August 24, 2015 - Chao Pescado

Hola familia y amigos,

Well, let me just start with the bad news. We got a call from President Videla and Elder S and Elder E are being transferred back to Santiago. Elder A and I will be companions, and we will be the only missionaries here for a while because they are not sending other missionaries to replace Elder E and Elder S.

The two of them take off tomorrow so today is their last Pday in the island and there is a ton to do today.

This week, we were doing a lot of finding and we found some cool people that I´ll tell you all about.

1. There is a guy named C that fixes are bikes when we have problems with them, and he is way cool. He asked that the next time we pass by if we can share our message with him. I love it when people contact us!

2. We found a young guy named F. who was really awesome. He was super respectful and he was only 12 years old. He and his family have listened to missionaries before, but we are still trying to locate their house (there are no addresses here on the island only street names)

3. We met a guy from the United States that lives here. His name is C (awesome name!) and he was really pleased to see us, and he told us he wants to watch a video about Jesus Christ with us that was made here in Easter Island. 

4. We also found a Peruvian family that is living here. We shared the message of the Restoration with J who hadn't prayed in a long time, but he prayed at the end and he said he felt really good.

We also met with M. two times this week. We got to teach her the plan of salvation with a member present and it was nice to see her put together why we get baptized. We don't get baptized so we can join a church, we get baptized so we can be cleansed from sin and live with God.

We also met one of the converts here in the island. L was baptized almost two years ago by Elder B, but we haven't been able to find him. It turns out that he is living and working in the hospital here, and he is awesome! He hasn't been able to come because he had knee surgery and cancer, so it was a little difficult to get out of bed, but now he is doing really well!

The craziest thing that happened this week was the arrival of a certain friend of mine, ex Elder M arrived on the Island on Saturday. He is going to be working and living here until April. He arrived on the same plane as J, who was visiting family in Santiago for the past ten days. The big news is that they came off the plain holding hands... they are going out. Apparently after Macedo finished his mission, he started talking with J on Facebook, and they met up in Santiago, and they talked about it, and now they are going out...

That's the big news here on the Island. Elder Adams and I are going to have a ton to do here with two missionaries covering the whole island. I don't know how we are going to do it, but the lord will help us out. I know that this is His work. 

p.s. We found a trampoline and Elder Swan used to be a gymnast!

love,

Elder Williams

August 17, 2015 - Milagros

Hola familia y amigos,

Wow, this week was super crazy and there was a ton to do.

Last Monday we went on a huge bike trip. We were so tired afterword. We went to explore a ton of lava tubes and we explored  7 caves there. Fotos are coming.

More exploration on Easter Island.

Elder Williams inside one of the caves.

That night, we had to stop by the church to send something to the mission president and we hear this scraping sound coming from the trash can. We looked inside and found 3 little rats stuck inside. They were kind of cute, but we had to get rid of them. Que descansen en paz....

On Tuesday, we did a service project for an older sister in our ward. We cut her grass and weeded, and then she gave us food. It was a good time.

On Wednesday, we had a nice surprise in the morning. There were some tourists from Santiago that visited the church last Sunday. Usually when people from Santiago visit, they bring food (because the food here is really expensive). They had to leave, and they needed someone that could eat the food they hadn't used here. They left us with 5 grocery bags full of meat, chicken, rice, crackers, and dip. We were so happy!!!! We prayed extra hard that the Lord will bless them.

We´ve got some fun news here. Elder M will be coming back to the Island!!! but he will be returning as Marco M because he is no longer a missionary. He arrives this Saturday with J, our convert who is vacationing in Santiago!

Thursday, we had an awesome lesson with M. It's been a long time since we have been able to teach her (like 2 months), but we finally found her. She´s having a rough time. She is a single mother, and her son, O, isnt doing too well. We are trying to help them have a happier family.

On Friday, we did a service project for the less active sister M. We got to meet her son who is also less active and his girlfriend who is expecting a baby this week. We did yard work, but it was a great way to know her family a bit better.

On Sunday we saw a little miracle at church. L isn't doing too well, and he has asked us not to pass by to visit him. We have also heard that he has started drinking again, so we are concerned. We found out about this because his ex girlfriend (M) arrived at church. apparently, before we got here, she was meeting with the missionaries as well. We went and taught her in the afternoon and she told us that she was ready to become fully integrated in the church again.

Sunday night, we went to the house of T´s cousins to make tacos. They say they are Catholic, but then again everyone says that here. They are very nice, and we are just trying to find a way to get into a lesson environment with them. It's difficult, but we´ll get there.

