We are splitting!

(a letter from June 11)

Ok, so here’s the news on what’s been going on. We have been REALLY busy. The mission is splitting and we have to prep for it. We got the changes yesterday and I will be staying in the Mexico Puebla North Mission. President Christiansen (sp) will be here on the 28th of June. The ward is a lot better in helping us out. We have a lot of references, but a lot of appointments fall through. That is the biggest trial here is actually finding people at home.

We are still working with Angelica and Jose. They are planning their baptismal date for July because this month is going to be a bit hectic for them they say. Jose is an officer and he has to work every other day with no defined cut off time so sometimes he basically works 2 days straight. Angelica also has her own problems with time in that she has children from an earlier marriage and they are catholic and always have what ever thing going on with the kids.

Vania is moving a long bit by bit as well. She came to church on Sunday and that was a nice surprise. Her cousin Diana (less active) brought her. She is still trying to figure out for herself who God is because to her it has always just been a word, but she is starting to realize that there is more to it than that. She seems pretty excited about the gospel and the great changes that it can bring in bettering her life.

Rosa is still not going to church and we haven’t been able to see her for 2 weeks, but she still wants us to talk to her kids.

Javier is a less active that works on computers for a living, but he just had eye surgery. He is less active but coming more frequently. He says he just misses the good feeling of coming to church and knowing that he is the right.

I love this area and I love this zone. I am very glad to be here and to be able to serve the Lord each day.

Jerky, Brownie mix, ties and socks. That’s what I would like. Socks here are really expensive and I don’t know why. The cheap ones are just that. Cheap.

We are still celebrating my birthday today with some members. Hahaha. I love this place!


Missionary work is simple. If you are obedient, you will enjoy it. If you are not obedient, it becomes a drudgery. It really is a preparation for life in that we learn to talk to people comfortably. What do most jobs look for? People skills. Besides that, you can’t help but feel good about it afterward. On the flipside, when a chance passes and you know you should have said something, you just feel bad. So really it’s a simple choice: Always feel good because the spirit is with you to testify not only to friends and family about the gospel, but to yourself as well as the Spirit teaches through our own hearts and minds. Or.... Feel down and useless, always looking to understand how the gospel applies to your life better, but never finding the way to get the answer. The answer is simple, Missionary Work.

I hope that little message helped you! If not.... I LOVE YOU ANYWAY!!! HAHAHA!!! Till next week.

Elder Heath

A Wonderful Surprise!

(a letter from May 28)

It was a CRAZY busy 2 weeks. We had TWO baptisms that we were NOT expecting. Maria Graciela (Maricheli) and her grandson Rodrigo Emiliano. We also found a family that were attending church for about 3 years and never got baptized because he needed to divorce and marry her and his ex was making things EXTREMELY difficult. They moved JUST out of ward boundaries as the issue was being settled and have been there for a year. Due to problems with the landlord, they have now moved back into ward boundaries and are PSYCHED to get baptized. They have already married in preparation for the ordinance. They have a daughter named Yoshira but she already got baptized 3 years ago.

There is also Rosa who doesn’t feel like the atonement is enough for her to be forgiven. Better explained, she didn’t understand the atonement. She was unsure of the details of the Lord’s suffering in the Garden of Gethsemane. We explained it in terms that she could understand. Here is how the conversation went:

"Why would he suffer so much for us? There is no way that anyone would actually bleed from every pore for someone much less someone He doesn’t even know..."

"Sister, you have 3 children. Let’s say that they are playing in the street, and you see a car speeding towards them with no signs of slowing down. Will you watch them die, or will you push them out of the way and take the hit for them?"

"Well of course I wouldn’t do that."

"I know you wouldn´t. The Lord feels the same way. He DOES know you AND your children. He blessed you with them and He wants to keep blessing all of you. One of the greatest ways that he is offering you His love is through His suffering and death. He saw that car of pain, suffering and ultimately, condemnation coming and He took the hit for us. He did that for YOU and your children."

She got it. She just needs a bit of time to get comfortable. She isn’t very trusting and has never spoken to her children about God, but she wants us to talk to them and teach them about Him. She sees the difference in the members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and members of other congregations. She is really great and has no fear of asking questions. That’s the best thing about her as an investigator.

We have quite a few less actives or in-actives that we are helping and working with, but I don’t have the time to say EVERYthing that I want to. There is a lot of work here and I´m loving it! I hope you were able to get those pictures up and everything. Especially since I’m sending more.

21 this Saturday!!! (June 2) Haha. Till next week!

Elder Heath

Transfer!

(a letter from May 8th)

Well I`m back city side and I love it!  I am still a district leader but now with a new group of elders.

