Week 78: THIS IS IT!!

December 8, 2014

Geliefde Familie: 

I feel pretty good titling this email "This is It" because, well, that's what Michael Jackson's last concert tour was called, and if there's anyone in this life to emulate, it's the King of Pop. Wait...I might be confused. King of Kings is who we are supposed to be emulating. Either way, THIS IS IT. 

Transfer calls came last night.  The assistants told me I was being transferred to America! Zr. Mashburn is staying here.  ALSO, ZR MASHBURN IS TRAINING! SHE IS GOING TO BE AMAZING!!!

 And we went to Brugge today. It was exquisite. Also, Christiaan from Lelystad came because he had a Sinterklaas gift for me: THE SORTING HAT. YES. He's probably sending a picture. 

The Sorting Hat

 I've been thinking a lot about what I would say, and I thought I'd use the scriptures to tell you about what I've learned because one of the biggest things I've learned on my mission is to love, love, love the scriptures. Not that I didn't like them before, but they've definitely taken on a new meaning for me these past 18 months. 

Helaman 5:12. And now, my sons, remember, remember that it is upon therock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye must build your foundation; that when the devil shall send forth his mighty winds, yea, his shafts in the whirlwind, yea, when all his hail and his mighty storm shall beat upon you, it shall have no power over you to drag you down to the gulf of misery and endless wo, because of the rock upon which ye are built, which is a sure foundation, a foundation whereon if men build they cannot fall.

This tells us a few things. One, that trials WILL come. It doesn't say "if" anywhere in that verse. It does say "when" and "shall" though. But it also promises us that if we build upon the rock of Christ that we CANNOT fall. I like to use this scripture when I talk to people about getting answers from God. We get those answers when we pray often, read in our scriptures, and attend church meetings.

Alma 7:11-13. 11 And he shall go forth, suffering pains and afflictions and temptations of every kind; and this that the word might be fulfilled which saith he will take upon him the pains and the sicknesses of his people.

 12 And he will take upon him death, that he may loose the bands of death which bind his people; and he will take upon him their infirmities, that his bowels may be filled with mercy, according to the flesh, that he may know according to the flesh how to succor his people according to their infirmities.

 13 Now the Spirit knoweth all things; nevertheless the Son of God suffereth according to the flesh that he might take upon him the sins of his people, that he might blot out their transgressions according to the power of his deliverance; and now behold, this is the testimony which is in me.This tells us that we are never alone. Christ suffered, and I think we all know that. But WHY: so that he would know how to help us. It's sort of the same reason that we suffer. So that we can help others when they stand in need. We have sympathy for others when we notice them going through something we've gone through. Christ has more than sympathy for us. He died for us so that we don't have to feel guilty or sad or lonely. He has a perfect plan and he will never leave us alone.

Abraham 3:25. See also Romans 12:1-3.  

And we will prove them herewith, to see if they will do all things whatsoever the Lord their God shall command them;

1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God,which is your reasonable service.

 2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

 3 For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.

It's not supposed to be easy, discipleship. We have to give everything we've got, actually. Doing the will of God is not just a good idea, but it's the test of why we're here on earth.

Alma 5:28. Pride is a sin and we must be clean to see God. Luckily we're here on earth to repent. Further, Alma 34:32-34. We are eternal. What we become while on the earth stays with us. We are here to change, but in the end, what we've become while here is what we will always be. So we need to take this opportunity to change, to repent, every day while we can.

Mormon 9:19-22. Miracles still happen, people. But only if we have faith. I've learned a lot about faith and expectation on my mission. Dad and I talked about it before, but I got to put it into practice here in the Field. God can only work with the amount of faith that we have. He can help us develop more faith, but faith ultimately is a choice. Something we need to choose every day. If it's not growing, it's shrinking, and THAT'S when miracles cease.

