Hey Family!!

It was super sad to hear about Elder L. Tom Perry’s passing. But I am so thankful for his example and his powerful testimony! It is such a blessing to know that Heavenly Father’s plan is so perfect! That we can continue to have apostles on the earth. The next one called will be an amazing man of God. I think it will be Elder Nash ;)

This week was such an incredible miracle week!! God is sooo good! So this week we took Damien on a temple tour! It was amazing. One of our members dropped everything last minute to take us and Damien just loved it. I wish you could of seen his face, he was just glowing and so happy! He kept saying "Why don't other churches have this?" He couldn't believe that why wouldn't every church want to be a part of something so amazing. He said he felt such peace and love from his Father in Heaven. He kept taking pictures and saying he was going to put them on Facebook to show all his friends what they are missing. He said he is also trying to get his mom in Jamaica the lessons from the missionaries there. He said that he really wants to get married in the temple and sealed to his daughter. He says that this is his goal. It was such a spiritual experience for him and us. It just makes me so happy to see him change and just grow and see how happy this gospel makes him. He is all set for his baptism this Saturday!! He came to church yesterday and said he couldn't find anyone to cover so he just called in sick so he could come haha He loved it once again. He is just soaking everything up. I feel like he teaches us more then we teach him. He is getting super close to getting custody of his daughter and he knows that even if she can’t be there he still needs to get baptized to set that example for her and he knows he will be blessed by having that faith. :) Damian is the best. Love that kid so much!

Ducks chased us for miles!

Jamie and Tony. Oh my heck are amazing!!! We went and started teaching them on Tuesday. Turns out they have daughter who is 13 her name is Jesse and she is so cute! We taught them the Restoration and they loved it. They had a lot of good questions and they said that it all makes sense. They told us more about their church they went to and man there church was terrible! We were able to reassure them that this was god’s church and that in His church they can feel the peace and love that He has for them. We each gave them their own Books of Mormon and assigned them a chapter to read. The next day we took them on a chapel tour and they loved it!! The member who came with us, Sister Porter, was so perfect for them! They loved the church especially the chapel. They said they could feel that they were in the true church and Jamie said that it was amazing how God answers prayers because she had been praying for the true church. Then three days later we knocked on their door. Such a miracle!! Then we taught them about the Plan of Salvation and the temple and they loved it! They said that they had also believed in the spirit world and had questions about this plan because it talked about it in the Bible but no other church could explain or had the answers they needed. Jamie said we were the first ones to answer that question. They really want to be sealed in the temple as a family and go to the Celestial Kingdom. They are already thinking of names they can take to the temple to do baptisms! It was really cute. After we left, Jesse their daughter said "I want to be just like them!" They weren't able to come to church however because Jesse has some health issues and had to be rushed to the hospital that night. We were able to go over that evening and see them! We shared an uplifting scripture and taught them the Word of Wisdom. Jamie has a coffee issue but is willing to give it up right away! She is so awesome. She and Tony are willing to change everything to make sure they are doing what’s right and so they can be baptized! Later the elders came and gave Jesse a priesthood blessing. They loved it and Jamie and Tony said they could feel the spirit so strong. After the elders left, Tony said, “I want the priesthood really bad. He said his goal is to receive the priesthood so he can bless his family. Amazing!!

It was so cute. Jamie was saying how she doesn't want us to leave! She said that she wants to keep us forever. So we are praying we don't get transferred! She said she keeps forgetting that she has to share us with others. She said that her, Tony and Jesse were going to take a road trip to come see me after the mission. They are wonderful! They are set for baptism on the 20th!! They are so excited.

My MRI went good. I was really scared and anxious but Sister King was able to be in the room with me which helped and i got to listen to LDS hymns which helped a lot! I will get the results back today or tomorrow. My back is the same. It only gets really bad when I play sports on p-days which is lame. It is embarrassing to have to stop in the middle and sit out as well as play like I am super old:/ ugh but it’s okay :) At least I can sort of play. But that's what kills me. The next day I can’t move haha .

The Brown's took my picture at a dinner appointment to send to you!

