Called To Serve
Friday, December 25, 2015
Monday, December 14, 2015
Its almost Christmas!!
>
> Hello Family!!
>
> It has been the craziest and most wonderful week over here in england! Lots to update you on and can't wait to finish reading all of your emails! :)
>
> This week was super busy! I feel like it just flew by because of everything going on. On tuesday we had Zone training where we focused a lot on the christmas season and using the christmas initiative! It was so great! Sister Stephenson and I really tried to apply that into the work this week. Everytime we would stop someone or knock we use the videos and it has been amazing to see how it truly has softened hearts and after they have watched it people just really open up! Its been super neat! So that was wonderful and I love getting to just focus on Christmas all the time!
>
> I was able to go on exchange with Sister Aubuchon this week which was a blast! We are in the same MTC group so it was fun to get to catch up and work together! Exchanges are great! Its so fun for me to be able to go and get to know the other areas and mostly the sisters even better! But something that was really fun was we got up for exercise that morning and guess what we did!? Jillian Micheals 30 day shred! haha MOM! Remember when we would do that all the time? Oh i just loved it! We did level 2 and it wasn't even hard. ;) So that was fun! And such a good idea. Maybe one of these times when the post isn't so crazy expensive and crazy with it being chistmas i'll have you send it over if you would! :)
>
> And on thursday I WENT INTO THE LONDON TEMPLE! how crazy is that!? As I was walking up I was literally freaking out to Sister Stephenson becuase I was actually going into the london temple. I never thought in my entire life that I would get to go inside becuase I never thought I would actually be in London. And now look at me! So it was so neat. The temple is BEAUTIFUL! And we took lots of fun pictures that I will send over! I forgot to send pictures last week so I'll catch up and there will be lots this week! :) But it was such a fun day. The temple is incredible. I just felt so much peace and it was a spiritual boost that I needed. After we had lunch with all the missionaries there and president and sister gubler and had a little presentation! It was so fun! And i love getting to be there with so many other missionaries - there is just a fun bond that I feel like we all have right away becuase we are all there doing the exact thing - trying our best to serve our Saviour! So that is so fun! It was a crazy day full of travel becuase in good old england we take trains! Which Initially i thought was so fun but now im to the point where they aren;t as exciting anymore! :) So it was hours of travel to get there and get back but so worth it! Yay for the temple and christmas time! :)
>
> Then on Friday we had our ward christmas party which was SO FUN and on Sunday night we had the stake choral concert where all the wards got together and sang songs and had people perform! Sister Stephenson and I joined the ward choir and then we were asked to do another number with the primary kids which everyone thought was the cutest thing! So it was just such a fun week full of christmas! I can't believe it is almost the 25th! SO EXCITED TO TALK TO YOU!!
>
> This week has been great though! Sister Stephenson and I are to the point now where we are still working with people - we have Rob who is still doing great and a couple others - but we are to the point now where a lot of our Investigators are now recent converts - which is a FANTASTIC problem to have but now we need to make sure to go out and find new people! :) So we went out and did a lot of finding this week which was really good! Showed a lot of people the christmas videos! I think i almost have it memorized! :) And sister Stephenson and I are doing really great! We are getting a lot better at communicating which is wonderful but we really have been getting along which is SO NICE! I am so grateful to be able to spend the christmas time with someone who I like being with! Since I wont be with all of you! Something that I laugh at a little bit is just how much a mission prepares you for being a wife and mom. I always knew it would but just seeing how you figure out how to work with a person with different opinions and how to still love them and apologize for things even when you are sure you are right - its all really great! Im learning a lot! I also have started carrying chocolate with me all the time! (we have SO MUCH CHOCOLATE! its like everyone who ever gives us christmas presents gives us HUGE amounts of chocolate! Its crazy) But so good becuase I have started carrying it with me so anytime sister stephenson is getting a little too stressed or worried I just pull out a chocolate bar out of my bag for her and she'll eat it. It works WONDERS! Haha its so great! :)
>
> Something that I have really reflected on a lot lately is a scripture in 2 Nephi 33:6. As i read that verse for the first time it really stood out how personal nephi was talking about the saviour. he gloried in HIS jesus. He just talked about him as if he knew him so well and on such an individual level. As Ive thought more and more about it I have realized that it stood out to me becuase as I have been on my mission I feel like I can say that about my saviour now too. The more that I have been here and especially over the last couple of months I have felt so close to my saviour. He is SO REAL to me. I have gained such a knowledge that what he did was for me personally - it was for everyone but I feel it for me. I have felt the power of the atonement like I never have before and I am just so grateful for the experiences and hard days and hard weeks and everything else that has gotten me to the point where I truly feel like i know him. I glory in MY jesus. He is real to me and the relationship I have with him now is something that I hold so sacred. I love Him. And am so grateful to have this time to share with everyone around me about Him. Everyone needs this knoweldge. everyone needs HIM!
