What A Fantastic Week Here In Lima!

July 30, 2012

Dear Family & Friends

What a fantastic week we have had here in Lima this last week! There have been so many miracles occurring and an amazing outpouring of God's love in so many of our brothers and sisters lives. The Spirit continues to get stronger and stronger here and it is exciting to see the changes and successes that have resulted from the Spirit touching each of us and changing us. This last week we have met several new contacts that are feeling the Spirit and truly desiring to know the truthfulness of this Gospel. Yesterday we had a great Ward Council meeting and identified several things that are going well and where we can improve. This next week they are planning on going with the Stake and inviting 11 new individuals/families to prepare to return to the temple. Many people are returning or going for the first time this next week (August 3rd). At church there were 11 or 12 non-members who attended church between our areas, the sisters, and then one friend that Shanin Holland (investigator) brought as well as Nathaniel Smith (return missionary) brought. There were also many less active members who attended yesterday as well, many of whom were lined up for interviews with the Bishopric after the meeting yesterday. There have been so many wonderful things happening this week it would take too long to even write and express them in this letter. The Spirit is here, God's love is being made manifest, and hearts are changing. The Gospel is beautiful. 

Shanin Holland is preparing for Baptism on August 11th.  She has been hesitant through out some of this journey, but she is really seeing how it is affecting her life and is gaining a true desire to come unto Christ and receive all that her Father in Heaven has in store for her and her family.  Kaelon Moore who is the son of a couple returning to the church is progressing very well.  He is 9 and was super shy in the first lesson, but is now very comfortable and retains so much!  Definitely he is like unto a sponge.  He volunteered to pray yesterday after having been so nervous about praying in front of us at first.  Before I could even ask to start with a prayer he jumps and says, “I’m saying the opening prayer!”  He is feeling the Spirit and it is evident in the lessons we are having with him. 

Justin Harris is an investigator we met with our Ward Mission Leader this last week while we were walking back to his car to head home at the end of the day.  Before getting in I saw him walking by and started talking with him.  He has a great faith in Christ and our Heavenly Father and has enjoyed meeting with us and the Spirit that he has felt.  We have only taught him a little so far, but he wants to learn.  His wife is less interested but in talking to him later he expressed how much he wanted this for his family and wife right now.  They are 18 and are married and may be expecting here soon.  He knows what he wants in life, and it's a righteous desire that he has.  Great things lay in store for him if he continues to exercise his faith and plant and nourish the seed. 

Lexie is 16 and is an investigator who began meeting with the missionaries in the Columbus Mission at her grandparent’s house.  She too has great desires to know if these things are true, and has already definitely been feeling the Spirit about what she has learned and read.  She has fear though of leaving the Lutheran Church she has been attending for several years, what others might think, and what how her family feels about her meeting with "Mormons."  Fear is a great tool that Satan uses.  We had a great first lesson with her on Saturday though where she felt the Spirit, knows that God loves her, and is going to support and strengthen her continuously as she follows His direction and counsel. 

I love this area, Ward, and the missionary's serving here.  Elder Eric Romrell, Sister Darrillyn Bell, Sister Jessica Yates and I have grown so much here and are excited to continue sharing the love of God with everyone we can.  The Gospel is true and is taught and administered through the literal Church of Jesus Christ.  God's love is eternal and as we come to understand and share that love we are enabled and strengthened to become the sons and daughters of God that we have the potential to become.  I love this work and I love each of you!  I hope you have a wonderful week and continuously seek for and follow the Spirit.

