Winter's over! And yes, I called it. 😎

 Dear Family and Friends,

When I told Elmer it has been over a month since I wrote a blog post, he said, "Well, not much has happened." If only! 

BY THE NUMBERS SINCE A MONTH AGO

Zoom Meetings: 47
Missionaries Interviewed: 218
Zone Conferences: 3
Instagram Meetings (@christlives.michigan): 6
Mission Leadership Councils: 2
Missionaries who received COVID vaccines: 68
Missionaries to Original Assignments: 5
Missionaries who took a day trip to the Mexican Consulate in SLC: 2
Missionaries who went home for surgery: 2
Mission Office Staff Meetings: 3
Trips to the airport: 7

Grand Rapids Stake Conference: 1

2020 Mission History completed that no one told me about before we came: 1

Transfer: 1

Sprint Week: 1 
Places we've been: Jonesville, Hillsdale, Harrison, South Haven, Sturgis, Howe (Indiana), Houghton Lake, Midland, Traverse City, Bay City, Battle Creek, Holland, and Grand Rapids twice (plus all the towns in between).

The missionaries were skeptical, yet hopeful, when it warmed up a bit on February 27th and I said winter was over. Funny enough, it has stayed pretty nice and only snowed twice since then. And the snow didn't stick either time. If I haven't mentioned it, we live on a golf course. The golfers came back as soon as it was over 40 degrees. They are out there every day now. The missionaries now believe that I am a pretty good meteorologist. I am already feeling the pressure about next winter and when to declare enough is enough! We have some pre-field training with our missionaries while they are in their home MTCs. This virtual meeting is to better prepare them for the mission, but it also gives them an opportunity to ask us and the Assistants questions. Recently when one new missionary asked how long winter lasts, Elder Bennion said, "Don't worry. Sister Heap can end it." 😂

We hear that Michigan is in the news for having the biggest spike in the US for COVID cases, and we just had our first two missionaries contract the virus. It was a good run while it lasted. For over a year, no missionaries here had COVID. 

Since we have come to Michigan, we have had four different weeks that we call Sprint Week. The missionaries work hard all the time. But during Sprint Week, they give an extra measure of effort. "The Lord loves effort," President Russell Nelson said, " because effort brings rewards that can't come without it." The effort in Sprint Week is given mission-wide by following the Spirit to invite others to come unto Christ through invitations to come to church, read the Book of Mormon, strengthen their love for God and their neighbors, and be taught about the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. Perhaps the greatest indication of the increased faith we've seen among our missionaries is that we are now doing more with less by extending more invitations to come unto Christ with fewer missionaries. This time, several members got in on the fun of Sprint Week too! One of the beautiful things that resulted in the efforts given last week was even though we didn't set a goal to invite people to be baptized, 15 different people did accept that invitation and preparing for a specific date to be baptized soon. Our Father in Heaven has many children who are showing their faith in Him. Some call the missionaries themselves. We don't find them. They find us. Others are prepared by their experiences or friends to hear the word of God. Others we reach out to, and they have a desire to know more. People find many different paths to come unto Christ. They hear Him many different ways as well. We almost can't believe how lucky we are to be out here, and that the Lord allows us to help do this work.

About once a week, we send another missionary to his or her original assignment. It's not getting easier to say goodbye because we love these missionaries so much even though we do want them to teach all people and serve in every nation on earth. As these missionaries depart both to go to original assignments and as they complete missions to return home, we see they have left Michigan better than they found it. We are so grateful to serve with each one. 

One thing we love about Michigan: Most towns have a beautiful cemetery located in a visibly prominent place. Each time we pass a Michigan cemetery in our travels I am reminded of how reverently people here feel about their departed loved ones and how well they honor them. 

One problem we wish we could solve in Michigan: Too much road kill. Maybe there could be some sort of educational program for the wildlife or at least something for the animals who believe there is a good reason to dart into the middle of the road or try to run to the other side of the road. If you were privy to our pre-mission battle with the raccoons of San Diego, you know we are repenting that we don't feel as badly about the raccoons. We realize these are innocent Michigan raccoons, not the destructive variety from California.

I'm sure you all wondered who won this year's Heap Family Bracket Challenge for the NCAA Men's College Basketball Championship: Gavin, who is also getting married this Saturday to Marnie. Clearly, 2021 is his year!