D/C 128:24.24 Behold, the great day of the Lord is at hand; and who canabide the day of his coming, and who can stand when he appeareth? For he is like a refiner’s fire, and like fuller’s soap; and he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness. Let us, therefore, as a church and a people, and as Latter-day Saints, offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness; and let us present in his holy temple, when it is finished, a book containing the records of our dead, which shall be worthy of all acceptation. This is why God refines us. SO that we can be with Him. He wants us to come back to Him, but we have to work. That's why he gives us the Gospel. The Gospel of Jesus Christ is a refining PROCESS that requires a lot of sacrifice. Sacrifice brings forth the blessings of heaven. When we sacrifice, we increase in faith and in order to be able to abide in the Celestial Kingdom, we have to have sacrificed. Sacrifice is required for salvation. That has carried me through the toughest times on my mission. See also 3 Nephi 12: 19-20, Alma 34:17

2 Nephi 32:3 and 5, also Jacob 4:6.  Angels speak by the power of the Holy Ghost; wherefore, they speak the words of Christ. Wherefore, I said unto you, feast upon the words of Christ; for behold, the words of Christ will tell you all things what ye should do. For behold, again I say unto you that if ye will enter in by the way, and receive the Holy Ghost, it will show unto you all things what ye should do.

Wherefore, we search the prophets, and we have many revelations and the spirit of prophecy; and having all these witnesses we obtain a hope, and our faith becometh unshaken, insomuch that we truly can command in the name of Jesus and the very trees obey us, or the mountains, or the waves of the sea.

SCRIPTURE POWER keeps me safe from sin. But seriously. I already said something about this, but I KNOW that our days are better when we read in the scriptures. I am so grateful for them. Anyone reading this, just know that if your day has been hard, it can get better if you take 15 minutes and just read in the Book of Mormon. It gives a strength that we can't get from anywhere else. It might sound cheesy, but it's true. The scriptures give us power. They give us hope. I love the scriptures. 

2 Nephi31:20. Wherefore, ye must press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope, and a love of God and of all men. Wherefore, if ye shall press forward, feasting upon the word of Christ, and endure to the end, behold, thus saith the Father: Ye shall have eternal life.

This is on my plaque. It tells us so many good things. First, why we should do things: LOVE. There are a lot of other reasons to do things, but if it's not out of love of God or fellow men, re-evaluate it. It will make you happier. It will give you the hope mentioned in this verse.

D/C 6:10-11. I've learned a TON about Spiritual Gifts, but mostly that they're given to us so that we can help people. Again, we have to look at WHY we are doing things. Everybody has something. Everybody can develop themselves more. Shout-out to MJ Aston for teaching me that we won't get any new talents if we don't ask for them and do our part to develop them. Love you.

Ether 2:9 and 14, D/C 95:1. And now, we can behold the decrees of God concerning this land, that it is a land of promise; and whatsoever nation shall possess it shall serve God, or they shall be swept off when the fullness of his wrath shall come upon them. And the fullness of his wrath cometh upon them when they are ripened in iniquity. And it came to pass at the end of four years that the Lord came again unto the brother of Jared, and stood in a cloud and talked with him. And for the space of three hours did the Lord talk with the brother of Jared, and chastened him because he remembered not to call upon the name of the Lord.

Verily, thus saith the Lord unto you whom I love, and whom I love I also chasten that their sins may be forgiven, for with the chastisement I prepare a way for their deliverance in all things out of temptation, and I have loved you—

 At this point you may have realized that I don't know where the "and" sign is on this keyboard. BUT. WHY GOD CHASTENS US. Because he loves us! He wants the best for us. He told the Brother of Jared that he could live in the best land ever. EVER. But if he wanted to live there, he had to be better. SO he chastened him so that he would repent and be worthy of that huge blessing. He does that with us too. I know that the days that we feel chastened are actually a blessing. We are driven to our knees to change on these days. 

Ether 12:4. Wherefore, whoso believeth in God might with surety hope for a better world, yea, even a place at the right hand of God, which hope cometh of faith, maketh an anchor to the souls of men, which would make them sure and steadfast, always abounding in good works, being led to glorify God. Hope. 