>
> So life here in jolly old england is just lovely! :) I Love the ward, LOVE the people - it has been cool for me to see how i really just love them. I want to talk to them now becuase I want to help them - not just to get the number. It is about them and they just need this! - but with that I love being a missionary. I mostly LOVE YOU ALL!! so so much. So grateful for you love and support and just so thankful to heavenly father for you all! Its so hard being away but know that I am working hard and praying that all the blessings go your way! :) I JUST LOVE YOU! And CANT wait until Christmas!!!
>
> I hope you have the GREATEST week! Thank you for loving me and being the most amazing family! I am truly just so blessed!
>
> I will talk to you super soon! :)
>
> Sister GWilliam
>
>
>
>
> Hello Family!!
>
> It has been the craziest and most wonderful week over here in england! Lots to update you on and can't wait to finish reading all of your emails! :)
>
> This week was super busy! I feel like it just flew by because of everything going on. On tuesday we had Zone training where we focused a lot on the christmas season and using the christmas initiative! It was so great! Sister Stephenson and I really tried to apply that into the work this week. Everytime we would stop someone or knock we use the videos and it has been amazing to see how it truly has softened hearts and after they have watched it people just really open up! Its been super neat! So that was wonderful and I love getting to just focus on Christmas all the time!
>
> I was able to go on exchange with Sister Aubuchon this week which was a blast! We are in the same MTC group so it was fun to get to catch up and work together! Exchanges are great! Its so fun for me to be able to go and get to know the other areas and mostly the sisters even better! But something that was really fun was we got up for exercise that morning and guess what we did!? Jillian Micheals 30 day shred! haha MOM! Remember when we would do that all the time? Oh i just loved it! We did level 2 and it wasn't even hard. ;) So that was fun! And such a good idea. Maybe one of these times when the post isn't so crazy expensive and crazy with it being chistmas i'll have you send it over if you would! :)
>
> And on thursday I WENT INTO THE LONDON TEMPLE! how crazy is that!? As I was walking up I was literally freaking out to Sister Stephenson becuase I was actually going into the london temple. I never thought in my entire life that I would get to go inside becuase I never thought I would actually be in London. And now look at me! So it was so neat. The temple is BEAUTIFUL! And we took lots of fun pictures that I will send over! I forgot to send pictures last week so I'll catch up and there will be lots this week! :) But it was such a fun day. The temple is incredible. I just felt so much peace and it was a spiritual boost that I needed. After we had lunch with all the missionaries there and president and sister gubler and had a little presentation! It was so fun! And i love getting to be there with so many other missionaries - there is just a fun bond that I feel like we all have right away becuase we are all there doing the exact thing - trying our best to serve our Saviour! So that is so fun! It was a crazy day full of travel becuase in good old england we take trains! Which Initially i thought was so fun but now im to the point where they aren;t as exciting anymore! :) So it was hours of travel to get there and get back but so worth it! Yay for the temple and christmas time! :)
>
> Then on Friday we had our ward christmas party which was SO FUN and on Sunday night we had the stake choral concert where all the wards got together and sang songs and had people perform! Sister Stephenson and I joined the ward choir and then we were asked to do another number with the primary kids which everyone thought was the cutest thing! So it was just such a fun week full of christmas! I can't believe it is almost the 25th! SO EXCITED TO TALK TO YOU!!
