Homecoming

It was a week full of challenges at home.  The highlight of the week was definitely Thursday, May 18th, when the family arrived at the airport to welcome Elder Heimuli home.

A nephew, Hendrix, and a niece, Kiegan, were born while Houston was on a mission.  We were excited to see how the babies would react to him.

And before we knew it, he was coming down the escalator and into Mom's arms!

One of our challenges was Dad's health, but there he was on crutches to give his son a hug

Hendrix likes Uncle Housty, but Kiegan is not quite sure about him!


A few of Houston's friends, his trainer Kyler Freeman, Grandpa Heimuli and some of his siblings (including siblings-in-law) came to the airport.

From the airport, Elder Heimuli wanted to go straight to Provo to see Grandpa Murray who had suffered a stroke earlier in the week. 

It was a tender reunion. Elder Heimuli gave Grandpa lots of kisses, fed him some applesauce and sang a song he wrote in the mission field.

We finally arrived home later that evening to meet with our Stake President for Elder Heimuli's release. On Saturday, there was a Welcome Home BBQ where Houston got to greet several friends from our current ward and our old wards, high school teammates and classmates, Indiana Indianapolis missionaries, relatives, and even the family of a current missionary (serving in Samoa) who is also going to play football at Stanford. Sunday, May 21st, he spoke in church with Luis Goodrich who departs on Tuesday for the El Salvador San Salvador Mission. Houston testified of the Doctrine of the Gospel and his sister Hevynn sang "This is the Christ." His first Mission President Steve Cleveland and his beautiful wife attended along with dozens of missionaries, family, friends, and a coach from Stanford. It was a wonderful day. Houston has grown into an incredible man with a solid testimony and we are SOOOO happy to have him home!

Saying Goodbye to Indiana

Here are just a few pics of Elder Heimuli's last day in Indiana.  The APs, Elder Gillman and Elder Shaw, were kind enough to take him to say goodbye to a few special people like Grandma Banks.

After nearly a year of watching other departing missionaries do this, it was finally Elder Heimuli's turn to add his heart to the "With Full Purpose of Heart" quilt (pictured here with Sister Carlson)!

One last picture with President & Sister Carlson, from whom he learned a lot.

He slept at Elder and Sister Breck's home.  Early the next morning, the Brecks and the APs took him to the Indianapolis Airport.

Goodbye, Indiana! 

Last Letter Home: This Is It

Dear Mom,

We got to meet Elder Heimuli's 13th (and last) companion in Indiana, Elder Taylor Larson (from Highland, Utah) when we skyped on Mother's Day. They got 1 whole week together as companions, but Elder Heimuli loves him!

Well, this is it. I've had the experience of a lifetime, and I can honestly say I'm grateful for the opportunity of doing it. I'm not just grateful for the experience itself, but I'm very grateful for the blessings and for the opportunities I've had while trying to come closer to my Father in Heaven and my Savior Jesus Christ. I've had many companions that I learned some valuable lessons from as well. 

Freeman - I learned the basics of all great missionary work. He taught me how I was to behave and he also taught me how important it was to still be me while on a mission. He was not a cookie-cutter missionary. He was the best Elder Freeman in the world! Because he loved the people in Columbus so much, I developed a huge appreciation for families and cultivated relationships with them out here. I never guessed I would return to C-bus at the end of my mission and have an awesome baptism. I also got to become best friends with my trainer. It was truly an awesome experience. 

Briggs - I learned that scripture study can be a powerful tool, especially when you memorize them. That saying "The spirit can't draw from an empty well" was something I saw manifest by Elder Briggs time and time again. Have I memorized a lot of scripture? Not as much as he did, but I can bear witness of its powerful effects when he used them. 

Ballif - I learned that working harder doesn't necessarily mean we are working smarter. In fact, I learned that there are better ways to do missionary work than just tracting all day. 

Ellsworth - Here I learned to forget the baggage and get to work. I relied heavily on the Lord when I became his trainer and I realized the blessings that came from doing so. 

McCloud - He was an awesome zone leader who taught me that we need to be responsible for all that goes on under us and within our area of responsibility. I learned I could not just sit back and blame everything around me, I learned that I can change what I can change. But I'll never be good enough to do everything so that's why we rely on the Grace of God through Jesus Christ. 

Mortensen - I learned the essentials of being an AP from Morty and Clark. They taught me the value of being a good leader, not just another leader. I learned, too, that talents and abilities are given from God and that we need to use them and appreciate them. 

Clark - I learned the value of staying busy and using time wisely. Granted, I'm still working on that. Clark was also a great example of how I wanted to be as a missionary. He helped me out a lot. 

Wimmer - I learned the value of caring. Not just visiting people and preaching the gospel, but taking time out of every day, just to talk to people and visit them, goes a long way. He taught me a lot about missionary life and how to do things more effectively. He's also a stud who never runs out of steam. We had a ton of memories together. 

