Monday, March 24, 2014

3/24/14

We dont do a lot of service here. Like nothing. Its kind of sad. Yup! We had a conference with an area 70. He was awesome, and it was really good.

This week was rather uneventful. Oh, we received lots of missionaries from Venezuela this week. They took out ALL of the foreign missionaries and reassigned them all. I dont know much, but I think bad (worse than normal) things are happening over there. We are going to plan a wedding!! Not really, the sister is going to plan, and we are going to help. The requirements here to get married are so weird! But then again, I have no idea what you have to do to get married in utah. They are going to get married April 5. Its is a part member family. The kids and the husband are members, and she isnt. Her husband was less active, and we are reactivating him, and then we are going to baptize his wife :)

The work is going this week, we had 26 lessons! Still under the goal that we have had put on all of us, but its better! We had a few challenges this week trying to get some papers filled out to get some people married, and we took basically a whole day to do so. They said some papers were wrong, but when we got to get them arranged, they said that the papers were fine. We went back, they didnt receive us because it was closed, went the next day, and they said, "oh, it looks like they are fine, but now you cant have the marriage date you want." I was a little upset, more so because the zone leaders were TICKED that we couldnt get the marriage date for the 29 of March to have the baptism for this month. We have it for the week after, April 5. They yelled at us, and I wanted to cry. But they never said anything to us in person. Im not too fond of this zone because of the leaders. They want pure numbers. And they dont listen to us. They dont seem to understand that every area is different. It gets me down a little bit, but I remind myself that I am working for the Lord, not my leaders, and it helps me refocus myself.

I think when I get back we will have to do some exercising. I dont do a whole lot here, mostly because we are walking all of the time, and if we dont shower right when we get up at 6:30, its less probable that we are going to have water to shower with. Hahaha. The joys of having water for a limited time, its quite adventurous. Oooh, and we have COCKROACHES. Quite a few, and we have watched a few births of cockroaches. It looks painful. So we put them out of their misery with cockroach spray. Im ok with the bugs when they are on their backs, and feel a little bad when I kill them, because they cant do anything, and look like they are trying all they can do to save their lives. BUT.....when they are on their feet and running, I scream a little bit, and my companion laughs, saying that it sounds like I had seen a ghost. hehehe..... still my mothers daughter...

Well, I think that is it for today! I love you all so much, and have a great week!!!

Love Always,
Hermana Heather

Sunday, March 23, 2014

3/17/14

Hna Jenny is really funny, and she wont be offended at anything you say, maybe a little confused, but not offended. Hahaha. I have read some of your comments, and I find them funny, and sometimes I can tell when you are using google translator. I must say it works pretty well. She absolutely LOVES talking to you, and says its really fun. She LOVES taking pictures and videos. I think you will receive more from her than you will from me, hahaha.   She would LOVE a jar of peanut butter. I was thinking about asking you for a few mini hymn books in english. My companion LOVES english, and really wants one, even just a little one. So if you could send like 2 or 3 or 4, that would be nice. And I can give a few to others in my journey who really want the hymn books. And I think I might like one too....hahaha. But she really wants a hymn book in english.

Thanks for the compliment! I guess I am more confident here, and generally happy, lol. The past week I have been more tired than normal, and then last night and today I started to feel sick, so I think my body is going to take a little more of a beating before it gets better. We will have to see... :/

The cooking for ourselves??? I dont like it too much, just because we only have a little tiny crockpot. Though I got desperate last week, and I made myself a grilled cheese sandwich with it. More or less. I really just wanted the cheese to melt in between the bread, and it was good! The first grilled cheese sandwich in a long time...   I have thought a little bit about arch supports, but I am not sure exactly if they exist here. I may go looking for some today, and see how much they cost.

I am so close to the halfway point, and sometimes I feel like I have a short time, and others, I feel like coming home is so far away! But I am pushing, and sometimes, that is all I have to do.

I was thinking the other day, one of the first things that I want to do when I get home, even if it just after I get off the plane, is that I want to see the lights at temple square. More that I want to see the temple... :)   Because in the course of my mission, I have grown to love the picture of the salt lake temple. It has become a symbol of home.

Stay strong in the faith. Read your scriptures. Do everything you can to become closer to God, and he will help you in everything that you need.

I love you so much, and pray for you everyday. Stay strong!!

Love Always and Forever,
Hermana Heather

Monday, March 10, 2014

3/10/14

This area is very different, there are very many new challenges that I am facing, My body hurts a lot, and I am always tired. My feet hurt in one specific spot on both, in my arches. But I am still kicking. I am kicking to make it to the halfway mark in 9 days (WHAT?!?!?!) and then shortly after, the year mark, and then I will basically be home! I am on the other side of the mountain from Magnolias, going west. Sometimes we can see the ocean from where we are. It is about... probably 2 hours from my other area, and I am a lot closer to where my first area was, Santa Isabel, I think it is about 20 minutes up from where we are (I have no idea what is north or south, and I dont think I will ever figure it out). We actually dont have a pensionista, we provide our own food. We are given more money to do so. And I have no idea who washes our clothes, the entire zone brings their clothes every week to the leaders, and then we receive it on friday. I dont know what happens to the clothes, but they come back clean :)
I was not aware of Hna Jenny BEFORE this area, but she was aware of me. She knows EVERYTHING about ALL of the missionaries who have passed through her ward, and who is to come, and where they are now. She LOVES talking to the parents of the missionaries. She is like our mom, if we need anything, we just go to her. Hahaha.

