WEEK 41 - HE TRUSTS US

Hey, everyone! It's me again, Elder Z.S.Weber, reporting in for another amazing and awesome week of serving in the Colorado Fort Collins Mission. But before I get to my week's stories and tell y'all why this week was so much better than the last one, I'm certain that there are some of you that are confused as to how I'm sending this email out. After all, it is Memorial Day, and so all the libraries that Elder Buchanan and I could go to so that we can do our weekly emailing should be closed right now. That is definitely true. So how am I emailing y'all right now? Well, it has to do with one of the things that make this week so epic for me and Elder Buchanan. So, without further ado...let's begin!

Last week, I mentioned how Sunday gave us the Spiritual boost we needed to go on with our work here in the Coal Creek Ward. Well, while we were still eager to do the work asked of us, the elements still wouldn't agree. Yep, the storms just kept coming this week, with rain, thunder, and lightning filling the skies for hours and days on end. Still, in spite of the pounding rain and booming thunder, Elder Buchanan and I kept a spiritual air about us as we went out and tracted the flooded streets around us. We were certain to remain committed to our missionary purpose, and do everything in our power to help our spirit brothers and sisters back to our Father who is in Heaven.

Well, that lasted for about another day or so, and then on Wednesday, Elder Buchanan awoke with a terrible upset stomach and pounding headache. While I was able to get up and start studying right at the right times, I could tell that Elder Buchanan wasn't feeling up to doing much of anything, at least not until he started feeling better. So, though we would've loved to spend the day out working in the thundering rainstorm outside, Elder Buchanan and I hunkered down in our cozy basement apartment and played Magic and read our scriptures. After a while, we got a call from the District Leader, asking if we could go on exchanges that night. We accepted, and so I packed my things and left to go join Elder Christiansen in Lafayette, while Elder Stone went to Coal Creek to watch over my ailing companion.

My time serving with Elder Christiansen was a lot of fun, and a good break from the monotony that had formed due to the constant rain. We spent much of the morning doing service at an elderly sister's house, weeding her over-grown garden and helping her get it ready for summer. After that, we headed out to an appointment with a promising investigator. Right off the bat, the lesson went south, as the investigator simply wouldn't listen to what we were saying. However, even with the troublesome investigators, the exchange with Elder Christiansen was great, and I feel as though I gained a lot of helpful knowledge that will bless me in the months to come.

Now, for the really fun part! After waiting for nine months (or, if you were an Elder that came out twenty-three months ago), our time of anxious waiting has come to an end. Ladies and gentlemen...the Colorado Fort Collins Mission is the most recent mission in the world to add the use of iPads to their resources. 
 

 

That's right--Elder Buchanan and I both now have iPads, which will make missionary work much more interesting. While teaching investigators about the Restoration, we can show them videos that directly talk about how God is our Heavenly Father, that Jesus Christ is our Savior and gave us the Atonement, or that Joseph Smith really was a prophet! We'll be able to Skype or FaceTime our investigators if all they have is fifteen minutes, but they still want to have a lesson. We'll even be able to proselyte online through Social Media hubs like Facebook, Blogger, and much more!

However, all that won't be for a long while yet. Right now, the focus is primarily on getting the mission used to the safeguards set up for our protection. When we were gathered at the Mission-Wide Conference in Fossil Creek, the speaker (Elder Neilson of the Seventy) told us that this protection and safeguarding planning was to prepare us to be "Disciples of Christ in the Digital Age." Our actions on the Internet can be a force for good, or a force for evil, and it is the hopes of the Missionary Department, and the Church world-wide, that the programs set up with these iPads will prepare us to use them for good, rather than for evil. What really stood out to me, though, was when they mentioned asking the Apostles if they could trust us--eighteen and nineteen-year-old men and women--to use the devices correctly, and they simply said, "We trust them, because we know that their Father trusts them."

So, that's the epicness that I have to bring to the table this week. So, for my spiritual thought for the week, I thought I'd do something a little different than usual. I simply have one question that I want all of you to ask yourselves.

