ALMOST CHRISTMAS!!

It was another great week here in London! I dont know about how you are feeling but time is FLYING! I dont know where days are going and I feel like we dont even have enough time to do everything we need to in a day. Which is so great though! Busy missionaries are happy missionaries! :) Its so good but going so quickly. Just crazy. 

But yes! I feel my week was pretty normal! Not anything super crazy. Biggest highlight was CHARLIE'S BAPTISM! I saw that I got a like from Dad so I am hoping you all saw it! Oh it is so cool. He is just so great. He is the sweetest, funniest, little Irish man who had NO intention of joining another church but the Book of Mormon is true and charlie was sincere enough so he got an answer. I have really gained a testimony of the power of the Book of Mormon on my mission and especially with charlie. This last week was crazy with all of the meetings we had - MLC and then DLC and district meetings - which a lot of the time start early enough that we dont have personal study - and as a mission 30 minutes of our study in the morning is spent only in reading the Book of Mormon. It has been really neat for me to establish that habit as I been here but it was really neat especially this last week on those mornings I didn't get to read it how different my day felt. By the end of the night I actually grabbed my book of mormon and started reading some of it becuase I just needed to read it. Its SO GREAT and so different than how I was before - reading a couple versus to check it off. I have come to LOVE the book of Mormon. Becuase of it I have come to know Jesus Christ and has helped me to repent in becoming more like him. I just love it. And am so grateful for Charlie's experience to remind me of its power! 

Dad I was just smiling SO BIG when I read your email of all of the missionary opportunities that you are seeking. OH you are INCREDIBLE!!  At the begining of my mission I would have things like letting people pass or not opening my mouth or letting a situation go and I would BEAT myself up for it! just think I was the worst and that person that just passed me probably was looking for the truth and wanted to be baptized and I just BLEW IT... all of that good stuff! :) BUT the more that I have learned about the gospel and about our Saviour and just life in general is that this is all here to help us learn! Like mom's quote she shared this week - i LOVED it mom! Thank you thank you thank you!! This life is all about BECOMING! As so I learned that EVERY SINGLE DAY we are going to fail. We are not going to talk to someone or say something mean and stupid or be disobedient in some way - all of that - but the good news about the gospel is that it is just about becoming. It is about LEARNING! And as long as we learn from it and do something better the next time then we are doing exactly what our heavenly father wants! So dad YOU ARE AMAZING! I really believe that pretty soon someone who really needs the gospel is going to come into your path and now becuase you had those experiences you will be ready to talk to them about it. And Im SURE even that lady you spoke to will have had a seed planted - knowing about 2 years of serving - someday she will hear about it again and be able to learn about it! But the fact you called back so many times... dad you are so great. THANK YOU for your example! I hope to be the missionary you are when I am home! 

But with that... I am still doing my plan! I am hoping to remember to send over what I have so far - but one of the areas is missionary work! And it is actaully one i am struggling with a little bit which sounds so funny. But life in utah and missionary work in utah is just so different than it is here but probably anywhere else. Just so many people already know about it so the things I have been used to here or seen memebers do my whole mission will be different back in utah. BUT I DONT just want to be a good member - I want to be active in doing missionary work still. So i am struggling with it a little bit. I will ask president for some counsel on it but any ideas you have too? We could set family goals and all work on it together! :) BUT with that! Want to hear the craziest thing. Next tuesday I have my departure interview - my FINAL interview - with President Gubler. Oh my heart hurts a little bit thinking about it. I just dont know how I got here. My whole mission- really from the first interview I had with him the first day I came into the field - I have always thought about how I want my final interview to go. what I want him to say to me, how I want to feel about my service, but mostly who I wanted to have become. Its just crazy that it is so close. I keep getting emails about departures and things to do to prepare and it honestly just seems surreal. which is probably good. Really just trying to stay focused on the day and focused being here. I am still having a blast and just taking the attitude of enjoying everyday that I am here. I know i will miss it.  So yes! i will email you next week and let you know how it all goes. Im sure there will be tears but a lot to look forward to as well! Its just SO WEIRD. 

AND while I am thinking of it!! SKYPE! YESS YES YES YES! Do you know how to make it all work with skyping in me and ky? becuase I want that FOR SURE!!!!! All i know how to do is click on the skype you have set up for me and then call you all. So figure out the logistics and we will get it to work! WIth that too I am pretty open all day as well. I will make whatever time work for sure! :) Whatever time ky can do I WILL MAKE WORK! So Im not even going to try and do the math for it since I totally messed it up last time... ( I know. How did i even get good grades ;) More like how I am supposed to just jump right back into school when I couldn't count back 7 - HELP!  :) ) BUT around 5 would for sure be great over here. Or any other time... just figure it out with ky and tell me a time and I have an ipad so we can do it anytime! YAY for the blessings of being in london with an Ipad! :) Oh but I am SO EXCITED!!!!! I get to talk to you in 11 days! ELEVEN DAYS! AHHH!!! And then whats even crazier is 2 weeks after that I get TO HUG YOU!!!!! AHHH!! i wont get ahead of myself. But its just exciting! I CANT WAIT. but would love to get to talk with ky so let me know! I will make it work! 

sounds like it was a fun weekend though with Stake Conference! It is so funny how a mission makes an all day meeting sound fun too - just SO much information and help! But i was DYING when I read about tyse mooning everyone. bahah! oh i bet everyone just needed to wake up a little bit and tyse was just there to help out! :) 

And im so glad that from all of our letters Ky seems to be doing so well! Oh i am SO HAPPY!!! So so grateful! His comp seems great and ky seems to be doing so well! and WHAT THE HECK? his comp left the mission boundaries in the middle of the night? Oh its just so sad. Honestly so sad that he would think that was right. especially your last night. Oh man. Hopefully he can go home and figure things out and become better from the experience. but ky is honestly the man for surviving his time with him! HE DID IT!!!! And with that im sure he has learned a ton but also will have great stories for us when he gets home too! :) I bet he will tell them super funny as well. OH i just love him. Can't wait to all be laguhing about them together! 

Kaity also emailed me this week telling me about her decision to serve. I am so excited! and going to demand that she come with grandma and grandpa so she can be there when I get home and we can talk all about it!! 

AND with your email from last week about all of the logistics of things coming home!! THANK you for the denitist as well! SO GRATEFUL! I could call it my bloody dentist appointment - make it sounds brittish but it will probably be far too accurate... :) BUT with people picking me up! I am really not too bothered... I would probably just keep it small. 

I am so grateful for you and all that you do for me! Thank you for being such great examples and best friends. I LOVE YOU! Have the best week! And... not that we are getting trunky (dont worry) but...

 SEE YOU IN 4 WEEKS! :) 

I love you! 

Megs 

Fw: Our Christmas tree!

As you know I LOVE Christmas and we just HAD to have a tree but I didn't want to spend 20 pound on one...so we just went to the park and found some branches. Or cut some... :) doesn't it look great!?:) our cutest flat! And the workmans sent the cutest package! Will you send me their email mom?? I will email them but also call and tell them thank you thank you thank you! It made my day and the decorations are perfect!!!

Sent from my iPad

We went and put up Zashas tree with her and her kids. OH I LOVE THEM SO MUCH. it was the best night.

Sent from my iPad

Cute Charlie and I am LOVING the countdown! All of the Sisters think it is the cutest mom. And I just tell them that you are the best!:) becUse you are!

I LOVE YOU ALL!

Sent from my iPad

 

Pics

All of this stuff, tower bridge, the London eye, the globe, all of it is in my area! We go right up to the river and all of it. It's such a fun place to serve! Most missionaries have to get permission and travel for ages to come see this stuff and I can just anyday and talk to people while I am there!:) with Christmas I think we might get a group together and go down by Big Ben and sing some carols and then have BOM wrapped if people want some - HOW FUN IS THAT??

Sent from my iPad

HELLO!

