Osage Beach

Holy smoke everything seems to be really happy and awesome.

I am grateful that I can grow facial hair
I will be grateful that I will return to ASU where they allow facial hair
I will be grateful when I can start growing facial hair again and not have to shave
I am grateful for a new baby on the way
I am grateful for the new website thing that Parker just shared
I am grateful for thanksgiving
I am grateful for the gratefuls they are entertaining
I am grateful for Stake conference and dead goats (I'll explain)

Well yeah that is cool that Sis. J called you guys yeah she is just a sweet old lady and she loved me because I come from the homeland of Arizona. Stake conference took place in the Civic center in Lebanon because it is big enough to fit everybody. Well big news is that they split the stake out here. We were the St. Roberts stake and now we are the St. Roberts stake and West Plains stake so it was exciting. We had two seventies there one of them was Elder Bowen and he gave a very good talk that I loved. He said "Is there one person that you know that could benefit from the gospel?" Most everybody raised there hand and he said easiest thing to do is invite that person to family night. He then committed everybody who raised their hand to work on that person/family I thought that was really cool and we talked to a few families and they said that really impressed them and they were going to step forward in faith so that was good. But going back to Lebanon was sweet to see some people from the ward and old investigators it was fun.

So Katie is having a baby hooray they both better be able to say my name when I come home. I think it is going to be a mexi this time it would only make since right? Jokes Jokes Jokes! Nah I have no idea what it would be but that is awesome. It is weird that Thanksgiving is just a couple days away es Loco! We are going to the Garceau's and spend it with their non member family which will be fun they are all pretty crazy so it should be good. I'll get you a picture.

So about the Goats; so the C's are recent converts and we went there to drop off some food for them for Thanksgiving because they live in a shack and have no running water and they have 22 dogs and most of their money goes to buy food for the dogs and they eat one to half a meal a day so we delivered food to them. Well one of their goats just passed away the big goat his name is Spock. He probably weighs over two hundred pounds and he has already been dead for four days. Sister C has a knee that was turned inside out because one of her other goats head butted her so she walks like Dickie Bennett from Justified and Brother C, his left arm doesn't work it dangles off his body like a dead fish. So both of them aren't really physically qualified to get rid of this goat, but their idea was that they were going to burn it, but it died right next to their shack so they needed to transport it to a small clearing with a bunch of wood that they had so they can burn it. Well I lovingly volunteered us to drag this goat about 20 to 30 yards away so they can burn it. We walked over to see the damage and the smell was pretty bad a nasty already smelly goat when its alive has now been dead for four days and man I couldn't believe it. Archibald wimped out and wouldn't go 30 feet near that stupid goat so it was all on me. So what do I do...I put the team on my back I grabbed the goat by a small chain around its neck about a foot and half in length, and I start dragging that SOB. remind you I am in full proselyting gear and it has been raining so I am slipping in the mud and fallen leaves and Archibald was still not helping. Sister C was helpful enough with her limp that she helped the best she could she lifted the hind legs as best as she could and we dragged it the 20 to 30 yards to its new resting place. The entire time I am dragging this thing I can smell the decaying death scent coming off of it and it was bleeding from its mouth and every once in a while it would get on my shoes. Archibald still wouldn't go near it. We finally got it to the destination and I was so sick that we said a quick prayer without having a lesson and we left. The entire drive home I could still smell that goat. It even overwhelmed the smell of cigarettes that I had on me from our previous person we visited which is a miracle in itself. Well now I realize that a miracle has taken place. I should have thrown up at least three times during this experience but I didn't which goes to show you that Heavenly Father has truly blessed me. I am also blessed that I don't have to smell this thing when they burn it (maybe). Maybe next time we go over there I might be the one burning it,who knows? Well that is the big story this past week good one ain't it? I was pretty pissed at Archibald that day he didn't come near it and made Sis. C help me out but I was patient and didn't say much but I think he could tell.

Well I am glad that everything is going good for you guys it is so jolly this time of year for everybody I think. It snowed a little yesterday nothing crazy but it is getting really cold and I am excited but not looking forward to it. Well I think that is all I have for you guys this week. I am grateful for my life! Thug Life!!!! 4 eva!!!! Yeah, I just hold my head high like Tupac. Elder Heywood

Osage Beach

(The Heywood Family has a group text every day in November where they each name one thing they are grateful for. We sent the cumulative list so far to Luke this week and he replied with things he is grateful for. We could list MOST of them in this blog...maybe not all of them were blog appropriate.)

I like the grateful thing most of them were pretty entertaining I like that. So I gathered a list together:

I am grateful that in this crazy town I have investigators
I am grateful for Elders Babb and Martin they are my boys
I am grateful for Missouri, Arkansas less grateful for Oklahoma and Kansas
I am grateful for the loving family at home that always seems to support me
I am grateful for President Shumdog Millionaire (Shumway)
I am grateful for the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the amazing changes that come from living it
I am grateful for the repentance process and the opportunity to become like our Heavenly Father
I am grateful for Jesus Christ and his Atonement and Plan of Salvation
I am grateful for the Book of Mormon
I am grateful for the life and oppurtunities that I have been given to make my Heavenly Father happy and to be happy myself and to have family, friends, companions that make me happy.
I am Grateful for friends they are the best.

