Sorry For Leaving Ya On A Cliffhanger Last Week

NOTE: Please read the letter before this one.

Dear Family & Friends

I am glad to hear you are all doing well...sorry for leaving ya on a cliffhanger last week.  Um...I wrote a letter long hand and sent it off late last week.  It finishes the story of the Molters.  When you read it you will get a glimpse of some of the miracles that have occured in this family.  Unfortunately, Tim Molter passed away yesterday.  He overdosed on his pain pills it sounds like.  We went to his viewing this morning.  His family is in a lot of pain right now.  Christina and their boys need the gospel more now than ever.  Keep them in your prayers.

I am glad to hear you got to see Matt's farewell!  I am so excited for him to go and serve! (See video page to hear Matt's testimony.) 

Thank you so much for the shoes!  I have received the first pair...did you order two or no?  They work great and have a good sole on them!  Great for tracting.

Mama I have been praying for you and am so very glad you have accepted your call as Camp Director and are looking forward for you to serve!  There is a reason why you have been called and I am so excited to hear how it all goes.  

Teaching Pool!  We were supposed to have 6 at church, 3 ended up coming.  Brian Alford, Dianne Kimmet, and Paul Collins all attended.  Stacy we don't know what happened.  She is a new investigator with a date for March 10.  Then Howard was still sleeping...dang it.  And we couldn't find a Mark a ride down...car less.  Also has a date for March 10.  But the three enjoyed church again and we hope to see them all out again next week.  

Elder Jarvis and I spoke in Sacrament Meeting.  The Topic we were assigned was "Have I Done Any Good."  I loved this topic.  I grew so much in my study this week on that topic.  I love more.  That capacity has increased and I hope to continuously increase it.  My mission and life have more purpose and meaning behind them now.  I focused my thoughts on Dieter F. Uchtdorfs talk from May 2009's conference, "The Love of God" and also on Moroni chapter 7:45-48 the last few verses on charity/pure love of christ, and Matthew 22 where it talks of the two great commandments; Love God, and Neighbor.  What we love truly dictates our decisions and actions and ultimately what we become.  God doesn't necessarily need our love, but we NEED to love Him.  If we love what is good we will do good, and God is the center of all that is good in this world.  Love thy neighbor is tied right to it.  We need charity.  We need to strive to grow in the pure love of Christ.  Through this we become pure, "that when he shall appear we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is."  The key is, as Pres. Uchtdorf says, is to try.  Try, Try, and Try again until it becomes a natural part of who we are.  The small deeds of service and love will transform us throughout life and help us to grow in light.  That light is what we need.  As we continue to look for and obtain that light it will "grow brighter and brighter until the perfect day." (D&C 50:24)  As I continue to study this topic I see how everything God does is love.  I know we must grow continuously in our love for God and our brothers and sisters.  May we always be in tune with the Spirit for its promptings to show love and service.  May we always act on those promptings and grow in light and share that light with all we can.  One incredible way to grow in love and charity is share the Gospel.  Take the opportunities God gives and be bold and loving and share what you know to be true and has blessed your life.  Be as the sons of Mosiah in Mosiah 28:3.  

I love you each so much.  May you have a blessed week.  May you continue to grow in testimony and conversion to this wonderful Gospel.  It is real.  It is true.  It is happiness.

Love,

Elder Weaver     

I Am So Glad To Hear You Are All Doing Well!

January 27, 2012

Dear Family & Friends,

I am so glad to hear you are all doing well.  I enjoy hearing about all of the great things you are up to and involved in.  Can you believe it’s already been about 8 months since last June?  I can’t.  Time is sure moving right on by.  I am loving this opportunity to serve and am looking forward to the next 16 months of service.

I don’t know if I already told you, but Tina Ford got baptized in my last area on her date of January 1^st.  Elder Ingersoll texted us and said it went great.  And Camille and Anthony Garr are still working on quitting a few things, but they know it’s true and will be baptized soon.

Tiffin has been picking up more and there should be baptism’s happening in this area in the following months.  It’s been kind of a dead area for a long time.  The branch here feels like they are re-dedicating themselves to moving the work forward now though.  If we can help them really fellowship the investigators we have right now they would begin to be a growing branch.  The members here are all super funny, and have some pretty strong personalities.  They also have very strong testimonies of the Gospel.  The members here trust us and love us.  They were so relieved to here that neither Elder Jarvis nor I were being transferred last week.  Oh yeah, by the way, transfers came and gone and I will be in Tiffin at least another 6 weeks.  They are beginning to come forward with names of friends and are sharing bits of the Gospel with them.  Also we have received a referral from Tim Molter for his brother Steve. 

