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| Elder Crockett and David at the church for conference. |
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| David hangin' out waiting for an investigator that didn't show. |
Happy Monday!
It's weird, I think it's safe to say that typically Mondays
are the most hated day of the week by the majority of people. NOT AS A
MISSIONARY! I literally smile from ear to ear all day. Tengo GOZO en
mi alma hoy!!! So first off, I did get your
package, and I am terribly sorry for spacing on that last week and
causing you a bunch of stress and worry. I thought it was old news and I
had already told you about it! But thank you, everything in there was
exactly what I needed. The flask is perfect.
You are the best! Secondly, congrats cousin Ryan! I am so happy for
him. I was thinking about all my cousins the other day. I really wish I
would have read their emails and followed them when they served. Even
Tom too for that matter. I could have had
such a better idea of what a mission was and how to prepare. I am
thankful for their diligent examples to the baby in the family. FELIZ
CUMPLIANOS EMILEE EN VIERNES! I hope you still have a letter to open
that day. Enjoy your big day! I laughed at the
missionaries coming over. Hearing stuff like that is so different now
as a missionary. I can relate! Did they just come over to share a
message or did you have them over for dinner? I'm glad Toby got some
company! Squirrels are everywhere here, Toby would
go absolutely bonkers! Weather here lately has been just splendid. I
could probably live in Texas if it was October year round! Saturday was
my first day in Texas where I actually thought about putting a jacket
on. I didn't necessarily need one, but it
was dark and grey and windy with some misty rain. It was very
refreshing!
On to my week. This week was pretty stinkin fantastico! Elder
Crockett and I are starting to get along really well. We are actually
becoming amigos! He has a very serious girlfriend that he is planning
on marrying as soon as he gets back. Her birthday
is actually on Thursday. I am going to write her a letter telling her
how great Ellder Crockett is, and then I'm going to tell her not to
marry him until may so I can be Elder Crockett's best man. Just
kidding, we aren't that good of friends, but I am going
to tell her to wait so I can come to their wedding! When Elder
Crockett is in a good mood, he is lots of fun. The only thing is that
up until now, he was rarely in a good mood. So we are really gellin
right now. He gave me a haircut the other day. It's
not the best, but it was free and I am at least presentable.
We helped a guy named Bobby move the other day. You can't
serve in Lakewood without becoming friends with Bobby. He has been a
member his whole life, but you wouldn't guess it when you look at him.
He has big earrings and a lip ring, and he wears
a fedora to church on Sundays. He has multiple personality disorder
and he always tells us that we don't want to meet Fred, who is
apparently his "evil" personality. He is an interesting guy to say the
least, but of course we were happy to help him. He
likes the missionaries.
We had dinner with Mike Rivas the other night. He is a
member, ward missionary, with a long and dark history in the Navy. He
is another interesting fella, but he too loves the missionaries. He
lives in a little hut type a thing in the back of
someones house. It's a neat little place! He bought us Chinese. The
whole time we were eating I was eying a pull up bar in the corner; one
of those you put in a door frame. I knew he was too old to use it, so I
asked him if he did, and he didn't, so he
gave it to me! Exactly what I was hoping for all along. Score! Then
on the way home from his place, a very strange guy stopped me and asked
for a Mormon Bible. In return he gave me his preferred book of
scripture, the Bhagavad Gita. I love collecting
treasures like that! He lives in a Hindu temple, had a buzzed head
with a few long ones on top, and had meditation beads in his hand with a
funny little sack over his hand. Too odd and too into his religion to
take the time to try to set anything up with
him, but he's got the Book he needs, and I'll let the Lord take care of
the rest. The people you meet in Dallas... haha!
So I'm in a really difficult area right now, for Spanish
elders at least. I've been talking around, and it seems like Lakewood
is an area that missionaries come to, not having high expectations, and
with that attitude that they just need to suffer
through their time here and pray they don't stay here too long. It's
difficult because it is an English ward. We have multiple investigators
tell us that they would come if they could actually understand what is
being said. Sometimes it feels like I'm working
toward a lost cause here! So Elder Crockett has turned our focus to
less actives and English speaking Hispanics. We aren't having much
success with that either. People just don't want to keep their
commitments! They don't want to put in the effort needed
to get their own personal answer. It is very frustrating, but we did
find this kid a couple weeks back named Luis. He is 20, plays college
soccer, and is already about to graduate college somehow. He is
different than anyone I've ever talked to here. The
first time we met him we asked him to read a chapter in the Book of
Mormon before we came back. We went back a week later and he actually
read! Not only that, but he had even started to mark verses with a
highlighter!!! He asked us to come over every Thursday.
