Called To Serve
Monday, December 28, 2015
Oh it was the best day ever. I LOVE YOU ALL SO MUCH! Getting to skype was the best christmas present I could have ever asked for! Oh you all just look so good and are so happy and that just made me so happy! :) I have always said, and say it all the time to Heavenly Father, that I could handle ANTHING on my mission as long as you all are happy, safe, and healthy back home. So it brought so much comfort seeing that you all were so great! and OH MY HEAVENS I could have talked to you all for 5 hours - more like forever - the time FLEW BY! I ended up going over a little bit too... sorry. I know I need to be obedient espeically with ky going to be a missionary I should set an example. So i'll be better next time BUt OH MY GOOD HEAVENS. I just love you all! Mothers day here we come!!! :) And it was so fun to see tyse!! So fun to see all of you but I havent talked to that boy in MONTHS! Oh just give him the biggest hug for me! Love him! and all of you SO much!!!
>
> But thank you as well for such a wonderful christmas. I felt SO BLESSED opening all of the presents you sent! Thank you! I definitely hung up the decorations - mom the sister stockings are the cutest things!!! and tell tyse we loved the ornaments :) , blasted the christmas music, had the sleeping potion and then have been wearing the leggings and all the other warm gear is perfect for this weather! Thank you so much! I really just was so happy and feel so blessed! I took the picture too of everything laid out for you mom so Ill send that after! But it was such a good day! We were spoiled by the ward as well! But oh i just love you all! THank you so much for making christmas so special. It was hard being away from you but the best feeling close to you through opening all of the fun things! Im praying my package gets to you soon! let me know when it does!
>
> I feel like all of the week leading up to christmas is just a blur becuase I got to see you! It has definitely been the highlight of everything! But Christmas eve was really fun! We spent the morning making cookies and brownies and then ran around like crazy people delivering them to our investigators and members and then formers and Recent converts! It was so fun! It was doing that that I really felt the christmas spirit! It was so fun to just have the oportunity to just serve this christmas. Christmas away from home is definitely different - but it was so neat to just have this christmas to be focused on serving and helping others! It was different but so special. After that we went to a christmas eve party at the bishops! We took our portugese friend too! He was alone for christmas so we were excited to get to take him with us so he could be with people as well as meet the ward! It was super great and he is doing so well! his name is Jose and on Wednesday we had the most powerful restoration lesson with him that I have had so far on my mission! the spirit was SO STRONG as we testified of Joseph Smith and at the end we committed him to be baptised. It was the sweetest becuase in his broken english he just kept asking why he couldn't do it right away - he wanted to do it that very day. But we told him it took time and we felt like he could be ready by Jan 16th. So then he went through and counted the days and hours until that day! So he is doing so well! he came to church yesterday and we will continue to meet with him and help him stay strong up to his baptism. he does smoke though pretty heavily so pray for him when we teach the WOW this week...
>
> But CRAZY STORY! The end of this week has been pretty crazy. After I finished skyping you I ran down and found sister stephenson with Joy and Martyn. She told me that she wasn't feeling really well. On christmas eve we had gone to the doctor because she had an infection behind her ear and they had given her some antibiotics that they said might make her a little queezy so we both just figured that was all that it was. BUT oh we were in for a treat! :) Joy made us some more food - the whole eating so much food is such a problem - so I painfully ate a little bit there while Sister STephenson ran upstairs and threw up in the bathroom. She came down in a panic saying she oculdn't breath and was just freaking out! She couldn't catch her breath and was screaming at the pain she was having in her stomach. Then she started throwing up again but this time it was only the bile since she had thrown up all of her dinner from before... all I can say is Thank heavens we were at joys! I would have been a mess but joy just stepped in and knew what to do! So the night went on and things ended up getting worse so around 4 am an ambulance came to check her out. We are thinking it was just a reaction caused by the meds she was taking? Im still not exactly sure what all happened but so we have been sleeping over and joys the past couple of nights while sister stephenson has been recovering. It was a crazy christmas night - really hard for sister steve- but it was fun to get to stay over at joys for me! :) She seems to be doing better today so we will probably just take it easy and hopefully be able to go out and work tomorrow! Fingers crossed. I have really learned that work is the best way to help you stay focused and be happy on your mission. SO hopefully tomorrow is a better day! :) But yeah! How crazy is that!? So its been a great week of christmas celebrations and then hanging out at joys!!
>
> But I hope you all have the most wonderful week! Can you believe that this week it will be 2016? WHere the heck has the time gone?? I feel like every year time just seems to go faster! I have been thinking over how great this last year has been. With everything from finishing my first year at BYU, to deciding to serve a mission, to getting my call and then leaving and then all of the crazy adventures since! I have had so many experiences this year that have brought me closer to my saviour and really helped me see who he is and know of the reality of his love and awareness of what he did for ME! It is such a great time of the year to be able to reflect but then also make new goals of how we can improve! I am SUPER excited to make some awesome goals to help me become even better this next year! i will get to spend 2016 as a missionary and i plan on making it the greatest by really becoming better and who my heavenly father needs me to be! And i hope all of you do it too! KY! this next year you will be amissionary too! Its just all so exciting!
> But i am just so grateful for my saviour who makes it possible for the oportunity to look back and learn and then become better! i am so grateful we have this chance to CHANGE! TO be the people that he needs us to be. Becuase of him and his sacrifice there is always that oporunity to learn from the past! I am grateful for him and his love and patience with me as i am SO FULL of shortcomings but so grateful to know that he is okay with that - that he will make them strengths for me and is always there to help me just to be better! :)
>
> BUT i hope you all have the most wonderful week! And have the chance to look back so that we can be better in the future! We can all do it and then just become even better as a family! I truly love you all so much! IT was the greatest thing in the world to see you! I am just so grateful for you love and support and know how HARD it is to be away from you. I miss you all a lot but know that what I am doing is so important and that we will all be back together again soon!
>
> HAVE THE BEST WEEK!! And I will talk to you so soon!
