She is coming home!!!!

December 29, 2014

Happy New Year!!! I can't believe that this week has come. 18 months has gone by so quickly and I have learned so much. I remember having an interview with my District President in the MTC and he asked me what i hoped to see for my mission. I told him i wanted to help at least 1 person, a mom, to find the gospel so that she could find the joy and peace we have and teach it to her children. He was a quiet man, spoke very softly and he promised that I would have that opportunity. I looked forward to it and were times where I wondered if it would happen. But during that time I also found many other reasons the Lord wanted me to serve a mission. I always hoped, but almost forgot about that interview and promise until this week, as we were preparing for the baptism. We have been teaching her for 2 months, but it finally hit me that THIS is a fulfillment to that promise. That and many others. Brother Alakoski (family we skyped with) also pointed out to me that I am a future mother. That the lessons I have learned here I will teach to my own children. The Lord fulfills His promises. He fulfilled them in the Bible, in the Book of Mormon, and He is constant. He fulfills His promises to us today. The gospel is a guide to a joyful life. Jesus Christ taught while He was visiting the Nephites "Verily, verily, I say unto you, this is my gospel; and ye know the things that ye must do in my church; for the works which ye have seen me do that shall ye also do; for that which ye have seen me do even that shall ye do; " Chirst set a perfect example for us. He also established His church. We need the order and authority provided by that organization. Moroni as he was finishing up his record decided to write more than he had originally planned. Those things he added pertain to authority and organization in the church. That's what he decided to talk about. Authority. A loving God has restored that authority. Because of that authority we can receive a remission of sins. we can receive the gift of the holy ghost. we can be sealed as families for eternity. we can return to live with our heavenly father. we can have peace and joy in this life, and for eternity.

I am so grateful for the opportunity I have to be a full time missionary. It is bitter sweet. I love you all. Thank you for your support and for helping me to be focused. Thank you for your examples and faithfulness to the gospel. We have been abundantly blessed. I see the Lord's hand in my life daily. I love my Savior. Thank you for all that you do. See you on Thursday!

ps- remember cheese, slicer, cucumber, ...and tras bring your running shoes ;)

December 22, 2014

 

Merry Christmas!!

I'm so grateful for this time of year to celebrate the birth of the Savior of the World. Christ has been at the center of Heavenly Father's plan from it's foundation. Christ volunteered to be our Savior, that by Him we might be saved. That by Him we can act as agents to repent and overcome our imperfections. By Him we can have peace and forgiveness and joy. Without Him there would be no way to overcome physical or spiritual death and we would have no hope. But He is. He lives and guides us today through Prophets and apostles. Living His gospel and receiving ordinances by His authority brings peace, assurance, hope, joy, forgiveness, strength, and the list goes on. The phrase "The Book of Mormon is true" is familiar, but what does that mean? What does it mean that "the Book of Mormon is true"? And are we willing to act on it? Are we willing to share it? putting aside our doubts and inadequacies and fear and pride. God is our loving Heavenly Father. I love Him. I trust in Him. I am so grateful for the gospel. I am grateful for His church. I am grateful for my Savior. Thank you for all that you do. Thank you for your examples and love of the gospel. I will talk to you on Thursday!

 . . . . . .see you on skype! love you! Merry Christmas!

rakkaudella, sisar heggie

Sister Watson and some of the sisters at the temple a couple weeks ago

Before

After

 It's been really dark when we get up to run until Saturday when we went out and it was so bright!

It's amazing the difference the snow makes

 Me and Bertha!!!

December 15,  2014

We had our ward Christmas party last week. It was a lot of fun and I love to see how people in the church are willing to give of their time and talents. It's amazing the activities we pull together with relatively little effort and resources. People are great. I'm so grateful for the members here. One member we visited, who is very busy with school and family and work, took the time to dig out some Christmas decorations from her garage to make sure we had some decorations in our apartment. So many instances of just great people.

Looks like you had a fun weekend with Brian and Annie! fun to see the picture of all. Did Trasie dye her hair? looks cute. cute house and decorations. Looks like a nice home

I'm so grateful for the gospel of Jesus Christ. We have been sharing with people the Christmas message that a loving Heavenly Father has given us His only Begotten son. That through Him we have hope for eternal life. Have you seen the He is the Gift video? It is a great way to share with others the spirit of Christmas. Without Christ we would have no hope. We would be lost and have to way to be with those we love forever. But we do have a Savior. and He leads us today through a prophet. 

 

I hope you have a great last week of school! Love you all! 

Rakkaudella, Sisar Heggie

ps-i have to tell you. it snowed. it was cold. and i took Birtha out with me. i told a lady we visited the story of buying the coat and that i swore i would never wear it...she asked why not!! she thinks it's great. annnnd, it's really not that bad :) 

December 8, 2014

I had a lot of break through moments this week. One of them was this: The restoration could have happened with or without the Book of Mormon. Priesthood power could have been restored, revelation to restore lost truths could have happened and a prophet could have still been called without the Book of Mormon, but it wasn't because all of US needed evidence to pray about in order to receive a spiritual confirmation of all of the above. It sounds like a "duh" comment, but it hit me hard. The Book of Mormon really is a gift to us all from a loving God. If we study it the way He wants us to we will continue to have the spiritual strength we need to be faithful in this crazy world. I love it.

