Shavua Tov

Shavua Tov Elder Williams,

 

That is Hebrew for "Good Week". I just finished reading The Chosen by Chiam Potok again, so I wanted to send you my blessings in Hebrew.

I love that book. It really opened up my eyes to Jewish culture and traditions. I also learned that anything that is true is able to withstand scrutiny and critical observation. That is what brought us out of medieval and superstitious thought... thinking, challenging, and putting a thesis to a test. I've also been reading A Leap of Faith by Bob Bennett where he talks about the authenticity of the Book of Mormon and he answers a lot of questions that come from skeptics. I believe that the Book of Mormon does stand up to scrutiny. It passes the test in many ways; however, a person still does have to exercise faith.

I've been reading the New Testament and been in the books written by Paul. He is fiercely loyal to Christ and I admire his courage. I don't like the things he has said about women though...I guess you have to look through a historical lens when reading his writings.

How is the work progressing? Do you have any people that you are teaching? We went to the temple on Friday, and I thought a lot about you and your people. I hope they will accept the gospel and be able to obtain the blessings available if they go to the temple. I'm so grateful for my covenants. I'm so grateful for the promises and the hope I have of being with my family forever. I love you so much and I send you my best wishes.

Love,

Mom

 

 

 

Dear Mom,

I wish I could read the Old Testament in Hebrew. I've met a few people that have out here.

I love what you said about the Book of Mormon and faith. It is so true. Actions are hollow without faith. The evidence is hollow without faith. I'm learning that faith is what makes actions meaningful.

One thing that helps me when reading Paul's writings is looking at the Joseph Smith Translation. It clarifies it a bit.

We are teaching some new people. Last week a member told us to go knock on the door of a lady named Jessica who's daughter goes to school with hers. We did, set up a return appointment, and at the end of the conversation she said, "It's like you guys knew I wanted to learn about this". It was pretty awesome. We also gave her a church tour this week and she asked how she could become a member. We as missionaries love hearing that, ha ha.

We are teaching a few other people. There are a couple of kids named Kyle and Lethan. Their baptismal date is for May 11th. They come from a really rough environment, so they could use some prayers.

We are working on getting the ward excited about missionary work, and they are starting to catch more of a vision. They are trusting us more and more.

I've been thinking about a lot this week is how profound life is. This brief experience is enough for us to be exalted in God's presence. It is composed of all these little experiences.At times it can be so hard, but to think of the reward waiting for the faithful makes me feel awe at the condescension of God. He truly is merciful and loving to provide a plan and a gospel whereby we can become clean. He is so good to me and to all of His children.

Love,

Elder Williams

 

 

 

Hey Talon,

 

We have been enjoying nice warm days recently. We are trying to get the yard in order. The winter was particularly cold so I spent all weekend fixing broken sprinkler pipes. 8 breaks in all so far and I still have 2 I need to fix. I ended up capping the main line to the front because when the new driveway is put in they will be tearing it out any way.

The garage is all framed up and I will order the shingles today. There is a lot to do right now. I am going to have to get Brandt working to help me out.

Aubree has been named as yearbook editor next year, she's signing up for a bunch of college classes. Raina was elected class vice president for next year and made Madrigals, she's really excited about it.

Later this week Brandt is starting track and field training. It's a new program ran by Raina's cross country coach. Hopefully he has fun with it.

I went out and visited 3 inactive prospective Elders. There are so many of them in the ward. It is evident that they have Word of Wisdom problems. I don't know if any good will come of my efforts but at least they will know they are being thought of.

Be well and safe,

Love Dad

Zdravstvuyte

Zdravstvuyte Elder Williams,
 

I'm greeting you in Russian because I'm reading Notes from the Underground by Fyodor Dostoyevsky. The book is hilarious with its biting humor. It is a reflection about human behavior and how irrational, ornery, and self-centered we can be. It's basically about the 'natural man' and how he is an enemy to God, to his fellow beings, and to himself. We need to overcome the man and replace him with a Godly character.
 

My favorite quote:

Dostoyevsky: "To live longer than forty years is bad manners....is vulgar, immoral."

Me: "I guess I better drink the Koolaid."

Just kidding. I thought it was very funny though...
 

The girls had an awesome weekend at state drama. They did very well and had fun. I'm glad they are focusing on the arts. I believe that art can change the world. It is a direct channel to the soul and can touch the spirit. That's why hymns, poems, and visual art is so special....it softens the heart and makes us receptive to the holy ghost.

