Monday, November 24, 2014

Personal Revelation

Dear Family,

Thank you for your letters, wow it's Thanksgiving week, I haven't heard to much about Thanksgiving but more about black Friday. I'm not sure if any members are going to give us food on Thursday, but if they are not I will probably buy 2 turkey sandwiches to celebrate. That is weird that Sarah is driving now, have you guys practiced with her?


We had a good week we had two baptisms and they both gave great testimonies, and many members attended the baptism.  I will send you pictures of them.  At the start of the week I was in divisions with the Elders in Puerto Aurmellas, I bet if you look at a map you can tell it's right next to the beach and it's a super cool area, I will send you photos of the sunrise I saw, we awoke up a little early to go see it and it was worth it. The beginning of the week was very rainy, but these last few days it hasn't rained to much. I hope we are entering into the dry season.


This week was the Primary Program, I've seen the Primary Program in every single one of my areas, I think this one was the best. It was really cool they had the older primary kids give talks, talks of
about 4 minutes and they did really good they were like 8 years old and they read their talks and looked out at the people during the talk, as if they were adults speaking, it was really cool.
Dad said he has to give a talk on Personal Revelation

My thoughts on Personal Revelation: A few weeks ago by companion and I were talking about how we receive Revelation, my companion receives revelation from reading the scriptures, he said's that almost every time he feels inspired is from reading the scriptures and finding answers in them. I receive revelation differently, I receive it from a still small voice in my head it comes when I study and after I start to think and ponder and I write down how I feel, and as I think I have words come to my mind. Many times what comes to my head are scriptures or stories by Prophets, so as I study more the faster the revelation comes. As I study it helps me if I'm writing down how I feel, and after I will pray to know if how I felt was right.

I know that God gives revelation differently to others according to their needs. I know God talks to his children. As I ponder on what to say or write the words will come to my mind and they will carry the spirit. I also have learned when I don't have the Spirit the words won't come to my head and I end up just thinking. But it's really amazing how we can all receive revelation.

I love you guys so much.

Elder Weston





Wednesday, November 12, 2014

Showered with river water

Dear Family,

Thank you for your letters, and HAPPY BIRTHDAY MICHAEL AND SARAH!  That is crazy that Sarah is 16 years old, does she drive? 


The story by Hunter was really cool, those are some really powerful blessings. We give a lot of blessings in my mission.  

My companion is from Guatemala, he's a great example for me. We traveled quite a bit last week because we had to fix a few problems in the zone, but now everything is alright.  This week we traveled to David city, to have a conference with the mission President, well...He's really in the Panama City and we watched the conference via Skype. Even though the internet dropped a few times, it was really good. He talked a lot about the Book of Mormon and being obedient.  In the zone we made a goal to start reading the Book of Mormon every night with your companion. Since Wednesday my companion and I started reading and it's really helped us fill the Spirit.  Even though I've read the first chapters of Nephi many times there were many things I've learned.  The President talked a lot about the Spirit as well, so I studied more about the Spirit this week and now I understand the Spirit gives us confidence and makes us feel good about ourselves.  

Funny story: Today we didn't have running water in the house, but there is a little stream in our backyard, so we showered with stream/river water. We filled up a large tank and showered with it.

Thank you for everything.


I love you guys so much
Elder Weston

Our backyard

My companion Elder Cifuentes

Tuesday, November 4, 2014

Transferred to Concepcion, Chiriqui

Dear Family, 

I finally got transferred.  I'm in la Concepcion, Chiriqui it's on the other side of Panama. I found out that I had transfers on Tuesday in the afternoon and I tried to say goodbye to a few people before I
left.  On Wednesday I went to the bus stop and we took a bus to the area.  It left at 2:30pm and we got there at 11:00 at night, it was a long ride. The house isn't good by normal standards but by mission standards it's not bad.  My companion is named Elder Cifuentes, he's really cool.  It's a bit cooler in this area then Chorrera and the shower is way to cold but it's nice during the day.  This week it rained about every single day. There are already a few investigators preparing to be baptized.  Here we sometimes contact and they almost always listen but we don't use to many pass along cards, we use the booklets.

This week my companion and I had to travel to some other areas of the mission, we went to Puerto Armuellas, to get there the bus takes us to the border of Costa Rica and drives south for about an hour it's a super pretty area and it's close to the beach. We also went to an area called Volcan, it's one of the few areas in Panama where it's cold. We went this morning and it was like 62 degrees, it's really cold when you are used to 80-90 degree weather all the time, that area is also very beautiful.

In my area there is a branch and on Sunday about 100 members came, I was surprised the small chapel was full.  When you are out of the city it's called the ''interior'' here the people are really relaxed and there are a lot less parties than in the City.

Today a member from Chorrera wrote me and told me that an older lady who we always visited passed away. She had been sick for a long time and could not got to Church, with Elder Mejia and I.  She went to church I think 3 times, she was in a wheel chair. I know she had a lot of faith and she always said how much she waited to go to church. It's really sad but I'm glad she can finally live without all the sicknesses she had.

I'm really enjoying the area and the members seem really strong here.  I love you guys so much.


Elder Weston

Monday, November 3, 2014

teaching the seminary students a song in English

Dear Family,

Thank you for the letters and the pictures I'm pretty jealous of your visit it sounded so cool. It's cool learning about the history of the church because they were tested so much and had to face so many challenges but they have a huge legacy that we are all grateful for.  That's cool in the stake they spoke about missionary work, reticently the President has asked us to teach with the Family Proclamation For World when we contact door to door. As we speak about the families we can talk about the temple and how families are eternal and how we have been given this knowledge from living prophets.

I really like the Nauvoo temple it's very beautiful. That's funny that the Peppinger's were at the rendezvous also, I was think about brother Peppinger's great example he gave me as his home teaching companion.

This week we did a few services projects, we cleaned a school, moved cinder blocks, and I'm teaching the seminary students a song in English the song its, ''Come unto Christ'' its the mutual theme song this year.. https://www.lds.org/youth/video/come-unto-christ-2014-theme-song?lang=spa

Yesterday I went to my first area and I saw Rodrigo in the church, he's graduating from seminary, I think he had to take double the classes but so I saw him as I taught the english song. And I saw Ana they are both doing well, and I got to eat dinner with a really great family from my first area.

Spiritual thought: I was listening to a the talk by Elder Bednar about why we want to teach the Gospel to everybody it was called ''Come and See''. And he talked about the story of Lehi's dream and when he ate the fruit he was filled with joy and wanted to tell his family. I thought about the joy he felt,  The fruit is the love of God, and love of God is demonstrated in the Atonement, so I'm convinced he received a greater understanding of the Atonement as he ate the fruit and that gave him the joy and the desire to share. It's a constant quest to understand the Atonement more fully.

I'm still waiting for the ZL's to call to see if i have changes.

Thank you and I love you so much,
Elder Weston