THAT email

Hello family and friends!

Well this is THAT email. The one that says... I am staying. And all of my other comps are being transferred. I have to admit I am really bummed. This next transfer will be 7 weeks and includes Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New years. I wanted to stay in this ward for all of it but I was really hoping Sister N or Sister H would stay here too so we could pass through these holidays together. I love them. But that won't happen. We will have to see who I put with. I know that I wont be training. But I don't know if I will finish the training of someone else or if I will be with a senior comp or something. No clue. The only thing I know now is I need to decide if I will switch rooms and desks or switch areas or anything. I don't think I will. It's kinda a mess here right now but I am ready to stick it out. New things aren't easy but its part of the mission.

This week we had another multi-zone meeting that was really cool. The President showed us a video based on the talk by Jefferey R. Holland "Missionary Work and the Atonement" which I LOVE. I think that this talk is not just about Missionary work. It's about our lives. My favorite part of this talk is something I think that really applies to everyone. He says:

"Anyone who does any kind of missionary work [or who lives] will have occasion to ask, Why is this so hard? Why doesn’t it go better? Why can’t our success be more rapid?... We believe in angels. We trust in miracles....

You will have occasion to ask those questions. I have thought about this a great deal. I offer this as my personal feeling. I am convinced that [life] is not easy because salvation is not a cheap experience. Salvation never was easy. We are The Church of Jesus Christ, this is the truth, and He is our Great Eternal Head. How could we believe it would be easy for us when it was never, ever easy for Him? It seems to me that [people] have to spend at least a few moments in Gethsemane. [people] have to take at least a step or two toward the summit of Calvary.

If He could come forward in the night, kneel down, fall on His face, bleed from every pore, and cry, “Abba, Father (Papa), if this cup can pass, let it pass,” 16 then little wonder that salvation is not a whimsical or easy thing for us. If you wonder if there isn’t an easier way, you should remember you are not the first one to ask that. Someone a lot greater and a lot grander asked a long time ago if there wasn’t an easier way.

The Atonement will carry [everyone]. When you struggle, when you are rejected, when you are spit upon and cast out and made a hiss and a byword, you are standing with the best life this world has ever known, the only pure and perfect life ever lived. You have reason to stand tall and be grateful that the Living Son of the Living God knows all about your sorrows and afflictions. The only way to salvation is through Gethsemane and on to Calvary. The only way to eternity is through Him—the Way, the Truth, and the Life."

I love this talk. I think that it has really opened my eyes to how I should continue in my life....not just on my mission.

I also watched a video that is really beautiful that explains the perspective of Heavenly Father sending Jesus Christ to die for us. The words are in Portuguese so don't worry so much about that. Just remember when you are watching it that it is from the perspective of our Heavenly Father and how he must have felt. But....just as a warning. You will prob cry. Look up "A Ponte" on youtube or google. I dont know if it exists in English. But its still beautiful in Portuguese. But in English it would be "the bridge".

Campinas

Oh my district leader from the MTC Elder M is coming! I am so excited! He will be the first to come besides me from our District. I prob wont see him though for a long while but...its still awesome! I was so surprised to see his picture in our weekly newsletter.

I am excited to start fresh in this area. I have a lot of ideas. Don't know if any of them will work but I at least want to try. I guess it doesn't hurt to do new things. I am really determined to work so much harder this next transfer. That will help so I don't get too homesick too. haha.

My talk went well yesterday. I think. I hope. I felt like it went okay. I went over the "who, what when where why how and reason" of missionary work. I was hoping that it would help the members feel like they had a little more direction in how to go about doing missionary work. It had a good response. It's really nerve racking giving talks though. 10 minutes of straight Portuguese!

Anyways that'

s about it for me. I hope everyone is doing well. I love you all! Have an amazing week. Remember to always pray for a missionary experience!

Sister Heyer