WEEK 20 - IN WONDERING AWE

MERRY CHRISTMAS, ONE AND ALL!!! This is your favorite Missionary, Elder Zachary Weber, checking in once again to report on what's been going down in the Fossil Creek Ward recently. And, I'll be honest--not much has happened recently teaching-wise. Due to the icy conditions out on the roads and the rough schedules with the families that we work with in our ward, this week just hasn't been all that easy for us and our work as Missionaries for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. However, that doesn't mean that this last week has been a total waste of our time, nor are we saying that it's been uncomfortable for us. In fact, this week has been one of the best weeks I've ever had the wonderful opportunity of experiencing so far on my mission. Though I've been far from my family during this spectacular holiday season, I have been able to enjoy every single minute of it, and grown closer to the true meaning of this happy holiday.

Christmas Eve  with Bishop Cleverly and his family

So, how did Christmas go down for Elder V and I this year?

Playing HeadBanz with the Cleverly Family

It all started out on Christmas Eve, early in the morning. After rising slowly from our beds and getting ready for the day, we piled into the Battle Wagon once again and drove off to the furthest corner of our area, visiting the families that lived there, and leaving a few loving Christmas Messages. We were happy to stop by Brother Holm, who was busy working on his house once again, and who told us that he was happy to get some help from us, if we could give it. We began a long and frustrating search throughout the Ward, searching for leftover cardboard boxes that Brother Holm could use to pack up his house for the move. Though we couldn't find any that day, we got some members of the Ward to work together this next Tuesday in helping him box up his belongings, get the painting done, and clean up his house--all things he has mentioned needing help with doing. After that, we stopped by the Camarao family, just as Sister Camarao's father stopped by for a surprise visit. After talking with Brother Camarao for a few minutes, both Elder V and I felt a bit awkward and intrusive, so we politely stepped back out of the house and headed on our way, wishing the Camaraos a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year on our way out.

 

Busting into the Christmas stockings

 

That evening, Elder V and I were happy to join the Cleverlys for Christmas Eve dinner and a few of their family's Christmas traditions. The dinner was wonderful, as it always is at the Cleverlys' house (except for the fact that they didn't have corn souffle!), and after we had ate our fill, Sister Cleverly whipped out a chocolate cheesecake for dessert, a very delectable treat, if I do say so myself. While enjoying the cake and waiting for the rest of the evening to wind down, Elder V and I played a fun game of Headbandz with Bishop Cleverly's sons. It was fun to watch us struggle to figure out what we were, when to everyone else at the table what we were was absolutely obvious (once, I had snake, and even after asking if I was a pet, had fur, and had legs, I still couldn't figure it out!). Once we'd had our fill of joking around with each other, Bishop Cleverly had us gather in the Entertainment Room for a Spiritual Christmas Message. He asked us what was our favorite scripture that talks about Christ, and asked us to bear our testimony on the Savior. I realize I usually only do one Spiritual Message each email, but I thought it'd be appropriate to mention what I said that Christmas Eve night.

 

Mini Christmas trees for the elders and presents
from the sweet members of the Fossil Creek Ward.

 

"And he shall go forth, suffering pains and afflictions and temptations of every kind; and this that the word might be fulfilled which saith he will take upon him the pains and the sicknesses of his people. And he will take upon him death, that he may loose the bands of death which bind his people; and he will take upon him their infirmities, that his bowels may be filled with mercy, according to the flesh, that he may know according to the flesh how to succor his people according to their infirmities. Now the Spirit knoweth all things; nevertheless the Son of God suffereth according to the flesh that he might take upon him the sins of his people, that he might blot out their transgressions according to the power of his deliverance; and now behold, this is the testimony which is in me. (Alma 7:11-13)"

 

So grateful for the ward members that showed Elder Weber and V so much love
this holiday while they were away from their families.

