Larissa Pics More MTC Nov 2013

Larissa and Comp

  

District at Mexico Temple
Sitting inside the emergency circle for evacuation of buildings!!!

Larissa Good Morning!

Well we just ended week 3!!! It has been the greatest week ever!! One thing I have learned about the CCM is that this work is all in your attitude, I have been so blessed to have a companion that is so uplifting and happy. This last week we had our "star moment" with our investigator Carlos, we had been having trouble with him and we had been having trouble talking because I can just talk forever and make sentences and just go but my companion knows all the important words I need so we work pretty good together but we had trouble because we couldnt understand eachother let alone the investigator.... yeah teaching is hard when stuff like that happens but we had been praying so hard for carlos and for us to teach him something that he needs in his life so we decided we would study but go into this lesson and strictly listen to the spirit and go wherever we needed. IT WAS AMAZING!! we Both spake so good and understood eachother and spirit soooo strong, we almost asked him to be baptised but we ran out of time so dont worry we will get him next week haha SB (haha that is Jk in spanish). 

My district is seriously the Bomb!!! I know i probly talk about them in every letter but I seriously love all of them, they are one of the reasons I havent gone crazy here and one of the reasons I have.... if that makes sense:P well they made up a new nickname for me.... cause I am the shortest girl in our district and zone and one day we were talking about Lord of the Rings ( i know great missionary topic) and then Elder Stewart gave me the nickname "the hobbit"... and it stuck, haha i dont really mind but it so random and weird! haha they are all so fun, we do everything together and have gotten so so close with everyone, good thing all of them are from utah because we are having a CCM reunion when everyone gets back and we can all speak spanish to eachother and that will be really cool.

The spanish is coming along so good now, I can pray, bare my testimony (kinda) write a talk (kinda) and completely teach my lessons in spanish! me and my comp decided to make a goal to speak as much spanish as we possible and it is so much easier when we speak all the time and use the words we learn, plus we had the smart elders (elder corry and Elder Bennet) come help up when we have problems and they gave us great advice that completely helped us teach. I am so happy we are finally getting there!! we are still having a little trouble understanding but it is gradually getting better. And something else i found out. Spanish is the most undetailed language in the entire world, that is the problem we are having right now is that we want to use really expressive words that dont exist in spanish. So its hard to express yourself when you dont have very many detail words.... so great. I still think it would be harder to learn english cause we have rules that dont make sense I mean think about the word Depot.... why did we decide for this one word to make the T silent....? yeah I know crazy! But I love spanish so much it is really awesome and once we really start speaking it it is really easy speak. I love it and cant wait to be able to teach real investigators and talk to them. 

This week one sunday our devotional was by Elder Holland (my favorite) it was incredible he talked to us about the book of mormon and how he has lately seen so many missionaries come into the mtc and no read the book of mormon all the way through and dont know the stories.... I have read the book of mormon all the way through but I dont know the stories terribly well which kinda sucks sometimes when you want to pull out a story for your investigator but you cant cause you dont know where it is. The book of mormon is the key stone to our religion, it is the word of god and it is so important and I love the amazing stories in there!!! He also talked about when people ask what the symbol of the church is... well we dont have one the closest thing we have is missionaries. Cool huh!! He also talked about mad he gets when missionaries go home and fall away, he asked if that was what we wanted for our investigators. Once we leave do we want them to just fall away and go back into there old ways? No way!! It was an incredible talk and definitely has bumped my scripture study up for sure. haha another thing that was cool was that he said that we are probably the most prayed for people in the church... next to the prophet, we are probly neck and neck with the prophet:P

I know you will be shocked but I can still wake up early and be happy as a bird in the morning, haha the Hermanas in my room are all quiet morning people, I wake up about 45 minutes before them to get some personal study in (its easier for me to wake up at 5.. not sure why) so I am like wide awake by the time they all wake up!! haha but I love mission life! I am tired, stressed, working constantly but so full of the spirit and so driven to learn this gospel for the people in texas houston, so that I can bless there lives the way mine has been blessed. 

The food is good.... stay away from any type of "jello", "pudding", or "flaun" so nasty.... everything else is pretty good, everything is spicy but I am really starting to like it alot!! and I found a new system where i bring a water bottle to lunch and fill it up with juice:) so now my day is so much better then it was before!! 

We went to the temple today, all in spanish! I was really surprised how well I could understand everything!! I loved it, spanish is so awesome!! And the Templo esta muy muy bien!! 

I have no words to describe how greatful I am to be here and to learn, we have the most incredible Miestro ever Hermana Castiano, seriously he is a life saver and is so good with us. I will have to send a picture of him soon. 

OHHHHHHH!! so guess who is the new Sister Leaders for our Zone! yep me and my comp got called last week to be sister leaders, its kinda like zone leaders but with the sisters, we just get to go around and visit them and make sure they are doing okay and help them when they need it. It truly was an answer to my prayer, there is a test you can take in the preach my gospel and it can show you things you need to work on or study and such and one thing I decided i wanted to work on is Charity. This is completely perfect for this and I am so grateful for it!!