We had a fun week. We had training with President Watson last week for a couple of days and were able to go to the temple afterwards. It is such a blessing to have a temple here. I love the temple. There is a peace there that you can't feel anywhere else. It's amazing to hear the members speak about when President Hinckley was here to dedicate the temple. One lady received a blessing from one of the apostles while they were there and explained that as he put his hands on her head, she felt as if they were the Savior's hands. I thought about that. The priesthood is the power of God. Those who hold this power truly are only vessels of that power. And God, because He loves us, has restored His power to the earth so we can be blessed by it. Every priesthood blessing is as if it were the Savior's hands. What a miracle and blessing we have.

Dad it was great to hear about your missionary moment. It is wonderful that you are aware of the other people. You have always been good about noticing new or visiting people at church and talking with them. It is great to be able to simply explain the profound meaning of things like sacrament. It is simple things like that that I have always grown up knowing, but maybe not understanding and being able to teach that to other people is a gift. You have a great opportunity as Young Men's president! You will have a lasting influence on them. oh and it's about time that you got new sheep stomachs!

The plan for when I get back sounds great. Is Tras already on Christmas break? wow that seems early! Sounds like you have a fun trip planned out. quick but fun. So are you still in the same office as you were before or have you changed as well?

I love you all. Have you seen the " He is the Gift" video the church put out? Great to share with friends. Have a great week!

Rakkaudella, Sisar Heggie

December 1, 2014

I am very impressed! My companion kept calling me scrooge when I wouldn't let us listen to Christmas music until today, but I am now enjoying the Christmas music! The tree looks really nice!! Very different than previous years, but I guess that will have to be part of the trade when all of us are out of the house!

I have not heard anything about our travel plans, but yes that is what I handed in was that I will fly into Las Vegas. The previous group of missionaries sounded like they didn't get their plans until a few days before. President just said to plan on being home around 7:00pm on January 1st. 

Yeah dad we use the metric system. If I remember correctly, -16 Fahrenheit is pretty cold!!! It has still been pretty warm here, around -2 or -3 today.

The talks and Sunday school lesson sound like they went well. We had the primary program this week which was a lot of fun. It was cool to see the parents of part member families there to support their children. Sometimes I think the best way to their hearts is through their children so it's cool that all over the world primary put on a program teaching the most plain and precious parts of the gospel. I love the primary songs, they are so powerful. 

Sounds like you all had a great thanksgiving! I learned that they now make meatballs out of fish. That makes this the 6th time we have had fish this month. I think that is a record :) it's like a fish stick, in a ball, but different. I would stick with mashed potatoes and turkey. They don't celebrate thanksgiving here, but we did have a dinner appointment that night so we called it our thanksgiving. I love the members. They have such good hearts. 

Can’t believe its December already. This last month has gone by fast. Exciting to hear that Brian and Annie got moved. Hopefully his first day at work goes well. 

This week I noticed a lot about pondering. The ability to ponder is a gift, and a gift we should take advantage of. Many great prophets have gained greater knowledge and guidance while they were pondering. I’ve been reading in Helaman and the Lord guided Nephi as he was pondering Hel 10:4. I think it would do us good to take time to ponder the things we study every day! and then share them! Share your testimony of the things you do know. Hel 7:29. They are facts. Plain and simple. God lives. Jesus Christ is our Savior. Without Him we would have no hope. Through Him we can have peace and joy and live with our families forever. His church has been restored. I love you all!

Have a nice Monday back at school and work!! 

Rakkaudella, Sisar Heggie

November 24, 2014

Happy thanksgiving!! I think this is the first ward I have served where there isn't at least one person is married to an American, so enjoy some pumpkin pie and homemade rolls for me! 

this week we were helping at the house with the family renovating. They have 3 little ones and when we got there they were tired and hungry. After working for a bit we came back for a message and it was hilarious to see the 180 difference that some good food made! They were happy and talkative and playing with us. I love getting to know new people. So many good people all over the world. 

We were teaching an object lesson this week using the "egg in a bottle" experiment that i thought i finally had figured out. well the lesson is supposed to end in the egg fitting in the bottle representing us being in God's presence. As the object lesson went, the eggs ended up getting destroyed and not fitting into the bottle so our object lesson wasn't as effective as hoped. but we learned some good things anyway and had a good laugh as they were excited that "Yes! half of me gets to be in God's presence!" well.....we're hoping for something more in real life! it's always good to laugh though. 

As we were teaching one of our friends she asked if we have actually received and answer that this is God's church. It was interesting because my companion and i were just talking about it the night before how members in other churches don't exactly follow something they don't believe to be good, but once you receive more light, or in other words-- receive an answer that the Book of Mormon is true and that God speaks to us today through a living prophet that leads Christ's restored church--you don't go back to less light. But it's light available to anyone who asks. I confidently replied that yes, I know that this is God's church. There are eternal consequences/blessings on the line here and that's why it can be incredibly frustrating to see people reject it. But also so sweet to see people experience the peace and joy from living by the principles that Christ teaches. 

