Sunday, October 27, 2013
All Sorts of Miracles
From: Joseph Weiss <joseph.weiss@myldsmail.net>
Date: October 27, 2013 8:45:01 PM MDT
Buenas Dias! Man yous are gonna call me and want to hear some Spanish and I won't be able to speak English or Spanish! My Spanish has improved so much and it continues to improve. I really hope that I get another transfer or two here in the Spanish ward. Things are happening. We had 9 members do visits on our Missionary Trade off/ Rescue night. The ward is coming along really well.
On Saturday we did a training with the Elders Quorum on how to work with the missionaries. We role played them inviting their friends to come to an FHE. Then missionaries coordinating with the member what role they want the member to have in the lesson and then teaching together. We did the same role play in District meeting and I think it will really help us. Tonight we have an FHE with two investigators and hopefully we can commit them to baptism.
Our teaching pools got cut in half when Elder Jones got his new companion Elder Fitzner from Canada. Right now our teaching pool is mostly gone. We have to find new investigators. We had to resort to tracting on Sunday because we need investigators so bad. Being district leader is so fun! You get to hear all sorts of miracles and collecting numbers I get so excited to see how the other missionaries are just smashing it!
Maybe the numbers wouldn't suggest it, but I love this area. It's very challenging and at the end of the day, being a missionary is such a good life style. You know for sure what your purpose is each day that you wake up. Find, Teach, Baptize. I hope soon our members will do most of the first part and we'll do the last two together.
WILL! You're dying! It's so sad to see missionaries go home. Two of the AP's are going home after this transfer and it's super sad. They were the first missionaries I met in australia. Mission life is too short. Some days you just wish there were like six more hours in a day. There is no time. The weeks go too fast and we only have 5 more guaranteed to make a difference in this area so we've got to make or break it right now.
Now that we have four missionaries we can play 2v2 touch every morning. Hopefully it helps me lose some weight. Cats! That is the only downside of mission life is there isn't enough time to exercise. Wednesday we are going to go play tennis with a potential that a member is bringing. I'm ready to throw down! The other day we went to pick up Elder Fitzner from the mission office and he had missed his flight. So we did weekly planning and played ping pong while Elder Jones had meetings and my double handed backhand is really coming along at least in ping pong.
I'm learning a lot about working with the spirit. One of the fruits of the spirit is peace. And something that allows someone to have peace is trust. When someone you are teaching doesn't trust you it is very hard to reach them. Especially with Spanish people that don't trust "Gringos" too much. On Thursday we had 7 people turn up to the chapel for ward splits which was a great sign of that things are moving in our ward. But when I went on my trade off I took a Nicaraguan man. Earlier that day we taught a women from Nicaragua and she said she didn't have time for us anymore. So that same night I took this member to go drop in and talk with her and try to establish a connection. It worked!
They talked about their home country and he asked her about her life. He testified so powerfully that she is not alone in her busy life and that she has our whole ward to help her. She said at the end that the missionaries can come back once a month. I'm not too sure she'll be baptized but the experience taught me that members can connect in ways 19 year old boys cannot. I asked the member if he would offer a prayer before we left. He prayed so lovingly and I felt the spirit. Without the trust, the spirit couldn't be there. Sometimes the spirit builds the trust and sometimes the trust invites the spirit.
Things are still slowly progressing in our ward. Our ward is changing! HAh! It's improving! I love seeing it happen!
Love you all!
Elder Weiss VI
Tuesday, October 22, 2013
Last Stand...New DL
From: Joseph Weiss <joseph.weiss@myldsmail.net>
Date: October 21, 2013 10:29:18 PM MDT
Dear Family,
It's been another hectic week. Saturday morning we were temple cleaning our flat in preparation for transfers. You have to clean first and then after you ask the Zone Leaders to find out if you are staying or getting transferred. We found out we all would be staying. President Lew told us that Elder Jones will be training and that I will be Distric Leader. Pretty Hectic. I felt super overwhelmed at first but then with the guidance of our Zone leaders I have calmed down a little bit.
It's actually not gonna be too bad. The district is four sisters and four elders. All of us Elders will be living in the same flat. So trade offs will be pretty easy. We'll just switch beds for the night! I'm so excited to get a bed! I've been sleeping on this small foam mattress on the floor for a transfer! #australiaproblems. I know others have it worse. I shouldn't complain but nevertheless I'm excited for the luxury.
Sunday we got a new Ward mission leader. He's so fired up. He was the ward mission leader back in the day when the Spanish ward was baptizing heaps. The bishop has assembled the best of the best to be ward missionaries and our ward mission leader. This is the last stand.
