Thanks for all you do mom; you are amazing.

Howdy ya'll.  I got transfered again.  I am now in Fall Creek, Houston.  My new companion is Elder Roundey.  I had a good week last week with Elder Meyer.  We had a really cool experience with a man we were teaching named Sam.  We went over to have a lesson with him and he wanted to do it outside because he had a friend over that didn't want to be around us.  And, there was a man across the street blasting music out of his truck.  We were trying to have a lesson, but the spirit wasn't there because of the music.  So, in the middle of the lesson I said a silent prayer asking Heavenly Father to please make it so that the spirit could be here and closed.  Then, I looked up and a lady came out of the house that the guy with the truck was parked in, holding a phone.  He then turned off the music and went inside.  Heavenly Father answers our prayers it is amazing the way he works.

 I was on an exchange Friday night with my district leader Elder Halter, and our Zone Leaders knocked on our door.  They then proceeded to tell me that Elder Meyer and I were going to be transfered and our area was going to become bigger and they are going to put sisters into it.  I was really sad.  But, I once again referred myself back to 1 Nephi 3:7.  

I just barely got to Fall Creek, so I will tell ya'll more about it next week.  Thank you so much for the package and tell aunt Mimi and Grandma and Grandpa thank you.  It really made my day when I got those, so thanks again. 

 President Crawford said that he is excited to see what I will do with this area now, so I need to work my behind off haha.  Elder Roundey said that they have been struggling with investigators and that the area in general is struggling.  Elder Roundey and I recently decided to just put our shoulder to the wheel and the lord will do the rest.  

I love ya,ll and I wrote a letter... I just need to find the time to send it.  Thank you for all ya'll have done for me to prepare me for this opportunity.  Love my Mission.  Love the Work. And Love ya'll.

Elder Willden

Elder Willden and Elder Meyer

Elder Willden and Elder Meyer in front of Houston, TX  Temple

Elder Willden looking at Houston Temple

Elders touring Battleship

Elder Willden and a BIG Gun

Olegario Garza's Baptism on 5/18/13
Pasadena, TX

 

This is Olegario.  I will be confirming him this coming sunday!  It was an amazing baptism.  He bore his testimony after and it was awesome!

Howdy Ya'll!  We had an awesome week this week!  We had the Baptism of Olegario Garza.  It was so good.  He was so excited for his baptism.  He had a dream two nights before of getting baptized and he went in the water and came out and he said everything looked different.  Then, the night before he couldn't sleep.  And, at his baptism he was really excited and after he got baptized at the end of the meeting he bore his testimony.  It was so powerful.  Everyone who was there could feel it.  He told us that after he got baptized, as he was getting dressed he looked into the mirror and saw a new him.  He said he saw a grown up version of himself.  It was an amazing experience to teach this great son of God and get him baptized by proper authority.  He was supposed to get confirmed by me on Sunday.  But, he spent the night in the hospital, because he ran outside on the pavement without shoes and was missing a huge chuck of skin on both feet.  He still showed up, but it was too late; so we will be doing it next week.  We have been working hard and have seen the hand of the lord in the work.  The family that we met during Hour of Power is Shurly(70's), Tracy(40's) and Crystal(15).  We got to meet with them twice last week.  And, they are reading the Book of Mormon and have committed to be baptized on the 29 of June.  So, that is going well.  They are struggling a bit though because Crystal (Tracy's daughter) is failing all of her classes except for one and is really stubborn and won't listen to what they say.  So, they weren't able to show up to church because they were having problems with her.  Anyways, we are teaching another guy named Kenieth(16).  He is a black boy and plays football.  He is really athletic, so we get along well.  Haha jkjk.  We have been trying to get him to church, but like every other teenager in the world all they want to do is hang out.  So, every time we go to pick him up he is gone hanging out.  If we can get him to church, I am sure he will want to keep coming.  His baptism date is the 22 of June.  Well, I don't really know what else to say besides I love ya'll and it is getting extremely hot here!  I sunscreen myself twice a day haha. 

Elder Willden

Toured a Battleship on 5/6/13 with mission president.

