Family!

Thanks for all the prayers and love and support. It’s been rough but nothing I can’t handle. I have a firm testimony that Heavenly Father doesn’t give us anything we can’t handle. This week we had interviews with President Richardson and we talked a lot about me going home early and he gave me a priesthood blessing which was really awesome and helped a lot. But on Sunday I fasted on what Heavenly Father wanted me to do. During Sunday school I received my answer. It’s funny how Heavenly Father gives us answers in funny ways. In Sunday school we were talking about service and how important it is to serve others and Heavenly Father told me right there that I was selfish for wanting to go home early and that through service is how we are able to forget the pain. Basically Sunday school ended with me in tears. So I will be staying for the rest of my mission. I know that by staying I will be able to meet people and experience things that I wouldn’t have had if I decided to go home early. I know that Heavenly Father will give me the strength to continue to the end!:)) You can call me Warrior Heacock haha.

One of my favorite Elders!

 Thanks Dad for all of your support. I wouldn’t know how to get through this if it wasn’t for your example!! I know it’s been hard for you, but I think I can speak for all of kids that we never thought you were boring at all because we still got to do so many fun things with you just like other kids and we knew that it was a sacrifice for you to do that so thank you!! To us we have an amazing Dad. You have taught us to be tough. That no matter our limitations we can do anything!!! Because of that, its helping me finish my mission. Heavenly Father’s plans for us are so perfect because he knew I would need a strong example like you to help me and to show me how it’s done:) I love you daddy and am so grateful for all you have done for me and our family!! :) 

My District in Palm Springs. I will miss them!

Thanks as well for that talk on perseverance. https://www.lds.org/ensign/2014/04/the-blessings-of-perseverance?lang=eng  I really needed that!! Thank you so much Dad. Super inspired!!You’re right it’s not in my dna!! haha And those zoodles sound so good!! I have changed a lot of my eating habits on my mission too eating better to i am excited!! :)

It was so much fun!!! We got paint and pool toys and went at it!!! Soo much fun!! :)

So we got transfer calls last night and I am transferring!! :(  It was a big shocker because in my interview, President Richardson said I was staying. I am going to be super homesick for this ward. Pretty much everyone has plans for me to come back and stay with them and go sightseeing. So we will have to visit soon! It’s really hard to say goodbye. I feel like this is my home away from home but I know Heavenly Father has other amazing things in store for me and I am excited to see what it is and to find out who my new companion will be!!

Saying goodbye to the Espinosa family! Their son is Magic Dan. I love them so much!!!

I am sad to say goodbye to Damien too:( This kid is amazing!! On Sunday he came to church and Bianca came and she has a problem with the church’s stand point on same sex marriage because she supports it. So the day before on Saturday we talked about the church’s stand point. We read the letter from the prophet and the family proclamation. Then on Sunday in Relief Society that’s what the topic was on, and I love this ward but the lesson was a bomb shell. It could have a whole lot more spiritual but instead it was a lot more of people’s loud opinions and bashing. So Bianca was in tears at the end. We were on our way outside to talk to her in more of a quite setting and then Damien comes up to us and starts talking to us. Then out of nowhere he stops and looks at Bianca and says, “Can I talk to you?” He then just starts bearing testimony about the church and how true it is and sharing his conversion story. He starts talking about how amazing us missionaries are and the whole time I am in tears because the spirit was so strong. I was so happy and proud of him. He said, “I don’t know why I needed to share this with you, the Spirit just told me too. I don’t know what’s going on but I can tell you are having doubts and all I can say is don’t just believe.” It was so boss and so inspired. Bianca was crying and was so touched!! It was the best experience ever!!!! I love Damien so much!!! I am so grateful and blessed that I got to find and baptize him and see him grow!!

​This is the white family!! Saying goodbye to them :( miss them lots!!

I don’t have much more time, but thanks for everything family. I have to go pack. I love you all so much and I am so excited to tell you about my new area and companion!! Oh and so i hope you haven’t sent my package yet because I won’t be at that address anymore.....  I will send you my new address next week!!!

   

Briaunna

Family!

Yes we were able to go to the Florida Keys for the service project! It was awesome! It was so cool!! We just cleaned up the beach and we got helping handsT-shirts! It was lots of fun! I was able to see everyone from Hialeah again. They said they can’t wait for me to go home so I can be their friends on Facebook. I love my Latin’s :) The service project I did was just moving a family. I did lots of lifting. Probably wasn’t the best idea. I knew you would be mad at me haha.

Doing service at Florida Keys with the Stake! So rewarding

I am glad you liked talking to Sister Boga! I was there when she called you :) She is amazing. She is one of my best friends. She reminds me so much of mom. She is the closest thing i got. When I told her about the ER and about how I might have lupus she said her sister has it and she asked if I knew anything about it. I said no. So we went online and did research and turns out I have more of the symptoms then I thought I had. I have the fatigue, butterfly rash, hair loss, mouth sores, constipation, joint pain, the tips of my fingers are red etc. If I have lupus it attacks my joints, so Sister Boga who has Hashimoto disease has problems with her joints too. She gave me a supplement to help them.  After she talked to you, me and her had a one on one talk and she talked about how my health comes first and about praying to see if I need to come home early. She gave me an awesome pep talk and really helped me.