So funniest thing ever, we had our oldest district in our zone leave yesterday and today, well we have a tradition in our zone that we have a testimony meeting the friday before a zone leaves. well it was during our study time and we kinda got in trouble for it.... funny how the thing we get in trouble for in the CCM is for having a secret testimony meeting right? but it was so good, I got super close to our zone so it was so sad to see them leave, I cant even imagine leaving my district.... I am going to be so sad when I leave them. But i thought that was funny, haha us little rebelious missionaries having a testimony meeting when we should be studying. I love it!! 

We are getting a new district this next week and we are sooooo excited:) one because our zone is so small and we need new people to talk in sacrament so we dont have to talk. and then we want to play the adams family game with them....:) a little CCM hazing if you will but it is fun and we end up getting to know them pretty well after that, Oh and our new zone leader is in our district so we have all the "power" now!! haha right.

I love this gospel, I love being a missionary. I have been so blessed already and I have only been here three weeks. it feel like longer! Its incredible, this is the best decision of my life!! 

 

Jenessa Week 6 Transfer time.......Staying and Learning!

Hello Everyone-

Can't believe that i have already been out in the field a full transfer! That is just crazy! That means I only have about 7 more to go. When you think in terms of transfers missions seem waaaaaayyyyy too short!! I am actually hoping that I will be able to extend my mission a bit since I had such a huge gap between coming home and then coming back out....wouldn't it be cool if Hermana Heckel and I came home at the same time! That would be pretty sweet!! :-) I would LOVE it!!!

This week has been wonderful! I have been learning so much from my companion and from the area. We had the wonderful opportunity of being at the baptism of ANTHONY!!! Yes, he got baptized on Sunday. He is the maintenance manager of our apartment that Sister Orton and I talked to weeks ago and committed him to be baptized on November 24th and guess what...he kept that date! It was a beautiful experience and one we were grateful to be a part of. 

We are currently teaching a family that I think I mentioned a couple emails ago, they are Harold and Christine and their daughter. They have been going through some health issues and have not really been able to meet with us or come to church. They were so excited to come to church this sunday and we had arranged for a member to pick them up and then that morning their daughter woke up with a fever and throwing up so they couldn't make it. It was so sad. NEXT WEEK FOR SURE THOUGH! They LOVED what we left them to study from Alma 32 and the restoration DVD that we left for them to watch. We have the opportunity to go back and teach them more about this and hopefully about the Plan of Salvation on Wednesday!! Super excited! :-) 

We have been working hard to find people to teach and to continue this work forward here in the Normandy Area. Its not easy, but it is so incredibly worth it. There was a day when I was just TIRED! It wasn't a very productive day and it was honestly the worst day I have had out here on my mission so far. I have just concluded that when we are not urgent in the work and slack off even a bit, that joy that comes from following the Lord exactly is no longer with you and I want it with me ALL the time! I love the Lord and I am so happy to be out here doing this work. 

I have decided to start studying a bit from the New Testament and Jesus The Christ, during bits of my personal study and in the evening before bed. It has been an incredible study so far! There is so much to be learned from the life of the Savior. You can find so many answers to so many questions as you read. :-) Its so beautiful. I have been struggling a bit with understanding my companion and changing my heart to help me to be more patient with her and myself. I love her with all of my heart and want to help her and us do this work the best that we can. I have been praying for a change of heart, for eyes to see the things that I need to work on in myself to help me to be more understanding and helpful. As I was reading in Matthew Chapter 9 this morning I had an "Aw Ha" moment. It was beautiful. I was reading versus 28-30. Which read: "And when Jesus departed thence, two blind men followed him, crying, and saying, Thou Son of David, have mercy on us. And when he was come into the house, the blind men came to him: and Jesus saith unto them, Believe ye that I am able to do this? They said unto him, Yea, Lord. Then touched he their eyes, saying, According to your faith be it unto you......And their eyes were OPENED." 

I started to understand that I had been blind to what was right in front of me....MY SAVIOR. That he is the one that helps us to change our hearts, to be more patient, understanding, kind, etc..... I have been struggling trying to change things myself. I have been turning over this work unto him and having faith that he will help me to do what is needful here...then why has it been so hard to have the faith to see that it is the Savior that i need to rely on just as much, if not more, to change me!!! I am now seeking my Savior in a different way. I am asking that he will have mercy on me and my blindness. I am turning to him and continually seeking him that he might heal me. I am handing him my heart. When he asks me if I believe that he can do this thing and change me....I hope to be able to tell him YES! I hope that he can say "According to your faith be it unto you"....and my eyes will be opened!!

I love the Lord!! I love the scriptures and the guidance, comfort, and counsel that we can receive from them on a daily basis. I know that the Bible and the Book of Mormon are the word of God, along with all our modern day revelations. We are truly blessed to be living at this time that we have the knowledge of the Gospel and the light that it radiates in our lives! I am so grateful for it and thank my Heavenly Father daily that I get to be a part of this great work! 

I hope ya'll have a wonderful Thanksgiving!!! :-) 

Have a wonderful day!

Love

-Sister Heckel 

Larissa Pics from Mexico MTC

                              Mexico MTC

 Mexico MTC Class Rooms!!!

Larissa End week 2 Start of week 3 first full P-Day!