 

What stands out the most to me with this passage of scripture is the last part; "Now the Spirit knoweth all things; nevertheless the Son of God suffereth according to the flesh..." Christ, being born of Spirit and of Man, was able to know all things perfectly from a spiritual aspect. And, because of that, He could have understood perfectly how to help us out of our sins without having to experience all the pains of Gethsemane and Galgotha. However, Christ loves us far more than just that. He loves us so much, that even though He understood our pains from a spiritual and mental angle, He willingly took upon Himself our pains and infirmities so that He could know and understand our pains and griefs from a physical and emotional angle as well. Because of Christ's love for us, He took upon Himself all the pains and sicknesses and infirmities of this world, so that He could be our perfect Savior and Redeemer, our perfect companion during this long and terrible journey in this wretched yet wonderful world. Saying that I'm grateful for what Christ has done for me doesn't even scratch the surface for what I feel from His sacrifice. He is the reason I've given up two years of my life to spread the Gospel--because He loved me enough to suffer for me, I'm out here to help others learn of the love He has for them as well.

 

So cute that one of the children from the ward gave
Elder Weber Legos.

 

After the testimonies were all said and done, we quickly ran back downstairs to our home and slid into bed, ready for Christmas Day. That morning, Elder V and I ran off to the Baer's house for Christmas Breakfast and the chance to open a few presents. Little did we know, however, that these "few presents" were actually about a dozen different wrapped packages for Elder V and myself, nestled under our very own miniature Christmas Trees! If I recall right, I got several different Japanese treats from a Brother that had served in Japan on his mission (really glad I mentioned my love for Japanese culture when I met him), at least six different ties, and a small LEGO set from the Baer's youngest boy (don't tell the Mission President!). After the presents had all been unwrapped and the action had died down some, Elder V and I sauntered down into the Baer's basement, where we played a rousing game of pool with their eldest son, Max, who was just about to leave for college at BYU. We finally decided to head on our way when the Baers began their preparations for the Christmas call their daughter was going to give them from her mission.

 

Playing a little pool on Christmas Day

 

Speaking of which, right after we returned from the Baers' house, Bishop Cleverly called me upstairs from our basement home, saying he'd finished getting the skype ready for my Christmas call with my family. I wish I had a picture of my and my mom's face when the screen lit up, and we were able to see each other once again, for the first time in four months. Mom, Dad, Katie, Becky, Belle, they were all there, and all doing well. It was so nice to see them all again, and hear their voices. They've seemed to have grown up a bit since the last time I saw them, and according to them, so have I. They waited until the skype to open the presents I sent them, which I was very grateful for, as I was able to see their ecstatic expressions the very minute they opened their gifts. As the time wound down, I got some nice one-on-one time with each of my family members, chatting aimlessly about how things were going with me, and how things were going with them. It was really nice, but kind of sad too, because I knew that the time was almost up, and I'd have to say that painful word once more--goodbye. My mom asked if I could close us with a prayer before the call could end, which I gladly did. Then, with tears in my eyes, I closed the message, both more joyful and more hurt than I have ever been before in my life.

 

I had just learned what it really meant to be homesick.

 

However, even though I'm far from my family, and feeling these less-than-happy feelings, I couldn't be happier. I came out on a mission because I have a wonderful blessing in my life--I know that though I am separated from my family for now, I will be with them again for time and all eternity. For I have been reborn in Christ, and entered into His fold. I have taken upon me the sacred and hallowed covenants made in the temple of my God that allow me to be sealed with my mom and my dad even after we have all left this earthly life behind. I know this to be true, and so I exert every possible part of me in spreading this truth to others who seek it, that they may take part in the glorious blessings our Heavenly Father is waiting eagerly to give us. That is why I am out here--away from my family for now, so that other families can be together forever. That is my calling, and it could not be possible without my Savior, and our Savior, Jesus Christ. He made it possible for all of us to be saved, from our sins, from our griefs, even from death itself. He made this possible for us, and now I serve Him, so that others may know of His work, and might come unto him with happiness and joy.

 

That is what I was able to relearn this Christmas Season.

 

So, with that in mind, I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas Season, and a wonderful New Year. And if you have questions or concerns about your life, make it your New Year's resolution to seek these answers out. Who knows? You just might find exactly what you never knew you were looking for--absolute and eternal joy. And this I say in closing, in His name, even the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

 

--Elder Z.S.Weber

WEEK 19 - OUR CHRISTMAS SKYPE

After the presents were opened and the wrappings disposed of the anticipated Skype call came through from Elder Weber.  He looked so good and truly seems to have matured so much in just the short 4 months he has been out.  We got to hear about his Christmas activities and we shared how our own holiday had been.  We got to meet his current companion Elder Vakameilalo

Here is an excerpt from our conversation:

 

 

 

Love seeing this kids smiling face

We even got to hear him laugh

We have taken this same picture every year for the past 11 years.
Couldn't let this Christmas go by with out continuing the
tradition.

