Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it MIRACLE

I love being a missionary! This week has been a whirlwind of INCREDIBLE miracles and SNOW. Lots of it. But, I can't even begin to tell you how happy I am and the joy that I feel right now through doing the Lord's work. Lost. That is the best word to describe it. Totally lost in His cause, and I love it. I have never seen it snow so much in my life though! Who knew Virginia was a big snow place? I left my snowboard at home! We got about 13 inches and everything was closed for like five days. We couldn't drive, so we got to do a TON of service this week. Which, was a blast. My companion and I decided that we would shovel snow for our neighbors and help dig out their cars so that they could drive the next day. It was probably one of my most favorite days on the mission. We were in our dress boots and sweats....and all we had was a dust pan and a garbage basket to dig out the snow. So we started! It was quite the site! We did that for an hour, and then someone brought us shovels. It was a Blizzard! But we were SO happy! Car, after car, after car we dug out. And we met people and taught people as we did it! We helped people from: El Salvador, Mexico, Peru, Ghana, Sudan, Dubai, and all around the states. Our neighbors are amazing! It was so fun to serve them. We shoveled snow for 6 hours straight and people thought we were crazy! They brought us Gatorade and food from their countries. It was so cool! Who knew that shoveling snow could be so much fun?! I love sharing the gospel in doing the simple things. The man from Sudan said, "You must be women from God. No one else would do this and be unpaid." We love to serve. We dug out about 20 cars! It was a blast.

Miracle. BIG TIME. So I was on an exchange with another sister. She came to our area (she is awesome, she is from Thailand!) And all of our appointments fell through for the hour. So we stopped right there in the apartment complex and we prayed. We knew that God had brought us to that place for a reason. So we asked Him why He had brought us there and what he wanted us to do there. We both felt really strongly to knock all of the doors around the door of Ana (our investigator who wasn't home). So we did. None of them opened. We thought it was kind of weird, so we slowly walked outside. In my mind I thought, "why would the Lord tell us to knock these doors if no one was going to open?" We got in the car to go visit our next appointment. And that is when it happened. A woman from Africa came running outside of the apartment building signaling us to stop. We were literally just about to drive away when we saw her. We stopped. Rolled down the window, and she asked, "Who are you?" We told her that we represent Jesus Christ. She was intrigued. She said "You just knocked on my door." We smiled, and we said yes. We asked her why she felt the need to run out and talk to us. She said, "I don't know. I saw you through the peephole and at first I was nervous to answer the door because you were glowing. And then something inside of me just urged me to talk to you, I didn't want to miss out on what you were doing!" I think my mouth was wide open at that point. We parked the car and got out to talk to her. She asked us what we were teaching. We said, "We know God still speaks to men through a Prophet of God, and we know that Jesus Christ's church is here on the earth again." She said, "What? Who is the prophet? what is his name?" We kept talking and she kept firing us with questions. She told us that she has been searching for the truth for a long time, and hasn't been able to find it. We told her that God had sent us to knock on her door and help her find the truth and find out who she really is. She then began to tell us that she had been seriously thinking about committing suicide that week and that her life is in shambles and that she isn't worth anything anymore. WOAH. God literally sent us to her door--chills went up my spine. She is absolutely incredible. She told us that she had been praying and praying for God to send her some sign that God still loved her, and in that moment there was a knock at her door.....it was us. As we explained her purpose in life and the Love that Heavenly Father has for her she began to cry and cry. She said, "Teach me what I need to do to change my life around, and I will do it." My socks were knocked off. Probably the COOLEST experience I have had on my mission so far. We taught her about baptism about prayer and about the atonement. She soaked it in. She is getting baptized!! We have seen her so much, and she is progressing so fast. We gave her the Book of Mormon and she is reading the WHOLE THING! She is incredible! This really is the hastening of the work. AMAZING things are happening.

MIRACLE: Byron Leonardo, our investigator that was on date for about two weeks ago who moved to Ecuador, came back! And he said that he met up with the missionaries down there and that he wants to be baptized! He showed up in church---and we almost fell FLAT ON OUR FACES!!!!! He came to gospel principles and told everyone that he is finally ready to change and come unto Christ! He will be baptized on his birthday, March 1. We are so happy for him! WAHOOOOOOOO!!!!! Also, he and his mariachi band will be playing at the event us missionaries are planning "Mundial Mormon!"

MIRACLE: Bryan Huarita is on for baptism on March 1 as well!!! AAAAAMAZING!!! He has gone from never wanting to get baptized, to totally dedicated to being baptized! It is so amazing to see and we are so excited for all the changes that area happening in his life.

MIRACLE: Kelly, a young girl that we are teaching is changing her lifestyle so she can get baptized. She told us she has no idea why she is here on earth and what her purpose is. We set goals. We talked about how Christ helps us achieve those goals. She decided to stop giving into peer pressure and start relying on God. She is getting baptized this next month!!! WAHOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!

I love being a missionary. I love doing exchanges. I love all the sisters that I get to work with on a weekly basis. I love my companion and I love this ward and area. I love these people. That is all.

I have been learning like crazy this week that it is so important for us to give up our will to do the Lord's. His plan is so much better than our own. But sometimes we think that we are in control and that we don't need to let Him in on our plans, but that is not how it works. In fact, it is quite the opposite. If we allow Him to take control and listen to Him as we counsel with Him through prayer...WE FLY to MUCH greater heights. Over and over again I have seen how much higher God's ideas, thoughts and plans are. Even when we think He isn't in the details.....He is. Over and Over again. Its incredible. I hope you take the chance to get to KNOW God...He is your Heavenly Father. I hope you take the chance to talk with Him...for real---the good, the awesome, the ugly, the worst. RELY on Him. That is what these people are doing. We have seen people go from drug addicts, abuse, gangs, you name it....to becoming who they were meant to become through Christ. It is possible for all of us. We just need to do it. :)

STAND STRONG.

Thanks for all your support, love, letters and everything. I love you!!

Hermana Weenig

The US capitol! my favorite building in DC

The library of Congress....STUNNING.

That is a million dollars.

Preparation for the Mundial Mormon

Shoveling snow...with a dust pan and garbage bin. We finally got real shovels after an hour of doing this! hahaha   We were SOAKED. We dug people's cars out of parking lots for SIX HOURS! WHEW!

During dinner, we built a snow bear! YES!!! :)

Snow storm.

Went to the temple yesterday! It was gorgeous! We had the opportunity to go up to the 7th floor of the temple for a special meeting! It was incredible!! :)

Hermana Dopp and I

The Senior couple Carliles! They are an incredible couple!

A fun Valentine surprise.  Thanks, Candice!

Finding Families = HASTENING HAPPENING

I LOVE BEING A MISSIONARY. I had this terrifying realization the other day that I have been out a year....where in the world did the time go?!? I know this probably sounds terrible, but I never want to leave this place. I literally love it so much. The people, the language, the miracles, the area, the ward, my companion...just EVERYTHING. I can't wait for the day when all of you get to serve missions and get to experience first hand doing the Lord's work all day everyday. I love it. Every second. THE HASTENING IS SO REAL. We have been praying and searching for FAMILIES. And I know now, that God in fact does answer prayers. The Holy Ghost has led and guided us to be exactly where we need to be to find the families that are prepared. MIRACLES.