I hope you all have a great thanksgiving week! I love you!! 

rakkaudella, sisar heggie

November 17, 2014

 . .  It's been surprisingly warm here, 1-2 degrees and the sun has even been shining a bit :) My sense of style has changed or something because Bertha isn't looking so bad. It hasn't been cold enough to wear it yet, but it probably will soon. I'll send a picture when the day comes :) 

My taste buds have even changed. I, of my own free will, made pancakes this week and enjoyed them. I also cooked with mushrooms and ate a sweet potato and loved it. I was telling my companion how they were all things I used to hate. She is learning also to like fish :) . . . . . . 

 . . . .

Keep up the good work with seminary. countless stories i hear, even here, about how seminary was a turning point.  

We had a zone conference this week with the area president and he talked about different ways to make our missionary work more effective. It was really good and he taught us a few things about contacting and teaching and finding. I was studying PMG this morning about "missionary work" in the covenants part and am still wondering how I missed so much of how missionary work is part of the covenants we make with Heavenly Father! As I read in the Book of Mormon I am always wondering when they added in all that stuff about missionary work, or how I missed it the first few times! We have a simple and powerful message to share through our example and testimony we bear. Alma is talking to his son in Alma 39:15-16 about this responsibility. Playing basketball and boating and volleyball and being with friend and eating good food is all fun but doesn't compare to the joy that I feel when I am teaching someone about our Savior Jesus Christ. 

We had FHE with one of our friends this week and it was so much fun. She said when she told her son that we were coming over that he was really excited. She said that he has met nice people before but was never that excited to have people over. She pointed out that he must feel the spirit around us. Such an awesome mom and family. 

The other day we were coming back from an appointment and it was a long walk back to the train station and I was praying for someone to talk to when we came around the corner and a cute older lady asked if we knew which way to the train station. We chatted and she has seen our temple her multiple times and heard how beautiful the inside was. We walked all the way back and she called us angels and said thank you and hopefully she will go to church in her city. cool experiences like that always reminding me that this is the Lord's work. 

Thank you for your love and prayers :) I love you all, have a great week!

Rakkaudella, Sisar Heggie

November 10, 2014

Weird to hear that Teal and Miranda have reported. Have you talked to bishop at all about when he wants me to report? I was just thinking about that with me only being home on fast Sunday in January. Going to be a crazy transition :) Dad you traded Maverick? good horse. Sounds like you were busy with the scouts! Fun that Kaysie and Quinn went to the unlv game with some football kids. Maybe more fun that you and mom got to have Kambrie.

 . . .

It has been such a fun week!! We had 2 ward activities this week. During one of them we didn't have any investigators there and so my companion and I felt like we should take a Book of Mormon and go out. We left and started talking with people. One guy we talked to was super nice, but said it wouldn't matter to him to know if God existed or not(still don't understand that). Another person insured us she was NOT interested. Had some friendly conversations but nothing was really happening. When we were almost back to the church we ran into a guy whose friend is a member and he had visited church before but never had a Book of Mormon. We got to talk with him and give him one and we were grateful we were in the right place at the right time.

The other ward activity was a relief society activity. The members are amazing. It was a great activity and it was hilarious for one of the activities we designed dresses out of newspaper. One member is originally from Brazil and had a runway walk like a pro. My companion also got to be a model and they made her a nice...sunhat? that looked more like a ginormous sombrero. My companion and I sang a musical number. The whole activity was a lot of fun and it was good to get to know people.

The members here blow my mind. They are so dedicated and it's so motivating to hear their conversion stories. One member told his family he was joining the church and his son-in-law told him he would no longer be welcome in their home, and to have nothing to do with their daughter. The member couldn't deny what he had learned and respected his son-in-laws wish. I don't know what broke his heart more--not being in contact with his granddaughters or that his son-in-law was so hard hearted to the gospel. I have heard multiple conversion stories this week that just humble me.

Oh dad! Happy Father’s Day!! It was yesterday here. I told a couple dads happy father day on the street yesterday and I got the "thanks you too!" reply, as they were taken by surprise, and then they realized that that didn't make sense. Reminded me of the Bryan Regan "Have a nice flight" "You too!" comment.

This week I have been focusing on the message of the restoration. The more my testimony grows about the Book of Mormon and Joseph Smith, the easier it is for me to testify. I love Joseph Smith's record of his experiences and just strengthen my testimony that it actually happened. It should sound crazy, but it doesn't. It feels so right. So peaceful.

It's amazing how our daily study of the Book of Mormon becomes applicable every day. What we read in the morning will come to our minds at some point throughout the day.

I love the gospel. Thank you for your support. The church of Jesus Christ has been restored. We have a living prophet.

Love you all:) have a great week!

rakkaudella, Sisar Heggie

My new companion, Sisar Reynolds, and me! Kerava here we come!

November 3, 2014

fun to hear from grandma and grandpa. sounds like you all had an enjoyable time. i love family. just warms my heart hearing about the fun times. card games. food. mad gab. sounds like grandpa enjoyed it. cute cake :) 

you have more snow than i do :) 

. . . . .