What if, one day, an angel from Heaven came down to you, saying he had a message from the Lord, which would tell you all that you would have to do to be saved and exalted to the holiest state of being imaginable. The angel then tells you many marvelous things; the Restoration of the Church; the Plan of Salvation; the Doctrine of Christ; the Commandments of the Living Church; the Ordinances and Covenants of the Lord's Church. Then the angel tells you that you have to do these things, from repentance to baptism to tithing and more, for the rest of your mortal existence, and you will receive exaltation. Could you do it?

Now what if the angel then said, "You may have your own doubts that you can do the hard and tedious works I have asked of you, but realize that it is not I that have asked this if you, but your Father who is in Heaven. And He only gave you these commandments and these covenants, testing and trying you, because He knows that He can trust you, and He knows your true eternal potential, and He knows that if you only trust in Him, not matter what trials you will face in your life, it will all be worth it, and you will make it through to the end." Then, could you do it?

I bear my testimony that the Lord truly does ask marvelous and, quite honestly, intimidating things of us while we are on earth. But I also bear my witness that He will not leave us to do this on our own. He has surrounded us with people--family, friends, coworkers, bishops, teachers--who can help us bear up our burdens, lift our heads, and walk onward. Not only that, but so long as we believe in Him, the Savior Himself will be by our side, lifting our troubles and giving us the help we need. He knows we can make it through, that we will be able to return to Him again. Because He trusts us.

I bear my witness that I know this to be true, in the name of our Savior, our friend, the Lord Jesus Christ, Amen.

--Elder Z.S.Weber

Sent from my iPad

**Excerpt from the mom letter:

This week actually was better than last week was. It was also wetter than last week was, if you can believe it, but it was. One of the main reasons I had such a great week? Well, I am now one of the few Elders in the nation, let alone the world, that now has the privilege to use an iPad in regular missionary life. It's so cool, we've got all the scriptures on them all the Ensigns going back to 1971, all of the Mormon Messages videos, pretty much everything we're going to need to teach...except for the spirit, of course.

Wow, that story about Brother Erickson's son sounds a lot like the story of the prodigal son. You know, we might be a small and simple Mormon community in the LDS heartland of South Jordan, but even we have some moments in our lives when the fit hits the shan and things go not as well as we'd hope. So, whenever I hear stories of people turning their lives back around and returning to the God and religion they belong in and need most of all, it just makes me smile. It reminds me that nothing is hopeless--not for the investigators or less-actives I teach, and definitely not for me.

 

Oh, doesn't sound too good Mom! I hope that Brother Hancey (wow, that was weird. Made the transition from Bishop to Brother without even a second thought) is able to find out what's wrong and help you. I'm certain that everything will go fine, Mom, you'll be back to your usual peppy, happy self that you truly are. Though, even though I know everything will be okay, I'll try shooting some prayers Heaven-ward to get a little Celestial boost to your health.

Well, hope everything turns out well for you this week. No pictures today, seeing as I'm sending this via my iPad, and have no pictures to download from my iPad just yet.

Love you loads, Mom, and have a terrific week!

 

Oh, and Happy Birthday on Saturday!

 

 

--Zack

WEEK 40 - SUNDAY WILL COME

Hey everyone, Elder Z.S.Weber is back again with a quick update on how things are going in the Colorado Fort Collins Mission. And, I'm going to be brutally honest with y'all today. This. Week. Sucked. I know, usually I start out these emails with all the reasons as to why this week was great, or fantastic, or (for those who really know me) awesomepicness. But, this week just wasn't one of those weeks where I could say stuff like that right off the bat. The rain just kept coming this week, pouring and pouring with almost no end in sight. On Friday, even, it hailed. The hail was the size of peas, and for a while we didn't drive because we were afraid our car would get dented. Elder Buchanan and I were seriously depressed by all the rain and hail--it made working enthusiastically really hard. Especially when you're out in the pouring rain/hail, knocking on every door you can, getting the cold shoulder every time (literally and figuratively). If that wasn't bad enough, Elder Buchanan has been battling some bouts of headaches, stomach aches, and just plain exhaustion, so getting out and doing some serious work this week has been really hard for us.

