The FINAL E-mail...This is IT.

December 12, 2016

This Is It!

I can't really fathom that I'm writing my last email as a missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Where has the time gone? These 2 years have been absolutely amazing. The chance that I had to serve with all my heart, might, mind, and soul here in Chile has changed me forever. The mission is something that I wouldn't change for anything. I wouldn't change it for 2 World Championships in triathlon. I wouldn't change it for an amazingly beautiful girlfriend. I wouldn't change these 2 years for anything. These 2 years have molded me into the person that my Heavenly Father wants me to be and He's still not done with me! I know that I'm going to come back and do exactly what Dad told me to do... work and not bury my talents. 

I've learned so much on the mission that it would take a week to write everything down, but it all comes down to this... 

I know that God is our loving Heavenly Father and that He is real. I never once saw Him on my mission, I never once had a vision, I never once even had a dream where God talked to me... the closest thing was a dream talking with Dad in Spanish and Dad just telling me to keep working hard and expressed how much he loved me when I was working in Pajaritos in Cinco de Abril. That's about the closest I've come to a prophetic experience. Despite all of that... I know that God is real and that this is His gospel! I know that Jesus Christ is my Savior and Redeemer, I know that He really was born in Bethlehem and that He lived, established His Church and His gospel, that He died for every single mistake and sin I've made, and that He resurrected. I know that He was the reason that I came on the mission in the first place and now I really know and understand that He is the one that gave me strength during these 2 years. I know that this gospel changes lives. I can't even begin to express how it changed mine and how it changed the lives of the people that I taught. 

This last week was hectic and was exactly how Heavenly Father had my whole mission... filled with trials and challenges! Elder Villota is not going home due to his back, but he did have special changes and Elder Nalesso (good bud in the mission) will be sending me home! 

I plan on giving it everything I've got up until the very end. Jesus Christ didn't take a break in His last week here on Earth and neither will I. 

This gospel is as true and real as the air we breathe and the water we drink. What an amazing, incredible ride it has been here in Chile! I've had my auto sufficiency class and my last interview with President. Tomorrow is Temple and lunch! Then it's full gas vomit until I'm in DIA! 

Thank you, thank you, thank you all for the love and support! I couldn't have done it all without you guys!!! SEE YA ON SATURDAY!!! 

ELDER WEAVER, SIGNING OUT FOR THE VERY LAST TIME!!!! WHAT A PRIVELAGE IT HAS BEEN!!!! 

SANTIAGO OESTE ES LA MEJOR MISIÓN!!! !

Saying Good-Bye! 

Week 100...Every Good Thing Comes to an End

December 5, 2016

Every Good Thing Does Come to an End

Welcome to the Weaver Report…

So this is it people. My time as a missionary is really coming to a close and I can hardly believe it. I'm not really sure how to feel because I mostly just feel tired. The stress never goes away! I just keep trying to help the zone and help the missionaries out, and then there's the stress of just making sure I end strong. The worst part is that Elder Villota's back is doing horribly and this week was anything but ideal for us, but we still baptized! Nicole and Josefa entered into the waters of baptism this Saturday night and I had the amazing opportunity of baptizing them! I'm sad to say it, but it looks like they were my last baptisms in the mission. This doesn't mean that I'm going to go into cruiser mode and just coast until the very end! I'm going to go FULL GAS VOMIT up until the moment I walk up those stairs and see you guys in the Denver International Airport! 

The baptism was a little stressful. The girls didn't actually get to the church until 8:20 and the service was set for 8:00. We baptized them at 8:50 and ended at 9:15 and then we blazed out of there to get to the pension on time at 9:30! Obedience with exactness! There is no excuse! The cool thing is that the spirit was still super strong and it was a super spiritual night for me as I got to baptize for the very last time on my mission. My hope and my dream is that I can baptize Marisol before I head out to BYU! It's not my last time being wet in December! 

I gave my farewell testimony in church yesterday because this coming Sunday is Stake Conference here in San Antonio. I talked about a lot of things, but I mostly just talked about pride and how pride is truly the pitfall and grand stumbling block to all of our lives. I finished the Book of Mormon again this week as well, so I expressed how interesting it is that in the beginning of the Book of Mormon it starts with the pride of Laman and Lemuel and ends with pride as the Nephite nation is destroyed. I expressed how out of all the things that the Book of Mormon teaches us, I think that one of the key principles that God wants us to grasp out of all the Book of Mormon is that pride kills progression and pride kills exaltation. I finished by saying that while my testimony hasn't changed much from the time I was a greenie up until now in terms of words, I can now say that the words I say in my basic testimony have much more meaning and much more importance in my life then what they had when I first started the mission. The reason is because God has truly changed my nature and has molded me into the man He wants me to be. I now have a very different perspective on the world around me and I can truly say that I have lived my mission without regret, not because I've been perfect, but because I've repented sincerely and I can truly say that I understand repentance and I understand this gospel in a way that I simply did not understand when I first got into the mission as a punk, self-centered, 19 year old teenage kid. That being said I just want to say that I know that this gospel is true, I know that José Smith was and is a prophet of God and that he was an instrument in the Lord's hand to restore the true church, I know that The Book of Mormon is true, I know that Christ lives and that He loves us with an infinite love, and I know that the Atonement works, I know that Heavenly Father lives and loves us as well and that's why he's created a perfect plan of happiness so that we can live with Him and our families forever. The mission has been the best two years FOR my life; they haven't been the best 2 years of my life, but FOR my life. I can't even begin to express how I feel, but it is all summarized with the simply assurity and knowledge that I know that Jesus Christ lives and that this is His church and His gospel. I love Him more than I can put into words and that's why these 2 years have been OH SO WORTH THE PAIN AND THE EFFORT! I know I have 1 more P-day left, but it looks like I won't have much time to write next Monday! 

