Well, Last Week Was Awesome!

February 11, 2013

Dear Family & Friends,

Well, last week was awesome!  Quick updates...I am feeling much better.  Kicked the cold after a couple days.  It nailed just about all of us here in the office though.  Four sick missionaries from the MTC got just about all of us. 

This past week we met a new investigator.  He referred himself after some experiences in his life that has pushed him away from faith in God.  He has begun to realize something was missing in his life and wants a relationship with God again.  He served in the military and that is where much of his faith was shaken.  He is married now and has a 4-year-old son.  We have met with him and his son, but haven't met his wife yet.  We were told that she doesn't have much of a religious background and thinks it's weird that her husband is meeting with us right now.  However, I know that as he starts to apply these gospel principles in his life, she will see a difference in him and want to know what he is learning about.  That is how he came to refer himself.  Growing up he had a lot of LDS friends.  As he has talked with them recently they have repeatedly told him to meet with the missionaries.  He finally got in touch with us and we went and taught him that night.  He told us what was going on in his life and he said, "I want what they have (his friends that are LDS) and I want what you two have."  We focused our message on prayer and he offered a sincere prayer to be led to what was right.  Two days later we met with him at the church with our Bishop and shared the message of the restoration.  He bore a testimony after we talked about prophets saying, "I know God calls Prophets."  His former religious background was Catholicism, which he gave up on when he started questioning things at age 14.  This is a great comparison to the Joseph Smith First Vision account.  What made the comparison even greater was when he learned about Joseph seeing "…a pillar of light exactly over my head, above the brightness of the sun, which descended gradually until it fell upon me.  When the light rested upon me I saw two personages whose brightness and glory defy all description, standing above me in the air."  He told us about when he was in Afghanistan and a story about when he died over there.  He has a big scar on his forehead from a hit he had taken.  His helmet stopped enough of the blast that they were able to bring him back.  However, he said before they brought him back, he saw a being of light.  He said he felt a pure love as he was there in the presence of this being.  He said, "I've experienced that." Referring to the Joseph Smith account.  In his prayer at the end of the restoration video he said, "I know that you call prophets, and I accept that you called Joseph Smith to be a prophet."  He then received a confirmation of that from the great Spirit that was there to testify. He came to church on Sunday, really enjoyed it, but said he was really tired.  He said, "I haven't drank coffee or tea for 3 days."  The first night we had met him, he had briefly asked about us not drinking coffee or tea.  He wants the church, he wants to know, and he wants this for his family.  He has a baptismal date for March 17, but he very well could be baptized sooner than that.

This week we also had an awesome Mission President's Fireside for the Cleveland Stake.  We had a great turn out, especially for our first one we have done.  The whole chapel was filled.  We are going to start taking it to all of the stakes in the mission.  We didn't have anyone conduct the fireside.  We showed the Mormon Message entitled "He Lives" to start it off, and then Elder Romrell played the piano and I sang "Savior, Redeemer of my Soul" after the opening prayer.  Following this we played the Mormon Message of Elder L. Tom Perry sharing the message of the restoration. Then a recent convert of about a month from Nigeria who came here to author books shared his conversion story of how he found the Church and joined.  We then had another musical number of a small missionary choir sing, "This is the Christ" and another recent convert of about a year who is getting sealed in the temple in a couple months share her testimony.  We then as a congregation sang, "I am a Child of God."  President Vellinga then shared his testimony of the restoration and talked about Kirtland and showed a brief slideshow of the sites.  He then invited everyone to attend the Kirtland sites and feel the spirit that is there.  Then our Stake President bore his testimony and we closed with all the missionaries in attendance singing "I Know That My Redeemer Lives."  It was an inspiring event.  One 18 year old young man who is not a member who was invited and brought by a member of the stake asked his member friend pointing at all the missionaries singing, "How can I become a missionary like them?"  He now wants to take the lessons and invite his family to learn.  Other non-members in attendance grew in their desire to learn and also to attend the Kirtland sites.  Amazing what the Spirit can inspire and invite others to do and become. 

Well we are off...we have 5 missionaries coming in soon from the MTC.  They are waiting for their visas and the MTC needs them out for the room.  So we are taking them in for a while.  Love you all lots! Have a great week!

Love,

Elder Weaver