>
> This week has been great though! Sister Stephenson and I are to the point now where we are still working with people - we have Rob who is still doing great and a couple others - but we are to the point now where a lot of our Investigators are now recent converts - which is a FANTASTIC problem to have but now we need to make sure to go out and find new people! :) So we went out and did a lot of finding this week which was really good! Showed a lot of people the christmas videos! I think i almost have it memorized! :) And sister Stephenson and I are doing really great! We are getting a lot better at communicating which is wonderful but we really have been getting along which is SO NICE! I am so grateful to be able to spend the christmas time with someone who I like being with! Since I wont be with all of you! Something that I laugh at a little bit is just how much a mission prepares you for being a wife and mom. I always knew it would but just seeing how you figure out how to work with a person with different opinions and how to still love them and apologize for things even when you are sure you are right - its all really great! Im learning a lot! I also have started carrying chocolate with me all the time! (we have SO MUCH CHOCOLATE! its like everyone who ever gives us christmas presents gives us HUGE amounts of chocolate! Its crazy) But so good becuase I have started carrying it with me so anytime sister stephenson is getting a little too stressed or worried I just pull out a chocolate bar out of my bag for her and she'll eat it. It works WONDERS! Haha its so great! :)
>
> Something that I have really reflected on a lot lately is a scripture in 2 Nephi 33:6. As i read that verse for the first time it really stood out how personal nephi was talking about the saviour. he gloried in HIS jesus. He just talked about him as if he knew him so well and on such an individual level. As Ive thought more and more about it I have realized that it stood out to me becuase as I have been on my mission I feel like I can say that about my saviour now too. The more that I have been here and especially over the last couple of months I have felt so close to my saviour. He is SO REAL to me. I have gained such a knowledge that what he did was for me personally - it was for everyone but I feel it for me. I have felt the power of the atonement like I never have before and I am just so grateful for the experiences and hard days and hard weeks and everything else that has gotten me to the point where I truly feel like i know him. I glory in MY jesus. He is real to me and the relationship I have with him now is something that I hold so sacred. I love Him. And am so grateful to have this time to share with everyone around me about Him. Everyone needs this knoweldge. everyone needs HIM!
>
> So life here in jolly old england is just lovely! :) I Love the ward, LOVE the people - it has been cool for me to see how i really just love them. I want to talk to them now becuase I want to help them - not just to get the number. It is about them and they just need this! - but with that I love being a missionary. I mostly LOVE YOU ALL!! so so much. So grateful for you love and support and just so thankful to heavenly father for you all! Its so hard being away but know that I am working hard and praying that all the blessings go your way! :) I JUST LOVE YOU! And CANT wait until Christmas!!!
>
> I hope you have the GREATEST week! Thank you for loving me and being the most amazing family! I am truly just so blessed!
>
> I will talk to you super soon! :)
>
> Sister GWilliam
>
>
>
>
Sunday, December 13, 2015
Fwd: Megan at the temple
Sent from my iPhone
Begin forwarded message:
From: Mary Warner <maryowarner@gmail.com>
Date: December 13, 2015 at 8:40:01 AM MST
To: Denise Gwilliam <denisegwilliam@outlook.com>, "Gwilliam, bruce" <brucegwilliam@yahoo.com>, Michelle Olsen <olsen.michelle@gmail.com>, Doug Warner <Douglas.Warner@uvu.edu>, Scott Warner <scottowarner@gmail.com>, "Warner, Rachel" <rachelmariewarner@gmail.com>, Lindsey Gwilliam <lindseygwilliam@outlook.com>, Kyle Gwilliam <kylegwilliam@gmail.com>
Subject: Megan at the temple
Mary and Doug...I helped serve at the lunch for the missionaries that
came to the temple today. Talked for a minute with Meagan and then
she popped her head into the VC to say goodbye...what a sweet girl.
