P-Day #11

i Hola de East Wenatchee!

   Como estan? (not sure how to do the upside down question mark on an English keyboard) This week has been... interesting to say the least. In a good way! It's been rainy and cold some days this week and other days super hot.

    We had a District Meeting on Wednesday. I had to give a training on humility :P (because we all know I love being told what to do). Every Friday we have weekly planning. This is when we plan out our entire week. It usually takes a couple hours (the steps are in PMG) BUT now we learned a new way to do weekly planning. Except this way takes 6-7 hours... Let me rephrase that: Except this way takes SIX TO SEVEN HOURS!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It takes FOREVER!!!!!!!!!!!!! So we have personal study from 8-9, companion study from 9-10, language study from 10-11, lunch from 11-12, Greeny training from 12-1, Weekly planning from 1-5, dinner from 5-6, plan some more from 6-8 or 9, but then we have to be back at the house at 9 to do daily planning... FOREVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! So we might now even leave the house on Fridays.

 BUT!! probably the funniest/ awkwardest thing during my mission happened! Normally after a District or Zone meeting, we go out to get lunch then come back to eat it at the church. So we did that but my district leader and his companion were taking a while. Finally, we hear someone singing "Happy Birthday" so we turned around to see who it was. My district leader and his companion were singing while walking towards us and holding a lit birthday cake. We look around to see who's birthday it was, but no one knew. He gets to me and is still singing: "Happy Birthday Sister Williams-!" Me: "My birthday is in May..." so everyone busts up laughing hysterically and my district leader flips out. Every month, we get a mission newsletter and it has everyone's birthday in it who has a birthday in the next month. Apparently, there is another Sister Williams in the mission... so he thought it was my birthday and was being a good district leader and getting me a cake. Once everyone calmed down and we were having cake, Elder B goes "... so do you want your present?" so we start laughing again and he gives me a beer mug looking cup as a "birthday present". I felt so bad that he actually spent money on me but that was all on him. I have not said a word about any birthday. It was really awkward but it was really funny!

   

 Thursday... While we were running in the morning, we saw this guy walking so we stopped to talk to him. Turns out, he's a pastor. We talked about Christ for a little bit then we all went on our marry way. Later, we got a referral, so we went to go contact it, turns out... the pastor was the referral! He wasn't there at the time so we talked to his 30 year old son. He allowed us to set up an appointment with his family. He put our appointment hin his phone (which no one ever does. Appointments are more of a "if I'm home at this time, I'll let you in") so that way his entire family could be there for the lesson! Including the pastor... so en otra palabras... I have an appointment with a pastor and all 6 members of his family tonight... we this should be interesting!

    

 On Friday, we got to see the movie "Meet the Mormons"! It comes into select theaters on Oct. 10th so I got to see it early! It was so good! It was really funny and I highly recommend it for everyone when it comes out. Finally, an accurate movie about mormons! It is a documentary of 5 LDS members from all over the world and how they give back to their community. We had to have a 2 and a half hour car ride to Selah (pronounced C-la) to see it and two and a half hours back. So we got back at like 3. So needless to say, we did not finish our forever long weekly planning and did it as back-ups so we just finished it yesterday. 

       

  Saturday was a rollar coaster! We haven't been able to visit with Hector this week because he has been super busy with a yard sale, so when one of our appointments fell through, we went to visit him and say hi. One of his neighbors was there and started yelling at us because apparently, there was a 2 hour special on the news about Mormons selling drugs in Utah and that we went to say hi to Hector first and not her. She was saying "How can you say this is the Lord's church if some of you guys are selling drugs and you don't even say hi to me! How can you be the true church if this is happening in your church?!" but I don't really understand spanish so Hma. Kolste was all on her own. I had no idea what she was saying... I just knew she was mad. No idea about what but I knew she was mad. Hector called us on the phone and brought it up as well so his neighbor is probably telling him false stuff. 

So that was really hard, BUT then we went to the General Women's Conference and it was so good! Made me so pumped for conference next weekend! Utchdorf's was my favorite! So bold but still his funny self! Definitely needed and so uplifting!

