Corpus

Dear Family,

What a week. On Monday we got to go to the zoo and it was so much fun. I love zoos! I attached some pictures :)

On Tuesday we went to Corpus Cristi and got to go to the beach- also way fun. On Wednesday we went on a tiger hunt with some members because they wanted us to meet one of their non-member friends. On Friday we trained Dragons and rode them into battle against the JWs. Ok I am so full of crap. This was a super boring week. We spent half of it inside because I was sick. And the rest of the week was spent going to appointments that fell through. In other words, I don't have much of anything exciting to report this week. Sorry about that.

We did get to go to the zoo though. That part was real. See if you can find the theme in my pictures. Ok I'll just tell you. I have the most ridiculous face in almost every single one of them. I really need to work on that or my children are going to think I'm a freak same as everyone else. Yeah, wow, this email is going to take forever to open. Not my fault, ok well it kind of is. You’re welcome.

I'm really bad at writing emails...dudu do doooo.  I sent you some really cool pictures though so that should make you happy. I sent you some really cool pictures though so that should make you happy. oh, wait. Now I'm repeating myself.

Transfer calls are on Sunday and I'm really excited to see what happens. I feel like I'm going to be in Converse forever!!! Please remember at this time that there has only been one baptism ever in the history of the Converse ward and our only investigator is on probation. If I stay here another transfer that is going to have to change or I will go insane. This week is going to be amazing because we aren't going to get sick and we're going to work really hard. My ex-companions, Sis Major and Sis Jesperson both have had the flu for two weeks and haven't been able to work. I would die if that happened to me. I go so stir crazy when we're locked up for even a day.

I love you all. Have a fantastic week. :D

Love,

Hermana Heeder

Pictures if Nothing Else

Dear Family,

Everything is going awesome. Conference was fantastic. I loved it.

I am glad to be reporting this morning that I have not died of BBQ overdose this week. Spring is here and everyone is breaking out the grill. Let me just say that the definition of BBQ in Idaho is very different from the definition of BBQ in Texas. Everything is bigger in Texas (and way saltier). This week has been incredibly long, but the coming week is going to be fantastic. I kind of just want to play today which is why I'm sending you mostly pictures. A picture is worth a thousand words.

I hope you all had fun in Disneyland. I got your package and I was so excited. I love the pen you sent me- and the storybook.

So I want to tell y’all the craziest story ever. We have a man in our ward who was telling us his conversion story, and it was the craziest thing I had ever heard. So he grew up in Louisiana and when he was 9 years old this blue buss started driving around his neighborhood. There were men on the blue bus who looked like Mr. Smith from The Matrix. These crazy men would kidnap kids, take them across the Texas state border, and baptize them! Then they would give them a piece of candy and take them home. But the kids were not allowed to leave until they got baptized, and this man- then boy- and his brothers did not want to get baptized because their father had already baptized them. So they sat there for almost 2 hours before the Mr. Smith men finally gave in and took them home with the rest of the kids. Crazy right!?! I was sitting there listening to this thinking, I feel like I'm listening to a storybook. Holy cow. The Mr. Smith men tried to get him and his brother another time, but the boys ran away, their mom saw these guys and reported them, and the blue bus stopped coming around their neighborhood. So when this member was 27, he got home and the missionaries were standing there at his door and he started looking around for a blue bus (which of course there wasn’t one) and psyching himself out about how he could take these guys in a fight because they also looked like Mr. Smith from The Matrix. The missionaries introduced themselves and long story short he had an awesome conversion and was baptized just a few years ago. Now he and his wife are preparing to go to the temple to be sealed. Woo!

All right, so that was just a crazy and fun story I wanted to share with y’all. If y’all are ever in Louisiana and you see a blue bus, run because they don’t care if you've been baptized before. They’ll do it again. But if you would like to follow the example of Jesus Christ by being baptized by one holding the priesthood authority of God, please come to Converse Texas and look up Sisters Fitzgerald and Heeder. No I'm just kidding, but seriously... GO to MORMON.ORG.

Have y’all made your profiles yet because if you haven’t I'm going to keep bugging you about it for the rest of my mission. Actually, I know for a fact that some of you haven't because I've tried to look you up before. So get on it!

Ok sorry this email kind of doesn't make any sense and that there are a bajillion typing errors, but I'm fine with that so you should be too. :)

\Have a fantastic week :) DFTBMA. I love you

Hermana Heeder

p.s. Why are there so many Hs and vowels in my name? The Hispanics have a hard time with that.

I'm Still Awesome

Dear Family,

I got a call from the mission president's wife telling me that I had to write better letters home, so here it goes.

