WEEK 88 - DO I BELIEVE IT?

Good morning 'Merica, and all other countries in this beautiful world we all call home! This is Elder Z.S.Weber, reporting in once more from the Prairie Ridge/Taft Canyon Wards. I'm very glad to be here—mostly because it means I didn't die from my cold this last weekend. Honestly, there were a couple times where it was so bad I thought that I might lay my head down on my pillow and wake up in the Spirit World. However, the cold is pretty much all gone now, and I am feeling refreshed, rejuvenated, and ready for another great week as a missionary.

Now, I must apologize, but this week I don't have as much to talk about. I know, you guys don't like hearing that from me, but there just wasn't a lot that happened this week. Not for lack of trying, though. At the beginning of the week, we had a lot planned out. As this was likely to be our last week as companions, we wanted to go out on a high note and work as hard as we could to leave a good, lasting impression for the next set of missionaries to come into our area. However, over the week, pretty much all of our plans flew out the window, our appointments were cancelled, and we were left on our own.

Now, that's not to say that we didn't do anything this week. Most of our week ended up getting consumed by different service opportunities. Brother McKenzie, the member Elder Anderson and I are living with, had a lot of yard work he needed to take care of before the 'big' spring storm rolled in. And with two sets of missionaries readily available to help out, the yard work went by fairly well, once we were all coordinated. And, once more, we helped out with the distribution of food from the Bishop's storehouse. However, for the most-part, this past week was pretty slow for us in terms of missionary work.

So much for going out on a high note.

After all the service opportunities came to an end, and all of our appointments fell through, we finally found ourselves at Saturday evening, the moment we had been waiting for all week. Transfer information finally came in, and what a change was to be had. First of all, the entire Zone is getting changed up, with even our Zone Leaders, as great as they are, getting swept out and two new Zone Leaders getting swept in. As I had suspected, Elder Anderson and I are soon to no longer be companions, and Elder Anderson is headed up to Riverton, Wyoming. My new companion is another Elder by the name of Elder Pember, whose name sounds familiar, but I haven't a clue who it might be.

So, yeah, that was my week. Again, I'm sorry that there isn't more to report on, but that's just how this week went. Some weeks just are slow ones, though we wish it weren't so. However, even with the slow week dampening our mood a bit, I still have a quick spiritual thought to share with all y'all.

A few weeks ago was the 186th Annual General Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. I've always enjoyed the talks given during the conferences, and often reread ones that have a great impact on me in my life. This week, however, I've found myself thinking about the talk given by Bonnie L. Oscarson, the Young Woman General President. In her talk, she spoke of a young boy who was being sent to the hospital due to terrible pneumonia. His mother was flying in the helicopter with him, and could hear that her son's condition was truly dire.

"In this critical moment, [the young mother] noticed they were flying directly over the Draper Utah Temple. From the air, she looked out across the valley and could also see the Jordan River Temple, the Oquirrh Mountain Temple, and even the Salt Lake Temple in the distance. The thought came into her mind: “Do you believe it or not?”" (Bonnie L. Oscarson, Do I Believe?, 2016 April General Conference)

Recently, as Elder Anderson and I have gone about with our missionary work, we often come in contact with less-active or inactive members. Though often friendly towards us, as we talk with them we find that the spiritual light of the gospel has disappeared from their eyes. They often say that they believe the church to be a good 'institution', but that the information they give as truths aren't real. They believe that the Book of Mormon, while having good moral truths in it, didn't actually happen. Some even go so far as to disbelieve in the existence of a Plan of Salvation, a Savior, and even a Loving Heavenly Father.

As I listen to these men and women who have turned away from the church, I find myself asking the same question that came to the young mother in Ssiter Oscarson's talk. "Do you believe it or not?" I am so proud and so grateful that I can say, without any doubt in my mind, that I DO believe it. I know, with absolute certainty, that the Book of Mormon is truly God's word given to us, and that every event spoken of in its pages truly happened. I know that there truly is a Plan of Salvation, written by our great Heavenly Father above, to bring about the eternal happiness and salvation of mankind. I know that my Savior lives, and that someday soon, he will return to reign in power and majesty.