This is so fun to have the same preparation day as ky but also the WORST because I didn't get an email from him yet! Does he get a new companion this week? I have been DYING to know! OH im just praying that he loves his new companion and that they can support each other and be happy. I have been so impressed with his good attitude though. Ky can get along with anyone - just hope that they are nice and appreciate him! SO i can't wait! 

But it was SO great to get your emails and updates of everything at home. Mom i was laughing so hard when you were talking about your week! haha! Oh i love it - the unclogged toilets and laundry for days. Its so funny. I forget about all of those fun things of home! How im pretty sure everytime I would watch tyse I would find him out in the garden, soaking wet and covered with dirt, and he had had an accident... oh its so funny! I just love it. Super excited for all of the adventures again! :) 

Im so glad that karol is doing okay! HEALTHY! YAY!! And it was the best to see that scott is cancer free! Oh such a blessing. Grateful that everyone is healthy.  So sad about keg...not recovering as fast as he would like.  Im guessing they have to wait until he can walk on it normal again. Oh it must be so hard. I was thinking about him the other night and jsut how hard it would be. I would be going crazy and then having your time paused while all of your friends are out would be hard. BUT something I do know is that gods plan is BEST. There is probably someone that Keg has to meet towards the end of his mission and if he hadn't gone home for a while he would have missed him. Something like that I am sure - tricky situation but I know God knows what is best for sure! Ill be praying that it gets better quickly though. Crazy to think that I might see him again before he goes out. 

I got your message about the thanksgiving and I am so sad becuase nothing got delivered. Oh man. ITs the curse of thanksgiving here in england. there were problems last year too... oh but you are the BEST! Thank you for sending that. It really is the thought that counts with all of it. I LOVE YOU BOTH!! And im sure the people it went to probably  needed more than we did. Probably answered a prayer for them! :) But thank you! Next year how about lets just have thanksgiving together? Deal? :) BUT I DID recieve the CUTEST countdown i have EVER SEEN! OH i LOVE IT!!! Thank you! Our poor flat is still not decorated like it should be - we went over to tower bridge last week - i will send pictures! :) BUT with that i was so excited to open the present and see something to decorate with! its the BEST and i have the greatest time putting something up everyday! Can't believe that we are already on the 6th. Time just goes by quickly. ON friday i hit 17 months on my mission. CAN YOU BELIEVE IT? I cant. 

Another thing i can't believe is that I can look a bit orange... I laughed so hard when I saw your emails last week about being an oompa loompa and how I shoudln't resort to celery... haha! OH its so funny! I know im jsut a mess over here. Just eating LOADS of carrots. And I did buy some celery.. but dont worry. I didn't eat as much as carrots. AND since apparently it isn't harmful for you i have jsut kept eating them! Its great. When I saw your emails about it I was reading it outloud to sister dorich and i got to the part where it said on average a person should eat about 3 big carrots a day and sister dorcich just BURST out laughing. I might eat more than that.... like lots more. Are you proud of me for being healthy! I actually eat so well. Like my diet consists of fruits and vegs and salad and chicken. And all i have to say is that i really just need a burrito. I havent really looked over the flight plans but I dont think i get home until late on wednesday but if its still open cafe rio or sweeto burrito might be necessary. if not that night the next day for sure. OH and dad will you have work off the next day? If you dont you should try and get it off so we can all just be together. And you can help me get back into all of it! and I can just catch you up on all of the stories and everything. But if you cant thats okay too. I'll just hang with mom and linds and tyse all day and then we can get all caught up that night when you are home!

With getting back into it though... the church has actually put a program in place to help with missionaries going home. It is called MyPlan. And so for a missionaries last transfer half of our personal study time is putting together goals for our future. THere are like 6 categories we set goals for - like social, spiritual, physical, family life, education and work life, media, missionary life... some other ones too I can't remember. BUT we set goals while still on our missions of things that we are going to do and not going to do when we go home so that we stay on track. And the idea is that you read through them once a week with your pat blessing once you go home. I have started it and LOVE it! Im super excited about it and it actually helps me feel a lot better about things - just having a plan of what to do! And with all of it too I am going to send it to both of you once it is finished! then you can know my plan as well and we can work on it together/you can hold me accountable to those things! It will be great! in my final interview with president we go through it as well so It will need his stamp of approval too! its great. so yes! i will keep working on it but then send it over as it gets closer!

And with BYU i am SO grateful I got the class! I ended up adding different religion class last week because I paniced when I for some reason was put on the wait list and only had like 5 credits. So i might go on and take myself off of the one religion class and pray that I get back into the earlier one and then hopefully i will get the class with mace. I dont know if any of that made sense... but I will fix it all! But YAY! So happy about that class! Just need to PRAY that the one with mace goes down and then the schedule will be perfect! but if not I will jsut figure it out when I am back home too. I just really would love to keep it just tuesdays and thursdays becuase then I CAN sleep at home! YAY!! Dont you worry mom. I am with you and linds on this one! I feel bad since we will be paying for it but especially at the begining I will be home with all of you! We have SO MUCH to catch up on and do together! No time for provo right away. SO yes! I just can't wait! So grateful to have the place though! THank you for doing all of that for me!

And your christmas countdown thing sounds SO fun! Sounds like you are celebrating christmas SO well. I love it. You asked about english christmas things... I am working on getting recipes so that we can make things when I get home too. But a really enlglish christmas tradition is something called Christmas Crackers - its not food like I originally thought. You can google it but they are almost like little presents... you crack them and inside they always have a toy and a joke and sometimes a sweet too! Its really fun! They are EVERYWHERE here! You usually set the table with them for christmas dinner and then everyone opens them together. If you can't find any I will buy some here and bring them home and we can do it next year too! :) They also have something called christmas pudding and christmas cake. Christmas cake is a lot like a fruit cake... really dense. But they eat that all through the season! As well as mince pies. AND CUSTARD is HUGE here! I LOVE IT too! I will bring some of the yummiest kind home. I think you would all love it! Make a nice crumble with hot custard... MONEY! I will make it for you! Get ready! And then the other really big thing is they eat Yorkshire puddings! See if you can go online and get a recipe and try them out. THey are SO YUMMY! They make them and then eat them drenched in gravy. yum yum. SO those are some tradiitonal things but with being in peckham... i just laugh. We are having our ward christmas party on saturday and they sent a sign up for the woman to bring things and so far we are having loads of jelof rice (all the africans), jerk chicken (all the jamaicans), and then one person is bringing sausage rolls (the one enlgish person in the ward!) It cracked me up! So christmas here will probably be really different. Lots of rice and fufu and chicken! I can't wait! :) 

Speaking of that ONLY 19 DAYS UNTIL WE GET TO SKYPE!!! YAYY!!! I can't wait! Its crazy it is already here. So we will just have to plan that out becuase of the situation with ky as well! i wish there was a way to make it work where we could all talk. I would LOVE to talk to him! But im not sure if it can? Let me know what is best, And this time I will make sure to actually do math right and tell you the right time... i can't even count back 7 hours... and I am thinking I can just jump back into BYU? yikes. 

But christmas here has been so fun! We are still just focusing everything on the christmas initiative and I LOVE IT! As hard as it is to be away from all of you this time of year I actually REALLY love being a missionary at christmas time. I think it is so fun! I thought i loved christmas before but being a missionary durring it is just something really special. So the more I have thought about it I am super grateful the last month of my mission is december. There is just something so neat about getting to serve Him durring the time everyone is celebrating Him. And what is even better is that I get to serve people who already love him. 

