So this week was better. Emails from people really helped me so much. I've come to realize that I'm being so selfish. It's ridiculous how I've been acting and I need to apologize to everyone because I know my selfishness has been clear in my emails. This mission is not about me. This is about bringing others unto Christ. It even says it in the missionary purpose. I need to forget about me, love others, and lose myself in the work. This is a great and marvelous work and I'm lucky to be a part of it, so I need to start acting that way.
Our investigators...Ashley is having a really hard time stopping smoking. We're trying really really hard to help her, but the environment is just making it extremely difficult. So we're going to keep in contact with her, but kind of give her a break. Maybe she just needs some time. MJ came back from the hospital though, which is really good and he's already learning how to walk. They said it would be eight weeks before he could do that, but it's been four weeks and he's been given the green light to walk. It's amazing the miracles that the Lord performs. However, we went over the night he got home and he was smoking weed, so there's that. We're still working on him.
Geno. He's such a good kid. I'm trying so hard to become his friend and he's actually warming up to me. I talk to him about sports and he's really into it and we're becoming good friends. He talks to me so much more than he did before. I told him I would go over on a P day and play basketball with him and he told me he was going to dunk it on me. I told him that would never happen, but he is half black, so it probably will happen. Oh well. I'm just stoked to play with him! It's going to be fun! But I am gaining his trust, so I will start sharing the gospel with him soon. He's so ready it's scary. But, sadly, the other night when MJ (who is Geno's step dad) was smoking weed he handed Geno the blunt, and he took a hit. I was like "NO!!!! DON'T DO IT!" I told him it wouldn't help him in sports. As I continue to gain his trust I'm going to be more bold with him. When I feel like he can take it I'm going to ask him where he wants to go in life. What he wants to become. Because that kid has so much potential. He's such a great kid. I'm just going to be honest with him and tell him that he can become more and do better (and it's kind of mean to say) than his mom and step dad are doing. But I'm going to be really really careful about it. We need to become really good friends, but I think we will be soon. But then I'm just going to tell him that the gospel can bless his life in ways that he can't even imagine. It will improve the quality of his life so immensely. I'm so excited. It's going to be awesome.
Joanne and Jackie! We taught them the Plan of Salvation with Brother Leppert (mission leader) and it went really well. We cleared up some things she was having troubles with and she's feeling better. She said she's still worried about what her family will think, but the other day she told Brother Leppert that she is finally ready to be baptized! She has investigated the church for two years and she is finally ready! And I get to be a part of that! I'm so incredibly lucky. So she's going to some youth baptisms this Saturday and then hers and Jackie's should be soon! Oh, by the way, Jackie is her sister who has autism. Joanne is in her seventies and Jackie is in her sixties. They were my first lesson, we taught them on my second night here, so this is so cool to see. And they really like me. I was honest with them on that first night and I told them I was scared but that teaching them really helped me, so ever since that they have been so good to me. I am just lucky.
Well, those are really our only investigators. Last night some lady named Lora called us and told us she was struggling a lot so she prayed and the answer she received was to be baptized in God's church, so she called us! She wants to be baptized, so we're going to start teaching her on Friday! She told us how demons and evil spirits have been in her house and how they scare her and her family. It's super scary stuff. Satan is powerful, but we have God and Jesus Christ on our team, and because of Them we will always win. I hope all goes will with Lora and that we will be able to baptize her soon!
So that's just about it. Not a ton of new stuff happening, but it's been good. This week has been good. I'm getting along really well with my companion and we've been having fun. I'm out of the tripanionship and we both really miss Elder Christenson, who came to Washington the same time I did. But we still get to see him a lot because he's in our ward, so that's good! His companion, Elder Cheney, got here last Wednesday and so we have four elders in our ward again! Bill Kelly bought all of us the same tie, so we all wore them to church yesterday. Needless to say we got a lot of comments! It was funny though! All is well in the Beacon Hill Ward!
I love all of you so much and I am so grateful for you!
Elder Williams
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