We Say Goodbye to Another Dear Apostle

July 6, 2015

Happy Fourth! We spent it mainly in the Mad 4 area.

Dear Momma, Dadda, and the Rest of All You Familyness of Life!

Thanks for the article. Bishop read it to us (in both wards) and it is so cool how whenever there is a major law passed by civil government, the saints immediately turn to the prophet: "What do we do?" It shows great faith.

Yay Donna and Tom! Please give them my best! Crazy about Ashley Alvarez it was like JUST yesterday we were spotting each other at the MTC!

Sisters Weaver, Osmond, Woods

The Lord does answer prayers. Sister Woods and I have been praying to stay diligent in this the last stretch of our missions and lo and behold, right after emails last week, President Cutler informed us of a situation where Sister Osmond (yes, Donny Osmond's niece ha-ha) had to send home her trainee, so we are in a trio for a couple of weeks taking over her area and ours in a trio! (Hence the pic :) We have become EXTREMELY busy with blessings and miracles pouring out upon us and those we teach left and right. Sister Osmond is a VERY hard worker, and has been a blessing to us and those we teach. My arms and legs burn with numbness from the constant work, but the miracles are overflowing. Today for example, a lady stopped us at Walmart: "STOP! Just stop!" We thought she was a crazy JW, but then she said her daughter just converted to Mormonism and gave us all a big hug. She started to tear up as she said that she is a hard core Roman Catholic, but her daughter is about to marry this amazing Mormon boy and gave him a call and took her pic with us to send to her daughter. It was very cute. She reminded me of you, Mom, a bit.

On the 4th of July, we contacted SO many people...I think we have about 35 lessons this week in EACH area and passed out about 25 Book of Mormons total. It is so cool to meet such prepared people. Talking to people has never been my strong suit, but SIster Osmond is RELENTLESS. It's amazing!

The fun Chinese Family, "You are so nice!"

We also met a cute Chinese family who wanted to take their pic with us too ha-ha. A woman parked in front of our church after the pancake social and was crying in her car, so we went up to her and shared a message from the Book of Mormon. I told her to read it while we went inside and got her some food. We came out with SIster Carlson from the ward and she bore strong testimony inviting her to sit with her at church. The woman was going through a lot of family things and Bishop said they have been helping them in the past. It was really cool.

A member had this painting of the
Seattle Temple because they
grew up there.  I thought it was cool!

Latoya, a former who recently contact us to learn once more, is progressing very well. She has come to church every week and Sister Nicole Dimond has been giving her rides and coming to lessons. She wants to be baptized before she moves in August, so we are on our toes trying to teach her all of the lessons again.

Debra met with us and we talked about scripture reading. She wants a blessing for her and Jaden, so she will contact her Home Teacher soon. It's nice to be on good terms with her again.

We met with Lun Cheng at the Delorey's and were able to answer more of his questions regarding the Law of Chastity and the concept of eternal life. The Delorey's talked with him long after we left and said they reviewed the Restoration when he asked about it so we will follow up with him on the next lesson about it.

Sister Cox, She just moved to Mad 4 from Wausau
with her husband (the weatherman) and we got
to see them on the fourth!!! She kept texting...
is Sister Weaver really with you?  When are you
coming over??  I felt so loved...And they are
expecting a baby!!! BAH!!!

We were so privileged to meet many people in the Madison 4^th Ward area and have high hopes for their part-member family investigator Brother Brown, who has committed to pray to know if the Book of Mormon is true. We found so many potential families as well. People are very open and eager to read and learn if we are open and eager to share.

Thanks for all you do! Keep up the great work on your side of the country and I'll continue to do it on mine!

Love you all!

-Sister Weaver-

We did nails at the nursing home in Mad 4.

We went on exchanges (my last one!)
It was so weird with a trio, so they
just spent the night...5 sisters and one
bathroom...one can only imagine ha-ha.

WE HAVE A CAR!!!
(Awkward I'm hugging it since it belonged
to the Sun Prairie Elders before...)

Milked cows!
(Mission Bucket-List, CHECK)

The farm we went to had a fox.
A Fox!!!
What does the fox really say?
He didn't say much, but had SHARP claws.
I won't tell you how I found that out.

Happy 4th Of July!!!

June 29, 2015

Dear Family & Friends,

Good to hear you all are so pumped for missionary work! That's cool about the Remington's! For sure I will! I have covenanted to be an EPIC member-missionary (not to mention give rides to the poor car-less missionaries... yay empathy)!  For it is the members that are the GLUE of missionary work and the role-play sounds great! To be honest, Mother, after 18 months I STILL I have no idea how to approach people without getting tongue-tied and awkward. But we missionaries are weird anyway; people EXPECT you to talk to them..., which makes it all the more daunting.