One of the biggest miracles of the week was the Juan Gonzalez got the priesthood and a calling this week! AMAZING! He was just baptized a month ago, and now he is totally converted and fully active in the church. I can't tell you how happy it makes us to see him in his white shirt and tie, and see him asking us and the ward members questions about what he can do to learn more. He was just called as a Ward Missionary....PERFECT! He is now going to bless the lives of so many people! We took him to the temple this week and he said he wants his entire family to be baptized in Guatemala! So we are sending the missionaries down there to talk to them! AMAZING! I can't wait for Juan to go through the temple in a year! :) :) :) !!!!! MIRACLES.

Ana Orellana is on FIRE. Ana has met with a lot of missionaries before, but she is FINALLY making some incredible headway! We took her to the temple visitors center (Washington DC temple is GORGEOUS, one of my favs), and we had an incredible tour about the family and Jesus Christ and how He is the ONLY One that can bring us full and complete joy! She was so moved, and was asking so many questions. We invited her to be baptized on March 1, and she said YES!!!! WAHOOOO! She has been coming to church for 2 years, and will finally be baptized. The Spirit confirmed to her that it doesn't matter where she had been, what she had done, but the ONLY thing that matters is WHO she is BECOMING. The Lord loves us and wants us to be light and happy, so when we focus on BECOMING, rather than beating ourselves down for things that we have done, we are happier. Ana is starting to see that light, so now she will be baptized. Her daughter, Kimberly also wants to learn about the gospel and prepared to get baptized! Miracles are happening right and left! I know that God prepared that family to hear the Gospel, and now is their time to accept it!

FAMILIES. This ward is ON FIRE and have been referring their friends like CRAZY...and most of them are totally interested! It is a MIRACLE! The best missionaries are literally the ward members by far! It is so much fun to see! They are working like crazy to share the gospel with all their family members and friends. They have truly caught the vision of member missionary work, it is AMAZING! We have found and are teaching 4 different FAMILIES thanks to member referrals and working closely with the members. The Lord has prepared so many families to hear the Gospel, and that is what is what the Gospel is all about---FAMILIES. So it is truly incredible to see. They are all in the beginning stages of learning...we are seeing 2 of them tonight...but they are GOLDEN. They want to know more, and have a desire to come closer to God through preparing for baptism. I can't explain the joy I feel right now! Seeing Elizabeth's family, Jose and Loius' family, Alarcon family and others coming to Christ, but learning about it together! THIS PLACE IS ON FIRE! The other day we went to visit a less-active returning member, and she had invited her friend. We taught the first lesson...the Spirit was stronger than I have ever felt before! They are from Honduras, and the friend is all alone here in the states. She said, "I know that God brought me here for a reason, and I think that this is the reason." WHAT! AMAZING! She is getting baptized at the end of this month---she will be "reading the book of Mormon like crazy" to make sure she is prepared. MIRACLES.

Bryan is a changed person. He is making HUGE sacrifices so that he can be prepared to get baptized on the first of March! YES! GO BRYAN! That includes the fact that he has been apologizing to people he hurt, changing friends and his edgy lifestyle to come closer to Christ. He told us yesterday that he has never been more happy and that he wished that he had changed a long time ago. Bryan is a huge example to me. He doesn't care what everyone else thinks of him, he just wants to be CONFIDENT and WORTHY in the presence of the Lord. That is my goal, and Bryan inspires me. He is studying, praying, coming to church and CHANGING so that he can be closer to the Lord.

We had transfers this week.....Hermana Dopp and I are staying together! YES! I love this girl, she is the best! We will continue serving as sister training leaders! This is Hermana Dopp's LAST TRANSFER. I get the pleasure of literally "running till she cries mercy" before she goes home. We have set some HUGE goals for finding and baptizing people this transfer and we are ready to WORK HARDER THAN EVER BEFORE. I love all the hermanas so much, they are incredible missionaries! We are going to be really busy this transfer doing more exchanges more often. I am learning so much from these wonderful hermanas, their areas and everything they do to be great missionaries. Exchanges are exhausting, but they are the greatest thing ever. The Lord loves and watches over all of His missionaries, and it has been incredible to see the hand of the Lord in their lives.

Our district is planning an EPIC event! We were sitting in district meeting this past week, and we were inspired to plan a HUGE mission-wide event. It is going to be called "Mundial Mormon". Which in English is "The Mormon World Cup." It is sheer genius and the ward and the stakes in our mission are supporting it like crazy! It is going to be quite a huge event in March! The goal is to get a ton of less actives, investigators and members all interacting in a fun, family-centered environment. So it is a soccer tournament with a talent show at the end! YES! And during it all, us missionaries will be giving tours of the chapel! MIRACLE! We are so excited for all the plans and cool things that are happening....in-actives and less-actives are coming out of the woodwork! :)

Thank you so much for all your love, support, and EVERYTHING! You all are the BEST! I love you so much and you are always in my thoughts and my prayers. I can't believe it has been a year....THERE IS SO MUCH WORK TO BE DONE HERE! One thing that I am really learning right now is to do the will of the Lord, and follow the Spirit with exactness. As my companion and I have truly focused in on this, we have been happy, confident and at ease. There is no need to stress out about life. God knows EXACTLY what you need to do, what you need to say, how you need to live....Just ask. And then LISTEN. And be WILLING to act upon the answers that you receive. That is a process I am trying to master right now. Because time and time again we, as missionaries, don't know where to go, what to say or which door to knock...but the Lord ALWAYS knows and He leads us to exactly where we need to be and we open our mouths and He fills us with exactly they need to hear. I know He will do the same with ANY decision that we need to make--and that YOU need to make--but we need to trust Him and follow the Still Small Voice that leads us quietly and carefully to where we need to be.

STAND STRONG.

Happy Valentines Day! 

Hermana Weenig

Juan, Ana, Hermana Dopp and I at the Temple Visitor center. What a beautiful experience.

The BEAUTIFUL Washington DC temple. :)

WE beat the Elder's challenge!! Wahoo!!! 30 member present lessons in one week, 42 lessons total! What a miracle! And the prize=delicious chips and salsa! :) Yummmm....

Hasten Happening

I LOVE love LOVE love LOVE being a missionary. So much. I never want it to end. We are SO busy and SO many miracles are happening all around everyday...we are running on a treadmill going 4830984293 miles per hour. The Lord is incredible, and is truly hastening the work---right in front of our eyes. Don't believe me? Well, our mission had 123 baptism this month, 20 this past weekend, our ward had 5 baptisms this weekend, and we taught more than 40 lessons this week. It is nothing we are doing, The Lord is CARRYING US and LEADING us to where we need to go, what we need to do and what we need to say. THE HASTENING IS REAL, we are just sprinting to keep up!!!!! People are being prepared, and it is amazing to see how many people have some type of connection to our faith---whether it is family members, friends, things they have seen on TV or whatever. Almost everyone we talk to have heard of the Mormons in one form or another. But I can honestly say---WOW. God really is putting prepared people in our path....left and right. It is INCREDIBLE. I LOVE THIS GREAT WORK. The people, the language, the place, the ward, the area, my companion---the EVERYTHING. Seriously, it is incredible. Things are happening, and it is nothing short of a miracle EVERYDAY. Seriously, this is the DREAM LIFE.