> NEXT TUESDAY though! Becuase of transfers! :) OH you all are just the best! ITs always the hardest to end these emails and was espeically hard to end skype... but its just cause youre the best! I love you so much! THanks for being the most wonderful family!
>
> Sister GWilliam
>
>
> But thank you as well for such a wonderful christmas. I felt SO BLESSED opening all of the presents you sent! Thank you! I definitely hung up the decorations - mom the sister stockings are the cutest things!!! and tell tyse we loved the ornaments :) , blasted the christmas music, had the sleeping potion and then have been wearing the leggings and all the other warm gear is perfect for this weather! Thank you so much! I really just was so happy and feel so blessed! I took the picture too of everything laid out for you mom so Ill send that after! But it was such a good day! We were spoiled by the ward as well! But oh i just love you all! THank you so much for making christmas so special. It was hard being away from you but the best feeling close to you through opening all of the fun things! Im praying my package gets to you soon! let me know when it does!
>
> I feel like all of the week leading up to christmas is just a blur becuase I got to see you! It has definitely been the highlight of everything! But Christmas eve was really fun! We spent the morning making cookies and brownies and then ran around like crazy people delivering them to our investigators and members and then formers and Recent converts! It was so fun! It was doing that that I really felt the christmas spirit! It was so fun to just have the oportunity to just serve this christmas. Christmas away from home is definitely different - but it was so neat to just have this christmas to be focused on serving and helping others! It was different but so special. After that we went to a christmas eve party at the bishops! We took our portugese friend too! He was alone for christmas so we were excited to get to take him with us so he could be with people as well as meet the ward! It was super great and he is doing so well! his name is Jose and on Wednesday we had the most powerful restoration lesson with him that I have had so far on my mission! the spirit was SO STRONG as we testified of Joseph Smith and at the end we committed him to be baptised. It was the sweetest becuase in his broken english he just kept asking why he couldn't do it right away - he wanted to do it that very day. But we told him it took time and we felt like he could be ready by Jan 16th. So then he went through and counted the days and hours until that day! So he is doing so well! he came to church yesterday and we will continue to meet with him and help him stay strong up to his baptism. he does smoke though pretty heavily so pray for him when we teach the WOW this week...
>
> But CRAZY STORY! The end of this week has been pretty crazy. After I finished skyping you I ran down and found sister stephenson with Joy and Martyn. She told me that she wasn't feeling really well. On christmas eve we had gone to the doctor because she had an infection behind her ear and they had given her some antibiotics that they said might make her a little queezy so we both just figured that was all that it was. BUT oh we were in for a treat! :) Joy made us some more food - the whole eating so much food is such a problem - so I painfully ate a little bit there while Sister STephenson ran upstairs and threw up in the bathroom. She came down in a panic saying she oculdn't breath and was just freaking out! She couldn't catch her breath and was screaming at the pain she was having in her stomach. Then she started throwing up again but this time it was only the bile since she had thrown up all of her dinner from before... all I can say is Thank heavens we were at joys! I would have been a mess but joy just stepped in and knew what to do! So the night went on and things ended up getting worse so around 4 am an ambulance came to check her out. We are thinking it was just a reaction caused by the meds she was taking? Im still not exactly sure what all happened but so we have been sleeping over and joys the past couple of nights while sister stephenson has been recovering. It was a crazy christmas night - really hard for sister steve- but it was fun to get to stay over at joys for me! :) She seems to be doing better today so we will probably just take it easy and hopefully be able to go out and work tomorrow! Fingers crossed. I have really learned that work is the best way to help you stay focused and be happy on your mission. SO hopefully tomorrow is a better day! :) But yeah! How crazy is that!? So its been a great week of christmas celebrations and then hanging out at joys!!
>
> But I hope you all have the most wonderful week! Can you believe that this week it will be 2016? WHere the heck has the time gone?? I feel like every year time just seems to go faster! I have been thinking over how great this last year has been. With everything from finishing my first year at BYU, to deciding to serve a mission, to getting my call and then leaving and then all of the crazy adventures since! I have had so many experiences this year that have brought me closer to my saviour and really helped me see who he is and know of the reality of his love and awareness of what he did for ME! It is such a great time of the year to be able to reflect but then also make new goals of how we can improve! I am SUPER excited to make some awesome goals to help me become even better this next year! i will get to spend 2016 as a missionary and i plan on making it the greatest by really becoming better and who my heavenly father needs me to be! And i hope all of you do it too! KY! this next year you will be amissionary too! Its just all so exciting!
> But i am just so grateful for my saviour who makes it possible for the oportunity to look back and learn and then become better! i am so grateful we have this chance to CHANGE! TO be the people that he needs us to be. Becuase of him and his sacrifice there is always that oporunity to learn from the past! I am grateful for him and his love and patience with me as i am SO FULL of shortcomings but so grateful to know that he is okay with that - that he will make them strengths for me and is always there to help me just to be better! :)
>
> BUT i hope you all have the most wonderful week! And have the chance to look back so that we can be better in the future! We can all do it and then just become even better as a family! I truly love you all so much! IT was the greatest thing in the world to see you! I am just so grateful for you love and support and know how HARD it is to be away from you. I miss you all a lot but know that what I am doing is so important and that we will all be back together again soon!
>
> HAVE THE BEST WEEK!! And I will talk to you so soon!
> NEXT TUESDAY though! Becuase of transfers! :) OH you all are just the best! ITs always the hardest to end these emails and was espeically hard to end skype... but its just cause youre the best! I love you so much! THanks for being the most wonderful family!
>
> Sister GWilliam
>
Friday, December 25, 2015
FW:
> One of the Nepalese members! She is saying the Lord's Prayer...
> This is what I'm surrounded by in Aldershot!:)
> Sent from my iPad
> This is what I'm surrounded by in Aldershot!:)
> Sent from my iPad
I get to talk to you on Friday! :)
>
> Hello most wonderful family there ever was!