Tim Molter and Christina Jones was a couple that was found just before I got here.  They have several things that need to happen before baptism, but they know it’s true and are looking forward to that day.  (April 7^th is there scheduled day.)  Tim was at a party at one of the colleges around here.  A fight broke out and he jumped off of a 7-foot porch and one of his feet got caught in a hole in the ground and snapped all the bones right above the ankle.  His foot has been black from the injury ever since and has only found one doctor who was willing to operate on it instead of amputating.  Even that doctor has been skeptical about his foots recovery.  This has made things very difficult for him and his family the last 9-10 months.  Him, Christina, and their 3 boys ages 14, 6, and 2, have had a rough time with all the challenges of him not being able to work.  Tim said things weren’t looking good, but then the missionaries came and shared a message, which lit up his faith in Christ once more.  Tim received a blessing from Elder Metcalf and Elder Jarvis for his first surgery and then Elder Jarvis and I for his second surgery.  His foot has color once again, is healing, and has shocked the doctor performing the surgeries.  Tim has one more surgery in 5 weeks and then is hoping to regain his strength so he can walk instead of hobble.  Tim knows what made the difference was in the blessings he received, his faith in them, and because our Savior is watching over him.  He and Christina’s testimonies continue to grow each week, and there is a huge difference in them and their home every time we visit.  They are learning and gaining and immense faith and trust in God.  They plan to be married the month after his last surgery, and baptized the following month.

God’s hand is in each of our lives and he can and will work miracles in our lives if we allow him to.  His miracles are wrought according to our faith, just as the Book of Mormon teaches in 3 Nephi 19:35-36.  I know that this is true and that if people will allow God and the restore Gospel into their lives, trusting wholly in it, we will each witness “Great Miracles.”  I have seen great miracles on my mission and know that God is capable of everything.  He will not take away or manipulate our agency in any way, but He will work his miracles as we exercise our agency and follow our Savior.

I love you all dearly and pray for you often.  I know that we can accomplish all the work that God has laid before us, and as we do so faithfully he will be there in every step.  Continue fulfilling our Fathers will always.  “God be with you till we meet again!”  Love you all!

Love,

Elder Weaver

Only So Much Time!

Dear Family & Friends,

I am having a great week and am looking forward to this one! 

So emails...we email at the library and it only gives us a certain amount of time, in addition they just put up a new system for myldsmail and it is dragging and moving slowwwwww.  That is why time has been shorter these last weeks.

All right, so teaching pool:  We have a pretty solid, larger teaching pool right now.  We have been able to strengthen the investigators we had and have been finding new people which we have begun teaching as well as are still trying to schedule with.  Those we haven't been able to schedule with are interested, but they work crazy schedules.  Scheduling is a pain...getting their schedule, ours, and then getting members out with us at that time make it difficult at times.  I know how important members and fellowship is for each and every investigator.  Members enrich the lessons so much and help the conversion process, which makes it go so much smoother.  When they start developing relationships with people who are already striving to live the covenants they are working towards, they feel the support and begin to see for themselves that they too are capable of making changes.  Sometimes it's difficult when there are only a handful of members to take out, but from small things are great things brought to pass.  Each of them has a strong testimony of the Gospel and are powerful in there conversions.  Now we just need to get them to know those we are teaching.  It takes some sacrifice on there part, but blessings and increase of the Spirit will make it so worth it for each of them.  Currently there is Bryan Alford, Paul Collins, Dianne Kimmet, Tim Molter & Christina Jones, Howard, Freeman Family, Florez Family, Dave Platt, Sherry Kent, and others will soon be there as well.  They each have different challenges and want to come to know for themselves if this message is true.  We just need to help them stay focused on their commitments and goals and continue to help them understand the Doctrine of the gospel and how it will bless their lives.  We love each of them and are doing our very best to serve them and help them live the Gospel.  They are each working towards receiving an answer and being baptized.  

Time is almost up again!  Stupid time restrictions...  Ok cool story.  Tim Molter and his girlfriend, soon to be his wife, now that they want to be baptized, have three kids ages 14, 6, and 2.  They have changed so much in the last month.  Ugh! I wont have time to finish, I will start next week with this story...sorry!  I am also working on a handwritten letter.  I love you all so much and hope you have a wonderful week!

Love,

Elder Weaver 

Sorry...Crazy Day Today!

Dear Family and Friends,

Sorry crazy day today, so I will be compiling letters into one email.  They have a weird new format for the email today too and its moving slower...anyways we had a pretty good week this last week.  We had many great lessons with investigators and some people making it out to church.  Even though some investigators are moving a little slower they still like what they are learning and are taking steps in the right direction.  We had a great meeting this last week with the Molter Family.  They are just so excited to learn the Gospel and are willing to make the changes necessary to living the Gospel.  The feeling in their home improves every time we meet with them, and although they are in very rough circumstances right now they are seeing how the Lord is blessing and sustaining them.  Due to medical set backs they are hoping to be baptized in the middle of April.  It's been incredible to see how some investigators and members for that matter really turn to God and develop a strong testimony allowing their trials to help them grow closer to God.  

