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