I have decided that instead of making a blog of just Blake's mission (and trying to manage two different bolgs) I would integrate his letters and pictures in this blog. I think it will be interesting to see the contrast of what is happening at home verses what is happening in Blake's world. Each year I print this silly blog and it becomes the family journal of sorts. At the end of two years I can pull out the posts from Blake's two mission and print a book of all of the letters and pictures he has sent to us. Many have asked if they could be copied on his letters...this way they can log in and read them if they would like to.
Momma Lama! Family! and whoever reads this!
How is everyone doing!? I have SOOO much to say so I will just get to it and click send at the end of 30 min!
OK so I was escorted to my room with my luggage and the first thing the guy said to me was, OK get your scriptures, were going to class! zero minutes to unpack! Got to class and had a few hours of lesson before our first observing teaching activity. So we walked into this large room with about 75-100 other elders and sisters and we sat around the center of the room which was set up like a living room with two chairs facing the couch! My first thought was oh my goodness! I better not have to teach in front of all these elders and sisters! Well good news is that once we got settled there was a knock at the door and two sisters that had been out in the field introduced themselves to the fake investigator and worked their way into the "living room" they then spent some time getting to know the investigator and taught him a little bit about his problems and concerns before they were stopped by the guy directing the activity and we spent a while evaluating how they did and what we would have changed etc. Once we were done with that room we all got up and started walking to the next room when I heard the man directing the activity say "Elder Williams, can you come here?" He pulled me aside and said "Elder Williams the sisters could not make it to this next activity, so I want you and you companion to wait a few minutes, knock on the door, work your way into the room, talk to the investigator enough to know his concerns in life and then teach him" And then he walked away! I was like oh my goodness! I have been in the MTC for like 3 hours and now I have to teach in front of a huge group who is going to evaluate me! I DON'T EVEN KNOW MY COMPANIONS NAME!!! but we did it! and the first 10 seconds were awkward but then it started rolling nicely! And the evaluation went pretty good. I have SOO much to learn!
Well I only have 18 min left so highlights.. highlights....My second day I got called as District Leader. It has been an amazing calling! I have the best District EVER! It is 6 elders that are going to South Africa and then 4 sisters who will be serving in Temple Square. I have like 50 stories to tell you about my calling, but pretty much it's just like, your the district leader...go. So I still don't even know what a District Leader technically does besides lead meetings and get the mail, but I have had SOO many amazing experiences with it already! Ill just share 1.
So every night when I kneel down to say my prayers I pray to know what our district needs and how I can help them obtain that. Then without fail, EVERY NIGHT, it takes about 3 seconds for me to get off my knees, get into bed, and then I begin to get the answer! It is the craziest thing ever! When I pray for myself I get answers but it is vague and takes awhile, but when I pray for my district I get the answer in 3 seconds! Without fail so far!!! So Saturday I was praying to know how our district could become more united, and I thought I got an answer so I prayed about the answer and oddly enough I got a strong impression that that was not the right answer! and it was the weirdest thing ever because I was like, well um what do I do then!? So long story short the next day one of my Elders snapped and went to the front desk and asked to call home! He was very home sick. While he was meeting with a counselor, I called the other Elders into an empty room and we had a district prayer (minus the sisters) for him. It was the second most spiritual prayer I have ever had in my life and within that prayer the spirit was so strong that the guys somehow bonded immediately! sounds weird, yes I know, but we knew more about each other in that 3 min prayer then we did in the first 3 days! 9 min, so moving on! I was able to meet with the Elder that was home sick and we decided that it would be appropriate for him companion to give him a blessing. Best blessing ever! He knew exactly what to say and once again the spirit was so strong! So by now my prayer last night was answered because through this Elders trial, all the other elders have grown close together!
So at the end of the day I was planning on having our first kneeling prayer with the district, and I was going to pray and just kind of ask for help with the things we as a district and certain individuals were struggling with, but at the last minute I felt that I should not give that prayer and I asked a sister (who knew NOTHING about what had gone on that day to pray) first of all she asked if we could all kneel. (weird, I was just about to ask us to kneel for the first time ever as a district), and then she said the prayer addressing EVERY concern our district had (that she did not know of) AND every concern this home sick elder was facing! (once again that she knew nothing about!)
Well I'm almost out of time! but I thought that was a neat experience! So far everything is going better than great. Just need to work out some knots with the companion and then we are golden!
Elder Williams
Momma
*Can you forward this to people? I don't have time to write a bunch of individual letters....just send it to who you think like Rousseau's, smith, Connell, Caroline, Axel,....you know who!
um use dear elder! if you email me I don't have time to read it because I only have 30 min a week and this letter has taken 29 min! OK! do good family! Miss and love you all!
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