 

NANCY SALZAR PINEDA GOT BAPTIZED THIS WEEK!!! WAHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!! We are so excited for her! She has come such a long way, and has truly become a "new creature in Christ." She went from being involved in abuse, gangs, drugs and the like to coming out to preach the Gospel with us. This gospel is spelled--C-H-A-N-G-E. I wrote in my journal that the day Nancy got baptized was by far the BEST day of my mission so far. We went out tracting that day and found a lot of new people to teach, and then we went to Nancy's baptism. She was so happy. She has been so nervous to get baptized, but she is so strong. Seeing Nancy in white, and seeing her be baptized brought tears of happiness to my eyes. She is CLEAN. She is NEW. She is BECOMING. I love Nancy so much, and I know that I knew her before I came to this earth. We will be best of friends for a LONG time. She is one of the strongest youth I have ever met, and she will go on to change hundreds of lives forever. Even though her family wasn't at her baptism, the ward was. Nancy requested that I sing at her baptism, and that was really cool. THE WHOLE WARD TURNED OUT! The baptism was packed. Nancy said, "Even though my blood family isn't there for me, I know I have a whole family there to help me to do the impossible." Her testimony after the baptism was the most powerful thing I have ever heard. It rocked my world and the world of everyone that was there. The Spirit was so strong it drove me to tears. Nancy will probably be a advocate for good....an inspiration speaker of sorts. That girl knows WHY she is here and where she is going. She said, "God wants me to succeed, and wants me to be happy, that is why he sent me the Gospel." When Nancy was confirmed a member of the church she was promised she would go on a mission, bless hundreds of lives, and be the instrument of bringing many unto the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Isn't that amazing? She hasn't wasted any time!!!! In fact, Nancy is with us teaching EVERYDAY! Out knocking doors, teaching lessons and following up with all our investigators! She is already a preach my Gospel missionary and it is so fun to see! I am so happy for her!! :) :) She spoke at the New member fireside yesterday and LOVES coming out with us to teach. She is a spiritual GIANT.

 

The other night, all of our plans and back-up plans fell through, so we prayed. We gave the Lord some options we came up with. After we said "amen" Nancy said, "Who is Byron? We need to go see him RIGHT now, he is in trouble." So we went with haste. When we got there, there was something very off. Byron is a 14 year old we have been teaching. His mom is a member, but Byron has always been bitter against the church. When we got there, we started asking questions, their faces where stained with tears. We found out there had been some abuse going on from the dad and Nancy was able to help because she has gone through the same thing. There were tears, but the spirit was so strong it was piercing. WHAT A MIRACLE. The Lord sent us there to help this family in a moment of desperation. Byron opened up, and we compared him to the "protector" Moroni and how he is going to do incredible things in his life, despite how belittled and horrible he felt in that moment. We are helping him becoming like "unto Moroni." He is an amazing person.

 

AMAZING MIRACLE: Bryan, an investigator we have been teaching since the beginning of December, is a seminary graduate, eagle scout and isn't a member of the church. Crazy, right? He is the most prepared and the most ready for baptism that I have ever seen. But for the longest time he said he didn't want to get baptized. Well, a MIRACLE happened. He came to Nancy's baptism. While there he felt the Spirit so strong, something that he hasn't felt in a LONG time. Well, he said, "Seeing Nancy be baptized, and knowing where she has been and where she is going has changed my perspective on who I am and what I can become. I guess my walls weren't as thick as I thought they were." We taught Bryan like crazy this week. HE IS PROGRESSING SO QUICKLY. His prayers are so sincere!! But what was even a bigger miracle was that he ACCEPTED TO BE BAPTIZED ON MARCH 1st!! WAHOOOOOO!!!! He said he is ready to change and leave his old life behind and get on the path that leads to true happiness. I am learning so much from him. HE CAME TO CHURCH ON SUNDAY WITH A WHITE SHIRT AND TIE!!! First time in 5 years!!!! MIRACLES HAPPEN!

 

Miracles. The Lord is guiding out footsteps and putting people like crazy in our paths. We have 17 new, solid people that we are teaching. They are incredible. We were led to a door, and behind that door was Margarita. She just moved here from Honduras and feels alone, scared and unhappy. We started to teach her the Gospel. We told her we would come back the next day to teach her more and she said that she would be there. Well, when we got there the next night, she was WAITING OUTSIDE IN THE COLD for us. She said, "I know what you are teaching is true. Because I have felt something I have never felt before in my life." The Spirit taught her. As we walked her through the lesson, she told us that she had been reading the Book of Mormon and felt such a happiness she hasn't felt in a while! MIRACLES!

 

ANA!!! Ana, is another one of our investigators from El Salvador, and this week she was praying to know if she should get baptized and she said she had SUCH A STRONG, POWERFUL feeling come over her that made all the hairs on her body stand straight up. SHE IS GETTING BAPTIZED ON THE 28 of FEBRUARY!!! She told us that she felt strongly that before she should get baptized, she should get married! AMAZING! She knew the Law of Chastity before we even taught it to her!

 

I love going on exchanges with the Hermanas. They are amazing and all the areas are on FIRE! Being a sister training leader has really opened my eyes to how much this work is truly hastening! The missionaries are amazing, the members are amazing and the people are prepared! What an exciting and precious time to be a missionary, member or investigators!

 

Miracles are happening. More and more people are becoming "new creatures in Christ." I am learning everyday, that the Gospel isn't about just doing and saying. It is actually much more than that. IT IS BECOMING. It is a daily, constant process that converts us more and more EVERYDAY. I hope that all of us will continually CONVERT ourselves to Jesus Christ and follow His every footstep---but not just do it, but BECOME it. So that, "when he comes, we shall be like Him." I love my Savior Jesus Christ more than anything in the world. He is my Shepard, Best Friend, and constant companion. He is my Light, and I want to stop at nothing to become exactly the woman that He needs me to be. I know He loves me and He loves you. And because of that, He has given you this life to BECOME. But we have the chance to choose......"eternal life, or eternal death", to BECOME or to just go through the motions. I invite you to let the Gospel of Jesus Christ penetrate your soul, your being, and become so much a PART of you that nothing can change it....not trials, not circumstance, not people, not things....become unshakable. BECOME. THIS IS YOUR TIME. "Today is the time of your probation...." use it wisely. Thanks for all your love, support and prayers. I am so happy for all of you and so proud of all the good you are doing. You are constantly in my heart, in my prayers and I LOVE YOU. But He loves you more :) Don't forget that. He has ALWAYS got your back.

 

STAND STRONG

Hermana Weenig

Helping Juan, a recent convert move!

Nancy and I. She is my hero, and I feel so blessed our roads crossed. She truly has come unto the Savior Jesus Christ. What a sight she was in white!