Tell me about your companion. Where is he from? Are you finding people to teach? How is the Benicia area?

I love you and pray for you daily.

Love,

Mom

 

Dear Mom,

The natural man is a punk. I'm glad that Christ showed us the way to overcome him. I would personally be much unhappier if I didn't know how to follow Christ. The would would be much happier if they would listen to the spirit.

My companero, Elder Pearson, is from the Denver area. He has been out for a pretty long time, about 20 months I think. We have very different views about a lot of things, so it has been a real learning experience for me. I have learned a lot of lessons I couldn't have otherwise, if I wasn't here in Benicia with him.

We are working really hard, but we aren't seeing the results as quickly as I would like. I'm learning to be more patient. It has been an opportunity for me to reflect.

Now, I am much more grateful for things that I took for granted in previous areas. I can see the tender mercies that the Lord gives me much more clearly now. We saw many of them this week.

Yesterday was one of those tender mercies. We are now teaching a lady that I met my second day here. Her name is Candace and she is awesome. We had an appointment that fell through, so I felt like we should go see Candace. We taught her and she felt the Spirit very strongly. She was able to feel some hope that God still loves her and wants to bless her even though she has made mistakes. It is so wonderful to see the light that the Gospel brings to people. The Atonement is so powerful.

I really and dearly love the ward here in Benicia. The members are becoming more and more missionary minded. We had a mission farewell for one of the boys here, and the Spirit was so strong in Sacrament Meeting yesterday. We have another one next week. So, this ward will have six missionaries out, which helps us here.

I hope the kids keep doing well. I'm proud of them.

Thanks for all you do Mom.

Love,

Elder Williams

 

Happy Spring

Happy Spring Elder Williams,

 

Brandt had a birthday and is now a deacon! He is very nervous about passing the sacrament, but I'm sure he'll catch on quickly and do fine. It was a nice day having both Grandpa and Grandma Wright and Williams come up for his ordination.

 

I just finished a book by Oscar Wilde called The Picture of Dorian Gray. It is a thought provoking book about how our lives must be lived from the inside out. We think we can wear a mask and deceive others of what is in our hearts, but in truth we're only deceiving ourselves.Through self-deception, Dorian kept up the appearence of innocence where in reality he was a horrible soul and it destroyed not only himself but many others. Tolstoy said, "To deceive oneself is worse than to deceive others." So what I learned is that it is vital to live with integrity. We find this theme over and over in the scriptures. It is obedience and being virtuous.

 

You know in Hamlet how Polonious said, "To thine own self be true."; well, I think we really need to be true to God. Sometimes we don't do what is right because it's hard or inconvienent or bothersome. We need to be true to the spirit of the Lord because our flesh is weak. We are funny creatures and often want the easy way out and path of least resistance where in reality, the true path is the only one that will make us grow. It's a hard doctrine to follow sometimes.

 

Tell us about your area, your companion, the ward and members. I hope you are going to love Benicia. Did your package arrive? Abby Chesley got her mission call to Texas.

 

God be with you 'til we meet again.

 

I love you.

 

Mom

 

Dear Mom,

I'm really proud of Brandt. It is something special to have him hold the Priesthood. I've been thinking about how blessed we are to have the power to act in God's name. He is going to be a wonderful representative of the Lord while he passes the sacrament.

I'm grateful that the Lord puts us in situations where we can do some introspection and see how honest we are with ourselves. I feel like I have learned a lot about the blessings that we receive when we are honest with ourselves. The way I've seen that bless me is the more honest I am with myself, the more I realize how much I depend on the Lord for success. He can help me more when I do so.

I did get the package. Thank you for the CD and all the cards. That made it a great week. I had a pretty good birthday week. The sisters in our district make me a cake and stuff. I'll send home my SD card after I get some good pictures of Benicia.

The ward is really solid. I'm going to enjoy working with the leaders in the ward. They are really willing to help us out in the work.

It is so awesome that Abby is going on a mission. I had no idea. She is going to have the time of her life. Tell her congrats if you see her.

Love,

Elder Williams

 

 

 

Hi Elder Talon,

Greetings from Monroe. From the what I found online your new area looks nice. At least it's near the water which is cool. Let us know about your area, you companion and the ward you are serving. Do you have many investigators? How do you like being on a bike again?