Hi Everyone,

Okay these past couple weeks have been crazy!!! we finally have a full P-day today because we aren´t going to the temple today, we only go every other week because they have to bus us out!!

so something cool is our branch (branch 12) we have three districts 12a, 12b, and 12c! so we have a lot of people in our district but his is the last week for 12a and 12b leaves the week after so we will be the old ones in only two weeks!!! crazy!! 

I am learning so much, the spanish is really starting to come, the natives speak so fast it is kinda hard to understand but i can pick out words and get the gist of what they are telling us to do or talking about. 

so freaken cool thing, our first investigator became our night time teacher!!! his name is Hermano Tapia and he speaks little to no english which is awesome cause we have started just having class in spanish which at times is frustrating when we dont know what the heck he is saying but is good cause it makes us study harder and learn everything quicker. This week we have two new investigators which are profiles played by our morning teacher and our night time teacher. Yesterday was our first time teaching "Ulesies" which is our morning miestro, Hermano Casiano. The lesson we learned was how to begin teaching we got his profile and alot about his life and then we started teaching him in spanish, of course, but we actually did pretty good. and the cool thing that mi miestro did was he brought the oldest district in (12a) who we absolutely LOVE and had them teach us and we teach them. He paired us up with certain missionaries and he asked us to figure out why..... two seconds into the lesson we figured out why. THEY WERE US!!!!! holy cow i was blown away!! seriously they taught exactly like us and had the same characteristics. We were with an elder Fausold and Elder Sigeard. Elder Fausold was me, he was the one really talking asking questions didnt use a paper and would just go crazy and talk. the Elder Sigeard was Hermana Allen, he had his paper of questions was quite and had many good scriptures. THAT IS EXACTLY HOW WE TEACH!!!! it was seriously so cool. so then me and Hermana Allen talked and prayed and decided we needed to help eachother out. So I was going to work with her on making sentences and really getting a conversation going and she was going to work with me on scriptures and alot of vocab that i dont know. haha it is so funny during out lessons I wont know a word and turn to hermana Allen who knows the word and then I will say it and keep going on with my thought then need to the word again and I already forgot it. I will do that the whole lesson until the fin, then finally after the lesson I will remember the word or phrase haha one day i was having trouble with Yo se que which means I know, kinda hard to bare you testimony when you forget how to say that, so funny me and hermana allen were dying cause we were laughing so hard!! 

This sunday was the most amazing sunday ever, I wish sundays could have been this way at home. I mean every sunday is kinda stressfull cause we have to write a talk every sunday but this sunday was easy cause it was on the holy ghost and the talks are only 5 minutes long. In english that is not enough time but in spanish it is soooooo hard, it actually terns mostly into spanglish which is nice so the rest of us can understand what they are saying, even the older missionarios tiene hard time and use spaniglish. WELL this sunday me and my companiera had to teach district meeting and our topic was"how to teach about the three kingdoms" and just like spanish I did all the talking and basically taught the lesson. It was cool cause there is a scripture... cant remember the reference (which is sad cause we say it like everyday) that says "first seek yea to obtain my word, then seek yea to share my word" so first we taught them about it. and then asked them why an investigator might need to hear this message and what comfort this would bring them. We got alot of participation cause our district is AWESOME! then I told them a story and told them to pretend I was an investigator learning about this topic, without going into much detail at all i told them about Dale my uncle, who served a mission and all and then commit a large sin that basically landed him in prison. its amazing how the spirit can work because the answer I wanted to hear from them. after I told them the story i ask them what god had in store for him after this life and the Elders went right where I wanted them to. We do not judge them, we dont know the circumstance and God will be the one to truly judge them for there works and were there state of mind was and everything. it was an amazing lesson it went perfectly. 

We ended that lesson a little early and we were just going to have study time. Well then our district leader (who is really cute and takes his calling very seriously but it kinda a creeper cause he only stares at my and my companera basically the whole time he is teaching but we love him anyway) stood up and told us we would have a testimony meeting. Well his companero stood up and said well we really dont know much about eachother so lets share and tell why we are here and a little about ourselves this is Elder Cory who i freaken love because we both are really good at volleyball so we can say jokes and laugh and no one else knows why:) mean but its funny. 

Anyways so Elder Cory stands up and tells us that the week he turned in his papers his dad told him he was leaving. 

Another elder the one that reminds me of travis stood up and told us that his parents did the same thing but he has 4 way young siblings who he didnt want to leave behind, he wanted to stay and help them cause I guess it was a way nasty divorce. (this kid when all of us would be chatting and stuff would study and study hard all the time never really jokes around with us or anything) and he said "forgive me for not goofing around and playing because I left my family when it was so hard and I need to work hard so they can recive the blessings they need right now. Which totally made us all see the reason he studied so much and now if we are too loud or off topic he will ask us to stop and we have no problem with it at all. 

everyone ended up baring there testimonies. We found out that Elder Copling (one of my other favorites) was not going to serve a mission, he was going to play college football instead and then his senior year he made a wrong table and then next thing he knew he woke up in an ambulance and was paralyzed form the neck down. for 3 months he was paralized and then was able to regain EVERYTHING BACK but he couldnt play football, he testified that that was god telling him he needed to go on a mission. He loves football but he has a greater mission at this time then that. 

