Thursday, April 25, 2013

Week 4

Hello family,
Grandma Allen, how can I ever thank you for package. Those cookies and the cake, oh my goodness haha, so delicious!! And Mom, thank you so much for the package as well. It made my week! Sounds like everything is going well down in Marana. Jordan, sounds like you are doing so good in softball. Way to start winning once I leave haha! Maybe I shouldnt come home for you senior season so that you will win all of those games too haha! So Dad, I have two teachers here, Hermano Woodhouse and Hermano Barrio. But Hermano Barrio is from the Mormon Colonies, and he even knows Grier Johnson. It is crazy how small the world is. Well last sunday I got taken out as the District leader, but I am now one of the Zone Leaders along with mi companero Elder Varney. But it has been great! We got a new District yesterday of 6 Elders and 3 Hermanas. But Elder Varney and I got to get to know them last night a little bit and we get to meet with them again tonight where we explain the importance of companionships, companionship inventory, and then take them on a tour. But I just love how much service being a ZL has already given me. So I got to be a Host yesterday for the new missionaries coming in and it was seriously way cool. It was just about split in half 50/50 having about 300 new Elders and 300 new Hermanas. But belief it or not, right now 600 coming in is small right now. The MTC is really starting to prep for the flow of missionaries that will be coming in after high school graduation. It was funny though, while I was hosting, a missionary comes in riding in an RV, and family member after family membe comes crawling out to say goodbye haha! But he made use of the one car rule for each missionar right haha! Nae Nae, Im still waiting on a picture of your pearly whites!!! And I need to see a picture of Festuses girl haha! Well it has been a super busy week. Unfortunatley we havent had too many chances to teach our regular investigators Carlos and Victor because of sickness and college Finals for our teachers. But we got a lot of practice in for door approches and teaching a first lesson which has been so nice. Our door approaches needed some help but we are doing much better now haha. I get to see Sara every once in while. Usually like once a day so that is way fun. And I am way excited for Randy to be coming in next week. Im hoping to be able to host again next week so I can welcome him in that way! What else is new at home? Have any new mission calls come in for anybody? Or do you know of anybody else that is reporting here soon? Well I still havent heard anything about my Visa, but I think we are supposed to be getting more Information about that tonight, so lets keep our fingers crossed!! But if all goes as planned, I leave May 6 for a nice short 15 hours of flying haha! So like a week and a half left hopefully. Well I love you all and can't thank you enough for your support. Have a wondeful week and I look forward to hearing from you next week.
Elder Wengert-W9

Thursday, April 18, 2013

Week 3

Hello everybody!!
How was the week for you all!! So Jessie quick comment. Sunday night devotional we had a talk from the director of media and technology and stuff like that is helping out missionary work. But most of what he talked about was a huge mormon.org thing in England where there is just huge banners in the "the tube" about members in England and there testimonys. And they are on buses and just all over the place. Have you seen any of that or seen how it really helps the work go forth? But well this week has been crazy but great. Monday we had another lesson with our investigator named Victor and our teacher challenged us to go in to the lesson without any lessons, and so thats what we did. And well, it was the best lesson we have taught so far. It was just awesome to see how Lord helps us and can truly just tell us what to say. Some more good news. Tuesday night Devotional we had Elder Richard G. Scott come and speak to us, and it was probably the most powerful talk I have ever heard. He talked about faith and prayer. And during it he even gave us and apostolic blessing to all of the missionaries learning a language telling us that the Lord will bless us that we WILL learn the language if we do our part and that the Lord will never abandon us. It was so cool to see, and if that wasn't enough after the closing hymn the girl giving the prayer was on her way up and Elder Scott stops her and says "I want to say one more thing. Each and every one of you calls is of God. He is sending you into the field to succeed, not to fail. Once again, the Lord will never abandon you". It was just and amazing night and truly a special experience.
Well Sara came in yesterday and I was able to see her and talk to her for a few minutes. She seemed a little nervous, but hey who isn't nervous. I know I was so nervous haha! But she seemed really excited as well. So Festus has himself a little girlfriend huh?! Are the clinic employees going to throw him a wedding like they did his birthday party haha! Jordan, sounds like you are doing way good in softball. And you got your homeruns!! Way to go!!!! Have you gotten anymore since then? Nae Nae, good luck with your volleyball tournament this weekend, I'm sure you will win it all!! Tanno, hows baseball going? So grandpa Allen, today at lunch a member of the MTC presidency sat by us at ate with us. But he started talking about how he loves basketball, and so I told him how you played on that team on your mission in Australia. But he was like "he played on that team. They were like famous haha"! So you are pretty much a celebrity now haha. But I thought that was pretty funny. Jess England sounds and looks pretty amazing from your letters and pictures. Thank you for those! So small world, I found out last night that a sister in my district, Hermana Cox, went to high school with Kole! Crazy how that always happens. Oh and dad in my Zone there is an Elder Roundy so its pretty funny. Because we both know we are realted to Shadrack Roundy, we just call eachother cuz and stuff haha! Tara Jo, happy birthday and thank you for all of your packages, I can always count on you!!
Well still no word on our visas, but lets keep our fingers crossed! But a few Elders in my zone left this week, but got re-assigned until they can get there visas to go to Buinos Aires! Everything is great here at the MTC. I keep improving and am just loving it. The only thing I would like is maybe just a few more ties. Nothing specail, they can even be for DI haha. Its just that we have to dress up everyday, and the only thing we really are able to change is our ties haha. Thank you so much! Well I hope you have a wonderful week and I look forward to hearing from you. I love you and am so grateful for your love and support!
Elder Wengert-W9