     

   FAST SUNDAY......!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! SSSOOO HHHAAARRRDDD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Left with a headache again. No food+ no water+ in church where everyone is speaking spanish so I'm trying to understand it= headache! I was probably cranky again too. BUT the members who fed us gave us turkey, mashed potatoes, gravey, corn on the cobb, peaches, and homemade apple sauce! Best part= IT WASNT PIZZA!!!! (I have has pizza 8 times in the past 2 weeks... :P) so I was a happy camper after that! Hope all is well with you guys! Love you all and thanks for all your prayers and support!

-Hermana Rebekah Williams

Temple trip!

iHola de East Wenatchee!

    What happened this week? I honestly do not remember anything before Wednesday! On Miercoles (Wednesday), we went to visit the B family. They are now getting kicked out of their garage! They have to be out by the end of the month! And if that wasn't enough, they got baptized in July, last Sunday (not a couple days ago but the one before that), Maria got called as the Relief Society president! Sunday's lesson was on temple sealings and family history... she is a new convert... how the heck is she suppose to know about temples?! So I offered to teach it since those are the two things I mainly did before I left. They also had me lead the music in Sunday School so in a way its like I never left! She also got a job working at WalMart... nights. From 10 pm to 7 am, then she has to be at the church at 9 on Sundays for meetings. She was on her last pair of contacts but she got a bunch of crap in them at work and had a major migraine so she went to church on Sunday, blind with a gnarley migraine. No medication works for her migraines because they all have something that counteracts her other meds, even over the counter so she's screwed!

    On Thursday we had exchanges. I was normal Wenatchee with Hma. Dixon (she's one of the sister training leaders). Best part is... SHE'S IN AN ENGLISH SPEAKING AREA!!!!!!!!!! So for the first time in 11 weeks... I knew exactly every single thing that was being said! We talked to a recovering meth addict. That was... interesting. She is originally from San Diego and I said that's where I'm from so she was saying that I'm from the hood and stuff. Then I said I'm from Carlsbad then she said "Oh... you're from the rich part of SD!" (everyone here thinks I'm this rich girl from SoCal). She also told us how she has a reputation around here and that no one will mess with her and told us where all the bad places are and drug deals. She also showed us how to stab someone. She has been shot, stabbed, and stabbed someone out of self defense (or so she says) and has been in prison before. BUT!!!!!! she has a true desire to change for her 8 year old daughter and wants to be baptized!!!!!!!! Why cant she be my investigator?!?!?!

     Friday was awesome though! Every other Friday our ward has an activity, so this week we invited every single person we taught during the week. Someone came! His name is Hector. We met him a couple weeks ago, by accident. We were trying to call another Hector in our phone but accidentally called him. Apparently, he was taught about a year ago but the sisters stopped teaching him and he didn't know why so we asked if we could start teaching him again and he said yes. He lost his wife about a year ago and is still moaning over her. Everyday after work, he drives around because he doesn't want to be in an empty house. We invited him to come to the activity and he came!!! He was talking and laughing with the other members and didn't even look out of place! After the activity, we gave him a church tour and our bishop came with us! We started in the chapel. He said he felt peace then we went over how the meetings go and discussed the sacrament. After that, we went into a classroom that has a picture of Jesus getting baptized. We talked about it for a while and Bishop talked as well and went into talking about prophets and General Conference. We asked him to be baptized but she said he doesn't feel ready but I totally think he is! We think he doesn't want to because his wife was baptized in a different church. We asked him to pray about it and come to church (since it was about temples) and he didn't go! It would of been so perfect if he did but he didn't :'(

    I went to the temple today!!!!!! We had to wake up at 4 in the morning to get to the stake center at 4:45 (a pair of sisters water got shut off so they came over to our place to get ready as well) then leave the church at 5 for a 2 and a half hour car ride to a 8 o'clock session. It was sssooo awesome! Definitely needed! I love going to the temple! I miss working in there :/. I miss the ocean too. The entire way there is by a the river. For lunch, we stopped by a Mexican place (go figure) and it totally reminded me of home! Its called Coasta Vida (the coast life) and had a bunch of pictures of the ocean and stuff. It looked just like SD!

    I have to give a training tomorrow on humility in a district meeting :P. BUT!! Then on Friday we get to watch "Meet the Mormons" (some church movie) then on Saturday there's the General Womans Conference! Oh ya! Did you here that in this General Conference, all of the speakers are going to speak in their native language?! Dad better brush up on his German for Dieter!