That was the strongest I have ever felt the spirit, We had people share why they served there missions late, about there lives families and it brought us so much closer as a district. Seriously I love these people and it is going to be so very hard to leave them in 4 weeks. Good thing that my companiera is coming to Texas with me:) same exact mission baby, we may never been companieras again but we will still see eachother. 

Yesterday was a pretty cool day too. so we have two investigators but we only teach one once a day. so mi companera y yo  taught with two other missionary pairs in the morning and then at night while the others were teaching "Carlos" our other investigator we had another teacher (who was still learning english) help us and answer our questions and it ended up with him baring is testimony about how lucky we are to here at the CCM. Everyone here is learning or speaks spanish, where at the provo mtc you have all different languages so we can speak spanish to everyone all the time which helps us learn better. it was way cool to hear that from him and he said we will learn the right kind of spanish, he has been to the provo mtc and the teachers there dont teach them the correct pronunciation. haha which we thought was funny so we just worked on that for a while.

Okay guys I just have to say my companiera esta muy muy muy bien. Yo amor ella mucho. She is seriously the greatest, even though she wakes up a half hour early then everyone else and still makes us late to class in the morning (she is a perfectionist and takes forever to get ready) I still love her and we made a goal to be early to every class. Whether she has to wake up early or shower at night whatever she has to do she will do it. We do very good at critiquing eachother after lessons to work on stuff to be better and not taking it personally. We still have the problem of her not understanding me sometimes but we are getting better at it for sure and she will just tap me when she wants me to stop so she can comment which is great cause I would love her to talk more and stuff. But she is great.

I think I already told you this but seriously nuteale and frosted flakes.... they are seriously the best!! mi compenara y yo do a very good job of eating that then running the next day or working out or something so we dont get fat. I actually havent really noticed if I have lost or gained weight so I think I am either maintaining or losing.

Our district is awesome we stick together all the time. During meals we arent allowed to sit with elders at the same table but we always sit at the table next to them, our district LOVES to play volleyball so every gym time we play volleyball together as a district and actually the people that dont really play are getting alot better. And most of all we LOVE TO SING. I have not sang so much since i did plays when I was what 12 or 13. I think we sing more now. We sing hymns in spanish, do cool arrangments and 3 part harmony the whole works we have a very talented group of missionaries and I think we are singing in a devotional soon. Elder Copling had his birthday sunday and he always asked the Hermanas to sing for him so we arranged a piece just for him (spanish hymn of course) and sand it for him for his birthday. and his favorite food is McDonalds (EEWWWW) so we drew a bigMac, Happymeal box, a drink, and papas fritas, y made him a toy(al drawn on paper) and on the back wrote him a little note telling him we loved him and then told him that on his birthday we wanted to get him his favorite meal and gave it to him. he wrote us all notes later telling us that that meant more to him then we know. it was awesome. Seriously these Elders are incredible and I love them. The Hermanas too and the cool thing is almost all of them are from Utah so we can totally have a reunion. Seriously I love them.

the food is getting so weird... they put beans on EVERYTHING, and they try and make american stuff, like spaghetti with meat sauce. well that turned into like sloppy joe meat on spaghetti. STAY AWAY FROM THE JELLO!!!! oh my gosh we have this game we play called what are the odds which i will explain in a minute but I lost and had to eat a whole thing of jello..... I was dry heaving for like an hour.... so gross, I also had to eat this juice which was super super sweat with fruitloops and eat the whole thing, but I am proud to say I finished both of them!!! 

Okay so this is "What are the Odds".

 So you basically dare someone to something and ask them okay what are the odds and then they choose a scale 1-10 the max if 1-15. 

for example me and elder Copling were playing this game and I said

"what are the odds that you wear your left shoe on your right hand for the rest of the night?" (we had like an hour of study and then an hour of tall in the computer lab... and he is right handed)

and he said "1-10" so we each pick a number and on a count of three we both say our numbers and if the number is the same he has to do the odd. So i have never won before, but I totally won and it was so funny. haha Hermana Fisi´iahi lost at "what are the odds" and had to do her tall login on the computer with her nose!! seriously so much fun!!

me and my district have way to much fun sometimes but we all help eachother out when we need it. Seriously love them. 

I love you so much!!

We talked about stress this week in a class we call stress management, cause honestly being out here is so stressfull sometimes but we actually do really really well with our stress. And we found the stress to be so good, it is motivation to do better learn more and really plan out our day, if we dont plan we are in big trouble, that is the biggest thing I have learned so far is planning is key to success. Planning your day, planning lessons, planning what to study and when is so vital!

Another thing we learned this week is to be ready for anything, you may plan a great lesson but if the spirit tells you to go somewhere else be prepared to go there! We learned that with our new investigator and the lord will bless you to know where to go. Even if you dont know what to teach with your investigator and you plan and prepare and pray anyways the lord will bless you to teach what you need to teach, it is truely incredible. 