My talk went really well! I just wrote down some bullet points and just talked for 15 minutes. It went good. I shared the story of Punchinello and the part I love the most is when Eli says to Punchinello "You are special because I made you and I don't make mistakes." "What they think doesn't matter. All that matters is what I think. And I think you are pretty special." Heavenly Father isn't going to love us until we are perfect, he loves with our imperfections. He knows what we can become and our potential. As we put our faith and trust in him and focus on what God thinks and not what man thinks we will become our real selves, our best selves. :)

I love you all soo much!! Thanks for all your love and support!! Miss ya’ll tons!!!

Family!!!!

I love the pictures of fifth grade camp!! So much fun! Eben is such a boss. I am so proud of him and how he ended his track season!! I am excited to see his XC season! He is going to do so amazing in high school!! He will rock it for sure! Danyon and Daniel look so cute! hahah Such studs! That’s so good that they had fun as counselors at camp! Kerrgayn and Kylie looked like they had lots of fun! Super cute! Lauryn sent me pics of Kerragyn shooting her bow!! That’s my girl!! Super awesome hahah. When I get home the heart will be so shot out, there won’t be any left for me! I am so jealous! I want to shoot soooo bad! Dad you will have to get a hold of that hunting guide and set something up for when i get back! I am itching to hunt!

So this week was super amazing and filled with miracles! First off, Damian is super boss! I love that kid! Last week he wasn’t able to go to church because his boss wouldn’t let him get it off and he told us all day that he felt so bad because he knew he needed to be at church. So he was determined to get work off this week. So we prayed super hard for his boss’s heart to be softened. Damian said he asked and persuaded to let his boss have it off so he could come to church.  So we went and saw him Saturday night and he said by 9 he should know if he got it off. Well, the text didn’t come and didn’t come. We still kept our faith high and prayed and when we woke up on Sunday morning we got a text from Damien saying that he got work off!! Me and Sister King leaped out of our beds and shouted for joy! We were soo happy! Prior to that on Thursday, we took Damien on a chapel tour to get him familiar with the church and Brother Riggin was there and he loved it! The minute he walked in he was so amazed. We took him around the church and showed him everything and told him what we do and what happens in the classes and he just loved it. When we got to the chapel we asked him how he felt and he said that if he was already a member he would be going around street to street telling people to come to this church because our church feels different than other churches and we have things other churches don’t. He said that he wants everyone to be a member of this church! He just bore his testimony on how he knows this church was true. He also said there is just blessings in every hallway. He kept saying, I have to get work off, I have to get work off. When we were done we asked him how his Book of Mormon reading was going and he said that it was going great and he is reading every day. I said if you have any questions just let us know and right then he pulled out his BOM and held it up and said you never question this book, ever. You never question the teachings in this book because its true and he said I may not understand everything I read but I will never question it because I know it’s true. I was like wow. Me and Sister King were smiling so big. He just has a strong testimony of the gospel. He loved church a lot! He says that at work he is hoping he gets this promotion so he can get every Sunday off! He is set for baptism on the 6th and is super excited! Another miracle that happened was he really wants his daughter to be there for his baptism but he has been having a hard time getting custody of her. We have been praying that he can and he told us that he just got a call from his baby mamma and she said that she is living on the streets and can’t take care of the baby and she wants him to take her! So hopefully he will have custody of her soon and she can be there for the baptism. Tonight we are taking him on a temple tour and are super excited!! He is amazing. 

This week we also found Jamie and Tony. They are a couple in their 40’s. We knocked on their door and asked if we could share a prayer with them. They thought it was a little strange but they said yes. They loved the prayer so much. They had a real big countenance change. We invited them to be baptized and they said that they had already been baptized in there church. So we testified of how this baptism was different and done with the proper authority. Tony was a little iffy but all of a sudden Jamie opens up and says you know what? It’s  really a miracle you came here because at first I liked our church but now there has been something happening in the church that is making me question it and don’t agree with the teachings. She said she prayed about what church she should go to or what one was right and then we showed up. She said she was so confused and wanted to go to the right church. Right then the spirit prompted me to talk about Joseph Smith. I opened my mouth to speak and all of a sudden words just started coming out. You know it’s your voice and your lips are moving but words are just coming out, like the spirit is doing the talking. That’s how it felt. Everything came out so smoothly and powerful and I know it wasn’t me. It was so powerful.  After I shared the First Vision, Jamie said we are going to your church, yup that’s it we are going to your church. And then Sister King shared a wonderful scripture and she said she wanted us to come over and teach her and her husband. so we are going to see them tomorrow. It was a super cool experience and such a blessing!! 