Glad you got the picture. Way good lady. The members here are just taking us in!! I love it. Smaller than Espoo and slower paced. people are more likely to talk. always an adventure getting a new area figured out. lots and lots to do!

love you, have a great week :)

rakkaudella, sisar heggie

yep i got the letter just fine :)

the weather has been a little overcast the last couple of days, but no snow yet. we had daylight savings last week as well and it has been so weird, it gets dark pretty early. They celebrate halloween here only because of the american influence. it's not really a holliday here, but some of the members had a party at their house so we had a lesson with one of our friends then got to know a few new people. My new companion is Sisar Reynolds, she is from Milford and her mom just started teaching science, including ag this past year i believe and sounded like she was trying to get ffa going. it's a small world it was fun to hear our similarities. 

Our new area is Kerava, a smaller city about 25 k north eastish of helsinki. it has about 35,000 people. i really like it. people aren't as busy here. i visited kerava a couple of times and said that i wanted to live here if i had to move again. here i am :) and i love it. the members are amazing. they have just taken us in. the ward is smaller, about 110? 

Ii've decided to give matching a rest for now, so trasie better get her game on :) fun to hear that she was home again this weekend. ely is a good place. hopefully she is getting to know people at school as well!

i've been wondering about buck. haven't heard anything about him for awhile, how is his broken leg? good to hear he is still around. and that the herd is growing :) 

sounds like mom had a good trip back home. i imagine it would be pretty fun and i'm sure grandpa loved it. 

it's been a really good week. i could go without the daylight savings right now, it gets so dark at night! but we have met some great people and the adventure continues. i love being a missionary. i was just reading in the book of mormon when alma is talking with Korihor, and korihor is arguing that the church/gospel is putting people into bondage. alma responds asking why he would want to take away something that brings the people so much joy. it's how it works, we live God's commandments and he blesses us with joy, even amongst trials. thanks for you love and support. 

Dad it's good to hear from you. I am spoiled. thanks for your patience and wisdom and guidance. have a great week. love you:)

sisar heggie

pic with one of the temple missionaries at church. sis nielsen and i wore fur vests, we have been matching for the past 4 months and decided to go out with a bang!

October 27, 2014

I'm moving to Kerava this week and I am so excited. it is a smaller town, about 33,000 with a ward of about 110. i have visited twice and loved it since the first time i went and now i get to serve there!

 . . . . .

i'm grateful for tender mercies of when you leave your wallet or something and it's still there. every day miracles. dad i have the same problem of getting frustrated in a time crunch. i have learned a lot about that on the mission and still working on it. those are the times i feel i have no time to pray but when i really should be praying the most. 

stake conference sounded like a powerful meeting. Carolyn gave me her take on the conference. it's cool to hear about the focus on missionary work. it may be because i am a missionary and pay more attention to it now but i feel like there is a huge focus on missionary work now. we're getting closer to the last days. what a responsibility and opportunity we have to bring others closer to Jesus Christ our brother. 

tell grandpa happy birthday!! how long will you be up there? have fun and be safe! how is Tanner doing? how is Riley? 

I am so blessed. I love this gospel. It brings me so much joy. I'm grateful to Heavenly Father for giving me the experiences I have had in my life and especially here on my mission. The church is true. This is Jesus Christ's church. We know the path that leads back to our Heavenly Father and all the blessings He wants for us. And like a friend here said yesterday in church "we all have to fit through the same, tiny, little, gate of baptism." the path is narrow and straight. and the gate is only the beginning. thank you for your love and support. have a great week. love you!

rakkaudella, sisar heggie

October 21, 2014
. . . . .

It has been a really great week. We went to the temple to do baptisms for the first time with one of our friends. She loved it. She actually lives about a 10 minute walk from the temple so that is awesome. When we were waiting at the temple we walked into a full room with no seats available and the temple worker looked at us (3 women) and gestured to the full chairs where a couple young men were sitting suggesting that he thinks there are a few open seats. The boys got up and gave us their seats. Our friend remembered that when we talked with her later and she mentioned how the men take good care of us. I love the priesthood. I love the gospel! Then one of our friends was back in Espoo for the weekend and was able to go to the temple for his second time!! The gospel is so amazing. 

We tried authentic Indian food! It was so good! And sooooo spicy! There was one dish that had peppers in it and they warned us not to dare try them (they eat them no problem) so when Sister Nielsen wasn't looking I squeezed the seeds out of the pepper and put them in her chicken. I think she really enjoyed it :) she couldn't seem to drink enough water. But I decided I should try it as well. Wow. I don't know how they do it without almost crying. It was a fun night. 

Our friends from Taiwan are fantastic! It is so much fun to be with them. The other night we had a party at the church where a couple missionaries sang a song with the ukulele about characters in the Book of Mormon, Joseph Smith, and Jesus Christ. It was fun to see them light up when they heard names they recognized and just barely learned. 

I hope you have a great week. Thanks for you love and support. I love you all. Take care :) 

rakkaudella, sisar heggie

October 13, 2014

 . . . . . There is a guy that just moved into our ward, from Finland, that served in the Vegas mission and has been in Ely a few times. That was exciting! No one knows where Ely is!  It sounds like you all had a very busy Sunday! and successful. good to hear.  How old is Nathaniel? Do they still have the Nichols kids? 

Congrats to the football team! Surprise to hear that seniors didn't win the macho man as well! Homecoming is an exciting week. 