For those of you who don't know as surely of these truths, I would ask that you seek them out. Our Father in Heaven is a being who loves us dearly, and is willing to shower knowledge and blessings upon our heads, if we are willing to receive them, and seek them out for ourselves. Read the Book of Mormon, pray to understand it, and watch as the secrets of our God are unfolded before you. I can promise you that if you do seek after these truths, you will come to know them for yourself. This I bear jubilant testimony of, in the sacred name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

—Elder Z.S.Weber

WEEK 87 - ENTER INTO the JOY of LORD

Good morning, my dear friends, family, and acquaintances. Though the storm clouds are handing over Fort Collins this morning, it is still a very good and beautiful day in the world we are living in. It's me again, Elder Z.S.Weber, here reporting to you live from the Colorado Fort Collins Mission. This week, I am proud to announce that winter is finally (FINALLY!!!) over, and spring has sprung. And sprung it has, with all of the pollen and rainy weather it can bring with it. I mean, honestly, if I haven't been sneezing nonstop, then I've been listening to my companion sneeze nonstop, all while trying to not get too wet. So, it's definitely another beautiful day in Colorado!

Anyways, I'm certain all of you didn't come here today to listen to me harp about the weather, so let's get on with this past week, starting with Tuesday. After getting done with all of the studies we needed to go through that morning, we once more headed to the stake center for District Leader Council, and then Elder Anderson and I had to head to Windsor and the Mission Office for some quick business. Y'know how I mentioned last week that the other elders had gotten into a situation with our car and a bus? Well, that 'situation' was a small accident that caused the right side of our bumper to concave. That was back at the beginning of the Transfer. In order to still drive around, we had to trade our car out for another so our car could get fixed.

The only problem? The car they gave us needed repairs as well. Nothing too big, just a ding up in the front bumper, about a couple inches long, where the previous elders had ran into a fire hydrant or something. Anyways, last week, we were asked to take our new car to an auto-body and tune-up shop in Windsor to get the ding appraised. The ride was fairly long to get out there, though the appraisal went by fairly quickly. Turns out that whatever the past elders did to the car, they did a real good job, for such a small ding. The way it's positioned, it actually caused damage to another layer of the bumper under the exoskeleton, a layer that can't as easily be mended. So, most likely, in the next few week, we're gonna have to take another ride out to Windsor.

Though Tuesday was mostly marked by that small kerfuffle with the cars, Wednesday was a wonderful day, as once more we had the chance to teach our investigator, Duane. He and Monica had recently moved to a new house of their own across Fort Collins, so instead of meeting where we normally would, we decided to meet up at the Stake Center, that way it would be an even distance for the both of us to travel to. After getting inside and getting past some very amusing topics, including one about Duane's pet tarantula and a mantis it got in a fight with (don't ask me how we got to that, as I have no clear idea myself), we decided to get back down to the spiritual level and share the message we had prepared.

This time, we had felt prompted to share some of the commandments from the, surprise, Commandments section of our Missionary Lessons. We shared a few of our most important, in my opinion, commandments, including reading our scriptures, praying to Heavenly Father, following His prophet that is on the earth today, and keeping the Sabbath Day holy. After each of the different commandments, we invited Duane to follow and live them in his life. For the most part, he seemed willing to make these changes, even when it came to going to church on Sunday, though it seemed like Monica was going to need to help him get going. However, it was wonderful to watch the power of the atonement help to improve him.

Thursday was another great teaching day, as that morning we got a chance to go in and teach Roland once again. Once again, we sat with him in his living room and read the Book of Mormon with him. What was interesting about this lesson, though, was that both Elder Anderson and I felt that Roland was really starting to understand what the Book of Mormon was all about. Rather than us just stopping him and explaining what he had just read, every now and again he would actually stop himself and describe and explain what he understood was going on in what he was reading. And, after the lesson ended, and we were bearing testimony on how he can receive an answer as to whether the Book of Mormon is true or not, he, of his own free will, decided it would be a good idea to start praying before reading each night.

Um, can you say, wow?!

