27 May 2013

What a crazy but AWESOME week! I really feel like I have had an ensign experience. It really started at the beginning of the this change. Our zone it just awesome and we have worked hard to really be united. We have kept each other pumped up, trying to accomplish our goal of 30 baptisms in our zone in the month of May. This last Wednesday in our zone meeting we had 19 total potential baptisms. There were people who were possibitities to be baptized this month but still weren´t committed. We decided to fast together specifically for these 6 people. During that fast four people accepted dates to be baptized this weekend! One of them had to get married but her husband was leaving in 24 hours to Panama. We had to put together a wedding in like 12 hours. Even though it wasn´t in our area, almost all the zone helped to make it happen. This weekend every one of the nine areas in our zone baptized at least one person. We baptized Alejandra Moscoth on Saturday and it was so great. It was pouring rain outside so we had to send a taxi to go get her. But it was so cool to have it raining, it smelled great, and Hermana Bryce and I sang I Like to Look for Rainbows. Perfect! It was awesome to see her progress. There was one point and time when I honestly thought that there was no way that she would be baptized. But the Lord works in mysterious ways. Sometimes our blessing come in forms of trials. Her boyfriend who she was living with just up and left her for another woman. She was devasted. But because of that, she was able to prepare herself to be baptized.

This is Alejandra and her family

Sunday we had a mega baptism for almost all of the people in our zone, all together. Hermana Bryce and I were running around like crazy making sure there was clothes for everyone, doing all the things that the elders often don´t think about :).

 

There were 9 people that were supposed to be baptized in this one service. Once the baptisms started there were two people that had been a little unsure about getting baptized. There baptisms were supposed to be on Tuesday. But after seeing all of these people getting baptized, they wanted to be baptized right then and there so we scrambled to get clothes for them. By the end of the day 14 people in our zone had been baptized, making 21 total for the month of May. Last month the zone of Sonsonate only baptized 8 people so this was awesome! I really feel like I have experienced miracles here. It has been an awesome change, one that I will never forget. We found out that a ton of the elders are leaving with changes this week so I am bummed. But I feel so blessed to have experienced this. Like Ether 12 says, the miracles only come after our faith. That is what our zone had....faith!!

The rains have started. It has rained almost every day this week. It rains a lot at night and I love it! Well I hope all is well. Love you all!

Hermana Heap

20 May 2013

Well here I am again writing only after a few days so I don´t have too much to say. But we learned on Thursday that I will be getting another new companion in at the end of this change, 29 de Mayo. I have to admit that I am way bummed about this because I just love Hermana Bryce. But I guess all I can do is accept the Lord´s will.

Yesterday in Sacrament Meeting Kevin, the guy who was baptized on the 4th of May, blessed the Sacrament. AWESOME! I almost shed a few tears. ha! It is just so cool to see the progress of somebody. And when we were teaching him on Saturday we started spilling out all of these stories. He is a pretty quite guy but he shared experience after experience of when people had offered him marajuana, beer, coffee, and more in the last few weeks since his baptism. And he turned them all down!!! I wanted to shout for joy! What a cool kid! This gospel is so true!

Well I honestly don´t have much more to say. I am drawing a blank. But I hope all is well at home. I told Mom and Dad on the phone but just to make sure, Holly and Bonnie, I got your package and it was AWESOME! Thank you so much dear family for always supporting me with your packages, letters, emails, and prayers. I love you all so much!

Hermana Heap

16 May 2013

 

This is my area

Surprise! I didnt get to have my normal p day on Monday so I couldnt write. We went to the temple today so our p day was changed to Thursday this week. I felt like I was going to die without a p day for so long but I survived :) Mothers Day was great! I loved seeing everyone. It is weird to think that life just keeps going on like normal for you all. Much to the surprise of my companion, I did not feel the need to cry while talking to you all. But I have to admit that my mind has been on home more lately. Okay okay, so maybe a few tears came out afterwards but all is well.

Yesterday I got to experience the real life as companion to the mission nurse. Right now there are two nurses so Hermana Bryce is just in charge of everyone in Belice and the 2 zones here. This means that her life as nurse is pretty calm; just a few more phone calls than usual. But yesterday morning one of the phone calls was pretty serious. This poor elder in my zone was throwing up blood so we got to take a taxi to San Salvador hospital. There are hospitals here in Sonsonate but they are a little iffy so to San Salvador it was. We were in the hospital figuring everything out for most of the day. Luckily the elder is fine, just SUPER dehydrated so they put an iv in. I had to leave the room. I told Hermana Bryce that I passed out watching a cat scan. We are bothing wondering if being the companion of the mission nurse was a good idea for me. ha! But everything was taken care of and we got back to our area at about 6pm, leaving just a few short hours of work before sleeping, and waking up early just to drive to San Salvador again for the temple this morning. But the temple was GREAT!

