Week 86...I'm in Another World

August 29, 2016
I’m in Another World

What up friends and family!

So my first week in the coast was pretty amazing! This sector is the best sector in the whole mission. I've never dealt with a sector that's so big and has SO MANY people! I honestly hit the jackpot as far as finishing my mission out here. The ward is pretty small. The asistencia is usually around 100 but this Sunday it was like 80. It reminded me of being in Villa Sur again, but that ward was WAY small. It's a pretty amazing atmosphere... the ocean breeze is amazing, the views we have are amazing, and the people here are way more relaxed (the majority). It's ALL HILLS and when I say hills I'm talking about San Francisco bay hills that are absolutely massive and it's literally like climbing a mountain everyday. I love it! 

I also share our pension with none other than ELDER CARROLL the new missionary that's he's training Elder Bahr! Elder Carroll was in my zone in Cerrillos and he's the only other missionary from Colorado…and he's a runner! We wake up at 6 and we work out for about 40 minutes just running the hills of San Antonio. He'll probably be here until I go home... which means I'll come home in decent shape. It's a miracle from the heavens that he just happens to be in the same pension as me! 

Elder Montero is an awesome missionary. He works super hard and he's got the work ethic and cleanliness down pat! We're going to work well together. The only problem is that we're both really serious and so one of us has to loosen up a bit or it's just going to be stress overload. He's a great guy though and we get along great! 

We have some fechas here already! Thomas, Nicole, Josefa, and Rolando! Thomas and Nicole actually passed their baptismal interview but we decided not to baptize them because ... they need a little more time.

All is well! The zone is huge! I love the missionaries! September is around the corner and that means 18th is close! Día de Independencia here in Chile! It's going to be awesome to celebrate out here on the coast! 

Love all of you a ton! Keep rocking it in school and keep me updated on BYU and Vista XC!!! Football is around the corner too... GO COUGARS! 

Just out here grinding away! Vamos a bautizar! 

Elder Weaver 

Week 85...Vamos a La PLAYA

August 22, 2016

VAMOS A LA PLAYA!!!

What up family and friends,

The skinny is that all our prayers were answered and I got sent to the coast! I am now in San Antonio!!! It's amazing that after 20 months in the city of Santiago I have finally been able to see other parts of Chile! It's incredibly beautiful out here! What an amazing way to finish my last 4 months in the mission! The biggest zone as well! The air is so fresh here and you can smell the ocean air! I am also with my good friend Elder Montero from Costa Rica! PURA VIDA! I was in the same district with him when he came into the mission last June and man is he different from when he started! He's an amazing missionary and I know that we're going to have a lot of success together! Elder Suarez stayed in Cerrillos and he's with the most enthusiastic missionary in the mission... Elder Moura from Brasil!!! Presidente Woodward definitely knows what he's doing! 

It was super hard to say bye yesterday to everyone in the Primo De River Ward, but it's just part of the mission. I can’t wait to come back here one day, so you guys can get to know mis queridos chilenos! Man have I come to love them! That's why I'll be giving it everything I've got until I come home in December! 

We had 3 baptisms this weekend! Javier, Darío, and Samuel! They all loved the service and they'll be strong converts! Samuel broke down crying when he heard the news that I was leaving on Sunday and he wrote me an awesome letter! It was hard saying bye yesterday! I hope you guys get to meet the people that I've baptized here! 

In the ward council yesterday I told the ward they needed to have more faith, and that they can’t give up on recent converts so quickly. I said it with sincere love for them and all the new members. In the end they all told me that they were going to miss me a ton.

Started El Libro de Mormón again and it'll probably be my last time! I've read it 4 times on the mission and this will be my 5th! 

Not much time, just know that I'm super happy! I love the mission and love this gospel! I know that my Savior lives and I know that he loves us perfectly! I know that this is the greatest work on earth and it's such a privilege to be apart of it! 

Love you all a ton!!! VAMOS A LA PILA BAUTISMAL!!!

