Inmates serve time. Missionaries served the Lord.
Dear Family and Friends,
Overheard
Elmer: I really got a lot accomplished this morning.
Amy: Me too! See how good my hair looks?
Elmer has written in his journal every day that we’ve been here. I have written once. Yeah, I got THAT guy for a companion. Lucky me. Really, I mean it!
In my defense, I have written these letters, taken any photos we have so far, and initiated most of the communication we’ve had with our kids and grandkids.
Everyday there are wonderful things and hard things about leading a mission, just as there are wonderful and hard things about being a missionary. But one fringe benefit that I didn’t know would happen is that everyday since we’ve been here, Elmer has said something to me like, “Wow! You look great!” Sometimes multiple times a day – like it’s truly a surprise! For the past four years before we came out on our mission, Elmer was working 60-80 hours per week. When he’d leave in the dark morning hours, I’d still be in bed. When he’d come home, I’d be ready to go to bed. It’s been nice for him to see that I do wear something other than pajamas, joggers, and t-shirts.
I have mostly remembered my black name badge this week, except for on Sunday when we spoke at the Jonesville Branch Devotional on Zoom with Sister Tate (one of our great missionaries finishing her mission next week – our La Jolla YSA friends know her brother, Sid). She referenced her missionary badge in her talk, and I realized that my companion had once again failed to remind me to put mine on. Gah!
We have been putting together our calendar for the mission. I’m not sure six weeks in a transfer is enough time. We will soon have 200 missionaries, and soon after that it will be about 230. If President Heap only interviews each missionary for 15 minutes (and that is not easy for him), it adds up to about 58 hours of interviews to say nothing of finding time for zone conferences, mission leadership council, mission devotionals and firesides, and who knows what else. During Phase 1 (which is the first step away from full quarantine for our mission), we are allowed to interview the missionaries in person. We can also have some mission meetings like district councils and zone conferences in person, as long as we do not have more than 25 people at any meeting, wear masks, and social distance. All of our zones except one are too large for the 25 cap, so we are trying to split the zones in half and meet with half one day and the other half the next day. We hope it will work as the missionaries are excited about being together even 6-feet apart with face masks on and no food. We can't eat with our missionaries in Phase 1. Nevertheless, we focus on the things that we can do, not what we can’t do.
Sunday, we had an inspiration mission fireside with Jamie Pyatt as our guest. San Diego friends will remember Jamie and her husband, Dave, from when they lived in the San Diego North Stake many years ago. Jamie is a licensed clinical social worker practicing in North San Diego County, and she also works with the missionaries in her stake and in the California Newport Beach Mission. She also served a mission in the early 1990’s. She began her service in Honduras when the terrorist conflict threat came into play between Honduras and Nicaragua. All the North Americans were threatened. They couldn’t go to church or go outside much. One day she with another American in an apartment in a different area, so their Central American companions could go out to work together. She got a call that she and the sister she was with needed to be at the airport in one hour. She didn’t go back to her apartment. She left everything behind. Neither sister called anyone to say goodbye. They prayed that their Central American companions would know what happened to them. And as the one member in this area who had a truck began to drive them to the airport, they saw these two women running down the road. Their companions received a prompting to hurry back to them and ran as fast as they could. They all piled in and drove to the airport, so they had those few moments to say goodbye. Their mission president met them at the airport with their passports, and they all got on a plane. It wasn’t until they had been in the air for a while that someone asked where they were going -- Florida. When they got to Florida, Hurricane Andrew had just hit. The mission president there met them to tell them that his mission had been devastated and gave them all plane tickets to Dallas. They were met in Dallas by another mission president who had a paper and plane tickets. He read off their names and gave them a plane ticket to their new assignment. They were sent out all over the United States. Jamie went to the Texas McAllen Mission. It was a rough transition. She was with another reassigned missionary who had about five months left to serve. Jamie had 14. Her companion said something like she was just going to do her time until she was finished. Texas wasn’t her mission. Jamie couldn’t quite buy that plan with 14 months left. She and her companion decided, they needed the Lord to change their hearts. She told our missionaries a miraculous, sacred story about how an airplane brought her to Texas, but she had to fast and pray and have a certain humble, truth-seeking, young mother knock on her door so the Lord could bring her to Texas. And He did. One thing she said that really resonated with our missionaries was, “Inmates serve time. Missionaries serve the Lord.”
What Jamie shared with our missionaries reminded me of something that President Dallin Oaks taught us at the 2020 Mission Leadership Seminar – Disruptions in doing the Lord’s work are a constant not an exception. The missionaries all loved Jamie's overriding thought that we must know who we are as sons and daughters of God to become lifelong disciples of Jesus Christ. When we know who we are, we can accomplish all that is needed.
We love you all,
President and Sister Heap
Overheard
Elmer: I really got a lot accomplished this morning.
Amy: Me too! See how good my hair looks?
Elmer has written in his journal every day that we’ve been here. I have written once. Yeah, I got THAT guy for a companion. Lucky me. Really, I mean it!
In my defense, I have written these letters, taken any photos we have so far, and initiated most of the communication we’ve had with our kids and grandkids.
Everyday there are wonderful things and hard things about leading a mission, just as there are wonderful and hard things about being a missionary. But one fringe benefit that I didn’t know would happen is that everyday since we’ve been here, Elmer has said something to me like, “Wow! You look great!” Sometimes multiple times a day – like it’s truly a surprise! For the past four years before we came out on our mission, Elmer was working 60-80 hours per week. When he’d leave in the dark morning hours, I’d still be in bed. When he’d come home, I’d be ready to go to bed. It’s been nice for him to see that I do wear something other than pajamas, joggers, and t-shirts.
