Just Do It

Mauri o!!!

Awesomeness dominated this week -- my attempt at a more literate way of saying that this week truly was amazing.

One lesson that I learned from this week is that to have success and happiness, I just need to go out and do it. Just do it.... Sounds like a great logo.... like maybe for a sports brand.... :)  Anyway, it is so true.  I want to be better at speaking the language of Kiribati and just last night I started studying harder.  We didn't have a dinner with people, so I used a bit of dinner time to make some flash cards and studied them a bit.  It didn't take much time, but it definitely helped me so much!   It was great.  It is interesting that just a small bit of extra work can provide a lot of motivation.

This week we re-contacted a former investigator -- ten Kakiaman -- and his wife, nei Losalini.  They lessoned before for a long time. When we asked them if they had received an answer to their prayers about Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon, they said they had not received an answer.  It was a bit sad to hear that they had been visited so many times and they had not sought an answer through prayer. From my encounter with Kakiaman, I learned the importance of teaching that we need to receive a testimony of the Book of Mormon through the witness of the Spirit.  I know that WE ALL need to receive a true witness of the Spirit that Joseph Smith is a prophet and that the Book of Mormon is God's word. I will work on emphasizing that in my future teaching. 

I read the talk "Behold the Man" that Elder Uchtdorf gave this past general conference. It is great.  Sometimes, it is easy to feel like a failure. However, we will always find peace in Christ.  I loved this quote, "So, when you are encompassed by sorrows and grief, behold the Man.  When you feel lost or forgotten, behold the Man.  When you are despairing, deserted, doubting, damaged, or defeated, behold the Man.  He will comfort you.   He will heal you and give meaning to your journey.  He will pour out His Spirit and fill your heart with exceeding joy." It is a great talk. I recommend it.  We can go through the DOTS (delays, opposition, trials, suffering) of life, if we put our trust in Christ.  He is always there for us.  I know that He is.  He is real.  He really loves us.

I hope you all have a fantastic week.  I love you all!

Hurrah for Israel!

Elder Weenig

Elder Toro (in our district) and I at the Bairiki Chapel on a preparation day

Cool plane from WWII that Elder Bataua and I saw when we were on Butaritari

Teaching Bishop how to make snickerdoodle cookies

Work with Elder Fifita

Life is great!  So, this week, my companion, Elder Morphonios, went to an outer island to check on the missionaries there.  So, I had the amazing opportunity to work with Elder Fifita (from Utah)!  He is the greatest!  He works hard and is optimistic and pleasant all the time!  Anyway, this week has been a blast and productive. We worked our area as well as Elder Fifita's area (which is Eita - where Moroni High School is located). We have spent a lot of time working on organizing the upcoming Missionary Leadership Council. 

Both  Ratu and Teoti are progressing well.  I am very happy for them.

It rained a ton last night, so on our way to our lesson, we got drenched.  It was fun. :)

Crazy story:  I was driving a couple of elders to an interview.  On one of the dirt roads, I was passing a car.  (Note: it rained a LOT yesterday)  Anyway, I passed the car... They were being nice and waving me on. I guess I was driving too fast because I hit a puddle and the muddy water went into the cab of the truck and onto the people there and out the other window.  The water also got the people in the bed of the truck.  It even got one of the missionaries in the bed of the truck I was driving... Oops... That was an accident.  We stopped.  They were very nice and forgave us.

Thoughts from my studies this week:  We need to arm ourselves with the Armor of God (Ephesians 6:10-18) and "The future is as bright as your faith" (Thomas S. Monson).

Life is great!  Keep on being amazing!  Hope you all have a great day!!

Hurrah for Israel!

Elder Weenig

With Elder Fifita -- drenched after a rainstorm

Oops!  Sorry Elder Gila

Banana Island

Mauri!

