Family!!!!!
Oh my goodness! So much to tell you! It's been a great and crazy week!
So once upon a time it was a great week! It was sister Barnes last
week so we were working hard and enjoying being together! We finally
had a solid.... and I mean SOLID... teaching pool which was the
biggest blessing! We have 4 on track for baptism by the end of
October!!! And these people are just SO PREPARED! Just the people who
say they have been waiting for his message, they've wanted to change
their lives, they want to be baptized (even before we bring it up!!)
just all of these amazing things that you hear people say to
missionaries but you don't believe it is true! But it is true. And
sister Barnes and I were blessed enough to have 4 of them! So it was
just the BEST! We got to Friday morning where we were doing weekly
planning - idk if you did this dad? But we plan for our entire week!
Put all of our plans down. Talk about what lessons we will teach Our
investigators. Less actives and recent converts, who can fellowship
who, how to use members and the wArd council.... All those good
things! It takes about 3 hours to do each Friday but then is the
biggest blessing throughout the week!:) SO anyways, we are doing
weekly planning and I remember just feeling so great and so ready to
take on all the things we were talking about. Even with sister Barnes
leaving I felt confident to be able to help my new companion and I
teach these people, I could show her around the are without getting
lost.... For the most part:), I felt like I had a good relationship
with the ward and member so member work would stay up, and I LOVED
these people! I loved the ward, and Peckham, and our investigators (so
much!!!) and even the fufu and rice was becoming bearable -kay maybe not that part - but
everything was great! I was happy and even though I was sad to have
sister Barnes I just knew me and my new companion would be able to
carry things out. WHEN ALL OF THE SUDDEN... The phone starts ringing.
And who was it? President Gubler!! Sister Barnes and I literally start
screaming and then finally answer it. We all talk for a minute and
joke around when he asks if I am there. Umm... Moment of panic. But he
goes on to say that he has been praying a lot and even with the
situation with sister Barnes leaving I will be moving too because I
have been called to be a Sister Training Leader!!! AHHH!!!! Oh my good
heavens. First off moving was a shock - It wasn't even on my radAr to
think I would move since Sister Barnes was leaving and we had pink
washed the area when we moved in. I thought no way they would do that
again! And then sister training leader!!! COMPLETE SHOCK! President
said that usually he wouldn't pink wash twice - not the ideal thing to
do but he really felt like I needed to be a sister training leader -
and since sister Cunha and sister ramsayers (my flat mates:) ) - had
just been called to be the STLs for the Wandsworth zone, I was going
to move and be an STL in the stains zone! So holy smokes! I've been
DYING TO TELL YOU EVER SINCE I FOUND OUT!!! I'm so excited but also so
nervous and just can't believe it still. I feel like I'm starting all
over with this whole missionary thing with moving but it will be
great! I know the Lord will help me and I'll just have a whole new
area and zone full of friends!:)
SO with all of the news. I am moving to Aldershot! It is in the stains
zone. (I don't know if you have a map of the zones- I think there is
one in my call packet? Idk?:) but anyways! I am going to Aldershot!
It's about 3 hours south west of London! And Me and my new companion
(her name is Sister Stevenson - and she is ENGLISH!!! Accent here I
come!:) ) will be the Sister Training Leaders (STLs) for the stains
zone. As STLs I will be responsible for all of the sisters in the
stains zone- it's basically the responsibility of a zone leader but
only over the sisters!:) Me and sister Stevenson will go on exchanges
with the sisters once or twice a week depending on how many their are in our area and then our job is to help train them to be better missionaries! We are supposed to be a good example of working hard,contacting people on the street, being focused on helping them
accomplish their goals, go on teaches with them, help them be more
converted to the mission training plan and to the Lord and mostLy
support and love them!:) oh my goodness. I will also attend the
missionary leadership council each month (president gubler, the APs,
zone leaders, and then sister training leaders attend) and then we
also will go to the district leadership council with the zone leaders
and district leaders to pass the information from MLC to the district leaders and zone. So a lot more responsibility on my part.Im really excited but also a little overhwlemed with all of it! I feel like I am completely new and still am trying to figure things out - I am the one who needs a good sister training leader to help me but now I am the one who needs to be good enough to be the support the other sisters need. So its exciting but Im nervous. AH I was really excited to tell you though! Did you get an email about it from president?? Ive heard Zone Leaders parents get them so maybe STLs parents do too and you already know all of this!