I have mostly remembered my black name badge this week, except for on Sunday when we spoke at the Jonesville Branch Devotional on Zoom with Sister Tate (one of our great missionaries finishing her mission next week – our La Jolla YSA friends know her brother, Sid). She referenced her missionary badge in her talk, and I realized that my companion had once again failed to remind me to put mine on. Gah!
We have been putting together our calendar for the mission. I’m not sure six weeks in a transfer is enough time. We will soon have 200 missionaries, and soon after that it will be about 230. If President Heap only interviews each missionary for 15 minutes (and that is not easy for him), it adds up to about 58 hours of interviews to say nothing of finding time for zone conferences, mission leadership council, mission devotionals and firesides, and who knows what else. During Phase 1 (which is the first step away from full quarantine for our mission), we are allowed to interview the missionaries in person. We can also have some mission meetings like district councils and zone conferences in person, as long as we do not have more than 25 people at any meeting, wear masks, and social distance. All of our zones except one are too large for the 25 cap, so we are trying to split the zones in half and meet with half one day and the other half the next day. We hope it will work as the missionaries are excited about being together even 6-feet apart with face masks on and no food. We can't eat with our missionaries in Phase 1. Nevertheless, we focus on the things that we can do, not what we can’t do.
Sunday, we had an inspiration mission fireside with Jamie Pyatt as our guest. San Diego friends will remember Jamie and her husband, Dave, from when they lived in the San Diego North Stake many years ago. Jamie is a licensed clinical social worker practicing in North San Diego County, and she also works with the missionaries in her stake and in the California Newport Beach Mission. She also served a mission in the early 1990’s. She began her service in Honduras when the terrorist conflict threat came into play between Honduras and Nicaragua. All the North Americans were threatened. They couldn’t go to church or go outside much. One day she with another American in an apartment in a different area, so their Central American companions could go out to work together. She got a call that she and the sister she was with needed to be at the airport in one hour. She didn’t go back to her apartment. She left everything behind. Neither sister called anyone to say goodbye. They prayed that their Central American companions would know what happened to them. And as the one member in this area who had a truck began to drive them to the airport, they saw these two women running down the road. Their companions received a prompting to hurry back to them and ran as fast as they could. They all piled in and drove to the airport, so they had those few moments to say goodbye. Their mission president met them at the airport with their passports, and they all got on a plane. It wasn’t until they had been in the air for a while that someone asked where they were going -- Florida. When they got to Florida, Hurricane Andrew had just hit. The mission president there met them to tell them that his mission had been devastated and gave them all plane tickets to Dallas. They were met in Dallas by another mission president who had a paper and plane tickets. He read off their names and gave them a plane ticket to their new assignment. They were sent out all over the United States. Jamie went to the Texas McAllen Mission. It was a rough transition. She was with another reassigned missionary who had about five months left to serve. Jamie had 14. Her companion said something like she was just going to do her time until she was finished. Texas wasn’t her mission. Jamie couldn’t quite buy that plan with 14 months left. She and her companion decided, they needed the Lord to change their hearts. She told our missionaries a miraculous, sacred story about how an airplane brought her to Texas, but she had to fast and pray and have a certain humble, truth-seeking, young mother knock on her door so the Lord could bring her to Texas. And He did. One thing she said that really resonated with our missionaries was, “Inmates serve time. Missionaries serve the Lord.”
What Jamie shared with our missionaries reminded me of something that President Dallin Oaks taught us at the 2020 Mission Leadership Seminar – Disruptions in doing the Lord’s work are a constant not an exception. The missionaries all loved Jamie's overriding thought that we must know who we are as sons and daughters of God to become lifelong disciples of Jesus Christ. When we know who we are, we can accomplish all that is needed.
We love you all,
President and Sister Heap
Lake Michigan
The new mission home. We don't live here yet, but our things arrive tomorrow come what may.
Elmer's dinner: smoked pork, tater tots, collared greens, cornbread
My dinner: vegan bowl
The place Elmer picked for dinner. It was better than it looked. It looked like a possible crime scene.
Some of our new missionaries
Our reassigned missionary, Elder Benson, with his new companion, Elder Taylor, President Heap, and our Assistants, Elder Schmanski and Elder Griffin
Transfers with Sisters Chibota, Johnson, Heap, Olson, Udall, Klusman, and Stahle!
The vegan bowl looks the best and I like your new house! Reading about your challenges with phase one transitions and all those missionaries you care for...well, if anyone can rise to the occasion - it's you two! Lots of love from Malibu
ReplyDeleteThanks Bridget! Love and miss you!
DeleteI loved the story of concern for missionary safety in the past as well as now. Our daughter went through a period of home confinement of all non-native missionaries when she served in the Quito Ecuador mission many years ago. It went on for what seemed to be a long time. They weren't reassigned, and eventually it became safe again. It was a frightening time. There was no internet then, and no phone calls home, so there was reliance on the Lord to get through it. I am so proud of missionaries who figure out it matters how they serve more than where they serve. As they go and do what is needed they will be blessed.
ReplyDeleteI love this post. I also loved the look of your vegan bowl. Get Elmer to try one!
ReplyDeleteThese are so great! I am sure the "no food" requirement is the greatest sacrifice! Lets be honest - we know the Heaps! That's why we love the Heaps because you appreciate, enjoy & love food as much as the Sweeneys. :) Food or not - you & Elmer are the best!
ReplyDelete