Linda
Monday, December 7, 2015
I love my Family!
>
> Hello worlds best family!
>
> I hope you all have had the most WONDERFUL week!!
>
> THis week here in lovely old england was AMAZING! Miracles happening everywhere. It is still one of those things were I can't really believe it myself... just so much happened and IM just SO excited to tell you all about it! :)
>
> So to start off last monday we started the week with no baptisimal dates. Just keep that in mind! ;) We had a lot of amazing people that we were working with but no set dates. On monday we had a great day, went to dinner with grannie annie which was just hilarious. That woman is a nut! I love her. But then after we went to go see our friend Nicholas who we had only met with once. He is a 16 year old nepalese boy who is so SO SINCERE. I love it. But we had an incredible restoration with him! THe spirit was so strong and then in the end he committed to be baptised on December 19th! Whoohoo!! Then Tueday we had MLC. Oh i just love MLC. It is the longest meeting but the spirit is SO STRONG. It is so fun to be with all of the leaders of the mission and then of course president and sister gubler are there which is the very best! President gubler just radiates the spirit. I just love him and so grateful he is my president! But we had a great meeting! And we decided as a mission to study 3 Nephi the month of december to really focus on the saviour! I have been doing it and it is the greatest thing! You ALL should do it! take 30 minutes to study 1 chapter. Really just study it and study the life and ministry of the Saviour and oh its just the greatest. Ive had some of the most powerful studdies this past week doing it! BUT sorry... little tangent... after MLC we had a lesson with Holly. Holly is the sister of Jack and Fern who were baptised 4 weeks ago. We have really been focusing on her and trying to do all we could to help her be ready to commit to baptism. We had prayed about it and felt like we could extend December 19th to her as well. We walked into their house and before we even sat down she said, "Hey guys, I have something to tell you." PANIC moment. Both me and Sister Stephenson kindof froze, thinking the worst was about to just happen. BUT instead she said, "Ive decided I want to be baptised and I want to do it as soon as possible!" AHH!! MIRACLE!! THere was a lot of screaming and laughing and just being so happy all together! And so guess what!? On Saturday HOlly was baptised!! IT was AMAZING. Such a great night. I just love her and her family. So yes. That was so exciting! And also a miracle with that, at the baptism Holly's mom, Charley, got up and went on and on about how grateful she was for the church and how it had changed her children and how the ward and been so loving and all that good stuff. Charley has never been interested herself. But by the end of the night she was talking about it. As well as HOlly, Jack and Fern have another brother - his name is Alfie and he is the funniest 11 year old! - but he hasn't been in the lesson either. We were joking with him after that it was only 4 weeks after Jack and Fern that HOlly was baptised so we were warning him 4 weeks until it was his turn. And then he just answered saying well at least i have 4 weeks to prepare! WHAT? Uh. So great! But another amazing thing is that we got a referral of a part member family this week. We went by and the mom has been less active for a long time but has recently started coming back and has 4 little kids, 2 of which - Jake and Luke - are old enough to be baptised and want to be! So they now have dates set for February 14th where they will be baptised and then her 2 little kids will be blessed the same day! Oh my goodness. And we are also teaching a man named Rob who is just so great. He will have a baptisimal date by the end of this week as well for sure. He is just soaking it all up and has been to church as well as came to the baptism this last week! Oh man, Just so many amazing things are happening. Isn't it just amazing? THe lord Is SO merciful and just preparing so many people here in England. THe season of Miracles truly is here and I am just SO grateful to be here and to be apart of it!!
