WEEK 85 - PRAISE YE the LORD

This week was awesome!!

Good morning universe and all that inhabit it. This is your favorite missionary serving in the Colorado Fort Collins Mission that—unless you're part of my family—isn't your own kin. In other words, it's me again, Elder Z.S.Weber. I'm here today to tell you, as I did in the short exclamation at the top, that this week was awesome. Really, it was. There were a few reasons for this—some spiritual, some temporal—but when you get down to it, a good week is a good week, no matter whether it's because you got a great care package from your family, you taught a good lesson to an investigator, or you just had some really good studies over the last week (all of those are true for me right now, just FYI).

So, with that said and done, let's move on to the week, starting off with Tuesday. Tuesday started out like how most days as a missionary go—we got up, I did a light work-out for about a half-hour, and we got into our studies. Then, after our studies were done, we changed into our service clothes, grabbed the Harmony Elders, and headed out to a new service opportunity we had been given. One of the member families in Prairie Ridge had just finished pruning some bushes, and needed some strong young men to come and pull the stumps out of the ground. Seeing as the Priest's quorum wasn't available, due to school, we were suggested to help out.

Now, I've dug up stumps before—mostly during my seven-and-a-half-month sojourn in Erie, Colorado—and the stumps I had to take care of, while still tough to remove, were large enough to maneuver well around and find an effective way to de-stump them. These stumps weren't those stumps. These stumps were just short little things that were just barely sticking up out of the ground. However, though the stumps were short, the roots were VERY long, to the point where we just couldn't find a good place to uproot it. Having grown tired of just digging, we got the permission of the family we were helping to use their chain-spear (which is to say, a small chainsaw on a long pole) to just cut the stump out and then bury the hole.

And we still aren't done with all of the stumps, either...

However, though we couldn't finish the work, we promised that we would come back, probably around Thursday and finish what we started. Well, that was a great plan...until Elder Anderson and I looked outside Wednesday morning and saw a full-blown blizzard howling outside. About an hour later, the Zone Leaders sent out a mass text to the Zone saying that it was too hazardous to go outside, so today was going to be a stay-indoors-and-study day. Of course, there were some that didn't listen to the Zone Leaders (one companionship tried biking in the snow...they couldn't even make it halfway across their driveway) but for the most part, we heeded our leaders' words.

However, one can only study the word of God for so long before you get tired. Even the epic and powerful War Chapters of Alma start to get a little long and tiresome after the second hour or so. So, rather than just end up spending the rest of the day staring at the ceiling thinking of things to do, I decided to pick up my old hobby of story writing. Now, no, I wasn't able to get a whole story written—it was just something fun to do to keep my mind off of how many hours we had been stuck indoors. However, while my intent wasn't to write an epic novel in only a few hours, it was very wonderful for me to see that my skills as an author still existed, and even after two years of not seriously writing, I could still write well.

After the snow stopped falling, and the sun rose on Thursday morning, we were expected to return to our missionary work as usual. With the snow on the ground, though, our plans of de-stumping the stumps at the other members' home weren't going to pull through. So, instead, we decided to do something that I have been meaning to get to all transfer but haven't been able to yet—Exchanges. Once more, I was with Elder Christenot, but this time we spent the day in my area. We actually had a few great experiences while out and about. Between shoveling others' driveways and teaching short messages with less-active members that took pity on us and let us in to get some hot cocoa, Thursday went very well.

Friday...started off a little less epically than Thursday did. After we had exchanged back and started getting ready for our lessons, we realized that one of our phones, the phone for the Prairie Ridge Elders, had gone missing. After much digging and searching—searching that made our apartment look like three tornados had a party playing Twister in our living room—we found out that Elder Christenot still had the phone, and had accidentally left it in his robe before packing up at the end of our exchange. So, thankfully, we were able to find the phone and then rush off for our next appointment with Sister Salmond's fiancé, Duane.

And that brings me to what was definitely the most epic part of my week. Friday, we had decided to teach Duane the Gospel of Jesus Christ (for those that don't know what that is, I think I know two young men in your area that can help you learn), and once we got to the part about baptism, we would invite him to be baptized. I was a bit hesitant at first, but as we taught the lesson and shared our knowledge and understanding with him, I felt the Spirit calmly confirm to me that this would go alright, that it was more than time to invite Duane to be baptized. So, after rousing some courage within myself, I decided to be the one to ask the question;

"Duane, will you follow the Savior's example, and be baptized by someone holding the proper priesthood authority?"

