Week 18: Lost in the work! 9/5/2022

Hello everybody!! How are my favorite people doing!? I hope that this email finds you well and safe back home!!

Well this week was absolutely wild as you can tell by the title hahaha!! This week we had so much to do! I cannot remember if I explained how I am in a trio with the Elders that serve in the Ambato area of my mission. So with that being said, I have two areas now! I am still serving in the Catamarca Centro area and now I have the Ambato area which is south of the Centro area. Working in 2 areas is absolutely wild! Especially with 2 Elders that love to work as well!!!

Throughout the week we spent a lot of time in Ambato. I am learning a lot of the Ambato area and getting to know the investigators, ward members, and the leaders. It has been fun doing that! We have definitely been seeing the Lords hand in the work which has been absolutely wonderful. It is wonderful because the biggest thing you learn on the mission is that you are absolutely nothing without the Lord. It is vital to always seek His heavenly help! 

We had a baptism on Saturday!!! WHOOOOO! The girl's name is Brisa Gomez! She is pretty incredible! She loves reading the Book of mormon and every single time we go to her house she always has scriptures that she likes to share with us, or has questions about verses for us. The Book of mormon absolutely works miracles people!! I can say that without a doubt in my mind!!! Literally if you want to find peace, if you want to change the way you think, if you want to invite more positivity in your life, I suggest that you read the Book of mormon. The Holy Ghost will be so strong in your hearts, and you will feel it. I PROMISE!!!

Other than that baptism, we put 3 people on date this week so that puts us at 7 dates I think. So we have been extremely busy teaching them and staying in contact with them! I wish you could all experience the joy of the feeling that you get when you put somebody on date to be baptized. When you have been teaching them all this doctrine, where you teach them about Jesus Christ and how He has made a way for us to follow. Then you ask them if they will follow their Savior and be baptized in His name, you can literally see the spirit hit them. It changes lives!!

Other than the dates we have a lot of people we are teaching! We literally have 40 or 50 people that we are teaching right now! So yes hahah we have no time to do anything else but work! But that is what I was called to do, and the Lord right now is giving me opportunities to magnify my calling. I promise the saying that you all hear a lot, "Getting lost in the work" is a real thing! It is when you have nothing to think about but the people. It is when you are serving with all your heart, might, mind and strength! It is definitely a hard thing to do! I can honestly say that the mission has been the hardest thing that I have ever done, but oh my goodness the life lessons I have learned have been beautiful. These people out here are changing me! They are making me see myself as a better person, they are helping me see my Savior's hand in my life. So when the days are hard, I have that to rely on! 

I have fallen in love with these people! They are my family! I would take any of them in when they need it!

I have a little message to share to people who are deciding to serve a mission, are about to go, or don't know whether they want to or not. I promise that this decision is the best decision you can make! You will grow so close to your Savior and you will learn what it means to rely on Him! You will love the people, wherever you are called to serve! Heavenly Father knew where you would go, He knew who your companions would be, He knew all of that before you even existed! Wherever you get called to serve is YOUR holy ground! There are people waiting for you, they need you! I know that you all have hit the requirements to serve! You are all worthy to serve the Lord, I just know it!! 

So with that being said I invite you to pray about your mission, whether you have the call, are waiting, or are still deciding. Pray to Heavenly Father about your mission! I can promise you that you will feel the Holy Ghost touch your heart! And you will KNOW that this is EXACTLY what you should be doing!

Well I love you all! I have many pictures to send you all! Have a wonderful week!

Love, Elder Weese

Pictures:

1.  The Trio 

2.  Brisa's baptism!!

3-6. My companions & I doing the grind!!

Week 17: What A Way To End A Transfer!! 8/29/2022

Hello everybody! I hope this email finds you well back home!!! 

My goodness what a week it was!! It was the last week of transfer two so now I am on transfer three so I am officially out of training now! How crazy is that right?? Well I have some miracles to talk about, then I will tell you about the transfer news!

Camila and Alejandra were both baptized this weekend!! I will never forget it! Camila is my first baptism!! Elder Scott baptized Alejandra!! It was a crazy week just making sure everything for them was perfect for the baptism, their feelings, their thoughts, everything! They have to be the most prepared people I have met for a baptism! They have worked really hard for it and I am so happy for them and am extremely lucky to have been able to participate with them on their special day! I will never forget the light in Camilas eyes, when she got to the church she kept saying how nervous she was and I promised her that she would feel different. Right after I pulled her up out of the water I could see a light in her eyes and she said how she was not nervous anymore at all! That has to be the best part of the missionary work is seeing them just glow after baptism!!! I have plenty of pictures of that day to send to you all!