That is one proud dad

My best Christmas present.



WEEK 17 - OH COME ALL YE FAITHFUL!

Hello everyone, it's me, Elder We--cough cough hack cough cough--Elder Weber. Sorry, but it seems both I and my companion (you all remember Elder V, right?) caught a pretty bad case of the cold. And, let me tell you, there is nothing worse than being a missionary out in the mission field and getting sick. You're constantly tired and sluggish, coughing, hacking, and can barely speak, and your head pounds like you've got the world's largest marching band performing inside your brain. Now, back when Elder V and I were just average, ordinary young men who weren't out in the mission field, getting sick was great. You got to stay home from school, watch movies or play games, and eat nice relaxing chicken noodle soup all day long. But when you're a missionary, getting sick is the worst, because you know that you have a Heaven-sent mission to fill out, and when you're sick you can't do that. So every passing minute when you're sleeping in or hunkering down in your apartment until you get better are the worst minutes of your life!

But, enough with that! My cold hasn't affected me too badly just yet, and I still have a very long week filled with interesting and exciting things certain to entertain you 'til the cows come home (or at least until something else more entertaining pops up, like the next Avengers movie, or a new Nintendo game)! To start off with, let's go back to this last Tuesday. We were told by our Zone Leader, Elder Greer, to stop by the Stake Center for some service. Turns out, however, that the Sister Missionaries were already there, and they were all that were needed to fulfill the service requirements. So what did all of us Elders do? We grabbed the Battle Wagon (our van) and sped off down the road to the Library for an early Mormon.org time. We sat around, listening to talks and videos, for about an hour or so, and then we were off again, this time to Sam's Club, where we sat back and enjoyed Polish Dogs and pizza slices. All was well, until one of the employees at the food court mentioned to us that, since we had such a large group, we could've just gotten a large pizza for almost half the cost of all the individual pieces put together. Elder Greer and Clay both were silent the rest of the day, too embarrassed and annoyed to dare themselves to speak.

The next day, Wednesday, was another great day, though once again not much was done (I'm starting to think that those Elders that rake in twenty or thirty lessons a week are fudging their numbers just a smidge). Once more, we had a lesson with the McManus family. As I've said in past emails, the McManus' are a golden investigator family--they couldn't be more golden even if they were related to King Midas (cue rip shot)! Anyway, Wednesday's lesson with their family was on the three commandments that set the Mormon religion (the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) apart from the world. These are: the Word of Wisdom (don't drink coffee, non-herbal tea, wine, or alcohol; don't use tobacco or illegal drugs in any way that is harmful to your body), the Law of Tithe and Fast Offerings (give one-tenth of your income to the Church for temples and missionary tools, and every first Sunday of the month fast for two meals and give the money that would have been spent for those meals to the Church for welfare projects), and the Law of Chastity (no sex, passionate kissing, or anything lust-provoking before marriage, complete fidelity to spouse after marriage, and keeping one's mind clean and pure of dark and lustful thoughts as much as possible--something the rest of the world seems to have disregarded recently).

I was very worried to got into this lesson. I knew that the McManus' were already keeping the Word of Wisdom, which was why we taught that one first, but I wasn't so certain if they'd get the whole Tithe and Fast Offering thing. And with the world so off kilter recently when it comes to morality, and my own uncomfortability with discussing the Law of Chastity, I wasn't certain how the lesson was going to go. To my surprise, though, the McManus family understood perfectly the Law of Tithes, and were ready and willing to abide by it once they were made members. And, they were already discussing the Law of Chastity with their kids, so that went well.