When we asked that question, Duane pretty much made a dodge move. However, in his dodge, he revealed to us some of his concerns—concerns that if he was baptized in the wrong church, he would come to regret it the rest of his life. At that point, Sister Salmond decided to speak up, and she bore a powerful testimony to Duane about the importance of baptism and how she knew how wonderful it would be for him to be completely cleaned. As she bore her testimony, the Spirit just filled the room we were in, and if I'm not mistaken, even Duane started to get a little weepy. Now, when Sister Salmond finished bearing her testimony and we left, Duane still hadn't accepted a firm baptismal date...but he didn't say no, either. So, I'm hopeful that when we next meet, he'll find that he is more ready than he first thought he was.

That actually brings me to my message for the week. Last week, I mentioned that the church had come out with a new Easter video, #Hallelujah. However, I didn't really go too in depth about the video, or what is so important to me about the video.

First, let's take the word. Hallelujah. If we're reading from the Old Testament prophets, we're sure to come across this word more than a few times, and if we're listening to great gospel music (especially Handel's Messiah), we're sure to exclaim it a few times with the choir singing as we're blasting it while driving to an appointment (okay, that one's just a missionary thing, but still). However, what does hallelujah even mean? In the Hebrew language, hallelujah is a word said in great praising. Literally, it means, "Praise be to Yahweh," or in other words, "Praise be to Jehovah." So, with that said, what reason do we have, from the video, to "Praise ye the Lord"?

The answer—every reason, but especially the atonement. My thoughts go back to the words in the Book of Isaiah, where Isaiah foresees the life of the Lord. "Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted....he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed." (Isaiah 53:4-5) With his stripes, we are healed. Christ, of his own volition, came down to earth, not just to teach and not just to lead others, but to do the unthinkable. To do the impossible. He completed the atonement, which allowed him to become our proxy for the weight of our sins and afflictions.

I have another scripture. Alma 7:11-13. "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."

Through Christ's atonement, we are healed. And not just healed, and not just cleaned, but everything about us can be changed and made better. He suffered, not just to take away our sin, but so that when we do sin, when we do fall short, and when we are encircled about by the mists of darkness, he could be there with us to help us stand back up again and walk back to the rod of iron. He could only do that if he experienced the full weight of the world on his shoulders. It was an impossible feat to perform, and even for the Son of God, it was something so painful that it caused him to bleed from every pore. But regardless of the pain, regardless of the anguish, Christ pushed through, because this atonement was for each and every one of us.

 

That is why we say hallelujah. That is why we show so much joy over both Easter and Christmas. Through Christ's birth, death, and resurrection, we now know that this road isn't a road we are walking alone. We have a Savior walking beside us every step of the way, and sometimes carrying us on his shoulders when we are too weak to walk ourselves even a step forward. I bear my witness of this truth, and with joy in my heart exclaim, as did the ancient prophets of old, "Praise ye the Lord, the Savior and Redeemer of all mankind!" This I say, in his holy name, even the Lord Jesus Christ, Amen.

—Elder Z.S.Weber

WEEK 84 - OUR MOTHER'S KNEW IT

Hey everyone. It's me, Elder Z.S.Weber. I'm here, reporting in to you
from the Prairie Ridge/Taft Canyon Wards in Fort Collins, Colorado, to
share how this past week has gone for me and my fellow missionary and
companion, Elder Anderson. Sadly, though, I'm afraid that I don't have
as much this week to talk about. I know that's not what you like to
hear, but this week has just been slow and rough. It's been tiring,
from meetings over an hour away, to lessons that just never happened
or fell through. It's been a hard, long, and tiring week.

However, in spite of the hardships that we've faced this past week,
there have been small moments of joy that have shown up every now and
again. This last Tuesday was our Zone Conference, where we were
introduced to the new #Hallelujah seasonal video for this Easter
Season. If you haven't watched the video yet, by the way, you can find
it on FollowHim.mormon.org. It's a great video, and a wonderful
message to share for the new Easter season we are currently in. And as
it says at the end of the message, we can 'Discover How' Christ plays
a huge role in our lives.

However, my joy didn't come from the video. Sure, it was a great video
to watch, and again, I strongly encourage all of you that can watch to
watch it, but it wasn't what brought me joy this past week. It was
when we were all sitting in the gym at the building we were having
Zone Conference in. 

