Subject: Baptism!
Date: Mon, 27 Apr 2015 12:46:34 -0600
Dear family,
This week was fantastic! The work is really starting to pick up in
this stake. B......n was baptized on Saturday, and we all had a great
spiritual experience there. We also found a new investigator in
Spanish, which is great, considering how little time we spend working
in Spanish now. We also got a lot of rain, and even a couple
thunderstorms. It reminded me of home.
So on Monday, we went and took a small photo shoot at a park in
Copperton. Nothing else really happened that day.
On Tuesday, Elder Aviles had a district leader meeting, so I spent the
morning with the other two district leaders' companions.
Coincidentally, we are all on Spanish assignment. We spent the whole
morning studying, and then knocked on a few doors in one of the other
elders' area. That evening, we met with B.....n (we met with him
every day this week to prepare him for his baptism).
On Wednesday, we had a zone meeting to learn about the new area book
planner app that we can now use on the iPad. It is super cool. We
now have all of our teaching records on there, and we plan our day on
it. The app even keeps track of all of our numbers, so we can report
them at the end of each week. That evening, we had 3 great lessons (2
of them unplanned) and B.....n passed his baptismal interview.
On Thursday, we had a great lesson with a less active member who wants
to come back to church, but something has been holding him back. We
followed the Spirit, and were able to find his concern. I know the
Spirit really touched his heart that day.
On Friday, we taught Mila..., our new investigator. She has a really
strong relationship with God, and we were able to have a really good
discussion with her. That evening, we met with B.....n one more time
and we all shared our testimonies and love for each other. He has
such a strong testimony, after only 2 weeks of investigating. It's
incredible!
Saturday was the baptism!! While we were filling up the font, we ran
into Brother Anderson, who was setting up for a luncheon in the gym,
so we helped him with that. He's the one who sent you the picture.
I'm so glad you got it! The baptism was awesome! B.....n's wife and
her family are all members, so they came in from all over to see
B.....n be baptized. The Spirit was so strong! Seven years of prayer
were answered that day (of his wife and her family)! I will send
pictures when I get them.
Yesterday, we went on splits all day, to attend more wards. We
confirmed B.....n, and I taught sharing time in primary alone. But it
went well! That evening, we had a small missionary fireside for a
ward, and even though we didn't have very much time to prepare, it
went super well.
Well family, that is all. Being a missionary is awesome! I'm glad
Shaney got home safely and is enjoying herself ;) . I love you all!
I will talk to you in two weeks!
Love,
Elder Jared Weller
Sent from my iPad
Monday, April 27, 2015
Saturday, April 25, 2015
Baptism Today
Brother and Sister Weller, my name is Brother Jensen. I'm sitting here with your son, amazing missionary!
They are just getting ready and prepared for baptism today.
Excellent missionaries.
I'm glad they're in my stake.
You should be very proud of your son.
Just thought you should know.
Monday, April 20, 2015
Winter in April
 |
| So we met a family that has baby ducks. "Patito" means "little duck" in Spanish. They were so cute! |
Date: Mon, 20 Apr 2015 12:47:04 -0600
Hi family!
I hope you got the picture. We had the craziest weather this week!
Tuesday, around noon, it got really windy, and the wind was kicking
up a bunch of dust, so the air was really hazy. Then, later in the
afternoon, it started to rain mud! But just when we thought it
couldn't get any weirder, it snowed on Wednesday! Utah weather...
The storm did give us lots of opportunities to serve. We shoveled a
lot of driveways on Wednesday. Service has been one of our main
focuses this transfer. We want to make sure that the stake members
know that we want to serve them. That is how we plan to gain their
trust, and hopefully, they will start inviting more of their friends
to meet with us.
Other than the crazy weather, it was a great week! Our investigator,
B....., is getting baptized on Saturday! He is reading and praying
with his wife every day, and he is always hungry to learn more about
the gospel! He considers himself a "private investigator". He is so
funny! We had the opportunity to take them to temple square on
Friday, and it was amazing! The Spirit is always so strong there!
