Week 24 Hellooooo Family

Elder Heiner will be having hernia surgery this week.  He will be moving to Asuncion from what we know.  We do not have an official surgery date.  The Mission President is hoping for Thursday.

Here is what President Callan sent to us last week:

 

A quick update....We are looking at the end of next week (perhaps Thursday) as the possible time for the surgery. Our mission nurse is working with hospital to work out the payment arrangements before we have the surgery. Elder Heiner is back in his area with instuctions on what he physically can and can't do. When we have an exact date for the surgery, we will let you know and bring Elder Heiner and his companion in to Asuncion. He will most likely have him here during conference weekend after the surgery so our schedules are much lighter. Thanks for your support. President Callan NOW FROM ELDER HEINER!

 

This week has FLOWN by! I cant believe its already Monday and Im emailing you again! I dont really know what to say, not much has happened since we got back from Asuncion.. We worked there all week waiting to hear when we could come back to Santa Rita- it was fun working with the office Elders and meeting their investigators and members! It was a fun experience there in Asuncion.. We taught a lot of lessons, I got to do an annointing for a blessing for an investigator, and I didnt get to shave or brush my teeth for 5 days! Im sure glad I got gum in that package! By the way I made French Toast for my companion with home made syrup and it was amazing! I put a little cinnamon in there too so I felt like I was back at home :) My companion is doing well with everything, hes not complaning- just workin! Im not sure if we'll have a special change or what, but thats what Im assuming will happen. This morning I was starting to get a little scared for my surgery, just really uncomfortable, but after I read your emails I felt a lot better! I know I'll be alright, everything will go well and how its supposed to. It will probably take the doctor like 20 mins to fix it haha, but I'm not worried. Its like Dad told me on the phone, Just another adventure in Paraguay! I'll be sure to have pictures taken before and after to send home :) After knowing this doctor, he'll probably take pictures of every step of the way! Yikes! I'm not worried thought, I'll just go in, he'll give me the "cocktail" and I'll be outta there before I know it! I was thinking about how awesome it would be to go home to get the surgery.. I would get to be with my family and have fun! I think it would have been really hard to say goodbye again though. So for that, I'm glad I'm getting the surgery here!

I've almost been on my mission for 6 months!! Oh my goodness! In like a week and a half, I will have been on my mission for 6 months. Almost a fourth of the way through.. I was just thinking about what I've learned, how much I've learned, and how fast I've learned it! I've learned a new language in 6 months, I've learned more about the Gospel of Jesus Christ in 6 months than I have in my entire life, I have study skills- and the desire learn! Its incredible what this is doing to me.. I know, without a doubt, that I'm learning all of these things through the Spirit of the Lord. Because I'm here doing his work, He is blessing me with all these things... Not to mention how happy I am! I've seen and felt a change within my being, my heart has been softened and opened to the promptings of the Spirit.. Watching and helping people change their lives for the better is an incredible feeling. I've gained my own testimony through all of this and my Heavenly Father is setting a foundation for the rest of my life. It makes me so happy to feel this way! And I've only learned a little, I've got a looonng ways to go! I'm so excited for whats ahead.. It really is true that the sky is the limit.. And the sky leads into the Eternities.. I've got a lot to do!

How's everyone doing? It was so good to hear from all my brothers and sisters! I got a little choked up when I read your emails.. My comp had to ask if I was alright! claro que si! Umm.. My mind just went blank. My thought process is in Spanish so its hard to translate things haha..

