The Pickleball Master

Good Morning!

It has been a fantastic Thanksgiving weekend; despite the entire campus being dead, we found 4 new friends to begin teaching! It's been an amazing holiday week, only because we crammed our entire Monday - Wednesday with lessons and contacts. After Monday the apartments were dead, so we couldn't go tracting, but we made it work! Funny enough, it's actually through tracting that we found all our people this week. 

One of those people is named Dylan. She is really awesome! She opened her door on us, we strike up a conversation, help her carry some things inside, and then proceed to talk for an hour outside her apartment and answer questions with scriptures from her Bible. And it was a really healthy, spiritually led conversation! Elder Koyle challenged her to pickleball this morning. She was super nice and let him start 8-0 and have first serve.

Did I mention she's the #1 female collegiate pickleball player in the nation? 

Yeah, she beat Elder Koyle 11-8. Best game I've ever watched! 

In all seriousness, we spent the better part of an hour playing pickleball with her and Brenen, an amazing friend from the area. We had some amazing conversations, played doubles (I was with Dylan) and did pretty well! I've gotten better at pickleball, but there's definitely ways I can improve. Why is it such an awesome sport? 

The day before Thanksgiving I went on an exchange with Elder Wilson, in Green Valley. And we rode bikes, the entire time, which was kind of fun! Except in Green Valley they have something called 'really large hills' which made biking a little more interesting. They're doing good work over there, I enjoyed the chance to learn from and help teach a new missionary. 

On Thursday, we had two Thanksgiving "dinners" for lunch, so we didn't eat the rest of the day. One thing I enjoyed was talking with my family again. Sometimes I do realize that I miss them. Other times I just try not to think about it. But the holidays are a nice excuse to talk to them, which I'm especially grateful for. Not a lot happened on Thanksgiving (again, the college was dead) but Elder Koyle and I made it work! 

2 Timothy 4:5 - But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry.

The phrase 'make full proof' can be translated to 'fulfill'. I know it's important to fulfill the ministry which I've been called to. Despite a very blank Thanksgiving, Elder Koyle and I had 30 lessons! God truly blessed us as we strove to work harder and smarter. Many friends in our area are progressing, and thanks be to God for the blessing of knowing so many wonderful people in St. George. 

2 Timothy 4:7 - I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith:

I'm definitely not at that point yet. I have another 15 1/2 months to go, and then the rest of my life! But I will make it a good fight, and never surrender. It's the little improvements day by day that make me a better person, I try to stay humble through it all. 

I'll keep up the good work, as we enter the Christmas season seek ways you can better fulfill your own personal ministry by reaching out to those around you. Don't worry about me, I'm going stronger than ever! 

- Elder Williams

Mailing Address:
881 South River Road
St. George, Utah 84790

Pictures:
1. Elder Wilson and I on bikes!
2. Introducing, Dylan!
3. The sky over the Utah Tech stadium.
4. Zone Conference Flashback!
5. Less Thanksgiving with a District.
6. Thanksgiving with a District!








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