We were teaching one of our friends we have been working with this last week and she was saying how as Africans they just love jesus christ. She phrased it that they have a hunger for Him and for knowledge about god. And i thought that was such a great way to descibe it. I just can't tell you how much I love these people. I LOVE THEM. Becuase it is so true. they are so wonderful and warm and loving and they just hunger after christ. I show them the Book of Mormon and they are amazed and just want to know about it because they love their saviour and if it is talking about him they will listen and they want to know more. I just love it and feel like more people should be like that! We all should be like them. They are just so attached to him and will do anything to be closer to him. Its just so fun. I just love them. I remember when I first came to this area last year I was so overwhelmed and just a little intimiated by all of them - just these loud and strong and bold people but I have just the strongest feelings of love for them. And not just the africans but those from jamiaca and the carribean are the same way. They just love heavenly father. Im grateful for the example they have set for me! I hope to always be more like them when it comes to sharing about Him and what he has done for me. THey just go on and on and on... i love it. 

But sorry with that YES we use the video! It is nice that we have our ipads so we just show it with people and I love using it beucase it brings the spirit almost INSTANTLY! I just try and get anyone to watch it becuase I know it will touch them. And with music we are lucky as well to have our ipads... a lot of the time missionaries just download it from the computer to their ipads. But we also have DVD players in our flats to watch the districts for trainings so we can play CDs or use memory sticks with music on them as well! That is something that I need to get as well! I want to download all of the pictures onto a drive. Help me remember to do that so I have them for when I come home. I will have to turn in my ipad with all of the pictures on it. 

But things here work wise are so good. WE are SO busy. Its great. I feel like we just run around all the time. Yesterday we taught 5 lessons - 3 of which had members present and 2 of them were new investigators (new people that have a lesson and then set a return and want to learn more!) it was CRAZY! WE were at the chapel for a teach at 4 and then at 5 our next friend came and right after that lesson we taught charlie at the chapel at 6! I was thinking this was the way to do missionary work - just sit at the chapel and have all the people come to you back to back! It was great. We also have MLC this week - oh yes! Dad! THis is why we have preparation day today! We typically have MLCs on the tuesday but president had a meeting so we are having it tomorrow so they had our preparation day today! But yes, the work is going really well! WE are meeting with a lot of people which is so great but we are struggling to get them to keep commitments... so we are working on that! But we are teaching which is always so great! 

And sister dorich and I are doing so well. ITs so fun. Last week I sat down with her and we just talked about things. Just were open and talked about how we were feeling, on how we could improve, just got her insights on things and asked her how she was feeling and let me tell ya, talking things through WORKS MIRACLES! I have learned the importance of communicating on my mission. Since that things have been 100 times better. We get along great, our teaching is more in unity, and we are just happy! I just feel like we are friends now! Its so great. Still things to be patient about but we are doing so great. I have really learned that I just need to be better - once I just talked and then was less prideful things have been great. So thats a blessing as well! 

Another miracle is that Charlie gets baptised on FRIDAY!!! YAY!! Look for the picture on facebook! :) But oh he is a miracle. We have been SO blessed and his experience has taught me that the book of mormon is true! IT is the tool that converts people - not anything I say or teach. The bom has done it for charlie. Its just so great. 

And I love what you said about JOY! its so true. that is something that I have really thought about lately too - just the idea that we are meant to be happy. and not just meant to be happy but commanded to be. I love how that was a theme of conference - just how we have EVERY reason to be happy! We have a saviour how has overcome everything else and that is something to be happy about. No matter what else is going on. I have truly found that on my mission. I know that when we just trust him and push forward that there is not just joy but support all the time. I love the happiness the gospel brings! That is why mosiah 2.41 has always been one of my favorites.

BUT i hoep you have the most wonderful, christmas filled week! So grateful for your support while I am over here in england though. I just am incredible blessed. Thank you and I LOVE YOU!!!!!! So so SO much.  

See you next month. 

AHHH!! Did you just freak out becuase that is actually true... I did! Still staying focused BUT SO excited to give you the BIGGEST HUGS! 

I love you!

Sister Gwilliam 

Hello! (two weeks ago)

Oh I love you!! So much. thank you for your emails. Been dying, like always, to send this! Ive decided it will be the funniest thing to actually get to talk to all of you instead of typing as fast as I can to get everything out that I hope to! 

This week has been really good! Im not sure what has really happened actually... I am totally with you on how fast weeks go. I don't know how it happens but i feel like I blink and all the sudden it is Preparation day again or all the sudden I am going to church again. Its just weird. I guess that is good though- probably means we are just busy doing good things. OH YES! I just remembered it was crazy because we had an exchange from Thursday to Friday and then 30 minutes later 2 other sisters came and we had one from Friday to Saturday. CRAZINESS. It was psycho. so yeah. we were busy thats what it was. But it was great. I love being on exchanges. it is fun to get to be with the sisters and focus on them. AND there is a new sister in the zone I got to go on exchange with and she is from UTAH! Like bountiful or something... BUT OH MY GOODNESS. it was so fun. just being with an AMERICAN! She is the only other american sister in the zone. And i forgot how much fun it is to be with someone who has the same backrorund and culture. So we had a blast together. It was great. Really grateful for it.

 On Thursday I noticed my voice was going a bit which was weird since I felt fine but throughout the weekend and exchanges I almost completely lost it - with exchanges I feel like it is just go go go though so I didn't think about it too much but after exchanges and I had a second to breathe again I realized that I actually didn't feel very well at all. My WHOLE mission I have been so proud of myself though in the fact that I have NEVER had to stay in for a cold or sickness. So I just toughed it out and tried to keep going. On Sunday we saw president and sister Gubler at stake conference and then later Sunday night sister Gubler called and said she thought it was best that I took it easy on Monday - that I sleep in a little and then rest until our teaches. SO i was obedient! For the most part... :) It was great too! I wasn't feeling well so it was amazing to just be able to rest. And I allowed myself to do it without feeling guilty. We just did a lot of area book stuff so we were still working and everything! And then yesterday we had Zone training like the emails- can't wait to tell you about it all! So yeah! Thats been my week! Busy and not feeling too great but feeling a lot better now. The elders gave me a blessing and things seemed to get better so fast after that! So grateful for the priesthood.

 Did you get the email about traveling home? I got one from the office - I will forward it over to you! Sounds like you will get my flight plans in about 2 or 3 weeks. ARE YOU GETTING EXCITED? :)

 BUT yes! So all my thoughts for you... interviews were yesterday so that is good too! OH mom and dad. I just feel like i am just up and down all the time. And i need to be patient with myself because Im still not feeling my best so this week has just been a little off and I haven't had the energy like i normally would and so i'm slightly more dramatic as well.... BUT yes. ANYWAYS, I feel like over the course of my mission I haven't changed too much. My testimony and knowledge has grown LOADS and loads but I feel like personality wise I am very much still me. Which i am so grateful for. I feel like even things like hobbies back home still are great and i don't know, just a lot of things i don't feel are very different about me, and so I always heard about it being hard for missionaries to go home but I didn't think it would be hard for me to adjust to anything. BUT THEN after getting some e-mails and pictures, i panicked a little bit because I realized how much I had changed, my focus is so different than before I left.  It just made me a little nervous. I totally understand why Holy was so lost originally.  But I've just been thinking on that. It honestly does make me a little nervous. I can just see it being weird having to go back. But as our good friend always said... why adjust?;)

