One Year Mark

It is hard to believe we have hit the year mark for Elder Williams'  mission.  Over the past year we have been through all ranges of emotions. The moment we dropped him off at the MTC I was not sure my heart would ever heal.  The four hour drive was tear filled and it was all I could do to turn around and bring him back home.  A few weeks after we left him at the MTC my sister asked me to go with her to Provo and I knew I could not because I  would have a hard time not going to the MTC to find him. It is amazing how one year will change your perspective on things. The ache in my heart has not gone away but I would not want him doing anything else.   Watching Elder Williams grow has been such a great experience and our family loves to see his weekly progress. Our family has been blessed beyond measure and we are so thankful for that.

All of Elder Williams cousins make him a craft every month from their hands 

wow.. okay first of all did you get my package yet? I sent that a really long time ago i feel like.

Monday was just another P-day. generally speaking I don't really like P-days, I just feel so busy the entire day. in the morning we had a Zone Monthly Goal Setting, it went way longer than it should have, I hate goal setting days, nobody ever shows up on time. monday night we went to a birthday party for Chance Flores (the really rich family) and their mom joined us from Canada via Skype.

Tuesday was a regular day, we taught a lesson in the morning to a lady who got married and then baptized last Saturday.

I don't know how I feel about Wednesday. We had transfer announcements in the morning, and it was... okay. Elder Lozano thought he would transfer, he even packed his bags Tuesday night. he's been here six months and we've been together for three so it was basically guaranteed he would transfer. And I wanted to stay in Cabanatuan so bad, I love everything about it. Anyway, I got transferred to Gobaldon, Nueva Ecija. But here's whats so great about it: I'm companions with Elder Abuan!! I've seriously never heard of two companions being companions again, but its happened to me! We spent the afternoon telling everyone I was leaving, but seriously nobody believed us. Not one person. Then I spent the entire night packing all my crap.

Thursday was great, my new area is everything I thought the Philippines would be. Even San Clemente let me down a little bit, but Gobaldon is the best! I don't want to say I regret coming on a mission, but it makes me so sad that you and dad and everyone else may never see what I have experieced over the last year. Sure, you'll see pictures and videos and read my journal, but it's like reading the ensign or going to general conference.

We also taught one of the best lessons ever today. I always know we taught a great lesson by the Spirit when I learn something new during the discussion. We taught the Garcia Family (the nanay washes our clothes and her two daughters are inactive so she invited us over) and trials and how God will never take them away, no matter how much we ask. But he will make them seem light and help us through them. And this is what I learned, it was like an idea that entered into my head and all at once I completely understood everything: Of course God take just take our trials away, because we wouldn't learn anything. No change would have taken place; we would have remained the same. Our course on Self Mastery and Self Control (which means this life we're living right now) would be a waste. How else would we become like God if we never have experience to know good from bad and hard from easy? We will never fix the hole in the roof if rain never fell from the sky.

Friday might have been the best day ever. In the morning we had weekly planning, and the afternoon is one I will never forget. We took a trike to a super-layo area, and we got off next to a river; I couldn't see houses anywhere, so I thought we were lost. Then we walked closer to the river, and about 4 or 5 guys had huge rafts made from tractor tires and wood, they took people back and forth across the river! The rafts were made of six tractor tires and had big planks of wood across them. Then a guy standing in waist deep water (sometimes deeper if it rains) would pull us across. I saw guys with motorcycles and trikes get pulled across. it was amazing. I took a video of it, I'm sending it to you right now.  The place we taught at was super far away from the church, but people out there almost never miss sacrament meeting. Some of them without a tricycle spend up to 100 pesos every week to go to church. I couldn't get people in San Clemente to spend 8 pesos to take a 10 minute bus to the church. that night we ate at the Rudy Family's home, its and old guy and his wife. The tatay never even went to high school but taught himself to be a carpenter and basically built his house by himself. When we went home it was dark and nobody was there to take us across, so we walked across the river. It was only up to our knees, but E Abuan said a few days ago it was up to his waist, and almost swept him away when he was about halfway. I loved San Clemente, but this is an adventure.

Saturday kind of sucked. Our area is great, I love it. But there is only one flaw: We don't have running water in the apartment... It's not as bad as what Kolt Piquet had in one of his first areas, but it sucks. We have a huge 100 gallon tank that just collects rain water, so if it doesn't rain we don't get water. we buy mineral water to drink and use this huge tank to wash dishes and clothes and take a shower. (I didn't even bother taking pictures of our bathroom here, nobody should ever have to see what I saw before I cleaned it. People should never live the way E Abuan and his former companion lived.)I couldn't take a shower on Saturday because we had no water. It sucked so bad. Worst day ever. But we taught like 8 lessons, that hasn't happened in a long time!

Sunday was amazing. We started on time! 9:00am sharp! the branch president here is so great. in San Clemente our branch president showed up at like 9:05, and in Cabanatunan we never started before 9:10. But the church is just a meeting house above the palengke, only like 57 people went to church yesterday. But the missionaries showed up like in 2007 so the church there is super super new. I cant believe how big of an area we have. It takes an hour by bus just to get to the Zone Leaders house, and 2 hours to get to Cabanatuan.

yeah my weight is pretty much exactly the same, but I'm gaining. I don't know how much I weigh, I probably couldn't even guess if I tried. I guess so I am not fat anymore.i got the package with everyone's hands and feet on pieces of paper taped together into one huge paper.  I did get the letters from Mindy's baby blessing, they were awesome. The last thing dad said was "As you come up on your one year mark realize how fast time is going. Don't waste time or miss opportunities." I've been trying to find something to make me motivated enough to not rest during lunch time, and since I got his letter I've done a lot better about not sitting around, especially in the mornings and at lunch.

 well my time is up

I love you!

Elder Williams