Week 23: Transfers!! 10/10/2022

Hola a todos! Como estan? I hope this email finds you all safe and happy back home!!

Well as you could see by the title, we had our transfers! I got transferred to a place called Aimogasta which is 3 and a half hours away from my last area! So I am now 8 hours away from Córdoba! 

I am also a trainer! My new companion is Elder Porter who is from Arizona! He has one transfers out here, so I am finishing his training for him this transfer. He is a really good missionary! He has a big heart, he cares about the work and he cares about practicing his Spanish, so his Spanish is crazy now!

We have gotten along with each other pretty well! He has a lot of the same hobbies as I do so yes, we have been talking about hunting a lot haha!

It was hard to say goodbye to everybody in Catamarca! I shared my testimony to the ward yesterday and I cried like a baby! I took a lot of pictures with them and they made me promise them that I will invite them to my wedding when I get married haha!

It was hard saying goodbye to Elder Alvarenga! He was such a great companion, he loves his Savior and he wants everybody to know it! With that being said we are still in the same zone so when we have zone conference I will get to see him again!

But I ended things in Catamarca in a great way! We baptized 2 girls on Saturday and it went so well! They had a wonderful experience and were very happy with their decision!! That is the greatest part of the work! When you help these people start their lives on the covenant path, back to their Heavenly Father!

Well I love you all! I want you all to know that you can contact me when you need some help. I have been called to serve the people of Argentina, but I am also here to serve you!!

Have a wonderful week!

Love your favorite missionary,

Elder Weese 

Week 22: One More Week Left in the Transfer!! 10/3/2022

¡Hola a todos! ¿Cómo están? Espero que ustedes estén muy bien!!

Well the weeks keep flying by like usual for me out here! What did you all think of General Conference, it was so good!! I took so many notes my wrist hurts haha!

I love the focus on testimonies! A testimony is so vital to have! It helps you through the hardest times, it helps you have so much peace! I learn so much as the adversary is trying to get at me, that I must hang on to my testimony. I want you all to do the same when the times are hard, even if you have a very small testimony because as we all know, ¨by small and simple things are great things brought to pass¨

Well like I said in the title, this is the last week of the transfer! I honestly have no idea what will happen! I have been in Catamarca for 3 transfers now, I really don't want to leave this place at all haha! But the chances are very high, but at the same time I have no idea so I will hold on to that little bit of hope for another week!!

I want to share something that is always on my mind haha because if you know me, I always have things on my mind! I want you all to know that the Lord understands your efforts, He says that you are trying. He judges by your works yes, but more importantly He judges by the desires of your heart. Many times I feel like I am off the path, sometimes so far off that I have no hope. But I know that the Lord understands my efforts and He knows that I am always trying to do the right thing. I hope you all can understand that the same thing applies to you! Life is hard, it is full of setbacks, mistakes we make, and a lot of sadness. But the Lord can see your heart, He can see that you are trying so my goodness give yourselves a break and realize that the Lord is on YOUR side! Like Elder Bednar said, ¨The Lord does not have a list of favorites¨

I promise you that He loves you and as you come unto the Savior, you will be able to see that love. Please email me if you don't feel that way, and I will help you! I love ya´ll so much!!

Elder Weese

P.S- We had a lotta rain hahahah

In the picture with the guy in the black shirt, I was very sad hahah. He is moving to another part of Argentina so I had to say goodbye for forever😢😢😢

Week 21: Blisters, spiders and some more ingrown toenails!! 9/26/22

Hello everybody! How are you all doing? I hope you all are enjoying life!

Well to explain this title a little bit, I'm going to give a little background about your boy Elder Weese. I HATE SPIDERS! Ohhhh my goodness they just freak me out! People think I am crazy but I would honestly rather be around a snake, than a spider. (But I'm not saying that I like snakes haha)

So one night in our apartment, I was cooking myself some dinner. When this spider came running out from under the oven faster than a fat guy running to the candy store! Ohhhh my goodness when I say that I screamed like a little girl, hahaha you have noooo idea! All the Elders I the apartment heard me and came running out to see what happened, which I think they think I am a big baby no. But they made sure to take some pictures of it (which I will throw in this email) before we stopped on it and got rid of it!

