If You Have Any Poo, Fling It Now

Dear Family,
Well I admit that I didn't see it coming, but Sis Fitzgerald and I are getting doubled out and Converse is being closed for one transfer. It's kind of bitter sweet because we finally got a solid investigator with a baptismal date and now we're leaving her. The Elders in the ward next to ours are going to finish teaching her and get her in the water. Her name is Aliegh and she is the cutest thing ever! she's 16 and her friend brought her to church starting back in January and she's been coming for months. We are teaching her in her friend's home and this friend's dad gets really excited about missionary work. It took us 2 hours to get through the first lesson because he kept going off on wild tangents and pulling out these weird scriptures from Isaiah. ugh. it was a really good lesson though and the spirit was really strong. (It was even stronger when obscure passages from the bible were not being shared and the missionaries were able to teach simply and testify.) Silly members, they just aren't quite sure what they're doing sometimes, but we're sure grateful for their help.

Where do I think I'm being transferred? Riverside. I want to go to Riverside so bad. It's a Spanish area and I would just about die of happiness if I went there :) Here's the Mission Office address.

Hermana Morgan Heeder

Texas San Antonio Mission

404 E. Ramsey Rd. Ste #105

San Antonio, TX 78216

Other news for this week: Jessica, I got your package and I like it quite a lot. bow ties are cool. haha :) I've recently finished the book of Acts and I'm waging war with Romans. I'm pretty sure Romans is on crack. I'm lucky if I understand 5% of what it says. Luckily it's not a very long book and there are things here and there that stick out. I much prefer reading in the Book of Mormon. it makes so much more sense. How can anyone say it's not true. Silly people just don't understand. We had a ward party on Saturday and it was really fun. The Converse Ward needs ward parties. That’s all there is to it. These people go to church together every Sunday and so many of them just don't know each other. I was so tired by the end of it I just wanted to lie down and die. Luckily it went late enough that we didn't have to try to go out and tract after that. I'll attach some pictures.

Also, if you're wondering why I'm making that weird face and pointing at my arm, well... we went to visit this 19 year old girl who just moved here and the Relief Society president asked us to go meet her. Anyway, she was not there, but her little sister was so we talked to her and she asked if we wanted to see her dog. We said, "sure," and next thing I know there's a pit bull running at me and jumping all over me. He never calmed down so she held him back as we escaped out the front door. When I looked down at my arm it was covered in white, foamy, pit-bull slobber. Gross.

Oh hey, I hit my 6 month mark on Thursday. That means I only have 12 1/2 months left. How crazy is that? Also, I've filled up one of my memory cards so I'll try to send it some to you sometime soon. You could probably just dump it onto my computron and onto your computron. That way they won’t get lost. (hopefully)

Dear Geandma and Geandpa. I love you a ton. I would like to get your address so I can write you letters. I hope everything is going well and that you are both feeling better. I need to get Arlin's mission home address too so I can write him too.

Youngest sisters, how is life. You never write me. are you being nice? Summer is almost here. Just hold on.

Oldest sister. I miss school so much. I'm super jealous that you're in school and I'm not.  Of course, you're probably jealous of me too. At our dinner appointment we were telling this family about what we were like when we were human. Oh to be human...

Next younger sister, how are you? When do you leave for Sweden? You should send me some pictures sometime :)

Oldest parent, Hi Mom :) hehehe. Sorry, I didn't mean to call you old :) I got your letter this week. I don’t remember at this time what it said, but I remember that it was good and that it's the only letter I got this week. (nudge nudge rest of family ;) except for oldest sister of course b/c  she sent me a cool pin)

Younger parent, hi dad. how are you? how's the gardening comming? I miss it. I was in Wal-Mart (I just looked back through and saw that I had written "walmard" which I thought was really funny but I didn't want y’all to think I had gotten dumb so I changed it.) the other day and I saw that they have these little crabs that you just keep in a fresh water tank and I wanted one so bad, but sis Fitzgerald said it was against the rules (which it is) and wouldn't let me get one. Sad day. It's most definitely a good thing I have a companion or I would break all kinds of rules for the sake of awesomeness and fun. I already kind of do, but not really :)

"Friend" who never writes me, what's up? did you get me hate mail? Just wanted to let you know I don't hate you all the time :)

"Cousin," jk you really are my cousin. If you read all the way through this just to get to the part about you, wow. this is a pretty long email. Como es Argentina? Como es su español? lo mio no existe pero. espero mucho que voy a un area espanol. ahora tiene my direcion, entonces escribeme. yo se que la gramatica en estas oraciones es mal pero hago lo mejor que puedo sin un "key board" en espanol. Tenga una buena semana.

