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
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