There is a couple working at the temple here from Alberta, one of their sons just got married so they went home for a couple of weeks while the temple was closed for the wedding. Funny to talk with them last night and say that it's thanksgiving. 

I remember standing at the Herder's house after her open house before she left and thinking I wasn't actually ever going to leave. Now she is almost home! 

This week has been a ton of fun. Yesterday we left an appointment with a family running down the street to catch the bus while the mom walked out to make sure we caught it. We were laughing so hard as we were sprinting to the bus stop in our boots and skirts and we got there in time and starting talking to a lady that had watched the whole event. We were talking to her on the bus when a couple other people got on and we started talking with them. It was fun because 2 were from Finland, 2 from America and one from Chile so the conversation was in Finnish and English. There were 5 complete strangers all chatting and it was so much fun! Said who Finns are shy? 

Earlier this week we taught one of our friends how to pray, a completely new concept to her. She felt the spirit really strong in our family home evening lesson we had at a member’s house. She tried praying and told us about her experiences. She prayed before she left for school asking why it was so dark and cloudy. The rest of the day was sunshine. She had a headache after school and was thinking about what she could do. She prayed and a few minutes later her headache went away. She got home that night and was really cold, so lit a couple candles and plugged in an electric blanket and blew the fuse. Couldn’t figure out how to fix it and decided to go to sleep and fix it in the morning. before she went to sleep she prayed and was slightly upset knowing that God could fix it if He wanted to so she prayed "I am here alone and cold in the dark, why have you left me alone in the dark" and she said that even though she was upset she got a distinct sentence in her head to the effect of "You aren't alone, I have at least given you candles to give you light." then it was cool to see how she recognized that as an answer from God and applied it to more than just that situation where the lights in her room had gone out. 

We watched the last session of conference this week. Great talks. Elder Bednar's address to non-members was fantastic. Now what will we do with the things we have learned the next 6 months before the next conference? 

It’s been a good week. Got a good email from Tras. 

Thanks for figuring out the housing. Sounds good :) 

Have a great week! Love you!

October 6, 2014

Dear Family!
 

What an amazing conference!! the church is so true! and so worldwide. i love the talks with church leaders speaking in their native tongues. I have not seen the last session of conference yet but to answer your question of if I noticed a theme, yes!  The first session it struck out to me how strength in the church does not come from numbers but from individuals. we each need to have solid foundations and help those around us once we ourselves have become converted. the second session stuck out to me with how big a problem anti material is to members of the church. Elder Bednar also mentioned it when he was here with us in Finland. Those who allow half truths to destroy the testimony they had never were converted. We need to pray and study and work until we are converted, not relying on others. Reminds me of Elder Holland's "doubt your doubts before you doubt your faith". Then the third session had a definite theme of the blessings of a modern prophet. He is just a man, but a man called of God to fulfill a very divine purpose. A prophet of God speaks to us today, are we aware of what he speaks?

I thought the closing prayer of the first session was nice, a blessing of peace on the families of all the missionaries. I hope you know how happy I am here. I love the people here. I love being a full time missionary. I love the gospel. I hope my small boat of a testimony is becoming a ship able to bare the storms of the sea. I love the scriptures. Mom I hope you challenge your seminary students to take Elder Neil L Andersen's challenge to share their testimony or favorite scripture. so much is learned in trying to voice the feelings of gratitude and love for God and our Savior. "More testimonies have been found in standing up trying to share it than kneeling down praying for it".

Sounds like the funeral was a peaceful and comforting ceremony. the gospel offers a perspective of peace that cannot be found anywhere else.

Sounds like we will both be speaking in church on the same day! I’m sure it will go great, I would love to hear what you speak about. They didn't give me a topic so I'm still putting it together.  I was struck by what Elder Bednar taught when he was here, that we shouldn't go off of a written script but study our topic and prepare so that we speak by the spirit to the needs of our audience. It takes more preparation this way but the way he asked that we give talks for the rest of our lives. Give the spirit more room to teach and to edify.

. . .

I love you:) thanks for your love and support. Have a good week. Take care :)

rakkaudella, sisar heggie

September 29, 2014

 . . .  this week I have tried an array of foods! benefits of having friends from all over the world! Tried some Taiwanese food, Vietnamese food, and next week we will learn how to make Indian food! Tough luck for the football team. the biggest battle seems to stay mentally tough and positive after that. what is the story of the guy that was told to push the rock and he tried his hardest for a long time and it never budged then reported back that "what was the point? the rock never moved!" but in the end made him stronger? It's like that. Good to hear you are getting lots of rain! Congrats to Shad and Kim! Busy time of year to have a wedding!
 . . .
 
We had a fun week. It's hard to write detailed emails without using names of people and whatnot :) I'll be excited to just show pictures and tell stories when I am home. This week we had FHE with the family of the mom that just got baptized. We played hot and cold for our game. It was the mom's turn to find the object so she went out of the room. The oldest daughter is 6 and thought it would be clever to hide it in her pocket. As soon as her mom walked in the room she unconsciously covered her pocket. Her mom picked up on her body language immediately and walked straight to her and found it! Mother knows everything :) You can't hide anything from her! Her mom made a similar comment. Later that week while we were there we were watching as her youngest daughter who just turned one was practicing walking. It reminded me of Kambrie and Anbri and even though I'm missing their cool new tricks I am so blessed to be here and know my friends here. They feel like family.

