All the Feelings
Dear Family and Friends,
All the feelings sweep over us these days in the mission as we soak up each moment that we are making a treasured memory with the missionaries and the wonderful people of Michigan. Everything from joy to heartache. A week ago, shootings at Michigan State left the three students dead and five others critically injured. We had just finished our Monday night call with the young mission leadership, when one of our senior missionaries, Elder Kevin Lake, sent Elmer a news alert about the shooting. We knew our Assistants, Elder Ferguson and Elder Bailey, were likely still in the Mission Office because they collect weekly information on Monday night about how the missionary work went the previous week. But we didn’t know where the other companionship that serves at MSU were. Elmer called Elder Ferguson and Elder Bailey, and I called Elder Squire and Elder Schreiner. Everyone was safe. Elder Squire and Elder Schreiner were in their apartment, and we instructed them to follow the lock down procedures until it was lifted. Elder Ferguson and Elder Bailey were still in the Mission Office, which is directly across the street from MSU in the same building with the Institute. We had them lock all the doors and stay there until it was safe for them to quickly cross the parking lot to their apartment. We checked in with some students we knew at MSU to see if they were safe as well. There were sirens and a helicopter over our house (we live just southeast of MSU's main campus and across from MSU’s farm). As a mission, along with many of our former missionaries, we pray for healing and comfort for those who lost loved ones or were injured or scared. As we hear attempts to attack people of faith with accusations that praying is not enough to stop the violence that plagues our society, we hope to help others understand the constant need for prayer and understand the functions and purposes of prayer, increased faith, and good works in accomplishing great things. Many people in the world have decided to navigate life without faith, without asking God what He would have them do, and without belonging to much of anything let alone a congregation of faith. We are wired for connection and belonging. It is part of our divine heritage. It has been heartwarming to see many people come to MSU to help others and reach out in love and concern.
We realize that this year alone, our nation has had more than one mass shooting a day, and our hearts are broken. We also know that there is a healing and hope in and through our Redeemer Jesus Christ. People need to know who they are and Whose they are. We don’t know much about him, but we read that the shooter was spiraling downward in his mental health and either not seeking or not accepting help. We hope that we will find better ways to love, nurture, and include those in our circles of influence, especially those who appear to be lonely or isolated.
The morning after the MSU shooting, we received a call from the head of Church Security to confirm that all the missionaries who serve at MSU were safe and to see if we needed any additional help. How grateful we are for the gospel of Jesus Christ that personally gives us both spiritual and emotional resiliency every day.
The following day was Valentine’s Day. Our friend, Nick Gentile, who is a counselor in the Mission Presidency as well as the Director of the Institute at MSU, gave a free class on hope and healing at the Institute. All the college-age people in the area were invited.
May we recommend reading, watching, or listening to The Need for a Church from President Dallin H. Oaks, The Doctrine of Belonging by Elder D. Todd Christofferson, and Overcome the World and Find Rest by President Russell M. Nelson.
We had the happy job of picking up a new missionary at the airport on Valentine's Day. After testing positive for Covid, although she was vaccinated, Sister Abegglen couldn’t travel with the group of new missionaries who arrived last week. She was stuck in isolation at the MTC for five days. Fortunately, we’ve learned so many things about how to use technology to do the work that she was able to virtually join her trainer, Sister Sullivan, for teaching and studies using Messenger video chat and Zoom. Sister Sullivan was serving with the Sister Training Leaders in Jackson, Sister Ward and Sister Adams, while she waited for Sister Abegglen to arrive. Yeah, we spent Valentine’s Day with these four amazing missionaries. 😊 There was Chick-fil-A, of course.
