Dear Family and Friends,
Conference was really good! I liked Elder Oaks talk on how personal and priesthood revelation work together. I think it's the first conference where there weren't any distractions or people falling asleep and I watched every single session except for Priesthood. We watched it at the chapel here in Hampton. In the Sacrement Meeting room it was in Spanish and they set it up on a TV in the RS room in English. We were the only ones who came to watch it on Saturday though. I think a lot of people didn't even know it was General Conference weekend because when we got to the chapel on Sunday there were a lot of people already there and it was about 10:15 (church usually starts at 10 and conference started at 11 and Mexicans are late to EVERYTHING) So we were wondering why they were all early. We think that they just didn't know so they thought they were late to church but really they were just early for conference. They had food in between. Lots of rice and tortillas. And then we watched the rest of conference and came home and had dinner.
Our numbers for this week aren't very good because with all of the meetings and traveling we've been doing we haven't really had much time to teach lessons and talk to people. We had a Zone Conference in Ames (about an hour south) and our usual district meeting is on Thursday but we had it on Friday this week in Mason City (about 45 minutes north)
Did you watch Conference on Saturday Too? As I was watching conference I would think about how my family was probably watching it at the exact same time and I was trying to figure out where everyone was watching it at. I thought of Teala and her family and how they must be watching it at their house in Ivins, and Wyatt and his family in their home in Mapleton,and Riley in Logan. I imagined that mom and Clarence would be watching it with Sarah and her family in Glendale.
Did you have any talks that really stuck out to you? I also really liked the one from Saturday about being a good teacher, which was really applicable to me I think, since thats what I do all day long :) I thought of what a good teacher I thought Brother Haws was (my 9th grade seminary teacher) and about what made him such a good teacher. I think it was his attitude about the gospel. He loved it so much and it spread throughout his classes.
Can you believe I've been gone for 4 months....It's crazy!!!!! Time goes by so slow but yet so fast. Days are weeks and weeks are days.
Write me. I love all of you so much and miss you.
Love Herman Jilyn Hepworth
PS
The weather here is SO weird. It'll be pretty warm on Monday and then gradually get colder and colder until it's REALLY cold on Sunday....that's how it's been for the past 3 weeks. I'm glad I have all of my winter stuff.
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
September 27th, 2010
Mom is a little slow getting this one on.
Hi Family and friends,
This week we haven't been able to do much missionary work because we have been in lots of conferences, which have been good too. We had a Mission Tour with Elder Zwick, get out your conference Ensign :) (Who also happens to be my mission mom's brother, he didn't ask for our mission to be assigned to him, he said) So we went down to Des Moines for that, it was really good! President and Sister Jergensen both talked to us and then Elder Zwick, we had lunch and he spent until 4 talking to us. Mainly his message was about bearing powerful testimony and being exactly obedient.
My Spanish has been improving a lot! I read back and forth in the Book of Mormon....like this.
And up these write the things of my soul,
y sobre estas escribo las cosas de mi aima.
and many of the scriptures which are engraven upon the plates of brass.
y muchas de las Escrituras que estan grabadas sobre las planchas de bronce.
For my soul delighteth in the scriptures, and my heart pondereth them,
Porque mi alma se deleita en las Escrituras y mi corazon las medita.
and writeth them for the learning and profit of my children.
y las excribo para la instruccion y el beneficio de mis hijos.
This is in 2 Nephi 4:15. I read it yesterday and liked it a lot..,. that whole chapter actually, you should read it. It helps a lot, I used to only be able to do short little phrases. Now I'm, starting to be able to read whole verses and understand what it's talking about. When I do it this way I think I really get a lot out of my scripture study because it makes me focus on the words that are being said. I can think about what that individual sentence means. Hermana McGuire heard somewhere from one of the apostles, she thinks Elder Holland, that if you read the whole Book of Mormon in another language that by the time you're done you'll be fluent. So that's what I'm trying to do. And 2 Nephi 6 is where I'm at. I'm also trying to memorize lots of scriptures...in
English and Spanish. I have D&C 4 almost all of the way memorized in Spanish, I've recited it a lot in our meetings and never really realized what it's saying until I was writing it down in
English on a notecard, it's cool to read it with a missionary mindset. You should read it. I've been making lots of flash cards for that purpose.When I speak in Spanish now, most of the time I don't have to think about what I'm saying, I have a thought and I just say it, and it comes out in Spanish. It's pretty cool. Hermana McGuire described it a good way when she said its kind of like I just grew a new arm...does tht make sense. Its what it really feels like, that I've got this new part of me that wasn't there before and I'm not exactly sure what to do with it. It's cool though.