   Anywhoo... love you all lots! Thank you all for your love and support. Can't imagine my life without you guys!

-Hermana Rebekah Williams

new friend...........

Columbia River Temple Trip 9/23/14

Meeting the Devil Cat

iHola de East Wenetchee! (they get offended if you only say Wenatchee)

     Dude... I have been out for 2 months! How the heck did that happen? Time really does fly by and I heard it only gets faster. This week has been... interesting... no panic attacks so thats always good!

      Talked to a couple drunk guys so that's always fun. I can understand them a little because they are more animated. And they are missing like half their teeth. We also found a devil cat. One day at like around 7 at night we had an appointment at this really sketchy area called Entiat. Our appointment fell through so we tracted back to the car because it was a half hour drive and that would be a waste of gas if we just went back. We got to this one house that was pretty beat up looking with a lawn that was serious need of a hair cut and it had a cat on the porch. That cat was the freakiest thing on the face of the planet... We went to knock on the door, but the cat wouldn't let us go past it and it was giving us the legitimate stink eye! Squint and everything! It was meowing at us and pacing back and forth along the porch. No one answered the door so I tried to knock again but the cat brought its claws out! Eventually we got freaked out and started to walk away, but it followed us. It was following us and meowing at us super loud. We got to the next house and it backed off. There wasn't a women home so we talked to the man in the front yard. I look over my shoulder and there was the cat again! About 100 feet away just sitting there, glaring at us. Then I look at the window next to cat and there's a dog staring at us from the inside. I look back 10 mins later and the cat wasn't there any more so I thought it finally backed off, then I turn back around then the stupid thing crawls out from under the car! It paces between Hma K and I while still giving us the evil eye. It goes by the man we were talking to and jumps up in the air for no reason. We asked him if it was his cat and he said no and that he has no idea where it came from. It comes and sits right in front me and gets in the pouncing position while still giving me the evil eye. Then it goes by Hma K and does the same thing. She tried not to pay much attention to it because she was teaching but I get distracted really easily so I couldn't not pay attention to it. It comes back over by me and gets in the pouncing position again, it stands up on its back legs, puts its front paws on my laps, and inches its head towards mine while giving me the evil eye. Stares at me for a couple seconds, then goes back down. It paced between the two of us for a while and occasionally took its claws out. Eventually it was starting to get dark so we used that as an excuse to leave but that cat was so freaking creepy! We went back to Entiat yesterday to an appointment. When we walked by that house, that same cat was there. It jerked its head up and just watched us go by. When we were done with our lesson it was dark and the streets don't have street lights (told you it was sketch). We could barely see a thing. I will be the first to admit that I was pretty scared. Both of us got a feeling of safety though. We could feel His arms around us and knew nothing bad was going to happen. The Lord takes care of his missionaries! We probably would of been clawed to death by that devil cat!

       Trailer parks are where we find most of the Hispanics. We found this one old guy the other day that I think just wanted to talked. He talked for 2 AND A HALF HOURS STRAIGHT!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We missed 2 appointments just by him talking and oh my gosh it was so hard to stay focused! The fact that we were in his giant garden didn't help... and it had butterflies...

        I love getting to know people's stories. It's so interesting to see how the Lord prepares people. We were walking back to our car and a guy in a car rolls down his window and calls us over. He said he really needs Jesus right now and asked if we have anything he could read. So we gave him 3 pamphlets and a Book of Mormon. That should hold him for a while. I love you all and I love this Gospel. Hope all is well and thank you all for all of your love and support!

-Hermana Rebekah Williams

One of the bridges over the Columbia River

 la Iglesia

 the bedroom

the kitchen.  Something is missing.  The dishwasher!  So all of our dishes have to be washed by hand.  We all know how much I love doing dishes...............

Oh ya! We are going to the temple next Tuesday (:D) so that will become my Pday. So don't freak out if I don't email next Monday. If I don't, I will on Tuesday. Anywhoo... I love you SSSOOO much! I love you more than words can describe and I am so thankful I get to call you my Mother. You are an inspiration to me and I pray for you guys everyday. Love you and hope you have a fantastic week!!

(Mom's notes)

I got a letter from Rebekah today and thought I'd share a little, because it answered some of the things I have been wondering about!

