July 16, 2013

Geliefde Gezin,

Nanananaaaaaa buhdabumbumbum nanananaaaa buhdabumbumbum. I'm leaving the MTC in six days!! While I do recognize that the MTC is a wonderful place of growth and learning, I am quite excited to leave. Quite excited indeed. Everyone we talk to tells us all the cool things about my mission and I just want to see it for myself! My teacher was telling us how they teach Africans a lot and I was reminded of most of the converts in Russia. I'm so excited. Remember how I told you there are Dutch speakers going to Suriname in the West Indies mission? So they have to stay here for 7 weeks for some reason. They were all informed that their VISAs were ready and that they would be going on Monday, but then they got a notification that NONE of their VISAs were ready and only two of them were reassigned temporarily. So we still have six slightly impatient Surinamers in their eighth week that can't wait to find out where they'll be reassigned.

I got to be a host last week! It was really fun. Mostly because it was a change from our normal days. But I was a host to a really cute girl going to Sweden, so she's in my zone! We get to host again tomorrow, yay! We have two elders in our district, Elder Bitters and Elder Toole who are just the biggest teddy bears ever. The whole time we were hosting Elder Bitters could barely watch the missionaries say goodbye to their families. They're so awesome. I love my district.

Dad, I had the song "There can be Mir-ACLEEEEES" stuck in my head. Here's why: We had an investigator named Ben. Ben was very, very closed off. About everything. I wanted to cry after some of his lessons. It wasn't that he would bash the Church or anything, but he wouldn't TRY to feel God's love. FINALLY, finally, we had a break through. The other sisters went to teach and my companion and I went over our lesson plan. The idea to invite him to be baptized popped into my head, but I kind of laughed at it and pushed it away because I knew there was no way he would consider it. And then my companion was like, "uh, should we mention baptism?" YES! So we changed our lesson really fast and our hard-hearted, closed-minded Ben accepted the invitation to be baptized in the seventh lesson. I was SO happy. I could really see the Spirit working with him through the lesson. He's also our teacher, and he tells us how we are very energetic. Sometimes I think it's a bad thing, but he assures us that we have to be ourselves because we, with our personalities, were called to THIS mission. So obviously, someone needs my personality.

Mark.

HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

I love you so much, buddy. You're the best. I can't believe you're 12. I wish I could give you a hug today, but I'll give one to Spence tomorrow and he will deliver it to you. Keep watching Star Trek. Keep learning cool tricks. You're the kind of kid that can develop yourself to be the best in everything you do. Don't forget to develop your testimony too! Make sure Mom and Dad are having family prayer and scripture every night.

Annie. Thanks for the letter. I love you. And thanks for the Lana reassurance. Don't break all the boys’ hearts.

SPENCER I WILL SEE YOU IN LESS THAN 24 HOURS AND I CANNOT FREAKING WAIT. You are just da best. Can you bring me sleeping pills for the plane next week?

Mom and Dad, today must be pretty good for you. Spencer home, an email from me, and Mark is 12. It's a good thing Annie is pretty, or else you probably wouldn't even look at her today.

Oh, speaking of me leaving, I don't think I have a layover...it doesn't say I do on my travel plans. I gave you all the information that I have. But we might have one in Detroit, I don't know...it would be a surprise for us all.

IK HOU VON JULLIE. Do everything with a purpose. I know that you will find answers in the scriptures if you read with a "doel." Pray with a purpose. Live with a purpose. Christ turns outwards when we would usually turn inward. Be like that.

Did you know the song used to go "teach me all that I must KNOW" and now it's DO but it should be BE. Focus on becoming. I LOVE YOU ALL. Don't have ALL the fun without me.

OH MY GOSH. Another incredibly cool thing happened today. I was obviously very bummed that the temple was closed for all but two of my weeks here, but my district randomly got chosen to clean it today! We were just there for three hours. The elders wiped down lockers and we are sisters and we are special and we got to clean a chandelier (in sealing room 9, for the record) and put it back together! We cleaned the individual crystals. It was so beautiful. And then we got to see the bride room and they told us a story about the chandelier there. Basically the worker was really sad that three of the crystals had been broken in the shipping process. She prayed and prayed that the replacements would get there in time for the re-opening of the temple, but it wasn't going to happen. One night she was cleaning the bride room and when she picked up the manual for building the chandelier, a little baggy with three crystals of exactly the right size of the ones that had been broken fell out. She had been using that manual all along, but Heavenly Father made sure that the brides' chandelier was perfect for the day of their Sealing. I love that. And then (and I'm not allowed to tell any missionaries about this, because not everyone gets to do it), we got to sign the back of a marble tile that is going into a bathroom on the third floor of the temple!!! We wrote our names and the date of our missions and where we were serving. I was really happy that I got to do that today. I love being in the Lord's house, and I know that He knows that. He could have chosen any district, but he knows about my love for the temple. I know that Heavenly Father is aware of all of us and knows what will make us happy. He wants to make us happy. I know that when we are choosing the right, He will bless us.

Love you all and I'm so happy that I am sealed to you.

Zuster Heilner