December 17th:

 Love you mamma. I am so sad that I missed papa as well. But, hopefully next week i will be able to talk to everyone!! Sorry the call just cut off. but, i wasn’t too worried because i will be talking to you soon. But. i just wanted you to know that I got here safe and i am loving it here like no other. This is where I was meant to be sent. It was raining but, not hard at all. Just lightly. Oh! so much water everywhere! I am going to buy boots as soon as i can.

Love you! Talk to you more later!!

Give my love to everyone!!

December 14th:

 Part I- Houston or Atlanta. Depende en la avion. y depende en la weather. 

Yeah the L de M was a pretty great experiencia!! Yo estoy muy feliz!!

Por favor get mas dormir. Es facil a get enfermo cuando usted tiene no dormir nada.

Te quiero usted mamma. Gracias por todas.

just now in class we had our final lesson with Gabriela. and I cried. So did she and mi compañera. I am going to miss ella mucho. ella es vamos a ser bautizado!!! YAY! 

also, after class, we had a testimony meeting. And...we all cried again! so, this is going to be a long day... 

Part II- Oh! You should look up on the lds.org website youth music. Then click on the first option, youth music. Then find Glorious. Oh. IT is so amazing. You will love it. Please share this. :) Love you mamma.

December 11th:

 We don't know if we got our Visa's. buuuuut we are about 99999.99% sure that we got our Visa's.  Yesterday was so long and all I did was sit. Literally all day. Just sat. Because....we flew to Las Vegas at 6 a.m. to go to the Consulate or something...and we sat in an institute building for 3 hours listening to a man tell all about his life. It was okay but.....kind of weird.  Then, at the consulate  we sat for an hour. Then, after we took pictures, we got dropped off at the airport and sat again for 3 more hours. BUT on the plane ride back, two other Hermana's and I sat in front of two Hispanic couples. We started talking to them in Español and we placed our first Book of Mormon! Hermana Lowe heard the woman whisper to the husband ´we need to read this book´. AH! It was so amazing. Spanish just came out so easily and we could remember most of the things we had learned. AND they were so kind and helped us with our Spanish. Just a great experience overall. :) Oh Hermana Armknecht wasn't there because I don't know but...the travel office is really weird and she is there today with another group. I don't know how they do it but, she was just going on a different day. ODD......so, we sat from 4 a.m.-9:30 p.m. needless to say, i need one of those donut things because my bum is going flat. juuust kidding. :)

MAMMA!! I leave on Monday morning Early. So please be by all of the phones all morning. Take them with you into the bathroom. Take them with you in a Ziploc bag into the Shower. or just don't shower until Wednesday...just in case I don't make it on Monday and I have to stay somewhere one night. Last Monday the missionaries whose flights went through Texas had their flight canceled because of the ice storm. I am scared that it might happen to us. There was a couple on the plane that were trying to get back from Cancun and they had to stay in Cancun for three more days because of the airport in Texas. CRAZY!!

The sisters in my District are...Jordan Zimmerman, Elise Riedelbach, Kylee Lowe, Krysta Wyndham, and Katheryn Armknecht. Zimmerman is the blonde from California we are besties, then it's Elise we can see her house from our classroom window. Lowe is the one with the beautiful big blue eyes she is from the same town that they made Napoleon Dynamite. She worked at the same chicken farm since she was like twelve and she was on the bus in the beginning of the movie. So awesome! And she had napoleon's locker in high school. So, she's pretty cool. Her companion has short brown straight hair and her name is Krysta Wyndham. they are all really great!

QUICK INFO If you want to send stuff to me, it'd best be over night. Today. Or tomorrow. We got a talkin to and there is no point for packages so.....sad day... but! I am not sure about our area. So, you can try with something simple like m&m's but I am not sure if I will be able to receive any packages after this week. Because I'll be in mexico.

I am going to weigh my bags tonight and then email you some information.

Is dad okay? what's with the blankets??? Tell him not to get sick.

PHOTOS!!!!!!!!

December 10^th:

My mom got this text from an unknown number along with a picture of Alyssa and several other missionaries:

Hi there, I’m a Mormon mom and I work at the Las Vegas airport.  I get to see many missionaries who come to Nevada to get their Mexican visas.  I just thought you might like a picture of your missionary.  Enjoy!! 

