I am doing great! I got your package and I want to thank you all! It was great to hear from all of you guys. Thank you for the little boost cuz I needed it.
This week was pretty jam packed with good stuff so I'll try and type fast!
First off, I went to Rome. There's no Vatican or anything like that, but there is a cool gryphon statue.
I was on exchanges with the spanish missionaries up there and I met one of their investigators, Dale. He has had a hard life of drugs and alcohol and a BUNCH of other just-not-good things. He has tried to kill himself twice and is only 24. He has one son who he never sees, and a daughter (with him and his mom) that has cerebral palsy. She is the cutest, prettiest little girl I've seen. She is 4 or 5 but can't talk but has the brightest smile ever! Dale has really made a lot of progress since the first time he met the missionaries. He still has a LOT of things to work through but it was so cool to see how much they loved the missionaries cuz of what they have done for Dale.
I actually went up to Rome tuesday and then returned back to Cedartown Independence Day afternoon. It rained HARD that day. When the weather finally cleared up it was about 6pm (which was when we had to be inside) so we didn't do anything really productive. In Rome I bought 3 pairs of pants for 4 bucks!! Score! I figured it was about time to get rid of my grey pants. I have sowed those things up 7 times and they still had holes, and they were faded big time. Out of repect I thought they deserved to be retired.
President and Sister Snow are here and they are just amazing! On Saturday we had the chance to meet them at one of our Zone meetings. President Snow talked to us for 2 hours and it was so good!
I don't know if this is weird to say, but since I've gotten here in this mission I've felt like the odd one out (me and a handful of missionaries). I felt like I'm not a conventional missionary cuz everyone was always so...missionary like. I've prided myself in being able to be me AND a missionary. Those two should never be seperate. When I'm done with my mission I'm NOT done being a missionary so why should I act any different? If I'm me out here then I'll be me when I go home. Being a missionary shouldn't be something I just take off (like clothing) when I'm finished. I've made "Helam" become a missionary, I didn't just put on a "Elder Heimuli" mask to wear for two years.
Anyways, Pres. Snow talked about how we need build the faith of the people we teach (of members, investigators, etc) cuz that's our calling. Just blowing through lessons and baptizing people won't necessarily build their faith. If we build their faith first, the outward results will naturally follow. Only real people that experience real change can help other real people exprience real change (w the help of the spirit of course). This all makes sense to me.
Yay! I'm glad K is doing good. I've been talking to him now and then. He's perfectly fine. K is actually my hero cuz it takes a lot of courage to do what he did. Even though he lives in Utah where there are quite the population of judgmental people, he chose to do what he needed to do. That's a real man. I'm gonna get Prince his tie this week, so yeah!
The Satterfields were awsome. Don't do anything too straining on your time or resources; I'm sure they appreciated getting your letter! But, another thing is that they just love you Mom! They always let me know when they heard from you and how impressed they are with such a great mom that I have :) I'm sure a visit face to face from you won't be a bad idea either! Use your best judgement :)
As for transfers, we're doing them a little differently. We actually know who is leaving and where they are going and everything Monday morning. I got a call from Pres. Snow this morning (dunh dunh dunh dunh). I am being transfered from C-town and I am very sad about that.
Also, I am going english, going zone
leader, opening a new zone in ATL and training a new greenie. Yeah. Weird.
Honestly, I don't like being in leadership and it freaks me out to be the
"example" over so many missionaries, but it's ok. God wants me there so I'll do
it happily!
Love you mom! Hope you guys have a great week!
--E. Heimuli
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