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

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. :)