Look at Me and This Great Big Opportunity!

Elder Weaver relaxing with a Coca-Cola Light in the park!

Family and Friends,

What is up! Otra semana en el CCM y estoy listo para salir. So this week was awesome as always! Full of ups and downs, but for the most part I just am pumped to wake up every morning and learn more and do better each and everyday! 

Elder Godoy (from Paraguay) and Elder Weaver

So what did I learn this week spiritually? Well, I learned that complaining never does anyone any good. It´s like Dad always says,¨Does complaining make things any better?¨ My district hates it when I use that line. They complain a lot, and everyone´s getting a little tired of the CCM. But, I made a goal never to complain while I´m on my mission and that has made all the difference. I try to see the positive in everything! It´s crazy that Tuesday next week will be my last day in the CMM! 

The view of the Temple upon leaving the CCM

You think about your MTC experience your whole life and then... BOOM, it´s over. It definitely has felt like 6 weeks, but it´s just a surreal feeling that I´m in my final week. I´m so excited to just get out there and serve the Lord with all that I´ve got. Nervous? Of course, but I know that the Lord is on my side.

Elder Contrerras from Peru

So is my spanish good? No. Not at all. I get so frustrated and upset with myself too because of my spanish. I literally have memorized over 200 words this week. But vocab does´t help with grammar and conjugations. I literally take every break, every lunch, and every dinner to just memorize and speak spanish, but sometimes I feel like I haven´t progressed at all.

Elders Correras, Fernandez and Cutipa from Argentina and Elder Leavitt (companion)

This week my district thought it would be fun to make darts out of thumb tacks. So they throw them around the room all the time, and then one Elder decided that he wanted one thrown at him. So he got pegged in the back twice with this handmade dart. It started bleeding and all of that. It seriosuly was so funny to see this dart just stuck in his back...twice, but that kinda paints you a picture of how off track our district can get in class. 

Elder Weaver's first set of room-mates Elder Cupita (Peru) and Elder Godoy (Paraguay)

Anyways, sometimes I just feel like they aren´t even infuenced by me at all or that they´re not learning from me. So, one night I was kinda just down in the dumps on the way back to Alcantara and Elder Allen (our best spanish speaker) said that he really admires my work ethic. He says that I´m a huge example to him and he wishes he had my determination and drive. So Heavenly Father answered my prayers on that one! They do pay attention and learn from me. Just like I learn from each of them everyday. 

A P-day "thug" moment for Elder Weaver

Our new set of Latinos are all going to Santiago Oeste (my mission) and Rancagua, and they´re awesome. We have one Elder from Spain too that´s going to Oeste. Elder Leavitt and I were moved to a room nicknamed the cracker box. Our roomates are from Peru and Argentina and we have a ton of fun with them at night. 

Elder Leavitt and Elder Weaver in front of their daily bus (they call it "the Whip")

For FHE this Sunday we played a game with the Latinos where they had to learn English and then we competed against each other in teams on who could answer questions or say phrases the fastest in English. Needless to say, it´s pretty dang funny to watch Latinos try and speak English. But they pick up on it quick! Then the Americans had to do the same thing but in spanish. It got rowdy as always and was just super fun. Our team won by one point. Our team delegated me as our best spanish speaker, so the tie break was between me and this guy from California that is only staying here for two weeks because he´s fluent in spanish. I beat him though! With the simple phrase El Libro de Mormón, otro testamento de Jesucristo. So I was the super hero on Sunday. 

Elder Weaver's District

What else? Oh, Elder Allen cut his arm open on the side of whiteboard in the ¨room of doom¨ which is our old room. We went in there and within 30 seconds he cut his arm open and needed to get stitches. Yeah, the room is possessed. We´re all just happy to be out of there. 

