Week 39 - Two-Minute Offense

WOOOOOHOOOOOOOO!!!! We just got transfer calls and I am STAYING IN OOTSU!!!!　I am so excited that I get to stay here one more transfer. This will make my 4th transfer here in Ootsu. Sister Hall and I are staying together, which is good, because it always feels like the last week of transfers starts to pick up and lead right into the next transfer, and since we`re both staying it won`t kill any of the momentum. Yes I hit my half way point this Wednesday but I still feel like I left the MTC only yesterday. There`s really no way to slow down the time or make the time speed up. Time is time, you get what you get. The Lord allowed us only so much time here on earth to do what we need to do in order to prepare to return to His presence. Same with missions -- He only gives us so much time out here to be fully dedicated to Him, and when our time`s up, our time is up. All we take home are the memories we made and the things we learned. Like Dad wisely told me, I`m on my two-minute offense right now. There`s only time to speed up and work a little harder. There is no time to slack off.

A big lesson I`ve learned this transfer is how to set meaningful goals. Goals push us and make us better people, but if we set a really good goal and never work towards it, then we`ve just lost a chance to become that much better. As missionaries, we set daily goals, weekly goals, transfer goals, but many missionaries forget about them and at the end of the transfer, all of a sudden they say, `Wow, that was a goal of mine?` I was guilty of that my first and second transfer as a trainee because I was just trying to make it through a whole day! But now that I`m a middle-aged missionary, I have seen the value of setting good goals.

One day this past week we set a goal to contact 2 less active members, teach 1 lesson and get 1 new investigator. Now, these numbers aren`t amazing, but it`s not about the numbers. It is about the people behind those numbers. With these 2 particular less actives, we wanted to be able to spend time with them, maybe go out to eat or something. We were lost forever trying to find these less actives houses. Time was running out before we would have to bike back home. About an hour later a really nice lady stopped us and asked us in English where we were trying to go. We stopped and talked with her. She told us she wanted to hear more about the Church, and she even knew where the less active sister was that we were looking for. So we eventually taught her a lesson, she became a new investigator, and we were able to contact both our less actives within an hour and a half window! If we would`ve given up and thought it was just too hard, or even gotten frustrated, we may not have ever found the kind woman who had interest in the gospel, or found our less actives houses. We left our apartment that day determined to accomplish the goal we had set the previous night. 

In the scriptures the Lord says, `If ye believe these things, see that ye do them.`  He says it dozens of times! If we believe we can accomplish something, then we must see that we do it. Sometimes we think maybe we were just too optimistic when we set a certain goal, but I know that goals stretch us, help us grow and make us happier. All kinds of goals, not just gospel-oriented ones. As we set goals and do our best to accomplish them, prophets have promised, `...put your trust in God even so much ye shall be delivered out of your trials, and your troubles, and your afflictions, and ye shall be lifted up at the last day.` (Alma 38:5) What a great promise. Do all we can, put our trust in the Lord, and He will help us through everything so that we can accomplish anything.
 
Late one night while we were studying, I was shocked to get a package from you guys! Thank you so much for that box of love. I have the best family in the world, and I am not even biased! 

Sister Heimuli's loved ones sent letters, goodies and fun photos to celebrate her Hump Day (9 months along in her mission).

A peek inside the Hump Day Book (everyone looks about 9 months...get it?).

I look forward to talking to you all next week. Dad, good luck at the Jet Pull in Atlanta! Set a goal to take 1st place. Whip your team into shape and accomplish it! Haha, love you guys!
 
Love always,
 
Sister Heimuli

One more pic:

This bird landed on me while we were at our investigator's home yesterday. I was fasting at the time. It took a lot of will power for me to keep from eating that little thing, haha, just kidding, thats gross.