Redmond - I learned about faith. I learned that the power of faith can bring MIGHTY miracles. Faith can trump any bad situation for true faith goes right along with the Will of God. If we can do this, we can have power. He helped me to open my eyes and see past just the initial face of things. I learned to look with more of a spiritual eye instead of just man's view. Also, he is super ripped haha!

Gillman - I learned that when obedience stops being a chore and becomes a part of who we are that we gain power. He is an awesome missionary who I appreciate and I was lucky enough to serve with him for a transfer. I also learned that you can have fun while being obedient. Such a great guy. 

Shaw - I learned humility from Shaw. He was thrown into a tough spot at such a young age, but he didn't shy away from doing his best. He took criticism and improved himself. He didn't let the position he was in get to his head. Awesome guy!

Quick - I can't even tell you all the lessons I learned from him. I think the biggest thing I learned while serving with my best friend was that we are accountable to God for our actions here on earth. In the end, it doesn't matter what everyone else thinks or does. God is who I will give an account to at the end of the day, and I will face His judgments at the end. So I need to do my best here on earth. I loved serving with Quick. Being able to serve together just helped us become even better friends. 

Larson - I learned to love those around me. He is always happy and always positive about everyone around him. He never fails to compliment and to help. He is an awesome dude and I can't wait to chill with him, too, after he gets back. 

You can see I've learned a lot from these companions of mine. But I've learned a lot from ALL my experiences these past 2 years. My testimony has definitely grown stronger. I know without a doubt that God is our loving Heavenly Father. In His love, He gave us His Son Jesus Christ...the center of the Gospel, and the center of the Plan of Salvation which gives us hope in the hereafter, and the assurance of eternal bonds. I know this very same Jesus Christ suffered for our sins, died on the cross and was resurrected. I testify that we have that same opportunity to be resurrected. I testify that He has given us a prophet in our day to lead, guide and defend. I testify that Joseph Smith was the Prophet of the Restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I know this church is true. I know that Christ lives. And I know that we are never alone in our trials. Never. I know I have a lot to improve on. I know we can all improve ourselves and our testimonies. But for now, this is what I know to be true. I, again, testify of the divinity of God the Father and His Son Jesus Christ, of the scriptures, especially the Book of Mormon, and how it can guide us. I testify of modern day revelation and its guidance of the Church of Jesus Christ today. I know the Church, which houses the restored gospel of Jesus Christ, is true. I testify that these things are true through the confirmations of the Holy Ghost, and I know that we can ALL receive these same feelings, in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Love,

Elder Heimuli - see you Thursday!

Happy Mother's Day from Elder Quick

Happy Mother's Day!!! :) :) 

I hope you had a great Mother's Day and were able to get a good facetime skype session in with Elder Heimuli, He'll be home so soon I bet that is going to be the best Mother's Day present ever!! That'll be amazing. But I want you to know I love you a lot and appreciate all you have done for me. You've been such a great example to me and helped me out a lot. Thank you. I look forward to seeing you soon, in just 3 months, just around the corner, and I'll be walking down that escalator! Enjoy your time with Elder Heimuli. Love you!!

Elder Quick

Goodbye, Elders

Note from Mom: The Lord has a way of letting His children know He is in the details of their lives. Nichole Hackler (used to be Nichole Betten) was seriously one of our favorite people at Legacy Preparatory Academy where Hevynn, Houston, and Harrison (and Brad Quick) went to school. Always so happy, always so kind. We missed her when she left. Fast forward a couple of years and up popped her beautiful face in Indiana like a little piece of home for Houston and Brad. She messaged me on Facebook and sent photos she took while saying goodbye to missionaries at transfers today.

Nichole sent these pics from mission transfers today

The Hacklers made Houston a cardinal red t-shirt with #34 on the pocket and #TurboTongan on the back!

Nichole's son Robert Betten models the #34 #TurboTongan shirt they made for Houston

<3

From Elder Quick - I Kept My Promise

Dear Mama Heimuli,

I wanted to send you your own email today. Sorry it's going to be short. I want you to know that I was so grateful for the short 6 weeks I got to serve with my Brother!! Ending it with LJ's baptism. A lot of people were looking at us two in the mission, seeing what we were going to do, or how we were going to perform, you could say. Not that it is a competition or anything. And not that we do work for any other reason than just to work hard, but I hope you know that I kept my promise to you. We worked hard! And I was so grateful we were able to help LJ along the way and that we were able to be part of his baptism day. Elder Heimuli and I will forever love LJ and we'll be able to chill with him someday. It was an honor to serve with your son. I learned many valuable lessons from waking up early, early, early to go running and work out, to gaining all the spiritual insights he has of the Gospel. I know he will do great things when he returns home to you next week. And I will see you in a couple of months. Thanks for raising us both great! We did our best to honor our families :)

 

Love,

Elder Quick

Letter 2 - LJ was Baptized :)

Hi mom!

Typical busy week for ya! I'm sorry to hear about Uncle Lisiate passing away. It's a good thing grandpa went. Everyone also sounds like they are busy as usual! But here are a couple thoughts from this week which was an amazing week! 

Well I'll start with the best thing that happened. LJ was baptized :) It was awesome.

