Still Standing STRONG

I LOVE BEING A MISSIONARY. I can't believe that this is the last letter that I will be writing you as a full-time missionary for the church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Time has flown. Too fast. I feel like I just got here, but yet have learned and loved so much to fill 5 lifetimes. I AM IN HEAVEN RIGHT NOW. Literally, this has been the BEST week BY FAR of my mission. I have never been so happy, so spiritually high, so close to God and Christ, and so exhausted in all of my life. I have decided to go out HARD. I want to be so tired when I get home because I WASTED and WORE out my life in the service of God, then only to continue onward to the new mission and chapter of my life that is ahead. This is the greatest work that there is on the face of the earth. It has become my life---it is all I think about, all I dream about, all I am and all I want to become. It is IN MY BLOOD. And NO ONE can take it away from me. What I have become on my mission and how I have gotten to know my Savior Jesus Christ is something that can't be bought or sold. I know that my Savior lives. I know who He is. I have walked side by side Him for the past 18 months. I AM NOT ASHAMED OF WALKING WITH CHRIST.I never will be. I will always seek to be His disciple and know that my number one priority in my life is that I AM DAUGHTER OF GOD, WHO LOVES ME---AND I LOVE HIM. That will NEVER change. I am His, and I will always submit to His will and what God's plan is for me. I hope you know that too. This has been the GREATEST journey and time of my life. It has been the hardest, best, roughest, nicest, sweetest, bitterest, saddest, happiest time of my life. It has taught me to see things and be as God is. I love Him. 

HOW I STOOD and WILL FOREVER STAND STRONG WITH MY SAVIOR JESUS CHRIST:

One of the most important things that I have learned on my mission is about my best friend and hero--Jesus Christ. I know Him. Before, I didn't know Him as well as I do now. I always thought I was strong enough to face and fight life on my own. But I am NOT. And I will always be weak. I was BORN to be weak and to rely totally on my Savior to guide me along. I don't know anything about this thing called life. I don't have the answers, but I know EXACTLY who does. He is my beloved Savior and my light and my life. Christ is REAL. Not only is He real but He died for all of us so that all of our burdens, our stresses, weaknesses, hurt, and sickness could be taken upon His back. Because He walked in my shoes and your shoes, He can make us STRONG enough to overcome Satan. To be much stronger than He is. To STAND fast when the world is swirling about around me. I am STRONG when I am His. I am STRONG when I submit and turn to God for help. I am STRONG when I am WEAK. I am STRONG when I repent DAILY. I am STRONG when I spiritually create my day through prayer. I am STRONG when I read my scriptures DAILY and have revelatory experiences DAILY. I am STRONG when I go to church and renew my covenants WEEKLY. I am STRONG when I remember WHO I am, but more importantly WHO'S I AM. I am STRONG when I use and confide in the atonement DAILY. I am STRONG when I see through God's eyes and see His children and myself as HE SEES. I am STRONG when I seek to be like Christ. I am STRONG when I have the Spirit with me. I stand STRONG amidst the temptations of the world when I put God's glory and opinion and expectations of me ABOVE everyone else. I am STRONG when I follow the Spirit. I am STRONG when I discern the voice of the Spirit and listen to what God wants me to do. I am STRONG when I learn of God and His Glory. I am STRONG when I remember WHY I am here and where I am going. I am STRONG when I forget about myself and focus on others. I am STRONG when I give my heart, might, mind and soul to the One who LOVES ME MOST (God). I am STRONG when I have trials. I am STRONG when I don't know what to do, so I confide in God. I am STRONG when I am too weak, that I kneel. I am STRONG when I control my thoughts and my actions to be virtuous unto God. I am STRONG when I keep covenants. I am STRONG when I serve. I am STRONG when I trust in Him. I am STRONG when I know and feel His love. I am STRONG when I acknowledge my weaknesses and choose to better.  I am STRONG when I let my faith carry me through the darkest nights, even thought I might not think it will turn out. It does. STAND STRONG. ALWAYS. I have stood with my Savior for these past 18 months, and I AM NEVER LEAVING. So yes, naturally Satan is going to be waiting for me---so I am declaring war on him. Bring it. THIS IS WAR. And I am determined to STAND STRONG for the rest of my life and into eternity. The adversary will NOT be able to plan my life, because with God, I will be able to PLAN my life according to His great Plan and STAND STRONG. I know WHO I am, and I know that ALL of God's children are of INFINITE worth. We are all in this together. I AM HERE TO HELP ALL THOSE AROUND ME STAND STRONG. And I am dedicated to do it. With all that I am. I love my Savior. I know Him. I love my God. I know Him. And He knows me. I never want that to change. I want my life to be PERFECTLY in line with His will. OH HOW GREAT IS THE GLORY OF MY GOD! HOW GREAT HIS PLAN IS! God is real. And He loves us infinity. 