Hermana Dopp, Nancy and I. :)

Ana, one of our investigators who is planning to get baptized in a month!! WA HOOO! She came to one of the baptisms this weekend! Amazing!

View from our new apartment! At night, it looks like the forbidden forest off of Harry Potter :)

Wise Men Build Houses on ROCKS

 I LOVE being a missionary. If you were to ask me on a scale of 1 to 10 how happy and how much I love this great work I wouldn't be able to answer because there is no scale high enough. Inviting and helping others so BUILD upon Jesus Christ, and seeing them change and follow His path is something that seems like a dream come true. But it is honestly marvelous to see how the Lord's hand is quickly hastening His work here. I am seeing a pattern that is never ceasing throughout my own life as a missionary and in the process of helping others to come unto to Jesus Christ, and that is how to be SPIRITUALLY RELIANT on the Lord. Not worrying about friends, not worrying about family, or other opinions, but truly turning to the Lord in "every thought" and so we honestly can "doubt not, fear not." (D&C 6:36). We have been focusing on finding the elect and truly having people be converted to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ by building on the "rock" of Jesus Christ and His atonement, so that "when all hail and mighty storms shall beat upon you, it shall have no power over you to drag you down to the gulf of misery and endless wo" because BUILDING your life around Christ and His atonement, is "a sure foundation, a foundation whereon if men build they cannot fall." (Helaman 5:12) This week went by SO fast and seriously so many miracles have been happening, that I don't even know where to start.

 

JUAN GONZALEZ ALEGRIA GOT BAPTIZED ON SATURDAY!!!!! WHAT A MIRACLE!!! :) :) :) :) :) :)  We are literally bouncing off the walls because we are so happy! He is one of the MOST prepared and most converted people that I have taught on my mission. He is absolutely wonderful, and I feel so blessed that I have had the opportunity to learn with him, the ward members fellowshipping him, and to invite him to come unto Christ. Juan is a WALKING MIRACLE. We learn a lot about being led and guided by the Spirit to find those who are ready to hear the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and Juan is definitely one that was carefully prepared by the Lord and placed in our paths. It seems like yesterday we were walking down the street when Juan walked by with his friends. We said "Hola" and sang a hymn about Christ and began teaching about Change and repentance and how we can be happy through following Jesus Christ. I now understand the POWER of talking to EVERYONE as a missionary, and opening our mouths at every chance. Literally. I have full confidence that every single person that crosses our path in some way has been prepared by the Lord for us to talk to, and teach about the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Having that faith and confidence that these people have been prepared by the Lord, makes it so easy to talk to them about what has changed my life forever. Juan was prepared. He listened. He made HUGE changes. He reads the scriptures, came to church, prayed, stopped drinking beer and coffee, he found a NEW apartment place to live in a better environment, he bought a white shirt....HE CHANGED....all within FOUR WEEKS. He is now baptized, and one of the strongest members I have ever seen. He is literally building his life around Christ, and coming unto him. He literally will do anything to be closer to Christ. He has taught me a lot. He is always smiling, always wanting to serve and yesterday we asked him if he was going to go to the third hour of church, and he responded, "I have made a commitment to my God. Of course I am going." That rang throughout my ears all yesterday. WHAT A BEAUTIFUL PHRASE! Juan Gonzalez is one that is truly BUILDING his life upon the rock of Jesus Christ. He has allowed the ATONEMENT of Christ to change Him and make him into something much better. Seeing Juan all in white was one of the coolest moments for me on my mission yet. He really has changed. When he went down into the font and was baptized---I will never forget the look on his face---it was PURE JOY. In fact, the man was smiling so big, I couldn't believe it! He was GLOWING! He is now Hermano Alegria (which means Brother Happiness, if you translate his name to English). I was smiling so big, my companion was smiling so big...and it was a JOY that can't be bought, learned or traded. It was amazing. Juan is clean and is starting totally over. And he is so happy. We are so happy. I am STILL smiling. He asked me to sing, "I know my Redeemer lives" at his baptism, because he had heard me sing it at another one, and said that was when he felt the Spirit so strongly that he needed to be baptized. Oh, the power of music! He received the Holy Ghost yesterday and it was the most beautiful blessing I have ever heard. He was promised to share the Gospel with many and be an instrument for good in the Lord's hands. Lets just say there was a LOT of tears shed. Tears of Joy are the best kind there are.

 

Nancy is another person who is building her life on the rock of Jesus Christ. SHE GETS BAPTIZED TOMORROW!!! She is so excited, we are so excited and the ward is so excited!!! Nancy is incredible. Seriously. I hate satan. He has been throwing like 1000000 darts of the adversary at her this week, one of them being that her best friend told her that she was totally doing the wrong thing by getting baptized. Nancy was so sad, but as she told us the story, she said in her mind that, "this is just a test, this is just a test." She told her best friend that real friends would love her and support her in her decisions to do what she knows and has felt is right. Nancy is the strongest person I have ever seen. She says, "I can't deny this is EXACTLY what the Lord wants me to be doing right now---and nothing anyone else says or does will break me." She truly has started founding her life upon the rock of Jesus Christ. Tomorrow she'll be laying that foundation! 

 

This week we had an ENTIRE mission conference! Elder Gifford S. Nelson of the quorum of the 70 came and spoke to us! It was absolutely fantastic! We learned a lot about getting to know our Savior Jesus Christ and ACTUALLY knowing who He is, and what He does for us, so that we can help other people come unto Him. One thing that really stood out to me was that as a missionary I am teaching people the Process of Becoming LIKE GOD. Isn't that incredible? The gospel of Jesus Christ, the reason we go to church, read the scriptures, pray and everything we do in the church is all part of the process to mold us into BECOMING LIKE GOD. We are God's in training...never forget that. Keep that perspective and nothing can break you. After, the leadership of the mission learned about how we can be better leaders and help serve the missionaries better. He talked about being SPIRITUALLY SELF RELIANT. That when we don't know what to do, where to go, what to say...ect.. the FIRST source we should turn to is the Lord. Often we don't do that. We turn to other outlets for counsel and advice. But the Lord knows us better than anyone else, so He will guide us to do the right things if we allow Him too. It is all part of BUILDING our lives on a foundation that WILL NOT fall. A foundation of turning to the Lord and being continually engaged in becoming like Gods. Elder Nelson said, "In every place you go, it isn't by chance. Ask them and ask yourself, 'God brought me here, so why am I here?' Then just listen and learn." WOW. POWERFUL. Nothing that God puts us through or people we meet is by chance.

 

We had president interviews this week, and President Riggs is one of the greatest people I have ever known! I know that God calls and inspires men to lead us and guide us so that we can reach our full potential as children of God.

 

SIDENOTE: I love my companion Hermana Dopp. She is teaching me so much to be a loving leader and she is so kind! We are working really hard and this week is a BIG week for us as we are putting forth our faith to the Lord and have set some really Big, hairy, audacious, goals for this next week. We are ready to find more of the Lord's elect and to work as hard as we can. A few of the Elders have challenged us again..... I love working hard and being motivated to give ALL that I am to the Lord. I think I am a bit of a competitive tyke. Hermana Dopp says, "I wish we had a ladder to all the rooftops, where we could just shout this all the day through." I would have to completely endorse that idea.