He had a lot of people from his family come, and the ward came and supported him as well. There were so many people we had to have his service in the chapel! I think the coolest thing though was the spirit that was present throughout the whole thing. I had the wonderful and humbling opportunity to baptize him, and Elder Quick was asked to confirm him. 

LJ is seriously such a special kid. He can literally do anything he sets his mind to, including being baptized. It is obvious to see the great potential he has as a young man and a son of God, and the places he will go as he continues to live the standards of the Gospel. It's really quite amazing! He even mentioned to us a long time ago how he wanted to be a missionary, too. And I can't wait for the day that he does, mom. Quick and I really love this kid and his awesome family. I am so grateful that I was able to come back to Columbus to be with them all again and to witness the happiness and change that comes from living the gospel.

Also, Elder Quick is leaving :(  Yup, he is needed as a ZL again to help out the zones. I am grateful to have been able to be his companion and I learned A LOT from him. Things I know I will definitely carry with me after the mission. 

He will be going to Elkhart. I will be staying in Columbus for one more week with an Elder Larsen. He is a stud. I was around him a lot in South Bend so I am excited to be his companion, too, even for this very short amount of time. 

This Sunday was stake conference. It was great, President Hill (Stake President) gave an amazing talk. He talked about Life, and the worldly definition of it. He said in the worldly definition of Life, Life consists of Loss. Eventually we all LOSE loved ones to death. Eventually we LOSE use of our own bodies and start to age and deteriorate. And eventually, we LOSE our own lives. There are so many things we will lose in life, but that's not the case with the gospel. The gospel offers a more eternal and celestial view of life. We will eventually reunite with the loved ones we lost. We will eventually regain the bodies we lost. The gospel offers a bridge between our losses and us. It offers a bridge between us and our Heavenly Father. A bridge made possible by Jesus Christ. It was such an amazing talk. After that we had a luncheon with LJ's family to celebrate his baptism. It was great to be with them. 

Those are just a couple things from this week that I learned and appreciated :) 

Well I'll be off and working for this last week. I can't believe how fast the time has gone. All the wonderful people in Indiana (and Niles) I've met and come to love and I hope I get to see again some day. 

All the amazing missionaries, young and not as young, that I've worked with and looked up to. 

All the memorable and hard lessons I've learned and hope I never forget. On Sunday I can skype for a bit, too. We have church from 9-12 here so from 7am to 10am your time I'm not available. But anytime after that I'm pretty much available! 

Love you mom. Give my love to the family!

Ofa Lahi Atu

***

Hi Family,

Real quick i am going to be getting transferred to Elkhart, not the ward i served in but the other ward. I "ghosted" that means 6 week in an area, and now im heading back to the North!!! 

LJ got baptized on may 6th 2017, what a powerful experience i was able to be apart of. Elder Heimuli and I found LJ at the beginning of the transfer and just started playing basketball with him, about 2 weeks later he approached us saying he wanted to be baptized. Linda told us to start with the discussions. So we began, LJ has such a high comprehension he is like a sponge and takes all of it in when we ask him questions  he responds with very personable and meaningful answers. Elder Heimuli baptized him, and his smile was so big, he asked how long he had to be under and we both told him 3 minutes... he was like ohh, and then we told him we were just joking. But seeing people are they are baptized they glow, we told him how does it feel to be the most righteous person in the entire world? all he could do was smile. I was able to Confirm LJ and it was one of the most memorable experience i have had Confirming someone, the love and the spirit was very strong in the circle. Words can't describe how much joy there was in that chapel and when he got baptized, he's an example to his family that he can make such a grown up decision and do something to better himself without anyone else telling him to do it, it was all on him. I am blessed to have been able to be apart of this experience. The scripture that has came to my mind this entire transfer is that the hearts of the father will turn to there children and there children to the fathers. How LJ 14 years old is and example to me and Heimuli and all those who are 40+ years old and all of his cousins. 

Fastest transfer that i have ever experienced, the two best friends cruising around Columbus. i remember when i first got here. We literally just threw our stuff in the apartment and then went out trying to visit people and find them all. That night we literally just pull our blankets out and pillows and then sleep, wake up, workout, and study, and get out to work. Slowly we kinda unpacked our stuff but we never really unpacked because we never really had time. Constantly running around doing things, riding our bikes through the pouring rain, walking for days to get where we need to. I have made so many friendships in this period of time, that i will be in contact with, FOREVER. The Gospel will bring people closer together faster and stronger than any other thing. 

We had stake conference, and something different happened i have never seen this before.. but we were there and they just announced that there is going to be a broadcast from salt lake. I was like what in the world? Elder Gong, a member of the 70, and a relief society 1st counselor and Elder Oaks spoke to us all gave us some great counsel. He talked about how the Missionary work in the midwest needs to improve, that it needs to get better. He said this was through the members, they need to be the ones actively finding people and having the missionaries teach them. Also warned the youth about having an addiction to their phones, he stated that anything that takes away from regular activities that you would normally do is considered an addiction. He said "have a face to face, old school !" Then we all laughed. He also said "you youth will never be prepared to serve a mission if your faces are always planted in your phones. how will you feel when you have to talk to some random stranger when you hardly talk to those you love so dearly?"

