We Had A Great Week! Andreia & Rebeca Were Baptized!

November 3, 2014

Dear Family, (The Most Important Social Unit) and Friends,

Mission President Letter

Tivemos uma ótima semana! Andréia e Rebeca foram batizadas!!! (Aquele da Cervada) Elas têm respostas bem fortes do Evangelho. Essa semana eu vou trazer mais membros lá para integrar eles na Ala Cariacica. Foi um privilegio ter você e Sister Young lá! Esse sábado nós temos duas datas marcadas por Wilmax e Gezieu. Vamos trabalhar bem para realizar essas metas juntos com a ala.

Google Translation

We had a great week! Andreia and Rebecca were baptized !!! (That's Cervada) They have very strong responses to the Gospel. This week I'll bring more members to join them there in Ala Cariacica. It was a privilege to have you and Sister Young there! This Saturday we have two dates scheduled for Wilmax and Gezieu. We will work well together to accomplish these goals with the wing.

Thank You so much! I will get it all in ASAP! I was very pleased with the visit I had with President Young.

I am emailing from 10:30 our time. I am not sure how many hours separate us now. It's summer now, or will be soon they say.

Wow! I didn't know that Marisa got called to Boston! That's crazy! Everyone here has family in Boston. It's ridiculous. It makes no sense.

I am glad Halloween was swell for y'all! Halloween is also Elder Cervantes' Birthday!

Andréia and Rebeca

As you may have read, we had a baptism!!! Andréia and Rebeca! I took pictures this time and I'll send them in. They are really special. Andréia is the mom and Rebeca is her 8-year-old daughter. She is so great! When she learned about the Word of Wisdom she stopped drinking coffee immediately and started drinking Cervada (it's this substitute made of corn or wheat or something that many members drink here). She came to Church twice. We invited her to be baptized on Saturday during the first visit and she accepted! She loved the story of a boy with sincere questions who received answers and identified much with him. She has gone through hard times like all of us, but she has always sought Jesus Christ. She had always seen missionaries passing by her home (because it lies on the way to church) and she wanted to know what they do, but never asked. Elder Branco (my buddy from Colatina, last companion, and current Zone Leader) did an exchange with us one day and he decided to talk to her and Rebecca when we passed by their house. Her Facebook page is filled with posts from the church website and she watches conference talks after work. She also tells everyone at her work about her baptism and the church. She read parts of The Book of Mormon that we didn't even assign to her. She wants to be a Visiting Teacher soon. And she thinks it would be neat if Rebeca decides to serve a mission one day.

In other news Gisele and Pedro (my two friends who will marry soon in order to be baptized) moved to Marcilho. We helped with the move. It was a sad day for me, but I think it will be for the best. The ward there has more youth which will be a good support for my 3 recent converts Rafaela, Gabriel, and Laura.

Haha, that's good to know about Cathy and Nani! I'll come to them when my wife wants to decorate the house for the holidays.

That sounds like a wonderful activity! For Young Women in excellence, we did something similar with our District in the MTC. We found out much about one another, and grew to trust each other from this activity.  I like it when Dad shares that testimony. I am always reminded of the song "I Fall Asleep Counting My Blessings (Instead of Sheep)" from White Christmas. In Kansas, Sister Bell gave each of us a gratitude tablet (a notebook) and each day we write 3 things we are grateful for. I still use it, and reflect on it from time to time.

Thank you for that story. I have always been touched by that story. We watched it in the MTC. A video where President Hinkley recounts the tale, I would like a picture of that crossing in my home, one day, when I have a home of my own.

I Love You All So Much! I am anxiously awaiting the work we will do together for those on this side of the veil and on the other. This side of The Sweetwater Crossing and on the other. We will save ourselves with all our dead. And we cannot stop, until the work is done.

I will get everything in, I Promise.

The Savior Already Suffered The Atonement. He will never condemn us for coming to him. As Sister Bell once put it, he will say, "Thank You for coming to ME for help, and not some other source."

May we ever come to Him is my plea, prayer, and invitation,

For All Of Us,

Love, Your Sweetwater Son,

Élder Weaver

Conference Weekend Was Inspiring!

October 7, 2014

Mission President Letter

Essa semana foi ótima! Tivemos Isabela, Gezieu, Gabriel, Rafaela, Laura, Gisele, Sérgio, and Vanilda na Conferência Geral. Isabela mora na Colatina, e eu vou passar o nome dela hoje para os secretários. Vou continuar trabalhar. Eu tenho que fazer a vontade do Senhor.

Google Translation

This week was great! We had Isabela, Gezieu, Gabriel, Rafaela, Laura, Gisele, Sergio, and Vanilda at General Conference. Isabela lives in Colac, and I will pass her name today to the Secretaries. I will continue to work. I have to do the Lord's will.

Dear Family & Friends,

Conference weekend was inspiring. I had the privilege of seeing my good friend Elder Capawana from my MTC District. The talks were very inspired. I didn't make all of the sessions because I had to find people to bring, but of the ones I saw, I enjoyed. I couldn't watch in English this time, but that's okay, I felt the Spirit still and understood most everything I heard.  I cannot care about what other people will think of me (not even those whom I Love, my family), or how they will take it or if they will understand...I can only do the Will of the Lord.  No matter what happens, just know that is what I will do. I too liked Elder Nelson's emphasis on the sustaining of Church leaders. Haha, Brigham Young said that music is a gift from The Lord. It doesn't make sense to me that Heaven would exist without music.

