City Life!

Wowee. This week was crazy, for sure. Who knew I'd be serving my mission on UAB campus. I didn't even know where UAB was before my mission!!!

So, I've been moved up here to the Vestavia Hills area, which includes the south side of Birmingham, which includes downtown Birmingham, which includes UAB, which includes one of the nicest area of Alabama!!! Man, I love  it here. It was sad to leave Clanton, and Clanton will always have a special place in my heart, but the city is great! I guess I just like big cities. Plus, it's a much better area for missionary work. It's awesome.

So Elder Free found out last week he got his visa and would be leaving for Suriname Thursday. But they didn't tell me where I was going until Thursday morning! I thought they'd just put me back in Millbrook, but I guess they wanted to give me a bit of change! I'm in a trio with Elder Fredrickson and Elder McGee- Elder fred has been out the same time as me and Elder mcgee is a greenie! So I'm kind of training although I'm not technically the trainer. Elder Fredrickson is the best, I love working with him. He's so funny and energetic and we have fun. And Elder McGee is great too, just a bit shy and awkward. And kind of weird. But we're all weird and he's probably just nervous so it's all good! We have fun together. 

So let's back up to Clanton. On monday, Elder Free and I decided we wanted cafe rio pork. Bad. So he got the recipe from his Mom and we bought all the stuff at Walmart. His recipe was a little bit different from yours, but it was really good. It had more of an authentic mexican taste. I'll have to get it from him. We had to wake up at 3 AM to pour the sauce in to let it simmer but it was so worth it. We had so many leftovers, we were eating sweet pork for days!!! Of course, we bought like 2 weeks worth of groceries and then we left. But I still brought a lot of it here or gave it to the sisters so it's all good. SO. In Clanton, we basically just packed and said goodbye to everyone. It was very bitter sweet again! I love all the people there and i'll miss them. We basically spent like our last 2 days with Brother Lutz- he gave us rides everywhere and man- he is just the funniest guy ever. He got some new teeth which make him look even scarier- it was so funny. I can't wait to come back after the mission and see all these people again. 

So! Thursday, we got picked up by the zone leaders and then Elder Free stayed with the assistants and I got put here in Vestavia! I'm sleeping on a mat currently, and our apartment is a lot smaller than the Clanton one. Only one bedroom and bathroom but we make do! I think they're gonna bring me a mattress soon. This area is not a very good one for bikes, plus, we can ride the bus basically everywhere. So we walk and bus and I love it. You meet so many more people this way and it leads to many teaching opportunities! Another plus, I am preparing for walking everywhere in Brazil! I already hated biking in the first place, so this is good for me. The first day we had a team up with an RM, taught like 5 lessons in 2 hours and had an awesome lesson with some less actives. The next day I went on splits with the spanish elders who took me to see a Brazilian lady!!!! Her daughter spoke both spanish and portuguese and we had a 45 minute conversation with them, all in spanish and portugues. I understood basically everything and was still able to teach/pray/converse in portuguese! So it's not all gone! woo. I wasn't fluent or really very good, but I was able to get by so that gave me hope. 

Yesterday we had a baptism!!! Sam, a 13 year old boy was baptized. His dad was a less active member, and they started coming to church together. His dad is now fairly active, his wife is interested in getting baptized, and their 6 year old son is already excited to be baptized in two years! Ahh, I love seeing families come back to the church, it just brings so much light into their lives. We also had a man from Kenya come to church and he seems fairly interested as well. There is just so much going on in this area, I love it!!! I mean, I still want my visa, but I'd be okay to spend a couple weeks here. It's wonderful.

So I actually heard about the game yesterday. There are actually a ton of BYU fans in the ward. Most the people in this area are not from Alabama so it's kind of like the melting pot of the south. Well, Atlanta is probably more so, but it's at least the melting pot of Alabama. Paul Lesike who ran for a touchdown and like 90 yards actually served in this area!!! Crazy right? all these members were talking about how they fed him at their house just a couple years ago. So that's cool. I can't believe we rushed for 550 on TEXAS. Save that game for me when I get home. That is so cool. The Utah game should be crazy next week!!! Elder Fredrickson is from Bountiful and he's a ute fan so this should be interesting. 

Okay, I'll stop talking sports now and be a missionary. This week we get to go to the temple and i'm way too excited. Have you seen the new video yet? I've heard it's pretty awesome! It feels like a new movie just coming out-but I actually get to see it!!! I am so grateful to have been able to go to the temple here-it is such a blessing. I love this gospel, I love this church, I love my Savior Jesus Christ, and I love all of you!!! Sorry this wasn't too spiritual of an email. But just know that I know for a fact that Jesus Christ lived and that we will all live again! The plan of salvation brings so much peace into my life, it's beautiful. I wish I could sit here and email all day but alas, I need to go. Love miss love miss love miss love miss y'all!!!!! Have a great week, escolher o caminho certo!!! (translation: choosing the right)

Love, Elder Weight

(Worldly side note- I heard there's a new Doctor on Doctor who and that he's old. Can one of my whovians out there PLEASE email me? Put a notice on my facebook, calling all whovians to email me please. Thanks)