preparing to come home

 It is hard to believe the 2 years have passed.  Some days if feels like Elder Williams just left and other days feel like he has been gone forever. 

Here are pictures of him entering the mission home when he first arrived

Now he is spending his last few days in the mission home preparing to come home.  Here are some pictures from his first day there.

Heavenly Father loves His children

                                                                            

Awesome! Today is actually the first time I've been excited to come home, but I’ll explain that a little bit later.  p.s. Bishop emailed me but didn’t tell me what to talk about.  He just gave me advice for when I get home.  Yeah I got the package!  we ate the cookies in like 2 days

A few thoughts...

1. Heavenly Father loves His children and takes care of them in ways we could NEVER imagine. If people would consciously watch for things like that and actively tried to find the evidences of that, all the worlds’ books and blog sites and email accounts couldn't contain them. But it doesn't happen like a light switch getting flipped on or off, it’s like watching the sun rise. Second by second and minute by minute nothing changes, but we notice something different about every hour, and the difference between early morning and lunchtime is a noticeably stark contrast. We only notice them as they've come and passed.

2. A smooth sea never made a skilled sailor. A roof never needs fixing if the sun is always shining. Growth cannot come without struggle just as a field will never grow by us turning it over in our minds.

3. If I really trust Heavenly Father, it doesn't matter what I don't understand. As the weeks go by, I realize how much the Atonement of Jesus Christ has changed me.  I no longer consider it difficult or burdensome to be obedient I have learned to love the people, even those who persecute us and poke fun at the work we do. And when I think that some people will never experience what I have experienced, it makes me so sad. I feel like the sons of Mosiah after their conversion to the Gospel. Elder Nielson of the Area Presidency said to us "We as the General Authorities of the church would consider it a success all over the world if we never had ONE convert baptism, but ever missionary left the field 100% converted to the Gospel" and I didn't understand that until I came to grips with the fact that I'm going home soon.

4. Sometimes you've got to see the world to find out what you left behind. I remember days in high school I would complain about slow internet or going to school in a car that was still cold. I never ever thought that I would see a place where people struggle every day of their lives. Sometimes we don't like the fact that our hands can't fit into the bottom of the Pringles can or when have to take two trips from the car to the kitchen because of the copious amounts of groceries we have. I've met parents here that don't eat anything but rice just so their children can have something to put on their own rice, like chicken or corned beef. In my third area we only had a water tank outside of our house, we had to bring it inside for everything: Washing dishes, mopping the floor, taking a shower, or cooking. And I remember the times I would be angry all day because my apartment at college ran out of hot water while I was showering.

5. The idea of time is such a trivial thing. The world measures times based of the rotation of the sun, but so what? in an interview with President, I once asked him why the time goes by so fast and he said Eventually you get so involved in the Lord's work time just becomes... Obsolete. I don't know if it’s easy to understand what I'm saying; it might not be unless someone has experienced it also. Imagine what it would feel like if you sat in a chair for 24 hours. Then imagine what it would feel like if every hour passed by in what seemed to you the space of one minute. That's how it was for me.

well anyway my time is up. i love you! I'll see you soon.

As time draws to a close...23 months

I lost a little piece of my heart the day I left you on the curb of the MTC .  I remember my last words to you as I hugged you for the last time.  "If I let you go I will never get my little boy back."  I watched you walk down that sidewalk and wanted to tackle you and keep you forever.  For many months I cried when someone said your name, when I saw missionaries walking down the road,  and when I saw a little boy with his mom.  I never knew when the tears would come or what would make them come.   Hearing of your struggles made me feel so helpless and sad that I could do nothing to resolve it.  Holidays were never the same without your sense of humor and funny antics.  During family parties I saw the void when nobody would wrestle the little cousins and make them laugh.   Over time I learned to love the Filipino people and their love for life.  I knew you were sent to this mission for very precise reasons and specific people.  Watching you grow from a boy to a man made me swell with joy.   As the time draws near I find the tears are back again, I am so ready to hug you and have you home.  I am also filled with sadness to have this come to an end.  So many lives were changed because of your service and dedication.  I am very grateful for this time and will always look back on it with joy. The first year felt like four years and the last year seems like a month.  Next week will be your last email, although I will miss our weekly email time I cannot wait to hug you again.  In two short years I sent out a little boy who will return a man.  I am sure our reunion will be wonderful and full of joy and tears.  I often think that a mission emulates our time on earth and our reunion with our Heavenly Parents.   As time comes to an end I will leave a piece of my heart in the Philippines for the happiness it gave to you. When you come down the escalator watch for me I will be waiting with anticipation to hug you again.  Love you forever and always mom

 

From a boy to a man

 Hello! I haven't gotten the package yet, there's rumors going around that it got sent to the other E Williams in Tarlac (things like that happen frequently here), but I'll probably get it at Zone Conference on Wednesday. this was an.. interesting week. You know how a few seconds goes by and we don't even notice it? thats how fast this week was.  Truthfully I am a little bit excited to come home. But I'm also a bit scared because I don't know what to expect.

