HOW DOES THE HOLY GHOST SPEAK TO YOU? (MONDAY, MAY 15th, 2018)

I have a challenge for each of you. I would like to invite all of you to figure out, or start to find out, 

HOW does the Holy Ghost speak to YOU? Then email me back! 

There are many different ways that the Holy Ghost speaks to us. God knows us perfectly, and He uses a perfect way for each and every one of us to communicate with Him. Just as the Prophet, President Nelson, said, 

"We will not be able to survive spiritually without the ability to recognize Personal Revelation." 

That is a challenge I give to all, and I will do that too! 

Amy's Baptism Day - Elder Crowther, Elder Nelson, Amy, her husband, and Elder Willes

This past week has been another pretty incredible week here in the good old California, Riverside Mission. Elder Crowther and I have been working really hard, and we have seen a lot of success over the past week. We are crazy busy and that is a huge blessing. This past week, Joanna, Matt, and Amy all came to Church! 

Tuesday morning we had our DLC, and we discussed how we are going to improve the missionary work in our Zone. As a Zone we found 16 investigators 2 weeks ago and so we were super happy about that! I also had my interview with President Hammon. We discussed missionary work, and the ecclesiastical questions that I need for my BYU acceptance. President Hammon is so awesome and he has helped me so much in becoming a better missionary. That afternoon, we had the opportunity to teach the Zhang Family again! We talked about a lot of different Gospel Principles with them, and discussed the Word of Wisdom as well. Mr. Zhang is struggling to give up smoking, tea, and coffee. We actually had to pause the Zhang family later in the week as they were not progressing, after trying everything and anything we could think of to help with these addictions. It was really sad actually. Pause is a hopeful word though, because pause is not quitting. Rather it is just giving someone a quiet minute to think and reflect and hopefully feel compelled to change through the love of God.

We had about 10 people come to our English Class on Wednesday morning. That was a super great turnout! We also had a big turnout on Friday. Our English class in Eastvale is filled with members from China and investigators. These people are very dedicated to improving their English. It is very important to them. That evening, we went over to Brother Hanstad's house with President Hammon, so that Amy could have her interview for baptism! Seeing someone I care about make baptismal covenants with God is really just the best thing ever. 

This past week I went on exchanges with Elder Jackson, one of the District Leaders in our Zone. I definitely learned a lot from him. We were not able to teach anyone on Thursday in their area, but we did a lot of Seeking With Faith, which was fun. We set up 9 future appointments for them in their area. That was pretty cool.

On Friday we had another exchange. Elder Simpson, the other District Leader in our Zone, came to be with me in the Chinese area. That morning we worked at a member's home and did some yard work in their backyard. Service has a way of clearing your mind and heart and helping you to feel love. Love for others and love of God. We also had another lesson with Amy over WeChat. Elder Simpson and I taught her the rest of Lesson 5, and it was a great lesson. Amy told us the story of her husband becoming active in the Church again, and also sharing his testimony with her. It was super cool, and the Spirit was very strong during that moment. 

Saturday was busy busy busy. In the morning, we had a big service project called "Making Riverside Clean & Beautiful." We went and with our Zone, cleaned a big street in Riverside. That was fun and hot. After wards, we had a lesson with one of our investigators named Margaret. Margaret lives in Corona, and her daughter is a less-active member of the Church. We taught her the importance of prayer and why we need to pray. We read through 2 Nephi 32:8-9 with her. I love scriptures about prayer! 

2 Nephi 32: 9 But behold, I say unto you that ye must pray always, and not faint; that ye must not perform any thing unto the Lord save in the first place ye shall pray unto the Father in the name of Christ, that he will consecrate thy performance unto thee, that thy performance may be for the welfare of thy soul.