That´s pretty much it for this week. oh, just kidding, I just remembered that I gave a talk in Sacrament Meeting. I gave a talk about the flesh. I talked about how we all have weaknesses and imperfections, but God does not want us to dwell in them. God wants us to be like Him. that is why we call him Father. I know that we have a loving Heavenly Father. I know that He lives, and that He loves us, and that He sent His son Jesus Christ to save us. I love talking with Him when I pray, and I hope you all do the same.

Love,

Elder Williams

August 10, 2015 - Noche Ancestral

Hola familia y amigos,

This week was crazy with all of the things that happened, so let me start with the beginning of the week.

On Monday, I sent a letter to L and C because Elder Muñoz wrote me to tell me that they got sealed in the Santiago Temple this past Friday!!!! BEST NEWS EVER!!! I am so happy for them, and I feel so blessed to have been a part of their conversion.

Elder Williams, Elder Munoz . C and L are second and third from the right.

Tuesday we taught English to P and J. Last Friday we showed up to teach them and I was feeling a little sick. Tuesday P showed up to pick us up and he was sick...with the same symptoms as me....and then on Sunday I got a message from J that she was sick as well...with the same symptoms as P...I am a monster.

We met with J Tuesday night. She travels to Santiago this weekend, and we taught her about the temple. She said she was going to visit it, but she didn't want to go inside and do baptisms. She feels that she needs a little bit more time. We were a little bummed because the temple is far away and this is her only chance for a while, but at least she is going to visit it and do a tour.

On Wednesday I learned how to bear my testimony in Rapanui. Look out Bothell Ward when I get back! 

On Thursday we had a lesson with a less active member named M. We have taught her about 4 times in the span of 4 months. She is fighting, for the fifth time, cancer. We taught her about Joseph Smith, and the restoration and she told us at the end of the lesson that all of the times we have visited her she was really testing us to see how we were as missionaries. She told us that she has known a lot of missionaries that stop by her house one time, tell her to go to church, she doesn't go, and they never stop by again. She said that we were the first missionaries in a while that demonstrated that we really cared for her. She also told us that she intentionally didn't receive us some days, just to see if we would come back again. She told us that she would say things to challenge our testimonies to see if we were really believing in what we teach. She said she hadn't felt a love for her like that in a long time, and now she wants to come back to church. She is trying to stop smoking, so we still have a bit of a battle with that.

That night we went to Aunt P's house. She is T and J's mom, and it was her birthday. Her birthday is the 6th of August and my mom's birthday is the 5th of August, so I was thinking about my mommy that night. 

On Saturday, we had our Noche Ancestral, which was a ward activity to teach people about Family Search. We were praying the whole week so it wouldn't rain, and it didn't! We had a BBQ and Elder E and I taught a presentation about Family Search. During the presentation we had members share stories about their ancestors and other members prepared musical numbers from their respective cultures. Elder Swan and I sang "Swing Low Sweet Chariot". It was a big hit, and it was a lot of fun. Some investigators called and to say they couldn't come, so that was a little lame, but all in all the activity was a success.

Saturday night we received a text message from L saying that he is "retiring from the church". He said he needs some time to work some personal things out, so he doesn't want to participate in the church anymore. That took us completely by surprise. We visited him yesterday, but he didnt receive us, so we are going to try again during the week. Pray for L.

Last night, we were invited to Cl´s house. He is an investigator of the other Elders. we made pancakes for him. It was a jolly old time.

This week was definitely eventful, and I think one of the highlights was studying a talk by President Eyring about priesthood and prayer. I experimented with my prayers this week, and as I did so, I could feel a greater spirit in my life. I am so thankful that we, as children of God, can communicate with our Father through prayer. I know that He listens, and that He loves us.

love,

Elder Williams                                                                                               

L and C at the Santiago Temple

August 3, 2015 - Sick Sick Sick

Hola familia y amigos,

This week was a little disappointing because I got sick on Wednesday, so we didn't get to work as much as we wanted to, but we did do some awesome things.

On Tuesday we started Rapanui classes. T´s aunt is teaching us how to speak Rapanui. It is going ok. The language is a lot different than Spanish and English, but we are making progress. Some basic phrases are maururu (thank you) iorana (hello) and kakai (comer). I´ll try to include more Rapanui in later letters.

On Tuesday we also started a fast. President Videla asked that we fast for the missionaries that are sick in the mission. I started the fast Tuesday afternoon and woke up on Wednesday morning feeling sick. Not sure how it happened like that, but it did happen.

We talked with L on Tuesday, he asked us to help look for a ring so he can propose to his girlfriend that lives with him. We were excited when we heard that! It's a big step for him, so he can get closer to baptism.

On Thursday, I was feeling sick, but we kept on working because I didn't think it was too bad. We visited with P, the father in law of a less active in our ward. He said he was going to come to the activity we have planned this Saturday. He is the most famous sculptor in the island and he can make a moai in one day!