So in class we do examples of teaching so our miestro will choose one of us to be the investigator and we get a profile of there life and then have to act out everything the way we would if we were that person. I got this profile and it was of this mom that had 4 children and two had downsindrom. It is amazing how much the spirit can touch you even though I am not her you can really take to on there emotions and there feelings and before I knew it the lesson he was teaching me made me bawl like a baby as if I were here and I couldnt help but ask him to know more. Our investigators right now might not be "real" but they are and the spirit is real and really moves them to were they cant help but accept you invitation to baptism or to hear more. It really was a cool experience to be in that situation and feel that. 

I am loving every minute of being here and I want to learn more and grow more everyday the stress yeah it sucks it is nothing like the stress i have ever felt before but like I said it is good stress amazing stress and it is spiritual stress. I have so much more to learn and I feel like 4 more weeks isnt enough time so we are all working as hard as we can personally as compananionships and as a district to learn as much as we can. 

I love this gospel it has shown me many miracles already, even though we cant speak the spanish language we can speak the universal language of love, through the spirit. our relief society meeting was all about that Elder Uckdorf gave a talk about it and we related it to speaking the language and speaking through the spirit. Literally we must sound like cavemen to our investigators but I can speak clearly through the feelings of the spirit. This work is so true and so important. We cant wait to get out there and share but we have much to learn before we can get out there.

Learning to bare your testimony at anytime about anything is so important. We do it all the time in lessons, while we are preparing lessons, while we are learning ALL THE TIME!! baring your testimony to an investigator is the best way to invite the spirit (other then prayer) If you let them feel the spirit they will want to meet with you again cause they want what you have, they want that peace and that calmness that you cant receive anywhere else. 

I love the feeling of the spirit and the comfort it brings, I am still praying like crazy!!! I love it and I have completely felt the lords hand in my life. I love this gospel, Yo se que la iglesia es verdad, Yo se que nosotros tienemos a profeta verdad en la tierra, yo se que el libro de mormon es la palabras de Dios. Yo se que mi Padre Celestial amor me. 

okay so back to the nity gritty.

DAD: I would love for you to email me your conversion story, and how you got on your mission and how it has effect your life.

Mom: basically the same thing, why did you serve a mission and the whole story and how it has effect your life.

and if you can, I want Grandpa Heckels conversion story!! 

I know a little bit about both but I really would love it written down in your words from you point of view. Also share any cool stories of miracles, prayers being answered and more. these stories work really well for our investigators and they love to hear them and also they help with our lessons we teach to our districts. 

BOYS!!! I love and miss you guys so much, being with these elders here has shown me that EVERYONE OF YOU can serve a mission and be successful while doing it. all the brothers have characteristics that remind me of all of you. its crazy how different we all are but one thing unites us and that is the gospel and our testimony of it. build your testimony now!! One thing that all of the brothers have in common was they went through a time when they were not as strong as they wanted to be in the church and they went through things that brought them to there lowest and they knew they were supposed to serve..... Don´t give satan that oportunidad to bring you to your lowest, build you testimony now!!! Read your scriptures and pray and pray often. These 18 year old boys mixed with the spirit and testimony of this gospel become Men. They have changed before my very eyes and it is incredible. We had a talk yesterday about the things we used to watch, listen to, GAMES THEY USED TO PLAY, and how it would really really take them away from the spirit. a couple of guys were some real gamers and they said they waisted so much time doing that and they wished they would have dont other things. on you mission you dont have anything like that and the first week they had a hard time not having that stuff and reading and studying. I promise you guys that if you learn to love the gospel you will want to learn more about it, because we seek after things we love. I want you guys to really thing about what it means to be IN THE WORLD, but not OF THE WORLD. While I have been at the MTC i have not once thought about the latest song, movie, tv show, politics nothing. Because I know through the gospel of jesus christ I can be truly happy and whole and protected. I love you guys and I am not saying that you shouldnt play games just be attention to what you are feeling while you play the games or listen to the songs. I love you and I gotta run.

I might be on later tonight:) love you!! 

Love, Hermana Heckel

so I have the best comp ever and our cameras share the same cord!! so here comes some pictures:) ohhhhh yeah!!! 

Jenessa Pics St. Augustine, Nov 18, 2013 P-day!

Fort at St. Augustine Nov 18, 2013

                                                     St. Augustine, Nov 18, 2013

                                                            Beach at St. Augustine

Jenessa Week 5 Looking Back!

Hello Everyone-

This week I dont have a whole lot to report on. Besides having a wonderful Zone Conference, this past week was a bit frustrating, but still produced some wonderful learning experiences! It was frustrating in the fact that everywhere we went to contact former investigators or less active members, we would find that they had moved and that if the house wasn't empty, the people there were not very nice to us and didn't want to hear anything that we had to say. We also seemed to have lost contact with all of our investigators that we taught last week...we will continue to reach out to them this week. On top of it all we had to stay inside all day friday because Sister Orton came down with a bit of the flu, we will pray that I stay healthy!! This week has taught me so much and I hope that next week we will be able to work harder to find those that are being prepared to hear the word of the Lord.  