And then came Friday, with another round of service for myself and my fellow missionaries. As spring had indeed sprung, and the weather was clear again, Brother McKenzie, the member housing myself and Elder Anderson, decided to commission us to help him with some of the yard-work. We ended up spending most of the day out in his backyard, raking up pine needles and cleaning out under the trees, while Brother McKenzie got in his riding mower and took care of the lawn. After all that was said and done with, we had just enough time to get dressed into missionary-appropriate clothes and head off to dinner—which, actually, was a chili cook-off during the Taft Canyon Ward Pinewood Derby, which was made even more entertaining by the 'no rules' competition held by the fathers.

Ever seen a CO2 cartridge-propelled Pinewood Derby car? Neither had I, until that night. And, man, do they go fast!

So, that was pretty much how my week went. Which means it's time for the Spiritual Thought. Now, before I go any further, I want to explain that, while most of my thoughts tend to be light and humorous, this one might come across as a little more solemn or somber. If you choose to read ahead, remember, you have been warned.

Because of General Conference last week, this last Sunday (yesterday, in other words) was Fast Sunday. And while there were many moments throughout the day that made my Sabbath Day, as President Nelson has encouraged, 'a delight', there was one moment that really stood out for me. During the Fast and Testimony Meeting that Sacrament Meeting, one of those that decided to get up and bear his testimony was Brother Koenig, who I had known previously when I was serving in the Coal Creek Ward, his previous home Ward. He spoke of how he had just come back from a funeral of a dear friend in that Ward, a young man who had left a very young family behind. After talking with Brother Koenig after the meeting, I found that the man that had passed was Brother Rowberry, my Ward Mission Leader while in Coal Creek.

I don't believe I've mentioned Brother Rowberry very much in these weekly emails. If I did, I don't think I did much justice to the man that he was and is. Brother Jim Rowberry was, to put it in Brother Koenig's words, a spiritual giant. Always upbeat and positive, he was an incredible man, who loved his Father in Heaven and served Him faithfully in whatever calling he was given, whether it be Ward Mission Leader or simply a father to five very rambunctious children—the second-youngest of whom would often attempt to run off during Sacrament Meeting, which was very entertaining to watch every now and again. He was a great teacher in Gospel Principles, teaching powerful messages every week, and on Fast Sunday, he had some of the most powerful messages to share.

When I first heard that it had been him that had passed away, I was completely shocked. When I had last seen him, he had been so lively and upbeat. Yet here I was, six months later, hearing that he had passed from this mortal plane of existence. It took a while for the thought to truly sink in, but when it did, I had this comforting thought enter my mind; 'Well, if any man were to leave the mortal plane at such a young age, at least I can have confidence that the Lord has a special work for him in Heaven.' I have no doubt in my mind that as soon as Brother Rowberry crossed over the veil, he was given a spirit-missionary name-tag, received a new companion, and went to work sharing the gospel with those that never had the chance to accept it in this life. Who knows? Maybe he's even crossed paths with my grandfather up there.

As I've pondered over these thoughts these last couple of days, a certain scripture came into my head. "His lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord." (Matthew 25:21) What an incredible statement! Ever since I first read those words, who knows how long ago that was, I knew that was how I wanted my Father in Heaven to welcome me back. I want to know, with absolute surety, that the work I've done for Him in my mortal life has been a work that He is proud of, and that He is proud to call me one of His sons and to welcome me back to His embrace.

This doesn't just apply to my mortal life, either. Right now, I'm in the last four months of my mission, the last stretch. Most missionaries, at this point, would start holding back and getting distracted by going home. But me? I want my mission to be filled with incredible moments, even to the very end. And I want every calling after this to be filled with incredible moments, even to the very end. I want to fully live the callings my Father has given me. That way, when my time to hold them comes to an end, and I must move on to a new calling, either in this life or the life to come, I will hear Him say, in my mind and in my heart, "Well done, my son. You have done the work that I asked of you to do. Because of this, my joy is full."

