Que Pasa

What’s up everyone?

Well like always another fast week has flown by and another month at that. Now that august is starting it officially marks a year that I have been living here in Guatemala. Pretty crazy thought. But anyway, this past week has been a good one. More than anything it’s been pretty awesome because Elder Cachipuendo and I have been able to get out and work in our area. We have officially been assigned to the ward Concepcion, which is the ward that attends church in the same church where the office is, so it’s pretty convenient. The funny thing is that there are already 4 sister missionaries here in the ward, and with us we are now 6 missionaries in this ward. Haha that doesn’t happen too often in the states. But it’s a really good ward with lots of members and a very humble, hardworking bishop, and this past week we have been going around getting to know all the members, and I'm really excited to help out the work in this ward.

So Elder Cachipuendo and I already have a couple investigators we are teaching, and one of them is Esly. She is a stay at home mom with two kids of the ages of 4 and 2. It was the woman me and the new missionary found last week while we were contacting and we taught a little about the restoration and Joseph Smith and everything and she was very positive. So we went back this week and taught her a little more, and introduced the Book of Mormon and invited her to read and pray. She was very open minded and she wants to read and to learn for herself. It was amazing because we invited her to give a prayer at the end of our lesson and ask god in that prayer to see if the Book of Mormon is true, and in all the time of my mission I have never had a person that actually does it. But she did. She said the prayer and asked right there for guidance from the lord to know if the BOM is true or not. It was awesome and we all really felt the spirit there. I know she felt it, and she said she was going to come to church on Sunday, so we have really high hopes for her. The only downside is that her husband doesn’t want anything at this point, but little by little we will get there.

We were also walking around in the rain the other night a little lost trying to find a members house when we walked by some other members where the sister missionaries were having a lesson. They invited us in and as we were talking the 17 year old daughter of the family walked in with her non-member 20 year old husband whom the hermanas have been trying to find and teach for a long time. So long story condensed into about a sentence, because it was late, the sister missionaries had to go home, so they left us there at this families house and we started talking with this girl and her “husband.” It was really cool because he is going into the Guatemalan military, but god is really important to him, and he actually wants to officially get married in the temple one day. So we talked a little bit about all that and about baptism and why the gospel is important in our lives and we invited him to church and he said he will come, so we are pretty stoked to have some people committed to coming to church this week. It’s also pretty awesome that by “luck” we were lost in the rain for just the right amount of time to stumble across the hermanas in a house and meet this non member guy right when they had to go home and pretty much stole their investigator from them haha. No, but it was really cool.

So those were some of the highlights this week, not to mention the always crazy work in the office and the fact that it seems like all the phones in the mission haven’t been working so I have had a ton of problems on my plate about that. Also President and all the elders in the office except Elder Cachipuendo and I went to the mountains basically this whole week for meetings, so we have been left in charge here in the office for the past few days which has been kind of exciting, and also a lot more peaceful without all the drama and stuff with 6 elders in the office. But everything has been going well. I feel like I am handling problems here in the office better, and it’s really good to have an area and be working with the sister missionaries and leaders in this ward. It will be awesome to say that I baptized during my time in the office!

Thanks for the updates as well. I'm sorry curt that still nothing has happened with Marriot, but I know that something will work out one way or another, and I’ll be waiting for the email when you have that job offer as well! I had no idea that Steve Kofford was getting married, but tell him congratulations, that’s awesome for him. And I'm also sorry with everything that has been going on with Kelsey. It’s a difficult thing at times, but I'm praying for all you guys and I hope for the best as well.

If I could share anything with you all in this moment, it would be my knowledge that god knows us personally and wants the best for us in this life and forever. I have just been pondering a lot on that recently. Who I am, why am I at where I'm at, and where I'm going. It has been so amazing to see the lords hand in my life this past year on the mission, and the changes I’ve experienced, and the knowledge I’ve gained as well. I feel like Ive seen that literally god has his hand in all things. And that his plan is perfect and will bless our lives if we do what we need to do, and submit our will to his. Easier said than done obviously, but that’s why we are here. To learn and grow. I love you guys a ton, and although I miss you guys at times, it’s awesome to be here at this time in my life. Thanks for your thoughts, love and support. Keep strong and carry on until next week.

Tu misionero gutemalteco,

Elder Henderson