December 6^th:

 Hey just a quick note. We just got word that if we don't get our visa's by next Friday, we will be re-assigned to a new mission until we get our visa's. None of the Hermana's going to Villahermosa have their visa's yet sooooo.....I hear that Mexico and Brazil are having problems which is weird. Entonces......Love you please keep us in your prayers...more...haha. :) Love you!! Thanks for the package!! :) And Grandma Nelson's!

-Hermana Weaver!!!!!!!!

December 4th:

Yesterday we had our Tuesday Devotional and the choir (yes I am in the choir) sang Angels we have heard on high. :)  The Choir director is so amazing and hilarious. Every song he gets us excited about by talking about the gospel! He was talking about how Jesus, Jehovah created a splendor worlds and then came to this earth as a baby. Then he went on to talk about what it would be like to be Jesus's little sibling. Hey you better leave me alone or else my brother will smite thee!! No seriously he can. On a serious note.....What would it be like to be Joseph. To have to teach Jesus. "Now Jesus don't......nope you're pretty much perfect." Haha! Knowing that Jesus was perfect would have been hard and a little intimidating I think. But also, humbling, amazing, and such an amazing family they must have been. Mary willing to bring him into our world and having the faith that she did. :)

Ah! this past week I was seriously struggling with Espanol because I wasn't progressing and in the lessons I had so much I wanted to say but, I couldn't say it in Spanish so, I was getting frustrated and just almost ruining the lessons because I would just stay silent. Then my teacher Hermana Zuniga (sue-nyee-ga) read me a part of Predicad Mi Evangelio. Struggling is a part of the Gift of tongues. It's a part of learning Spanish so I shouldn't be to hard on myself like my companion said I was. (Which was verdad)

Anyway, Overall, this week has been a learning experience. La CCM es mui importante y es un bendicion en mi vida. Estamos es mui agradecido por de Iglesia de Jesucristo y la amor de Dios. Gracias por la support y amor. Te Quiero tanto tanto tanto tanto tanto!!!!! :)

My companion, Sister Armknecht:

 Sister McGary (and a photo bomber):

 Sister Reidlback and Zimmerman:

 Whole District.  Elders were leaving the next day:

November 13^th:

Okay mamma! AH! I have been having a super fabulous time!!   I forgot my camera in my appartment so, either later today or next Wednesday I will have pictures for you! My companion is Hermana Armknecht (arm connect). My district is all Hermana's and we are all going to Villahermosa! AND we all live in the same place so, basically we are together 24/7! We are not on the main MTC campus but, we are on the West campus which is only for missionaries that speak Espanol. SO, if you get a mission call and you are going Spanish speaking, you will probably most likely be going to west campus. (which is awesome because we have catered food! and an endless supply of cereal!!!!!!!!!!) My favorite food so far is the rolls. And the cereal. It's pretty much all I eat. (Mamma don't read that).

It has been so much fun to be here in the MTC. My teacher is Hermano Whittaker. He is such a great teacher. so full of love and patience. You can really tell that he cares about us and how much we learn. Being with all girls all the time is a good thing and...sometimes a bad thing. We talk all the time which is great to get to know each other but the bad thing is...WE TALK ALL THE TIME! So the thing that we had to overcome was getting off track of our studying. Now, we are doing so good! Just those first two days were very hard.

So...funny story, we were having personal study time and i had to use the restroom so, I go into the bathroom. (we have class in the old housing that was for BYU so just think of a dorm setting for our classes and bathrooms) there is a little bit of water in the toilet and just some toilet paper. So, just to be safe i plunge it a little bit. then I flush the toilet. Bad idea. it starts rising....so i snatch the plunger and start plunging but nothing was helping! So, I run out of the bathroom and go into our classroom and yell, "HERMANA'S AYUDAME!!!!!!!!!! Ayudame! Ayudame!!!!"  Then finally Hermana Zimmerman realizes that there is something wrong. The bathroom was like Multnoma Falls! Seriously! So then, Hermana Zimmerman starts plunging but nothing is happening. (Remember that our teacher isn't teaching us today so we are on our own) then the other teacher comes in and saves the day. After that maintenance comes and cleans up the mess. The elders and Hermana's have separate bathrooms but, the elders sometimes use ours.