When new missionaries come into the mission field, they arrive exhausted. The Missionary Training Center in Provo is moving many missionaries to the Salt Lake City Airport. And the missionaries leave Provo between 2:00-4:00AM to wait at the airport for hours before they depart, fly all day, and then are expected to jump into Eastern time. Once in a while, a new missionary’s enthusiasm is irrepressible even with no sleep and travel, but that is the exception. We have found it is most effective to feed them and then have them go to sleep. The next morning, we download a whole lot of information and training on them. I lead the training of new missionaries with their trainers (first companions) in attendance while Elmer interviews each new missionary. We’ve learned to have the trainers there from the start because most of the information flies right over the heads of the new missionaries. Most of them are in a state of shock that they are actual on a mission in Michigan. And the trainers know they are responsible to remind the new missionaries of everything they need to know. Our Mission Office staff also have presentations and information. As I tell the new missionaries, every great adventure begins with some boring paper work because we need some health forms signed, driver’s license information, and information for housing that requires background checks. The Assistants also give some great training on doing those things that best help missionaries fulfill their missionary purpose.
Here are a few of the many things I train new missionaries about:
In-Field Preach My Gospel Training for New Missionaries, which is a fantastic pilot program from the Missionary Department that we have anticipating the day it will be rolled out worldwide. New missionaries and their trainers have additional companionship study during the first 12 weeks of the mission. This training allows them to continue to become excellent missionaries and lifelong disciples with additional experiences from the MTC (Missionary Training Center) like workshops, mentoring sessions, evaluations, podcasts, new missionary groups, and other activities.
Family Health Insurance and Missionary Medical - how it works and what to do if you get sick.
Instructing them to do everything within your power to not get sick and giving all my best ideas. When a missionary gets sick, he or she can't do the work and neither can the companion. I train about eating nutritious food, the importance of sleep, taking Vitamin D (especially in the winter), and the blessings of the missionary schedule that allows us to be healthy and have the energy this work takes. When I emphasize that they will need to eat more fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and legumes than they likely ever did before the mission, I usually have to explain what legumes are. "Sister Heap, I'm going to be honest. I've never heard of a lentil before." 😁 This portion of the training also includes recommendations about immunizations aka their opportunity to help me be more Christlike. When I get a phone call, "Sister Heap, I am so sick!" followed up with a list of all their symptoms, I will ask if the missionary got the flu shot. If the answer is no, it might impede my ability to become more charitable. Help me!
The principle of non-distraction and dignified language, behavior, and appearance - there is a need for continually training missionaries to understand why this is essential.
I let the missionaries know that because I love them, I will correct spelling, punctuation, and grammar when necessary. Then I invite a new missionary who believes he or she knows how to come forward and write the name of the church that we all belong to - capitalization, punctuation, and spelling count. The name of the Church on their name badges is somewhat but not totally helpful due to its all caps font. Only one new missionary has ever gotten it right. If we are going to represent Jesus Christ, we not only need to use the correct name of His Church, but we better know how to spell it. I see it wrong on social media posts all the time, which gets to me more than I should allow it to, but the Church has social media accounts where you can check it and an official Style Guide - The Name of the Church. Its first bullet point is clear. "In the first reference, the full name of the Church is preferred: "The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints." Let's get it right! Yes, the "t" in The is always capitalized when using the full name of the Church and the "d" in day is lower-case after the hyphen.
I help them to know why we study the Book of Mormon and Preach My Gospel every day in the Michigan Lansing Mission. We also spend time with Jesus by reading from the Five Gospels - Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, and 3 Nephi.
Lastly, I tell them about Date Night. Young missionaries never have a date night while they serve, but President Heap and I do. It's Friday, and missionaries do not call us on Friday nights unless one or more of the following has happened - lost companion, hospitalized, and/or in jail.
One of our favorite parts of New Missionary Training is when the trainers all come up and introduce themselves. I ask them to come prepared to share three things: 1) Something they love about being a missionary or missionary work, 2) Something they love about Michigan, and 3) Something that helped them adjust to missionary life. I wish I had written down everything these great missionaries had ever said. It would make a great mission-prep book! Then President Heap introduces each new missionary to their trainer. You may have seen these happy photos on the mission’s Instagram or Facebook page.
We are doing well and striving to sprint to the finish. Today, Elmer told me that if our mission pie had nine pieces, we are almost finished eating eight of those pieces. We are going to savor every last bite.
With love,
Amy & Elmer
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