Investigators this week which was exciting. One of which is Juana, a 16 year old from Guatamala who is really progressing. We have taught her two lessons so far, and she loves to learn. When we first met her, Sister Ives taught her The Restoration. (She forgot that she wasn't telling me what was going on. So I wasn't able to testify at all, unfortunately.) As it turned out though, Juana has already heard about The Restoration. So she remembered a little from what she had been taught. We then took Sister Whitlock with us to teach her yesterday. The lesson seemed to have gone really well. Sister Whitlock taught Juana about The Book of Mormon, and it was amazing to see Juana's eagerness to read it. It was also neat because Juana is really excited to come to church on Sunday. We are going over to Juana's house again tonight, and I am excited to finally be able to testify in Spanish. I am also excited because we have plans to set a Baptism date with her.

We have seen quite the Miracle take place with the Ross/Spears/Patterson family in the Branch here. This home has 4 generations living under it. The grand-daughter is 10 years old, and her name is Heather. We have been teaching her the discussions so that she will be ready for Baptism at the end of this month. This family is Less-Active and Part-Member. What's amazing is that Heather is getting her Mom; Sister Patterson to start reading the Book of Mormon. She is also getting her Grandmother; Sister Spears to read the Book of Mormon with her. It's amazing to feel the spirit that is now in there home as they are all coming closer to Christ together. It's been a testimony to me of how we all can be examples to those around us.

Sister Ives and I are doing great. We have for the most part been working better in unity. Our lessons have been stronger, and we are getting better at talking 50/50. Spiritual Harvesting is becoming a lot better with her participating more and more. She has an amazing testimony, and it's neat to see how many hearts it has touched.

The interesting thing has been that we have found a lot of investigators who the previous Elders have taught. They didn't leave behind an Area Book. So we have completely found them again by the Spirit. So it's been amazing to see how the Spirit works. Many of them aren't ready to talk to us until after the Holidays.

This week in my studies I have been reading Matthew. Focusing on the things that Christ did in his ministry. That I am able to do as a missionary. As I have done this, I have come to recognize how I really am a Representative of Jesus Christ. I am doing many things that he did himself. Christ taught, preached, and healed. This is repeated many times through Matthew. That is exactly what I am doing. I am teaching the gospel of Jesus Christ, I am preaching Repentance, and I am helping those I teach become healed. By inviting them to Repent and accept Christ's atonement along with the healing that comes from Baptism. I have also reflected on how Christ completely did the will of the father. That is something that I am continually working on. I am grateful I can read about Christ, and see how I can more fully REPRESENT him.

May we all remember that we all have taken upon ourselves the name of Christ at Baptism. May we all more fully represent him, and make sure we are true disciples of Jesus Christ.

Love,

Sister Whitney Jo Williams

Hi y'all!
 I hope you are having a GREAT Christmas Season this year, and are enjoying the many festivities that occur during this time of year. I am doing great, and have had a pretty crazy week! On Friday, President Petersen kept all the missionaries inside all day. So we studied for 4 additional hours. It was nice being able to study for that long but it was hard staying inside all day. This week we have also been on bike week so we have been walking on ice. They don't have snow plows here so that's been interesting...I am grateful for the snow though because I wasn't sure that I would see it for 18 months! 

 I can tell that some amazing things are going to start happening in this area. We are working a lot on re-activation, and our efforts are working. We had two really neat experiences with Less-Active / Part-Member families. We went and visited Sister Lowtharp this week, and as we shared a thought it was great hearing her bear her testimony. We then stopped by her house later in the week to help her clean her house. As we did this she mentioned to us that she knows that she needs to start coming back to church. She brought up her concern about how her husband who hasn't been attending church for about 3 to 5 years. Is finally attending with her at Living Waters. She is worried that he might not come as she tries to come back to our church. But we testified that things will work out as she heeds God's counsel. She is really opening up to us with her concerns, and it's been a great experience being able to help her. She also is a great member missionary, talking to her colleagues at work, and I know she will be a huge asset to the church. 