This week we had a ZLC/DLC meeting in Cabanatuan and the coolest thing ever happened to me. President Martino taught us about the Spirit and the Holy Ghost, and it was like what happened at last ZLC. Again I felt like President was casting more pearls before swine. At the end of the meeting he said "If you learn only one thing today, I hope you at least know that we love you and your Heavenly Father loves you." As soon as those words came out of his mouth, a feeling came over me that I cannot adequately describe. It most certainly was a feeling of love, but... I've never felt love like that before in my entire life. It's hard to explain, yet it almost was a familiar feeling. The day after, (Wednesday), we had a Zone Training Meeting in Guimba. The same afternoon we met a blind guy, he was super mabait. I assume he's lived in the same house his whole life, because kabisadong-kabisado niya ang lugar nila. He almost never took a misstep.

On Thursday, one of the old members in our branch, Sister Bustos, had her birthday, so she invited the two of us and the Fort's over for lunch. The same afternoon we visited the DeBelen Family, and after listening to them and hearing about their problems, it makes me wonder why. Frequently, I ask myself why everything is seemingly given to me, and other experience problems and hardship their entire mortal existence. Rarely through my entire life have I ever actually needed anything, and frequently anything I even wanted was at my fingertips. People here struggle 24 hours a day and sometimes don't even have enough food to eat. And there's nothing I can do about that.

We taught a guy last week, who because of the amount of self-discovery and mediation books he owned, was "blinded by the craftiness of men".  We tried to explain to him all he needs is the Book of Mormon, but he wasn't buying it. So while he talked with E Cope, I picked up a book like I was interested, then hid the Book of Mormon underneath it. Anyway this week we tried to go back but he wouldn't let us in. Then as we walked away, his grandson chased us down the street and tried to give us back the  Book of Mormon, but we refused it. I told him it was a gift and we didn’t want it anymore. Here's an excerpt from my journal this week: 

May 31, Friday

The idea of time means less and less to me as I tumatagal in the mission. I noticed it most poignantly when we ate dinner earlier at the same place we ate on Wednesday. The same people were doing the exact same thing, and it was like two days flashed by in a second. I saw the same blind guy wash the same dishes and countertops, the same old lady sell the same ulam, and both Elder Cope and I sat in the same seats. Wala nang halaga ang (no value) time. You know how a few seconds goes by and you don't even notice it? I mean, its just over and it almost feels like it never happened? Try holding your breath for 5 seconds. . . . . Didn't the time just pass by in an instant? It wasn't a struggle, nor difficult, nor was it uncomfortable. This transfer, entire DAYS have gone by just as quickly, and now my days truly are numbered. I would give anything to make the days go by slower.

One more thing: Yesterday after church we visited a kid in our ward, Dancyl, because he's going on a mission soon and wants to work a few times before he leaves. So we got to his house and they fed us spaghetti, and everyone ate but Elder Cope. (I finished my fasting after lunch and he forgot until Saturday night). So iniinggit namin siya the rest of the day because he was so hungry.

 Next week will be the last email. It is pretty sad. I wonder if other people are this emotional about things like that.  2 years ago i just wanted to get the two years over and go back to college but every week when I write President I beg for more time.

I have to go now. I love you!

30 Days left!

Hello!

I Know. In 30 days I’ll be in the states and honestly that frightens me. haha.  I bought some souvenirs this week!  Also I have a few questions:

1. Do I need to bring home any shirts , clothes or anything? Like what if I come home with two white shirts and just my suit and leave everything else here

Tag-ulan started this week. Except in the mornings we hardly see the sun anymore. On Tuesday we were eating at a birthday party and the rain came down like a hurricane for about 40 minutes then stopped. By the time we got to Kuya Baldos house, the rain picked up again so malakas I didn’t think we would make it home. On Wednesday we had DDM in Guimba at 10:00am. at 9:00 E Cope, E Fort, and I held a Leadership Training Meeting with E Kunz and E Weimer because the're both new District Leaders. most of what we taught them was the things E Neilson taught us back in February. We ate lunch at Jollibee (na naman). We taught Sister Montero (our recent convert) but itwas no good because her kids were having a circus during our discussion. Her bunso cried and cried and cried because I wouldnt give him any money. On the way home we saw the Francisco Family and they invited us to dinner. Also today was E Bellens birthday. I never in a million years thought my mission would even be close to ending. 30 days from now, I'll be at the mission home getting ready to leave. Patay talaga. 

Its been about 6 months that I've been teaching a Sister  the LA who married a Joe, and I'm just now beginning to understand her concern. She doesn't know how to help her kids embrace the gospel again, and she feels its unfair if she comes back into activity and her kids won't follow suit. She wants them all to come back sabay-sabay. On the bright side, we saw the a Family I really love today! They've been in the bukid for the last two months and haven't come to the bayan so I was super excited to see them again.
1. The Lord will do anything and everything to continue His work. He truly cares about all His children, He truly directs the affairs of His kingdom, and He has provided for our salvation.