Saturday evening, we went to dinner with Jacky! We went to a Korean BBQ with him in Riverside. He is a young college age man so we are trying to love him and be his friend, hoping to help him. The Korean BBQ was all you can eat meat, so that was great :) We then drove straight back to Corona to visit a referral named Pan. We knocked on the door, talked to him for a little bit, and he invited us to share a message with him! He is a very devout Christian, and we got to share a little bit about the Restoration with him, specifically about the Book of Mormon. He liked it a lot,and said that he would be willing to read. Please pray for him!

Sunday was super busy, but an incredible day! We had 3 investigators that came to church! Matt and Joanna, and also Amy, all came to church this past week. I had the opportunity to do Sara Guo's Confirmation in Sacrament Meeting! Sara was baptized last week. I haven't had the opportunity to do a confirmation that since Brother Ning. That was an amazing experience. Sara is so awesome and will be a great member of the Church! 

Sara and her family

After Church, Elder Simpson and I had the opportunity to teach a Chinese man, Leo Zhou. We first contacted Leo and his wife late one night on exchanges this past week. We taught him about the Restoration at the park. Late at late, at a park teaching about the Restoration. Isn't that cool? It was an incredible experience! We are meeting with him and his wife tonight as well. After our lesson with him on Sunday we then hurried back to the church building for Amy's Baptism! It was such a spiritual experience. Amy has changed a lot, and I know that this change comes only through the Savior, Jesus Christ. I felt the Spirit very strong as I heard her bear her testimony of The Gospel of Jesus Christ at her baptism. It was incredible, and I am so grateful I had the opportunity to teach Amy and be apart of her learning process! We finished off our marathon Sunday by visiting some former investigators, a family, that we are hoping to meet with soon. Please pray for them as well! 

This past week has been another incredible week. I have a challenge for each of you. Over the next couple of weeks, I would like to invite all of you to figure out HOW the Holy Ghost speaks to YOU. There are many different ways that the Holy Ghost speaks to us. God knows us perfectly, and He uses a perfect way for each and every one of us to communicate with Him. Just as the Prophet President Nelson said, "We will not be able to survive spiritually without the ability to recognize Personal Revelation." That is a challenge I give to all, and I will do that too! 

I am so grateful for the sacred opportunity to help others to come to know our Savior, Jesus Christ. I love the Lord and I love His Work! Love you all have a great week! 

Elder Willes

I will have a list next week of some scriptures I love about receiving personal revelation and how the Spirit speaks to me! What will you share?

Elder Willes was so tired, but happy and extremely FOCUSED!
He wanted to spend our 40 minutes of Skype talking about missionary work.
We love him and miss him, but wouldn't have Elder Willes any other place. We are team Riverside!

THE GOSPEL IS PERFECT AND BRINGS COUNTLESS BLESSINGS (Monday, May 7, 2018)

"He felt the presence of God helping him to resolve his work concerns. Ever since that time, Matt has been searching for someone to help him learn about God so he could thank Him for all of the blessings he received. Matt said that this was one of the biggest reasons for him coming to America. He wants to find God. Isn't that the coolest thing ever? Many of the Chinese migrating here are so prepared! " 

Hello everyone! This past week has been another incredible week here in the good old CRM. I continue to learn and grow each and everyday. I am trying to become the missionary that Heavenly Father wants me to become. This past week was full of miracles, and I am so excited to tell you about all of them! 

Last Tuesday we went on exchanges with the AP's. It was super fun. Guess who I was with? Elder Sorensen, my former companion who I served with while speaking English, in Hemet. He is now an AP. We had a fun day together, talking about the experiences we had while serving in the Diamond Valley Ward. During the day, we did a lot of Seeking With Faith, and also we were able to teach one of the AP's investigators right outside his apartment. We reviewed the Restoration with him and it was a pretty powerful lesson! He currently is on date for baptism and expressed a strong desire to be baptized! It was a fun day, and we worked hard! 

