Hello mom :) And family :)
This week has been good. A lot of different things have happened this week. We've had a lot of ups and downs. One thing we found out is that they are going to split this mission in July. They're going to take parts of the mission in Piura, and parts of the mission in Trujillo, and make a Peru Chiclayo mission. I'm not sure which mission I'll be in, and I probably won't find out until June. But I just thought that would be cool to know.
I had my first zone conference this week! It was great! I became way more excited to be a missionary and to go out and preach the gospel to the wonderful people here in Monsefu. Pres and Hna Chipman were there, and I learned a lot from them. I also played the piano, and they loved it! Afterwards, Hna Chipman told me that she just wants to sit back and listen to me play. She's so sweet. And Pres Chipman is amazing too. I had an interview with him, and he told me he was so grateful that I was here. He told me that the North American sisters always bring a special spirit to the mission. I really am glad to be in this mission.
As far as our investigators go, we have a bunch of people that we are teaching. There are so many people here who are willing to listen and who like the things that we tell them, but when we ask them to leave their traditions, they have a hard hard time. So we're working with this on many different aspects. Laura and Rosa are doing great though. Laura really is such an example and light to her family. We're teaching their parents right now. Their dad, Luis, at the beginning, didn't want to listen to us. But now he tells us that he would be okay if we came over every day! We invited him to be baptized the other day, and he said that he would, but he needs to know more. He tells us that he feels like it is time to make a change. We've answered many of the questions that he has had.
His wife, Maria, is a different story. She didn't ever really finish school, and she isn't very smart when it comes to intellectual things (she's really smart in other areas though-I mean she has had 7 kids. If that doesn't teach you something, I'm not sure what does). We're discovering though that to teach her the gospel, we need to teach much more like a child-smaller words, pictures, etc. She is slowly exercising faith though. We taught them about keeping the sabbath day holy. Hno Luis said it made sense to not work on Sunday, and that he would come to church. Maria said that she was not going to work on Sunday, but she wasn't going to come to church. At this point, we're were happy with that. Defintiely are taking baby steps. She did tell us though that every day before she goes to work, she reads a couple of words from the Proclamation to the World on the Family that we gave them. When she told us that, I just about started to cry. They are such a great family, and I really and hoping that one day they will take the steps necessary to go to the temple. We're trying to help them focus on the temple, and that baptism is only the beginning. It really is great.
We had the fun experience the other day to teach someone who is a really strong Evangelist. His name is Abraham, and he had heard stories about the Mormon Church, and so he invited us in to answer his questions about the Book of Mormon and "Joe Smith." He asked so many questions. He kept telling us that he didn't understand why we needed more than the bible, if the doctrines were the same. I really felt that in this instance, all I had was my testimony. It was crazy. But I learned a lot. We have an appointment with him tomorrow, which I need to study for...We left him a Book of Mormon to read, and told him to read 2 Nefi 29. I also read to him 2 Nefi 33:10-11. It's good stuff.
Well, I think that's about it for now. I love being a missionary. I love it when people tell me that they want to change, or that they want to know which church is true. I feel so sad when people tell me they are going to do something, but then they don't. It frustrates me! But I know that all this is a part of the mission. It isn't easy, but if it were, I wouldn't grow. I know this Gospel is true. I know the Book of Mormon is the word of God, and that it has the answers to all of our questions. I know we have a prophet in this time who leads and guides us. I know Jesus Christ is our Savior and Redeemer.
I love you!
Hna Williams
P.S.-Today, I'm writing a little bit earlier than before. We're going to play games as a zone in the afternoon today. I hope all is going well at work and everything. On Thursday, I hit my 4-month mark! Crazy!
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