Quick story! The other night when we were doing our contacts, there were 3 guys (like in their 40's) standing there smoking so we went and started talking to them.. The one I was standing by looked at me and said, "vos sos lindo.." which means something like, "youre beautiful" hahaha I just looked at him and said, "whaat??" (but in Spanish of course).. He thought I didnt speak Spanish, I dont know if he was hitting on me, or drunk, or what.. I just laughed and we walked away. I know its not the coolest story, but I thought it was funny.. Also, people here think that we're spies and that we're here to steal their "majic water" and kill their families. Others think that we get paid $100 for each person that goes to church with us.. And then after, the US government pays us like $50,000 or something like that. hahahaha! There was a guy that started lecturing us about that.. He told us we were sent by the US government and that we're here to brainwash the people in Paraguay because theyre not as educated as us and blah blah blah.. My companion and I were just standing there smiling at him, then he stopped after about 5 minutes of talking at us.. We looked at eachother, then at him, and my comp said, "I'm from Honduras.." and I said, "We're sent by Jesus Christ and we're here to share His teachings with everyone.. No one is obligated to anything, its by their own choice.." Then my companion started talking to him and shared a really brief summary of the Restoration.. After that the guy started saying how great it was that we're doing this and blah blah blah for another 5 minutes, then he invited us to his house haha. So I've learned that when people are mad, you just wait til theyre done, collect yourself, and use your mind and the truth when you speak.. And you'll end up in a good situation!

Thats about all I have for this week :) President said that I'll be calling home before I go in for surgery and that he'll give me a blessing! And again after the surgery I'll call. I hope you all have a great week! I love you!! Don't worry about me, everything is fine! I'm in the Lord's time..

I love you!
Elder Colby Dane Heiner

 

 

Week 23 Busy, Busy, Busy!!

AS OF RIGHT NOW WE DON'T KNOW ANYMORE ABOUT ELDER HEINER'S HERNIA THEN WHAT YOU WILL READ.  WE DID NOT EVEN KNOW THAT HE HAD A DOCTOR'S APPT.  I THINK DERK WILL BE CALLING THE MISSION HOME TONIGHT TO GET MORE INFO IF WE CAN.  I TRIED TO E MAIL TWO WEEKS AGO BUT HEARD NOTHING BACK.    I KNOW THAT SISTER CALLAN WILL LOOK AFTER ELDER HEINER LIKE HER OWN CHILD.  I WILL KEEP YOU POSTED. 



Sorry this letters a little late than normal, we´ve been in Asuncion all day! Clear on the other side of the country from where I live! We`ve been at the doctor all day getting my hernia looked at.. Not the funnest thing in the world, as I`m sure you can imagine! Santa Rita is really small, its about 2 hours (by bus) from Ciudad del Este. My companion told me its about 15-20 minutes from the border of Brazil! It wouldnt suprise me, everyone there is from Brazil.. Its a fun area! There is only my companion and I, and 2 other missionaries and we`re workin our tails off!

Question Time!

1.  Have you gotten to see any of your MTC buddies recently?
Not really, the last time I got to see anybody from the MTC was at Zone Conference.. There I saw Elder Cleverly, Elder Bartlome, Elder Lamb, Elder White, and Elder Grisham. It was a good time! I heard that Elder Nash is in Ciudad del Este too! So maybe I`ll see him at General Conference..

 

2.  If you could give a bit of advice to all of your younger cousins reading your letters, what would you tell them especially Jake, Glen, Chase, Nathaniel, and Ben?  They are all in High School now.
Have like 25 girlfriends.. And read the Book of Mormon! Really read it, try to learn from it.. Before that, read Our Search of Happiness by M. Russell Ballard! I finished it last night and I learned a ton from it.. I didnt know that John the Baptist was Jesus` cousin!  (I thought we discussed this in one of our F.H.E.! :) mom)

 

3.  How are you adjusting to your new area and Elder Guevara?  Details please!!
He is awesome! We get along really well and we could talk for hours. He`s an awesome guy and I`ve been learning a lot from him. I`m excited to keep learning from him and to teach him English!

 

4.  Were you able to make some good contacts this last week?  Were you able to bring anyone to church?
Kind of.. This area is a little more difficult to work in than Caaguazù. Yesterday in Church, we had 24 people! 20 not counting the missionaries.. I think our purpose in this area is to reactivate the members, and after that, teach their friends!

 

5.  Did Jorge get baptized this past week?  If so, how was it?
No.. He was going to, but he has to wait a couple of weeks now :( He has a hard time staying away from the ladies.. He´s awesome though! He invites his friends over all the time so we can teach them. He has a friend that lives in the other Elders` area and he and his family are getting baptized on the same day as Jorge! October 8th. And, he always gives us Sprite and cake after we teach, so thats a plus!