My loving of animals has helped us find people, one lady we were in her house but about to leave because she was saying she wasn't interested and she had a LOT of cats and so I asked to pet them. She started talking about her cats and then we ended up talking about the church some more and in the end she set up an appointment. Another time we were out walking around and I wanted to pet this dog who had an electric fence and so I was walking to the lawn trying to pet it and the owners came out. They were really nice and we're going to go back and teach them.
Did you go to Genral Relief Society Conference? It was really good, President Jergensen told us to go to it, so we caught a ride with an English member who lives in Iowa City now because none of our members could go. :( We drove to the Stake Center in Ames and had a dinner and watched it. I loved all the talks. I feel like Conference is so different to me now. I definately never appreciated it as much as I should have or do now. We are talking to EVERYONE about it, I like to try to imagine how a nonmember or recent convert would see it.
I love all of you lots
Hermana Hepworth
Mom is a little slow getting this one on.
Hi Family and friends,
This week we haven't been able to do much missionary work because we have been in lots of conferences, which have been good too. We had a Mission Tour with Elder Zwick, get out your conference Ensign :) (Who also happens to be my mission mom's brother, he didn't ask for our mission to be assigned to him, he said) So we went down to Des Moines for that, it was really good! President and Sister Jergensen both talked to us and then Elder Zwick, we had lunch and he spent until 4 talking to us. Mainly his message was about bearing powerful testimony and being exactly obedient.
My Spanish has been improving a lot! I read back and forth in the Book of Mormon....like this.
And up these write the things of my soul,
y sobre estas escribo las cosas de mi aima.
and many of the scriptures which are engraven upon the plates of brass.
y muchas de las Escrituras que estan grabadas sobre las planchas de bronce.
For my soul delighteth in the scriptures, and my heart pondereth them,
Porque mi alma se deleita en las Escrituras y mi corazon las medita.
and writeth them for the learning and profit of my children.
y las excribo para la instruccion y el beneficio de mis hijos.
This is in 2 Nephi 4:15. I read it yesterday and liked it a lot..,. that whole chapter actually, you should read it. It helps a lot, I used to only be able to do short little phrases. Now I'm, starting to be able to read whole verses and understand what it's talking about. When I do it this way I think I really get a lot out of my scripture study because it makes me focus on the words that are being said. I can think about what that individual sentence means. Hermana McGuire heard somewhere from one of the apostles, she thinks Elder Holland, that if you read the whole Book of Mormon in another language that by the time you're done you'll be fluent. So that's what I'm trying to do. And 2 Nephi 6 is where I'm at. I'm also trying to memorize lots of scriptures...in
English and Spanish. I have D&C 4 almost all of the way memorized in Spanish, I've recited it a lot in our meetings and never really realized what it's saying until I was writing it down in
English on a notecard, it's cool to read it with a missionary mindset. You should read it. I've been making lots of flash cards for that purpose.When I speak in Spanish now, most of the time I don't have to think about what I'm saying, I have a thought and I just say it, and it comes out in Spanish. It's pretty cool. Hermana McGuire described it a good way when she said its kind of like I just grew a new arm...does tht make sense. Its what it really feels like, that I've got this new part of me that wasn't there before and I'm not exactly sure what to do with it. It's cool though.
My loving of animals has helped us find people, one lady we were in her house but about to leave because she was saying she wasn't interested and she had a LOT of cats and so I asked to pet them. She started talking about her cats and then we ended up talking about the church some more and in the end she set up an appointment. Another time we were out walking around and I wanted to pet this dog who had an electric fence and so I was walking to the lawn trying to pet it and the owners came out. They were really nice and we're going to go back and teach them.
