August 12

Dear Elder Williams,

 

Thank you so much for the birthday card. I felt very special and had a wonderful day. Saturday, Dad took me to see a Shakespeare play, Loves Labour's Lost, and we went to a new French bakery in town where we ate eclairs and creme puffs. It was a lovely day. On Sunday, Dad spoke in church about your mission and it was really special. You have had a great experience and grown so much while serving the Lord and his children. I'm so happy you made the choice to go on a mission and I'm so proud of you for giving it your heart and soul.

 

I've been doing some good reading lately. I promised the girls that I would read Harry Potter this summer, so I've begun the journey. I know that it is a favorite of you and the girls, but I'm a fan of Tolkien and Lewis. It's been kinda fun to read it though. I've also read The Tao of Pooh. I loved it because it explained the philosophy of Taoism, Buddhism, and Confucianism so succinctly and plainly. It was adorable because it was told with Winnie the Pooh as the protagonist. I've also been reading Plato's Republic. I'm using commentaries to help me understand it, but I can really see so many references to our modern life coming from the dead Greek philosophers, and it's been really interesting to see the connections.

 

Thank you for your input about the Book of Mormon and Bible being figurative or literal. I've been listening to some podcasts and one that Doug Fabrizio did talked about this subject. I was a bit jumbled about it. I know there are many metaphorical references in the Bible, like when Jesus says he is the vine or the door, but I believed that people like Noah, Jonah, Alma, etc. were real people. However, many folks don't believe that. They believe that scripture is just allegory to teach principles. So anyways, I appreciate your testimony about it. I read the Book of Mormon everyday and it strengthens me.

 

My garden is exploding with produce and I've been able to share it with a lot of neighbors. The Lord is good to us.

 

Tell me about your new area, companion, the ward, and how you like it. We love you and pray for you always.

Love,
Mom (who is now officially 43 years old) :)

 

 

Dear Mom,

I'm happy that you had a good birthday. I didn't do so well remembering everyone's birthday last year, so I'm trying to redeem myself, haha.

I would love to read the Tao of Pooh, especially since I've loved him since I was a young lad. Just wait, Harry Potter will grow on you.

I've talked to so many people who think that the Bible is figurative. They miss out on the security and clarity of truth.

I'm glad the garden is doing well. A few people have given us canned peaches, and it reminded me of yours. I've even been cooking some zucchini that some members gave us, ha ha.

I really like my new area. The people are really friendly, and I feel like it has a lot of potential. I'm excited to work hard and see some miracles. The ward leadership is great. They gave us a lot of time in ward counsel and we are starting a Preach My Gospel class every Thursday with their support.

Elder Kunz is from Bear Lake, Idaho. This is his last transfer, so in missionary lingo I'm "killing him". It is a new experience for me. He is a smart fella, so he's fun to talk to.

I love you, Mom. Thank you for all of the prayers and support. I always need and appreciate it.

Love,

Elder Williams

 

 

 

Hey Talon,

 

I hope you are well in your new area. We are excited to get an update on what's going on with you.

 

Yesterday I spoke in church about your mission. In doing so I read through your emails and selected a few things that I thought were inspiring. It was really good for me to review. You have had amazing success from my point of view. One major take away I see corresponds with my experience working at the group home and that is that young people are searching for something to believe in. You have had a wonderful opportunity to convert a lot of young people who need the Savior in their life. Your work does so much to give hope to those who struggle.

 

Some other things I noticed is how positively you speak of the members you have worked with in all of your areas. What a blessing it is to know your recent converts will be well taken care of after you leave.

 

We celebrated you Mom's birthday yesterday. I cooked Dutch oven potatoes, steak and corn on the cob. It turned out pretty well.

 

Hope you have a wonderful week and be safe,

Love Dad

August 5, 2013

Hello Elder Williams,

 

Today is a special day, because it's our anniversary. Twenty-four years ago we were married. I can't believe it's gone by so fast. I'm glad we were married in the temple and that we've had such a good life together. It will be neat to see you and your siblings married in the future.

