Aloha Oe to my first transfer!

Wow, it has been 6 weeks here in Hawaii! Time flies. And this last week was one of miracles! And surprises... Which one do you want to hear first?? I will start with transfer news ;)

*Drum roll* please..... This next transfer I will be moving to Laie 8th ward! I get an area!! And along with that... I will be training a sweet Japanese sister named Sister Ohno... And that really was my initial thought -- Oh no! Haha. I really don't feel adequate to train a brand-new sister. I haven't even finished my 12 weeks of training yet! Since the transfer news Saturday night, I have been really prayerful in preparing for her to arrive. I have never felt so anxious before in my life. I don't even know how to serve in a real area, I have been online! How am I supposed to do this!? I really do know that this assignment was inspired by the Lord. And I also know that the Lord qualifies who He calls. I have continuously been reminded so far on the mission that I cannot do this on my own. It is impossible. With the Lord though, I have seen my weaknesses turn into strengths. Everything is going to be fine. This work is too important to let someone like me to mess it up! haha. So I know that I will be stretched and fortified in this position as I do all that I can to be the best disciple of Christ that I can be. I cannot wait to meet my new companion on Wednesday. I already love her :) 

Now for the miracles. Holy moly. On Thursday, I was serving in the VC when we had surprise visits from over 200 Chinese guests throughout the day! Not only that, but a chinese woman came up to our director, Elder Priday, and in rapid Chinese (there was a Sister translating), stated that she had been waiting 10 years to be baptized, and that she wanted to be baptized before she left to go back to China. WHAT!! Within the day, at least 6 others came up in groups desiring the same exact thing. So our sweet Chinese sisters volunteered to teach them all 4 lessons and we set up a time for their baptism the next day. They ended up receiving all the lessons and getting baptized the very next day in Honolulu. There were 10 Chinese baptisms. And on Thursday, we gave out over 100 Books of Mormon. It truly is a miracle. The Church has already pierced the hearts of those in China, and many are eager to receive the restored gospel. Hearts are prepared. I cannot express how truly grateful and blessed I was to be even a small part of that miracle. Basically all I did was take pictures with all of the Chinese people because I was the only blonde American there. But... I was there. And the spirit was SO strong on the Temple Grounds. 

What does this mean for you? The gospel is beginning to reach parts of the world that it has never been a part of. I argue that it is already there. We can be a part of this divine work! Everything we do and say can literally change the course of someone's day, and even life. Let's try to be lights in this dark world! Let's open our hearts and share a little extra love with those that we come in contact with every single day! I promise that as you do this, you will begin to find more reasons to smile every day :)

Keep Smiling :) 

Love Sister Willardson