 Last night we watched the First Presidency Devotional with the Browns. Afterwards, I asked Brother Brown what his favorite part about the devotional was. He mentioned that he really enjoyed Sister Wixom's talk, and the music that was sung by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. He then shared with us how at Thanksgiving. He had a great missionary experience with sharing our true beliefs with his mother-in-law. He shared that she had some misinformation and he felt good being able to clear some of that information up. 

 We found a really neat couple this week; Park and Lynda Leathers. Everything Park has a belief of is found in our church even though he doesn't fully know it yet. He hasn't attended yet, but is really interested in coming. He reads from the Book of Mormon but his main hang up is that we call ourselves Mormons instead of just Christians. He also has a hard time about Joseph Smith being a prophet. So we are inviting him to pray, and continue reading The Book of Mormon. We feel that once he comes to church everything will come together for him. 

 Sister Ives and I are doing great. We are getting better at working in Unity although, we do still have a bit to go. Sister Ives is slowly starting to talk more and more, and I can tell that she is growing as a missionary because of it. Her testimony is so strong, and I can tell it touches the people that she shares it with. 

 The interesting thing about walking around in this bad weather has been that many people feel "bad" for us. They wonder what we are doing out in this weather. So we are able to get in a lot of doors and state our purpose clearly. Many haven't gone anywhere but it's been great being able to talk to a lot of people. 

 This week during studies I have been focusing on reading from the General Conference Ensign issue. It's been a great learning experience going back through all the talks. I especially like Elder Dube's talk about Looking up and pressing forward in Faith. It helped me realize that I just need to keep my faith up. Knowing that the future always contains something better and more for us. 

 I hope y'all were able to enjoy the First Presidency's Devotional last night. I was reminded through it that Christmas should be a REMINDER to keep our lives focused on Christ. It should be the season that we re-commit ourselves to be disciples of Christ. May we give Christ the ultimate gift this season. By giving him OUR WILL and complete devotion. I know that as each and everyone of us do this. We will be blessed tremendously. 

Love, 

 Sister Whitney Jo Williams

Hi y'all!!
I hope y'all had a great Thanksgiving, and enjoyed the company of family and friends. I had a great Thanksgiving, and am truly grateful that I have this opportunity to bring many of my brother and sisters the truth.
The area here is really coming along. We are finding a lot of people. But even greater news than that is that the Members are on FIRE. They are all about missionary work, and are sincerely praying to find people for us to teach. Yesterday we Spiritual Harvested into two homes that belong to the same family. The son and his wife are in one home, and his parents are directly across the street. We had a great lesson with the father; Dennis Bounds, and found out that his wife has read a little about the Book of Mormon. He told us that he hadn't so we offered him the Book of Mormon. At first he didn't want to take it because he said that he can't read very well. Well, by the end of our discussion he had the Book of Mormon in his hand, and was excited to read Alma 17. He said that he would read it when he had a break at work.

While on exchanges, Sister Hogan and Sister Ives found a woman named Kathy and her 8 year old Ashley. We went over on Saturday and had a great first lesson with them. We invited them both to be Baptized on December 21, and both said Yes. Ashley is really excited to be baptized and to read the Book of Mormon. We invited them to church but unfortunately neither of them came. Kathy had to work, and the ride situation got mixed up for Ashley. I can't wait to go back, and see how their Book of Mormon reading went.

Sister Ives is doing really great. She is opening her mouth now, and is really finding joy in the work. We are going 50/50- I will do one door, and she will do the next. There have been awkward moments at doors when she has looked at me to say something. But I have stood firm, and haven't spoken. It's interesting because since I haven't been "backing her up" she is becoming more confident in door approaches. She realizes that she can DO IT! It's amazing to see the wonderful change in her. She is becoming a Fabulous missionary, and her smile and personality really touches those we talk to. They really want to hear our message because of the excitement and energy we have been able to portray just through smiling.

Yesterday we had an interesting experience with a man named Jim Atkins. He offered him a Spiritual Harvesting prayer, and although we didn't end up doing it we had a great discussion with him. He asked for our purpose, and we stated it. He then asked if we left any media. So we left him with a Book of Mormon and Restoration pamphlet. I was able to share how likening the scriptures to myself has changed my life. Which got him excited to read The Book of Mormon. I can't wait to go back, and see how his reading went.