I just left a most amazing trio and got a most amazing companion, Sis Fitzgerald. We're back in Converse for another six weeks. The ward hadn't even realized we were gone. Not what a missionary likes to hear. We're starting a new campaign to work like crazy with the members because as things are right now... well, there's not much going. I loved being in San Pedro and I miss it so much. I just got close to the people we were teaching and then I got sent back to Converse right before our mass baptism. There are 5 people getting baptized in San Pedro this Saturday and 2 more in the next month!

When I was in San Pedro I was introduced to what is called a sister missionary's "Book of Happiness." Apparently most sisters in the mission have them. It's basically a binder full of sheet protectors and all of their letters from home. Some sisters have 4 or 5 of them- one for their family and one for their boyfriend and one for their friends and I don't even know what else. So Sister Jesperson, Sister Major, and I did a craft project and made a Book of Happiness for me even though it wasn't very happy. Please only send me happy letters. I'm tired of being pitied and chastised. I still love you anyways though.

Mom, Jessica told me you got me that book I wanted. Thank you so much. You are the best. At some point in time I'm going to ask you to also send me my card games, Zombie flux and Monopoly Deal. Card games on p-day is a big thing in this mission. Today we're going to go meet up with some other sisters and play Skip-Bo. :) I'm excited.

I learned this week that sister Schwarze lied to me and I can get emails from anyone I want, not just immediate family. Lame sauce. That would have been nice to know three months ago. Dad, today is just my 5 month mark, but it seems to have gone by really fast. I'm one of those lucky sisters that gets a 20 month mission just because of the way transfers fall. My release date falls right smack in the middle of finals week in May of 2013 so that should be fun. President doesn't send sisters home a transfer early ever so I'm in it to win it.

Being with my last three companions in the last three weeks has been so nice. When I first got into the field I looked at my companion and was like, "If this is what it means to be a missionary I am going to kill myself." But it's not and I've regained my sanity. Woohoo! I'm still Awesome! I love being awesome. My trainer was not a normal missionary. She had all sorts of problems I didn't know about. I'm grateful for awesome companions. Every companion I ever have from this day forward will be awesome in comparison so I guess it was secretly a blessing.

Did you all get my post card? I thought it was pretty funny. Texans are so prideful.

What are a Texans three favorite things?

         Barbecue, football, and Jesus

What did the cowboy say when his dog died?

        Dogdone        (Dad, that one's for you)

Jordan is going to the temple to do baptisms sometime this transfer, so that's way exciting. The ward stole him away from us and is leading him along right where he needs to be.

We're going to go to the zoo the p-day after conference, and I'm so excited. I love the zoo and I love conference. It's going to be three days of awesome.

Also tell the Roberts that I say hi and that I love them and that they should send me a letter or an email. I think I've only gotten two letters in the past 5 weeks or something like that, but, of course, I've only sent two letters in the past 5 weeks so I guess I get what I deserve.

We've also been challenging families to memorize the Articles of Faith because a general authority told us this would be a very hard year for the church, and that if every member created a Mormon.org profile and memorized the Articles of Faith it would help.

Here's my address by the way in case anyone wants it

8355 Crestway Dr. apt. #731

Converse, TX 78109

Not much else to report except that I'm super jealous that y’all are in Disneyland without me. I hope you're having fun though. Take a ton of pictures for me.

Love you all!

Morgan

Analogies for Life

Hi Family,

I hope you're all doing well. Sorry about the confusion, but San Pedro is a street (and therefore the name of a ward) in San Antonio. I'm getting sent back to Converse on Thursday. If you're going to send me a package all I really want is a copy of "The Paper Bag Princess" which can be found on Amazon and seems to be a good analogy for my life. 

I love you all. Have a good week.

Sister Heeder

Come to Church, Anna Right

Hey Family!

So it has occurred to me, based on the last few letters I've received, that I've been an incredible pessimist and forgotten to tell you all the fantastic things that are going on in Converse. I love Converse. Things are going really well. Jordan's baptism is finally coming together. I don't know that I've actually told you about Jordan, but he is fantastic. He's 50, retired air force, and blind. He’s super independent and lives alone, but can't drive. It has been super challenging arranging for people to give him a ride to church, but the ward is starting to catch on that they are about to have their first baptism in over a year. And they are getting excited to see him there. Yay!