I love you all a ton! Wow will it be cool to see all of you again! It's going to be weird going home to cold and snow! 

Elder Weaver 

 

This is the family Connor baptized last year, and they will be going through the temple in January! The dad just baptized his youngest son last week. He LOVES this family!

The last baptisms of his mission! Nicole and Josefa!

Week 99...Beware of Pride

November 28, 2016 

Beware of Pride 

Crazy news people!

I've decided to extend my mission! Ha-ha nah I'm still coming home the 16th! El fin se acerca y hay poco tiempo! I can't lie to ya. There are so many problems that arise in the mission I’m super stressed and just want to be baptizing up until the very end because the baptism of Tamara was so good that it makes me want to just keep baptizing more! 

Tamara is pretty amazing. I can honestly say that I know that God prepares people to receive the restored gospel. She is way excited to be a member of the church and the ward is going to give her a calling right away because she's "super seca" in chilenismo it means just super on target and exceptional. She's going to be a convert that really helps the ward grow! The baptism went really well. Tamara was getting ready to come to the chapel when her kid fell and bumped his head and was bleeding a ton. She called and told us that she was going to the hospital and then straight to the baptism. It's a good thing the hospital is right next door to the church here in San Antonio! She got to the baptism just 30 minutes late but her poor kid who has like a year and 10 months had the biggest goose egg I've ever seen in my life. The other funny thing is that everything was going well and right before entering into the baptismal font a member said, "and your towel?" It turns out that she forgot her towel. So this member ran to her house and ran back to give her a towel. That took about 10 minutes, so that was an awkward delay right before getting baptized! All her family was there and they still ended up loving it! We sang a special musical number "Cuando me bautice" and Tamara cried. Not going to brag or anything, but I could be a MoTab singer after my mission! I sing so well! Ha-ha! Not! I still sing worse than all get out. 

We had interviews with President Woodward on Wednesday and he basically just asked me how I felt and I said stressed and he said "that's good. Keep it that way." It was a short interview because we'll be having my last interview here in a few weeks! 

I had to help out a new missionary on Thursday and Friday. Turns out that he basically just wanted to go home after 1 week in the field and President sent me out to Cartagena to help him out. It was interesting listening to his mentality about the mission. It was also really hard to relate, because I've never really been home sick on the mish. But I did tell him about my experiences on the mission and at the end of it, he was feeling a little better. While we were doing some practices on Friday morning President Woodward called him and told him he had special changes to go to Santiago with a new gringo comp. So, I helped him pack his bags and then we were off to Santiago! It was a super, super, super long day and not exactly the way I wanted to spend my last few days of finding my last baptisms before heading home, but I trusted that God was going to bless me later in the week and boy did he ever! Yesterday a member called us and told us to come to his house because he had a friend he wanted us to meet. His friend was super prepared and he wants to be baptized the 15th of December! My last day in the field! He actually wants to be baptized this weekend, but he has to attend church at least 2 times before he can get baptized! His name is Kevin! 

The comp of this new missionary really made me think a lot about humility and pride this week. This Elder is really struggling with PRIDE! He was a zone leader and President made him a trainer and now he's not training and he comp mayor. He basically started crying and throwing a temper tantrum. To the point where he called President Woodward to tell him that he isn't going to finish his mission and he's going to go home after this change because he's not going to put up with being treated like a "low class" missionary. It's as if I were watching the fall of the Nephite nation in the mission.

I love all ya'll a ton! I'm glad that you had an awesome Thanksgiving! I'm looking to baptize 4 more people before I leave! Marcelo, Nicole, Josefa, and Kevin! 

La Familia Vegas came out to San Antonio and totally surprised me! It was awesome to see them! Osvaldo got the Melchizedek priesthood and they'll be getting sealed in January! Their son Jerek is going to be baptized this week by his dad! I WANT TO SEE THEM GET SEALED SO BADLY!!! Man, I love the mission. 

Be humble and let the atonement change you. That's all I have to say. 

 Love you guys! Keep strong!  

Elder Weaver 

Week 98...Día de Acción de Gracias

November 21, 2016

Día de Acción de Gracias

Cómo Estáis mis queridos? 