Elder Quick

Letter 3 - Yup, That Was a Highlight

Hi Mom!

Yes we got the package and Thank You so much for it:) We really enjoyed it. Elder Quick is doing great (as far as I know...wait, did he tell you something different?) haha! It's been a blast being with him, and I am so lucky that I am able to serve with my best friend. Things have been going great here in Columbus though! Here are a few highlights of the week!

Zone Conferences!!! I know I hardly ever called it a highlight before but yup, that was a highlight! 

It was one of the best zone conferences I've been to in a long time because I got to sit back and not do anything for the conference haha. I was like a proud dad. Elder Shaw and Elder Gillman did a great job of helping President and Sister Carlson and making sure that conference ran smoothly. 

L to R: Elder Shaw, Quick, Heimuli, Woolsey, Gillman & Taka

We learned a lot of good things and I think a big takeaway for me was Character. There was a cool quote by Hyrum Smith where he said, "Character is the ability to carry out a righteous decision AFTER the emotion of making the decision has passed." 

That hit me hard. I think about all the times where I made a decision in the heat of the moment and then backed out when the smoke cleared. I think about the decisions investigators make when they get hyped up about baptism and certain things and then, when the emotion of that decision has passed, to see where they actually land. Character is more than just having integrity or being a good person. It's having the will and drive to carry out what you decided to do. After we discussed that we learned a lot about the Book of Mormon and how to help investigators read it. It was great!

Elder Heimuli at his last zone conference

Afterwards I was asked to bear my departing testimony. It was weird, after watching countless missionaries give their final testimonies, all of a sudden it was my turn. I had actually thought about what I was going to say for a long time, and when the time actually came....I went blank, haha! Nothing. But it's all good. I really think things are more heartfelt when they aren't written or memorized. Following the zone conference I had my departing interview with President. He is a great man and I've learned a lot from him. We talked a lot about what the plan was for home...and dating....lol. I told him I might be struggling in that area when I get back...because of school and football and stuff. 

This week a tornado hit part of Columbus and a windstorm blew through as well. Our power was out for about a day and then when the storm passed and stuff, we hit the streets and did service. All the Columbus elders were at a different service one day. It took us ALL DAY to finish those projects, some of us cut down a giant tree which destroyed a house, some of us helped move someone out of a run down house, and another set helped a new family move into the ward. So there were a lot of service opportunities this week because of the storm and because of people moving around. 

Sunday was also a fantastic day. So first of all, LJ was there and is excited for his baptism! This week we are focusing on helping him get ready for his baptism. So on Sunday during sacrament meeting we were sitting by LJ when I saw his mom there! Rewind a bit to the day before. I was buying some stuff to teach Sharing Time when I ran into LJ's mom. We talked about his baptism and how we know the gospel will bring her wonderful family together. She was baptized years ago but hasn't really been to church for a while. And none of that matters. Once we understand that God is our Father who just wants us to choose to return to Him because He loves us and wants us to be happy. As we were leaving the store she said she was probably going to come to church in the morning. AND SHE DID! When I saw her I was REALLY happy! 

But it didn't just end there. During sacrament I got a handwritten note from Kim. She shared her thoughts on church that day and said, "I used to hate Fast Sundays, but now that I have been coming back they are my favorite!" She also talked about how she wished testimonies weren't about telling about problems or things happening to people, but more of their testimonies and what they truly believe in! I couldn't agree more. That note made me and Quick happy and we kept it, too. After that note Linda (LJs Grandma) went up to the pulpit and bore her testimony. She hadn't born her testimony in years, and it was an amazing testimony. And again, because she didn't write it out beforehand or talk about her problems, but simply bore testimony of her beliefs and the things she was grateful for, in a nutshell sacrament meeting was amazing. 

After sacrament Elder Quick and I taught Sharing Time for Primary! We cut out little footprints and got a picture of Jesus and taught about the steps we can take to grow closer to Christ. It was fun and it was so cool because I think Primary is where you find the purest testimonies. I was happy we got to teach those kids. 

So that's what's been going on this week. We are continuing to work and we are excited for LJ's baptism. Love you mom! Give the family my love as well! As for the bbq plan, that sounds great. I would post it on my facebook since I don't really have a way to reach my fellow missionaries, except for Freeman and Pau'u. :)

Ofa Lahi Atu!

Elder Heimuli

Letter 4 - Stop Wasting Time

Hi Mom!

Well, Sunday sounded SUPER busy for ya. But congrats again to Harry for his ordination and for making it another year ;) And oh geez I swear you can't catch a break. Thank you for providing for me as well though, I know it's not easy with everything going on but I appreciate everything you and dad have done for me out here and at home :) I love you two a lot. 

Sister Breck wanted to mail Elder Heimuli off to Ireland but he wouldn't fit in the box

So this week was a little slower, and we have kind of lost contact with a lot of investigators :( so it's a bit of a struggle but we are still pushing. Here are some highlights of the week!