>
> I hope you have had the greatest week! I love all the updates from pictures of the snow! OH its so great! And looks so christmas-ie! Mom - I hope it snows for you on Christmas day and you can get your white Christmas. It is so weird for me being here without any snow. Even though we are usually in California where there isn't any snow either its just really strange here - and without the lights its really weird. But im loving it! Its crazy to think that I am here.
>
> I remember last Christmas we were at grandma and grandpas and you asked me where I thought I would be next year - this is when I had started papers but was a complete mess becuase for some reason I didn't feel good about it anymore so I was just confused and didn't know what I was supposed to do. So it was that weird time where I didn't know what was going on so then all of you didn't know what was going on either. Haha gotta love it! So I remember you asking me that question and I honestly had no idea. But never in my WILDEST dreams would I think that I would be a missionary here in London England. Its so crazy for me to think back on it and knowing now all the craziness that would happen and things that would take place to get me here - im just so grateful that Heavenly Fathers plans are always better than ours! Even though I never would have thought I would be here Oh I am EVER SO GRATEFUL THAT I AM! The whole Christmas season has been so wonderful but at the same has been really hard with it being my first christmas away and not being with you all but when I really get the chance to think about it, I am just so grateufl to be here. To get to Be a MISSIONARY. A set apart representative of my Saviour and to go around this christmas season to do what he would be doing if he were here. I love it! Im very humbled and full of gratitude for this opportunity and know that there will be LOTS and lots of Christmas' in the future where we will all be back at home together getting to celebrate together again so i am grateful to have the chance to be here this christmas! It is such a blessing and privledge that I am trying to take full advantage of.
>
> I also can't believe that Christmas and skyping you is finally here! I remember when I left thinking how the next time I would talk to you would be skyping at Christmas and how In my head I never thought the day would actually come. that I wouldn't actually make it to this point. :) BUT all the sudden it is here! Its so crazy! I feel like I just left and am still a baby in the mission but now am almost 6 months in skyping you all! Its just super strange. BUT im so excited for it! And glad that I made it! When in all reality I haven't made it - Its all been my heavenly father and saviours help. If I had to be out here doing it alone I definitely wouldn't have made it to this point. No doubt about it! So grateful for their love and mercy and the support they give me everyday! :)
>
> But this week has been wonderful and full of good christmas cheer! It started off with getting the Christmas package you sent! YAYY!!! Thank you so much! i am so excited to get to open it this week! So it all came all safe and sound. Did mine come yet? Im praying it gets there in time without any problems! Fingers crossed! :) But it was a great week! Sister Stephenson and I worked really hard on FINDING! Becuase truly nothing happends until you find people to teach. We do really have a great teaching pool - compared to my 3 months in peckham where we didn't have anyone we are killin it here! :) But we really wanted to find new investigators and people who really needed the gospel! Some really neat experiences we had this week was we went to a town called Fleet to knock a road a member had given us. WE knocked and knocked and knocked and literally I think we actually talked to like 4 people becuase no one was home. But one of the last people we talked to was this man and his family who said he would love us to come back and show the christmas initiative clip! We told him we would stop by again on saturday. Fast forward to friday night durring planning - we were oging through our day to find it really full with everything we needed to do and people we had appointments to see. It was towards the end when I remembered this man and his family. We talked about it for a long time trying to see how we could fit everything in and eventually just said a prayer asking if we needed to go. Even though it didn't seem like it would work I felt SO STRONGLY that we needed to go see this family so we planned things all in and prayed extra hard it would work. WE got to saturday and got to the point where we ran over to see this family - knocked onthe door and of course the family wasn't home. Typically missionary moment right! BUT we knew that we were there for a reason so we started walking and talking to people we passed. We eventually stopped this man named Tim who was very athiest and didn't mind at all telling us why he belived it. We stood there though and both bore bold testimonies about the reality of God and Jesus Christ and by the end of talking to him he took a book of mormon and gave us his address to stop by another time. And want to hear the coolest thing?? He said the name of his road and we both just stopped and smiled becuase HE LIVED ON THE ROAD THE MEMBER HAD GIVEN US! The referral road we were contacting. OH MY HEAVENS. Isn't it amazing? Our heavenly father is just so incredible. There are so many times where things like that happen and I am jsut so in awe. he is just so aware of us and just loves us and has a plan that is always perfect! So I loved that!
>
> We also had a man walk into church yesterday who wanted to come to the service. He was a sweet man from portugal who had had a really hard life the past couple of years. In his broken english he told us how life had really been hard for him and how he just needed direction and peace. It was such a cool thing for me to just be able to promise, PINKIE PROMISE, that he could find that becuase I know for myself that Jesus Christ can give that comfort and guidance and peace that we all are looking for and that we all need. I could see the hurt and pain in his eyes but he saw in all of ours the hope that we had becuase we had our saviour. After talking to him he started crying - poor guy was really just emotionally at a breaking point - but then stayed for the service and we are stopping by to see him tonight! It is just the coolest thing to be a missionary and to bring hope to people. That is what I have decided one of the greatest things about being a missionary is the HOPE that I get to give people. There is hope and peace and happiness becuase there really is a saviour out there who has made EVERYTHING right and who knows you and loves you personally. And it is just the greatest thing!
>
> So those were two really cool experiences this week that I just loved! I also had my first proper fish and chips here which was AMAZING!! OH my goodness you all would love them - even ky and linds! They were so yummy and im sure so fattening. It was great! :) We also had the ward christmas carol which was so fun! The bishops wife was incharge and always goes extreme. I ended up singing oh holy night and a duet with her son and then in the choir which was SO GREAT! I love singing. So grateful for the talent that I have and how it touches people ina way that words definitely can't!
>
>
> It was a wonderful week though! I have been so touched too with all the gifts I have recieved from memebers and our friends here. Its been a wonderful week and this next week will be even better becuase of getting to be a missionary, celebrate christmas, and TALK TO ALL OF YOU!!!!!!! Oh m y heavens i just can't wait! Only 4 more sleeps linds! ;)
>
> I love you all SO MUCH! and can't wait to talk to you ON FRIDAY!!!!!! YAYYY!!!!!!