Yesterday I confirmed Alejandra a member of the church in sacrament meeting. You guys know me, so you know how nervous I was and how stressed I was about it because I wanted her to be able to just have a BEAUTIFUL experience. It was incredible how the spirit guided me during that prayer to say the things I needed to say. After I said amen she stood up and said, "Caliente!" Ahahah she could feel the Holy Ghost enter into her heart! 

Those were definitely the highlights of everything honestly!!! It is a beautiful thing to be a part of, to help these people make covenants with God and see the love He has for them!!

Well transfer news!!!

I am still in Catamarca!! Elder Scott went to Cordoba which was REALLY hard! I couldn't have asked for a better trainer than Elder Scott. He put up with my crap for 2 transfers! He never forgot to encourage me when times were hard, and always mentioned how much he loved me. He is going to kill it in Cordoba!!

Heres the crazy part to this news! I am now in a trio with Elder Weston and Elder Alvarenga! They are Elders who live with us who cover the Ambato area of Catamarca! So now we have two areas to cover together hahah!! We are going to be very busy this transfer! It will be a great transfer for sure!!

Spiritual Thought

Well the mission is definitely a place where you grow so much spiritually! I have had so many miracles that I cannot deny, I have had so many spiritual awakenings. That is my thought for you! Always hold on to the feelings of the spirit! It enables us to be happy when times are hard, and makes it easier when the doubts come in! I can tell all of you that you are all worthy to feel the love from God through His holy spirit. God has a plan for you, and wants nothing less than your happiness! Don't let the devil tell you otherwise! The devil is getting craftier and craftier with his work but you all have the power to push the devil aways and to invite the good! So do me a favor and give Satan a punch in the mouth this week!!

I love you all and will be sending you some pictures!!

Don't forget to email me!! I love hearing from you!

Love, Elder Weese

Pictures:

1-2.  Baptism of Alejandra Vega

3-5.  Baptism of Camila Rivero

6-10. Exchanges with our ZL Elder Marshall

11-14. My Home!! (Catamarca, Argentina)

15-19. Goodbye to Elder Scott 

20. My new comp Elder Weston!

21. Elder Alvarengo to complete the trio!!

Week 16: Anotha One!! 8/22/2022

¡Hola todos! ¿Cómo están? I hope this email finds you all safe and happy! 

Well the work continues to progress here in Catamarca! We have some big events coming up this weekend!

Camila and Alejandra will be getting baptized this weekend!

Elder Scott and I did some pre interviews for them to be prepared for the real one! Our first one was with Camila! She is just a rockstar! She got a little nervous when I asked her who Joseph Smith was and she didn't really remember but I said some things to ease the nervousness. I said, ¨Cami, do you have a testimony of the book of mormon? I know that you read it everyday.¨ She said yes I do! So I looked at her and told her well, it is a pretty good sign to me that you have a testimony of Joseph Smith. Joseph Smith is the one who translated this book and gave us the promise that if we read it we will grow closer to god. I am happy I got to help her feel happier! After the interview we were asking her that she gets to decide who baptizes her and who does the confirmation. She said that she wanted the bishop to do the confirmation which is sweet! I then said who would you like to baptize you and guess what she said? She said ELDER WEESE!! Holy moly I am so pumped for it!! I have fallen in love with that family and am super grateful and honored to have the opportunity to be the guy to baptize her!

That night we had our other pre interview with Alejandra! Our other date who is also on fire!! The interview went well and during the interview she asked us if we believed in miracles! I told her a miracle for me was how we found her on that colectivo, how our AP asked everybody if there was anybody that wanted to learn about the Restoration and she raised her hand. That was a miracle for me! As far as her baptism goes she told me and Elder Scott to decide who's baptizing and who's confirming so I told Elder Scott to baptize and I will do the confirmation. Hahah I am more nervous about that one not gonna lie hahaha but I know that the Lord will help me say the things I need to say.

Well folks I love ya´ll! Remember that you are all children of God and He loves you no matter what! All He wants is for you to be happy!! Never doubt that for me, okay?

Have a wonderful week! 

Love, Elder Weese

Pictures:

1.  Lunch with the roommates

2.-4. Elder Weese & Elder Scott - my companion is better than yours!!

5. Chilln' on a stump in Catamarca

6. Another beautiful day in Catamarca!!

7.  Lunch with the bishop & his grandkids!!

Week 15: 4th Floor Last Door 8/15/2022

Hola a todos! ¿Cómo están? Ustedes siempre están en mis oraciones! Well how goes life for ya'll? I heard there have been some things happening! Drake, Post Malone, and Kendrick Lamar came out with new albums?? WHAT?! That is crazy!! 