This week I am giving a talk in sacrament about the importance of knowing you are a child of God. We will see how that goes. It’s an interesting topic but I am excited! It will be fun! Oh my doctor’s appt is on the 29th, that’s my MRI. That should be fun...... I will tell you how that goes when I get results back. I am mailing you my blood work results too as well today. 

I almost forgot. We had a zone conference this week and it was in Hialeah!!! I was sooo happy because ever since I left that area I was praying to go back. It was so amazing to see my old area and be in the chapel and see some of the members!! They were so cute. They were all crying and saying how happy they were to see me. I loved it! So amazing. The conference was all on hurricane training and helping us prepare for one. They said they haven’t had one in 10 years and most likely there might be one this summer so we will see. Hopefully not, buuutttt it would be fun ;) 

This week I was reading in a conference Ensign from 2012 and I was reading a talk about Elder Ballard. He started his talk off by talking about bees. So in an average beehive there is 20,000-60,000 bees and in order for bees to make a pound of honey they must collectively visit millions of flowers and travel the equivalent of two times around the world. Over its short life span of 2 weeks to 4 months, a single bee’s contribution of honey to its hive is one-twelfth of one teaspoon. Though it might seem insignificant when compared to the total, each bee’s one twelfth of a teaspoon is vital to the life of the hive. The bees depend on each other. Work that would be overwhelming for a few bees becomes lighter because the bees faithfully do their part. The beehive has always been an important symbol of the church. It’s found everywhere. All this symbolism attest to the one fact. Great things come about and burdens are lightened through the efforts of many anxiously engaged in a good cause. (D and C 58:27) Imagine what LDS people could accomplish in the world if it functioned like a beehive? :) Remember no act of service, no matter how small, goes un-recognized. Each little one-twelfth makes a huge difference. :) 

   

Thanks so much for all your love and support!! I miss you all tons!!! Thanks for all you do!!! I hope you have a good week!!!!!!! Best family ever!!! :)))

Sister Heacock

Family!! :)

So, President told me he wanted to extend my mission by a month or so and I told him  if that’s what God wants. So is it okay if I come home in November?........ hehehe just kidding ;)))  I love you all so much you are the best!! I couldn’t stay away from you all too long! :)

So this week we had to drop Bianca and her family. We were super sad but they stopped answering our calls and the door but we know that one day they will be ready. Just planting seeds! This week we were super blessed to find Damian. Let me tell you this kid besides Julia is the most elect person I have taught. Sister King and I prayed specifically before knocking on doors to find a person who would accept everything and who was in their 20s or so and had a child. As we were knocking, we weren’t having much success but as were passing this house we saw a young black man (actually Jamaican) sitting on the top of his car. He looked really sad and so we asked if we could give him a card.He came over and we said we are also in the area sharing prayers with people can we share a prayer with you? And he said yes! He said you guys came at the right time! I was super frustrated. I have been going through a hard time trying to get custody of  my 16th month girl because the mom is crazy and it’s been hard because I want to be able to raise my girl up right and have her be in a loving home. He went on just telling us his life story. He said I know God is real because you could have seen or helped with anyone else on this street but he sent you to me and I know you were sent here for a reason. It was a very powerful testimony. We then asked him how old he was and he said he was 23. We then testified that we were sent here by God and that we prayed specifically to find him! We said a prayer with him and he cried during the whole thing. He felt the spirit so strong. He is the most humble and charitable person I have ever met! He doesn’t have the best living conditions by any means. It’s really sad but he is super happy all the time. He wouldn't hurt a fly! He is just so Christ-like and puts others first! It’s amazing. After the prayer we invited them to be baptized and he said yes and that he has been thinking about being baptized. We were so happy! Ever since Tuesday we have been seeing him. We taught him the restoration and he loved it and just understood everything! He reads the Book of Mormon and loves it. He can’t read very well or understand it, but he reads it because he knows its right. During the lesson we talk about it and go over it. He is so faithful. We also taught him the plan of salvation and focused in on how families can be together forever. Because he loves his daughter and wants to be with her for eternity. He loved it so much and said he wants to go to the celestial kingdom so bad. After that lesson we asked him to say the closing prayer and in the prayer he said "please bless that I can get baptized on May 30th and that my daughter can be there even though she won’t understand it I still want her there. I am so grateful that Sister King and Sister Heacock found me, they are a blessing, they have helped me so much...." It was so the most humble loving prayer ever. He talked to Heavenly Father like he was right there and that he was his best friend. The spirit was so strong it made me and Sister King cry. On Sunday he wasn’t able to come to church because he couldn’t get it off and he said he tried real hard but his boss wouldn’t let him. He said that all throughout work he kept thinking I needed to be at church, I need to be at church. He said that today he is going to ask for Sunday off right away. He said he started looking for another job so he can have Sundays off. He said he just felt so bad he couldn’t be at church. So we had to move his baptismal date to June 6^th. He is super excited and so are we! It is going to be amazing. We just have so much love for him. I wish you could meet him! He is so amazing. Specific prayers are real!