 

6.  Are you guys trying to reach out to the inactives in area since there are only 14 that come to church?
Yeah, yesterday was good because we had a lot more members there.. I got to speak again in Sacrament meeting. I spoke on the Atonement-- We really need to take advantage of it.. Its kind of a big deal.

 

7.  Amri wants to know how you are doing?
I`m doing fantastic! I`m learning lots of new stuff about the Gospel and also a lot of Spanish! Being a missionary is fun! Its hard sometimes, but its really fun. :) The bad times out-number the good, but the good times out-weigh the bad, so its worth it.

What can I say about this week! Kind of tough, but I`m learning a TON! So far its been hard to find new people to teach, but maybe I just need to rely on the Lord more.. We teach Jorge every day and make sure he´s being good, I can tell he´s a solid convert, he´s not going to fall away after he gets baptized. He really wants to get married.. He´s 32 and has 5 kids with 5 different women, that he knows of.. haha. But the other day he had one of his lady friends over, I think she´s the one he wants to marry, and we made a list of things he wants his wife to have! And after everyone he looked at her, and she looked at us, then at him.. She´s really shy around him, but I think its just because she likes him. He has a SWEET set of gold fang teeth! They`re on the bottom though.. I could see Drake wearing a pair ;)

Yesterday we went to the house of one of our investigators and his pastor was there. This guy started telling us how humble he was, then he was telling us how much money he made at his church, which was obviously a lot because he had a brand new motorcycle, brand new slacks and shirt, and a big silver watch. He told us that the organization of his church was correct because there are 12 pastors.. I`m not really sure what that means, but I do know his church isn´t the Church of Christ.. Ours is! After that, our investigator´s neighbor was cleaning his house and singing a song that went like this.. (for about 20 minutes or so..) ´´Shalalalalalalalalalalalalalala shalalala shalalala shalalalalalala! Shalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalala!´´ Really really fast and loud!  Right when he started, the pastor said, ´´Thats an evil spirit! I better leave!´´ and he left.. I don´t think he was confident that he could cast out a ´´demon.´´ After he left, our investigator told us that his neighbor just had something wrong in his head.. Then the neighbor was ´´singing´´ again! All our investigator said was, ´´Que calidad..´´ Which is a really relaxed way of saying ´´awesome.´´

And now here I am, emailing from the desk of Hermana Callan! We left Santa Rita last night at 6:30 so we could make it to my doctors appointment on time.. Well, we were a little early! We got to Asuncion at 4:15! That`s how it had to be because of the schedule of the busses. We got to the Mission Office at 5, and waited til 6:30 for the Office Elders to wake up so they could let us in.. Its been a crazy, hectic, tiring.. and a little bit awkward journey these past couple days! I almost passed out because the doctor was showing me pictures of the procedure, I dont know why he was showing me! But I just about went face-first into the floor..

We get to work in Asuncion tonight! I´m excited to try something different! By the way I finally got the package! THANK YOU!! Its awesome! That candy won`t last long, I´m sure of it.. Its been about 3 months since my last taste of American candy.. I´m excited to try the recipes too!

I didnt know Clayton bought a Warrior!! And now Dad has it! What about your other bike! Are you selling it? Or letting it sit in the garage til April 2013?? ;) Tell Drake to keep up the good work on going to church! It helps more than you know! I have finally realized the importance of going to church.. Like, really realized.. Its the Sacrament! Not to mention we get to learn of Eternal Truths that prepare us for the life to come.. I´ll never not go to church, unless I´m deathly sick..

I hope you all had a great week! And I hope you have a great week coming!
I love you!!! Chauuu!

Elder Colby Dane Heiner

Week 22

Crazy, crazy week.... Not what I expected but I couldnt be happier!!! Lets just say things are going to be different this change.. In a good way!

Questions and Answers!

1. Transfers?  Are you still in Caaguazu?  Do you have a new companion?  We want to hear all about him if you do have a new one.  Who is he?  Where is he from?  How long has he been out?  How many are in his family?  What has been his favorite area?

