Elder Weight and Elder Basham

July 11, 2016

Chapter 50: City Slickin'‏

Check it out! I made it to chapter 50! Well, I am in the city. It is way different. It's kinda sad because everyone's got the business mindset. They don't have time for you. Also nobody has a southern accent so it feels like I'm not In Tennessee anymore. My new companion is Elder Basham. And guess where he is from? Gilbert Arizona! Pretty crazy. Also Clarksville is real cool. Regardless of it being giant, it used to be farm ground but they built the city over it. So if you go to the edges you will find some fields and pastures. Lots of military here. Everyone seems to have a job at Fort Campbell. Our ward is pretty small. Not a whole lot are active so we are running around trying to get them back. Also we have no real investigators so we spend much of our time knocking doors. ut here is the miracle. Every day when we go tracting we had a very rough beginning.

I think one day we knocked a street and every single person sad no to us before we could even say anything! We even felt like half way through we needed to ditch a street or go to a new one and start fresh. And in some cases the streets were even harder! But we kept pressing forward with the goal in mind to "git 'er dun!". as we kept going we finally found someone who would talk to us and would want us to come back. That happened every day we tracked. It was rough at first but through patience and perseverance and following the spirit we found what we was looking for. I thought a lot about this experience. Why doesn't God just send us to the elect in the area? Why does he make place hide and seek with them? But then after asking that I had a question asked to me. What good would that serve you? If God just sent us to the awesome people there would be no growth in us. He needs to know we can be trusted.

Anyone can say they love God but until they show it then that's how you truly know. The mission is about following the will of God regardless of the outcome or consequences. Doing what he asks because he asked. That's how we grow and gain faith in him. I have come to know this is too true. God wants to test us but the test isn't to degrade or to tear down our morale it's to build up and make us better. He loves us. Gotta remember that. This one situation were we were going in this street and just couldn't find anyone home at all and it was miserably hot outside. We were so ready to just talk to somebody. Finally some woman answered and we taught her about the book of Mormon and she was so confused about what it was for and who Joseph Smith was and all that. I was just so tired and hot and sweaty and desperate I just let out my testimony many and plead with this lady and promised her blessings that if she read it it would make sense and she would come to know that it is true and that I know it was oh so true and I wouldn't be trying to persuade people it is if I didn't know it myself. She felt it. She was really taken back. She accepted it and said she would read it.

If there is anything I learned this week, it's that God will back up your testimony with the spirit and that sometimes a pure heartfelt testimony can turn the situation around. I know for sure that this is true. I sure love y'all and hope yuns take care. My new address is 1670 Baltimore Dr. Here in Clarksville. Apartment 7.

Sure love ya,

Elder Weight

(p.s. After listening to myself talk I realized I have a southern accent now! It's sweet.)

July 4, 2016

Chapter 49:  America

WOOO! 4TH OF JULY!

Today is one of the best days of the year. I mean let's be real. What other day can you eat to much and blow stuff up and you don't look crazy? Right?

This email is gonna have to be a shorter one because we have no time to waste. We are busy as can be! 

So I got the call Saturday from our new mission president, President Stone, that I am going to be the new Hopkinsville Zone leader and my new area will be Clarksville. I'm pretty excited about that. The biggest fear I have is the city because from what I hear Clarksville is a big city. . But apparently it doesn't take long to get back into the country so that's good. They've got the Fort Campbell military base up there so there's bound to be alot of younginns there. I'm pretty excited for it. This will be my 3rd area so it's the start of adventure number 3. I'm gonna miss Altamont. This place is like a home away from home. I've been here for 7 1/2 months. If I stayed for the last half month I would have qualified for my own PO Box. 

So thus week has been our most calm week we've had in a while. Not even an exchange. We did have really good lessons with our investigators. The craziest part of the week was we tracked a road and the second house we go to there is a lady outside and we find out here mom and dad are Mormon and that she was born and grew up in Layton Utah and she likes the missionaries. That's a first and probably a last. Especially for here! We set up a time to go back and see here. Chapter 9 of preach my gospel is real. You will be lead to people or people will be lead to you that are prepared. 

Well I wish I could write more but I've got to spend the day getting everything straightened out before I ship off. Y'all take care. 

Sure love ya,

Elder Weight

Clarksville!

Fourth of July parade in Altamont

Stone Door State Park

These people had a caged up coon on their front porch.

June 27, 2016

Chapter 48:  Trial of Faith

Good afternoon ladies and gentlemen. I have come here today to give you this report of our week. 

This week was pretty trying. Trying as in our faith was tested quite abit. I will explain.

Monday and Tuesday were pretty slow. Monday night was alright I'd say. We taught Glen again. But Tuesday was hard. We went back to Tracey City and it was rough. At the food bank we talked to this guy a little bit and he was into what we were saying but then we pulled the book of Mormon out and he freaked. He was wondering if we were brainwashed or something. Agh. We tried going back to all our new Investigators and not a single one was home. We taught one lesson in Tracey and that was it. We then went to Monteagle and saw a few people. Tracked both cities and got nothin. But in the end we were able to do some good. 

Wednesday we went to McMinnville for district meeting. I got to see Elder 'Big O' Overfield train. It was a good meeting. Afterwards we got bashed by this 90 year old lady and her grandson. We believe it was her preacher. But it was cool. Elder Majzer was mad and just stood up in the middle of the guy preaching at us and shook their hands and said thank you have a nice day and walked out the front door. Haha. 

We had quite the scare at the end of the week. We found out one of our baptism dates is living with a guy now and that she smokes, not good. But the scariest thing was Audrey called us on the phone and told us to meet her in town. She sounded serious. She shows up and she is like, okay guys we aren't here to talk about the book of Mormon. What was up with you at my party? We're you guys okay? 

She was worried about us because last Sunday we went to a party with a member at her house and she had food for days there. We had just eaten at the members home like five minutes ago. So we were far from hungry. I tried to eat a little and Elder Majzer and our member couldn't. We then had to leave early to take our member back. I guess because we didn't eat the whole buffet table her and her family got offended. But we cleared it up and they understand. Man only here in the south do you get In trouble for not eating a ton. So wired. But that was scary because we thought we were gonna get dropped. 

But things turned around at church. We had stake conference and we had ward council with the stake presidency and that was nerve damaging. But we had lots of less actives come and Audrey finally came back and brought her boy and her nephew! And they both loved it. We also had a super spiritual lesson with Audrey after church and a legendary Altamont potluck! 

On a side note I have finally figured out why I am now fat. It is because the members here feed to kill. And grease is the main ingredient. I have a strong impression that I will drop Weight once I leave. Which is always good. 

Well this week i have realized I have become a broken record. I have heard people say that they wish they learned their scripture mastery and now I am repeating it. So kids learn your scriptures! I have grown a love for the scriptures. The book of Mormon is way awesome. The Bible is sweet. It is way cool stuff. Read it love it and study it. 

That's all I have to say this week. I sure do love y'all. I've gotta go. 

Remember, do your best, forgot the rest.

Sure love ya,

Elder Weight

My drawing of Jesus.  I promise it looks better in person.