Outdoor Zone Conference and Fall is Flying By!

 

📷: @_sovereign_photography_


Dear Family and Friends,

September went by in a blur, and it looks like October will go by even faster as our mission calendar is full with a District Conference in Traverse City with Elder Randall Bennett and the new District Presidency, interviews, zone conferences, a mission leadership seminar in Ohio, a stake conference in Midland, and another senior missionary couple arriving tomorrow (that will make six 🎉)! Other than our 130th trip to the airport, we are putting plenty of miles on the Heap Jeep with many trips Up North, to Grand Rapids, Kalamazoo, and other spots in the mission. We relish any time we get to spend with the missionaries. We got our flu and shingles vaccines today just so both arms can be sore. We've seen some posts about fall foliage on social media and can only say, "Nice try." It's no fall in Michigan, but thanks for playing. Okay, that wasn't very kind, which explains why on my #8 of things of the soul from Elder Ronald Rasband's recent general conference address is repent daily. 

After months of having meetings and trainings indoors, I decided we needed to do something different while the weather was nice, and thus Outdoor Zone Conference was born. We had half the mission meet at Hartwick Pines State Park in Grayling and the other half meet at Hawk Island Park in Lansing. The forecast was for rain (100% chance in Grayling) just two days before the conferences. We prayed for good weather, and it didn't rain! Amazing trainings were had as we counseled together about urgency, focus, and simplification in this great work. The two main reasons that people stop meeting with the missionaries are 1) the missionaries stay too long, and 2) the people feel overwhelmed with information. By the time some missionaries arrive, they have had thousands of hours of gospel instruction at church, in their homes, and at the Missionary Training Center. Sometimes in their enthusiasm, they want to download everything they know on a new friend the first time they meet. 😅 Another fantastic part of Outdoor Zone Conference was when we hiked, of course. Since there aren't really any mountains in Michigan, our hikes were more like nature walks. Nevertheless, it was great to get outside, strengthen the unity of our mission, do something different, and learn together. We could not have pulled it off without Elder and Sister Rogers who made sure all the vehicles were admitted to the parks, supplied materials needed by each companionship, and picked up the lunch we ordered for everyone. One of my favorite memories will be the people who stopped to listen to 100+ missionaries sing hymns together. These missionaries can sing!

Hawk Island Park in Lansing - September 15th

These missionaries all speak Dutch!














Who doesn't love a district with coordinating t-shirts?!

My goal: by the end of my mission, know where to look for a selfie















Hartwick Pines Stake Park in Grayling - September 14th

We've sent wonderful missionaries to Italy, Brazil, the Dominican Republic, Belgium and the Netherlands, and Mexico. Our former Michigan Lansing Missionaries serve willingly wherever the Lord needs them, many as leaders in their original assignments. We feel so happy that they are doing well even though it can initially be a big change for them especially with foreign language and a new culture adjustments. And of course, we are trying to figure out if we can take credit for all the good things they do regardless of the continents where they serve. 😊

Elder Carson Snitker left for the Mexico Cancun Mission, and everyone else came to say goodbye.

Elder Caden Wilson (Italy Milan Mission)

Elder Tyler Hanks and Elder Joseph Gray (Belgium/Netherlands Mission)

Elder Teague Snow (Mexico Queretaro Mission)

Elder Power, Elder Jason Duersch (Brazil Manaus Mission), Elder Gerald Staker (Canada Toronto Mission), Elder Ryder Bess (Brazil Santa Maria Mission), Elder Joshua Hendershot (Dominican Republic Santiago Mission), and Elder Stone

Elder Justin Williams (President Heap's cousin) left for the Mexico Puebla North Mission after spending the night in the mission home, and we all woke up to no hot water! Just toughening him up a bit before he goes.🥶

Saying goodbye to Elder Hunter Blackburn as he goes to the Mexico City West Mission. We hate to lose a good missionary, especially one from Phoenix! And why do we so often get up before 4:00AM? There are a couple of later flights.