On Thursday, we were at a part-member family's home, and my companion
pocket dialed 911. They called us back, I answered, and had to tell
them that everything was okay. She even asked me if I was thinking
clearly. I wanted to say "of course I'm thinking clearly, I'm a
missionary!" But I didn't. That was a close call, though!
Church was exciting, as always, when you are attending 3-4 wards every
week! We are organizing a youth choir to do a musical number at
B......'s baptism. I am so excited!
Last night, we taught a less active girl. Her father is active, but
she is a bit confused. The awesome thing is, we didn't even know
about her when we went to meet their family, but we ended up teaching
her. The Lord guides us to people in the coolest ways sometimes!
It is great to hear that everyone is doing well! Mom, I love seeing
how the living room is changing! You definitely should consider going
into the business! Have another fantastic week! Enjoy the warm
weather! Please continue to pray for me and for my investigators. It
definitely helps.
I love you!
Love,
Elder Jared Weller
 |
| So this was last Sunday, when we were staying with the other elders in our district. Isn't it beautiful? |
 |
| We had a snowstorm Wednesday! It probably snowed about 4 inches. But by Thursday afternoon, it had almost all melted. |
Tuesday, April 14, 2015
Spring?
Subject: Spring?
Date: Mon, 13 Apr 2015 12:32:33 -0600
Hi everyone! So the subject line refers to Utah weather. Every day
this week has been warm and sunny. Except for Wednesday, when it was
snowing. Fortunately, though, it didn't stick for very long.
This week was great! On Monday, we had a zone activity, where we
played speedball again. Then Elder Aviles and I went to get a
haircut. We decided to go to Sport Clips, which was a mistake. They
gave me a good haircut, but was pricey! Later that evening, we
correlated with one of our WMLs, and he gave us 3/4 of a lemon pie.
Next, we went to visit a less active, and while we were talking to
her, out of the blue, E. Aviles says "hey, do you want some pie? We
have a pie in the car." At first, she told us that she was okay, but
once we told her that it was lemon, she said "actually, I've been
craving something lemon the past few days". So we brought her pie and
were able to chat with her for a while. The Lord definitely works in
mysterious ways.
Tuesday, we had district meeting, and then we made Ask the
Missionaries posters. Nothing else very exciting happened.
Wednesday was Zone Conference. We sung "This is the Christ" for our
musical number, and it went super well! And guess who I saw? *Sister
Adrie Patton! It is such a small world! Sister Chambers led a
discussion about having "fire in the bones", or in other words,
keeping ourselves always motivated. That evening, we had our first
lesson with B......, our miracle from Monday. He was super prepared,
and apparently, on Easter Sunday, he just knew that it was time to
learn more about the church. He accepted to be baptized later this
month!
On Thursday, we got kicked out of our house, because our branch
president's daughter came for the weekend. So we ended up staying
with the other elders in our district until just this morning. They
actually have their own apartment, so we had a lot of fun. We also
had lunch with one of our WMLs, at Zupas. It was delicious! Nothing
much else happened that day.
Friday, we had an exchange with the zone leaders. I went with Elder
McKinney again. We spent a lot of time walking around and talking to
EVERYBODY in the apartments, and we found a couple of potential
investigators. That evening, we had another lesson with B.......
Still going strong! His wife, who is a member, has been reading and
praying with him, which helps us a lot. Also, he is already planning
his baptism! How much more golden can you get?
On Saturday morning, before finishing the exchange, Elder McKinney and
I went to work some more. We found another potential investigator,
and we also talked to a member who served his mission in Snohomish.
Also, the RSP of that ward grew up in Snohomish. Do you recognize the
name Joy King? Anyway, that afternoon, Elder Aviles and I did a lot
of service for people in the apartments, and then we taught a less
active. That evening, we went out with the Blandas, our senior
missionary couple, and we met a guy who is really into hunting. He
has elk and deer heads hanging all over his house. But he was a
pretty cool guy.