Did you go to Genral Relief Society Conference? It was really good, President Jergensen told us to go to it, so we caught a ride with an English member who lives in Iowa City now because none of our members could go. :( We drove to the Stake Center in Ames and had a dinner and watched it. I loved all the talks. I feel like Conference is so different to me now. I definately never appreciated it as much as I should have or do now. We are talking to EVERYONE about it, I like to try to imagine how a nonmember or recent convert would see it.
I love all of you lots
Hermana Hepworth
Monday, September 27, 2010
Last week we had Josh's baptism, and Saturday we had another one, Fadee's. Josh had to be baptized 3 times because President Sosa had never baptized somebody before and he used the wrong arm. Second time his clothes didn't go down, and the third time was the charm. We had a big party afterward with lots of food. I don't know about the other Hermanas but I was worried about Fadies going all of the way under the water because of her big belly (She is REALLY pregnant) plus she had to wear a dress so we didn't want that coming up. But it went fine, she was really nervous but we could really feel the spirit! Hermana Dalton has had a baptism every Saturday that she's been here....so we need to keep it that way!
I like having Hermana Dalton here, it's not very often tht it happens where you have a trainer with two greenies. I like hearing Hermana McGuire tell her all the tings that she needs to know because then it sticks it in my brain better.
One thing weird tht happened this week is that the whole town got toilet papered. We saw giant groups of kids toilet papering the town on Monday night and the police watching them do it. We found out later that it is for Homecoming week. The whole town does it every night. It's a pretty stupid tradition, wasting toilet paper and making the whole town look like a toilet bowl!
Yesterday it was FREEZING outside and so we assumed that it was going to be a cold today so we bundled up and it turned out to be 83 degrees outside so we had to go back in and change. I wish the weather would just make up its mind! They keep telling me it's going to start snowing once October comes.
I have been doing this crazy thing every since I have arrived in Iowa, or at least since the 2nd week I arrived in Hampton. Making my bed....in the middle of the night, like at one or two in the morning. It's so weird. I've been doing it for the last five weeks. I'll make it and then just sit on my bed until I wake up. A couple of times I've woken up while I'm in the process of making it. It happens about once a week, so now it's a joke between me and Hermana McGuire because there have been a couple of times where she's woken up in the middle of the night and seen me doing it. So ,she wakes me up. Bah. I feel weird about it because I can't control it.
Well lots of other thingsw have happened these past few weeks but whenever I sit down at the computer, I forget what happened. I always wonder who reads this thing. It'll be cool to be able to go through the whole thing once I can see it. Not that I'm counting or anything. I don't want to figure out when I'm coming home, it's better to not know I think.
Remember, you can always write me a letter if you want. :)
8515 Douglas Ave. #19
Urbandale, IA 50322
Hermana Jilyn Hepworth
I like having Hermana Dalton here, it's not very often tht it happens where you have a trainer with two greenies. I like hearing Hermana McGuire tell her all the tings that she needs to know because then it sticks it in my brain better.
One thing weird tht happened this week is that the whole town got toilet papered. We saw giant groups of kids toilet papering the town on Monday night and the police watching them do it. We found out later that it is for Homecoming week. The whole town does it every night. It's a pretty stupid tradition, wasting toilet paper and making the whole town look like a toilet bowl!
Yesterday it was FREEZING outside and so we assumed that it was going to be a cold today so we bundled up and it turned out to be 83 degrees outside so we had to go back in and change. I wish the weather would just make up its mind! They keep telling me it's going to start snowing once October comes.
I have been doing this crazy thing every since I have arrived in Iowa, or at least since the 2nd week I arrived in Hampton. Making my bed....in the middle of the night, like at one or two in the morning. It's so weird. I've been doing it for the last five weeks. I'll make it and then just sit on my bed until I wake up. A couple of times I've woken up while I'm in the process of making it. It happens about once a week, so now it's a joke between me and Hermana McGuire because there have been a couple of times where she's woken up in the middle of the night and seen me doing it. So ,she wakes me up. Bah. I feel weird about it because I can't control it.
