Mis amigos!
I once again find myself writing you all at the end of a crazy hectic week wondering where all the time went. I am glad that you all enjoyed my last email as well as it was good to hear from you all. That’s pretty awesome curt that it looks like you have something positive going that could lead to an awesome job opportunity. That would be awesome if got to use Spanish a lot as well as we could talk like Latinos to each other and no one would know what we are talking about haha. Be sure to let me know on what happens and if you guys have to move and all that. I'm also sad to hear about Kelsey and all the hard times she is going through. I'm praying for her that she can realize what will truly make her happy and make the necessary changes in her life. Oh and holly I think it’s hilarious what you did with Calvin to help him go to the bathroom hahaha. What crazy kids you have. I'm glad to hear that everything is going well. Congratulations mom with almost finishing your psychology class. Sounds like it was an interesting experience for you, but at least it’s almost over!
Well as for me, it’s been yet another crazy week. This past week was changes; so like always it was crazy just getting everything ready for the news and everything. So this change 28 new missionaries came to our mission and 22 of the 28 were gringos. And the crazy thing was that like 15 sister missionaries came in that are only 19 years old. And to add to that, they all came straight from the provo MTC to the mission. Some pretty fun stuff. So we got everything ready for them, and they all got here kind of freaking out with Guatemala and everything. So come to find out, there is a new sister missionary that I thought I kind of recognized, and it turns out she was my family home evening “Mom” back at BYU! Small world or what! Haha that was pretty crazy to find out, and it was just kind of crazy to hear how well some of these new missionaries could speak Spanish. I feel like when I got to the mission I didn’t know anything of Spanish, and these new missionaries speak really good already for only 6 weeks in the MTC. I went and did divisions with Elder Potter, one of the new elders, and we went and contacted for a couple hours, and it was awesome! There is something that I call “Newbie Magic.” Really it’s the spirit that these new missionaries bring when they first get to the mission, but it just happens that whenever you go contacting with a new missionary it seems like no matter what, you always get in every door and your able to teach really awesome lessons. Well that held true when I was with Elder Potter, and we actually were able to get in a some houses and we taught some really amazing lessons. We found a young mom and her two children, and we were just talking and everything, and she told us that she doesn’t got a church right now, but that she is looking for God in her life, and she wants the best for her family and children. It was an amazing lesson where we were able to share the Joseph smith story and how through prayer we can know the truth and the will of god for us. It was awesome, and after the lesson she gave an awesome prayer which is a rarity down here where people think praying is chanting and yelling about god.
After we had the day with all of the news, we had changes Wednesday, and that was a whole other crazy time with people running all over me trying to ask about money and things that they need. As elders of the office President Ruiz asked us to do a special musical number in the change meeting, which I think is the first time I’ve ever been asked to sing publicly haha. Let’s just say that we turned up the music really loud… Something really cool that happened in the changes was that President brought a new elder into the office to be trained and eventually replace Elder Perez who is here now. It just so happens that the new elder in the office is my old companion Elder Cachipuendo! I'm so excited for him to be here, and we are going to be companions again when we go out to our area to work. How many chances do you get to be companions with the same elder twice? Not very many I imagine, and I'm just so stoked because of all my companions, Elder Cachipuendo was probably my favorite because we get along so well. So I am really looking forward to working with him in our new area, and probably for quite awhile.
The rest of my week has just been crazy fast and full of work. We had to go move some missionaries into new houses and bring a bunch of new furniture and beds and stuff. I also had to go out in divisions with a zone leader and tell him that he had lost his privileges for using the fund of the mission in his zone because he has been mishandling it for quite some time. I’ve felt like a nomad this week because basically me and one of the assistants packed up our stuff in a duffel bag and we went out in bus doing divisions area to area just traveling and sleeping on the floor in different houses every night. Trying to make sure missionaries are doing what they should be doing and helping out others in their areas. It’s been really fun and interesting traveling by bus cross country having people on the buses getting up and preaching or trying to sell you magic medicine that will cure you of cancer haha oh Guatemala.
Well I hope this letter makes at least a little bit of sense, but it’s been an insane week. I just want to share something that has been on my mind quite a bit lately. I’ve been thinking about the Joseph smith story and James 1:5. It is my favorite scripture because of the simplicity of it, and the impact it has had on the course of history of this world. It was when Joseph Smith was just a teenager going through some hard times with some hard and insightful questions. He turned to the scriptures for answers because he knew that god speaks to us through the scriptures and the prophets that write them. He read James 1:5 and the invitation James gives us to ask god for guidance and direction when we need it. He made the decision to take the invitation to pray, and went and prayed to our heavenly father to know which church was true, and which path to follow. Because he had faith enough to act, read the scripture, and then do what it said to do and prayed for help and knowledge. The whole course of the world has changed, and the true gospel has been restored and now millions know the path to happiness and eternal life. All because a teenage boy read James 1:5 and prayed. I have been thinking a lot about that and about the power of prayer. How many times during a week or a day to we find ourselves in a situation where we need help, or we need to know what to do, and we struggle so much when we have a father in heaven that wants and is willing to help us and give us guidance and knowledge if we but ask him. It is such a simple and powerful doctrine. That we have the power to talk with and receive revelation from a supreme all powerful and all knowing being that knows each one us personally, loves us and wants to help us. I think we sometimes forget and take for granted that blessing we have. So something I have been working on and I invite you all to improve on as well is praying. Praying in every moment in everything like Alma 34: 17-28 says. I know we could receive so much more guidance and help if we just exercise our faith just a bit more and do it.
Well I hope you all have a wonderful week and that you feel better prepared for the challenges you have to take on. I'm well and learning, taking on a mission full of young men and women with problems and successes and of course… money. We have been getting out and working in our areas and I'm really excited to have some investigators and to be working alongside my old companion Elder Cachipuendo. Thanks for all of your prayers in my behalf and in behalf of all missionaries because we for sure need them. Thanks for just being awesome, and I love you all so much. Hasta la proxima semana….
-Elder Henderson
Oh and here are some pictures ive been meaning to send. (kind of blurry sorry)
1. me with a giant dog in a members house a week or two ago
2. The office with President and Hermana Maravilla
3. The office with President and Hermana Ruiz
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