Daily Doings
Still in Krefeld with a new companion! His name is Elder Lahman, and he is from Grantsville, UT. So far, Elder Heilmann knows that he likes cars. ;) That's about it. His last companion, Elder Wright, was on the plane home as we were chatting. So he was officially 'killed off.' Mission slang is so funny.
Again, we were able to have multiple people on the call. Me, Daddy, Aveline, Elder Heilmann, and then Tristan joined us from the other room. Elder Heilmann greeted Tristan in German. We were all quiet for a moment, and then Daddy said, "This is where you say, Bien! y tu?" LOL Leave it to Daddy to break the ice.
Elder Heilmann shared some good news! They found the key to the linen closet, so now they don't have to sleep on bare mattresses! YUCK!!! Sheets and towels. Yay for the closet key. Why do they even have a key? Oh well. At least now I don't have to keep asking him if he wants me to buy sheets.
I super like buying things for him, but he keeps begging me not to send him any holiday decorations. Even ones that he can totally throw away after the holiday is over. ;) So, of course, I bought him something for the holiday...not decorations, though, so I felt respectable. I asked him what he wanted for Valentine's Day. He said a kiss on the cheek from his mommy, so I secretly bought him a keychain that I had engraved with ein mutterskus, which says 'a mothers kiss' in German. It should get there by Valentine's Day.
We kept bugging him and asking what else he wanted for Valentine's Day because it was funny and we are annoying. Daddy kept showing him stuffed unicorns and asking him if he wanted them. Of course, Aveline saw them and said she definitely needed unicorns for Valentine's Day. Then Aveline and Elder Heilmann called each other silly, growled, and made faces, which cracked them both up and gave Aveline hiccups.
I just LOVE watching the two of them together. We convinced her to sing Elder Heilmann a song. She started with "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star" and then wove into a Moana song but ended early because she was "too tired" The smile on his face, though, was worth a million songs!
Missionary Work
Me: "Have you had any fun, and strange, interesting, or spiritual experiences?" LOL
Elder Heilmann: "I'm on a mission. It's all of the above!"
Elder Heilmann can now read the mission rules in English, and he is internalizing and processing them so much better. He loves to know the rules so that he can follow them (so my son). "I love following the rules." He said it is bringing him a great sense of peace, and it "just feels really good!"
Me: "So what other spiritual experiences are you experiencing...spiritually?"
Elder Heilmann: "In my spirit? Joy! I'm just happy!!"
The Elders are experiencing higher success than average for this area. I can't help but feel that all the prayers on their behalf and on behalf of those who they are reaching are being answered. Good stuff is happening in Krefeld. I have a feeling that some of the smiles come from their teaching buddy, Baffy the Squirell. It sure put a smile on MY face!
The highlight of the week? Ben was HAPPY! He's not usually happy as he is really struggling with his addictions, but he was this visit, and it was amazing. The Elders spent a long time scrubbing and cleaning his house this week, and their friendship and service have made a difference. It's just stellar.
We got to opportunity to share OUR highlight of the week with him. Our Washington State friend's son just got called to serve in Frankfurt, Germany!! Whoooo!!! His mission will start on June 6th, just like Elder Heilmann. We are hoping that Elder Heilmann gets to be his trainer. They were little together in Primary years ago. They may not remember each other right away, but maybe we will ALL be pleasantly surprised. I am just so excited about the possibilities.
Quirky Germany
- Elder Heilmann told us about an AMERICAN school bus turned into a house in Germany. That must have been tricky to get there.
- I asked Elder Heilmann if he was aware of the movie, "Encanto". He said, "No. Never heard of it." I then said, "Do you know the song, 'We don't talk about Bruno, no, no, no." His face lit up. "Ya! Ya! I know that song." LOL I just wanted to know how viral that song was worldwide. It has hit the ears of an American Missionary in Germany....who has like next to zero technology access. Hilarious.
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Feb 14: Valentines Day and Daddy's Birthday (13th) call.
Missionary Work
I got a surprise call from Elder Heilmann on Valentine's Day! It definitely made the day super extra special. He had some manic agitation when he got on, and it made me laugh. "What on earth is wrong!?" I then settled in for a really great story!!
On Elder Wright's last Sunday, he made an appointment for dinner with "Bree". Elder Heilmann wasn't around when the appointment was made, and so then it was up to Elder Wright and Elder Heilmann to attend to it. The Elders don't have access to Member Tools on their mission, so they went off the information that they had. They showed up at the Bree family home this early evening and were greeted by Brother Bree, who is 88 years old and not very mobile, and his daughter, who is in her 60s. Brother Bree's daughter lives and works a few hours away but comes to Krefeld to take care of her father several times a week. They have a wonderful relationship, and the Elder's had a great time chatting with them. Brother Bree had been expecting them at some point, so he was happy to welcome them in for a visit.
During their nice visit, the Elder's kept getting calls and texts. They initially ignored them, but since they became insistent, Elder Heilmann went ahead and checked the phone. In German, the first text he saw said, "Where are you, then?" It was a "Where the heck are you" phrase. Elder Heilmann said his heart learched. He called the number back and realized he was talking to Bree (first name) and that she had made dinner and was waiting for the Elder's to come to their appointment!! He said it sounded like she was laughing a little as he explained that they went to Brother Bree's home and not to her home...Bree. Elder Heilmann was SO FRUSTRATED!
He ended up mad-laughing all the way home, and called me while he was still reeling from the experience. He said, "it was a great appointment that we never set!" with the Bree family. He plans on making Bree, herself, some cookies, and another appointment with her to make it up to her. Neither Elder has ever met her before, so they are hopeful she is forgiving and can laugh this off.
He decided to pull out his guitar to try to relax a bit. He started strumming, and I began to melt. I miss his music so much. He played a song from "Steven Universe," "I'm In Love With A Big Blue Frog," jammed to "Girl Put Your Records On," and ended with "Cattle Call." It was a beautiful Valentine's Day concert. I LOVED IT!!
We were still on the phone when it was time to pick up Emery, so I took the computer with me! Elder Heilmann loved that he was "getting the whole show!" When Emery hopped in the car, I told him I had a surprise for him. I showed him the computer, and he exclaimed, "JULIAN!!" He was so excited. Usually, Emery is at school with Elder Heilmann calls, so he misses him. Emery proceeded to tell him about his day at school, how he had just got off the bus, and that it was Valentine's Day. So cute.
We got home, and Emery pulled out each Valentine from his classmates and read it to Elder Heilmann, who was very impressed that Emery could read so well. It was just the sweetest, most perfect call. We love our little Missionary and are so glad we get to share him with the people of Germany.
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