My heart is so full and beating so fast right now I can't really write fast enough on this keyboard. I have like 10,000 thoughts flowing from my head and wish that I had all-day to just sit down and tell you how I feel and what I've learned on my mission. All I can tell you is that God is real, and so is the adversary. So we need to be prepared and we need to be aware of what we are doing. If we are doing anything that is contrary---STOP. Get back on track. THIS IS YOUR TIME TO SHOW GOD YOU LOVE HIM. So, keep His commandments. Serve Him. 

This past week was sent from HEAVEN. We have never worked so hard, found so many elect, and seen so many miracles. We have been finding families up the wah-zoo and have seen SO many people coming unto Christ. My companion and I set a goal to just KILL it with lessons this week. And we did! We taught 40 lessons this week. WOAH! Also! I asked the Elders if we could take their bikes for a few days, so we have been on bikes!!! BEST WEEK EVER. I have never been so happy and so fulfilled in all of my life.

We had a really cool miracle this week that I have just got a share, and I am excited I will be able to see you and tell you some of these stories when I see you in just 4 short days! I literally can't believe it. So we were on bikes. And our area is MASSIVE. But I must say that there is nothing like biking down a metropolitan city like Arlington, in a SKIRT, in 100 degree weather. IT IS THE BEST FEELING IN THE WORLD. We talked to everyone. We headed over to Patrick Henry, which is basically like a small version of all of the south American countries. So we went. While there we talked to everyone. We knocked a TON of door and taught a TON of lessons. Then, this random man came and bought us frozen yogurt. Then, we were guided to the Spirit to a certain row of apartments---there we found two families that are ready for the Gospel. INCREDIBLE. And if that wasn't enough....listen to this....we had ridden our bikes 7 miles to do some service for a family, and that is when we felt prompted to go all the way back to Patrick Henry to check on this family that we had met the other day. Well, we arrived there at 8. Outside, the mother, Lisset, what WAITING FOR US. She said we are all waiting for you!! WHAT?! We went in and the ENTIRE family---including the mom, dad and daughters all sat down and where like, "we are ready to learn." They sat and they listened to us teach the lesson. They asked questions, we asked them questions, THE SPIRIT WAS SO THICK.....more than ever. And they kept receiving more and more light as we talked to them and testified of the true church of the Savior Jesus Christ. They loved it. They had read the pamphlet we had given to them and they want to know more. They asked US if they could come to church. OF COURSE!!! We pretty much danced the whole way home on our bikes. They are the family we have been PRAYING to find! AMAZING MIRACLE! On the bike ride home I sang at the top of my lungs, "How Great Thou Art". God is so great and His tender mercies are all over the place. WHAT A MIRACLE! 

I had the opportunity this week to attend the DC temple this week with all the other departing missionaries and my mission president and his wife. What a sacred and special experience full of revelation. Temple. WOW. The most INCREDIBLE temple trip I have ever gone on in my life. I love the temple, and plan on going there weekly. When I was in the temple, I realized something. Sometimes we say, "I'm going to the temple to get away from the real world." I realized that is a lie. When you go to the temple, THAT IS THE REAL WORLD. THE TEMPLE IS THE REAL WORLD, we live in a world were Satan has power over many hearts and this is telestial ground. The temple is how the world should be and how we should act and carry ourselves and look at people. The temple is Holy Ground and it is always where we should run to get back to WHO we are and WHY we are here and WHAT we are supposed to do here in life. The temple is a reminder of THINGS AS THEY REALLY ARE. It is a reminder of WHO we are meant to become. It is a reminder of our HEAVENLY home. Who we really are and what we truly belong to. It is a reminder of things that we REALLY want. If you haven't been to the temple in a while, I would invite you to do so the soonest that you can. 