Elder Weber and his advent care package

Elder Weber in his room with the Christmas lights strung

The next day was even better, because we had the Christmas devotional for the mission. Thursday found me, Elder V, Elder Corpus, Elder Leavit, Elder Trottier, and Elder Earl hopping into the old Battle Wagon once again and taking the twenty minute drive down to Longmont for our Devotional. It was great--there were probably about twenty musical numbers, including one that included the entire Loveland Zone (the song's called Olive Tree, if you were interested), many of the Elders and Sisters were called up to bear their testimonies on the Savior and his birth, and we watched a beautiful video on Christ's birth. Afterwords, though, was the part that really made my day. WE GOT PRESENTS!!! Yessir, when the Devotional was over and we were all sent down to the Relief Society's room to grab our mail, the first few Elders that went in were almost buried by the packages that tumbled out of the nearly over-flowing room. There was one Elder I saw that had about six boxes in his hands, and one Sister needed a cart to carry all of hers! When I got home, I found that one of the boxes was my December treat box from my mom, and the other two were present boxes. Elder V and I have had fun with the advent calendars, and stringing the lights up around the room (mostly around my bed).

Christmas packages for Elder Weber and Elder V
 

But, of course, Sunday was the best, as well as the worst, day of the week. By then, both Elder V and I had gotten hit hard with the cold, and could barely function. After getting home from Church and the Ward Missionary Coordination Meeting, we collapsed in our beds and thought we'd take a little break for a while. That "little break" ended up taking about four hours, as very shortly after we had climbed into our beds, we both fell quickly and quietly asleep. We woke up only once it got to be around 5:30, just in time to smarten ourselves up for dinner at the Banagas' that evening. It seemed as though the Banagas' had heard about our weary situation, as they had quickly come up with all sorts of food that are good for fighting colds--garlic-laced spaghetti and meatballs, oranges and orange juice, fresh vegetables, and hot cocoa. We sat back and chatted for a while, just enjoying ourselves. We shared a message on the power of the spirit, and then one of the boys pulled out a Connect 4 game, which we then got into a battle royal over. So, yes, it was definitely a great day to end the week on.

Sorry that I don't have an inspiring message this week. Can't do much spirit-wise when the body's all out of wack. But I promise, I'll have a really powerful message for y'all next week. So, until then, stay epic my friends!

--Elder Z.S.Weber

WEEK 16 - HARK! THE HERALD ANGEL SINGS!!

Hey everyone, it's me, Elder Weber! Yeah, I've got another great week to tell you guys about, but before I do, some of you have been concerned about what I said pertaining to Elder V last week. So, it is my deep pleasure that we are doing much better this week. I mean, we haven't come close to killing each other just yet (unless it's over how the Monopoly game is going, which Elder V almost always seems to win), so that's good! We're still getting into slight disagreements, but we're starting to get along better, and talk out our problems a little more, rather than just go ballistic with each other. So, we're doing fine. And, unless something truly troublesome comes up in the next four weeks, I don't see us grating on each others nerves any more than we had last week.

Now then, onto the week itself. Now, I know that I must have started sounding like a broken record with this almost a month ago, but things are slow here. The lessons don't come in at wild numbers, like where twenty lessons is the lowest you can go. But, even though we only managed to get eleven lessons this week, I have to say that this week was a great week because of the things, not necessarily lessons, that we experienced this week. To begin with, let's go to Tuesday, where we went down to the Peakview neighborhood, where some of our strongest yet humblest members live. We were meeting with Brother Camarao and his family, and had planned on teaching a lesson on the importance of scripture study and prayer. Of course, we all know what He thinks of plans. Instead of teaching about the importance of scripture study, we ended up spending about an hour and a half talking with the Camaraos and explaining how the events in the scriptures happen and line up. They wanted to dive right in and get into as much of it as they could, and I could see by the fire in their eyes that they were so ready to learn what the prophets of old had to tell them.

On Wednesday, Elder V and I headed out to Timnath, and had the happy occasion to teach the McManus family once again. This was Elder V's first time teaching the family, so I was afraid as to how he was going to work with them. After all, they weren't exactly the average investigator family. They're the kind of family that wants to know all the answers, the explanations for the answers, and how they all connect together in the end. Much to my surprise, and delight, though, Elder V totally dominated in the teaching, and we got a great conversation lesson going, kind of like the ones that I'd have with Elder Proffit. The spirit was strong in the room, especially when Sister McManus asked us if we knew when the Christ would come again (because we were teaching about the Gospel of Jesus Christ) and I was able to bear my testimony that though I don't know when it'll be, I do know, with all the conviction of my soul, that when He does come, I will be ready to great him as the King He truly is. Then, that evening, Elder V and I went back over to the Banagas' house. They were setting up Christmas, so we decided to lend a hand. Then, we sat back and watched a documentary on Handel's Messiah, a beautiful documentary both in music and in spirit.

