Week 52: Wait, a year??

June 9, 2014

Geliefde Familie: Wait, a year??

I cannot believe that a year ago this week I entered the MTC...I still feel like a greenie sometimes. I have so much to learn. Actually it's funny, we have mission leader council this week and the APs asked me to share for 10 minutes the biggest lesson I've learned on my mission. Oh man. So I was looking through the picture book Deanna gave me (I love that thing) and there are also little Pinterest quotes. Some of them sum up what I've learned on my mission pretty well.

Work hard; be humble.

Don't worry. If it's supposed to happen, it will.

Oh my hemeltje. It's so true--we can't worry about the stuff we can't control. I think I might talk about this at MLC. We are on the Lord's errand. He won't let us mess up too bad.

Don't shine so that others can see you. Shine so that through you, others can see Him.

I've already talked about this in another email. I still love it.

She believed she could so she did.

I like this one, but it's not complete. I have made a completed version, and it includes what I've learned on my mission: She believed she could, so with His help, she did. I can do a lot. Let's face it, I'm kind of controlling; I can get things done. But nothing even matters if I don't do it the way Heavenly Father wants me to do it. He sent His Son so that He can help me accomplish HIS work. I believe. I have the faith. I wish I had a more perfect faith, and I am working on that, but I have faith. And the only reason things on a mission get done is because of working with Christ. Teaching and speaking and learning and studying by the Spirit is the key. Why would I do what I want to do? I'm not here for ME. If I were, I'd have gone home a long time ago. I'm here for HIM so I'm going to do His work in His way.

Keep choosing happiness daily, and happiness will choose you back.

It's ALL about attitude, and attitude is our choice. The way we react to things shows our true character. I think it's interesting that we also get to choose what we let other people see of our emotions. Sometimes we are really upset about something, but in order to help our companion not get discouraged, we just fake a smile. I'm working on being able to change how I feel on the inside to not get discouraged as well. I don't know if that actually makes sense. In essence, I'm working on not just SHOWING a good attitude but also really having one as much as possible (now don't freak out--I'm usually happy as a clam).

Think the best of each other, especially of those you say you love. --Jeffrey R. Holland

Benefit of the doubt never hurt anyone. Well, maybe it did, but you should just give it anyway.

Our Heavenly Father did not put us on earth to fail, but to succeed gloriously. -- Richard G. Scott

This is one of my favorites. Heavenly Father is expecting our success. He's set us up to win, but sometimes we forget that and then we set ourselves up to lose. We are children of a LOVING Father in heaven who wants nothing more than for us to get back to Him. He wants us to learn and stretch and grow, naturally, but He's made a way.

Stop being afraid of what could go wrong and focus on what could go right.

Simple and true. The power of positive thinking, right, Pops?

Every flower must grow through dirt.

I was starting to learn this before my mission. It's real now. I mean, Russia taught me this a lot. It's sort of like the contrast of Russia and my freshman year. If I want to have an eternity of how happy I was my freshman year, I'm gonna have to go through some Russian winters, if you know what I'm saying. Bring it on.

Nothing to lose but pride

I actually saw this on another sister's wall. It's perfect for a missionary.

Well, in other news, we cut our investigator's hair this week! E. She has dread locks. She was really worried about it, but I think she looks great. She's getting baptized on the 6th, and she's been an investigator for 20 months. She told the missionaries that she would get baptized after she cut her hair. Well, hair is cut! Consider the font already full. She's going to be a GREAT member.

G dropped us this week. For a lot of reasons, but I think he just didn't want to give up smoking. That was a bummer.

M! She's 17 and a mother, I think we told you about her. She's so sweet. We extended the invitation for the 12th of July and she accepted! Her mother is having a hard time right now, but it will hopefully get better. She needs a kidney transplant, and they have located a kidney (an answer to her prayer!)

I got yet another new bike this week. One of the members was moving back to Australia and he said he didn't know what to do with his bike. I offered to buy it from him, but he just gave it to me! It's really nice. I named it Bonilla because that's his last name haha. And there's an Elder in Heerlen that's in love with my mountain bike and he's coming to Den Haag next week, so last week he called me and asked if he could take it. SURE. Especially because his bike just broke haha. Fietsen...so much trouble.

Well, I love you guys. I love hearing from you. You're all a bunch of freaks, but we're gonna have a GOOD eternity.

IK HOU VAN JULLIE

Liefs,

Zr Heilner

Post haircut!

We have cool eye tricks. Making mom proud again!