May we all seek to hear those words, in this life, in the life to come, from our Beloved Heavenly Father, is my prayer, in the sacred name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

—Elder Z.S.Weber

WEEK 86 - MESSAGES FROM HEAVEN

Good morning universe and all that inhabit it! This is your handsome
and charismatic host from the Colorado Fort Collins Mission, Elder
Z.S.Weber, reporting in to y'all live from a local member's basement
in the Prairie Ridge Ward. Once more, I'm here to review with y'all
over the events of the past week and what made this week a joyful—or,
barring that, an interesting experience. Luckily for you, though, this
week was a joyful experience, so you won't have to hear me complain
about all that made this past week rough for me and my companion,
Elder Anderson. What you will hear, however, are a list of miracles
and wondrous moments that made this week not only joyful, but a truly
awesome week to experience as missionaries in the service of the Lord.
So, without further ado, let's get started!

First let's go over to Tuesday of this past week. Right away, our day
started out fast, with the two of us heading down the road to our
kinda-progressing investigator, Roland. Brother Haynes, our Ward
Mission Leader, was there with us to metaphorically 'turn up the heat'
on Roland. In the past, we had received a feeling that Roland was
understanding what we had to teach him with his head, but his heart
wasn't as easily accessible. As the Disney movie goes, "the heart is a
hard thing to change, but the head can be persuaded." We didn't want
that for Roland, though. Like all we teach, we wanted him to feel the
truth of our words in his heart, and feel the Spirit of the Lord
change him.

So, we 'turned up the heat' a bit. We dug down deep in order to get to
his religious roots and find out exactly what he himself believes, and
if what we've been saying to him is truly sinking in, or if it's just
a nice interpretation of religion that he has enjoyed listening to.
Brother Haynes was really on fire, asking Roland some very powerful
and thought-provoking questions—questions like whether he was still
married to his wife, who had passed years ago, or if he would even see
her again. We then bore a powerful testimony that we were there to
share with him the truth—not an interesting opinion or a fascinating
idea, but the one and only completely whole and true religion on the
entire planet—and invited him to read the Book of Mormon to know of
this truth for himself.

Since we last talked with Roland, he's been reading the Book of Mormon
every night before he goes to bed, three pages at least. That's three
more pages a night than he read in the past, so I feel that perhaps
the words we are saying are finally sinking in, allowing the Spirit
the chance to testify to him of the truth. I hope it is, and that he
is listening to it.

The next day, Wednesday, was another incredible day. After an
interesting fiasco which lasted for most of the morning and involved
the other elders, our car, and a bus, we headed off to our lesson with
Duane Morino and Monica Salmond, who I believe I have mentioned the
last few weeks. Last week, even, I believe that I mentioned that Elder
Anderson and I invited Duane to be baptized, which he neither accepted
nor denied. Well, I am proud to say that after we had gotten the early
meeting pleasantries out of the way and started getting down into the
doctrinal message we had to share, Duane revealed that he accepted the
invitation to be baptized. It's still a fairly tentative pursuit, but
we have full faith that with committed scripture study and prayer, his
desire will become truly firm and steadfast.

His acceptance of the baptismal invitation wasn't the only amazing
part of our meeting, though. About halfway through our lesson, we
slightly mentioned the priesthood, and both Duane and Monica mentioned
that they had been discussing it with one another, and Duane had a
desire also to wield the priesthood. Monica, as it so happens, is a
couple-generations-descendant of Ephraim Hanks, an incredible figure
in the early church's history. After hearing about the wonders and
goodness Ephraim Hanks was able to bring about through the priesthood,
Duane has started to desire to have that same power to preside,
direct, and care for his soon-to-be-formed family with Monica and her
children.

Now, how does that old church hymn go again? Ah, yes! "I stand all
amazed." That's how I felt, hearing those words and feelings from
Duane and Monica. While with Roland, it might be hard to tell if the
words we are testifying of are entering into his heart, with Duane
there is no doubt in my mind that the Spirit has been by his side,
sharing our message with him even when we aren't there. To see that,
and to feel that in my heart brought me so much joy and happiness. I
was almost brought to tears of joy. Almost. So, we shared what we knew
and understood about the priesthood, and invited him to, at an
appropriate time after his baptism, receive the priesthood, which he
gladly accepted. Once more, the joy in my heart that day was full.

