August 17, 2015 ~ PHEW! Glad Pday is here!
My goodness. So this week has been insane. The best
part of the week is that the Relief Society President and one of her counselors
went out one day to try and contact and invite some of the less active members
of the ward to our ward activity... and at one house they found out that the
member family had moved and they invited them anyways to the activity and while
they were talking they agreed to meet with the missionaries!!! US!! YAY!!! We
were so excited! So we went and contacted them and taught them a little about
the Restoration... in SPANISH! So Sister Khumaryan taught them and we ended up
giving them over to the Hermanas. Oh well. But we went and told our
Relief Society president and her counselor our experience with them. They
got so excited!!! And they've been working hard to come out on splits with us
since then. It's awesome.
So yeah, that was the most awesome part of the week. This
week was a little more rough than we thought it would be. We dropped at
least 2 of our investigators and it was so sad. I hate dropping
investigators because they aren't progressing. But they'll be okay. Other
missionaries will come and find them someday.
I wish I had more to say this week, but not a lot happened....
except for a giant wildfire just over the mountain. It's cool.
And we got pictures with Viviane, our Egyptian investigator.
:)
Love you all!
Love, Sister
Weaver
August 10, 2015 ~ 5 month mark!!! BOOM BABY!
This Wednesday
marks huge things!! I've been out for 5 months on my mission!!!!! WOOOO
WOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!! I am a little more than just excited!!!
So this week Sister Khumaryan made Armenian Borsch. It was
extremely good. I am totally getting the recipe sometime and I'm gonna
have to attempt making it.
Also, we totes almost died this week. Some dude blew a
stop light going at least 100 mph and blew right past us and nearly knocked us
off the road. Jerk. Funny thing is that he was zooming down the
road with the sheriff's station by it and the state prison.... so I'm sure he
won't be doing anymore of that... Stupid people think they're invincible.
But anyways, this week we talked to the Persian lady and gave
her the Book of Mormon and we taught her the Restoration. She accepted a
baptismal date and she was super excited while we taught her. So we were
excited. Then two days later, we got a text from her saying that she
doesn't want to be Mormon and that she didn't want to change. We weren't
sure what happened, but we had this feeling that she talked to her ex
brother-in-law (he's less active and hates the church) and he probably told her
everything that's contrary to the church. So as we've been praying for her this
last week, we keep getting the feeling that we need to go back. So we
are! Wish us luck!
We also taught Angie the Restoration and she accepted to be
baptized! We haven't set a date with her yet, but we will soon.
She's very very open about the gospel and the Spirit that testified to her was
strong! I was so excited! We taught very well I think too just because we
were able to come up with ideas or ways to teach and compare it to her life
that really helped her to open up. We are so excited for her! And we had
the feeling that her family will join someday too! Man, I can just see her
family in white getting ready to go through the temple!!! I am so excited to
help her see the blessings that the Lord has in store for her beautiful family.
Also, this weekend, we did a service project and we spent 5
hours cleaning a Sister's kitchen. She's recently gone through a rough
divorce and she needed some help getting things put in order so she can feel
like a new woman. So we helped clean her kitchen from all the years of
her ex-husband's sloppiness. It felt so good. It's so true that
when we serve someone we come to love them. SOOOO TRUE! I love this
family.
Also we did some service in helping a less-active family get
ready to move to Georgia. The pictures I'm going to send are with them :)
Anyways, It's been a fantastic week and I'm so excited to keep
going this week. Pray that the weather will be more mild here :) It's
hot..... and it makes everything seem longer.
But anyways, I love you all! And go out and serve someone this
week and I promise you that you will find that you love them more :)
I love you!
Sister Weaver
P.S. We also
attended one of our ward missionary's weddings this week :) She was
beautiful. And we're going to miss her coming out with us :( But she's so
beautiful. And I adore her.
August 3, 2015 ~ Lancaster emotional rollercoasters!!! WOOO HOOOO!!!