 BUT with that! Interviews were so great! OH I CAN NOT WAIT for you to meet president and sister Gubler. They are so wonderful. So wonderful! So yes - right after we finish ky's homecoming (whoot whoot!) we will then have president and sister Gublers and you all can meet them. I just really believe I came to this mission because they were both going to be here. They have helped me so much. BUT interviews were great. I didn't even bring it up with him but he went off on how there is no reason to be nervous about going home. He said a lot of missionaries struggle with it but he said something like how a mission teaches you that NO matter what, as long as you rely on the lord, it will be okay! He will help you. Things will be different and at times it will be difficult but as long as we rely on the lord it is all okay. And that really hit. I KNOW that is true. That is something my mission has taught me. As long as we rely on him it is okay. So i guess he answered that perfectly but yeah. Still kinda crazy. Interviews were really great though. He just spent a lot of it talking about being ready for the future - next week I start doing Myplan. its a program the church is doing where for 30 minutes everyday i will plan things for my future. Set goals. things like education goals, future family, standards with media, sabbath day, relationships. all that good stuff. Which I am excited for! I think it will help me stay on track after the mission as well. So he talked about that and then just spent it saying how proud he was of me. How he knew the lord was proud of me. OH those words are so sweet. I rememeber coming into the mission and having my first interview with him and thinking forward to how I wanted my last to be with him as well! And that is how i want it. Just him saying he and the lord are proud   I am really just so content and happy with how my mission has been so far. I really feel like I have served hard and done my best and been obedient and If it were to be over next week I would go home with no regrets. And i just want it to be that way SO badly even 7 weeks from now. But 7 weeks is still a long time. And oh i just want to stay dilligent and working hard and being motivated, and this is where it is probably just because I have been ill. but this last week I just feel lIke i don't have as much energy and just not as motivated and i don't know, it has just scared me. And i really think is just me letting satan put doubt or fear in my heart. I shouldn't worry about it but just go out and do my best! Ha its so easy to say. But yeah. I guess i just sometimes let myself worry about whether I can endure and keep it up all the way.  I just want SO BADLY to leave with no regrets. And i know i can but I know i am going to need the lords help.

 With all of it though I just want to enjoy being a missionary. I just want to love it and not be stressed. Sometimes I go into too much sister gwilliam and getting so focused on achieving something that I dont allow myself to just enjoy and have faith- to just trust that as long as I am giving him my best he will take care of it. So i just need to be better with that this week.

 BUT YES! Next week is transfers so that means I will only have one transfer left. It is crazy. And it is CHRISTMAS! I get to skype you in a MONTH!!! AHHHHHHH i am so excited!  I have a job for all of you too! RIGHT after thanksgiving you HAVE to watch the new christmas initiative! IT IS INCREDIBLE! i just cry. Just watch it everyday and dad just embrace the christmas music. haha! OH i love it so much! All the shops here are getting everything up for christmas and lights are coming up! IT MAKES ME SO HAPPY!!! I just can't wait. 

 AND KY! I am so proud of him! SO PROUD! And so is sister gubler. I told her baout his silly companion issues and she said how he was awesome for standing up for it! And oh my goodness! He just let him have it? THATS RIGHT! go ky. He is so great. I really admire his attitude and his williness to be obedient. And I was so relieved as well to hear that his president and everyone are aware of the situation. That makes me feel so much better and makes a lot more sense. AH ky is so great. He will be blessed for helping this elder stay out. Shows his president has a lot of trust is ky as well.

 AND WHAT?! you were going to have PIZZA for thanksgiving... PIZZA!!? Its a good thing that has changed or I would have been recieving permission to call home. Goodness! ITS THANKSGIVING!! From someone over here in england please make sure that you just celebrate and love it! All of the cooking and craziness is just part of the fun! WE will jsut be having a normal day... we will have to go find something to make thanksgiving-y and then pop a balloon of the day - I have LOVED doing that! Thank you so much mom!! ITs the cutest. But yes. So glad you are having a more proper meal. I was thinking we should celebrate thanksgiving and christmas when I get back. I will make all the food for it! :)

And Speaking of christmas.. remember please dont send me anything! Its so expensive and I will see you 2 weeks later! So if anything just save the money and then I would love to have a girls day and go get some new clothes... SINCE APPARENTLY LINDS IS WEARING ALL OF MINE. and as much as I love the ones here I have worn them for 18 months... it will be nice to have something new. SO yes! HOw about that for a deal?:) 

But yes! Have the best week and heaven knows I will be sending you another email before we know it!

I LOVE YOU!

 Sister Gwilliam

Saw this at the store and had to sen it! I LOVE ARGENTINA!

A DL sent this quote and I loved it. Pretty cool.



Sent from my iPad

I thought you would like this dad. This is how I study and eat and do everything else. With my table and the heater right under me!:)

Cute Marley- this is the sweet Rc that comes and teaches with us all the time! And also the one that thinks the church was restored after polygamy.? :)

Presidents house! Notice how many sisters... THATS RIGHT! Go sister missionaries!

Sent from my iPad

Thanksgiving

My sad thanksgiving meal.

Sent from my iPad

District preparation day at borough market!

Sent from my iPad

 

I love Christmas!

HELLO!!! 

Remember last week when I said I will be emailing you again before we know it. Thats how i feel again. Especially this week. It just FLEW! I dont know how... or even what we did... but it just goes so fast sometime.

But are you all just LOVING the christmas season? Im so glad that linds has taken christmas all on! I just smiling reading about the christmas music blasting! Oh i LOVE IT! That is something that is hard. We can only listen to hymns so I need to get creative with the music but our mission rule just changed and we can listen to anyone as long as they are singing hymns - before it was just MOtab. BUT let me tell you... a little Josh Groban singing christmas in the morning just starts the day off SO WELL! Its the best! :) So yeah! I AM JUST LOVING IT! Have you watched the christmas initiative yet? I hope you have! if not go watch it right now! Its amazing! And has the funnest things to do the 25 days leading up to christmas - it has the best ideas! Go onto mormon.org and look it up! We can do it together!! but I forgot until this week how much I LOVE being a missionary at christmas time. We have the christmas video on our ipads and all i get to do is go around and share about christmas and celebrating jesus christ and share the video with EVERYONE and it is the best becuase even those that aren't christian love christmas time too so more people are willing to listen. Oh ive just been having a blast. I sing christmas songs all day long and talk to everyone about christmas and goodness. Its the best ever. AND i am SO HAPPY that we got a new tree!! OH i can't wait to see it!! so YES PLEASE please keep it up until I can see it!! With the snow and christmas tree and ALL OF YOU i will just cry. It will be the best! But I would love to see it!! Today we are going out and I am buying stuff to decorate the flat. I dont think sister dorich knows what is coming.... its going to be awesome. heading to pound land (their dollar stores here:) ) and we will be SET! I'll send pictures next week. I am so excited though! OO i was just thinking... but yes Leave the tree up and I will make some english christmas things and we can celebrate england style!!! YOu in? 

With thanksgiving though My mouth just watered when you sent the picture of the turkey over in the SMOKER!  BUT thanksgiving here we didnt do anything. HOW SAD IS THAT? We didn't even have time for dinner with all of our teaches that day. DIDNT EVEN HAVE DINNER ON THANKSGIVING! ISn't that crazy. And we had salad and veggies for lunch. It was discusting. I was ashamed of myself. BUT it was still good. Something funny about england is you can not find canned pumpkin ANYWHERE!!! I have looked in stores and they just dont sell it. Its so werid. But we had a ward activity and the only american couple brought pumpkin pie. It was so yummy - apparently she had traveled like 45 minutes to some whole food place where she found it. Crazy. But that was fun and a good way to celebrate!  

 THe weather here has been so nice until about 2 days ago when a cold spell came in and FLIPPIN HECK its FREEZING!!! So cold. Its one of those things though where it looks really nice - we are blessed that the sun has been out the whole time so it hasn't been raining... knock on wood... but its crazy how cold it gets. Time to pull on the leggings and then thermals and then tights again! :) 

And dad I was laughing about your comment about almost falling asleep becuase I DID THE SAME THING THIS WEEK! I have always heard of the crazy stories of missionaries falling asleep in lessons and thought that was CRAZY. How can you fall asleep in a lesson? Well this last week I went on exchange with Sister Calle who is a spanish speaking sister. THey had a lesson that day so we ran over to teach their investigator and I couldn't understand anything, made me respect and appreciate ky so much more! But becuase I wasn't engaged as much, or i dont know what it was, but I was nodding off SO BAD! It was awful. I was so embarrassed and mad at myself. But i would sit there and just feel myself dosing a bit... oh mom and dad it was so bad. I almost started pinching myself. I kept moving around to keep myself awake. The spanish lady probably thought I was crazy. Did that ever happen to you dad? Oh im just glad i didn't fall asleep entirely. But lucky that has never happened in english! :) 

Starting this transfer I start doing Myplan. But we have to set goals for our lives and one of them is for how we will honor the sabbath. I think that is one that I will change the most from how I was before. I am excited to set goals and then honor the sabbath like we should! It will be GREAT!

