First off let me just have a little freak out session and just say........ LINDSEY IS PREGNANT. Oh my goodness I am so happy for her and McCallin. GAH. like I can't get over it.... I even looked up the word pregnant in my German/English Dictionary so that I could tell everyone. hehe I am so dang pumped. I just love you fam. The other day we were in a little sandwhich shop and guess what song comes on?? Chocolate. Yep. I just played the whole video in my head about ten times.I felt like it was Heavenly Father's way of saying Hey there. your family loves you and is thinking about you. I smiled. Maybe a little too creepily.
Let me give you a little Raffael update: (go back and read about him if you forgot cause he is the coolest of cool) I promise I talk to other people and we have other friends of the church but I like stories and I can't tell stories about everyone. So you can just follow the journey of one of them until I decide to switch it up on you and leave you with a cliff hanger and tell you about someone else. hehe The power of emailing. but he's kind of my favorite. actually really my favorite. I don't get how I can love someone so stinking much.
We began with a follow up to see if he read what we had asked him to read... and he's like yeah I read chapter 11 and 12...13...14...15...16...etc. I just read every night before I went to bed and tried to make it applicable to me I hope that's okay. okay? I really just wanted to give him a giant bear hug at that moment.... really though. And his prayers? They get me every. stinkin. time. I am not kidding when I say we are all kneeling together for a full 10 minutes as he just pours out his heart to Heavenly Father about how he wants everyone to feel this way and thanking Him for sending us here and that he knows the Lord's work could not carry out his work without us. I have so much to learn from him. Oh my gosh cloud nine every time. We asked him if he wanted to make the covenant and decision to become a member of this church. And he said he really wants to know and learn and pray about it because he knows that when he makes this decision he is changing his life forever. Like where are all these people hiding? That could not have been a more perfect answer. He came to church for the first time on Sunday and was litterally glowing.(I think I kind of understand what people are saying when they ask me about the 'mormon glow' now...) He took notes the entire time and is the most giving friendly wonderful person ever. I just cannot believe how wonderful of a person he is. I want you all to meet him so you know what I mean because it is impossible to describe. And I am totally not doing it justice right now.. No way around it I am obcessed.
Zone Conference is pretty much the best thing ever. I feel like it should be renamed Flash Back to the MTC Life. Because that's pretty much how it felt and you know how much I loved the MTC............... hehe but yeah. I learned SO MUCH. I will try not to blab too long over here but let me tell you one thing in particular.
Picture this if you will. A playground. Looks nice and whatnot but it is surrounded by a gate. It is raining and a little bit on the dreary side... outside the gate it is better. It is beautiful. It is sunny. But you can't see it because you like the rain and the playground. You want to go home. You want to get out of the rain. But you don't know how. Sometimes you don't even know if a home exists. But they know. That is the job. That is the goal. Not to go on a nice little vacation to Germany. Or to struggle and struggle to learn a language. Or to make friends. That's all fine and dandy BUT it is not our purpose. The purpose is to get home and bring others with me. Let me show you where the gate is to begin this journey home. Let me show you the path. Let me show you the sunshine. Let's go home.
We did a little experiement where we stood outside with a whiteboard and asked people if they believed in life after this one.... It was shocking. But there was a significant difference between the people who said yes and the people who said no... The people who said yes were SO much happier. I can't even imagine how my life would be without that knowledge.... Talk about depressing.
Truly. Home is better than a rainy playground anyday. Come with me.
xoxoxoxo
Sister Heywood
Note to Self: The Münster bike line is a dangerous place. Especially when you are riding a bike that is meant to be for a 6 foot man.................
They realllllllllllllllllly like our object lessons. like really.
