For behold, this is a land which is choice above all other lands Ether 2:10 (oh also I hit my year mark today) 7-7-2025

I just want to start off this email by expressing how much I Love all of you! You know who you are and my hope is you have been able to feel the love that I have for each of you. For those I got to see over the Phone at the 4th of July party, you made my day so thank you. I often reflect on the blessings I have seen in my life and this Nation we live in and the relationships I have with others will be something I will forever be grateful for because that it was God and America are all about. I hit my year mark today and looking back I wouldn't trade a single second for anything else and I am so thankful for all of your support and prayers because I can feel it and I wouldn't be able to have gone through some of the things I have gone through without them so thank you. This past week and honestly year has been life changing and I would love to just share a few experiences I have had and a few lessons I have learned so bear with me. Tuesday was the last district council of the transfer and the way things wrapped up was beautiful and encompassed some things I have learned recently that sums up pretty much the past year of my mission. For around the past 8 months I have been serving as a district leader and have had the privilege to train twice. It has without a doubt been some of the hardest things I have done in my life. Heavenly Father is so wise and has a perfect plan for each of us and we can see that as we reflect on our blessings and trials we have been given to learn and Grow. My trials have come in many different forms at different times like each of the rest of us. Without being said, there is nothing more grand and more true than this passage of scripture...Ether 12:27 "And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them" 4 and a half months into my mission I had the opportunity to whitewash district train in the City of Alexandria and holy crap it was intense. It was my first time for everything even leaving my first area and I still barely knew how to do missionary work let alone train, district lead, and take over 2 new areas. I got so overwhelmed and pushed and worked as hard as I could and saw so many miracles but despite that I lost focus on some things and my weaknesses were magnified and all I wanted to do was be the best leader I can be and best disciple and trainer and district leader for Jesus Christ, but struggled to let God prevail. I felt I needed to be perfect and anything less was not enough. I learned a lot we had two baptisms and I came to know how God speaks to me and how I hear Him. After that whole ordeal I get transfered out and continue to District lead with a new companion on the other side of this small mission in one of the smallest areas on Bikes in a super wealthy area the complete opposite of what I am used to. My companion just got off a hard transfer with an Elder who just straight up didn't leave the apartment and depression entered into his life. I felt like I needed to help him and I felt a love for him, but to be honest I did a terrible Job. I myself started to struggle with some stuff but at the same time felt like I wasn't doing enough and I needed to be perfect and it translated onto my companion and we both just ended up cooking eachother. I discovered almost every shortcoming I could have and it was a hard place to be in for the both of us. All the while I was still district leading and had some other stuff and I was just doing my best to work hard and feel like I was enough and based my worth on how others viewed me(don't do that it just causes discouragement and pride) I became self conscious and insecure like middle school it sucked so bad. All I wanted was to work hard have Joy and feel as if I were enough and be the best leader I can be for those around me. Granted we still baptized and saw so many miracles despite the challenges. I struggled with letting my light shine so to say. I worked super hard and others saw things in me I didn't see. I ended up learning important principles on charity and prayed my heart out and tried the best I could to develop it and I felt like I was never Charitable enough. It was discouraging. Our companionship exploded and we had some crazy experiences together. After all that whole ordeal transfers rolled around the Corner and I got the call....I was training again. This one is fun haha Day one with my new companion and things were not doing so hot. I was In a position where I just had a crazy wild transfer and was depleted and a little depressed and discouraged and so all I wanted to do was work hard, be obedient, and baptize. Granted my comp just got off the plane and I struggled hard to meet him where he was at and to slow down and be a charitable, compassionate, and the best trainer I could be for him. Things were hard, really hard. We were the exact opposite in everything and we viewed the world very differently. His strengths were my weaknesses and his weaknesses were my strengths down to the tee. Being a new missionary he had high expectations for me as a trainer and he saw me for a lot of my shortcomings and things I struggle with because we are so opposite and it was very hard for me. I just wanted to work hard, be obedient, and baptize. Granted we still had some success, we had a baptism and went to the temple, but the ride was a wild ride indeed. God had some things I needed to learn and experiences I needed to be able to help others and meet them where they are at. I remember one Sunday in particular I was feeling down, I have been praying for charity for almost 3 months and tried my best to be as loving as I can be but felt like I wasn't there. I later received this email from my mission president out of nowhere and the spirit washed over me.....Dear Elder Williams, I felt impressed to pass along an excerpt about you from a weekly