And it does seem like ky is homesick. poor guy. I was thinking about it and it hit really hard for me too about the same time he has been out - the 6 months mark. I know it was hard too when sister barnes went home thinking how she was seeing her family and I still had so much time until I got to see you. president gubler talked to me about it a lot - and I talked to you both about it too. Just something I really struggled with. So i will definitely send him a good email and try and help. Its really hard being away from all of you and I always thought that the longer I would get out it would change - It would become easier. And i realised that it didn't. The whole time it has been hard. But the lord can help and give us peace to make us strong enough to do it! Grateful for him and for your help this whole time too!!

But we were able to go to presidents house this week! iT was the best! We kind of had thanksgiving there - but no stuffing which is my FAVORITE! But it was great! So fun to get to be with presdient and sister gubler. And there were so many missionaries that are such good friends that were there too! So it was so fun to get to see everyone. We almost got to sleep over again... another set of elders baptised 3 as well last transfer so becuase of the tie they counted key indicators. And the elders beat us by 6! BY 6! Ah it was so close. But thats okay! It was still so fun to get to be with everyone and celebrate gods help in the work! 

THings are going really well in the work too! Charlie is still doing so well! He came to church on sunday and has accepted the commandments easily! We taught him the word of wisdom and he was suprised about the tea and coffee- said he had it every morning- but then was silent for a minute and said "well it looks like I will be drinking a lot more water"! Ah he is the best! We are teaching him again tonght and then he will be taught everything and ready for his baptism next friday! We also had a miralce this week where a RC from mitcham ward moved into peckhams boundaries and has a little girl who is 10 and really wants to get baptised! So we got her on date for the 30th and are seeing them twice a week now. it just blows my mind in gods kindness. he really just prepares people and brings them to us. Im so grateful! SO so grateful! I also think heacenly father might be preparing me for either a lot of kids or a future primary president - a lot of the people I have taught on my mission have been kids! Which i LOVE! they are the best to teach. Its just kind of funny. 

I LOVED your quote you sent over mom. THANK YOU for reminding me about it! That quote has helped me so much throughout my whole mission with almost everything! That idea of not stressing. THANK YOU! And for both of you reminding me to just stay focused and take it a day at a time. I think that was my problem last week. I was looking so far into the future and that can sometimes make us worry BUT i am going to apply that quote and just live in the moment and enjoy it! Just LOVE this time i Have here. I do have a lot of people ask about plans and talk about it but I am doing my best not to bring it up to not make it harder on sister dorich as well. No one likes a companion who only talks about home. So thank you! That was the perfect reminder for me!! 

BUT I HAVE SOMETHING URGENT i need your help on!!! So this is really funny - but I have really been working on eating well but as you know dad I am a snacker... or a vulture as you like to call it.... :) BUT with that I have just resorted to eating a lot of carrots. I eat A LOT of carrots. I just snack on them at meals and throughout the day. Just lots of carrots becuase they are delicious and I dont feel bad for eating them. well I have had lots of comments (even from a nutritionist we are teaching) that I am looking slightly orange. ORANGE! a tint of orange. NOT GOOD. And from taking nutrition I know it is a real thing - if you eat to many your skin turns a little orange. SO its a problem/ I will get celery today at the store but will you google it and make sure it isn't toxic. I know its funny but just make sure I am okay and I will get celery to switch it up. THANKS! Love you! oh and please send me and email to let me know. :)

AND YOU HAVE MY FLIGHT PLANS!!!?? OH my goodness. What are they? I know i need to stay focused and I wont let it get me off - Sister AUbuchon was at the dinner (she is flying home with me and going to byu the next day with me as well! Can't wait for you to meet her! :) ) but we just wanted to see if she and sister bills and I are all on the same flight. We woudl assume we are but we watned to check. If you are willing to send it over! 

OH and iwth your question with preparation days - last week we went over by the water and to bourough market again. Im obsessed with it! ITs like a super posh costco - they give our samples! :) But its of fancy cheeses and yummy bread with olive oils... :) But we will DEFINITELY go when we come back some day! you all will love it! But sister dorich and I were saying how we had to start doing all of the fun things on these days! Obviously making sure we do the most important things first but I only have a few more days to get to go see London so we are going to try and use them! Hopefully lots of cool pictures coming up! 

BUT i just love you all so much! Thank you for all of your help and support and love. SO grateful things are going so well and you are all happy and safe! :) Im so grateful for you. Truly when I think about all of the blessings I have been given you are at the top - so grateful to have parents who are just always there no matter what. It has brought me the greatest comfort. Thanks for being my biggest fans and support team while i am in england too! I know i say it all the time but i couldn't do it without you! 

I LOVE YOU!!! Have the best week!!! 

Love, 

Sister Gwilliam 

It took us almost all night to plan DLC... ha the elders were done.

Went to the Clapham district meeting with the zone leaders. It's fun being a stl and getting to travel around and visit the sisters!

Show bob! The kids LOVE THEM!! We have given loads to Zasha and her family too! I sent him a postcard to Otha know him too.... hopefully it got to him!

Sent from my iPad

 

more pics

I AM SO THANKFUL FOR YOU!!!!!! Love you  all so much. Thank you for

the best surprise!

Pics

Freddie's baptism!:) I sang as well which was so fun!

Us and the zone leaders - from New Zealand and Australia.

Sent from my iPad

 

Exchange with sister morales - she is from Spain and is always SO
HAPPY!! I love her.

I love you all!

 

HELLO!!! 

OH i just love Wednesdays!

i just love you and miss you. I love being here and am really working on staying focused but the idea i get to see you so soon just creeps up sometimes and I get SO EXCITED! Not too excited that I loose focus but just im so excited. I feel like I never thought it would happen, it still doesn't seem real, but im excited. Just love you both.

So before all of the good stuff - I am so upset about ky's situation. Honestly Im gonna fly down there and knock some sense into his companion. I will send his email over but I didn't get anything about it. It was short. But hearing that his comp has been giving him the silent treatment and all that stupid stuff literally makes me so angry. I had something similar.  If i voiced my opinion on something or felt we shouldn't do something It would result in her not talking to me for ages. and it was the hardest thing. Mostly becuase the spirit was not there - she was angry and I was annoyed and it was just awful. And so my heart just sinks that he is having to go through it too. He didnt say anything about it but I will try and drop some advice or help him stay possitive. OH IT MAKES ME SO ANGRY! I just can't even focus - i just love him and want him to be happy. I always thought being a missionary was the hardest but Im getting a glimpse of how hard it is to have a family member away on a mission - I wish i could go through it for him. BUT yes. I KNOW it will all work out! Only 3 more weeks!! THREE MORE! And i am SO PROUD of ky for sticking to the rules. He will be blessed. Hopefully with a new companion that he will jsut love. OH he is so good. Love him. 