Yesterday was the craziest day of my life! We decided that we would
bear our testimony in every single ward in the stake. We have 10
wards! Meanwhile, we had to confirm the Pa family in the Spanish
branch. I also gave a name and a blessing to their 5 year old son. I
am so happy for them! But we were literally running around all day to
make each sacrament meeting. Luckily, we had Daniel, our RM with us,
so a couple times we ended up splitting so that we could make every
meeting. But we did it! We also ended up teaching a young women's
class. Last night, we taught B...... again. Still solid! AND he
went to church yesterday and loved it!
So there you go, another busy week from the mission field. I love
hearing from everyone and seeing pictures. Thanks Mom! I have not
gotten your package yet, but I will probably get it this afternoon.
After bearing my testimony and feeling the Spirit all day yesterday, I
know without a doubt that the church is true!
Love you!
Elder Jared Weller
P.s. See you on May 10!
Sent from my iPad
* (Note from Mom) Sister Adrie Patton was a young woman who came to live with a family in our ward last year. She and Jared became friends. And now they are serving in the same mission. It's a small world, after all!
Date: Mon, 13 Apr 2015 12:32:33 -0600
Hi everyone! So the subject line refers to Utah weather. Every day
this week has been warm and sunny. Except for Wednesday, when it was
snowing. Fortunately, though, it didn't stick for very long.
This week was great! On Monday, we had a zone activity, where we
played speedball again. Then Elder Aviles and I went to get a
haircut. We decided to go to Sport Clips, which was a mistake. They
gave me a good haircut, but was pricey! Later that evening, we
correlated with one of our WMLs, and he gave us 3/4 of a lemon pie.
Next, we went to visit a less active, and while we were talking to
her, out of the blue, E. Aviles says "hey, do you want some pie? We
have a pie in the car." At first, she told us that she was okay, but
once we told her that it was lemon, she said "actually, I've been
craving something lemon the past few days". So we brought her pie and
were able to chat with her for a while. The Lord definitely works in
mysterious ways.
Tuesday, we had district meeting, and then we made Ask the
Missionaries posters. Nothing else very exciting happened.
Wednesday was Zone Conference. We sung "This is the Christ" for our
musical number, and it went super well! And guess who I saw? *Sister
Adrie Patton! It is such a small world! Sister Chambers led a
discussion about having "fire in the bones", or in other words,
keeping ourselves always motivated. That evening, we had our first
lesson with B......, our miracle from Monday. He was super prepared,
and apparently, on Easter Sunday, he just knew that it was time to
learn more about the church. He accepted to be baptized later this
month!
On Thursday, we got kicked out of our house, because our branch
president's daughter came for the weekend. So we ended up staying
with the other elders in our district until just this morning. They
actually have their own apartment, so we had a lot of fun. We also
had lunch with one of our WMLs, at Zupas. It was delicious! Nothing
much else happened that day.
Friday, we had an exchange with the zone leaders. I went with Elder
McKinney again. We spent a lot of time walking around and talking to
EVERYBODY in the apartments, and we found a couple of potential
investigators. That evening, we had another lesson with B.......
Still going strong! His wife, who is a member, has been reading and
praying with him, which helps us a lot. Also, he is already planning
his baptism! How much more golden can you get?
On Saturday morning, before finishing the exchange, Elder McKinney and
I went to work some more. We found another potential investigator,
and we also talked to a member who served his mission in Snohomish.
Also, the RSP of that ward grew up in Snohomish. Do you recognize the
name Joy King? Anyway, that afternoon, Elder Aviles and I did a lot
of service for people in the apartments, and then we taught a less
active. That evening, we went out with the Blandas, our senior
missionary couple, and we met a guy who is really into hunting. He
has elk and deer heads hanging all over his house. But he was a
pretty cool guy.
Yesterday was the craziest day of my life! We decided that we would
bear our testimony in every single ward in the stake. We have 10
wards! Meanwhile, we had to confirm the Pa family in the Spanish
branch. I also gave a name and a blessing to their 5 year old son. I
am so happy for them! But we were literally running around all day to
make each sacrament meeting. Luckily, we had Daniel, our RM with us,
so a couple times we ended up splitting so that we could make every
meeting. But we did it! We also ended up teaching a young women's
class. Last night, we taught B...... again. Still solid! AND he
went to church yesterday and loved it!