>
> Love you,
>
> Sister GWilliam
>
> And i hope you all are still singing "in a little stable" when you sing angles we have heard on high in church!:) LOVE YOU!
> Hello most wonderful family there ever was!
>
> I hope you have had the greatest week! I love all the updates from pictures of the snow! OH its so great! And looks so christmas-ie! Mom - I hope it snows for you on Christmas day and you can get your white Christmas. It is so weird for me being here without any snow. Even though we are usually in California where there isn't any snow either its just really strange here - and without the lights its really weird. But im loving it! Its crazy to think that I am here.
>
> I remember last Christmas we were at grandma and grandpas and you asked me where I thought I would be next year - this is when I had started papers but was a complete mess becuase for some reason I didn't feel good about it anymore so I was just confused and didn't know what I was supposed to do. So it was that weird time where I didn't know what was going on so then all of you didn't know what was going on either. Haha gotta love it! So I remember you asking me that question and I honestly had no idea. But never in my WILDEST dreams would I think that I would be a missionary here in London England. Its so crazy for me to think back on it and knowing now all the craziness that would happen and things that would take place to get me here - im just so grateful that Heavenly Fathers plans are always better than ours! Even though I never would have thought I would be here Oh I am EVER SO GRATEFUL THAT I AM! The whole Christmas season has been so wonderful but at the same has been really hard with it being my first christmas away and not being with you all but when I really get the chance to think about it, I am just so grateufl to be here. To get to Be a MISSIONARY. A set apart representative of my Saviour and to go around this christmas season to do what he would be doing if he were here. I love it! Im very humbled and full of gratitude for this opportunity and know that there will be LOTS and lots of Christmas' in the future where we will all be back at home together getting to celebrate together again so i am grateful to have the chance to be here this christmas! It is such a blessing and privledge that I am trying to take full advantage of.
>
> I also can't believe that Christmas and skyping you is finally here! I remember when I left thinking how the next time I would talk to you would be skyping at Christmas and how In my head I never thought the day would actually come. that I wouldn't actually make it to this point. :) BUT all the sudden it is here! Its so crazy! I feel like I just left and am still a baby in the mission but now am almost 6 months in skyping you all! Its just super strange. BUT im so excited for it! And glad that I made it! When in all reality I haven't made it - Its all been my heavenly father and saviours help. If I had to be out here doing it alone I definitely wouldn't have made it to this point. No doubt about it! So grateful for their love and mercy and the support they give me everyday! :)
>
> But this week has been wonderful and full of good christmas cheer! It started off with getting the Christmas package you sent! YAYY!!! Thank you so much! i am so excited to get to open it this week! So it all came all safe and sound. Did mine come yet? Im praying it gets there in time without any problems! Fingers crossed! :) But it was a great week! Sister Stephenson and I worked really hard on FINDING! Becuase truly nothing happends until you find people to teach. We do really have a great teaching pool - compared to my 3 months in peckham where we didn't have anyone we are killin it here! :) But we really wanted to find new investigators and people who really needed the gospel! Some really neat experiences we had this week was we went to a town called Fleet to knock a road a member had given us. WE knocked and knocked and knocked and literally I think we actually talked to like 4 people becuase no one was home. But one of the last people we talked to was this man and his family who said he would love us to come back and show the christmas initiative clip! We told him we would stop by again on saturday. Fast forward to friday night durring planning - we were oging through our day to find it really full with everything we needed to do and people we had appointments to see. It was towards the end when I remembered this man and his family. We talked about it for a long time trying to see how we could fit everything in and eventually just said a prayer asking if we needed to go. Even though it didn't seem like it would work I felt SO STRONGLY that we needed to go see this family so we planned things all in and prayed extra hard it would work. WE got to saturday and got to the point where we ran over to see this family - knocked onthe door and of course the family wasn't home. Typically missionary moment right! BUT we knew that we were there for a reason so we started walking and talking to people we passed. We eventually stopped this man named Tim who was very athiest and didn't mind at all telling us why he belived it. We stood there though and both bore bold testimonies about the reality of God and Jesus Christ and by the end of talking to him he took a book of mormon and gave us his address to stop by another time. And want to hear the coolest thing?? He said the name of his road and we both just stopped and smiled becuase HE LIVED ON THE ROAD THE MEMBER HAD GIVEN US! The referral road we were contacting. OH MY HEAVENS. Isn't it amazing? Our heavenly father is just so incredible. There are so many times where things like that happen and I am jsut so in awe. he is just so aware of us and just loves us and has a plan that is always perfect! So I loved that!
>
> We also had a man walk into church yesterday who wanted to come to the service. He was a sweet man from portugal who had had a really hard life the past couple of years. In his broken english he told us how life had really been hard for him and how he just needed direction and peace. It was such a cool thing for me to just be able to promise, PINKIE PROMISE, that he could find that becuase I know for myself that Jesus Christ can give that comfort and guidance and peace that we all are looking for and that we all need. I could see the hurt and pain in his eyes but he saw in all of ours the hope that we had becuase we had our saviour. After talking to him he started crying - poor guy was really just emotionally at a breaking point - but then stayed for the service and we are stopping by to see him tonight! It is just the coolest thing to be a missionary and to bring hope to people. That is what I have decided one of the greatest things about being a missionary is the HOPE that I get to give people. There is hope and peace and happiness becuase there really is a saviour out there who has made EVERYTHING right and who knows you and loves you personally. And it is just the greatest thing!
>
> So those were two really cool experiences this week that I just loved! I also had my first proper fish and chips here which was AMAZING!! OH my goodness you all would love them - even ky and linds! They were so yummy and im sure so fattening. It was great! :) We also had the ward christmas carol which was so fun! The bishops wife was incharge and always goes extreme. I ended up singing oh holy night and a duet with her son and then in the choir which was SO GREAT! I love singing. So grateful for the talent that I have and how it touches people ina way that words definitely can't!
