Elders Way La and Young Kiss

This week's email is brought to you by: Butchered names! ahhaha (that's usually how people pronounce them)

Happy Thanksgiving All!! I hope you all enjoyed your turkey :)))

This week was great (as is every other week because MISSION IS THE BEST)! I don't even know what to say anymore... Mission is just life! I'm definitely still loving it! One thing that never ceases to surprise me though is the refining and the growth that I see in myself day by day! These past couple weeks I feel like my weaknesses have become very apparent (probably because Elder Jantjies is perfect) 

but I can't help but feel that this is an opportunity from the Lord to improve! (Hebrews 12:6, Revelation 3:19, DC 105:6). This Thanksgiving my heart is full of gratitude for the Atonement of Jesus Christ and His restored gospel! If it wasn't for Him, I don't know where I'd be!

A few highlights from this week include, but are not limited to:

Thanksgiving Dinner with Elder and Sister Chandler! It was incredible. I haven't had turkey in AGES!

We met a new investigator this week named Memamphoma. We had a really nice lesson with her and at the end we invited her to come to church, she gladly accepted and then also extended an invitation for us to come to her church! Fortunately the services were at different times so it all worked out! So we went to the Resurrection Tabernacle Centre on Sunday at 3 PM and it was a pretty interesting experience! However, walking away, Elder Jantjies and I felt disappointed that there was no call to action or real message communicated, it was just all about how God will keep us young (which riot for all the old ladies there). 

I'm grateful that the Lord challenges us! I'm grateful to have living prophets and apostles who call us to repentance and help us see where we are falling short! In Hebrew, to endure means to "make everlasting or omnipotent", as we go throughout this life we are called to endure to the end; this doesn't mean that we just white knuckle it or we simply don't mess up; to endure to the end means that we are to constantly improve, grow, and stretch ourselves! Exaltation isn't an event, it's a process! While we're here during our mortal probation we are to prepare to meet God -- we are to prepare to become like God! And through the thick and the thin of life we have a Saviour who is prepared to support, strengthen, and forgive us! So no matter who you are, no matter where you are in life, I encourage you to prayerfully consider how you, personally, can improve! Whether it be spiritual, occupation, or education seek to magnify what you're already doing; "what e'er thou art, act well thy part". We all have gifts, discover them, develop them, and share them!

--

Elder Weiler

Call Me BABA

                                                   (Soaking up a some Lesotho sun)

THIS WEEK I RECEIVED THE BEST TRANSFER NEWS EVER

I'M TRAINING!!! I'M A FATHER (BABA IN ZULU)!!!!!!!!!

I don't think I've ever been more excited for transfer news in my life! Our transfers were a little early, so he came on Saturday morning! I literally felt like I was going on a first date. hahaha I was so nervous but so excited! I didn't know anything about him until he stepped out of the van! His name is Elder Jantjies (Yahn-kees. Like New York Yankees hahah that's how he introduced himself to me. His surname is Afrikaans but he's a Xhosa brotha). He's from Soweto in Johannesburg!! The 3 days that we've been together has been awesome!! He's ready to work and I LOVE THAT! We've set our sights high for the next two transfers!! 

                                                                    Father/Son :,)

Also before Elder Jantjies got here, we were brainstorming some good father/son pictures we could take and we determined the following: In Africa mothers often carry babies/toddlers around on their backs by tying a blanket around them; so we decided that we'll use my Sotho blanket to do the same with my trainee! hahaha the result is attached below...

                                                        .... Mother/Son? hahahha

This week was great!! The only bummer was that there was some political unrest in Maseru and we had to stay in the boarding on Friday and Saturday night -- but we're all safe and everything is okay now!!

