Come what may, and Laugh :)

Aloha, Ohana!

I can't explain in words how crazy this last week was, but I am so grateful for Heavenly Father, who knows us perfectly and has a Plan. My beautiful companion, Sister L went home on Saturday for some medical things, and so I have joined another companionship, sister D and Sister B who we have been sharing a house with the past two transfers. So I know them super well and they are awesome. We have combined the Tongan branch with their Makaha ward, which means we are busy busy! Being in a trio is pretty crazy too, so we are working through the glitches. But I am super grateful for this challenge, and I know that as we do our best, the Lord will do the rest. He is always here. And He never gives us any challenges greater than what we can't handle. Since I am now covering another ward, we are teaching so many people and we got to have a lesson yesterday with a cute girl who grew up in the FLDS church, and asked us to teach her more about our faith because she doesn't agree with some of the doctrines that she grew up with. It is crazy because she grew up reading the Book of Mormon, living the gospel completely with a few differences. So teaching the restoration is nothing new to her... We just focused a lot on Prophets and authority, and at the end of the lesson she was glowing. I love sharing the light of the Gospel with those that are seeking it. Ask and you shall receive. Seek and you shall find. :)

Sister Willardson

Aloha, and Malo e lei lei!

Howz it!?

This week was.... very interesting. hahaha

We had Zone Conference on Tuesday, and it was so nice to see President Warner and his wife. We gave some training with our Zone Leaders on receiving revelation through prayer, which was sooo needed. It made me reflect on how I sometimes receive answers from Heavenly Father, because lately I have been struggling recognizing promptings and acting on them. I realized that Heavenly Father always inspires me through ideas and thoughts... and I often mistake them with just plain intuition. But now I have really been trying to pay attention to those things, and act upon them. Heavenly Father works in mysterious ways, but He always invites us to do good in the world :)

On Friday, sister D (another VC sister in the zone) and I were called back to good ol' Laie for the day to cover while they all had Zone conference. It was a whirl to put back on that muumuu and lead tours through the VC again... I love the VC (of course) but I am definitely enjoying my time over here on West Side for the time being :) Love this place. I love the people. and I love this gospel.

Do good in the world today!!

Sister Willardson

:)

This week was one of the best weeks of my mission. I don't have a ton of time to tell ALL the stories, but I think I would be super ungrateful if I didn't share the big miracle that we had this week. On Friday we had two lessons back to back and after the first lesson, I REALLY had to use the restroom (I had chugged a ton of water before the lesson, which I wouldn't recommend). haha So we quickly pulled over to McDonalds and when I came out of the bathroom Sister L was on the phone with an investigator so I sat down next to her.  Just then, two women walked by and one saw me and said, "we were literally just about to call you! I was super confused, and just said "huh??" and then that lady (a member) said that she had met her friend at McDonalds so they could call the missionaries together and schedule an appt to meet. A choir of angels were singing in the background hahaha. But I just said woa! Well here we are! and we decided to meet later that day and ended up having a THREE HOUR lesson on the restoration, and this lady was soo interested and solid. I can't include all the details, but it was AMAZING to see how the Lord works by small and simple ways, and I was so grateful that He was able to use us that day, even if it did revolve around my small bladder. hahaha

I love this work. I love this Gospel. Lives can be changed, and hope can be discovered through this restored gospel of Jesus Christ. He is here. and He wants all of His children to know who they are, and who they are capable of becoming. I love you all so much! Tell a knock-knock joke to someone this week!

Sister Willardson

So much love

Malo e lei lei, fam bam!
This week was sizzlin'! I don't know how hot it got, but it felt like
everything was gonna melt off my body... jus sayin'. With that being
said, this week was FULL of miracles. New investigators poppin out of
everywhere! Our investigator Zech agreed to be baptized... the date is
TBI. We have also been working with two sweet girls for months, and
they agreed to be baptized as well. Still praying for some Tongan
investigators, but they will come, we are confident :)
Sadly, we didn't do much for 4th of July. I actually kind of forgot it
was a holiday. I only saw one firework over here because they are
illegal. I guess it is so dry and they have had problems in the past.
We weren't allowed to proselyte so we just played basketball and
volleyball at the stake center.
Today we went on a BEAUTIFUL hike along the coast! I love this side of
the island. Laie will always hold my heart, but this place has made
its way in. That is something I have learned out here. I never knew my
heart could hold so much! hahaha the gospel is true. This is His work.
And I am so grateful to be a part of it :)
Give someone a donut this week!
Sister Willardson

Aloha, Famiglia!

This last week went sooo fast! I can't believe i have already been here for 6 weeks... Well we received transfer news and i will be staying here with sister Lea'aetoa for another 6 weeks!! staying in the Tongan branch!! And we are gonna do all we can to help it grow! ;)

The past few days I have done a lot of reflecting on my time here. It has been a roller-coaster, full of ups and downs... I really have loved every second of it, and I am overwhelmed with gratitude to be able to serve here. I love the people. The food has changed my life (and my appearance hahaha). My testimony has grown. And I have been changed for the better. I know that this is where I've needed to be to continue to grow and become the missionary and daughter that Heavenly Father wants me to be. 

This last week we had a ton of promising appointments and they basically all fell through. grr. but thankfully we still saw a ton of unplanned miracles. We have been teaching this 15 year old boy named T and we taught him almost every day this week along with his cousin M. We are also teaching someone named Zech, and he is progressing a ton. It is amazing to me to see how much this gospel can literally change lives. And it kills me inside when people choose to live life without it. If they only knew...

I will never be the same because of the knowlege I've gained here -- I know that this gospel has the power to change and transform our lives because I have seen it over and over :) If you're feeling like life is getting kind of hard or bland... open up your Book of Mormon and let Christ enter your heart :)

Ofa Atu :)

Sister Willardson