If you were stuck on an Alaskan island, which sister missionary would you bring?

Hey all! 

For those of you who may not have heard already, I'm heading to Sitka! I'll fly to Juneau Wednesday and then off to Sitka Thursday! I have to be honest, this is hands down the most bittersweet I've ever felt. I'm so excited to go to Sitka and open the area to sisters but, leaving the Rabbit Creek Ward is so difficult.. I'll really miss the incredible people I've met and the experience I've had. Saying goodbye to people this weekend nearly tore my heart out, but I can find comfort in knowing that God will be with them till we meet again, no matter where that reunion might be.

So, this week has been the craziest week! Last Monday I ended up going hiking with a group of missionaries which was fun! The hike was to flat-top and it was GORGEOUS! It's still covered in snow so that was a little tough because it felt like hiking in mud but I made it and the view was so worth it. We slid down instead of hiking down afterwards which was a blast! :) Probably my favorite P-Day so far!

Bernard took us out to dinner with the elders that are now teaching him this Wednesday. He is doing so great and still on board to get baptized in a few weeks so that will be great to hopefully see the pictures in a few weeks! We also went to ice cream with Emily who is high school senior. Emily has been investigating the church for about a year now and has taken all the lessons and wants to be baptized but her parents want her to wait so she's just continuing to press forward. She's already looked into the institute at the college she's going to and she's really great! :)

We were able to have dinner with the Boulch's Friday which was really good. They're an older couple and Brother Boulch is a less active member but they're both just the nicest people.  The young women from Petersburg (Sister Hatfield's last area) flew in to go to the temple Saturday morning so that was really great to meet them! I am so impressed with the youth here and their desire to be good and press forward no matter what situation they're in. Friday morning I was able to go to the temple with all the other sister missionaries in the bowl (near Anchorage) which was great! That's the third time I've been able to do a session here, and I'm going tomorrow after transfer meeting with the new sister missionary that's coming in! :)

Saturday we had a lesson with Katrina and Allison. That was really hard to say goodbye to both of them. :( I think I've learned five times more from both of them then they've learned from me.

Yesterday was crazy.. I don't think we stopped moving all day! We were saying goodbye to a lot of people and setting up things for the last day in the area.

I will really miss Anchorage and the people that came with it but excited to start this new adventure! Thanks for the love, prayers, and letters. Keep reading your scriptures and praying every day!

Love ya!

Sister Hedelius

You know you might live in Alaska if you turn the AC on at 35 degrees..

Happy Earth Day everyone! (Every day is a holiday!)

Thanks for the letters! You know how I just love them! :) This week was a blast! Just so you know, this is the last week of the transfer so, next Monday I can let you know if I'm shipping out or staying here! Can't believe I'm almost done being companions with Sister Hatfield :( I'll really miss her and the amazing missionary she is!

So we got to help with the boxer puppies again this last Tuesday which was a blast! Sister Hatfield and I saw the lady who owns them (Sister Webb) at church on Sunday which was great! She's an incredible woman. She was actually Jewish for like fourty years or something but joined the church a few years ago! Amazing!

We also got to talk to Katrina (the lady we teach over Skype) which was good. She is AMAZING. I am so blown away with the insights she shares with us. I have my scriptures covered with insights she's shared with us! Love her desire to learn!

Audrey is still out touring Ivy League Colleges on the East coast (sounds like someone we know... ;) ) so we didn't get to met with her but we're planning on see her this week!

Allison is incredible as always! She was talking about the Book of Mormon and she said, "it was really frustrating I had so much homework this week, because all I wanted to do was read the Book of Mormon!" RIGHT?! So cool. Sister Hatfield and I flipped out we were so excited. She came to church again and even participated in Sunday School. She's pretty much awesome.

Sister Hatfield's gallbladder has been acting up which is so sad. :( I feel bad she's been in pain! Going in to get an ultrasound this week to see what the deal is. There have been a lot of missionaries with gallbladder problems, one of the sisters who came out just last transfer (six weeks after me) had her's removed last week! I guess it's a blessing I don't have to worry about that at all. :)

So Sister Hatfield and I had a little field trip to Eagle River Saturday which was fun! We were in a temporary trio with Sister Ashbrook, Sister Hatfield's old companion from Peterburg! Sister Ashbrook is SO COOL. I love her so much. :) I just love the the sisters who are out here in Alaska! Feel blessed to have so many good friends already!

Well love you all! Congrats to the Grad :) (Does this mean Mark will not be wearing a teletubby suit this time? ;) ) haha

Love ya!!!

Sister Hedelius

Puppies and parrots and legless lizards-OH MY!

Hey ya'll!

Thanks for the emails and package full of goodies and letters and everything this week! :) Glad hear about the St. George fun as well as Nan's recital! I sure miss those three hour recitals, but I'm sure everyone did great! Good luck to the two little people who are participating in festival this weekend! ;) BIG congratulations to Bryce on the math competition!!! I'm glad I have such awesome siblings that I can brag to everyone about. :)  

So as you could probably guess from my subject, we had an exciting week! Sister Hatfield's birthday was last Wednesday and our district leader invited us to a members house to do service that day-bottle feeding boxer puppies. (cute right?!) So he (our district leader) had told the lady the day before that Sister Hatfield was having a birthday and asked if there was anything she could do. SOO- we just barely introduce ourselves to this lady and she turned to Sister Hatfield and asked if it was her birthday, Sister Hatfield responded in the the postive, and this lady busted out a can of silly string and started singing and covering her all over with silly string! SO comical!!! hahah couldn't stop laughing! it was great! It was at this same member's house that we also held legless lizards and a parrot! She is great! I'll send some pictures eventually. I'm sending some pictures in the mail this week btw so keep your eyes peeled for them.