We had a couple of lessons with LJ this week. The first one we taught about the Book of Mormon and how it applied to our lives. We challenged him to read it and later that night he had already finished the first chapter! Amazing! But after the lesson we discussed his baptismal date and he decided to wait a week so most of his family can attend. I totally understand. His new date is May 6th. We had another lesson with him about the Plan of Salvation. His mom was also there. She is an awesome lady. During the lesson I could tell she felt the spirit. By the end when we started talking about prayer, she said something that most of are thinking but usually not honest or brave enough to say. She shared with us that she hasn't prayed in a long time because she feels like she doesn't want to pray to God only when something wrong happens. I admired her honesty. She doesn't want to be selfish and just pray when she wants something. But I recalled the Bible Dictionary definition of Prayer. It talks about how prayer is a way to secure blessings from God, who is willing to give blessing freely, but only on the condition that we ASK for them. When we choose to pray, and ask in faith, we show our reliance on God. So it's actually not being selfish to ask for help. I know that if we can bridge our DESIRE to pray, it will develop into FAITH. And I think she seemed to understand because she committed to pray. LJ understood the lesson, too, and he seemed interested in the kingdoms and the afterlife. It's really an amazing message that honestly testifies of how much our Father in Heaven loves us. How much He wants us to return to Him, that He sent Jesus Christ to become a pillar in the plan and in the gospel.

Heimuli & Quick

We also had a lot of service opportunities this week! 

One of the best ones was going to Grandma Banks' farm and cutting down A LOT of trees. Grandma is an amazing woman who when we were cutting down trees she was out picking up wood and twigs all by herself. If we ran over to help she would tell us to "Stop wasting time, and cut down more trees!" haha! But it was fun. We also helped a young man with his Eagle Project. I remember what a relief it was to get mine done, so we were happy to help him with his. I told you the week before we moved sheds? This time we helped move some canoe racks over. They were heavy, but we have an Elder Taka and an Elder Quick so it's no problem for us :) haha. Then the kid's family took us out to a place called Taku. It's similar to Benihana so we got to enjoy some dude throwing knives and food up in the air everywhere. 

At the Eagle Project moving canoe racks

When Sunday rolled around, Elder Quick had to give a talk and I had to teach the lesson in Elders Quorum. Quick spoke on prayer, and he hit it out of the park! I always learn a lot from him. No, he didn't really say anything new or unique. But it's like when you really pay attention, you notice that what general authorities say in general conference isn't new either. It's the essentials every time but it also resonates differently every time. There are times where we really listen to one message and ignore the others, then in a later conference we listen to the other messages and ignore the one we focused on before. The point is, just because someone says something that's already been said a thousand times, the spirit will always help us understand the message differently according to our needs. Quick's message wasn't new, but everyone could feel his own personal witness of prayer, and how it helped him in his own life. After that amazing talk I gave the lesson in priesthood. It went well. We all discussed the Book of Mormon and how it is the keystone of our religion. 

So those are some highlights from this week. This week we have zone conference, interviews, and some projects coming up so the next letter might not be as long ;) haha.

Elder Heimuli's parents got this letter in the mail today!

But anyways thanks for everything mom! Love you all!

Ofa Lahi Atu

Elder Heimuli

***

Wanna start off with the good news!! So Heimuli and I were with LJ talking about the Book of Mormon, it was a very powerful lesson we had with him. We read the first chapter and introduced what it entailed. At the end of the lesson, I wish you could hear LJ pray! His prayers are so sincere and so meaningful. You can feel the spirit flood into the room! We then left to go play basketball with him and others. We committed him to read the rest of the chapter, by the time we had gotten to the Church to meet back up with him he already had read the entire chapter and understood it and told us all about it. We came back the next day to talk a little about the plan of salvation, the spirit was so prevalent, you could feel it, it was like the air was thick -- that is the best way I can describe it. As we went through the lesson, Linda (Grandma) and Ana (Mom) were able to support big time, and able to be there for him if he needs anything. To be honest, it is such a blessing to be able to feel of all their love and camaraderie they have for each other. By the end of the lesson Ana really opened up about prayer and how it is hard. We were able to talk about prayer and how we pray, what we do and why we pray. LJ even bore his testimony and offered to pray at night with her. 

Speaking of prayer, I was asked to give a talk at church this Sunday, it was a great experience for me. They asked me to speak on James 1:5. We quote this and talk about this scripture all day long. So it's easy, right? Well not really. I thought about the different ways I could go and the things I could say about it. But it came to me one night as I was just laying in bed. I couldn't sleep, and I was just thinking and thinking about this scripture and so about 1 a.m. I got out of bed and sat with the door open and watched the thunderstorm and the sheets of rain coming down. I pondered the words of James and knew what I was supposed to talk on. Short summary is James 1:5, the order of prayer, basically how we pray. Why we pray. Pray vocally. Joseph Smith, the first time he prayed vocally a miracle happened. On that day he saw Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. That experience changed the world! And with our experiences with prayer, we can change our world, which will change the world of others. Elder Bednar told us to Pray, Listen, and Pray again. The answer may come right then or in a little while, but after you get the answer, say another prayer to give thanks and ask what more you need to know about that answer. Elder Dolandson said "How much time does Heavenly Father spend listening to us? And how much time do we spend listening to Him?" I really appreciated giving that talk on Sunday. It really helped me a lot.

