Transfers Was This Week, But Everyone Stayed!!!

December 15, 2014

Dear Family & Friends,

Mission President Letter:

Dayene, Dayara, Chayene, Shayara, Isabela, e Joacim estavam na Igreja!!! Joacim vai ser batizado esse Domingo e nós vamos convidar Iago ser batizado esse Domingo também! Eu amo ver os filhos de Pai Celestial arrependendo para ser batizados. Nós estamos muitos animados para batizar essa transferência!

Goggle Translation:

Dayene, Dayara, Chayene, Shayara, Isabela, and Joacim were in the Church! Joacim will be baptized this Sunday and we will invite Iago to be baptized this Sunday too! I love to see Heavenly Father's children to be baptized and repenting. We are very excited to baptize this transfer!

So, Transfers was this week, but everyone stayed!!! I get to train still. And Elder Bean is a great District Leader.

Yay! I Love That Movie!!! I got a letter from the Potts! Please thank them for me! I need to reply today to them. And I am glad you got to join in the rescue. We are all dear to the heart of The Shepherd.

This Sunday the Elders Quorum President asked what Christmas traditions we had to remember the Savior, and I talked about how my mother always put Nativities throughout the house and Dad would read the passage in Luke about The Birth.

What a wonderful opportunity you had to juxtapose two very different Christmas events. How bright is the contrast between a work Christmas party and a Christmas Activity of the Church! We also had a Zone Christmas Party, which was awesome. I got sunburned! hahaha playing volleyball. We watched an adorable video of these Brazilian children re-enacting the nativity story. I'll have to send you the link.

Also, Pedro and Gisele held their Wedding Reception at the Church. There was a huge turnout. People from out of state came including her parents. And I even got to speak English with some dude from England. We took pictures, which are on her camera so; I'll forward them as soon as I can. Everything was perfect! I didn't get to sing like they wanted because the microphone wasn't working...saved by the bell! Haha. But seriously it was awesome! Gisele told me in 1 year they will go to the temple to be sealed as a family. They invited me to attend if at all possible. I Love fading into the background to notice how the gospel transforms people's lives. We really did nothing. We just invited. They were the ones who made the changes and it was The Savior who atoned for them.

Hahaha, oh Dad. I'm glad you guys got a visit from a Seventy! Yeah, Sundays offer a different sort of work than the rest of the week.

You got it! I'll try and shop for a Presépio today!

As for now the plan is to spend Christmas at Acassio's. We will probably Skype from there after lunch about 2 a clock our time, but I am not sure. Is it possible for Ashley and I to speak with each other? If you know her schedule please let me know! :)

Thank you for your kind words.  I am just trying to do The Will of The Lord.

I am not sure what will happen, but I hope you know that whatever happens, my only desire in all of these things I've done has been to bring honor to My Heavenly Father, second to my family, and then to the Stake which I represent which is the Salem, Oregon Stake.

Merry Christmas,

Love,

Élder Weaver

We Had A Uplifting Zone Meeting

July 28, 2014

Beautiful Colatina (pronounced Koh-la-Tcheena)

The Mission President Report

Nós tivemos uma Reunião de Zona muita edificante. Nossa semana foi boa. Encontramos alguns novos e ensinamos nosso Recem-Converso a 1a Lição de novo. Vamos continuar a fazer nosso melhor.

(Google Translation)

We had a lot of uplifting Zone Meeting. Our week was good. We found some new and teach our new convert first lesson again. We will continue to do our best.

This is the District/Half the Zone
and the Assistants

Dear Family & Friends,

Hahaha! I'll look the word up now because you said that. Cobblestone's the best! I do miss the ocean, but the river and mountains are pretty sweet!

We are going to make District T-Shirts with a cartoon of the mountains and river making the baptism symbol. I'll send pictures when we make them. The pictures are sweet!!! Thanks so much for sending them.

Mom, your hair is so...happenin'! I like Dad's selfies, too. The set-up in the den looks legendary, I'm not gonna lie. And the random picture of Allison's foot was hilarious. What did Christopher do to his hand? Haha, hope he's alright.

Congrats to Ashley!!! That's such a neat responsibility. She will be a great Senior missionary!

I got the package with the chocolate covered cinnamon bears and my jacket. Thank you so much! It came in handy when it rained a little the other day.

YES MOM! Fetch all of the music you can from the Library. Don't let the man keep you down. Hahahaha.

I'm glad to hear about Chris's visit. Y'all gave him some good advice. He is a stellar chap and only deserves the best. I hope everything works out the way The Lord wants it, too. The longer I have spent on my mission, and the more talks I have read, the more excited and anxious I am to continue on the Weaver legacy with a family I help create.