Anyways... this week has been great! A rollercoaster week but really good. It was really good because FREDDIE GOT BAPTISED!!! I don't know if you saw it on facebook or not! But how exciting is that? OH i just love him. I LOVE THESE PEOPLE! That is something I have recognised lately. Anytime we leave a lesson or leave a members home or even just after meeting them I find myself talking about how much I love these people. I really do just have the strongest feelings of love for them - I remember you talking about how much you love the people of chile and every other missionary who serves just talks about the love that they have for the people and the place. I know it will be that way for me and England. THese people and this place will always hold a very special place in my heart. But oh it was the best to see him get baptised!! He is so happy! ANd today is his birthday so we are having a lesson and then celebrating!! OH its just so great. And then another miracle is... rememeber charley? The Irish man i told you about last week. WELL HE IS ON DATE!! YAY!! THe 9th of Decemeber he is set to be baptised. We had the GREATEST lesson with him this last friday. The spirit was so strong and we just testified that baptisms is what he really needed and honestly I think he has just been waiting for us to ask him. OH i wish you could meet him. He is the funniest man but oh I love him. And am so excited for him! He came to freddies baptism and then to church on sunday and it sounds like he had a really powerful experience when freddy recieved the holy ghost. He described it as this really warm feeling just overcame him. :) LOVE IT! So so neat. SO charlie is doing great. Love him. And just incase you were wondering Zasha and her family are still the greatest blessings and the very best. I just LOVE THEM! We have to come back to see london and all the other friends but especially zasha and her family. RIcardo went and did baptisms for the dead and LOVED it and Zasha has met with the bishop and getting her patriarchal blessing. THey are just so great.So things are good. We are doing a lot of finding since we are getting to the point where a lot of our friends are now baptised! WHAT A GREAT PROBLEM TO HAVE!! So lots of finding but its the best. We jsut get to walk around and have sweet africans and jamiacans tell us how much they love jesus christ as well. Its so good. 

I have noticed with all of the miracles though that I need to be careful as well... this week was a little bit of a rollercoaster because it has been a lot of finding. We went out and had a full day and talked to great people but didn't find anyone super solid or any new investigators. the same thing the next day - we were still seeing great blessings and finding great potentials but I wasn't seeing the results or things I felt that I should be seeing - a new friend that jsut wanted to be baptised! :) I was reading Elder Utchdorfs recent general conference the other morning that talks about how as members of the church sometimes we take things for granted becuase they have always been there for us. I was touched by the spirit on the fact that I had become a little like that - we have been SO blessed with finding people here but I was getting to the point where I was almost expecting it - or feeling like I was entitled to those miracles. SILLY SISTER GWILLIAM! There were some rough mornings and harder days before I realised it but Im grateful for studdies in the morning and words of living prophets that help us put things back into perspective. So things are better! I did open the need a really good laugh this week while i was trying to figure everything out... haha oh it is HILARIOUS! I love you all so much! I also opened lacking faith... thank you so much dad for writing all of that. It helped SO MUCH!! so so much. just what I had needed. so thank you. AND MOM! I got your sweetest package. IT IS SO FUN!!! oh thank you so much! I love love love it!!!!!! Brightened my day up so much! And helped me to rememeber to be thankful! We have so many things to be grateful for. So you both are just perfect. I'll keep reminding you over and over but really thank you for your help this week! you probably didn't even realise but you saved the day multiple times over here in england this week. 

Something funny about this week though is that one of the members daughter returned from her mission - Holy (Yes her name is Holy and her little sisters name is angel! :) Got to love the african names!) But Holy came home from serving in Canada on Thursday and then we met her and took her on some teaches with us which was a huge blessing but oh my goodness. If i am like that when I go home heaven help all of us. She was so lost. Poor thing had this deer in the headlights look all the time. It made me so nervous. What if I am like that? Ive thought about it though and something that president gubler has taught me, and one of the reasons I feel like I have enjoyed my mission so much and that our friends have progressed, is that he has taught me to share the gospel like Megan would. Just to be myself. So something I have loved is the longer I have been on my mission the more i feel like there is less of Sister Gwilliam and MEgan but we are just the same now! Being a missionary and loving the gospel is just me! So hoepfully i wont be like her when I go home and if i am knock me out of it quick!!! 

OH and exciting news is we found a crockpot in our flat! YAY!!! So would you send over some yummy crock pot recipes! Healthy please! :) Trying to be good before coming home! :) 

Another great thing about this week was the example of mary! Mary is a byu student here on study abroad. I dont know if I have told you about her... but she is INCREDIBLE! My RM role model. She has been home now for almost 2 years but she just lives the gospel. Sits with memebers, not the other byu students, in sacrament meeting. Offers to do service for the members here, comes to our baptisms to bring cookies for after, and has taken us out to eat a few times while she has been here. It has amazed me her example of service. Even with life being so busy while studying and being in london - instead of doing other things she is feeding the missionaries and supporting the ward here as well. I just want to be just like her when I go home. I will set good goals to make it happen. AND a huge blessing is she will be at BYU! Maybe you can meet her too! She is great though. So grateful for her good example espeically with coming home coming up. 

BUT another funny story for you all this week - there is a recent convert in the ward - her name is marly - and she is hilarious. just a funny lady but she just got baptised earlier this year and was called as a ward mission leader so she comes out and loves to help us teach and will even knock with us. knocking is the funniest. she will yell through the doors when she knows someone is home or just funny things like that. I love taking her out. Just makes it fun! :) But sweet marly being a new convert is still learning the doctrine a bit. SO we went to teach this man this last week and when we got in he started telling us he had heard about mormons before and specifically asked about polygamy. So we cover it and just direct the question to the restoration and start teaching. After the lesson we are about to leave and marly cuts in and says how the restoration ties back to what he was saying about polygamy. (in my head i am thinking WHY!? Dont bring this up again!!) But she goes on telling the man that the church used to practice polygamy but then the gospel was restored through the prophet joseph smith and so that false teaching and evil ways was done with becuase the true gospel was restored.... AND THEN she goes on saying how she knows that joseph smith was a prophet becuase she met her own joseph smith. Apparently a year ago a "prophet" came up to her on the streets in peckham (got to love peckham - lots of prophets and prophetesses go around and preach to you! Its exciting. ) and prophesied things that would happen in her life. She then said how those things actually happened so she knew that man HAD to be a prophet so joseph smith had to be a prophet as well. I just sat there and wanted to laugh! Sweet marly knows the restoration is true becuase a false prophet (APOSTATE PROPHET) prophesied about her life. But at least the gospel was restored so the church stopped being evil by practicing polygamy, right? Ha i just didn't even know what to do to help the situation. Got to love it. 

So yes! Being a missionary here is the best thing. Its so funny the situations and stories that come. At least the man was wearing clothes though, right? 

But that is SO FUN that sister Barnes came to our house! When i saw the pictures I was SO EXCITED! Haha she is so funny huh? she was such a good missionary and companion. We just got on and had fun and would just laugh and laugh. She laughs a lot too... if you noticed that. But some of the funniest memories are with her. She taught me to work hard but that it was fun too! Hoping to train my sweet companion that same thing. So glad you got to meet her. AND I ALMOST SCREAMED when I saw the email from the englands. OH I AM SO EXCITED!!! ARE YOU? I just can't wait for you to experience real english people. you will just understand so many more of my stories. They are the funniest people. OH it will be so fun! So yes! Definitely will plan on staying home when they are here! We will have to have so much time to laugh and talk about all of the mission stories. Fun fact about english people - THEY LOVE to hear themselves talk. Its great. We will have fun! :) But oh im so excited. And I would love to take her to class with me too! I was thinking it iwill be over finals wekk... lame. But hoepfully my schedule will be easy enough that it wont be bad! And with that I have been checking on preparation days about byu. Looks like it is going down but i will check today and try to find some backups just incase!

And i loved seeing hte pictures of linds playing volleyball! OH i will be ALL OVER here about it when I gt home. I can't believe they had a game at 6 am though? PAINFUL! but dont worry. I'll talk to her about it and DEFINITELY be there to help with all of the satruday chores soon! :) A mission has taught me to work as well so get ready. We will be doing lots together. 