>
>
> It was a wonderful week though! I have been so touched too with all the gifts I have recieved from memebers and our friends here. Its been a wonderful week and this next week will be even better becuase of getting to be a missionary, celebrate christmas, and TALK TO ALL OF YOU!!!!!!! Oh m y heavens i just can't wait! Only 4 more sleeps linds! ;)
>
> I love you all SO MUCH! and can't wait to talk to you ON FRIDAY!!!!!! YAYYY!!!!!!
>
> Love you,
>
> Sister GWilliam
>
> And i hope you all are still singing "in a little stable" when you sing angles we have heard on high in church!:) LOVE YOU!
Monday, December 14, 2015
Its almost Christmas!!
>
> Hello Family!!
>
> It has been the craziest and most wonderful week over here in england! Lots to update you on and can't wait to finish reading all of your emails! :)
>
> This week was super busy! I feel like it just flew by because of everything going on. On tuesday we had Zone training where we focused a lot on the christmas season and using the christmas initiative! It was so great! Sister Stephenson and I really tried to apply that into the work this week. Everytime we would stop someone or knock we use the videos and it has been amazing to see how it truly has softened hearts and after they have watched it people just really open up! Its been super neat! So that was wonderful and I love getting to just focus on Christmas all the time!
>
> I was able to go on exchange with Sister Aubuchon this week which was a blast! We are in the same MTC group so it was fun to get to catch up and work together! Exchanges are great! Its so fun for me to be able to go and get to know the other areas and mostly the sisters even better! But something that was really fun was we got up for exercise that morning and guess what we did!? Jillian Micheals 30 day shred! haha MOM! Remember when we would do that all the time? Oh i just loved it! We did level 2 and it wasn't even hard. ;) So that was fun! And such a good idea. Maybe one of these times when the post isn't so crazy expensive and crazy with it being chistmas i'll have you send it over if you would! :)
>
> And on thursday I WENT INTO THE LONDON TEMPLE! how crazy is that!? As I was walking up I was literally freaking out to Sister Stephenson becuase I was actually going into the london temple. I never thought in my entire life that I would get to go inside becuase I never thought I would actually be in London. And now look at me! So it was so neat. The temple is BEAUTIFUL! And we took lots of fun pictures that I will send over! I forgot to send pictures last week so I'll catch up and there will be lots this week! :) But it was such a fun day. The temple is incredible. I just felt so much peace and it was a spiritual boost that I needed. After we had lunch with all the missionaries there and president and sister gubler and had a little presentation! It was so fun! And i love getting to be there with so many other missionaries - there is just a fun bond that I feel like we all have right away becuase we are all there doing the exact thing - trying our best to serve our Saviour! So that is so fun! It was a crazy day full of travel becuase in good old england we take trains! Which Initially i thought was so fun but now im to the point where they aren;t as exciting anymore! :) So it was hours of travel to get there and get back but so worth it! Yay for the temple and christmas time! :)
>
> Then on Friday we had our ward christmas party which was SO FUN and on Sunday night we had the stake choral concert where all the wards got together and sang songs and had people perform! Sister Stephenson and I joined the ward choir and then we were asked to do another number with the primary kids which everyone thought was the cutest thing! So it was just such a fun week full of christmas! I can't believe it is almost the 25th! SO EXCITED TO TALK TO YOU!!
>
> This week has been great though! Sister Stephenson and I are to the point now where we are still working with people - we have Rob who is still doing great and a couple others - but we are to the point now where a lot of our Investigators are now recent converts - which is a FANTASTIC problem to have but now we need to make sure to go out and find new people! :) So we went out and did a lot of finding this week which was really good! Showed a lot of people the christmas videos! I think i almost have it memorized! :) And sister Stephenson and I are doing really great! We are getting a lot better at communicating which is wonderful but we really have been getting along which is SO NICE! I am so grateful to be able to spend the christmas time with someone who I like being with! Since I wont be with all of you! Something that I laugh at a little bit is just how much a mission prepares you for being a wife and mom. I always knew it would but just seeing how you figure out how to work with a person with different opinions and how to still love them and apologize for things even when you are sure you are right - its all really great! Im learning a lot! I also have started carrying chocolate with me all the time! (we have SO MUCH CHOCOLATE! its like everyone who ever gives us christmas presents gives us HUGE amounts of chocolate! Its crazy) But so good becuase I have started carrying it with me so anytime sister stephenson is getting a little too stressed or worried I just pull out a chocolate bar out of my bag for her and she'll eat it. It works WONDERS! Haha its so great! :)
>
> Something that I have really reflected on a lot lately is a scripture in 2 Nephi 33:6. As i read that verse for the first time it really stood out how personal nephi was talking about the saviour. he gloried in HIS jesus. He just talked about him as if he knew him so well and on such an individual level. As Ive thought more and more about it I have realized that it stood out to me becuase as I have been on my mission I feel like I can say that about my saviour now too. The more that I have been here and especially over the last couple of months I have felt so close to my saviour. He is SO REAL to me. I have gained such a knowledge that what he did was for me personally - it was for everyone but I feel it for me. I have felt the power of the atonement like I never have before and I am just so grateful for the experiences and hard days and hard weeks and everything else that has gotten me to the point where I truly feel like i know him. I glory in MY jesus. He is real to me and the relationship I have with him now is something that I hold so sacred. I love Him. And am so grateful to have this time to share with everyone around me about Him. Everyone needs this knoweldge. everyone needs HIM!
>
> So life here in jolly old england is just lovely! :) I Love the ward, LOVE the people - it has been cool for me to see how i really just love them. I want to talk to them now becuase I want to help them - not just to get the number. It is about them and they just need this! - but with that I love being a missionary. I mostly LOVE YOU ALL!! so so much. So grateful for you love and support and just so thankful to heavenly father for you all! Its so hard being away but know that I am working hard and praying that all the blessings go your way! :) I JUST LOVE YOU! And CANT wait until Christmas!!!
>
> I hope you have the GREATEST week! Thank you for loving me and being the most amazing family! I am truly just so blessed!