However, even though the actual week was torture for a while, I am proud to say that every night is darkest right before the dawn. Every cloud has a silver lining. Every week has a Sunday. And this week's Sunday was just what the doctor ordered for two depressed, exhausted, and slightly sick missionaries. The day started off great, as both Elder Buchanan and I awoke just at the right time to get up and ready for our Ward Council meeting that morning. During the meeting, a lot of thoughts were brought up on how we can improve our efforts as missionaries, and how the ward can help out best in aiding us with teaching lessons. Some really great opinions and ideas were brought up, including having some of the families that have children turning eight and about to be baptized learn about the commitments made at baptism, and get them more excited for their baptisms. Along with getting the members and seven-to-eight-year-olds ready for baptism is that it would show them that their missionaries actually know what they (we) are teaching, and would (hopefully) encourage them to invite their non-member friends to attend the baptism as well and get introduced to the missionaries.

After the Council Meeting, Elder Buchanan and I just barely had enough time to grab our bags and relocate into the chapel, where the Sacrament Meeting was being held. This Sacrament Meeting felt much different than usual. As I took the bread and the water that was passed around, I can't explain what happened very well...but it truly felt as though I was receiving the strengthening wings of an angel to help me through the rest of the week. (I know, I know, in reality angels don't have wings, but that's the best way that I can explain it, okay?) After the Sacrament Meeting was over, the awesome and powerful feelings continued as Elder Buchanan and I went to the Gospel Principles class, where they were teaching about the Restoration of the Church in Modern Days. To help set the tone of the lesson, we actually read directly from the scriptures about the sacred and hallowed event that happened in the Sacred Grove all those years ago. When one young man asked his Father in prayer which of all the churches was right, and he received an answer that changed the fate of the world forever. Reading that story, no matter how many times I do, is always powerful and wonderful to me.

After our actually Sabbath Day service was done, and we were back home, we just had about an hour of lunch to ourselves before we were whisked off yet again, this time to Brother Rowberry's, the Ward Mission Leader, house. We were there to set our expectations for the next transfer, and what we had to work with already. I was surprised to see that we actually did have a considerable number of people we could work with, and are now planning seriously to work with this next week. Brother Rowberry was very easy to work with, helping us plan and organize our next few days with patience and skill. I guess it really helps to have someone presiding over the missionary work in your area that actually has a realistic view of how missionary work is. I mean, I'm sorry if I offend people, but raking in forty lessons a week and baptizing a different family every other week just isn't realistic when you're trying to have those numbers come up in a state-side mission. They just aren't. Fortunately, Brother Rowberry know's exactly what it's like to bleed and sweat for even just a few lessons each day, like I and Elder Buchanan are very familiar with already. So, I am very excited to work with him as the transfer presses on.

So, what do I have to say to close my email today? I would just like to bear my personal testimony on the importance of the Holy Sabbath Day. Back during the time of Moses, the law was set to "Remember the Sabbath Day, to keep it holy." But how do you remember the Sabbath Day, and how can you keep it holy? The most common answer is to remember that the Sabbath Day is a day of rest. Now, after looking over what I've said about my Sabbath Day, you're probably thinking, "Now, wait, Elder Weber, but your Sabbath Day was so hectic and filled with so much to do. How can that be considered a day of rest?" My answer is this; The Sabbath Day is a day of rest, yes, but it is not a day for laziness. Our God and Father in Heaven gave us this seventh day in the week, this Hallowed Day, to set all of our other affairs to the side and focus on the spiritual matters that matter most in the end. We may not get a lot of rest during the day, that is true, but that's really what Saturday's for--recreational rest. The Sabbath Day is for spiritual rest and rejuvenation. We are uplifted, strengthened, and nourished thoroughly throughout the Sabbath Day, so that when the week starts up again, with all of the craziness that comes with it, we'll be strong enough to endure until the next Sabbath Day comes around.

I bear my personal witness that I know this to be true. Sabbath Day is a blessing, a time to rejuvenate our spirits and strengthen ourselves for all that Satan dares to throw at us throughout the week. May we all treat the Sabbath Day with the reverence and patience it truly is meant for and deserves, is my prayer, in the name of the Only Begotten, the Lord Jesus Christ, Amen.

--Elder Z.S.Weber

WEEK 39 - HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY

Hey everyone!