Well lots of other thingsw have happened these past few weeks but whenever I sit down at the computer, I forget what happened. I always wonder who reads this thing. It'll be cool to be able to go through the whole thing once I can see it. Not that I'm counting or anything. I don't want to figure out when I'm coming home, it's better to not know I think.
Remember, you can always write me a letter if you want. :)
8515 Douglas Ave. #19
Urbandale, IA 50322
Hermana Jilyn Hepworth
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
For the world
Well, we were really sad on Tuesday, Becky wasn't home for our appointment so we called the number she gave us, nobody answered. I left a message and we got a call back. It was her husband., Christoff. He hasn't been home at all for the lessons that we've been teaching her but he wasn't very happy on the phone. (which was sad because I really liked him before. We found him on my birthday and he's the crazy French guy that thought we were baby sitters.) He was telling me how he was the one in charge of the house, he makes the decisions, and they weren't interested and he wanted to give the books back. We were worried that Becky wasn't interested anymore so we waited a while and a couple of days ago, we went to her house, hoping her husband wasn't there. Well, he wasn't and she told us that she was wondering if we were going to come back. Christoff didn't say a word to her about talking to us on the phone. So anyway, we were really happy because we really love her! We also had an interesting experience with one of the English members (we have a couple that come to the branch in Hampton because they think Mason City is too far away, it's about 30 minutes away) Katrina...she's interesting. We talked to her for the first time when were were with Sister Jergensen for the day and we had stopped at a yard sale. She talked about how she has MS and how she's not suffrering from the symptoms right now. Sister Jergensen said something like, "Oh good, so it's in remission." Fast forward 3 days and we're in her house, we asked her if there was a subject she wants to talk about..thinking that she'll say some gospel principle or something like that. Nope, she was very offended by the word "remission" and that
Sister Jergensen labeled her with that word. We actually think tht she doesn't know what MS is or remission because she says that it's "fear" and it's not a disease. We spent a long time talking to her (in English) and I understood all of the words coming out of her mouth, but when we left I had no clue what we had just talked about. It didn't make any sense. She actually called us yesterday and was still upset about it. She said she was having stomach pains and she knew that it was because she took the sacremant while she was angry and she wanted Sister Jergensens phone number. We talked to Sister Jergensen about it and she's going to talk to her. I feel bad though because Sister Jergensen is the sweetest lady ever and she would never want to hurt somebody's feelings. We're just going to continue to visit Katrina and love her. It sounds like she's had a pretty hare life from what I understand. We've had some pretty cool coincidences..but I don't think that any of the things that happen really are coincidences, more like little miracles. It makes the times when people are rude to us worth it!!!!
WRITE ME LETTERS PLEASE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :)
Sister Jergensen labeled her with that word. We actually think tht she doesn't know what MS is or remission because she says that it's "fear" and it's not a disease. We spent a long time talking to her (in English) and I understood all of the words coming out of her mouth, but when we left I had no clue what we had just talked about. It didn't make any sense. She actually called us yesterday and was still upset about it. She said she was having stomach pains and she knew that it was because she took the sacremant while she was angry and she wanted Sister Jergensens phone number. We talked to Sister Jergensen about it and she's going to talk to her. I feel bad though because Sister Jergensen is the sweetest lady ever and she would never want to hurt somebody's feelings. We're just going to continue to visit Katrina and love her. It sounds like she's had a pretty hare life from what I understand. We've had some pretty cool coincidences..but I don't think that any of the things that happen really are coincidences, more like little miracles. It makes the times when people are rude to us worth it!!!!
