Week 39 Stuff that happened this week

Yeah well not really sure what to title this email since it was kind of a normal, nothin much new week this week.

Well I did have an intercambio with Elder Lane on Tuesday. Lane is a valiente (last change of his mission) and yeah he was pretty trunky. I was working in his area and he had like no plans at all so we didnt really do anything. We got back to his house at night and he was just playing podcasts from the church on dating and eternal marriage and what not. Yeah he already returned home if you know what I mean.

Well the next day we had interviews with president. I had to stuff my old grey suit in my bag since we wouldnt have time to go back to my house before the interviews. Also I was wearing my pair of shoes that I started the mission with (and if you guys dont know, and I dont think any of you do, they are only 9 months old but they look like they were in a fire and then thrown into a nuclear reactor or somthing like that). Especially cause they are not black anymore but they are like green (at least thats what everyone tells me, but I wouldnt know since Im colorblind). Also they have huge gaping holes (i'll just have to send y'all a pic of them next week so you get an idea). But the interview was good. Just another normal "you good, thats good, any questions? no, ok take care!" 

Well on Thursday we had another multi zone conference with Las Piedras. It was good but we didnt really get told anything new. E Sarkady was there and we had fun talking about our time together in Lezica.

Well those were like the events from this past week. Oh but my comp and I did make some progress in our area for once!! We found some new investigators this week! We found a young family that is super nice and open with us that lives about five houses from our church. Theyve lived there for like 3 years and they told us theyve seen missionaries pass by like all the time every day but we were the first ones to ask if we could come in and teach them. We also found another young family that is also super nice as well! This is like the first time that weve found anyone thats not like 14 years old or 85 years old so were pretty excited to teach those families more. 

Well that basically covers our week! Also I got a couple more pics from my birthday last Monday!

1. Yeah thats me with the ice cream cake. BTW cakes in Uruguay suck! Haha, way better in the US

2. And then thats just me and Soriano

Week 38 "19" already!?

Wow Feliz Cumpleaños to myself!

Well yall want to hear how the week went?

Well besides just thinking about turning 19 all week long we had a good week here!

My comp and I found a couple new investigators to start teaching here in Lezica which is good considering that we barely have anyone to teach right now, haha. Our investigators are doing good though. Ciancimino is still preparing himself to get baptized--were just having to answer one doubt at a time and trying to help him stop smoking and drinking coffee but hes going to make it to baptism-- we have almost no doubt. Probably next month a week or two after gen conf. We meet with him every day and he goes to church every Sunday. I think yesterday was his 12th time going. We also had 6 other investigators at church yesterday (huge miracle). We had a ward conference and we were lucky to have such great members to help us get our investigators to church yesterday.

So that was basically our week. Also we had lunch at our Bishops house yesterday and we had to wait like 30 min in his house before all of his family showed up to have lunch so we were just like sitting there and they had the TV on and were watching Harry Potter 4- Goblet of Fire- best of the Harry Potter movies. Yeah we saw like 30 min of that in Spanish. Pretty cool. And then we ate Chop Suey. Pretty dang good.

Well today I turned 19 years old!!! I feel old now!!! I dont feel like it was an entire year ago that I turned 18!!!

So today to celebrate I first-- opened my freaking birthday package that ive been waiting like 3 months to open! I opened it in the morning and got some good things for my birthday (balloons, Jolly Ranchers, Candles--desperatly needed--Thank You Mom!!!) Yeah so we had a zone activity and everyone sang happy bday to me. Also I bought like 5 kilos of meat (steak, ribs, chorizo) before going to the zone activity and me and my comp and a couple other elders cooked it (had an asado) and then ate it (pretty dang good). Then we played soccer and just kind of hung out as a zone. Well our plans today are to go to a couple of charlas and then when we return home tonight I am going to eat Cake!!! Im going to buy and ice cream cake and then were going to eat it at night

Well thank you all for writing me to wish me happy bday! Love you all! Hope you all have a good week!!!

Week 37 Contacting, Service and Poop!

Yeah so I didnt really know what to title this week... But it basically sums it up we just did a lot of door to door contacting, services, and played with a lot of dogs, so yeah...

Well first of all last Tuesday we went to the Temple!!! Which I didnt get any pictures of nor did anyone that went so there are no pictures of me or anyone from my district at the temple... But I did get a picture of us at McDonalds after going to the temple- which was a great satisfaction to the physical side of things (the temple is spiritual satisfaction) because McDonalds tasted really freakin good.

But the temple was a great experience. It was my second time going here in Montevideo and I am always able to learn something new each time I go and everytime that I go I receive so much guidance to what I need to be doing in my life and I know that if we go to the temple we can receive more guidance from God in our lives.

Yeah so my comp and I are doing good over here! So to sum up this first full week of the change-

1. Weve done a lot of contacting and talked with a bunch of people here in Lezica and weve had no success. We didnt find any new investigators this week- which was kind of shocking to us since we talked with soo many people and just nobody wanted to listen to us!

