Mauri O!

Mauri!

Great week!!!  Life is awesome.  Elder Fifita went out to Nonouti to do an outer island trip.  I worked with Elder Guiles -- the West Zone Leader.  He is great.  It was fun to work with him.

Elder Fifita and I have been talking.  One thing that we have both noticed is that the world is black and white.  There is good -- which is from God -- and there is bad -- which is from Satan.  Satan likes to have us think that there is a lot of gray... But there is none.  As we look into the future, both of us will be returning home soon, we have realized that we don't want to do those things that Satan tries to disguise as good, but are really just bad.  Things that waste time are bad.  Things that draw us away from Christ are bad.  Things that focus our thoughts or efforts on anything other than what the Lord would have us do are bad. There are plenty of movies and music and activities that lead us down the broad path that leads to a not so pleasant place.  I hope not to become blinded by them upon returning.  That is all they are... blinds to our spiritual eyes and plugs to our spiritual ears.

Anywho... I need to step off of the soap box now.   I had a great week.  Life is great.  The Gospel of Jesus Christ has been restored to the earth.  We are lead by God's prophets and apostles.  The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the only true and living church on the earth.  God lives.  He loves us.  Christ lives and He loves us as well.  I know that in the year 1820 Joseph Smith saw God the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ.  I know that the Gospel is real.  I know that the Restoration continues.  I love this work.  I love God.  I love you all!

Hope you all are having a spectacular week.  Keep pressing on! There is so much to be done.

It's a great day to be a missionary! 

Hurrah for Israel!
Elder Weenig

A senior missionary captured and shared this pic from the airport.  Elder Weenig shares a Book of Mormon with a lady as he waits for a departing Elder to say his goodbyes.

Elder Bollin (from my intake) heading home

Kiribati missionaries during the most recent mission tour

Mauri O!

Mauri O!

This week was amazing! We had Zone Conference.  Our focus was on the realness of the First Vision.  It was awesome!  We, Elder Fifita and I, presented the theme -- the First Vision. We showed the video that came out last year with the "Ask" theme.  It shows the First Vision.  The other trainings were on Weekly Planning and Companionship Study.  They were great!  I loved the conference.  I learned so much.  I felt the Spirit.  I felt motivated and excited to go out and work.

So, here it goes for this week. 

Our area is doing great!  Our people are progressing.  Our lessons are more spiritually powerful than I have ever felt on my mission - it is because we are having more spiritually powerful companionship study sessions and more spiritually powerful weekly planning sessions, and also because we have more powerful prayers.  I am learning a lot. I am so grateful to work in this area.  There is so much of His work to be done. 

We had a great Weekly Planning this week.  We went through and marked in pencil which days we would meet with our people.  We discussed in depth what each investigator needed to progress towards baptism.  I felt much more prepared for the week.  It was the best Weekly Planning session I have had the opportunity to participate in.  Elder Fifita is amazing at how he makes sure we prepare correctly for our lessons and for our interactions with the people we teach.  Elder Fifita is superb! I have learned a lot from him.

My study is going well.  We have planned into our week a time to do language study.  In the past, it has fallen out of our schedule, but this past week, we made sure we were able to study the language. It was extremely beneficial.  I used some of my language study time to create a language study plan. Similarly, I took some of my personal study time to create a study plan for the coming week.  I based my study topics off of what we felt our people will need this coming week. My plan will help me be more focused in my study.  I am excited to have it all planned out, so I can focus more on the people we meet with and I can cover more material in a more organized way. 

I know that this work is real and true.  We have spent more time role playing and discussing our lessons.  My mind and heart are more focused on the people and the work than ever before.  In our lessons, I feel the Spirit's presence.  I know that both we and the people we visit are uplifted by the experience.  I have felt the Spirit more powerfully, more purely, and more often than ever before these past two transfers.  I love the Spirit! 

I had a thought: I want to have a "Zion Companionship" and to work in a "Zion Mission"... Zion = one heart, one mind.  I have come to realize the reality of Zion as I have worked with Elder Fifita.  I have felt, at times -- both in study and also in our time of  visiting people -- that we have one heart and one mind, and it is the most amazing feeling ever. I believe the feeling comes from both of us being more in tune with the Holy Ghost.   I want to feel that way for the rest of my life.  I am grateful for the Holy Ghost.  I know that God lives.  I know that Christ lives.  I love this work.  I really do.

Thank you for all you do!  I love you all!

It's a great day to be a missionary!

Hurrah for Israel!

Elder Weenig

Some of my intake at Zone Conference

Temaiku Elders