Hola!

Another p-day is already here....crazy! Time is definitely starting to go by faster, which at this point I am going to consider a blessing. :) As far as I know I am still scheduled to fly out to Guatemala on the 15th. I have a layover at the LAX from like 9:30 to 12:30pm so hopefully I will be able to call home. Sorry, Mom and Dad, that that is so late. I am preparing myself to go but at the same time I am terrified. I was telling Hermana Miller this week about how terrifying everything about the mission is to me. It is just all out of my comfort zone. An elder in my zone this week asked me why I decided to serve a mission. Once I told him how I got here, he told me that I have incredible faith. Ha! I don't know about that but I am definitely trying.

Days here are like emotional roller-coasters. The day can start great and end great but in the middle could have been so hard. My mood just really depends on the minute. Ha! But once again, I have been very humbled this week. There are so many things that are asked of me that I don't feel capable of doing. I realized that even though I have a testimony of the atonement, I am not sure how on earth I would teach that to an investigator. It is so wonderful but yet so vague at the same time- so incomprehensible! I have made a special effort to study the atonement this week and I have definitely learned and been reminded of a lot. I reread the talk that Elder Bednar gave on the enabling power of the atonement. It is a wonderful talk and I would recommend it to anyone and everyone! So often the scriptures and talks and lessons about the atonement only talk about how to repent (make a bad man good) but there is so much more to the atonement! I am totally incapable of doing all that I need to do here as a missionary but also in life. Heavenly Father knew that so he provided a way to do it- to be enabled. Every day since I have studied this principle, I have prayed for strength to handle my trials and hard things rather than asked the Lord to take them away from me. These simple but frequent prayers have truly made a difference. I have felt so much more calm in lessons where I can't understand what the investigator is saying and have no idea how to answer his questions. What a blessing! I definitely have a testimony of the enabling power of the atonement! And I am sure that that will only continue to grow throughout my mission.

This week has been interesting because my district got completely new teachers. Because the new semester started, working schedules for the teachers changed so we got new ones. I was really sad to say goodbye to the old ones but the Lord knows what he is doing. Hermano Bailey and Hermano Beeston are both great teachers, they just teach very differently. ha! Hermano Beeston came in on the first day and laid down the law. We each have to memorize 20 words a day, 5 sentences a day, read aloud 3 pages from the Libro de Mormon, learn a grammer principle a day, and memorize a scripture in spanish every week. And we are given no time in class to do this so we have to fit it into everything else that we have to do every day. And to top it off, he quizzes us individually every day. YIKES! My stubborn side wanted to just give him what for and tell him that he can not make me do that. Who does he think he is?! But of course I didn't, I just thought all of these thoughts to myself. :) I told him that I would try but in my mind I was thinking that there was no way that this would happen. But luckily I have a supportive district and companion that have helped me to try. And guess what?! It is possible! I have been able to get all of this done every day so far. That, my friends, is call the enabling power of the atonement!

Hermana Edwards flew out to Guatemala this Tuesday. It felt like my arm was being chopped off. How can I function without her? Luckily I still have one wonderful companion here with me so that I am not alone. It has been hard to get used to not being in a trio but there are some good things about it. It is much easier to stay on the same brain-wave as your companion in a lesson when you only have one. It is also easier to all take an equal part in teaching the lesson with only two of us. We do miss her though! She was our dictionary! Ha! Hopefully I will get to see her soon in Guatemala!

Thank you all for the letters and packages! I have been enjoying so wonderful jerky! :) I also have a card reader now so hopefully I can get you some pictures today. I have heard that it only works on the computers in the laundry room though so they will not be attached to this email. I love you all so much!

-Hermana Heap-