I have now received the emails from Presidente Woodward that I need to start making plans and setting goals for what I’m going to do with my life when I get back home. Needless to say, the trunkiness is trying to set in and I just keep fighting it. The good news is that we have a baptism this weekend and it very well may be one of the best baptisms I've had on the mission. Her name is Tamara and she's 19 years old. We found her contacting, but it turns out that the missionaries passed by her house earlier this year and then they never came back. It's a shame that they never came back because she is WAY prepared. I've never seen an investigator so prepared in my entire mission. I know I keep saying this, but it never ceases to amaze me the miracles I see everyday! She’s a Chilena that has no issues with anything and is obedient in everything we ask her to do and more. She reads the church website everyday and she loves reading the Book of Mormon. She is already in Mosiah after only 2 weeks of teaching her. It’s amazing how God has just perfectly prepared her to be baptized and she is way excited for this Saturday! I keep praying that this isn’t my last baptism in the mission! 

My companion keeps saying that I need to just enjoy this last part of my mission. He’s not exactly here to keep me motivated and inspired. I just want to keep working like crazy up until the very end and live without regret. I pray every single day that I can live every day without regret! I know that the only way that I'll be happy in this life is by keeping strong in the gospel, continuing to serve and loving everyone, and giving it my all every single day. I've seen a lot of miracles on my mission, but the biggest miracle is the change that I've made in myself. I don't want to come back being the same Connor Weaver. I hope that the good attributes that I had before my mission are even better now and I hope that my weaknesses have become strengths. I see life with a whole new perspective, and I honestly just wish the mission would never end. I've come to realize though that it's not going to end. It's going to be hard to take off the missionary name tag, but I know that I can still help a ton of people when I come home and I know that I can keep growing and progressing even more in the real world. In the meantime I plan of magnifying my calling and inviting everyone I see to come unto Christ and be baptized by someone who has the authority to do it!

We had a pretty awesome zone conference this week. A lot of the missionaries cried with a motivational video that I showed them. We talked a lot about the power of our callings and I had a Gringo missionary, Brasilero missionary, and a Latino read their mission calls in their native language and then give their testimonies about how they felt when they first received their callings. The room was silent and the spirit was so strong. It reminded me of when I opened my calling that night that I got back from Canada after competing in my last World Championship triathlon and reading Chile Santiago Oeste! I've come a long, long, long way since that night and I honestly had no idea what I was really getting myself into. It's been an amazing ride and the best part is that it’s still not over! I’ve still got time to make a difference in the life of a Chileno! 

I’m running everyday with Elder Villota at 6 it’s basically a fartlek every single day, as I sprint and then turn around to keep him in my sights. It will be quite a change not having a person on my back every second of every day when I get home! Elder Villota is basically dying and I've never seen a missionary sleep so many times in lessons in my whole mission. It's pretty funny how worn out he is after exercise! He sleeps during personal study, comp study, language study, and then he sleeps in almost every lesson during the day. It's unreal. He's a funny, funny dude! 

The gospel is true. The book is blue. Saquen la mugre no más! 

Les amo! Que tengan una buena semana! 3 Domingos más! 

Elder Weaver 

Week 96...Yo Pudiera Ser tu Héroe

November 7, 2016

Yo Pudiera Ser Tu Héroe

Yo what up, 

So this week was amazing! We had another baptism with my main man Enrique Iglesias! Okay, so maybe he's not Enrique Iglesias he's definitely much cooler than him! The baptism was pretty solid. We didn't have any issues with the font or with the bishop getting there to preside and there was little to no drama! I felt uncomfortable, because things just went way too smoothly. We even started on time at 7 which never happens... 7 in Chilean time is usually 7:45-7:50 but this time the service started exactly at 7! I am no longer stricken with the Grizzweaver curse and it honestly just makes me feel weird. I'm sure all with go back to normal when I see you guys again... what are we at now? 20 more weeks right? Ha-ha nah, I know I have 5 more Sundays left... how do I know that? Because I need to know how many more chances I have to baptize and confirm people! I confirmed Enrique and I felt a strong impression to guarantee him that if he keeps faithful in his covenants that he'll regain his ability to speak clearly. He can't speak very well after a stroke he had about 6 months ago, but I know that by not drinking and living a better life that he'll regain that ability! The gospel is amazing people! More amazing than the time I helped Vista win 2 state championships... QUE PASA CON VISTA NATION! It's all-good though a 4 peat is pretty impressive. I'm looking forward to going out on a run with Paxton Smith when I get back. Love that kid!

Anyway, we have another baptism all set and ready to go for this weekend. Antonella is a 10-year-old girl that is apart of an inactive family and her Mom has been endowed in the temple. It's amazing because we've basically reactivated the family and now Antonella is getting baptized! The members are calling us miracle workers! It's pretty amazing to see all the miracles taking place as I finish this last part of my mission. God is good... not to sound hippy or anything, but it is pretty awe-inspiring here in San Antonio! To the point where I just don't even want to go home. 

The zone is improving. We had a leadership meeting in Maipu on Friday and there was an earthquake and the Woodward’s just laughed because it started to shake pretty hard and we just kept talking and participating like normal. President Woodward was like, "Now I know that you guys are Chilenos because the earthquakes don't even cause you stop doing what you're doing." My comp always says that I'm "demasiado chileno." Because, I've picked up a few of their customs. It'll be funny to see when I come home if I crave some of the things I've grown to love in chile. 