Faith in God gives us hope which carries us through the day. What would we do without hope? The hardest days of my mission are the days that I've forgotten about hope and how it is an anchor for us.

Alma 7:15. Yea, I say unto you come and fear not, and lay aside every sin, which easily doth beset you, which doth bind you down to destruction, yea, come and go forth, and show unto your God that ye are willing to repent of your sins and enter into a covenant with him to keep his commandments, and witness it unto him this day by going into the waters of baptism.

The only thing that stands between me and God is whatever I personally place there. God's willing to give me answers, help, forgiveness. I have to drop my pride and be ready for it. Heavenly Father knows what I can handle, but when I show Him that I'm ready for something, He will give it. Sometimes that's uncomfortable, sometimes that's scary, but if we let go of our pride and realize that it's what God wants, we will be so much happier. 

D/C 63:16 the last part. See also 1 John 4:18. Fear and faith can't coexist. So if we're afraid, it's because we aren't trusting in God. Luckily, faith drives out fear. I know that trusting in God is ALWAYS the better option, although that is definitely easier said than done. 

Alma 34:38  That ye contend no more against the Holy Ghost, but that ye receive it, and take upon you the name of Christ; that ye humble yourselves even to the dust, and worship God, in whatsoever place ye may be in, in spirit and in truth; and that ye live in thanksgiving daily, for the many mercies and blessings which he doth bestow upon you. I love this one.It's all about humility and gratitude. I've been so blessed to be able to come on a mission. I've learned so much and I've changed so much. I hope I continue to grow the way I have on my mission. I've learned what it means to take the name of Christ upon me. Every investigator I've had or every lesson with members has taught me too. I've learned so much about people and about what it is to be a true disciple of Christ. I know that Christ is the center of the gospel. It's all for us. We were sent here to become more like Him. It's hard. It hurts. But it makes us more prepared for the future, be that here on earth or later. I'm so grateful for the examples I've seen here on my mission. I love these people. A lot of times I notice parts of my personality in them, and then I know why I was called here. I can't believe it's been 18 months. They've been the hardest, scariest sometimes, points in my life, but I wouldn't have given it up for anything. I've had so much fun and learned so much. 

IK HOU VAN JULLIE! See you Thursday?!!?!?! AHHHHH. Everybody keeps asking me how i feel. I know I am going to NL on Wednesday to see other missionaries, but I don't really realize that I'm going to be seeing you the next day. It's so weird. But I am excited. 

Thank you for the love these past 18  months. I'm so blessed to have such a great team of supporters behind me. I LOVE YOU ALL.

Liefs,

Zr Katherine Heilner

P.s. this is my last letter to President, we were supposed to share our most memorable experience. 

My most memorable mission experience would have to be entitled, "Is this a trick?"

Serving in Maastricht was so good for me because I learned a lot of really hard lessons. I had a steady investigator there the whole time. She is from Italy and is very intelligent. She was raised Catholic, but grew to resent that because of what she had seen in the Catholic Church and around her in Italy by people that called themselves Catholics. When we found her, she was completely atheist, and was quite convinced that there could be no God that loves us. She's a philosophy major, so naturally she wanted to discuss this matter with us. Teaching her was fantastic. She loved the Plan of Salvation and really WANTED to believe, but was having trouble receiving answers to her prayers. We eventually got to the Word of Wisdom though. She LOVES coffee. She told us that WE wouldn't want her to stop drinking coffee because she is so grumpy without it. She's also very determined though. We taught her the Word of Wisdom on Saturdaymorning, and invited her to stop drinking coffee the next day and come to church with us. I think she said yes just to show us how big of a mistake WE would be making. 

We met at the train station and had brought her an apple (they're supposed to help). She wasn't particularly talkative, but didn't seem too bad. She told us that she didn't have a headache YET, but she was sure it would come. We had talked a lot about faith with her, and on the train ride to the church in Heerlen, we taught her about Priesthood blessings. We told her that we could ask a brother in the ward to give her one and it would help. She agreed, again, probably to show us how wrong we were.