I'm glad to hear everyone was able to partake of the Sacrament safely without overhead problems. Our branch meets at 9 until 12 o clock. At first it was weird. But one thing I like about it is how people are generally more reverent for the administration of the Lord's emblems due to the fact that they just came from two other meetings and have already got their socializing and "wiggles" out.

I'm glad you were able to visit Paula. Sometimes people make baptism more complicated than this simply beautiful ordinance is. You need faith. After that you have to repent. And these two simple, yet often difficult steps will qualify you for Baptism. And Baptism qualifies you for the Gift of the Holy Ghost. Which truly is a gift. And then comes the Enduring to the End part. Paula will see it one day, soon.

I am so sad for Dad! I hope he gets better. And if he needs anything, let me know. I can't really do much for him, being here on the other side of the hemisphere, but tell him I Love Him. If he were in Brasil the people would say, "Eat a banana!" That's their solution for everything, hahaha.

Yeah, he sure is. To which email from Jake are you referring?

I finished Jesus The Christ today. Thank you for your comments. They reminded me a lot of what Elder Talmage said. We are redeemed. Elder Bednar also said that the Atonement has a redeeming power (which saves us from sin) and an enabling power (that helps us become better than we are and achieve our fondest dreams). One of my favorite publications of the Lord's church says, "Ask Heavenly Father what you can do for Him."

I know this is short, but I hope my email appears "bigger on the inside" and that throughout the week you can be assured that I am fine.

I Love You,

Élder Weaver

This is Elder McKnight from
my MTC District!  I got to see
him at our half Zone Meeting.
He is a great guy.

This Week Was Way Cray!

July 7, 2014

The Mission President Report:

Esta semana Deborah (um recem-converso) trouxe o irmão dela (Douglass) para a Igreja! A namorada dele Tatiana estava lá também. Vamos focalizar em encontrar essa semana. Eu sou muito grato pelo tempo que eu podia servir aqui! Eu estou ansioso para trabalhar em minha nova área também!

(Google Translation)

This week Deborah (a new convert) brought her brother (Douglass) to the Church! His girlfriend Tatiana was there too. Let's focus on finding this week. I am very grateful for the time I could serve here! I'm looking forward to working in my new area too!

Dear Family & Friends,

This week was way cray! I bore my testimony at Church and cried a little bit. Irmão Umberto talked about how it doesn't always matter what I say because people here can understand what I mean by the way I talk. That made me feel really good. Irmão Isaaque also talked about missionaries in his testimony. He said whenever he is having a bad day, he always feels better by being around the missionaries.

And yes, I got a call last night that I will be transferred on Wednesday! I think I was the only one to get transferred from the District this transfer. I Love the Ala Jardim Limoeiro and I have truly grown and learned a lot here. But I am also excited for this new opportunity to serve the Lord.

I'm glad your fourth of July was great! Mine was...different, but great too. It was strange singing the Brasilian national anthem on the fourth of July, but I still Love where I came from. Yeah I think Brasil's Independence Day is the 7th of September or something like that.

Of course I will pray for Josh. Our family will grow stronger and closer because of his experiences.

Hahaha. Yeah, when I come home I'm pretty sure I'll feel like I'm in the future. There's a lot of technology here, but it's really expensive and not everyone has it. Most people have smart phones by LG but iPhones are very expensive here. A lot of technology is imported as well. But they have just about everything here; you just have to know where to find it.

YES! I'm excited to share in all of this with Dad and y'all!

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO WAAAAAAAAAAAYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY! Even though I wasn't an official set-apart full-time missionary at the time, I consider him one of my first investigators. I AM SO HAPPY FOR OLPHA! I remember when Elder Keller texted me that he got baptized. I cried. I didn't think I did much to help Olpha. I even wondered if he remembered me. Thank you and Brad for sharing that with me. No effort is ever wasted.

If you can make the trip to Utah, that would be way fun. I know we all thought of her going to Idaho, but it might not be a bad idea to present the idea of studying at BYU Provo to her. Her personality and talents may actually be better suited for that big place. I'm not sure. But I think it would be worth submitting to her.

HAHAHA! Classic Christopher! :) Seize the day, *you know what I'm sayin'*! That would be sweet! Because my son from Kansas grew up in Dallas, Oregon! His name is Charles Johnson. I don't know, but maybe this young lady knows him!

Grandpa would love that. Fishing is something I hope to get into when I get home. I Love OREGON! I hope you all know how much our move means to me.