Saturday we received a tender mercy from the Lord though. That evening we were able to contact a former investigator named Nicole. She is 19 and really enjoyed our visit as we talked about some questions concerning her purpose in life. It was wonderful. We committed her to read from the Book of Mormon and we will be going back to see her this week. We were also able to contact some people via facebook and are starting to do some teaching there :-) I LOVE THIS WORK!! We were also able to participate in a baptism on Sunday in our ward. The other sister missionaries in our ward found this amazing woman Ylonda and she was so prepared to hear the word. She has had such a strong desire to be baptized from the very beginning and it seems like Satan himself was doing everything he could to keep her out of that water, even on Sunday as she was not able to attend church due to circumstances way beyond her control.  She was able to be baptized though yesterday afternoon and it was so joyful!! This gospel is soooo true! The Spirit that was felt at her baptism was such a unique spirit that I have never felt before. It was so sweet and so pure. I didn't get the opportunity to teach this woman, but just being around her you know that the Lord has great things in store for her! :-) 

Even though the week went like it did, I continue to feel the love of the Lord in my life and I learn and grow each day. I know that there is a reason why everything happens and that there is something to be learned from all of our experiences. I know that we can be strengthened through our trials and become more like our Savior, as we draw near unto him through those things that are hard. For i know that as Elaine S. Dalton shared, "Hard things are not bad, they are just hard." I feel incredibly humbled by the week that we had and I know that the Lord is continually trying to teach us something and I hope that i am getting the message :-) I want to be more like my Savior and it is not always easy....because Satan knows our strengths and our weaknesses and it he will slip in at any moment of weakness to try to stop our eternal progression.  This is why we must continually turn to the Savior, especially in our weakness and humble ourselves and let Him guide us and not let the influence of the devil and his angels take hold of us! 

I am so happy to be out here on my mission and would encourage anyone who is contemplating a mission to GO!!! It is the best! I have never been more happy in my entire life, even with the frustrating week we seemed to have. The Lords hand is in it!! He will spread his word throguhout the whole world...and eventually EVERY knee will bow and EVERY tongue confess that Jesus is the Christ!! :-) 

You might be wondering why I titled my email: LOOKING BACK......here is why......

Saturday, the 16th....not only marked a full month since I started my service as a full time missionary here in Jacksonville AGAIN, but it also marks 18 months since I first embarked on my mission, entering the MTC. It also marks 1 year since I was sorrowfully send home from the Florida Jacksonville Florida mission...... and the journey that i went on for the next 11 months to recover and come back out to serve the Lord as a full time missionary again. WHAT A JOURNEY IT HAS BEEN. Something I hope I NEVER have to go through again, but so glad that i did. The past 18 months have been life changing! I have been pushed, pulled and stretched physically, emotionally, spiritually, socially, and mentally! Its been WOW!! Its hard to even put into words! 

As I have looked back on the past year and half and thought about all that I have learned I am reminded of that talk in this past conference by Elder Edward Dube. Even though I have accomplished much and have come a long way in my life in so many different areas.....I love the advice his mother gave him saying, "Never look back. Look ahead at what you still have to do!" It could be easy for me to look back and see where I am compared to where I used to be and become complacent and just enjoy where I am.....but there is still so much to do and to become! I KNOW that i am a different person than I was 18 months ago, no doubt about it, but I know that the Lord has so much more in store. 

Elder Holland is quoted in Elder Dube's talk stating, "The Past is to be learned from but not lived in. We look back to claim the embers from glowing experiences but not the ashes. And when we have learned what we need to learn and have brought with us the best that we have experienced, then we look ahead and remember that faith is always pointed to the future!"  

This is how i feel now. I am sure that I will have more experiences like this, but it is time for me now to leave the past in the past. To take with me what I have learned and continue to grow, but to look towards the future with faith and know that there is still much left to be done and to become! 

Life is incredible with its up and its downs. We chose to be here....lets be happy that we are here! We chose to come and live and learn. We chose to have trials and struggles. We chose to come here and make the promises with God to help his other children return with us! We chose this. Be happy you chose this....because the alternative is not so appealing. 

I love the Lord. I love this Gospel. I wish I could be a missionary FOREVER!! I never want to leave! 

Have faith everyone. Learn from the past, but LOOK to the FUTURE! :-) 

Have a wonderful Week

Love

-Sister Heckel 

P.S. I cant remember if I mentioned that we are going to be getting Ipads in our mission.....YUP....thats right. We are unsure when they are coming....it is looking like they will be coming at the beginning of next year. But it is going to be an incredible tool to help us be more effective in our work. I am so excited! Its going to be so great! I have already heard all the success that other missions have had since they received their ipads and the different ways they are able to share the gospel and how much more efficient it is to be able to keep records of teaching and everything. As it is used properly, it is going to be an incredible tool to hasten the work of the Lord. Its so exciting. The Lord is truly hastening his work. His hand is in it everyday. This as Elder Perry talked about his past June......This hastening of the work is just as great of an event as that of the First Vision!! Think about that! 

Jenessa Week 4 FLEW BY!

Hello Everyone-

This past week just absolutely FLEW BY! I cant believe that I have been out here for almost a month now (just a few days away).....and that transfers are coming up in two weeks. The days are already blurring together and time just seems to be running faster then I am able to keep up with. We are working hard and learning a lot here in the Normandy area! The people here in the area are incredible. Right now we are teaching a family and they are really liking what we are teaching, we are working on getting them to come to church. I think the mothers biggest reservation is they have a 6 year old daughter that has severe ADHD and she doesn't know how she would handle three hours of church, but we have been assuring her that all would be well. Hopefully we will set baptismal dates with them this week for sometime in December and get them coming to church. They really are so sweet!

