May 15

Iakwe. Iakwe. All is great in Ebeye. Sorry for not writing these past couple weeks. My new companion Elder Kalinowski flew in the other day and Sister Lafaele finished her mission this week as well and returned to Samoa. Investigators or good and started with this really great couple. 

   The couple we started with are named Tony and RoseAnn. She had been coming to church a couple weeks and so we were able to start with her husband. Really neat experience the day before we started with them Tony says to her that they want to get married and study with the elders and says we need to ask them, Roseann responded that the elders would find them. The very next day we contacted them and had a lesson later that night. They have a really good foundation and are very ready to make a change in their life. Roseann is Nita's daughter and I'm not too sure if I've talked about Nita. I think she would best be described as matriarch, her grandkid Sonny was the one that got baptized about a month ago and the majority of her grandchildren are baptized and most of her children are studying at the moment. She has given us great referrals and was baptized not even a year ago. 

   Another woman we are studying with is named Betty. She's was at church Sunday and at the relief society activity this week. We have had a few lessons with her and it's good because with her we have Mañin as a member present to help us in the lessons and study at her house. Still continuing with the other investigators they're doing good just not coming to church yet so I'll keep you updated. 

   Elder Kalinowksi flew in from the states Thursday and got here to Ebeye on Saturday. Really cool guy he's from the Bay Area and enjoy him. He seems like a hard worker and ready to get to work so I'm excited. 

   Sister Lafaele left though and it was really sad. I've been able to work with her in Ebeye for the past 5 months as well as other times during my mission. Really hard worker and I respected her a lot. She did a lot to make pday fun and always coming up with something to do. As she left leaving for her flight she broke down and it was pretty sad. Might be one of the first missionaries to be sad that they're leaving. 

   Right now in my district we have Elder Kim who went down to work with Polson. Elder Waniel is with them and will be until they have a plane out leaving out to Ujae. Sister Clark and Sister Elanzo are the sister missionaries on island and pretty cool. Elanzo is Marshallese and her family is from Ebon so it's cool to talk with her about it then Clark is from Utah. It's a good district and have been blessed to work with only the best in Ebeye. 

   All is good everything is good and time continues to wind down. It seems as if Satan has picked up his game and work harder to finish my mission. Just feeling more tired or getting sick or some other thing, all for the best. 

  Doctrine and Covenants 54:10 and again, be patient in tribulation until I come; and, behold, I come quickly, and my reward is with me, and they who have sought me early shall find rest to their souls. Even so. Amen.

Love Elder Weenig 

S. Weenig

April 24-100 Days Left!

100 days left. I promise I'm not counting I only know from reading Doctrine and Covenants. I try to he better about reading the scriptures I'll read a section in the morning but basically once we get back from seminary and waking kids up I usually pass out until the time we start work for the day. Lost and dropped a few investigators this week. Right now really focusing on both less actives and inactives. This Sunday it was more full than I've ever seen it and I found out we had 178 people and I was able to look around and recognize every single face there. All makes the missionary work worth it. 

   Right now we have 3 solid people we teach that have been to church the past 2 months. Two of them are kids and they're parents want them to wait a bit longer before they are baptized. So we have people that will be baptized but we just don't know when. Our other one needs to speak to the mission president so we have to wait for him to come in a couple weeks before he can be baptized. 

   One of our investigators is gay. It finally came up during our lesson about Chastity. My companion wasn't bringing it up and I ask him. Then I explained how there is no sin with him and as long as he is abstinent he can be baptized. He told us how he used to study with the Elders in Korsae but once they taught him about chastity and found out he was gay stopped teaching him. Was the first time we heard that he studied before despite asking him a couple times if he had. I find it sad that he wasn't baptized back in Korsae and felt like he wasn't able to be baptized before we taught him. He's one of our best investigators and so I'm really glad well able to move forward with him and he'll probably be baptized in the upcoming weeks. 

   Our pday was way fun this week. Friday night the stake did a campout so us and the other elders went with all the youth and drove out to one of the smaller islands. Was way fun had both a prayer meeting at night and in the morning. So besides hardly any sleep really great. Saturday us and the seminary kids just walked to the next island Gucci Gue and had a seminary activity there. Pretty exhausted a lot different than sleeping all pday like we usually do. 

   One of the verses this week I read was in Doctrine and Covenants 36:7 And this commandment shall be given unto the elders of my church, that every man which will embrace it with singleness of heart may be ordained and sent forth, even as I have spoken.

Just thinking about how great the opportunity it is for me to be on a mission and anyone who is willing to go has the opportunity as well. Similar to the savior Jesus Christ, he takes us as we are then shapes and mends us to perfect us. This really is one of the best things I can be doing and thank all those who helped me to be here and prepare to go. 

I love you all. 

Elder Spencer M. Weenig

S. Weenig

April 17

This week has been nice and productive. We had as much lessons with less actives that we had with others. Besides some bad insomnia and my companion being 'sick' all is well. 

   Elder Kim gets sick a lot.. But his version of sick is usually the fact he's congested or has diarrhea so it can be kind irritating. He's constantly complaining about the most recent sickness that he's dealing, including every time he gets a headache. It's not too bad but everyone now and then he'll use diarrhea for getting out of work but then just sit there and be find while I go with Nelson or some other member. It's kinda bad I got to the point where I don't even feel bad for him when he is sick just annoyed.    

  All the people we go and teach are doing really well. All just at different stages we have a handful that come to church out of the dozen or so people we teach. Also have a good amount of less actives that we go and have lessons with strengthening the family and helping to push the men towards Priesthood. 

   We have begun to watch conference over at the Ricks' for district meeting. Always nice to be able to read and hear from modern day prophets. It can be hard with conference because I've never been able to watch it directly always reading it or watching it a few weeks later. Anyway one of the talks for Saturday morning session really stood out, "I am a child of God" Donald L. Hallstrom. How this is really the most important and crucial belief of being a Christian of even being a human being. That we are descents of a God who loves us and cares for us some who is very personal. I'm also reading a book title 'A God Who Weeps' and it points out all the things in our relationship with God we often take for granted. In the book of Moses "Enoch said unto the Lord: How is it that thou canst weep, seeing thou art holy, and from all eternity to all eternity?" But then again how can we not be a God that suffers with us and understands our pain. The more we begin to understand the gospel the more simpler it becomes with the most principles we are God's children. Often understated and not understood as deeply that he truly cares and loves for each one of us he does not gain joy from the trials we go through but is often understanding and helps us to bear our trials. Because of this I know the church is true. That Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ live and guide this church through a prophet today Thomas S. Monson as well as 12 apostles. These men are not perfect but, because of their faith they lead, guide and help us to one day return with a loving God. 

Love you. 

Elder S. Weenig

S. Weenig