WRITE ME LETTERS PLEASE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :)
Monday, August 16, 2010
Missionary Contacts
We did some service for Joyce, we helped her with her yard work. She's not a member but she knows the gospel is true and that it was restored through Joseph Smith. Her husband is really against it so she basically wants to wait until he dies...not that she wants him to die or anything, but yeah. She's almost 90 and her mind is still really sharp! She owns a farm, we went out there and it was fun. She used to do lots of pottery and she has a wheel and a kiln. She used to teach pottery classes at city hall and so that's where her kiln is. We're going to help her get it out this week so that next Monday on our pday we can make pottery. yea. That will be really fun! We taught Becky, she always asks about the commitments we want to extend to her. She read our pamphlet on the Plan of Salvation and she asked about baptism. She is willing to be baptized when she gets her answer to it's truth. She has no problem accepting that there could be a prophet on the earth today and that there could be more scriptures and when you think about it, why would there be a problem anyway? Heavenly Father has called a prophet before. He's done many miracles through His prophets so if he wants to do it again then he can! He can have more scripture if He wants. It's not such a crazy idea!
It was so hot and sunny outside while we were doing service for Joyce and we were swimming in our sweat and later that day we were having dinner at a members house, when we left it was raining SO hard outside We got SOAKED! I really wanted a picture of us tracting in the rain. They say your spouse gets better looking if you go tracting in the rain.
We were talking to an investigator named Yanira, her kids have been baptized in our church and so she's been taught before. She was telling us how she had evil spirits in her home and a lot of creepy things happened and I felt kinda uncomfortable while we were talking about it but then we started talking about Joseph Smith and the Restoration and the spirit in the room changed completely because the spirit was there. She even noticed it too because she commented on how she always feels good when the missionaries come over and she felt the spirit there. I have high hopes for her.
Our mission presidents wife came on Friday. Sister Jergensen. It was fun. She came to all of our appointments with us! On Saturday we encountered a lady in the park that wasn't very friendly. She told us to "move along" we just brushed it off our shoulders cause she doesn't know what she just turned down! The branch was so small until this week because they were all in Mexico but they all returned this week so most of the chairs were full at church. YEA! I got to speak in Sacrament Meeting. I bore my testimony and we have taught Relief Society these last two weeks which was harder because they talk back to you and it's hard for me to understand them with their thick accents.
We've been walking around so we won't used up our miles that we have for the car, plus you can't meet anybody when you are in a car. So we've been able to meet a lot of new people just by walking around town. As we were walking around I got to thinking about how cool my life is right now. My only responsibility is to talk to people about the church. About the gospel of Jesus Christ and how we have a prophet on the earth today and scripture written for our day. It's really cool. I get to help others come unto Christ.
Write me letters and let me know what has been going on.
Love Hermana Jilyn Heporth
It was so hot and sunny outside while we were doing service for Joyce and we were swimming in our sweat and later that day we were having dinner at a members house, when we left it was raining SO hard outside We got SOAKED! I really wanted a picture of us tracting in the rain. They say your spouse gets better looking if you go tracting in the rain.
We were talking to an investigator named Yanira, her kids have been baptized in our church and so she's been taught before. She was telling us how she had evil spirits in her home and a lot of creepy things happened and I felt kinda uncomfortable while we were talking about it but then we started talking about Joseph Smith and the Restoration and the spirit in the room changed completely because the spirit was there. She even noticed it too because she commented on how she always feels good when the missionaries come over and she felt the spirit there. I have high hopes for her.
Our mission presidents wife came on Friday. Sister Jergensen. It was fun. She came to all of our appointments with us! On Saturday we encountered a lady in the park that wasn't very friendly. She told us to "move along" we just brushed it off our shoulders cause she doesn't know what she just turned down! The branch was so small until this week because they were all in Mexico but they all returned this week so most of the chairs were full at church. YEA! I got to speak in Sacrament Meeting. I bore my testimony and we have taught Relief Society these last two weeks which was harder because they talk back to you and it's hard for me to understand them with their thick accents.
We've been walking around so we won't used up our miles that we have for the car, plus you can't meet anybody when you are in a car. So we've been able to meet a lot of new people just by walking around town. As we were walking around I got to thinking about how cool my life is right now. My only responsibility is to talk to people about the church. About the gospel of Jesus Christ and how we have a prophet on the earth today and scripture written for our day. It's really cool. I get to help others come unto Christ.
