Week 15: Geliefde Familie

September 23, 2013

Geliefde Familie:

I should start out by wishing Mom a happy birthday!  Love you so much and I am so thankful for your example for me. You are the strongest woman I know and I am so glad that you're MY mom. Most kids just aren't as lucky as me. 

Norns, you should write me when you're just sitting in the office with nothing to do. Jk, I know you have a lot to do. But I'm not JKing about writing me. OH MY GOSH the picture James sent me of you two together, though blurry, made me so happy. I can't believe it. So much blurry love.

Hill(ner) family--bless your beautiful souls. It was so fun getting your package. Like you guys a lot;) Thank you sooooo much. I forgot it's basically Halloween time until I got that candy! And of course, whenever I wear those socks, I'll think of Meg and me in the back of the car judging how good our day will be based on the socks we are wearing. Ha-ha

We just received news that we aren't supposed to be staying at dinner appointments for longer than an hour, which is kind of hard for Dutch people. It just kind of seems insincere to me, but make sure you're getting the missionaries fed, giving a spiritual thought, and then out of there. Make sure you are having them over though! And find out if it's there birthday if you can email their moms and get a good dessert recipe or something. It would like make my mission if someone did that for me. Speaking of, Dominique Hamson's parents are coming to Plano in October!!! You have to meet them. They're the best ever. She's German. We eat at their house every Tuesday, which I LOVE. I'm sending some stuff home with them, so I'll have them call you when they're in Plano. Any requests for stuff from here? 

Lest any of you thought my opinion changed on cats this week: Nope. I got attacked by a hairless cat on Tuesday. Yes, I DO have the puncture wounds to prove it. The only cats on this earth I like are the Hill’s cats. Idk what you guys do, but they're cute. This one was not, plus it was just plain ugly.

Today I went to a bunch of second hand stores, so it was really fun. Most stuff isn't open on Monday, which is dumb, but whatever. I got some much-needed boots. Annie and Mom, I got you something cool too. Whenever you wear it and people compliment you, you have to be like, "oh I got it from my sister/daughter in the Netherlands! She is a missionary! She talks about....." boom, missionary tool. 

Oh my gosh, I can't believe you guys got Grandma to go to the BYU/Utah football game!  I wish I could have been there! Also to see Andy! What a stud. I have the coolest family.  I’m dying--the pictures of Grandma at the game are so cute!

Grandma at her first football game to support grandson, Andy Phillips,
Ute's amazing kicker!

Miracle of the week: we were going to do a blitz in Assen and in a series of hitting a bunch of red lights and my companion running someone off the road, we missed our train. So we went a little later and ended up having a really cool conversation with a guy next to us! He knows his church doesn't have the full truth. Good thing we can bring it to him, toch?

I am so thankful for the Gospel. I am so blessed to be able to share this good news with the people here. Some (well...most) don't want to hear it, but there are some people that are PREPARED!

Ever thankful that I get to be the one freaking out at my siblings for burping in the car for eternity,

Zuster Heilner

IK HOU VAN JULLIE! 

Week 14: Rockin' my soul in the bosom of Abraham

September 16, 2013

Geliefde Familie: 

Hallo iedereen!

This week was fantastic. Pretty busy, but that's exactly how I like it on a mission. It's kinda funny how much Nederengles I want to use when I'm writing to you, but you won't understand it. Jammer. 

We brought Christian rap to a new level this week by adding CARIBBEAN to the mix! We were doing a service activity for a part-member family from St. Martins. We were doing their yard work and the man (nonmember) turned on music to work with us. It was funny. They call Christ “Cha Cha”! And then every so often, we'd get a not-so-Christian rap song to come on and my companion would usually ask them to skip it haha.

For Christmas, can I get some gardening gloves? Those would definitely come in handy.

Miracle of the week: CHRIS! He is from Africa and he is wonderful. Sierra Leone or however you spell it. He's been living here in Nederland for 11 years and he is very devout in his Christian faith. But this week we set a baptismal date with him! October 12! He is so excited. He usually has to go to Germany on the weekends to work for someone, but this week he surprised us by not going and he showed up to a baptism for another city that comes to Groningen to do baptisms because they don't have a font. The city is Emmen, by the way. But we are so excited for Chris! He is wonderful.

We were sitting in Starbucks doing our weekly panning (yeah, I know...but we were at the train station because we were on our way back from exchanges and we wouldn't be able to go back home before we'd have to leave again) and this 82-yr old lady came up to us and was talking to us. She is the most popping old lady I have ever seen. She was like, "girls, you are so young and beautiful. The world is a beautiful place. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise” she was like this huge world traveler and it was so cool and I want to be just like her when I'm that old. But also like Grandma because Grandma is awesome.

