May 23, 2011

Family,                                                                                                           

    First let me get a few things out of the way.  I would like you to send me some stuff, A Preach My Gospel that doesn’t have anything marked in it or written in it, the April 2011 conference CD's, and some new stamps. Thanks. Also i hope you got the E-mail i sent to you about what Elder Gonzales is asking us not to put up on our Blogs and stuff, i hope that you follow his direction, it is a real threat.

    Well we are just doing great here in the ward, we had transfers last Wed and my companion and I are staying together, we are both really excited about that. He really is an exceptional missionary; because he has an honest and personal testimony of the gospel.  We had a great week, we are finding new investigators and i believe that this week is going to be a really good week. Transfer meeting was so cool! President got really serious and told us a story about how he woke up in the middle of the night and immediately started feeling that "the Lord is preparing more people than we are baptizing" he said, he told us about this communication (through sure feelings) that the Lord was not completely displeased with our efforts, but that it was time for our mission to rise to a higher level.  WOW it was amazing to hear him talk about receiving clear, direct revelation from the Lord like that, but that it was through the same power that we receive direction, our feelings, even the Holy Ghost.  Then he gave us an impassioned promise, that there was someone in every area of the Georgia Atlanta Mission that He, The Lord, was preparing to be baptized in this next transfer or the next one. It was powerful. Then my companion and I were at their house on Friday and Sis Satterfield told my companion about the experience, and that it was absolutely direct revelation that he Received.  Also while we were there President took about an hour to teach us, (just us 2, which is not common, we were very lucky) about where the mission needs to improve in our teaching, he pulled out his old "missionary teaching guide" and shared with us how he use to teach, it was a truly unique and treasured experience.  And it’s all because Sis Satterfield loves my Companion to death, he is a "manipulator" (his own words), so that makes serving in this area awesome, i truly treasure the many opportunities we have to visit with them.  The Book of Mormon reading is going well for me, It’s hard because there is so much to mark it that dang book. I have never before realized how much it is testifying of the Apostasy and restoration. Nephi's entire vision is him being taught the first missionary lesson, which is perfect for me right now because that is a focus i am trying to improve in my own teaching.  I am blown away at how much doctrine is in these first few chapters. 

   So I’m way excited about this new Golf Course worm picking, that is great i know that it is going to be a success.  Keep me in mind brothers, if you start making a fortune.  Anyway everything is good, it’s getting hot, but I’m in a car so all is well. I love you all very much, keep "being examples of the believers"!

Elder Hendrix

PS: how are dad and Darren and even Brice doing on their book of Mormon reading?

Julie,

  Hey bud! How are you doing? What is going on in your life? Is school out yet? Are you playing softball this year? Mom needs to enroll you in every sport possible, tell her that.  How is your Book of Mormon reading going? What are your plans for the summer?  You should ask dad if you can help him at work, he would love that and you could start earning money to save for your mission.  I think you are sooooooooooooooooooooooo cool!

Elder Hendrix

PS: your actually sooooooooooooooo crazy

May 16, 2011

Dear Family,                                                                                              

  I must say that the mission is quite the experience, it's great and just plain hard at times. This last week was probably one of my best weeks of my entire mission, we taught tons of lessons we found really solid investigators.  One guy we tracted into was getting drunk on his porch because "it’s the only thing that makes life bearable", he started to tell us that he was Christian, but he was a Satanist too, obviously he was very confused. He said that "God aint here on earth, this is Satan’s domain", he was yelling at us and being very rude, not letting us talk. At one point I thought he might attack us. But I looked at him in the face and said "the power of  God is on earth!", i felt the spirit very strong. My companion taught him about the Love of the Living Christ. We talked to him for about 30 min, and in that time he completely changed. We told him our message will bring him peace.  Before we left he said, holding back tears, "all i want is peace, i just want peace". It was truly amazing to see that change, we haven’t seen him since but we will see him soon.  That same day we talked to a lady, she is married and has two of the cutest little kids in the world, she had talked with the missionaries in the past, but quit because her family freaked out when she told them that she went to the LDS church, they are southern Baptist.  She told us that she didn’t believe in the Baptist religion, she wanted to find somewhere that she could feel the spirit. As we talked with her she told us that while in the Celestial room at the temple open house she felt the spirit and cried.  We helped her to realize that that was an answer that she was looking for.  But she told us that she still had other concerns about the Book of Mormon and Joseph Smith. We left thinking that we would have to work with her for a while and see if she could get over those concerns.  We came back two days later and sat down with her and the first thing she said was "I’ve decided to be baptized", we were really caught off guard i thought "which church?" cus i was so surprised. She was already planning on coming to church and everything. Now her husband isn’t really religious but she assured us that he would follow her, so we were excited, we set a date and she came to church (husband was going to come but he got called into work). Church was perfect, she heard exactly what she needed to hear and when she left she was definitely at peace with her decision. I was so excited, i felt a love for her so strong and her kids too, a love that is only born of the spirit. A loving desire for them to start this eternal covenant with their Heavenly father, and prepare for more. It’s hard to explain, and i have loved some investigators before but, from the time that we told her that we were here to help her come closer to her Savior, this one was different.  But she called us last night and said that she wasn’t going to be baptized and that she didn’t want us to come back. Her family flipped out again, and her husband, obviously worried about her parents disowning her and the children, and bad blood between them for a long time didn’t support her either and pretty much told her he would divorce her if she did, and i can understand his view because he doesn’t know it’s true like she does. She isn’t worried about her parent’s opinion, that was resolved at church, but it’s either baptism or divorce. This honestly makes me cry. She knows it’s true, but nobody will support her, i cringe to think of the confusion and loneliness she feels. All i can say is that this one is tough for me to take please pray for Melissa. I’m pretty beat down but there is more work to be done and we have many other investigators that are ready to receive the gospel, so i must forget my pain and know that the Lords hand is in all things, and he loves and blesses all of his children. I love you all, pray for the missionary work throughout the world, pray for my companion and I. I’m so excited to see that you are taking Pres. Satterfield’s challenge!! It starts for me on Wed. I love you all, this gospel is true; I know that it is the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ!