I got to see Nacho Gonzalez be set apart as a full-time missionary on Monday.  He is head off to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Let me just tell ya that the Latinos basically have the whole ward present to see a missionary get set apart. It's like a party and everything! It’s cool to think when this kid gets out of the MTC... I'll be on my flight home. The work never stops or takes a break!

We have a ton of baptisms coming up and I just hope that President doesn't take me out of this sector to finish my last 5 weeks in some other zone! Pray that I stay here to finish! We have changes this Sunday! 

Love all of you guys. Keep it fresh. It's aright if ya'll feel trunky, but I ain't feelin it!

Love,

Elder Weaver 

Week 94...Get Up, Get Up, and Get Down...Jump, Jump, Jump Around

October 24, 2016

Get Up, Get Up, and Get Down... Jump Jump Jump Around

What be good,

Another week has flown by here in San Antonio. We had an amazing baptism with Barotlo this weekend. There was a solid turnout at the baptism and we're happy that we've been completing with the vision that President Woodward has for us. We are having the members baptize our investigators so that the retention will improve in the wards. Bartolo definitely has a ton of friends in the ward and is solid. I honestly am blown away by every baptism I've had on the mission. This baptism was no exception. Just 5 weeks ago we found Bartolo after he had been drunk for a solid week. Since that time he hasn't drank a single beer and he actually no longer feels the desire to drink. But he's changed his life completely and he's actually going to move into a new home in 2 weeks. He has a job now and everyone in the ward has done a great job of just loving him. We really focused on having a lot of family home evenings with him and just helping him recognize all is not lost and to see the spirit witness this to him was amazing. He's going to be receiving the priesthood next week! I stand all amazed at the love Jesus offers me, and all of us! The mission is amazing. 

We also did a little service project with a member in our ward that is going through a really tough time with her kids. They're completely lost in the world and they're only 13 and 14 years old. She's super amazing and she has a son on a mission, but her other kids are really bringing her down. We decided to cut her grass... or her jungle in the backyard to aliviar su carga. The project will last until I go home cause there's a ton to do and we only have 90 minutes every Tuesday morning to do it. It's fun work though. 

Elder Villota and I pretty much just pass the time laughing and loving the work. I honestly don’t even think about coming home because I'm always so busy. I've just love the work and I can't think about going back to real life. I'm trying to think about things that I love back home, but honestly I just want to see you guys and then just go back to Chile to share the gospel. This work is amazing. I expressed a little bit of my feelings in a talk that I gave yesterday. I talked about charity and how I didn't always have it as a self-centered tri-athlete punk before the mission, and how the mission has literally taught me to have more charity. I know that Jesus Christ is our perfect example of how to live happy and I know that I'm no where close to being perfect, but I'm so grateful to be apart of his true church and to be his representative. The experience of the mission is something I can't even put into words; it's simply been life changing.  

I'm glad everyone's happy and healthy. I'm sad that BYU football continues to lose, but I'm glad that BYU XC is killing it. GO VISTA NATION! WIN STATE! Love all ya'll and love the support. 

Quick update. I found a Haitiano that lived in Connecticut for 20 years and he talks and looks just like Biggy. I'll take pictures this week. IF YA DON'T KNOW, NOW YA KNOW! He totally sang rap songs with me as well. 

Pray for Mayra, William, Marta, Enrique, and Antonella and Carlitos! They're our fechas! 

ELDER WEAVER 

SIGNING OUT! COLORADO HIGH! 

Week 93...Hey, Hey, Hey

October 17, 2016

HEY HEY HEY, 

First and foremost I'd like to give a huge shout out to my amazing family for putting together the birthday video & package! I almost cried, but I held the tears back because I’m a man! It's insane to see how much everyone has changed. I can't get over how Preston has pretty much just converted into the next Michael Jackson. I imagine that he's got 99 problems but a girl ain't 1. Dad's gotten a little chunky, Mom is as beautiful as ever, Adin is a stud, and Mia is amazingly beautiful as well. Not to mention my grandparents who look great and my cousins who are all amazingly good looking! Ethan is WAY DIFFERENT! WHAT THE FREAK! I come from a very attractive family... what happened to me in the process of everything? 

So other than the video, the week was just splendid. We have 4 baptismal dates set up and things are looking amazing for this weekend. Bartolo and Carlitos want to get baptized this weekend. Things got a little complicated with Carlitos this week and he backed out of his baptismal interview after we taught him the law of chastity. He's a 13 year-old boy, but he just wants to feel super sure with everything before he takes this step. So, we continued to teach him the principle of chastity and why it is so important, and after a few more lessons, he is good to go. The coolest part is that I found him contacting with Elder Montero on my birthday in the night and I said to Elder Montero "una puerta más!" That happened to be Carlitos and his family who let us in. 

Bartolo is the guy we found the week before general conference and he's just rocking it. It's amazing to see how much the atonement really works. He has been really struggling for 9 years and has lost everything... his wife, his kids, his job, everything due to alcohol. We really have just been loving him and helping him and he hasn't drank since we found him before general conference. He's pumped for his baptism! What a miracle! 

William is our other fecha and he's a Haitiano that Elder Villota and I found and I've just been saying the basics of what I know in Creol to help him. Thank goodness that Elder Villota speaks fluently! 

