Week Twenty Six - Amazing Converts and a New Friend From Murray!

My most dearest friends and family,

  Well, I am happy to hear that all is peachy and wonderful back home.  I miss you all greatly.  I think about you all often.  And it brings a sonrisa to my face hearing about the blessed lives you all live.  We had a zone conference on Thursday.  We talked about how the first point of the first lesson we share is "God is our Loving Heavenly Father".  We talked about WHY that is the very first thing we generally share with people.  We were asked to really think about what it means to us to know that God is our Loving Heavenly Father.  What does it mean to you?  I know that I have a Loving Heavenly Father, and my testimony of this has grown and is constantly growing as I recognize and realize all the things that he has done for me and blessed me with.  Because I know the God is my Loving Heavenly Father, I know that he will help me be my best self.  I know that he will prepare a way for me to accomplish what I came here to do.  I know that he will prepare a way for me to find eternal happiness.  And I know he does and will do the same for all of you!  I am grateful to have a knowledge that God is my Loving Heavenly Father. 

   Elder Haskell and I had a pretty good week.  We are spending a lot of time trying to find new people, because most of the people we meet are flaky, don't keep commitments, and don't have desires to change or even try to find out if our message is true.  I don't get it.  I wish I knew what it was like to have missionaries knock on my door and try to tell me that they have a message about Jesus Christ and His restored church that can significantly bless my life and help me with whatever challenges I am facing in life.  Why wouldn't you want to accept that?  Why wouldn't you want to learn more about this so called "fullness of the Gospel"?  Why wouldn't you want to act on our invitation to just read and go to God himself to receive a personal answer?  WHAT HAVE YOU GOT TO LOSE?!?  Unfortunately, I will never know what that is like.  We only have one progressing investigator right now.  It seems like no one else will even give us the time of day.  But I do know that God has prepared more people here  than just one, and through exercising faith and hard work, He will put them in our path. 

   Last night we had a new member of the ward come out with us.  His name is Ismael.  He just moved here with his family from Murray!  They lived by the Fashion Place Mall.  Small world!  He is from Mexico, but he is pretty Americanized.  He served a few years back in Arizona.  He is thee cooolest dude!  Last night he bashed very impressively with some JW's, he taught us a bunch of Spanish, as well as some different approaches to missionary work.  He is incredibly humble and genuine, pure and kind hearted.  I am thankful for the examples the Lord puts in my life.  The world is filled with amazing people!  The craziest part is that he is a convert, baptized at 19, and served a mission just one year later.  Sometimes I wish I was a convert to the Church.  It seems like all the best missionaries are either converts, not from Utah, or both.  Converts can relate to investigators so much better and share inspiring conversion stories.  I think it is easy to take the Gospel for granted, especially when you are born and raised in the Church.  Converts amaze me. 

   We finally got Michael Chefchis to come to church for the first time since he was baptized 8 months ago.  It was a pain in the behind though, I felt like I was looking after a 6 year old!  Luis also came to church for the second week in a row.  We went to the singles ward with him and he seemed to really like it!  There are lots of great young folks in that ward that tried to make him feel at home.  I gave a Book of Mormon card to a lady with an Albanian accent thinking it might be a Spanish accent.  Are they close or was that just a way off assumption?  We had a pretty typical week.  No real milagros, nothing too devastating.  Just another week in el campo. 

-I got the package with my pants and ring and bag and chocolates.  Gracias!  Other than that, I don't remember receiving anything else.

-You can hold off on pizza until maybe next week.  We have lots of member dinners this week.  Thanks though!  

-We haven't seen David for three weeks.  He thought he would only be in prison for a week, but he is still in there and he doesn't know when he will be free.  He tried calling me the other night, the it said it would cost 10 bucks for 10 minutes, so I panicked and hung up.  I didn't know what to do!  Hopefully he will be out soon and call us once he is free. 

-We are actually going to the Temple as a zone on the 21 of this month because we had the best numbers for the month of October.  I think the temple rule in the mission is once every six months, only when you are serving in an area within an hour of the temple.  I'm stoked to go! 

When do you leave for Brazil and when do you come back?  I'm jealous I am going to miss out on such an epic family trip, so just take lots of pictures!  The image of Dad and Toby in the orange truck driving up the canyon on a crisp fall Utah day is a beautiful image.  Haha!  but That's my week.  This is my life.  Thanks for the quote!  I'm happy to be where I am today.  I know this is where God wants me.  I love my Loving Heavenly Father.  I love the precious message I share everyday with Texans.  I love putting on a name tag everyday and standing out from the rest of the world!  I'm looking forward to another week of striving to build the Kingdom.  Les extrano y les amo bastante!  Hasta luego! 

Elder Williams