Ok I love you all! that's it for this week, but I'll let you know as soon as I can where I end up. Tenga un buen dia.

Hermana Heeder

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

It's Called a Cruel Irony, Kronk

Family and friends,

What a week. This has been the hardest, longest, most stressful and tiring week of my mission, and it has been so good!

Sister Schwarze and I got dropped left and right and we're to the point where we have 0 progressing investigators. I was sick for three days and didn't sleep for two. Sister Schwarze and I had a three day long companionship inventory which resulted in a lot of tears, but we were able to figure some stuff out. We've been trying really hard to find some new Potentials, but between bathroom time and tears (from both of us) it was hard. I am happy to say, though, that the sun did come up every day and I'm still smiling and alive. So now I'll tell you about the cruel irony of this week.

This story is one that I hope only people with food allergies can relate to:

 I hate spaghetti. I have not eaten spaghetti in something like 8 years because I hate it so much. On Tuesday night we went to our dinner appointment and my insides groaned as I saw the spaghetti sitting on the stove. Ugh. I ate it because I didn't want to be impolite, but I did not enjoy it at all. 24 hours later I enjoyed it even less. I won't go into too much detail as this is a bit of a sensitive subject, but I will say we were visiting members a lot more than usual on Wednesday and Thursday. I did not sleep Wednesday night and I did not sleep at all on Thursday because...(I just shake my head even thinking about this) Thursday night we got to our dinner appointment and guess what they were serving. Spaghetti. I was just like," are you kidding me?" I didn't have the heart to tell them I wouldn't eat it because I told them I didn't have any food allergies. I spent the night in the bathroom. :| yeah... so  after I didn't sleep for two days, I didn't eat for two days because my stomach hurt so much and by the time today came... I am so exhausted.

Ok, I'm tired of reliving my week. It was rough. Let’s get on to happier stuff.

It's Valentine's Day! I love Valentine’s Day (haha. Get it) I don't even really know why I love Valentine ’s Day because I've never had a reason to celebrate it. I mean, the traditional view of Valentine’s Day is...well, you know. But that has never been something I've done and I don't know if it is something I will ever do, but I love giving out cheesy cards and making hart shaped sugar cookies and eating pink mashed potatoes so the 14th of February is basically awesome. This 14th of February I get to interrupt all of those traditional Valentine's activities and knock doors for hours and hours. woohoo! Happy Heart-Shaped-Cookies-And-Pink-Mashed-Potatoes Day! Also, Happy birthday yesterday, Abraham Lincoln. Yes, I celebrate Abraham Lincoln's birthday every year.

Curtis is still going strong. He's trying to share the gospel with his family and he participates like crazy in church. I just love him so much!

I have lost almost 15 pounds since I left on my mission (4 months ago). I've been drinking protein drinks like crazy because they're supposed to help you gain weight, right? Well, it's not working and I'm a little worried for my health. I kind of look like I'm anorexic- which is not attractive. Please leave comments and suggestions in the wherever to help my get fat.

I had another meeting with President this week because I'm so needy (sorry about that) and he gave me some good advice. Mom and Dad, thank you for the fantastic letter. I really loved it and needed to hear some words of support from someone so thanks. (p.s. sending it special got it here in the same amount of time just so you know for future reference.) I got it Saturday evening and sometime earlier that day I turned to Sister Schwarze and said, "I've been crying for two days. I'm tired of it and I'm done. Let's go knock." and I stopped crying and we went and knocked and I've been good ever since. However, that letter was just like a rainbow at the end of the week so, yeah. Thank you so much.

 I love you all. I hope you have the most wonderful week of your life and that you all make Mormon.org profiles.

Sincerely,

Sister Heeder


p.s. Amy!!! Congratulations!!! Elder Jacobson from my MTC district is in Columbus, OH and I just love him. Tell him hello from me if you ever see him. I'm so stinking excited for you. You are going to love your mission so much. 


Sister Morgan Heeder
8355 Crestway Dr apt 731
Converse, TX 78109