Love,

Elder Weaver

What A Great Week This Has Been

Jul 23, 2012

Dear Family & Friends,

What a great week this has been!  Satan tries to keep us from working, but the Spirit is in this companionship, it's in this Ward, and it is growing within this Zone.  We had a great ZDM this last week.  The Spirit testified of God's love to each of us and we were able to receive direction and inspiration to what we are doing well and need to continue to do as well as things that we could work on to invite the Spirit more abundantly into our lives and the lives of the members in our areas.  We have seen a jump in progressing investigators this last week, and specifically in the Lima Ward we were able to receive 8 precious referrals from the members between us and the Sisters serving here.  This Ward is growing, people are entering into the waters of baptism, people are returning or going to the temple for the first time, and the attitude towards this great work has changed and people are feeling empowered as they see the effects of the Gospel working within so many peoples lives.  I have felt the Spirit stronger and more consistently than ever before over the last week and a half.  It's been incredible.  We are truly forgetting ourselves and going to work.  Miracles are happening and it’s been a privilege to be able to witness them.

As far as bed bugs go, we have prepped and cleaned these apartments to the extreme and are just waiting to get the exterminator there on Thursday.  The Sisters apartment is done though.  We also are going to be getting all of our non-washable clothes dry-cleaned this week.  However, it doesn't matter.  It is not going to affect this work.  We won't let it. 

Quick things about Elder Romrell, he is from Oregon.  He plays piano really well and we already done several musical numbers together.  He loves the work and is focused. (Hallelujah!)  And he is a computer science major at BYU.  Elder Tollefsens first name is Connor.  Elder Stone is from Spanish Fork Utah and enjoys sports. 

Well I sure love you all and pray that you have a fun and safe week.   Keep seeking for our dear brothers and sisters who can be strengthened through the Gospel.  We have so many opportunities daily to respond to the promptings of the Spirit and to strengthen them.

Love you all,

Elder Weaver

This Has Been One Of The Craziest Weeks Of My Mission

July 18, 2012

Dear Family & Friends,

This has been one of the craziest weeks of my mission.  Elder Romrell is my new companion and we get along great!  He is from Oregon and loves the work.  We are both Zone Leaders in the Findlay Zone.  We just had our Zone Development Meeting yesterday and it went great.  The Spirit was strong; we each felt God's love for us, and those we are serving.  We grew in trust with one another and have an increased desire to go forth and serve.  This last weekend the Zone had 2 baptisms that went great as well.  We had the opportunity to attend one and to talk with the other area about there’s.  Both had a great spirit in them that was felt by all in attendance.  There is a change already occurring in the members and missionaries in this Zone and it is exciting.  The Spirit is very apparent in the work in this Zone like it has never been since I have been here.  Changes and repentance have occurred and great things lay ahead for the Findlay Zone.  All right...now to the crazy side, last Thursday we found out that the sister and we missionaries that we share the Ward with have bedbugs.  We worked on our apartments and laundry from 8 am to 2 am the next morning vacuuming, doing laundry, and spraying our apartments down with permethrin.  They got my sweet blood pretty good last week as well as Sister Bell.  So...after all of that we just found out that they have become immune to permethrin and will need professional exterminators to come in.  It has been an interesting week.  Truly memories are being made. 

 

Shanin Holland is preparing for Baptism on August 11th, and our other two current investigators are getting back in town next week.  We also just received 2 referrals from Bishop Talbot who just got home this last week that we are hoping to meet with tomorrow and Friday.  We are looking forward to this transfer and know that the work is going to grow over the next 5 weeks.  We are excited to work hard and do all we can to serve faithfully! 

Well I sure love you all and pray all is going well.  I will keep the Stephenson’s in my prayers for sure to get a new job.

Love,

Elder Weaver

PS...I am on my way to go prep our apartment to be exterminated...again.

You Got Some Rain And Pray More Will Come

July 10, 2012

Dear Family & Friends,

It is so great to here from you all.  I am glad to hear that you got some rain and pray more will come.  We keep hearing out here about how bad the fires out West have been! 

We have had a really busy week.  On Monday and Tuesday we went on exchanges and splits with two areas in our zone.  Then Wednesday morning we met up with the Toledo Zone Leaders and drove up to Cleveland for our Mission Council.  It was an incredible meeting and literally an answer to many of my personal prayers over the last several weeks.  It was just what I needed to be able to become a more effective missionary and to know how I can help this zone to continue to grow.  Elder Stone is leaving for home on Thursday so I will have a new companion starting tomorrow.  The majority of the zone has at least 1 change in companionship this transfer.  This change I believe will be a really good one and I look forward to meeting my new companion and others tomorrow.