 

School here was canceled all week because of snow. Crazy, right? But it was perfect because everyone was inside and home! We did a ton of teaching and finding new people to teach and they are wonderful! We are so busy, and so grateful that the Lord is providing us with so much work! MIRACLES are happening and this ward IS ON FIRE! They are working around the clock to come to lessons with us, find friends to teach and miracles are happening!

 

Thank you so much for all your love, support, letters and prayers. I carry you in my heart and prayers and love you so much. I hope you never let other things get in the way of BECOMING LIKE A GOD. I am learning to be spiritually self-reliant so I don't have to rely on things, the internet, people, or whatever else to make me happy. LASTING JOY comes through the Gospel of Jesus Christ, but a lot of times the world tells us to be TEMPORARY SATISFIED through other "joys." Don't let that trick you. You've got SO MUCH MORE JOY AND HAPPINESS THAT THE WORLD COULD NEVER OFFER. Don't loose sight of WHO you are and WHAT you are becoming. I love you. Don't build your life on the shifting sands of the world, choose to build your life on the ROCK of our Savior Jesus Christ...who never moves and is always there. We a wise one, and build your house and your life on a rock.

 

STAND STRONG.

(on the STRONG foundation of our Savior Jesus Christ)

Hermana Weenig

Hermana Dopp, Juan Gonzalez Alegria and I. WAHOOOO!!! What a miracle! I love Juan! He is an amazing example! He is from Guatemala!!

Baptism! Amazing day! Bruno, a young man in the ward baptized him! What a special day!

"You is Lucky Imma Be Gettin' Baptized!!!!!"

I love being a missionary. Literally everything is shut down here this week because of the "huge" snow storm that hit...I LOVE Virginia. This week was absolutely incredible and BUSY. I can't even describe it in words. I seriously feel as if I have been walking on sacred ground and I have been learning so much. I love these people, this work, this gospel, my Savior and EVERYTHING so much. One thing that I am learning from being a missionary is that every heart needs to be touched. It doesn't matter if they are a gangster on the street, a rich lawyer, or just your common joe. EVERYONE needs this message. I love the exhilaration and the peace that comes from sharing the gospel with these amazing people. The Hispanic people really do live constantly in the presence of God; their hearts are so open to change (some more than others) and they want to change and "experiment on the word." This week my socks were blown off by just how much the Lord is HASTENING this work. Miracles---right and left everyday. I am just so grateful my Heavenly Father and my family has given me this incredible opportunity to serve my brothers and sisters here on earth. I feel pretty lucky to help all these people come unto Christ through changing their lives for the better. It is the greatest work, because it isn't about us, it is about Him and THEM.

 

Nancy. is. on. FIRRRRRE!! Nancy Salizar-pineda is from El Salvador. She is absolutely incredible. Nancy is one of the strongest youth that I have ever met in my entire life. She has always been a fighter both spiritually and physically. She used to get really mad and get in fights with other girls at school. but she is changing. NANCY READ THE ENTIRE BOOK OF MORMON. She said whenever she would get upset and wanted to punch someone she would read because it would calm her down...so she read it A LOT. Nancy is SO prepped and ready to be baptized! We are so excited for her! But let me tell you an amazing story. A girl was bullying her at school and she had about had it. Her friends told her that she should just go beat her up and teach her a lesson, but Nancy said that she would just got "talk it out face to face." Well, apparently, there in the high school lunch-room, Nancy faced her childhood bully. She approached, as the crowds started to gather---you don't mess with Nancy. The bully turned and started to taunt her. Nancy said as she listened she was calm. She has been praying not to get in fights because she doesn't want to get in trouble or expelled. So she listened. And then, she said she was done with her....she got up. Everyone thought she was about to throw a punch. But instead she got up and said in front of her bully and everyone, "Girl, you is lucky Imma be gettin' baptized!!!!!" and then walked away. She said she felt empowered and a peace that she has never felt before. Later, on the ride home on the bus, the bully appeared again. Nancy said she almost couldn't take it---she said she wanted to hit her in the face---but then she said she felt like she needed to pray. So instead of throwing a punch, she prayed. Her friend that was sitting next to her told the bully, "girl, you be lucky she is gettin' baptized. You are lucky, because if she wasn't you wouldn't be alive." Nancy is amazing! She will be getting baptized next Tuesday and she is probably the strongest and most converted person I have ever seen. Her goal is to share the Gospel with all of her family!! I want to be like Nancy!! Nancy has the most real, sincere prayers I have ever heard. She has been in and out of gangs and hasn't had the easiest life. But she is CHANGED. And she is allowing Jesus Christ to change her everyday and to overcome ALL of her weaknesses through turning to Him everyday through prayer.

 

JUAN GETS BAPTIZED THIS SATURDAY!!! Juan is on FIRE! He has been reading the Book of Mormon, coming to church activities and the ward loves him! We saw him the other day and he had what looked like a coffee cup in hand. We got really scared, and he could see the fear on our face and he smiled and said, "HERMANAS!!! Solo es chocolate caliente!"  (Which means "sisters, its only hot chocolate!) He has completely given up coffee, which was hard because he has drank it since he was born practically. Juan is the biggest example to me of just being totally willing to follow the will of the Lord. He doesn't care what he himself wants to do, he just has a HUGE desire to do what the Lord wants Him to do. HE IS INCREDIBLE and we are so excited for his baptism this weekend!! :) Change is SO real. It seems like just the other day we found him when he was going to get drunk with his friends....and now he claims that "God has sent angels to save him" from the path he was on. It wasn't us that changed him. It was a miracle from God.

 

Miracle: Byron is a Mariachi band singer and is becoming a expert on the Book of Mormon. Byron is from Ecuador and used to sing in a Mariachi band. Yes. He and his band have already committed to singing at our weddings. But besides serenading us and the entire ward with his skills, he has been reading the Book of Mormon like it is chocolate. But it is much better than any type of chocolate. We gave him the Book of Mormon and I remember him taking the Book in his hands and handling it with such care and appreciation. As we bore testimony his eyes lit up. We came back two days later and HE HAD READ ALL THE WAY THROUGH THE BOOK OF JACOB!!! Incredible. He says that he knows it is a Book from God and wants to be baptized on February 15!! We are SOOOOOO excited for him. He has so many insights and questions. He has taught me that the Book of Mormon really is the most true, the most sincere and most powerful book on the face of the earth. Byron loves to read, and has read a TON of religious books, but he says the Book of Mormon is from God and is changing his perspective on life. I love the Book of Mormon, and if I could I would just sit in a hammock all day and read it. But I can't even describe the joy that I feel when I have the chance to share that book with someone else. That Book is and will forever make we want to better, it gives me hope and brings me to know my Savior Jesus Christ better. It is just as Byron says, "a perspective changer." I hope you let it change yours as well.

