Pics This Week

Elder Mora got 100 fortune cookies from His grandma and this is the one I opened up today!

WOOO!!! baptisms-- here we come!! haha









and my comp made me some mustaches.. haha i had fun.

Six Months Gone Already!

Well. I can't believe I've been out for 6 months already! Time is going way too fast.

I am sorry that I didn't get online yesterday.. Maybe you figured it out, it was Memorial Day and the library wasn't open, so we just decided to come today:)


Last week seems like a long time ago haha! Well. We got to see ___ and ___ and ____ again at the beginning of the week.. We taught about The Law of Chastity and The Sabbath Day.. and that was interesting haha. But the great thing about it was that we made a list of things with them that we should do on Sundays and things we shouldn't do...They taped it onto their wall in the living room! haha. They are so great:) We got to do service for them Tuesday, we cleaned the kitchen for them and then helped pick up a bunch of trash and take it to the dump:) it was fun, we got to wear jeans!! haha..


Oh man. funny story about jeans. So we saw them Monday, and then we decided to come do service the next day and we told them we could wear jeans! and they were like "oh, we have this pair of jeans that we got for our cousin and they dont fit her.. they might fit you!" So, I took them, and they were like "these are special jeans too.. they are "levanta pompis" brand! hahahahahahahaha..[that means, "Butt Lift Brand"] Unfortunately, I couldn't get them all the way up my legs.. but it was so funny.


We went and had dinner with the ______'s this week as well.. and wow. After we ate dinner we went outside to have a little lesson with Sister _____ (because it is glorious weather) AND because the elders showed up asking if they could eat there haha.. (we now understand why the elders get more meals per week than us..) Anyways. We went outside and sat with Sister ______. She wants us to help her learn English, so we read out of the Plan of Salvation pamphlet in English with her.. That then lead to her telling us her life story (literally). And it is inspiring.. She is an incredible woman that I respect so much.. I don't know if I have ever met someone with as much faith as she has. As she told us her story I was crying.. I have really come to have a greater understanding and respect for the Hispanic people that come here to America.. Their lives in their own countries are horrible. All they want is for their kids to have a better life.. I still don't exactly think it is ok to come illegally, but it is just sad and humbling to hear their stories.


We got to see the ________'s again! Woo! haha:) we talked about the atonement with them.. and this was the miracle of the week:) As we were discussing how Jesus Christ can help us change and things like that, Sister _____ told us that she had recently decided that she is going to quit drinking all together... We hadn't even addressed that issue really! and she just felt that on her own. The Spirit is truly amazing, it can soften peoples' hearts and truly help them know the things they need to change. And when they feel that, they cant deny it. We have another lesson tonight with them and we are really excited to talk about the WOW more.. The best part about it was that Sunday we went over to his parents' house for dinner and unlike last time-- she didn't drink anything!! :) and guess what they made for us? COW TONGUE! haha man.. i am just eating everything possible from cows.. it is not too bad. It is really really soft meat!

Yesterday was a great day as well.. We had a weird preparation day because we didn't email but it was nice to just be kinda lazy! we relaxed and cleaned the house and shopped. Then when we went out last night to do visits all we really had planned was tracting a few different areas. So we had set a goal the night before to find 4 new investigators.. I had been praying so so so hard all day and night that we could do it. We went out and we just kept having to speak Spanish! haha it was great. we don't get that many opportunities in a week usually! So we got in a door and had a lesson with a woman who was Catholic.. she wasn't really feeling it that much but we taught her the restoration up to the Great Apostasy and she definitely learned something new!


Then. We went over to see a potential investigator and they weren't home.. So we went to a trailer at the front of the street and the family was all sitting outside. The parents, 2 boys and a girl. They are Hispanic as well.. they let us in no problem :) and the two boys are 11 and 13.. they sat in with their parents the whole time and listened to us (it may have been just because they were amused with our Spanish....) but they were so humble and nice. We gave all of them Books of Mormon and then we started talking about "is there life after death?" and so we are going back to teach the Plan of Salvation in a few days. At the end we asked if there was anything specifically we could pray for and she said her mom was really really sick.. People's questions of the soul are always related to the things they are struggling with and the Book of Mormon can ALWAYS answer those questions and concerns. And the best part..? they are a FAMILY of 4. We had prayed for that specifically.. and we found them.

The Lord is truly here working WITH us and helping us find opportunities each day. I recently read the allegory in Jacob 5 and I used to think it was so boring but now I LOVE IT! it is US. exactly..

I love you all so much and I know that if we keep our faith strong and we work hard in keeping the commandments of the Lord we can see miracles in our lives.. Not just in missionary work but with everything.