It's been really hard to say goodbye. I'm not going to lie. I feel like my heart is being ripped out and stomped on. A TON of people from every area that I have been in have been coming to our area and coming to lessons with us and taking us to dinner. I LOVE THESE PEOPLE. They are literally my family and I am literally leaving another home that, with God I have created here in Virginia. Part of my heart will always be with these people. They mean the world to me. And I love them and have loved seeing the CHANGES and the joy that they have felt as they have let the Gospel into their lives. It has been absolutely inspiring to see the atonement in action in all of their lives and I can't wait for someday for you to meet these people that have literally changed my life forever and ever. I love these people and know that they will always be apart of my life. I can't thank all those who have been such a big part of my life for so long enough. They are my heroes. And I love them so much. I love these people and can't even describe how I feel about them. They are my family.

Wow. Well, I have like a million more things to say. But I talked in church this week and sang as well and half of the Old Town ward and the Little River ward came. That meant the world to me. It was so amazing to see everyone and see this place growing. I LOVE THIS WORK. I LOVE THIS PLACE AND THESE PEOPLE AND NEVER WANT TO LEAVE. But, I know that God has something much greater in store for me.

I am part of the fellowship of the unashamed. The dye has been cast.
I have stepped over the line. The decision has been made; I am a
disciple of Jesus Christ. I won't look back, let up, slow down, or be
still. My past is redeemed, my present makes sense, and my future is
secure. I'm finished and done with low living, small planning, smooth
knees, colorless dreams, tinted visions, worldly talking, cheap
giving, and dwarfed goals. I no longer need pre-eminence, positions,
promotions, plaudits, or popularity. I don't have to be right, first,
recognized, praised, regarded, or rewarded. I now live by faith, lean
on His presence, walk with patience, am lifted up in prayer, and labor
with power. My face is set, my goal is heaven. My road is narrow, my
way is rough, my companions few, my guide is reliable, my mission is
clear. I cannot be bought, compromised, detoured, lured away, divided
or delayed, will not flinch in the face of sacrifice, hesitate in the
presence of the adversary, negotiate at the table with the enemy,
ponder at the pool of popularity, or meander in the maze of
mediocrity. I won't give up, shut up, or let up until I have stayed
up, stored up, and paid up for the case of Christ. I must go till He
comes, give till I drop, preach till all know, and work till He stops
me. When He returns for His own He will have no problem recognizing
me-- my banner is clear.

And to all of you who are reading this letter, THANK YOU. Thank you for all the support and love that you have shown me and given to me while I have been on my mission. I can't wait to see you soon! I really am excited, even though I am so heart-sick about leaving. You will and always have been in my heart and in my prayers. I love you more than words can express and I pray that you will never forget the Savior and that you will get back up every time you fall. Because you will. I have. We all do. But the most important thing is that we GET BACK UP and that we TRUST in Him and that we do everything in our power to STAND STRONG. 

so....STAND STRONG.

Hermana Weenig

Temple trip with President and Sister Riggs

Temple, I love you.

Washington DC. Here is to you!  I LOVE YOU!

The Barrios family! How I will miss them! From Paraguay!

BIKES, how I love you.

Bishop Magelby and ward mission leader Hermano Apocada from Mexico.

 JORGE! My Mexican older brother. Totally inactive when we met, now has received his endowments in the temple and is the ward mission leader!! :)

 I got to teach and sing to these SISTAS!! They are so legit! They are from Nigeria! WOAH.

 Teaching a man outside of his window=hilarious. I just had to take a picture. We were teaching him the restoration like this. So classic.

The Casteneda clan came to my farewell!! amazing!! 

Oliver threw a pie full of whipped cream in my face as a "goodbye" present. He is like one of my best friends. Great ward mission leader.

Souls to Save

I LOVE BEING A MISSIONARY. I NEVER WANT TO LEAVE THIS HOLY GROUND. Ever. Ever. I love this place, these people and everything so much. Most of all, I love my Savior Jesus Christ and I am getting to know Him more and more every single day. Seriously that has been my favorite part about being a missionary, besides seeing people changing their lives through coming to Christ. I know who I am, what I stand for, and I know how much He loves all of His children, I know that His plan is perfect, because I know my Savior Jesus Christ. I know Him and I love Him with all that I am. "And this is life eternal, to know thee..." (John 17:3). Seeing people get to know God and understand of His love and watching them rely solely upon the Savior Jesus Christ is possibly the most beautiful thing that I have seen in my life. We are all in this together...we are all part of a HUGE family of God, and it is our quest to help each other, to walk around in each other's shoes and try to love ALL. This literally is my dream life, and I think I just will do this forever. 

