Baptisms and Blizzards 1-06-2025

Monday we had an incredible miracle. We have been praying trying to figure out a person who can fellowship our friend with depression and anxiety because there is no way she would be able to come to church with no friends it'd be to much for her. That night we had a phonecall lesson with a recent convert who we were still getting to know and she shared her conversation experience and the details of what she went through before her baptism lined up exactly with what our friend was going through...It's not a common experience at all and so we were able to invite her to join us for lessons and she was so down it was incredible. God always has a plan and an answer. (We also had a district activity and had free Italian food and played pickleball) Tuesday was amazing! During district council i had a return missionary of two weeks visiting his fam pull up. It was so fun and we had such a spiritual districy council. We then visisted some hood neighborhood we had some frriends live in and Someone was murdered.There were cops everywhere and ambulances it was crazy. We got a super sweet member refferal though. I still stuggle with my comp a bit but he is doing way better. Earlier that day he raged at me because I was cleaing the entire apartment and he left his dirty cloths on the toilet seat so I politly asked if he can move them so I can clean the bathroom while he takes a nap and he got so heated. He apolagized later that night and was like im a problem I just rage sometimes for no reason. It's been a hard transfer this one is new but it explains a lot of things that have transpired over the transfer Love him though. That night we had dinner with a less active we havn't met..turns out shes a single lady. We are unable to go inside because of mission rules so we had our return missionary friend clutch up and he came and it was awesome so many miracles just go see them. Wednesday was one of the most spiritually tense days I have had on my mission. It started off great we had a miracle of a baptismal interview with our friend who is now 100 percent ready for baptism on Sunday it's going to be awesome! Immediately preceding that we had apartment inspections.... Inspections shouldn't have wrecked me the way it did. Let me start off by explaining how I poured my whole soul into cleaning this place wiping down every surface in existence getting it as clean as possible and then they come to do inspections and they just dogged on it. He then said alright now let's role play a street contact and we are going to video and I'm going to send them to President...As soon as I started talking he just started houdning on me for using the word uhm and got after me more for not sounding confident and stuttering and not saying the right words when looking for a return appointment...he then looked down at my Day 1 shoes and got after me for not polishing them. After he left I just sat In anguish literally on the verge of tears for 30 minutes....If you know me I am not one to cry...Something about that whole ordeal just wrecked me...almost as if everything I have built up inside of me this past transfer just exploded and that was the tipping point..almost like it blew my confidence out the can when I already felt inadequate enough. Words can't describe how I felt. I had to call the sisters in my district and talk it out with them. Needless to say I was not doing ok and that's OK I did the only thing I knew how to do and that was to pray and consecrate myself to the Lord. We went out and had a crazy miracle filled day. We found a hype new friend in an apartment right next to a hype member!! We cold knocked a member and she fed us some buss Philippino food and was able to share a message with her part member family. We were also able to find a family. We somehow got into a lockout apartment building and the very last door we knocked was a single mother who was in the middle of praying and as soon as she opened the door and saw us she explained how she knew we are messengers of God and that he sent us to her. We then offered her a prayer and it was so spiritual!! She then had us go over to her mom's house and pray with her as well and teach her. We were just able to see so many miracles and God was able to reach my reaching and I was able to align my will with his God literally saw me in my afflictions of the heart and consecrated my efforts. I never want to feel that way again when I did earlier that day but I know that I will again because this is mortality But I do know I never have to worry because God will always be there. Thursday was super miracle filled a highlight for me was being able to have the most baller lesson with a lady from Africa we found and have been teaching and she has been progressing so well she is not ready to be baptized but really wants to come to our baptism we have Sunday and watch it so we called a member that lived by and she bore powerful testimony to her and offered her a ride Sunday. The lady we are teaching is from West Africa and has a beautiful family and she is so prepared by God it fills my heart. I also was sad I haven't been able to eat a lot of meat because my comp is vegetarian so I bought and cooked a whole pork roast with potato's, onions, and it was the most juicy, tender roast I have ever had and definitely a highlight. Friday we followed up with some guy we gave a Book Of Mormon 3 weeks ago who wouldn't give us his number but told us he has a restaurant that he would feed us for free so we stopped by finally and he has been reading it and loves it! He offered us food and then gave us our number it was awesome! We then had to drop a lot of freinds it was sad. Our family we found Wednesday dropped us. We were able to have a super cool lesson with a family from Afghanistan and it was the sweetest little family ever. They were forced Muslim but are looking for spiritual strength and we were able to teach them about Jesus Christ's ministry and how we pray to our father in heaven and close in the name of Christ because he is the path back to the father. We then taught the restoration and