Week 14 - Hermitage

This week was pretty stock full of miracles! We were finally able to come in contact with investigators and possibles that we have been trying for the past months. One was a former that has been investigating the church for 10 years. But because of things like her husband and now their family business, she hasn't been able to come to church. But we finally came in contact with her Saturday and met with her and talked about her life and how she loves this church. She just has to figure out how she can change her business schedule so that not only she doesn't have to work sundays, but also all her workers. She says she wouldn't have a clean conscience if she made them work and didn't work with them. She is so kind and I really think if we can help her figure that out, she will be baptized the next day basically! She's so awesome!

The next person was a house that we knocked forever ago and they answered and the chat went really well. But after that we couldn't ever find them at their house. Until Wednesday, when we taught her the restoration and she had a ton of really good questions and knew the answers we were telling her were true. Then we set up a return appointment for Saturday and it was another great lesson. We read 3 nephi 11 with her and talked about other things about the restoration. The spirit was totally there. And when we ended, we taught her how to pray and invited her to kneel and pray with us. It was probably the most sincere prayer I've ever heard! She was bawling and I was too because of how strong the spirit was. I really hope that she will continue to have spiritual experiences and eventually be baptized. I really think she will! There were so many other little points that I could see the hand of the lord in our week, but those were by far the greatest! I'm so happy to have this opportunity to be a missionary and I have already learned so much, and I'm just starting. I can't wait for the adventure that's waiting ahead.

Tuesday we did splits with members and I was in charge of our English class during it. But no one showed up so it ended up being an hour and a half of an 80 year old member teaching me Spanish. He started with the basics and I couldn't figure out how to get him to teach me the stuff I needed so I just started asking about his conversion story. It was so much fun just to talk to him and it probably helped my Spanish more than just sitting and watching.

I think that's basically it for this week. The rest of the time was filled with tracting and not really promising lessons with investigators. But it was a fun week and this week is going to be amazing! We aren't allowed to tract thanksgiving so we can have 3 dinners for 2 hours each, play football for an hour, and unlimited service. It's going to be so fun. I can't wait.

I'm definitely going to be missing all the food back home though. Especially the potato rolls. But it's ok. I can have them when I get back.

Con amor,
Elder Williams

Week 13 - Hermitage

Howdy mi familia!
This week went by so fast! But it was filled with a lot of good stuff!
Mostly because we had a lot of service and meetings. To start off, on Tuesday we went to the bishops storehouse to do service. And we were there from 7:30-3. It was super tiring but sooooo rewarding! I loved seeing all the people it was helping and also just knowing how many families would be helped with all the food they have there. That took up most of the day and we didn't even get into proselyting clothes until 4, so that was a little weird. What's crazy is the missionary area that we were covering for does that every single week on Tuesday.

I don't know how they have energy the rest of the week. Haha The next day we had zone meeting, which was just a super long meeting about how we can all get better and be better teachers. I learned a ton of really good stuff, but it was still really long. We were trained about the Christmas initiative this year and I'm so excited to use it to spread the light of Christ! It's going to be amazing!
then the next day we helped a nonmember family move into our area from the ap's area. It was just us and the English elders moving in a huge uhaul truck. But somehow it only took us like 2.5 hours. And that was with putting all the furniture exactly where they wanted it, which was a little annoying. The ap's had 6 elders helping them and it took them 5.5 hours. So I don't know how that worked but somehow we were flying.

But then we ate dinner with them and asked if we could come back and teach them a little. They said no, which was a little disappointing and surprising. But it's their agency so can't be mad.

Friday was a really good day. We had an appointment with David and Julie. And it started out like it was going to be a train wreck, because our member was going off topic so much. But somehow we pulled it back with a lot of help from the spirit and got a really good plan of salvation lesson in. At least half of it. But we got to the purpose of this life and asked if they would be baptized on the 25th. They were hesitant, so we watched a quick video about the power of prayer and then invited them to kneel with us and pray to get an answer right then. While Julie was praying I was pleading with the lord to have them feel the spirit. And my body was just overtaken with the spirit.

