Jontae and his mom

Sister Tau and I tracting

Weirdest thing I've ever seen

Sister Tau and I at Zone Conference

Sister Tau, Jontae and I

Sister Tau, Jontae and I

March 3, 2014

Hello Family!

I'm so sorry I didn't write last week. We were running late and volleyball was calling. I obviously have my priorities straight. But hey what can I say, I love volleyball. So these past couple of weeks have been AWESOME!!! So many miracles I can't think of them all. The ones that come to mind most readily though are we started teaching this family of a single mom and four kids and they accepted the invitation to be baptized, and so we're working on preparing them for that right now. Then we started teaching the Fields Family again, and things are going really well. We invited them to find out for themselves if the things that we are teaching are true and then be baptized, and they accepted. So hopefully everything turns our alright. I have faith that it will turn out exactly the way Heavenly Father wants it to. Lastly.... Jontae was baptized on Saturday! After 3 months of teaching him, he was finally baptized and it was a beautiful thing. The difference in him now from when we first met him is amazing. He always came to church in jeans and a t-shirt, after his baptism he came into the room wearing a white button up and slacks and a tie and he was glowing. We asked him how he felt and he said he was just so happy. His mom came to watch and she was crying because the spirit was so strong. The coolest thing though was after he was confirmed the next day in church, he received the Aaronic priesthood. Ahhh, I could have died. This is why we do it. Moments like these are few and far between, but when they do happen it makes all of the other stuff unimportant.

I walked away from the baptism that day reinvigorated and ready to do missionary work until the day I die, because it is so worth it. There is a scripture in the Doctrine and Covenants section 18 verses 15-16 that talks about that feeling. It says,

"15. And if it so be that you should labor all your days in crying repentance unto this people, and bring, save it be one soul unto me, how great shall be your joy with him in the kingdom of my Father! 16. And now, if your joy will be great with one soul that you have brought unto me into the kingdom of my Father, how great will be your joy if you should bring many souls unto me!"

It is so incredibly true. The Lord doesn't need us. Don't you think he could do this work all on his own? He absolutely could. The thing is, seeing as one of the purposes of this life is to have joy, he wants us to experience and share in the joy that comes from helping another person come to the truthfulness and fullness of the gospel, and watching the miraculous change that naturally occurs as they live the gospel. There is no joy greater than that.

Another thought I had as all of this was going on was that, while baptism is good and great and essential, it is not the end goal. Our goal is not to get people baptized and then that's it. There is joy in that, but there is more joy to be had. The joy I am speaking of is the joy that comes from entering into one of the Lord's holy temples and having your work done there. Sacred promises and wonderful blessings are made in the temple. Families are sealed for time and all eternity in the temple. The presence of the Lord is not felt stronger in any other place than in a temple. Why wouldn't you do everything you can to able to enter in one of these houses? That's why we preach faith, repentance, baptism by someone holding the proper priesthood authority, receiving the Gift of the Holy Ghost by the laying on of hands and enduring faithfully to the end, so that we and those we teach can enter into the temple and receive the blessings that are offered there.

A little while ago, a prominent LDS figure named Sheri Dew spoke at a stake conference here in Houston. One thing she said that really hit me was,

"it is incredibly shortsighted not to learn everything we can while we are in this life."

It is so true. We know that intelligence and knowledge are light and truth and we receive intelligence as we first learn about, prepare and do everything we can to make ourselves worthy, and then enter the temple. This brings true joy, I promise. We are going with Jontae in 2 weeks and I cannot wait. I know it will be a wonderful experience. Anyways, I love this gospel and I know it is true. I really do. There is nothing in life that can shake or take that testimony. Over and over again it has been reaffirmed to me and because of that I share it.

I love you all and wish you the best week.   See y'all soon!

-Sister Williams