We are pretty booked for Saturday, there is a ward breakfast and then a baptism for one of the Spanish Elder's investigators, where we want to bring Lun Cheng to...even though it will be in Spanish--awkward--but at least he can see the ordinance being done. And we are meeting with a recent convert, so I think all will be pretty filled and we won't be yelled at for disturbing anybody's 4th. One of my companions had someone yell at her as they tracted last year on the 4th and said "GO HOME TO YOUR FAMILY!!" And she's like "I CAN'T!" Sad day.

I was just telling Uncle Brad that the day dawn is fast approaching and the work still needs to press forward :) I never want to leave this harvest of souls, but alas there is a time and a season and the sun is soon setting upon the time allotted to me. "Yea, for this cause I have sent you hither, and have selected my servant [Ashley Weaver], and have appointed unto [her] [her] mission in this land...Behold [her] mission is given unto [her], and it shall not be given again" (D&C 58: 14,16). I read this today, and don't mean to change the scriptures, but the Spirit did for me :)

Yes. Tim our eternigator brought the gay marriage thing to our attention on Saturday. He has a daughter who struggles with same-sex attraction, but I can tell that he agrees with the church's status. He is very wise and mature when it comes to faith in our sustained leaders...which makes it all the more frustrating he won't get in the water! Anywho :) There are, I don't doubt, many in our ward, or the church for that matter who disagree with the stance, but we as Mormons just have such a problem with looking at the eternal perspective. I'm sorry, but it's true :) We discussed this with Lun Cheng when he brought up his concerns: God's purpose is to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man. He wants to give us all He has. Our role in helping Him accomplish this is by providing bodies for His children and the way that happens is through a man and a woman. Not only that, but marriage in the world is SOOO different from marriage to God. It is a relationship that extends far greater than a physical attraction...it is a bond with GOD that enables us with the power to bring to pass HIS eternal purposes...not our own. Sadly the world has lost sight of that or cannot comprehend it for that matter, thus confusion arises.

I truly feel for those who do struggle with same-sex attraction. It is their trial in life. No doubt it is a struggle for those who do have that attraction--who KNOW and ACCEPT the gospel--to see their role in God's plan. Like some do who can't have children, or those infants who die without having kids. God blesses them for their faithfulness on earth, which tries their best to live as God has commanded, until further light and knowledge is added unto them. As Alma said: "Behold these mysteries are not fully made known unto me, therefore I shall forbear."

So we must walk by the faith we have with the knowledge given unto us, until all that we have done in righteousness' name will be compensated unto us in the eternities because of the matchless gift of our Savior, Jesus Christ.

"Behold, the laws which ye have received from my hand are the laws of the church, and in this light ye shall hold them forth. Behold, here is wisdom" (D&C 58:23). (There just was a lot of good stuff in D&C 58 today!)

But I digress...Lun Cheng came to all three hours! The Delorey's were so great in helping to answer his questions in our lesson afterward. We discussed baptism and he said he couldn’t be baptized until he understands the reasoning behind all the commandments...Word of Wisdom and marriage between a man and a woman specifically. The core doctrine that is helping his testimony to grow the most is our Father's eternal purposes for his children...His goal for HIM individually. The Delorey's invited him over to their home for our next lesson :) He likes them a lot.

Debra, a recent convert likes us again! (After chewing us out a week a go because our phone got shut off via text: "I'm being done with you young high-school kids who are immature and don't know how to teach" or something like that. Now, as you know I am not one to have attitude when it comes to business, but I replied with a "We are sorry Deb, know that we still love you and want to meet...P.S. and we are out of college, not high school...) I think she probably may be bipolar? But face-to-face she wanted to set up a meeting with US this time. I hope she knows that we do love her and want to help her succeed. She came for all three hours with Jaden and Jada and participated in the lessons. The Delorey's have been so great in fellowshipping her as well.

Exchanges went great and we finally found an investigator! YAY! Her name is Gigi who graciously accepted a Book of Mormon and wants us to come back next week to learn more.

Julia is back in town briefly, but will be meeting with her tomorrow to re-set her baptismal date. We are continuing to encourage Tim and Nicole (Coley) to do missionary work for their families to help their hearts soften to their joining the church. Tim is studying PMG more and we are hoping to get Coley excited about her own testimony and be true to it, putting her own fears to rest about baptism.

Love you all and continue in the faith, my dear family, for all will be well eventually...Through the ups and the downs and the stress and the ridiculousness there is Christ...we just have to trust He is there and reach out for Him.

Giving you a hug across time and space (or just the country)!

-Sister Weaver-

P.S. Did you discuss in ward council the new set-up for sacrament meeting? Cool, huh?