 Elder Hendrix 

May 9, 2011

Family,                                                                                                            

   It was fun to talk to you all yesterday. Sometimes missionaries’ work falls off after speaking with their families but you all made me feel a greater desire to work harder and be better, because i know i have greatness to look up to, and that much is expected of me.  You all are true disciples of Jesus Christ, and examples to the world....especially Julie. I hope you all take the challenge issued by President Satterfield to read the Book of Mormon, he is truly an inspired leader over the Georgia Atlanta Mission, and its missionaries.  Quickly i wanted to tell you about what we have going on in this area right now. We are teaching a family, Mom and 2 girls, 18 and 11; Latonya, Talithi and Iyana respectively. They were taught the gospel when they lived in California and went to church for about 3 months, then Latonya's mom told her she had to "quit going with the Mormons" so they stopped but the missionaries found them here about 2  months ago. Latonya is really busy with work, and the girls with school for the next two weeks, but we taught them on Saturday and they all want to know more and Talithia (18 yr old daughter) said she wanted to be baptized, so we are excited about teaching them. Another guy we are teaching is Sid Simmons, he has been taught for 6 years by the missionaries but has issues with Prophets, but Elder Sly and I are really excited because we are going to take an approach that other missionaries never have, and we hope that it will work for him, he’s a good guy just a little stubborn. We Also have a family (Mother Father, and 2 girls) that we haven’t started yet, and we won’t until the beginning of June, but we are very excited about them because they already know about the church, they have good friends who are members and the Mother told us that she is ready to become a member, she just wants to make sure that her family comes with her. So as you can see, we are truly blessed by the Lord in this area, and we look forward to the next couple months. Love you Guys so much, keep up the good work!

Elder Hendrix

May 2, 2011

Family,

     What a wonderful learning experience a mission is. The last 2 1/2 months have been full of challenge after challenge, followed by and accompanied with so many blessings.  So i guess we had some really bad weather over here, i heard it is the biggest tornado storm in the last 40 years in the united states, many people died and lost much. Please pray for the people and especially the saints in this area.  That storm was absolutely scary. I kept waking up in the middle of the night, and the sounds of thunder a few times made me think that there was a tornado right outside our apartment, one time i could feel my heart beating really fast, the storms out west do not compare a bit to the storms I have seen out here.  Well yes I'm in a new area and i have a new companion. Elder Sly, from Salem Utah. He is really outgoing and fun, he is a really good missionary! He knows why he is out here and he has a open heart and a willingness to obey the Lords direction.  He and I are pretty much opposites, in our styles of teaching and even in personality but we have been blessed through the inspiration of the Lord to come together and strive to understand each other so that we can teach in unity. As i was praying last night, I felt assured by the Holy Spirit that if we are unified we will  make differences in the lives of people were teaching, by helping them enter the waters of baptism. I cant even begin to tell you all of the miracles that we have seen in the past week, and great people we have met.  

   This weekend was truly one i will never forget. Saturday night was the cultural celebration for the temple open house, it was fun to see one of those i never have before, President Monson looked like a kid in a candy shop.  Then on Sunday President Monson, accompanied by Elder Ballard, Elder Walter F. Gonzales of the presidency of seventy, Elder William R. Walker of the Seventy, re-dedicated the Atlanta Temple. The spirit was so strong, it was special to here them share there testimony of the temple and my testimony was strengthened in the fact of how the temple is the focus of our worship, everything we do leads to the temple. Because of the Restoration of the Priesthood through Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdry, which i know was real and true, Gods ultimate purpose (to unit his children as one, in his family) can be realized for ALL who have ever, and will ever walk the earth.  It was great to hear Pres. Monson pray for the "Lords missionaries", i am one of those. I was deeply touched as we were able to stand and sing with the choir, The Spirit of God.  The thought came to me that all over Georgia and the Neighboring states, true latter-day saints were all singing at the same time that powerful hymn that testifies of the restoration. That is a significant thing in this area where the latter-day saints are persecuted still to this day. We are small in number, but we are backed by the power of God.  The temple will be such a huge blessing in this area, i can already feel a difference in this place, i cant wait to go.   I have to go, i love you all. My last few e-mails have been so crazy that you all are probably wondering what in the heck is going on out here, so ask me some good questions that i could answer, i feel like I'm missing telling you so many important things.  I love you all!!!

 

Elder Hendrix

PS: Those of you who have written me letters and E-mails, sorry I'm taking forever, but your replies are coming.

 

D-bo,

  I had the weirdest thing happen to me today as i was reading moms e-mail. I couldn't help but be excited for you guys taking out Hillcrest, I know crazy huh, they don't lie when they tell you the mission changes people, ha ha. But that is great! Let me know how districts go, send me some baseball pics, let me know how YOU are doing in ball and such. Love you bud, keep working hard and being obedient to your coach and God both will make you a better baseball player.... I Promise!

 

Julie,

  Your just plain Crazy!! How was Disneyland? What was your favorite part? What Disney characters did you see there? Love ya

 

Elder Hendrix