MIRACLES left and right. CHANGE left and right. The Spirit has literally guided us every step of the way. Through our plans, our goals and EVERYTHING. The Spirit has literally propelled us forward to speak with power and authority and God is leading us to PREPARED people. THIS LITERALLY is the hastening. IT IS HASTENING QUICKLY. God is preparing more and more people to hear the Gospel, and we are all the instruments that He is going to use in order to bring that work to full fruition. 

Miracles of technology. Adrian Magill. Do you remember her? She was like my best friend when our family was living in Alabama. Well, back when I was 13 Adri was falling away from the church. I lost contact with her for 7 years. But the other day I had a strong impression to find her via Facebook. With a LOT of prayer....we found her!!! MIRACLE! She is in the Navy and has lived in Japan for the past 3 years. We got in contact and I got to teach her via SKYPE!! God's timing is amazing, because this time of her life she has been searching for the truth and has been searching to be happy and hasn't been able to find it. Just recently, she has been moved to go to church and renew that hope and happiness that the Gospel brings. We are working with her to bring her back to full-activity! When we taught her last, she was in South Korea! We are teaching people from ALL around the world!! And it is incredible to see how all of these doubts and struggles that our investigators have are UNIVERSAL. That is why there is a need for a UNIVERSAL answer....and that is the Gospel. I love this work.

Going a long with that, we are teaching a woman from Bolivia. Her name is Ema Olmas! Do you remember me telling you about her a while back? Well, she moved to Bolivia, 3 days before her baptism because of a family emergency. Well, we have been teaching her and now the missionaries there in Bolivia have connected with her and......SHE IS GETTING BAPTIZED AT THE END OF THIS MONTH!!!!!!!!! WHAT A MIRACLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We couldn't be more happy. She is one of the most prepared people that I have ever had the chance to meet on my mission, and she is really ready to be baptized. I might have to fly to Bolivia to see her get baptized....hahahah joke? not really? :) Anyways, we are excited that miracles are happening ALL throughout the world. THE HASTENING IS REAL. 

WORLD CUP. The Hispanic culture goes through DEPRESSION when their team looses....its pretty much like the world is over. Everyone went into shock yesterday after Argentina lost. Some were angry and many totally drunk. Made for a fun Sunday afternoon. It was a perfect opportunity to talk about hope and through Christ we can find peace and win the ULTIMATE battle against Satan. I love razzing the Hispanics about soccer. I have no preference when it comes to soccer, but I had to take a stand way back at the end of June of who I wanted to win. So I picked Germany. To be random. And I have NO IDEA about their team or players. But I pretended like I did so that I could talk smack. (Hey, it got us in a TON of doors and now our teaching pool SHOT through the roof) Well, apparently, GERMANY BEAT ARGENTINA in the finals. HAHAHAHAHA all of our investigators where in panic and some cried. I was tempted to sing, "Don't cry for them, they are Argentina." But I resisted. It was really fun using the world cup as a conversation starter and a way to solidify relationships. Poor Argentina. Luckily for us we only teach 3 people from Argentina. They will be okay.....I think :) !! Maybe next time. 

Finding. I LOVE TO FIND. It is the aspect of missionary work that I love the most. It is like this exhilarating thing. You pray. Then you listen. The Spirit directs. Then you ACT. Then you FIND. And then you teach according to their needs and their doubts. The Spirit guide you. IT IS AMAZING. We had a couple of incredible miracles finding this past week.....