 

Another girl, Kelly is from Peru, wanted to learn how to sing. She is investigating the church and the other day we had a powerful lesson. She wanted a singing lesson, (which we did via singing Hymns) but then it turned into "you are a BEAUTIFUL daughter of God with SO much purpose lesson". And then she told us she wants to be baptized NEXT WEEK!! MIRACLES MIRACLES MIRACLES!  We are so excited for all these people and how many people have been carefully placed and prepared by the Lord.

 

This ward and area is ON FIRE. The members here are working overtime and almost all of our lessons are with a member! If the lessons fall through, they come out tracting with us....searching for someone to teach and it is incredible how many people we are finding!

 

Some of elders are "declaring war on us" because they say they want to set fire to their prospective areas as well. From the APs to the district leaders in other areas, it is amazing to see other missionaries catching the vision of the hastening. Setting high goals and working like CRAZY to accomplish them with the Lord is not only fun, but the people and the areas LITE FIRE. THIS PLACE IS ON FIRE. It is really funny though, because to us, the numbers don't matter at ALL....it is all about the people!! It is SO amazing and so motivating to see all these missionaries working like crazy and having the desire to work hard. I LOVE THIS PLACE! We are working and teaching like crazy. It is seriously all the Lord. The hastening is happening before our eyes.

 

We had transfers! There was an emergency and all the Hermanas had to have transfers mid-transfers! So I am still with the Woderful Hermana Dopp, and Hermana Sorensen left to a different area. She will be missed! It has been a little stressful as we are trying to re-do exchanges and getting all the hermanas situated and happy....but I LOVE IT. Change is always good! So we are back down to just Hermana Dopp and I. I know that Hermana Sorensen is going on to do some incredible things, and I'm so grateful for the opportunity I got to serve with her for a short while.

 

I love being able to do exchanges with all the Hermanas as a sister trainer leader. I learn SO much from them. This week was particularly amazing as I was able to go on an exchange with a Hermana that has had a lot of the same difficulties and challenges that I have had throughout my life. These hermanas are AMAZING and I feel so grateful to be able to learn from them and see how the Lord is literally in the details in their lives!! I am learning and seeing how much we all have to rely on the Lord because we are all weak. We have been focusing on the Atonement with the Hermanas and we have been loving it. The healing power of relying on Christ and trusting Him to help us to become better and happy servants is REAL. And I see it more and more everyday. It is truly incredible.

 

Just so you know, I love you. Thank you so much for you support, letters, prayers, service to me and others,  and most importantly for being WHO YOU ARE. We are not here in this life to be the richest, the smartest, famous, the most hipster or whatever. We are here to CHANGE. Change our own lives to be more in line with the will of God, and then to turn outward and help OTHER change and come unto God. I have never ever been more happy in my life as I see these people truly changing and coming unto Christ. I TOTALLY agree with what Moroni said when he said, "My beloved brethren have miracles ceased? Behold I say unto you, Nay; neither have angels ceased to minister unto the children of men." (Moroni 7:29) I would have to say the GREATEST miracle is the miracle of CHANGE. And the way that we do that is through relying on our Savior and His atonement. So, try it.

 

STAND STRONG.

 

Hermana Weenig

Juan with his HOT CHOCOLATE!!! Ah le lu ia! What a miracle! No more coffee! GO JUAN!

Hermana Sorensen and I, she will be missed!

We did some service for a Honduraian family! They are incredible! It was their little girls birthday and needed help decorating! I love these people!

SNOWWWWWW!!!! We just got the biggest snow storm Virginia has seen in many years! We will be Bundling up! But it is perfect for finding people home!

The elders who "declared war" on our companionship. So funny.

Hastening

I LOVE being a missionary. This literally is the dream life and I seriously don't think I ever EVER want to leave. This week was literally sacred. Miracle after miracle after miracle after miracle. THESE PEOPLE ARE INCREDIBLE. I love this place, my companions, and this great work. So many incredible things happened, and most of it I can't even talk about because it was so incredible. I have LITERALLY seen first hand how the work of the Lord is HASTENING---like a bullet. People are ready. There is SO SO SO MUCH work to be done and I love it so much. The field is white and READY to harvest.  Don't believe me? Listen to this...

Nancy Salzarpineda, from El Salvador---an 17 year old girl that we have been teaching. She IS A ROCK---literally the strongest woman that I know. Probably one of the funniest, but also the strongest. NOTHING shakes this girl. She is getting baptized on January 28!!!! We can't even WAIT!!! AHHH! Well, MIRACLE. We taught her the Word of Wisdom the other day, and that weekend she went to a party. At that party all of her friends were smoking marijuana. They were passing it around the circle and it came her turn. She took it in her hands and thought to herself something we had taught her before, "What would Jesus do?" Without hesitation she said she INSTANTLY crushed it out. Her friends were, in the words of Nancy, "Extremely ticked." What was even cooler about this moment was that after Nancy crushed it out, She began to give her friends a 30 minute lecture on how smoking and drinking are not healthy for your body. In her own words, Nancy said, "I dunno what came over me! But I just started teaching them the word of wisdom and they all looked at me like I was a crazy person. I told them to plan on me never being apart of this stuff AGAIN! It wasn't even that hard for me, because I know who I am and I know what God wants me to do, so that is all that matters! And you know what? They haven't invited me to any of their parties since." WOW. Talk about one of the NOBLE and GREAT youth of the Church. She is amazing! What's more is that she is getting no support from her family in this process of getting baptized. But she KNOWS it is true and can therefore not deny it. "My greatest hope is that after I get baptized, my whole family will just follow suite," She says. I don't know of too many teens that are learning about the Gospel who would have had the guts, the testimony and the enthusiasm to do what she does. I WANT TO BE LIKE NANCY. Fear no one, and live your life because you Love God.

And...If that wasn't enough, she has had really cold feet about being baptized, but she is MORE than ready. But, another miracle happened. The other day, she HAD A DREAM. Her dream was that she got baptized, and then she was in some foreign place telling other people her story of being converted. CHILLS ran up my spine when she said that. We said, "Nancy, I think you are going on a mission." She just responded, "I know." WOW. This girl is UNREAL and is literally one that will change this ward, the church and the world. I am so grateful I have been able to be apart of watching her change her life and come unto Christ. Despite the fact that her friends don't like what we believe, her parents aren't super supportive, SHE STANDS STRONG to WHO she is and WHAT she knows. She doesn't care what the world thinks of her, she only cares about what God thinks! She has already been inviting her family to come to her baptism. She is going to be the fire that sets her family on fire. I LOVE IT.

Side note: This week we went on exchanges! I LOVE THE HERMANAS SO MUCH!! Seriously. I consider it one of the biggest blessing and opportunities to serve them as a sister training leader. I am learning how to listen to people and how to discern their needs. I know now more than ever HOW MUCH God cares about His children and wants to help them. We are all brothers and sisters in this life and we should all be looking out for each other and listening and helping each other out. This week I got to do an exchange with Hermana Wilcox, one of my old companions! I LOVE that girl! It is so amazing to see how she is growing and progressing here on the mission. I love seeing all the different areas, hermanas and ways to do missionary work. I literally am learning so much from all of them! It has pushed me to find ways to help kick-start their areas and help with whatever their concerns and needs are. I truly do love these girls. So much that my companions and I are EXHAUSTEDLY lost in the needs and life of them and our investigators. I know it sounds crazy----BUT I LOVE IT.