This past week, I had the opportunity to go on splits with Elder Bataua to visit the elders serving on the island of Butaritari -- which is known for having a great amount of bananas.  Elder Bataua has family on that island and they gave him three bunches of bananas.  So delicious.  Bananas here are small and delicious! :) It was great.  It also rained there almost the entire time.  It was nice and cool.  Elder Bordinko is one of the elders serving there, he kept saying that "we can learn something new everyday" and he worked very hard.  I liked his thought that we can all learn something new everyday.  Elder Pugliani is the other elder serving there.  I was impressed that as our dinner appointment time was coming up, he used up every moment of time to work.  As we were walking, he said, "Three more houses, that's my goal." I like that he set goals and strove to accomplish them.  That's what I learned from them.

One of our investigators is nei Teoti.  She is great.  We tracted her at her store on the way home from a dinner appointment (our dinners are at about 8:00, so they are our last appointment) and she accepted lessons.  Her husband is a less active.  We plan to teach her the Plan of Salvation tonight. 

This week in my study, I realized that I need to be a closer friend with Christ.  My companion, Elder Morphonios, is amazing and is a great friend.  Having him as my friend is great, and I realized that I want to develop a stronger friendship with Christ.  In the hymn, "I Know that My Redeemer Lives," Christ is described as our friend.  I know He is a friend to me, but I want to be a better friend to him. 

Life is great.  The church is real.  I know that Christ lives.  

Have a spectacular week!

Hurrah for Israel!

Elder Weenig 

Sunset on Butaritari Island

BANANAS!!!

Elder Bataua and I on the airplane from Butaritari to Tarawa

Dinner at a recent convert's house with Elder Morphonios

Happy Fourth of July!!!

Howdy!

Hope you all had a fantastic Fourth of July.  We had a pretty great one.  We had a dinner with the senior couple, the Hansens, that live in our compound.  It was fun.  America is the best. :)  (I say that in a very non-comparative, non-competitive way... :)  )

Life here is going great.  People are great.

We started lessoning with a Fijian woman, Alberta, who lives in our compound.  It is great. She has lessoned with sisters before, when she lived in Vanuatu (another Pacific island). She is interested in finding the truth.  She has a friend, nei Kabwearuru, who brought her to church and helped during our first lesson with her.  It is amazing how much nei Kabwearuru helps to allow for her friend to receive lessons.  It is awesome!  It is a good lesson in member missionary work.  Helping our friends receive the restored gospel is the best thing that we can do for them.

Well, I have been reading talks from the past General Conference this past week.  The talks are all amazing!  I love them.  I read one about sacrifice and that sacrifice makes things sacred.  It makes things important. Heavenly Father sacrificed His Son so that we can return to live with Him again.  It must, therefore, be an extraordinarily sacred and important thing that we strive to live to return to Him, as He gave such an extraordinary sacrifice.

I love you all.  Hope that all is well with you!  Happy Fourth of July. Freedom isn't free - I hope we don't forget the men that died for that, and more importantly, that we don't forget the Man that died for that.  "For men are free to choose... liberty and eternal life through (Christ)" (2 Nephi 2:27)

Have an amazing week!
Hurrah for Israel!
Elder Weenig

Service with Elder Morphonios (From North Carolina) -- we cleared bushes for an investigator.

Sea Worms... They dry them and chew them like gum...

Elder Morphonios and I on Tabiteuea North

This is the hospital... We visited one the of the elders who was sick.
Apparently, while he was sleeping a dog came and licked his foot.... Kinda funny. :)

With Elder Seffker and Elder Jubeck

The American Flag, flown outside of Moroni High School
(Elder Belshe, one of the senior missionaries, asked permission to fly it on the 4th of July. :) )

That hanging thing is a giant shell fish. We saw it at a member's house on Tabiteuea North.  Kinda cool, eh?
(and no, I did not eat it... But I have eaten it cooked before.... when I was in Abemama)

Zone Conference

With Elder Otto inside a bunker in Betio

Our district (Ambo) on a cannon in Betio