Hey Dad,  

... My time as a missionary has moved too quickly. I hit my year mark last Friday and it seems unreal. It has caused me to ponder and reflect on my experiences and who I am becoming. I will be eternally grateful for my mission, it is teaching me to view everything with greater faith and hope. It is teaching me how to draw on the powers of heaven. It is teaching me how to more fully love people and see people the way Christ does. I have learned life skillz (girls only want guys that have great skillz! Gosh! hahaha). I am learning the value in setting goals and planning. And I am learning just how much I love my family. It is hard being away from everyone, I really do miss you guys. I feel that our relationships have grown much closer in the past year, and I am so thankful for that.  

Thank you all for your faith in me, you have all been an incredible support! I love hearing your wisdom and your advice. I don't know if you guys realize it or not but there have been many times I was told just what I needed and I know that the Spirit has worked through you to help me.  

There have been many events going on here with an Elder we live with and he has made some very serious mistakes and he may have to go home. He will have his interview with President Maynes later today to see what happens. I do not want to discuss the details of what has happaned right now but I would ask that you please gather the family together and say a prayer for Elder X that all will go according to Gods Will, and that he would send angels to watch over him and an added measure of his Spirit to protect him.  

There are many things I look forward to sharing with everyone about my mission that are just so hard to do through email! Just experiences, miracles, stories, funny stuff that happens, etc. For now though, I thank everyone for their patience. I try to share feelings, thoughts, and key experiences in my emails but it just isn't the same as having a conversation.  

Alright I'm going to try and shoot Kylie a quick email before we have to go. Please send my love to the whole family, you guys are doing great! Thank you for believing in me and praying for me.  
Your Son,
Elder W. Marks  

P.S.  L.T's baptism was so amazing yesterday! He is a prime example of Alma 32:16!

(Alma 32:6 And now when Alma heard this, he turned him about, his face immediately towards him, and he beheld with great joy; for he beheld that their afflictions had truly humbled them, and that they were in a preparation to hear the word.)

This week William did it a bit different. Normally he write his letter home, and then sends that letter also to Kylie. This week, he did the reverse:

Hey everyone!
 
Alright, today I have to do the reverse of what I normally do. I felt Kylie really needed a letter from me so that is what I'll send to you as well… so you at least get something!
 
I gotta highlight a couple things...
 
L.T is getting baptized for sure this Sunday!

...  I hit my year mark this Friday. I am excited but a little upset also, this has gone too quickly and I don't feel half way done yet.
 
... These guys are so ready to go and are giving me a hard time - haha. I love you all so much. I've been eating way healthier lately and hope everyone back home continues to fight the good fight! I believe in you!
 
Your Son,
Elder W. Marks
 
 
Dear Hermana Marks,
 
Kylie, I don't really know where to start with my email today. I wanted to send you your own because I just have been thinking of you a lot lately and I wish we could be there to talk with each other.
 
You have such a powerful spirit Kylie, don't you ever suppose you aren't "as good a missionary as me". You've dealt with challenges and situations on your mission that I don't know I could have. You've had to learn to cope with a whole new language, a different culture and climate, and you're already training! You were not even commanded to serve a mission yet you chose to serve! I look up to you in so many ways and I hope you never undervalue yourself.
 
That warms my heart to hear about Mahala. Thank you for sharing that tender experience with me. It is so cool to hear about my big sister serving God so faithfully and bringing people to Him. You've already had quite a bit of success on your mission, I think that is so cool! It took me a while on my mission before I did a lot of things which should have been done in the first weeks. It was a transfer and a half before I taught a formal lesson from PMG. I had been out 4 months before I ever found a new investigator. I feel like the start of my mission was a little slow but I also know that I learned a lot as well. During that time with my trainer I basically learned what not to do! :D
 
We finished teaching L.T the lessons and firmly set him on date for the 30th! He will be baptized this Sunday. He continues to deal with the challenge of his family but he knows the gospel is true. He is not telling his parents until later down the road. We've encouraged him to confront them about it but it's ultimately his choice. ...


