Hey Everybody!! 

   So Tuesday morning we text Renee and say we haven't forgotten about you but we just figured we would give you a break and start the new member lessons next week! She responded and said that "I don't mind starting asap. I really needed it and that the adversary didn't give me a break. So i need my back up ladies. so if we could schedule something soon that would be great." No problem of course and so we text sis riding and ask if she could be there if not no worries. We let her know what was happening. she said "i feel like i have been in the car all morning but Renee is more important. ill be there asap."  Of course we were thinking the worst and even though it was still not good it wasn't horrible. Her family was just giving her some hard time about the Prophet Joseph Smith and how he is this and that...you could imagine. Renee said it took her about 5 hrs to calm down so she could respond to her mom in a Christ like way. It was impressing. Every time i see Renee now after she as received the Gift of the Holy ghost she has a different light. We read Joseph Smith history the next morning at sis Morrison's home and it was amazing. Renee is just even more excited and the spirit is testifying even more to her that it is true. i love these people.

    We have been teaching a family idk if i have talked about them yet. A single mom named Hiedi and she has two kids named Brittany and Matthew. Actually i think i have talked about them. Well we were able to finally have another lesson with them and we brought Sis DeStefano with us a recent convert of about 2 years. It was amazing. We have already gone over the restoration but then asked them if they had any questions...there was a little confusion but we basically re taught it! It was so awesome to have Sis DeStefano there...she has a major testimony of the book of Mormon. She also related a lot to them and the questions they are having. Ah it rocked. Matthew is high functioning autism and is really knowledgeable of the bible he is very close to the spirit and all of is starting to make sense to them. Heidi says that he holds there family together and told them that's how my brother Cody is, without him the whole Heywood family just wouldn't be the same. (ps happy birthday Cody..."i don't know about you but your feeling 24 or 25? i lost tract" haha) 

      Then Heidi and Brittany came to the "Fabulous Friday" which was in place of the super Saturday. They has so much fun met a lot of people and did some Christmas crafts! Stephanie a La member asked them what they have thought about meeting with us and Heidi explained that something told her not to shut the door when we knocked a couple months ago and that they have has some questions that are being answered. Gabby Davenport who we have been teaching and is getting baptized this Saturday was sitting right there started to explain that she is a convert and is getting baptized this Saturday. She asked them if they have come to sacrament and that when they come to church that's when it will all make sense and she explained that the gospel is like a puzzle and it has all the pieces. It was such a sweet moment. I know that they are so prepared to here the gospel right now! Then Sis Widing the Relief Society Pres. had us give back the 20 dollars to Heidi that she paid for the crafts. And told us that they had plenty extra so glad they could come and hope to see them again soon! aaaah i love these people. haha  

        I love the gospel and the wonderful knowledge we have of a loving Heavenly Father and Savior that are so merciful are just waiting for us to open the door or walk there way. I have learned something this week through scripture study that is important to have "faith unto repentance" Alma 34:14-16 we need to have faith that we can be forgiven. I love this time of year where minds and hearts are directed even more towards Our brother Jesus Christ! That means people are more willing to listen to our message and people around you are more prepared. Open your mouths and share the good news...people need this.They so need what we have to share, to access the complete joy that we feel when we can repent and forgive and love and serve and have a relationship with a God that loves his children so much. Its up to us to tell them about it. 

     Have a wonderful thankful yummy thanksgiving! I know i will, Spending it eating with the bishop Sheldon's family, playing football with Redmond and bend zones combined at a sports center in bend. reserved just for the missionaries. Serving others. 

 

Love Sister Heywood! 

Renee little boy thats 7! 

Xavian: Sis heywood are you married?

 

Me: What?

 

Xavian: Are you married? 

Me: No, Xavian I'm not married haha why? 

Xavian: cause i like you!  

Me: What?

Xavian: I like you!! (runs out the door)