I didn't know if it was just me or if it was really the spirit until after the prayer. I opened my eyes and Julie was bawling. She said that she was going to be baptized on the 25th. I'm so excited! It's going to be hard to fit half the plan of salvation, all of the gospel of Jesus Christ, and the commandments into 4 lessons, but I think we can do it with a little help:) we didn't see them at church yesterday, so we are going to figure out what's up and try to get them there next week. They just need to go one more time to qualify for baptism. So pray for them! They are so close!

Saturday we taught a couple full restoration lessons which is crazy because normally we can barely teach half of it before they start asking thousands of questions. But they seemed to go pretty good and we will see how they are going this week.

Yesterday we finally met an investigator that the whole branch knows and wants us to baptize her. She is basically ready to be dunked today, other than that she works 24/7 which is why it took us a month and a half to come in contact with her. She was really close to being baptized 10 years ago but her husband stopped letting their family go because of the word of wisdom lesson. But her husband died last year and so she said there is no one holding her back, just the family business that she now has to run. So we are going to work with her on that.

Thank you all for your prayers and support, I can really feel it. I love you all!

Con amor,
Elder Williams

Week 12 - Hermitage

Hola familia!
So we got transfer calls Saturday. We weren't worried because they don't really split up trainees/trainers. And the other two elders in our district didn't get changed either so we are excited. We have a lot of fun together on pdays.

So for the week not much really happened. But there were a couple awesome experiences that I could really see the lords hand in our work.

Wednesday night I saw a miracle unfold. It all started two Wednesdays ago. So we had a member who was supposed to go out with us but he got the flu and couldn't come. But he said that he would come with us the following Wednesday. Then we had an appointment with a part member family on Tuesday, that they cancelled and moved to Wednesday. And that member ended up being the perfect person for it. This guy is an eternigator who has been investigating the church for 10 years now. His one problem is he wants to have some physical evidence that the Book of Mormon actually happened. And when he said that the member started giving him some. And the investigator was super surprised because before everyone had just told him he just needs to have faith. This member actually started to address his concern and even ordered a book that explains a lot of solid evidence that it really could have happened. We are going back tonight to address more of it, but if all of that hadn't happened, he probably wouldn't be progressing still. He still has a way to go but this could finally be the start to him getting baptized. His daughter gets home from her mission in December and he really wants to get baptized soon after, he just needs to really believe first.

Then on Friday we were in an area knocking doors and not having any success. So we said a prayer if whether we should go somewhere else or keep knocking. We decided to leave for somewhere else. The second we got out of the fenced area there, Elder Webster's tire popped. So we couldn't keep going. So we went back in and knocked a random door. And it was the first Hispanic we had found all day. I just thought it was really cool, because god isn't going to let us miss someone who is possibly ready. It was kind of a really funny miracle. I was laughing really hard. But God will work in mysterious ways to make sure it happens.

We finally got back in with Davíd y Julie after 2 weeks! We were expecting to get dropped or have to really work in the importance of having us over. But the lesson went really well and hey just explained why they couldn't meet with us or go to church. Basically life happened. But we invited them to baptism again and they said they want to know more before that. We didn't see them at church but we will continue working with them and have faith:)

Yesterday was kind of a disappointing day as far as missionary work goes. No one showed up to church and we couldn't find a single Hispanic for the 3 hours we could work. But it was a good day because we fasted and got to hear from the whole branch and their testimonies. It's a great way to get good at switching between dialects fast:) and also after church every fast Sunday the Hispanics here have a lunch in the gym. It's the greatest thing ever. I ate probably 2 pounds of homemade crab salad. So good. I think we should do that back home. Just an idea haha.
But that's basically it for the week! Love you all

Con amor,
Elder Williams