Well life just continues to roll on here in Catamarca! We are working really hard with our baptismal dates and they are doing so good! Cami changed her baptismal date to the next day which is a Sunday because her mom is changing her work schedule so she can start coming to church! That is definitely a big miracle for us! Alejandra's date is a week earlier than what we planned because she is just progressing so fast it is incredible! That girl is ready to get on the covenant path and follow her Savior!

Well to explain this title a little bit of this email, Elder Scott and I had a miracle that was a big tender mercy for us. 2 days ago we went out on the street after call after call. No luck at all, very discouraging. When we would talk to the people on the street they would always say no, and others wouldn't help us with directions to get to places. I was feeling horrible! Absolutely horrible! We went to knock on some doors of people we had contact with in the past, but none of them answered. The discouragement definitely kicked in. We decided to walk back to the church and still continued to grind and nobody was giving us the time of day, until the last people we talked to. It was a man with his wife and baby and I stopped them and asked them if they wanted to hear a message, they said how they were on the way to go do something. So Elder Scott asked if they wanted to hear the message another time, so we tried getting an address from them. They told us how they lived farther away, but later to find out they aren't too far. The husband looked at me and said you know what, tell me your message. I showed him the book of mormon, and read him the introduction where it invites all to read the book. I told him God loves all of His children, He doesn't care about your choices, your situation, nothing. He loves you perfectly, and invites you to read this book. After I explained that his wife looked at me and asked me to explain more what missionaries were. I told her we leave our homes and families for 2 years, to spread the gospel. She immediately started to cry when I told her how I have a family waiting for me at home. She asked me why I would want to leave them, and that is when it hit me of why I was there. I told her how important this message was to me, and how I know that the book I was showing them can change your life, I offered it to the husband and he was shocked that I would give him such an incredible book. After that contact they texted us and said that they knew that God put us in their path that night.

I share that story for you all, to show that God is mindful of us. We are in His thoughts always, and He genuinely cares about us and our happiness. God knew that Elder Scott and I needed that contact. He knew the discouragement was weighing me down immensely, so He helped us find those people. God also knew that that family needed that message. He knew that they needed that book and I am grateful that He put me in their path.

Well I love ya'll! I know I speak Spanish everyday but I will always say, "Ya'll" to ya'll hahah. Do me a favor, and never miss a study in the book of mormon. Whenever you feel life weighing you down, whenever you feel like you are stuck, whatever it may be, grab that book. I promise you it will take away the sadness and replace it with joy. Your hearts will be filled.

I will see you all next week! Don't forget to email me if you ever need anything!

Love, Elder Weese

Pictures:

1.  Good Morning!!

2.  Get your exercise kids

3.  Putting on the kids

4.  Miracle day!!

5.6. Poncho Boys!!

Week 14: Un otro semana en Catamarcaaaaa 8/8/2022

Howdy yall!? How was everybody's week!? I hope this email finds you all well back home! Well we are halfway through this transfer now which is crazy! I hit my 2 months of being in Catamarca yesterday and am getting close to my 4 months as a missionary! The 2 years goes by quick!

Well this week was pretty great! We put a girl on date to be baptized in September! Her name is Alejandra and she is my age! We are trying to get the whole family baptized because they are interested so keep them in your prayers pleeeeaaaase!!

Church yesterday was great! We had a little over 60 people in the meeting which is a ton! My first Sunday in Catamarca we had 25! I was very happy and thankful to Heavenly Father showing me that He is always watching! I also met a really cool guy at church! His name is Clark Pierce and is from Utah! He is way into fly fishing and served here on his mission, and now guides fly fishing trips in the Patagonias! I took a picture with him and got his phone number and friended him on Facebook so ya'll ready know I am coming back to go fly fishing! Good night I can't even remember how to fish it has been so long! 

Later on that day on Sunday we walked passed the normal drunk guy on the sidewalk who loves us and calls us, "Un capo loco!!!" Which means, Crazy Stud!!! Hahaha I love that guy!

Well we grinded this week on getting people found! We had a cool experience on a bus ride really similar to a Elder McArthur story. We got on and I got in front of everybody on the bus and told them all that we were the missionaries for the church of Jesus Christ. I told them how the message we had can change lives. I was handing out pamphlets to all the people that were interested when a guy, who I think works for that company of the buses, told us we can't do this on the bus. So I did what any good missionary would do and waited for him to get off the bus and then got back to my calling hahaha! We ended up finding this guy named Isaac who is 16! We have a phone call with him on Sunday so keep him in your prayers too!

Well other than that nothing to crazy! I'm going to get another ingrown toenail removed here soon soooo I am a little nervous for that since I am not in the states but I'll be alright hahaha.

Anyways I want you all to know how much I love you! I want you to know that there is a God, and He is merciful. He cares about our successes, about our wants, and knows what we need. I know that His church is restored here on the earth today, and we have prophets and Apostles that lead and guide the church. 

