Saturday, December 31, 2016

December 26, 2016

Merry Christmas!

This week has been crazy! We have taught so many lessons my head is spinning, I, however, have loved it! It is my favorite thing to be productive and feel like I am making a difference in someone else's life. We met with this less active member, she has a really hard life and has fallen on beer and cigarettes to supplement, and up until our last lesson with her, she had no desire to quit. We talked about the celestial kingdom, and living with her parents there. By the end she was asking us how she is going to do it? The spirit was so strong and I loved it!

We also had a lesson with Dan again and he is progressing like crazy! We have gotten so many investigators this week; it is so amazing how the lord is blessing our work here in jasper!

This last Thursday we had the mission Christmas zone conference, and I talked to one of the Elders who took over my last area. I asked him how the area was and how Chestnut was, the apartment complex where we were constantly teaching, and meeting people. He told me that they were never in Chestnut. I was shocked! He then said something that may have just changed the way I will do missionary work, he said: "Why would I want high maintenance, low hanging fruit?" I looked back on my experience in J-town, and as I went through each investigator I had, I realized that was all I had, high maintenance people, who always fell through when things got tough. So I talked my comp about it and she and I agreed that we can't knock every door, just to get cold people who are already stuck in their faith. We needed to find the prepared. So we are going to do the Praith thing again. (Pray in faith, that the lord will guide us to the houses that need the gospel) We are super excited to try it out with this mindset! If any of you missionaries try it, let me know how it goes, because IT WORKS!!!

Christmas was amazing!! We spent pretty much all of it with the Scott's! I love them so much!! They are so funny and relaxed that I felt like I didn't have to hold my breath around them. They really made an effort to make it special for us!! We took all of our presents over to there house so we opened everything up with them, it felt like home being with this family, so that was really special! At church, one of the speakers couldn't make it, so I ended up impromptu speaking; this is two weeks in a row that I spoke in sacrament meeting! J

I loved getting to talk to my family! I missed them so much, and getting to see all of them, and talk with them was so incredible! Talking to my family was the highlight of my Christmas! I love them so much and am so grateful that I have a forever family, and although I don't get to see them right now, I can see them for the rest of eternity.

Thank you to all who sent me cards, and presents, I have the greatest support system on the planet! I love you all so much!

-Sister Williams









December 19, 2016

Family and Friends,

This week has been crazy busy! I feel like I haven't had a second to breath. We have been teaching non-stop. We have dropped Yasmani and Alberto, and have picked up four more. I feel like we continue to cycle through investigators week by week and my head is reeling! 

We taught this guy named Dan. We knocked on his door and he kind of creeped us out because it was dark, so we handed him a card and then left. Surprise! He called us and we went and taught him with a member there because we thought he was creepy!! Turns out we were completely wrong!!! He is the nicest guy ever and so prepared!! I love it!! The work is progressing like crazy!! I am so excited!!! It snowed here and it was awesome! It was Hermana Spencer's first so snowfall so it was a momentous occasion to say the least!

If y'all are not doing #lighttheworld, then get on that! It has blessed my life so much, and it will bless yours!!!!

I love y'all!! Merry Christmas!!!!!
Sister Williams














Friday, December 16, 2016

December 12, 2016

Hey y'all,

Jasper is still so great! We have the greatest people in our ward and it is awesome!  We literally dropped everyone this week but 2 people, we are now growing our teaching pool and it is going great! We got 5 new investigators and so things are looking up! We had a meet the Mormons movie night, and tons of people from the ward showed up as well as a few non-members! It was a huge hit and it was loads of fun! There was this lady I taught a week before, well, her sons showed up, one was 9 and the other one was 11. After the movie was done the 11 year old walked up to us and asked how he could become a Mormon?! I got all excited and we told them, and then we realized that they were in the elders area....:/  It still is so cool and that will be awesome if their mom gives them permission to be taught.

So because we dropped everyone/they dropped us, we were trying to think of any way we could grow our teaching pool. I remembered then about something that my cousin did, called prayth (pray in faith). We got out our map and our pins and we prayed to Heavenly Father to guide us to a street that he would have us go. We both put our pins in the board, and set off! When we got to the street that I had chosen we walked down it and the 2 house we knocked on, a lady opened the door and invited us in (no one ever does that), we told her that we were the missionaries, and she told us that she knew that, and that's why she invited us in! So it turns out that she was the mom of a member in our ward and she had taken the discussions before. We asked if we could share a message with her, and she agreed. We started to teach her the restoration, and she got hung up on the priesthood, we taught her and the spirit was so strong! I don't think that she wants to be taught right now, but I think that the lesson may have softened her heart to hearing the truth. So long story short, prayth works!! Whoo!
I am getting so pumped for Christmas it's crazy! I feel like the closer we get the more willing they are to listen!!!!
I love you all!!!!!!!!
-Sister Emily Williams

Pictures:

1. Me petting a stray cat
2. Sister Spencer and I are reindeers
3. Random selfie
4. Zone meeting
5. Sister Makasini, my trainers, trainer, aka mission grandma
6. Tired after exchanged and so this is how we looked, haha
7. Weird nightgown that was left in our room

8. Me in Santa Claus, next to Santa Clause









December 5, 2016

Hello wonderful people!

So I am officially settled into my new house in jasper, yes that's right, a house! And it is HUGE!!!!! I love it so much!! We live with a member named sister Staley; she is so wonderful! We have the entire upstairs to ourselves, and it is awesome!!!! My new comp is Hermana
Spencer, and I love her to death!!!!!!!!!! She is the most happy, caring, loving human being that ever walked this earth! I am loving it here so much!

I have learned that most of the work that goes on here is trying to reactivate the members that have gone either less active or inactive. But it is great because we get to remind them of the testimony that they once possessed and see that fire in their eyes once more! We are able to be constantly teaching because of this and I love it! We have a couple of investigators but we teach them the first lesson and then they won't let us in the door a second time. Yesterday we dropped 8 of our investigators alone. It was hard but I know that it is necessary so that we can find the ones who are ready and wanting to hear the gospel.

Spanish work is so crazy cool I have loved it so much! They are so humble and kind and so patient with me as I attempt to learn Spanish! One of the Spanish families in there prayer, in Spanish so I didn't know this until after, blessed me that I might have the spirit with me as I learn how to speak. They want to communicate with me so bad, but it is hard to understand. I am able to pick up on major words so that I can kind of follow the conversation. But the fact that I am able to do that alone is a miracle! Hermana Spencer has been teaching me. I can now say the churches name, some simple words, and a prayer in Spanish. In a week, that is pretty good!

There was this really cool missionary moment this week, so we were over at a recent converts house to do service. Hermana Spencer was going to the hair of the recent convert who was going through the temple that next day. So we were over there, when a women and her son walked in and asked this recent convert for a favor, he immediately took it as a missionary moment. The women broke down in tears, and I was able to teach her with the recent converts help. It was difficult at times because Hermana Spencer wasn't able to help, because she was in the next room cutting hair. So I had to solo teach. I gain a testimony that day of how much we need a companion to teach the gospel. But the spirit was so strong, and it was awesome! Unfortunately she is in the elders’ area, so we had to refer her over.

Anyway I am so happy! I LOVE my new comp (still miss the old one)! I know that it is through the gospel that we are able to feel true and lasting happiness, and if you feel that you are lacking anything in your life, first evaluate your relationship with Heavenly Father. We could be of the most humble means and still feel an outpouring of happiness and love when we are close with our Heavenly Father. I love you guys so much!

❤❤❤ Sister Williams
Of the GKLM/ Indiana?
New address:
2250 Saint Charles Street

Jasper Indiana 47546