During studies I have been focusing on aligning my will with God's. I am really trying to make sure I am fulfilling my purpose because it's God's will, and it's what he needs me to do to help his children. In Mosiah 5 it talks about a change of heart. That those who are truly Repentant, and come unto Christ change their desires. As a result of that they become more like God. My goal this week is to continue to move forward in aligning my will with God's. To pray for guidance, and to lay down "my weapons of rebellion". To go about this work with God's mindset not my own.
May we all draw nearer to God by seeking him honestly through Prayer. As we align our will with God's we will win, and we will become the creature that God knows we can be. May we bring many to the truth by proclaiming the gospel to all those around us. May we simply "Open Our Mouths!"
Love,
Sister Whitney Jo Williams

Hello Y'all!!

I hope everyone has a GREAT Thanksgiving this week, and enjoys the company of family and friends. I am doing well, and am learning Spanish slowly but surely. I remember a few things from High School which is helpful. We have ran into one Spanish speaker so far. But a lot of Branch members have told us how many Spanish speakers are here. So we just need to find them.
The area here in Pocahontas has a lot of potential. While we haven't had a lot of success yet, I know that it will come. The Branch here is small because the majority of the branch is Less-Active. We had around 45 members there yesterday. So we have a lot of work here to do with re-activation. The Branch consists mostly of Grandparents right now. Since the middle-aged individuals aren't coming. The ward is really into Missionary Work which is exciting. They really want to find people for us to teach, and as a result we have gotten quite a few referrals. We have quite a few part-member families that we are really trying to work with right now. One consists of a 10 year old girl named Heather who is wanting to be Baptized in December around Christmas. So this week we will be starting to teach her the lessons.

My companion and I are doing GREAT! She is teaching me Spanish, and it is a great companion building activity. We are working hard to find people to teach, and to re-activate many members.

My story this week comes from my last area; Bartlett. On Tuesday we met with our investigator, Angela. When we went in and asked her how her Book of Mormon reading had been going. She said she hadn't been doing it because work, and life had been so stressful. So we read Ether 12 with her, and what happened was remarkable. The Spirit was so strong as she read. When we asked what God was telling her she wept, and said that she needs to read his word. She could feel God's love for her so strong. She kept saying how she knew God placed us in her life for a reason, and that this is the path she needs to be on.

I loved being able to "Go Vertical" this week. As I had my two hour personal devotion. I really felt a connection with my Heavenly Father like never before. I really tried to study what Heavenly Father would have me learn. I prayed and really was guided. I could really feel God's arms around me as I studied. I am loving being able to participate in the 40 day Fast- as I turn my will over to God, and try to become a new creature in him I feel strengthened. Although, I am not perfect at doing or not doing every behavior I have listed. I love being able to re-covenant with God to do better every morning and evening. I hope that this week you really thank Heavenly Father for all that you have, and seek his guidance on who you can reach out and help during this season.

Love,

Sister Whitney Jo Williams

Hi Y'all,

Well....It's to Pocahontas, Arkansas I go!! I will be opening this area with my companion and will be learning Spanish! President Petersen said that we will primarily speak English. But, there are Guatamalan people there so my companion will be a Spanish speaking missionary. I will be said to leave Bartlett because I have gotten to close to all the people here. But I know that the Lord needs me in Pocahontas.

The work here is really exploding. We had a really great lesson with Alex this week. We were even able to have Christian-one of the young men in the ward come with us. Alex was really impressed with Christian, and could tell that there was something different about him. He said that he could tell that Christian was "calm." We did the cup demo with Alex to re-iterate The Restoration. As we pulled out the cups for the death of the Apostles and Jesus Christ he said, "that makes sense!" He really like this visual aid. He understood how all the churches took what they wanted from the gospel, and mingled it with their own thoughts. It was neat having Christian there because he bore his testimony on holding the priesthood. He shared what it meant for him to hold it, and how it helps him to be a better person. We are now working on getting more young men to his lessons because he says he is just used to his old church.