>
> I will talk to you super soon! :)
>
> Sister GWilliam
>
>
>
>
> Hello Family!!
>
> It has been the craziest and most wonderful week over here in england! Lots to update you on and can't wait to finish reading all of your emails! :)
>
> This week was super busy! I feel like it just flew by because of everything going on. On tuesday we had Zone training where we focused a lot on the christmas season and using the christmas initiative! It was so great! Sister Stephenson and I really tried to apply that into the work this week. Everytime we would stop someone or knock we use the videos and it has been amazing to see how it truly has softened hearts and after they have watched it people just really open up! Its been super neat! So that was wonderful and I love getting to just focus on Christmas all the time!
>
> I was able to go on exchange with Sister Aubuchon this week which was a blast! We are in the same MTC group so it was fun to get to catch up and work together! Exchanges are great! Its so fun for me to be able to go and get to know the other areas and mostly the sisters even better! But something that was really fun was we got up for exercise that morning and guess what we did!? Jillian Micheals 30 day shred! haha MOM! Remember when we would do that all the time? Oh i just loved it! We did level 2 and it wasn't even hard. ;) So that was fun! And such a good idea. Maybe one of these times when the post isn't so crazy expensive and crazy with it being chistmas i'll have you send it over if you would! :)
>
> And on thursday I WENT INTO THE LONDON TEMPLE! how crazy is that!? As I was walking up I was literally freaking out to Sister Stephenson becuase I was actually going into the london temple. I never thought in my entire life that I would get to go inside becuase I never thought I would actually be in London. And now look at me! So it was so neat. The temple is BEAUTIFUL! And we took lots of fun pictures that I will send over! I forgot to send pictures last week so I'll catch up and there will be lots this week! :) But it was such a fun day. The temple is incredible. I just felt so much peace and it was a spiritual boost that I needed. After we had lunch with all the missionaries there and president and sister gubler and had a little presentation! It was so fun! And i love getting to be there with so many other missionaries - there is just a fun bond that I feel like we all have right away becuase we are all there doing the exact thing - trying our best to serve our Saviour! So that is so fun! It was a crazy day full of travel becuase in good old england we take trains! Which Initially i thought was so fun but now im to the point where they aren;t as exciting anymore! :) So it was hours of travel to get there and get back but so worth it! Yay for the temple and christmas time! :)
>
> Then on Friday we had our ward christmas party which was SO FUN and on Sunday night we had the stake choral concert where all the wards got together and sang songs and had people perform! Sister Stephenson and I joined the ward choir and then we were asked to do another number with the primary kids which everyone thought was the cutest thing! So it was just such a fun week full of christmas! I can't believe it is almost the 25th! SO EXCITED TO TALK TO YOU!!
>
> This week has been great though! Sister Stephenson and I are to the point now where we are still working with people - we have Rob who is still doing great and a couple others - but we are to the point now where a lot of our Investigators are now recent converts - which is a FANTASTIC problem to have but now we need to make sure to go out and find new people! :) So we went out and did a lot of finding this week which was really good! Showed a lot of people the christmas videos! I think i almost have it memorized! :) And sister Stephenson and I are doing really great! We are getting a lot better at communicating which is wonderful but we really have been getting along which is SO NICE! I am so grateful to be able to spend the christmas time with someone who I like being with! Since I wont be with all of you! Something that I laugh at a little bit is just how much a mission prepares you for being a wife and mom. I always knew it would but just seeing how you figure out how to work with a person with different opinions and how to still love them and apologize for things even when you are sure you are right - its all really great! Im learning a lot! I also have started carrying chocolate with me all the time! (we have SO MUCH CHOCOLATE! its like everyone who ever gives us christmas presents gives us HUGE amounts of chocolate! Its crazy) But so good becuase I have started carrying it with me so anytime sister stephenson is getting a little too stressed or worried I just pull out a chocolate bar out of my bag for her and she'll eat it. It works WONDERS! Haha its so great! :)
>
> Something that I have really reflected on a lot lately is a scripture in 2 Nephi 33:6. As i read that verse for the first time it really stood out how personal nephi was talking about the saviour. he gloried in HIS jesus. He just talked about him as if he knew him so well and on such an individual level. As Ive thought more and more about it I have realized that it stood out to me becuase as I have been on my mission I feel like I can say that about my saviour now too. The more that I have been here and especially over the last couple of months I have felt so close to my saviour. He is SO REAL to me. I have gained such a knowledge that what he did was for me personally - it was for everyone but I feel it for me. I have felt the power of the atonement like I never have before and I am just so grateful for the experiences and hard days and hard weeks and everything else that has gotten me to the point where I truly feel like i know him. I glory in MY jesus. He is real to me and the relationship I have with him now is something that I hold so sacred. I love Him. And am so grateful to have this time to share with everyone around me about Him. Everyone needs this knoweldge. everyone needs HIM!
>
> So life here in jolly old england is just lovely! :) I Love the ward, LOVE the people - it has been cool for me to see how i really just love them. I want to talk to them now becuase I want to help them - not just to get the number. It is about them and they just need this! - but with that I love being a missionary. I mostly LOVE YOU ALL!! so so much. So grateful for you love and support and just so thankful to heavenly father for you all! Its so hard being away but know that I am working hard and praying that all the blessings go your way! :) I JUST LOVE YOU! And CANT wait until Christmas!!!
>
> I hope you have the GREATEST week! Thank you for loving me and being the most amazing family! I am truly just so blessed!