A favorite drink of Elder Weaver in Chile

I absolutely love this gospel. I´m reading in Mattew 27 right now about the Savior´s atonement and I just love it. I love reading in 2 Nephi right now, I love D&C 4-12, I love Exodus and reading about Moses. I ABSOLUTELY LOVE JESUS THE CHRIST by Talmage. There are serious highs and lows, but all in all, the mission is just great!

Elder Weaver with his favorite teacher Hermano Canas

I love all of you a ton! Keep writing me, I love hearing from you!

Chau,

Elder Weaver

Holy Moly Cow!

Elder Weaver and Elder Godoy (Elder Godoy is from Paraguay where Elder Weaver's dad served a mission). Obviously, the pool isn't used!

I have to say that we were disappointed with Elder Weaver's email this week ONLY because it wasn't enough info! We love that he's busy and happy, but we constantly crave more information from this boy!  The title above is the title of this week's email.  We are trying to get email's out to people that have requested them, but we just haven't finished it yet.  Here you go…

Dear Family and Friends

Wow, another week and it definitely felt like a week. Lemme tell ya. Alright so only 17 minutes to write so here we go! 

I have the first vision memorized in Spanish! I actually memorized it by last P day but I didn't tell you guys. So I have that down pat. Plus, the Su Objectivo in Predicad Mi Evangelio that I memorized day one. I was the 1st one in my district to memorize both but now everyone has both down, so that's fun to recite like 500004823509238 times a day! Seriously, you pray and recite stuff ALL THE TIME down here. 

Okay so this week has been actually awesome. I have grown and progressed in so many ways spiritually. Physically... well lets just say that I've gained 10 pounds since my marathon. But that's okay. I'll get to what I do for exercise later because I know a few of you are interested in that. I totally appreciate everyone in my district now. Each person helps me learn in a very unique way. I know that I need them in my life right now and as I've gotten to know each of them better personally, I have seriosuly learned to love them and see them as Heavenly Father sees them. So my prayers have been answered as far as Heavenly Father helping learn to love my district. So, this Sunday was amazing for me. We listened to Elder Holland's MTC devotional back in 2009 and I just love that man so much. I feel like I relate to him on a very personal level. I've always felt that way. His talk was so inspirational and literally just kicked me in the pants to be an even better missionary than I am now. He said in his talk that good missionaries should give their homecoming talks on a stretcher. I totally agree. I agree with everything he said. THE CHURCH NEEDS US. Not for the last month of my mission but for the full 24! No matter how hard life gets on the mission, it can never be as hard as NOT having this gospel in your life. That's me talking. Not Elder Holland. But seriously, I just loved his talk to much. I think it mostly just scared all the other missionaries though... haha. Except Elder Conger from Sterling, Colorado. He's such an awesome guy. I wish he was in my district or at least going to my mission. I mean his parents divorced a month before he left and he's SO STRONG in the gospel. Talk about having a tough farewell... and he's so dedicated and hard working. Just a prime person, and a prime example of how no matter what comes your way, you stay true to your testimony. 

I am definitely struggling with this language. I wish they would teach Spanish more and stop demanding us to teach lessons all the time. I hardly have anytime to just learn the language. But it's humbling and I have faith that I'll get it. But sometimes I do beat myself up. Singing hymns in spanish is awesome too. Man, I just love it. I get the shivers everytime. So basically the spiritual high's are super high and the low's can be way low. 

Fun Facts. I met my mission president and his wife before last P day and forgot to tell you guys. They are AWESOME PEOPLE. You know how you can just tell sometimes that a person is just so strong in the gospel? That's how they are and they are so happy. I only talked to them for 3 minutes and I already love them. They were leaving the temple. Elder Jacobson and Hermana Jacobson are like interim grandparents at Alcatara. We are so spoiled by them. They are way nice people. Temple Tomorrow too! Sunday was awesome too because the Americans had FHE and we did sherades. It got Stewart family reuinon crazy here at the CCM! IT was SUPER fun! 

Love all of You,

Elder Weaver