We visited some members that night to help them with their family history. They were elderly sisters that aren't too technology savvy, so we helped them out with that.

On Friday we visited with J´s brother who lives next door. He is a big fan of marijuana. Marijuana is a huge problem here on the island. We visited with him and his girlfriend. We ate dinner with them (actually, I made them pancakes), and  taught them about the Book of Mormon. C (J's brother) and D (his girlfriend) were really interested in the book, so we are going to follow up with them later.

After that, we had to cover for Elders S and Elder A. They had committed to making brownies for a couple of investigators in our sector, but they had another commitment, so we made brownies for them. It wasn't the best idea because I was feeling really sick, and I had to wash my hands 20 times because I was constantly having to blow my nose. They gave me a hospital mask to help.

On Saturday, all of my running around and working caught up to me, and we called the mission nurse and she told me to stay in bed. I probably slept close to 15 hours that day.

That night, I felt an impression to call L, and when I called him, he said he was going to the hospital. We live in front of the hospital, so when he came out we talked with him on our porch. he said he had a big fight with his girlfriend and that he might break up with her. He was feeling really stressed, so he went to the hospital to see if they could help. We aren't too sure what is to become of L and M. Pray for them please.

Yesterday, we were knocking doors the whole day. we found some nice people, but there is nothing major to report. We are excited for this week. We have the family history activity planned, and there is still a lot to be done before this Saturday, so please pray for us!

I just want to finish with my testimony. I know that this is the church of Jesus Christ, and I know it because the Spirit of God has told me. It is only through the Spirit that we can know the truth of all things. The gift of the Holy Ghost is the most important thing I have received. It is what I hold most precious.

Love,

Elder Williams

July 27, 2015 - Work, Work, Work

Hola familia y amigos,

I have to start off with some bad news. starting in August the internet time for the missionaries in Chile Santiago Norte will be cut to one hour. So be patient with my abilities to write you all and also the slow internet we have here in the island.

This week we gave the church a good deep cleaning. A mission representative is scheduled to come in a couple more months, and some of the rooms in the church were disorganized, so we dedicated two mornings to cleaning it up. It was kind of fun to see what was hidden away. We found a newspaper clipping from the church newspaper of when Elder Holland visited the island, and we saw a couple familiar faces in the foto. 

We were working a lot this week with the activity we have coming up in two weeks. It is an activity about family history so we are trying to get the members to invite their friends.

Also, Elder S got a call on Thursday from one of the counselors of the mission president calling him as the branch president here on the island. We have a leader now!!!!

Left to right: Elder A, Elder E and Elder S in Orongo

We also spent Friday morning trying to fix our shower. the water doesn't stop coming out so we ended up buying faucets that didn't fit. It still doesn't work right, but we are working on it.

We stopped by to visit T on Friday. He is a recent convert. We sat down with him to set a couple of goals with him. He isn't doing to well in school, so we are helping him understand what his priorities are, so his mom will keep letting him go to church.

We also taught english to M and L. L is one of our investigators, and we had been looking for a way to teach his girlfriend as well. She asked if we could teach her English, so we did, and we taught the gospel afterwords. It's  a good way to meet people here. We teach a lot of English in order to teach the gospel.

Saturday morning we were knocking doors, and I asked elder E where we should go. Elder E is a very good missionary, but sometimes he struggles to know what to do. I asked for his guidance, and he suggested that we knock a certain street, so we went there, and the first door we knocked had a guy that came out and let us in right away. Apparently he had been baptized about 20 years ago, and just had a baby girl. We were able to teach him, and pass the reference to the other missionaries because we found M while he was visiting his mom. well done elder E!

Elder Williams and Elder E on their trip to Orongo

On Sunday we had Elder S sustained as branch president with hno T as first counselor and elder A as second counselor. Elder E was called to be secretary, and I am the pianist now! I have a week to learn the piano. Pray for me!

The island is the most beautiful place in the world, and the best part about being here is that I can enjoy the beauty while I teach the gospel. We get rejected, and then we see a moai or an awesome sunset. It is like God is saying "well that didn't go too well, but remember that there are more important things that I have in store for you" I know that Jesus Christ is the Savior of the world. I have dedicated my life to Him. I love Him. I am not perfect, but I am trying to get better everyday because that is what He expects of me.

Love,

Elder Williams

July 20, 2015- Baptism

hola familia y amigos!!!!

This week was awesome because it ended with J's baptism!!!

During this week we were knocking a lot of doors and teaching J everything she needed to know before this Saturday, but there are a few things to report before the baptism.

On Wednesday, our land lord, Hanana, wanted to take us to the country part of the island before she took off to the United States on Sunday, so we went with her and showed the island to Elder A we visited the Moai factory and then we went fishing. I caught 3 big ones (picis se llaman) and they were super tasty. We ate them for dinner the next day.