>
> I will talk to you super soon! :)
>
> Sister GWilliam
>
>
>
>
Sunday, December 13, 2015
Fwd: Megan at the temple
Sent from my iPhone
Begin forwarded message:
From: Mary Warner <maryowarner@gmail.com>
Date: December 13, 2015 at 8:40:01 AM MST
To: Denise Gwilliam <denisegwilliam@outlook.com>, "Gwilliam, bruce" <brucegwilliam@yahoo.com>, Michelle Olsen <olsen.michelle@gmail.com>, Doug Warner <Douglas.Warner@uvu.edu>, Scott Warner <scottowarner@gmail.com>, "Warner, Rachel" <rachelmariewarner@gmail.com>, Lindsey Gwilliam <lindseygwilliam@outlook.com>, Kyle Gwilliam <kylegwilliam@gmail.com>
Subject: Megan at the temple
Mary and Doug...I helped serve at the lunch for the missionaries that
came to the temple today. Talked for a minute with Meagan and then
she popped her head into the VC to say goodbye...what a sweet girl.
Linda
Monday, December 7, 2015
I love my Family!
>
> Hello worlds best family!
>
> I hope you all have had the most WONDERFUL week!!
>
> THis week here in lovely old england was AMAZING! Miracles happening everywhere. It is still one of those things were I can't really believe it myself... just so much happened and IM just SO excited to tell you all about it! :)
>
> So to start off last monday we started the week with no baptisimal dates. Just keep that in mind! ;) We had a lot of amazing people that we were working with but no set dates. On monday we had a great day, went to dinner with grannie annie which was just hilarious. That woman is a nut! I love her. But then after we went to go see our friend Nicholas who we had only met with once. He is a 16 year old nepalese boy who is so SO SINCERE. I love it. But we had an incredible restoration with him! THe spirit was so strong and then in the end he committed to be baptised on December 19th! Whoohoo!! Then Tueday we had MLC. Oh i just love MLC. It is the longest meeting but the spirit is SO STRONG. It is so fun to be with all of the leaders of the mission and then of course president and sister gubler are there which is the very best! President gubler just radiates the spirit. I just love him and so grateful he is my president! But we had a great meeting! And we decided as a mission to study 3 Nephi the month of december to really focus on the saviour! I have been doing it and it is the greatest thing! You ALL should do it! take 30 minutes to study 1 chapter. Really just study it and study the life and ministry of the Saviour and oh its just the greatest. Ive had some of the most powerful studdies this past week doing it! BUT sorry... little tangent... after MLC we had a lesson with Holly. Holly is the sister of Jack and Fern who were baptised 4 weeks ago. We have really been focusing on her and trying to do all we could to help her be ready to commit to baptism. We had prayed about it and felt like we could extend December 19th to her as well. We walked into their house and before we even sat down she said, "Hey guys, I have something to tell you." PANIC moment. Both me and Sister Stephenson kindof froze, thinking the worst was about to just happen. BUT instead she said, "Ive decided I want to be baptised and I want to do it as soon as possible!" AHH!! MIRACLE!! THere was a lot of screaming and laughing and just being so happy all together! And so guess what!? On Saturday HOlly was baptised!! IT was AMAZING. Such a great night. I just love her and her family. So yes. That was so exciting! And also a miracle with that, at the baptism Holly's mom, Charley, got up and went on and on about how grateful she was for the church and how it had changed her children and how the ward and been so loving and all that good stuff. Charley has never been interested herself. But by the end of the night she was talking about it. As well as HOlly, Jack and Fern have another brother - his name is Alfie and he is the funniest 11 year old! - but he hasn't been in the lesson either. We were joking with him after that it was only 4 weeks after Jack and Fern that HOlly was baptised so we were warning him 4 weeks until it was his turn. And then he just answered saying well at least i have 4 weeks to prepare! WHAT? Uh. So great! But another amazing thing is that we got a referral of a part member family this week. We went by and the mom has been less active for a long time but has recently started coming back and has 4 little kids, 2 of which - Jake and Luke - are old enough to be baptised and want to be! So they now have dates set for February 14th where they will be baptised and then her 2 little kids will be blessed the same day! Oh my goodness. And we are also teaching a man named Rob who is just so great. He will have a baptisimal date by the end of this week as well for sure. He is just soaking it all up and has been to church as well as came to the baptism this last week! Oh man, Just so many amazing things are happening. Isn't it just amazing? THe lord Is SO merciful and just preparing so many people here in England. THe season of Miracles truly is here and I am just SO grateful to be here and to be apart of it!!
>
> So yeah, it was such a good week. This next week will be maddness as well as there is just so many things going on with Christmas. Today is Pday, tomorrow we have Zone training which Me and Sister Stephenson and the Zone leaders are in charge of, then after that Sister Stephenson and I are going on exchange with the Guildford Sisters until Wednesday and then thursday I GET TO GO TO THE TEMPLE!!!!!!!! Its the temple christmas day! :) I spend all day just at the temple, we get to do a session with PResident Gubler, then they feed us yummy food and have a program and we just get to all just be together as missionaries! Im SO excited!, then on Friday we have the Ward Christmas party which should be a blast and then on Saturday we are celebration Christmas with Holly, Jack and Fern and their family since they will be gone over the actual day! So how fun will this week be!? Its going to be crazy! But i am SO EXCITED!!
>
> It is so fun that it is christmas time too! As a mission we are really focusing on the Christmas initiative and trying to do all we can to focus on that. It what we talk about with people on the bus and on the streets and with members. Its just so fun!! I LOVE CHRISTMAS TIME! Especially with being a missionary it is so great to have this time becuase it makes talking to people SO easy. Everyone is already out shopping for christmas or getting ready for it. It just starts off conversations so easily. So i just love it! And yes! The 2 christmas videos are so great! I hope you ALL have already posted them to your facebook of instagram pages! :) Christmas in England is a lot different though. It is weird without the snow. Even though we are in California most christmas's where there isn't snow their either it is just weird not having any of it durring december. THey also don't put up lights on houses here like they do back home which is lame! I love the lights being everywhere. but the towns are all decorated which is so fun!
>
> But the most exciting thing is that It is only now 18 days until I get to skype you!! OH MY GOOD HEAVENS i just can't wait.