During church, the headache started. She got restless, but after the meetings, the institute teacher that she already knew and respected gave her a blessing of strength to quit drinking coffee. We rode the train home with her, and she seemed to be doing a little better.

We had an appointment with her the next Wednesday. Her phone didn't work, so we hadn't had contact with her since then, but we had made an appointment to have a lesson and then travel together to institute after that. We got in her house and were talking and decided to just start with the next lesson before following up on the coffee...but before we could begin she asked if she could ask us a question. She looked really nervous as she said, "Was that some sort of trick?" We were worried about to what she could be referring, but she clarified that she believed the Priesthood Blessing must have been some sort of magic trick. She said that when she got home from church on Sunday that the headache, in a second, went away completely. She said that she noticed that she actually had MORE energy and that she hadn't wanted to drink any coffee since then. At that point, we could testify that Priesthood blessings only work according to our faith, so she must have had faith in God! She still was bewildered, and had to ask the institute teacher herself is he had just played some sort of trick on her. 

This investigator is still searching, but I know that she is making huge progress. I know, through this experience, that Heavenly Father can work with even the smallest amount of faith to bring about miracles. I know miracles haven't ceased and I know that Heavenly Father loves His children. I know that the Priesthood is restored and that it's here to bless us. I am so grateful to have seen this work in the lives of others and also in my own life. I know that Heavenly Father is ready to bless us when we drop our pride and come to Him. I know that the Book of Mormon teaches us how to come closer to Christ. I am so grateful for this knowledge, and I say that in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Week 77: Transportation Issues NEVER END

December 1, 2014

Geliefde Familie: 

Achter-op adventures

 So we are luckily emailing at the church today. We tried to go to a spin class with the Elders this morning, and we knew the trains would not be running because of strikes, but after 20 minutes of waiting in the cold and dark at a bus stop, we also learned that the buses weren't going between Lokeren and Sint-Niklaas either. So after a series of miracles, some members came and brought us to the church. These people are wonderful. We've probably ridden in their car too much this week. I shall tell you why.

Friday night. We were with the district leaders in Lokeren so we were walking everywhere. We were all going to meet at the WML's house so we could go with his wife to visit him in the hospital, but we (Zr MB and I) had to run home to get something before we got there. So we ran, got what we needed and then came downstairs to our bikes so we could ride to their house faster. Well. Zr MB's bike key was gone. Luckily, I got my brakes fixed last week, so she could ride achter-op, and we made it on time. But after searching EVERYTHING, even the path we took while running to our apartment, we still couldn't find the keys. So we were doing everything on Saturday with one bike. Luckily, Lokeren is small so we can walk most places, but in the evening we went to go look someone up who had referred herself that lives like 15 minutes away on the bikes. 

Someone was home, but they didn't answer the door! Frustrating. But we decided to just knock in the area for a while before moving on. So after knocking the street, we went back to my bike and as I was searching my pockets for MY bike keys, I said, "Ha, it'd be funny if I also lost my key." Lo and behold.....it was gone. Unbelievable. We looked all around the places we'd been, I emptied out my bag...nothing. HOW?! We basically felt like Job. Just kidding, but seriously, TWO BIKE KEYS LOST WITHIN 24 HOURS OF EACH OTHER?! Amazing. We just had to laugh, cause, like...what's crying going to help? So we put my bike against a fence and decided we'd tell members about it at church the next morning and see what to do. Then we walked home and talked to people along the way. I kept thinking, "There has to be some sort of purpose for this. Obviously we are going to see people we would not have seen and we're going to need to talk to them." There weren't really people outside though...But we knocked a little bit as well. I was just bewildered by why it was happening. Then I was looking back at all of the things we had to do because of our bikelessness. We saw some real miracles! First, we ran into Comfort and her mom while walking home. That was a huge miracle because Comfort really, really wants to come to church every week and activities, but her mom wants her to go to her church every other week and stuff. And her mom usually leaves the room when we come over to teach Comfort, so we were discussing ways to get a better relationship with her and then BOOM, we had to basically walk home together. It was good to just talk to her and let her see that we're normal.