More often than not I show up to District Meeting soaking wet. Literally dripping. I don't even know what I'm going to do in the winter. It was so unpleasant. I need to get black boots really badly because the shoes I was wearing (those black loafers) were so wet I had to take my shoes off to dry. Then I gave a little talk in District Meeting so it was obviously SUPER professional with bare feet...but I didn't feel that bad because the wife of the senior couple told me to do it, so if she says it's okay, it's okay. Love Sister Spek. 

We ride in the rain a lot!

MOM, HAPPY ALMOST BIRTHDAY! For your birthday I will go on a mission to the closest mission to yours. Also, I forgot to tell you, one of the sisters here used to live in Gottingen. She talks about it all the time when we are on exchanges together. Tender. Also, thanks for keeping up with my blog.

"Music and the Spoken Word" continues to hold the title for craziest music I hear on my mission. We were listening to it last night at a members house before we could catch our train and we heard them singing, "rockin' my soul in the bosom of Abraham," so with that ambiguous image, I will sign off for this week.

IK HOU ZO VEEL VAN JULLIE! My family is so cool. Congrats, Mark, on football. 

Zuster Heilner

Week 13: A WHOLE NEW TRANSFER!

September 9, 2014

Geliefde Familie,

Yeah, I'm still in Groningen with Zuster H. I'm so glad, because now I have the groove of the city down and I know how to be a missionary and stuff. I'm still learning, but I'm having FUN this transfer. I had fun last transfer too, but this one is going to be really good. We are going to baptize people, I know it. We have an investigator with a baptismal date! I'm so excited. He is wonderful, but he goes to Germany every weekend to work, so he can't come to church...I need to find him a church in Germany, but we never have time to look it up on the computer...

Dad, guess what. I had a Döner today and it was beautiful. They call the tortilla ones that you can get in Russia "pizza döners" which kinda makes me laugh.  

Doner Kebab

Mom, you'll be proud. I have become an expert at putting the chain back on my bike. It is kind of a bummer that I have had to do that...it falls of about once a day. I need to get it fixed, but we went to Zwolle today for a training meeting for Zr H, so I didn't get a chance. We can go riding a lot when I get back! Not that I do the same kind of riding that you do, but I like biking. Also, thank you for updating my blog frequently. You are wonderful. Really. And not just for that.

Zwolle

 BYU SMASHED UT?! Sweet. I mean, I love UT, but that's kinda cool. So is BYU good this year? I miss those football games! Seriously good times. Too bad my times here are WAY BETTER!

Mom, I don't need a helmet for Christmas. I hardly ever fall, and I would have more accidents if I had a helmet because people would throw rocks at me. 

We did a ton of service this week. It was really good, but we didn't get to teach as many lessons as I would have liked. But it's probably how it would have been anyway because everyone is getting back from vacation and is starting school and is super busy...rough, but we will find time to teach them!

I got to see the stars for the first time this week! I love the stars. My companion was pretty impressed because I was naming off constellations like a boss...while on a bike. I like that it gets dark earlier. Night time is my favorite. I'm also glad I'm getting to know the city better because my companion almost took us the wrong way last night because she can’t tell where we are as well when it's dark. Mom, thanks for that sense of direction. 

You asked about cooking. I eat a lot of pita, hummus, and spinach, with the occasional salami on top. We make pasta a lot because it's fast. We can't really go home for lunch or dinner because we live so far away, so we just bring peanut butter sandwiches and apples a lot. I want to get celery...that's such a good snack. I've never been a raving fan of apples. Is oatmeal healthier than granola?

You also asked about a washer and dryer. We have both! It's quite nice. Today actually the "reservoir" light kept blinking and I remembered from our dryer in Russia that we had to put water in there for it to work. Yay Russia. 

Spence, do you still have all my files? Do you have my mission prep file? Can you email me the PMG lesson outlines from there? If I have them...I should. I made them last semester.

Daniel, I played soccer today in Zwolle. You'd be proud. Maybe. I am prettaaaaaay bad. 

I LOVE YOU ALL! I'm so sorry I don't have tons of time to write and send pictures. I will try to do better. This P-day was insane...I don't like insane p-days.

I'm so excited to hear about this 6-week mission! That's a transfer to me. INVITE! 

