DyC 33:8 -- "Open your mouths and they shall be filled"

Hey family,

This might be the shortest email yet.  I seriously only have 1 minute to write this but I didn´t want to leave my weekly email out.  Chrismas is coming and kids are having fun.  I´ve been talking with Mary and you all can ask her about the Christmas video chat.  My investigators are doing great, as well as those of the missionaries in the zone.  Now we have 3 who have true potencial to be baptized this month.  With prayer and fasting!  I´m happy and working hard! The package arrived from Rach and I´m excited to open it!  Transfers are this week so we will see if Elder Sosa and I stay together for another 6 weeks or not.

Love you all!

Elder Weidman

Matthew 5:19 - "Do and Teach" the Commandments

Hey Family!

    Well the holidays are starting to fly by.  Everyone here is anticipating the night of the 24th because like I explained last year (if anyone remembers), Chileans celebrate with the family, eat the big dinner, and open the presents on Christmas Eve instead of Chrismas morning.  Santa Claus (el Viejito Pascuero) sneakily enters all the houses at 12 o clock midnight while the children play outside with their parents, and to then all the kids run into the house, knowing without a doubt that Santa has made a quick stop to the house yet again.  This year, President Kahnlein has informed us that we will need to be in our houses at 10 o clock Christmas Eve, which is 2 hours earlier than last year but I trust in his judgement and the revelation he has received.  For the New Year, we have to be in the house at 11, but are allowed to watch the fireworks from the windows. On the 18th we will have transfers therefore we have no idea if we will be here or not.  Elder Sosa has been here for 4 changes and I have been here for 3 which means that anything can happen!  He could go, I could go, or we could stay together for another change. Whatever the Lord needs.

   Were you all able to see the Chrismas Devotional yesterday?  President Kahnlein thought it best not to watch the Devotional because it started pretty late in the night but I want to know how it was!  If I have time in the next few Pdays, I´ll try watching a few segments.  Any talks in particular that would be best to watch?  

   The Lord has been blessing our zone a lot this month.  We set the baptismal goal of 15 baptisms for the month of December (the highest goal I have set yet) and we have literally seen miracles as we have strived to accomplish this high, yet possible goal. Elder Sosa and I have around 5 investigators who could be baptized this month which means that this week is crucial.  One of the investigators is Felix´s wife, who only wants to have her legs be healed so that she can be baptized.  We have the faith that her wish will be granted this Christmas Season so that Felix can baptize her.  The other 4 investigors are all referrals from members which is the best way to bring about Mission Work. We have a firm trust that the members will be sure to stop by and help the investigators have true conversions! In the next week I will be able to have a more updated summary of each investigator. 

   16 Days till Christmas!  The Spirit of Christmas or as President Monson said ¨The Spirit of Christ¨.

Love,

Elder Weidman 

Mosiah 28:3 -- "To Every Creature"

Hey family!   Sounds like Thanksgiving was a great experience!  I´m glad to hear that you all enjoyed the little trinkets that were sent.  Many countless nights without sleep were spent while trying to think of gifts that would please the family. I included a photo of Felix´s baptism.  Yesterday I confirmed him member of the Church and now we are working with his wife so that he can baptize her in December.  All depends on her health condition because she has true desires to be baptized but can´t attend the Church Meetings until her legs heal a bit more. We lost a bit of contact with some investigators this week due to school exams and preparations for summer vacation here in Chile, but it worked out perfectly because it gave us more time to work with the members.  The South America Area Presidency has asked all the missionaries to share an invitation made by Elder Ballard in the past General Conference with the members.  Here is the invitation: ¨We are not asking everyone to do everything. We are simply asking all members to pray, knowing that if every member, young and old, will reach out to just “one” between now and Christmas, millions will feel the love of the Lord Jesus Christ. And what a wonderful gift to the Savior.¨ The members reactions to this invitation have been spectacular and many have accepted the challenge to give a Book of Mormon or dvd of the church to a friend before Christmas, while others have set Family Home Evenings with us where we can be introduced to their friends.  This invitation is also present for all of you and I know that many will be benefited if we can fulfill the wish that Elder Ballard has placed on the table!     Sorry for the shortness of the letter.   I´ll send another picture to make up for the lack of information!Love,Elder Weidman

I'm a Avacadoer

Success!

Luke 22:42 -- "Not my will, but thine, be done"

Hey family!

   I imagine that everyone is preparing for the vacations of Thanksgiving, and I can´t even believe that it´s that time of the year again.  I have not eaten turkey for a little more than a year now (in the MTC we were given turkey) but chicken and rice always makes a good Thanksgiving dinner.  Signs of Christmas are starting to appear, but that doesn´t throw out the fact that it´s summer here.  My second hot Christmas will be amazing!  Here in the plaza of Quillota, a huge blow up Santa Claus popped his head out of no where and is staring at everyone that walks by. His huge head (brother Callister) is creeping over the top of one of the super markets here and I feel insecure with him watching. I will take a photo and send it your way next week.

   Yesterday Felix was baptized into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.  We held his baptismal service in a small classroom because his wife can´t climb the stairs that lead to the sacrament room.  Man was it hot in the classroom and I´m sure Felix was grateful when he entered the cool water.  I have a photo of the baptism but left the chord in the apartment.  You will have to wait till next week to see it.  The conversion story of Felix is amazing and I will always remember the faith he showed when he prayed for the truth to arrive to his doorstep.  An unforgettable experience!

