William's Last Letter

2013 March 5

Our week was busy, my companion had little wisdom in scheduling but it worked out nearly perfectly, I have had just enough to pack and organize all the miscellaneous accumulation of stuff, and all my other things of import. Today is busy also but at the end I am going to see Ashleigh Lish who was formerly Ashleigh Beard, who I baptized over a year ago which is great. We have a lot of appointments come up, and I will be inviting people to meet at my departing missionary fireside which if any one who lives in the general vicinity can come 1465 E 4600 S Ogden 7:00 tomorrow evening. Just a general thing if anyone is going to be in this vicinity. Well not much else has been outstanding, my companion had his birthday yesterday I set up a surprise and set up president coming.  It was fun.  Well I don't have any special requests, I don't really know.  I just ask as we go on Thursday, maybe some superhero movies and that, but nothing that I could think of specific to that day. Well I love you lots see you in 49 hours! (Barring any unforeseen events)

William's February 26 Letter

I am doing well, although I cut open my big toe. But that is not really related, I feel fine and the work here is progressing, slowly, onward.   My week was a good one, we were able to get lots of things done although lots of things fell through it was good, we had lessons set up, and had several where the less active members show their desire to return to Christ. One in particular the Donehoos we have been teaching for the past 4 weeks and they have made it a goal to get to the temple. I received grandma’s and aunt Jill’s valentines and I would like to thank them for that.  We have  our car but no gas card so we have no means to fill it, so we had to park it for  a while to conserve gas, a member sent 5 gallon's with our ride from church to put in the tank, helped a ton. Our dinner Sunday we had tunge taco's with a ward mission leader and his wife. It was fun event.  Monday (yesterday) we gave a blessing to a ward missionary’s sister.  She is doing much better now, she was having seizures and the doctors are looking into why. Today we went to Salt Lake temple and went through a live session. That was interesting, the temple has interesting art. We then went on a tour of the Beehive House on Temple Square which was super spiritual, the two sisters had pure testimonies to share and I learned a lot of history, and had a really good time.  I have enjoyed this week and look forward to another great one, Love you lots!

William's February 19 Letter

My week was actually pretty good. We got a car, and an apartment. The car is amazing! It has blue tooth and a usb and aux and it is awesome! I can't drive it but it is amazing. The apartment is a little office on a farm.  We live next to buffalo and a water piping company, and I have no Idea what the address is, just down the road from Brother Daines, well not really if you remember on your way up to his house you see the farm to the west of the highway there just a small one. That’s where we live now. We got in contact with our investigators and the less actives we are working with. We had several good lessons where people have expressed desire to come back to church. We have had many good experiences and have been asked to give talks. We are working with a family that is coming back to church, we don't have many investigators as it were but we are working with lots of people now. I am sad to hear of Nicole’s passing, send much love and condolences, I will miss her. Well not much else to report on.   Love you lots!

William's February 12 Letter

2013 February 12

My week was fantastic, we had freezing temperatures most of the week but the day time was fine. We still have to walk but it is OK, we find rides to the areas we need and go tracting and visiting in those wards. We have had a lot of people working with us to help make the teaching pool grow but it is well. We have mostly less actives, but we have been going all over and visiting everyone. People are helping, we don’t have full weeks but we have much more work than we did prior, I really like this area. We have been setting things up with an investigator that Dr. Daines knows well, so we go over there often. We are getting more persistent with our investigators, not a lot of them meet their goal but they still enjoy our visits. Well love you lots!

