First Impressions

Thanks to all you moms who commented and sent e-mails to me about your missionaries' first impression of President and Hermana Watts. It sounds like everyone loves them (which was no surprise to us of course!) Here are some of the comments I received:

"In our e-mail today [our son] said he had is first interview this week and how awesome Pres. Watts is and he said Sis Watts made cinnamon rolls and brought a Snickers bar that was the best he has had in his entire life!! :) He also mentioned that the members there really like them and how easy going they are!"

"Sister Watts. Ha ha ha she is literally the sweetest lady I have ever seen, I am not just saying that. She makes me laugh because she is so very very Happy and personable, when I first met her she grabbed my hand and my arm and just started talking for about 5 minutes about everything, she has this spirit of happiness about her that makes me laugh too."

"This week has been pretty good. I did get to meet President Watts the other day. We had our interviews with him and Hermana Watts. They are the best! I really like them a lot! And Hermana Watts reminds me of you kinda mom. And she told me her favorite thing in the world to do is gardening even! Hahaha But yeah, they are going to be awesome!"

"Well, let me get right to the point of this email and tell you all about my new mission president and his wife!  I have been waiting for a very long time to meet these inspired leaders of God, and the day finally came last Thursday.  The Assistants called and informed us that we would not be having a zone meeting on Friday to meet President, but that President wanted to interview everyone in the mission as soon as possible.  So, we went on Thursday!  After arriving at the stake center in Atlantico, I followed Elder Williams into the designated room for our little zone meeting with President, and then interviews would commence afterwards.  As I walked into the room, I saw President Watts and Sister Watts setting things up.  I think it was then that I got too excited to really do anything.  President walked up to me with a smile and stuck out his hand.  I grasped it and could only smile and say, "President Watts!"  He looked at my name tag and said my name and  then introduced himself.  I welcomed him to the mission and Guatemala.  Hermana Watts then came up to me to introduce herself.  Just seeing her made my smile stretch even further.  I could immediately tell that she had been a primary president and relief society president, and as she greeted me I could only laugh with joy.  She was brimming with love and radiating with the spirit. When I asked her how she was doing she told me, "I'm having fun!" We then had a fantastic meeting with our new mission leaders.  I feel like I have known President Watts for a very long time already, and I could only listen in awe as he spoke to us.  He truly has been called of God to lead this mission.  As he bore his tender testimony of the Lord, I felt the spirit touch my heart, and I felt the Lord's love for us, and that is when I received a testimony for myself that God had called President and Sister Watts to lead us in this mission.  It could easily be said that I and every one else in the room felt the fruits of the spirit as described in Galations 5. Perhaps one of the more moving moments of the meeting was when President Watts invited his wife to speak to us.  She wanted to introduce her family to us, and to talk about her parents who were also missionaries.  However, Sister Watts does not know spanish.  She struggled tremendously to speak to us, and my heart went out to her.  I was shocked at first that she couldn't speak the language, but then I was quickly edified as the spirit taught me a personal lesson.  President helped her say what she wanted to say, yet despite the obvious longing to convey her feelings to us in spanish and the obvious sense of frustration she must have been feeling, she spoke with the power of the spirit, and her love touched each of our hearts.  She is such a powerful addition to the Lord's army in Guatemala, and I love her with all of my heart."