Hola mi familia!
Well, all i can say is that this week was a lot better for me. Not because a lot has really changed from the previous week, but i just decided to just try my hardest (oh, and it is really hard sometimes). I'm glad to hear everyone has had a great past couple holidays, so that's good. Thanks for all the letters and packages, it's pretty much what i look forward to everyday and they keep me goin!
Last Wednesday i did see Elders Lemon y Winters, so that was nice. i gave them all some spiritual missionary advice (like just make it til sunday, or don't drink the orange juice).
Below (from Left to Right): Elder Connor Winters & Elder Ben Lemon (Texas-San Antonio Spanish-speaking) with Elder Heimuli
I talk to Elder Winters almost everyday, him and his comp are really cool...even though i keep forgetting his comp's name hahaha. I've only seen Elder Lemon a couple times but they both seem like they're doin really well.
One of the biggest things that have helped me this past week is a talk by Elder Jeffrey R. Holland. It was given in the early 2000's but it speaks to every missionary that either has, or ever will listen to it. The talk was titled, "The Miracle of a Mission." I'm sure Hema has listened to it. Elder Holland (who has always been one of my favorite speakers, and now i've just gained that much more appreciation for him" spoke of his mission and how it was the greatest time of his entire life--not teh easiest--but the greatest. The only thing that has been more challenging and energy consuming than his mission was his call to be an apostle of God. He spoke of how we all (us missionaries) need to realize how important our calling is. We need to understand that we are here as representatives of God and we're not doing it alone. It will be hard, and it will be demanding, but it will be worth it. Elder Holland said that he would try everything in his power to keep a missionary in the field for his 2 years, even if it means tying them down into their chair hahaha. Elder Holland also said that if you return home and you take off that name tag, and you realize that something was different about yourself, then that will be very sad. We need to realized that we are different because the Spirit is constantly with us and that it is our duty to bring that to other people.
Scriptures that i LOVED this week are alma 34:40-41 then read alma 32:41-43.
I forgot how wonderful it felt to teach by the Spirit. I am still very eager to leave the MTC and get out into the field, but there's not much i can do now but learn and grow while i'm here. i heard that there is never enough time to study, so that's what i need to be doing.
New Years Eve was the best this year! It was just like i was still at home! We had class ALL day and then at about 930 we celebrated! I'll send some pictures, but we used all of the party stuff and the confetti and drank the Martinelli's (thanks for all of that btw, it was really cool). We just had a zone party in the hallway! See, just like you guys were doin at home probably, huh? then we all went to bed at 1030 cuz we all had class early in the morning! Best New Years Ever! It was lame cuz we didn't get mail all weekend, so i didn't get that second package until yesterday haha. Oh well, better late than never!
Fast Sunday was this past Sunday (as you all should have known) and all i can say is that it's harder, but at the same time easier. Dinner is at 430, so it's not that bad. I hadn't eaten since dinner Saturday, so i was still hungrier than usual, but i had a lot of things to fast for so that made it a lot easier! We had a good Testimony meeting, but i didn't bear my testimony cuz we had to do it in Spanish, maybe next month i will.
I also had an awsome lesson last night, our Teacher was Hermano Catt (we finally had our teacher back!) Over the break we've had a lot of different substitute teachers so it was kinda hard to learn things. We called ourselves the orphans of the zone cuz we never had anyone to teach us and we were always so lost, just watchin after ourselves. Anyways, so the lesson was really awsome and it was about missionary work again. I guess the Spirit wanted to tell me something, cuz Hermano Catt testified of how important missionary work is and how we are called in this last day to bring God's children back to him. I think, after this week, i have it cemented into my head why i'm here and why i need ot stay here. Pretty sweet.
i'm running out of time cuz i'm slow at typing, but i hope this letter was a lot better than the last few. Tell everyone i love them and thank you for all that you do! i have been blessed by you all and i hope that by what i'm doing here, you will all be blessed ten fold, cuz that's how God works, so we'll just be patient and see. Hema, Norma! Love you guys! Hevynn, Houston, Harrison you guys are the bomb!
love, elder heimuli
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