>
> But i hope you all have the most wonderful week and have so much fun celebrating christmas! I love this time of the year! Decorate even extra for me, play loads of good christmas music, and eat lots of goodies! :) AND spend lots of time together! I love being here but definitely miss being with you! BUT its okay becuase we will just party extra hard when we are all back together again which will be so soon! :)
>
> I love you all so much!! so so much! Thank you for all of your love and prayers and support! IT truly is you all and my saviour that gets me through all the crazy days! :)
>
> LOVE YOU!
>
> Sister GWilliam
> Hello worlds best family!
>
> I hope you all have had the most WONDERFUL week!!
>
> THis week here in lovely old england was AMAZING! Miracles happening everywhere. It is still one of those things were I can't really believe it myself... just so much happened and IM just SO excited to tell you all about it! :)
>
> So to start off last monday we started the week with no baptisimal dates. Just keep that in mind! ;) We had a lot of amazing people that we were working with but no set dates. On monday we had a great day, went to dinner with grannie annie which was just hilarious. That woman is a nut! I love her. But then after we went to go see our friend Nicholas who we had only met with once. He is a 16 year old nepalese boy who is so SO SINCERE. I love it. But we had an incredible restoration with him! THe spirit was so strong and then in the end he committed to be baptised on December 19th! Whoohoo!! Then Tueday we had MLC. Oh i just love MLC. It is the longest meeting but the spirit is SO STRONG. It is so fun to be with all of the leaders of the mission and then of course president and sister gubler are there which is the very best! President gubler just radiates the spirit. I just love him and so grateful he is my president! But we had a great meeting! And we decided as a mission to study 3 Nephi the month of december to really focus on the saviour! I have been doing it and it is the greatest thing! You ALL should do it! take 30 minutes to study 1 chapter. Really just study it and study the life and ministry of the Saviour and oh its just the greatest. Ive had some of the most powerful studdies this past week doing it! BUT sorry... little tangent... after MLC we had a lesson with Holly. Holly is the sister of Jack and Fern who were baptised 4 weeks ago. We have really been focusing on her and trying to do all we could to help her be ready to commit to baptism. We had prayed about it and felt like we could extend December 19th to her as well. We walked into their house and before we even sat down she said, "Hey guys, I have something to tell you." PANIC moment. Both me and Sister Stephenson kindof froze, thinking the worst was about to just happen. BUT instead she said, "Ive decided I want to be baptised and I want to do it as soon as possible!" AHH!! MIRACLE!! THere was a lot of screaming and laughing and just being so happy all together! And so guess what!? On Saturday HOlly was baptised!! IT was AMAZING. Such a great night. I just love her and her family. So yes. That was so exciting! And also a miracle with that, at the baptism Holly's mom, Charley, got up and went on and on about how grateful she was for the church and how it had changed her children and how the ward and been so loving and all that good stuff. Charley has never been interested herself. But by the end of the night she was talking about it. As well as HOlly, Jack and Fern have another brother - his name is Alfie and he is the funniest 11 year old! - but he hasn't been in the lesson either. We were joking with him after that it was only 4 weeks after Jack and Fern that HOlly was baptised so we were warning him 4 weeks until it was his turn. And then he just answered saying well at least i have 4 weeks to prepare! WHAT? Uh. So great! But another amazing thing is that we got a referral of a part member family this week. We went by and the mom has been less active for a long time but has recently started coming back and has 4 little kids, 2 of which - Jake and Luke - are old enough to be baptised and want to be! So they now have dates set for February 14th where they will be baptised and then her 2 little kids will be blessed the same day! Oh my goodness. And we are also teaching a man named Rob who is just so great. He will have a baptisimal date by the end of this week as well for sure. He is just soaking it all up and has been to church as well as came to the baptism this last week! Oh man, Just so many amazing things are happening. Isn't it just amazing? THe lord Is SO merciful and just preparing so many people here in England. THe season of Miracles truly is here and I am just SO grateful to be here and to be apart of it!!
>
> So yeah, it was such a good week. This next week will be maddness as well as there is just so many things going on with Christmas. Today is Pday, tomorrow we have Zone training which Me and Sister Stephenson and the Zone leaders are in charge of, then after that Sister Stephenson and I are going on exchange with the Guildford Sisters until Wednesday and then thursday I GET TO GO TO THE TEMPLE!!!!!!!! Its the temple christmas day! :) I spend all day just at the temple, we get to do a session with PResident Gubler, then they feed us yummy food and have a program and we just get to all just be together as missionaries! Im SO excited!, then on Friday we have the Ward Christmas party which should be a blast and then on Saturday we are celebration Christmas with Holly, Jack and Fern and their family since they will be gone over the actual day! So how fun will this week be!? Its going to be crazy! But i am SO EXCITED!!
>
> It is so fun that it is christmas time too! As a mission we are really focusing on the Christmas initiative and trying to do all we can to focus on that. It what we talk about with people on the bus and on the streets and with members. Its just so fun!! I LOVE CHRISTMAS TIME! Especially with being a missionary it is so great to have this time becuase it makes talking to people SO easy. Everyone is already out shopping for christmas or getting ready for it. It just starts off conversations so easily. So i just love it! And yes! The 2 christmas videos are so great! I hope you ALL have already posted them to your facebook of instagram pages! :) Christmas in England is a lot different though. It is weird without the snow. Even though we are in California most christmas's where there isn't snow their either it is just weird not having any of it durring december. THey also don't put up lights on houses here like they do back home which is lame! I love the lights being everywhere. but the towns are all decorated which is so fun!
>
> But the most exciting thing is that It is only now 18 days until I get to skype you!! OH MY GOOD HEAVENS i just can't wait.
>
> But i hope you all have the most wonderful week and have so much fun celebrating christmas! I love this time of the year! Decorate even extra for me, play loads of good christmas music, and eat lots of goodies! :) AND spend lots of time together! I love being here but definitely miss being with you! BUT its okay becuase we will just party extra hard when we are all back together again which will be so soon! :)
>
> I love you all so much!! so so much! Thank you for all of your love and prayers and support! IT truly is you all and my saviour that gets me through all the crazy days! :)
>
> LOVE YOU!
>
> Sister GWilliam
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