BEAST WEEK!!!!

"I know that God lives and that He is mindful of each and every one one of us. I know that it is only in and through the Atonement of Jesus Christ that we may become clean and spotless, so that we, one day, 

may live with God the Father and Jesus Christ again. A really amazing gift." 

Elder Willes and Elder Johnson
下一个的照片我们在做饺子

Hey everyone! This past week has been an absolute incredible week here in the UH Area. [Mom note: University Heights area] We truly have had many miracles and Heavenly Father continues to bless us each and everyday. My mission is the best! Here is how my week went down. 

Most of Monday evening and Tuesday we spent a lot of time out and about again, doing some good old Seeking With Faith. We also went to the doctor for Elder Johnson's visa stuff on Tuesday. He is a great missionary. Taiwan is getting an awesome missionary.

Wednesday was great! On Wednesday we had another multi-zone conference. We received trainings from President and Sister Hammon, the APs, and also our Zone Leaders. I personally received a lot of revelation on how to improve as a missionary and that was great. That evening we did some more Seeking With Faith and also had a great English Class!

Thursday was also amazing! In the afternoon, we had the opportunity to meet with Liu and Lu Ping. We first met Liu at UCR a couple of weeks ago, and scheduled a time to meet. She brought Lu Ping along, and we had a great lesson with them! We taught them the Restoration, and it was a great lesson! They actually went to SLC a couple of months ago and saw Temple Square so that was super cool for them to make this connection. That afternoon and evening we did some more good old Seeking With Faith!

Friday was also super amazing! In the afternoon, we had another lesson with Wang Guili and we taught her about tithing, fasting, the Ten Commandments, and it was awesome! She is doing really well. Please continue to pray for her! Right after that lesson, we had another incredible experience. This past week during one of our nights Seeking With Faith on campus, we met a guy from Taiwan named Ronan. We first started talking to him and walked with him. As the conversation continued, he told us that he was actually a member of our Church! I was super surprised, and then he told us that his parents are divorced, his mom lives here in CA, and his dad lives in Lehi, Utah. He grew up in the Church, but when his parents divorced he lived with his mom and they stopped going to Church. When we met him, we testified of the blessings that come from the Gospel of Jesus Christ and scheduled a time to meet, to review the missionary lessons with him. We met with him on Friday, and it was incredible! We taught him the Restoration, and it was awesome! Ronan said the closing prayer, which was powerful. An absolutely incredible example, and something that I will never ever forget. It was the Atonement of the Savior in action. Please pray for Ronan! That night, we had another great English Class as well!

Saturday morning we had some service time, which is always good. In the evening while Seeking With Faith, we met a Chinese couple named Sherry Xie and also Hugh Dong. When we contacted them, they allowed us to teach them on the spot on campus! We shared with them the Restoration, and it was great. Sherry is pretty interested but Hugh didn't seem too interested. Please pray for them as well!

Sunday was also pretty amazing! In the morning before church, Elder Shurtleff and I taught another new investigator from this past week named Bo. Bo is from China and is a grad-student at UCR. We taught him about the Restoration and it was a great lesson. He accepted a baptismal invitation for May 20th! Please pray for him as well. During the lesson, Wang Guili also had her interview for baptism and she was found worthy!!!!!!! Please EVERYONE pray for her Wang Guili this week. We aren't sure if her husband knows or is supportive of her getting baptized so we are going to address that this week. In the evening we got to WeChat YiHang Yuan [Mom note: a social media platform that many Chinese people use] and teach him again! We taught the Law of Tithing and it was great! He currently is on date for May 13th and also came to church again this past week! 

Guili made us some 很好吃的饺子

I know that God lives and that He is mindful of each and every one one of us. During this past week at multi-zones, we discussed the importance of the Atonement. I know that it is only in and through the Atonement of Jesus Christ that we may become clean and spotless, so that we, one day, may live with God the Father and Jesus Christ again. A really amazing gift. Love you all have a great week!