Elder Weaver 

Week 84...Relying on God

August 16, 2016

Relying on God

Friends and Family,

Wow is it good to hear from you guys every week. It just gets me pumped and ready to take on another week. It also gets me pumped to know that my country is dominating the Olympics. Michael Phelps is un-real; I can't wait to see the Olympics when I get home. You'll have to let me know how Wardy does in the marathon and how the triathlon finishes. I'm guessing that the Brownlee brothers are going to take gold and silver. Not going to lie, it's a huge temptation to watch the Olympics when other people are watching in their houses, but I've held strong... I have seen glimpses though. Nuff of the worldly stuff, let's focus on the spiritual. 

Ernesto and Sonia are not going to get baptized this month, but they are definitely going to get baptized one day. The thing is Sonia's son Francisco lives in San Miguel and he's going to have a surgery to remove a tumor from his stomach. They don't have the money to pay for it so they're doing a fundraiser every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday until they have the money to pay for the surgery. It's super expensive so we're thinking they'll be baptized in September or October. Changes are this week so we'll see if I stay here long enough to see them get baptized. This isn't the first time I've found someone so ready to get baptized and don't get to see them actually get into the water... I have Rosa from Pajaritos, Rosalía and Julio from Villa Sur, and now Ernesto and Sonia...but the good news is that they will all get baptized SOMEDAY. 

We have 3 baptisms lined up for this weekend. Javier, Darío, and Samuel. I kid you not; I have been blessed to find some amazing families here in Chile. Darío and Samuel are brothers and their Mom is a member who was baptized when she was 14 but went inactive at the age of 16. The Dad is also super awesome as well!  They’re working on getting married... in the meantime we're going to baptize the kids. Their youngest brother is Miguel and he's awesome as well and wants to get baptized but he's only 6. La Familia Vegas is truly an amazing family! They always give us food, and it's literally just like La Familia Tapia and La Familia Cordova from my last 2 sectors! These kids remind me a ton of Preston and Adin... Samuel is JUST LIKE PRESTON. It makes me laugh. They love seeing pictures of you guys and they want to meet all of you when we come back to visit! 

Javier has been an investigator since the time I was with Elder Johnson! He's finally getting baptized! I am way pumped for him!

That's about all for this week. I don't have pics because there's a virus in my memory card. I'll get some to you next week. Yesterday was Feriado so all the Internet Cafes were closed, that's why I'm writing to you today! Cambios are this weekend! It will probably be my last ward! 

Love you all a ton! The Fort Collins temple looks beautiful! Can't wait to go with you guys! 

Elder Weaver 

Week 83...Nueva Presidente, Nueva Mision

August 8, 2016

Nuevo Presidente, Nueva Misión!

How be you,

Another week has come and gone! Unreal how fast time flies on the mission! I'm glad that you guys didn't get too trunky with the news on when I'll be coming home. I'm definitely not thinking too much on it. I honestly feel like that day will never come, and after un consejo de guerra that we had on Friday it just got me pumped to keep giving it my all! I love these Chilenos too much to give anything less than my best! 

So, in the consejo de guerra Presidente bajó la caña, basically he said that while our mission is one of the smallest missions in the world, he still plans on doing things the way that every other mission does things. This means that I will no longer be giving a 1-hour zone meeting every Wednesday after an hour and a half of district meeting classes. We'll just leave right after district meeting and start working. We'll be having zone meetings for 2-3 hours once a month on Tuesdays in the morning! The way we do transfers has also changed and we will never again have a mission conference where we all meet together as a mission! While I’m not excited about some of these changes, I know that we're going to receive a ton of blessings as a mission for being obedient with exactness! The month of August already looks like it's going to be our month of 100 baptisms and Presidente hasn't even done anything different. He's just doing what the apostles ask him to do! 

I've learned so much on the mission, and it's really hard to explain what happens daily, but if there's one thing that I've learned with personal progression and progression as a church, is that humility is required. If we're not humble we never realize where we need to improve and we never develop more Christ-like attributes. If we're not humble we can't possibly be consecrated, and if we're not consecrated in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints then the church never grows because no one gets paid... we act purely out of love and humility. I've really been trying to just love everyone I come in contact with and soak in every moment of the mission. This time is so precious. 

It's unreal to me how little the Chilenos care about the Olympics! They watch, but they really just do not care. Soccer is life here and even soccer in the Olympics is just not a big deal. Sounds like it's the same thing in Brazil from what Elder Waters told me... and it's in their own country! Needless to say the Olympics still get me pumped! I'll be cheering for Jared Ward on the 21st in the marathon! GO WARDY!!