Its really even difficult to tell you anything in particular that happened this week because it all just blurred into one big day between last pday and today! Its crazy! I did have the opportunity to speak on Sunday with the Bishop. I spoke on Gratitude and Obedience! I talked about Gratitude and thanksgiving and how we can show that thanks to the Lord through keeping the commandments and being obedient. I shared my story about my "accident" with the man hole when I was 16 and how that taught me a lot about being obedient to my parents and also to my Father in Heaven. I knew I shouldn't have gone up that road, not only did mom tell me to come straight home...but I remember feeling the Spirit telling me that I should turn around...and I didn't. I learned so much from that experience. I know that the Lord blesses us when we follow him and keep his commandments. I know that it is a way that we can show that we are grateful for all the things that he gives us! (That's basically the readers digest version of my talk....maybe I will share the whole things through my blog nessamoments.blogspot.com). Oh...and if you really just don't know the story about the man hole.....ask my parents they would LOVE to tell you all about it!!! :-)  

I have been reminded this week that the Lord will/does require hard things of us. That he always will. He does this to strengthen us and make us into the men/women that He see's in us, of which we do not see in ourselves!  We must go forward with faith, knowing that everything is as it should be. We have to remember that as Elaine S. Dalton said "Hard things are not bad, they are just hard." Let us take courage that through the good time and the hard time, the Lord has our backs. Let us take courage knowing that there is plan for each of us. That we have a loving Heavenly Father who sent his Son, who did the hardest of all things so that we wouldn't have to! We can turn to our Savior and partake of His goodness and never thirst more! :-) I know that these things are true as I have been able to use the Enabling, Ennobling, and Redeeming power of the Atonement that the Lord invites us all to partake of!!! I love this work and I am so happy to be a missionary at this time!! :-) Thank you for all of your prayers on behalf of all the missionaries out in the world! We feel them!! We really do! :-)

Have a wonderful week!

Love

Sister Heckel

Larissa I ARRIVED!

Hi Family,

okay I am having a really hard time typing because it is a Spanish keyboard and it is so strange and all the buttons are in the wrong places( I am officially frustrated with this). :P

We made is safely to the MTC and let me tell you that was the funnest trip ever!! there were about 15 Hermanas and 20 Elderes. We all stuck together and got to know each other and what do you know one of the girls I was sitting next to on my way from Dallas is my Companion!! The flights were aweful i got sick on the decent every time without fail and i wanted to die. All the sister are amazing and fun!! there are two girls that flew with me that are going to my same mission!!!

I love it here so far! I'm sure I will be homesick soon but right now i am having so much fun!!

The MTC is beautiful!! 91 acres and it is amazing and the weather at least when we arrived was awesome!! We actually get the whole day to settle in today so that is nice and then we start off with everything tomorrow so i am so happy i get to speak english for the next little while.

Mexico is crazy!!! everything is bright colors and houses look like they are stacked on top of each other it is crazy. We are so blessed, Mexico is crazy and you can see all the poverty there and its really sad.

I am so happy to be here! It is literally incredible!! So excited to get to work and learn spanish..... oh and by the way I completely suck at spanish, I can't understand anything that anyone is saying and it is great so here we go with the clean slate!!

Miss and Love you all so much. XOXOXOX

So far I love being a missionary..... and now I am official cause they finally gave me my name tag!! boooyaaaaa!!! I feel great:) We will see if it lasts!!!

Love you and Ill talk to you soon

p.s. I have no idea when my p-day is yet, I will find out tomorrow

TTFN

Hermana Heckel

Jenessa Week 3 - NOW IS THE TIME!!

Hello Everybody-

Had a wonderful week. My companion and I are working hard in our area and seeing many fruits come from our Labors. Anthony, is still progressing towards baptism in a few weeks. We are so excited for him. The other set of Sister missionaries in our ward have a baptism going on next week and we have set a baptismal date with this 18 year old girl named Tatiyana, who is loving the Gospel. We are also teaching a family that we are hoping to commit to a baptismal date this week. God is so good and his hand is in this work. He is truly hastening the work and you can feel it! 

This week Elder Zwick, of the quorum of the Seventy, came and did a devotional for all the leaders in the stakes here in the Northern Florida region, then we had a day of training for the missionaries. It was incredible!!! 

I would like to share with you some of my notes from this past weeks meetings. 

At the devotional Elder Zwick talked a lot about the hastening of the work and what that means for members. First off, he talked about Preach My Gospel and its significance, not only in the lives of missionaries, but in the lives of members to move this missionary effort forward. 

Preach My Gospel (PMG) Origins: 

When you think of President Hinckley, what do you think of? 

For me (Sister Heckel), I used to think of TEMPLES. During his time as prophet many many temples were built and it was an incredible work. 