Remember the etch-a-sketch you sent me in the MTC? I used it for the first time in a lesson to explain the atonement and repentance as we make marks on our clean slate but can continuously wash it clean. It was powerful. Thanks for sending that.

It was way fun this week. We had a lesson with a guy and hadn't been able to find a member to come with us, but one of our other friends lives close by him. We asked her what she was doing and if she would come to the lesson with us:) We had to have a woman come with us or we wouldn't be able to teach. The lesson prep went like this. "Remeber how we taught you about Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon a couple days ago?" "Yeah!" "Ok we're going to teach him about that" "OK!" and in the lesson she even testified about the Book of Mormon!! It was so cool!! The Lord is leading us to such prepared people and the ward is amazing at becoming their friends. Missionary work really can't move forward until the ward is ready.

I am SO excited for conference this week! Because of the time change we haven't seen the broadcast yet. they will show it this Saturday afternoon. I am excited. When Elder Bednar was here he taught how we can prepare for conference by choosing a topic we want to learn about then studying it out before, and every talk given at conference will be about that topic and we will feel as if the speaker is speaking to US. What a blessing we have to listen to a living prophet! and be guided by leaders chosen by Jesus Christ. I hope you have a great week! Love you

Rakkaudella, Sisar Heggie

September 22, 2014

(Sisar Heggie will be returning January 1, 2015.  We will keep you posted on details of her return and sacrament meeting report.)

Our friend brought her daughter with her to church and she loved primary! She is excited for her baptism this Saturday, and we are so excited for her!! Another friend is continuing to progress. He takes things at his pace and he is more prepared than he knows. It's amazing to see how the gospel has influenced his life. He is more confident, smiles more, and is just happier!! As well as his roommate,who was baptized last year. His roommate commented last night after discussing building a strong foundation of faith that "Faith helps a lot, especially to be more positive" which is something we have been hoping to improve! Our friend we met 2 weeks ago also came to church again and we were able to give her a Book of Mormon and she is so excited to read it. We took her some banana bread last night and met her roommate, who is so cute as well! We're blessed and excited to get to start teaching them. The Lord is blessing us, putting those who are prepared right into our hands. I care so much for each of these people. Sometimes I feel like my heart will explode! 

It was funny this week I was talking to an older couple on the train telling them what I am doing here as a missionary. The lady asked me for which church and I told her. she replied that i should stay quiet because her husband doesn't approve of us "mormons". Well he was pretty hard of hearing so he didn't hear and just kept on smiling as we talked. I kept chatting and was telling her about my family and how my old dad just won a rodeo a couple weeks ago. She was surprised (not because you're so old dad) and asked "oh so he must not be 'mormon' " I clarified that as mormon's we can still rodeo and we did a few other clarifications. It was a way fun conversation and by the end the husband wished me a good night. It's fun to just talk with people! 

Sounds like Alberta has more snow than Finland. I guess it's supposed to snow in the north this week. lucky me, I'm in the south :) 

I hope you all have a great week! love you!! Sisar Heggie

My MTC district. First time we have all been back together since over a year ago!

September 15, 2014

This week we had a mission conference, which normally never happens. We got an exception this week though because Elder Bednar was in Finland on Friday to speak with the missionaries. It was amazing. It was amazing to be sitting in a room when an apostle of the Lord walks in. You could feel the spirit so strongly. When he testified he stated that he KNOWS that Jesus is the Christ and that He lives. He gained a testimony of Christ long before he was ever called to be an apostle. Some people talk about how us Mormons talk ourselves into believing the things we believe. No inner source can give you the knowledge you gain from the spirit. There is no way you can "talk yourself into" gaining that kind of knowledge. We were asked before he came to study a few talks he has given in the past, one about learning by faith, one about testimony and conversion, and another about asking by faith. It was amazing to see how the preparation we put into this learning opportunity greatly affected the outcome. It can be compared to preparing to learn in a couple of weeks as we hear from the prophet and his counselors. The questions I had were answered and even more was added upon that. In this life we are imperfect. We make mistakes. God still expects us to be worthy of receiving blessings. He doesn't expect us to reach perfection in this life. He doesn’t expect us to be perfect right now, but he does want us to be clean. What a blessing it is to have Christ's church on the earth today, with Him at the head. He ACTIVELY leads His church. He has a prophet, He has apostles. 

Church yesterday was a lot of fun. We had a lot of friends in church. One guy we met on the train for a split second, got his number and ran off then he came to church with us. He said when he first decided to come he just wanted to see what it would be like. Afterwards he said he really enjoyed it and wants to come back again. 

Another friend we met and invited her to church. She said she had never been before. She invited a couple of her friends and they all loved church!! The members were super welcoming. And now they want to learn more. It's amazing how the Lord does His work when we get out of the way and let the spirit work. That's one of the best things we can learn. This is the Lord's work and what can I do to make sure I don't get in the way of Heavenly Father blessing His children. 

