Week 7: First Week in the Field, Let's GOOOOOOOOOO!

Elder Weaver feels "at home" in Barranca!

Dear Family and Friends of the World,

     First things first! Happy Birthday to my Uncle Tyson! I love him and we all miss him. I love you too grandma and grandpa. Just know I am thinking about you! (Preston’s Uncle Tyson died 13 years ago.)

Anyone that knows Preston knows he's a "foodie." So far, Colombia doesn't disspaoint!

     So, my first week out in the mission field and let me tell you…I thought the CCM was a rollercoaster ride! This is like a lateral drop!! Like the tower of terror!! But I have love it, I mean what’s not to love! Sure, the language is hard but I am walking the streets of Colombia!!  The people here in BARRANCA are just AMAZING! Let’s start with the very first day! So, we leave the CCM (The Missionary Training Center) and we meet and have a lunch to get acquainted with the mission president. We then have a few meetings to go over mission rules, safety, etc. Then, that night five of us went out proselyting. We started by going into the bus station and wow it was literally like nothing I have ever seen before!! It got to the point where I was practically in a wrestling stance just trying to move forward, but I couldn’t get through all the people. Three of the elders were moving forward, but me and the Elder I was with got pushed back. We had to clasp hands and just go back. We ended up taking a taxi to where we were going, but it took us like an hour and a half to get there, and by then it was too late. The Elder felt so bad he bought me a donut and we just practiced teaching each other, he’s was a cool dude! But that was it. That was my first day in the field! I didn’t get my official area and companion assignment until the next day!

     The whole next day was just meetings and instructions. Then later in the day we met at President Laney's apartment. I started to get butterflies and kinda felt sick because all I wanted was to go somewhere that would fit me. But also, I just wanted to know if I was going to get a Latin companion or not, you know! So, when the APs said, Barranca with Elder Espinoza I was immediately comforted. I knew it was perfect, and it truly has been perfect for me here in Barranca.

Mirror is dirty, but it's still a Preston selfie!

Elder Espinoza (his "PAPA"

     Then I took a bus ride that went from 5pm to 4 in the morning. There was a movie playing, so I basically had to force myself to just sleep. It’s kind of disappointing that the other Elders were ok with watching the movie, but there are always going to be those who justify the rules. But whatever its fine, they are free to choose and can do what they want. We finally get here and wow it is way different then Bogota, plus its 100 times hotter here which I personally love. So, now let’s get to the good stuff. I am learning all over again, but what I have noticed is the gift of tongues, and the tender mercies I have received during this past week. We had appointments the very next day of course and we started getting at it right away, because there are a lot of things that my companion must explain and teach to me so I can really get going in the field. So right now, I am in training for 12 weeks which gives us a little bit more study time during the day, which I hate. Elder Espinoza had to tell me yesterday that I need to study more, but I just want to leave the pension and teach. When we do get out I have gotten to teach a lot and wow I love these people. I love my companion and I love Colombia! The first miracle of the week happened when I taught without practicing with my companion. We taught a little girl that was just recently baptized and wow it was so fun and spiritual and just great! I love it! I was literally able to just go right after my companion did his part no problem. I mean sure I stumbled a little bit because this is real now! Peoples salvation is on the line and I am going to do all I can to be perfect and correct myself, but I was able to just teach, and every time I talked I would testify. I know this was the gift tongues because I could not do that all on my own, the spirit directed me for sure. 

     Now the problem for me here in Barranca is that they have a unique/weird accent and some of the people just kinda slur their words together, so it literally just sounds like blahblahabalahabahalabahabahalabahal. But When I teach I truly feel the spirit direct me at the right moments and tell me or bring to me thoughts of this is what you should say. So, even when I don’t understand a story that was told or what a person says I’ve been able to communicate. It’s pretty amazing! For instance, we were teaching an older lady and we taught from el Libro de Mormon, because she didn’t keep her commitment to read. This book just has such power! I knew what to share because of the spirit, and I was able to talk to her and touch the heart of this woman, because of what the spirit told me. Anytime we teach from el Libero de Mormon I just feel the spirit as we flip through the pages of the verdad libro. 

First Zone in el campo.