So this week
has been pretty good. We worked for 43 hours this week. Lemme tell you,
it's exhausting, BUUUUTTTTT we really have a great time doing missionary work.
My journal writing has been hard this week because we come home
everyday longing for the softness of the pillows beneath our heads. So I
guess we'll see how I do next week. I did however write down several main
highlights of my week.
So to start off, I'm trying desperately to love avocados.
It's not working yet, but maybe if I'm persistent and eat it on everything
(including waffles) it might help ;) I also ate grilled salmon this week
and I actually liked it a lot. :3 ....... so don't go around telling me
"I told you so!" because I KNOW! I guess it's just trout that I really
am not a huge fan of.
This weekend honestly has been one of constant rejection.
We've been finding the people who are NOT ready to hear the gospel and we are
still persistent on telling them about how the Gospel of Jesus Christ has been
restored to the earth. They just don't want to hear it. So last
night we went to contact a less-active family and right there on the doorstep
we introduced ourselves and I found out that this man was from southeast
Idaho. I was so excited. And when I proceeded to ask him questions
about where he was from and such, eventually the conversation turned so that I
told him I had no idea where the place was and I didn't know anything about it
but I assured him it must be beautiful, because I love Idaho and it's gorgeous
everywhere there. Well he proceeded to tell me that that was his message
to us is that I apparently don't know anything, including about God, and then
he went inside and slammed the door in our faces. When we got back to the
car, I started crying. So that was the lowest point in my week, but
honestly it's his choice to exercise his agency. He can insult me all he
wants. Anyone can insult me all they want. I may cry because it
hurts, but I know the Gospel is true and I know for a fact that my Savior
lives. I know things. I'm a representative of Jesus Christ and I
will proceed to carry this message to the world that our Beloved Heavenly
Father restored the Gospel back to the earth and that He wants everyone to hear
the message that missionaries carry. I feel so honored to be here at this
time. I'm so thankful to be on a mission.
So the high point of my week! Church yesterday was
amazing. You could feel the Spirit so strongly and sacrament meeting was
inspiring. I love this Gospel.
So the spiritual thought this week is in Doctrine and Covenants
18:34-36. And I love these verses. So if you want to know what the
spiritual thought is, you've gotta look it up :) But just know that I
know what what is written in those few verses are so true. I will shout
from the rooftops that those words are true. I proclaim those things in
every visit that we have with people. I will never deny my testimony of
the Gospel. I love my Heavenly Father. I love my Savior, Jesus
Christ. I love every little detail because I know it's true.
I leave this with you in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen <3
Love, Sister Weaver
Oh by the way, if I get letters from you, just know that I do
read them, but I just get so busy. So don't expect an immediate letter
back. It may take 2 or 3 weeks......tops. Hopefully.....
And I found a bug during a service project. It's legit.
July 27, 2015 ~ Busiest week ever!
So this week
Sister Khumaryan have worked 47.5 hours. PHEW! Needless to say, I dropped
dead into a dreamless sleep every night. YAY! So for the biggest news
this week, we have been able to find 2 new investigators. Remember the
lady who called us a couple weeks ago and asked to be baptized?? Yeah we
finally had a lesson with her and her boyfriend at the church and her precious
little daughter was there too. Her name is Doris Woodlee and her
boyfriend's name is Richard and her daughter's name is Delaney.
They are so excited to be baptized. They have their baptismal
date set for August 29th and we are looking forward to teaching them. The
only problems are that they right now are looking for a home and they're not
married and don't have the finances to do either of them. So the ward
members are helping them out a lot. So the Relief Society is going to be
putting on a wedding for Doris and Richard hopefully next week :D And
then they will be able to get everything ready for their baptism!!! We are so
excited! Make sure to pray extra hard for them :D
Anyways, we've worked super super hard this week and we were
blessed to stop by a former investigator named Chrystal and she let us in and
we got to know her a bit. We were able to set up an appointment to come
back and teach her and hopefully set her with a baptismal date. We also
ended up cooking with her for an hour or so. So it was some good
fellowshipping :) It was fantastic!