Elder Willes and Elder Sorensen (a former companion)

Wednesday was super cool too. In the morning, we had another great English Class. We also had the opportunity to meet with the Zhang family again. We discussed the Word of Wisdom. Brother Zhang has quite a few Word of Wisdom concerns. We are going to help him though, and I know that with God's help, ALL is possible. Please pray for him and his family! That same afternoon during our Seeking With Faith, we contacted Rayman Zhao at the park while he was sitting at a table. We started talking to him, and ultimately, he invited us to sit down and talk some more! He then expressed to us how he has been a Buddhist his whole life (30+ Years), and that before he had no intention of changing.About a year ago, Rayman's mom sadly passed away. After that happened, Rayman thought about a lot of things, including Christianity. The Lord truly had softened his heart, and he was very humble and willing to listen to our message. We shared a little bit about the Plan of Salvation with him, and the Spirit was strong! We had to cut the lesson short because he had to leave, but said that he was interested, and that we could meet again! Please pray for him! That night, we had the opportunity to do a Home Visit with the Yu Family. They are awesome! We talked about the Jurupa Stake's Mission Plan, and invited them to do Missionary Work. It was great!

Thursday was MLC (Missionary Leadership Council). That was fun. MLC has changed a lot since I was first there. We received some great training from President and Sister Hammon, and the AP's as well. I definitely learned a lot. It is always important that we always try to apply what we learn. We also had another lesson with Amy Hanstad. We had planned to teach her a specific lesson, but we were prompted that we needed to teach something different, and followed the Spirit. It was a good lesson, and we are hoping that Amy can be baptized this upcoming Sunday! She missed last Sunday so please pray for her that we can help to have your questions and concerns answered through the Spirit.

Friday was super cool. We met with Sara again. [mom note: Sara was just baptized last week. Sara, Xun and their baby Grace came and spent a day with us in December. They are a beautiful family who we now consider life-long friends.] Sara is preparing for her Confirmation this upcoming Sunday. She is excited for that! Sara has such strong faith, and knows the importance of sharing the Gospel with her husband, Xun.

At our evening English class on Friday we had a couple who came - Matt and Joanna. We first met them through WeChat. Next thing you know they have come to English Class and want to learn more about the Gospel of Jesus Christ. They are super cool! More on them in a minute. That night after English Class, we had the opportunity to do a Home Visit with Brother Miao. Brother Miao is just so awesome and is such a great member missionary. He helps us so much. 

Saturday afternoon we met with Matt and Joanna at the Li's house! We taught them the Restoration, and it was a special  lesson. During the lesson, Matt shared an incredible experience with us. While he was working in China he had a lot of crazy things happen. And yet he felt the presence of God helping him to resolve his work concerns. Ever since that time, Matt has been searching for someone to help him learn about God so he could thank Him for all of the blessings he received. Matt said that this was one of the biggest reasons for him coming to America. He wants to find God. Isn't that the coolest thing ever? Many of the Chinese migrating here are so prepared! It was incredible, and such a spiritual lesson. Both Matt and Joanna are currently on date for baptism on June 17th. Please pray for them that they can hit that goal! As a side note: We gave Matt (as his English name) to him Friday at English class. :)

Sunday was full of miracles as well. This past week, we had 4 investigators that came to Church! Matt, William Cui, Amy, and guess who??? Do you remember Jacky from a while ago? He showed up to church this past week!!!!! It was so good to see him. After church we drove out to have a lesson with Jacky. He told us that he got a new job in San Bernardino, and is still making Sushi! He also said that he has more time to meet now. We answered a lot of his questions, specifically about the Plan of Salvation, and showed him The Hope of God's Light video. It was powerful. What a Miracle! Please pray for Jacky! He is such a great dude and we are super pumped that wants to continue learning. That night, we had the opportunity to teach another new investigator from this past week, Jenny Dong. We went over with Brother Teng, and taught her. Jenny is a former investigator, and we answered a lot of her questions. I love when our investigators have questions because that means their hearts and minds are wrestling and trying to find truth. Jenny agreed that she is going to pray and read from the Book of Mormon. It was a great lesson! We are meeting with her again this upcoming Sunday. Please pray for her as well!

