Sunday, March 8, 2015

Week Ninety Three - Softening Hearts and Cold, Utah-Like Weather in Dallas!

Utah-like snow!

David and Amber!


Hi!

Thanks for telling me about y'all's week!  I am happy to hear that Dad is busy, there are some good missionaries in our area, and all is well!  All is well here in Garland as well.  The weather has been terrible all week; we got rain, ice, and some real, almost Utah-looking snow, all week.  So we spent a lot of time in the apartment, unfortunately, as well as walking around on the ice, working in the area around our apartment the best we could.  So I don't really have much to share with y'all this week.  But considering the weather conditions, we had a surprisingly good week with lots of lessons!  We received lots of support from members in driving us from lesson to lesson. 
   I would like to tell y'all about a lesson that we had with a man named Martin.  Martin is the father of a family that we have been teaching.  We have been teaching nearly everyone in that family, but never together.  They are always so busy with different work schedules and never found together at home at the same time.  So one day we will teach Mariela, the daughter, and the next we will teach Rosalba, the mother, and on the weekends we teach David, Mariela's brother.  Before this week we had never been able to teach Martin, the father.  David and Mariela and Rosalba had always told us that Martin is mean, stubborn, unwilling to listen or change, and he has "un caracter muy feo".  They tell us not to come over on certain days, the days that he is home.  Elder Keller and I had a couple of run-ins with him, where he didn't invite us in, and he wasn't really nice, but he wasn't rude either.  Well this week we were finally able to sit down with him when we went over to teach Mariela.  He wasn't really grabbing on to everything we were saying, but he was listening and we had a good chat.  At the end of the lesson, we invited him to offer a pray.  It took some convincing, but he did say a prayer, and it was a very sincere prayer, and he even got emotional toward the end.  Once he said amen, it was very quiet for a minute.  Mariela and her younger brother were shocked to see their dad cry.  The Spirit was felt strongly, and I know that Martin's heart was softened that day. 
   I just love how simple it all is!  God is so anxious to do His part; to speak to us, answer us, help us, and bless us!  Our part is so simple, maybe not always easy, but simple - read and pray with real intent, and do what he asks of us.  That's it!  As people do this, I have no doubt that they will be filled with the Spirit of God, their hearts will be changed, and their lives will be blessed in great and obvious ways!  It really is a small price to pay.  A bargain is what it is!  That experience was a testimony builder/solidifier for me to see again that this really is God's work.  All we need to do as members and missionaries is teach people how they can let God work with them, and seek out those that are willing to let it happen.  It is God that teaches, softens, changes, and converts people to His gospel and His plan. 

-I've had a bit of a cold this past week, but nothing that's slowed me down.
-Yes, Randy is the kid that Sister Wyss referred to me.  
-We just found out that Elder Foster will be coming the 13th and 14th.  Super exciting!  
-I haven't seen Sister Wyss since I got to Casa Linda.  She is in a neighboring zone, but we haven't crossed paths.  I'll probably see her at the Elder Foster meeting.  

Sorry this past week wasn't too exciting.  This week will be more eventful, with Elder Denos's birthday tomorrow, along with a follow-up training meeting, MLC on wednesday, and a zone meeting on Friday.  I love meetings!  Thank you for the reminder, Mother.  I've thought about it in months and weeks, but I hadn't gotten down to days yet!  It is hard to believe that we are already in March.  It's pretty exciting!  But I try not to think about it. Have a great week and know that I love you all to Kolob and back!  Thanks for all of your love, prayers, and support!  

Elder Williams 

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