Mission Update July 26, 2009

July 26, 2009

Dear Family and Friends,
Sister Heaton and I made it through our first transfer and guess what? We still have the same companions, even though Sister Heaton was campaigning for a new one! The young missionaries on the other hand had to sweat it out to see if they were staying or leaving. There have been a lot of happy/sad moments. Another result is that we have had many baptisms which seems go up around transfer time. The really good missionaries try hard to reap the harvest of their labor. Today we had five baptisms at the inter-stake center from 3 different wards and a Chinese baptism.
Our new Mission President has been baptized in the mission with fire. He has had a “Meet the President” meeting with all 4 zones, Zone Conferences, interviews with 204 missionaries not to mention the Senior Couples. He has had speaking assignments almost every Sunday with virtually all of the Stakes. He replaces two old Mission Presidents. We had a record 22 missionaries arrive just before he arrived and now transfers. Then it all starts over! And we have a new mission computer program that Salt Lake gave us that we are trying to implement. He has held up remarkably well considering that he has 3 young children ranging in age from 3 to 14.
Sister Heaton continues to save lives and tithing funds. We had a frantic call at about 9:00 pm the other night. There were 5 Elders coming homein a car from a ward function. One of the Elders was vomiting and going into a spasm. The Elder on the line thought he was going to die and wanted to rush him to the emergency room. Sister Heaton asked what they had been eating and determined that the food was a little suspect. Finally another Elder got on the phone and took control and asked what needed to be done. She told him that it sounded like it might be food poisoning and that it would have to work its way out of his system. He said the Elder was light headed and tingly all over. She asked if they had a bag of some sort that he could breath into. They did and she told them that he was hyperventilating and that it would soon go away. After hanging up the phone, about an hour later we get another call. This time it was from a member that these Elders went over to see. Turns out it was the Bishop of the Ward and seemed to have some type of medical experience and he wanted to send him down to the Emergency Room. Sister Heaton patiently went over again what she thought the problem was and that it would have to run its course. That taking the Elder down to the ER would not help the problem, but that she would call the area medical Doctor and have him call them. When the Doctor called back he confirmed what Sister Heaton had thought that it was and sent them home to let it run its course. He also mentioned that the Bishop was a Vet for animals. When she talked to President Wade the next day about what happened and she got to the part that of the Bishop wanting to send him to the ER he asked what did he do, feel the Elder for a wet nose or check to see if his tongue was purple. We all had a pretty good laugh. The Elder survived and was back out on the street a day later.
I have been out on several teaching appointments. My Elder and Sister bait of offering them Reeses Peanut Butter Cups seems to be working well. I am now over phones and have named myself the “PHONE CZAR”! I have the dubious task of checking phone logs to make sure that mission rules are being complied with. I have called all of the violators with the same approach. I let them know that I am the newly appointed “Phone Czar” and ask them if they know what a Czar is? They usually say no, so I explain to them that the Czars were leaders in Russia that united the people and made them comply with the rules. Then I asked if they knew what the Czar did if they did not comply. They usually said, “Kill them???”. Yes I would say. That is correct. Then I asked them if they knew what mission policy was for phone use. They said, yes. Then I asked, “Well so that we are on the same page, what is your version?” They would rehearse the policy and I would fill in the blanks. Then I would say that we have a few policy violations that I am sure there is a good explanation for because President Wade is going to see this log and I need to tell him about it. Most of the time they cleared it up and promised to use the phones for their intended use. If it was bad or they would not confess, then I asked if they needed to talk to the President. Usually that got to the bottom of the problem. However, I did have two that needed to talk to the President. So much for the Phone Czar and so far I haven’t had to kill one of them.
Our District fasted this last week for the Nepal Refugees. Miracles are happening with this group and we have had our first commitment for baptism and teaching appointments with several others. I had the opportunity to help teach Berindri, Mon and their son Bimal last week and what a lovely family they are. We need your prayers that we help these people understand and live the gospel.
I went out teaching with the Spanish Elders too and committed a recent convert get his Patriarchal Blessing and start coming back to church. Unfortunately he did not show up to church this week. My heart just bleeds for those that Satan continues to blind and sift. There are other experiences too numerous to mention, but we still are enveloped in the work and loving it. Other than our family and friends, it is the best, but isn’t it all just one composite anyway?
We love you,

Elder & Sister Heaton
P.S. I have been reading in the missionary journal of William Heaton my great, great, grandfather who served for 5 years in England before he migrated to Utah. He was the first missionary on the Heaton side of my family. Interesting to me is that we have had at least (3) descendents from him serving in this mission. Myself, Sister Caroll Gubler Jensen who just recently went home with her husband to Canada. Her mother is Genevieve Heaton Gubler from LaVerkin and newly arrived Elder Matthew John Schmutz from Kanab whose mother or grandmother is a Heaton I believe. I will ever be grateful, especially at this time when we revere our Pioneer Heritage. They literally provided this opportunity to have the eternal gospel in my life and now so many others. I hope that my mission somehow pays part of the debt.