We were having lunch, and some of the Senior
Couples were going around passing out the mail. I ended up getting two
letters. One was from a dear friend of mine that I, unfortunately,
haven't been able to stay in touch with as often as my family.

The other letter was from the Teacher's Quorum from my home Ward in
South Jordan, Utah. In the letter, each of the Teachers and leaders of
the Teachers Quorum had written short messages and letters of
inspiration. What was interesting to me was the number of names I
recognized, and how surprising it was for me that so many of those
little kids that were little brothers to those in my group or were
friends of my sisters are nearly grown themselves, and thinking of
missions. It made me glad to see such strength and power in their
messages, and the conviction to their God that they were able to
express in their short and simple messages.

It brings to my mind the message told in the Book of Alma in the Book
of Mormon. When the Nephites and the Lamanites were at war once more,
the People of Ammon wanted to help to defend their lands, but the men
among them had made a promise with the Lord to never again lift a
sword to do battle. Their sons, however—most of whom were no older
than fourteen, perhaps, the age of a Teacher—had never made that
promise, and were more than willing to stand up for their country and
defend it from the evils that sought to destroy it.

I don't know about you, but even as someone that is considered an
adult by the world's standard, going to war is a pretty scary idea for
me. I'm no fighter—or rather, I'm no fighter others can count on to
win a fight. Yet fourteen-year-old boys were able to stand and defend
their nation. They were able to march boldly and valiantly into the
Valley of Death, face the terrors it held in, and continue their
valorous journey onward, without flinching. They were steadfast and
sure of themselves, to the point that not one of them were killed by
the armies of their enemies. How could they do so?

To me, the answer lies in Alma 56:47 and 48. A simple scripture, loved
and known by many in this Church. In speaking of their decision to
return to the battle and help their brothers who were still fighting
against the Lamanites, Helaman wrote, "they had been taught by their
mothers, that if they did not doubt, God would deliver them. And they
rehearsed unto me the words of their mothers, saying: We do not doubt
our mothers knew it."

That is a powerful and moving message. What I feel goes unsaid,
though, is that through their sure knowledge that their mothers knew
they would be protected, they too believed and gained strength in the
knowledge that their God would protect them. I have a mother, one that
I love dearly. The testimony I have, which I treasure above all else
that I have (yes, including my DS and PSP), was first raised up in the
shadow of the immense testimony that I saw within my mother. I heard
her words, her conviction, her sure knowledge of the truth, and it led
me to know it with the same conviction.

I know that we are expected not to live off of others testimonies. At
the last day, we will not be judged off of how much we believed in
someone else's testimony, but how much we believed in God ourselves.
However, I am certain that had the Stripling Warriors not seen the
radiant testimonies in their mothers, theirs would never have been as
strong or steadfast, to the point that they could stare death in the
face and never fear.

So today, my message is one of gratefulness, for the divine calling of
mothers who rear up this next generation of Stripling Warriors in
righteousness. Let your testimony shine bright for all to see. You
never know who may be watching, or to what level your words and your
actions will shape those around you. Hold high your light, and it will
lead others to He who is The Light of the World. This I bear my
personal witness of, in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, Amen.

—Elder Z.S.Weber

Sent from My iPad

WEEK 83 - THE REFINER'S FIRE

Top a de Mornin' to ye! 'Tis I, yer ol' friend an' fav'rite missionary in de fields o' de Lord, Elder—what? St. Patrick's Day isn't fer anorther tree days? Oh...ahem...

Morning, everybody! Sorry about that, I thought St. Patrick's Day was yesterday (we had green waffles for dinner last night! I mean, come on, give me a break here!). Seeing that it wasn't, though, I guess I'll just get started as usual. Anyways, it's great to be able to email y'all again after another long and exciting week in the Colorado Fort Collins Mission field. I probably don't have to introduce myself anymore to any of you, but just for the heck of it, it's me again, Elder Z.S.Weber, reporting in to y'all live from the Prairie Ridge and Taft Canyon Wards of Fort Collins, Colorado. And let me just say, guys—this week has been great. I mean it, this week was wonderful, and we had lots of wonderful moments to look back on and enjoy.

So, with that said, let's get started on the week!