I want to share about a little podcast I listened to this morning about repentance and forgiveness. I learned a lot! I was learning about the Israelites wandering in the wilderness for 40 years and I related that to us. We are wandering around that same wilderness messing up over and over. But guess what? That's all part of the plan! We chose to follow the Savior's plan which included us messing up over and over! Don't think that your sins are to far from the Savior's reach or that you are a special sinner cause guess what, we all sin! And that's great because we are following the plan! You don't have to start over every single time you sin even if it's the same sin, that's how we progress! There is no need to start over! God knows you, and He knows your heart so take joy in that! 

Anyways email me if you ever need anything! I know I am on the bottom of the world but I am always here so feel free! Love ya'll! 

Love, Elder Weese

Pictures:

1.  On our way to church!!

2.  My neighbor the yapper!!

3.  Working hard or hardly working?!

4.&5. Soccer my new favorite sport! 

6.  Fly fishing King - Clark Pierce & family from Utah

Week 13: Anotha Week Baby!! 8/1/2022

Hello everyone! How are ya'll doin?? The weeks just go by so fast out here it just crazy!! Well I hope this email finds you all well back home! There have been quite a bit of things happening out here! So lets get started!

2 fechas!! (dates)

We now have two people on date to be baptized! Ones name is Benjamin Vega who went to the other Elders because he was found in their area. He is 17 and has a big desire to change and become better! So keep him in your prayers!

The second one is Camila Herrera who is 11 years old! Camila is a girl we have been working with ever since I first got here! It has been hard to get her on date because it is hard for her to come to church because her mom works everyday, so we went to go pick her up ourselves! She said she had a great experience in church and wants to come back next Sunday so keep her in your prayers too!

Zone Conference in La Rioja:

We had our zone conference in La Rioja which is 2 hours away from Catamarca! It went by really well and I learned a lot! We focused a lot on the missionaries in the scriptures, and the struggles that they went through. It was cool to be able to read that to understand that the best of the best went through some really hard times as well! We ate some good empanadas as well and I spilled on all over my shirt and the stain won't come out so I gave that shirt away hahaha!

Exchanges with the AP's:

We had the AP's come to Catamarca! Elder McArthur, Elder Duarte, and Elder Vazquez! Elder McArthur was with Elder Scott and I. It was such a great experience! They told us to pray about a question or a goal that we had that we wanted help working on! For me, I told Elder McArthur I want to get better at building up my confidence on talking to people. It was cool because we went on a Colectivo (which is a bus) and were on our way to a lesson in Valle Viejo which is about 45 minutes away. Elder McArthur was sitting by me and was talking about my goal. He said that is just something you just gotta do, then he stood up in front of the entire bus and started to preaching about the Restoration for all of them. We ended up finding a couple people that were interested so it was very good! After we got off the bus, the lesson fell through so we decided to go out and just start finding! We walked past this place that we thought was a funeral but come to find out it was another catholic church! Elder McArthur looked at me and told me to go over there and to open my mouth. So I said "Gimme a foleto!!" which is a little booklet that explained about the Restoration. After getting rejected three times the spirit told me to keep going. Ended up finding this guy who said he was in a bad time because his wife was sick. We prayed for her, and after that he said he wanted to learn more! So we got his contact information and are planning on seeing him soon!

Funny street moments:

Well being an american makes you stick out like sore thumb especially when you are in the missionary clothes! Elder Scott and I were walking down the street and some guy drove by listening to Still Dre and was just smiling at us so we gave him a little smirk back hahah. Another guy saw us and just said, Joseph Smith! So we talked to him for an hour hahah he was pretty cool! We gave him a copy of the book of mormon too so fingers crossed!

Bible bashing:

We got bible bashed! Hahah we were leaving the house and this guy saw us and told us he had some questions. He grabbed his bible and it just turned into him telling us how wrong we were. He asked me what I thought grace was, so I told him I think of the word mercy when I think of grace. He said YOURE WRONG! So we had to leave before I wanted to pop him in the mouth hahah but the missionary in me knew that was wrong haha.

English Class:

We have English Class every saturday and we had some new students who were there so they could learn for their jobs. One of them told me that, "Your God will pay you in heaven for helping me with my English" So I think he enjoyed it hahah!

Well that basically sums it up haha sorry for the long email! Anyways I love ya'll! I want you all to know that Christ lives and LOOOOVES YOU ALLLL SOOOO MUCH! Have a great week and don't forget about me!

Love, Elder Weese

Pictures:

1, 2. Service Project sanding & painting

3.  On our way to Zone Conference

4.  Zone Conference with the boyzzzz

5.  Heading to the store on pday

6.  Teaching Camila

7.  The panaderìa (bakery)

8.  Sunset in Catamarca