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.

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.