So there you go, another busy week from the mission field. I love
hearing from everyone and seeing pictures. Thanks Mom! I have not
gotten your package yet, but I will probably get it this afternoon.
After bearing my testimony and feeling the Spirit all day yesterday, I
know without a doubt that the church is true!
Love you!
Elder Jared Weller
P.s. See you on May 10!
Sent from my iPad
* (Note from Mom) Sister Adrie Patton was a young woman who came to live with a family in our ward last year. She and Jared became friends. And now they are serving in the same mission. It's a small world, after all!
Tuesday, April 7, 2015
Another awesome week!
Subject: Another awesome week!Date: Mon, 6 Apr 2015 12:52:19 -0600
Dear family,
Things are going well here. The actual work is going pretty slow. We
had a lot of appointments this week, but some way or another, most of
them fell through. Also, we have not been finding any new
investigators. But General Conference definitely motivated me to keep working.
Monday, we washed and detailed our car. It looked really good
afterward, but with the arrival of spring and all of the pollen
floating around, it is dirty again. It looks like we are going in
again today! After cleaning the car, we played volleyball with our
district. We didn't have a net, so we just improvised. But we had a
lot of fun.
Tuesday, we just ran around doing the work; meeting people, sharing
the gospel, etc.
Wednesday, my companion got transferred.
Just kidding! April fools! But we did go on exchanges with the other
elders in our district. I went with Elder Koo again, the Korean I
told you guys about. We had a great time, and got a lot done. We had
a delicious dinner with an older couple in the stake. Classic meat
loaf, mashed potatoes, brown sugar carrots, and rolls, with
razzleberry pie for dessert (a combo of raspberry, blackberry, and
blueberry). Then we had a great lesson with a young investigator, who
is 10 years old. She is ready for baptism, but we want to make sure
that her parents will support her. They are okay with her being
baptized, but as of yet they have not taken her to church or
activities. But the mom, who is less active, committed to watch
conference with her. We hope it will motivate her.
On Thursday morning, we had a zone meeting, which went really well.
That afternoon, we met a guy who was not a member, but when he saw us,
he told us how his friend had just lost his daughter. He asked us to
pray with him. That was an amazing experience. I know that the Lord
guided us to be in the right place at the right time.
On Friday, we taught someone from Hawaii. He lives with his cousin
right now, but the rest of his family is moving here soon, and he will
be moving out of our area. But it was cool to meet him. We also gave
a blessing to the 17 day old baby of one of our investigators.
Saturday, we watched conference with members. We also finally got in
touch with the Perilla family, who just moved to West Valley. We
invited them to go to conference with us Sunday morning, but only the
mom was able to go.
Sunday morning, we rode Trax into Salt Lake for conference.Unfortunately, we then received a text from Sister Perilla, saying
that she wouldn't be able to make it. So we gave our extra tickets to
some people, who were asking for them. There were actually a lot of
people standing outside, asking for extra tickets. The session was
AMAZING! When President Monson walks into the room, the spirit is so
strong! Also, it was an awesome experience to be there when Elder
Holland AND President Uchtdorf spoke! I loved Elder Holland's story
about the brother being there, and never leaving. It was a great
reminder that Christ is always by our side and that his arms are
stretched out to us. Salt Lake is definitely THE best place to serve
a mission!
Last night, we had two dinners. We started out at our actual
appointment, where we had Peruvian style tuna casserole and fruit
salad. Then, we went to visit a less active family, who were eating
their Easter ham, so they offered us some. We were both stuffed, but
what can you do as a missionary? The rest of the night we visited
some more people and gave a blessing to someone who was not feeling
well.
So we literally just had a miracle happen! The cousin of the Hawaiian
we taught last week now wants to take the discussions! I am so happy
right now!
There is my week! I am glad to hear that everyone had a great week!