This week we were able to have two great lessons with Kayla, Kayla, and Quintez. They are all 14 years old. We met Kayla Lewis about a week ago, and she wanted her friend Kayla, and cousin Quintez to learn about this gospel with her. We gave them all Book of Mormons and they were so excited to get them! We taught them the first half of the Plan of Salvation lesson on Wednesday, and on Friday when we asked them what they remembered they summarized everything perfectly. It was great to see how much they really remembered. They all had Baptism dates for November 23. But they are going to have to be pushed back because none of them were able to attend church on Sunday. They all really want to be baptized, and learn more. We tried everything to get them to church but unfortunately weren't able to get them there.

Sister Olsen and I have been getting along great! I have learned a lot from her this transfer. I have learned to be more optimistic about every situation I am in. I also have learned to not get so stressed out. That with Heavenly Fathers help I truly can do anything. It is great to see how big our teaching pool has gotten from the beginning of the transfer. I know that we were only able to do it through unity, diligence, and hard work.

On Saturday we helped Bartlett 2nd ward with a service project. During it two girls ran into the room, saying that someones car was getting towed. One of the members started yelling outside to not tow the car because we all thought that it was hers. However, it turned out to be a young girl named Tresela who purposely needed it towed because it was breaking down. We were able to give her a pass-along card, and a Book of Mormon. She is interested in learning more, and I know that she didn't end up in the church parking lot on accident.

This morning at Walgreens I was able to hand the cashier a Book of Mormon and pass-along card. She had read our name tags, and was unfamiliar with our church. She asked us where we were from, and when we said Utah she smiled and said, Utah?!? She was so excited she even gave us a hug. We just got talking and I told her how she could learn more. (See, missionary work doesn't have to be that hard. :))

This week during studies I studied Ether 12 and Moroni 7. Through these chapters I really recognized that Miracles are only wrought by our Faith. In order for this work to progress I need to increase my Faith. I have been struggling with Faith but I have really learned that by praying and really leaning on the Lord I can do anything. From reading these chapters I am going to focus on really praying for strength. I know that as I really rely on Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ I will be made an effective instrument in God's hands.

I hope you all are doing well. May you all continue in your efforts to do missionary work. It doesn't matter whether big or small. Every Member a Missionary!! :)

Love,

Sister W. Williams

Hi y'all!!

 I hope you are all doing well, and are in good health. I am doing GREAT, and am LOVING the work!!

 We had a lot of exciting things happen this week in this area. We had a lesson with Angela and it was do or die. She was on the chopping block. We had been praying to know if we should drop her. Or what we could share with her that could get her progressing again. Right before the lesson I felt like we needed to ask her how her Book of Mormon reading was going. She replied by saying that she hadn't been reading so I had her read 2 Nephi 29:11. I asked her what she got from the verse. She said," that we will be judged for our works". We then asked her what the second part of the verse is. We explained that we will be judged from the words that are contained in The Book of Mormon. She smiled at us because she knew what she needed to do. She said she knew she needed to "Repent" by reading The Book of Mormon everyday. We then invited her to read The Book of Mormon everyday for 5 minutes and to attend church this Sunday. Now this was a big step because in the beginning she said she never wanted to come to our church. At first she kept telling us that she probably wouldn't come. But we just kept telling her that we would call her Sunday, and would see her at church at 10:00 a.m. The good news was that She Came!! We asked her what she thought about it after Stake Conference, and she said that she knew she was supposed to be there. I am so glad God enlightened our minds so that we could get Angela progressing again.

We had another investigator attend Stake Conference whose name is Alex. Alex is 17 years old, and he LOVES The Book of Mormon. He has told us numerous times that by reading it it helps to calm his anger, and he knows that it's Gods word. He is also really in tune with the Spirit because he feels it in every lesson we have taught him. He even had his cousin come to church with us yesterday! The only problem is that he was bored at church. He told Sister Olsen that he wasn't sure that he could come to church with us next week because in his "home church" they catch the spirit a lot. So this week we are going to try to get one of the young men to go to the lesson with us so that we realized that young men's will be an exciting program to be a part of.

Sister Olsen and I are doing Great. We are really teaching by the spirit now, and really love doing this work. Neither one of us dominates, and I have learned a lot from her. I have learned to always be positive and optimistic even though it may be hard at times.