We've also started going back into a part of our area that missionaries haven't been to in several months due to...stuff. Anyway, we were there for like 2 hours and taught a lesson and set up 3 return appointments and didn't even have to knock on any doors. :)

We've also been teaching quite a few lessons to people we hope will begin to progress soon. This last week we've been focusing on reactivating a few less active members, and they all came to church yesterday!!! Anna Right was the Relief Society president. When she was released she got offended, stopped going to church, and took the rest of her family with her. We tried to visit them earlier in the week, and her husband told us she wasn't feeling well and sent us away. We went back a few days later and he was about to send us away when I said, "Can I ask you a favor? Can I use your restroom?" He kind of sighed and then let us in. Score! I want in to the bathroom and just sat there for forever. I wanted to make sure Sister Schwarze got nice and comfortable before I came out. They also had a copy of Gorden B. Hinckley's book Stand A Little Taller sitting in the bathroom. I flipped it open to the page about keeping the Sabbath day holy. Then I wedged it between the towels a little bit so it would stay open. Oh I'm so clever. I came out and Sis Schwarze was sitting on the couch, so I hurried and sat by her before Brother Right could send us on our way. We talked with him for another 20 or 30 minutes, invited him to Jordan's baptism, and told him we need him at church. Anna Right never came out while we were there, but imagine my surprise when they were two rows in front of us in Sacrament Meeting on Sunday. Brother Bloxham was also at church (which was good because I was ready to go into his house and start yelling at him about how he's breaking his temple covenants which probably wouldn't have gone over well).

We also found this less active family who joined the church 3 1/2 years ago and have been inactive for the past 3 years. They’re military, so when they moved to Converse they stopped going to church. Sad. So we've invited the Mortons along to both lessons we've had with the Pipers. and the Mortons have been absolutely fantastic in fellowshipping them. The Sis Piper asked to get Sunday off in two weeks so they can come to church! I pray every day that happens. When we mentioned this family in Ward Council no one had ever heard of them. Can you believe that?

I had an interview with President Jones yesterday and that was fantastic. He is so amazing. When we finished we went and got Sis Schwarze; then President shakes our hands and says, "Oh I'll give you a hug" and hugged both of us! Then he said "Don’t tell anyone." Who am I going to tell? He's the mission president. Well, I guess I just told all of you. Oops. Don’t  tell.

We also had a two day training this week (Wed and Thurs) and it was so good. I just kept thinking, "Oh, that's how you do it." Of course, I've been thinking that every day since October 19, but this was like a concentrated dose. We went through all the missionary fundamentals which I was trained with in the MTC, but a lot of us out here have never really been exposed to them because we're new. I also got to talk to a lot of other missionaries which was fun. It was all of the Zone leaders, district leaders, and all the sisters in the San Antonio area. The sisters got to come because we're special. :) *ting. 

Mom and Dad I hope you liked that card I sent you. I thought it was fantastic which is why I forwarded it to you. Santa Clause wearing Texas get up and riding a chili through the sky. what could be better? 
Well, unfortunately I'm out of time, but I hope this letter helps you all see how fantastic Converse is and how well I'm doing. I love you all and hope to hear more from you soon.
Can you all believe I've been gone for 3 months? That’s so crazy!
ok, well I really have to go, but I love you!!!

Love,
   Morgan, That Super Cool Girl You All Know


Yay for a good email! We also got some pictures from Morgan this week.

seriously, have you ever had rice before?

My Dear Family,

So I want to begin my email today with a story. We were invited over to the bishop's for dinner Monday night. He had his counselors and their families there, and we had this huge Asian dinner. (The bishopric is all white but they are all married to Asian women so that's why we were eating Asian food.) So anyway, I, being the "new missionary," was asked several times that night where I was from. I told them all I was from Idaho and then they would make a comment about potatoes, and I would make a joke how, being from Idaho, I only ever eat potatoes. So I told the bishop's wife I only ever eat potatoes because I'm from Idaho and that I'd never had one of the dishes on the table.

She than asked, "Have you ever had rice before?"

I said, "Yes I've had rice before."

She did not believe me! She asked three more times, and I told her three more times that I had had rice before. Then she looks at me very seriously and says, "Seriously, have you ever had rice before? because some people have never had rice."

I don't know who those "some people" are who have never had rice before but I let the subject drop even though I still don't think she believed me. It was pretty funny.

Secondly, I haven't gotten a letter from anybody in 3 weeks...just so you know.

Thirdly...thirdly... I'm trying to make this a really good email, but I just do the same thing every day. I could tell you stories about people yelling at me about how my religion is wrong, but I don't think you want to hear about that. It's just me and my companion all day every day, and I've already told you about her so I can't say too much there. 

