Runaway 3-24-2025

Friday was amazing we went to the temple and got blessed up. We had a member who retired from the Fbi after 21 years and that week he retired he joined us for a lesson, fed us dinner, and took us to the temple. He is awesome. He requested a blessing because he had a test he needed to take the next day to change carreres and he was anxious about it. After the blessing we followed up with him at Church and he passed!! GOD is so good! Saturday was a killer day we knocked so much and biked so much my legs are dead. I'm still getting used to knocking doors and not finding as many people but it's going great. We had a 2 hour lesson with a friend we have on date he's 20 super smart guy very logical thinker has fallen off date in the past and so we took him to a members house and helped him come to know logically how the Church is true and it was a powerfull and surprisingly productive lesson. He told us he will still be on date but it's just hard for him to have a spiritual witness and he'll let us know 3 days prior wether or not he will get baptized. This is a huge deal he is so involved in the ward and so many are praying for him and I've really been pushing hard for this and God is all over it and so is the adversary. Sunday we had a great sacrament meeting it was so powerful. One of the youth has a girlfriend who has been coming to church and she actually ended up coming that day even when he was out of town and we went to Sunday school and had a powerful lesson and did some teachings of the restoration and she came up to her boyfruends mom and told her she felt the spirit so strong and that she wants to meet with us! We set something up and she's literally gonna get baptized. We also finally got into a part members home who's 9 year old kid is not baptized and we have been trying to baptize for a while and sat down with them, had a lesson, and put him on date for march before baseball season starts back up and they get busy. Miracles!!! I love baptism. The Elders and sisters in the district finally are catching the vision of being Bold with baptism and nothing makes me more happy. Monday was weird not having a pday we just got to work haha. Our friend on date is still iffy about his baptism so we invited him to one and he has been invited so many times but never actually came. The baptism started at 6 but he got out of college at 5:45 if not later and it's a 20 minute drive. We also don't have a car so a member was involved and everything and It was a crazy miracle. We all made it and on time and it was great. Honestly he doesn't seek the spirit he tries to think logical about stuff and it's been a kicker. He though about the baptism in a more physical and logical aspect of than spiritual. He likes to complicate the gospel and Satan comes in and confuses him. That night we had a phone call lesson at 9 and was bold with it. We purely tought and testified of Bold simple truths and lovingly chastised him with the spirit a bit. I won't lie though it was a powerful lesson. Prayers up for Ryan. Also our 9 year old fell of date. Tuesday was so interesting. We had zone accountability and district council. District council was so amazing. I did a training on being bold with baptism and setting up daily contacts to keep tension on the line and it was powerful. The blindfolds are starting to come off of my district and it was something that's been needed for a while. My companion bore powerful witness and I feel like I finally gained respect from some of the missionaries in the district at least more than there was previously. Afterwards we helped an old guy move some stuff and then my companions bike tire popped so we walked around alot and knocked so many doors trying to find people but yeah. Wednesday we had an exchange with the zoneleaders and it was very needed haha very. They are in my district and for some reason it has been a struggle. On that exchange I went all out. I applied everything I have been talking about for the past 3 weeks in the district since I got here in the zone and I've been ignored so now I had a chance to apply it. We put 2 people on date and found 8 friends. That Is the most the zoneleaders area has found in a day for the past 4 and a half months if not more and to put two on date street contacting is incredible God is so good. I won't go into details but there has been a power struggle for some reason in our district between us and the zoneleaders for no reason and I have felt silenced and unable to fulfill my assignment. During that exchange I knew I just had to be an example and it changed everything or so I hope. My companion on his exchange had a less than great exchange I won't go into details but he had a internal dilemma afterwards which is not ok. I don't know why this zone and district has been a struggle. When we met up after 9 to swap back after exchanges we had a phonecall lesson with our friend Ryan and he has decided this weekend is not the right time for his baptism and it was disheartening but the spirit of the Lord comforted me and I knew he was getting baptized here soon in the future. All I want is for people to experience Joy. Us missionaries as we become converted ro Christ and have a desire and Focus to baptize and our friends as they are able to partake of the Goseple and come unto the waters of baptism. That's all I want. I love baptism and the covenant of it. Ahhh Thursday the day of zone conference. I have been looking forward to it for so long. I have been struggling in this new zone and have felt isolated in my purpose to baptize besides my companion and so this was looked forward too. We had an amazing training on covenants and it was so powerful I loved every second of it. Knowing what my covenants mean to me is the greatest blessing I can receive in life. Being enabled to have the power of Jesus Christ In my life is sacred and is for all of God's Children. What i looked forward to most was the training from the aps. The past three weeks I have been heavy set on baptizing and pushing it out in my district which contains the zoneleaders and stlz has been hard because it has not been the focus of the Zone. Between my exchange and training In district council and zone conference along with the training from the aps it wrapped it all up together line upon line and now this zone is more focused on baptizing and it fills me with joy. I love baptism because I love Jesus Christ. This covenant means everything to me and I need everyone to make one with God. Friday we had an incredible day. We helped somone move in our apartment and got 9 people confirmed for church and 3 new friends just from doing service for God and for others. God is so Good!! We even saw some miracles throughout our zone as people started to focus on baptism!! You have no idea how much Joy this fills me with to see other Children of God come to know of their own covenants and help other make them as well. We had an amazing lesson with a guy named Henry and it was so spirit filled and we taught him the covenant of baptism and the authority from God and put him on date for April 6th. He just got out of the hospital and was recovering from liver pains so we gave him a preistbood blessing and it was so sacred. God loves you and he loves me! During accountability calls I witnessed one of our zoneleaders who has been working on humility ask me a question on how I can help him teach and invite others to be baptized first time meeting them and it was special to me and moving...I can't explain it. These past 3 weeks have been hard for me but God blessed me with a companion who loves me and knowledge to help lift others even when they at that moment don't want to be lifted. I am a witness of Christ's love. Saturday we somehow got stuck doing service for 6 hours and it was crazy. While helping a less active move an Indian hindu couple came up to us and said they wanted to come to church this Sunday that was a miracle. We basically just moved lots of heavy stuff had some fun worked really hard and got people confirmed for church. I had some deep spiritual conversations with my comp it's been nice. Sunday we had 2 people from Egypt who spoke 0 English come and partake of the sacrament and it was so special even when we had to use Google translate to tell him what it was. We had a couple other people come and taught a lesson with one of our youth who we are now teaching his girlfriend and it's so special to be a part of. We ended up having another Bible class with the youth and we watched a music video of "I know that my redeemer lives" and the spirit was so so strong. We talked of God loves and the youth are absolutely killing it and are ready to invite friends to come and pray for missionary opportunities. These past weeks have been really long, hard, and spiritual for me. Accessing Jesus Christ atonement consistently and allowing grace has been crucial for me and even as a missionary I need to spiritual nourish myself and it's been hard. I felt like I have been falling off but God has been there to catch me and guide me along the path. I really have learned even more fully the power of prayer, the scriptures, and the sacrament. Never take them for Granted. God wants us to feel of his love and to come before him clean so that we may have Joy and we can live with him again. I love you all send an email my way and "Stay sweet" -Elder Williams