Miracle #1: We had just got done teaching Tocarra (a woman from Nigeria, Africa), about how she can have hope through the Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ and were walking down this ally way. All the sudden I felt prompted to look up. So I did. There, staring down at us was a older man named Walter. We started talking to him about the world cup. We made him laugh and boldly told him who we are as representatives of the Savior Jesus Christ. Something was screaming inside of me that this man suffers from depression and was extremely sad that day. So I asked "Porque esta triste?" (Why are you sad?) He looked confused as if he didn't know how we knew he was sad. But slowly his face lit up. He asked, "Do you know how I can be happy again after being so sad all the time? What do I do?" So began an incredible lesson on the atonement and coming unto Christ and receiving strength and hope through Him and his restored gospel. All of this was in a shout, because he wouldn't come outside to talk to us. But the Spirit was so strong. He finally came out of his house. He asked, "How did you know I was sad? I wait by this window everyday and ask God to send me a sign of His love, and I think you two angels are it." WOAHHHHHHH! Literally God had sent us there and had prompted us to look up and start talking to this man. He is from Honduras and is working here in the states for his family back home. His eyes filled with tears as we explained that families are forever and that we can be born again through baptism. It was one of the COOLEST most SPIRITUAL lessons that I have ever had the opportunity to be apart of out here on the mission. This man has been waiting for the Gospel, and wants to change and be happy and come closer to God. And we were sent there to him. He had never prayed in his life, and so we got to teach him how to communicate with God. He kept calling us his angels sent from heaven. He said, "I have felt empty and far from God for so long, and this is the truth that will carry me on." WOW. Prepared people are placed in our paths. It is INCREDIBLE.

Miracle #2: We were walking down the street in what we call "little Honduras" aka Patrick Henry. and we had 15 minutes before we had to go home. We were determined to use that 15 minutes to find and teach someone about the restoration. God put them in our path. Pedro and Simon were outside smokin' their cigars when we started to talk to them. They were casual with us and then after we said that we represent the Savior and started speaking exactly what they needed to hear they dropped their cigars and sit up straight to listen. They told us they had been on a wrong path for a long time and have desired to get back for so long. YES!!! We told them about the one true church on the earth today. They want to know more. YES! MIRACLE. I LOVE THIS WORK. I LOVE THESE PEOPLE. I LOVE MY COMPANION. 

Lately, I have been reflecting a lot about the story of Moses and how his people were given DAILY bread for what they needed to survive. As a missionary, I feel like the Lord is constantly giving us our daily bread. It is never more or less than we need. We go off of faith knowing that life will be good and miracles will happen if we are just obedient and follow the Lord's will for us. God gives all of us our own personal "Manna" if we are willing to receive it and we are humble enough to recognize that we need the Lord's hand. I need the Lord. I can't do this alone. I just can't. We can't. No one can. But everyone tries. And that is why people end up finding happiness that is empty. God's happiness/manna that He will give to us on a daily basis if we seek it out. We all must "look unto [Him] in every thought; doubt not, fear not." (D&C 6:36) and then everything always seems to work out just the way that it is supposed to. Christ should be our daily bread. He is mine. I need Him, oh I need Him. "And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst. Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life. I am the bread of life....I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world." (John 6:35, 47-51)

Also. Love who you are. Understand you are a child of God, and that HIS opinion is the ONLY thing that should ever matter. It doesn't matter what everyone else is doing or what is going on around you....the only thing that matters is what God thinks. Channel your drive and love for God by loving yourself and others for who they are. You are strong. You are wonderful. You are His. You don't have to prove anything to anyone. God already knows you and loves you. Love who you are so you can love yourself. 

Thanks for all you do for me. You are always in my heart and in my prayers.

STAND STRONG.

Hermana Weenig

We heart attacked a family in our ward, whose mother just passed away. What an incredible family and what a wonderful woman. 

Virginia is beautiful....on the coast of the Patomac River. 

Driving down the streets looking at all the beautiful churches. Glad we've got the true one :)

Live TODAY and DECIDE to be Happy

Hola Querida familia! Cuanto yo les amo y deseo que todo este bien. HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY (late) WE ARE SO LUCKY TO LIVE IN THE GREATEST NATION EVER!!!

I LOVE BEING A MISSIONARY!!! Still. And I am positive that will never change. This week has been incredible, to say the least. Sometimes God's plan is so perfect and the people that He puts into our life is so perfect for what we need to learn I just stand there with my mouth open and hold on for the ride. And if I have learned anything on my mission, I have learned the more I come unto Christ, the more WEAKNESSES that I have are exposed and the more I get the chance to tap into his GRACE and learn how to rely on Him. Also, I have learned that in order for us to grow, God has to constantly pull ourselves out of our comfort zones, and often asks us to do things we don't necessarily want to do. 