On Thursday we visited J, who is a less active member here on the island. She is into her 70´s and when we visited her she asked if we could come back the next day to do a service project. We came back Friday and raked leaves for her.

On Friday, we ate lunch at B´s house. She is a recent convert that we are reactivating. We ate lunch with her and had to explain about the church´s stance on plural marriage. There is a show that everyone watches here called "Case Closed" and they had a couple that came on, said they were Mormons, and then had a Judge Judy- like battle because the man had 3 wives because supposedly it was a commandment. B was the 5th person that asked us about the show. We had to explain that even though they said they were Mormons they were not and they belonged to a different sect.

On Saturday we had J's baptism. There were a ton of people that came. We invited the whole branch and almost everyone came. There were about 30 people that came. Considering that there are only about 15 people that come to church regularly it was a good turn out. 

J was super happy with how it turned out. She was baptized in Tehai which is right next to big Moai. The day was beautiful and the water was calm. We were all really happy. After the baptism we had a big party at her house and the whole branch came. It was great because it gave us a chance to have the ward members know the rest of her family that aren´t members.

Yesterday we had J's confirmation and we spent the rest of the afternoon knocking doors. We got to have a lesson with A, who is a less active member and we are going to help Alex get back into the swing of things.

It was a great week for us, and we are so happy with J's decision. She really has a strong testimony, and it was made possible through the Book of Mormon. That book changes lives. I invite all of you to study it and really ponder about what it says. It is the proof that God loves all of his children, and that he communicates with them.

Love,

"J" and her family

Elder Williams 

July 13, 2015 - Lluvia

Hola familia y amigos,

I need to start out with a huge shout out to nephew #1 Christopher Rob Williams who was born this week. I was waiting anxiously the whole week to see his photos, and it was worth the wait because he is the cutest baby in the world! Congrats to Evan and Lizzie!

On Monday we said goodbye to Elder M. which was sad because he has really helped the branch here in the Island grow.

On Tuesday we got to do a service project for P and J. We teach english to them, and they asked if we could help them in their garden. We were chopping off dead palm leaves with a meat cleaver (because they didn't have a machete).

On Wednesday the new missionary arrived!!! His name is elder A. He is from Farmington, Utah. He was actually a friend of Elder S in Junior high school, so it´s cool to see them back together again as companions in the mission. Elder A is really awesome and a hard worker, and was really excited when he arrived.

That night, we had a soccer game. I was the goalie again, but I don't think I´ll be playing anymore for what happened. It turns out that while we were playing I rushed up to grab the ball, but in the process one of the other players hit me in the head with his knee, so I actually got knocked out for about 15 seconds. I woke up with everyone standing around me and looking down at me. I didnt remember what happened, so I went to the hospital, but they told me everything was ok!

On Friday we spent the afternoon preparing a powerpoint presentation for a family history activity we are going to do here on the island. We are going to teach the members how to use Family Search and we are going to mix it with a cultural night as well with music and food. Its going to be a lot of fun.

Service project at the cemetery

On Saturday we had a service project in the morning with our land lord. After that we left to teach english to V. Tuesday morning we were studying the scriptures and we see that there was a woman who came up the stares to our porch. Elder S answered the door and she told him that she was looking for the Mormon missionaries so they could teach her English. She was pretty concerned about learning, so we set up a day to go and teach here. She is very nice and very religious, and we have another appointment with her to teach English and the gospel this week.

we are thinking that we are going to start up english classes again. here on the island, learning english is very useful for tourism and it is a great way to get to know people and teach them as well. people contact us in the street to ask about english classes.

Saturday night, a storm passed through the island, so we had to hide in the house, because it was dangerous. the storm raged through the night and kept going through church. not a lot of people came to church because it was so bad. 

Sunday in the afternoon, we visited T which is a less active member that we have been helping. It was her birthday, so we came with her favorite dessert and the Relief Society President to celebrate with her. She commented to us during the week that she is waiting for a visit from the sisters in the church. Mission accomplished!

Sunday night, we taught J with the H. Rapu family. We taught them in them in the church and we talked about the Sabbath day, obedience, and obey and honor the laws of countries. We have a lot to teach J. in a short time, and it can be difficult to throw so many commitments and doctrine at one person in such short time. She is doing well, but has some butterflies for her baptism.

The work here in the island requires a lot of patience. We have a lot of responsibilities to fulfill with the church and sometimes it doesn't leave us with a lot of time for missionary work. We are doing the best we can because we know who we are serving. We serve the Lord Jesus Christ. We don't do everything perfect but we are trying to get better because through Him we can.

Love,

Elder Williams