"I don't have a problem speaking Spanish, I just have no idea what they are saying.  For exercise in the morning, we just go on a run.  Well, she goes on a run and I go on a job.  She's not that bad.  Her hard, uncomfortable pace is my nice easy pace.  One day in the MTC, Hma B decided to go on a run with me...she didn't like me too much that day.

This is my schedule:

6:15 wake up

6:30 run

7:00 shower/eat/get ready

8:00 personal study

9:00 companion study

10:00 language study

11:00 lunch/nap time

12:00 training (for the first 12 weeks)

1:00 proselyte

5:00 dinner

6:00 proselyte

9:00 go home/plan

9:30 get ready for bed

10:30 lights out

As you can tell, nap time is much needed.  Nap time is just something we do.  So glad we do!  We got a GPS from a pair of Elders since we didn't know where anything was, but it can't find a satellite so it doesn't work very well.  We haven't missed anymore appointments but we have been late though.  Hispanics don't care.  By saying "horaita" (right now) literally means in 10 minutes to them.  We have showed up 45 minutes late before because we got lost and the lady didn't care at all.  In that lesson, we were about to ask her to be baptized, but then her super drunk husband came home and started watching some super inappropriate show on TV.  So I'm like "OK,... spirit=GONE!" Oh well.  There is always next lesson!"

Two Months Out

iHola de Wenatchee!

      Has it really been 2 months since I left? Holy crap! I love it here though. The days go by so fast. There are ares where it is green (the orchards) but most of it is pretty dead. Hermana K says this is her prettiest and greenest area and she has been out 14 months so from what I gather, my mission is pretty dead. I love the people! All the hispanics are super nice. They at least listen to what you have to say and if they aren't interested, they say they are too busy or something like that to put it nicely. Some of them invite you in right then and there and feed you too. The white people just slam the door in your face before you can finish saying the title of the church. To be honest, being here is making me not like white people as much because most of the white people are rude and the hispanics are always so nice. One day, we were tracting in a trailer park (it was screaming hispanics) and we knocked on this one door. A kid about 18 or 19 answered the door. We introduced ourselves Then he invited us in right then and there. The mom offered us tacos and how can you not accept?! We ended up teaching the first lesson. Well, Hma. K ended up teaching the first lesson (she talks a lot... and I still don't understand what they are saying) So I pretty much just sat there then Hma. K told me to do the first vision, so I recited it. Afterwards, they just sat there. The mom finally broke the silence "Wow... muy bonita" (Wow... so pretty/beautiful) Then Hma. K started talking again then told me to bare my testimony, so I did. Yet again... silence followed. This time, the dad broke the silence "Muy fuerte!" (not sure if I spelled it right but it means "really strong/powerful") then more silence then they (the Cervantes family) started talking about baptism! We didn't even bring it up! So hopefully, they're a keeper! Fingers crossed!

     We cover 2 english ward areas and the spanish ward that I serve in is the hispanics in those areas (so my area is HUGE!!!) and the 2 englsih wards take turns feeding us because the spanish ward to too poor. We haven't really been fed that much because school starts either this week or last week so everyone has been out of town so we either feed ourselves, or invite ourselves over to a member's house. On Saturday, we invited ourselves over to a member in the spanish ward's house (in advance) for dinner. She invited her son (Salvador) over for dinner too. We introduced ourselves to him and left it at that. Didn't say what we do our tried talking about the Gospel to him. But he started talking to us about what we do! He was asking about our religion and what makes us different and such. I mentioned that we have the Book of Mormon then he started asking about it so I took a blue copy of the spanish one out of my bag to show him. He took it and started reading it! Started with title page and just read it page by page during dinner. Occasionally asked questions but he was reading it a lot. Then he showed up to church yesterday! Sadly, he doesn't live in our area so we had to hand him off to another pair of missionaries :( 

        Yesterday was so hard! First off, it was fast Sunday so no food and water and second of all, church is in spanish! So I have no idea what's going on! I was probably pretty cranky and came out of church with a huge headache. For dinner, we were actually fed by a member that we did not have to force. We had pizza (she was white) and oh my gosh! I felt so much better! I had 4 slices haha. The lady kept apologizing that it wasn't very fancy but I'm just glad that 1.)we were being fed and 2.) I knew what it was. Looking back, I was not in a very good mood yesterday. I apologized to Hma. Kolste but she said she was the same way. Except she can understand spanish... unlike me.

