I Will Glory, Rejoice, and Praise my God Forever!

Dear Family and Friends,

Wow! This has been a jam packed week full of tons of amazing things! We were able to go to the Temple and as I was sitting in the Endowment room waiting for the session to start I was hoping I would see someone from one  of my past areas and then Sister Elwess walked in. When I saw her in the Celestial room she came up and gave me a big hug. I love her so much and I'm truly so grateful I met their family. They are amazing and it was such a tender mercy to see her. 

It is an amazing truth I hold dear to my heart knowing I can receive direct revelation from my Heavenly Father. I was looking back in my study journal this morning at the last time I went to the temple which was in May. I recorded a bunch of questions I had after that session. From that time in May to Saturday July 25th the Lord helped me seek and prepared my heart and mind to receive the answers. And I did receive the answers to all those questions. It is truly amazing to literally see the Lords hand in my life. My favorite scripture is Matthew 7:7-8  

7 ¶Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find;knock, and it shall be opened unto you:

 8 For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.

We also had amazing lessons with people this week! We have an investigator named Fallah. He is from Liberia and is so prepared to receive the gospel. We took him on a church tour and ended at the temple and he said I'm going there someday! We also were able to meet with a less active woman named Onetta Viea and she is one spitfire of a woman. I love her. She is older and wanted help with her family history and I was able to help her prepare 30 ordinances to take to the temple! She came to church on Sunday and told the Bishop she would be there next Sunday and she wants to work towards getting her temple recommend again. 

I feel like Ammon in Alma 26:16-- Therefore, let us glory, yea, we will glory in the Lord; yea, we will rejoice, for our joy is full; yea, we will praise our God forever. Behold, who can glory too much in the Lord? Yea, who can say too much of his great power, and of his mercy, and of his long-suffering towards the children of men? Behold, I say unto you, I cannot say the smallest part which I feel.

I'm so grateful to be serving the Lord at this time. My joy is full and I love this gospel! It is true. I love you all so very much. Have a great week!

Love,

Sister Williams

This is Onetta! I love her so much. She is one spunky lady!

 Sunscreen warrior! I will defeat the sun!

 Yummy! I made my companions and myself some stir fry.

                            Crab for days!

 I love to go to the Temple. We had lunch on the temple grounds on Sunday.

A Week in Pictures!

Dear Family and Friends,

This has been a full week! I can't believe all that has happened this week. It feels as though it has been a month. We went on exchanges in Dickinson, had Zone Conference, and Thursday happened! I'm so grateful for inspired leaders who follow the spirit. I know and truly testify Jesus Christ is the head of this church and he is directing his work.

Let me expound a little about Thursday. But first, I have to give a little background info on Zone Conference. So the training we received was so inspired. It was about taking the time to set expectations and invite them to be baptized in the first lesson. So Thursday we applied everything we learned and we had six lessons, two new investigators, and went on splits and had four lessons in one hour. It was amazing! Also this week we were able to meet with an investigator named Drew and he is progressing now! And we found a less active member who really wants to go to the temple so we are working with her on that. I also found out Mark Peer is preparing to receive the Melchizedek Priesthood and is on schedule to go to the temple on his year mark in October! Mark was a baptism from my first area in Moorhead, MN.

This was a truly amazing week and I love being about my Fathers business. 

Love,

Sister Williams 

                      This is Salem Sue. 

            Look! I'm udderly ridiculous!

 Dem Bones-- A woolly Mammoth! There is a really cool museum here we went to last week. 

 I've always wanted to draw the Plan of Salvation in Chalk! Mission accomplished on exchanges in Dickinson. This is an outside chalkboard on a building wall.

 This is Sister Hess, the New Mission President's Wife.

 We are the Three Musketeers! Sis. Andrews, Sis. Mansell, and me!

 This is Ashley and Breanna. We are teaching Breanna she is getting baptized on August 1st! She is 14.

                  That Beautiful North Dakota Sky!

The Power of the Priesthood

Dear Family and Friends,

This was a great week! We had one of the greatest dinner appointments ever with the McBride Family. We taught a really good lesson about the Book of Mormon and committed them to give away a Book of Mormon and their 7 year old daughter Mylee shot up and declared, "I want to go give it to our neighbors right now!" We grabbed a Book of Mormon and had her write her testimony in it and mark her favorite scripture. Then we role played with them before we went over. It was a total success and we went over, they gladly accepted it and the McBrides invited them over to have smores. It was such a great experience to see a family doing missionary work, and Mylee was such a great example to her family and us of declaring the gospel with excitement!