     My companero, my papa, mi padre he’s is just great! I got a hardworking man who is just as driven as I am! He is a convert to the church and has only been a member for a little over one year now and wow is he strong! He teaches and talks with power and he just keeps truckin! I don’t think I have ever seen someone other than my brothers and father who can keep up with me when I am walking. Which is so funny cause he literally walks just like my dad! He played rugby so he loves to work out and he wants to wake up at 6am to workout with me. This is just what I wanted in the first place! So, that’s Chévere! So, ya he’s is just a great guy. I can understand him and constantly ask for help and he will try his hardest to explain words in Spanish or even English and we can just talk forever. Sometimes we just talk and try to figure out what words are as we walk, it’s kinda funny. But he cares and he wants to learn English too. He also really wants to do all he can to get help these people come to church and learn of their Savior Jesus Christ.

By a lake in Barranca

     On Sabado we spent all morning walking because our morning appointments cancelled, so we decided to contact. Wow is it hard! I did not do very well but that’s ok. I set some new goals and I’ll just keep truckin. Sure, I get a little down when I can’t say the right words, which happens only when I am not confident. The spirit works when you’re confident I can verify that. So, we spent a lot of time just going around trying to contact with not a lot of success because people are trabajando en la mañana (working in the morning) so it’s a little harder. Then after Almuerzo (lunch) we started our Ayuno de Zona (fast for the Zone) and that just made it really tough for me because it is 10000 degrees here and you need water. It was great though, because it was for our investigadores and miembros menos activo pero. (less active members) It reminded me of cutting weight during wrestling. I felt like I couldn’t talk or understand very well but…again, I could teach and do things through the strength of the spirit. You just have to get those thoughts of “Its hard, I miss my family, I don’t get anything these people are saying" out of your head and work. When the people here learn I have only been in the mission 5 days they’re like, “poco a poco” (little by little) and its soooo true. I have learned a lot and it’s been five days. I can just see myself in 3 months being a lot more independent en mi español. It truly is a blessing. 

Crocodile in the water with a fish!

    So, one crazy thing the Hermana’s in our district got robbed, so the zone leaders, me and Elder Espinoza, and the Hermanas had to travel to get keys to their apartment late at night. We got into our apartment at like 10:15 at night. So, what happened is after meetings in the church we all left (on sabado) and apparently, a man pulled a gun on the Hermanas. So, they gave him everything their bags with their scriptures, REFERRALS uuuugh, so literally everything! One of the Hermana’s was in shock crying; which I don’t blame her. 

    Finally, it was Sunday and man those church meeting were hard. We spent a total of 4 hours at the church, because we are in meetings antes de (before) church and then the meetings in la capital. I didn’t understand hardly anything but it was good. One of our Menos Activos came and that’s the first time in 3 MONTHS!! We did it!!!!! He is having problems with faith and supporting the new Branch President. The menos activo was the prior Branch President and was released, and when the current one was assigned he went inactive. But we got him to come back!! 

   Guys I love Colombia and I love this gospel. I have seen so many miracles and it has been what a total of five days! Wow! All I know is that the spirit works though people to get to other people. I have felt myself working as an instrument for the Lord, to speak this language and to share the beautiful true message of the gospel with the people here in Colombia. I know this is hard work. I can tell this will be the hardest thing I have ever done. But It’s not easy for me, because it was never easy for HIM our savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. I will eventually totally get it, but right now I need to be like my best friend The Savior and be patient. Thank you for everything you all have done for me, and please go visit mormon.org and lds.org to learn more. Then invite the missionaries…I know they’d love it because I am one. 

The Book is Blue the church is true! 

Love,

Elder Weaver

Week 5: Roller Coaster

Preston left the MTC (Missionary Training Center) on Tuesday and entered the mission field. We won’t be getting a letter from him this week. This is his letter from last week! He is truly loving his mission! 

Dear World, family, and friends

     This past week was a rollercoaster let me tell ya! But to start off I want to tell my Cousin Sam and other friends coming to the Colombia CCM, learning a foreign language is hard! You will all probably do better than me, but never the less it is still hard. Somedays you will wonder if you’ll ever get it. However, I am very impressed that I have been able to learn and memorize this much. I am practically leading my lessons with my fake investigator now. But I would say, among all the chaos of learning the language don’t forget to learn the language of the spirit. It has helped me in everything to this point. I rely on it daily, as I take small steps forward having faith in all things. It has taught me so much! Please everyone try hard to recognize and feel the spirit! It may just be a small nudge that doesn’t lead to anything grand, but it’s a nudge to do something good. Whether you know what it is now or later is not important, what matters is you recognize it’s the spirit speaking to you. 