2. Filipinos prioritize other people before themselves like no other people in the world. The Family got home maybe 2 hours before we stopped by, and before we left they gave us mangoes and probably 1 kilo of bigas. They don't have any kuryente in their house and they have to cross street to get water, ganoon sila kahirap. And somehow they still find it in their hearts to give us food without us even mentioning a thing.

Friday morning I woke up and said "Sleep has not yet fled from my eyes. I need to walk around before I pray so I don't fall asleep again." So I walked outside and the crazy guy who shouts all day and night walked past our house and began shouting. I was so afraid that he saw me and was coming to the house that my heart skipped a beat. But on the bright side, it helped me wake up. E Batoy and I worked together ,and E Cope worked in Guimba 3 because they had a baptismal interview. We couldn't teach anybody because everyone was at MYC in Pangasinan, nakaka-bad trip!

Saturday we worked in Franza and saw our branch on their way home from MYC, so they gave us a ride back to the bayan. This afternoon we got punted a bunch, ngunit ganoon talaga. 

ok cool. so i decided i want to run Cross Country at BYU after I am finished in Oregon.  but their cross country team is incredibly fast. ok we're out of time. talk to you next week. i love you!

 

Mothers DAY!!!

hii. Sorry we're late we couldn’t find a shop that was open because today is elections and elections here are kind of dangerous so a lot of places are closed

do the days go by fast for you guys? I sometimes kneel to pray at night and say "how can the day be over already? i just did this!"  This Saturday I only have 30 days remaining. 

This was such a lazy week once Elder Bellen left. I had no desire to do anything at all. On Tuesday I followed the Munoz 1 Elders around in their area while we taught. At one member family, we convinced them I couldn’t speak a word of Tagalog when we got there. After the opening prayer I took the lead during the lesson and they realized they'd been fooled. That evening we had dinner at a members house and printed off the transfer announcements, my new companion is Elder Cope. On Wednesday we had transfer announcements with the zone and then ate lunch at Kitchen West. For most of the day Elder Elep packed up his stuff, and we played Uno while waiting for him. Then we ate dinner at Nanay Deveas home and the power went out. Again. On Thursday, the Forts took us to Cabanatuan to get our new companions. Elder Cope came all the way from Paniqui, so I got to spend most of the morning at the Stake Center. Most of my time there was spent talking to Elder Amante, he is the missionary who replaced me in Gabaldon. Around 1:00 we made our way back to Munoz. Elder Cope is way good at teaching. He is so good at the Bible I was hanga sa kanya. (impressed) On Friday basically everyone said to me "why haven’t you been coming to our house lately?" because I was in Munoz 1 all week. On Saturday, a member worked with us and around 5:30 he realized his key to his motorcycle was lost, so we re-traced our steps that we'd taken the entire day and didn’t find it. The next morning, he came to our apartment and said "I forgot yesterday that this is an old model, almost any key will start it." So then we all had a good laugh about it and he took his motor again. 

22 months.

cooking eggs in the mission home.

Elder Williams and President Martino

Hello! I am glad she took pictures of me at ZLC. I also want you and dad to come here so we can meet Pres and Sis Martino.   It doesn’t matter when you come either way as long as you meet them.  I will just skype on P-day like last time. I'll try to skype around 9am our time, but I'll email you as soon as I get to the internet shop. 

This was a pretty good week. Last Monday we went to PhilRice and had a tour, it was one of those things that makes me wish you were here because you'll never see something so cool. We stopped at the museum and learned about the different types of rice and the way it’s farmed and the new technologies they have for rice farming. We also learned the Philippines can only produce about 70% of the rice that it needs as an entire country, roughly 30% of the rice is imported from other places. So PhilRice's objective is to get enough rice to make a giant storage if something bad ever happens they have rice to spare. This week was also ZLC, but this was the first time that Sister Missionaries have ever attended, so now it’s called Mission Leadership Council. President Martino talked to us about the Apostasty and Restoration.  We spent the night at the mission home, and the next morning (Wednesday) we went back to Munoz. By the time we got home I was feeling terrible and had a bad fever, so I just took some medicine and went to sleep. I woke up around 6:30 and couldn’t stand being in the house any longer, so we taught one lesson and then came home. On Thursday I woke up and was feeling good enough to work, but while we were working I felt terrible and my mind wasn't working the right way. President Martino also called us and said he needed some more information for the marriage he would be performing this weekend for us, so we spent time running back and forth trying to get it all together. On Saturday we had the wedding and baptism, President Martino married the couple that we are teaching and the wife was baptized right after.   After the baptism we had a small reception and then went to Tara Mindos (a swimming pool/ resort) and the branch fed us lunch. Elder Bellen spent most of the day getting together some last minute things before he left, so Theody (a branch missionary) and I played Uno for awhile. Then we met the Munoz  Elders for some ice cream, and then went home. On Sunday we went to church, and Elder Bellen was picked up around 1:30. I worked with the Munoz 1 Elders the entire day, and when we got home I didn't know what to do. I spent most of the evening walking around the house wondering why the time goes by so fast. 
My time is up!  LOVE YOU