I hope you all have a fantastic spring break. Send pictures! I hope
you all had a chance to reflect on the resurrection of Christ
yesterday. I definitely did (but how can you not when you are in the
same room as the prophet!). I know that he lives, and that because he
lives, we can conquer death, both physical and spiritual. I know that
through Christ, we can live with our families forever in the presence
of God. This is the beautiful message that I share every day.
Love,
Elder Jared Weller
Sent from my iPad
Friday, April 3, 2015
A super fantastic week!
Subject: A super fantastic week!
Date: Mon, 30 Mar 2015 13:53:34 -0600
Hello everyone! This week was AMAZING!
First of all, I have a new companion. Elder Aviles. He's really
weird, but I say that in a good way. He's great. Elder Aguilar has
moved on to be a zone leader in Kearns. Since we are losing more
missionaries than are coming in, our stake has been consolidated,
which means that instead of having English and Spanish missionaries,
we just have Spanglish missionaries, meaning that E. Aviles and I are
covering both English and Spanish assignment. This week has been
super hectic as we have been figuring out how to balance everything,
and meeting the leadership of all 9 English wards in the stake.
On Monday afternoon, we went to a park fore a zone activity. We
played several games on the playground, and had a lot of fun.
Tuesday, we had our youth activity. Only two young men showed up, but
they are the ones closest to going on missions, so it was good
practice for them. The family of "investigators" that I went to with
a young man was awesome! The profile we made for them was that they
were Jehovah's Witnesses, and they played the part perfectly! They
asked a lot of really good questions and kept this young man on his
toes!
Wednesday was transfer day. As always, we were running around all day
meeting people, moving everyone's stuff, etc. Also, since the area
was consolidated, we had to get rid of one of the cars. We took the
English elders' old car, a 2015 Corolla, and took the red Corolla to
the mission office. That evening, we taught the Perilla family, and
showed m the baptismal font. They were really excited for their
baptism!
Thursday was really crazy too. We had several appointments that the
English elders had set up, and we also had to correlate with our MLS
missionary couple. Most of the appointments fell through, but it was
a good day nonetheless. Also, we performed a miracle! We got a call
from a member who was about to go in for a surgery, and she wanted a
blessing. Apparently, she had had a shoulder surgery a few years ago,
but something happened afterward, and there was barely any muscle or
ligaments holding her shoulder together. We gave her the blessing,
and a few days later, she told us that when she went in, it wasn't
nearly as bad as they had expected.
Friday, we taught the Pa family the last lesson and had their baptismal
interviews. After the interviews, the Elder who conducted them told
us that the whole family was golden, and they had all answered the
questions really well.
Saturday, we had an Easter activity for the primary kids in the
Spanish branch. We got to hide the eggs. The activity went really
well, and there was a really good turnout. We even talked to a few
nonmembers that came. The rest of the day, we visited less actives,
and other referrals that we had received. We also met a few of the
bishops. After dinner, we met with one of the WMLs who is really into
missionary work. He is awesome! He has a goal to have a missionary
companionship just for his ward! Can it happen? With the devotion he
has, I think it can!
Yesterday was the craziest day of the week! Since we cover the whole
stake now, we attended 3 sacrament meetings, speaking in one of them.
Then we had to prepare for the Pa's baptism. It was insane! But
through faith and hard work, everything got done. Elder Aguilar came,
and it was good to see him again. I had the opportunity to baptize
Edwin, the father. It only took three tries, but I did it! Most of
the branch came to support them too, so that relief society room was
packed! I will send pics.
This morning, we had to go downtown to renew Elder Aviles' visa,
otherwise he would be deported back to Mexico. We went with Elder
Mortimer, who is the mission's vehicle coordinator. He is in the
process of taking several of the old vehicles up to Salt Lake to be
resold, so he let me drive one of the cars up. On the way back, he
bought us lunch from Arctic Circle.
So there is my crazy busy week! I hope everyone is doing well! By
the way, Sister Patton arrived in the mission last week! I saw her in
the New missionaries picture. I don't know where she is right now,
but I expect that I will see her around! The weather has been amazing
here, and the trees are beautiful! Especially after yesterday, I have
a strong testimony of the Atonement and of the cleansing power it can
have in all of our lives of we allow it to. Have an amazing Easter!