We also found a new investigator this week named Maffany. He is from Cameroon, Africa and has a very sweet and gentle spirit. When we were in his home the spirit was abundantly there. He is seeking for peace in these turbulent times, and I know he will be able to find it. As he listens to the spirit with an open heart and mind he will come to know these are true.

We were also able to pick up an investigator that dropped us last week. She had the resolve to stay stuck in the situation she was in. Then she called us yesterday and said she needed us to come over stat. We hurried over and brought the Elders with us because she had said she needed a priesthood blessing. After she received the blessing she told us she wanted to start the lessons again and to be baptized as soon as possible. It was such a mighty miracle. I'm so grateful for the Priesthood  and that I live in a time where the fullness of God's power has been restored to the Earth. I love you all! 

Love,

Sister Williams

 

                    Look! I made it to Versailles!

 

 Awesome Car at the Library

 The Bed and Breakfast we helped garden at this week. I love this place--it is who I am in a house.

 Don't freak out Mom--it is just the leprosy running its course!

 Everyone in North Dakota has personalized license plates.

 We had a mishap with our car so the Elders fixed it with duct tape. How many Elders does it take to fix a car?

 

The Rogue Fireworks!

Dear Family and Friends,

This has been a great week! So for the 4th of July we went out to a member's home and they bought all these fireworks. They brought out this giant box of fireworks and lit it. It was really cool...until it fell on its side and started shooting off fireworks back at us in their driveway. Naturally I'm great in a war zone/ crisis and I shot up and ran away. A firework went right past me and exploded and my ear started ringing, but no real damage was done. It was pretty crazy.

We have used our trio power and are teaching up a storm. We met with one of our newer investigators named Kofi. He is from Ghana, Africa and works in the oil field. He has such great questions and has been seeking for the truth for so long, but has not been able to find it. We had a great lesson and answered a few of his questions. We will be meeting with him again this week so  I'll keep you updated.

We are also teaching a 14 year old girl named Breanna. She is full of energy and understands the doctrine of the gospel well. She is on date to get baptized on August 1st. There was a baptism this past weekend and she was able to come. Sister Mansell and I sang a special musical number at the baptism which was fun. I've loved being able to share my love of music out in the mission field and we might even join our ward choir if we can.

So when I first got to Bismarck we went through our Area Book and Sister Andrews updated Sister Mansell and me about all the people we are teaching and I found out we are teaching Anne Fields. I met Anne when I was in Fargo and I wasn't able to teach her because she wasn't in my area. I know Anne is one of the reasons why I'm here in Bismarck. We had a lesson with her this week and I had it confirmed to me that one of the reasons I'm here is for her.

I'm excited to see what miracles we will see this week! I love you all!

Love,
Sister Williams


                I'm a minion!  Look at me!

 I have the most fun Companions--Sis. Mansell and Sis. Andrews! =D

 Name tag picture at the Temple.

Bikes, Ticks, and Trios

Dear Family and Friends,

Well, this has been a crazy week and so much has happened it feels like it's been a month. I am now in a Trio with Sister Mansell and Sister Andrews, and they are amazing. They are both from Utah and are both very hard workers. Sister Mansell and I actually went to USU together and we had a Biology class together!

So on our first day we all went up to Girls Camp to talk to the girls and it was all the people from the Minot Stake so I was able to say goodbye to Sister Elwess and to see one of my investigators, Ezzie, while I was there. We were talking to them about Gratitude and I gained such a strong testimony of the spirit. We had only been together for 3 hours and we were teaching in such great unity--it was amazing!

So, we were out of miles and we decided to recruit some bikes from our ward members and we went on a 5 mile bike ride to the church. Now I don't think I have to tell you all how white I am, but I didn't have any sunscreen so I got super burned. It was really fun though! 

I have a ton of pictures to send as well so I will sign off, but more to come next week! I love you all!

Love,

Sister Williams

            I love The North Dakota Sky!  It is beautiful! 

 Last Photo with Sister Clegg!  I will miss her!

 Reunited and it feels so good! I love Sister Aiono (middle)! She went home this transfer!

                     Girls Camp with the Minot Stake--my old area!

 Sister Elwess--one of my member buddies from Minot.  I got to see her at Girl's Camp.

 Bikes--we were out of miles for driving, so we borrowed bikes from some members--it was Fun!

                   Tired Sisters after our bike ride!

             Sunburn cure:  Aloe vera lotion and Apple Cider Vinegar

 More of our apartment in Bismarck!  This is the sleeping and study area.  

My new apartment in Bismarck!  It's really nice. That's Sis. Mansell.