>
> So yeah, it was such a good week. This next week will be maddness as well as there is just so many things going on with Christmas. Today is Pday, tomorrow we have Zone training which Me and Sister Stephenson and the Zone leaders are in charge of, then after that Sister Stephenson and I are going on exchange with the Guildford Sisters until Wednesday and then thursday I GET TO GO TO THE TEMPLE!!!!!!!! Its the temple christmas day! :) I spend all day just at the temple, we get to do a session with PResident Gubler, then they feed us yummy food and have a program and we just get to all just be together as missionaries! Im SO excited!, then on Friday we have the Ward Christmas party which should be a blast and then on Saturday we are celebration Christmas with Holly, Jack and Fern and their family since they will be gone over the actual day! So how fun will this week be!? Its going to be crazy! But i am SO EXCITED!!
>
> It is so fun that it is christmas time too! As a mission we are really focusing on the Christmas initiative and trying to do all we can to focus on that. It what we talk about with people on the bus and on the streets and with members. Its just so fun!! I LOVE CHRISTMAS TIME! Especially with being a missionary it is so great to have this time becuase it makes talking to people SO easy. Everyone is already out shopping for christmas or getting ready for it. It just starts off conversations so easily. So i just love it! And yes! The 2 christmas videos are so great! I hope you ALL have already posted them to your facebook of instagram pages! :) Christmas in England is a lot different though. It is weird without the snow. Even though we are in California most christmas's where there isn't snow their either it is just weird not having any of it durring december. THey also don't put up lights on houses here like they do back home which is lame! I love the lights being everywhere. but the towns are all decorated which is so fun!
>
> But the most exciting thing is that It is only now 18 days until I get to skype you!! OH MY GOOD HEAVENS i just can't wait.
>
> But i hope you all have the most wonderful week and have so much fun celebrating christmas! I love this time of the year! Decorate even extra for me, play loads of good christmas music, and eat lots of goodies! :) AND spend lots of time together! I love being here but definitely miss being with you! BUT its okay becuase we will just party extra hard when we are all back together again which will be so soon! :)
>
> I love you all so much!! so so much! Thank you for all of your love and prayers and support! IT truly is you all and my saviour that gets me through all the crazy days! :)
>
> LOVE YOU!
>
> Sister GWilliam
> Hello worlds best family!
>
> I hope you all have had the most WONDERFUL week!!
>
> THis week here in lovely old england was AMAZING! Miracles happening everywhere. It is still one of those things were I can't really believe it myself... just so much happened and IM just SO excited to tell you all about it! :)
>
> So to start off last monday we started the week with no baptisimal dates. Just keep that in mind! ;) We had a lot of amazing people that we were working with but no set dates. On monday we had a great day, went to dinner with grannie annie which was just hilarious. That woman is a nut! I love her. But then after we went to go see our friend Nicholas who we had only met with once. He is a 16 year old nepalese boy who is so SO SINCERE. I love it. But we had an incredible restoration with him! THe spirit was so strong and then in the end he committed to be baptised on December 19th! Whoohoo!! Then Tueday we had MLC. Oh i just love MLC. It is the longest meeting but the spirit is SO STRONG. It is so fun to be with all of the leaders of the mission and then of course president and sister gubler are there which is the very best! President gubler just radiates the spirit. I just love him and so grateful he is my president! But we had a great meeting! And we decided as a mission to study 3 Nephi the month of december to really focus on the saviour! I have been doing it and it is the greatest thing! You ALL should do it! take 30 minutes to study 1 chapter. Really just study it and study the life and ministry of the Saviour and oh its just the greatest. Ive had some of the most powerful studdies this past week doing it! BUT sorry... little tangent... after MLC we had a lesson with Holly. Holly is the sister of Jack and Fern who were baptised 4 weeks ago. We have really been focusing on her and trying to do all we could to help her be ready to commit to baptism. We had prayed about it and felt like we could extend December 19th to her as well. We walked into their house and before we even sat down she said, "Hey guys, I have something to tell you." PANIC moment. Both me and