Hey ya'll, so we had a good week this week.  We are preparing Olegario for baptism.  We had a good lesson with him last night.  We went over the Law of Chastity and Word of Wisdom and thankfully his only problem was tea and he committed to stop.  I will definitely tell all-ya'll about the baptism next monday and how everything went.  And, I will be taking a picture with him.  Luke's voice seems to be getting lower.  I thought that was funny.  We have been working hard and this area is doing great.  We have a lot of investigators so I will only be able to talk about a few.  Calvin, he is a stubborn old man haha.  He will not pray and everytime we go over to his house, we ask him if he has been reading the Book of Mormon and everytime we get the same answer that he is too busy.  We are going to try to figure out some new ways to come across to him.  On thursday, we were out tracting for our Hour of Power.  And, a lady called us over and we started talking to her and shared a lesson about the How to Begin Teaching Bullet Points in preach my gospel.  (Kolton and Bailee if ya'll want to prepare for your mission start getting familiar with these bullet points and if you can memorize them they are used a lot)  And, she said that she needed to come to church so we gave them our church's address and she and her daughter showed up!  It was awesome.  Anyways, we also have been teaching a family named the Arredondos.  They committed to baptism on the 25th, but they didn't come to church, so it looks like they aren't getting baptized then.  They are just really flaky and don't really want to commit to anything because they don't like change.  They are a good family though.  One thing I have definitely noticed out here is families rarely exist.  It is extremely sad.  This world is getting worse and worse.  The only thing that will hold it together is families and people just don't realize that.  I love you and hope all is well.  Keep up the good work at home!

Elder Willden

 

(email to family)

Howdy yall.  Elder Meyer and I had a super good week.  Hope all is well.  We are going to a Battle Ship today with President Crawford in La Porte.  Anyways,  We have an amazing investigator named Olegario.  He is getting ready for baptism on the 18th and wants to go on a mission!  I am so excited for him.  Every time we meet with him he just eats it up.  He was so ready for the gospel.  Now I would like to share some spiritual experiences.  We were out working on Thursday and everything fell through.  So, we decided to just knock a few houses before lunch.  Before we started I said a quick prayer asking Heavenly Father to give us someone to teach.  The second door we knocked a lady named christine answered the door.  She was really busy cleaning, but listened to us for a little.  She had just lost her job and was looking for a new one.  And she was looking for a church to go to.  It was awesome.  We gave her a Book of Mormon.  And said a prayer for her.  We then set up a meeting with her on Tuesday.  This next story occurred on saturday.  Every appointment fell through and it was about 6:15.  We were just going to head to dinner, but for some reason that just didn't feel right.  So, we kept thinking and thinking and then we had the thought to try a referal that we have been trying for the past 6 or 7 days and he has never answered the door.  So, we went and right as we got to his house he pulled up in his car.  He was in a rush and we set up an appointment with him.  Point is if we hadn't of listened to that prompting we wouldn't have been able to come in contact with him and would have probably just dropped him.  Okay last, but not least.  Sunday night we were out trying people and again everything seemed to be falling through.  So, we again tried a referal that we haven't been able to even talk to and there was this guy trying to move this big couch, so we offered help.  Well he accepted.  We moved the couch and right after started talking to his wife.  And, his wife has been looking for a church and hasn't been able to find one that was just right.  It was amazing, we set a return appointment.  I know that the spirit leads and guides all of our actions.  We should not ever call anything a coincidence because it is always the spirit.  I love this work.  I have been blessed in so many ways from it.  I thank all yall for the prayers.  It meant so much to me when I found out that yall always remembered me in family prayer.  Prayer is an amazing thing yalls prayers have definitely blessed my life and others.  I pray for yall every night and morning.  I hope all is well.  I love yall.   

Elder Willden

PS.  I figured yall would like to hear a little bit more about my companion.  Well, he is from Alaska.  He loves band.    He doesn't really play sports, and sometimes gets on my nerves because he is always complaining about how his back hurts or his kneck or his wrist or his pinky.  But, I realized this is just pay back for all the complaining I did at home.  Sorry about that haha.  Anyways he loves to work hard and is a good Elder. 

 (email reply to dad)

I have definitely been learning a lot about the priesthood too.  Its amazing the trust our Heavenly Father has in us to give us such a great power.  Sounds like yall are doing well.  I have been super busy.  We had the best week number wise.  We found 9 New Investigators to teach and taught 20 lessons.  I was really happy about that and want to do better next week.  I have found that as you excersise faith and endurance, through the lord's mercy he will pull you out of the darkness just before you break.  He has definitely pulled me out.  I love my mission so much.  I was reading in my journal last night and I have noticed how much I have changed.  I was a know-it-all.  And, I was pridefull without knowing it.  I have changed a lot of things.  I still have pride as everyone does.  But, I am trying to control and eventually get rid of it.  Pride as we know is the downfall of all men.  We see it even today.  I love your example to me and mom's example.  I will always keep all yall in my prayers love you!

Elder Willden

(email to mom)

sorry I forgot the cord for my camera so no pictures this week. I will have to send them next week.  Love you too!  How is Jesus the Christ coming.  I just finished Christ trial and Judgement.  It really disturbed me the condemnation the Jews put upon themselves by saying let it be on us and our children.  It truly did fall upon them we see that in history.  It is also amazing what christ went through.  He loves us so much.  No man could suffer as he did without losing his life.  Honestly we cannot comprehend what christ went through.  A demensional mind like we have cannot understand a demensionless concept.  I love you and hope you know you are in my prayers every night.

Elder Willden