Today, was something special. The mother of those 3 children who got baptized, Gisele, entered the Courthouse with Pedro (the Dad) to begin their marriage process! My companion (Elder Ferreira) was Pedro's witness. Elizabeth (Gisele's best friend) was her witness. Elizabeth is dating a man from England and speaks English fluently with him. She lives in Vila Velha and will be receiving visits from the missionaries shortly.

Elder Godoy's talk was very funny! Everyone laughed when he shared the story about how he had a job interview and it came down to him and 3 other people. "Yeah, the other 2 are children of very important people." Then he replied, "Oh, ok. But I'm a child of GOD!" Hahahahahaha. Everyone had a hoot and a half over that one.

The session with Elder Bednar was also the one where most of my investigators showed up. He spoke directly to them. It was great!

Something that I think will unify our family, and already has, is Family History. I never got genealogy before my mission, but everything makes clearer sense now. We need them. And they need us. And we all need Heavenly Father. I look forward to redeeming our dead when I get home, and in the meantime, I know that a diligent family treasure hunt would invite the Spirit greatly into the Weaver home in Salem, Oregon.

How's Josh? I hope all is well. And if not, it will be, soon.

I prayed for him this week.

I had a good visit  with my Mission President this week as well.

Things that didn't make much sense before are being brought to light. My mind is clear. My heart is afraid, but, "...I know in whom I have trusted." 2 Nephi 4:17-19

Love,

Élder Weaver

Rafaela, Gabriel, and Laura Were Baptized!!!

September 29, 2014

Mission President Letter

Rafaela, Gabriel, e Laura foram batizados!!! Eles vão ser confirmados no Domingo que vem! Os pais deles choraram e eles vão ser batizados também depois o casamento deles no cartório, provavelmente essa mês. Eu sou bem animado pelo Conferência Geral essa semana. Eu vou procurar respostas a algumas perguntas específicas. Também nós ensinamos Eviraldo que tem muito potencial a ser batizado. Vamos procurar novos também. Eu sou muito grato para servir O Senhor mais uma transferência aqui em Cariacica com Elderes Ferreira, R. Silva, e Mortensen.

Google Translation

Rafaela, Gabriel, and Laura were baptized!!! They will be confirmed in next Sunday! Their parents wept and they will also be baptized after their marriage at the registry office, probably this month. I'm pretty excited for General Conference this week. I will seek answers to some specific questions. Also we teach Eviraldo that has much potential to be baptized. Let's also look new. I am very grateful to serve the Lord here in another transfer Cariacica with elders Ferreira, R. Silva, and Mortensen.

Dear Family & Friends,

No, that is Vila Velha, we were just there for the day. Awe thanks, Mom. I bought that shirt at Goodwill for 5 bucks! Steal! I ate a duck egg this week...just thought I would share that with you all. I, too, am excited for this General Conference. I will ask the Lord for some specific answers this time around. That was something Elder Evans taught me in Kansas. It helps a lot. Give it a whirl if you haven't yet!

Thank you so much!!! I would really love Deodorant and Contact solution. I would also like to see all of you on Skype and an acceptance letter from BYU would be nice, but if that all doesn't fit in the box, I understand ;)

Sure, you can go ahead and sign them.  I did, thanks, they helped a lot! :) Yeah, that makes more sense now, because the only option available for application was Winter 2015 which...is not possible, haha. So I'll get as much ready as I can now, but some things will probably not be able to start until October 15th, but I will mark on my calendar and start on those as soon as they are available! :)

That's interesting about the movie.

I will continue praying for Josh. I hope he gets what he needs. And I hope we all draw closer to Heavenly Father and each other as a result of this trial. Whatever Jessica decides to do, I support her. I used to think that when some missionaries go home it is because they are "wimping out". That is not always the case. And I do not want anyone to say that of Jessica if she prays about it and a determination is made for her to come home. She has my complete Love, admiration, and support. As does the whole Pukahi family. Actually, funny enough, the Irmã who fed me the Duck egg this week looked a lot like Jessica.

Little BRUTTTTTHHHHHERRRRR!!!!!!!!!! I sure hope so! I wuvvv that wittle guy!!!

The October 2013 General Conference I felt was written just for me. One talk called "Like A Broken Vessel" might provide insight and focus regarding the current struggles Annette and others in our family are having. Whatever happens, I want you all to know, I Love You. I do not think there is any title more honorable than "Father" or "Mother" and you two earn that right. Of all the names God asks us to use for Him, I think one of His Favorites is "Father." Perhaps the poet, prophetess Eliza R. Snow put it best:

"When I leave this frail existence,

When I lay this mortal by,

Father, Mother, may I meet you

In your royal courts on high?

Then, at length, when I've completed

All you sent me forth to do,

With your mutual approbation

Let me come and dwell with you."

No matter what happens, I feel like the most blessed son in the world. I was reading about The Atonement today. Gethsemane gives us such a good example of what The Best Son would do and Has Done. I hope to be like Him one day, and be able to say, "Not my will, but Thine be done!"

May The Good Lord Bless And Keep You,

Pay Attention to the Words of Our Prophet This Week,

I Am With You,

Élder Weaver

On the Bus

Shopping on P-Day (Selfies)