 

It felt like it had been forever since I have been through a session. This time was my first time in Spanish and I actually understood almost all of it. Maybe that is because I already know what is being said a each part. ha! The last part was a little nerve racking but all went well. Can I just say that the San Salvador temple is GOREGOUS!! I have only been inside a few temples but this one is one of the prettiest I have seen. As I was sitting in the temple thinking, I started picturing all of the people that I am teaching right now that have baptismal dates, standing all in white in the temple. YES! That is the goal. I am not here only to fill the churches on Sunday. I am here to help people start taking the steps to get to the temple. It is so easy to get sucked into thinking about the day to day things. But when we are looking at the whole picture we realize how important the small but righteous decisions are. If you make your goals while only looking at the small picture, you are never going to accomplish the most important goal of this life. I have to remind myself of this often. I am not here in El Salvador just to knock doors everyday. I am here to help people prepare for eternity. They dont know what they need to do to have a good eternity. How important it is to share this with everyone! Like Jacob says in 2 Nephi 2:8 Wherefore, how great the importance to make these things (speaking of the atonement) known unto the inhabitants of the earth, that they may know that there is no flesh that can dwell in the presence of God, save it be through the merits, and mercy, and grace of the Holy Messiah..... This is the work of missionaries. This is the work of every member of the church! We have a duty to share this vision with everyone. I have been thinking a lot about what I am going to be like when I get home. As a missionary, you see the functions of the ward so differently. I cannot go home just to be the same as I was before, only thinking about my own salvation. If I do, I will have wasted 18 months of my life. But that is the great blessing that we have, we can change and progress. And we can only do this because of the atonement of Jesus Christ. I am SO grateful! Every day I learn a little more about this atonement and every day I am even more humbled to realize that He did that all for me, for you, for everyone. I know that my Savior lives! Because of Him, we can have hope in this life. There is light in the midst of darkness. Use it! Dont just toss aside.

I love you all!

Hermana Heap

Last week for zone conference Hermana Bryce and I made french toast for everyone. This was only about half of what we made 

 

6 May 2013

What a week we have had! Everything was going normally until Wednesday. We were knocking doors, looking for new people to teach. This family of five was nice enough to let us in to teach a little bit. So we were getting to know them and about to start the lesson with a song, when I turned to Hermana Bryce and whispered, "I am going to throw up!" And sure enough, 30 seconds later I ran for the front door that was open and lost all my lunch on their door step. I vomited over and over again. How embarrassing!! This was the first time that I have vomited since 2002 and it just had to be in the middle of a lesson. ugh. Luckily they were SUPER nice about it. I didnt end up teaching them because I still was sick and smelled horrible. We left for home and I threw up three more times along the way. Que feo! I showered and went right to bed. I threw up one more time in the middle of the night and then came the diarrhea. After that came aweful congestion in my lungs and no voice. Oh what fun. Then it hit Hermana Bryce with force. So we have spent a lot of time in the house this week trying to survive. :)

The great thing was that we had a baptism this week! Kevin Martinez, who is 19 years, was baptized and confirmed. HURRAY! I have been able to see the whole process and it has been awesome. He is a really quite guy but I have seen the change in him. Now we have set a goal for him to read the Book of Mormon and he is all excited about it. My testimony of working with members has been strengthened because this baptism would not have happened without Kevins friends. It is amazing how much baptisms help motivate me to keep going. This really is the Lords work. Change really is possible because we have the atonement of Jesus Christ.

I am way excited to talk to you, Mom and Dad, this coming Sunday. I am going to be able to talk to you at 7 or 8pm here which I think is 6 or 7pm Arizona time. Remember when I facetimed you on your ipad to read my mission call? That is what I am going to do again. That way we can talk and see each other. There is a member that is going to let us use his ipad. I will probably call the home phone right before I call on the ipad to make sure it all works out. I cant wait to talk to you all! I love you all! Sigan Jesucristo!

Hermana Heap

This (the one without a tie) is Kevin Martinez. His good friend Raul batized him.

 

 

This is the river that runs through Sonsonate. We cross this bridge every p day to get to the stake center to write our families.

29 April 2013

The weather is starting to change and become the rainy season. It hasnt started to rain every day but we did get our first down pour the other day. It was only a like 45 minutes long but it just so happened that during that time we had to be outside so we got drenched! I took a picture of this crazy day that I will try to send today if I get time. When it rains, it rains! I wish I could send some of it home. And since Hermana Bryce is from Arizona too so we are both on the same page when it comes to rain. I am loving to be able to talk with someone these days. Sometimes we talk too much though and end up getting sleep deprived. :) But Hermana Bryce reminds me a lot of Lindsey LeFevre, so energetic and happy that it is contagious. We have realized that our energy level really affects the work here, with investigators and member. Our motto is to FAKE IT TIL WE MAKE IT. Even if we are feeling a little down we try to fake it that we are happy. I am learning so much!