BEST FOURTH OF JULY EVER!!! There is honestly nothing like being the nation's capital for the fourth. It was incredible. I AM SO PROUD TO BE AN AMERICAN. I LOVE this country, and am so grateful for the freedom that we have. Think about it: We have the freedom to speak. And the freedom of religion. Those two make missionary work possible and make the expression of truth and the growth of happiness possible as well---which is the greatest blessing in the world. We had a blast on the Fourth of July. Since, we were asked not to knock on people's doors, we attended the HUGE ward party. It was a blast! Super un-American though. There was Salsa music blasting from the background and a whole bunch of Hispanic food. But, hey! It was still a blast! I love these ward members SO much, and feel honored to serve around them. We spent the day with them. And then we had the opportunity to go an to watch the fireworks that they shoot off in downtown DC, inside an ARMY fort---Fort Myer. It was a total blast and we got to know the members really well. We are so lucky to live in this amazing country, and I LOVE AMERICA!! 

GIVING SIGHT TO THE BLIND. Miracle of Hugo's eye. This next miracle literally is proof that God is real and that miracles STILL happen. So our investigator, Hugo, who had a stroke 2 weeks ago, was blind in his left eye. We taught him about the priesthood and how the same power that Jesus Christ had when He was on the earth is on the earth today. We taught him about faith and how his faith would give him the strength to be able to heal his eye. He then asked us if he could receive a blessing. We had a member with us and he said, "Of course!" So the next days we had invited the Elders and this member to use their priesthood power to heal Hugo's eye. Well, what happened next was incredible. We read Hugo the story of how Jesus Christ healed the blind man....but that it was according to the man's faith that he was actually healed. We asked Hugo if he thought that he had the strength to be healed, and he said "Si." So, the Elders continued to give him a blessing of heal and of strength. Probably one of the most incredible blessings that I have ever heard in my entire life. After we said "Amen" we sat there in SILENCE. It was so silent you could hear a pin drop. The Spirit filled the room in a way that I have never felt it before. Hugo was speechless. EVERYONE was speechless. It was like there was a blanket of comfort and goodness that was so thick that we couldn't do anything else but just smile. The Spirit was there, it was working a miracle. All 6 of us just sat there. In UTTER silence....for 15 minutes straight. Hugo's eye began to open. HE COULD SEE AGAIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WHAT?!?!?!? INCREDIBLE!!!!!!!!!!!! MIRACLES HAPPEN STILL!!!!!!! Moroni talks a ton about, "Have miracles ceased among men? I say unto thee nay." And I can solemnly witness that is TRUE. MIRACLES haven't ceased. Hugo has got his sight back!!  Seriously, one of the COOLEST things I have ever seen on my mission. Because of Hugo's faith and because of the power of the priesthood, he received his sight again. He told us that he has never felt so happy and so healed. He said that he could feel strength returning back into his body. Incredible. Hugo is going to get baptized at the end of July. And if that wasn't a faith builder, I don't know what is. I have never felt so much happiness and joy and faith and gratitude for the Gospel as I did in those 15 minutes of silence. We knew he was being healed. And he was. 

Christian is getting BAPTIZED this weekend! What a blessing! He is probably the most prepared person that I have ever seen in all of my mission. He takes it all seriously and wants to live the gospel lifestyle. We were teaching him the commandments and he goes---"All of this just makes a LOT of sense. I want this lifestyle! It just makes life better." YEAHHHHHH!!!! Christian is on FIRE. And he is pretty much already a member. He bought a nice new suit and is making a ton of changes to his lifestyle. It is incredible to see. On Sunday I bore my testimony and talked about the change that the Gospel brings and I testified of baptism with a HUGE smile on my face....looking right at Christian. He smiled really big. He can't wait for his baptism, nor can we!!! We may have to push it back a week, depending on how he is feeling, but he is CRUISING and the ward is in love with him. 

Exchanges with the sisters in incredible! I am learning SO much. We have been working a TON with the Hermanas this transfer, and I am learning so much from all of their pizzazz and desire to hasten the Lord's work in this time. Having been a sister training leader for a time, I really am so grateful for these wonderful woman that have taught me so much through their examples. One of the sisters, from Mexico, told me that she could see God's love in my eyes. Honestly, I love these girls, and I know that God loves them. I know God loves all of us, so there is never any reason to think lowly or look down on ANYONE. We are ALL His children, and that is ENOUGH. We are ENOUGH. And He loves us perfectly. I was on an exchange with a new missionary from Mexico and we were out street contacting (possibly my favorite thing to do) and we found a man made of Gold! He was in a hurry, so we walked a MILE AND A HALF (speed walking, have you know) while TEACHING THE RESTORATION! What a blast. I love this work more and more everyday. It just keeps getting better. 