2. We pushed Cienciminos baptismal date back. He needs more time to prepare for baptism and he needs to be more self reliant because he is relying to much on us to help him overcome his problems rather than relying on his own self-control and receiving help from God through studying the scriptures and praying sincerely each day.

3. We did a couple of services this week with Hermana Romero (an Hermana from our ward) and we were helping her with the wall in her house (like removing some pipelines and then removing paint on the wall).

4. Also about the service-- so in the past I mentioned this Hermana in our ward because I stepped in dog poop and then walked in her house and got it all over the floor and made the house smell terrible (I did this twice, maybe you guys remember from some weeks back) Well when we were at her house on Friday I was outside playing with her dogs for a bit and I stepped in poop again and drug it into her house for the third time without knowing until I smelled something and then I already knew to look at my shoes (and what was there- dog poop- again...) So I cleaned up the poop and went outside to clean off my shoes but the smell was still there in the house and the hermana was just like "Elder did you like crap your pants or something?" and I told her that I just stepped in poop again and she said "wow again, youve got to stop stepping in poop Elder"

yeah pretty funny story. I think were going to stop visiting this Hermana in our ward, haha...

yeah so that was it. Also I got some photos!!!

1. At McDonalds after the Temple
2. Elder Saeteros scraping paint off of the wall
3. me giving this dog counsel on not leaving its poop in places that humans normally walk

Week 36 Temple Day!!!

Ok so today is temple day and we're all excited to go since we havent gone since August. So you guys arent going to get pictures of us at the temple today so youll just have to wait til next week.

So this has been a really good last week for us here in Lezica. First off we just had changes and my new comp is Elder Saeteros- born in Columbia and then moved to Ecuador when he was like 10 but he likes to say hes from Columbia (IDK prob cause its better or something) He is actually from my group which I didnt even realize until he got here because he went to the Argentina Mtc. So weve got the same time in the mission and also this is only his second area cause he just had five changes in his last area! (IDK why but I feel like ive already told you guys all this stuff) 🤔

Anyway so as far as the area goes we found five new investigators this last week! Also Ciencimino is doing very well. He was sad that E Sarkady left but he really likes my comp E Saeteros and the past 3 charlas we have had with him have been very deep and spiritual and he is believing in everything we tell him and we just set a baptismal date with him for the 18th of March!!! We'll see if we can help him reach that cause he still needs to completely give up smoking cause he still smokes (just not nearly as much anymore)

Anyway things are going great over here! I really like my comp hes a funny guy but he also likes to work hard so we're doing just great over here! Thats all for this week hope you all have a good one!

-Elder Welker

at a family night with the Barreiro´s

Week 35 Transfers!!

Ok so we just got the changes last night! Im staying here in Lezica and E Sarkady is leaving to Las Piedras which is only like 40 min from here. My new comp is E Saeteros from Ecuador and he is actually from my group but he went to the Argentina MTC. I heard he is a really good guy and also this is only his 2nd area in the mission (he just spent 5 changes in his last area). 

Also my last comp E Alvarez is leaving Maldonado and going to La Costa as a Zone Leader!! I totally called that one! He only has ten months but I still think it may have been long overdue haha. I talked to him last night and he is excited and also told me that the members are doing very well over there in Maldonado.

So im pretty excited to see what we can do here in Lezica. Its gonna be nice being with someone from my group with our little time we have in the mission because I think that we can try different methods of finding and teaching (cause sometimes older missionaries can get into a comfortable habit of doing the same things everyday).

So E Sarkady and I have been passing by members houses the past couple days so that he can say goodbye but unfortunately they are all out of town cause this is the last week for members to go on vacation and also it is Carnival so there is like nobody ever here!

I am very grateful however for the two changes I had with Sarkady. I learned a lot of things and I have really grown in my testimony of the gospel. I just had such a testimony building moment last week actually-- so the last couple changes werent necessarily easy. Our house was actually pretty bad and one of the other elders we live with is kinda known throughout the mission for not being one to 'follow the rules' and it really brought all of us down in the house- spiritually most of all. As we would leave each day to go work I just always felt something really holding me back from being able to go out and do my best in the work. The spirit was really missing in our lives- especially as we allowed this one elder to have such a bad influence upon us and bring us down with him to his level (so to speak). So this past week I went on an intercambio with another elder in my district. We left to go work and as we went out I just felt so much more alive and I felt as though I could really focus on the work and have more confidence that the spirit was there guiding me. As I finished that intercambio I returned home with a new perspective. The past week as I have tried to center my thoughts more on the Savior and more on being worthy of the guidance of the Holy Ghost I have found more confidence as I go out in the streets and work. I can feel such a strong difference in my life now and I know that when we redirect our worldly thoughts and actions to the gospel of Jesus Christ instead, we will feel his influence in our lives. I know these things to be true and I cant wait to start seeing the difference that comes this next change with E Saeteros.

I hope you all have a good week! Take Care!!!

-Elder Welker