This week, we felt a little more grateful for technology than we usually do as we were able to watch the funeral services for our friend, John Westwood. Darice and Johnny were among the first to befriend us when we moved to San Diego in 1984. Damon, Stella, and Adrian were their teenagers. It helped us to feel a little closer to all the Westwoods, even virtually, as we said goodbye for now to a man who never tired of doing good for others. We will miss him. 

We love you all,

Elmer & Amy

Traverse City Zone Sister Selfie | Photo bombers Elder Gams, President Heap, Elder Spencer, and Elder Williams. Invited to the photo: Me, Sister Gill, Sister Klusman, Sister Crawford, Sister Johnson, Sister Olson, Sister Bawden, Sister Hansen, and Sister Ross.

Traverse City Zone Conference

Selfies for Sister Heap

With Elder Godoy

President Heap, Elder Spencer, Elder Gotcher, and me

Getting a bite to eat with Sister Gill and Sister Klusman. If you get to Traverse City, go to Sparks BBQ!

The Soo District from Up North | Top Row: Elder Hatch, Elder Simmons, Elder Bess, Elder Hunter, Elder Findlay, Elder Harding, Elder Metcalf, Sister Ross, and Sister Hansen Botton Row: Elder S Millward, Elder Ibarra, Elder Bennion, and Elder Burnside

Midland and Saginaw Zone Conference

Selfie for Sister Heap left by Elder Onines, Elder M Mecham, and Elder Stone

With the Sisters of Saginaw and Midland

Seeing Elder E Scott return to Argentina Buenos Aires North Mission was 😥and also 😍.

The Sister Training Leaders of Kalamazoo - Sister Wilson, Sister Nelson, and Sister London as Sister Wilson is off to her original mission assignment in the Armenia/Georgia Mission. Who will pray for the mission in Armenian now?!

Seeing Sister Wilson off!

Selfie for Sister Heap by Elders Meija, Bangerter, Averill, Bleak, Burnside, Anderson and Snow of the Spanish zones

Spanish North and Spanish South Zone Conference

Con las Hermanas! Yo y Hermanas Black, Christensen, Ekins, Newman, Schmidt, and Muñóz - ah, y Elder Stiver tambien ✌🏼

Elder Stiver and Elder Bussell - former companions together again in the Spanish-speaking zones

Yo y Elder DM Anderson. Hay muchos misioneros llamados Anderson. Todos hablan español. Los amamos a todos.

Hermana Christensen y Hermana Black

El Presidente, Hermana Christensen, y yo

Y Elder Murray (ahora el sirve nuevamente en Peru)

Aquí está el Elder Nicolia

Y Hermana Newman - Ella se irá a México en un mes

Selfie for Sister Heap from Hermana Schmidt and Hermana Ekins

A baptism in Battle Creek

Es la hora del almuerzo en Holland con Elder Moncur y Elder Bleak.

Going to Indiana for the first time (for the first time on purpose) with Sister Bybee and Sister Paulsen of Sturgis. Did you know that this really cool part of Indiana is in the Michigan Lansing Mission? Google Shipshewana

Before we sent Elder Bennion up north and hanging out with Elder Averill while we wait for his companion, Elder Benavides, to come back from his day trip to SLC Mexican Consulate

This happened

And this

Departing dinner with Hermana Christensen, Sister Nelson, Sister Reading, Sister Olson ...

... Elder Filler, Elder Hansen, Elder Richey, and Elder Cardona

There they go!

And go!

Really, they are going!

And our new missionaries arrive: President Heap, Elder E Millward, Sister Malan, Sister Woolley, Elders Burnside and Neilson (the Assistants), Sister Evans, Sister Porter, Sister Palmer, Elder Ballard, Sister Stewart, Sister Moss, and me

Sister Kurtz and Sister Woolley of Holt

Sister Seng and Sister Stewart of Jackson

Sister Porter and Sister White of Harrison

Sister Averett and Sister Palmer of Hastings

Elder Millward and Elder Houskeeper of Grand Valley

Sister Harris and Sister Malan of Big Rapids

Sister Srianan and Sister Evans of Meridian

Elder Ballard and Elder Huntsman of North Muskegon

Sisters Crawford, Moss, and Klusman of Cadillac

After a baptism in Bay City with Elders Kofford and Kibbey and Sisters Brown and Mosher

In Harrison with Sister Porter and Sister White

Elder Keyser's return to the Brazil Piracicaba Mission

Elder Murray's return to the Peru Limatambo Mission

In Jackson, Michigan

In Jonesville, Michigan