I had the chance to go see Pepi this week, she was in the hospital in Indy. We visited and talked with her about the different things she was going through and how much we loved her and cared for her. It was really neat to talk with her after being gone. We ended up giving her a blessing. She was pretty sick. I appreciated the time I was able to spend with her and just talk about how when we apply the Gospel it changes us. But we have to choose it. 

Have a great week everyone:)

Elder Quick

Tear Drops on the Parchment

[While it's impossible to not be extremely excited about Elder Heimuli's return home, it is also very tender and bittersweet to receive this little note along with Houston's final return itinerary yesterday. How grateful we are -- and will forever be -- for the incredible people with whom our son has had the privilege of crossing paths!]

From: Indiana Indianapolis Mission Referral Secretary
Sent: Friday, April 21, 2017 3:10 PM
To: Heimuli, Pania - Salt Lake City, UT
Subject: Elder Heimuli's Final Return Itinerary

Brother and Sister Heimuli,

Please see the attached Final Return Itinerary for Elder Heimuli.  Please excuse the tear drops on the parchment.  I am really going to miss Elder Heimuli.  Please let me know if there is anything else I can do for you.

Elder Breck

Secretary to the President

INDIANA INDIANAPOLIS MISSION

777 Sunblest Boulevard, Fishers, IN  46038-1167

Letter 5 - It Gets Better and Better Each Time

Hi Mom!

Well again, I won't give a play by play (because they take forever and lately I've had no time haha!) but I will give the highlights of the week!

My tokos

So we had dinner at Riley and Raegan's house. They were very grateful for the wedding gift you sent and they really appreciated it. I believe they are sending something back to you as a thank you. Anyways we had dinner with them and Raegan's nephew LJ is on date for April 28th and he is ready for baptism. We all had dinner together and we just talked about the restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and how it applied to our lives. No matter how many times I share that message it gets better and better each time. The part about the boy Joseph Smith resonated with LJ since he is 14 as well. The lesson was awesome. Afterwards we went to sports night and played bball with LJ and tons of other people. So that was awesome. 

Next we went and watched Evan's baseball games. Evan is Kim's nephew and he is a stud. In fact I love his whole family, they are all soooooo awesome. Quick and I could tell it meant a lot to their family to have our support there. Not like they were lacking on people coming to the games but the more the merrier. But I have learned that missionary work, TRUE missionary work, just means you care. We didn't spout a lesson or invite him to baptism, but we just showed up and cared about his passion. We spent time with that family then went back to proselyting that night. It was fun and a great experience. And it's really been a busy, busy week for me and Quick.

Gave some service, moved a shed and got a workout at the same time

Easter Sunday was fantastic, too. So again those 3 families who are on date couldn't make it again :( We were disappointed.... but guess who did come? LJ, and Evan's family! We sat with all of them and then enjoyed the rest of the meetings with them. It was our Easter grace for the day. I know that church is a place where they can feel the spirit. It truly touches people, but even more so on Easter Sunday where we get to remember the sacrifice Christ made on our behalf. Soooo grateful for His sacrifice, and grateful for the pattern He outlined for us, so that we can return to our Father in Heaven and realize the blessings that come from obedience to His commandments. Christ was baptized, He obeyed the commandments of His Father, He submitted Himself to His father's will, and was raised from the dead, breaking the bands of death. And along that pattern, He is a pillar to which we can look when we are in pain, when we are struggling with trials, and when we think we can't move forward. Because Jesus Christ has felt it all. He is our Savior and our Gracious Redeemer. He has provided for us the way back to our Father in Heaven. 

This week was a pretty good one. And we are looking forward to the next couple of weeks. I'm a little disappointed I couldn't make to this year's family Easter egg hunt ;) haha but I'll make the next one. Love you mom and give the family my love!

Ofa Lahi Atu!

Elder Heimuli

***

Mama Heimuli,

Some of the highlights for this week is we had a lesson with LJ, at Riley's and Raegan's home. They invited LJ over for dinner, and we all had dinner and shared the Restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. He basically taught us the lesson. We got to the point where we asked him what this specific picture meant. He told us "That is Jesus Christ giving Peter the authority." LJ understands everything really well. During the lesson I could feel the spirit just flooding the room. Riley and Raegan bore testimony and it was very powerful. We had LJ read the First Vision and you could just see in his eyes that the message touched him. It was neat. Afterwards we went and hooped up and were all able to create some bonding time playing basketball. Linda is his Grandma, and she told us something very neat - that she was appreciative of us, that the first time we were there was a day full of "firsts," that it was LJ's first prayer out loud. And when we asked him why he wanted to be baptized he said, "Because of my mom." She truly set the example by being baptized. We had a chance to spend time with the Huckabee family and go to baseball games. It was fun to watch Evan play ball. Missionary work is done in different ways all over. It was neat to see the passion of the boys playing baseball. It reminded me of my old days playing football and how much we loved it.