Also we ran into Cassandra, a potential investigator; Marc, a new investigator who offered us a ride; and another potential's mom. We talked to all of them and confirmed appointments. I guess that must have needed to happen. 

So we got to church because a member drove us and we told one of the members that is the go-to guy for bike issues. He came by last night and cut Zr MB's chain and then drove us to my bike and took it with him, will cut my achter-slot, and is going to bring it back with us when he takes us today. What a doll.

In other news, it was my last zone conference this week. I think it sort of hit that I'm going home. It was so weird, like, everybody kept asking me how I'm feeling and stuff and I just haven't really thought about it that much that seriously. But then we had to give dying testimonies, and as I was sitting up on the stand during a musical number, I just felt so weird. I didn't like it. Then I was all nervous and dumb as I was giving my testimony, which is lame cause I had actually sort of prepared. But oh well. We got to sleep over in Dordrecht that night. It was so cute. I'm kind of Holland home sick. Plus, I got to see Zr Watkins. Anyway President talked about how loving the people (and motivations in general...I got a shout-out because of a zone training I’d given a couple transfers ago about the same thing...ha), obedience, and faith are all related. It's so true. If we're not happy, we need to be throwing ourselves into the work more. I love that about missionary work. If you want change, work harder and you'll see positive change. I really loved zone conference. Elder Moreira of the 70 came too. His wife only speaks Portuguese and I saw her in the bathroom and said something I remember hearing when Spencer had those CDs in the car before his mission haha. She liked it. Pretty sure it was "how are you" but you can never be positive. Elder Moreira talked about a lot of stuff, but what stuck with me was the story of Portuguese sea men that basically broke all of the self-limiting beliefs in the world. We are the only ones that limit ourselves. Heavenly Father wants to help us so bad, we just have to be willing to let Him. We decide how we're going to work with our circumstances and make them better. 

Zone conference!

Also, at zone conference, President came up to me and goes, "Your extension papers have been processed." Then I laughed and told him that my mom would kill me and then he responded with "No, she'd kill ME!" Probably true.

Just so you know, I'm emailing to the tune of...the Elders screaming at each other in ping pong.

Oh my goodness let me update you about Eline! She's amazing. We have lessons with her every Monday night, and she asks the best questions. Last week she asked us if her inactive boyfriend would have to be re-baptized before he could baptize her. The best part is that the inactive boyfriend has a very active sister and we teach them in the sister’s house! They came to church yesterday and really liked it. We were freaking out because they came late, but they MADE IT! There's nothing better than having investigators at church. When the chapel smells like smoke like it did yesterday, you know the missionaries are doing something right...well...kinda. It means people want to change!

I only have to weekly plan one more time in my life. Halle-freaking-LUJAH.

I'm just going to be working on making sure I stay strong until the end. I have to start packing...yesterday I made myself put 20 things in my suitcase during dinner. That was a good plan. Ugh. 

IK HOU VAN JULLIE!

Liefs,

Zr Heilner

Some members gave us a tree. We were sooooo happy!

It was SO cold yesterday. Getting on the train was so nice.

Week 76: Christmas Time!!

November 25, 2014

Geliefde Familie:

  

CHRISTMAS LIGHTS IN LOKEREN!

Happy birthday Madeline!!! I can't believe you’re going to be 14! Mom, if she doesn't see this, make sure to tell her I love her and I'm thinking about her. Really all of those cute Pfortladies. 

This week has been good. We rode a lot of buses and talked to a lot of Muslims. WE HAD AN INVESTIGATOR AT CHURCH! And I heard from Christiaan that they had SIX investigators at church in Lelystad this week, so I was SO happy to hear that. 

