Training

Dear Family,

Thank you for your letters, this was an interesting week so, now I'm training a new missionary, his name is Elder Rivera he is from Honduras and he's really cool. He's been a member for only 3 years but he worked a lot with the missionaries at home so he already knows all the lessons very well and he wants to be really obedient. There was a bit of a problem with the transfers of Elder Mejia so he is still with us as well. We are waiting to see if he has changes, but this week went really with the 3 of us. It's been really fun the last few days because somebody is always telling a joke. We've been working hard and this next Saturday we should have a baptism, I'm really excited about that. There were transfers for the other missionaries in our ward, there is a new missionary from Arizona that is about 6'10", he's huge and he's really cool. I believe that about 30 missionaries arrived this change so about everybody is training.

Yes I got the shoes for free.  I'm still waiting for the package. I think it was a wasp it didn't swell up just a little bit.

Thanks for the photos, that's a really beautiful place(Cascade Springs). I love how you guys have the Diet-Coke in your hands. Elder Rivera said the missionaries in Honduras can't drink coke, but in Panama half the members give us Coke, it's delicious.

Yesterday I gave a talk in Sacrament but it was the same one I prepared earlier.

Wow, the summer passed so fast, it's harder for me to keep track of the time because its always the same temperature.  Sarah and Michael have fun at school . That's a little weird Michael is a senior and Sarah is in high school. I wish them luck.

For P-day I think we are going to play kick ball at the church, it's going to be really awesome.

I'm really enjoying it here, I'm having a lot of fun here in Chorrera even though it's my seventh change here, if I stay one more change here I will be here half of my mission in Chorrera

I always pray for you guys.

I love you,
Elder Weston

service

Zone

these little lizards are everywhere

My haircut

new shoes

Dear Family,

Thank you for the letters and pictures. The wedding looked really cool, tell Hunter he looked like a STUD. I bet it was a really cool experience for them.

I got the letters from the Isaac's and from the Sister Jarvies young women class, tell them thank you for me.  I have a story for you, I don't know if you will be embarrassed or if you think it is cool, so my companion had to buy shoes, so we went to the shoe store and he bought his shoes and right before we left some of the workers asked me if I would try on some shoes, I tried on the shoes and I was a little confused and they told me I could have them. I'm guessing they looked at how dirty by shoes were and they were like ''why is he not buying new shoes?", so I got new shoes this week. But don't worry my shoes work fine, they just look a little dirty. But the new ones are sweet.

Just so dad knows a bee or a wasp stung me this week, we cut down a tree (of course with a machete) and there was a hive in the tree, so once it had fallen down we tried to move it and I got stung, I thought dad would like to know that.

This week we had the stake conference of La Chorrera, and it was really cool to see Rodrigo and Ana the two baptisms I had, the family of Rodrigo was there also. The members say Rodrigo is planning on
going on a mission. I also saw 2 other people that I taught but got baptized after I left. I was really happy to see them.

This week I cut my own hair and I have gotten compliments because it looks so cool.  This week there are changes and I don't know if I'm staying or going but we are waiting for the letters from President that tell all the changes.

I'm grateful that in my mission I have been able to see the blessing of my work. I'm grateful to be here in Chorrera and I'm excited to see if I stay or go either way I will try to be more obedient and try to
always work a little harder.

During the stake conference I had a few thoughts: Do we look to God in our small trials, just as we usually do with are big trials? Usually we don't have life changing trials everyday, but we do have small trials everyday, but if we try to solve all of our problems even the small ones with prayer all the times, we will be more prepared for the larger ones. I know I have been really blessed in my mission, and I pray that I can learn from all the trials God gives me.

I love you guys a bunch,

Thank you

Elder Weston

multi-zone soccer game

Dear Family,

Thank you for your letters, That's so cool that you guys could go to the temple on Friday, I'm sure it was just an awesome experience for all of you guys. I really can't believe Hunter is getting married, he's a year younger then me, so that means I can get married (of course once I've been back for at least 1 month ha ha). Next week make sure you send pictures of his wedding.

Our investigator is really cool, he came to church this week with a member sister.  Today for P day we had a multi-zone activity. More then half the mission played soccer in the city.  There were a ton of missionaries and we each bought t-shirts for our teams. It was a lot of fun seeing all the other missionaries from many zones.

That's really sad about sister Johnson, I will remember her and her family in my prayers this week. 

This week I did divisions with one of my zone leaders it was really great.  He was also one of my leaders in Ciudad Bolivar so I've gotten to know him really well. He's a great teacher and a great example for me. After a day with him a just wanted to read my scriptures all day, because he knows them so well, it makes me want to learn them even more. I've read the Book of Mormon quite a few times but the cool thing about the Book of Mormon is the more times you read it the better it gets, it's not like other books or movies which eventually get boring, you can keep getting information from it, even if you have read it 100 times. This week I'm going to really try to read the Book of Mormon more.

I love you so much, Elder Weston

Waterfall

The valley last week

Multi-zone soccer game

Today with another missionary in my zone

English, Spanish, and Chinese

Dear Family,
Thank you for the letter, to clarify my story last week Elder Quimiz and I found a less active family, and last week one of the members of that family was at the temple, she is to young to go on the mission.
But I saw other members who were preparing to go on missions in the coming months, it was really cool.

I'm so grateful for the Temple in my mission, that's so exciting all of moms sisters will be going to the Temple on Friday, I'm sure it will be a spiritual experience for all of you.  Thank you for the pictures you sent me, I believe Michael is taller then me, what a shame, he's almost as tall as dad.

This week we found a really cool investigator who can speak English, Spanish, and Chinese and he loves the United States. He also went to church and he already knows a lot of members and he is only 14 years old. You can imagine, he is really smart.

When I get the duck tape I will fix my scripture case because it has a hole.

This week we did a few service projects.  On Tuesday we cut down trees with axes and I got some blisters. One investigator put hydrogen pro-oxide of my blisters and it hurt so bad, but a few days later I got some of the best medical advice in my life, a member told me... you need pee in a container and soak your hands in your pee and the blisters would come right off... I could not stop myself from laughing but she was serious. I didn't do it.

I will write something more spiritual next time. I will try to send more pictures of P-day next week.

Love you all,
Elder Weston

saw less active members

Dear Family,
Thank you for your letters and all the pictures. Our ward seems to be really busy with missionary work with missionaries coming and going. Thats cool Elder Hawking's could come to the ward and teach about mission work, he gave the lessons when I went to the mission prep class.

This week I went to the temple twice, on Tuesday with all the missionaries of the stake and Saturday with the ward. When I went on Saturday, I saw all the members from Cuidad Bolivar, it was so
cool. I saw two of my converts there and I was really surprised to see a less active member there. Elder Quimiz and I were once contacting and we found a less active family, but my entire time there
they never went to Church. So I was really surprised to see one of them at the temple. But I asked a member there about her and he told me she is going to Church and Seminary every-week, it was so cool. It was also great to see 3 people from Ciudad Bolivar preparing to leave on there missions.

This week we worked with the Elders Quorum President and we are going to try to help the members do there home teachings. I'm glad to hear home teachings continue to come along. Also on Saturday, we had a Pioneer Activity in the stake and I got to see a few of the members from my first area which was really awesome.

I'm teaching the Elementary School the English song, like I did a year ago in my first area. This year we are teaching the song Families can be Together Forever.

Thank you so much and I love you guys a lot,
Elder Weston