   Yesterday Nico ( the joven that was baptized around 3 months ago) passed the sacrament for the first time and his parents, who aren´t members, came to watch him.  They arrived late and weren´t able to see it but they still were able to be spiritual uplifted with the talks and classes given.  We had an amazing Gospel Principles class where Nico´s dad shared how we had changed his life when we began teaching Nico.  He confessed to us that he had never taken interest in religion nor in God until recently.  The whole family was passing a hard time and for the first time in his life, he prayed to God for help.  The next day Nico met us and 4 weeks later was baptized.  Now Nico´s dad is sharing many deep personal feelings with us and we are able to apply the Gospel to every one of his needs.  An unknown miracle.  

   Yesterday we had 6 investigators who arrived at church (a new record for me) and they all have good progression.  The Lord has seen our dedication and work and we have been trying to humble ourselves so that the Spirit can whisper promptings to us. 

Have a good week!  Don´t distract the missionaries too much this week because I´m sure that Thanksgiving is a hard week for missionaries in the United States. Maybe some of you could even go with them to a few appointments!

Love,

Elder Weidman

I forgot my agenda in the apartment...

Hey family!

   I don´t have a scripture for today because I accidentily left the agenda at home and I have shared a photo to show my embarrassment.  I don´t know if I have already sent this photo before but I´m sure you will never get old of the attractiveness that radiates. The food was delicious. 

   Our investigator, Felix, is progressing very fast.  He is the man with 70 years who prayed to the Lord one morning to find the true Church and that same evening we knocked on his door. He is 100% certain that we were an answer to his prayers and I feel very blessed to know that.  Before the mission I had always heard of stories like Felix, but never thought that I would be the Lord´s instrument in one of these stories.  Miracles will always occur with exact obedience. He´s a funny yet amazing experience we had with him.  On Friday, we stopped by Felix just to drop of the Restoration dvd (a short video about Joseph Smith and his amazing quest to find the truth).  He promised to watch it before the appointment we had the next day.Saturday arrived and he excitedly let us in.  He told us that he had watched the video two times and had loved it, and then, while speaking, he began playing the video again.  When we heard the actors speaking in English we realized that he had not understood a single word from the video because he had watched it in English! That, however, didn´t stop him from feeling the Spirit testify to him of the truth of this miraculous event.  A feeling of love for my Heavenly Father came to my heart as I realized how much He had answered Felix´s prayers. We watched the video and Spanish and he loved it even more!  Yesterday he arrived at church even though the President Elections of Chile began in the morning.  He told us that going to the true church of Jesus Christ was more important than being the first person to vote. He will be baptized on the 24th of this month (next Sunday). 

   Thank you for your prayers in my behalf.  Let us pray for those who have suffered from the recent natural disasters.  What an amazing knowledge of the Plan of Salvation we have that has been revealed by a true prophet!

Love,

Elder Weidman

John 15:16 -- I have chosen you

Hey Family!

   I hope that everything is going well.  I bet the temperatures are starting to drop but here they are doing the exact opposite.  Hotter and hotter each day but that means that I´ll be getting a nice tan soon.  Excited for Thanskgiving Break in a few weeks? 

   This week was a week full of contacting and knocking doors until the last second.  But seriously, all day long in the sun we were happily knocking doors because we literally had no progressing investigator when we started the week. After many hours of dedication and sweat, we were guided by the Lord and found a family Saturday night at 8:30. I was acually in another area on a split but my companion told me that the family was literally waiting for God to knock their door.  He invited them to church and, even though they had to cancel plans, the whole family (mom, dad, son of 9 years, and little girl) arrived at church the next morning and loved the sacrament meeting.  Another investigator that we found named Felix also was able to make it to church.  These 4 investigators are our prime focus for the month of November and we are constantly seeking the inspiration of God to help these investigators and find more.  Another awesome experience was being able to give talks in sacrament meeting with 20 minutes anticipitation (does that word even exist?). 

   I expect a good number of photos of when the family gathers together for Thanksgiving!  I can´t believe that it´s already that time of year again.  The Christmas Music started about 2 weeks ago and it pumps me about so much that I am excited to work in the heat!

Love you all!

Elder Weidman

D y C 61:3 -- Contact all!

Hey family!

   Sorry for the shortness of this email.  Like you know, time is limited on the internet.  We have transfers on Wednesday and we will accept what happens.  Elder Sosa and I have been together for 12 weeks now so anything can happen, but it´s not too common that a companionship is together for more than 2 changes.  We will find out where the Lord needs us to be.  This past week I had a division with an Elder I lived with for 2 changes in my first area.  Now he is going home tomorrow and I had the opportunity to do his last division.  We shared many experiences and changes we have had in our lives since Limarí but more important we worked extremely hard.  This elder had 5 days left in the mission but it seemed as if he had just began the mission due to the excitement he had for the work.  He set me a great example of how to end and continue after the mission.  He is a true servant of God who has been made into a new creature due to his obedience and complete dedication to Heavenly Father.  

   We are lacking a bit in investigators but this week will be crucial in order to have a baptism in November.  The Lord knows the desires of our hearts and we must be greatful for the results whatever they are.  I love you all!

Elder Weidman