Dear Family and Friends:

There is a lot i could say about this week. It was certainly a week of much growth in my testimony and knowledge that the savior lives and that he loves us. and that he has a plan for us. This last week i had the oportunity to reflect on a lot of things about the family. I thought aobut you guys and how specail you all are to me. I truely thank my heavenly father that i have such a wonderful, loving family who loves me. who supports me. who will do anything for me and who is strong in the gospel. We Can Be Together Forever!!! I wouldnt have it any other way. I thought a lot about how i acted before the mission too. and i want to say that im sorry. i shouldve acted more lovingly. i should have given more hugs. i should hvae told you all more that i lvoed you. because i really do. jacob, i have thought a lot about you buddy. i should have given you more of my time. i should have played more sports with you in the front yard. i should have given you more hugs man. you too faith. kacie i should have given you more support and love. mom and dad i should have given you more service and obeyed more. nate and just, we shouldve gotten more wings together and shot more guns and gone to the lake more and......hahaha okay okay. but its true. being away from home really opens your eyes at to how important your family really is to you. I love you all. you are the world to me and are so special to me in my heart.

This last saturday our zone had a stake activity in which we decorated the church up and had the whole plan of salvation set up. the idea that we did was to have everyone go into the gym....set up like an airplane and the airplane was going to crash and then we would take everyone through to the different reinos de gloria (kingdoms of glory) and the spirit world and everything. It was pretty funny because me and my comp at first acted like the flight attendents who announce everything. everyone knows that they always announce in english and then in spanish. so naturally i had the english part and little did i know that half way through my speech i was talking in spanish again! nooo!!!! hahaha but it turned out great. the spirit was very strong and we had a great turnout. we talked about the importance of baptism and how being bapitzed is the only way we can return to live with god again. and at the end we had everyone go into the baptismal room and watch 2 baptisms that we had that night. a great way to end the whole event. But in thinking about the family and then doing this whole thing, it gave me more of an opportunity to reflect on the family. God has a plan for us! like i said before...We can be together forever. i couldnt imagine life without you all. but just because god has this wonderful plan for us....its not free and its not just given to us. the price was paid by our savior jesus christ and our responsibility is to be baptized and live the gospel daily. remember my letter a couple of weeks ago. we must do the basics everyday if we are to return and live in the presence of our god. we must do the fundamentals if we are to be able to live together for enternity. it is amazing. it is wonderful. it is specail. we have our responsiblilties to live this...but as members we have even more obligations. we must go forth and instruct those who arent living the gospel or who do not have the gospel in their lives about this plan of happiness, so that they too can return and recieve all that the father hath for them. that they to can feel of the love and peace that eternal families brings.

I love my Heavenly father and my savior jesus christ and am so deeply grateful for this plan that we have. i testify with all the power that my soul has...that it is real. it is true!! and it can be yours. it can be ours.

I have no doubt that our heavenly father wants his children to come back to him and live in happiness in families. treasure your family. give more love. give more service. give more hugs and help one another more. on the subject of family....i am really worried about this week. because i think i might be getting transfered away from my family here. i love them so much. they are apart of me and it is so hard to imagine leaving them. i just want to bring them all with me! its hard, but with lots of love can come lots of saddeness when one is to leave. i will let you all know what the results are this next week but i hope that you all continue strong and strengthen your testimonies so that you can live in the celestial kingdom with your families. it would be heart breaking if one of you werent in heaven with all of us. i love you all. i really do. take care, be safe, and have a wonderful week.

Weston

1-4-3 Always

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Elder Birtcher

Perú - Arequipa Mission