Kylie, let's bind the Lord! "I the Lord am bound when ye do what I say, but when ye do not what I say ye have no promise" Do all you can to do your best and leave the rest to the Lord...he will provide. The Master will provide! The minute we say "amen" and close our prayers is the time when the miracles may come. It is our responsibility to ask in faith, and then ACT! When we ask God something in faith, that is a righteous desire, that is in line with His Will, and then we close our prayer and GET TO WORK, then will our answers come. Then will the miracles come to pass. If we can help those we teach understand this eternal principle then we can help them progress in a remarkable way! Granted they have their agency, but we can only help people to the extent they let us. Our responsibility is to take this message "unto the hearts of the children of men" only God can bring it into their hearts and change a person.
 


I am sure you are a great trainer! Have fun with the work, be patient with your companion… and yourself, and stay teachable! I believe that these are among the most important attributes to develop in order to serve a happy mission in which we grow and become what God desires us to become. Grandpa told me the last time I saw him "Kia Kaha, Kia Nagwari" That means "Stay strong, stay teachable". That is something I strive to live by. We must surely stay teachable. As soon as we think we know everything, in that very moment we have damned ourselves. "damnation" means that we have stopped progressing… like a dam in a river, the water has stopped progressing. Since the nature of our very existence is one of continual progression, then when we think we know everything we have consequently damned ourselves.
 
… Ok I want to keep writing but these Elders are ready to go and are getting impatient - hah.

I just hope you know I love you so much and you are in my sincere prayers every day. You just keep doing your thing Kylie! I believe in you!
 
I send all my Love and Faith your way.
 


Your fellow servant,

Elder William Marks

Hey everyone!  

There is a lot I want to write about this week but I don't have a ton of time today. There was so much in your emails this week that I really appreciated. I want to highlight a couple things...   Thank you both for your wonderful examples! ...

I had a short dream last week that Garrett was living in the same place I was with Elder Bradley, Smith, and Lund. Elder Smith and Elder Lund were co-training him to be a missionary. It was a lot of fun! That's really sweet to hear about his game 42-0!! Way to go bro! ... Erika! I sure miss you sis. I hope all is going well for you right now with your schooling and seminary and your faith. Erika, rejoice in this gospel! Keep seeking and learning. I love you so much:o)

Elder Bradley and I are staying together for 1 more transfer! We had to push L.T.s baptism back a bit because he felt he was moving way too fast. After all we committed him to be baptized on the first lesson and his parents are very against it! He is choosing not to tell his parents about meeting with us and "becoming Mormon". He is out of home, he is a man and he can choose for himself. Right now he is shooting for September 30th to be baptized. It was really cool for him to come to a special YSA fireside with Elder Bednar and also the special Sunday meeting for the Golden Stake with Elder Bednar. I feel like so much of what was said was directly applicable to the challenges L.T. is dealing with. It has been a very spiritually powerful weekend being able to hear from Elder Bednar multiple times.

In addition to the fireside and stake meeting there was also a missionary meeting with Elder Bednar which was super powerful. I had a very memorable experience that I want to share with you that I had with Elder Bednar. I decided to just being my journal and copy what I wrote so you could get the most accurate depiction of my experience...   From my journal:

"An experiance I had today with Elder Bednar is one I will never forget. We had our missionary meeting with him today and after a couple hours of incredible instruction he opened it up to question/answer. Quite a few people stood and asked questions and there was more answers/discussion/revelation. I rose my hand and he called on me, I stood and asked him if he would share his testimony on a certain principle of the gospel. He said he would be sharing his testimony at the end so it depended what I was going to ask him to share it on. I asked him the following question: "Will you share your testimony on how you have conquered Satans temptations throughout your life?" He called me up to the stand and the following is my experience:

He had me face one direction and he told me that that direction was toward God, his protection, and his will for me. He showed me the opposite direction was Satan, and bondage, and wickedness. He pointed my direction towards God and told me to only look that way, he then grasped the back of my arms and was slowly moving me forward in that direction saying that the things which would move me that way were meaningful scripture study, meaningful prayer, meaningful temple attendance, meaningful church attendance, etc. As Elder Bednar was pushing me slowly in that direction it hit me so hard that I had an Apostle of the Lord propeling me towards God and that as he was he was telling me that in order to keep protected from Satans temptations I needed to keep heading in that direction. As he was saying the things I needed to do into my ear a tear came to my eye and I felt the Spirit sweep over me testifying to my heart that the principle he was illustraiting was true. 