Sister Wengert and I


You need to show Brother Rassmussen this one haha!

Elder Clawson and I. One of my good friends I made from the zone!

The district

Elder Varney, Elder Means, Me!


Tags!

Thursday, April 11, 2013

Week 2

Hello mi familia,

How is everybody at home?! Sounds like everybody is doing pretty well in athletics. Expecially Jordan, way to go sis. Sounds like your doing way good on the mound. Naes, you have some shoes to fill haha. But life is good is here at the MTC. Not going to lie, I'm a little jealous of Jessie, i mean Hermana Wengert going to the field. But thats ok, because she is stuck in boring ol England and doesnt get to go to Argentina haha just kidding Jess! Speaking of Argentina, I met with the Argetentina consul yesterday and he signed off so we we should be getting our visas in the next few weeks. So its looking pretty promising of not getting re- assigned. But there have been so manny missionaries getting re-assigned. There has been probably like 20 in my zone alone. But Mendoza was seriously the very last mission to meet with the consul, so we are hoping that means our paperwork is on the top of the pile and we get ours even sooner haha! But if everything goes smoothly and as planned, I should be leaving for Argentina on May 6. Where we fly to Florida, to mexico, to peru, to Buenos Aires, then finally the airport in Mendoza. So only a nice short 16 hours of flying haha! So Dad, how did your Alpaca Festival go? Sounds like an interesting experience haha! Oh and Mom, really it doesn't matter if we use missionary.net or the blog, whatever is easiest for all of you? Well I haven't heard anything for Elder Means yet. He was supposed to meet with his surgeon yesterday to see if needs surgery again. And if he does then it will one year until he can come back to serve. So I'm hoping to hear good  news from him soon. Well I always love Wednesdays because thats when all of the new missionaries come in. Its always fun to look for missionaries you know. We got a new district join our zone yesterday which was way nice because that means my district isnt the baby of the zone anymore! But p-days are always the best! We got to eat breakfast at the temple cafeteria again this morning and then go to a session. What a way to start off the day right!! So sunday we went on our temple walk which is always pretty nice and this lady overhears us talking in spanish, so she calls us over. And this lady may have been the biggest lady I have ever seen. Not that thats a bad thing, she was very nice haha! But she was in a wheel chair getting pushed by her husband who may have been the skinniest guy ever haha! But we find out that that she is from Chile and her husband is from here in America. She was a convert to the church and absolutely loves it. But since chile borders Argentina she knew quite a bit about Argentina so she told us all about it and about how good the food is there. Yes!!! But before we left she had us tell her son Nathan who was probably about 10, why he should serve a mission, but only using one word. It was actually realy cool and I never had thought about like that only using one word. So our District starts telling him obedience, love (for the lord and the people you serve), blessings, family, and then yourself (in the end, it is your decision). So what looked like what was going to be an interesting position turned out to be really cool! How is everything else going? Anything new going on? Tara and TJ, how are boys doing? Thank you so much for the pictures of them. The Hermanas in my zone just love those pics so much haha! They about died! Well I hope everybody has a wonderfuly week and I can't wait to hear from you again. Iove you all and miss you!
Elder Wengert - W9