This past week has been INCREDIBLE. What an amazing privilege I have to be here, and to represent 

my Savior, Jesus Christ. There are literal miracles to be found everywhere each and everyday. 

Something I heard earlier on in my mission that continues to stick with me is, "If we fail to recognize the little miracles that come into our lives each and everyday, then we lack faith in the Savior, Jesus Christ." 

It is because of Him, that I have this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to help people learn of Him, 

and accept the Savior's Gospel, which truly is the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

The Gospel is perfect, and brings countless blessings. Love you all have a great week!

Elder Willes

P.S. I'll see you fam on Sunday! I cannot believe another Skype call is here haha. That is crazy. Love you guys!

TEACHING AND A BAPTISM (Monday, April 30, 2018)

Sara bore her testimony. She was so overcome by the Spirit and became emotional. Sara shared that Yoyo Li (a primary age friend from the ward) asked Sara the morning of her baptism, 

"Why were you not baptized at 8 years old?" Sara replied by saying, "Maybe it is because I was lost."

Elder Willes, baby Grace, Sara, Elder Crowther and Elder Nelson
Look at cute Grace looking up at Elder Willes

Elder Willes and Blair



Hello again Everyone! This week has been an incredible week here in the Eastvale Ward. The Lord has really blessed us this past week, and it has been amazing to be a part of so many Miracles. The week was so full of highlights, I don't even know where to start but here is how my week went down!

Monday night we had the opportunity to go and do a home visit with the Su Family. They are so awesome! We discussed the importance of prayer, and also praying for missionary opportunities. That was great! I hope you are all being good missionaries at home and sharing and praying for opportunities to share this amazing gift that we have. If you are not, now is a good time to start. 

Tuesday morning we had our District Meeting and also our Zone Introductions. We have some great missionaries in our Zone and it will be awesome to work with them over the next transfer. Elder Crowther and I will serve as the Zone Leaders here in Eastvale. After our District Meeting and some studies, we then had the opportunity to drive down to Lake Elsinore, CA, to visit Evangel and Blair! It was so good to see them. They are doing great. It is crazy to think that they were baptized almost a year ago! We met Aaron Li ate the park while we were out seeking with faith. He was playing basketball and we shared a short message about the Restoration with him. That was super cool and definitely a miracle. 

Evangel, Blair, Elder Willes and Elder Crowther

Well, it's never great when an investigator falls asleep during the lesson. We went over to see William this week. He is a really funny Chinese guy. Elder Nelson and Elder Crowther have been working with him for the last little bit, so we went by and tried to share a chapter in the Book of Mormon with him. But he fell asleep during the lesson. A funny experience for sure haha. We also taught Lorenzo and Jen Ceballos. Lorenzo is a less-active member and his wife, Jen, is Chinese, and is a nonmember. We taught them almost a year ago and then taught them again this past week! We read through Alma 7 with them, and focused on the importance of the Savior's Atonement. It was a great lesson! We also had Sister Zhang with us. Please pray for them that Lorenzo can be strengthen his testimony and get back to church and that Jen can come to know of the truth! We also taught Amy. She is Chinese and is married to an American less-active member as well. Amy is preparing for baptism next Sunday (May 6th). We went into that lesson thinking we were teaching one thing but instead followed the Spirit and talked about forgiving ourselves and others. It was a very spiritual lesson! Please pray for Amy! 

Thursday afternoon we had an awesome lesson with another new investigator from this past week, Cathy Xu. Elder Johnson and I actually first contacted her at RCC, but she lived in Eastvale. Cathy is trying to finish her degree and is going to school. We had the opportunity to teach her at the Harada Park! We taught her practically the whole Restoration, and it was a pretty great lesson. We then hit the streets and did some more Seeking With Faith. We contacted a Chinese guy, Mr. Zhang, outside of his house. He was super nice, and said he wanted to meet with us. We asked him if we could share a message right then and there with him, and he said no because he is renting a room, and it wouldn't be convenient. Instead, we asked if he could follow us in his car, and we could drive to a park to have a lesson! He agreed, and so we got in our cars, and drove to a nearby park, and taught him the Restoration! He loved everything, but had a small hangup on saying the closing prayer. Finally he did pray and it was definitely a cool experience to be a part of. 