The gospel is a gospel of CHANGE. Juan Gonzalez has been someone that has LITERALLY changed because of the Gospel. As you know, Juan was the one we met in the street, and he said that he is ready to change. Well, he is. AND HE IS GETTING BAPTIZED ON THE 25 of JANUARY!! AMAZING AMAZING AMAZING!! He is on fire as well!!! His first Sunday in church is one that I will never forget. Juan is a 60 year old garbage man and the GREATEST person I know. He is so humble, a hard worker and has a sincere desire to follow God. Well, he walked into church 3 weeks ago with his torn up jeans, truckers hat and bright yellow garbage man coat---his face PLASTERED with a smile. CLASSIC. No one cared what he was wearing, because his attitude and joy about being in church distracted from all else. The ward loved him. He came to family home evening at the Bishop's house.  We continued to teach him the truths of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Juan started keeping the word of wisdom, started reading the Book of Mormon, started to repent. HE CHANGED. This past Sunday he looked like a totally different person. I had to do a double take just to make sure that it was him.  He showed up in a nicely-ironed button up shirt with slacks! He did his hair and looked like a member! It was amazing! THE ATONEMENT AND GOSPEL OF CHRIST HAS LITERALLY CHANGED HIM. He is going to be baptized and it is truly a miracle! I am so excited for him!!! I asked him yesterday if he is inviting his friends to come see him get baptized, and he said, "well, no," he said with a smile, "They'll all be drunk." I am so happy for Juan and that he has given up the world and come unto the lighter, more happy way of life and that is through following our Savior Jesus Christ.  We had a baptism in the ward this past week (they asked me to sing, so I had my companions join  and we sang "I know my Redeemer lives"---the Spirit was SO strong. Lots of weeping.) and Juan came!! He told us that he is ready to follow Christ and be baptized! The entire ward has been involved in his conversion process and it is SO exciting for him and to see all of the changes that have happened. GO JUAN!! I love that man.

Funny side note: One of our investigators Liz is determined to take me back with her to Peru. So if you don't see me in August, I am in Peru. Love you!

Byron and Hna. Portillo are FINALLY thinking about getting married and so now BYRON CAN GET BAPTIZED! YAY!!! So, we taught Byron all about the Book of Mormon this week and I will forever remember this lesson because of the way he treated the Book of Mormon. After explaining how much the Book means to me and how it has changed my life and after testifying with all my heart that I know that it is true and that my Savior Jesus Christ lives....I handed him the Book. I said, "Byron in your hands you hold the greatest gift that I have ever given. Let it change you, and read it, study it. In here God has shown you the plan and how to make it through this crazy journey called life and still come out on top." He took the book, half of him shaking and he cradled it in his hands and stared at it for the rest of the lesson. He said, "I will read this book, because I know it is of God." AMAZING. Do we really TREASURE the Book of Mormon? I hope so, because it is the GREATEST thing ever given to man. It is my right-hand man. I love it.

We gave the Book of Mormon to another one of our investigators Juan Carlos, and right after we said "Amen" to the closing prayer of the lesson he took the Book and ran upstairs saying, "I am going to start reading this book now! I have waited a while for this!" MIRACLES.

Amazing miracles are happening all of over the place and I just wish that there was MORE time. So many people have been prepared for this amazing message and God really is PUTTING them in our paths....

It was DOWN POURING rain outside and we were following up with some investigators, that is when we saw two ladies trying to carry a TON of groceries across the street. We were already SOAKING wet, but with a smile we asked, "Can we help you carry your groceries, we represent the Savior Jesus Christ and we have been sent here to serve you." They looked at us in awe and we walked all the way to their house. They are from Guatemala! They invited us in and now we are teaching them! Amazing how the Lord works.

On Thursday some huge miracles happened. All of our plans, back up plans and back up plans to the back up plans fell through. So we prayed. We were led and guided to a specific door in a apartment complex. Reina answered. She had been taking the missionary discussions before in her country, but couldn't find the missionaries here. And, THERE WE WERE!!! We came in and started teaching the first lesson, as we related the story of Joseph Smith she began to cry. She said, "I feel something inside of my heart that I have never felt before in my life." I got the chills again. She is an amazing lady, and I know that God sent us to that door, so that we could find her and her family! We are so excited to teach them!

I am so grateful to all of you. Seriously. Thank you for your support, love and prayers. I hope you never forget how much I love you. I pray for you always and wish you the best. The work is hastening. And I am so excited to hear that you guys are getting involved in the work of the Lord. It is truly the most happy, most exhausting, best, exhilarating, thing that I have EVER done. I hope you share your light with someone this week and never forget who you are and WHOSE you are and WHAT you represent. The world needs people to STAND. So...

STAND STRONG.

Hermana Weenig

I gave my bag to this cute girl from Honduras that I met on an exchange! She said that she will carry her scriptures in it and wants to be a worthy and strong young woman that is a light to the world! You go girl!

Emma came to church for the first time! She is an 18 year old from Bolivia! And she told us after church that she TOO wants to be baptized! She is on fire! :)

FREEZING :)

Bring Cheer to the New Year

I LOVE being a missionary. It is 2014 and I can't even believe it! I love this mission, these people, the Spanish language and EVERYTHING. Time is slipping through my fingers and I can't slow it down. 2013 was an amazing ride, and I learned so much and am determined to learn even more in this next year. 

 

Part of being a sister trainer leader for the mission, I have the opportunity to attend mission leadership councils. This past week, we discussed the importance of setting high goals and one idea really stuck out to me. Our wonderful mission president talked a lot about how, "It doesn't matter WHO you WERE because God only cares about WHO you are BECOMING." That, to me, sums up the Atonement of our Savior Jesus Christ. More than ever, Jesus Christ and His atonement is more real to me. Because of what He did for me, I can change and become better. I can reach my divine potential and so can all of us! I know that as we prayerfully set goals for this upcoming year, 2014, Heavenly Father will help us accomplish all we want and more. And the parts of the year where we are too weak to stand on our own, we can turn to our Savior Jesus Christ and He will do the rest. By far, my favorite part about being a missionary, is seeing people change through accessing the power of the atonement and learning to give all their lives and rely totally upon our Heavenly Father.

 

It has been another week FULL of miracles I don't even know how to start. I really do feel so grateful and blessed to work with the Hispanic people, they are continually living in the presence of God and have open hearts, and are willing to change and come unto Him.