We are all well here. Last Wednesday was Brandt's last ball game. We played Juab and beat them. Brandt had his lowest point game but he really played great by dishing out a ton of assists to other players on the team. All in all we had a successful allstar season by defeating all other 5th grade teams we played. I enjoyed coaching them for the most part and will do it again unless someone more qualified is willing to do it. Yesterday Brandt was ordained a Deacon. Both sets of grandparents came to share the event with him. It is good to have thier support of all you kids when these things happen.

We are waiting on the trusses to be delivered so the roof can get put on the garage. I hope it will be done the end of this week. On Saturday I took of some shingles where the new roof line will join the old. I will probably take some time off to get the shingles done and then the rest of the project doesn't need to be rushed except for getting the new driveway poured. It will mostly be a basketball court big enough to shoot 3 pointers all the way around.

Two weeks ago I started going to SLC to do my internship hours for mediation again. I hadn't done any of it for a year so I've been up there twice now and got 2 more hours done. I need 7 more hours to go then I can take the ethics test and become a court rostered mediatior. After that I will need to complete the domestic mediator mentorship so I can start doing divorce mediations.

This week the girls have state drama competition in Parowan. I hope they do well. They have worked hard at it.

I passed along your congrats to Mason Shaver yesterday. He is really excited and wishes you well. Luke Dalton returned from England last week. I think Luke Oscarson will be the next to return home.

Until next week, be well and happy as you do the Lords work.

 

Love,

Dad

 

 

Dear Dad,

The area is really beautiful. I've been lucky to serve in some awesome places.

I've been learning a lot since I've been with Elder Pearson. He is a pretty interesting fellow. He is from Colorado and has been out 19 months. We are co-district leaders together, so it has been good to learn how to lead with someone else.

Being on bike has been good for me. I'm starting to be able to crank it up the hills around here. Some of them are so steep that when we go down we go 30+ MPH. It is a trip. One thing that would be sweet is if you could send me AAA batteries. I use a lot of those in my headlight.

The ward is super sweet. The members are really supportive and they are willing to come out with us. They have great retention with baptisms here. So, they are prepared. The work has been really slow, though. It has been a time of reevaluation and learning how to work in unity with my companion. I'm learning a lot about how we need to have the same vision to work towards.

There is one part member family that I'm excited for. We are teaching a couple of their kids, and they are going to be baptized on May 25th.

I'm pretty excited to see how the new garage turns out. Send me some pictures when the project is complete.

It will be good when you get the mediation hours done. Are you still renting an office?

I am really proud of Brandt. Have all the men holding the Priesthood. It is something special. I told him to ask you to read some of the priesthood session talks with him. They were super good. How's the elders quorum doing?

I'm glad that they had a good season and you had a good time coaching the kids. Would you be coaching the 6th graders next year?

I can't believe they are coming home. It feels like they just left. If you see them, tell them hi for me.

Love,

Elder Williams

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Happy Birthday Elder!

Birthday Wishes Elder Williams,

 

I can't believe you are 20 years old! Woah...that's just crazy. I'm glad that you have grown into such a fine young man who is serving the Lord. What a wonderful experience to dedicate two years of your life spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ. I'm grateful for your selfless act of service.

How is your new area and your new companion? Are you on bikes or driving? I hope you can send your address. I have a birthday package waiting for you.

General Conference was really inspirational. Isn't it exciting that Cedar City will be getting a new temple? I loved the talks, the announcements, and the spirit that each speaker had. Elder Holland's talk especially touched me. He has such a powerful way of communicating. What were your thoughts during conference? Was there anything in particular that touched you?

Well, you are starting over again with this newest transfer, so I guess it's fitting that it's your birthday. It's a new beginning and time to work and grow. I hope you will find joy and many opportunities in the area you are called to serve in.

I love you and am so grateful to have such a fine son as you are. You are a good person with a compassionate, loving, and kind heart. I'm glad you are strong in your convictions and true to your beliefs.

Happy, happy birthday to you!

With love,

Mom

 

 

Dear Mom,

I feel pretty old, ha ha.

The new area and the new companion is exactly what I need at this point in my mission. I've got a new set of challenges, so I'm going to grow a lot in this area. I can see the hand of God clearly in my mission. I go where I need to go, when I need to go, and I'm with who I need to be. My new companion is Elder Pearson. He is from near Colorado.

I'm on bike here in Benicia. There are a lot of hills, so I'm going to get in shape pretty quick.

My new address is 801 Southhampton Rd. # 78 Benicia, CA 94510

I sent a letter home on Wednesday. You might get it today, I hope.