 

I went to girls camp this week and taught a workshop on temple marriage. So much time is spent on planning a wedding and not a marriage, so that's what I focused on with the girls. I put together a "Temple Wedding Plan" and had them write about what kind of qualities they need to be a good wife and mother, the skills and abilities they will need, and also a husband 'resume'. It's important to think about the type of person you want to be with so you can develop those qualities in yourself. Overall, I think they all really enjoyed the project. It took me hours and hours to put together, but I hope it was worth it. Aubree and Raina helped me a ton also.

 

I have a question for you: do you believe the Bible and Book of Mormon to be literal or is it more allegorical/metaphorical in your opinion? Do you know what the church's position is on this?

If you were transferred, please let me know your address.

Love you,

Mom

 

Dear Mom,

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!!!! I'm grateful for you and Dad being a wonderful example of a successful marriage. It is really neat that you were able to prepare and teach about marriage for girls camp so near your anniversary. I bet it made it extra special.

I love the focus you had in your workshop. Marriage, not the wedding. Now days we see how selfish people are when they are planning their weddings. They want all of the trappings of the world. I'm grateful that we know the marriage is supposed to be selfless. It is supposed to last through the eternities, and it is about the one you love, not all the petty frills of this world.

It's kind of funny. I went to a funeral a couple of weekends ago, and this last Saturday I went to a wedding reception. Quite the contrast. The reception was for one of the daughters of some members that I love, the Plasketts.

I believe that the Bible and the Book of Mormon is literal. It may be symbolic at times, but it is still literal. I hate relativism with every fiber of my being. Once people get into saying the Bible is metaphorical or allegorical they undermine their foundation. Too easily does it go from metaphorical, to fairy tails, to myths. Then it can be discounted. Then it has no weight.

I believe that the Bible and Book of Mormon are true in every sense of the word. Jesus is the Christ. He atoned for the sins of the world. He loves us. He will come again. We can know His will and please Him. We can be with Him again as we follow His gospel. That is what the Bible and Book of Mormon teach. That's what the Spirit has taught me.

I'm grateful that the Spirit has confirmed that in my heart. There are eternal truths. When we know them that leads to eternal life and eternal happiness.

I am getting transferred on Wednesday. My new address is:

642 Santa Alicia

Rohnert Park, CA 94928

I'm going to be serving in the Rohnert Park 3rd Ward with a missionary named Elder Kunz. I'm really excited to go, but I will miss so many of the people here in Benicia.

I'm so grateful for the chance I had to labor here. It is one of the places that I've grown the most. I've learned so much about myself. The Lord placed me here with the right people at the right time for me to have this growth.

Really, my heart is too full to describe how I feel about my time here. God has been so good to me.

I've got so much to tell you when I get back. I want to take everybody to come visit the people here. There is a family that I'm especially close to, the Fragassi's. Brother Fragassi thanked me in fast and testimony meeting. He has made so much progress in my time here. He was less active, bordering on inactive when I first got here. A couple of weeks ago he blessed the sacrament for the first time since his baptism 10 years ago. I'm so happy for him. They have been so wonderful to me.

I've made eternal friends, and I trust the leaders of the ward to take care of my converts. I know that they will do everything they can to help my people that I love so dearly.

I had a special experience on Thursday. I ran into one of our former investigators named Candace. She thanked us for teaching her, and she is doing a lot better than she was when we first started teaching her. She wasn't baptized during my time here, but I have high hopes for her in the future.

Chris got back from Mexico. He surprised us by showing up at church, and guess what. He bore his testimony about prayer and the Book of Mormon in sacrament meeting. He is so prepared and I know he will be ready for his baptismal date on the 17th.

A missionary that I'm close to, Sister Aubrey Gubler, goes home tomorrow. I met her when I was a greenie in Santa Rosa. The first thing I said to her was, "Hi Cousin!". Turns out that I guessed right. She is really close to Mandy and is related to her. We figured out that Sister Gubler and I are 3rd cousins through the Wilsons. It was pretty awesome. It's sad to see her go. Maybe you can get in touch with her through Mandy.