Finding him reminded me of this poem "In heaven we were the best of friends. We did everything together. One day a grand council was called in heaven. We knew it was an important event. Everyone was there, Moses Noah and Jesus Christ. Father presented a plan and we voted for Christ to be our savior. After the council we ran to get in line to receive our life package. In the bustle we got separated. I received my package and ran to you. You were sitting under a tree. We opened our packages, mine said I would be born at a time when the gospel was restored on the earth. It said that I would have good parents and the fullness of the gospel in my home. I jumped for joy and we hugged each other. You were so happy for me. Then you read yours. I saw the tears in your eyes and I asked what’s wrong? You said that you would also be born when the gospel was restored but you would be born in a different place and the gospel would not be in your home. You looked at me straight in the eye and said friend find me, no matter what it takes or the trials you have to endure, find me! And bring me the gospel!" 

Some other exciting events this week, While we were going to knock the other day we parked in the grass and when I opened the door there was a storm drain right there. When I got up, the phone that I forgot was on my lap, fell onto the ground. As I went to go pick it up it slipped right into the storm drain and went "ker plop" Yup right into the water filled drain. I went white. Sister King was on the other side of the car and I went around to her and said "ummm Sister...." and she was like "what?!" "Ummm the phone is in the storm drain" and she was like "shut up!!!" We both burst out laughing, like roll on the floor laughing, because it was just so ridiculous and that it would happen to us. But we had to get the phone out so we looked into the storm drain and the phone was lit up so we got palm fronds and sticks and string and tried to make a shirt shovel to get the phone out. It was 7 when we started and we had to work fast because it would soon be getting dark. Well after a half hour we weren’t having any luck and it was starting to become dusk so we decided we needed to ask someone for help. Right across the street was a nice man who offered right away to help us. He lifted up the storm drain and started racking things out and getting all the water out and finally an hour later at 8 we found the phone and all the pieces. Yay!! But after being in rice overnight our little phone didn’t survive and we got a new one. Yay for adventures!! It was a great time.

Thank you so much for the vitamins! They are great! Huge but great! :) Also glad you got the pic from Sister Blake a family in our ward who is amazing. She is just so sweet! She doesn’t have anyone on a mission right now. She has two teenage daughters who are awesome but she always makes sure that we have what we need and it was so cute she started getting emotional as she took the pic of us. It was so cute we love her so much! 

So about Sister Boga that amazing less active! We went and saw her and her husband last night and she made flan cheesecake! It was good! Not as good as dads of course. Dad should try and make one!! It would be amazing! She is always making sure we are doing well and that we are fed. She feeds us so much! We found out her husband is super into 80s music so we bonded over that. It was so much fun. They have a concert to go every month of the year. It’s funny. 

This week in personal study, I was reading in D & C section 138:55-56 and I love it because it talks about how we have already been taught how to be missionaries! We were taught in heaven by the greatest teacher, our loving Heavenly Father. We just have to put off the natural man and trust in him that he taught us well enough and trust ourselves as well because we know this! We know how to teach! We were pre-ordained!  Just always remember our potential. It’s super powerful and just boosted me up!

I hope you have a great week!!! I love and miss you all!!! xoxoxoxoxo :)))))  

Briaunna