Elder Weber is here once again with a quick (I think) update on the exciting and awe-inspiring lifestyles of the average missionary. Sadly, the weather was once again not on our side, as Elder Buchanan and I had to tract, work, and trudge through seemingly endless torrents of rain all through last week! In some parts of the Boulder Zone, not all that far from where we lived, there were actually several reports of flooding or flood-warning, and Elder Buchanan and I were able to lend a helpful hand to those who had been hit hard by the floods. As if that wasn't crazy enough, though, we awoke to about two inches of snow yesterday. Yep, it snowed on Mother's Day this year. That makes it two years in a row for Colorado. But, with the weather aside, this was a pretty good week.

 

Last Thursday, Elder Buchanan and I set off to the Stake Meeting House for another one of our Zone Meetings. This time, the topic was centered largely on what small points us Elders were falling short on. Basically, from what the Zone Leaders could tell, we weren't all that good at waking up on time, studying in the mornings, and planning. Now, for those of you who remember from a few weeks ago, those are the exact same things that President Brown pointed out were my weaknesses as a missionary--as well as the points mentioned several times in the week before and after that interview. (I get it, Father! No need to keep hammering it at me! I'm working on it, I'm working on it!) The Zone Leaders used several different examples from the Book of Mormon to back up their belief that these three points are the most important points to work on as a Zone. Most of the references came from the Book of Alma, primarily the Stripling Warriors part in the War Chapters. Then, as if they hadn't gotten their point across already by bringing all of our favorite childhood Book of Mormon heroes into the mix, Elder Pratt also decided to bring up the point that the Stripling Warriors were doing what they were supposed to do because it had been what their mothers had taught them to do. That definitely brought each of us Elders committed to the goals we had to set! Since then, Elder Buchanan and I have been working hard to do whatever we can to get as many people as possible to listen to our messages.

 

While we've been toiling about in the snow and rain this past week, Elder Buchanan and I have been lucky enough to find times in our schedule where we can take a quick breather and relax. Now, I am not saying that I am using the schedule improperly! As someone in the calling I am currently in, there is a lot of stress that I have to handle in some manner. And, seeing as my writing skills fantasy-wise have all but gone up in smoke since I left for my mission and I haven't a DS or Wii to video game my stresses away with, I've found that Elder Buchanan and I have to be pretty inventive with what to do. When the stress is really bad, sometimes we grab the Lafayette Elders and head over to a large park somewhere. With all the rain we've been having, jungle gyms and parks have been practically deserted, making them perfect places for a bunch of child-at-heart young adults to have fun playing games...without any worry of being caught or embarrassed. And, when the storm's sailing over our house late into the evening, and we need to wind down the day a bit, Elder Buchanan has been teaching me the ropes of playing Magic: The Gathering. It's been a lot of fun, though I don't know how much longer my brain can handle the strategy it takes to win! Luckily, it's not enough to keep me from staying alert and attentive to the spirit when it comes time to work!

 

Sadly, not all things are roses and lilies, here in Colorado. You see, today...is Transfers. (Dun-dun-DUHHH!) Elder Buchanan and I aren't getting transferred, though, which is very good news. This is a really nice area, filled with loving and kind people, and I really feel as though I still have a lot to give. However, not everyone is staying. Elder Fuhriman, one of the Lafayette Elders, is unfortunately getting transferred back to one of his first areas in the mission--one that he is not happy to be going to. It's been a lot of fun having him here, and I'm really going to miss joking around with someone almost as nerdy as I am (if not more so). Luckily, all is not lost for the Lafayette Elders, as in place of Elder Fuhriman, we will now be getting Elder Christiansen as companion to Elder Stone. Now, this isn't the same Elder Christiansen that was in my District back in the MTC. This is Ukraine Christiansen, aka the Elder Christiansen that was transferred to our mission when his mission in Ukraine was cancelled. He is also ex-AP Christiansen, and for the last two transfers he has been serving as Assistant to the President. Now, he's serving with us out here in Boulder. I look forward to seeing what kind of missionary he is on the ground-level, and hope we can all manage to get along as well as last-transfer's group did.

 

 

And now, for the high-light of my week. Yesterday was Mother's Day, which was incredibly special for me and Elder Buchanan because it is one of the two days in the year where we get to use Skype to talk with our family back home! (The other one is Christmas) I was so glad that I was able to have that chance to talk with my family again and see what's going on with everyone back home. Not surprising, everyone is doing great.