     Alright let’s get into the funny stuff quick! So, one day one of the Latinos walks up to Elder Whitting and asks... ?Que significa es Elder Goss¿ Oh my gosh it was sooooo funny! This was our joke for the entire week. It’s funny because here in Colombia it isn’t bad at all but in the US, it would be so mean hahahaha!! It’s just a lot of the Latinos know Elder Goss because he is a slightly shorter, bigger man. But I love him and I have had to tell the Latinos to stop being dorks. It doesn’t seem to bug Elder Goss though. Then there is Elder Bergoderi and he is so funny. All the latins hate it when we talk in Inglés. So, he started this thing called the secret combination. People would be like, How do you speak Inglés? He said very loudly, ”It’s the secret combination!” Then, he describes all this stuff in terrible Inglés. It’s soooo fun! You all are probably not laughing, I guess you’d just have to be here! Ha-ha! I love it! 

     This past week was a rollercoaster because there was a mix of good and bad days. We learned a lot of grammar this week and that was kind of tough, because I thought I knew what I was doing. Then, I would try to right a complex sentence, and it turns out the sentence doesn’t even exist in Español, or it isn’t grammatically correct. But it is in Inglés, so it just sends my head spinning. My maestro en la noche (my teacher at night) is great. Sometimes she just over explains what I don’t understand or I understand why the rules are the rules but she keeps going. I’m like excuse me could you please just say sí o no if my sentence is grammatically correct? Its days like these where I’m like… am I ever going to learn this language??!! But I know I will because I have progressed so much already! My comp recently said that he thinks I teach better than him and he’s the goat at español. I am trying to memorize a scripture a day and up to 101 palabras (words) a day which is insane. I don’t know if I can do that many words, but hey what the heck why not! We also did and Inglés fast on Friday and it was hard but so worth it! I learned a lot, I only used like 3 English words the whole day which is good. The rest of the week is going to be similar because you know… What the heck it’s the last week. 

     Ok, let’s talk about my experience in Bogotá sur this past Saturday. We do this thing proselitismo and this was my second time. We got a missionary who wasn’t very good at explaining or training. It was 90% worse than last time we went out. What happened is we planned everything out which was good. The Elder training us speaks perfect Inglés, and he’s from Guatemala, but he just did not know how to train us. We had 5 lessons planned and 3 backups. All 5 fell through and only 1 back up happened by the end of the night. We basically walked around a whole bunch and didn’t do much. We started off by learning to contact, so he did a few and then said alright your turn. OK...so we introduced ourselves, and then we didn’t know what to say, and he didn’t try to teach us or correct us. It was very frustrating! Then, in the only lesson we had he did not explain beforehand what we were going to be teaching. So, the one lesson we did teach was two old ladies and a grandchild. It was great! But we had no clue what we were going to be teaching and it was very hard for us to completely understand. Then, by the time we we’re able to understand anything it was too late. The Elder would look at us and we were like, what are we even teaching and what in the heck did that old lady just say?! It was just a complete wreck! I honestly wish I would have just opened my mouth but I didn’t! I guess the lesson for the day was to just open my mouth. 

     Last story for this week…during proselitismo we went to this house of a young family with two kids, but the father wasn’t home. So, we had to teach the mother through her window. It went great, and she was very nice. We taught her about the Restoration and el Libro de Mormon. She took a folleto (pamphlet) and then at the end when we were going to leave she looked right at me and said, "Dame tus ojos" which means, give me your eyes. Yep…my first snake and she had children and a husband.... awkward!

     This past week was hard, but I know that hard work will help bring success! I have seen it over and over in my life; in my wrestling, with my dyslexia, and school, and I am seeing it now. The spirit has helped guide me so much, and I know I couldn’t do it without it. I know if I just keep moving and step out in faith the spirit will guide me and teach me! 

     If you want to know what I am talking about please go to lds.org or talk to the missionaries, or my family. They would love to see you, and explain why this is the true gospel and why I am so happy!

Love you all! Thank you for the emails! I Love You MOM, Dad Connor Adin y Mia! 

Elder Weaver