I love all of the missionaries I've served around here. I'm grateful for my companion, Elder Bliss. He has helped me learn and grow so much. We are opposite personalities, but I feel like this is one of my most successful and unified companionships.

Thanks for everything you do for me.

Love,

Elder Williams

July 29

Elder Williams,

The 24th festivities were fun. Everyone was very busy and involved in the activities. This week I've been very busy working on a project for girls camp. It's called, "My Temple Wedding" and I think the girls will enjoy doing it.

Dad and I went to the temple on Saturday. It was extremely busy with lots of weddings and families there. It was a wonderful thing to see and I'm happy that the temple is a busy place. I'm glad there are faithful saints participating in the work of exaltation.

I've been wondering about the young man you baptized and hope that everything works out for him. Our prayers are with him and his family.

Let me know how the work is progressing and how you are doing.

I love you.

Mom

 

Dear Mom,

I'm glad that everyone had a great time with Pioneer Day. I forgot that it was Pioneer Day. My companion had to remind me, ha ha.

I'm excited to hear how your project goes for girls camp. It sounds like fun.

Lethan is doing better than he was last week. He was confirmed yesterday, which was a huge relief.

We went to his aunt's funeral and it was a strange but educational experience. I felt my love for people grow. It's easy to get caught up in appearances, but when it comes down to it we are all children of God who go through challenges, sometimes similar ones. All lives are important to God, and we all touch the lives of those around us. God just puts us in different places and circumstances. I read something that said that God places us where our strengths and the world's hunger meet.

Elder Bliss and I got to help after the memorial service, and it was amazing to see all the different people who came. You could tell that everyone was related and had similar back grounds, but their choices made all the difference. Some of them were members, and they had a different light and hope than the people who weren't members.

Transfers are next week. I'll find out where I'm going on Friday. I'm pretty sure I'm going to be leaving Benicia. I've been here for a while. If I do get transferred, I'll be leaving next Tuesday.

The work is going well. We have a family that we are teaching that you can pray for. Their names are Keith, Kristina, Marissa, and Connor. We've taught Keith in the past, but we were able to teach his family. We've committed them to read the Book of Mormon, so we're excited to see where they are at. We are teaching them tonight.

We've also been doing something out of the box. The Napa Stake came out with a "Book of Mormon Placement Program". We've been going to businesses with magazine racks or waiting areas and asking if we can leave them. They have little cards that people send in to get a Book of Mormon.

Love,

Elder Williams

 

 

Hi Talon,

I am glad to hear from your email last week that you are well and that you seem to see some value in your work on Facebook. We were talking about it while home teaching this afternoon. The Church is smart to use social media to further the Lord's work.

We seemed to have a busy week. Raina sang in the Broadway Review. She has a beautiful voice and does well on stage. I love to hear her sing. Aubree was stuck working at Bullies a lot and then got sick after baby sitting at the Friants. It really hit her hard. Mom and the girls are gearing up for girls camp this week.

Brandt's 3 on 3 team won the championship. He really played hard and single handedly won his games. In the semi finals they played a team from Emery. The parents were livid when their boys got beat. One mom was screaming claiming Brandt's team cheated. It is ridiculous how adults can behave at sporting events. Brandt decided to play tackle football this year after saying for months he didn't want to play. The coach called me twice and talked to Brandt practically begging him to play. He wants to use Brandt as the QB, wide receiver and safety. I just hope he doesn't get hurt. I have mixed feelings about it.

Still working on the garage. It's slow going but progressing. I vow to take on no major projects for a year after it's done.

The Bishop asked me to speak in Church in 2 weeks about your mission. Do you have message you would like me to share?

We pray for you and your investigators every day. We rejoice in your successes. Your mission can be a solid foundation for the rest of your life if you use it as such and reflect upon the things you learn and experience often.

Be well son,

Love Dad