Fall is Here? - October 26th

So here we can´t really tell any difference that the time is passing into fall. They only really have two seasons here. It´s still hot and sunny, like always. It´s going to be interesting to be in cool weather again soon, wearing sweaters and, bueno, normal clothes in general.

Last Sunday we had the baptism of Rafael. It was a bit stressful. Saturday night Jairo filled up the font with the mission leader of the other ward but when we got to the church at 7am, the font was empty. So we had to start filling it up again and it takes forever! They had to fill it up with buckets too so that it would go faster. Rafael got baptized at 8:50 and Church started at 9:00. I´m glad that day is over!

Tomorrow Oswaldo is getting baptized. He´s one of the people that I know the Lord sent me here to find. He is escogido (chosen). We found his wife one day tracting. She has been inactive for several years and has never attended this ward for the three years she´s lived in this area. We got her coming back to church but we never really saw her husband because he worked a ton. Then finally one night he happened to come home while we were at the house teaching Yolena. He immediately committed to stop workin gon Sundays and come to church. He went to General Conference and he´s just been making all of the changes in his life to be better. He´s so humble and willing. It makes me so happy! So he´s getting baptized tomorrow and then I can finish my mission a happy missionary. And his family is so happy too! It´s amazing the light that the gospel brings to a home and to the soulds of those who live there.

I listened to a video clip of Elder Bednar this week. He was talking about being sent for "the one." He was saying that as servants of the Lord--apostle, missionary, etc--we aren´t sent to save the world or baptize the world, but we are sent to find one. Someone specific. And that one will go find one more, and one more, and one more... And that´s how it works in the Lord´s work. So Oswaldo is one of my "one"s.

I hope that all of yáll have a fabulous week. I love you all very much!

Love,

Hermana Williams

Friday! - October 18th

Tomorrow we have an activity with the ward missionaries so they changed our P-day for this week to today. We`re going to MIDUVI tomorrow with pan de guineo (banana bread) to get references. I`m basically just excited about the bread because it`s good!

This Sunday Rafael is getting baptized before church. He`s so excited and I`m so excited for him! He has changed a ton. Next weekend Milton and Oswaldo will be getting baptized. I`ll tell yàll more about them later.. they are both super special.

This week has been pretty chill. We`ve just been teaching and taking care of sick people. A lot of people have been asking when I go home. I usually don`t like to talk about it. I just tell them that I still have time here. Actually my whole group is going home a few weeks early, at the end of October. I`m staying my full time to help out with nursing. One of the elders that is leaving told me he was sorry that I had to stay longer but that the Lord would bless me for my extra time. And I was thinking--I`m sorry that you have to leave early and don`t have any more time! I guess he`s ready to go home though. Maybe I`ll be ready too... I just feel like it`s gonna be a big shock and that scares me.

But I am also super excited to apply evreything I`ve learned and to keep progressing. God has pu tin place such a wonderful plan for all of us. We just need to help everyone realize that reality--and especially the infinite LOVE that God has for each and every one of us. I wish everyone understood that. It hurts me to think that there are people in the world that don`t know their true worth. But I guess that`s why we`re here--to help each other figure it out.

I love yàll so much. I hope everyone has a great week next week. We should be writing on Saturday again. Yàll should listen to this talk from President Monson in the Relief Society session of Conference... http://www.lds.org/broadcasts/article/general-relief-society-meeting/2013/09/we-never-walk-alone?lang=eng

Love you all!!

Hermana Williams

General Conference - October 5th

Today is P-day so we only went to the first session of Conference. My poor companion still doesn´t understand enough to be able to enjoy it that much but I could get everything! I especially loved Elder Uchtdorf´s talk. I don´t know exactly what it is in English but I loved the quote--Doubt your doubts before doubting your faith. I wish I had heard that a long time ago. It might have saved me a lot of worry haha.

Everything is pretty normal here in Ecuador. I still love the ward and my companion and my president and everyone. We had two birthdays yesterday--Sarah, President Dennis´s daughter, and Hermana Blas, my old companion. So there was lots of cake going around! And I smashed Hermana Blas´s face in her cake. It wasn´t as bad as when Hermana Sanchez put my facein my cake last year but it was pretty good. I kind of felt bad for doing it but it had to happen--Ecuadorian tradition.

Recently we´ve met some cool new people and I am so excited to be teaching them. There are a lot of families to be completed here in La Florida. Hermana Lyman and I have so much fun together. She is progressing quickly in Spanish but she still has so much to learn. We laugh a lot together though. I am so grateful to be her companion in this time.

I hope that everyone has a wonderful week. Be looking for that subtle blessings of the Lord in your lives every day. He loves us so much and it really is amazing and humbling the seamingly insignificant blessings that He grants us to show this love.

I love you all!!

Hermana Williams

In Northern Territory

It looks like P-day is going to be Monday for now... Not that it really makes a difference. I`m used to things changing every other week now haha.