This week started out very well on Tuesday. Sure, the day started off really slow. We had to go pick up the the new bike rack for our car so that we could carry the other elders' and their bikes to their appointments. Then, we actually had to install the bike rack, which might sound easy to you, but for two very stubborn missionaries and one very stubborn bike rack, it took a lot longer than it should've. By the time we were done, we just had time to grab a bite to eat for lunch and head out to our District Leader Conference. The conference actually went fairly well, as there was now a new member in our midst. During transfers, we had ended up splitting one of the districts into two smaller districts (not mine, we only have two companionships in that district), and so we had a new District Leader with us, Elder Johnson. So, it made for some interesting new conversation with the first DLC of the transfer.

Then, after DLC's were over, we had the really exciting moment of the day. We had another lesson with Roland, our investigator. During the lesson, we read through a few of the chapters of the Book of Mormon and discussed with him the importance of the Book of Mormon, as I personally feel that he is having a hard time seeing the book as anything more than just a history book about ancient Americans. We're still working on helping him get the message down into his heart, which is hard because we can't actually force someone to believe the truth. Darn agency. Greatest and worst gift from God we could ever have. However, at the end of the lesson, the member that had come with us, Brother Haynes, offered to take Roland out to see the temple. They agreed to meet up the next day and take a trip down there.

The next day, Wednesday, was another interesting day, as all of us missionaries in the Fort Collins Zone were gathered together for a large Zone Meeting. The focus of the meeting was on working with our members to gather referrals so that we could have a constant pool of investigators to turn to for lessons. It was actually a pretty interesting way that they went about teaching that message to us, though we've tried a similar method multiple times this week and so far have found there to be no fruits in the vineyard. However, it was still a great Zone Meeting. Afterwords, about ten of us ended up going to Wendy's for a quick lunch. When we got there, who should we run into but Brother Haynes and Roland, fresh from the temple grounds! What a coincidence, right?

Thursday was another very good day, a day that gave us a chance to go out into the Ward and provide service for the members in our Ward. It turned out that one of our members in the Taft Canyon Ward was moving with his family, and needed some extra hands with the loading of all of the furniture and belongings into the moving truck. So, we grabbed the Harmony Elders and headed over for a few hours of service. And, let me tell you guys one thing—as missionaries who help people move a LOT, you become a master at the game Tetris. However, even with a mission-Bachelor's in furniture stacking-and-organizing, this was a hard move to work with. We weren't even half done with all the things in the house when the truck was full and ready to be driven out. So, we had to put an end to the service. Still, it was a great opportunity to help others.

Friday was the last day of the week (as Saturday was mainly spent planning), and what an interesting day that was. So, to continue on with our service mentality from the day before, we were asked to help this young man, Zak Jewkes, with his Eagle Scout Project. I couldn't give you a full description of what happened—as it has to do with baseball and anyone who knows me knows that all I know about baseball is that you're supposed to hit the ball with the bat, all the way around the diamond until you make it back to where you started, and at the end of the game you get a whole snow-cone—but basically we spent the day digging these large trenches in the ground for Zak to put some cement dividers in. After a few hours of digging and tearing the ground apart with shovels and picks and all manner of lawn-care tools, we were finally able to finish the work. Which I must say was very satisfying to stand and see what we had accomplished.

So, yeah, that was my week. Which means, it is now time for the Spiritual Thought.

Now, I know you're all thinking, "Well, what did Elder Weber learn during this past week from these experiences that he now wants to share with all of us?" Actually, my message doesn't come from my experiences this past week. Rather, I want to share a short message I came up with after watching one of the Mormon Messages videos this past week—the Refiner's Fire.

As we all already know, this life is very hard. I think I've mentioned several times already throughout my mission the trying and testing times that have brought me much grief. I have also spoken of how merciful the Lord is during this time, to help build me up and tear me down until I have become the man that he wants me to be. All the while, he continues to show me love and kindness in even the smallest of ways, and that love helps to keep me going, regardless of the trials I've faced. It allows me to pass through even the harshest of the flames in this refiner's furnace we are going through in life, and hopefully by the time I'm done, I'll be refined into that man that my Lord envisions me becoming.

Now, I can understand if this might seem like a hard subject to understand. We don't really talk about refining metals much in daily life. Luckily, I happened to come across a talk a while back (don't ask me who it was by or when it was, because both answers are lost to me) that went into detail on the process by which metals are refined.

It starts with taking some silver ore and throwing it in a furnace. That way, the substances stuck to the silver can melt off, that way the silver is all that remains. Some wonder how long this process of melting goes on for. (Minutes? Hours? Days? Do you melt it down until everything is melted, and then keep it in there for good measure?) The process lasts as long as the metal takes to become pure. Then, the very instant that the silver has been refined, it is taken out of the fire, that way it won't be destroyed by staying in the furnace too long. The way you know the silver has been purified is if you can look into the liquid metal and see your own reflection looking back.