To add more to the spider story, we were doing a service project for this family. We had to take some shovels and move some rocks, burn a few weeds, ya know clean of the yard a little bit. The first rock I moved not only had a spider, but a traentula under it! (I have no idea how to spell that word so have a little patience with me haha) but I didn't get a picture of that spider because I threw a big rock at it. But i did get some pictures of the project so I will throw that in! The service project also adds to the "blistered hands" part of the title!

Now to explain a little bit about the ingrown toenails, I have no idea what is going on with my feet, but I just keep getting these ingrown toenails! I have had two for the longest time, I even found a third but I cut it out this morning so I am chilling! But I guess it is just genetics or something that is causing this to happen so often!

Well the work continues to move along! We have been focusing a lot of the efforts on Facebook to find people, but we will change that up a little bit this week because Facebook honestly just makes you so tired! It is so much better finding people out on the street and having a real heart to heart conversation with them. 

I am learning everyday how the Lord has people prepared to listen to me and my companion. Everyday I get to see people make decisions that can change their lives for forever! It is always the small things, (reading your scriptures, praying, and going to church) Those are some small things that can change everything. The book of Mormon has changed my life. It is a book with power, that brings peace into my mind. I can testify that it will change your life, just give it a chance for me 😊

I love you all! I hope all of you that are hunting elk right now are dropping some big bulls in the dirt! Just save some for me will ya?

Love, Elder Weese

1. Happy Sunday!!

2. 

Service projects are the best!

7-8. Happy Sunday!!

9. My comp has a little bit of a beard haha

10. FUEGO

11. THE DEVIL

13. Asadoooo🤤🤤🤤

13-14. A little bit more from the project!

15. Lesson with the Carrizo family!!!

Week 20: Another week gone by...a few drunk people to see 9/19/2022

Hello everybody! How are you all doing? I hope this email finds you all safe back home!! 

Well this week for me was different haha work wise! We have been putting more of a focus on working on facebook, facebook for me is very hard to find people through haha. But our mission president and more leaders in our missions are putting more of a focus on us trying to find people through facebook haha so if you all have any suggestions for me of how I can find somebody, please let me know hahah!

Well as you can see by the title we had a couple of drunk contacts this week ahahah. Yesterday we had two. Elder Alvarenga and I were teaching this lady about the restauration of the church, of prophets, baptism, and proper authority. That is a big thing that many don´t understand. Why do I need to be baptized if I was baptized in another church? That is why the message of the restauration is so perfect and beautiful! But anyways back to the story hahah, as we were teaching the lady about it, there was a drunk guy which was her neighbor making all sorts of noise. He looked at me, yelled at me, and flipped me off hahah. I looked at my companion and said, ¨Demasiado de la bebida no?¨ hahah that means too much of the drink? 

But with that distraction we put her on date to be baptized for the 20 of october. She told us how she needed more time to prepare and what not, which I love how serious she is taking this!

This week I will have to get another ingrown toenail removed haha, they just keep coming back. This one I have right now is bad and is really painful so it will be a little tough coming out, but I need it out so I can continue to walk. 

Right now I feel impressed to share something with you all. This morning I was watching the video of President Nelson talking about gratitude. He went on to talk about how the world has many problems, and started listing off the things that had happened to him. The loss of a wife, 2 daughters, and many patients in surgery. But the thing he pointed out was the importance of giving gratitude to god. That can be hard right? Especially for a guy like me haha!

But here is something that I do know. I know that we all have something to thank God for. Our families, our lives, this beautiful earth that we live in, also our trials that we face. We would not be able to grow without going through some trials in life right? That is something that I have started to learn the more I have been on the mission. I would not be where I am today, without the trials I have gone through, the mistakes I made, the amount of times I was on my knees seeking forgiveness for what I have done. All of that has helped me grow, so I can give thanks to God for giving me those trials!

I want you all to know how much I love you! I promise you that the prayers are felt out here on the mission, and there are many prayers that are sent your way from Catamarca, Argentina! I love ya´ll and I challenge you all to thank god for everything you have!

Love always, your favorite missionary

Pictures:

1. Bienvenido día santo

2. Let it goooo!! My favorite girls in Argentina!

3. Un poco màs día santo

4. Elder batman

5. Exchanges with Elder Apolinario

6. Adapting to no gym

7. The reason for my stomach pain!! Pizza...with a fried egg on top!

8. Argentina pride

9-11. Fun with mission life