I Am Loving The New Area

March 11, 2013

Dear Family & Friends,

I am loving the new area, new companion, new investigators, and new members!  This area has great potential.  We had our first 3 lessons with new investigators our first 3 days here and 2 of them have a date for baptism in April and the other should have one in our next lesson.  There were a couple investigators from when Elder Berryessa, my new companion who was already serving here, but it sounds like we are starting over with a new teaching pool since we haven't been able to meet with the ones from before I got here.

Here is a quick update on the new investigators.  Zhaosu is from China, but has lived all over. He is 25 and is inviting his 12-year-old sister to meet with us as well tonight. Another investigator named Jerome we were going to teach for the first time introduced us to his cousin Paul when we came over. Paul is a less-active member of the church in another ward and expressed a desire to come back, but felt he couldn't because of some mistakes he has made. It was neat to be able to testify of his ability to come back and be forgiven through Jesus Christ and then have him help us teach his cousin Jerome the Restoration. Julio is from Brazil and is here while his wife completes a research project. He has lived here for a year and plans on being here for at least 1 more year. We learned his expectations and let him know our purpose in being there. At first our purposes conflicted, he was interested in knowledge but not converting.  By the end he understood that we were there to deliver a message from God, one that he could know to be true from God. And if God let him know that it were true that he would want to be baptized and follow the teachings of Jesus Christ. We are meeting with all of them again over the next 3 days.

Elder Berryessa and I have a goal to meet with all the active members in the ward in 3 weeks and then to meet all of the less-actives in the ward by the next transfer.  We are looking for investigators to help prepare for baptism and families that we can help prepare for the Temple.  Speaking of families, that's one of my goals in this area, is to find and help a family prepare to be baptized.  I had this impression come to me right before I was transferred here.  I have a really great feeling about this area.  

Elder Berryessa is from Santa Clara, Utah down by St. George.  He is a hard worker, obedient, and loves the work.  I am enjoying our companionship already.

Elder Berryessa & Elder Weaver Transfer Day 3-7-2013

Transfers were incredible this past week.  Just for the new ones and their trainers they packed half the middle section of the chapel.  59 missionaries just involved with training.  Many things came up last minute in the arrivals of all of these new missionaries, but everything worked out as it always does.  At midnight, the night before they all arrived, President got a call that due to weather conditions the flight for all these missionaries had been canceled.  They either would then come really late the next night or possibly really late Wednesday night and be sent back to the MTC for a day.  What ended up happening was they got split up onto 3 separate flights and all came in at different times.  I can just see all 29 missionaries in the airport confused because they just learned their flight had been canceled and then to receive different boarding passes and having to split up and figure out how to get here.  It was an adventure.  We also were told that a missionary that was supposed to come out next transfer was on the plane coming to our mission that day.  So President called up another person to train and we were going to split their area since there was a triple up in that area.  When they all got here we had them eat dinner and sent them to bed.  During dinner however Elder Skalla was talking with some of the new missionaries and they kept saying there were only 29 of them.  Elder Skalla came over to me and said, "Elder Weaver, I never saw Elder Cuestas..."(the missionary that was supposedly on the flight.)  We went over to President and learned that he had just called the MTC and they told him that he wasn't coming until next transfer.  So if you see an Elder Cuestas walking around looking lost, send him our way or back to the MTC because apparently he is supposed to be in one of those two places.

The next day was the training day and it went really well.  No surprises. :) Having them get some rest and then receive some training and orientation worked much better than having them take all of it in the day they got here. We also had the opportunity to let them know the expectations of our mission and what our goals and focuses are right now.  It was very positive and the things they learned are definitely helping them adapt quicker and be the missionaries that they need to be.  What a great group of Elders and Sisters.  We opened 13 new areas this transfer and are looking at opening at least 12 more next transfer.  We have 26 currently coming in the April transfer and 14 coming already for the May transfer.  

I am almost out of time now so all of you have a great week.  I love ya lots!

Love,

Elder Weaver