The other day on our way to visit a family we saw a guy trying to carry a giant box the other day. It looked way heavy and he was going pretty slowly. Sisar Nielsen and I talked him into letting us help. Turns out he has lived in Espoo only a couple weeks and loves basketball. He came with us the next day to play ball and met a ton of new friends and loved it. 

It's a lot of fun getting to know new friends. People who live the principles of the gospel are happy. The Book of Mormon holds real power. I love reading it. Elder Bednar told of how he challenged his son to read the book of Mormon cover to cover and at the end write a one page summary of what he learned about the atonement. I decided that is something I want to do. My study last night was miraculous what I learned about the atonement, even though the word "atonement" was never mentioned even once. I love the gospel. I know that Christ's church is on the earth. 

Love you all, have a great week!!

Rakkaudella, Sisar Heggie

September 7, 2014

Awesome week, we did baptisms with one of our friends for the first time at the temple. I'm grateful for a loving Heavenly Father who loves each of His children and will not deny blessings to any of us if we are willing to accept them. It is comforting to know that even those of our brothers and sisters who never got the chance to accept their Savior and make those necessary covenants with God will not be denied blessings of eternal life. It gives us an opportunity to participate in ordinances that not only open that gate for them but give us the opportunity to learn in God's temple and feel His spirit and love strongly. The feelings of the spirit are not easily forgotten and lead us to know what is truth. Once we have gained our own testimonies of this we are encouraged to "strengthen your brethren" (Luke 22:31-32) which is something we have focused on and discussed this week. We all have those people in our lives who have been a guide to us. It is now our turn to find 1 person to be a friend with. Be their guide. How would they feel at church? Sometimes as members we forget the powerful spirit that is in sacrament meeting. I have been reminded time and time again how strong and peaceful the spirit is at church. We overlook that power. Invite someone to feel it. Pray for strength to open your mouth. You will  receive guidance. And of course opposition will come because you will be opening doors for others to feel strongly of God's love, and that's the last thing Satan wants. Continue strengthening your own testimonies to the point you are converted. We are blessed this week to have a mission conference where President Bednar will speak to us. What a blessing it is to be here!!! I love the gospel of Jesus Christ. It is so true. I love you all! have a great week :)

Rakkaudella, Sisar Heggie

sister nielsen and i got matching rainboots after all our shoes were soaking wet and we decided it wasn't worth it to keep wearing wet shoes! we also have had a matching theme for the day for the last 2 1/2 months :) 

still matching!

September 1, 2014

I love my family. It's so good to hear from you all.

. . .

Good to hear seminary went well.  It changes lives. Did an object lesson with one of our friends from an object lesson that stuck with me since seminary. It sticks. Even if they are laying their heads on the desk sleeping, or chatting, or being teenagers. 

Saw a mom yesterday searching for her lost 9 year old. We got her number to call if we found him while we were out. Talked to her later and everything was fine and they found him.  Sisar Nielsen and I talked about how important the gift of the Holy Ghost is, especially in parenting. Don’t know how people do it without. 

We were talking last week that we missed root beer and root beer floats. They don't have root beer here, or so we thought. We were at a da with a family yesterday and I asked what kind of juice it was so they told me to try it. I was so surprised when it was root beer! I got excited and told sis Nielsen to try it. We were ecstatic. The family was cracking up at how excited we were. Then they brought out the ice cream so we could make floats. Fun to be with families. I love it. 

Good to hear that the hay is all up, and that you got some rain even if it did take cutting it before the rain came. Exciting for brain and Annie! Kansas is a good place for them I guess! 

It was really fun this week we were teaching a family and we sang "families can be together forever" and one of the little girls just loves songs and said "My family will be together forever" at the end of the song. What better motivation than the faith and hope of a 6 year old to help a family accept the blessings of eternity? The light of Christ in children is so strong. 

Oh cool news. There have been lots of articles about missionaries recently in Finland and one magazine reporter caught wind and we were asked if she could write an article about us. She came with us to appointments for a day and wrote a nice article. It came out last week which is way cool. It is in a woman’s article with over 100,000 readers so it was fun yesterday when I was talking with a woman on the train when she casually commented "I read your article, it was nice!" ha cool to see ways the church is being spread. The church is true! I love it! It makes us so happy. Have a great week! Love you

Rakkaudella, sisar heggie

August 24, 2014

It is so weird to hear that Trasie is off to COLLEGE. . . . .

Yesterday in sacrament meeting one girl gave her talk who leaves on Thursday to her mission and Sisar Cribbs gave her talk leaving to go back home from her mission. One begins and the other ends! The mom of the girl leaving was having a hard time keeping in the tears! Crazy how fast the time goes

This week has been a crazy week getting Sisar Cribbs ready to go. she is really sad to leave Finland but we remind her that it's just the next step!

We had the chance to go to the temple this week as a district. I love the temple. It is such a peaceful place and I love being there and never want to leave. We got to watch the new video and it's amazing how much we can learn from the temple. I would encourage you to see all the new videos if you haven't had the chance yet! 

I have been in the country for a year now. I've live in Finland for a year already? I think of Mosiah 18:30 and the people Alma taught. They talk about how beautiful the waters of Mormon and the valley of Mormon is to them, because it is the place where they got to know their Redeemer. Finland has become so special to me because of the people I have met as well as because I have learned more about my Savior while I have been here. 