He then turned me around and started nudging me back the other way, saying that as my prayers, scripture study, church attendance, temple attendance etc. became less meaningful that I would be going in that direction...towards bondage. (Basically you are either increasing or decreasing). When I got past the line he had set he asked Elder Holstrom (in the Presidency of the 70) to assist him with something. Elder Bednar wrapped his arms around me from behind and Elder Holstrom from the front wrapped his arms around me, then Elder Bednar told me to try and free myself. I could not. I was bound. (Elder Bednar is super strong for someone his age:o) and Elder Holstrom is huge).

This whole thing was one of the very most powerful experiences I have ever had. At the end just before I sat down I extended my hand and said, "Thank You", he grasped my hand firmly, looked me in the eyes and said "you will never forget this." Not only will I never forget the experience but I will never forget the principle taught therein. He taught me I don't have to necessarily be doing something wrong to start going backwards, it could just be that the quality of the righteous things becomes less."   

I look forward to general conference as well! This experience was very powerful in itself but also it strengthened my testimony that we have true Apostles and Prophets on the earth today. 

I was able to see the physical therapist last week and he basically told me that whatever I was dealing with was more than he knew how to handle. He referred me to an orthopedic surgon in the Chatfield ward who I know well. His name is Mike Fuller. President Maynes is working to see if Brother Fuller is going to be able to look at me and see if he can help. I like the idea of trying some yoga when I get home. I hope to find something someday which will take this away. In the missionary meeting with Elder Bednar he talked about having the faith "not to be healed". He wanted each of us to ask ourselves that question...do we have the faith not to be healed? What he meant is if it is not Gods Will for us to be healed at this time in our existance then do we have the faith to accept that? So many times people will attempt to push there Will to God through prayer but we aren't always willing to accept his Will for us if we feel that his Will doesn't benefit us. I have the faith not to be healed. If this is something which God wants me to deal with as I go through mortality then I can honestly say I can accept that. This principle applies to all of us and the challenges we have.  

I love you all very dearly. I miss you. I think of you often. I am so happy and grateful that I am part of this family!  

Love,
Elder W. Marks

Hey Everyone,  

....

I have felt a lot of emotions lately but there is a feeling of peace which underlines it all. I have felt stretched to rise to the calling I am in, and I have felt God qualify me. I have felt very tired from all the nonstop work. I have had a lot of fun with Elder Bradley, we are hoping to stay together another transfer but he's already been here for 6 months so we don't know...transfer meeting is next Tuesday. I feel like I have learned to loosen up and be more social with people. My back has been hurting more so I've been doing my best to continue coping with that, I've spoken with President about it and we're going to try and work something out to get help. Apparently there is a physical therapist over in the Columbine area who is willing to try and help...we'll see what happens. I feel like if I could loosen up the muscles throughout my body it would be beneficial.

I cherish my time as a missionary. I am a little suprised at how quickly time has gone this last transfer with Elder Bradley. I feel a noticable increased desire lately to bring this gospel into the hearts of the people here. I have pondered many times recently on how unhappy so many people truly are. They try to substitute happiness with short term pleasures and things which are external. Lasting happiness only comes through obedience to the ordinances and covenants found in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I don't know how to express my feelings that God blessed me to grow up in the gospel, but I feel that my gratitude will last beyond this life. I feel that the gap between the people seeking and choosing righteousness and those who do not is getting wider. I want to do my part in bringing those who are seeking righteousness to the gospel but I am sometimes frustrated because I feel I should be able to do more than I am.

I want to tell you about a miracle that has unfolded in the last few weeks...  