Elder Willes

THE COOLEST MIRACLES AND BLESSINGS AND ALSO TRIALS (Monday, April 9, 2018)

Hello again everyone! This past week has been another incredible week for Elder Johnson and I. The work is really going great here, and we are going to keep working hard and will continue to see miracles! Missionary work is so amazing. It is full of the coolest miracles and blessings and also full of trials. I know these trials help us learn and progress and become better. Please pray for our investigators that they can be strengthened and blessed. Several of them are at critical times of choosing. Qingsong could really use your prayers right now. We continue to try and help all of our investigators and I can see the blessings the Lord is giving to us and them. My body is holding up ok. I am amazed every day with how Heavenly Father has blessed me. He has helped me so much physically. It is a miracle. I love my mission with all of my heart and I am so happy here. 

I love being out and about and talking about the Gospel with people. That is a blessing to me. We had another lesson with Wang Guili this week. She is doing so GREAT! We also invited Shannon (RC from Eastvale) and she came and helped out in the lesson. Shannon has such a strong testimony of the Gospel, and it was so good to see her! Wang Guili has read through Mosiah 6 in her personal Book of Mormon reading! We read with her through Alma 32, and talked about the importance of Faith. A great lesson! She is still on date for April 22nd. Please pray that she can be baptized on that day. 

Wednesday was exchange day! I was with Elder Pells in the ASL/ University Heights area and we had a great day together. We did a lot of Seeking With Faith, and we also were able to find a lot of potential investigators, which was great!

Thursday afternoon while we were Seeking With Faith up on campus we met a guy named Tony Tsai, who is from Taiwan. When we contacted him he said that he had some time. So we walked back to the Institute with him and taught Tony the Restoration! It was a really cool experience. In the afternoon, we had an opportunity to teach another new investigator from this past week, Andrew Wang. We taught Andrew half of the Restoration lesson, and also had a YSA recent convert named Kurt, sit in on the lesson. That was really powerful as Kurt testified of the Atoning Power of Jesus Christ! A testimony, no matter how practiced or without complete knowledge, is so life-changing when shared. I was so grateful for Kurt that day who was willing and ready to share his feelings.

Friday afternoon we got to meet with Qingsong again! We brought along Brother Smith, an awesome member in the University Heights Ward. We read through Alma 32 with him, and it was great. Qingsong is still on date for April 29th, please pray for him! That night, we had another lesson with YiHang Yuan after English Class. We reviewed the Restoration with him, and put him back on date for baptism on May 13th. He promised in the closing prayer that he was going to pray and read everyday. Super powerful! 

Saturday morning we had a Weekly Blitz where Elder Williams and I went out together. We were able to find a teach a new investigator named Malcolm for the other missionaries, and that was super cool! In the afternoon and evening, we spent a lot of time up around campus, doing some more Seeking With Faith. 

Sunday was incredible! We had 3 investigators come to Church!!!!! Wang Guili, Fan Qingsong, and also Linda! We were super excited about that and they all had a good experience there. We had a Gospel Principles lesson on sacrifice, and that was super cool! That night while on campus Seeking With Faith we met a really cool UCR Student named Elisa. Elisa's parents are Christian, and grew up in Christianity, but is very skeptical and doesn't really believe in it. She has a lot of questions about God. We talked to her on the street for about an hour and basically taught the whole Plan of Salvation to her. It was a really cool experience. She said that she is interested in the learning more and is going to download the Gospel Library app! 

This week has been awesome. I am so grateful for all of the blessings which a loving Heavenly Father bestows upon us daily. Missionary work is the best! Love you all so much and have a great week!

Elder Willes

CONFERENCE FEELS LIKE CHRISTMAS! (Monday, April 2, 2018)

When I was in the MTC, Elder Bednar came and spoke to us there. 

He said something that really stuck out to me. 

He said, "Conference got better because YOU got better."

"I know that God answers each of our prayers and I know that He loves each and every one of us. 

He truly knows our name, and He hopes that we will come to Him. Never ever forget when you feel lonely, discouraged, depressed, or like you aren't good enough, try and imagine how God thinks of you. 