      Friday and Saturday were hard. On Friday, we had our schedule booked with appointments back after back... no one was home. Same with Saturday. We went tracting a lot instead, still... no one home. We knock, then wait a minute or 2 then Hma. K knocks again. One thing she told me was "The first knock is for their salvation. The second is for ours." The people we were able to meet were super cool! I dont understand them so Hma. K usually tells me after we leave but we meet a lot of super cool people! We have this one recent convert family (B Family) who literally lives in a garage. They got kicked out of their home but the people living in it now are letting them rent the garage. They let their nephew barrow their car, but he said he hit something and the bottom of the car is all busted and everything under the hood is smooshed against the back and it wont work. So they walking 7 miles to the grocery store and back with a 9 and a 4 year old. She got gnarley migrains. The other meds she has to take counter-acts pills so she took coffee to take them away. Then she got baptized and that whole "Word of Wisdom" thing... so she cant drink coffee any more and just suffers with them all day and taking care of the kids while her husband works in the field (and you thought you had it bad). This woman amazes me!

      Hope all is well at home! Love y'all to bits! Your homework assignment is to read 3 Nephi 11. My favorite chapter as a missionary! Especially when teaching Lesson 3. (the Gospel of Christ)

-Hermana Rebekah Williams

(she ran out of time to send pictures this week)

Mom's notes: her email time is still very limited.  If you could PLEASE send her regular mail instead of email it would be awesome!  I can't figure out where to put the address on the main blog part, but here it is:

Hermana Rebekah Williams

Washington Kennewick Mission

8202 W Quinault Ave, Ste D

Kennewick, WA 99336--1017

from the CCM to Washington!

iHola de Washington!

   So many things have happened its ridiculous! On Monday, my companion and the other Hmas in my room left at 2 in the morning so I was put in with another girl whose companion left too. We went to my morning class with Hmo Soto so I could give him one more super awesome high five (pretty sure I almost broke his hand) then we went to her afternoon class.Tuesday was a mess! I had to wake up at 1:30 in the morning (!!!!) and be at reception at 2, the bus left at 2:30, got to the airport at 3, flight left at 6 with a 2 and a half hour flight, 4 hour lay over in Dallas. I couldn't call home because the CCM president said that we should only call home on Mother's Day and Christmas and they kept changing what gate my flight was! So frustrating! Then I had a 3 and a half hour flight to Seattle with a 2 hour layover. Then a 45min flight to Pasco. It was so small and short that it was in a plane with propellers (it was really cool!!) Pres. Ware was there to greet us. He's a really big guy! His hand shakes are so firm I feel like my hand is going to break when I shake it. He's the nicest guy in the world though! We spent the night at his house (it was HUGE!!) then in the morning we got to meet our companions and where we are going. I'm in East Wenatchee with Hermana Kolste. We cover two areas. Both are huge. There's a area that speaks some weird dialect of Spanish (luckily Im not there) and that took about all day. All day flying on Tuesday and all day in a car on Wednesday.

     We got doubled in (both of us are new to the area) so neither of us know where any thing is. So we were lost all of the first two days. We had appointments set up but we couldn't make it to any of them because we had no idea how to get there. We were able to get around on Saturday though and met some pretty amazing people!

    Sunday was hard. No idea what anyone was saying. I know all of it was about Family History though! We have Sunday school first, then RS, then sacrament meeting. Pretty sure our primary is bigger than my entire ward. There is less than 50 people (including kids). In sacrament meeting, this one guy spoke for 40 minutes! It was so hard to stay awake 1.) it was 40mins! I would have a hard time focusing even if it was in English 2.) it was in Spanish and 3.) I was extremely tired already. I didn't fall asleep though so that was good. Hope all is well! I'll up date more about my living situation and stuff later!

-Hermana Rebekah Williams

(P.S I underestimated how long I had to write and how much I needed to so I will write a letter and please use that info too in the blog)

Mom's notes:  I was able to email back and forth with her for a few minutes.  In addition to the above, I found out that she is living at a member's house and because their area is so large, they have a car. As far as I can tell, she is HAPPY and very busy!

CCM district with branch presidents

first area: East Wenatchee

Washington selfie!

incoming missionaries to the WKM 8/26/14

with President and Sister Ware