He lives. He guides his church on the earth today. He has a prophet who lives on the earth to lead and guide us. We can find peace and comfort and guidance in the Book of Mormon. We can be a help to those who are seeking. I love the gospel. I love my Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. 

I hope you have a wonderful week! I love you!

Sisar Heggie

August 18, 2014

pics of us at suomenlinna

We had a good week. Last pday we went to an old fortress (Suomenlinna) as a district. it's a cool place and really pretty by the water. 

Sometimes I wish I could remember the quotes by our friends better, this week was fantastic. The gospel of Jesus Christ is real and the power of the Holy Ghost is real. Living the way God wants us to live brings us joy and peace. One of our friends explained how ever since he has been learning about the gospel he has "more peace throughout the day and even at night when I fall asleep". Wow. His friend describe the change in him as "a drum in a night club" and how he can feel the beat in his heart when his friend is around. Powerful changes that come through living the principles of the gospel! 

One of our friends was able to go to the temple for the first time last week and was extatic!! What a blessing temples are to us and to those who passed on without the chance of accepting the gospel and Christ as their Savior.  I was on exchanges with one of the sister this week and she shared something Elder Ronald A Rasband said. "Focusing on serving our brothers and sisters can guide us to make divine decisions in our daily lives and prepares us to value and love what the Lord loves." When we focus on others we become what Heavenly Father intended for us to become. 

We had dinner with our bishop and his family yesterday and during our spiritual message one of my companions share that "Members are very DIFFICULT in missionary work" we all stopped and started laughing really hard. Bishops wife laughed and just told her to tell them how she really feels! as my companion struggled to correct herself by explaining that she meant to say very IMPORTANT in missionary work. we all got a good laugh. I guess members can be difficult, but more important than that, they are very important. Missionary work can't go on without you all! 

I hope you have a fantastic week! love you!!

August 11, 2014

Good to hear you got some rain!!  We were on our way home the other day after a lesson when the windows of heaven opened and dumped a ton of rain on us.  5 minutes later we couldn't have been more drenched. It was fun. And we were glad to be going home so that we could change into dry clothes. The rain felt good. It has been really warm lately and the other day we decided it would be better to sleep outside instead of in our hot room. It felt nice but there were more bugs than I was wishing for! Mom and Dad, happy late anniversary!! Hope you had an enjoyable day! Tell Kaysie and Quinn happy early anniversary!!! Is this 5 years???? Weird. 

Dad I had to laugh about your fruit snacks. Glad you survived the long trip even without them. Ha what is Mo going to do with all those puppies? One for everyone! Seminary starting soon already? Summer always goes by fast. I saw my fleece lined tights this morning on my shelf and I’m not looking forward to wearing those again! The hockey season starts in 2 weeks. What?!?! 

We had an awesome lesson this week and our member shared how we must lean on the Lord for strength.. She shared how she became a young single mom of 4, all under the age of 10, still needed to go to school, feed the kids, clean the house, and keep a job. She said the first thing she did was get down on her knees and pray and ask Heavenly Father for help. She knows that that is the only reason she was able to do it. She wouldn't have had the energy on her own. Prayer is powerful. The answers we receive are powerful. We had a fun week. We went "survey tracting" in some student housing with our friend. It was interesting and people were more open than if it was the typical "missionary" approach. She had a ton of fun and can't wait to be a missionary. She has been a blessing to us since the day we met her and the gospel has been a blessing to her. I love the gospel. Stay strong in the faith. Have a great week!

August 4, 2014

You made it to Kansas in record time! I didn't know it was possible! 

The boys didn't come to church so we are going to have to find some more punk kids to play basketball with. That is way exciting for Brian and Annie's...branch? Ward? How big is it in Goodland? I'm excited for the coming pictures. Good things Trasie is old enough to stay home alone and take care of all the chores! I need to reply to her letters from my package. Never enough time in a day. 

Good to hear from Bri, I often remember the tricks he played on me especially when my companions try to play practical jokes on me. 

 . . . .

One of our friends committed to quit smoking!! We have had a few lessons on the word of wisdom and how our bodies are a gift and Heavenly Father guides us on how we can take care of them and last night she agreed. She is excited, we are excited. 

Another friend set a baptismal date and we were so happy to hear he had been praying daily. He said that he feels so happy whenever he prays, he doesn't know why but he's just so happy.  We had another lesson and we invited one of the members to come along. Her 10 year old daughter came with also and so we asked if she could participate in the lesson. She agreed and it was the best part of the lesson when she shared who Jesus Christ is to her. The spirit was so strong. 

It has been a good week. Fast Sunday yesterday was really good. It's always a challenge to be patient and loving on an empty stomach. I have always struggled with the law of fasting and finding the purpose in it. Over the course of my mission I have strengthened my testimony in fasting. One answer came when I was reading a general conference talk that fasting helps us to strengthen our self control, making our spirits stronger than our physical bodies. Yesterday I thought about how there were many times when Christ was probably extremely tired, hungry, or lonely and was able to remain completely charitable, patient, and selfless. Fasting is an opportunity for us to be tested, strengthen our spirits and come closer to Christ. 

I hope you have a great week! Love you :)

Rakaudella, Sisar Heggie