Jacky. We were going to see one of the in-active families in our ward and we knocked and they were home. But there was an African woman sitting outside on the curb....looking out into the distance. Blank stares. Sadness was written all across her face. We stopped and talked to her. God LITERALLY loves and knows all of His children, and we all have access to see and feel that love for others at all times if we want to. She was feeling down and depressed and we were able to share with her a message of hope and love through the restoration. She LOVED it. We went back to teach her family! They all want to learn and had talked to missionaries years ago and want to come and be baptized! What a miracle! 

I got to sing, via President's request (hahaha), at a huge mission leadership conference! It was a blast! The meeting was edifying and I learned a ton. We had a former missionary come and talk to us about how to "Own" proselyting via Facebook. He baptized a total of 10 people via Facebook on his mission. Incredible right? We are still trying to figure out how to better utilize social media as missionaries....but we are getting better. You can check out my Facebook page---I am under Hermana Brooke Weenig. Kinda fun. Still blows my mind. But right now I am teaching someone in the following countries: France, Pakistan, Phillipines, Alabama, China, Japan, Mexico, Honduras, Argentina, and Bolivia. ALL ON LINE!!! Can you believe how cool that is? Talk about hastening the work. WHAT A MIRACLE.

Everyday, I am learning more and more about enjoying life and learning how to be happy to just have the basics of life. Like breathing. Like a body that functions properly. Like the Book of Mormon. Sometimes we feel like we are soaring, and then suddenly feel as if our wings have cut off and that we can no longer fly. But God doesn't work like that. In fact, it is quite the contrary. Whenever we have trials or things that are put in front of us that seem to be impossible, it might seem like God takes away our wings for a while, but really, it is just so He can give us NEW ones to fly to GREATER heights. Life is SO GOOD. And The only SURE thing is that you have TODAY to live. So what will you do with it? What will you make of it? Will you HONOR God with how you live today? Will you decide that it isn't what you want, rather it is what HE wants? Will you give your desires to God? Find a reason to be happy...RIGHT NOW. And Be happy. All I know is that every tear that has ever fallen from my eyes or will ever fall from my eyes...has and will strengthen me. Tears and trials strengthen us. Use them and CHOOSE to be happy and LIVE today. Don't be so stressed about tomorrow that you can't even enjoy the moments today. "Men are that they might have joy" (2 Nephi 2:25) so have it. 

Thanks for all your love, support and prayers. I hope this finds you well and happy....and most importantly....CLOSE to our Savior Jesus Christ. You are always in my heart and prayers.

STAND STRONG.

Hermana Weenig

Fireworks at DC. INCREDIBLE. 

To celebrate the fourth we went to DC last Monday....we saw the library of congress and all of the Fourth of July banquet stuff...It was a blast!

They had some Chinese  celebration while we were there. What a blast. 

Me and Hermana Moore having a blast. 

 Hermana Moore, Me and Oliver Mejia at the Fireworks. We sat RIGHT on the Patomac River and watched them blast in front of the USA capitol. What a blast!!!

Hno. Montoya at the 4th of July BBQ for our ward, it was a blast!

 Hermana Castro and I at the BBQ...she and I are determined we knew each other before this life...way cool. 

We have a friend who works in the army base that sits right accross from the patomac. SO WE WATCHED THE FIREWORKS FROM INSIDE THE FORT!!! It was absolutely incredible! Super high security though! We went with a bunch of members in our ward and we had a blast!! 

Hermana Montoya and I....she is a superhero!

Hermana Coen and I! She moved to Washington state, but she is the mom of Christian who is getting baptized this weekend! What a wonderful woman!

 These two cute kids in our ward showed me up in soccer on the 4th. 

HAPPY 4th of July. WE live in the GREATEST country EVER!!! :) :) 

Grand Finale.

We were stuck in traffic for 1.5 hours after! But it was a blast. Got to know our ward members like the back of our hands.