Anyways, funny story for the week, we were running through the
grass after dark and Sister Khumaryan stepped on a frog!!!!!!! BAHAHAHAHAHA!
Super funny!
So this week my favorite scripture has come to mind a few
times. It's in 2nd Nephi 27:23. I love it because it talks about
how our beloved Heavenly Father is a God of Miracles and that he works by our
faith. If we have faith in His miracles and His timing, anything's
possible. We have seen that a lot this week in meeting Doris and
Richard. They need a lot of help and miracles in their life and now that
they're wanting to join the church they are seeing a ton of miracles in their
life :) So press forward with your faith in Heavenly Father's timing for
you and for His plans that he has for you. I promise you everything will work
out if you keep your eye single to his Plan. I love you all!
Love, Sister Weaver
btw, Thank you
Lewisville 2nd ward for the beautiful testimonies you wrote in the copies of
the Book of Mormon that you sent me. And thank you Crystal <3 I sent a
letter back to you. Thank you for the letters!!! I got a few this week from
Cassie, Jonathan and Roman!! I love you all!
July 20, 2015 ~ Transfer Week!
So I have to announce the worst news of my mission... Sister
Athay went home on a temporary medical release on Saturday at 12. It was
so hard for her and it was so hard for me. Man I love her so much.
It's honestly been a huge adjustment without her because she and I got so
close. She's definitely one of my very best friends. Continue to
put her name in the temple please!!!!! I definitely felt heartbroken when
she left. But the work goes on and I will see her sooner than I think.
And there will be much rejoicing... I love you Sister Athay! I hope all is
going well.
So as for the week. I went on exchanges with the Sister Training
Leaders and some of the other sisters in the area while Sister Athay was sick
and we were able to find some pretty awesome potential investigators. I'm
excited to go see them again. There was a couple that we met on a street
contact. Their names are Jesse and Cheryl (which is pronounced Shurl....
yeah pretty great!). And they are the blackest of black people in the
world. They are so hilarious and they were throwin their hands up in the
air and praising God the whole time we were there. It was honestly pretty
great and they were fun to talk to. Sister Staples and I talked to them
for an hour about the Restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and they
accepted what we taught and we gave them a Book of Mormon and a Restoration
pamphlet and committed them to read it and pray about what we taught them and
that we would be back the next week to see how they're doing and what questions
they had. So it was exciting.
Oh funny story.... so Kristin and family, do you remember when I
ate that expired greek yogurt because I thought it was still good but just
tasted weird? WELL I DID IT AGAIN!! Only this time I drank sour milk for like 3
days straight. I didn't realize it was sour. Sister Athay kept
saying, "Sister Weaver, I think something has gone bad in the
fridge." But no I was stubborn and didn't think it was my milk. So
after 3 days of drinking shakes and eating cereal that was making me sick
because of the milk, Sister Athay suggested I check my milk. So I smelled
it.... YUP! It had gone south. SICK! Proud Sister Weaver moment.
So since Sister Athay had to go home, we had an emergency
transfer. My new companion is Sister Khumaryan (Koo-mar-E-an).
She's from Armenia and has been out on her mission for 13 months! Woo! She is
so sweet! I love her already. I use a lot of slang and similes and
comparisons and stuff that she's never heard before, so I have to actually
watch what I'm saying now ;)
She speaks Armenian (DUH), Russian, Greek, Spanish, and
English. She's so cool. We have a super good companionship and
we're getting things done in our area. We will be teaching a new
investigator this Tuesday by the name of Ricky and he's 14 and when we told him
about what the Book of Mormon is and how the Gospel has been restored through
Joseph Smith he lit up and we invited him to be baptized and he said YES!!!
