Week 77 October 1st~Bon dia a voces...

Hey y´all! Whats up?! I´m just roasting down here! The heats picking up.. Well, here´s this week´s letter :D

1. Tell us about Elder Gull. How many are in his family? How are you two getting along? You said he came out the same time as you...was he in your mtc district? Are you showing him the area and setting a good example for him? I'm sure you are!
Elder Gull is a stud. It´s been fun getting to know him these past couple weeks.. We´ve been getting along really well! It´s been nice. In total, there are 9 in his family, 7 kids and the parents. We came from the MTC in different districts, but we have a group picture from right when we got off the plane. He said he really likes the area we´re in and we´re both excited to work with the members! That´s something that hasn´t been done here for a long time...

2. So it has been one year this week that you had your Hernia Operation! We are wanting to know how it is feeling? Do you ever feel side effects?
Haha its funny you ask! It´s almost as if it never went away... I´m fine though, it doesn´t slow me down or give me any problems. But hey, at least it was a fun adventure here in Paraguay, right?! I´ll just get it fixed when I get home.

3. What are you doing for exercise these days?
Well, because of question number 2, I don´t do number 3.. Sometimes I´ll lay down on the ground and do dead-man stretches. Those area always nice.

4. Have you eaten any different food recently? How are your cooking skills coming along? Do you enjoy cooking?
I actually really like cooking now! I make a mean pasta! I make a home made sauce that´s pretty bomb. I like to think I´m a decent cook!

5. Are you going to be able to watch General Conference this week end? If so, where will you watch it?
Yeah, I´ll be watching it at the district center! Aka a Paraguay stake center..

6. What was your most memorable experience this past week? Any funny stories for us?
I don´t know.. Not a whole lot happened this week! We haven´t been able to find any of the news we found a couple weeks ago.. And I´m tired of clapping houses. So we´re starting to work through the members, clapping houses when we have to. The work goes so much faster when the members are involved! Roberto is coming back to church! He´s the returned missionary from our branch.. Yes, THE returned missionary :D haha our branch only has 1..

7. Do you ever wish you had a bicycle?
Yeah, it would be pretty nice, but after reading Jake´s letter I´m kinda glad we don´t! Well, those experiences he had were really awesome, but how he described the whole bike scene.. I´ll just stick to line 11.

I´m excited for Roberto to come back to church! He used to be in the district presidency here in Oviedo, but there was some stuff that went down so a lot, a majority, of the members went inactive. But Roberto is a stud! EVERYONE knows him, so we´re gonna start teaching his friends and baptizing them. I can see it going really well, kinda like when I was in Santa Rita and Jorge would call us all the time so we could teach his friends. I know there´s people here ready to accept the Gospel, just the way we´ve been trying to find them isn´t very effective. Our area is huge.. It doesn´t make sense just walking around all day clapping houses.. We´ll do that too when we have to, but we´re gonna start working like crazy with the members.. Teaching and training them how to teach, giving them service, eating lunch with them. Help them to see that missionary work is fun! It really is! And you feel so good after sharing the Gospel with someone! And even better when they accept it. True doctrine breaks barriers.

I feel like now i need to pray and fast more often. Those 2 things help SO much! I used to not understand why we fast so much in the church.. But now I do. I can´t describe it, but you know what I mean! It´s incredible.. When I fast, I understand a lot more about the Atonement because I feel it´s influence. Elder Bednar gave a talk where he spoke of the power of the Atonement.. It´s probably one of my most favorite talks :D Speaking of Elder Bednar.. He´s coming to my mission! In about 3 weeks! How´s that for a suprise! The north mission is gonna be there too. It´s gonna be HUGE! I´m really excited :D

Sorry it´s kinda short this week, I got a lot of emails this week! I´ll send pictures, don´t worry!

Welp, love y´all! Have a great week!
Elder Colby Dane Heiner

 

Week 76

Hey! Whats up.. Another fast week down! I can´t believe how fast it went by!

QUESTIONS:

1. Did you get transfered? Did you get a new companion? If so, where is he from? Tell us about him. Also, if you got transfered, tell us about your new area.
Elder Whaley is gonzo! He´s down opening up an area in Encarnación! Crazy right! So now my companion is Elder Gull from Spanish Fork, Utah.. He lived in a pension with Elder Guevara and Elder Shaw when he was being trained.. Did I ever tell you that? Elder Shaw was companions with Elder Guevara right before I was companions with Elder Guevara.. Elder Gull and His trainer Elder Falepapalangi lived with Elder Shaw and Elder Guevara.. Small world! Elder Gull and I also came down here on the same flight.. So we´ll be getting our trunky papers together this next month! Fun stuff..

2. Were you witness to the big storm in Paraguay last week?
No it hit us in the night.. Paraguayans really hype stuff up and make it worse than what it really is haha. The storm wasn´t that bad. I think 4 people in Asunción died because the bricks from the roof of their houses fell on their heads or something..

3. Were you in the storm last week?
I slept like a baby all through the night. It was great.

4. Did you have any hardships because of the storm? Did it affect the people in your community and branch/ward?
No. I don´t think we got hit as bad because we´re like right in the middle of the country. I think the southern part got hit worse.

5. How do you feel about all of the investigators you found two weeks ago? If you are still in Coronel Oviedo, do you still feel good about them?
They´re great! We just haven´t been able to really teach them as much as I´ve wanted to. Its alright though, we´ll find them this week!