                      

Training has already kicked me in the butt a little bit, I've realised that there's some things that I can be doing a lot better!! I'm grateful for revelation and for the opportunities we have to grow and improve!! This week we were reading in Alma 12 with a family that we were visiting and I got caught up on the thought that if Adam and Eve had partaken of the fruit from the tree of life they would have lived forever in their sins and been forever miserable. I'm so grateful for the goodness of our God! He protected them and provided a probationary state for all of us, children of Adam and Eve, as a time repent and to prepare ourselves to stand before our Father again! As I pondered about this I was filled with great joy, knowing that we have a Father in Heaven who cares about us that much! I know that God wants all of us to live with Him again; and through Christ that's possible! I'm grateful for prophets that have, for centuries, revealed the gospel plan to us! I'm also grateful that the Lord has allowed us to enter into a covenant relationship with him -- that we, Gentiles, are able to enter into the House of Israel and be counted as His people at the last day! God is good. The restored gospel is true! The Book of Mormon is the word of God and a man certainly will get nearer to God as he studies it with sincere desires to know Him. 

Love you all!! Thanks for the support! I really love being a missionary! And I know that I'm only here because of the people that have cared for me and groomed me for my whole life! Shout out to all of you! 

Okay sorry one more thing: the quote of the week goes to Ntate Moshoeshoe (a member in our branch) upon hearing that Donald Trump won the election he said "Poor Mme Hilary...." and Elder Shinga and I just starting dying hahaha "mme" means "Mother" but it's totally normal for you to greet a woman on the street and call her "mom" hahah it was just so basotho. I love this place.

                                   The American Brethren of Lesotho hahaha #TrumpsArmy

Have a great week!

--

Elder Weiler

The Kingdom in the Sky

HELLOS

It's good to be back! The plague on the Lesotho Zone has passed! 

The past couple weeks have been great, despite flu, a stomach virus, and allergy induced migraines hahaha! This is the last week of the transfer!! I can't believe it!

A few notable events over the past few weeks:

On Halloween I noted 1 year anniversary of Bucket Juice ebola! I celebrated with flu!! hahah

Last week on p day we just decided that we were gonna climb a mountain (there's PLENTY of them around) and that was super awesome! I'll be sure to attach pictures. Fun story: When we got to the top we found a whole herd of sheep, as we continued towards the peak of the mountain some missionaries ahead warned us that there were dogs in the forest. So we all picked up rocks, prepared to fight off wild dogs (we could hear them barking, there was A LOT of them) and as we ventured through this forest we were surprised not only to find like 8 dogs, but two humans! They were the shepherds for the flock, just two dudes living in the mountains with their dogs and their sheep hahah they were also really surprised to see white people (seeing white people in Lesotho only happens like... once every other blue moon)! 

(Halfway up, the hat I'm wearing is part of traditional dress for Basotho. It reminds them of the mountain (called Thaba Bosiu) where they buried their first king (legend says the mountain grows at night, so thieves can't steal his body)

I also bought a Sotho blanket! Becuase Lesotho gets so cold in the winter their ancestors used to make blankets that are crazy warm and eventually it became a cultural thing! So Sotho's make really cool, really warm blankets -- and I now own one... and I love it!! hahaha we brought the blankets up with us to the mountain and took some photos! 

                 (American Africans.. and a South African -- ALL MASOTHOS THOUGH)

The work is going great here too! People are so prepared!! December looks like we'll have a lot of baptisms, which is the most exciting thing ever for a missionary!! They're also having lots of baptisms in Blomanda which is exciting too!! 

Recently I've been impressed with the powerful spirit that comes when we speak about the Atonement; with a greater focus on helping our investigators repent, it's crucial that they understand the means by which a remission of sins comes! As we've taught and testified about the Atonement of Jesus Christ I've been touched by the Spirit almost daily, our investigators have too! As I learn more about the Atonement, I learn more about Christ. I feel myself coming to know Christ as I know my friends! I have a greater understanding of who He is and how I can be more like Him! I know that the way that we draw closer to our Heavenly Father and our Saviour is through the Atonement -- if you want to have a closer relationship with God or if you want to feel the Spirit more make the Atonement a greater part of your life. Pray that you will feel and see the Atonement changing you, helping you overcome weaknesses and desires of the natural man. Pray that through the Atonement you'll be able to forgive somebody that you're holding a grudge against. Pray that through the Atonement you'll be able to feel liberty and freedom from sin and guilt! As you experience the powers of the Atonement day by day you will also come to know Christ personally! You will become more like Him! And at the last day you will take a place with Him in our Father's Kingdom.

--

Elder Weiler