What A Busy Ward Family We Are

May 29, 2012

Dear Family & Friends,

What a busy ward family we are!  Isn't productivity great?  I see what happens when people aren't...and it's not pretty!  The Gospel does that for us.

Thank you for all the pictures of everything!  I am so happy to see everyone so happy and well.  I also am glad I was present at the wedding of two dear friends of mine.  It was good to see you all!

All right, so I am in Lima now.  The Ward here is great.  A new Bishop was just got called and he is awesome!  He is very spiritual, and ready to work.  He has great vision for this Ward and is getting all of the members on board.  He knows that "the Lord has revealed that the Lima Ward is too grow." Great things to happen here and I believe he is also the 1st return missionary to serve as a Bishop in this Ward.

We are working hard here and are splitting the area today with a set of Sisters.   They will be moving down here at 4:00pm today.  We are having a Leadership Training Meeting this Thursday and Mission Council on Friday.  LTM is for Zone Leaders and District leaders with the President and Assistants.  And Mission Council is Zone Leaders, Assistants, and President.  Instead of having our normal zone meetings this next month we will have a meeting as Zones with the President since he will be leaving this next month.  I have loved serving with them.  They are great examples and Disciples of Christ.  They have taught me so many things that have and will impact my life forever.  I look forward to serving with the Velingas and to learn from them and their example. 

Well Family and Friends, I love you a lot.  I pray you have a wonderful week...I'll be emailing again in no time.

Love you lots,

Elder Weaver

Elder Weaver Called As A Zone Leader

Last Weekend The Most Memorable Of My Mission

Date: Tue, May 22, 2012

Dear Family & Friends,

This last weekend was one of the most memorable weekends of my mission.  Alicia's baptism went great!   Everything was organized and flowed smoothly.  The talks were amazing.  And Elder Tollefsen and I, Gabriella Richards, and Sister Nord performed "Come, Thou Fount" there before the baptism and I had a wonderful opportunity to baptize Alicia.  She just glows and is so happy!  The spirit at this baptism was very powerful.  This area will continue to do well.  At Alicia's baptism she brought 7 family members with her, Sister Earl in the Branch brought two of her friends Joyce and Charlene, and then we had Mark Gruber and Dianne Kimmet who we are teaching attend as well.  So a great turn out of non-members that we are excited to follow up with and pray that we will be able to begin teaching. 

On Saturday we went to Kirtland and Alicia loved the day up there.  We saw the temple, toured the Kirtland sites, and then went to the Johnson Farm.  She enjoyed it and definitely had some powerful lasting experiences up there.  It was really cool because in our tour group at the Kirtland sites we were there, then there was a couple there who both served missions, Sister Esser and Poppleton (Sister Missionaries giving the tour), and then the Sauber's her aunt and uncle who are members.  Every time one of us bore testimony about something it was right towards Alicia.  She noticed and it had a cool impact on her and her experience there.  On Sunday Alicia was confirmed and there was a strong spirit in every meeting that day.  In Gospel Principle's she bore her testimony about what she has experienced and felt over the last 6 weeks.  Awesome weekend!

I have really come to love the people here, and am excited for several people I have been working with for 6 months.  Four investigators that haven't progressed much over the last 6 months have had some miraculous change of hearts these last 2 weeks.  They still have a way to go, but they are sincere and truly want to know and begin living these things.  I was called to be a Zone Leader last Saturday when I saw President up at Kirtland.  I found out last night I will be serving in Lima, which is the Zone Leaders for the Zone I am currently in.  So I will have the opportunity to still hear about and serve those that I have been serving for the last 6 months.  My new address is 2092 Edgewood Road, Lima, OH 45805.

Hahahahahaha I love the cardboard cut out of me.  I am so glad that I will be at Emily & Kelton’s wedding in some form! 

Well I sure love each of you very much.  I hope you have a great week.  Be safe and have fun.  Transfers are tomorrow so pray we will all travel safely.

Love,

Elder Weaver

Great To Hear From You On Mother's Day

May 14, 2012

Dear Family & Friends,

It was so great to hear from you all on Mother’s Day.  I love you all so much and am so grateful for each of your examples and your desires to follow Christ.  He is the Way and the Life.  I am amazed at how much this Gospel affects our lives.  I do literally "Stand All Amazed."  Thank you for your love, encouragement, and prayers.  You are each very special, and I am happy to be part of our family here on earth. 

As far as my leaving date, I have known it since the MTC.  On our ministerial certificate we receive, it has the date of when you enter the MTC with the signature from President Monson on it and then the date that your service ends, which is the day you depart for home.  Mine is June 4th, 2013.

So this next week we will be having our day in Fostoria (usually Fridays) tomorrow so that we can go to Alicia Bryant interview at the Saubers home on Tuesday night.  Then we will be exchanging with the other Elders in the District, Thursday to Friday morning with Elder Fremont, who has some incredible investigators right now!  (It's been amazing to see the tender mercies the last couple of weeks in both of our areas.)  And then Friday afternoon we will be setting up the Baptism for that night, as well as asking as many of our investigators to come to the baptism for Alicia.  Then Saturday we are going up to Kirtland all day with the Saubers and Alicia.  It takes about two and a half hours or so to get there from Tiffin.  And then Saturday Alicia will be confirmed and we will be getting ready to start the new member lessons with her.  The following Tuesday will be Preparation Day, I will find out Monday if I will be getting transferred, packing Tuesday if transferring, then find out Wednesday where I will be serving next.  Busy, busy!  It's great!