Think of how this reflects back, then, to the Lord as OUR refiner. We have impurities that are attached to us, just like with the ore. In order to perfect us, our Lord puts us through trials that are made to refine us, and make us better than who we were at the beginning. The flames are hot, yes, but he doesn't plan on keeping us in this furnace for long. The instant we are refined, we are perfected, he pulls us out of the flames. And he knows that we have been refined, because when he looks at us to see if we are perfected, his own reflection stares back at him. At that point, we will be perfect disciples of Christ, walking the path he laid for us with absolute exactness.

In Malachi 3, we read this message; "But who may abide the day of his coming? and who shall stand when he appeareth? for he is like a refiner’s fire, and like fullers’ soap: And he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness." (Malachi 3: 2-3) I know this to be true. I know that the Savior truly is our refiner. That his mission is to refine and perfect us, that we may shine as silver and gold, and stand on his right hand with power and confidence, knowing with a surety that we will dwell with him in his Kingdom for time and all eternity. This message I bear to you, in the sacred name of the Lord Jesus Christ, Amen.

—Elder Z.S.Weber

WEEK 82 - THE GRAVE HATH NO VICTORY

Good morning Universe! This is your total epicness elder, Elder Z.S.Weber, reporting in once more from the Prairie Ridge/Taft Canyon Wards in the Colorado Fort Collins mission. It's been a long week since I last wrote to any of you—long, but very fruitful. I know, you don't hear that from me very often. Usually I say that the work was slow, or I say something witty about the weather, or complain about how sick I'd always be getting. But this week, for once, things are actually moving forward. I've seen a lot of success this past week, both in seeking out those who with listen to the discussions, and in just living my life as a missionary. This week has just been wonderful. So, without further-ado, let's get into the week!

So, Tuesday started off as being a very slow day at the start. As it was Transfer Day, we mainly spent the day getting our bags moved into our new house, settled in, and just preparing for the week we were about to start off. However, towards the end of the day, we had an...interesting experience. We were out doing our rounds of going down the former investigator lists to see if anyone would be interested in learning the missionary lessons. We knocked on one door, and we were answered by a man who was smoking a cigarette and VERY drunk. However, he let us in, and they expressed some interest in joining a new church. So, we set up a time for us to stop by again later in the week to share our message with them.

We also encouraged them not to be so...drunk next time.

Anyways, the next day was Wednesday, which started off with us doing some small service at Good Will. Afterwords, we had a couple very great chances to teach. The first was with the Salmonds, who I believe I probably mentioned last week. In this meeting, we taught Sister Salmond's fiancé, Dwain, about the Plan of Salvation, as he had some concerns with the afterlife. It was an interesting experience to share our beliefs with someone who had very little understanding of religious beliefs such as life-after-death. He had quite a few interesting questions as well, and I was very glad that we were prepared enough to answer his questions fairly well, and were able to help him understand for himself the Plan our Father has for us.

Then, that evening, we had a chance to teach a less-active member of the Prairie Ridge Ward, John Bass. We have been teaching Brother Bass the lessons for a while—in fact, I think I've mentioned him once or twice in past emails—and he's been taking to them fairly well. Last Wednesday night, we went into the Commandments portion of the missionary discussions, and shared with him the various commandments we have been given as Heavenly Father's children, and what blessings we can expect from keeping the commandments. We went into great detail on the subject of Keeping the Sabbath Day holy, and Brother Bass actually had some very interesting points on the Sabbath Day that made me look at how the world treats the Sabbath Day a lot differently...and not in a good way.

Thursday was a good day, as at the beginning of it, we had a big Zone Lunch at our Stake President, President Foster's house, and had a quick training from the Zone Leaders to get our next transfer rolling right. That afternoon, we took what we learned from the Zone Lunch and jumped straight into work, with a chance to teach one of our investigators, Roland. Brother Haynes, the Ward Mission Leader, came along with us to help in teaching Roland. We mainly spent the lesson reading from the Book of Mormon and helping Roland see the importance that it could have in his life. I truly feel that the lesson helped him to improve his views on the Book of Mormon. We plan on meeting with him this week, so hopefully his reading went well.