He has a love for us that we cannot comprehend in this life." Elder Willes

Hello everyone from beautiful Riverside! This past week has been another pretty awesome week here in the good old California Riverside Mission. Elder Johnson and I have worked really hard, and we have seen many miracles over the past week. The Lord is truly hastening His work here on earth and wants each of us to give a little more than what we are giving  today. What an incredible opportunity this past weekend to have heard from our beloved Prophet, President Nelson, and all of the leaders of the Church. I love them and sustain them. They truly are representatives of the Savior, Jesus Christ. 

Elder Johnson and I had a good start of our week and spent Monday evening out doing some Seeking With Faith! At our District Meeting this week we received an awesome training about improving and becoming better instruments in the Lord's hands. I have a strong desire to finish my mission with as much effort as I can give. This week was also interesting because UCR was on Spring Break and so we spent a significant amount of time at RCC [Mom note: Riverside City College]. We spent much of the week walking and talking with any student there who would talk with us.

Thursday afternoon we had the opportunity to meet with Qingsong again. He is doing great! He has read through 1 Nephi 4, and has been consistently attending church. He currently is on date for baptism on April 29th. Please pray for him. We had a great lesson with him and the Spirit was strong but when an investigator starts to progress that is when the adversary really heaps lots upon them. So keep him in your prayers. 

Friday morning we had some service at the Valencia Care Center where we had an Easter Activity. I love going there and helping others to feel loved and valued. It was fun. In the afternoon, we had the opportunity to meet with a new investigator from this past week, Riddle. Riddle is an RCC student, and he is pretty cool! He currently lives with an LDS family as well. We taught him the Restoration and he has a lot of questions. His mind has a hard time accepting the idea of God as he believes a lot in science. Please pray for him as well. That night, only Wang Guili came to English Class, but that still went well! Wednesday we had a bigger English Class which made us happy.

Saturday was the first day of General Conference! While serving my mission, Conference feels like Christmas. I love it so much! When I was in the MTC, Elder Bednar came and spoke to us there. He said something that really stuck out to me. He said, "Conference got better because YOU got better." I love that. If we truly want to learn from the modern-day Prophets and Apostles, we need to improve and repent daily in order to receive personal revelation. What an incredible experience to be able to witness two newly called Apostles, and the sustaining of a new Prophet. During the Saturday sessions, I really enjoyed Elder Taniela B. Wakolo's talk. "We need to thank the Savior everyday, everyday, everyday." Loved that! Of course, I also loved President Nelson's talk from Priesthood Session. As bearers of the Holy Priesthood, we need to Rise Up! The Lord cares about how we serve, and not where we serve. That was amazing! Qingsong came to Priesthood session with a member, Brother Smith, and he seemed like he had a great time. That guy is a straight up boss! Please pray for him.

Elder Brown and Elder Willes

Sunday morning conference we watched with Wang Guili and the ASL Missionaries in Chinese at the Church Building. She seemed to like it and had a good experience! I loved President Uchtdorf's talk. So cool. "Because of Jesus Christ, our sins can not only be erased, but they can be forgotten." The Atoning power of the Savior is real! In the afternoon, we spent a lot of time Seeking With Faith, and we witnessed a miracle! Right when we started our Seeking With Faith, I felt a prompting to return back to the Institute, and grab a Chinese Book of Mormon and a pamphlet. We had been praying to find another new investigator, and we needed to EXPECT to teach someone. While we were out seeking, we met a Chinese student named Zhang Hao, and we taught him right there on campus! We taught him the full Restoration, and it was incredible. What a miracle. I was so grateful for the promptings of the Holy Ghost. 

I know that God answers each of our prayers and I know that He loves each and every one of us. He truly knows our name, and He hopes that we will come to Him. Never ever forget when you feel lonely, discouraged, depressed, or like you aren't good enough, try and imagine how God thinks of you. He has a love for us that we cannot comprehend in this life, and I am so grateful I get to feel of that everyday. Love you all have a great week!

