March 28, 2011

Family,

   Well to the most sweetest and awesomest Family in the world, I hope all is well.  Holy moly things are going well back home, Mom thanks for sharing you spiritual experiences that is awesome, i love those things. I feel like powerful spiritual experiences are catalysts for our testimony, we gain a testimony "line upon line..here a little and there a little", but those experiences boost us and our desires in an instant to a whole new level.  Also i am overcome by the stories of Paul and Chance Dahl putting in their papers.  When i first heard that Paul received the Melchizedek priesthood i was overcome and almost cried, and then when i heard that his papers were going in, i wept.  There is just something that is so special about coming back to the church, their LORD and their home.  I have also been so grateful this week for the LORD blessing Elder Stephens and I, First i know that the LORD chooses the companionship in a mission and he does it out of Love.  So all who have ever served a mission know, that far and away, the best missionary work is done when members invite family and friends to be taught by the missionaries.  My whole mission has been teaching people we found on our own (the baptisms I have been a part of were already taught before i met them), and have not led to people fully receiving the restored gospel. When i got to this area we didn't have anyone to teach, and members didn't have referrals, it was a slow area. So we did the only thing we could... work really hard going out and finding people, its not the funnest thing to do but we worked hard. We found people to teach, but most of them were un-interested and didn't progress.  Well this last week we have received 5 member referrals and all of them are so so solid.  One girl who lives in Texas and just joined the church, sicked us on her mom and she was very accepting of the message.  Then two families in the ward have asked us to teach their 11 year old daughters, and one of them is really close with elder Stephens, she loves him.  Then a guy in our ward invited us to have lunch with his sister-in law and we taught her and He said that she (Kayla) felt the spirit, and a long with teaching Kayla her husband has been inactive for a long time and he is really interested in getting back into church, its been cool to see the Brother in our ward feel so much joy seeing the change in his brother and sister-in-law.  Then on top of all of that: yesterday at church a lady in our ward came up to us and said "i have someone (her granddaughter) for you to teach...she told me she wants to be baptized", i thought about it for...oh about .000001 seconds and said "ok, we can do that".  So we went over last night and taught her the first lesson and she is going to be baptized on April 16th, (And the story behind that is awesome too but i don't have time right now).  So the moral of the story is:  As we show the LORD that we are willing to do hard things and be obedient he will bless us, he will show us that our efforts are never in vain.  I must say that we are nervous because transfers are next Wednesday (6th) and we are both hoping that we don't get transferred. Keep your fingers crossed. All is well i have been emailing too long so i better go, i miss you all, prepare for conference, i love you!

 

Elder Hendrix

 

 

Julie,

   Sorry i don't have much time but ill answer your questions.  I LOVE THE PEOPLE I AM TEACHING, because GOD loves them and he lets me feel that love.  I love my companion, i am thankful that i get to serve with him and get to learn to love him too.  I haven't eaten anything gross yet, ill let you know when i do.  I am crazy because mom had YOU, ask her what happened when she told me she was going to have you. I love you Very much too.

 

Elder Hendrix

 

PS: thanks for calling everyone, that was a lot of fun. Everyone here says "Jimmer!" too.

March 21, 2011

Family,

   I love you all, I am so blessed to have such a great family!  Mom i should have told you this a long time ago but there is a missionary serving in the Mesa Branch who is from the Ward I am Serving in, crazy huh, his name is Elder Weeks, and he went into the MTC the same day i did so keep your eyes peeled, he comes from an awesome family.  Also if you would send me any conference CDs you have, except for both from 2010 and April 2004 (i already have those), i would be very appreciative.  So this area when I got here was really slow, but we worked really hard, did a lot of contacting and tracting.  We found people to teach but not real solid people. But this week we have received 4 different referrals from members of people to teach since last Saturday, and we have been having really good lessons with Carlos (he has been taught for 6 months) if feel like he is pretty close to baptism.  The first time we met with our ward mission leader he said that "sometimes tracting is the work you have to put in, before the Lord puts a solid referral in your lap", that comment stuck with me and it is most definitely coming true. I am hoping that they all pan out, pray for them to be open.  Other than that we are doing good, i love being a missionary. God truly is working with/on his missionaries every day, I feel his influence, direction and correction on a daily basis.  My testimony is strengthened often, as questions come he shows me the answers as long as I have an open heart. 

  I want to know how everyone is doing on their own missionary work? Have the missionaries over for dinner (but don't keep them for more than one hour, we have troubles with that here).  Look for opportunities to make friends. Make a profile on Mormon.org, and check out that website.  Pray for missionary opportunities and act on them when they come. Listen to the prophets, start now to think about what message the Lord wants you to hear this conference. WOW I'm preachy! Sorry, i love you all, A Lot!