July 9, 2012 District Meeting - Lima

July 9, 2012 District Meeting - Lima

July 11, 2012 Saying Goodbye to Elder Stone

July 11, 2012 Saying Goodbye to Elder Stone

July 11, 2012 Saying Goodbye to Elder Stone

So this last week we had some really cool things happen as we applied what we took from Mission Council.  We met with a member named Andrea who has been a member for a year.  We shared the Doctrine of Christ as discussed in our Council and it was great the results that came from it.  Andrea could feel the spirit as we discussed this lesson, and then she committed to sharing the gospel with a friend.  The next morning she arrived early at work and had to wait for the store she works at to open.  She saw a girl her age sitting on a bench and went over and started talking to her.  They quickly became friends exchanged information and then Andrea talked with her about our church and the missionaries.  She asked if she would be interested in meeting with us, which she responded positively saying she would really like to meet.  Her name is Mandy and we are still in the process of scheduling with her.  But what was great to see was that as Andrea as a member committed with real intent to share the gospel with someone, the Lord quickly provided an opportunity.  Several other things have happened this week in relation to our council and it has been cool to see how that revelation we received is affecting the work.  His hand is ever present in this great work, and I am so happy to be able to be apart of it.

Well I hope you all have a great week!  I love you all lots and pray for you each day.

Love,

Elder Weaver  

A Good Week For All!

Jul 2, 2012

Dear Family & Friends,

Sounds like a good week for all at Girls Camp.  We have had a pretty good/interesting week as well.  We have a few new investigators Shanin Holland who has a date for July 28 and PM named Gary Cooper.  Gary has been listening to the Book of Mormon while he drives truck and has really enjoyed it.  His LA girlfriend...typical Ohio...is also going to be in on the lessons.  We taught the Restoration last time and they really enjoyed it and could feel the Spirit.  He accepted baptism, but we held from a date.  First they have to get married so we will probably be addressing that this week.

On Friday we met President Vellinga and his family.  They are great!  So loving and ready to serve and work hard.  We love them already.  We had the opportunity to meet and see him again at our Stake Correlation Meeting this last Sunday as well.  He always asks, "So when will I see you all again?"  Or says, "I'm going to come teaching with you Elders soon."  Ha ha I sure hope he does, that would be great!  But we live over 3 hours away from where he lives...so...it seems a little doubtful once he begins to get going.  We have Mission Council with him again this Wednesday.

So last Friday on our way back from Mission Tour with the Vellingas we started getting reports of tornado warnings and high winds.  It was a little dark out but nothing much up in Perrysberg.  So we got on the interstate and everything seemed to be fine.  We started seeing a lot of trees down and then we hit miles and miles and miles of traffic.  Six semi trucks had been tipped on the interstate due to high winds.  So we got off after an hour and a half and took back roads home.  Power lines and trees were down all over.  Some places still don't have power but they are working on it around the clock.  We worked all day on Saturday helping to clean up trees and doing what we could to help members and others out.  I don't know if a tornado actually touched down anywhere but the high winds sure tore and uprooted the trees and power lines.  But everyone is fine, no deaths or anything.  So no worries!

June 30, 2012 Tornado Semi-Truck tipped over

June 30, 2012 Tornado Traffic Backed-up

June 30, 2012 Tornado - Trees Snapped

June 30, 2012 Tornado - Telephone Pole Down

June 30, 2012 Tornado - Telephone Snapped

June 30, 2012 Tornado - Trees Down

Well I sure love you all and pray for you daily.  I will remember rain and firefighters in my prayers this next week.  It sounds like the fire’s have been pretty bad out there.  Have a great week!

Love,

Elder Weaver