Dad asked about Allison!!! She's on date!!! We went on exchanged this week so I actually wasn't there when she agreed on a date to be baptized-but I was so excited to hear about it!!! We got a call from Sister Hatfield and Sister Hatfield just said "guess what just happened!!" and I said, "Allison is on date?" (not being completely serious), and Sister Hatfield said, "she sure is!" I was so shocked and thrilled I just started bawling. Happiest moment thus far on my mission-hands down. She also came to church yesterday which was exciting. :) She liked it and is planning on coming next week which is good! Sister Hatfield and I are doing a musical number in sacrament meeting next Sunday so we're hoping that will be motivation for some of our investigators and less active friends to come!

Sister Hatfield with Legless lizard

Well thanks so much for all the love and support! Keep sharing the gospel through your example in your corner of the world! Look up to and love ya'll so much!

Sister Hedelius
 

Wasn't General Conference great?!

Hey all!

 

First off, wasn't conference great?! I loved it! Couldn't help but think of mom on Saturday morning when the women in the choir were wearing purple. Thought she'd like that color. ;) But those talks were great! I especially liked Elder Holland's talk! He is so funny, loved his emphasis on believing and then knowing. I feel like on my mission I have made tremendous progress towards having a firm knowledge and understand of the gospel like I never have before. My conviction of the truth of Jesus Christ and his gospel grows exponentially each day and my desire for others to know the truth is growing so much that it sometimes pains me to think of the people who don't have the gospel in their lives, and that don't have the comforting knowledge of Jesus Christ's atonement for each of us. Grateful to be a missionary here in Alaska and invite others to come unto Christ! 

 

We had a good week! Spent all day Saturday and Sunday contacting referrals! Yesterday we were contacting and we have an appointment to come back next week! Woot! That was really exciting! :) 

 

Guess who I talked to on the phone yesterday? Hilary Weeks. NBD. :) haha her brother is in our ward and called her up to prove she's his sister!! Rabbit Creek is obviously the ward to serve in because everyone is related to famous people! haha :)

 

Also, really exciting news! I got to meet Billy, our investigator we teach over the phone! He was in Anchorage for medical reasons and is actually flying down to Arizona this week to make sure everything is okay so it was unfortunate the reasons why he was in Anchorage, but it was great to meet him and to talk to him in person. Not something I thought I'd ever actually be able to do! 

 

Bernard is still doing super great. As of this afternoon he will be officially passed off to the YSA elders which is good. They're the perfect fit for him as missionaries and the YSA has been good to him, and he's been good to the YSA :)

 

Allison watched conference with us Saturday morning and she seemed to really like it! She thought it was "cool that there was an underlining theme but all the talks were different" haha :) she's really enjoying the Book of Mormon and the stories in the Book of Mormon! P.s. Her boyfriend is serving his mission in Colorado! Made me think of my two favorite Coloradians. Which mission is Broomfield in? 

 

The work is going great! Loving being a missionary. Glad the snow has once again sweeped through Anchorage. :) It's a beautiful day! :) 

 

Love you all! Thanks for the love and support!

 

Love,

Sister Hedelius

Knee deep in the snow somewhere..

Happy April Fools Day :)
 

It was so great to hear about the fun California times this past week! Good luck to the "little people" with the math competition that's this week. Kick some integral! From those pictures I just sent, you can see I was knee deep in the snow yesterday afternoon to knock icicles down! Talk about exciting times here in Alaska! :) haha it's a good thing my boots are as high as they are. :)
 

So exciting news in the missionary work here in Anchorage, two of the people we're teaching have a baptismal date! That's extra exciting because the last time the missionaries serving in this area had anyone on date was August, and now we have two! We're pumped. :) The work is hastening! The first guy is the one we teach over the phone, Billy, and he's so solid. He's actually moving down to Gilbert, AZ this summer which is where Sister Hatfield grew up, but he's getting baptised before he moves to Arizona. So we are so excited for him. He is the one that basically teaches us the lessons because he's been calling into the Bush Branch the past year so he knows a lot and is super smart!

The other one on date is Bernard! Bernard is good friends with a family in our ward but he's 28 so we're passing him over to the YSA Elders, but he's getting baptised! He's the one that just came to church one weekend back in early March and he is just on fire. Seriously, so sharp and just awesome. :)
 

We've got plans to watch every session of general conference with an investigator this week so we are SOOO excited! :) One of our investigators we're watching with we just started teaching a couple weeks ago, her name is Allison. We are like the same person. haha, she loves pretty dress, academics, and music, how much more alike can you get? haha She's incredible, and so intelligent. But we're watching it with her at a member's house Saturday morning and having french toast and bacon so it's gonna be great!! Plus, we'll be being inspired by men called of God! :) haha

 

So here is a funny story :) haha we went and visited a nonmember lady in our ward area and she is darling. She has a pet dog, and her pet dog has a pet fish! That's right. The dog has a pet. haha how cute is that? haha the dog's name is Tuffy and the fish's name is Elvis. :) maybe we should get Poco a pet fish!! :) haha

 

It's been so exciting to hear about all the girls getting mission calls!!!!! It is such an incredible time to serve! Some people may think of serving a mission as a service, others maybe an obligation, but honestly, I can only see it as a privilege. I feel so blessed to have these 18 months to help others see the happiness and peace that comes from following our Savior. The reason I'm out here is really well stated in D&C 4:3, I had that desire to serve God and knew that was what he wanted me to be doing at this point in my life! I can't imagine anything I could be doing right now that would bring me more happiness, satisfaction, and peace. I absolutely LOVE being a missionary!

 

Hope you all have a wonderful week! Don't forget to tune into General  Conference this weekend! It's going to be great! :)

 

Love ya'll!

 

Sister Hedelius

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