Comfort. She is so cool. She's 11 and I think I've told you a little about her. She lives with her mom here and she got permission to come to church with us! So we got picked up to go to church and Comfort just rode with us. She lives on our same street. She is really smart  I really think she is getting it! She's so sincere and wants to do what's right. Zr Mashburn just stuck with her while I was in ward council, and when I got out, she was just talking to all the members. They love her and she loves them. A fairly recent convert, Angela, who is 17, just really took her under her wing. It was so good to see. After church, Comfort was like, "I want to come again!" and we were like, "Yeah, next week!" And she was so happy. She turns 12 on Saturday and she might be going to an activity with the YW in Brussels--to a war museum or something. If she goes, we can go too! We have another lesson with her tonight. Woo!

Let me just brag about how amazing my companion is for a moment. First off, she's adorable. She is good at sports and loves animals and is just so sweet. She also is AMAZING at sports. Soccer, basketball. She dominates. The elders love it that there’s a sister that can actually hold her own. This is what it was like With Zr A too. She's SO smart, too. Goodness. Her Dutch is fantastic and she just really needs to see that she is doing SO well. I hope that in these next two weeks I can really help her build her confidence. She’s amazing. I love her. She's so funny and cute and we get along really well. 

Mom, you asked if I want people at the airport. Sure, why not. Especially Alex Self. 

So Muslims. Basically, twice this week we thought we were entering a situation where we'd be doing the teaching, but both separate times, they have dominated the conversation. They completely don't see the need for a savior. It was so interesting to me. I kept asking them questions about heaven and if we need to be perfect to get there and how we can become cleansed from sin, and they just believe that it's like a balance. As long as you help enough old ladies cross the road, you'll be saved. They don't see that no matter how much good we do, we all need Christ. I love how the Book of Mormon is so plain about that. People are constantly chastised but it’s all so that they can become clean. God gives us so many chances to accept Christ, and I'm so grateful for that. I know that we distance ourselves from Christ every time we make a mistake, but we are so blessed to have a plan from our Heavenly Father that allows us to repent, become clean and to come closer to Christ. I've seen it a lot on my mission--people coming closer to Christ. And they’re so much happier for it.

Went on an exchange to Gent and we saw some really cool miracles. A 16 yr old kid really wanted to learn more and he gave us the information of his girlfriend too. we were waiting for his mom to get home so we could share a lesson, but she wasn't there by the time we had to leave, but it was cute, the kid kept sticking his head out the door to see if his mom was home. We went by to say that we had to go and he was like, "I looked on the website!" he loved it. I hope that's going well. Then that night I finally got to eat fu fu. It's this African food that's actually really good. Everybody kept telling me you either love it or hate it, and so I tried it and I really liked it. Mission bucket list item checked off.

Awful picture, but I ate fu fu finally!!!

This week I have my last zone conference. Weird. And a member of the 70 is coming, so that'll be cool. We have to go to the Netherlands. I am excited, but the trains have been so weird recently because of riots...idk why.

Our WML is in the hospital right now. He had to get surgery yesterday on his liver and he has two more operations this week. He's such a great WML so we are really praying he gets better soon. He makes our lives go so much smoother, especially at church. He and his wife are really strong. We had a lesson at their house last night--a referral they gave us. Eline. She is soooooo cool. Such a golden investigator. She loves learning about the gospel and about the Plan of Salvation. I love seeing her get it. She's coming to church on Sunday! YES!

IK HOU VAN JULLIE!

I can't wait to see you. Cannot believe it's actually soon. I can count on my fingers and toes the number of days...what. 

Liefs,

Zuster Katherine Heilner

P.s. thanks for all the letters. You guys are champs. <3

Got to go see Ethlyn on the way to Rijswijk. She made me Indonesian food probably for the last time.

Adventures with bikes

Week 75: The Power of the Book of Mormon. Miracles!