We are so grateful that we were able to read the Book of Mormon as a mission with a focus on charity as we prepared for general conference, the worldwide gathering of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints when church leaders from around the world share messages about Jesus Christ and His gospel. It felt like every other talk was about charity. We've been praying like we've never prayed before to have charity possess us. If you didn't get to see it, it is on the Gospel Library app, ChurchofJesusChrist.org, and YouTube. If you missed any of it, click here for a summary of all the talks. I couldn't pick a favorite, but don't miss the talks by Elder Clark Gilbert, Elder Erich Kopischke, Sister Susan Porter, Sister Sharon Eubank, Elder Vaiangina Sikehema, and Elder Dale Renlund. We want to be thinking about whatever the prophet is thinking about, so check out all of the talks by President Russell M. Nelson. Even though we don't have a temple in the Michigan Lansing Mission YET, we are committed to helping the missionaries know and love the temple.

Açaí bowls with Sister Schmidt and Sister Hansen

Dinner with Elder and Sister Rogers and their son and daughter-in-law, Chris and Anna - Elmer, Chris, and Anna all served as young missionaries in Scotland (about 20 years apart) and knew many of the same great people and their love for Scotland was evident.

With Elders Johnson and Millward of Bad Axe

Seven of our wonderful missionaries finished their missionary service, and we welcomed 21 new missionaries. There is a Facebook group for parents of our missionaries. They have a sincere desire to help their sons and daughters prepare to serve, but often they worry about the wrong things like which boots or coat to get, where will they live, what will their missionary service look like, and what will they eat. These are valid concerns to some extent because even the most communicative missionaries can't adequately describe their experiences to parents. And as Elder Chilcote (one of our great missionaries) said to me, "Sister Heap, I had no idea when I became an adult I was signing up to feed myself three times a day!" 😂 But if you ask a missionary with experience what they would focus on in preparation, they say study the scriptures (especially the Book of Mormon) and know them well, read Preach My Gospel, learn to journal, repent, learn to work hard, cook, clean, and learn to better live the two great commandments to love God and love others. 

Elder Logan Stiver, Elder Zach Burnside, Elder Keaton Bussell, Sister Bridget Paulsen, Elder Terron Mecham, Elder Bradley Webster, Elder Judson Flamm - departed September 22nd.

I sent two sets of Sister Training Leaders (Sister London, Sister Daniels, Sister Crawford, and Sister Harris) to welcome Sister Sierra Coles (second from left) to the MLM as she arrived from the New York & Pennsylvania Church Historic Sites when we were training all the new missionaries below.

The Assistants with Elder Walker and Elder Adair
Elder Bonham, Elder Wilde, Elder Busch, Elder Evans, Elder Robinson, Elder Taylor, Elder Long, Elder Schneider, Elder Stevens - and our Assistants Elder Hunter, Elder Power, and Elder Stone (if you love the scriptures, you will know why our Assistants have such awesome last names!) And Sister Wolford, Sister Richardson, Sister Dallin, Sister Ward, Sister Church, Sister Marker, Sister Peterson, and Sister Walker

One final fun thing: we had a visit from Jaxen Torbensen, who lives in our ward (church congregation) in San Diego. I had to remind him that as his nursery leader (teacher of the 18-month-old to 3-year-olds' class at church), I get to take some credit for what a great young man he has grown up to be. He doesn't really remember being in my class, but he is sure I am right. He was visiting his friend, Sophia, to see MSU and go to a football game (Spartans are currently undefeated). They came to a baptism with us, and we got to have lunch together a couple of times. You are all welcome to come for a visit!

We love you all,
Amy & Elmer

In the mission home with Jaxen and Sophia

Lunch at Fidler's on the Grand. The Nebraskan Ranch and Monticello Mac n Cheese never disappoint!


Comments

  1. Hillary MOctober 5, 2021 at 5:45 PM

    Yay for an update! Sounds like things are going great. P.S. Mom! You look like you're one of the sister missionaries in that third photo of the zone conference.

    ReplyDelete

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