email I received this week: "Elder Williams, my district leader. He has the most charity I have felt in an Elder. Not just for me but for you and her and him and that random stranger and ALL of the people we are teaching. I told him I hope he is a district leader the rest of his mission because God needs him in the trenches. He leads from the middle and it has helped me be better." Thank you for leading with influence and faith Love- James E MacPherson I almost started to tear up a little bit I felt heaven was watching me. I honestly couldn't fathom how hard that transfer was training, but I had so many spiritual experiences and valuable principles engraved in my heart. I remember one specific day my back was hurting so so bad it felt like I have been carrying a freaking semi Truck most my mission and that particular day it felt the heaviest it's been. I remember going on an emergency exchange and an Elder. He gave me a massage but it was only a temporary fix. I remember that next day I received revelation as pure and as beautiful as can be! It all came to me and made sense! The impressions I got were, I am enough, I do love others, I don't have to earn anything, God just wants me to be who he has set me out to be. I remember this revelation came to me as I was pondering about the beginning of my mission and each and every single one of you back at home....At the time I was with a companion who though very little of me and made me feel I have no personality. Pondering back on life before the mission and at the beginning I realized that times when I had the most joy and impact on others lifes is when I was being who I was and when I was most secure in myself. I learned an invaluable lesson from the spirit on the Difference between problem solving, and purpose finding! I want to recognize everyone back at home who instilled purpose in me and made me feel enough and bred confidence in me and saw me for who I really am before I even saw it in myself, because to be honest.. I didnt I have learned for myself how God sees me, I have come to understand his love and his compassion for me and my whole life has changed, I have learned how to lift others where they stand and build them up, I have learned how to instill purpose and let God prevail in my life and those whom I associate myself with, I have learned how to magnify my Gifts and talents and how to help others magnify theirs by seeing them for who they are and their gifts and talents. I have engraven faith, hope, and Charity in my heart and hope to forever hold them near. I have learned how to not compare myself in a negative way with others. I have learned how to submit my will to God's. I have learned how to be a Christlike leader with Influence. I have learned that I am a Son Of God and that each of us have divine potential within ourselves and how to build upon that in others. With all of that Said our last District council we had focused on a pie chart that goes as follows.... Character(who you are...identity and purpose) Value(whay you give...consecration, love and sacrifice) Influence(what you earn...Light on a hill, salt of the earth, purpose instilled in others) It was so powerful to see all of it come together and recognize that all we need is to know who we are, our character, our identity, our purpose and to Give of ourself to God and emulate his son Jesus Christ and be an example and a light and we will change the world, our lives will change, our families will change, our relationships with others will change, and we will find Joy and better keep our covenants with God. Following that, this last transfer drop I got the news I will no longer be District leading for now and to be honest I probably would've felt like I failed a month ago and I messed up or something because I wasn't district leading anymore, but in that instance I found Joy, I felt a weight be lifted off of me and I found myself with the space to breath for a second. God revealed to me that my purpose will be to lead with influence and to just take this time to be myself, have Joy and be who you need to be and that he is giving me the grace and the space to become. I have learned the Elder I am with has been on his mission for 20 months and has struggled almost his whole mission. God has prepared me for this one Elder and I see his hand at play and he is starting to find Joy I can see it as i serve him and help him see himself how i see him and how God sees him. My last day in my last area we visited all of our favorite members and our recent converts and have a great last day. Biking back home my companion crashed his bike hard and we went to the Emergency Room till 1am the night before transfers. He might have ruptured his tendon on his left forearm and may need surgery but we will see. In that moment we came together and I was filled with immense love and compassion towards him and in that moment despite all of the hardships we have had together we came together and I'd say we are good friends now. God works in mysterious ways his ways are higher than our ways and he has a perfect plan for each of us. God has planned and prepared his victory for us, so let us be believing and press on trusting in him. Remember these principles from prophets..."You never know the Good you do"-Gordan B Hinckley "Never let a problem to be solved become more important than a person to be Loved" 'Thomas S. Monson "To love one another is to see the face of God"- The Holy Ghost I love all of you so much and I won't lie I miss all of you a lot especially 4th of July weekend but I will be back In a year! For now let us work hard and... "Stay Sweet" -Elder Williams 3rd Nephi 11:11 "And behold, I am the light and the life of the world; and I have drunk out of that bitter cup which the Father hath given me, and have glorified the Father in taking upon me the sins of the world, in the which I have suffered the will of the Father in all things from the beginning"