Easter weekend was great. We got to spend it at the Shoaf's home. They have a farm, so we got to spend time on their farm relaxing, eating tons of food, games and hanging with the family. It was very great.

Friday is the day we recognize as the day Christ was crucified. On that day I woke up and was just sitting there when the spirit hit me. I read all the accounts of when Jesus was crucified. How grateful I am for how much He loves me, to go through all the pain and sorrow He endured for all of us. I hope you all had a great Easter week. Love you :)

Elder Quick

Letter 6 - A Charitable Heart

[Note from Mom: I've been bugging Elder Heimuli for a picture of him and Elder Quick for a couple of weeks so I could post it.  Nothing.  So I decided to post a couple of high school pics, since they've known each other forever and are, finally, companions for Houston's last transfer in the mission.]

Hey mom!

Yup, Columbus is great and it's good to be back! Especially as JC to Elder Quick :) it's even better. 

Hema and Norma wrote to me! It's always good to hear from them. I will try to reply but if I'm not able to, please tell them it's only because I'm pretty limited on email time now, haha! But I still love them :) 

Good for Helam and Alyssa and their business. Yes, I saw those gorgeous photos that Helam took of Hema's family! Haha, Hendrix looked so happy ;) 

Tell Aunty Tina I said hi and tell Hev and Bo the same! Those firesides were awesome, and I still listen to the Testimony song that they all sang at my farewell and at the Ogden Temple devotional :)

Congrats to Harry :) If I forget, Happy Bday, bud. I'm happy and so proud of his advancement and willingness to become a holder of the very authority Christ and Prophets hold. This authority is given for service, and for our own growth. I'm excited for him and can't wait to see him when I get back! I also hope that he is helping dad. It's funny how much people always bring up dad still. It happened like 5 times this week! 

I know you want pics, mom. Here are a few I finally downloaded off my camera of me at transfers with some of my favorite Tongan missionaries. Sorry, these are a couple weeks old but I know you'll love them anyways!

With Elder Fonohoma (from Utah)

Elder Pau'u headed back home (to California)

Elder Quick (who thinks he's Tongan)

So I decided this time I won't have a play by play of the week. I decided to share what miracles I have seen and the lessons I have learned this far! Why? Because I left my planner at home. Haha. And so many things have happened this week that I really can't remember anything that has happened day to day. But here is what did happen. 

At church with Elder Taka

Elder Quick went on exchanges with Elder Taka and they went tracting for 12 hrs!!!!!!!!!!! I decided to go with Elder Woolsey and we stopped by all of our investigators, and theirs, and tracted. While we were working, no one was answering their phones or their doors, so I was getting pretty fed up with it. Then I got a call from the Zone Leaders. They told me that they were teaching a family that they planned on passing off to us (because they are Spanish) but then the family moved to Georgia. This all happened about a year ago, I'm just giving a little background into what happened. Fast forward to now, the ZLs called and told me that the family had returned and that they wanted the missionaries over again! So we picked up 2 new investigators because we were out being diligent. Following that we went and picked up Taka and Quick and ended the exchanges. 

So this family is awesome. After the lesson we put them on date for April 29th, but we found that there is a language barrier. The husband is Hispanic and we had another lesson with them, which went pretty bad because I've never dealt with a family in which language is a huge concern. So please pray for them to make that date and for us that we can be guided to know what will better help them progress -- because we need that guidance, haha! Anyways, they weren't able to come to church Sunday because they woke up late and it's a good distance from where they live. They said they were coming this week, so we are hoping for that as well. 

Another miracle was the other day Elder Quick and I decided to go and drop by Billy and Brittany's because they haven't been answering their phones and they have been sick. We talked to Brittany for a bit and we had some time before our next appointment so we went and visited another potential. While we were waiting at the door a woman walked by. Elder Quick just did a 180 and started talking to her. I think she was weirded out at first, but then she allowed us to come back and visit her. We came back and had a spiritual lesson with her. We taught her about the Restoration and she agreed to be baptized as well!!!! April 29th! She didn't come to church this week but we are still working with her. Her son said something cool. After the lesson, he looked at his mom and asked if he could come to church, too! Apparently, she didn't listen to him this week ;) but maybe she will be receptive this upcoming week. So please pray she makes that date and that we can be able to help her and her 3 kids progress in this gospel. It was a cool miracle though. 

But another one happened this Sunday! So first off, Elder Quick and I have been playing basketball with a kid named LJ. He is Kim's nephew, and he is an awesome kid. We have been spending time with him and he really just wants to be better at sports, or whatever. Well, he has also been attending church with his grandma, who is Kim's sister. He came this Sunday and we sat with him. After sacrament, out of nowhere, he and his grandma come up to us and ask if there is any way we can baptize him!! So right then and there we set a date for April 29th. So there are 6 people who could be baptized on April 29th! 