Watch the new church video, "He Lives". It is amazing! Look for me
in conference on Sunday morning! Ciao!
Love,
Elder Jared Weller
Sent from my iPad
Date: Mon, 30 Mar 2015 13:53:34 -0600
Hello everyone! This week was AMAZING!
weird, but I say that in a good way. He's great. Elder Aguilar has
moved on to be a zone leader in Kearns. Since we are losing more
missionaries than are coming in, our stake has been consolidated,
which means that instead of having English and Spanish missionaries,
we just have Spanglish missionaries, meaning that E. Aviles and I are
covering both English and Spanish assignment. This week has been
super hectic as we have been figuring out how to balance everything,
and meeting the leadership of all 9 English wards in the stake.
On Monday afternoon, we went to a park fore a zone activity. We
played several games on the playground, and had a lot of fun.
Tuesday, we had our youth activity. Only two young men showed up, but
they are the ones closest to going on missions, so it was good
practice for them. The family of "investigators" that I went to with
a young man was awesome! The profile we made for them was that they
were Jehovah's Witnesses, and they played the part perfectly! They
asked a lot of really good questions and kept this young man on his
toes!
Wednesday was transfer day. As always, we were running around all day
meeting people, moving everyone's stuff, etc. Also, since the area
was consolidated, we had to get rid of one of the cars. We took the
English elders' old car, a 2015 Corolla, and took the red Corolla to
the mission office. That evening, we taught the Perilla family, and
showed m the baptismal font. They were really excited for their
baptism!
Thursday was really crazy too. We had several appointments that the
English elders had set up, and we also had to correlate with our MLS
missionary couple. Most of the appointments fell through, but it was
a good day nonetheless. Also, we performed a miracle! We got a call
from a member who was about to go in for a surgery, and she wanted a
blessing. Apparently, she had had a shoulder surgery a few years ago,
but something happened afterward, and there was barely any muscle or
ligaments holding her shoulder together. We gave her the blessing,
and a few days later, she told us that when she went in, it wasn't
nearly as bad as they had expected.
Friday, we taught the Pa family the last lesson and had their baptismal
interviews. After the interviews, the Elder who conducted them told
us that the whole family was golden, and they had all answered the
questions really well.
Saturday, we had an Easter activity for the primary kids in the
Spanish branch. We got to hide the eggs. The activity went really
well, and there was a really good turnout. We even talked to a few
nonmembers that came. The rest of the day, we visited less actives,
and other referrals that we had received. We also met a few of the
bishops. After dinner, we met with one of the WMLs who is really into
missionary work. He is awesome! He has a goal to have a missionary
companionship just for his ward! Can it happen? With the devotion he
has, I think it can!
Yesterday was the craziest day of the week! Since we cover the whole
stake now, we attended 3 sacrament meetings, speaking in one of them.
Then we had to prepare for the Pa's baptism. It was insane! But
through faith and hard work, everything got done. Elder Aguilar came,
and it was good to see him again. I had the opportunity to baptize
Edwin, the father. It only took three tries, but I did it! Most of
the branch came to support them too, so that relief society room was
packed! I will send pics.
This morning, we had to go downtown to renew Elder Aviles' visa,
otherwise he would be deported back to Mexico. We went with Elder
Mortimer, who is the mission's vehicle coordinator. He is in the
process of taking several of the old vehicles up to Salt Lake to be
resold, so he let me drive one of the cars up. On the way back, he
bought us lunch from Arctic Circle.
So there is my crazy busy week! I hope everyone is doing well! By
the way, Sister Patton arrived in the mission last week! I saw her in
the New missionaries picture. I don't know where she is right now,
but I expect that I will see her around! The weather has been amazing
here, and the trees are beautiful! Especially after yesterday, I have
a strong testimony of the Atonement and of the cleansing power it can
have in all of our lives of we allow it to. Have an amazing Easter!
Watch the new church video, "He Lives". It is amazing! Look for me
in conference on Sunday morning! Ciao!
Love,
Elder Jared Weller
Sent from my iPad
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