March 26, 2018
“Multi-Zona Spirit Bomb”
Dear Familia, Amigos y el Mundo,
Well, this past week was a little crazy and difficult on me. On Tuesday we had plans to help the Zone Leaders move into their new house in the morning. So, guess what happened.... nothing went right! They wouldn’t let them move out of the building until something was payed off. And, they couldn’t just move the next day because they were leaving the next day for Bogotá. So, we HAD to do it that day, and we ended up spending the whole day there. So, that was not fun and it really hurts your motivation to just sit around all day long. The rest of the week I grinded through and let’s just say that my patience was tested with my companion a bit this week. Long story short, the day we were going to leave for the Multi Zona I decided to just take it up with the Big Man himself, my Heavenly Father. I have been receiving advice from all different directions and it just got to the point where I was confused. So, I prayed until I got an answer. I received my answer little by little throughout the day and into the next during the Multi Zona. I recalled something that I had read. It’s a great talk called, “100% Responsible” that our mission president gave to the whole mission. I read it all. It talks about marriage in it and well we all know that I’m not married, so I put the word “companion” in for wife or husband. And, weird enough, it applies to us a lot. Something that really stood out to me was even if I am 100% right I need to just forgive and also say that I’m sorry. That’s being 100% responsible even when you are right you say you’re sorry. So, that’s what I did. I decided I could let my PRIDE take control of my companionship and ultimately my mind or I could create a great companionship for these next few weeks I have with him. It’s hard saying you’re sorry when you know that all of your efforts have been for the good of the mission and what I thought to be the good of our companionship. I know how a missionary should act and I will continue to act that way. But, I can’t force that upon him or others. Because if I do it just leads to frustration, and me sitting waiting for him to apologize isn’t going to happen. So, before my interview my President I talked to him. I said, "Listen, I am sorry for what happened the other day and what has been happening between us. It has not been fun and I’m not here to talk about it, because I really don’t want to talk about it. I just want to say that I am sorry and I want to re-start." Then, he gave me a hug, and that was that. We have been fine since then. It’s interesting because Mormon and Moroni were so right in the Book of Mormon. They literally say I have seen you and your doings and it’s all pride! PRIDE! Pride stinks! And, everyday God shows me that I still have a little bit of pride that I need to get filtered out.
The Multi Zona was great! I mean I got to be with my cousin Sam (Elder Stewart) again! How can that not be awesome? And It was a spiritual BOMB! I felt touched! The words of President Laney help me to see that there are so many things that I can be doing. One of them being inspired questions and more listening. I’ll be honest, I felt a little crummy, because I feel like I’m just not doing so hot when it comes to the practice of this. I have been feeling like that for a while. I thought maybe it’s just because I don’t have great command of the language, or that I don’t totally understand everything that is being said all the time. Becasue I felt like before my mission I was pretty good at helping people address their needs. I now have a better understanding of why I felt fairly confident in this area. It’s because I LISTENED! Sometimes, as a missionary, I am so worried to hit all the points, give the lesson, and check things off the daily list. When, in reality we need to LISTEN. I can’t ignore the people. They won’t be converted that way. If we listen with our ears, then with our hearts to feel and hear the spirit, we will then have a thought, a question, or a response come that will help the people. Another thing that a wise missionary told me in the Multi Zona was, "Elder Weaver, don’t worry too much about it! Obviously, it’s good that you recognize it and that you want to be better but, worrying won’t make it any better. Just don’t worry and keep doing your best, and continue to follow and go by what the Spirit tells you.” Another revelation that I got was that sometimes you need to be crazy about baptizing to baptize! Some of the best missionaries I know are crazy! They get the people they baptize converted! But seriously, you need to be an energetic, baptizing freak if you want to baptize! The AP’s are crazy! My zone leader is crazy and everyone else who baptizes is crazy! It’s a good thing that I have some crazy in me too! Maybe not like my little brother Adin, but I can be crazy ha-ha! (Mom, you can cut that out for the big email if you think it’s not appropriate ha-ha). Bueno, I just want to say that I am extremely grateful for this week. It was hard not physically but spiritually. I was tried in ways I never knew possible, and I am so grateful for those trials. I am grateful for the people that God has put into my life. My companion, Zone Leaders, random members, and random missionaries, and of course, my mission president. He’s a really great man and he has helped me a lot! I know that God is looking out for me because he keeps sending people into my life, and showing me the way. I am becoming more and more like the missionary I want to be, and putting the things of this world aside every day. No matter what any missionary tells you, it is a process to put the world aside, and it does not happen, the day you enter the mission field. It happens little by little, as you lose yourself in the service of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and truly commit yourself to His work. And this is a huge blessing in my life. Thank you for all of the amazing support and for the emails! Go check out the church someday, or invite those two guys over who have a nametag and wear a white shirt and tie every day because really, they’ll change your life!
Love,
Elder Weaver
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