Friday found Elder V and I at a Rehab Center for a Service Project that the Tribly District Elders had received, and asked us to join in. Basically, the center was going to be holding a Country Christmas Party, with music, food, and square-dancing, and because most of the patients at the Rehab Center were in wheelchairs, we had volunteered to do the square-dancing for them, by wheeling the wheelchairs around like we were square-dancing. We had a great time with it, and of the patients that joined the circle each round, there were two grinning and clapping old women that never left the circle, both having far too much fun to leave it. It brought a smile of my own to my face. Then, that evening, we headed off to the Ward Christmas Party, and enjoyed watching the new Mormon Message at the end, called, He Is The Gift. It was a great message, and if I could be so bold, I would ask that all of you reading this right now look into it.

Well, that was my week. Now, for the spiritual message.

One dark and lonely night many years ago, a few shepherds sat out by their flocks in the fields, keeping a close eye on each one of them, as all good shepherds do. Any wolves that happened to be prowling around in the dark of the night would be mighty fools to think they'd be able to get their fangs on any lamb that night, these shepherds were far too vigilant to let their flocks get caught by a hungry wolf. But there weren't any wolves lurking in the shadows this night--just the shepherds, their sheep, and...AN ANGEL OF THE LORD?! The shepherds were astounded! An Angel of the Lord, one of the great messengers from above, had appeared before them. Them, lowly shepherds! And what a message he had had to give; "Behold, I give you good tiding of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day, in the City of David, a Savior, which is Christ the Lord!" Immediately, the shepherds gathered together their sheep and headed into Bethlehem, to see for themselves the babe that would one day be their King of kings. Now, this is the interesting part; it was not a great king or priest that first came to Christ on his birth, but lowly shepherds, simple men who had one goal in their occupation--protecting their flocks. I find it interesting that the very man those men were sent to meet that night was to be the greatest Shepherd of them all, even the King of Kings, Jesus Christ.

I know Jesus Christ lives. I know this, and I know that He will come again someday, to rule and lead His people once more. This I bear witness of, in His holy name, even the name Jesus Christ, Amen.

Well, that's it for this week. See you next week, everyone!

--Elder Z.S.Weber

WEEK 15 - JOY to the WORLD!

Happy Holidays, one and all! This is your very merry Mormon Missionary, Elder Weber, reporting in on another wonderful week spent in the Fossil Creek Ward, the Loveland Stake, the Colorado Fort Collins Mission! To start, I'd like to say to all of you out there reading this right now, hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving day, filled with loving kindness and surrounded by eternal memories made with friends and families by your side. This was my first Thanksgiving away from my family this year, starting off the first holiday season spent away from home, so I have to admit it was kind of interesting for me. But, much to my pleasant surprise, I haven't gotten the least bit teary-eyed or homesick yet! After all, I have seventeen years worth of wonderful family Christmas and Thanksgiving memories to keep me from being down in the dumps all of November and December. So, before I go into my weekly report, let me just say...Mom and Dad, thank you for making those last seventeen Thanksgivings and Christmases the seventeen best Thanksgivings and Christmases a boy could ever have.


Elder Weber spent the evening before
Thanksgiving at the home of my best friend
 and angel Shawna Banagas
 

Now, then, onto the week. As you all already know from my last email out, Elder Proffit is no longer among us here in the Fossil Creek Ward, and Elder Wengreen has jumped ship and headed back home to start out on his next mission--his life-long mission. So, with that in mind, on Tuesday morning, Elder Proffit, Elder V, Elder Corpus, Elder Mangrum, Elder Earl, Elder Sellers, and myself piled into our fairly cramped Grand Caravan, passed our bags over to the Zone Leaders, and took the twenty-minute drive down to the Stake Center for Transfers. While there, I was very happy to see some old familiar faces again. Elder Noh was there, passing off his Trainer to another missionary, and Elder Genther was there waiting for the Transfers van to take him up to Laramie. I also saw Elder Lires, who's coming here to serve in the Loveland Zone, and Elder Leavit, who's replacing Elder Mangrum in the Stetson Creek Ward. It was nice seeing friends old and new, all together in one place, before the major changes in our lives as Elders could begin. And, trust me, they began.