I Love Alma 5 and 7! Last night at a Book of Mormon reading with some recent-converts we read Almas 23 and 24 about the Anti-Nephi-Lehis. They are heroes.

Thank you for everything!

This week we also had another Zone Conference and I got to meet President and Sister Young!!! She doesn't speak much Portuguese but her talk was so spiritual. And the President loves us. You can tell. He asked me a lot of questions about my family :) to which I happily replied. He told me his story was similar to mine. He did not get his Visa for São Paulo and served in California for about the same time as me, I think. I also got to see Elder Cervantes and my friends again. I even made some new ones.

Things will certainly improve.

I Love How The Lord Answers Our Prayers,

Your Son, and Fellow Servant,

Élder Weaver

We Had A Baptism!

June 16, 2014

The Mission President Report:

Cleiton foi batizado!!! Ele tinha apoio do Presidente dos Rapazes e outros membros la também. Vamos continuar ensinando Sarah, Melissa, e Samuel. E nós vamos continuar encontrando novas pessoas a ensinar e batizar.

(Google Translation)

Cleiton was baptized! He had support from the President of the Boys and other members of her too. We will continue teaching Sarah, Melissa, and Samuel. And we will continue to find new people to teach and baptize.

Dear Family & Friends,

WE HAD A BAPTISM!!! Cleiton! I'll try and get the pictures from my companion. He has a lot I need to send to you.

President only mandated that we stay inside on the days of the games where Brasil is competing. We had our first game on Thursday...you should have seen it. It was nutz!! People were launching off fireworks after every goal (Brasil only had 3). We stayed inside all day that day. The rule was we had to be home 2 hours before the game and stay in until the end of the night. We all dressed up in our Brasil stuff and ate junk food. It was very fun! :) Our next game is tomorrow...MOM'S BIRTHDAY!!!...the 17th of June... ;) No, I didn't forget. 2 P-Days this week! :) Mom, tomorrow all of Brasil will celebrate your birthday with you :)

We also had a wonderful Zone Conference this Wednesday, and I got to see Elder Cervantes!!! He had 10 Baptisms this transfer! We were talking all about it. He is serving in Vila Velha right now...it's one of the Zones closest to ours. We talked for like 2 hours it was great! After the conference there's usually food and Soccer and Volleyball and other sports. It was also way fun! I also talked for a while with Elder Bybee. He is the best friend of Elder Holbrook, my trainer from Kansas. We swapped stories about all of the crazy things he has done!

I don't think he served a mission there, but he was an Area Seventy over South America for a while and so I believe he spent a lot of time in Brasil. I think he also oversaw the translation of the LDS version of The Holy Bible in Spanish, but I could be wrong on that one.

Jake's email address is: jacob.theriault@myldsmail.net

Wait, I thought this was your 29th Birthday...you must have done the math wrong! :)

Yes, I can certainly give you a shirt. My companion's Mom got me one, which will probably fit you. (Yes, I'll send her a thank you letter.)

Transfers are the 8th of July, but President leaves the 27th. President Araújo is from Fortaleza. I think this last Zone Conference was his party. His final remarks were, "Elders and Sisters I'm going to talk about something I always talk about with you: Baptism. The thing is this:...ah-uh.ahh......just baptize everyone! And if your new President gets here and says you shouldn't do that...just remember: I was never here!" He always had a sense of humor. I'll have to show you my imitation of him when I get home. He was pretty hilarious!

I am glad Nani got to see her friends!!! Hey do the Conover’s have any kids in Brasil? My mission? I thought I saw a missionary who looked like a Conover, but I could be mistaken...that's good you guys got to reunite. I am also glad to hear it felt strange being guests. I am so glad we live in Salem now. I tell everyone I am from Oregon, because THAT is my home. In Brasil they think it's weird because to them you are "from" where you were born and you can never change that, but in the US we have the privilege of reinventing ourselves. Salem is the place for our family right now.

I am glad to hear Dad got to do what He wanted. I am also glad we live in a country with that right. Here, it is against the law for citizens to bear arms. Bishop is a good pal. I hope he is continuing to bless the ward.

Yes, and remember the words of the Savior when He said that blessed are we when we are persecuted for His name's sake. I know how you feel.

Mom, I had a lady in Kansas tell me that Elder Evans and I are going straight to Hell. While in the very moment we each felt the Spirit testify to us that if we stay our current course, we would enter the Celestial Kingdom. Here, too, in Brasil we have been anointed with persecution. I will share with you the favorite scripture of my professor, Brother Rosemore from the MTC:

1 Nephi 19:9  And the world, because of their iniquity, shall judge him to be a thing of naught; wherefore they scourge him, and he suffereth it; and they smite him, and he suffereth it. Yea, they spit upon him, and he suffereth it, because of his loving kindness and his long-suffering towards the children of men.