Yesterday, Tuesday, we had devotional and Elder Tom Perry spoke! He talked on being with your companion and loving them. You should be able to hear them going to the bathroom! Ah! He also spoke about the Elders in the Philippines and the tsunami. There was a man who heard about the tsunami coming and immediately got a bus and picked up all the missionaries from the island and took them to the airport and then got a plane and flew them to safety. (Not sure if it was the same man from the bus to the plane.....). Missionaries are blessed every day if they follow what they are supposed to do and are faithful. Like President Hinkley said, "Try your VERY best. And He will do the rest."

It is so great getting to know the other Hermana's in my district. They feel like family. :) My companion sounds like Jenna and sort of looks like Brooke Harrison. Well...she is 6' 2" so height wise she is similar to Brooke. Anyway! We have many laughing times all together but, there are so, so, so many sweet and spiritual times as well. We are teaching an investigator, Samanta, who only speaks Spanish so, we learn fast. It is very easy for me to understand but, the hard part is trying not to sound like a caveman in espanol. such as, "Mi familia orar juntos. mui importante oror juntos." I basically said, my family pray together. Very important pray together. haha! But, she understands and we still feel the spirit when we teach her. The first lesson was brutal because it was our third day and once she opened the door, all I could remember was Hola. I couldn't even remember my name!! But, it is in the past and it is A-ok! :)

Now we talk a little better and understand her a lot more. 

In the classroom there are really fun times but more so, we learn and grow together with the spirit and the scriptures. When we were having personal study time, I read in 3 Nephi 11 and while I was reading, i understood all that was being said! it was as if i was reading something that i really could understand. Maybe it was because I was reading in Spanish the whole week and to finally read my first language it was so nice to understand it!

Well, I hope that everyone is doing well! Congratulate Ragno for me! Give lots of hugs!

Remember to smile and laugh everyday. Hermana Zimmerman always says at the end of the day, "Did you laugh today? Tell me the story." I think that is really great to share experiences and times of happiness with each other.

Wish I could write more! I will try with letters and more emails but, I guess I can't get every amazing detail. You'll just have to see when the Big movie comes out! :)

LOVE YOU!

November 8th:

Hola mamma. I am doing great. Just got on a computer. Love you!!!! :) I am safe.

Spread the word on my blog about letters and email. LOVE YOU!

Keep being awesome!

Love,

Hermana Weaver (they pronounce it... Whey-ah-vehr!!) So cool!

November 5th, Draper Utah Temple

For my very first post, I decided to post my Farewell talk. For those who might have missed it. :)

Buenos Dias Hermanos y Hermanas!

That means good morning in Spanish!

I was kindly asked to speak from a talk given last April General Conference from Elder Nelson’s talk titled, Catch the Wave.

The key points in his talk are about the greatness of the Restoration, us preparing NOW for our missions, and being a member missionary. The Restoration is frequently taught in the Book of Mormon.

Elder Nelson declares,

“The Book of Mormon is the centerpiece of the Restoration. It was written, preserved, and transmitted under the Lord’s direction. , Doctrine and Covenants 135:3 It was translated “by the gift and power of God.”  The book of Doctrine and Covenants contains many additional revelations given to the Prophet Joseph Smith. End quote.

The more we read and discover throughout the pages of the Book of Mormon, Doctrine and Covenants, Pearl of Great Price, and The Holy Bible, the more we can understand the sacred workings of this gospel.

Elder Nelson goes on to say,

            The Restoration fulfills many biblical prophecies.”…Isaiah 2:2… “The {migration} of Mormon pioneers to the mountains of western America is a fulfilling saga of sacrifice and faith. Isaiah also foretold that God will do “a marvelous work and a wonder.” That is now being fulfilled by the sacred work of our growing army of missionaries…”

The number of missionaries has greatly increased! Even just in our stake! This past transfer of missionaries, 2 left and roughly 20 came. This next transfer, eight are leaving and about 22 are coming. The Lord is hastening his work. As we learn the gospel ourselves, we are preparing, building a testimony and the more we learn, the more excited we are about sharing. Catching that wave of wanting to share with our friends and neighbors is what we need to do as Latter Day Saints.

I remember once when I was a beehive in Young Women’s and I realized Adam and Eve were supposed to partake of the fruit from the tree of Knowledge of good and evil. I got so excited about understanding this crucial part of our history that I started sharing it with my friends from school. I didn’t know what was going through their heads but, all I cared about was getting that information out!