Write me letters and let me know what has been going on.
Love Hermana Jilyn Heporth
Sunday, August 8, 2010
We stayed the first night at the mission home, and it was fun. We had dinner, and a group meeting. We also shared our testimonies, and had an interview with President Jergensen. The next day Hermana Guthrie and I studied, then met our trainers. My trainers name is Hermana Liz McGuire, and we're serving in the Hampton area. We drove to Hampton (we have a car and it took 2 hours). The area book is a mess, and there aren't any investigators with a baptismal date. So we've just been going around to visit people in the book. When they don't answer the door we just knock on other doors. This french guy opened the door of one of the houses and said, "Oh, the babysitters are here....2 babysitters!" It was funny! When we got things figured out, like how we're NOT the babysitters, he invited us in and we talked to him a little bit. His name is Christoff, and we actually happened to have one french book of Mormon in our apartment, so we took it over to their house yesterday. They have 2 kids and they are so cute! Most people don't seem very interested, but I pray that their hearts will be touched, and they'll let us talk to them. Hermana McGuire does most of the talking. I started practicing my initial apporach today, and I'm going to practice it with Hermana McGuire tomorrow. Monday is my new P-day. There are some missionaries that served in this mission about a year ago, and they are going over the area book with us today. They cam back to tour their mission.
Saturday, July 24, 2010
Hola Como esta?
I don't have my scriptures in English, only Spanish, they gave us nice scriptures in Spanish. My knee originally hurt on the outside right after the fall, after about a week and a half Dr. Sampson wanted me to go to another Dr. because the shot did not help. he gave me a prescription for 800 MG ibuprofen to take 1 at every meal and he gave me a strap to wear. It's been feeling better and the physical therapy's been good. They'll still let me go if it hurts. I can ride bikes still. One of the Elders in my zone just told me there's an Elder Hepworth that came to the MTC this Wednesday. We're everywhere speaking of Wednesdays, new missionary day, I get to be a missionary host. We've all been wanting to do that since we've gotten here and we've seen Elders/sisters do it that get here after us. So basically when I got here the Elders that carried my baggage away when I last saw you, took me to my missionary hos,t and she helped me take my stuff up to my room. We didn't get to unpack until that night. And took me to get my materials and MTC supplies and showed me around a little bit and took me to my classroom. That's what I get to do this Wednesday. When I was doing my service at the senior Missionary building like usual, I was talking to one couple and they looked familiar. And I guess they thought the same of me because they saw my last name and said "Hepworth" you look just like a Gifford and then they asked about YOU! Lamar Woodbury and his wife. He said that he and Uncle Dean are best friends. They're going to Brazil I think. On Saturday we all decided to wear blue, (my district) it was funny! When I was leading on Sunday during Sacrament Meeting something funny happened! I was conducting in Sacrament meeting and we were singing a hymn that's not in the English book #88 if you want to look it up) WE always sing it in our classroom but without the piano so when Hermana Pertersen started playing I thought it was the wrong song. I was so confused and we had a conversation with her, me on the stand and her at the piano so it kinda yelled yeah it was the right song. Everyone laughed, it made my day. We had an English fast on Monday. my brain was so fired!
I really love D&C 6:36 and Mosiah 4:9-10. I love the last line....see that ye DO them! It's not enough just to believe.
I will be flying out on Wednesday, July 28th. I will leave SLC at 8:30 AM arriving at Dallas at 12:05. While I am there I will be able to call you Mom. I leave Dallas at 1:00PM and arrive in Des Moines, IA at 2:45 PM
I love all of you and miss you a lot but I am happy doing the Lords work.
I really love D&C 6:36 and Mosiah 4:9-10. I love the last line....see that ye DO them! It's not enough just to believe.
I will be flying out on Wednesday, July 28th. I will leave SLC at 8:30 AM arriving at Dallas at 12:05. While I am there I will be able to call you Mom. I leave Dallas at 1:00PM and arrive in Des Moines, IA at 2:45 PM
I love all of you and miss you a lot but I am happy doing the Lords work.
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