I LOVE THIS SCRIPTURE! Jesus Christ. HE is our perfect example in all things. I am so glad to as President Monson says, "Dare To Be a MORMON!" I love and admire all of you, so much! :)

Okay, I'll let you know when I get the package! Those are words of wisdom! :) Thank you for your thoughts. I will certainly, "GET REGULAR" this week! :)

Mom, You are an angel. And though we cannot embrace right now, I hope you feel my presence with you. WE, all of us, have been sealed in a family relationship that cannot be broken. Only through our own negligence or direct disobedience is that possible. But, I trust that as we continue keeping our covenants we will be together forever. God Always Makes Good On The Promises He Makes.

You and Dad were OUR missionaries. We learned the gospel from You. And You Invited Us To Be Baptized By Proper Priesthood Authority! :)

You Deserve Your Best Birthday Yet! :D

With all of the love in Kansas, Brasil, and the rest of the Universe,

Your Son,

Élder Weaver

We Had A Sweet Opportunity To Hear From Apostles Yesterday!

June 9, 2014

Dear Family & Friends,

Presidents Report

Nós tivemos Sarah, Cleyton, e Samuel na Igreja! Eles gostaram, particularmente o discurso de Élder Richard G. Scott sobre a oração. Agora Cleyton e Samuel têm uma data pelo batismo por este Sábado. E vamos convidar Sarah hoje se ela estiver em casa. 

(Google Translation)

We had Sarah, Cleyton, and Samuel Church! They liked it, particularly the speech of Elder Richard G. Scott of prayer. Now Cleyton and Samuel have a date for the baptism by this Saturday. And today we'll invite Sarah if she is at home.

We had a sweet opportunity to hear from Apostles yesterday! 71 Stakes in the Rio and São Paulo areas received a transmission from Salt Lake where we heard Elder Claudio Costa (and some other whose name I can't pronounce) from the 70. Elder Soares, also of Brasil and the Presidency of the Seventy spoke. Carole M. Stephens gave a talk there as well. Elder Richard G. Scott gave his talk in Portuguese!!! It was way sweet, he pronounced some things with a hispanic accent, but for the most part you could understand him. After Elder Scott, Elder M. Russell Ballard spoke to us (his talk was interpreted). It was great to hear from all of them.

Yeah that's the closest one, but we've been having more people show up which is a blessing! Hahaha, if you can you should send me Dad's picture. That sounds pretty sweet! Sister Harris, my 80-year-old investigator from Kansas sent me a sweet card the other day. I'll have to send it to you to read. (But warning she writes very...much like me). Yes! I hear from Jake all of the time. I'll have to send you one of his emails it was hilarious as you can imagine. 

Yeah...Weaver Movie Marathons FOR DAYSSS!!!!!

What I was told by President Bell in Kansas was that after 6 months you could choose to stay in the US or go to Brasil if your Visa ever did arrive. I don't know if you can be "re-assigned" to another mission in the US or not. I suppose it's possible, but my friend Sister McDaniel chose to stay in the US and eventually her Visa did arrive, but she had received a spiritual confirmation that her mission was Kansas now, so she stayed there.

Yeah, she'll come around. And I'll certainly pray for her. You can say Hi to the Elders there for me too if you like! :)

When I read that vile name of the educational establishment, I was hoping to discover that you would report on the school burning down or something...but I suppose a new principal is the next best thing, if it must still exist for a little while longer until the Lord claims this Earth in his glory and casts down everything unclean, impure, and unholy under which category that place will certainly find itself.

Way to go Daniel!

I heard about that book, our Zone Leaders in Kansas were approved to read it. I heard it's way sweet! It's by Elder Christiansen, right?!

Thank You For Your Thoughts. Pray for your Marius.....I mean Elder Weaver....(sorry, my District Leader and I have been singing Les Mis lately), He Prays for You.

World Cup is going to be totes cray this week. President has mandated that we all stay inside during the days that Brasil will play...as in ALL day. But he approved missionaries to watch it if they stay inside...a member brought us a TV because they thought it was that important...hahahahaha. Brasil is addicted to soccer.

I L O V E YOU!

Elder Weaver

MOM...if I can't email on Monday it will be because of the World Cup. But I want to wish You THE BEST BIRTHDAY EVER! You deserve it. And I'm sorry I don't have more to give you, but I promise I will live worthy to be called your missionary son! :)