I... Am not in Caaguazu anymore! Noooo!! I didnt get to see our converts get baptized.. Im sad about it. But this change is going to be really good! Im teaching my companion English.. His name is Elder Guevara, hes from Honduras! He is freaking awesome! So, I´ll pretty much be fluent in Spanish by the end of this change.. He said hes positive I´ll be training next change! Crazy! I think he has 2 brothers and 2 sisters, one of his brothers lives in Miami and the other finishes his mission in Panama next week! He has 8 months in the mission and his favorite area was Asuncion. Im excited for this change!

 

2.  If you are in Caaguazu we want to hear all about the baptism day on Saturday?  Did all five get baptized?

(You can totally answer all these questions in the main part of your letter.)

:*(

 

3.  How is your weather?  Hot, Hot, Hot?

Yes, yes, YES! And its only going to get hotter! But its ok, Im adjusting to it.

 

4.  Have you gotten your package yet?

I´m still waiting.. I´ll let you know!

Holy cow! I thought I´d never leave Caaguazu! I loved it there! Last Monday, my District Leader called and said, ´´Elder Shaw, buy food... Elder Heiner, don´t buy food..´´ So, here I am in Ciudad del Este! Its right on the border of Brazil! I´m still trying to figure out this computer because everything is in Portuguese! My area is called Santa Rita and its super awesome.. Its pretty much a Brazilian community. They party every night in the streets, play their loud music, and have motorcycle competitions. Its pretty awesome. Everyone here is filthy rich and have nice cars.. Mustangs, big Ford and Dodge trucks, huge houses.. its awesome! Once you get out of the city part, it looks like Idaho! Lots of bit fields! Oh yeah, there´s a lot of white people here too! From Brazil and Germany. Its weird because I expect them to speak English, but they all speak Portuguese.

We have an investigator right now named Jorge, he´s getting baptized this week! My companion told me that he´s come a long ways from when they found him.. He told me about him, and yeah he has come a LONG way! He´s an awesome guy. Yesterday in church, there was 18 people, 14 not counting the missionaries! There isnt a Bishopric or Branch Presidency or anything.. The missionaries conduct everything. The Church is really new here! Its hard to work here because everyone has lots of money, or ´´happiness´´, but we´re just going to work harder. A lot of people here are inactive. I think there´s only like 60 members total, if that, and almost all are inactive. Theres a kid here that just got baptized a few months ago and his dad still doesnt know.. Hes names Reinaldo and he´s 13 years old. His dad HATES the missionaries, like we cant even go into their yard. My companion told me that the dad is Catholic, and it sounds like he´s pretty hardcore into his beliefs.. One day he´ll know the truth. Its going to be a good change! Theres only 4 missionaries here in Santa Rita and we´re workin our tails off! I´m excited to learn some Portuguese, even though its really similar to Spanish, its a really cool language. I´ve been using Preach My Gospel like crazy and I´ve been learning a ton! If you have one or have access to one, I highly encourage you to use it! It´s incredible.

I´m happy to hear everyone is doing well! It sounds like Derrek is working a lot, makin money.. Thats always good! I´m excited to hear some of Drake´s music when I get back! He was always drumming on something when we were younger.. Anything he could drum on he would! I´m excited to hear more about the new baby! And of course Damon! He sounds so funny! You better be taking videos of him! There is a song that he would LOVE! Its Danza Kuduro by Don Omar.. Also, Enrique Iglesias is really big down here, I like hearing his music in the streets.. Tell Shaunie keep up the good work in Volleyball! Thats awesome she´s on fire! I sent her letter about 3 weeks ago, so it should be there any day now.. I wrote a letter for Sydney last week with some advice and whatnot..

Yo sé que tenemos una proposito aquí en la tierra y que esta vida es un prueba de nuestra fe. Tenemos que seguir adelante y vivir las enseñanzas de Jesucristo - Él es el ejemplo perfecto para nosotros! Estoy muy ánimado aprender más de Él y Su vida! Porque yo sé que algún día yo voy a regresar a Él con mi familia todo juntos por eternidad. Sé que el Libro de Mormón es la palabra de Dios y es un herramiento en nuestras vidas. Hay que leerlo sin excuso. Lo va a bendecirles muchísimo, les prometo. Espero que tengan una buen semana con mucho éxito!

Les amo muchisimoguazu!!
Elder Colby Dane Heiner