Con mucho amor

My dear family and friends,

I am so so so sorry to hear about Daniel. Having always been a friend of Daniel and always doing things with him and the gang it’s something sorrowful to hear that right now he is no longer with us. I feel sad that I won’t be able to talk to him when I get back, and its sad to hear that he was at such a down point in his life to make that decision, but my heart and my prayers go out to the Lyons family as well as to Collin, Scott, Christian and his other close friends. He will be missed until we see each other again. This past week we were out visiting some inactive members and we me a lady named Cristina. She was baptized like 20 years ago but has been inactive for several years. Her husband died almost 9 years ago, and as we began talking she broke out in tears saying how much she misses her husband and that she feels so much pain in her heart that she cant see him anymore. When I heard that I felt very perturbed. We asked her if she had ever gone to the temple to be sealed as a family with her husband and she said no. We then began to explain to her the Plan of Salvation but we told her very clearly that she shouldn’t feel anguished because because of this plan that god has for us we can be with our families forever but on the condition that we look forward enduring to the end and doing the necessary things to go to the temple and be sealed. I just felt very peaceful, and a little sad that so many people don’t understand that plan even us as members at times. I feel like if we look forward with the eye single to the glory of god and that one day, whatever happens here in life, we will all be together with our families if we take advantage of the temple. Our father in heaven is so merciful and loving and I am personally so grateful to have the knowledge of this plan and of the temple in my life to know that one day all the suffering will end and if we endure it well we will be exalted on high with our families eternally. I know that Daniel is missed, but I know we will be able to see him again.

Thanks for the other emails and updates as well, its super weird to think that I have such little time left here in the mission. It feels like everything is just normal, and I think I will feel that way until I see dad and Collin and I will be like, Umm why are they here in Guatemala??!! I hope I recognize you and that you recognize me hahahaha. No but I feel good and happy to be a missionary today. As I was getting in the bus this morning some crazy old guy started yelling at me about being gringo and how I cant handle the heat here or something and I started talking to him and even though he was yelling all this dumb stuff at me, I just felt completely at peace. I felt good to testify of gospel truths to the point where he quit talking and just listened to me for like 5 minutes before getting off the bus and headed on his way. Being a missionary brings a special feeling. To be able to testify of truths that can bring so much light and happiness into the lives of people if they only just put attention and listen. There are so many distraught and troubled people in this world that would feel so much happier if they just took a minute to listen to their hearts as they hear true words of the gospel. I have been feeling like that a lot as I have been working these last few days. I really feel like the lord has been shaping me in these past few weeks to be able to truly understand how to be a good missionary and testify of truth without fear or anxiety. I find myself wishing that I could just transfer the knowledge and the happiness I have to other people’s brains so that they could truly understand what we offer. But of course where would the faith be if we could do that, so I guess we will continue with just words and actions right know.

This past week has been really good just working hard with Elder Morataya and the missionaries in the zone. We did competitions this week of which district in the zone could find more new investigators and I promised to buy a pizza for the companionship that had the most people in church, so we just had a fun motivated week of work. I feel good that I am finishing my mission the way I am. I have a good animated companion, we are working hard, we have a partial family that we are helping to get baptized this week and leaving and working with Wilder has helped me learn a ton of how to be a better missionary and how to testify to people. We are still continuing to work with Susan and her husband Brian. We tried to put the baptismal date with her last week but in the end she didn’t feel like she has received an answer yet, but the ward is doing a temple trip tomorrow and they are going to go see the temple. So we have faith that after seeing the temple and continuing to pray she will have a desire to be baptized this week!

Well, I just want to say that I love you all. I know there are challenges in life, but the lord is in control and is aware of everything that is happening. He wants the best for us and is helping us daily to overcome our challenges and to become who we need to be. I have seen it so clearly here in my mission, and I know that I have had all these things happen to me for a reason with breaking my toe to having changes to being where I’m at right now. I love you all and I love this gospel. It’s simply and undeniably true. I love you all and next week will be my last letter home… how crazy!

Con mucho amor,

-Elder Henderson