William's February 5 Letter

2013 Feb 5

Well as stated, I do need to read my letters before I send them. I hope I do a better job here. I had lost track of birthdays out here.  It’s crazy how much time has gone by. The past week we had terrible weather, so we did not get much done.  I am staying in Willard (still no car) with Elder Knittle, a hard worker, a little like my old companion Elder Maynez, who is now my zone leader! So exiting. We have gotten quite few return appointments and work is coming to us as we go and visit people. We get dropped off in a ward to tract a little bit in that ward till dinner. Not the most effective way to teach but we are getting quite few results from it. Brother Daines(?) says hi, we going to be teaching some people with his help. His daughter is going into the MTC when I go home. Elder Gingrich went home with Elder Henthorn, two of my favorite missionaries, but we had a good experience before he went. (Henthorne) We went to his brother in law’s baptism, and he and his brother (who had been less active for years before his brother entered the mission) bore testimony and gave encouragement to those people there. It was very spiritual; we are having good success here. Love you lots!

William's January 29th Letter

2013 January 29

I had a crazy week. We had freezing rain so bad kids went Ice skating in their drive ways. Not an exaggeration, they really did. We had a snow so bad we couldn't leave the house and fog so thick we could see 10 yards at best. We taught three lessons, some had to cancel do to the weather, but the ones we had were good. An investigator may be in prison but it will be good for him. We still do not have a car, but transfers are here and they should have one then. Youmans is leaving halfway through the month but life is great apart from that. It is really starting to pick up and it’s enjoyable. I love it a lot. It is hard not to get trunky. Love you lots!

William's January 22 Letter

2013 January 22

It was a great week. We got a lot of work done. We were only able to do limit work in two wards, but we got a lot of significant things done. We visited a man who is convinced that he has not received an answer from God to his prayers, he believes in the church but he has, in his opinion, not yet received an answer. He has a very stressful time right now, eviction, warrants, floods, and unemployment. His life is not going well but he is determined to make it better. A young couple who’s the father is disabled, degenerative disease in his back, and he is less active and the mother is not a member. We had a good lesson, but they are in hard times but are looking forward to lessons. We had a good time visiting in the ward we live in, not a ton of success but we got a better Idea of the area, we do not have a car yet but we should get one this week today maybe, but they gave a car to some elders who had their car in the shop...... not sure about the situation but I have a feeling it was a crash.  The members are helping us.  We are using them much more now we have more options to work with, not wanting to ask one person over and over.

My mission president asked me to make an anti truncky goal. I decided building courage in my companion and investigators would be the most effective and I have seen a lot of good from the focus.

I love you all lots!

William's January 15th Letter

2013 January 15

It was actually very good, although the ETA on the car is now sometime in the future. But we had 2 good lessons, new investigators; more support from the wards and a change in the correlation time which means it will be easier for us to get there. We shoveled the church building, and we have lots of snow also, it was storming so bad we were told to stay inside. We had zone conference, it was engaging and we learned a lot and set our goals for the year.

I have decided to send some things home to save room.  How is the house coming? You should send pictures of the progress and I’ll give encouragement to finish it.

Well love you all lots!

William's January 8th Letter

2013 January 8

Oh my companion is Elder Youmans. He is from Alaska, Wasilla and he has been out for 4 months. Our week wasn't very eventful apart from an interview with president and walking 4 miles in the snow, not much else. We did set up a lesson and we still need a car. Our area and mission leaders are helping a lot, we have lots of support from the wards. We have moved in but we are now with a family in Willard. We’ve got moved pretty well and have had things set up. I enjoying it just very slow do to circumstance.  Love you lots!

William's January 3rd Letter

It has been a good week. We got moved into a new apartment and received a few referrals and have been able to set things up, we will get a car soon and our phone works. We have interviews with the president tomorrow, actually as today is Wednesday. Since we didn't have whole lot to do as it was difficult to get anywhere not much excitement happened other New Year’s and getting just the right amount of new socks so I can get rid of the holey ones, sad they seem a little scared to discard.... We have met a few new people and have had a few fun things happen, the most important being the move and a rather good discussion on commitment.  My District leader is very good, and we have been living with him a while now.  His companion was born in schrelanca and had come to learn English threw the Book of Mormon and receive a testimony of its worth. He has read it 80-some times. It’s been a good week and I love you lots!