So... I wrote that out yesterday while sister barnes was getting all of her pictures off her Ipad and such! BUT right now I am officially in Aldershot. This morning we traveled to the Crawley chapel and then zone leaders drove me here! Its been crazy, I feel like it hasn't really hit yet, I feel like im just going on exchange and I will be back in Peckham with Sister Barnes tomorrow but I already like it a lot here. But oh my goodness. It is SO DIFFERENT! There are NOT as many people. A lot more english. And instead of being in Africa I'm now in Nepal. Those people are everywhere. As Sister Stevenson and I walked to get groceries almost everyone we passed she would put her hands together and do a little bow to them saying "NAMASTE!" I laughed when she started saying it just because of all of the crap ky and dad gave me with Namaste and volleyball - its all coming back around! ;) But yeah. So thats definitely going to be different. It really is super weird for me to not have thousands of people passing me every minute. Street contacting will be a lot different for sure.
AND another fun thing! WHen I was telling people where I was moving everyone kept telling me about this "granny annie" I was a little confused by it all but it turns out they were telling me about her becuase we live with her!! Me and my companion live with this old sweet spunky old english lady! LIke we share the kitchen and bathroom and house with her! How fun is that? Sister Stevenson said it is great for the most part but she does like to talk a lot - which I can see already, I guess she is just lonely and so when we are home she has to catch us up on everything - but she does seem sweet and it will be fun to have a grandma like person here! She likes things very neat and tidy which will be good for me too.... Sister Barnes and I probably could have been better about that! :) So yeah, I'll keep you updated on how all of that is! Hopefully Its just the greatest!
Sister Stevenson seems great already! We have only been together now for only a couple hours but it seems like we are going to get along really well! Her last companion was a health nut - didn't eat sweets very often and was vegetarian - so the fact that I love meet and chocolate already made me a winner in her mind!:) She is from Northern England and came the transfer before I did! So she has only been out for about 4.5 months! She has been a sister Training leader for 2 transfers though so she will be able to catch me up on everything with that! She seems so sweet though and im excited to be able to learn and grow with her!!
But yeah, I feel like that is the big news of the week! I feel like everything else is a little bit of a blur. The last weekend in Peckham was crazy! We RAN from different appointments and everyone decided they wanted to feed us! I have lots of pictures that I'll send right after this!! Im excited for this new transfer! Super anxious as well! I truly feel like im starting completely over. jUst without knowing my companion or the area or the people and having it be with granny annie and labanese people everywhere! Haha its just completely different! BUT i'll just keep relying on my Saviour and know that with his help I'll be able to adjust and love it here just like I did in Peckham! :)
I love you all SO MUCH!! You all are always in my prayers! THank you for the emails and your love and prayers and support! I miss you so much but am so grateful to be here!!
LOVE YOU!! Excited to email you next week and tell you all the crazy adventures that will happen in this new area! :)
Love,
Sister Gwilliam
This is Sister Hill. I have to send you an email telling all about how amazing she is!! This sweet lady was mistreated for some medical problem she had about 20 years ago and because of that she has gone completely blind and is confined to her home. It truly is the saddest thing but it is amazing because she has the STRONGEST faith and testimony! OH I could just go off on all I think of her. Some of the most spiritual experiences I have had so far have been In her flat just being with her and learning from her example!! I'll miss her for sure!
Sister Aidoo! I LOVE HER!!!
This is Andy our investigor!! He was the greatest and can't wait to hear about when he gets baptized!
Sister Quaye and her cute girls! She is a returning member/LA. She was always so kind to us though and always good to feed us!:)
Painting on Saturday for Sister Cambell!
You mean we won't be together?
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