A Savior is Born

Dear Family & Friends,

WOW! We witnessed many miracles this week! First, was Charlie. We went knocking on doors and we met a man named Charlie. We shared with him Joseph Smith's experience of seeing Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ and the spirit was very strong. He was quiet and said he wasn't interested. We left him with a Book of Mormon and a Restoration pamphlet with our phone number on it. Well, a couple days later we got a text that said, "Hi this is Charlie. So what do I have to do to become a Mormon?" ....that never happens!!! We were all so excited! We were able to meet with him this week and he wants to learn more and progress in the gospel.

Second, was Lacey. We have a great family here in Crookston that has been talking about the gospel with their friends and they told us to go meet Lacey. She was super open and willing to read the Book of Mormon and had a bunch of great questions we helped answer. We are going to meet with her again this week!

Third, was Lamar. We were knocking doors again and we met Lamar. He plays football for the college and we got a return appointment. We met with him yesterday and he has been very prepared to receive the gospel. He has a strong relationship and faith in Jesus Christ and he recognizes the spirit very well. We are excited to continue to meet with him!

We had a training about planning by the spirit and being able to set achievable goals and we applied this as we were planning this week and in a matter of 30 minutes we were able to see the Lords hand very clearly. We planned to go contact a Former Investigator named Angel. Sister Bowser had tried him about 9 times before but as we were planning that name came to mind.

So we went and knocked on his door and....he answered! Not only that but he is interested to meet with us and we got a return appointment. Then as we walked down the street to get to the apartment building we planned to tract, some other Former Investigatores drove by. They ended up turning around and invited us to come back later that night. Then the first door we knocked on we met Jake and he wanted us to come back. Then we met Bob and Felicia. They answered the door like they were expecting us. Turns out she is a less active member and Bob is searching for truth! It was a very spirit led hour!

I love being able to see the Lords hand in my life. There is a new Christmas video the Church came out with yesterday called, A Savior is Born. I love it! It is so powerful and invites us to Discover Why the Savior was born for us. Click here to go see it!

I love you all so much!

Love,

Sister Williams


Here are the Cards and link to website to see the video!

              The text from Charlie!!  What a surprise!

            My reaction to the text!  This never happens!

 We went to an Ugly Sweater Party!! It was super fun, but none of us had an ugly sweater, so we wore cute ones.

Miraculous Miracles

Dear Family & Friends,

OH MY GOODNESS!!!!! I've been able to witness so many tender mercies of the Lord this week and I know he has such a specific plan for me and for each of us! It has been a privilege to have a glimpse this week of how our plans are all interweaved together.

So I'm in Minnesota again, this time just 45 minutes north of my first area. We had an amazing Zone Conference yesterday and one of the men in the mission presidency lives in my first area. His name is Brother Pickeral. Well, he got up and was sharing an experience of a couple he had witnessed receive their endowments and be sealed in the temple for time and all eternity on Saturday. He told of how 15 years ago missionaries had knocked on their door and taught them the gospel and that they were able to be baptized.

However, they slowly fell away, until about a year ago when two enthusiastic sister missionaries reached out to them and helped them see the vision of the temple. He told how the husband had MS and as he was in the Sealing room he could barely kneel at the alter; but he did and grabbed the hand of his wife and they were sealed together forever. It was truly beautiful to hear. Tears streamed down my face as I realized I knew these people. Then he said their name: The Romo's. I felt my heart burst with joy! Brother Romo has one of the most powerful testimonies and I'm so happy for them!

Then today as I was emailing I opened my email and found out that one of the investigators I was teaching in Minot, Godwin, got baptized on Saturday as well!!  He was so prepared to receive the gospel and I'm grateful I had the opportunity to know him and to help him in coming closer to Jesus Christ.

I feel so happy its like my heart is just a ball of light! I love being a missionary!! I love serving my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. I know he lives! My life and who I've become and the changes I've made are evidence that He Lives. The Romo's and Godwin are evidence of the reality of Christ's Atonement and love for us. He loves us so much and I'm grateful for this opportunity to more fully comprehend that for myself in the process of helping others to understand it as well.

I love you all so much and I hope you had a great Thanksgiving. I'm grateful for the opportunity to devote all my time and attention to serving my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. I'm grateful for who I'm becoming. I'm grateful to be able to view others as they truly are, children of our Heavenly Father. I'm grateful for the Atonement and I would like to invite you all to Discover Why Christ's Atonement is applicable to you.

Love,

Sister Williams


Here I am with the Romo's about a year ago! I'm so happy they went to the temple!

 This is me with Godwin when I was in Minot!

 We were tracting and met this really nice guy named Mike and he offered us a pop!

 Turkey Socks from My lovely Grandmother!

By Small and Simple Means Are Great Things Brought to Pass

Dear Family & Friends,

This week was great! I got settled into Crookston and we have been working hard. We have spent a majority of the week contacting people. One of my favorite parts of missionary work is being able to have meaningful conversations with people--To be able to know what matters most to them, what their concerns are for themselves and their families, and helping them to see how the gospel holds the answers to everything they are seeking after.

We had a great lesson with a couple of investigators this week named Jo & Heather. We wanted to help them see how the Book of Mormon answers the questions of their soul. They wanted to know why God would allow so much suffering and pain to occur in our lives and what their purpose in life is. We invited them to read 2 Nephi 2 and to pray with that question in mind before and after they read. We came back a couple days later and they had a change of heart. As they read from the Book of Mormon they found the answer to their question and had the desire to learn more and to come to church.