Then, going to the temple and doing baptisms for the dead, I recall wanting my close friends to be able to experience those feelings and understandings of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Preparing for a mission is just that…

Building your testimony of the truthfulness of the Gospel and then sharing what you know and have learned from your personal study and from participating in Sunday meetings and seminary/institute classes.

Elder Nelson pronounces, “More of you young men and women will catch this wave as you strive to be worthy of mission calls. You see this as a wave of truth and righteousness. You see your opportunity to be on the crest of that wave.

A couple of months ago I was called on a mission to Villahermosa Mexico. It borders the Gulf of Mexico and Guatemala. I remember before opening my call I told my mamma, I just really don’t want to go anywhere where I’d be hot and sweaty.

I had a friend that was called to Honduras and he was so excited! He said,” Alyssa, the Lord knows me so well. He knows I hate the cold and long sleeve shirts. I am so happy!”  I was thinking OH! That means he knows me! And I’ll probably serve in Canada or Russia!

When I read that I was going to Mexico, I thought, oh no! The Lord doesn’t know me!! What was He thinking?!

Then, the more I looked and thought about where I would be serving, and the people I would serve, I realized that it’s not supposed to be a vacation to fit my wants. The frizzy hair and the discomfort I may feel is a minor price I pay for helping another precious soul.

Elder Nelson speaks to teenagers specifically when he says, “embrace your new curriculum and teach one another the doctrine of Jesus Christ. Now is your time to prepare to teach others about the goodness of God.”

I think that the new curriculum is so cool! I remember sitting in class and having good lessons but, the best ones were ones that were interactive and others shared their thoughts and ideas.

By getting involved and sharing what you know in your Sunday meetings, you realize how much you do know about the Gospel and you are more comfortable sharing that wonderful gift with others---even before your mission!

Years ago, every young man over the age of 19 was encouraged to go on a mission.  Then the bar was raised.  A mission isn't for those who just simply have nothing more exciting to do. They want individuals who have a deep desire to go, who have prepared, who are going to go and do the Lord’s work with the right intent in their heart.

At BYU-I one of my mission prep teachers asked us if Satan wanted us to go on missions. And the answer is Yes. He wants us to go but, the catch is, he wants us to go unfaithfully. We need to be careful and work for healthy, strong testimonies. Through faithful scripture study, and loving earnest prayers, we can build up our testimonies. Which in turn, will help us be a light for others in bringing them close to our Father in Heaven.

Our ward is amazing with a great ward mission leader and missionaries. There are people called to serve and help the ward mission leader but, even though they do stupendous work, each ward member is needed to assist in this exciting work.

Elder Nelson thoughtfully says,

            “Our inquiring friends and neighbors not of our faith can also catch the wave. We encourage them to keep all that is good and true in their lives. And we invite them to receive more, especially the glorious truth that through God’s eternal plan, families can be together forever.”

This piece of the talk stood out to me. I have always loved the thought of forever families. Eternal love and families is so amazing! It’s glorious! Why wouldn't we want to share this knowledge with others?

Elder Nelson goes on to say,

“This wave of truth and righteousness is wondrous! It is not man-made! It comes from the Lord, who said, “I will hasten my work in its time.”7 

This wave is empowered by a divine announcement made 193 years ago. It consisted of only seven words: “This is My Beloved Son. Hear Him!”8Uttered by Almighty God, that announcement introduced a young Joseph Smith to the Lord Jesus Christ.

Those seven words launched the Restoration of His gospel. Why? Because our living God is a loving God! He wants His children to know Him and Jesus Christ, whom He has sent!9 And He wants His children to gain immortality and eternal life!”

Brothers and sisters we need to be prepared to serve Him always. As we share with true intent and love with the Spirit as our guide, the truth will be manifest by the power of the Holy Ghost.

I KNOW I was called to Mexico for a glorious reason. I know that the precious people in Villahermosa are waiting for me to find them, and share the Gospel light. I can catch that wave to those that need me. And you can too. Through your daily scripture reading, your humble prayers, and your helpful service to others who need you in their lives.

-the Lord knows me

-through Him stronger

-Learn faster

I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ, Our Savior, Amen.