Waiting in the ER

So about the visit to the Emergency Room. So every morning we go on a mile jog. Usually it’s a slow one haha. Anyways, so on Thursday, I was just doing my normal jog and all of a sudden my back clenched up super bad. It hurt so bad I fell and had to catch myself. I thought it was just a back spasm because I usually have a couple of those every day and they just last like 5 min or so. So I kept jogging, but it hurt so badly. So I started to just walk. It took everything in me to walk back to the house without crying. When we got into the house I told Sister Smith, I can’t move. My whole back felt like there were pliers going up and down my spine clenching my back together. Even just moving my eyes to look down hurt so badly.  I called Sister Richardson at 6:40 in the morning. She told me to just lay down and try and relax my whole body. So it took me 15 minutes to actually do all that because every move killed me. So I laid down for 2 hours with a towel in my mouth trying to relax. It was about 8:30 and we had an appointment at 10 so me being me I was like okay I need to take a shower. I get to ancy just sitting for too long because I know I need to be doing stuff. I always have to be moving now haha. So I tried to get up. Yup it wasn’t happening. It took me 25 min to stand up. After I finally stood up I called Sister Richardson again and she said just take my normal meds and call Sister Martin our mission nurse. So I did and she said to just put ice on it. I was so frustrated!!! I asked can i just go to the ER? Both Sister Martin and Richardson said no because they would just give me meds that I already had. So i just took my Flexeril and knocked out for a couple hours. I woke up and it was worse!! So Sister Martin said go get a heating pad so I did. That didn’t help. I kept asking can I please go to the ER, I just want to get rid of this and get back to work! The other sisters that we live with were just about to take me. So since they still said no, I stayed in bed in tons of pain until 6. When I said  “okay I am just going to go work.” So we went to our meal apt then to ward correlation. We got home at 9:00 and by 9:30 they finally said that I could go to the ER.  I was like okay let’s go!!! Sister Smith came with me as well as one of the other sisters who I love. First Sister Richardson said to go to urgent care. We did and what do you know? It was closed.  So I was like bump this take me to the ER. So they did. We go to the ER and they took me in, got me evaluated and everything. Then they said they were going to give me two shots full of narcotics and steroids. So they come in with the shots both with needles 3 inches long!! But I didn’t care I was willing to do whatever it takes to get this pain gone. Which is saying something because I hate needles. I got a shot in my arm and the other in my butt, that one hurt the most. I was screaming. Then they left and kept me for a while to monitor me. The drugs worked! I felt like a dead fish. My muscles were so relaxed haha. I don’t remember the car ride home I was so high. Apparently I thought I was a penguin on the ride home. We didn’t get home until 3 in the morning and then I didn’t wake up till 9:30 the next morning. I was out cold!! But it worked and the nurse also prescribed me for Vicodin in case it happens again. So now I am fine just getting really tired an exhausted. 

Sister Boga said that my back freaking out could have been a flare up of lupus. I also told the Riggin’s about it to yesterday. They and Sister Boga are the only ones who know. I have been keeping it all on the down low but turns out Brother Riggin’s mom has lupus so they have been helping me and sending me info about lupus. They have been lots of help. So yeah that’s what happened. I can say though I really wish I was home!! haha I have been praying really hard about what to do because I don’t really want to come home early. I only have 12 weeks left. Today I was reading in Alma 58:40 and it talks about the Stripling Warriors and how they had wounds but they still kept fighting and kept going forward. So I think that was my answer that I need to stay but we have interviews with President Richardson this week so I am going to talk to him about it and receive a blessing. I just don’t know what to do. I am getting tired, I am 20 and my body feels like I am way older but I know that this work is so important and I want to finish strong. I will let you know what happens next week. But I most likely will stay unless something crazy happens. :)

Went to Fort Lauderdale Temple with Sister boga

This week we got to see Melvin and Bianca. They are the 2 most solid people we are working with! They are both getting baptized on the 21st! :) Melvin is amazing. We have pretty much taught him everything and loves church so much and the Book of Mormon. He has no Word of Wisdom or Law of Chasity issues so that’s good! :) He is boss! It’s like teaching another Damien! Bianca is amazing too! She is 23 and married and so sweet!! I love her so much!! She is already listening to conference talks! She just loves the gospel!! Teaching her has been amazing!! :) They are so elect and ready!! God is good!! 

            Oh and Damien!! So Damien wasn’t able to get work off on Sunday but we went and saw him that night. Man that kid is a boss! I was telling him how next Sunday might be my last because transfers are next week and how he needs to pray that I will stay until I go home and he said, "I will pray, but remember if you leave you leave. That’s part of missionary work. God needs you other places. Look at Sister King. It’s like you are a secret agent and every six weeks they call you and tell you, you have another mission to complete somewhere else. Its Gods work not yours." So, Yup! My recent convert threw down on me about missionary work. I love Damien. Next Sunday though he will pass the sacrament :) 

I don’t have time to write more but I love you all so much!!!! Thanks for everything!! I miss you all tons!! And thanks for the support and love!

Briaunna