Now...I think of PREACH MY GOSPEL when I think of President Gordon B. Hinckley. He not only built so many temples to hasten the work of Salvation on the other side, but to add to that he (along with his counselors and the Quorum of the twelve) produced Preach My Gospel to hasten the work here on the earth!!! 

PMG started in 1995 at an assembly of the Quorum of the 12 and the First Presidency and a couple hundred or so other general authorities. They were all dressed in white on an upper floor in the Salt Lake Temple. [This was the first meeting the Elder Zwick had gone to as a member of the 70] President Hinckley stood to speak and he read from Mormon 6:17-19. "O ye fair ones, how could ye have departed from the ways of the Lord! O ye fair ones, how could ye have rejected that Jesus, who stood with open arms to receive you! Behold, if ye had not done this, ye would not have fallen. But behold, ye are fallen, and I mourn your loss. O ye fair sons and daughters, ye fathers and mothers, ye husbands and wives, ye fair ones, how is it that ye could have fallen!" As he shared this with those present, he wept openly and after 15 or so seconds of silence (Elder Zwick said it lasted an eternity), the next words that were spoken by the Prophet were "I LOVE THE MISSIONARIES. We MUST DO MORE FOR THE MISSIONARIES." That is when Preach My Gospel got started. 

This next part not seem very remarkable for some, but for me it is incredibly significant. During the 9 years that it took for PMG to be created, there was not a single change in the Quorum of the 12 or the first presidency. ALL of them lived to see its completion. ALL of them had their hand in its work from the beginning to the end. This is the longest period of time in the history of the church that the brethren went without someone passing and another of the quorum of the twelve being called. Even more remarkable was that in 1996 Elder Maxwell (i believe) was diagnosed with a very serious form of cancer and given only months to live and he survived for the next 8 years!! Elder Hate had 3 heart attacks and was even pronounced dead at one point, but he survived those 9 years. There were 7 of those bretheren who had significant health issues and they all lived to see the beginning and the completion of preach my gospel! 

Within a week of the completion of PMG Elder Maxwell passed away and in a few more weeks after that Elder Hate left us, and then within a few short weeks and months thereafter we also lost Elder Wirthlin, Elder faust, and another. REMARKABLE....at least to me!

Preach My Gospel is so inspired and prayed over.....it is the Lords work!!! It was prepared to hasten the work! 

EVERY MEMBER OF THE CHURCH SHOULD HAVE A COPY (or two) IN THERE HOME AND SHOULD BE STUDYING FROM IT REGULARLY!! 

At the seminar for new mission presidents held in June, a record 173 new presidents and their wives received final instructions before beginning their service. All 15 members of the First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles addressed this special group. 

Elder L. Tom Perry added the concluding comments: "This is the most remarkable era in the history of the Church. this is something that ranks with the great events that have happened in past history, like the First Vision, like the gift of the Book of Mormon, like the Restoration of the gospel, like all of the things that build the foundation for us to go forward and teach in our Father in Heaven's kingdom."

How amazing is that. This "hastening of the work" that was prophesied about in D&C, is coming to pass and it ranks with the FIRST VISION! Do you grasp the significance of that?? 

We need to be actively engaged in this work.....President Monson, this past general conference, asked us to do one thing.....and he asked us to do it NOW! Did you catch it?? Are you following the prophet and doing it?? 

This is what he said.....

"Now is the time for members and missionaries to come together, to work together to labor in the Lords vineyard to bring souls unto Him. He has prepared the means for us to share the gospel in a multitude of ways, and He will assist us in our labors if we will act in faith to fulfill HIS work." - Pres. Monson

Are you heeding the call of the prophet?? To rise up and come together with the missionaries and "labor in the Lords vineyard? If not, what do you need to do to heed that call in your own life. No one is an exempt from this calling. We are all called to this work! 

There are numerous ways to do the work, there is no one specific way. Like I mention in my previous emails....READ....."The Power of Everyday Missionaries." It will help you. 

TEACH TRUE PRINCIPLES THE SAME WAY YOU LEARN THEM!!! It doesn't have to be anything fancy. If you dont know what to share....share the first article of faith and go from there. "We believe in God the Eternal Father and in His son, Jesus Christ, and in the Holy Ghost." Also....the missionaries in your area are just itching to teach....TRUST them....they have been prepared well. Let them teach those that you contact! :-) 

STUDY.... Preach My Gospel & the scriptures daily....and understand the basic principles of the Gospel. PRAY....for missionary opportunities. TRUST....the spirit to put in your heart and mind what to share and what to teach when the time is right. INVITE.....we are successful when we invite. You don't have to get a YES every time to be successful.....but inviting shows the Lord that you have faith and trust in him and that if the timing is right someone at some point will accept. 

YOU have a TREASURE (the gospel).....a treasure that goes UP in value, not down, when we SHARE IT!! :-) 

I love you all! I have so much more that i would love to share, but my time is running out. I must go. :-) Have a wonderful week and I will share more next week. 

I want you to know how much I appreciate all of your prayers and all that you do to support me and my family! I am truly grateful! 

Love

-Sister Heckel 

P.S I would love letters and emails from anyone who receives my weekly emails. I would love to hear success stories in your own lives as you strive to follow the prophet :-) I would also just love to hear from you!