Thursday, April 4, 2013

Elder Wengert


Hello family,
     So as you can tell my p-days are on Thursdays, so this is when I'll be emailing until I leave the MTC. Thank you so much everyone for the letters and packages. I really understand now how people would say how they really look forward to recieving mail. Well I am loving it here at the MTC and it really is an amazing place. For a while I was in a three-some with Elder Means from Orem and Elder Varney from Spanish Fork. But friday Elder Means was having some pretty severe back pains triggered from a back surgery he had about a year ago. But friday night at about 10 he was laying down in bed and he lost all feeling and movement of his legs. So we called the front office and they sent some people to look at him. We ended up going to the ER that night and didn't back to the MTC until like 3 that night. Luckily my Branch President let us sleep in a little bit that morning. But they just injected Elder Means with some steroids to see if that would help, but monday he got sent home on medical release to get another surgery. So that was too bad. So it's just me and Elder Varney. Elder Varney is great though. We are pretty similar. We both love sports and all of that good stuff haha! But on the bright side of that Elder Varney and I have the whole dorm to ourself and so much room. Its so nice haha! My District is so great and we really have gotten so close already. I actually was called as District Leader, so that is actually an amazing oppurtunity. A little extra work, but it really has made me learn to love my District a lot more. My spanish is coming along pretty well actually, thanks to my teacer Hermano Woodhouse. He is such a great guy who served his mission in Mexico. Im able to bear testimony, pray, and we have already have taught 4 lessons to a man named Hector. He isnt actually a real invesitgator, but it feels really well. Elder Varney and I have really been able to work well with each other throught these lessons. Of course our spanish isnt perfect, and there are times where we sit there trying to figure out how to word a certain sentence through a awkward silence, but through our broken spanish the spirit has really been present and we have been able to get our message across. Im able to see Jessie pretty often actually. At least once a day, so that is way nice to see her. And I was able to see Teddi over the weekend which was way awesome. Um right now it is crazy getting visas. Argentina hasnt even assigned one this year. Missionaries are getting reassigned to wait for theres left and right. But we meet with the consulit next week on wednesday. So the outcome is looking a lot better for my district and I than other missionaries. Jordan way to go with softball. Its always a great week when you beat Mt. view and ironwood in the same week haha! Naes come on, of course you made the volleyball team, how could they not pick my Nae Nae. When do your games start? And Tanno Man!! Good job with baseball bud. Sounds like your basically Randy Johnson out there on the mound haha. Well Easter sunday was an amazing experience. We had sacrament meeting as the whole mtc. So picture the sacrament getting passed to over 3,000 missionaries. They had to have like 30 missionaries or so passing. It was way cool to watch. There was a rumor that Jeffrey R. Holland was going to speak, or maybe even Presidnet Monson himself, but we acually Bishop Causse, the presiding bishop. He didnt an amazing job. Its funny, everybody was bummed when they found out it was Elder Holland speaking, but by the end of the talk by Bishop Causee you could see how everyones attitude was totally different. I had a pretty cool experience that Easter Sunday too. We had just gotten done with dinner and we were heading back to the class when there was a family that walked by with their childeren. One of them was a little boy that was maybe 8 years old. But he kind of puffed up his chest and walked over to and shook my hand. He said "Elder, I'm a future missionary, just like you". I just loved how this little boy already had it set in his mind that he was going on a mission. It just really shows what the Lord ment when he said you need to humble yourself like a little child. Well with today being p-day I got to go to the temple this morning and do a session with my district at 9. But at 8 we went and ate breakfast at the temple cafeteria and it was seriously sooo god haha!! Well I have been here for one week and it is just crazy how much my testimony has grown. Oh the blessings of serving the Lord. Well I hop you all have an amazing week and I will hear from you on Thursday. The church is true. Learn it, Live it, Love it!!
Love,
Elder Wengert-W9
P.S. Oh and mom, could you forwad this to everyone that would like it, I dont have very many emails of people. Thank you so much, I love you!!