This is the barricade scene from Les Miserables! This is Bob all tied up with emotional knots. This is the Statue of Liberty play. This is Landon Donovan following the play in 90th minute vs Algeria. Iniesta Against Chelsea in the UCL semi finale. Messi against Man Utd. Logan vs East with 12 sec on the clock. This is Mottel talking to Tevia. This is Seabiscut coming around the last stretch. This is Kobe with the ball with 10 sec left. This is "True Grit". This is Rocky vs Ivan Draco. This is Jack Sparrow chasing the black pearl. This is Sam carrying Frodo. This is Aragorn at the gate of Mordor.
When I look in the eyes of the Spanish members I see the same fear that would take the heart of me. There may be a day when men fall. When the relm of men comes crashing down! But it is not THIS DAY! THIS DAY! WE FIGHT!!!! For lack of better words, this is CHUCK NORRIS.
This is also Elder Weiss not sure what to tell you. I think Charles says everything.
Well I hope you understand something of what I wrote. Maybe Jon will get most of it. Between all of you I think you'll be able to figure it out.
Ok well. Love you heaps! Ofatu!
Elder Weiss VI... One minute on the clock... SEND
Date: October 21, 2013 10:29:18 PM MDT
Dear Family,
It's been another hectic week. Saturday morning we were temple cleaning our flat in preparation for transfers. You have to clean first and then after you ask the Zone Leaders to find out if you are staying or getting transferred. We found out we all would be staying. President Lew told us that Elder Jones will be training and that I will be Distric Leader. Pretty Hectic. I felt super overwhelmed at first but then with the guidance of our Zone leaders I have calmed down a little bit.
It's actually not gonna be too bad. The district is four sisters and four elders. All of us Elders will be living in the same flat. So trade offs will be pretty easy. We'll just switch beds for the night! I'm so excited to get a bed! I've been sleeping on this small foam mattress on the floor for a transfer! #australiaproblems. I know others have it worse. I shouldn't complain but nevertheless I'm excited for the luxury.
Sunday we got a new Ward mission leader. He's so fired up. He was the ward mission leader back in the day when the Spanish ward was baptizing heaps. The bishop has assembled the best of the best to be ward missionaries and our ward mission leader. This is the last stand.
This is the barricade scene from Les Miserables! This is Bob all tied up with emotional knots. This is the Statue of Liberty play. This is Landon Donovan following the play in 90th minute vs Algeria. Iniesta Against Chelsea in the UCL semi finale. Messi against Man Utd. Logan vs East with 12 sec on the clock. This is Mottel talking to Tevia. This is Seabiscut coming around the last stretch. This is Kobe with the ball with 10 sec left. This is "True Grit". This is Rocky vs Ivan Draco. This is Jack Sparrow chasing the black pearl. This is Sam carrying Frodo. This is Aragorn at the gate of Mordor.
When I look in the eyes of the Spanish members I see the same fear that would take the heart of me. There may be a day when men fall. When the relm of men comes crashing down! But it is not THIS DAY! THIS DAY! WE FIGHT!!!! For lack of better words, this is CHUCK NORRIS.
This is also Elder Weiss not sure what to tell you. I think Charles says everything.
Well I hope you understand something of what I wrote. Maybe Jon will get most of it. Between all of you I think you'll be able to figure it out.
Ok well. Love you heaps! Ofatu!
Elder Weiss VI... One minute on the clock... SEND
Tuesday, October 15, 2013
Ward Involvement-Excited for next 20 months!
From: Joseph Weiss <joseph.weiss@myldsmail.net>
Date: October 15, 2013 12:47:27 AM MDT
Man, life is good. We are so blessed. This week we had our third ward splits night in a row. The ward is getting more involved and it bodes well for the Spanish ward's desire to grow. Elder Edmondson went on splits with a man from our ward to contact a referral that he gave us. He taught the restoration and he said it went pretty well. Teaching a good lesson with a member present was a good step forward by itself but then yesterday we all went to teach him. He has a sincere desire to change. He was sent here from prison in El Salvador and has done some really bad things but he is sincere about wanting to change. I won't lie I was having a hard time focusing in as much as I could on the work but as I walked out of that lesson I was reminded of why I want to be out here.
Today in the temple I reflected on all the miracles I've seen on my mission and the things I've learned in the last four months. We are blessed to be a part of this work for sure. I've realized that I'm really, really good at being rude too... jk (just kidding), but (I do) like joking around and stuff. For some reason my sense of humor is at the slight expense of something. I need to have a more uplifting sense of humor.