About 2 1/2 weeks ago we decided to knock some doors at this appartment complex. We pulled up and Elder Bradley told me that he was feeling a little upset because he used to teach someone in that complex who was super close to baptism and then thanked the missionaries for building his faith back up...and he went back to his old church and asked the missionaries not to come back...anyway, he asked me to decide which building to tract in since he was feeling flustered and upset about the whole experience. We offered a prayer and during the prayer I felt we should go to the building that was behind me to the right, so that's where we ended up going. We knocked all the doors in the whole complex and talked with a handful of people who weren't interested...some less than polite:) and then we spoke with a man named Mohammed at his door for about 10 minutes. He told us that he was Muslim and we spoke with him about prophets, Jesus Christ, etc. and he said that he was moving but that he would like us to come back. We got his new address and set up an appointment. We asked him if he knew anyone that would be open to or benefit from a message about Jesus Christ and he told us that there was a family that lived directly above him who we could try to contact.

Our return appointment was the following Saturday and we were on exchanges with the assistants and I stayed in our area. We entered the address he gave into the GPS and it took us to the Coors Beer factory. We called him (the number we had on our phone that we thought was him...it turns out we never got his phone number but there was a contact in our phone named Mohammed) and we left a message...a couple days later we got a return call from the number we called and set up an appointment with this other guy named Mohammed (a former investigator who's number was still in the phone!).

We tried to contact the "family" that lived upstairs from the first Mohammed multiple times without luck and then late last week a young woman (probably mid 20's) answered and she said she lived there alone...so no family. We ended up talking with her for like 10 minutes and she was very genuine. Her name is Noel, and we have a return appointment for this coming Saturday and we have a member in the student ward coming with us.

It is just so incredible to me to see how God's hand is in the work. He led us to a false new investigator knowing that we would get 2 new real ones out of it! We wouldn't have found Noel or the other Mohammed if it weren't for that guy giving us a false referral and falsly claiming interest!

Near the beginning of my mission sometime Dad told me something in an email which this experience made me think of. He said that "God works in mysterious ways...the important part of that saying is that God IS working." We don't often understand how God is working in our lives...BUT HE IS WORKING!  

P-day the other day was super fun. We played Risk with the missionaries we live with (Elder Lund and Smith) and I won...it's always nice to win that game - lol! And we got half the zone together to play some Ultimate...now THAT was a blast! The assistants also came to play. We have a new assistant, his name is Elder Kalkbrenner and he's from Germany. He's such a cool guy. I also got to go to a Rockies game last night! We were allowed to go since it was P-day and we went with a recent convert. They played the Giants and won 6-5. We had to leave in the 7th inning to be home on time but it was super cool going to a Professional Baseball game, that was a first!  

......

Well, we really need to go now. I sure love yall! 

Love,
Elder W. Marks  

P.S. I always leave the computer on "Mormon.org" when we leave ;o) ...every bit counts! tehe :D

Dear Mom and Dad,  

Hey so we didn't email yesterday because of Labor Day so we're emailing today! This last week was another great one! We had Zone Conference, a special fireside, and a leadership training in Frisco with Elder Lynn G. Robbins from the Quorum of the 70. It was so powerful. I learned a lot, I was thinking I would make a copy of my notes and send them home.  

We had a lesson with a guy this morning named L.T he's 18 and here for college from Gorgia. He has a girlfriend back home who introduced him to the church, but his parents are extremely against him going to church or having anything to do with Mormons. Him and his family are Baptist. He arrived here a couple weeks ago and just showed up at church on his own, he didn't know anybody. He found Mormon.org and looked up when and where we met. Very cool! So we taught him the first lesson this morning and it was very powerful. Robyn Sinner (crazy last name huh? And she wants to go on a mission so it would be "Sister Sinner" lol) came to the lesson with us. She also goes to the School of Mines and is a very recent convert who's parents are still very against her being in the church. It was so cool to see her bear testimony and try to help him out with his situation. I have realized the last few days, and especially this morning in our lesson with L.T, that I have become a very bold missionary. Not overpowering and rude but you can't beat around the bush when you're teaching people about the Gospel ;o) Know what I mean Vern? L.T is on date to be baptized on September 16th! That is the same day that Elder Bednar is coming to the Stake and touring the mission! I am so excited to be able to see him in person again and feel of the special spirit that Apostles carry. L.T is scared that his parents will disown him if they find out. He told us that before he left home they told him if they found out he was trying to get involved with "The Mormons" that they wouldn't help pay for his schooling and that they would be very disappointed in him. It is so sad to me how common this is. I have been shocked to see how frequently this is the case. It was so powerful in the lesson this morning when we asked him what attracted him to the church he told us with watery eyes that he knew families were meant to be eternal, that it was something he believed for a long time before he found the church, and that one day he wanted to be sealed to Sarah (his girlfriend in Georgia). It was so powerful. We spoke a lot about finding out for himself and not just for this girl, and we also counseled him on the situation with his family.