 

 

 My sisters are excelling at everything that comes their ways, my dad's doing well with his job and marathon-training, and my mom is managing life with as much zeal as ever. I have to admit, I got a bit weepy during the message back home. I mean, the next time I get to see my family is Christmas, and I won't actually be in their presence again until August of 2016.

 

 

However, am I homesick? No! (...a little, maybe, but...) Why? Because, I know what I came out here to do. I am on my Father's Mission, to bring as many of my brothers and sisters to the knowledge of the truth as I can. That is my driving force. That way, as long as I have that goal in mind, when I do finally go home I can say, as Paul of old did, "I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith."

 

 

And from there, I can, with God by my side, begin to live my life.

 

I hope all of you were able to have as wonderful a Mother's Day as I was able to, and were able to show your mothers back home just how much they mean to you. Have a great week, and see y'all again next P-Day!

 

--Elder Z.S.Weber

WEEK 38 - HAPPY JEDI DAY!!

Not so long ago in a state not very far away, turmoil has engulfed the Colorado Fort Collins Mission. The proper distribution of investigators to the missionaries is in dispute. Hoping to resolve the matter with a blockade caused by Seattle-like rainstorms, the greedy forces of the Adversary has stopped all missionary work in the small area of Coal Creek. While the Colorado Fort Collins Mission Leaders endlessly debate this alarming chain of events, the Mission President has secretly dispatched two Missionary Elders, the representatives of the Lord Jesus Christ to settle the conflict...

 

Hey everyone! Happy Jedi Day! "May the fourth be with you" all on this awesome and exciting day! As I said in the introduction above, this week has been very interesting, as far as weather has been involved. Rain, snow, sleet, hail--we've had it all, and very little rain. Buckets by buckets have poured down on our heads for the past three days, and there just doesn't seem to be any end to this storm. Even today, though it hasn't seriously rained yet, dark clouds and cold-biting winds loom over the valleys and foothills, betraying the stormy weather that is soon to come. And even before this stormy weather, Elder Buchanan and I were unfortunate enough to find ourselves slightly under the weather as well. Oh, we're find now, don't worry. But--now this is the strange part--the very day after we came back from the temple, both Elder Buchanan and I woke up with mild headaches and back-flipping stomach aches, both of which increased in severity as the day continued. Once the rains came, though, we were feeling fine once more...and had to suffer through the pouring rain and crackling thunder...sigh...

 

Well, on with the week!

 

Though the storms have bit down on us for much of this week, I and Elder Buchanan were able to get a decent amount of work accomplished this week. The family that we live with, the Dimigs, needed a few extra hands to help with the yard work they still had to do. This yard work included digging out an enormous lilac bush that was starting to die, planting three new fruit trees at the edge of their yard, and tearing down their gardens so they could put in a larger patio. Surprisingly enough, even with Elder Buchanan and me lending a hand or two to the work, we weren't able to take care of even just the lilac bush in one day. So, with the Lafayette Elders by our side, we worked hard and managed to pull the lilac bush out after four long hours of hard work...in the rain and hail. By the time we were done, all four of us were drenched head to foot, and the hole that the lilac bush had been pulled free from was filled with rainwater and mud. Exhausted, we decided to take advice from the beginning of Genesis, and put off the rest of our work for the next day.

 

Sadly, besides the yard work, there isn't much else that I can report on. Elder Buchanan and I tried hard to find people this week, but with the rain, the hail, and the pure exhaustion from everything we'd had to do this week, we just weren't very successful. So, I guess for now...this is all I have to say. Some days are harder than others. Some are filled with innumerable blessings, and others will find you crawling on your hands and knees, just trying to make it through. In spite of it all, it's important to recognize that regardless of our situations in life, God continues to love us. And though His presence might not be as noticeable some days as opposed to others, He is always there, lending us an unseen hand that honestly might just be the only thing keeping us from falling down and quitting. God exists. He loves all of us. I bear solemn testimony of this in the name of His son, the Lord Jesus Christ, Amen.

 

--Elder Z.S.Weber