More time spent at the Banagas home.

For starters, I am now living with our Ward's Bishop, Bishop Kyle Cleverly and his family. Bishop Cleverly is a very kind and friendly man, someone I have rarely if ever seen without a smile, and his family is just as wonderful as he is. Elder V and I live down in their basement, which they made as the traditional teenager's paradise. Sadly, the TV, Wii, and X-Box were taken out of the room, so it could be used for an Elder's home, but the ping-pong table and air-hockey board are still up and ready to play at any moments notice. We don't have as complete a kitchen as we did in the House's house, but what we have we can get by with fairly easily. Elder V is a little bit slower than Elder Proffit was at getting up...about an hour and a half slower...but once he's up he's always doing something productive. And, I do have to admit that serving beside a Tongan has been difficult, especially with the language chasm between us (he just beginning to learn English, and I having the entire Encyclopedia Britannica crammed into my head), but we seem to be doing all right. I even have started to get his sense of humor a little better!

Thanksgiving dinner at a kind member's home with Elder Vakameilalo

Of course, this was all after Sunday, which I have to admit here, was a mistake on my part. Looking back now, I don't exactly know what happened, but to sum it all up in a few short words, Elder V and I had a falling out. I'm not sure why, or even what about, but because I wasn't listening to him I almost ruined our companionship. Elder V was just minutes away from calling up the District Leader and having us split up for the day, he was that ticked off with me. However, after we managed to calm down a bit, we decided to talk it out and figure out exactly what went wrong. It was a very humbling experience for me. I recognize here and now, I was the one at fault, not Elder V, and as such it is my responsibility to make things right. And, as of last night, things seem to be going better for us. We even had three lessons, the most we'd had in one day all week, and we worked so well together, I thought for a moment that I was working with Elder Proffit again. So, yes, I am confident that as long as we talk together and work together, we'll get along just fine, and be a very powerful companionship for however long we are together.

Elder Weber and his new companion
 Elder Vakameilalo. 

When it comes to the actual lessons, though, we haven't done so hot. We've had about six appointments that we have had set up for about a week or so, and then all of a sudden they've cancelled on us, deciding to head out of town for the holidays, or have family come into town for the holidays, and not wanting us around to disturb them. That definitely was trying on the nerves, but neither I nor Elder V have been deterred because of this. It just means we have more time to tract, to talk to members, and find more people to teach in our own ways. Besides, next week will definitely be better than this week, right?

Well, it's about time I wrapped this up, but before I go, the spiritual message!

About two-thousand-fourteen years ago, give or take a few months, a man and his wife traveled a very long and tiring journey across the hot desert land of the Middle East, away from their humble home in Nazareth to the man's place of birth years earlier, the City of David, the City of Bethlehem. Their reason for leaving their home was to obey the commands of the current ruler, Caesar Augustus, and pay their taxes in the city of the man's birth. The man, who traveled on foot, was known as Joseph. He was a simple carpenter, but his heart made him far greater than any simple carpenter before him. The woman, who rode on a donkey's back, was his wife, Mary. For her, the journey was even more burdensome, because she was nearing the end of her pregnancy, and would at any given moment give birth to her first son. But this was to be no ordinary son. This baby boy that she would give birth to was to be the King of kings, the Great Jehovah, the Holy Messiah. He was to be Jesus the Christ, the Savior of the World.

I bear my testimony now that Jesus is the Christ, and that on that beautiful desert night, He was born. Though He is the King of kings, He was born of humble and simple parents, who lived honest and simple lives. He was born not in a great castle or palace, but in a barn, surrounded by the animals of those who filled the inn nearby to near bursting. He was not wrapped in silk, but in swaddling clothes, and laid not in a luxurious crib, but a simple manger the animals fed from. In spite of these simple beginnings, though, Jesus Christ grew up to become a greater man than any other man before Him, or any man after Him. He was a great leader, teacher, and healer. He was the Christ, the Son of God. He lived, and He still lives. And some day, He will come again. Of this I know with utmost certainty, in His Holy name, even the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

See you all again next week!

--Elder Z.S.Weber