We are setting up a church tour to Kirtland with Robert, Taylor, and Jessica this next week.  They are all very interested and I pray that we will be able to meet with them and set some dates for baptism before next week.  Lana Benfer we met this last week and she has 2 boys.  She was laid off last year and has been looking for work unsuccessfully since.  We met her early last week, and when we stopped by again on Saturday she said that after we left the next day she received a phone call for a position at a insurance agency that someone had referred her to.  She was interviewed and hired on the spot.  She has a sister who she would like us to meet as well and said she would love to come with her boys to see the baptism this Friday.  She has been looking for a church but just hasn't known where to start.  We are planning on meeting with them before the baptism Friday and then again with a member next Sunday.  I can see momentum beginning to build in this area.  I am thankful that the previous two Elders and us have been able to work obediently and diligently in this area.  Great things are beginning to take place.  

This work is the greatest.  We are each so blessed to have the Gospel in our lives.  It only brings peace, happiness, and light into our lives.  It is truth and it is eternal.  I am grateful to be able to serve my Heavenly Father and Savior Jesus Christ.  I know these things are true and pray that those I am serving may come to know for themselves that they are true as well.  

I love you all so much, and pray you have a great and safe week!

Love,

Elder Weaver    

So the Good, The Bad, and the Ugly

May 7, 2012

Dear Family & Friends,

Well, well sounds like an exciting week and time of year!  Time is sure flying!  I can't believe how old we are all getting...just us kids I mean. My Birthday was fun, got a couple rounds of laser tag in, and then it was already time to go.  Prep days move fast.

So the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly...We had a great Sunday with Alicia and she is right on track for her baptism after church this week, half of the commandments, and a dry run for baptism.  The Bad, we didn't get to go to Kirtland this week because of some things that came up for people...we are planning on going the 19th, the day after Alicia's baptism; so it's all good.  We will go before transfers.  And the Ugly...well hopefully I wont face plant a back flip today because that hurt a little the last time we went and played soccer.  Ha-ha it didn't bruise too badly at all, but you could tell something happened.  Didn't damage the teeth though!  I brush 2 usually 3 times a day and floss each night.  However I will be excited to go to the Dentist again next year.

One of the ways I have seen the Lords hand this week...Robert (20), who we contacted last week, attends 2 non-denominational churches, one in Tiffin and another in Sycamore.  We met him and his roommate Taylor and Taylor's girlfriend Jessica last week.  Taylor and Jessica were down in Kentucky this week, but we stopped by and met with Robert again.  We taught the Restoration and had a great opportunity to show him mormon.org and LDS.org.  We saw a link to a new video on the importance of prophets today and decided to watch that video with him.  About a minute in he said, "I've watched this video before."  Turns out one of the Churches he goes to studies things from multiple churches and the Sunday after he met us they showed that same video about prophets and general conference to the whole congregation.  He also told us that his aunt was Mormon and her son is on a mission in Texas right now.  She just "happens" to be visiting his family this week.  It was really neat to see how the Lord has been preparing him in many different ways to hear this message.

Well sorry I got to run...Skype next week for Mothers Day?  It will probably be around 5:00 PM your time and 7:00 PM our time.  If it changes I will call you that day and schedule...and then Skype when we decide.

Love you all bunches and can't wait to see you.

Love,

Elder Weaver

Thank You So Much For All The Birthday Wishes

April 30, 2012

Dear Family & Friends,

Thank you so much for all the Birthday wishes.  And thank you for the pictures and recording of Happy Birthday.  Made my day!  It was a delightful day, warm and mostly sunny.  Also thanks so much for the package!  I am enjoying all the things you sent, and love the tie.  I needed another green, spring tie.  And thank you for sending out the conference talks when they come out, I will love to listen to those again and again. 

Sounds like you have had some great meetings yesterday on Sunday.  I hope that the youth were receptive and felt the Spirit that was there.  I pray that they will incorporate and act on what the Spirit taught them and stand as a light to the nations.  How is the Ward doing?  I hope things are going well and people are strengthening themselves continually against Satan’s temptations.

So Alicia Bryant has a date for baptism on Friday, May 18^th.  We are so excited for her.  She is committed to this and is super excited about baptism and going to Kirtland on Saturday this week.  She is progressing well and has the desire to make righteous choices.  Her fellowship is doing wonderfully.

Our talks went well yesterday in Sacrament Meeting.  I thought that our Branch Mission Leader was going to speak last and he isn't a fan of speaking very long, and Elder Tollefsen spoke for about 7 minutes, so I filled in about 20-25 minutes...haha so at about 10 til I sat down and then found out that our High Councilor was speaking.  He had enough time I guess, but I probably should have left him more.  They don't make programs in the Branch so I never know what to expect.   The talks went well though and I pray that the Spirit taught the members and helped them grow in their desire and fire to support the work.  Time flies while you are at the pulpit.  I didn't think I could fill up that time, but boy it just keeps flowing once you’re up haha.  As long as they got something from it all.

So today for our Birthdays we are going Lazer Tagging at a members fun center up in Findlay and then going to grab a bite to eat.  Should be fun.  Rushing to get everything done before we leave though...so many things to do on prep days. 

Well I sure love each of you very much and pray you have a great, safe week.

Love,

Elder Weaver