Not much happened on Thursday, I am sad to say, but Friday was a
wonderful day, once more filled with incredible moments of service. In
the morning, we headed over to the Stake Center to distribute the
Bishop's Storehouse food to those that came to receive of it. Duane
and Monica came to help out—we had invited them after our lesson, as
Monica was desirous to find some way to give back to the church for
the good they had shown her. It was wonderful to see both Duane and
Monica with so much joy and good-spiritedness in their countenances as
they helped out. No doubt they felt the indescribable joy that comes
from doing service for others.

Then, after all the food had been distributed and the tables had been
folded up, us elders were enlisted to help Brother Johnson, one of the
other volunteers, and his son. I think I've mentioned this debacle in
the past, but basically Brother Johnson's son is moving to New York,
and has been needing help packing up all of his music equipment and
moving it out of his townhouse. Well, Friday was pretty much the last
phase of his moving-out process, and they needed some extra arms to
help in moving the keyboards and equipment to his studio across the
city. It was a fairly long and hard work, but we enjoyed it
nonetheless. And, we got some really nice pizza afterwords as a thank
you. So, all in all, it was a very good day.

And finally, we get to the best part of the week—General Conference
Weekend. Now, let me quickly apologize, my friends, for not inviting
y'all to participate and watch the Conference. Those of you that are
fellow members and part of my Ward family back home, I have no doubt
that you were able to watch it and enjoy the wonderfully spiritual
messages taught by the General Authorities, as well as the humorous
moments that will no doubt be quoted for the rest of the year
('Celestial language'. Ha! Everyone knows the 'Celestial language' is
Italian, Uchtdorf! Just ask my grandpa.). To those that didn't watch
General Conference this past week, or don't even understand why we
have it, may I share with you my testimony of it?

General Conference is the blessed time of year that we, as members of
the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints—and, to fully extend
it, Children of the Almighty God—have to listen to the prophets and
apostles called by our Lord and Master. We are able to hear the
messages that those men and women have been prompted to share with us,
and feel are most necessary for our day and age. Each message is
unique and different—one speaker may focus on the divine role of
fatherhood, while another might share his own personal testimony on
the Plan of Salvation—but there is no doubt that each and every talk
given and testimony born is for our benefit and our good. If we listen
to the messages that are given, and take the messages into our hearts,
we will receive the knowledge and instruction that God desires us to
know.

I don't recall when I first started watching General Conference. It's
always been a major event in my life. When I was younger, my parents
would find fun and engaging games to keep us kids focused on the words
our prophet and apostles said. As the years passed by, and as we got
older, we were able to stay engaged completely on our own. We learned
to love the prophet, be he Gordon B. Hinckley or Thomas S. Monson. We
loved the Apostles, and as I grew older I came to eagerly anticipate
the messages born by President Uchtdorf, President Nelson, Elder
Holland, Elder Bednar, and Elder Christofferson (I look forward to all
of the Apostles' addresses, but I look forward to those five's just a
little more than the others).

Through those years of watching General Conference, I came to know for
myself that the church was true, and that it was led by a prophet of
the Lord, and man called by God to oversee the church in our day. The
messages he and his fellow Apostles shared were messages for me
personally. Perhaps they were not all meant to be that way, but by
listening to their words, and to the words of the Holy Ghost who sat
beside me and taught me, I learned exactly what I needed to know.
Because of those experiences, I have grown as a man and as a man of
God in more ways than I even can understand just yet.

To those of you who were not able to watch or listen to Conference, my
invitation is simple—watch it. Listen to it. Hear the words the
prophet and the Apostles have to share with us, and listen with an
open heart. That way, the Spirit of the Lord can teach you from those
words what you most need to know. To those of you who did watch
Conference, or listen to it, my invitation is the same. Watch it
again. Listen to it again. These messages are our modern-day
scriptures, messages given from the prophets to benefit us in our
circumstances. And, like all scripture, the more you pour over the
messages given, the more messages you will find that pertain to you
specifically. This I bear joyful testimony of, in the name of our
Savior, Jesus Christ, Amen.

—Elder Z.S.Weber

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