Elder Willes

MY HOMIE (Monday, March 26, 2018)

Hello everyone. Hope you are all doing well. Another week has passed here in the good old CRM and it has been a pretty great week! We have spent a significant time out doing some good old Seeking With Faith this week. That is fun, hard, discouraging and exciting but it has helped me to become a better missionary and a better person. I love what I have learned on my mission.

Highlights of the week: We went on exchanges this week with the ASL Missionaries. Service with Feeding America. More service at the Valencia Care Center. Great English classes. On Friday night we had 4 people come to class!!

Elder Willes and Elder Shurtleff on the bus while on exchanges

We taught some good lessons this week. We taught Kim, one of our new investigators from this past week. He is a YSA student attending RCC, and he is pretty cool! Elder Shurtleff and I taught him half of the Restoration, and he committed to pray and read from the Book of Mormon which was awesome!  We had another lesson with my homie Fan Qingsong! He is so cool. We taught him the Plan of Salvation. It was a great lesson. He is doing so awesome! Please pray that he can read from the Book of Mormon. Friday afternoon, we then had another lesson with Wang Guili! She is doing great. We taught her the Law of Chastity, the Word of Wisdom, and also the importance of Keeping the Sabbath Day Holy. It was so awesome! She is still on date for Baptism for April 22nd. Please pray for her! After our English class on Friday, we had the opportunity to teach Ben Li, another new investigator from this past week. We taught him the first couple of points from the Restoration including prayer, and it was a great lesson!

Saturday afternoon we also got to meet with another new investigator from this past week Linda. We first contacted Linda and her husband on the street while we were riding our bikes. We set up a time, and met with her! We taught her all about the Restoration, which is a lot, and it was pretty great. She accepted invitations to both pray and read from the Book of Mormon, and also said that she wants to come to church on Sunday! That night, we had an amazing lesson with Chen ZhenHang. We showed him the Patterns of Light videos by Elder Bednar, which are incredible, and help us to be able to recognize the Spirit. The Spirit was so strong, and Chen ZhenHang told us that it all makes sense. Please pray that he can read from the Book of Mormon and come to know that it is true!

Our lesson with Chen ZenHang is something that has strengthened my testimony. I believe the Lord hears and answers our prayers and if we listen we can receive personal revelation to help us and guide us. I received a specific prompting to share those Elder Bednar videos with Chen ZenHang. The Spirit was so strong, and it helped me to recognize the importance of listening to the Spirit in order to help someone else. It was a great experience! Amazing.

Sunday was another great day. We had two investigators that came to church!!! Wang Guili attended the University Heights Ward, and Fan Qingsong attended the YSA Ward. It was a great day and it was awesome to be at church with Fan Qingsong! 

Elder Willes with Fan Qingsong at church. He is super cool!

This week has been another great week! I love Missionary Work. You truly can see Miracles every single day out here. I am so excited to continue to work hard, and to help those prepared souls truly Come Unto Christ. You guys keep working hard at home. Love you all have a great week!

Elder Willes


P.S. To answer dad's questions:
Elder Yang got transferred to the Tongan Branch in Moreno Valley. He was excited to go back English speaking and I am so happy for him. Elder Johnson will most likely get his visa this transfer and he will head out to Taiwan. He is going to TaiZhong. We get around mostly on our bikes. My legs are super strong but my upper body is just straight fat. It is sad. :)

MIRACLES (Monday, March 19, 2018)

"We believe firmly the best time we have in the mission field is being with missionaries. They are wonderful. They are smart. They are spiritual. They have testimonies. They are innovative. They want to serve the Lord. They want to do good things. They want to progress and grow. They are some of the finest young men and women in the entire world." President Hammon, California Riverside Mission 

We tried to send Elder Willes cupcakes in the mail for his birthday. Mostly they melted. :)

Hello everyone! This past week has been incredible. Thank you to so many who have remembered me in some way for my birthday. Messages from home sure pump me up. Thank you so much!!

Elder Johnson is my new companion, and he is from Layton, UT. He is a great missionary! We have a lot in common and are having fun and working hard together. We have been able to find 4 new investigators, and 2 of them came to church this past week! The Lord continues to bless us everyday, and I am loving the work! Here is how our week went down. 