Hello family and friends!!
     Im so thankful for the 10 in. of snow we got this week! Its been so fun
walking around everywhere getting all bundled up and trekking across Redmond.
Its crazy that last year in "the valley" when it snowed i thought it was crazy
living in the snow but that was my first time "living" in it...but here they get
a lot more! We have spent most of our days shoveling snow for people that we are
teaching and some la. As a mission our cars are parked when it snows but as of
now we are aloud to drive! We shoveled Renees walkway and then she said we had
to come inside and have some mexican hot chocolate which was so good! We have
been wiped out from all of this so when i go to sleep at night i am out so fast
and my body aches in the morning! But its good! Its so beautiful to see
everything so white and sparkly. We also have been able to meet some awesome
people walking around, i love it.
    Tuesday we had an amazing Zone Conference with President and Sister
Samuelian and this was before the snow fall! But still sooo cold. It was also my
last one and i didn't realize this until sister sullivan said something at lunch
time and i was like no way and she was like yes way! It was an amzing revelatory
experience and took lots of notes. I was able to bare my testimony at the end a
long with the other missionaries that are going home this transfer.
   Renee was baptized this saturday and it was sooo awesome...so many people
came that we had to move into the chapel. It was very spiritual and i cried. The
people she asked to speak and the people who welcomed her like the bishop and rs
president did amazing jobs. The bishop welcomed her to the ward and related Matt
Cain pitching the perfect baseball game and his comments after of how he didn't
pitch the perfect game alone but that he had a field of professional baseball
players helping him, to how the church works and how we will all help out along
this journey. i LOVED it. She was confirmed on sunday by Bro Schofield and it
was beautiful. Renee was asked to share her conversion story in relief society
and it was so sweet to hear from her! She talked about how she has been stubborn
along this whole process of coming into the church...the ladies were so sweet in
telling her that it is that same stubborness that will help her endure to the
end and when she gets offended by someone in the church that she should use that
stubbornness and not let someone else ruin her faith and run her out of her
church and the blessings of the gospel. i love these people and working with
them.
  We have been working with Gabby still and she will be baptized on the 29th of
November and she is getting really excited! We love her! She also attended
Renees baptism. We go every wed at 4pm and teach her!
We are seeing lots of miracles and i love being apart of this work. God loves
us! He really does! Im happy to have heard about the Phoenix temple being
dedicated like 4 different times today through email! This Gospel is such a
blessing.

Love sister Heywood 

Hey Family and Friends!

     This weekend we had stake conf. and its was so amazing! There was a
special broadcast from Salt Lake to the state of Oregon to all 36 stakes.
Saturday we were invited to the Priesthood leadership meeting and it was
amazing!! Mind blown. Then the Saturday night session happened and we were asked
right before to be on a panel and we said sure and so the second half Sis
Sullivan and I, elder parkinson and frakenberry, a senior couple that just got
home and a couple that has a daughter out. We were asked questions from the
congregations and it was so awesome. i dont have words to describe..you just had
to be there! Then sunday at 830am we had a breakfast for returning less actives,
recent converts and our investigators! It was yummy. Art and Rebecca came they
are returning LA and Renee Hugo and there cute little boys came. Then the
broadcast it was wonderful.

  Renee is getting baptized this Saturday and we taught her this past week in
sis Widings home about the law of chastity and word of wisdom...and it was
awesome! It was even more awesome that we know she is living it. haha So we
applied it more to her and used some mormon messages that relate to what we
could help her with at this time in her life. We really wanted to apply it to
her, And it was so good to have sis widing with us. We met her sat morning at
the church to fit her for the baptismal clothes and figure out her baptism
program. She is super prepared and a lot of people are excited and have been
waiting for this day for a long time. Especially her Heavenly Father!

Love Sister Heywood!

Hey Family and Friends!

   Im so excited to be writing you all this week! Last week I didn't really feel like it which was dumb cause know I have so much more to update you all on!! I cant share everything but I will share some of the favorites...which is all my favorite! First off I love the people that we serve within the Centennial Park ward! They all rock and bring so much joy into my life and the great thing is its the gospel that brings us together!! I love teaching with them. Also the people we are teaching have changed my life, they have taught me so much.

  A couple weeks ago I talked about the Robins family and last Monday we were able to give them a church tour. It went so well and the spirit was very strong. It was cool because Bro Robins who is the member was so excited cause all these memories were coming back to him. From the smell to the chairs...haha! It was really cool when we walked into the chapel and Lena grabbed Bro Robins hand and she was just smiling, you could tell she was feeling the spirit. They are so cute. I love this family. They have a fat chinchilla for a pet! They came to church this sunday for the 1st time and loved it! They were welcomed by the ward very warmily. We had a lesson with them that night and they talked about all their different experiences and we were laughing at the different things that happened! Like the 81 year old Faye 'baring' her testimony about Halloween and how wild it was..the wildest one she has seen her whole life!!! And then preceded to tell a story about when her kids were little, one halloweeen there candy was laced with Xlax. Oh we were laughing and you should have seen the bishoprics faces. it was AWESOME. We love Faye! anyways Lena and Elizabeth one of the daughters plan to be baptized! :) We will probably help them set a date this week!

