Hey there friends, family, and ever-adoring fans! It's your favorite Elder from the Colorado Fort Collins Mission, Elder Z.S.Weber, bringing you yet another exciting update on life in the crazy world of Colorado. First off, last time I told you about how I've been transferred to the Boulder Zone, and have already had some interesting experiences with my new companion, Elder Buchanan. Well, let me assure you that all's still going good out here. Elder Buchanan is a great companion, and with the other Elders around, we've had a lot of fun this last week. From tracting until our feet are raw and our knuckles bleed, to just chilling out at one of our apartments and playing an exciting game of Munchkin: Adventure Time Version, this week has been entertaining, enlightening, and truly enjoyable. So, without further ado, let's go!
Tuesday: Tuesday was a really awesome day, because we had our Zone Meeting, and I got to finally meet all of the members of our Zone. Much to my surprise, Elder Pratt, who was from my MTC group (District 43-Best, represent!), is now my Zone Leader. Only one thought crosses my mind at that; how the heck did he rank-up so fast?! But, joking aside, Elder Pratt is a really great Zone Leader, and a great teacher, and I'm glad to have him as one of the leaders in the Boulder Zone. Also during the Meeting, we (the Zone) were asked to divide up and practice teaching on of our Investigators by doing a role-play with another companionship in the Zone. Elder Buchanan and I taught the AP's, and while teaching them, I felt inspired to ask a very simple, but very deep, question. When the "Investigator" answered, both Elder Buchanan and I felt the Spirit come at us like a brick wall, and we knew that we'd just received revelation for how to address our Investigator's doubts and worries. So, all in all, it was a totally awesome day!
Wednesday: Wednesday was a fairly slow day for Elder Buchanan and I, after we'd gone out and done some service and finished our studies. So, with a whole day of nothing to do, we decided to hop into the car and head out, seeking out some of the less-active members in our Ward. We did that up until dinner, and then after dinner we headed out to the neighboring streets and tried out tracting, using what we had learned from our Zone Meeting on Tuesday and from our studies that morning. Surprisingly, we had a lot of fun. Whenever I think of tracting, I always think of the negative points--walking for long hours, doors getting slammed in face--but I actually enjoyed the tracting this time. Maybe it was because we were laughing at ourselves, and just having fun with it all. Best of all, though, was the spiritual moment I had during the evening.
When it came time to close the day up, I decided I wanted to tract one more door, but that Elder Buchanan couldn't help me. When I chose the door, the woman who answered it was severely combative, and just wouldn't listen. I felt that I should say something in defense, point out her aggression, or do something. But instead, I calmly listened to her complaints, bore simple testimony that what we had to tell her was true and could bless her in her life, and invited her to listen. When she again told us to leave, we did. At first, I felt that I could've done better somewhere, or that I had failed. But as Elder Buchanan comforted me, and praised me for my boldness and courage to speak, I felt the Spirit of my Heavenly Father overwhelm me with a feeling of pride and honor. I hadn't managed to teach the woman at the door, but I was able to fulfill the duty my Father had given me, and managed to walk out of it all with my head and heart still held high with joy.
Thursday: Thursday, Elder Buchanan and I decided to head out and look up the potential investigators in our area. We want to add to the Mission's goal of having 50 Baptisms in one Transfer, and if we want to do that, then we're going to need a lot more Investigators. One that we visited was a man named Lee Neils. Apparently, Missionaries had been going to his house a lot over the years, just to hang out, watch sports games, and just be lazy. We decided we'd show Lee a different side of Missionaries (the better side), and taught him about Joseph Smith. We showed him the video, "The Restoration", and as we watched the scene with Joseph in the Grove, we all felt the Spirit so strongly. After the video was done, Elder Buchanan invited Lee to pray that night if Joseph Smith really was a Prophet, and he accepted. We hope to hear from him again sometime this week!
Friday/Saturday: Friday and Saturday sort of ran together into one, with us going off on Exchanges. Elder Fuhriman and I worked in my area (the Coal Creek Ward) from Friday evening to Saturday evening, and Elder Buchanan went to work with Elder Stone in the Lafayette Ward. Seeing as I was the Elder in his area, I decided Elder Fuhriman and I go out and do some service at one of the thrift stores in town, and then head off to the work areas in the Ward and see what we could do. It was hard, especially in teaching, with our teaching-personalities clashing every once in a while. But for the most part, the exchange went well, with Saturday evening ending with a rousing game of Munchkin: Adventure Time Version, which I lost...badly...
So, that's my week! As I said before, it was great, and very spiritual. And speaking of spiritual, it's time for the Spiritual Thought! This week's theme: The Holy Ghost.
Over the past week, Elder Buchanan and I have spent most of our mornings studying Chapter 4 of Preach My Gospel, which is all about recognizing and working with the Holy Ghost. While I'd like to say otherwise, I'm a bit embarrassed to say that, though I'm great at teaching with the Spirit, I have a pretty lousy time at actually recognizing the promptings of the Spirit and consciously acting on them. So, this past week I worked hard to feel the Spirit more, and recognize it in my life. And what I found was truly awesome. The Spirit of God has been at my side at all times this week, upholding me, uplifting me, and guiding me where I needed to go. I told you about the tracting experience I had this week, right? Well, I definitely felt the Spirit prompt me to go to that door. I felt the Spirit aid me in speaking with my sister, who would not listen. And as I walked away, the Spirit comforted me, and gave me the strength to walk away from that door with my head held high.
I know that the Spirit is a real, true being. He is the Spirit of my Heavenly Father, my God, and it is his mission to teach, guide, and comfort me through the trials of my life. It is the mission he has in all of our lives, and so long as we do all that is in our power, and follow the commandments of God, he is certain to lead us onward. We may face trouble, we may face hardships. I know that I have. But because of the Spirit, who can be our everlasting companion in this life, we can face those hardships with confidence, and walk on, even with broken hearts and bruised Spirits, with our heads held high, and our joy full. I bear solemn testimony that this is true, in the name of our beloved Savior, Jesus Christ, Amen.
--Elder Z.S.Weber
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