The members here are great with references and willing to go with us to learn the area and find directions. My comp, Elder Galan (which means Elder Handsome) is really great as well. He only has 6 months in the mission, but he likes to take control. I`m ok with that, but I`m keeping an eye on him to make sure that he isn`t to extreme or strong with the "I`m only here for the numbers" attitude. He`s a big guy too. That`s why it was such a suprise that someone attacked him. We are both a good bit bigger than the average Mexican. He is from Cancun. He is REALLY wanting to learn English in the mission because of all the pretty american tourists that hit the beaches for spring and summer break. Haha. That is his opinion of Spanish helping him have a more successful future.

Everyone here always says, "17 months?! Well you are just about out the door there aren`t ya?" NOOOOO!!!! 6.5 months is a LOT of time!! That time could make or break my entire mission so NO. I am NOT just about out the door.

My knee popped out of place again today. I`m not so sure that it`s a matter of it being dislocated as it might be a tendon that gets moved wrong or something. Either way President Reeves told me today, "Elder Heath, I am going to say this publicly (we were playing outside the mission offices), if I here that you were playing a sport again before you go home, I am going to hit you in the head." He then proceeded to laugh at his joke/serious threat. I`m kinda tempted to go for the story of, "My mission president hit me in the head for playing sports.".... but not all that much. Haha.

Here`s a quick list of our current investigators:

Mericheli- awesome old woman who feels unprepared because he hasn`t studied for a few years but who is obviously ready.

Emiliano- grandson of Mericheli. Is 11 and loves the church. He has a testimony but doesn`t talk very much.

Laura- daughter of Mericheli. She hadn`t listened to the missionaries before we got there, but near the end of our first lesson with Mericheli, she came out of her room and started saying that she needed a little more time before she gets baptized, but that she know that it is right direction to God.

That`s it for investigators that we have met, but we are still looking for them. The last Elders here didn`t do very well with the records so we are doing our best. I don`t think I said this, but we are opening this area. Of the 4 areas taht I have had, I have opened 3. I don`t know why. The Lord must think that I`m better at this than I think I am. Or that I have something to learn from it. I don`t mind it, it`s just a funny lil mission fact.

I love you!!! PEACE OUT!!! I LOVE YOU ALL!!!

Elder Heath

Things are Good (from 3-6-12)

Well.... here`s the thing.... my camera was in he backpack that I lost so I am having to use E. Garmendia`s any time that I want pictures which really just happened today. We had an activity with the zone that we went to some ruins. I had others from my last few weeks in Cuicatlan where we did service and went to some other ruins, but that is all gone now. I’ll pass the photos from today and a pic of us now.

This week was pretty good. We found a few new people. Juan Luis and Claudia. I`m scared of Juan Luis because he is weird and obsessed with me saying that I am going to save him and that my comp does nothing. I don’t do anything so I have NO idea what he is talking about.

Claudia is nice but messed up from the catholic church. She thinks all churches that talk about God will get us to heaven. We have a lot of work ahead of us. 

Abel, our baptism for this Sunday, has just informed us that he isn’t married legally to his wife and therefore cannot be married yet. He is willing to do whatever it takes to fix that problem. He is still gold.

We should have another 2 baptisms on Saturday. Ruby and Linda are sisters 9 -  10 yrs old and 9 yrs old respectively. They have been going to church with their grandparents for years so we really just had an overview of the lessons to make sure that they understood everything completely and without confusion. Very easy. We just need to hear that their mom gives a definite yes. Their dad is a member but is currently state-side. We are going to be fasting this week for sure.

I wish I could be there for the Trek just to help out. I LOVED when we did that. I can’t understand why some people didn’t enjoy it as long as they did everything right. But that’s just my opinion.

I don’t know if you know this, but I have been collecting scriptures and writing them in the back of my study journal to help me and to prepare for the rest of my life and a Son of God and one day a father. Well, I will now be putting them into their own binder because I can’t fit them all in there. It really is amazing to take every scripture and apply it to our lives in order to get everything we can out of it and to understand it better. 

This Sunday, I was just feeling like crud in the morning despite having a lesson before church. I just couldn’t shake it. Then we got into sacrament meeting and I took the Sacrament. I said a prayer that was full of more emotion than I had thought I had in that moment and I know that I was being guided to pray. During my prayer, that was more like a plea, such a feeling of peace filled my body and I just felt warm. I felt the sadness being burned from my soul. I truly felt the cleansing power of the Sacrament. I had felt it before, but I had forgotten that it could be so wonderful.

I really do love my mission, I just feel like sometimes it doesn’t love ME. Hahaha.

I love you all!!!! Bye!!

Elder Heath

I'm here!

Just checking in!!! I REALLY don´t have any time right now as we got back from our activity WAAAAAAAY late. This time it is all my bad.

Things are still really rough here, but we have a baptismal date the 11th of March. His name is Abel and he is trying to get his family more involved as well. He is just really awesome and he can´t stop reading the BoM. Not that there is ANYTHING wrong with that. :)

I love you Mom!!! Please tell Dad and Sereen that I´m sorry that I don´t have any more time to write but I thank them for their letters and the time they put  into thinking of me! I´ll write them next week for sure!

Elder Heath