November 17, 2014

Geliefde Familie:

Zwarte Piet

This week started out kind of rough. I don't know why, but I woke up just feeling like I was never going to get through it. For some reason it just felt like it was going by so slowly (and…it was Tuesday haha) but then Tuesday night, I was studying a talk by Henry B. Eyring and it basically told me to just study the Book of Mormon. I don't know if that's what the talk actually said, but that's what I got from it. So I decided I needed to be doing that better. At some points on my mission, I made it a point to really dive into the Book of Mormon, but I realized I hadn't been doing that. I would read a chapter in personal study or something, but I hadn't been applying it as well as I have in the past. So I decided I was going to give it a try. I don't know HOW, but studying the Book of Mormon deeply really does change our days. Thank goodness. I also studied in Preach My Gospel about hope and then more in the scriptures. I don't know if I WOULD have made it through the week without that. We see rejection every day and when we aren't equipped to fight back with a smile, it can wear you down fast. I was so grateful that I did because it made such a tangible difference in my week. Of course things are always hard, but the Book of Mormon will get you through the really tough days. I know that. And after I had that experience, I was able to testify of it much more powerfully to an inactive member that lives on the Elders' street that has never opened the door for them, but did for us. We are going back there soon! Miracles. 

I thought I'd be able to go my whole mission without having to give a last minute talk in Sacrament Meeting until the second counselor of the bishopric came to me right as the meeting was starting. Missionaries are always the back up plan. I talked about the Atonement. It's one of those things that I have learned a lot about on my mission, and I coincidentally had a Liahona about Jesus Christ with me, so it was good.

I was also reading another talk that helped me understand that we secure our salvation when we help others to theirs. That was cool. 

Investigator updates. Evert is so positive in appointments! It's so cool. He really wants to learn and he's making great progress but then he WON'T COME TO CHURCH! I don't know why, but three weeks in a row he has promised to come but then doesn't. It's so disappointing. We talked so much about it in our lessons this week too. I don't understand why he won’t come! He always has rides and we tell him about it so he won't be surprised by anything, but oh well...agency.

We went to a baby shower on steroids this week and it was in the church and there were a ton of nonmembers and we had some really cool conversations with them and THEN, this one lady came up and showed us pictures of Utah. I MISS THE MOUNTAINS AHHHHHH

Mark is a rock star, Annie is a babe, and yes will you please follow up with Lucy just to make sure. She was very willing but just check

Well I got to go, we are teaching a lesson in French tonight and then a referral from some members. WOO!

IK HOU VAN JULLIE EN IK KAN NIET WACHTEN VOOR...23 days?? AH

Zr Katherine Heilner

Sint Niklaas

Elder Childs

Sint-Niklaas Elders!

Elder Thomas and Zr Mashburn

Gent

Week 74: GEFELICITEERD, Annie

November 10, 2014

Antwerpen

Geliefde Familie:

Happy Birthday, kid. I love you. I hope you like the thing I sent. If anyone can pull it off, it's you. Man, I love you so much and I can't wait to seeeeeee you. Holy crap you’re eighteen...you’re still 15 to me...tops. Keep being a babe and keep it classy.

We had a pretty good week. You guys will be proud to hear that I run every morning. And it's kind of enjoyable too. I think it helps that I know Zr MB loves it, so I just do it for her. We don't go that far, and it's dark and cold, but it's good for me haha. I'm missing my little Jillian Michaels boost every morning though. Oh well. 

I've sort of been able to pin point lessons that I've learned in each of my cities. Groningen: to get over myself and get to work. I learned that I feel good when I come home tired and feeling like I've done what Heavenly Father wanted me to do that day, Maastricht: apply that even more and charity. LOVE IS DA KEY. Den Haag: I learned a lot of really personal things there and I'll always treasure that, but I also learned that all is never well in Zion, but it sure is a lot easier if you have good company. In Lelystad I learned a lot about the Terrestrial Kingdom and how to recognize the small beautiful things around you and enjoy the gooooood people in life.