Thursday led into Friday, and Friday brought with it a great chance to do service. Once again, Friday morningfound Elders Anderson, Christenot, Chan, and myself driving down to the Stake Center to help out with the Bishop's storehouse, and in organizing the food that members had ordered through their Bishop. After it was all done with, Brother Johnson—who is the main supervisor for the Bishop's storehouse—asked if we could lend a hand with some work he needed to finish.

 His son is moving, and he had to get all of these keyboards (25-ish, I think) packed up. So, we drove off to the townhouse Brother Johnson's son lived in and got to work wrapping up the keyboards in plastic wrap and bubble wrap so they'd be safe for travel. It was a lot of fun, actually, and went along fairly quickly.

And that pretty much wraps up my week (heh...wraps up...like plastic wrap...heh). Now, I promised all y'all a spiritual message this week as last week I sort of flaked out on it. So, I actually do have a message I can share.

This past week, while we've been sharing our messages with members and investigators in our area, we've heard a lot of sad news from some we've taught. Friends and family have passed away, close companions have fallen on hard times, and the harshness of the world only seems to get harsher with every day. As I've listened to these messages, I can't help but find myself traveling back to about eight years ago, when I learned the shocking news that my grandfather, Kenneth Weber, had passed away. At the time, I didn't really know how to respond. I don't know if I could say I was saddened by the news, as I was probably too numb to feel sadness at the time. Whatever it was, I know that it left me with a feeling that I can only describe as emptiness inside myself.

However, even back then, as a young eleven-year-old, I knew I could be comforted by the knowledge that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints gave me. My grandfather wasn't a member of the Church, no, but he was a great man, kind and loving. I knew, then, even in my childhood, that he wasn't lost to the cold grasp of death, never to be heard from again. Though his body was dead, his spirit still lived, and dwelt now in the Spirit World. There, he would be taught the fullness of the gospel, and could be received into the wondrous joy that is paradise. About a year after his death, I was able to do his baptism for him in the Jordan River Temple. This saving ordinance, without which no man can see the Kingdom of God, was done there for my grandfather, so that he would see and dwell in the Kingdom of God after the great day of Judgement.

In the scriptures, it says, "...for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?" (1 Corinthians 15: 52-55) I know of a certainty that Death has no more power over us. We are no longer slaves to eternal death and despair, but Death is now merely a rest between this life and the glorious life to come—a life spent in the eternities with our Father.

I bear my personal witness, which I have had from my childhood up, of this divine truth. Through Christ's atonement, death hath no sting, and the grave hath no victory. We shall all live again, and dwell in endless joy for the rest of our days, so long as we believe in our Savior, and follow his commandments on until the every end. I am so grateful for this truth, which brings so much comfort and hope to my life. As Paul exclaimed to the Corinthians thousands of years ago, so exclaim I today, "thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ." (1 Corinthians 15: 57) This I say in the holy name of our Savior and Redeemer, the breaker of the bands of Death, even the Lord Jesus Christ, Amen.

—Elder Z.S.Weber

WEEK 81 - TRANSFER DAY AGAIN

Hey everyone! It's me again, Elder Z.S.Weber, here again with a quick
update on how things are going for me and my companion, Elder
Anderson, here in the Colorado Fort Collins Mission. Unfortunately,
I'm going to have to keep this faster than normal, as today has a lot
going on. Tomorrow is Transfer Day, and while no one in our District
is actually leaving (except for Elder Noh), we still have to get all
packed up, as we are now moving houses, and going to stay at a
different member's house. So, along with cleaning and getting our
groceries, we also have to get everything packed up and moved to that
new house. So, with that said, without further-ado, let's go through
the week!

So, Tuesday was a pretty nice day, all things considered. Along with
our usual District Leader Council on Tuesdays, we also had exchanges
with the District Leaders, as well. This had been an event five weeks
in the making, and we had repeatedly missed out on the exchange. 

Finally, we were able to go on it with Elder Noh coming to my area. It
was nice to spend the exchange with Elder Noh and see how far he'd
come from our MTC days. It was also great to see him teach. We had a
chance to teach an investigator couple that we've been trying (and
failing) to meet for the last few weeks, and we were actually able to
teach a pretty decent lesson on the Restoration between the two of us.

