Hey everyone! Yeah, it's me again, Elder Z.S.Weber, with another quick update on life in Boulder, Colorado. Sorry I didn't send this out yesterday, I was caught up in something else, which will be mentioned later on in the email, so just hang tight! Now, before o get into anything else, let me just say...the drought is finally over! I'm not talking about a literal drought here—in fact, if anything, the heat seems to be increasing across the nation, as the fires in Idaho and the West Coast can easily profess. No, I'm talking about the drought in missionary work. For once, the heavens have opened, the hand of the Lord has been seen, and the work has begun moving along once more! So, without further ado, here's what made this week totally awesomepicness!
Tuesday: The morning started off with Elder Hale and me heading out to CU, the university in Boulder, to help some other Elders there with service. We basically needed to move all of the summer help's belongings out of one of the buildings before the dorm's residents returned that afternoon. It sounded easy...until we found out part of the work was moving a couple of two-ton washing and drying machines from the basement to the storage pods outside. That was the longest half hour of my life...
Then, that evening, we taught Sophia the Plan of Salvation. We were able to teach a lot more clearly than we had last Wednesday, which I personally saw as a success. However, if that wasn't enough of a sign that the lesson was a success, then setting a date for Sophia to be baptized, and her accepting it, certainly was a sign! Both Elder Hale and I returned home after that with a noticeable spring in my step!
Thursday: Not much happened on Wednesday...aside from Elder Stone and Elder Olson disrupting District Meeting by pulling out silly string cans and spraying a few of the other Elders (cough cough me cough cough) with them.
Thursday, however, was a day of service. At EFAA, we were asked to prune some of the large bushes on the south side of the building so that they'd be easier to remove once they started the renovations a few weeks from now. However, while Elder Hale went the traditional route with a pair of clippers, I decided to use a slightly more unorthodox tool for the work...a large scythe-like blade with serrated teeth and a clipper attached. It actually did the work very well, if the pile of branches I cut down was any sign to go by.
However, before we were finished, Elder Hale got a call from Sister Dimig, who asked us to lend her friend with moving. Apparently, she had asked the Zone Leaders to get help to her, but somewhere along the way, it had gotten lost or ignored. So, we quickly headed off and gave a helpful hand with the move.
Friday: Then, on Friday, the excitement with work continued on, as we were called to one of the families, the Techera's, for a lesson. After sharing a quick lesson about the importance of families, Brother Techera asked us to go with him to meet one of his Home-Teaching families. They were a less-active/part-member family, and after meeting them, I couldn't help but feel a strong feeling of certainty that they'd be great to work with. Chelsea, the mom, is interested in returning to church so that her daughter can have a strong foundation through life, and Chad, the dad, is a non-member who seems to be open about the gospel. So, looks like we could have more work very soon!
Monday: Finally, yesterday, we had Mission Tour. It was held in the Trilby building, the church building in my first area of the mission, and this time, Elder Jorge Zeballos of the Seventy came to speak to us. It was an incredibly spiritual and moving moment, as it was a training for the newer missionaries about how to do the work, and a reminder for seasoned veterans like myself as to how the work works. Afterword, while at lunch, I had the happy occasion to see Sister Clevery, the wife of the bishop that had served at the time I was in the Fossil Creek Ward. It was nice to see a familiar face again, and hear about how things were going in the Ward. The only thing that dampened my mood a bit was that the McManus family, who were my first investigators, still had yet to be baptized. But, still, it was a great day.
So, to close this message, I'd like to share a quick spiritual thought. At times in our lives, we're going to face adversity. These past few months of my life, in the mission field, have been some of those trying times, when we're tossed upon a sea of trials and troubles. However, just as there are terrible trying times in these spiritual storms, these storms give us a chance to grow, to look to God for support. At those times, we can be reminded of this poem,
God moves in a mysterious way,
His wonders to perform.
He plants his footprints in the sea,
And rides upon the storm.
Ye fearful saints, fresh courage take.
The clouds you so much dread,
Are big with mercy, and shall break
In blessings on your head. (Anonymous)
Though the storms are fierce, we need not fear. They come from God, and are merely another chance in our lives to prove ourselves to him. Let us stand strong against the adversities of our lives, against the adversary himself, and dare to brave the storm, knowing that as long as we stand beside our Savior, we cannot, indeed we will not, fail. This I say, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, amen!
—Elder Z.S.Weber
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