Transfers are coming up this week. The only thing constant is change, so we'll see how things shake out with 45 new missionaries to train. I think Elder Jones is going to train and I'll keep Elder Edmondson but they are both just as ready as I was to train if not more so.
I've learned so much in the last four months I'm so excited for the next 20!
I'm working on my aussie accent. I just need a specific person to imitate and I can do alright. What I thought an aussie accent was, is actually a Kiwi accent. Ali taught me good! I love New Zealanders! They are sweet as! Straight Nephites if you hadn't heard! Pretty hectic. Not sure what else to write about...
Hope yous are good!
Love, Elder Weiss VI
PS Mom knows so many scriptures it's unreal. I wish I had her scripture bank of memory! Someday I will know the scriptures like her!
Date: October 15, 2013 12:47:27 AM MDT
Man, life is good. We are so blessed. This week we had our third ward splits night in a row. The ward is getting more involved and it bodes well for the Spanish ward's desire to grow. Elder Edmondson went on splits with a man from our ward to contact a referral that he gave us. He taught the restoration and he said it went pretty well. Teaching a good lesson with a member present was a good step forward by itself but then yesterday we all went to teach him. He has a sincere desire to change. He was sent here from prison in El Salvador and has done some really bad things but he is sincere about wanting to change. I won't lie I was having a hard time focusing in as much as I could on the work but as I walked out of that lesson I was reminded of why I want to be out here.
Today in the temple I reflected on all the miracles I've seen on my mission and the things I've learned in the last four months. We are blessed to be a part of this work for sure. I've realized that I'm really, really good at being rude too... jk (just kidding), but (I do) like joking around and stuff. For some reason my sense of humor is at the slight expense of something. I need to have a more uplifting sense of humor.
Transfers are coming up this week. The only thing constant is change, so we'll see how things shake out with 45 new missionaries to train. I think Elder Jones is going to train and I'll keep Elder Edmondson but they are both just as ready as I was to train if not more so.
I've learned so much in the last four months I'm so excited for the next 20!
I'm working on my aussie accent. I just need a specific person to imitate and I can do alright. What I thought an aussie accent was, is actually a Kiwi accent. Ali taught me good! I love New Zealanders! They are sweet as! Straight Nephites if you hadn't heard! Pretty hectic. Not sure what else to write about...
Hope yous are good!
Love, Elder Weiss VI
PS Mom knows so many scriptures it's unreal. I wish I had her scripture bank of memory! Someday I will know the scriptures like her!
Tuesday, October 8, 2013
If we don't repent, we will be sad...
From: Joseph Weiss <joseph.weiss@myldsmail.net>
Date: October 7, 2013 11:28:58 PM MDT
Wow heaps of letters this week! Thank you all for your love and support!
This week we found a new investigator from New Zealand who lives a few houses down from us! We were doing a role play walking around our yard (I was trying to be a difficult contact for my comp) and I saw these two guys and I thought in my head, "Elder, why'd you walk into the front yard!? Now we have to talk to these guys!" So we stopped the role plays and walked up to them and talked. We had a hard time finally catching him at home but he gave us 15 minutes and we got him to pray and he really wants to learn more! SO HECTIC!
We also found out our eternal investigator Juan is a drunk. Elder Jones went with Bishop and they had a heart to heart with Elsa, his wife, and she told them he's literally always drunk. 1 Liter a day before noon. He hides it really well but he's a drunk! HECTIC!! That's been the problem for the last ten years he's been investigating. Hopefully we he will have a desire to change and he can finally commit to be baptized and follow Jesus Christ. It's good to know what we are dealing with.
Man, being a trainer can be a joke sometimes. There are so many questions I don't have the answer to. We are struggling each day but we are continually becoming more and more effective. Next week we get to go the temple again! So excited.
My revelation for this week is that as long as we are repenting and seeing the atonement in our lives we will be happy. If we don't repent we will be sad. I do things I need to repent enough that there isn't a prayer I say that I shouldn't ask for forgiveness and help.
This Spanish Ward can be overwhelming at times. We should be getting 2 companionships soon an I'm not sure what another companionship is going to do. We need to build up our teaching pool but I know that with the Lord's help our ward can start baptizing again. We had 5 "Less actives" at church this past Sunday! That was a miracle. Our bishop is so motivated and he would give anything to help the Lord help this ward. I'm praying all three of us stay here after transfers. I don't want to leave. I want to get to the top of this mountain so bad but it's "His will not mine". I really can't do anything about it.
I love you all! Ofatu! Fa!
Elder Weiss VI
I pray for your safety and success every day!
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