Have a great week!!!!!!! I LOVE AND MISS YOU ALL SO MUCH!

-Hermana Weller :)

Last month in photos...

 Sister Deacon is being transferred...gotta get her there, one way or another!

Our district of sisters

Our trio's final week together

One of my favorite places on earth...ahhh...miss the beach so much!!

Some members took us to the beach!! It's beautiful...and yes, we had permission!

My nametag got to get in the water...but I could not. :(

Strawberry Festival!

Papa Weezy April 28, 2014

Well this week was good! We have been on fire lately with finding new investigators. We found 5 more this week. Which in turn has actually been sad because we feel like we are losing our old investigators :( ____ and ___ are kind of avoiding us.. and _____ has been being weird with us as well.. But we should hopefully get up with both of them this next week.






So.. you are probably wondering why I titled this email papa weezy though haha.. I got sick this week with a cold. It is so weird because I never used to just get colds at home! But its no bueno with my asthma!! I literally couldnt breathe.. The first day i was sick i just slept all day long and took a bunch of meds and junk and my inhaler like 4x. So Sister Dickerson nicknamed me papa weezy hahahaha.. It was just so funny:) but i am doing better now! Still have a cough but its getting better.






I cant remember if I told you or not, but we are teaching this lady named ____. She is a member of the branch's friend. She is only 20 years old but she has 2 kids and is just really searching right now for happiness. She is ready for a change and ready to do what ever it takes to help her kids and herself be truly happy. She has been really great to teach, I am so excited for her. We used the #becauseofhim video in our lesson the other day when we taught the second half of the plan of salvation and it was exactly what we needed. It brought the spirit so well. I just LOVE that video so much. SO MUCH. She is preparing to be baptized the end of May.. she smokes so we are going to give her some good time to prepare for being baptized. But she is ready to quit and change so its just so exciting!






I think I told you all last week.. But I will again! I am staying in Wallace next transfer! Sister Deacon is leaving. So that is exciting.. I am really excited because now i will be here for the cinco de mayo RS activity as well as the annual Carolina Strawberry Festival! which is hosted right here in Wallace:) also i have just really developed love for these people. and there are some people that I just dont ever want to leave haha! Some of the young women I have really developed a love for and hopefully have effected them because most of their families are less active so they dont get to come all the time.. But we had a lot of people yesterday at church that dont normally come! It was neat to see our work from this week in visiting them pay off.






It has been a bit hard this week with different things. But I really have been trying to rely on the Lord to strengthen me.. To make my weaknesses become strengths- Ether 12:27. I just want to have the effect on my trainee that my trainers had on me. They were such great examples to me and I just hope I am doing as much as I can to be like them, and ultimately my Savior, and effect Sister Dickerson in the way they effected me.






I am so grateful for you all.. I am so grateful for the realtionships we share, and that I am here on my mission. I just feel extremely blessed... I re-read Elder Uchtdorf's talk this week from conference and I am trying have that grateful attitude always.. It is NOT easy in Wallace! There are a lot of things that you can dwell on or be negative about, but I know by trying to always see the good things that are happening that hope is able to stay there and I am able to wake up every single day ready to work hard and do all I possibly can to do the Lords work that day.






Sometimes I dont even know if my emails make sense.. haha but I hope they do! And I hope you really do know how much I love and miss you. Go forth and do the Lords work!!! Be as supportive to the missionaries in the ward as you can.. go out with them and always offer your home or your help with getting investigators to where they need to be. I love you, and I will talk to you again soon:) Happy May day!






Love,


Hermana Weller

Mother's Day!!

Hello Everyone!


It is weird to be writing an email to y'all when I just got to see your faces yesterday:) that was so great.. thank you so much for being prepared and asking me good questions:) I was thinking about it last night and I am so blessed to have you as my family. I love that you know what it is like to have served a mission and you helped me not get super distracted or anything like that while skyping:) I love you!!! I miss you so much, but that was just what I needed:) I hope you had a very good mothers day mom and grandma too.


Well. this week has been great. It was very long!! (probably because I was looking forward to Sunday) But it was good.. Sister Deacon left really early Tuesday morning and then we had an amazing day that day. We utilized facebook and were able to have 2 lessons on there with investigators.. It is still strange sometimes to me that we are allowed to get on there haha.. And then we met with our investigators, ___ then ____ (she is ___'s best friend) and then the _________'s all in one day!


We finally were able to figure out _____'s real concern with being baptized which was a miracle.. She told us she is worried that if she is already baptized and then she makes a mistake and sins then it will be worse because she will have that promise with God.. So she thinks it is just better for her to not be baptized and be able to be forgiven easier. But it is not that way!! It is wonderful that our investigators have these kinds of questions though because then I get the opportunity to study it out and learn it better for myself.