We had an amazing lesson with Ernesto when we taught tithing and he literally accepted it whole heartily! It's amazing to see how Heavenly Father truly prepares people! I am honestly just the instrument in His hands! God does his work! 

Love this work, love this gospel, and love my Savior!

Elder Weaver 

Week 82...Trunky Papers Got Here, BUT I'm Far From Trunky

August 1, 2016

Trunky Papers Got Here, But I'm Far From Trunky

Aright, 

So this week was a lot better. It's amazing how after more than 18 months in the mission I still have no clue how to write my weekly emails. I honestly just have no time to really sit here and think about the week and what I want to tell you guys, so I just write... I apologize for writing so little or no informing you guys on every little (or big) thing that happens in the mission. Just know that I'm doing well and I'm beyond happy to still be preaching the best message in the whole wide world-- El Evangelio de Jesucristo! 

I had my first interview with the greenie mission Presidente this week! Lemme tell ya, this guy is one of the most loving people I've ever met. He's so understanding and you can just tell how much he really loves every single missionary. We'll see if that wears off in about 2 months more... For now, he's so loving and really just wants the missionaries to keep being great. I know that he'll be getting after us soon this Friday, cause we have our first consejo de guerra. The good news is that the zone de Cerrillos is in a much much better place. We're starting the month out with 10 fechas in the zone! 4 in our sector! 

President Woodward basically just asked me about my life and who I was before the mission... It's been a long time since I've talked to someone in English about who I was before the mish. He asked me about the family, and I just told him that I was born in the best family this world has ever seen. There's nothing better than being apart of the Weaver/Stewart clan. He also asked me about my mission and my comps. He then really sympathized for me and said that his mission was basically the same as mine.  It was a good interview; I know that Presidente Woodward was called by God to be our mission presidente! The Church is true, the book is blue. 

I had divisions with a few elders this week. After writing you guys last week, one of the elders from our zone saw me and started talking to me. His name is Elder Andersen and he was in the zone when I got here, and then got pulled out for a change, and now he's back in the zone again but in another sector. He's a great guy, and we're good friends. He asked me how I was and I told him I was stressed for the zone. He told me he was going to do all he could to help me out, but then he leaned over and told me that his parents are getting divorced and he's definitely going through a rough time, he asked if he could have divisions with me this week to take his mind off things... He has a year in the mission and it sounds like the news about his parents came out of nowhere. That really humbled me and put everything in perspective. The zone might be hard, but I know that I have an awesome family and that my parents are still together... I am so blessed. Elder Andersen is an awesome example to me! He came right out of high school and he talks about High school football and all the girls he dated… ALL DAY LONG. It's worse than talking to uncle Rico from Napoleon Dynamite. Makes me laugh. 

We had 7 investigators in the capilla and have 4 fechas with Javier, Darío, Ernesto, y Sonia. Darío is a kid from la familia Vegas Mora. This family is so amazing and the other son (Samuel) is going to get baptized as well... he just needs to go to church this next week. The mom is a member but she went inactive at 16 and she is with another guy (Carlos) who would also get baptized, but she needs to get divorced from her 1st husband and then get married with Carlos. Needless to say... it's a process. 

This week I got the papers that I never thought would get here.... yes, the infamous trunky papers. I know exactly when I will be home and I don't know if I should tell you guys. I did my last visa run today! I am now legal for a few more months here in Chile. It's crazy because I feel like I did my 1st visa run just yesterday in downtown Santiago, but it's been more than a year! 

Love you all a ton! I know this gospel is true! I know that Heavenly Father listens to our prayers, and I know that through the Atonement we can always improve and be better! This gospel is a gospel of being uncomfortable! Get out and baptize. 

Ladies and Gentlemen, Mia Weaver is my hero! Thanks for being awesome sis and standing up for the truth in camp Evangelico style! You rock! 

Love all ya'll, keep it real,

Elder Weaver  

Week 81...Learning To Love

July 25, 2016

Learning To Love

¿Cómo estáis mis queridos? 