I know the Book of Mormon is true and if we read it with real intent and a desire to know if it is true the Holy Ghost will reveal the truth of it unto us. I love being able to turn to my Father in Heaven in prayer with my questions and concerns and then to open the Book of Mormon and hear his voice through its pages with all the love of a tender parent as he helps me along with gaining the truth I need line upon line precept upon precept. I'm eternally grateful to live in a time where the truth and fulness of the gospel has been restored to the earth. It is a testament and evidence of God's love for us, his children.

I love you all so much and hope you have an excellent week! Turkey Day is around the corner.  What are some things you are all grateful for? Email me your responses!

Love,

Sister Williams


The Book of Mormon-- If you want a copy let me know!

Gordon Stanley Lunt

Dear Family & Friends,

This week I received a phone call from my Mission President's Wife telling me that my Uncle Gordon had passed away. I knew he wasn't doing very well and when I received the call I was happy to know that he had been released from the pain he was experiencing and from the limitations he had in this life. 

I had the most wonderful opportunity to go to the temple after I found out about Gordon passing away. I went seeking comfort and to know he was happy. I felt an overwhelming sense of peace and warmth run through my body during the entire temple session. As I sat in the Celestial room I knew he was there and he was so full of joy! I know he is doing missionary work there in the spirit world. I know he is able to do so much more now and I'm excited for the day when we will have a joyful reunion. I'm grateful for the opportunity I had to strengthen my understanding of the Plan of Salvation through this whole experience.

I wanted to share some of my favorite memories about Gordon. With Christmas just around the corner (yes I know Thanksgiving hasn't happened yet) Gordon would always have a Santa hat on for most of the month of December and sing "Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer" all the time. He was a hard worker and I will never pass a Burger King without thinking of him. (He worked there for over 30 years) He taught me a lot about my divine identity as a daughter of God. He always made sure I knew how I should be treated by others, especially men, and I knew if I ever had a  problem he would be there. He had the biggest heart of anyone I know! He loves hugs and I will miss his whiskery kisses on my cheek. He always said "Take it easy" instead of goodbye. He was one of the greatest missionaries I know. He wouldn't let one person go by without engaging them in a conversation which would usually result in him telling them he was a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. 

I love him so much and I will miss him, but I know he is so much happier now and I know he will be watching over me. I love you all so much.

Take it Easy,

Sister Williams

Uncle Gordon and me before I left for the mission field! I love this guy to the moon and back again!

   We are so cute! Gordon and I hamming it up!

 My new companion, Sister Anderson. We came out together and she is from Temecula CA!

  Sister Bowser and I. She is doing her #FIERCE pose! We are in a trio now. 

 Three bedin' it! Mine is in the middle. The apartment is great and it has all the alarms and window locks and all that jazz =D

 Sister Richins and me (Mother and Daughter) after we went to the temple!

 Taking over the Mission Home! We got to stay there for a couple days and had the house all to ourselves so we had breakfast for dinner!

 My photo wall!  All my favorite people and places in all the world!

 Elder Renlund meeting me in my mission when he came to visit in September, just 3 weeks before he was sustained to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.  What a wonderful man he is!

My Joy is Full

Dear Friends and Family,

Well get ready for the latest addition of the traveling adventures of Sister Williams! We made it to Philip,SD on Thursday and settled into our apartment. Philip is cute. It is a small town of 800 or so people and everyone waves to you-- it is quite pleasant. We are part of the Rapid Valley Ward so we traveled there for church yesterday and started to meet the ward members who were surprised & excited to see us...they didn't know their ward was getting Sisters! We found out our area boundary and we will be covering Philip, Kadoka, and Wall. It is going to be exciting to find the people the Lord has prepared to receive the gospel at this time!

We went to Rosebud and Winner on Tuesday and Wednesday to do a goodbye tour of the areas. I am going to miss these people so much. Our time together was short, but I feel so blessed and grateful to have had the time to get to know the people in these areas that I did. I took a bunch of pictures with everyone so I will post those with comments.

My ponderizing scripture this week is Doctrine & Covenants 42:61

If thou shalt ask, thou shalt receive revelation upon revelation, knowledge upon knowledge, that thou mayest know the mysteries and peaceable things—that which bringeth joy, that which bringeth life eternal.

I love the promise given in this scripture that as we ask we WILL receive revelation and the knowledge we are seeking after. As I've been on my mission I have truly learned how to receive personal revelation. It has been one of the greatest personal blessings I've received from serving the Lord. My relationship with the Holy Ghost has grown immensely as I've been able to recognize him teaching me and giving me promptings to follow. Through this I've also grown so much closer to my Savior, Jesus Christ, and Heavenly Father. I better understand the Atonement and through it have realized my Divine Potential and the Potential of those who surround me.

Our Heavenly Father wants to give us everything he wants us to obtain eternal life and his gospel is the plan he has given us to accomplish this goal. I'm so grateful for my family and the influence they have had in helping me along this path. There have been many times as I've been in the mission field where I will reflect back to a time and have been able to recognize how the Lord placed specific people in my life at crucial times to help me continue on the path I've embarked on and oh how grateful I am to know his arm is always extended to me and His tender mercies abound on my life. I love you all so much; my hope is that each one of you will be able to taste of the sweet joy which comes from living the gospel.  The joy which comes from living the Fathers plan now is a foretaste of  the eternal joy we will have as we dwell in His presence forever.

Love,

Sister Williams

      Last Day in Valentine, Nebraska!

 This one is for Dad--he sent me the BOMB card so I did this.

 This is Wyatt, Tory, and Piper-- I love this Family SOO much. It hurt parting ways they are such great people!

 This is the Barreto family! They are the best family I love them! Shout out to Jill Barreto and Sissy's Café in Gregory, SD.  Everyone should make the trip to Sissy's--they have the BEST food ever! Especially PIE =D

 It is Autumn and it is still surprisingly warm! It is going to be a good winter this year!

A gorgeous lake we found in Burke.