I came up with a really good analogy today when I was studying about the importance and roll of being baptized and taking the sacrament each week. It is exactly like going on a hike up a mountain.. In 2 Nephi 31:17-18 it relates perfectly. Before you go on a hike you make some sorts of preparations.. you get water snacks etc. and then you have an idea of where you are going. Then you get there and you usually start out at the trail head. The trail head is this "gate" that is spoken of in 2 Nephi 32 and repentance are those preparations you make before heading out. Then as you are hiking up the mountain you are really excited.. you know what is ahead of you and you can see the top! As you get to about half way up yo usually have to take a break.. sometimes before that and sometimes more than just one time depending on how steep and how long the hike is. But as you take a break and get a drink of water you look back down at how far you have come and you look back to where you are going and you get that renewed excitement to go! This is what the sacrament provides for us! that recharge of our batteries! and we can reflect as we take it where we have come and make sure we are still on the right track to get to the top. Once we get to the top of the mountain it is beautiful... so peaceful and relaxing. you can see the whole (valley usually haha) and its just a great feeling of accomplishment and you get to appreciate the beauty there. This is what it will be like achieving the eternal life we all want. and it all starts with repentance.. luckily too we have the spirit from the very start. he is there to help us the entire way up.


I am so grateful to know this! and to really be able to apply it to my life and share it in ways that they can apply it to theirs as well..


The Lord has been helping us so much this past week.. I know as we have been diligently working hard and actually doing our language study well, we have been blessed with new investigators and some even in Spanish!!


I also recently started over reading the Book of Mormon and as I read the story about Nephi building the boat it really hit me! We can relate that to our lives as well! The scriptures are great haha..


Well. That is all I really have for this week! It is getting pretty toasty here in NC. Don't send me candy if you are going to send me a package.. please!!!! hahahaha. It is horrible. I always say I am not going to eat that candy when my comps get it in their packages and then they are like well you can have some if you want.. I ALWAYS give in! save me from myself haha and just don't do it:) thank you!


I love you so much and thank you for everything. I am so grateful to be out here as a missionary and I know that I am truly doing the Lord's work.

Love,
-Hermana Weller-

x

Happy 5 de MAYO

Sorry I got online so late this week!!!! We got to go down to Wilmington during the day and see the beach!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! BEST DAY EVER. I don't have very much time now though!



OH MY GOSH! the other day was actually the best day ever. AN APOSTLE CAME TO MY MISSION!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Elder Neil Anderson came and spoke to us. It was amazing.. They sent out the message that we had to be in Raleigh to see him Saturday afternoon on Friday afternoon. They literally gave us a 24 hour notice, I started screaming when I heard!! I was so excited because I have never been in the same room as an apostle before, so it was pretty great:) He talked to us about the Savior majority of the time.. He talked to us about how through Christ and learning more about Him by reading the Book of Mormon we can do things we never thought we would be able to do. He also talked about what a blessing it truly is to be called to serve here in Raleigh North Carolina. He said that some people have a misconception that the best missionaries get sent to crazy places around the world, but in reality there has to be some really good missionaries that stay here in the United States and build the church here because it is kind of the central point to the church.. So not necessarily saying I am one of those great missionaries that needed to be in the US instead of out of the country (in fact not at all haha), but I just thought that was interesting that he said that and it is good to hear and be able to share with others who may feel disappointed in their state side mission calls.


We were all sitting there in the chapel as a mission before he came into the room and we were just singing hymns and I almost started crying.. The spirit was just so strong.. I loved it. Then he came into the room and we all got to go up and shake his hand. It was amazing.. I know that he is truly a chosen man to teach and preach the gospel.



This past week was a little bit slower than the weeks previous.. I am not exactly sure what was different. But yesterday was the BEST sunday I have ever had here in the Wallace branch. Actually I probably would say in my mission! It was just really inspiring and spirit filled. I love this place.. It is hard but it is so great. I am so excited for this next transfer.. We have so many people in our teaching pool and there are 3 people that I am confident that the Lord has prepared and wants to be baptized by the end of this month. I am trying my hardest to do everything we possibly can to get them there. I think it is finally time that we see someone get baptized here:) we work so hard every single day.



We do a companionship inventory every week with our planning sessions and it was such a compliment this past week my companions told me that my strength is that I am so diligent and hard working.. That is one of the best things to hear.



AHH I have to go already. Sorry i am so flustered because i dont have like any time. talkto you sunday i love you!!!!!!!


-hermana weller






Happy Cinco de Mayo by the way:)