On Friday morning we cleaned up the main road in Eastvale, Limonite. That afternoon, we had an amazing lesson with a couple that we are working with named Mr. Zhang and Mrs. Wang. They have 2 kids, a 6 year old daughter and a newborn baby. They are so nice, and very prepared to accept the Gospel. They are currently on a baptismal date for May 13th. Please pray that they can reach that goal and continue to keep the commitments they are making. They are so awesome and it is super cool to be working with a great family! We also taught Sara Guo on Friday. Xun (Sara's husband) got a job with a trucking company and so he is super busy. But, Sara is progressing very well! We arranged things for her baptism this Sunday, and also talked with her about the importance of baptism. She is doing great, has great fellowship with ward members, and will continue to be a strong member of the Church. It is super cool to see the change being wrought in her having had the opportunity to teach her over the last couple of months. I love this little family.

Saturday was another great day. We had the annual Transfer Breakfast at President Jergensen's home. That afternoon while out Seeking we had the opportunity to meet with 苗弟兄 and to make a baptismal program for Sunday. We also attended Stake trainings and the Saturday Evening Session of Stake Conference, which was amazing! A afternoon/evening full of Revelation. That was awesome! 

Sunday was another incredible day! I'll always remember days like this. They are really special and don't come around that often. Watching someone make baptismal covenants is just amazing. Sunday was the Jurupa Stake Conference, and it was awesome! We had 4 investigators that came to church! Mr. Zhang and Mrs. Wang, Amy, and also William Zhang. It was super amazing. 

Yes this was the highlight. We had the amazing opportunity to attend Sara Guo's baptism after Stake Conference!!!!! It has been awesome working with Sara these past couple of months, and she has really grown a lot. President and Sister Hammon also came to the baptism, and that was super cool! At the end of the service, Sara bore her testimony. She was so overcome by the Spirit and became emotional. Sara shared that Yoyo Li (an 8 yr. old young friend from the ward) asked Sara the morning of her baptism, "Why were you not baptized at 8 years old?" Sara replied by saying, "Maybe it is because I was lost." Sara proceeded to share her testimony, and the Spirit was so strong. It was incredible! 

Sunday afternoon we also were able to visit a referral in Lake Elsinore, CA. We also had a guy named William Zhang, someone that we contacted this past week, send us a picture of him attending Stake Conference. We had no idea that he had shown up! We ultimately asked if we could meet, and talk about what he had learned. We drove directly to his house, and taught him the last half of the Restoration, including about the Book of Mormon. He told us that he had 4 distinct things that he loved about attending Stake Conference, one of them being how everyone was together with their families. Super cool! He is going back to China soon but I know that he will continue to progress!

Elder Willes and Elder Johnson

Sorry this weekly update is super long but it has been another amazing week! I love my Mission. I love my Savior. This work is the most important work on the face of the earth. I know that, and I love it. I am so happy out here. Elder Crowther and I are working really hard and having a good time. I am still having pain in my hip, but I know it was a wise decision for me to be back in a car. It is allowing my leg to rest a little bit not being on a bike. I still need to get back in to see the physical therapist, but I know medical care is expensive and honestly all of this is just a hindrance to the work. I just don't want to sacrifice the time. There is so little of it left. Everything is going to be perfectly okay. I am confident in my body and the way that I am taking care of it right now. My body continues to keep going each and every day. I remember Will telling us towards the end of his mission how tired his body was. The Lord has really blessed me beyond belief with the energy and the physical capability to do missionary work. I owe it all to Him. I am so grateful. Please pray for all of our investigators. They need all of your prayers. 


Love you all have a great week! 

Elder Willes

HE CONSTANTLY PROVIDES A WAY (Monday, April 23, 2018)

"Never forget that specific questions get specific answers from God through prayer."