I've been sending a copy of the email home to Kylie as well. That is pretty cool to see a picture of her over there doing service! At dinner last night I found out that the mother of the family we were eating with is 1st cousins with Hermana Palmer! [Kylie's mission companion] It's a small small world...especially inside the church. I'm so proud of Kylie and to see the way she's chosen to live:) She has such a good heart.

I have had my testimony of the reality and power of the Priesthood strengthened so much the past week or so. Last week Elder Bradley and I gave a blessing to a less active woman in the ward for her back and other physical ailments. She had burnt her finger super bad just before we showed up (it was a sugar burn). While I was giving the blessing her finger was healed entirely. I believe God did that to prove to her that the power of the Priesthood was real and that it works!

About 45 minutes ago we gave a blessing to a brother in the ward, Brother Lish, and while Elder Bradley was giving the blessing I just had an overwhelming feeling of the reality of the Authority that we hold. And I poured out all the faith I could gather on that man's behalf.

I love the idea that "real success comes from finding inner peace" I really believe that. I laughed out loud when I read that quote by Brother Roop - haha! Then I showed Elder Bradley and he got a kick out of it lol. How true though, service is what it's all about!:o)  

Well, that's one more week! I am a bit freaked out at how fast all of this is going. I'm almost half way done :/ I realized that yesterday was my 1 year mark for getting my Endowments. That feels like it was yesterday. I hope that everyone back home knows that I really do miss them and I look forward to reuniting with everyone, but at the same time I can tell that it will be really hard to leave my mission, I have truly grown to love it. There is nothing else like it! I don't want to waste a minute. I love you all very dearly, thank you for being the powerful influences you have been to me. Do something to make someone smile today:)   

Love,
Blueberry Boy ;o)

[when William was a toddler and run around in his blue pajamas (the kind with feet in them), we would call him Blueberry Boy! - so I laughed out loud when he signed his letter this way! :-)]

Hey Fam!  

What a time! There are miracles happening here in Golden Colorado! It is so amazing to me how God has qualified Elder Bradley and I. There is no way I could do the things I'm asked to do on my own, and he blesses us to be able to set the example for the Zone. We taught 28 lessons last week and hit all the Key Indicators (except having 2 people on Date and 6 to Sacrament). We will have people on date soon.  

A couple miracles:  

1. We were guided by the Spirit last week to a man named Matt, he's going to the School of Mines. We prayed about where we needed to tract in our daily planning session the night before, and then when we got to the apartment's which we planned to go to, we prayed about which complex to start in. (we only had about 30 min. before dinner to tract). We both felt good about this one building and the first door that we knocked on a man answered and we talked with him for about 15 minutes at his door and he's eager to have us back. We have an appointment this Wednesday.  

2. Because of limited miles that we're allowed to go we decided to walk one day last week. We taught 6 lessons that day and when we were walking back to our car to head to dinner a man pulled over and started talking with us through his window. He called us Elders so we knew he was a member of the church. He asked if we could come study the scriptures with him sometime. His name is James Ramos, he's Hispanic but speaks fluent English. We set up an appointment for the next day and when we went to see him there were multiple people living in his home. His Grandmother, his best friend, and his mother (none of them members except for James). His Mother and the other woman in the apartment don't speak English but want to talk to missionaries so we sent the referral to the Spanish Elders. James has a desire to come back to church, he told us that the day before he saw us that he prayed that he would be able to get back in contact with the missionaries somehow...and then he saw us walking the next day! James' friend (Nicholas) also wants to learn about the church so we're going to teach him because he speaks English! I love the way the Lord's hand is in the work and we often don't realize until we see the results.

Love,
Elder W. Marks