Love,

Zuster Heilner

Zwolle

YouTube Video of Zuster Heilner's Arrival in Amsterdam, July 23, 2012

We just discovered a YouTube video of the day Katie arrived in the Netherlands.  Because she was part of such a large group of missionaries arriving on July 23, 2012, the Church's European Area Public Relations crew was on hand to document their arrival.  Be sure and watch to the very end.  She shows her excitement for being in Europe!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jIIMbtTPcMs

Week 12: Bike Issues, They're Real

September 2, 2013

Gleiefde Familie,

HOI LIEFERS! How are you people? Annie and Mark...whyyyy have I not received an email from you children? Spencer, you too! What the heck, you're just too busy LOVING YOUR LIFE at BYU (you're welcome) that you can't write me?? Who are you people?

I can't wait to bike in America. I have learned so many hilarious things (that are soooo smart) that Nederlanders do, and I can't wait to see the looks I get from Americans. Bikes here have an achter op. I don't think a lot of bikes in America have them, but it's basically a platform on the back wheel that you can put stuff on. Or sit on. We have made "achter op-ing" a verb. It's when someone is biking normally, and the other person is sitting on the achter op with their legs hanging off the side. Or, I've heard of some elders who have been standing on the achter op while the other companion is riding. I'm not that crazy yet, but I still have 16 months. I can also get on my bike like a Nederlander. Basically, you have your left foot on the pedal, and you push your bike with your right foot and then bring your right foot up and around while the bike is moving and then start pedaling. It's not that hard, but it took me a while to get the hang of. I feel so cool when I do it. You know you're a good biker when: story time. In my first week here, I was still getting the hang of everything. You'd think I'd be better at riding a bike, but I really haven't done it since...well, Russia, but I didn't do any heavy biking. Anyway, there was a soda can right in my trail, and I figured that if I aimed right for it, the chances of me hitting it were pretty low. I mean, according to my track record for that week, it would have been accurate. So I aimed with all my might right for that soda can...and hit it. WOO, I KNOW HOW TO STEER!

Bike with an achter-op (the platform on the back)

That said the miracles this week also have to do with bikes. One time, we went with the Elders to Hoogezand. It's a dorp like thirty minutes away from Groningen. My companion and I brought our bikes, but the Elders I guess were just going to walk. Good thing we brought our bikes cause the person we were visiting lived forever away. So we achter oped. I was on the back of Sister Hudson's bike, and the Elders took my bike. P.S. Sister Hudson was using a rented bike because she lost her bike key, so her bike was stuck in ANOTHER dorp south of Groningen. Good times. She and Sister Watkins (we were on exchanges) had to achter op from that place back to Groningen...like an hour and a half, and achter oping is NOT comfortable. Zr Watkins' butt may never be the same. Anyway, so we were achter oping to this place. All was well. Then on the way back to the station, we had to go really fast, so we had the Elders pedal, and we sat on the back. You don't have to touch each other while achter oping, but we shouldn't have been on the back of their bikes. Heavenly Father told us that by knocking Zr Hudson off the back of Elder Thomas's bike. She totally fell and hit her head, but she was fine! Just a little headache. I even checked her eyes that night to make sure she didn't have a concussion. She's good. But we won't be achter oping with Elders anymore. Next miracle. The next day, we were biking. Instead of going straight through a roundabout like we normally do, we were turning left, but I forgot, so I hit the back of Zr Hudson’s bike and fell. It was a pretty bad fall, I thought I was going to die, but I also came out unscathed. I didn't even hit my head! We definitely have Angels all around us like it says in D&C 84:88.

I gotta go, but I miss you people. Yesterday I got to speak German AND Russian! WHAT?!Yeah. A little German lady came up and was speaking German to us. She needed help, and I was able to help. I thought she was speaking Dutch at first, I could understand it so perfectly! Then my companion was like, What the heck is she saying? I COULD UNDERSTAND IT! I responded in Dutch, but it was just such a testimony to me that God knows us and will help us. He brought German back to my remembrance. I am so thankful. 

Do you know of any fun games to play with little kids?

IK HOU VAN JULLIE!

Meg, go kill this mission. So excited for you. Spence, watch out, there ARE weirdoes at BYU. 

Keep up the good work, kids,

Zuster Heilner

Week 11: Life is a state of constant radiation and absorption.