Yesterday one of the counselors in our stake called us into a meeting with the elders quorum presidency in our ward and proceeded put these young return missionaries in their place. It was crazy but SO cool. One day a few weeks ago I asked Hermana Gonzalez why the home teachers of this member couldnt give him the blessing that he needed. She told me that home teaching doesnt exist here. Because the church still hasnt progressed here as much as home, there are a lot of things that they still lack. I have almost just accepted it. But in this meeting, President Sanchez put these guys in their place about home teaching and how we are going to reactivate all of the inactives in our ward right now. It was so refreshing and inspiring to find someone to lead like this down here. And this man has only been a member for a little over 10 years. Crazy! That is my dream. To baptize someone who will actually go on with their conversion and because powerful members of the church! That is what is so needed down here!

The other day we knocked on the door of this pastor for a different church. Hermana Bryce has no fear so we talked to him for awhile and even set up another appointment for this week. I dont really think that anything will come from it but we are at least going to leave our testimonies of the gospel. This whole conversation took place on his doorstep and we ended it with a prayer. Hermana Bryce invited this pastor to say it. He proceeded to shout this crazy and long prayer. I am pretty sure the whole pasaje or neighborhood heard it. I could hardly hold back the laughter. What an interesting experience!

Thank you every one for your emails and dearelders. I love getting mail. This week I got one from Kelvin that was in Spanish......and I understood ALL of it!! I guess the spanish is slowly getting better. I love hearing from you all. I feel so loved. I love you all so much!

Hermana Heap

     This is me standing in the street during the rain! It turned the street into a spontanous river!

 

 

22 April 2013

Transfers came on Wednesday so I now have a new companion....Hermana Bryce! And she happens to be from Thatcher AZ! She is one of the mission nurses and already has 15 months in the mission so she is full of all the confidence and ideas that I lack. It has been wonderful to have someone to really talk to again but at times we have a hard time stopping! This change has been refreshing because even though I am in the same area, it is like a new start. We were feeling pretty down before with our area and the ward but now I can start over with a new perspective.

It rained for the first time the other day. It wasnt very much but it really helped cool off the temperature and made everything smell great. I hear that the real rains wont come until May. We are definitely having more overcast days lately though. It is crazy how I can pour sweat when it isnt even hot, it is just humid. I feel embarrassed at times because I am constantly sweating and the people comment on it. ha! There is no tact down here. People tell me that I am getting fatter, that I am sweaty, that I have bad acne, etc. ha! We just laugh it off and keep going.

We have worked hard and prayed hard to find new people to teach this week who are really prepared to receive the gosple. We have only found a few but two of them broke down into tears in our first lesson with them. I think the spirit really got to them because we tried to teach to their specific needs and not just lessons. We are hoping and praying that this is a good sign and that these people really are prepared and ready. One of them has some pretty big obsticals to overcome but I know that with the atonement of Jesus Christ, all things are possible!

I love you all!

Hermana Heap

Meet Hermana Bryce, my new companion!

15 April 2013

Hola!

Another week has passed, and I have now officially completed my first transfer, well I will on Wednesday. We heard this morning that Hermana Gonzalez is leaving the area and I am going to get a new companion to finish training me. This news brings mixed feelings but overall I think the change will be good. I am nervous to have to teach my new companion about the area and the people. There is still so much that happens and is said that I dont understand. This is going to be interesting.

This Saturday the mission had a temple trip to San Salvador for the investigators. We luckily got Morena and her two year old son Dani to go with us. We just found them this last week so we were really excited that they could come. Morena is only 18 and already has cancer. She shared this with us on our first visit and we all shed a few tears. I am still a little lost with all the details but I think that there still is a chance that it can be fixed. But because of this trial, I think that she is more open minded to hear the gospel. Sometimes trials are blessings. But we all had a good time at the temple. There was a tour of the outside with missionaries teaching things all along the way. I hope that someday I will get the chance to go inside but for now I am content to have seen the outside for myself. Morena came home with a positve experience and all excited to share it with her husband. He is catholic, so we are praying that all goes well there.

Also on Saturday after the temple, the wedding of our cook, Enma and Rafael finally took place. The missionaries have been working with them for months trying to get this to happen so it was a day to be celebrated! All went well and now Rafael can get his derechas, or rights to the priesthood back. And Enma is one step closer to baptism. Her progress is slow but one of these days she is going to be baptised, I just know it!

Well, once again, I hope all with well up north. I have heard some scarey things about Korea lately. People keep talking to me about it because I am American but I dont have a clue. No matter what happens, I know that when we follow the counsel of the Prophet all will be well. How blessed we are to have modern revelation!

Hermana Heap

The wedding of Enma and Rafael!! I love these people so much! oh and the dress that I am wearing is the third dress that Enma has given me.

 

This is Morena and Dani and I infront of the San Salvador temple!