WOOO! So when we go back to his house on Tuesday, we will be setting him with a
baptismal date and getting permission from his parents to teach him.
Also, there were flash floods in this area for the past 2
days. It's been interesting to do missionary work in and drive in.
(Oh btw, I'm the one driving now :D YAY!)
So there's something in my studies this week that really stood
out to me. It's a must share.
In 1st Nephi 21:14-16 it says,
"But behold, Zion hath said: The Lord hath forsaken me--but
he will show that he hath not.
For how can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should
not have compassion on the son of her womb? Yea, they may forget, yet I
will not forget thee, O house of Israel.
Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands; thy walls
are continually before me."
Now this chapter is from the Book of Mormon, but the prophet
Nephi in ancient times loved Isaiah so much that he copied down some chapters
into his records and writings because Isaiah inspired him. So actually,
this is Nephi quoting Isaiah 49. And Nephi was able to quote Isaiah
before the writings in the Bible were tampered with over time, because Nephi
was born some 600 years before Christ and Isaiah had been a pretty recent
prophet in his time. So anyways, that's the background on this chapter.
But what I got from the chapter is that the Lord will never
forget us. Never ever!! We are graven upon his hands. He
suffered in the Garden of Gethsemane for us. He took all of our sins and
weaknesses and afflictions upon himself and suffered for us so that we could
always have Him to turn to for strength and help. He was nailed to that
cross on Calvary for us and he died for us so that we could have the chance to
become clean from our sins again and have the opportunity to start fresh.
He rose three days later from the grave as a resurrected being and opened the
gate to eternal life. So you cannot tell me that he has forgotten
you. You cannot even tell yourself that. As Christ said himself,
"I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands..." Those scars are on
His hands. He did that for us. There's no way He could ever forget
someone He suffered so much for. He would never forget you or forsake you
because He has suffered so much for you. Turn to our Savior. He's
there for you. Our Heavenly Father is there for you. They want you
to know that. And I bear you my witness that He loves you and knows you by name
and comes running to you when you are hurting. And don't you ever forget
that.
I leave this with you in the sacred name of our beloved Savior,
Jesus Christ, Amen.
Love Sister Hannah Weaver
July 13, 2015 ~
Well not a lot
has happened this week. We did find a new investigator though :)
So our new investigator's name is Doris Woodlee and we were
actually on our way back from the store and she out of the blue called us on
the phone! As she talked to us she talked to us about how she had met with
Sisters before and that she loved the church and all it taught. She also
expressed her desire for her and her daughter to be baptized!! So she said she
will do whatever it takes to be baptized and become an active member of the
church! I'm so excited about that! She's been through so much hardship in
her life and she wants the peace that the Gospel of Jesus Christ brings.
So yup! Super excited! We're going to teach her tonight.
Secondly, we taught our investigator Viviane Ghazouli, and if I
haven't mentioned her before, she's an immigrant from Egypt and she's very
Catholic but she is so willing to learn what we have to teach her about the
Gospel of Jesus Christ. She loves what we've taught her so far.
Although, we do have to say that she taught us about the Law of Moses pretty
well and I found out that they still practice it in many parts of the world and
she still practices it sometimes. So they still butcher lambs and
sacrifice them and stuff. Total eye opener for me. So we taught her
about how through the sacrifice or the Atonement of Jesus Christ how the Law of
Moses was fulfilled and he was the great and last sacrifice. Instead of
sacrificing a sacrificial lamb, Christ has instructed us to come before him to
sacrifice our broken hearts and a contrite spirit and have the desire to change
and take his name upon ourselves. That's exactly what the sacrament is
for. So we taught her that :) It was really exciting.
Anyways, it's been a rough week other than that simply because
Sister Athay has been super sick. So pray super hard for her. I love
her to death and want to see her get better. And to my family, put her name in
the temple for me okay? Every single one of them that you can.
I love you all and I hope you've had a fantastic week :D
Love, Sister
Weaver
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