Oh, I know. I'll tell you about the Sandwich* girls. They are ages 8 and 12, but neither of them is baptized. Their dad (who is Mormon) is blind and deaf so they spend most of their time living with their mom's parents (who are Catholic). The mom lives in Mexico and they never see her. The dad is super pushy and wants his kids to get baptized, but they don't want it. They always say, "It's a big decision and I just need to think about it." basically they are just really stubborn. So the younger girl, Angela, can't read English but speaks it well enough that you wouldn't guess that she doesn't really understand when people speak to her. So all the past missionaries have been trying to teach her in English, and she would get really bored and never pay attention since she couldn’t understand. But I started teaching her in Spanish while Sis Schwarze taught the older one in English, and Angela opened up like a floodgate. She talks so much in Spanish. I gave her a Spanish Book of Mormon and she carries it everywhere with her. On Sunday morning she helped me pass out programs and then sat by me. It was pretty cute. I hope this helps us get to the bottom of why she doesn’t want to be baptized and helps her understand why baptism is so important. She is my only opportunity here to use my Spanish. I study every day but I can still feel it slipping away because I never have a chance to use it. It’s so sad. I hope I get transferred to the border soon, but who knows when that will happen. I'm in Converse for at least 3 months :\. Not that I don't like it, but it's all in English and I prefer to teach in Spanish because that's how I learned.

Anna, aren't you so excited to do school this summer! That means you get to go play in a foreign country for 9 months! I'm super jealous. Rachel, help mom out. Camilla, just do the play and if you get a dumb part oh well. That just means you can goof off more during play practice. Jessica, yeah. You need to work on that.

Mom and Dad, hope work is going well and the kids aren't driving you too crazy.

I love you all. DFTBA (dftba) (dftba)

Love, Hermana Heeder aka Morgan


* All non-missionary names have been changed.

First Week in San Antonio/ Converse

We got to talk to Morgan on Sunday. We also got an email from her on Monday! (Monday is her new email day.) She is happy and funny as ever. It was a real treat to talk to her. She arrived in San Antonio last Tuesday. She and the rest of the missionaries spent their first day at the mission home having dinner and entrance interviews. On Wednesday she contacted people and passed out Book of Mormons at the Alamo. Then she attended a mission Christmas devotional.

Currently, she is in a suburb of San Antonio called Converse. She says the people are really nice, so that's good. Unfortunately, it's an English speaking area. Hopefully she will be moved to as Spanish speaking area soon. She says she can't wait to get moved closer to the Mexican boarder where everyone speaks Spanish. But until then, I know she is content to go where ever she is needed.

So without further ado, here is Morgan's email:

Dear Family and Friends,

To begin my letter today I just want to say thanks for all the fantastic Christmas gifts. Specifically, however, I would like to thank you for the ear plugs you sent me several weeks ago. I had hoped that once I left the MTC my days of sleeping in the same room with someone who snores would be over. Alas, it is not so. I discovered last night that my companion does snore and I am a light sleeper so I put in my ear plugs and the world became a much happier place. I also wanted to thank you for the letter I got at Christmas conference. I admit I kind of cried when I read it. I'm a crier ok. What do you expect?

I was glad to hear all of your voices yesterday and to get your emails this morning. James, I was glad you could be there too. In our mission we follow the white handbook exactly so I'm not allowed to email you but I'll include you in my family email :) there isn't really a ton for me to say today except that I hope you have a fun drive to Arizona. (ugh *shudder)  :) and I hope it's warm. Also, I lied to you yesterday on the phone. I have no idea what kind of car I drive and just said the 1st one that came to my head; sorry about that. It was pretty believable though. I drive a Chevy Malibu, and I checked the oil today.

Yesterday after I hung up with you we had Christmas dinner with the Hunters. They are fantastic and have the cutest little kids. I love Mormons so much!  After that we went to visit a woman in an assisted living home who has some sort of memory loss disease. My heart broke every time she asked me where I was from which was about 10 times in 45 minutes. We just had the same conversation over and over, but we did get to read some scriptures to her and talk about church and she enjoyed that.

Oh, don’t forget to put my name on letters and packages or I probably won't get it. That's what happened to my Christmas packages by the way. The MTC mail room was very confused, but that's ok. They got over it, and I got my presents. Ok, I’m just talking about pointless stuff now so I'll let you go. Keep sending me letters because I love them and tell everyone thank you for the Christmas cards I got.

Love you all. :b..... I just drooled on you all. hahaha. That’s how much I love you. On the smiley face scale of 1 to 10 the drooley face is an 11 because I think it's so funny.

Lots of awesome love,

Morganthecoolest

p.s. Morgan has been getting your letters. She doesn't have a lot of time to respond to you. But she is very appreciative. Keep sending them!