August 26, 2013

Geliefde Familie,

HOI! This week has been fun. We traveled, taught, and had a good time. Every night when I write in my journal, I think about what I was doing a year ago on that day. This week was eventful. Aug 22 was the first day I lived alone! I met Megan Wight and a bunch of other people I would end up being friends with for the rest of the year. The 23rd was her birthday! Happy birthday, oldie. Love your guts. The 25th I met Alyssa. The 26th, Bayley, Alyssa and I went into a random room in Jay Hall and ended up meeting our best friends Norns and Snitchell. What a good, good week. And now school is starting over! Annie, are you taking German? You better be, child. Tell Herr F I say hi. He's awesome. Tell him I tried Belgian fries like he suggested. They're really good. 

Yummy Belgian Fries

This week’s travels had me alone with another Greenie in Groningen. It's happened before, but this week, I had to go somewhere I haven't really been before and I got kind of lost. It's really hard for me to get my bearings here, which is quite frustrating for me, but it's getting better. I should get a digital compass or something.

Just found out I need to be done emailing right now. Sorry! I will write a hand written letter today and get it sent off. 

Life is a state of constant radiation and absorption. I love that. We learned about that in Zone training this week. Everything we do influences people. We as members are to mourn with those that mourn. For FHE read Mosiah 18 and talk about what you can do to help the kingdom.

My companion got her palm read in the middle of a restoration lesson this week, which was weird. The lady told her she'd never be able to be with the love of her life. For some reason, they'd be separated and never be able to be back together, but they'd always be confidants, so that was definitely interesting. Good thing we don't believe our palms define our destiny. 

LOVE YOU PEOPLE SO MUCH!

Zuster Heilner

Week 10: 17 Trains Later

August 19, 2013

Geliefde familie:

Yeah, I went on 17 trains in four days this week. As many of you know, though, I love trains so it was a ton of fun. Plus I got to go to cool places and be with cool people. I went to Belgium! It was kind of sad because I didn't get a ceremonious high-5 simultaneously from Annie and Mark crossing the border, but it happens. And I got to see all of the people I was in the MTC with. And eat a Belgian waffle with Cookie butter. It was beautiful. I've missed sister K a lot, so I RAN to her when I saw her in the train station in Brussels. She's doing great.

Grand Place, Brussels

I think my stomach here has expanded. I can ALWAYS eat. It MAAAAY have to do with how much we bike, but I'm ALWAYS hungry. But it's okay because members make us beautiful Indonesian food quite often. It's SO good. You guys, go buy ketchup manis (idk how to really spell that) from an Asian market and make peanut butter sauce and put it on noodles or rice with vegetables. It is so wonderful. 

YOU GUYS. I got to spend a day in Haarlem, which is the city that Best Two Years was filmed in. I also got to serve with Sister Frandsen from my MTC district who is hilarious, so it was great fun. I have cool pictures, and we did some really fun contacting.

Haarlem, Netherlands

Today has been SO busy. We have two members getting married tomorrow (SO EXCITING) and so we helped them prepare food and decorations for that today. One of our investigators told us that his daughter has some weird stuff going on in her house. Her son saw huge white legs in his room the other night, and they went to their neighbor for help, who gave them voodoo solutions, which is obviously making it worse. SO he asked us to go over there and pray. So this morning we went, sang a hymn, shared an uplifting thought, and prayed for a blessing over their house. The Elders are coming back with us another time to give her son a blessing and bless the house. Then we had to go to the police station because last transfer, the phone was stolen. Someone had spent 400 euros calling Africa. So we made an appointment with the police for Wednesday. Exciting stuff. Then we went bowling with our district! It was so fun. Plus, we happened to hear real music, so that was kinda cool. And now we are at the church a little late because we did missionary work. 

I love you people so much. Thank you all for the love and support. Alex, I haven't heard from you in a while. I love you and your car is so exciting. Keep being wonderful. DAWWWW. 

Daniel, give Alyssa your address child! She asked me for it but I don't have it with me right now err. Also, be good. ;)

Also, Annie, can you text Sherrin and tell her Happy Birthday?! I missed it, it was at the beginning of August, but tell her I love her! 

Spence, I woke up with this horrible feeling. I was like...happy, but also SO sad. And I realized that I had had a dream that you were in the hospital and we all knew you were dying soon, but we were all talking about how we were okay with it and we were happy because we knew we would see you again. And I know that's true. If anyone was to die, it would be okay because I get to live with you forever. But at the same time, I really like hanging out with you people on earth, and I'm a little jealous of all the nertz, but I'm doing other cool stuff. I've heard of people having dreams like this on their missions. Please let me know ASAP if anyone is dying. 

IK HOU VAN JULLIE! Miss you guys.

Zuster Heilner