The other fecha is Mayra and she's the cousin of our convert Kamila! Pray for her and her family.

Nothing super funny happened this week. Just watching Dad biff it on the mountain bike made me laugh like crazy.

I Love all of you more than I love Chile, and that's saying something. I'm one lucky guy to have the family that I have. I love my Savior Jesus Christ and I know that this is His work! We so blessed to be a part of it!  The gospel is true, The book is blue.

Elder Weaver 

Week 92...Get Up, Get Up, and Get Down

October 11, 2016

Get Up, Get Up, and Get Down

Let's get to it,

We're just rocking and rolling here in San Antonio! Elder Villota is a trip. We get along just great and he entertains the heck out of me. Unfortunately that means that my time in the mission is just going to fly by even faster! The other bonus is that Elder Villota is fluent in Creole and we found some Haitians here in San Antonio and 1 of them has a fecha to get baptized the 22nd! He came to church and loved it even though he didn't understand a stinking thing. Elder Villota also has Principios del Evangelio and the book of Mormon in Creole so we're all set. The other good thing is that once one Haitian gets baptized the whole Haitian hut is going to get baptized which means that we're going to be wet for a solid month I think. What a blessing that he learned Creole while he was in Estacion Central for 10 months of his mission! 

The zone is doing alright. We've had 4 baptisms in the zone up until now and it looks like we'll finish with about 10. The good news is that all the sectors are working now! 

We had a consejo de guerra with Presidente Woodward and Hermana Woodward on Friday and something was finally brought up that I thought would never be brought up in all my life here on the mission! President Woodward talked about how pathetic it is that we talk and hype up so much the fact that people "subir" as district leader, trainer, zone leader, or assistant. It was amazing. It was honestly a huge slap in the face for some of the missionaries. They honestly just sat there almost speechless. President Woodward is honestly very different than what I’ve been use to in the past where we had a ton of mission meetings and all got together to learn about and see the progress of the mission. We would see who's where and who's who. It was honestly the perfect setup to make the missionaries aspire to subir as leaders. It worked to get us pumped, but it shouldn't be the reason as to why we work hard. I have yet to have a mission meeting with President Woodward where he publishes the cambios. So nobody knows anything about where other missionaries are or what they're doing. President Woodward basically just said that we need to be the examples and not talk about subir or bajar and we're all equal. He also said that it will be very normal to finish your mission as a trainer now and it's not because you did anything wrong it's just the way he wants to do things. It was really spiritual actually and he even shared that in his mission he wasn't comp mayor until about 14 months and he was zone leader his last 3 months in the mission, but he was never a bad missionary and he has no regrets about anything he did on his mission. He simply stated that the mission changed his life and that if we don't it allow it to change our lives it won't matter jack squat whether you were assistant or not when you get back home. I loved the meeting. I was ask to give my two cents and just said, "si yo hubiera querido la gloria de los hombres, no me hubiese venido a la misión. Me hubiese quedado en mi casa para participar en mis deportes... vine a la misión para participar en la obra de salvación." ("If I had wanted the glory of men I would not have come to my mission. I would have stayed home for my part in sports ... I came to the mission to participate in the work of salvation.") I also shared that the first reunión de cambios that I had in the mish was basically like the NFL draft and everyone just busted up laughing. It's so true though. Needless to say, things have changed here in Santiago Oeste! 

Other than that it was a solid week of work. We have 4 fechas and it looks like we'll be baptizing this weekend! Pray for Carlitos, William, Maira, and Bartolo! 

Miracles happen on the daily here. I love the mission and honestly never want to come home. Hey, enjoy the Fort Collins temple dedication! How cool is it that Grandma and Grandpa were invited to participate in the very first endowment session with a member of the 1st presidency! 

Love ya'll! Read your scriptures and invite someone to church! 

Elder Weaver 

Week 91...What be good?

October 3, 2016

What be good? 

Another week has come and gone here in the most amazing country in the whole wide world... Chile. I find myself here in the Internet cafe starting yet another change in the mission with a new companion who will probably be killing me off. My new companion is Elder Villota from Ecuador, he's a great missionary and I've known him since he started the mission because he started the mission in my second zone in 5 de Abril. It's crazy, but I literally know everyone in the whole mission and I basically know how they are and how they work because the mission is so small and word gets around. Elder Villota is defnitely not the same type of guy as I am, but the good news is that he's obedient and he's excited to be a zone leader now! It'll be fun showing him the ropes and letting him feel the stress and pressure. The zone got a ton of new missionaries and things are looking a little better for this month of October. Elder Villota and I will get along just dandy, at this point in the mission there's nothing I haven't seen and nothing that I can't deal with. One of the first things you learn here in Santiago Oeste is that "Es Bueno Ser Diferent." I know that's true. The other good news is that Elder Carroll is staying in our pension so that means early morning runs are going to continue.

So this week was just a normal week of hard work. Nothing new really happened. We found people to teach, we taught, and we brought people to church and we have 3 fechas with Victor, Carlos, and Nicoloy... so pray for them please. We also brought a new person to conference, his name is Bartolo and when we found him he was in a super bad situation, he's an alcoholic but he wants to give it all up and get baptized. This is the first guy that has issues with alcohol that I've taught that I actually have hope in. He hasn't drank since we met him on Tuesday. The atonement is now in play in his life. He came to conference and loved it, and now we're going to help him get baptized the 22nd this month. 