I'm really excited to see what Lokeren teaches me. I learned this week that Heavenly Father gives us exactly what we need. This week has been one of those "no more and no less" weeks. I know that He provides. I know that fasting works, too. A couple of nights this week, I've gone to bed thinking we are going to have an appointment in the evening the next day. (Side note: It's dark here and people hate it when we go to their doors when it's dark, so I always like having appointments in the evening) but then during the night, the person texts us and tells us it's not going to happen. But how merciful that Heavenly Father lets me go to sleep thinking that I'll have a good evening haha. And then, those evenings that the appointments fall through, we still see huge miracles. Plus, this week, we got the list of who is inactive, so we can start looking them up at night, hallelujah. I remember praying one morning this week after reading the text that we didn't have an appt anymore, and I was just asking that our back up plans would be good and that we'd be able to do what He needed us to do, and I just felt so much peace and sort of realized that it happened because He wanted us to do something else. And we had good nights! We found potentials and saw small miracles. My faith is sometimes really tested here, but I know that Heavenly Father will provide. 

Okay, we have an appointment now, but I'll get back on later to send pictures and stuff.

This is our WML...he is awesome and he sells bathroom innovations for a living. He gave us a sales pitch of a toilet.

Week 73: This keyboard is soooo different...

November 3, 2014

Geliefde Familie: 

And so is Belgium! I can't believe it. But it's been fun. My companion is Zr Mashburn and she is from Lindon and she is an ANGEL. We have seen a ton of miracles here. It's TINY. But it's okay because since we are new there’s a lot of work to do and it's not as scary as tiny Lelystad because there hasn't been a lot of missionary work done here yet.

So with the trains and everything, it took us until 8:30 pm to get to our new apartment. The sweetest members ever picked us up from the station. Luckily we both had bikes (thank you, Antwerpen missionaries for making sure my greenie would have one) so we have been able to just get right to work. Our ward mission leader is fantastic. And he lives here in Lokeren. It’s way harder to get around here in Belgium so that’s nice haha. That said, the members have been wonderful and they’ve given us rides to church and everything like that.

MIRACLES, PEOPLE. So many. First, we set a baptismal date at our first lesson here. Amazing. It happened on Saturday. His name is Evert and he was in the Elder’s area book. He said he had thought of the Elders last week and then the next day we showed up at his house. So that was cool. We made an appointment for the next day and brought a member who shared her testimony and it was just so good.

I don’t have a ton of time but I love you and am doing well and I will try to figure out how to send pictures next week. 

IK HOU VAN JULLIE!!!

Liefs,

Zr Heilner

And also the soap smells like Russia so that’s weird; (don’t worry, the good Russia smell)

November 4, 2014

We received a very kind email from Katie's new Ward Mission Leader.  We appreciated getting a bit more information and some pictures from him.  We are so grateful to the generous and kind members in her mission who support the missionaries and the work they are doing.  

Hello brother and sister Heilner,

I am the ward missionary leader of Sint-Niklaas. Your daughter is here now for a week. It’s nice to work with her. She looks very enthusiastic to work in our ward. She has a collegua who is now for a couple of days in Europe, a brand new missionary sister. 

You daughter is giving a super example + missionary education to her. I love to see that. That’s the spirit. She is giving herself for a 100% the last 5 weeks of her mission : ) you can be really proud at her.

Last Sunday we had the privilege for being in the rededication/re-initiation of our ward for missionary work. Since a long time we now have sisters too. It’s very nice to work with 2 missionary teams. (Elders + sisters)

Our bishop had the inspiration for a re-initiation, it was a wonderful experience. 

The missionary work in our ward is going well.

Every Tuesday evening your daughter and her colleaga + the elders have dinner at my house + a missionary meeting

I wish you all the best and I look forward in doing the Lords work with your daughter

It is my wish to see her testimony grow even more, that’s the whole thing of going on a mission. I hope she will have a wonderful time in Sint Niklaas, I will do my best to make her feel welcome in our ward and to make the last 5 week of her mission the best time of her mission in total : )

Hopefully she gets wonderful experiences in doing missionary work the time she is here in Sint Niklaas/Lokeren

I put also a foto of me and my family in the mail + a foto we took at the place where our ward was rededicated

Greetings