Conference was so wonderful. Being a missionary makes it a whole different experience. It truly can be a revelatory experience. I loved Elder Bednar's talk. I loved Elder Holland's, too. He is so powerful. The overall thing that I learned from the Spirit is being in the light, being peaceful no matter what happens. Several of the speakers talked about that, and I feel like I needed that.

Love,

Elder Williams

 

 

 

Hey Dad,

Thanks for the birthday wishes. I get more and more unlucky as time goes on. I'm starting to get a 5 o'clock shadow. Kinda, ha ha.

It really blows my mind that about a half a life time for you ago, I was born. I can't imagine what it is going to be like for me to have 20+ more years of experience. My 20 years to this point have seemed to go by so fast. I'm so grateful to you and mom and that you are my dad. Thanks for raising me up right.

I'm in a really beautiful area. It is pretty well to do, so it is clean and there are lots of pretty things for me to enjoy. I can see the bay from my apartment window. The ward here is awesome. I'm going to have a really wonderful experience working with them.

I loved Elder Packer's talk. I loved so many of them. Some of the ones by the 70's were really good too. I'm looking forward to reading them again.

It'll be sweet to see the completed garage. I bet you'll be glad that you did it.

Something that I learned in Conference is that I am going to want to spend a lot of time with Brandt when I get home. I feel like I can influence him a lot, and I want to help him learn about the priesthood and get him ready for a mission.

Love,

Elder Williams

 

Magani

Magani Elder Wiliams,
 

I hope your Easter Sunday was filled with the spirit of God. It was a lovely day here and to make it even better, after a little bit of rain sprinkled the valley, we witnessed a the covenant that God gave to Noah---the rainbow. It was vibrant and beautiful. I love the symbolism of the rainbow as a bridge from earth to an eternal sphere. I remember a Native American man telling a story of the rainbow and how we can get to it. The rainbow is elusive, shimmering, and floating just beyond our reach. However, if we look inside we won't have to be forever chasing it because we will realize that the rainbow begins in our heart.

This story reminds me that the spirit of God is not far away beyond our ability to ever reach it. It is within. We just need to allow it to shine through us.
 

I'm grateful for the atonement and resurrection of Jesus Christ and for his life. He has brought hope to the world and he is that bridge that spans the gulf for us as fallen mortals into the holy realms of God.

I hope you are doing well and that your people are receptive to the spirit. I hope they will cross the bridge and enter the kingdom of God.

I love you,

Mom

 

 

 

Dear Mom,

I had a wonderful Easter as well. It is my last one here in Fortuna and Miranda. It is a bitter sweet thing, leaving an area. I love the people here so much, but I know that God has a work for me to do in my new area. I'm going back to the Bay area. Benicia. It is going to be such a wonderful experience.

Elder Davis and I have seen so many miracles here in this last week. We found a sweet family who came to church yesterday, and we set baptismal dates with several of our investigators. Our teaching pool has changed so much in the last little bit. The Lord is truly helping us to find the elect. Even though I won't be here to see the rest of their progression, I'm so happy that I got to play a part in their walk with God.

I can't really express how much I've grown. My soul has been enlarged. I have a greater capacity to love my brothers and sisters, and my faith is becoming more and more firm.

I just finished reading Acts, and I can see over and over again how the message of Easter, the Atonement and Resurrection is the center of everything. The whole universe, and all the beings that dwell in it are dependent on the Lord of All.

I love you, and I'll let you know my new address tomorrow. \

Love,

Elder Williams

 

 

Hi,

I hope you had an enjoyable Easter Sunday yesterday. We had a nice service at church and mom made a turkey dinner for us. It was nice to have a day to remember the Savior and what has been done for us so that we can repent and return to our heavenly home. I am really looking forward to general conference next week.

The foundation for the garage is done and the framers are working on it today. I spent Saturday peeling siding off the house in preparation for them. I will be glad when it's complete and I can put the house together again. I've decided that I will do the sheet rock myself. I can rent a sheetrock lift so I don't have to do much lifting myself.

Brandt had 2 games last week. Against Beaver and Nephi. We won both games handily. Brandt played really well. At halftime in the Beaver game the other coach came over to me and commented how good Brandt is. We play Beaver again today and Nephi at home next week and then we will be done.

The girls both performed for parents last week. Aubree is in the one act play and does a dramatic monolouge and Raina does a scene with two other girls. They both did well and are competing at region later this week.

It sounds like you might be moving this week.

Be well, safe and happy,

Love Dad