Sister Stephenson kindof froze, thinking the worst was about to just happen. BUT instead she said, "Ive decided I want to be baptised and I want to do it as soon as possible!" AHH!! MIRACLE!! THere was a lot of screaming and laughing and just being so happy all together! And so guess what!? On Saturday HOlly was baptised!! IT was AMAZING. Such a great night. I just love her and her family. So yes. That was so exciting! And also a miracle with that, at the baptism Holly's mom, Charley, got up and went on and on about how grateful she was for the church and how it had changed her children and how the ward and been so loving and all that good stuff. Charley has never been interested herself. But by the end of the night she was talking about it. As well as HOlly, Jack and Fern have another brother - his name is Alfie and he is the funniest 11 year old! - but he hasn't been in the lesson either. We were joking with him after that it was only 4 weeks after Jack and Fern that HOlly was baptised so we were warning him 4 weeks until it was his turn. And then he just answered saying well at least i have 4 weeks to prepare! WHAT? Uh. So great! But another amazing thing is that we got a referral of a part member family this week. We went by and the mom has been less active for a long time but has recently started coming back and has 4 little kids, 2 of which - Jake and Luke - are old enough to be baptised and want to be! So they now have dates set for February 14th where they will be baptised and then her 2 little kids will be blessed the same day! Oh my goodness. And we are also teaching a man named Rob who is just so great. He will have a baptisimal date by the end of this week as well for sure. He is just soaking it all up and has been to church as well as came to the baptism this last week! Oh man, Just so many amazing things are happening. Isn't it just amazing? THe lord Is SO merciful and just preparing so many people here in England. THe season of Miracles truly is here and I am just SO grateful to be here and to be apart of it!!
>
> So yeah, it was such a good week. This next week will be maddness as well as there is just so many things going on with Christmas. Today is Pday, tomorrow we have Zone training which Me and Sister Stephenson and the Zone leaders are in charge of, then after that Sister Stephenson and I are going on exchange with the Guildford Sisters until Wednesday and then thursday I GET TO GO TO THE TEMPLE!!!!!!!! Its the temple christmas day! :) I spend all day just at the temple, we get to do a session with PResident Gubler, then they feed us yummy food and have a program and we just get to all just be together as missionaries! Im SO excited!, then on Friday we have the Ward Christmas party which should be a blast and then on Saturday we are celebration Christmas with Holly, Jack and Fern and their family since they will be gone over the actual day! So how fun will this week be!? Its going to be crazy! But i am SO EXCITED!!
>
> It is so fun that it is christmas time too! As a mission we are really focusing on the Christmas initiative and trying to do all we can to focus on that. It what we talk about with people on the bus and on the streets and with members. Its just so fun!! I LOVE CHRISTMAS TIME! Especially with being a missionary it is so great to have this time becuase it makes talking to people SO easy. Everyone is already out shopping for christmas or getting ready for it. It just starts off conversations so easily. So i just love it! And yes! The 2 christmas videos are so great! I hope you ALL have already posted them to your facebook of instagram pages! :) Christmas in England is a lot different though. It is weird without the snow. Even though we are in California most christmas's where there isn't snow their either it is just weird not having any of it durring december. THey also don't put up lights on houses here like they do back home which is lame! I love the lights being everywhere. but the towns are all decorated which is so fun!
>
> But the most exciting thing is that It is only now 18 days until I get to skype you!! OH MY GOOD HEAVENS i just can't wait.
>
> But i hope you all have the most wonderful week and have so much fun celebrating christmas! I love this time of the year! Decorate even extra for me, play loads of good christmas music, and eat lots of goodies! :) AND spend lots of time together! I love being here but definitely miss being with you! BUT its okay becuase we will just party extra hard when we are all back together again which will be so soon! :)
>
> I love you all so much!! so so much! Thank you for all of your love and prayers and support! IT truly is you all and my saviour that gets me through all the crazy days! :)
>
> LOVE YOU!
>
> Sister GWilliam
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