Ebeye: April 10, 2016

Biggest news from this week is that I'll be staying in Ebeye. Elder Kim will be transferring to the south end of the island and I'll be training most likely. Either than that nothing new has been going on lately. The members are really great at watching out for us. 

  What's nice about the members half of them we address them as mama and baba. Elder Soromon would call almost everyone mama and baba despite their age so it was pretty funny, like Lupe who's 20 some with toddlers. I'll usually call them mama and baba if they're in their 40's with children older or the same age as me. Always feeding us though there will be some who would be happy to feed us daily and give us food whenever we show up. Two really great experiences this week is we are about to go to bed and members Kahn and Anne Marie show up with a bunch of fruit they brought for us. Then another night we visit Shelly Ann and Ned and they apologize for not having anything and they like give us a loaf of bread a dozen eggs and a can of spam. Always so grateful for all their help and just making us feel at home. Quite a few will say hello children hello my sons, or some Sisters in the ward when we walk in they tell their husbands look our sons are here. Really glad to be in Ebeye North, it is probably the best ward in the mission and really great for members. Almost all missionaries that work in Ebeye get fat but I'm still working out daily so I'm good. 

   Started with Zepty, Renny and Joel's older brother. Studying with two older ladies Rise and Betty both have one of our members come with us for a member present and it really helps us to make the lesson better. What's hard is we have quite a few investigators where they are happy to study but we just don't get to see them that often. Have about a dozen solid investigators at the moment and will probably have 4 ready for baptism at the end of the month. So working hard to meet that goal. 

   Missing everyone. Always nice to hear what's happening back home. Keep pushing myself to finish hard. 

Love 

Elder Spencer Matthew Weenig

Ebeye: April 3, 2016

Iakwe from Ebeye

 This week has been alright. Elder Kim has been sick quite a bit but, I'm not too sure how much is laziness and how much is actual illness. I've been working with Nelson a lot, Elder Polson keeps telling me I have to blindside him so I might just have to take him home with me. He's only 14 but definitely the best kid in the ward to work with because he's not lazy at all and really great about sharing his testimony and will teach part of the lesson as well. 

  Went on splits with the elders in the south area my first one since being here in Ebeye. So finally worked the other half of the island, it can be nice to switch it up rather than seeing the same people all day but, at the same time I do miss seeing my investigators. While I was with Elder Polson we were teaching this girl from Kiribati and I swear when we gave her the Book of Mormon in Kirbati she wanted to cry with joy. Elder Waniel has been sick for almost two weeks so we finally took him to the hospital and is getting a lot better. Worked with Sonny so good for him, although at the end of the day he was pretty exhausted. Basically I worked with Kim Monday and Friday then the rest of the days with some of the youth in the ward. 

  Other news with investigators is that Randa went back to one of the smaller islands Abeton with her aunt. Rayna's parents are good with her being baptized but want us to study with her a bit longer. The week didn't go exactly as planned and we probably won't have any investigators ready for baptized anytime soon but, work is going pretty well. 

   New members are doing well. Found out this week Diosi is getting a calling as a young men's leader. Renny and Joel are solid, Renny is pretty good at coming to seminary. Some of the others that were baptized a little bit ago haven't been too good. Both Junior and Sonny have missed church the last two weeks but, have been good at seminary so we went and visited them Sunday night. Always sad seeing some of the new members starting to backslide. Have been focusing on finding old members that are less and inactive to strengthen them. Sunday morningcontinued with the sunrise testimonies and always great to have the youth have their own time to share their testimonies. 

   And if it so be that you should labor all your days in crying repentance unto this people, and bring, save it be one soul unto me, how great shall be your joy with him in the kingdom of my Father! And now, if your joy will be great with one soul that you have brought unto me into the kingdom of my Father, how great will be your joy if you should bring many souls unto me!

(Doctrine and Covenants 18:15,16) As I'm reading through the scriptures I continually find more and more verses that share about missionary work. This week I feel with less actives just the importance of missionary work and helping them to realize one of the most important things they're doing in their lives is raising their children and teaching them the gospel. That they must strive to do everything they can to help their children understand Jesus Christ and to gain their own testimonies. Than from that joy that work they can go so much further to share the gospel with extended family and friends. Missing you guys. 

Love 

Elder Weenig