Elder Johnson and Elder Willes

Hello everyone! This past week has been another incredible week here in the California, Riverside Mission. The Lord continues to bless us each and everyday with many miracles and it is such a blessing to be a part of the most important work on the earth! 

We finished up our lessons this week with Wang Guili. We also focused a lot of the importance of the temple and talked about family history with her as well. She is ready. 

Thursday was busy. Early in the afternoon, we had another lesson with our investigator, Kim. Kim is an RCC student and is Korean. He has been living in the United States for a while now, and speaks great English. We taught him the Plan of Salvation, and it was a great lesson! He offered the closing prayer and that was one spiritual prayer. Right after that, we had the opportunity to teach Will Xue again! We read through the 1st chapter in the Book of Mormon with him, and talked about the importance of reading from the scriptures. That night, we had another lesson with Fan Qingsong. He is doing so well! We showed him the Mormon Message, "The Hope of God's Light," and it seemed like he was getting emotional as he was watching the video. We invited him to pray that night so he can know that God exists. He agreed and he texted us late that night (after we had been asleep) and said that during his prayer, he felt a peace which was incredible! Another Miracle!!!! Never forget that specific questions get specific answers from God through prayer. He fell off his baptismal date this week (due to lack of time and teaching him the necessary doctrine for his interview) but I know that he will be baptized. 

Friday afternoon we had the opportunity to meet with Ronan again! We taught him the Plan of Salvation, and it was incredible. Ronan is still struggling to come back to church, but we are working with him and set some really cool goals to help him read, pray, and attend church. We are really excited about that! That evening before our English Class, we had the opportunity to teach a lady named Cui. We taught her a couple of points from the Restoration, and she told us that one time while she was on a plane, a member gave her a Book of Mormon, which was pretty cool! 

Saturday was another great day. We had the opportunity to attend the temple with Shannon Yang and do baptisms! Shannon has such great faith in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. She understands the importance of the temple. Shannon was so happy and it was an incredible experience to be able to be there for that. She radiates the Light of Christ which is so cool. It was definitely an experience that I will never forget and I was so grateful to be there. It will be so cool for her to go through the temple with her son Elder Xiao, who is serving in Boston currently. What an incredible experience that will be for her! 

Elder Johnson, Shannon Yang and Elder Willes - Temple Baptisms

Sunday was super awesome as well. This past week, we had 4 investigators that came to church! Wang Guili, Fan Qingsong, Lu Ping, and Kim came to church this past week! In the afternoon, we had the opportunity to attend Wang Guili's Baptism!!!!!! It was amazing and the Spirit was so strong. A fair amount of members came to support her. She was so happy after, and what a blessing it was to be a part of that. I know that God prepares specific individuals for us, and if we are willing to pray to find them, God will give us the direction needed to find those individuals. That night, we had an amazing lesson with Chen ZhenHang. We also showed him the "The Hope of God's Light," and we talked about Joseph Smith, and the importance of acting upon the answer that we receive from God. He understood that, and why it was important. He accepted a baptismal date for May 27th, and we are so excited for him! Please pray for him and all of the investigators, that they may come to know the truthfulness of the Gospel! Other highlights of the week include seeking with faith, English classes, and service at Feeding America.

Elder Willes, Wang Guili, Elder Johnson and Elder Yang

Transfers came and went this past weekend, and I am back in Eastvale! I will be with Elder Crowther for the next transfer, and it is going to be awesome! My health is doing pretty well. As far as limitations go, my body hurts a lot but I am definitely still going out and working. I will not let it stop me from doing the Lord's work. I feel at peace with everything and I know that God is going to continue to help me fulfill what I have been called here to do. Everything is all good. Don't worry about me mom. Please pray for all of our investigators and that we can find the elect. That is what is most important! 

This past week has been incredible and I am also so grateful for a loving Heavenly Father, who constantly provides a way for us to do His work. The Gospel of Jesus Christ is perfect, and it is true. Love you all have a great week!

Elder Willes