January 2, 2017

Hey family and Friends!

So for the New Year, our mission is doing something called purifying.

We start with a fast, and during that fast we write down anything that comes to mind that your doing that you need to stop doing to feel the spirit completely in your life. And then for about a month you don't do any of the things on your list. And by the end, you will have aligned your will with God's and miracles can occur because of it. I am so excited to do this! I know that if any of you would do this that you will be blessed so much for it!

So this week I have learned a lot. We have been teaching more than I ever have in my life, and I have officially hit my "I care a ton about these people" stage. Before it was like it wasn't my area, I was still an interloper. Now I feel a part of this wonderful area, and I feel so close to the members. I am involved in their lives and am a part of the things happening there, and I love it. But for the first time on my mission, my whole heart is invested in the people of this area. I have found that my prayers are focused almost completely on them. My love for these people is so intense that I hurt when they slip up or make mistakes. I now understand Nephi, when he said:

"For I pray continually for them by day, and mine eyes water my pillow by night, because of them; and I cry unto my God in faith, and I know that he will hear my cry." Just yesterday, a lesson didn't go as it should and one of our investigators hardened his heart so much it was like teaching to a brick wall. He has so much hurt from his past that he is bitter and mad at the world.  On the long car ride home I cried, because I realized that I wanted this for him more than he wanted it for himself, he has written himself off as broken and unable to change. That has been hard, but I realized that I need to feel this way, I need to feel so much love for my investors that I want to be a better missionary, It motivates me to do everything in my power to help him.

Dan is going great! He came to church this week and loved it! He is progressing like crazy! We have picked up so many investigators that I have a hard time remembering all of there names, that is kind of a novelty but it's fun! Hermana Spencer is still as awesome as ever! I love her to pieces!!

Love you all so much and pray for you always!

❤ -Sister Emily Williams

Sister Spencer rolled me up like a burrito haha!!

Indiana at its finest

Cute little family in our ward

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

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