Hello Family!!

We have arrived safely at the Johannesburg MTC!! Africa has AMAZING weather right now! It is soo nice here! Our flight was really nice! The stewardesses treated us really well, and I slept for 11 HOURS! All the elders thought I was dead hahaha I traveled with 24 other American Elders, all of the staff at the MTC call us the "historical group" because there has never been this many Americans in the MTC at one time! Although I only met all of these Elders yesterday, I feel like I've known them for my whole life! It is incredible how the spirit brings people together!

I have only been out for two days but I already have so many stories to tell! We jsut finished dinner and they're giving us a few minutes to write home. There are other elders waiting to write their families so I can't tell about all of our adventures!

A few must-tells:

Our plane was struck by lightning while we were flying to Atlanta! The plane just turned off and we started to stall! The staff was trying to play it off but they all kind of freaked out hahaha other than that the flight was perfectly safe (dont worry, mom)

Contacting in the airport was super funny! All of us Elders all just group together and decide who's going to go talk to somebody! We've met some hilarious people! I gave my pass along card to a man named Frank, he told me a lot about serving in the Marine Core and doing hard drugs haha Frank is a very nice man.

Being a missionary definitely has its benefits -- besides carrying the spirit of the lord with us wherever we go, bring people to the Savior, and serving with no worry of work, school, or girls -- we also get tons of snacks on the plane, every time they came around with snack cards they would give us tons and tons of those little bags, we thought that it was just quality service, but nope, they just love missionaries haha!

The MTC is tiny! There are only 27 of us - 24 americans and 2 africans and 1 elder from madagascar! That one elder from Madagascar so happens to be my companion! His name is Elder Rakotomalala and he is learning English here! It has been a little awkward with our language barrier but he is a really hard worker and a really good sport! So it has mostly been really funny trying to explain things to him!

The MTC presidents are super relaxed and are giving us tonight and tomorrow morning/afternoon to get over jet lag. We have a ping pong table, a foosball table, basketball court, football/american football field, and a work out room! We also just kind of eat whatever we want, they have food and juice in the fridge and they make us an entree three times a day, but we can go in there whenever we need a snack! The MTC president and his wife, President Collins and Sister Collins, are really good people! They're americans too!

One really nice thing about traveling and the MTC so far is that I'm with Elder Grant! He went to WX! its been really nice to have a friend here! He's the man! I think he'll be in leadership in the MTC and throughout his Mission in Uganda.

Well that's all the time I've got tonight! I love you all and i'm so thankful for the opportunity I have to serve the Lord here in South Africa! I know that the Lord provides for his servants according to their faith in him! One big lesson that I've learned already is that being set apart as a missionary doesnt make you perfect, I still struggle with my weaknesses and I am constantly working to be better!

Veloma!

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Elder Weiler

Elder Rakotomalala and I, we're pretty much best buds already! Did I mention I'm the only Elder without an American companion?? hahahah #blessed

Elder Grant and I livin it up at the MTC

So this is happening. Welcome to Africa.