Speaking of that thank you for both always reminding me how proud you are of me. I know it is a little thing but it honestly means the world to me. I was fighting back tears when I read it. One of the biggest motivations for me to serve and to work hard is 1st off for my saviour and heavenly father of course - just for all that they have done for me but 2nd was to make you proud. I feel SO BLESSED to have had you as my parents. I owe the world to how you raised me and what you taught me and I know i havent always made choices that made you proud of me but I wanted to come to try and redeem those To change and make choices that you would be proud of. So thank you!! I am working hard- and will continue to until the end to thank my heavenly parents and brother and to make my earthly parents proud. I LOVE YOU BOTH SO MUCH! 

I have also decided that I would love to teach the discussions to you all when I get home. can i have the teaching assignment for family home evening for the first couple of weeks I am home. And also the dessert assignment. I cant wait to cook again. 

But yes. Im just trying to work hard and stay ontop of things. Im not going to lie i feel like I am getting more tired. My body and just mentally it can be harder somedays but I AM FIGHTING IT SO HARD! I have a little less than 2 months and I am making the most of it. 

I LOVE YOU SO MUCH!!!! Thanks for all of the updates! 

Sister gwilliam 

November

Oh this week! So much! First off though, KEG IS HOME? What the heck? I
had no idea. That's so crazy. I'm glad he seems to be doing okay. Poor
guy has had a hard start to his mission. The bug and then his knee and
after trying so hard to stay out there had to come home. It kills me
how many people seem to come home now. I think it would be hard - just
being back with family and remembering life like that. Part of why I
think it is so great now is I forgot what it was like before!:) my
sweet companion has struggled a bit with the schedule (probably
because she is companions with me and we rarely take a full lunch of
dinner becuase there is just too much to do) but she really wants to
take a full time for things. Which being new I definitely understand.
I don't want to burn her out but I am trying to teach her that she
will have to start getting used to the idea that for 18 months there
really is no rest. There is always something to be doing. But yah. So
crazy! I hope he is able to get back out soon! It is hard that the 2
years are stopped now so the sooner the better for sure! Oh so crazy.
And Tommy! Hopefully he can go out soon as well. 

And second. I am just a LOT UPSET at kys companion. Honestly.
I just want to fly down there and smack him around a bit. It's just so
hard. And if his zone leaders are the same way? Over
here you learn you HAVE TO be obedient. None of this sleeping in
craziness and everything else. Oh it just makes me angry. I feel so
bad he is struggling so much. I will try and think of things to say
that will help. I was actually looking through my journal last night
and read through some of the experiences, and
oh it is just so hard when a companionship struggles. It really was
during that time I have never been so low. So so just DISCOURAGED and
a little confused and needing help but not knowing what to do - but
honestly it taught me SO MUCH! I learned that I
had to rely on prayer becuase I could only email you once A WEEK. I
had to turn to my Heavenly Father and just do my best. I came to know
him during that time. So it was worth it but oh am I so grateful I
never have to go back to that. So yeah, it's just hard though.  Honestly though it
just makes me upset. I'm aboutready to call from here.

But things are getting better with the companion - mostly becuase I'm
just trying to be like my saviour and be good!:) haha oh it is hard.
Something that is saving me though is that we are so close to so many
missionaries- we have 6 in our ward and then 4 in the Spanish ward
that meets in the same building. So there are 10 of us running around
and we see each other all the time. And then with exchanges it has
helped so much! Last transfer I didn't love exchanges - just preferred
being with my comp:)- but this transfer it is a nice little breather.
AH IM THE WORST! But it's true. We are just really different and I'm
just learning a lot of patience. But that is all good right? So good!
Oh man. Yeah. It's good! I'll  just keep saying it and then stay
happy! The best is that I have come to love the work. I really do love
it. So going out and talking to people makes all the difference - so
if anything I am grateful that I love the work and most of the day I
can just find joy in that. And then when it is a really hard day I
just think that in 2 months I will be home with you... haha don't
worry! Not getting trunkie but still. A little ray of sunshine - for
KY too! SO GRATEFUL he only has to stay with that silly companion for
a couple more weeks and then he is gone. I will send over the email he
sent to me - his comment on being a weird missionary cracked me up. Oh
I love him. He will be the best weirdo missionary ever!:) am I one of
those? I feel like KY thought I was.... :) but yeah things with my
sweet comp are about the same but this week I changed. I changed my
perspective on things and decided to stop stressing and just to enjoy
it. I only have 2 months left and I am GOING TO LOVE IT! Oh I am going
to miss this and don't want to look back letting silly things stress
me out or bother me or cause problems. I'm just choosing to be patient
and love being here. And praying for charity as well! That always
helps. So my head is on a lot better this week. Grateful for a saviour
we can always lean on and to be learning that happiness really is a
choice!

BUT ANYWAYS! With our teaching pool and the work sight of things. I
haven't been good updating it becuase of all the craziness with
transfers and companion stuff BUT things are going so well. Really
though so so well. I just don't feel worthy of it honestly. I feel
lately I could have been a lot more diligent or just better but we are
seeing a lot of blessings. Our friend joe- the one we met right before
general conference - has his baptismal interview TONIGHT! He is set to
be baptised on Saturday at 6:30. He is a MIRACLE! We met him just on
the street. He had been wanting to get back into believing in God but
he had so many questions and the more he learned the more confused he
got. And then he said he finally decided to just give up and we
stopped him that night! Ever since then he has just been great - he
says these things are finally answering his questions and he knows it
is true. It's so so neat. And then we have been working with a LA
member who has come back and we started teaching her daughter who is
also getting baptised with joe on Saturday! 2 baptisms in one night!
And then Freddie - I think I have told you about him - is set for next
week and is doing SO WELL! So so well. He is reading and praying and
finally understands that he doesn't need to be perfect to be baptised
but that this is the purpose of this life - to just be better. Freddie
is the one who was addicted to drugs, spend a couple years in prison,
just had a crazy life and now has completely changed. It has been the
biggest blessing getting to teach someone who has desperately wanted
the atonement so badly. He just wants to feel worthy and struggles
with the decisions he has made. And it is the neatest blessing to be
able to promise him that he will be able to find that peace and
forgiveness. Next Saturday will be the best. And we are working with a
few others as well! I am really trying to make sure to keep up with
finding. We have 3 solid but after next week they will be baptised and
so we are working to keep our teaching pool full and have people
progressing! Be abuse as fun as it is to do days of finding it is even
better to do days of finding in nvemeber and December when it is dark
and freezing... so we are working on it to avoid that!:)

Halloween was great though! That night we did a Halloween
party for Zasha and Kelly (the la whose daughter is getting baptised
Saturday) the families are the BEST of friends. So it was fun. We
played pin the hat on the witch and then trick or treating and talked
about faith! It was fun to be able to celebrate. So grateful for
mom teaching me how fun it is to decorate and have parties!
I think it is so fun!  I have totally turned into Dad with pet peeves. I know I have said this
before but oh man. My comp BITES HER NAILS DURING STUDIES. oh
pray for me. I keep telling myself Jesus Christ would be patient and
not snap but oh I'm getting close. And for the sake of the work I
probably will have to say something becuase I can't even focus. I just
stare at her across the table and keep clearing my throat every time
she does it hoping she will get the hint. She hasn't yet. But
Halloween was fun! Nothing too crazy sadly. But I LOVED the cute
decorations sent! They were up all over the flat!  But I didn't eat too much candy...
like any really! I was laughing as I was writing in my journal about
Halloween that I was eating carrots as I did it. Carrots instead of
candy... got to love only 2 months to going home... Trying to eat
well.

This week we had zone training too! It was so great to be with other
missionaries. It was probably the best zone training ever (and not
just becuase me and the zone leaders were in charge of it) but we did
the push up and the atonement activity - have you heard of that. It
was so powerful. I learned a lot about the atonement and make me want
to be ever better. We focused the whole meeting about war though -
like the spiritual war - onward Christian soliders type thing- and
then we went over to the imperial war museum. It was crazy! Fun little
field trip with a purpose of course!:) but we went through the
holocaust exhibit and it was so humbling. Mom you would have loved the
history with all of it. So so crazy but amazing to see. We tie it all
back I got that idea that we need to be out and helping those who are
struggling and suffering and dying spiritually. Super neat. I hope
they liked it. I thought it was A lot better than the traditional just
sitting and listening to presentations all day. So I'll send picture
of that too!