Aight, so I'm doing well. Not going to lie, things aren’t improving much here in Cerrillos. I have never prayed nor worked so hard in my entire mission and it's unreal to see the lack of progress in this little Stake. All is well though, I have a healthy body, a great family, and awesome friends, gotta keep everything in perspective. 

I have no idea how, but we have 3 baptismal dates for August in our sector. The truth is that some investigators have come out of the wood works and it looks like we'll be baptizing quite a bit in August in our own sector. The same can't be said for the whole zone, but at least we can finally be the example for the zone if we start baptizing. Pray for Ernesto, Sonia, and Javier they all have their date set for the 13th of August. 

All of this has made me really analyze how important it is to be humble and loving always. I really have tried to find the way to deal with the problems I have in the mission by just loving and giving service. I can't do much if missionaries get out of bed late everyday and want to leave the pension late every morning and want to eat lunch with members for more than an hour everyday, but I can just keep setting the example and loving them. I've really learned to just keep calm and love everyone and magnify the good attributes that they have. 

This week we were teaching to a new family we found. La familia Bega and out of nowhere the Dad asked what commandments we have in the church and asked a little about chastity. We taught the law of chastity and I have never seen someone so interested in this commandment in my entire life. He was so excited about it and absolutely loved it! He wants his kids to live it

Presidente Woodward came to our ward on a surprise visit and we're not sure as to why but it was cool to see him there. It was even cooler that we had a good amount of investigators there to meet him. 

I am way jealous of the pics that you guys sent of high adventure! Wow, Colorado is so awesome. I love being Coloradan. Sounds like everyone's doing well! Grandma and Grandpa are working with the new temple in Fort Collins, and everyone's happy back at home! Enjoy the last part of summer! 

Big shout out to one of the best brothers the world could ever ask for... WATCH OUT PRESTON IS TURNING 17!!!! I'd sing Tim McGraw's song of 17 to ya but… I'm on the mish so I can't! Give it a play for me anyway on Wednesday! 

Love all of you guys! Life is good here in Chile! I Love the mission, I love my Savior, and I love this gospel

Elder Weaver

Week 80...Mental Tenacity

July 18, 2016

Mental Tenacity

What up,

Let's get to it. This week was good. We found a boatload of people to teach and we had some super powerful lessons that came out of the blue, it's awesome to feel the blessings that God gives us after you work and struggle for so long. Things are looking a little bit better in our sector and in the zone, but things are far from sublime. Cerrillos has been without a doubt my Gethsemane. 

Elder Suarez is a great guy, super funny, and he's also mature because he has 26 years. The problem is he doesn’t really like our area, Cerrillos is not Republica and he expects to be seeing the same success that he was seeing in the golden zone of the mission! As far as I'm concerned we are disciple of Jesus Christ and we won’t just throw in the towel and give up and look for an easier way. We were sent here to use our talents to try and help others come to Christ and help other missionaries accomplish their potential.

We had a lesson with La Familia Palacios this week and we basically had given up on trying to baptize Fanny (the mom that's not baptized), we showed the video that the church has on Dad's and our role as dads to Martin (the husband who is a recent convert) ... it really touched fanny and out of no where she's just like "oye, Weaver quiero que me bautice el 30 de este mes." The problem is that I’ve heard the same thing before and I said, "Fanny, no juegue con mi corazón." She laughed and explained that she was serious, but we'll see if she actually fulfills with her word. I hope so. 

Susan and la familia Alarcon are killing me! We talked again about the Atonement and about repenting because one day Christ will come and we gotta be ready for that day. I love Mosiah 27 and Alma 34 and Alma 5.  

Grandma let me know that ya'll bought a boat! WHAT THE FLIP KIP! What kind of boat is it? I want to use that puppy when I get home but I'll be coming home in the middle of winter! 

Preston you're a stud! Thanks for being a great example to Adin and always standing up for what is right! True Disciples of Christ... that's what my brothers (and sister) are! 

Glad you enjoyed your time in New York! Sure love you all a ton! Grandpa is as busy as ever with the Fort Collins temple it sounds like! I can't wait to do a session there when I get back! Its’ cool that Grandpa and Grandma are so involved with it! 

Loving the mission and working as hard as ever to bring this little Stake to greatness! The prayers are appreciated! You're all my heroes! 

ELDER WEAVER SIGNING OUT!