Elder Johnson and Elder Willes

The incoming missionaries and their trainers. (Pics borrowed from President Hammon's blog.)

Monday and Tuesday I spent with Elder Osberg, who is training this transfer as well. We spent a lot of time out and about, doing some good old Seeking With Faith. We also did a home visit with a really cool family in the Spanish Ward. Elder Yang has been transferred to an English speaking area before he heads home to China next month. He was really happy about that and I'm happy for him.

On Wednesday morning Elder Osberg and I went to the Mission Office for the trainer/trainee meeting. We had a meeting in the morning for all of the trainers, after which we got to meet all of the new incoming missionaries and have lunch with them. After lunch, we then were paired with our new companions, and then we had a testimony meeting! After that, our companions got to put their pictures up on the board in President Hammon's office, which was cool. Right after our meeting ended, about 20 minutes after, Elder Johnson and I taught a lesson! We taught a lady named JiYi. Elder Johnson got to invite her to baptism, and that was super cool! We also taught this week 2 new investigators. We taught Allen Lou, and his friend Dona. 

Friday was amazing. In the afternoon, we had the opportunity to meet with Wang Guili! The next part you guys are not going to believe - but I am so excited to tell you!!!! When we followed up with Wang Guili about her Book of Mormon reading, she told us that she had read up to Jacob 3. That is 147 pages in the Chinese Book of Mormon!!!! When we asked her what kind of things she has learned from the Book of Mormon, she replied and told us that she reads it as if it were any other book, but when she faces a challenge/struggle, she REMEMBERS what she has read and applies it into her life. WOW!!! It was an incredible lesson, and she is doing awesome! She has accepted a baptismal date for April 22nd. Truly a Miracle! 

Saturday morning we had another Weekly Blitz. Elder Pells and I went out together, and we found a lot of referrals for the missionaries in their area. That afternoon, we did some good old Seeking With Faith. In the evening, we had the opportunity to teach another new investigator from this past week, Fan QingSong! He is super cool, and likes to skateboard. We taught him about the Restoration, and he also accepted a baptismal date for April 29th! We are super excited for him. 

Sunday was another great day. Fan QingSong came with Hank to the University Heights Ward, and also YiHang Yuan came to the YSA ward! That evening after some Seeking With Faith, we then went and visited Hank again. He is doing awesome, and we are preparing to help him receive the Mel. Priesthood. Please pray for him and all of our current investigators! 

Sorry this email is super long haha but there were just so many Miracles, I was so excited to tell all of you! Anyways, I love the Lord, and I love my mission. The Gospel of Jesus Christ is perfect. The Book of Mormon is true. Love you all have a great week! 

Elder Willes

[Mom note: The California Riverside Mission has become a smart phone mission. It was strange to see that Nathan
had updated his Facebook page. Elder Willes hasn't shared much with us about his feelings about the smart phone.
I'm sure it's a bit of an adjustment.]

TRAINING (Monday, March 12, 2018)

"I visibly saw a light coming from YiHang Yuan, and I know that he is in the process of changing his life around. It is such a neat thing to see. The power of the Atonement of Jesus Christ is real! I know that to be true."

The look of a happy and busy missionary

Elder Willes and Elder Maughan with matching ties

Hello everyone! This past week has been another pretty great week here in the CRM. Transfers came again this past week, and I was told that I am training! I am pretty excited about that. [Mom note: The CRM hasn't received a new Chinese speaking missionary since Elder Crowther, who came in November of 2016]. My new companion's name is Elder Johnson and he is from Utah. He is visa waiter and is waiting for a visa to Taiwan. I pick him up on Wednesday. President Hammon also told me the CRM is getting a missionary from Taiwan next transfer. [Mom note: Elder Yang, Nathan's current companion, goes home in April. Elder Yang has been transferred to an English speaking area.] 

Elder Yang and I were able to find 1 new investigator this week and Wang GuiLi and YiHang Yuan both came to church! Definitely a highlight. They are both doing super well and we are praying for their progression in the Gospel! 