Well that was kind of fun I like that idea I try to do that every morning and night in my prayers and it feels good and then if I have a good day then it grows and if I have a bad day then I say these things and it makes me feel better about where I am, Who I am with, and the people I am teaching.
This week was good and bad but I'll focus on the good The investigators are doing good and we are working hard and I think patience and sincere is paying off and I am really excited about the holiday season and everything it is fun to think about. Our small town out here goes bananas for Christmas the park in the town (only park in a 20 mile radius) has a Pretty big light display and it opens up after thanksgiving and it looks really cool. Not quite like Temple lights but close. I wish we had a Temple that would open up somewhere in our mission so we could have that opportunity that would be so cool. I wish we had a temple in our mission but not yet the Lord will give it to us when we are ready and that is why I am here to prepare people to go to the temple so all in good time. Well things are getting less crazy last week and the one before were very crazy but things are settling down so I am happy. I think we are going to have a baptism in the beginning of and mid December I am keeping my fingers crossed and that will be DJ and her daughter N.

You asked about P day well this last week we were with the Camdenton elders and we went to Ha Ha Tonka state park which is just a little place where you do a small hike and screw around. There is an old castle there and we had fun playing Knights Tale in there (ha), but apparently you are not supposed to climb and play in the castle we didn't see the signs, but yeah we were told to get out. It was fun regardless. I see Babb and Martin often not this past pday but the one before that they came up and hung out I love those guys they are the best.

Well it was so good to hear from you and all of you.
Elder Heywood

Osage Beach

Elder Babb and Martin came up P day and we had a good time; gosh I miss that guy he is so funny and he is with Babb who is my other favorite person. So that was good especially after the week we just had. This week was better but it is getting very cold and I hate the cold. It was supposed to snow yesterday but we got lucky but it will be snowing pretty soon. Fall is kind of over and there are no leaves on the trees which was super cool because we don't really have fall back home. This week was pretty good we found a couple of less actives people who are good people just live about 50 to 60 miles away from the church and aren't very wealthy to begin with so they just can't make it to church but they are pretty cool guys and they have nice families so I hope we can influence them to come back to church and have them receive the blessings of going to church and progressing further so yeah some good stuff. We have been doing a lot of less active work and it is going fairly well. The problem with the lake is that when fall started everybody moved out and now if we go out and try to contact people they are all gone so that is a problem and there aren't a lot of people over here to start with, unless you go back into the hills where the inbreds eat you. So I guess that will be our next plan of attack; teaching blue hill people haha just joking we are not supposed to go to Ivy Bend. Well as DJ is back out of the mental hospital and they took her girls away from her so that sucks and it just makes it more complicated for us to teach her and her family. So just another speed bump and what not. Just try to maintain some optimism and do what is right that is all I can do I can't make choices for other people. You know what I am kind of excited for Thanksgiving even though it won't be at home, I am still just excited. Six flags huh? I bet that was really fun, don't worry it sucks for me but I know when both Parker and Jared were on their mission they got the same letter and all of that stuff. So I'm not bummed at all in fact I don't like riding roller coasters at all there is nothing fun about riding strapped into a seat going 80 miles an hour on a big track that does flips and spins and stuff like that. Who would want to waste their veterans day doing something silly like that? You guys missed out I got to go to Target and read gun magazines then I went to eat lunch then we played basketball at the church. So in reality you guys missed out I think I had the more fun veterans day. Cold Missouri weather vs. sunny California weather hah! you guys missed out and the Temple you mean that awesome beautiful building where we do sacred ordinances that are just awesome and you feel so good. Yeah don't know how that would be spiritual uplifting? Seeing someone besides me on their mission yeah have fun with that. haha Just kidding it sounded like an awesome weekend. Well momma bear and family I love ya.

Osage Beach

Yep I am still in Osage West and still with Archibald so fun right? They are splitting our stake here in Missouri so that will be interesting it will be happening in two weeks and who knows what happens except that I will still be in the farthest north place in the mission just workin and chillin and what not. Well this week was interesting and I am going to tell you it was pretty rough. But before I go off and ramble how are you guys doing? How is everybody in the family I just get little snippets here and there just from everybody. Football is done for Chris how does he feel about this last year it sounded like he did good. Dana usually sends bubbly Dana letters, sounds like everything is good. So I went on exchanges twice this week with the District Leader and Zone Leader which is good it gives me a break, but DJ our most promising investigator went crazy and that is no fun. She has a slight pain pill addiction and she ran out of her prescription early and so she was trying to drink her pain away and she is also on anti-depressants so me and the Zone Leader go over there for a lesson and she flipped out and was talking about suicide luckily we had some members with us and Sister G talked to her for a long time and we kind of sat there after we left I told Elder Gregory "well usually it doesn't go like that" so we left. Well that night her daughter that we are also teaching called us to say that she is in jail. She flipped out again and hit her and her youngest daughter called the police so they took her in and then she was put on a psych evaluation and now is in the mental hospital for like 5 days. So it has been super fun dealing with that; her daughters are okay except for the youngest one she was shook up pretty hard. We have some good members that are helping them as much as they can and we are trying but dang... So that was the big thing that happened this week. Other than that a less active member who died so that is no fun and we are dealing with that but his family might come back I don't know we are seeing them right after we finish emailing. On the bright side this week we have found a couple less actives that actually want us to come back so that is kind of nice right and I didn't get transferred and Elder Babb who is still in Lebanon is getting my MTC companion so I'll get to see Elder Martin a little more. I am kind of excited for that. Later