Speaking of the atonement, I sure loved the focus that the conference had on repentance. I feel like as a missionary I've really seen the importance of this super simple but complex principle. ALL OF US NEED TO REPENT! ESPECIALLY MY STUD BROTHER PRESTON WHO IS GOING AROUND LOOKING LIKE A MODEL TAKING GIRLS TO HOMECOMING AND JUST KILLING THEM WITH HIS GOOD LOOKS. I honestly can't even recognize the kid. Those pics are unreal; he's a lady killa for sure.

Anyways, repentance is so important. I don't have my journal with me, so I don't remember the name of the lady who spoke on Sunday morning but her talk on repentance was powerful. I know that people can and do change with the atonement of Jesus Christ. I know it because I have changed and continue to change and purify myself in Christ. I Know we always need to have that burning desire to change our lives to become more like Christ. The problem is that we don't view small errors as a big deal, but NO UNCLEAN THING CAN ENTER INTO THE PRESENCE OF GOD. This means that constant repentance and weekly sacrament partaking is essential and we should feel a deep desire to partake every single week! 

I love conference and I love my service as a missionary. I am now in my last full change as a missionary para La Iglesia de Jesucristo de Los Santos de Los Últimos Días. (for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints) This time is so sacred and I love this amazing work. Get out and open your mouths and share the gospel! 

Shout out to BYU CROSS COUNTRY!!! NUMBER 1 BABY!!! 

Let it be, love ya'll! Arriba Chile!

Elder Weaver 

Feeling Like Superman!

Week 90...

September 26, 2016

Cabros y Cabras, 

This week was definitely a stressful one. Actually this whole change has been somewhat stressful. I got to the zone and everything looked good and now everything is in the pothole. I'm well aware that I'm a Weaver and by being a Weaver there's a Grizzweaver effect... but man I didn't expect things to go this bad. This past week the Dad of one of the Elders in our zone died and that obviously took a huge toll on him. He was able to go to the temple and hang out with President Woodward for a few days, but that doesn't take the pain away. There was a tender mercy… he's Chileno and his parents live in the south so he saw the funeral via Skype. I felt so bad for him and all we could do is just love him and support him. It's really been an eye opener to see just how much some missionaries go through while they're out on the mission. I've been super blessed that nothing has happened to you guys and I hope it stays that way! The Hermanas in our zone have been sick the whole change as well. It's been rough. There's also an Elder who recently had his parents get divorced and his dad recently tried to kill himself and another Elder has developed some sort of disease in his thyroid... that keeps him from working in his area. You'd think that's enough problems but they just keep on coming. Yet another Elder twisted his ankle playing soccer last p-day and he was in the house for 3 days. Then there's another Elder who has recently developed some depression so he’s having a hard time working. They are trying to help him by providing him with some counseling. We have a total of 4 companionships out of 11 that are actually working normally. You could say that the stress is real. We finished the month of September with just 4 baptisms in the zone! The good news is that Heavenly Father has blessed us a ton and there are 13 baptismal dates lined up for the first 2 weeks of October. I just hope I'm here to see the baptisms! 

All is well in my sector. We have 3 baptismal dates with Victor, Carlos, and Nicolay.

You won’t believe what happened this Sunday, I walked into the chapel with my investigators, and I had the best surprise of my life. Sitting right there was La Familia Cordova Arce! Osvaldo and Katuisca and their family came to see me! I nearly cried! I just hugged Osvaldo and I was so pumped to get to see them. They're going to get their Patriarchal Blessings this week or the next and Osvaldo is going to get the Melchizedek priesthood in November! They said that if everything goes well that they'll be sealed in December! PRAY FOR THEM SO THAT THEY GET SEALED IN DECEMBER BEFORE I LEAVE! It was seriously so awesome to see them! I think that was the best birthday gift that I got! 

My birthday was just a normal day. We had district meetings and the zone sang "Feliz cumpleaños" and then in the night Elder Carroll and Elder Montero surprised me with cupcakes. That was about it! No better way to celebrate than just working like normal! We actually found Carlos and Victor that night on my birthday and they came to church and want to be baptized now! 

We had an awesome zone conference with President Woodward. I think the best thing that I took out of it was really helping our investigators to understand the concept of repentance before baptism so that they remain firm in the church. We've really had some amazing lessons when we talk about repentance and I know that our converts are going to be way more converted with how we're teaching now. Repentance really is the key to having a happy life and having a good experience in the church. We should be constantly looking for ways to improve and always being humble enough to accept advise from others. I am constantly asking Heavenly Father in my prayers "What lack I yet?" I always, always, always receive an answer. 

General Conference is this weekend! I'm way pumped! I'm definitely looking for some answers to my questions this weekend! I invite you guys to really fast and pray and write down questions you want answered as the Lord's servants speak this weekend! His love for us individually is real!

All is well here in the coast. I love this gospel, I love the mission, I love my family, and I love my Savior. I also love mis queridos Chilenos! 

Hasta luego cabros! 