 

Elder Hendrix

Julie,

   Man it sounds like you have been busy lately, and it sounds like you are going to be busy working to earn money for Disneyland.  That is so cool that Brad and Bri invited you to go with them, they are very nice, tell them thanks a lot.  I know why you and Ashlyn couldn't catch that leprechaun...you need a pot-a-gold, they always go for that. Leprechauns are really greedy, which makes them kinda dumb, try that next year.  How is Darren doing, you need to let me know.  I need you to check up on him for me and make sure he is being a good boy... no girlfriends OK!  Love you Julie, thanks for the St. Patrick's day picture, it was kinda a crazy picture tho!! Love ya

 

Elder Hendrix

March 14, 2011

Family,

    Hello all, i love you.  Well things are going great, we have a bunch of new investigators like 8 i think and plenty of potential investigators too.  All of them were found through our own efforts in the past two weeks so they are all very new.  Its exciting but it means we really have to focus on helping them keep commitments so that they can gain a testimony of the restoration.  We have one investigator Carlos, hes awesome! He has been investigating for like 6 months but hes been out of town a lot since i got here, but yesterday before church we went over to his house and cooked him up some cowboy breakfast, him and his wife were impressed. A while back he was really close to baptism and I think he is close still but i feel like we can make some progress with him now that he is back, but hes such a cool guy.  The Lord has really been blessing us, there have been so many instances were we are guided by the spirit to find someone who is interested.  Our ward mission leader told us yesterday that missionaries have never been able to find people like we have, so I really feel that the Lord is mindful of us here in this area.  So we are getting pretty excited around here for the temple open house and re-dedication.  First of all we, as the missionaries, are so so lucky to be able to experience a temple being opened to the public while on our missions.  It is going to open so many doors for us to teach.  We are placing a focus on encouraging members to invite their friends and family that arent members to go with them to the open house.  And i truly believe that when the temple opens up the spirit that a House of the Lord will bring to the Atlanta area will really give a boost to the missionary work here. I am excited for the temple to open up, the open house goes from April 9 - 23rd, it will be dedicated on April 26 it think, and we do get to go down for one day during the open house and help with parking or something too.  I just want you all to know that i love being a missionary here in Georgia. I love the opportunity that we have, as missionaries, to be constantly mindful of the spirit and spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ.  It is hard, it is overwhelming at times, but it is truly blessing me every day. I am thankful to God for my family, i miss you all and love you tons.

Elder Hendrix

PS: Its alright to tell me about sports. 

(I told him about BYU basketball and Jimmers 52 pt game, then questioned myself Mom)

March 7, 2011

Family,

   The Love of the LORD is the most precious gift we can receive and give to others. Love is the great commandment and sometimes, especially with myself, we get caught up in all of the other attributes and attitudes that pertain to the gospel and forget the perfectness of love and charity.  It is hard to have the pure Love of Christ as it is commanded we have: "you must love god with all your heart...and love our neighbor as ourselves", we must practice love continually.  Why is it so hard to have?  How do we overcome these things? How can we repent and change? these are the questions i have had recently, and the LORD is "opening the eyes of [my] understanding".  Yesterday was stake conference the stake president gave a great message about seeking the savior. Then Pres and Sis Satterfield got up together and spoke for a few min. As they walked up to the pulpit i was overly excited to hear them and i wondered, "im probably the most excited person in this building right now...why?"  The spirit testified to me that it was because I love them.  So why do i love them?  I love them because they are the best missionaries in the Georgia Atlanta Mission, they lead by example, they live the gospel, they work hard, and i know that they love us.  I liken it to the relationship we have with the LORD, He is our example and he shows us his love every time we look for it. We heard also from Elder Steven L. Anderson (i think, i know it was Anderson but the first name may be wrong) and during his talk he had all of the primary children and their leaders and teachers stand and sing with him, "I feel my saviors love", and I was taught by the Holy Ghost how i can better show that Love, it was an answer to my prayers.  Then this morning in my personal study i read D&C 11 12-14:

12 And now, verily, verily, I say unto thee, put your ^atrust in that ^bSpirit which ^cleadeth to do ^dgood—yea, to do ^ejustly, to walk ^fhumbly, to ^gjudge righteously; and this is my Spirit.

 13 Verily, verily, I say unto you, I will impart unto you of my Spirit, which shall ^aenlighten your ^bmind, which shall fill your soul with ^cjoy;
 14And then shall ye know, or by this shall you know, all things whatsoever you desire of me, which are pertaining unto things of ^arighteousness, in faith believing in me that you shall receive.

If we will just put ALL of our trust in the spirits guiding power, we will be lead to show our love by beign "lead to do good", to be "humble", and to be "just/righteous" in our judgment.  This will bring us joy and the desires of our hearts: Eternal Life!

   Wow i went a little off, i just love that the LORD is mindful of us and teaches us what we need to know, esspecially when we trust in him and his spirit.  But everything is good, mom ill send you pictures.  The family we live with are nice people, but they have cats that shed like crazy, yuck. They are an older couple, we dont see Sis Perkins much but Bro Perkins is retired and he likes to talk to us.  HOLY MOLY, i'm so happy for Paul it made me cry when i read that, he is going to be such a darn good missionary. Most missionaries figure out who they are and what they want to be during their missions, but he already has that figured out so he will be so awesome, I am sooo excited from him. Hey Paul send me and E-mail.  I love you all!!

 

Elder Hendrix

 

PS: Julie im proud of you for being tough on fast sunday, keep doing that it will make you and Heavenly Father feel good.

As for Darren all i can say is....I feel your pain, but ball will come soon and dont get complacent because you can only work out inside, keep working hard you improve more inside sometimes than you do outside! I love you both. serve your mother and father often.