This Week We Found Wiliane

April 28, 2014

Dear Family & Friends,

The Report to President:

Esta semana nós encontramos Wiliane. Ela estava na Igreja ontem e quer ser batizada! Vamos ensinar ela a resta e convidar para a entrevista! Vamos visitar Deborah hoje. Eu amo meu companheiro. Ele é muito bom! Obrigado por tudo!

(Google Translation)

This week we found Wiliane. She was in church yesterday and wants to be baptized! We will teach her ​​the remaining discussions and invite to the interview! Deborah will visit today. I love my companion. He is very good! Thanks for everything!

Wiliane is amazing. She wants to be baptized so bad! And she is a good friend with our other recent convert Lorrainy.

Mother's Day here is Sunday the 11th. I don't know if it is celebrated different there? But that is when we're permitted to call. President hasn't returned my calls but I promise I will get an answer this week and tell you the next P-Day before Mother's Day! :)

I'm glad to hear you all were able to help out at the soup kitchen. Awwww. I'm sorry to hear about Allison's phone! That's okay those things can be replaced. I was thinking about Dad yesterday, too. Especially all of the support he received from Bishop Jackson and President Wilder. I look forward to the day when I can report to them again. We are blessed to have such inspired men as our leaders. Interestingly enough, I will return on the 5th of May. We don't know why all of these things happen, but it is ALWAYS for our good. And I can't wait till Dad and I can go camping again. Thanks for sending me that one hymn: "When Faith Endures". It helped me greatly. Here are the rest of the verses to "Love At Home" I found them by listening to "History of the Hymns" on the Mormon Channel:

Anger cools and pressures cease, When There's Love At Home

Children learn to live in peace, When There's Love At Home

Courage to reach out in grace, meet a stranger face to face

Find a reconciling place, When There's Love At Home

There's no question you can't ask, When There's Love At Home

There is strength for EVERY task, When There's Love At Home

Sharing joy in work or play, Confidence To Face The Day,

Knowing Love will find a way, When There's Love At Home

Jesus show they mercy mine, Then, There's Love At Home

Sweetly whisper 'I Am Thine' Then, There's Love At Home

Source Of Love, Thy Cheering Light, Far Exceeds The Sun, So Bright

Can Dispell The Gloom Of Night, Then, There's Love At Home

Pretty neat, isn't it? I'm glad to hear about your sacrament meeting. I had a pretty special one yesterday, too. We had our investigator, Wiliane, at church, which hasn't happened in a while. And Sister Silva gave a talk on service. I may have said this already, but she served a mission in Campinas, and was trained by my teacher in the MTC, Sister Tirrell. She shared an experience about when her companion served her. Afterward we sang, "Tal Como Um Facho" ("The Spirit of God" in Portuguese). But the title more literally translates to, "As a Pillar of Fire." I teared up and cried. And the closing hymn was, "Famílias Poderão Ser Eternas" or "Families Can Be Together Forever." I Love our ward. An Irmã joked saying, "Élder, are you going to die here?" Because 4 transfers is a long time to stick around in the same area, but I wouldn't mind dying in this Ward.

Please tell Aunt Sandi thank you for the Winnie The Pooh card she gave me :) I Love Our Family.

I'm sorry this isn't longer, too. I am Élder Weaver. I am a Son of God. I am a missionary in the Great Brasil Vitória Mission.

Love,

Your Son,

Élder Weaver

This Week Was Transfers and All Is Staying Put

April 21, 2014

Dear Family & Friends,

This week was transfers. All of us are staying put! This will be my fourth transfer here. I look forward to serving with Elders M. Silva, Nielsen, and Eliseu. Elder Nielsen has helped me a lot and we have become good friends. The area has a lot of work to do. We will clean up the Area Book this week. Michele and her family have a lot of potential right now. Rafael also loved the plan of Salvation and we'll teach him the message of the Restoration today. Elido still has fear but his big brother Luciano is helping him. Elder Johnson finishes his mission today. He was a great help to me as well. We will be getting new Zone Leaders and I will be sure to ask them about Google Hangout for Mother's Day.