 We taught a lady named Theresa and when she opened the door she was in her hello kitty footy pajamas and struck a pretty cool pose. We taught her while she was in those pajamas... it was quite the experinence! Her and her husband tim and two kids came to the trunk or treat...idk if we will get anywhere with them...but the gospel changes lives I know it! Its very hard to be in their home..it smells to high heaven!! she has a pretty awesome laugh too! oh its fun.

Last sunday the whole relief society and primary presidency's were changed! Change is good! I love the way the church works and is set up. So organized and ran by a loving heavenly father. Sis Widing is the new RS president and they have only been in the ward for a few months. We have been taking her to teach Renee with us and its been so good! She also teaches zumba every Monday morning at the church for the women. We cant go, already asked....otherwise I would so be there. I love her testimony and lets just say I look up to her a lot. Great role model for sure! They have us over for dinner every so often. They have lived lots of places and they have 3 kids that are so well rounded. one of them was born in Hawaii her name is Kahau! The other two are Braille and Ansen! I could go on and on about this family and every family here.

 Renee is doing really well! She is being "BAPTIZED" (nacho libre) Nov. 15th! And its going to be one of the best days ever! We have been going through the lessons again and we have been (literally) throwing scriptures at her like no other! And she loves it! ;) No but really! She and her husband Hugo went out with the Spanish elders and Renee was sooo excited cause she used the scriptures that we have been using in our lessons! She is so ready. The Lord needs her. She loves missionary work. Its cool to have an "outsiders" perspective about the gospel and why we share it! Renee just says that it makes so much sense and she is so part of it! She is a true disciple of Jesus Christ! but she is not perfect..thats why I love her so much! Same with Sis widing and everyone here.

We are teaching a couple named Jess and Laura! I think I have talked about them before but anyway we brought Sis Destefano with us and they have a crazy thing in common...they both have a son that has been taken from them named Colby! and they total connected and had sympathy for each other. It was crazy cool.

I love this Gospel and this life that we have been given to gain experience and grow close to our Savior and a loving God. We have a lot to learn and to do here! Have a wonderful week!

Love Sister Heywood!  

Hey Family and Friends!

  Can I just tell you how fun it is to be a missionary. I LOVE it with all my heart. This time is priceless and there is nothing that can compare. I would not trade it for anything.

  Ok so I don't have all the time in the world. But a couple stories for the ride...

We were visiting some less actives yesterday to see if they knew about the ysa activity and when we go to leave and get in the car...all the sudden we hear this amazing rapping and we turn and look and see this guy strolling down the street in this electric wheel chair...throwing some sick beats down. And Sis Sullivan and I look at each other and were thinking the exact same thing..we have to meet this guy! So I flip and "U" and go around the corner and we find him and had to wait for the other car to be finished talking to him...so we pull up and just start talking to him and he said he goes by T-baby and we told him we heard him rapping and we had to come meet him. We invited him to the ysa activity and told him what we do as missionaries..said he never talked to "us" before and he told us he needs something to do and that he as been looking for a church...he was a pleasure to meet. And then I asked him...because to me it looked like he didn't need to be in the wheel chair and so I did and he just laughed and said noo I don't need to be in this I can walk, its my moms! I was just bored so I went for a little stroll. Haha I love him...basically for those who know Mark Thomas..he is his twin, along with making you feel like he is your best friends from day 1. We got his info and so hopefully we can teach him soon!

We went to go visit a potential that we had talked to on the street randomly the other week. We wanted to follow up on the Book of Mormon that we gave her. She invited us in and we started to invite her to general conference. She starts to break down in tears and she had explained to us that she has really bad depression and so we offered to help clean her kitchen and family room..that were in really bad shape. It didn't talk to long before it looked much better. It was really sad to witness and watch her break down in tears a few times. Then after we had a little lesson and the spirit was really strong. It was an amazing experience.

 We also had the ysa activity and it was a wonderful turn out!! The stake president and his wife planned and hosted it! They had us play games from the jimmy fallon talk show and then there was a dinner. Its a really fun time to smash a raw egg on your forehead.

Conference was the bomb! I loved it all but esp. Elder Bednar's talk on missionary work and why us as members of the church share the gospel. Cause it makes us happy happy happy! Why would we keep that from anyone?!

These amazing events don't often happen in everyday life but they do happen when you are a servant of the Lord and put yourself if those situations and act whether on or off the mission. I love the Gospel of Jesus Christ!

 

Love Sister Heywood!