loved it. We had to refer them to the Persian Elders though but they are in good hands. Other than that we had a crazy 30 minute blizzard It went from 40 degrees to 30 in an instant and it just started blowing and it was almost like a ice storm it was wild. I have been so tired the struggle is real but Every Friday I call the missionaries in my district and follow up with them and help them out in their areas and individually. The zoneleaders are in my district and I was able to talk to one of them about how he was struggling and so distraught with people recently just falling off date and he put the blame on him and wouldn't allow God's grace to enter...We genuinely had a spiritual conversation and I loved every minute of it. Saturday was had but lots of amazing things happend...Starting off the day I could tell something was off the opposition was strong especially with my comp...The Sisters In our district baptized it was so special and our friend Amjhad from west Jordan in the middle east was there!! He is Muslim but has been drawn to Christianity recently but is just so busy but it was a miracle he made it!! We then had a lesson with our friend from ertria (basically Egypt) and then we had a church tour pass off lesson with the Persian Elders and our family from Afghanistan!!! It was such a special experience seeing 4 little kids a mom and a dad hop out of that mini van and come inside the church of Jesus Christ and feel the spirit and to pray with them in Persian it was sacred nonetheless...dang talazban though We had 3 of our hype friends cancel lessons opposition was crazy. My comp has also been going through it and taking it out by being bitter towards me but I thank God every day for helping me help him. I feel as if everything other day we have a long 30 minute conversations and talk things out...usually just helping him spiritually and helping him recognizing things. I love him but it's hard and I'm exhausted but am thankful for being able to learn and to grow. Hopefully these skills will come in handy when I'm married and have kids of my own God has had his fingerprints all over this transfer and for that I am thankful. Sunday was one of the craziest days ever literally could have been a thriller it was so tense. Our friend on date for right after Chuch did not pull up to church. We havn't been able to confirm her for the baptism since Wednesday during the interview because she like never responds to our texts or calls she just reads them. We had classes before sacrament meeting and during class time and sacrament meeting she would not respond to our calls or texts Bishop was texting us on the stand asking us if it's happening and our ward mission leader was over there just stressing and so after we took the sacrament we left to go knock on her door, but right before we left we sent in a text to the zone chat asking for everyone to pray right now that we can get in contact with our friend and combine their fasting and prayer towards our friend Isha....everyone reacts to the message and while we were driving we get a call and she's Like sorry I slept in I took sleep medication last night. We immediately sent a text to bishop and all of this was 10 minutes before church ended so bishop got up and announced to the pulpit our baptism...we of course had to drive ten minutes back to church and it was crazy but nevertheless we were able to make it back, talk to ward members, and then immediately had to leave to give a preisthood blessing and go pick up some Elders and take them to interviews with our Mission President, While we were doing this the zoneleaders were supposed to be filling up the font but the ended up getting separated and bashed by some crazy homeless that showed up to church. When we got there we had no program, the font was empty, President was at the church, and our friend wasn't responding to our calls or texts again. Bishop shows up 15 minutes early with no response from our friend still and then the ward shows up on time and our friend shows up 15 minutes late. The whole time President was like I will be there for your baptism so it was pretty crazy stressful. The miracle was it was one of the most beautiful baptismal services ever. My comp got to perform his first baptism and our freind Isha was just so happy and the spirit was so strong. I bear witness the lord answers prayers and that there is opposition in all things and that much is for sure. I know that the Church Of Jesus Christ of Latter Day saints is Christ's restored Church on the earth today and that the Ordinance of baptism has been restored through that proper authority. Our friend Isha was baptized in a differnt church by immersion in Seira Leone but she can tell you that she has never felt the spirit of God more and never been more happier than when she was able to be Baptized in the true Church of Christ through Christ's authority!!! GOD IS GOOD,THE CHURCH IS TRUE, AND THE BOOK OF MORMON IS THE WORD OF GOD. Mormon 7:8-10 8 Therefore repent, and be baptized in the name of Jesus, and lay hold upon the gospel of Christ, which shall be set before you, not only in this record but also in the record which shall come unto the Gentiles from the Jews, which record shall come from the Gentiles unto you. 9 For behold, this is written for the intent that ye may believe that; and if ye believe that ye will believe this also; and if ye believe this ye will know concerning your fathers, and also the marvelous works which were wrought by the power of God among them. 10 And ye will also know that ye are a remnant of the seed of Jacob; therefore ye are numbered among the people of the first covenant; and if it so be that ye believe in Christ, and are baptized, first with water, then with fire and with the Holy Ghost, following the example of our Savior, according to that which he hath commanded us, it shall be well with you in the day of judgment. Amen. Alexandria is getting a huge snow storm so I will have more time on pday feel free to email me Shoutout to Clint for getting called and set apart Love yall thanks for reading and "Stay Sweet" Elder Williams