Tuesday was a super awesome day! That afternoon we taught Wang GuiLi again! Some background on her... Wang GuiLi is from Harbin, China, which is super Northern China. She is so awesome. Her husband is going to school at UCR and we first contacted her walking on campus. We taught her about the Plan of Salvation and it was an incredible lesson. We really focused on the Atonement and repentance, and the Spirit was so strong. On campus that day, we finished the lesson and invited Wang GuiLi to offer the closing prayer. During the prayer, she asked for forgiveness for not being kind to her husband that morning. It was one of the most spiritual prayers I have ever heard! While I've been on my mission, I have never seen anyone grasp a Gospel principle as quickly as Wang GuiLi did. That day she was completely ready to learn and hear about the Atonement and repentance. The Spirit really taught her, and it was such a blessing to be a part of that! Please pray for her, that she can continue to progress. We are very excited for her. 

We have been walking a lot over the past week and we have met some really cool Chinese people! Any free time we have, we Seek with Faith. I am always surprised at the people who are ready and the conditions that we may find them in. Often those circumstances don't seem likely, but the Lord knows who is ready and then we just need to have enough faith with actions to contact them.

We had another lesson with Jason Ti. We showed him the General Conference talk by Elder Christofferson from the October, General Conference. Elder Christofferson spoke about our need to align our hearts and actions with the Lord's. "If we yearn to dwell in Christ and have Him dwell in us, then holiness is what we seek. ...The doctrine of Christ expresses what we must do to receive atoning grace. It is to believe and have faith in Christ, to repent and be baptized, and to receive the Holy Ghost, “and then cometh a remission of your sins by fire and by the Holy Ghost.” This is the gate, our access to the Savior’s atoning grace and to the strait and narrow path leading to His kingdom.

“Wherefore, if ye shall press forward [on that path], feasting upon the word of Christ, and endure to the end, behold, thus saith the Father: Ye shall have eternal life."" 

Jason said to us that he knows that what we share is true, but that he is not willing to act upon his answer. Super sad! I love him so much. He has taken so many steps forward but has really slowed down. We had to pause him and told him that we will not be meeting anymore, which was sad and hard. I know that when we have the faith to pause people, Heavenly Father will put those who are prepared to accept the Gospel, in our path. It was super sad, but I know Jason will accept the Gospel one day. He is such a great guy.

Friday night we had another great lesson with YiHang Yuan! He is doing so well. We taught him the Law of Chastity and the Word of Wisdom, and he accepted to live them! Random fact, Yihang Yuan is a straight baller at the piano. The guy seriously is a beast, and makes my piano playing skills look bad haha. He currently is on date for April 1st, and we are super excited for him! 

We had another Weekly Blitz. Elder Egbert and I went out together in the pouring rain, which was fun! We tracted a bunch of houses, and that was pretty cool! That afternoon, we had the opportunity to meet with John Yang, the recent convert who was baptized in this area a couple of months ago. We taught him the importance of the temple and family history. That was super awesome! We also attended the Saturday evening session of the Riverside Stake Conference. That was super cool too.

Elder Willes and Elder Egbert

After Stake Conference

Sunday was so so awesome! Both Wang GuiLi and YiHang Yuan came to Stake Conference! It was so awesome. After the meeting, President and Sister Hammon came up to talk to YiHang Yuan. I visibly saw a light coming from YiHang Yuan, and I know that he is in the process of changing his life around. It is such a neat thing to see. The power of the Atonement of Jesus Christ is real! I know that to be true. That afternoon, we had the opportunity to meet with Will Xue, who we street contacted this past week. We taught him the Restoration, which was pretty awesome. Please pray for him as well, that he may know the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon! That night, we had the opportunity to visit Hank! Hank is doing awesome. Please pray for him. He is thinking about receiving the Melchizedek Priesthood and going to the temple! Pray for Hank!

Elder Yang, Hank and Elder Willes

This has been such an incredible week. I am super excited to train, and we are going to work hard! Love you all have a great week!

Elder Willes