6. What was your most memorable experience this past week?
Well.. Probably realizing that none of the members here know my name! Elder Whaley thought it was a waste of time to go to the members houses, so we didn´t go very often. So none of the members really know us, or any of our investigators. So when I spoke yesterday, I started off by telling everyone my name, where I´m from, and all that good stuff. So we´re gonna work like crazy with the members! All the people I´ve baptized were because the members helped. That´s the BEST source of finding people who are ready to be baptized. So that´s what´s gonna happen this change! We´re gonna DO WORK with the members!

Hows Dallin doing?! He wrote me a letter like 6 months ago.. I still haven´t written him back- sorry bro.. I lied, I DID write him back and I have the letter ready with pictures and stuff, I just haven´t sent it. Does he have a new address? Also, hows Jake doing? I haven´t heard anything about him in a while. I heard Italy is full of crazy stuff.
I´ve been thinking a lot about Jeff too lately. I miss my cousin Jeff! I can´t believe he´s done in December already! Isn´t he a zone leader or something?

I think you asked me who my leaders are.. Elder White from Provo, and Elder Gleason.. Probably from Provo too. I don´t remember. And Elder Speedy is my district leader! He´s got some good recepies! Honey BBQ Chorizo sandwich.. Pancakes with chocolate syrup..

But yeah, just the same ol´ same ol´ in the mission.. Tract, find, teach.. Rinse and repeat. Sometimes we eat, we shower and sleep too. The days feel like weeks, and the weeks like days sometimes. But I love it! There´s nothing like it! I´ve learned a ton here! It´s been SO good! I feel like I know the Book of Mormon pretty well, so I´m gonna start working with the Bible more. I know a lot from the Bible too, but not as well as I know the BOM. I used to think the scriptures were so boring, but now I´m in love with them. I never thought they could have made me so happy!

We´re eating with President Sanabria and his family today! I´ll take pictures! :D I have pictures I want to send today, but I can´t because the dumb computer I´m using has a broken USB port.. Sorry. I´ll send a bunch next week! I´m gonna start taking more pictures, I have a ton from my last area. I think I´m just gonna carry my camera in my front pocket so I can have it ready at all times! I don´t wanna forget my mission.

I think I´m gonna buy a hammock today.. They cost 60 Mil.. That´s like 15 bucks or something. I don´t have very many souveniers yet.. Just a few cups and a monkey tail. I bought a flag a couple months ago.. So yeah.

The missions going well, I´m more than happy. I feel like I´m ready to take on the world. I learn something new every day and I feel like it´s just gearing me up. It´s flippin awesome! I´m just gonna kill it my last 6 months! I´m gonna hit the jump, not the slump.. (Thanks Elder Richards- love you man)

Welp, thats about it! Until next week..
I love you all! Have a great week!
Elder Colby Dane Heiner

Week 75 19 New People!!

You betta play yo cards right... Ya betta play ya ca-ards right...

Hey! We had a good week this week!! We found lots of new peopel to teach.. 19 to be exact! :D We found a lot of families so we´re way excited! We find out if theres changes tomorrow, so we´ll see what happens with that! I have no idea what´s going to happen, obiously, but I´d be fine if there were changes or not. It´s been a good run so far with Elder Whaley! We´ve both learned a ton these last 2 changes!

QUESTIONS:

1. Are you BAKING HOT? I saw today it was supposed to be 100 degrees in Asuncion!
Yeah.. You have no idea! Its pretty killer right now, and to answer your question below........

2. Has the Landlord been by yet to install your AC?
No :( Its like trying to pull teeth to get what we want around here! We´re just gonna keep bugging them until it happens. Who knows, maybe they´ll just toss us a hammer and chisel and say, "Go for it Elders!" When we were doing our studies yesterday, Elder Whaleys clock said it was like 93 degrees. Plus its humid here. Its like how Miami was, times 10. Good old South American heat!

3. What was your greatest memory from the past week?
I´d say teaching the families we found.. We found some STUD families this week! So now we´re gonna get some members over there to teach them with us so they can start progressing! It always feels good coming out of a lesson with a big family! The ones we found this week fell in love with us, I feel like. They were all really excited for us to come back and learn more! So the work is gonna start taking off here pretty soon!

I´m happy to be on a mission! I think about some of the experiences I´ve had and I feel like I´ve grown a ton! I´m figuring out how I can receive answers and help from the Lord. Like, I feel like I can recognize it more easily now. I can recognize His guidance a lot easier now. I love it! Also, I´m greatful for the Atonement. Elder Bednar wrote a talk in the Liahona a few months ago talking about the enabling power that comes from the Atonement. Its a really good talk! Its true though, we can receive strength through the Atonement. I didn´t really understand how it worked before, but now I have a lot better of an understanding of it! Christ could have chosen to receive the revelation He needed in order to help us, being the Son of God and all.. But He chose to go through it all so He could really be able to succor us. I feel like I received a lot of strength this week.. It´s been good!

Thanks for the pictures!! Ahh those waffles look so good! Damon is getting so big! I cant believe it!! He couldnt even walk when I left.. Now he´s a little man-child! Haley sent me a picture of him and Rafe and everyone I show here falls in love with those two little boys. They´re cute little farts! And yeah, I got the hard drive! I bought it this morning, the guy ended up giving us a killer deal on two 500 GB hard drives! So that´s what I´m rollin now.. Yeuh! My companion bought one too.

I´ve got a few pictures to send this week! I hope you like them! We found a ghetto horse track in our area!
I love you all and hope you have a great week!!
Elder Colby Dane Heiner