Sorry this is such a short one, the computer only has 5 minutes left cuz it's a short time computer or something??  I don't know.  I will include more next week.

We had two cold days with snow, but it's pretty much melted and warm right now.  It has been a mild winter so far.

I love you all so much and hope you all have a great week.  

Love,

Elder Weaver

It Becomes More Clearly And True To Me!

Dear Family & Friends,

We are having a great week and had many opportunities to share the gospel.  It becomes more clearly and true to me every single day.  I love this work and this message I get to share.  It is truth.  I never knew how much this world needed the peace and happiness that comes from this truth.  They need it.  They hunger for it whether they know it or not.  I pray that members around the world will begin or continue to share this message along with each missionary.  This work will continue to roll forward with out stopping, so everyone needs to get on board and stay on board.  It will take work and sacrifice, but it will be the sweetest work and sacrifice we ever make as we continually look for ways to strengthen each other and those who haven't found the truth yet. 

I am so happy to hear that you all had a wonderful Stake Conference.  I hope you were all able to receive some wonderful revelation that will help you.  I have really learned to love meetings and identifying what the Spirit is trying to tell me. 

Thanks for sharing that story from Stake conference.  I will have to use that sometime soon and see if it sparks some more people.  It's incredible some of the things we can say to others and what will spark their interest in the Gospel.  We have a couple people that we met this last week tracting that seemed mildly interested until we brought up how much our message talks and gives direction to families.  One of the guys is a southern Baptist and the other not religious.  The southern Baptist named Dave Berry seemed to like us and although has been told to stay away from us talked with us for 30 minutes.  He talked about his 4 kids and how him and his wife were split for a while because they needed a break.  We then talked about how the Book of Mormon and the restored gospel strengthens and gives direction to families and how it has strengthened us and our families.  After hearing that he said, "I think this is something I need to seriously look into."  He accepted a Book of Mormon and we will be meeting with him again this Wednesday.  The other named Ryan wasn't religious but believed in God.  He was kind of shrugging us off and seemed disinterested until we heard that he and his wife were expecting their first child.  We then shared similar things that we shared with Dave about families and you could just see a shift in what he thought of our message and agreed to have us over on Thursday.  Sometimes we just got to dig till we find something that we can tie to the gospel.  I am so very thankful to have this message of truth that I get to proclaim each day.  

Members are kind of half and half right now.  We are going out on splits with them on Tuesday to go visit less-actives.  Hopefully good visits that night will really begin to spark excitement for the work.  We just need to get everyone seeing the blessings that come from the Lords work.  Once we are out of this lull this place should be a wonderful area to serve in.  Just getting everyone working together in an organized way is the key here.

Well I love you all and hope that you have a great week and get all caught up on all your work!  

Love,

Elder Weaver

A Lot Of People Ask Us About End Of World And If We Believe That.

Dear Family & Friends,

  

I am doing wonderful and yes time is sure a flying by.  Can't believe it's 2012....ha ha, lots of people ask us about end of the world and if we believe that.  We cover a large area and only serve here in one Branch.  This Branch needs some TLC and we have several things indentified that we are going to begin implementing and getting this area back on track.  It's time for this area to grow and it is going to have to come from a change with the members. 

It finally snowed yesterday just a bit.  It's dropping in temperature here so it should start really snowing soon.  But I am certain the boots I have will work. 

We went and tried to visit some people this last weekend and it was a little difficult getting in.  What we did on New Years Eve is we went to a small party at a senior living apartment complex.  It's a beautiful building and we had some fun with the members who attended as well as several non members who we are hoping to get to know a bit better.  We had an investigator and the investigators mother at the party and they both had a great time.  And then we all went home by 10:00pm!  No midnight for any of us missionaries or older people. 

Some of the new goals and things we are looking to do are strengthening this Branch in several ways.  We have identified several things we would like to implement and are looking forward to carrying these changes through.  It's going to be some work, but is definitely possible.  Now is the time to make changes and through Christ all of the things that need to happen here are going to happen.  At least all that Elder Jarvis and I can possibly do will happen.  A quote I like from our mission President basically goes like this, "Identify your goals and what you want to achieve and then move Heaven and Earth to achieve those goals."  It's not exact but you get the idea. 

Thanks for the Ward Newsletter!  I will read it next week when I have more time.  I love you all and thank your for all your letters. 

Love,

Elder Weaver