Chino's

Dear Family,

Thanks for the letters.  Oh my gosh you got a dog without me? How did you convince Dad to get a dog? To be honest, my love for dogs has really died off because there are so many dogs here and they are constantly barking at us, and sometimes they have attacked us. Millie sounds like a great dog.

That's awesome Utah beat BYU.  Yes, the picture of the green house is ours, I don't have an apartment. 

We don't eat out a lot, but there are little stores here called Chino's (they are owned by Chinese people) that sell soda and food (like a gas station) where we buy soda during the day.

I still have the same companion.  We have been working hard and it's been going good. 

Thanks for the talk last week by Boyd K. Packer, I really enjoyed it. I really liked the stories of the two immigrants who couldn't speak very well but the people listening stopped paying attention to there mistakes and instead listed more to the spirit. I really liked this part 

Then my friend said that something happened. The teacher started to speak, and then it happened! They all began to listen. This friend said, "You could warm your hands by the fire of his faith." That meant that in that older, worn-out body that did not seem to be able to erase an accent, there was a powerful spirit.

I have noticed when I speak some of the investigators start paying attention a little more because they need to listen a bit harder, and sometimes it helps them to keep focused. I know the Lord is blessing me with so many things, and sometimes I get frustrated but I know if I continue to have faith the Lord will strengthen my character.

Thanks so much for the letters, I love you all.

Elder Weston

Me standing in the rain

1st package

Hello Family,

I got the package this week I was super excited, I also got a letter from Grandma. Thanks a lot for all the things you gave me.  I've been eating all that candy and now I should be able to send pictures.  Zone Conference was great, Elder Ochoa of the seventy came to talked to us. Also we did get snicker doodles. I learned a lot.  Saturday we had the two baptisms and I'll send you pictures of that. 

Thanks for the letters from Jake, Michael and Sarah in the package I really enjoyed them.

Sarah asked me if I was tan, Yes I'm getting tan.

Jake asked what my typical day is: Right now it's 

wake up at 6:30 

8:00 personal study

9:00 comp. study 

10:30 language study

12:00 lunch in the house

1:00 to usually teach

7:30 dinner at a members

9:00 return home

Jake said he usually did district meeting only at the beginning of changes, we do them every-week. Also I try to read a little of the white hand book everyday. 

Michael's trip with the priests sounded like a lot a fun. How's school going are you taking calculus?

Yesterday we went to the temple with one of our investigators and I saw Elder Johnson he was with one of his investigators.

I just learned I will not be transferred I have another 6 weeks here in Chorrera, but that's ok, I kinda wanted to go see new areas but it's cool.

Thank you

Love Elder Weston

Pictures

Eric received our package.  We sent him a camera cable so he send us a bunch of pictures.

Fountains at the Mexico Temple when he was in the MTC

Mexico MTC picture

Making pancakes

They have green bees

Bus in Panama (this one is boring compared to the others)

Our home

Baptism last Saturday (Sept 14)

Panama Temple

Panama Temple

Panama City

Huge Spider

Dear Family,

This week went well.  I'm really excited for this next week, we have two baptisms this Saturday one is R... and the other one is a member's son who is nine years old, we have been teaching him. I still haven't got the package yet but when it comes I'll send you a picture of the huge spider that was in our house. It was bigger then the size of my palm, we killed it!

I bet that bishops fireside will be really inspiring, tell me about it in the next letter.  That's so cool you guys got to clean the Conference Center. The pictures of Michael on the drum set was awesome. 

There is a piano at our church, before Elder Johnson would play the piano during sacrament but now no one plays. The missionaries were telling the Bishop that I play piano, but I really don't want to play. 

Wow, the sacrament meeting sounded great, President and Sister Burton, and Sean Hardy are going to be great missionary's. That's funny you mentioned D&C 68:6 Wherefore, be of good ^acheer, and do not ^bfear, for I the Lord am with you, and will stand by you; and ye shall bear record of me,even Jesus Christ, that I am the Son of the living God, that I ^cwas,that I am, and that I am to come., because I remember reading that same scripture this week and really loving it

Yes we have Zone Conference this Wednesday and now I'm really excited for those snicker doodle cookies. 

That's funny Grant calls Michael ''Eric'' and McKay's host missionary was somebody he knew. 

This week I really liked this talk by Elder David A. Bednar called Pray Always, November 2008

I really liked these two parts of his talk:

Morning and evening prayers—and all of the prayers in between—are not unrelated, discrete events; rather, they are linked together each day and across days, weeks, months, and even years. This is in part how we fulfill the scriptural admonition to “pray always” (Luke 21:36; 3 Nephi 18:15, 18;D&C 31:12). Such meaningful prayers are instrumental in obtaining the highest blessings God holds in store for His faithful children.

The prayers of prophets are childlike in their simplicity and powerful because of their sincerity.

This week I have been trying to focus on praying more sincerely and following some of the guidance in this talk. I have noticed that my prayers have been better and I have more purpose behind each one. I'm so grateful for the ability to pray everyday and knowing when we pray with real intent God will always listen to us. 

Thank you for your letters.

Love you all,
Elder Weston  

I Know that My Redeemer Lives

Dear Family,

Thanks for the letters, I'm always super excited to read them. That picture of Conner is funny, that missionary is huge. [Conner is our neighbor, the short one, that just left on his mission.  This picture was taken in the Provo MTC. That Elder is 7'2"]

Our investigators name is R...., Elder Johnson and I were teaching his sister for a long time but she wasn't progressing much, so Elder Lopez and I started to teach her brother and he must of felt something because now we have a baptismal date on the 14th.

Fast Sunday went well, usually we fast after lunch on Saturday, but this week we had dinner on Saturday, so we fasted on Sunday, breakfast and lunch.

The weather right now is rainy but mostly sunny all day. My shoes are holding up well. We go to the laundromat almost every P-day. I'm a little sad you sold the motorcycle but that's cool you could fix it.

They didn't have the new movie in the Panama temple when I went, but now I'm really excited. That's cool Jake and Alex want to get married in the Salt Lake Temple, that temple is always so busy is it hard to schedule a wedding there?

I really liked reading the story's of Grandpa and His parents, and I also really liked that talk by Thomas S. Monson that McKay shared at his farewell. McKay is leaving this Wednesday, that is so cool I'm so excited for him.

That's good Hunter doesn't need surgery again, he can use this time to learn more Spanish and study the scriptures even more! They both will be such great missionary's.

I'm been trying to think what to share with you this week, and I'm been thinking a lot about the hymn I Know that My Redeemer Lives

He lives to grant me rich supply.

He lives to guide me with his eye.

He lives to comfort me when faint.

He lives to hear my soul's complaint.

He lives to silence all my fears.

He lives to wipe away my tears.

He lives to calm my troubled heart.

He lives all blessings to impart.

and I thought of this scripture

Revelation 21:4
 4 And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more ^adeath, neither ^bsorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more ^cpain: for the former things are passed away.

I really like this hymn and scripture, I know God loves each and everyone of us, I know he lives to help us everyday. I'm so grateful for my Savior and Redeemer and I know through Him we can live together forever.

Love,

Elder Weston