Elder Weaver 

Connor loves his cows and horses… He got Empanada’s from a member for his Birthday…A picture of his sector…

Week 89...

September 20, 2017

How it be? 

Let's get to it. I feel like there's a ton to tell you guys because the week of the 18th of September here in Chile is pretty amazing. Everyone is partying all week long and there's always the ward party that's fun, but I'd say that last year it was more fun in Pajaritos than here in the coast. Pajaritos was a super strong ward and I had a ton of time there, so I could really just talk with everyone and I felt super loved by all my converts there, but here I only have one convert and she wasn't at the party... it was cool nonetheless. The coolest part is that we baptized her on the actual 18th of September in the morning before church started at 10! I BAPTIZED ON THE 18TH OF SEPTEMBER IN CHILE!!! No one thought that it'd be possible, but it is! Everything went well despite the fact that we wanted to start at 9 and everyone got there right on Chileno time... 9:30. It was the quickest baptismal service ever but we did it and it was super spiritual! Kamila is going to be a strong member of the church!  

 It was actually quite the struggle because her ex boyfriend caused all sorts of issues this last week trying to keep her from getting baptized, but we had a super powerful lesson and I just bore testimony about how right before we are about to take a great decision... Satan always attacks us the strongest. I talked about how all the prophets in the Book of Mormon and the Bible always faced trial and affliction and that she would have to do the same because she's a chosen daughter of God. She felt the spirit super strong and she committed. We had a recent RM that always helps us out baptize her his names Fabrizio.

The rest of the week we just had some awesome lessons and enjoyed the atmosphere of Chile. We had to be back in the house early at 6 on the 18th and at 7 yesterday to avoid problems with drunks! I bought a kite and we flew it last P-day on top of a hill in our sector! Twas awesome! 

Ya'll gonna love this country when we come back to visit! I continue to just love the mission and I don't want the experience to end. I know that it's coming to an end though... I'm just trying to really soak everything I can in. I am running about 40-50 minutes everyday with Elder Carroll and it's doing wonders! I'm not going to come back half bad... 

This gospel is true. Christ lives. He loves us. The mission is truly where "I have turned from boy to man." Thanks to the Atonement of Jesus Christ. Miracles exist. 

21 years old! WHAT?! This means I come back home and buy the beer to make beer bread with Mom! Yippee! 

Love you guys! You rock my socks off!

Elder Weaver 

 P.S. Hats off to VISTA XC! GO BYU!

Grandpa can eat it... all his kids went to BYU, get over it gpa... you're a cougar! 

Week 88...The Power of NOT Knowing

September 12, 2016

The Power of Not Knowing

What up,

So another stressful week has come and gone in the great city of San Antonio. I can't stress enough how much I love this sector. It's so big and I feel like I could work here for 2 years straight and never get bored... too bad I'm finishing my mission here. We have 4 fechas to end the month. Pray for Kamila, Nicole, Josefa, and Marta! They are all great! They just need a little help committing with the all the commandments. 

So, why did I use the phrase "The Power of Not Knowing"...? The reason is that I have been praying a ton in order to get some guidance on how I can be a better leader and really help people reach their full potential. I talked a little bit about love and charity last week, but I still have wanted something more. Mom's package got to me this week (it was amazing) and I read the talk that she gave me from a BYU devotional. The lady talked a lot about being a leader and how we actually have more power as leaders when we go into a project and have no idea as to how we are actually going to do it. Sometimes the lack of knowledge actually helps us find better and more productive ways to do things, and we are forced to look for better way to do things on our own. I really like the part where she talked about her kids and how crazy they get at night when they get ready for bed. She changed her approach one night and simply did the bedtime routine but with questions "What are we going to do now?" The kids respond, "Brush our teeth!" "What book would you like to read tonight?" The kids respond and pick out a book and sit still in their beds and listen... The best way we can really lead is by just asking questions and letting people exercise their agency. I really have been trying to apply the good ol' phrase "It's better to teach a man to fish than fish for him and let him starve the rest of his life." I also love Joseph Smith's phrase that my Dad loves, "Teach people correct principles and let them act for themselves." I really want to do this as a leader and as a Dad one day. I want to teach people correct principles and then allow them to learn and grow so that they can come up with even better approaches and so that they challenge themselves to reach their potential. This doesn't mean that we have to stop motivating and inspiring, or guiding and directing. But it does mean that sometimes backing off is the best solution.

The zone is basically a hospital. We have 3 compañerismos that are super sick and can't even work. It's a miracle that we're still going to finish the month with a solid amount of baptisms! 

Yesterday we went to a stake bishop meeting where we were asked to talk a little about recent converts and how we can retain more. This is a huge problem in San Antonio, but it's a problem in all of Chile. It all comes down to the fact that the wards don’t always work as well with us as we would like, and the leaders blame the missionaries for the quality of our converts. We have the pressure of finding, teaching and baptizing, and some times people aren’t super, super, super prepared before being baptized, but they don’t need to be… they just need to have the desire and show signs of repentance D&C 20:34. Elder Holland has an amazing talk about this exact thing. The issue usually becomes they never have home teachers or visiting teachers after their baptism and nobody ever actually tries to get to know them... their friends are the missionaries. Every convert needs a friend, a calling, and to be nurtured by the word of God. The last step in this process is fellowshipping and missionaries do the best they can with this, but ultimately it is the wards responsibility to make this happen. We basically focused on that, and talked about the lack of humility. Needless to say we took a lot of grief. I'm a Weaver though and I definitely said, what they needed to hear from us as well. It’s never good to play the blame game! We all just need to do your part and stop complaining!