This week I had an amazing experience with following the spirit. As we were driving on Tuesday to contact some referrals. A distinct impression came to my mind to visit an investigator named Dana. We had not been in touch for a couple of weeks now, but I felt like we really needed to stop by and see how she was doing. So we knocked, and she invited us in. She told us how her brother died last week and how it has been really hard for her. We then testified about the Plan of Salvation, and how he is hearing the gospel right now in the Spirit World. We testified of how Heavenly Father knows her personally because he gave us the impression to go see her. I am so glad we followed the spirit, and were able to comfort her when she needed it.

This week in studies I have gotten a lot out of Alma in The Book of Mormon. One thing that I have been trying to work on is Patience, particularly in the Lord's timing. As I have been reading Alma I have learned that I need to just keep working hard, and things will come. If it wasn't easy for Prophets and Missionaries back then it shouldn't be for me now. They went through a lot of afflictions much worse than I will ever get. So I just need to smile and bare it. I know that with God anything is possible, and as long as I keep working -things will start happening.

I hope you all know and continually remember that God loves you and knows you personally. There is no trial that he gives you that you can't get through. (1 Nephi 3:7). Continue to rely on him and look to the Savior for the comfort he can offer you through the atonement. I hope that in this season of giving we all can reach out to those who are in need of comfort and know that they are loved.

 Love,

 Sister W. Williams

Hi Y'all,

I hope you all are doing well. I am doing GREAT!

The good news about the area here is that we are finding a lot of Potential Investigators. The bad news is that not a lot of them are Progressing. This week my heart was broken when Danielle dropped us. We had a great lesson with her on Tuesday when we re-taught her The Restoration by using the cup demo. When we asked her what she learned she told us that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is the only true church. However, on Thursday the lesson started out with her telling us that she is going to follow her heart which is telling her to stick with her friends, and stick with attending the church she grew up attending. What really hurt was at the end of the lesson she again told us how she knows that this church is the only true church, and even asked Sister Olsen and I if we would come to her Baptism if she ended up getting Baptized next year. On the bright side though we met a young girl named Kayla this week who was walking home from school. We gave her a Book of Mormon and she immediately hugged it and got a big smile on her face. We also handed her The Restoration video and she said that "everyone will be watching this tonight." Meaning that she wanted her family to watch it with her. We were able to teach her the Restoration on Saturday and she seemed to understand everything really well. We invited her to be Baptized on Nov.16th and she said YES with a big smile on her face. The interesting thing that happened at this meeting was that she asked for another Book of Mormon because she said that her mom took hers to work. Kayla also told us that she had gotten in trouble for trying to read The Book of Mormon instead of focusing during class. Sister Olsen and I are excited to teach Kayla again on Tuesday. Since we are teaching her at the school because Kayla wants us to teach her friends as well. It's amazing to see how Kayla is already acting as a young missionary-she has her mom reading The Book of Mormon with her, and wants her friends to hear about the gospel as well.

Sister Olsen and I are getting along really well. She is a great listener, and genuinely wants to help me when I feel stressed. It's great to have a companion who really cares, and I feel like I can tell anything to.

This week we Spiritually Harvested into a lady who we introduced The Book of Mormon too but wasn't too interested because she has bad eye sight. However, she did have us talk to her Granddaughter because she wants her Granddaughter to come to our church, and to learn more about the gospel of Jesus Christ. I look forward to being able to teach her Granddaughter because I know that she will love the Young Women's program, and her whole family will truly benefit from the message we share as missionaries.

This week during studies I read the chapters in the Book of Moron about the Doctrine of Christ. Which are 2 Nephi 31, 3 Nephi 11, and 3 Nephi 27. I read these with the question in my mind of "Why my purpose (inviting others to come unto Christ through Baptism) should be written on my heart?" I learned that my purpose needs to be written on my heart because it is only through Baptism that we can enter into that straight and narrow gate that is the path that leads to living with God again. Also, Baptism is the way that we truly follow Jesus Christ. He has commanded men of all time periods to come follow him and be Baptized.

Love,

Sister W. Williams