North Carolina Charlotte Mission

Good grief! What a week it has been! 

So I played a big trick on everyone and told them I'd be part of the Tennessee Knoxville Mission. I'm still a missionary in the North Carolina Charlotte Mission and I'm happy to be here.  I don't even know where to begin with this week. This will be all over the place but I just have to get all the information out. So hang in there:)

I'm serving in the heart of Charlotte. We're in the Pineville 1st ward  in the Charlotte South Stake. We're serving in President and Sister Craven's ward along with a tri-panionship of Elders/our Zone Leaders. My companion is from Millcreek. Her name is Sister Jameson. She's 21, she was studying studio art at BYU before she came on her mission. She's been out 8 months and she is the best. We get along just great and she reminds me so much of Kacee Hildebrandt.

On Thursday we had Mission Conference and Elder David Evans and newly called Elder Gifford Nielson, of the Seventy both were here for the conference. It was wonderful. I honestly could write for a day about it but I won't. Elder Evans is the man right below Elder Russell Nelson in the Missionary Department so he took us through so many amazing things that are going to be changing in the next few months for missionary work. It is so exciting. He also went through the entire process of the decision for the age change. It was so great to hear it all from an inside perspective. He told us how at the end of July last summer, when it was still the General Authority's "vacation time" he, Elder Nelson, Elder Holland, and Bishop Cose were going to meet with the First Presidency and the rest of the Quorumn of the Twelve to discuss the changes being made and told us about how Elder Nelson got up that morning at 6am and got ready in his suit and his wife asked where he was going and he said, "to possibly the most important meeting I'll have as a member of the Twelve." The Spirit hit me like a boom when those words were spoken. It truly was such a historic thing. Elder Evans stressed how this wasn't "just an age change" or a "policy change" but that this is changing so many things in The Church. In all the talk and discussion of changing the ages he said The Prophet's main concern was not what age they would leave but what age they'd all come back. He didn't want Elders coming back at 20 and Sisters coming back at 22/23. He stressed so much how the General Authorities wanted returned missionaries to marry returned missionaries to build the next generation. He talked about all the things that are changing because of this wave of missionaries. We were with them for 8 straight hours. It was seriously the best. We were spiritually fed and feasted on all the wonderful things they taught us. After the meeting was over one of the Assistants came up to me and said, Sister Webber, Elder Nielson requested an interview with you. It's not everyday that you get to have a one on one interview with a member of the Seventy. It was such a wonderful experience. He is a man of God and I'm so grateful I had the chance to meet with him.

On Saturday we went to a baptism in our area for a boy name Dae'chan that the Elders had been teaching. It was one of those baptisms you don't forget. (this poor 11 year old boy has never been under water before and was scared out of his mind but he wanted to get baptized so bad and he wouldn't get out of the font.) they ended up closing the curtains and his older brother, De'ante was baptizing him and his mom somehow ended up in the water at one point and then the Elders ended up putting jumpsuits on and it took three full sized men to get him baptized. it was crazy but seriously the best thing. his brother bear hugged him from behind while one of the Elders held his legs down and the third pushed them under the water. No one that came got to watch it happen besides those that came back to help because they were behind the closed curtain but it was quite a memorable baptism. 

Sun This ward was so excited that they were getting Sister missionaries. This ward and stake are so focused on missionary work and ready to harvest. After a few of the meetings that we got to sit in on yesterday, Sister Jameson and I were talking and I said, I feel like we're in those Preach my Gospel example videos of how a ward and stake council and PEC meeting should be. It was funny.

The official title of what Sister Jameson and I will be doing for the next little while is "Sister Training Leaders" I didn't get that name down until yesterday, I think. We are going to a training this week to inform us more of all the things we'll do; but last week President Craven said we'll be going on exchanges with other Sister companionships twice a week to train them and teach them! It's going to be a great experience. I'm looking forward to working so closely with President and Sister Craven. They are so wonderful. We get to go to Mission Leadership Council (used to be Zone Leader Council) this week so I'll get to see my Zone Leaders and District Leader from Asheville one more time before they all go over to the other mission. I'm excited about that.

Life in Charlotte is busy. I'm definitely not in Cherokee nation anymore but I know I'm where the Lord wants me right now and I'm looking forward to the great experiences ahead!

God lives. He loves each one of us. I know He is so aware of our needs and is willing to help us every step of the way.

I love y'all. I hope you have a good week:)

Love always,

Sister Webber

Right before we left to come to the library I was walking to the garbage can in our kitchen and this nasty huge cockroach was hurrying it's way to go behind the fridge and I looked at my companion and frantically said, What is that!? and without even thinking I just turned around and kicked the wall to kill it and it made theeee nastiest crunching sound and then it just juiced down the wall. Welcome to summer time in the south. I'll die here. hahahaa

My new address is posted to the right.....don't be shy I love letters!!