The week was solid. Pray for our investigators. Elder Montero and I get along amazing and I've learned a ton from him. We talk a lot which keeps the stress out of things. Key to a good relationship... good communication.

The church is true the book is blue! 

Love ya’ll!

Elder Weaver 

Week 87...Make Yourself a Dang Quesadilla

What up!

So this week was a very stressful week. The truth is that every week is stressful... if only I could tell you all the problems that arise in a zone and how many things you have to figure out as a zone leader, and at the same time you have to keep your sector afloat and have to keep everything in order in your own life. The good news is that we survived the week and it looks like we'll be baptizing this weekend. Elder Montero and I get along great! I'm glad I get to work with him. We're trying to have 20 baptisms as a zone this month... the zone had 12 last month! 

So, I think the first thing I want to talk about is the leadership meeting we had with president Woodward and his wife this past Friday. We went back to Santiago and we got to talk a little bit about the vision as a mission; which is teach repentance and baptize converts. Our mission is really, really, really good at getting into houses and being super direct with people telling them that they need to be baptized by someone who has proper priesthood authority. Which is only found in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter- Day Saints, and they need to be baptized by immersion. Can't lie, we all get in and take out a picture of Christ’s baptism and then we are just really bold with people and we get them to commit to being baptized. The only way you can count a new investigator in our mission is if you extend a baptismal invitation... so that's why we do it. We always talk about baptism and the importance of being baptized by proper authority. In the consejo de liderazgo we talked more about repentance and how people really need to understand their relationship with God and they need to understand what Christ did for them so that they can be clean. It's such a simple principle and it's something I've taught a lot in my mission, but I realized that I really have no clue as to how I can motivate a person to act and feel the desire to repent and really fulfill their potential as a child of God. You can kick, scream, yell, and basically condemn a Chileno but most the time they really couldn’t care less if they're sinning or not. It makes my blood boil and it always will, but then I realized that the same exact thing happens with missionaries in my zones. You can kick, scream, and tell them to get their butts moving but they just will not do it unless they really feel the converting power of the Atonement. I can tell you guys that I have felt that converting power throughout my life but so much more on my mission. I've never been disobedient, I've never been lazy, but I have made so many little adjustments on my mission that now I have reached a whole different level in the way I teach and the way that I act. The problem is that I feel like I was born this way. I have always wanted to be better. I have always wanted to be obedient. If I run a 4-minute mile one day, I promise you that I won't be content... I'll want to go for 3:59 and then 3:58... that's just the way I am, and I will always be that way. I know that if I am content with anything in my life that I am not progressing, and I always want to be progressing. I know this is what the Lord put us on this earth to do. We always have to be progressing so that we are ready to meet Him again someday and be prepared to give an accounting of the things we have done in our life. The issue that I have is that 98% of all the people in the world just want to accomplish the minimum and then they're good. How do you motivate someone to act and really come to Christ is the question? The scriptures. Doctrine. Personal experiences. The spirit. All these things are great, but the only true way to do it is through love and charity. You just have to really, really, really love a person and desire that they become better than you are, and that's how you can help them feel the converting power of the Atonement. I know that I'm the way that I am because my Dad and my Mom have always loved me and wanted the very best for me. They gave me the room to I needed to grow and always loved me no matter what! They have taught me throughout my life how I can feel of my Saviors love and how to access that love. If I can show that same love to my investigators... we'll have more results. Obviously you have to look for golden investigators... but that's my thought for the week. 

I had another sad division with an Elder in our zone whose parents got divorced this past week and it took him completely off guard. It really breaks my heart to see elders suffering; especially when they're at the very end of their mission... he goes home with me. The Hermana's in our zone are super sick and can't even leave to work! I can’t remember the last time I was so sick I couldn’t or didn’t want to get out and work! I’m grateful for this blessing! Our investigators are good but the Sunday morning "flojera" took over again. 

The funny news for the week is that on the way back to the coast on the metro a guy totally started yelling and cussing us out in front of everyone on the Santiago metro. Elder Montero had asked me early this week about my weirdest experience on the mission and he told me that he hasn't really had one. After the guy cussed us out and about punched us he looked at me and said, "Hay está su respuesta Elder Weaver." (There is your answer, Elder Weaver) The guy basically called us sapos (Frogs) and told us that we were from the CIA and we just send info to the USA about the Chilenos... then he told us to stop talking bad about Nicaragüenses. We had recently been talking about Centro Americano baseball players and Elder Montero told me that Nicaraguenses are great to play baseball... the guy was a lunatic and got in a puff about that. "Ustedes son sapos!!! (You are toads!!) Andan puro sapeando!" (They are pure eavesdroppers!) Haha! 

Love the mission and love my Savior! I know He lives and that He wants us to reach our potential!

Elder Weaver