Wednesday was a nice day, even with me having to teach the training at
District Meeting. We managed to find this less-active/part-member
family, the Salmonds (your guess is as good as mine with the
pronunciation) that we've been trying to meet with for a while. We ran
across them really on accident, as we had been trying to meet this
other less-active, and it turned out that they had moved out of their
house and the Salmonds had moved in, and neither record had been
updated. Still, it all worked out in the end, as it allowed us a
chance to meet with them and share a quick spiritual message with them
and invite them to church.

Thursday was interesting, as we ended up going on exchanges again.
This time, however, we were doing our exchanges with the other
missionaries in my area (the Harmony Elders, Elder Christenot and
Chan). I went with Elder Christenot to his area in Harmony and helped
him out with the work there. We taught a less-active/part-member
family he and Elder Chan had been teaching, which went well...in spite
of the three kids bouncing off the walls the entire time.
Unfortunately, that was all we did work-wise, as their dinner (who was
supposed to drop off dinner at their house at 6) didn't show up until
about 7:30. Still, it was a pretty nice exchange, and gave me a better
idea of how things are going for my fellow elders.

Friday was pretty bland, as it was pretty much just spent planning for
the week ahead and getting our week all filled out. Saturday, however,
was much more interesting, as we were helping a member move from their
old house to a new one across the city. We had supposed the service
would only last a couple of hours, and then we'd be done and on our
way.  Unfortunately, that was not how it went at all. There was a LOT
more to move than we first thought, and so rather than the service
lasting two hours, we ended up being there for about SEVEN hours...and
when we left, they still weren't done yet. Still, it was a nice
service opportunity, and I enjoyed it.

So, yeah, that was my week. Sorry there isn't a spiritual thought this
week. Like I said before, we've got a lot on our schedules today that
needs to get done. But I promise! Next week, I'll have a great message
for all of you! Until then, have a great week, and stay epic, my
friends! Ciao!

—Elder Z.S.Weber

WEEK 80 - WHY WE BELIEVE

Hello universe and all that inhabit it! (Or at least, all that are
willing to read this email) 'Tis I, the ever magnificent, wondrous,
and humble missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day
Saints, Elder Z.S.Weber, serving you here in the Colorado Fort Collins
Mission. This last week has been great, for a lot of reasons but
mostly because it's the first week in a long week where I haven't
spent at least a little bit of time sick. After who knows how many
weeks of being sick, I'm finally better, and ready to get to
work...right as the sixth and final week of the Transfer is starting
up. Yeah...I really didn't time that very well...

Regardless, this week has been great, and I am glad to be able to
report on it. So, without further ado, here we go!

Tuesday started off with what has to be one of the most dreaded and
anticipated moments of mission life—missionary interviews. I don't
know what it is about getting interviewed by the Mission President,
but everyone seems to be a little more nervous when it comes their
time to be interviewed. We ended up getting there early, due to us
ferrying the Harmony Elders whithersoever they needed to go, so we
spent a good deal of time at the Stake Center sitting quietly in the
foyer with Sister Brown, anxiously waiting for the office door to open
and for President Brown to usher one of us in. Like I said, for some
reason it just seems so much more trepidatious in the moment than it
actually is in reality.

After both of the Harmony Elders were done, it was Elder Anderson's
turn, and then it was my turn. Then the interview began. Thankfully,
there was nothing really to worry about with my interview. It was sort
of like Parent-Teacher Conferences back in high school—President asks
me how I'm doing, I respond truthfully to his questions, he asks if
there was anything I needed help or advise in, I offer something that
I'm lacking in currently (this time it was my skills as a District
Leader), and we have a short discussion on how we can improve. Barely
fifteen minutes have passed by, and the interview is already over, yet
it hasn't even felt like it began.

It was also nice to hear from President Brown how some of my former
companions were doing. He had already interviewed most of the other
Zones in the mission, so he had heard from most of my companions that
hadn't gone home yet. Elder V, who had been my second companion in the
mission field, is serving in this Zone, actually. I was happy to hear
from President that though we had dealt with a rather rough transfer
together, there were no hard feelings between myself and the cheerful
Tongan. Though we didn't see eye to eye (literally, seeing as he's a
good half-foot taller), we were able to learn from each other, and
take what we had learned into our future companionships. Hearing that
our transfer together had done us both good brought a feeling of peace
and happiness into my heart.