The Lord helped me learn something this week. Just because I am here in Brazil, that does not mean I have to stop loving Kansas. I had learned to love the people there. And that perhaps is one reason why I was meant to come here. Because the Lord knew there was more room in my heart for the people here. I finally figured out now why The Doctor has two hearts. I promise. I will serve the people and love them every day I am here. I will work for them. And, hopefully, somewhere along the way their behavior will begin to make more sense to me. The Lord suffered not only for our sins and weaknesses, but also for our difficulties and for our personalities. He makes up for every flaw I have. And through Him, I can be made whole, meaningful again, and become my best. I came to Brazil to learn to trust in myself and in the Lord on a level that I have never yet experienced.

I am grateful to hear about Cathy. Keep it up! The gospel sounds much more convincing when it comes from a true friend. I am glad to hear you had a good Easter! I enjoyed the package and I loved everything. Easter here is celebrated starting on the Friday and continues till Sunday. And some stores may still be closed today. It's nice to live in a society that still somewhat recognizes The Lord's Day. The Catholic Church has influenced the culture a lot, but surprisingly, not many people are Catholics. Brasil is a lot like the US. The evangelical Baptist and other churches are more prevalent than Catholicism.

Did you know there are more verses to the hymn Love At Home? Next week I will write them all down for you. This song has become my favorite. I want to only let the language of love be spoken at my home. This language, I have learned transcends all English or Portuguese that we can muster.

You, my family, will always be engraved on the Title of Liberty of my heart. My patriarchal blessing says that I will be saved from the ravages of war. But for all other battles of the heart, mind, and soul, you will take part in the reason I still fight. Like Brother Brems I echo the words, "My Heavenly Father, has been SO good to me."

The Stronger The Wind, The Stronger The Trees.

Love, Your Son,

True and Faithful,

Élder Austin Earl Weaver

Short Letter This Week

April 15, 2014

Dear Family & Friends,

As you read above, Luciano received the Aaronic Priesthood yesterday. He asked me to give it to him :) I was honored. I'm pretty sure I didn't say it right, but God knows what I meant. It was good enough. "...and what we do in the church is Good Enough..." President Boyd K. Packer. 

Thank you for that quote from President Benson. Elder Arend told me that once when I was in Kansas, but he didn't remember who said it, and I had been looking for its author ever since. So, thank you!

Thank you for the package and the card. I will use the Flash Drive for Church music and talks. I loved the article about the two farmers...Farmers...like the ones in Kansas. 

They did the right thing not sharing the land.

Love,

Élder Weaver

The Mission President Report

April 15, 2014

The Mission President Report:

Obrigado por Super P-Day aqui em Serra na última semana. Foi muito divertido para assistir O Hobbit 1 & 2! Esta semana foi boa Luciano recebeu o sacerdócio Aarônico. Agora Vera e Patricia têm o mais potencial ser batizadas. Elido está tentando a ir à Igreja ainda. Sou grato que eu posso estar na maravilhosa Missão Brasil Vitória!

(Google Translation)

Thanks for Super P-Day here in Sierra last week. It was really fun to watch The Hobbit 1 & 2! This week was good Luciano received the Aaronic priesthood. Now Patricia and Vera have the most potential to be baptized. Elido are trying to go to church yet. I am grateful that I can be in the beautiful Mission Brazil Vitoria.

Elder Weaver

Conference Was Spectacular!

April 7, 2014

Dear Family & Friends,

Conference was spectacular! I watched some sessions in Portuguese, some in English, and some I missed because we were working. So, I will need to revisit a lot of it to understand completely, but what I watched I Loved. I Loved Elder Bednar's story about the truck and needing traction. I thought about Dad and you going back and forth about such decisions, haha. And he always illustrates principles so clearly using metaphors and such. I hope each of us can develop more spiritual traction. Yeah, I was thrilled when they sang "Lead, Kindly Light". Priesthood session was good; I believe President Monson talked about courage. That was one session that I had to watch in Portuguese, so...I'll get back to you on that, haha! :)

