Monday, December 31, 2012

El fin de un ano, y el principio de otro!

Buenas tardes familia y amigos! 

Espero que todo esta bien con ustedes! Feliz nuevo ano! 

First off, i just want to say that it was really good to be able to talk with all of you last week, it definately was the highlight of my christmas as well just to be able to see your white faces and have a conversation and everything if not for that fact we didnt really do anything else for christmas. Im glad i could answer all of your questions as well, and i hope i gave collin some good advice as you start your final semester of high school! pretty crazy! Anyway it was just really good, and to be honest i was a little sad after we logged off, but i have been able to get back into the work without too much trouble unlike one elder i live with, but thats a different story. 

Well pretty much, after we talked we just hung out at that members house and i was actually able to catch up with another elder that was my roommate back in provo, and we ate some apples and chocolate. then we just had to hitch hike back home in the dark which was a little sketchy but we werent robbed or anything and we made it back safe. One of the elders i live with was really sick all day, throwing up and everything, so he felt like crap, and it continued into the next day so i went on divisions with Elder Uasike who is a tongan who lives in the same house. He is a really funny guy, so we had a good time trying to find people to teach out in the boonies of his area which is in the middle of nowhere without real roads, just rocky trails. we also had lunch at a members house who fed us Iguana! it really wasnt that wierd and just like the cliche saying, it tasted like chicken, nothing to crazy. Well anyway, the elder that was sick continued to be sick into thursday, which was really affecting our ability to work because one of us had to stay at the house with him, and we started to think that he may just be really baggy because  there wasnt anything wrong with him physically. pretty much it turns out that he was just really baggy after talking with the family, and im glad that i was blessed (No offense to you family) that i didnt get it to hard with bagginess. 

Other than that, this week has been just a good week of work, we´ve been working with a couple jovenes that have baptismal dates in january, and we have other possibilities as well, so it looks like we are going to have a successful january if we keep the work up. I am really enjoying being comps with Elder Cachipuendo because he is a good hard worker, and we teach well together with each of us supporting and backing up one another in the lessons, and i really believe that we are both learning a lot and are going to have some real success in our area together. 

So the bad news is that i still dont have the package you all sent me. Apparently one of the assistants said that the FedEx package in the office was for a hermana and that there isnt a package in the office for me. So pretty much i have no idea what to think now. Dad sent me the receipt saying that someone signed for the package in the office, but the office says they dont have my package. Everything is so messed up, and i have no idea where my package is. My zone leaders are going to the office this coming wednesday for a conferencia con presidente, and they are going to talk with everyone and see if there is my package somewhere in the office or figure out what happened, but the bottom line is that right now its not looking to good for me being able to recieve the package. in addition to that i am going to need some contact solution in the coming weeks, so i have no idea what i am going to do with that, and i might need you to send me some contact solution in another package or something. 

Also, about the camera situation, you guys said you are going to buy one there and then send it to me? i cant remember exactly what we decided on, but i kind of would like to get another camera at some point haha, so if you could email me and tell me what the plan is that would be awesome. And really, it is a good possiblity if you just want to put about 150 dollars on my card and then i can buy a camera down here because we looked today, and there are some pretty nice canon cameras like the one i had for about 100-150 dollars and then we wouldnt have to worry about loosing another package in the wonderful mail system of guatemala haha. 

Thank you all for your emails, sounds like christmas was fun with the family and all, and i liked the stories of Tucker´s angry birds tattoos and rainbow bear and whatnot haha. Thanks for your love and support, sometimes its hard to believe what life was like before the mission and its always good to hear how everyone is doing. I cant believe it is going to be 2013 tomorrow! its so wierd to think that im going to spend all of 2013 in guatemala! its just crazy, i hope that it will be a good year for all of you especially with collin graduating high school and going on a mission or college, and curt starting a new career! 

My small spiritual thought is something that i have been thinking about a lot recently. Up until this point in my mission everything has been overwhelming and ive been learning so much in a changed life, country, environment and culture, it seems like i have been focused a lot on myself. obviously i have been sharing this gospel with others and working all day for others, but ive been focused on what i want to learn in spanish, this gospel and everything, but im starting to realize that if i want to learn how to be a better person for myself, the only way is by completely focusing on others and this gospel. one of my favorite scriptures is Mark 8:35. I recite it multiple times a day when i am tired, discouraged or pretty much anything. it makes me focus on the sacrifice of our lord and savior Jesus Christ and his promise to us that if we lose our lives in the service of him and in the service of his gospel, we are going to find our lives. find our purpose. find happiness in who we are and what we have. find the reason for why we do what we do. find the ability to become the people we desire to become. find out how to develop the skills and attributes we want for ourselves, not because we want worldly gain or praise, but because we want to show our love for jesus Christ and our heavenly father. Because we want to be happy, and true happiness can only come through this gospel, understanding its principles, the reason we are here and the incredible blessings we have been given. Hopefully that all makes sense to you all, it is a little hard for me to describe and express my feelings on this subject that i have been thinking about, but i hope you can find your own meaning in all of that. I love this gospel. The beauty and simplicity of its doctrine. I love my savior Jesus Christ, and i am forever grateful for his eternal sacrifice, the imense blessing to live with him, my heavenly father and all of you in the eternities in a state of never ending happiness and peace. I have been so blessed not only here in the mission but my whole life. As we start a new year i encourage you all to stop, look back at your lives and realize how blessed you have been instead of focusing on the things you lack or want. This year try to lose a little bit of yourself in the service of others, your family, obviously the church in your calling, and i promise you as well as Jesus himself, that you will find the happiness and peace you desire in your life.

Well, i hope you all have a happy new year, and like always, keep strong and carry on! 

Con gran amor y humildad,
tu hermano, hijo y amigo,

-Elder Henderson 

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