Then, with that, Interviews were over, and I was pumped to get to
work. Sadly, such was not to be, as on Wednesday, sickness struck the
Prairie Ridge/Taft Canyon Elders once more. This time, though, it
wasn't me, but Elder Anderson that was struggling. Unfortunately,
Elders Noh and Klain, our Zone Leaders, weren't about to let a little
sickness hold us back from our responsibilities as missionaries. So,
even with Elder Anderson running a pretty decent fever, we drove down
to the church for District Meeting. Now, not to sound vindictive or
anything, but if it turns out that the Zone Leaders caught whatever
Elder Anderson caught, all I can say is that it was their fault.
Still, the meeting was actually very good, and the part of me that
wasn't worried about Elder Anderson's condition felt very glad we had
been able to be there.

The rest of that day and the next was spent at home, trying to get
Elder Anderson to recuperate. About halfway through Thursday, though,
we had to attend our Ward Correlation meeting with the other Ward
Missionaries. Elder Anderson was feeling well enough to go out for the
meeting, so we headed out and spent some time discussing how the work
in the area was going for us full-time Missionaries. After a while,
the discussion turned to ways to get the members excited, and that's
when we found out the shocking news. The date for the Fort Collins
temple's dedication had been announced! Unfortunately, it's in
October, after I've left my mission, but oh well. It just means I have
to find a time to come back and go through it! Still, what great news!

When we were done with the meeting, we headed back home to let Elder
Anderson rest some more. The next day, Friday, Elder Anderson was
feeling much better, so we were able to go out and do service that
morning. Now, I don't think I've touched much on this, but every other
Friday, we help the Bishop's Store House sort and distribute food to
member families in the area. This week, there was quite the load of
food. There was almost so much that we didn't have enough room for it
all. In spite of that, once we got to work sorting it all out, we were
able to get it all distributed to all those who needed it most in only
about an hour. Incredible pace, considering how much was actually out
there.

And then it was Saturday, the moment Elder Anderson and I had been
waiting all week for. As I stated last week, our progressing
investigator Janette was planning on getting baptized that day, and
baptized she was! It was a great service for all those involved. She
brought her daughter, Piper, who was glad to see her mother taking
such a major step in her life. President Brown, also, was in
attendance. Apparently, because he had been the one to interview
Janette, he had managed to work his schedule out that he could attend
her baptism also. It was truly a wonderful experience, with the spirit
so strong in there. It was just an incredible moment to witness, and I
was glad I was able to play even just a small role in her conversion
story.

Many people ask us why we believe the way that we do, why we put faith
in this church, why we are Mormons. To those of you who wonder why
yourself, might I offer some quick reasons as to why we chose to
believe the Mormon faith?

We believe in new beginnings. No one is condemned to live in darkness
forever. God would not want us to just stay trapped by our own
decisions and held back by ourselves. He offers us a way to return to
Him, to change ourselves, to start off fresh. We turn to our Father in
Heaven, and follow His commandments, and He promises us that He will
not remember our past sins. We are given a new, fresh slate to start
off on, and are no longer held back by the chains of our past.

We believe that love conquers all. The pure love of Christ, charity,
never faileth, as Paul in the New Testament teaches us, and that is
absolutely true. Christ will never turn away his love for us. Whenever
we need to turn to him, he will always be there for us. His atonement
made in the Garden of Gethsemane allowed him to clean the sins from
our garments and wipe the tears from our eyes. He, the perfect savior
of the world, will always be there to help us reach our true potential
and more perfect disciples of Christ, sharing his love with those
around us.

We believe in happily ever after. God is our perfect Father in Heaven,
and wants all of us to be happy. The Plan of Salvation has taught us
that even if we fall short in our earthly lives, we aren't condemned
to an awful and terrible hell, but that we will be able to enter into
a level of Heaven that we will feel most comfortable in. Those that
follow God through-and-through will receive the highest glory, but it
won't be so stark as day-and-night. Everyone will dwell where they
will feel the most joy for the eternities.

These are just three of the reasons as to why I am so devoted to the
Mormon faith, or faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. With these reasons to
believe in, I don't see much reason not to be a member of the church.
There is so much good that comes from living according to the
principles and commandments given to the church, I can't see life
being any better away from it. Those of you that are questioning
whether you should stay in the church, because of trials of your faith
going on around you, might I ask you to ask yourselves if you believe
in those three principles above, and that the Mormon Church can help
you receive it. If yes, wherein can you doubt? This is Christ's true,
restored Church. I know it as assuredly as I know that the sun rises
in the east each morn and sets in the west each eventide. I know this
to be true, in the name of he who is mighty to save, the Lord Jesus
Christ, Amen.

—Elder Z.S.Weber