Nuevo Presidente!

Hey Family and friends!

I hope you all got my last email. Sorry it took so long to get it to you all, but it’s been incredibly busy as you learned. And yes I have been prepping for our new president, and he came today! Yes ill get to that a little bit later, but first to answer a couple of your questions.

I absolutely loved the missionary broadcast about members really getting involved in the work and all of that. As just being a member, I realize how hard it is at times to see the big picture of missionary work, and how to really get involved while still carrying out normal lives, but the videos and the topics that were discussed by the prophets and apostles of the lord were amazing and I really liked it. Unfortunately a lot of Guatemalan members probably didn’t see it, but I hope that we can help them see the importance of working with the missionaries here in this part of the world. As for the whole facebook thing, it really doesn’t affect our mission at all haha. Just because there isn’t an abundance of computers hooked up to the internet, so basically I will not see anything like that happen here anytime soon, but in the states that is going to be so different, but exciting.

Well this week as I mentioned in my other email, has been super crazy, and super difficult for me. We had to deal with everything of the death of Elder Taufa, and then just after we got over the stress and challenges of that, we got hit with everything involving the change of mission presidents, AND amidst all that I kind of had a mental breakdown, so it’s been quite insane lately.

This week I feel like I have been faced with some of the hardest challenges I’ve had in my mission so far. There was everything with the stress of a death of a fellow Elder, the stress of getting a new mission president and the work and everything. This whole week I feel like Satan has been working on me hard, this whole week I have been struggling with outward and inward battles. This whole week elders have been calling me with money problems. Without getting into detail about exactly what, they basically just call me with a problem and just expect me to do everything for them. Or they call me pissed off because they don’t have money or apparently I did something wrong, or they want me to do something or give them money, and when I don’t they get really angry. Basically it’s been a really lonely week with a lot of people mad at me. I'm starting to realize being a leader, or trying to be the “good guy” that does what’s right, is at times, a very lonely job. A couple of the other elders here in the office have also been making very poor choices, and on top of being stressed and being the enemy to everyone, I have also had to stand up for what I know is right even when I'm the only one. It’s been really hard. Now I don’t want you to think that I'm like dying or something haha, I'm fine and well, but just dealing with my own difficult personal trials in a difficult environment right now, and I could use as many of your prayers as I can get.  With power comes great responsibility, and I think I am being tested on how I'm using my agency, and my power with all the responsibility I have. President Maravilla said that when we get called to new positions, or we get a new responsibility/Trial in our lives,  it’s like we are receiving an oversized suit jacket that at first doesn’t feel right, and we don’t feel like we can fit into it. But over time we grow and learn so that finally we grow into the jacket so that it fits us, and when that happens, we get a bigger suit jacket. I realize that’s how it is in everything, and only through faith in the Lord, study of the scriptures, diligent seeking of light and truth, and DOING what we know is right and is what God wants of us, we and I can grow into our own personal suit jackets.

The new suit jacket that I'm dealing with is that yes, we now have a new mission president! Its pretty crazy, this morning President Maravilla (Now Elder Maravilla) just came to the office after he had picked up President Ruiz from the airport in Guate, we took a picture with both of them and their wives, showed him the office, and President Maravilla gave him the keys and said good luck and left. It was the fastest and kind of strangest goodbyes and welcoming I’ve seen in my life haha. But afterwards, we had lunch and talked with President Ruiz who is from Panama, and apparently owned a private college in Panama and served a mission in Costa Rica. He is super cool, and very orderly and business like. I really like him, and I'm super excited to be working with him and his new attitude and excitement that he brings to the mission. These next couple of weeks are going to be super hectic, but I know that this is a great opportunity in my life to learn and embrace new challenges.

Thank you again for your emails, and your thoughts and support. They really do mean a lot especially right now. That’s awesome you’ve had a good week in Las Vegas, now that its kind of our second home haha. Those pictures brought back some good memories from 2 and 4 years ago! Time flies so fast! Curt, I wish you the best that you can get a good job offer and that everything works out! I love you guys and I hope you all have a good week.

Dios les bendiga!

Con amor,

Elder Henderson