We help marry people because that is one of the commandments that NOBODY keeps down here. But only for those who are going to be baptized. Almost no one is married here, they just live together and have kids. It doesnt matter, its not a big thing down here to be married. But if they are not married, we cant baptize. And the requirements for marriage are difficult, although I am not quite sure what are the requirements, and what documents they need, but they dont have them and have to search for them.

The weeks are going by fast, but sometimes I feel like I am never going to leave, but I also feel like many of the experiences I have had happened just yesterday. So I can just hope a little that the time keeps going by fast.

We just provide our own food for breakfast and dinner. We have a crockpot in which we heat water for chocolate milk, or tea. We have a fridge where we have fruit and other things. And we buy bread once or twice a week. Thats what we normally eat. :)

I love you all so much, and am so grateful to have all of your support, good luck with everything!

Love Always and Forever,
Hermana Heather

Tuesday, March 4, 2014

3/3/14

How did you all know that I had transfers?... or was it just a guess. Hahaha. I did get transferred, to the zone Carabayllo, on the other side of the mountains from my other zone. I was content leaving my other area. I love my other area so much, and was sad leaving of course, and I cried, but I knew it was my time to go. I could feel it a few weeks ago. My new area has hills, and is a little bigger than my zone in  Magnolias. But its good. I dont know my area well at all, neither the investigators or members. But in a few weeks I should have the hang of it. I have plans to take more pictures in this zone. I forgot my cord today, so I will have to send some next week. Normally I have the cord with the camera, but for whatever reason I took it out. Oh well. My new companion is from Bolivia, and has 3 months in the mission. She is AWESOME. She is a little spontaneous, and has a strong testimony, and likes to talk. But I love her, and I think we are going to get along really well.  In this transfer, I am going to learn how to have fun, be a little more spontaneous, and how to help people with their problems, and how to marry people (or try to at least.) New apartment?? Really nice, apart from we dont have running water from 8:30 am until 11:00 pm. And we have to pour a bucket of water in the toilet to "flush." That part I missed in the email to mom, I think she would be very interested in that part. I will have to take a picture. Our apartment is a LOT cooler than my other apartment. Its nice, has tile floors. Oh, and cockroaches. Not many, but we find at least 5  week. I am more for the screaming or freaking out, my companion is ok with killing and disposing of them. hahaha.... but I do prefer the cockroaches over the spiders. So I am counting my blessings. :D

Oh man, 9 fast sundays to go! That is so short! I dont have many transfers either... I have about.....6 transfers left I think, maybe five. (A transfer is every 6 weeks, and they go by flying). I am hanging in here. I am not going home until december. I am working hard to change the lives of the people here for the better. That is my goal. I never really liked to have a "baptism goal" for the mission, just because I would rather convert the people, and change the people, than try to baptize them. Because I know they have progressed, when they realize that to change, they need this baptism, they can be changed forever.

Something interesting about this area, I am realizing that people have problems, real life problems. There is one man named Antonio, who we are teaching, and he is a drunk. He has accepted that he has a problem and that he wants to change, but he cant stop drinking. As of now, I have not seen him without alcohol in his system. And just so you all know, the smell of alcohol in the breath of someone is not the best smell. It smells awful.

Pray for my investigators, they really need it, they need so much help to change and accept the gospel of Jesus Christ. I love you so much, and thank you for everything!!!

Love Always,
Hermana Heather

2/24/14

Yup, today we find out the transfers. And you are correct, we will not know until after internet. I havent had to use the doggie dazer much, for which I am grateful, but the times I have used, have more or less worked.

Things are good for us, and we will see in a short while if we are still companions. Hahaha.

Oh! We had our baptism on thursday, and everyhing went! It was a very stressful day, but we got through it, got him confirmed and everything, because this sunday it was his turn to work. We did it! Our first baptism as a companionship, and the first in three months. YEY! I am sending a picture of our baptism, and a few other photos too. They are currently charging.

Love Always

Hermana Heather

2/17/14

We are enjoying our p days a little more. Last week was AWESOME! It was just me and my companion, and we did a little shopping, and then we went back home, took a nap, left a little early to eat, and got a head start on our evening teaching. It was AWESOME.

We have a baptism this saturday!!! Finally!! Its this kid that has wanted to be baptized from the moment we got in contact with him back in november. he has a friend who is lds, and he has read liahonas, watched mormon messages, the works. He has even been asking how/when he can serve a mission. My district leader gave him the pre interview, and when he came out, he looked a little dazed, saying, hes good to go, and....he wants to serve a mission.... it was really funny, because my district leader is a funny guy from vegas, and hardly nothing can faze him. hahahaha

Transfers are next week too!! :/ I almost think I am going to go, because i have been here for awhile. But my zone leaders keep saying that I am going to stay and my companion is going to go. I dont know, I like my area, so I am content staying here.

Thank you so much for everything, I love you all so much!!!

Love Always,
Hermana Heather