We will be working as hard as we can to help them progress, so I pray that Heavenly Father grants us wisdom and knowledge. Even if it is for just this small moment, I really just want to help these people, Mom. I really want to just be my best at this point. I hope I can get it all done, not for my own agenda or anything like that. Not because I want to be remembered, and not because I just want to go out with a bang....

I have thought a lot about it, and I earnestly desire just a charitable heart to finish this work that God has given me to do. I pray for that ability, even if it's for this limited time that I have left. 

Anyhow, Mom, I pray God keeps blessing those I love at home as well. Love you and hope all is well

Ofa Lahi Atu,

Elder Heimuli

***

Elder Taka and I made a goal that we wanted to go knock doors all day long. We started knocking doors at 10 am and ended an 9 pm. This day we saw so many miracles, I can't even begin to describe. We started in the morning in my area and found a lot of success of Cleveland Street, in honor of our former Mission President, Steve Cleveland. We found an individual named Kay, who was very prepared. She was confused about why her pastor would steal money to pay for a drug addiction he had, and knew that if he was a servant of God he wouldn't do that. We set a return appointment with follow up and answer her questions. The next door we went to we talked to Sheila who was just sitting in her truck. Turns out her niece is a Mormon who lived out in Utah, and Sheila is an apostolic Pentacostal. We also found a crazy guy on that street. Taka flashed a fire fighter badge, the guy thought we were police officers and let us...and then he asked who we were about 15 minutes into the conversation! He looked pretty relieved that we weren't the police! 

Next, I looked at the GPS, picked a place and drove there...drove through the entire parking lot of this apartment complex and then parked on the opposite side of it. Truly we were being led by the spirit. The first lady we talked to was named Melody. She had so many questions about religion. She told us she was looking for a church that she could raise her family in. Melody also told us something very profound. She said, "It took me 7 months to open up to my therapist and it took me 5 minutes to open up to you two." We gave her a Book of Mormon and told her that she could ask any question she wanted, write it in the front, and then by reading it she would find her answer. We met with her later, read it with her and had a very powerful lesson. She's thinking of a baptismal date. 

We moved to Elder Taka's area started knocking and found a few people and then an individual tried to bash us. I don't really like people who just want to bash us so I invited us to leave and he wouldn't let us. As he asked us questions, we were not confounded we could answer everything he asked us. I bore my testimony and Elder Taka started to bear his testimony and the man said, "No, I don't want to hear it. I've already heard it."

I wished him to have the spirit with him as he gave a sermon the following Sunday. We were about to leave his street, but instead we decided to go knock every door. I decided I'm going to baptize his neighbor so he can live next to a Mormon haha. We continued knocking the last 3 houses when we found Catherine who is facing several struggles right now, and is looking for a church, and loved the Restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. She said she was going to invite all of her friends over so they could hear this message. She loves sports. We host a weekly sports night and she is going to come. The last house we knocked, we talked to a woman named Grace, who was looking for a church to show her son the correct path. She accepted a baptismal date of April 29th and is very excited about working towards it, learning more about the message we bring. 

The last miracle we saw was the last person we talked to. There was a lady who was outside having a smoke break. So we made small talk with her while we knocked the apt doors around hers. Eventually I walked over, still making small talk, and then she just opened up and talked about her life, and the deaths she recently had. We talked about it, she told me she believed she would see them again and hold them again. What a great attitude to have! She taught me a great lesson to always stay positive even when faced with crazy trials.

We were trying to contact some potential investigators when I saw this lady and I just went to talk to her. It was kinda random and I think I spooked her because I had to walk through this little tunnel and pop out right before her. She talked to us about what she thought about church and how she was allowed to pick whatever church she wanted when she was a little kid. We set up a return appointment, went back two days later, she accepted a baptismal date of the 29th and her son James saved us! He was like, "Mom, let's go to church. I want to go." So shout out to James for saving us on that one.

Mary Jane and Jose were referrals from the Spanish elders, so their home it is pretty crazy to be in (they have kids running everywhere), so one of us will distract the kids while the other one teaches. Jose doesn't even speak English so we brought a Spanish member in our ward to teach with us. A very neat thing:  she was taught a year ago if i remember correct. She already is starting to quit smoking. Very prepared investigator, we kinda get really stressed out going over there because of all the craziness in the home but I know that it isn't about us. It is about Mary and Jose, and we will work with what we have been given.

LJ at church came up to us with his Grandma Linda. She told us that LJ is looking to get baptized while we are still here! We have been stopping by playing basketball with him, kind of just chilling, making sure he's good and waiting for the opportunity to bring up baptism. And then HE brings up baptism to US! Please pray for him. We have to get permission from his parents to baptize him. Many prayers are needed.

Funny experience we were riding bikes, not even a half mile from our house, and Elder Heimuli rips his pants. It was pretty bad. So we had to ride home and get that taken care of. And then Elder Taka and I had to fix our door. It took us about 20 minutes. It was a pretty simple fix, just put a piece of trim back on. Anyways thanks for reading!

Have a great week

Much love

Elder Quick