I was thinking that I should have been more on top of things and
it would have been fun to room with emily Gwilliam! I would love to be
closer to her. And going to the same school will be a party! You
should ask Jeff and Sarah if she wants me to get anything here in
England that she has wanted. Apparently she has a love for London. I'd
love to bring anything back with me!:)

I love that the saviour does carry us. He helps us. I have seen that even on my mission. The
hardest points didn't seem as hard in he moment. Looking back they
were awful. But in the moment I was okay. I really know that it is
through prayers and the saviours atoenment that he can always help us!
Wish KY didn't have to learn it this way either but his life will be
forever blessed becuase of it!

Love you all SO MUCH!!!! So so much. Miss you so much too. So
grateful for all of the support and help.
You will never realise the difference it makes.

I love you!!

Love,
Sister Gwilliam

Sent from my iPad

Exchanges...got to love it!

Sent from my iPad

 

I love you!

THis week has been a bit crazy and just a little overwhelming. Ah it's so hard. I laughed how you both mentioned it probably was a little rougher with having a new comp and everything- a mission has taught me a lot of things about myself including that I don't love change too much. I just need to be patient and relax but every time it's just a bit crazy and the weeks are harder. I went back in my journal and looked at the first week of being with sister steed and it looks like it was about the same - so that made me feel better! By the end things were the best so there is hope. I just Flippin need to calm down and have faith. It's so hard to keep that perspective all the time. 

Okay- I need to vent. I've needed to all week long. So sorry but here I go! OH this week has just been hard. I always joked that I didn't train Sister Steed and this week has just confirmed it to me. My cute new comp is great but oh it's so different than last time around and so much harder and requires years of more patience. All of it just makes me a little mad at myself because I know that I just need to change and be better - it's not her but me that needs to be more like Christ. But it has just been a little crazy. I think one of her bonuses with sister steed was since we whitewashed we met all of our friends together so we knew the whole story but this week it has been a lot of trying to get her updated on all of the friends (well enough that she can go on exchange and teach them! Yikes!) and helping her get to know the ward and trying to stay positive when finding has been rough and oh man. It's just all hitting at once. BUT I kind of knew it would happen. The last transfer was incredible - and I think that is part of the problem. Things were just running so well it was silly of me to think that things would be exactly the same with a new companion. We have just had to have really long talks of explaining things over and over and praying for help and charity and OH see!? Even as I write this I just see how I am the one that needs to be better. I'm just stressed out a bit. We have 3 friends set to be baptized in the next couple of weeks that all need a lot of help if they are going to make it but we have exchanges coming up and so I have to figure out who she knows well enough and who she is comfortable in teaching, it's also seemed like the miracle weeks of finding new investigators has gone south and it seems like no one is interested and I just feel a lot of pressure almost - the last transfers were incredible with people found and baptized and the Lord has given me the responsibility to train and be an stl again and I just don't want to let him down or president... and so I want to keep the people up but it doesn't seem to be working and then that makes me question myself I. Wondering if I am doing something wrong.... and then I get upset becuase I Flippin have less than 3 months and I want to ENJOY it. I know in my head this is truly the best ever and all I need to do my best and love my companion and things will work out but I guess it hasn't sunk into my heart. I say that everyday- just do your best and be happy- but it is hard with a lot of things going on and I feel the weight of it all. But I guess that is my problem too... I should trust her more. Just because she is newer doesn't mean that she can't help and recieve revelation. Ah. Anyways, I just need to be better. I need to be more like Christ and love her and just be patient. And I set this wonderful goals and have the plan to do it all but then some comment or situation or something makes me frustrated and then it's all down the toilet. I'm just trying to keep the bigger perspective and stay happy and positive about things and it's just been a hard time doing it this week. I always heard training was hard but I just laughed and had a good time with sister steed where now I am understanding it a bit more. BUT I only have a short time left and I want to come back a better person and changed and if this will help me to become better and change in the process then that is great!:) 

I guess do you have any thoughts of just staying focused on what is important - loving my companion and being a good companion, loving the people, focusing on the one, versus the pressures of results and outcomes? It's so silly and I probably should have learned it by now but I need a reminder this week. 

Wow sorry. That was crazy.  I'm just stressed.and I hate being stressed. Life is to be ENJOYED! And I need to remember that! And all I keep thinking is that inneed to be the companion that I want KY to have. It's really been what I have been thinking. I need to be the comp he deserves. So that's my goal this week is to stop stressing and enjoy missionary work. Then I will be a better less crazy stressed sister Gwilliam which my sweet companion deserves. I want her to learn more than anything that missionary work is the best!! And to enjoy it. 

BUT like we all know this happens to me and I'm sure by next week I will be laughing at the craziness I felt this week!

So yes. It's been a crazy week but I already feel so much better. Getting to write each week is the best therapy I could have. Any ideas or thoughts would be so wonderful though! I did open up the "need a pick me up" letter you sent with me and it was picture of cute tyse. I almost cried. Oh I love that boy and that smile is the biggest pick me up anyone could have. I love him so much! Thank you again for sending those they help so much. 

 It SISTER BARNES! I can't BELIEVE IT!. She didn't give me too much info- the last time I heard something she had broken up with him and now they are engaged? But she did say that they are thinking of the wedding in December. Oh I am PRAYING they hold off until January. How fun would it be to be there? But we will see! Keep me updated if you see things too. So weird though. Remember them both being here. 

This week too the clocks go back. Bonus is getting extra sleep - such a good bonus too! Ive been super tires lately. BUT the not so good part is that it will start getting dark - like really really dark - starting around 4 now. Ah it's the worst. People just don't love you knocking and people aren't outside. BUT we will be and we will still knock because they need it. Luckily I still have some hand warmers from last Christmas that I can take out with me! But yes. Pray for us. ;) 

I got a super short email from KY. He sent like 2 paragraphs and then had to go for the nap thing and I never got another one. Oh I'm praying for him though. I'm hoping he is really feeling as positive and he sounds. I told him last week about some experiences but I know how it feels to have to stay when hoping there is a change- it's the hardest. BUT it also taught me so much  and once I switched my mindset it was a great transfer. So it's so good. And a blessing his comp goes home soon!:) there is a light at the end of the tunnel at least - but oh man. I was hoping there would be a change. But the lords plans are always better! Grateful he knows so much better than we do! But has his mission president been funny about it? I feel bad everyone can't have president Gubler as their mission president. I love him so much. Honestly so so great. But we have interview about every 3 months.... not enough. But he responds to our emails every week and we can call anytime. And I do!:) but yes! I'll encourage KY too but if there are issues I would definitely tell him to talk to the mission president! And just his Zls. He seems to really like them and they are great on exchanges and they are there to help as well! But KY is so great! Such a good attitude and good example to me. So grateful for him! And can't believe he has been out 4 months! Crazy crazy. 

Today we are going to the imperial war museum with the zone leaders. Apparently there is an awesome exhibit on the holocaust. You will love it here mom. So many museums on history and they all are free!! 

But I just love you! I hope you both and everyone back home is doing well! Thanks for letting me vent!:) I just will be better this week. I just need to get the bigger picture back and stop focusing on results but enjoy the journey of it all. Sometimes we aren't here to achieve something but experience. And to find joy in that! PLUS there are still so many miracles. 3 friends set to be baptized. That is AMAZING! I just need to be more grateful too... ahh so many good things to do this week. It will be great! 

Well I just miss you like crazy. Love you so so much. 

Doing my best to stay focused and work hard and be positive!:) 

I Love you!

Sister Gwilliam 

Sent from my iPad