I too enjoyed President Uchtdorf's talk. My mission has been almost nothing but new beginnings and abrupt endings, and yet at the same time, things continue on. As Doctor Who once said, "Those we Love never leave us. Not really." Sorry, I had to. I'm wearing the Dr. Who shirt you gave me because we have a super P-Day today with the whole Zone. But speaking of being grateful, yes. That is something that has helped tremendously throughout my mission because of my various circumstances. I used to feel so angry that I could not remain in Kansas. But, I decided instead to offer prayers of gratitude thanking Heavenly Father that I was able to go there in the first place. Many missionaries go straight to Brazil and never are blessed with such opportunities. I can honestly say that I have served (or am serving) two missions. I will have 3 Mission Presidents! Not many can say that. You can take me out of Kansas, but Kansas will never quite be taken out of me. Here is something Elder Evans once shared with me during companionship study when I was having a bad day. I was wondering why the Lord had suffered me to come to Kansas and not go straight to Brazil. This is what he shared from:

Doctrine and Covenants 100:2-8

2 "Therefore, follow me, and listen to the counsel which I shall give unto you.

3 Behold, and lo, I have much people in this place, in the regions round about; and an effectual door shall be opened in the regions round about in this eastern land.

4 Therefore, I, the Lord, have suffered you to come unto this place; for thus it was expedient in me for the ^asalvation of souls.

5 Therefore, verily I say unto you, lift up your voices unto this people; ^aspeak the thoughts that I shall put into your hearts, and you shall not be ^bconfounded before men;

6 For it shall be ^agiven you in the very hour, yea, in the very moment, what ye shall say.

 7 But a commandment I give unto you, that ye shall declare whatsoever thing ye ^adeclare in my name, in solemnity of heart, in the spirit of meekness, in all things.

8 And I give unto you this promise, that inasmuch as ye do this the ^{aHoly Ghost} shall be shed forth in bearing record unto all things whatsoever ye shall say."

I felt as though I was doing no good there, but then the Lord showed me this scripture through His servant, my companion, and I realized that what I did may not have added up to many Key Indicators, but I was opening up an effectual door in those eastern lands. Many missionaries say that in order to have a full broken heart and contrite spirit the Lord does things back home to break our hearts. For instance, most missionaries have girlfriends that break up with them and marry other returned missionaries instead of them. This breaks their hearts. Well, I don't have a girlfriend, so, I guess the Lord saw fit to break my heart another way. Once I had sacrificed everything and given my whole (yet imperfect, and clumsy) heart to the people of Kansas, the Lord pulled me from it. What ever remained of my heart was completely shattered when I got here. Maybe I would not be fully consecrated if this did not happen. The Lord wants to see how far I am really willing to go for Him. But I am grateful for everything the Lord has seen fit to do for me. The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away. For every purpose under heaven there is a time and a season. A time for joy and a time for misery.  A time for Kansas and a time for Brazil. I don't know if I can have joy the remainder of my mission. But I will serve well. I promise. Whatever happens, I need to try to pay the Lord back for sending me to Kansas. I will live every day in gratitude for what He has done. I may not understand everything, I may not speak anything right, but I will do whatever my weak self can as long as I am in this place the people call "Brasil".

Another newsflash. Elder Alexandrino, my "dad" here was Emergency Transferred this week. He traded places with and Elder M. Silva who is my new companion. He was a Zone Leader in Linhares, and now he is our District Leader. I am gratefully for every change.

Love,

Your Son,

Élder Weaver

Letter To The President

April 7, 2014

  

The Report (Brief):

Esta semana foi boa! Eu tenho saudade de Élder Alexandrino, mas eu vou continuar. Elido não estava na Igreja por causa do trabalho, mas ele quer ser batizado ainda. Ele foi entrevistado e vamos marcar por o mais próximo Sábado.

(Google Translation)

This week was good! I miss Elder Alexandrian, but I'll continue. Elido was not in the church because of work, but he still wants to be baptized. He was interviewed and we'll schedule him by the next closest Saturday.

Elder Weaver