He is golden! The hard part is that he leaves town every weekend for
soccer, but soccer will be over soon and then he can start coming to
church! I have very high hopes for this man and I can see him going
somewhere. He needs your prayers! Luis Moren.
The highlight of my week was, of course, General Conference! I
have been looking forward to that weekend for months it seems and it
went by so fast, it's already over! I was really excited for it, but I
didn't enjoy it as much as I thought I would.
It made me kinda homesick actually. Watching conference at home on the
couch with my Padre is much better, and then going to Priesthood
session with the same guy, and then going out to eat with all my amigos
in the ward. Or something like that. What did
you do for conference pops?? I hope y'all watched it! Even though it
just made me miss home, I still loved it. For the first time in my life
I spent 10 attentive hours watching General Conference. No naps! We
watched it at the stake center in the chapel.
I almost had to watch in Spanish due to sound issues, but thank
goodness it got fixed and I could watch in English. There were like 8
other missionaries there, and just a few members. But it was a nice
break and I learned tons. I wrote down 6 questions
prior to conference that I wanted to be answered by the speakers, and
they were all answered! I have no doubt that those men are inspired men
of God. There is no corruption in the leadership of the church. How
could anyone watch a guy like Monson, Eyring,
or Uchtdorf speak at conference and have any question that they are
leaders of the true Church of God!?? Those guys are nearly inhuman!
President Uchtdorf is a life changer when he speaks! He gives the best
pep talks, and I think if we could get the whole
world to watch his first talk in the Saturday morning session, the
whole world would be converted to Mormonism! I LOVE CONFERENCE. I love
the leaders of this church. It was a good break, got to rest up
physically and be spiritually edified at the same
time. But now it's back to the grind! Oh, and I saw McKay and a few
other young men from the stake in the Priesthood session choir. How
neat!
Thanks again for Tom's and Ely's emails. Ely's make mine seem boring! Hahaha! But I enjoy them both greatly.
-no packages or letters this week.
-there is a mail station at the apartment where everyone gets their mail, but we all have our own little mailbox.
-I have not yet had to speak in church yet, and I would imagine
that is very rare in this ward, just because this ward is pretty strong
and they always have speakers.
-Sundays typically consist of a PEC meeting at 7:30, church from
9-12, then lunch, and then we hit the road, go to any planned
appointments we have, stop by people we know, and find nuevos
investigadores. After 1 oclock it's just like any other day.
- thanks for the quote. It's so true! One of my biggest fears is
having regrets at the end of my mission. but all you can do is work
hard! I've been trying to find a journal type notebook with thick
paper, so I can write quotes and stuff in with a
sharpie. So if you come across one, send it to me!
-I put a little more thought into Christmas over the week. Here is my Christmas list:
_photo album
_an nice English scripture quad with my name on it.
_CD's, maybe of Vocal Point, Alex Boye, idk! Missionary
appropriate music, but not choir music. Individual artists that sing
positive, happy music. Or I could send my ipod home and you could put
some new stuff on there. Tell me what you think would
be easier.
_Pens. I think I'm addicted to pens. I like sharpie pens or
staedtlers for my journal writing. Maybe a nice matching pen and pencil
so I can look professional with them in my pocket. But not so nice
that I don't even want to use them!
_a Polaroid camera. I met this missionary, Elder Kevin
Helaman Walter, a man that I have the utmost respect for, that has a
Polaroid camera and it makes it look like he served 30 years ago! It is
the neatest thing I have ever seen. I'm hoping you
can find a cheap one, maybe on ebay or something. I'd imagine they are
pretty hard to find, so that is something you don't need to worry about
to much. But I just thought it would be super neat to have one!
Mother, just know that I am a missionary, and part of being a
missionary is being conservative and sacrificing. I don't need any of
this stuff for Christmas. I don't need anything for Christmas really. I
will be happy with anything you send to me!
These are nothing more than ideas.
Well, I had a magnificent week, and I think I will make this next one even better. Y'all make sure Em has a great birthday, and give Toby loves for me. I love you and miss you all, more than words can describe. I pray every night that God will let you know how much I love and miss you. Enjoy the blessed lives that we have. Recognize the Lord's hand in our every day lives. Hasta luego!
con amor,
Elder Williams
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