 

One of those people is Juan Gonzalez. He incredible. Remember how I told you about how we met him on the street the other day? Well, since then, he has been reading the book of Mormon, coming to church and praying. Since his roommates are anti-Mormon, we have been teaching him in the McDonalds near his home when a member-home isn't available. I never knew how strongly you could feel the Spirit in a McDonalds (yes, I know, McDonalds--sometimes if we are lucky it is in the Laundromat). I think this week we had one of my favorite lessons with Juan. He walked in and it was REALLY cold outside and so he said, "after the lesson, I am buying all of us coffee." We smiled. We had a less-active member with us and my companions and I just all smiled at each other. We said a prayer to start the lesson and jumped into teaching the word of wisdom. The amazing part about the lesson was the Juan was like, "Well, if that what God wants me to do--I will do it, even though it will be a fight." Juan has drank coffee since he was a lad, but is giving it up for God. He is changing. In fact, the other day, HE called us, and wanted us to teach him more. I am so excited for him to get baptized!!!

 

We had a massive miracle this week. SO BIG that it BROKE THE MISSION RECORD. We taught 28 member-present lessons in one week!!!!!! WOWOWOWOW!! Thanks to this ward and lots of hard work! Apparently, it has never been done in the Washington D.C. mission. We are having a total blast going out with members, teaching them how to be member missionaries and we have truly caught the vision of getting the members involved in EVERY step of the work. THIS PLACE IS ON FIRE AND THIS IS THE BEST WARD I HAVE EVER SEEN!!! They are such heroes and examples of sharing the Gospel with everyone. Not only that, but it has been amazing to take out our recent converts and less actives out with us and seeing them grow and change into fully converted members of the church. I have learned an important lesson: If you want your testimony to grow, SHARE it with someone---TEACH someone you know and MORE light will come into your life and your eyes. Want to hear a miracle about some "lights" in my life?

 

Diana is a recent convert from about 2 months ago. We called an asked if she would be willing to work with us for a couple hours, and she was more than willing. Well, we had some amazing lessons set up but ALL of them fell through. So, we prayed. This amazing member said, "I've got a friend you can teach." So we followed. What followed suite was some of the most incredible lessons I have ever had the opportunity to be apart of on my mission. We taught her friend---tears of joy happened, we are teaching them now. Then, we were really tired and a little down that all of our solid lessons fell through...so we prayed again. The Lord LITERALLY carried us through the use of Diana. Diana lead and guided us from door to door as we tracted. She was soooo guided by the Spirit and it was a miracle---we found 3 NEW FAMILIES we are going to start teaching. What a miracle. Members ARE THE KEY TO THIS WORK. We need each other. Her faith and her willingness to do the work of the Lord with NO fear of denial will be permanently ingrained in my brain. She is an amazing lady. Hna. Castillo is another amazing woman. She came out with us and share how she has changed through the Gospel....people are SO touched by the stories and the experiences that members share through living the principles of the Gospel. THAT IS WHY THIS PLACE IS ON FIRE and SO many people are wanting to hear the Gospel. I LOVE IT!!! :) I LOVE THIS WARD AND THESE PEOPLE!

 

Another amazing miracle happened this week! JAVIER AND VANESSA MADE THE GOAL TO GET MARRIED!!!! WAHOOOO!! That means their baptism is the Saturday after that! Thanks to the Spirit, ward members that have come with us, and their willingness to "experiment on the word" Javier and Vanessa are becoming true converts of the church! They are on fire! They have a goal of going to the temple to get sealed in a year and I can't wait to be there for it. They have made so many changes in their lives, but have never seen the need to get married. Javier told us the other day, "You guys, I read this chapter in the Book of Mormon, and realized that I have been living in sin." WOW! Amazing. Things are changing, and THEY are changing because they are deciding that it is time to follow their Savior Jesus Christ. We can all have those moments when we realize "uh-oh, I gotta change" but the beauty of it all is that we GET to change for the better EVERYDAY. Jesus Christ already paid the price for all the crazy things we have ever done. We just have to promise to change and He will help us carry the heavy load.

 

I can promise you that the Lord puts His missionaries in the RIGHT place at the RIGHT time. But you know what? He can do that with ALL of us, if we let the Spirit guide us to the place we need to be. Here are some amazing experiences we had with that this week:

 

#1: We had knocked, and knocked and knocked one day this week and NO one was answering. It was earlier in the day on New Years...and people were not very excited to see us. So we prayed. We asked Heavenly Father what we should do, because we had worked so hard and tried so hard and didn't know where to go. Immediately after the prayer ended, "Amen." And then we looked up. There came Doris. A woman that wanted to get baptized, but then we could never find her. God sent her to us. She was SO excited to see us and invited us in and wanted us to teach her. She said she has really had the desire to change, and her new goals for the year include getting closer to God. WHAT A MIRACLE.

 

#2: Hna. Maldonado (from Guatemala) was out with us. We had tried to get a hold of Marina. Marina, this past week had read and studied the pamphlets and prayed about them. She told us that she KNOWS that everything we are teaching and she wants to get baptized. Well, we had a lesson scheduled for her, but when we went to knock, she wasn't home--we were devastated.  But we had faith that we would still somehow see her. So we decided to go teach and do some street contacting. We had just got done with a lesson, and we had 20 minutes left. That is when we said a prayer. We felt like we needed to walk past Marina's house one more time before leaving the area. And! There she was! On her porch! She said she felt terrible that she missed us and wanted her to come teach her now! AMAZING MIRACLE. The lesson was incredible and the Spirit was so strong. During the lesson she told us that she has been trying to find a church and has tried other churches, but none of them felt like they were the right ones. She said that she has never read more powerful and true doctrine as she has in ours. She is PREPARING TO BE BAPTIZED ON THE 28th! Amazing! But the most amazing part of it all was to hear that woman pray. It was so sincere and real. It was almost as if God was literally in the room with us. I realized that prayer really is a time for us to talk with God. I hope all of us take the opportunity to talk out loud to our Father and ask for help, tell Him thanks and allow Him to help us work out the things in our minds that our stressing us out.

 

There are SO many miracles that are happening. And I know that SO many more are just waiting to happen. I am so happy, and I hope you are too. This truly is the greatest work and I feel like it isn't even work. It is what I eat, sleep and drink---and I wouldn't have it any other way right now. Every day I see more and more of how Heavenly Father is in the DETAILS of our lives and that He provides MIRACLES if we let Him, and if we trust in Him. I can tell my faith is growing, and I know that God is real and that He loves me and all of us. I KNOW that Jesus Christ is my best friend and right-hand man that I could do and be NOTHING without. He CARRIES me everyday. Let Him carry you too. Because as a missionary and as ANYBODY, there are days that you are tired, stressed, beat, hated, and just want to give up. But HE is the light at the end of the tunnel, and HE makes it all worth it and HE makes us strong when we can't do it by ourselves. Trust Him. Put Him first and ALL else will fall into place...it always does.

 

I love you all so much and I can't thank you enough for your support, love, and prayers! I love being a missionary. It is the BEST decision I ever made. I love you all so much and I hope you know that you are always in my prayers! This is the year to keep reaching your divine potential---remember: "It doesn't matter who you were, because God ONLY cares about who you are becoming."

 

STAND STRONG.

 

Hermana Weenig

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Ocampos Family. We have been teaching their friends the Gospel.

Nauvoo stone was the centerpiece of one of the exhibits in the US history museum.

Yes, that is a piece of the Berlin wall. :)

Harry Potter's ACTUAL costume!!