A new sister, Hermana Blas from Nicaragua, came to be with us this past week. But now she and I have gotten changed and we are with Hermana Ayala in a ward called La Florida. This ward was part of the North Mission. We arrived yesterday and went to Ward Council. The Bishop is pretty focused in missionary work and he expects a lot of work. That`s cool, that`s why we`re here.

Recently I`ve started rereading the Book of Mormon as a challenge from President Dennis--to finish it before November 19. I really love the books of Nephi. I think I`ve always taken them for granted. This morning I was reading in 1 Nephi 16 and 17. This is when Nephi breaks his bow and his brothers get mad and even his dad (the prophet!) starts to murmur. But he keeps a straight head and with the help of the Lord fixes the problem. And then he goes to build a boat and once again his brothers are jerks and only the power of the Lord makes them humble. It made me think about, like Nephi, even when we are being completely obedient we are going to face challenges and obstacles. The question is if we are going to let those challenges beat us or with the help of the Lord we are going to overcome the challenges. 

I hope everyone has a wonderful week. Trust in the Lord and look for his blessings daily.

Love,

Hermana Williams

Life in Ecuador Lately..

Recently Hermana Pérez and I were in a trio with a girl named Hermana Saucedo. She is from Arkansas although her parents both have roots in Mexico so she looks Latina and talks Spanish pretty well. She as only with us for 2 weeks and now she has left to be with her real trainer in the coast. It was neat to have some time to teach her and learn from her. She has a lot of faith and hope that everyone, no matter their challenges, can progress. She has a lot of love for the people.

Hermana Saucedo taught us something cool from 2 Nephi. I had never heard it before but in chapter 5 there are 6 principios por una vida feliz (principles for a happy life)...

2 Nefi 2:6- Familia (families)

2 Nefi 2:10- Obediencia (obedience)

2 Nefi 2:12- Las Escrituras (the scriptures)

2 Nefi 2:16- Templos (temples)

2 Nefi 2:17- Trabajo/Servicio (work/service)

2 Nefi 2:26- Sacerdocio (the priesthood)

When she showed this to us, I absolutely loved it. There are people in the world that are looking for some sort of secret to be make their lives happy but really the only true happiness comes from living the gospel of Jesus Christ. And it`s not anything complicated or difficult--it´s simply being obedient to the commandments of the Lord. He takes care of the rest.

We are doing alright here in Colón. The members are so awesome and every day we get to know new people that are also wonderful. I love being able to feel how much love God has for the people we meet and teach. It is such a comfort to know that He loves us all perfectly, that nobody is ever too far out of reach for Him.

I love being in the mission and I love the people that I am serving with--members, non-members, missionaries, President, etc.--they are all so great. This is God´s work. I love you all and I hope you all have a wonderful and happy week. :)

Con mucho amor,

Hermana Williams

Agosto!!

I can´t believe the summer is over! These last couple of months have really flown by. I always joked around with my old companions, counting down their time until they went home and now the joke is on me.

This past weekend we had the baptism of Alancito in our ward, Colón. His family has been less active for a while and are just coming back to church. It´s been super special to watch their pogress as the family reactivates and Alan´s baptism. They´re remembering all of the stuff that they had forgotten--that families can be eternal, that through the Atonement we can be cleansed of sin, the peace that comes from being in Sacrament meeting on Sunday. I am so happy for them.

Also, I love this barrio we´re in--Colón. I especially love the baptisms here. For Jesús, Gabriela, and Alan, they all had such special services. And the people in the ward here sing really well. I guess it has to do with the acoustics of the room where the baptisms take place... but when the members harmonize, it literally sounds like there are angels singing with us. And I´m sure they probably are. These have been some beautiful experiences.

Not much more to report here now. All is well in Ecuador. I hope everything´s going well for all of you at home. Love you all tons!!

Hermana Williams

From July 8th.

Hey!! So today we are starting our second week as the Guayaquil West Mission. We have three stakes from the South Mission and I think five from the North. It`s pretty much the coast of Ecuador. I`m here to help out as the nurse. It`s really cool to be part of a new mission. I`m grateful that I got to see most of the South of Ecuador (Milagro,South Guayaquil, Machala, Cuenca) because now all of those cities are outside of my mission and I can never go back before leaving.

My new mission president is President Dennis from Utah. His parents are from Mexico. He and hsi wife are extremely awesome. They had conferences with all of the zones last week. When they spoke to us the first time I almost cried. They love the missionaries (us) so much, you can feel it so strongly when they`re with us. I`m really happy and grateful to be serving with them.

Right now I`m in a ward called Colón in Guayaquil with Hermana Sanchez, my companion from a few months back. The ward is super awesome-- the members and the area. It`s  blessing to serve there.

It`s weird to think that I have less than 5 months left here. I have mixed feelings when I think about the clock ticking down.. One thing that President Dennis mentioned to us was our time.. Our time in the the mission as well as the time we have in this life. If we waste it, there`s no going back. If we choose not to take advantage of opportunities, more than likely they aren`t going to come back to us. So we need to choose to do the will of the Lord today so that tomorrow we`ll be that much closer to who/where we want to be.

I love you all and I hope yàll have a great week!!

Con mucho amor,

Hermana Williams