True joy to my heart!

Family,                                                                                               

  Again another fantastic week. I feel like I say that every week but the weeks really are good, the work is good. It blows my mind how many things the Lord will teach you in just one week in his service. It’s probably funnier how slow I am to actually remember what he has been teaching me, or how slow I am to act on it.  Another crazy week, i feel like we are just tired constantly. We have a lot to do and my memory is so bad that I can't keep it all strait. Elder Fisher has it under control really i just feel bad for him because he has to put up with me and keep me on track. He is so great, I am learning so much from him. He really has a crazy-good ability to help people realize who they are. He is an example of someone who has the Gospel burning within them, even though he isn't perfect and a little "rough around the edges", he sure is trying his best so serve God. He's going to move to IF when he gets home and live like 5 min away from our house, he says he's going to come visit you mom.

  Well really the highlights of the week were Melanie’s baptism and a special Stake Conference in our stake.  Melanie was baptized and confirmed on Saturday! It was a very good service, she felt the spirit and she felt very good after the baptism. I think that she felt a weight lift off of her shoulders. She definitely had a different spirit about her since the baptism and confirmation. Her parents came, and they loved it. I think that their hearts were really softened by the spirit. She was worried about how they would react, but it went well! Thanks for your prayers. During the service i really felt joy as I thought about and felt that she will have a profound effect on her family and her posterity will now be born under and live in the covenant. She will be a leader in the church for sure. She will affect so many people inside and outside the church. It was more than just her life affected on Saturday. Those thoughts do bring joy to your heart. It's a blessing to see firsthand God work in the life of someone as they become converted to his Gospel.  On Sunday we had stake conference and Elder Rasband came. Before the meeting he was walking around with the stake president greeting people and he came up to Fisher and I. He asked us about the work and we talked with him about Melanie for a little bit, and he asked us to introduce her to him, so we did. I think that was really cool for her, and he was excited to meet her. It was cool to see him walk around and just talk with everyone. He gave a great talk. It was about families. He quoted Pres. Kimball when he said "No success can compensate for failure at home", then he went on to talk about what Pres. Kimball said "failure at home" actually meant. Failure at home occurs when parents quit trying, as he talked about that and other principles I was filled with thanks for my family that never gave up on me. I’m so thankful to Mom and Dad, because they never quit trying, and I know that they never will! It was a great conference, and just a great week. Love you all so so much.

Elder Hendrix

Emotional

Family,

      Well it was a great week. Sounds like home is the exact same when I left, that is good. Mom tell Livi, Makae, and Bex Hello for me. Tell D-bo to say hi to coach Barr for me. Tell Darren to e-mail me about the baseball season, I would be interested to know how he is feeling about the season and his play so far. 

  This last week was crazy. We had transfers and it is just one big meeting and mini meetings before and after. Fisher compared it to putting on a "Show", it does kinda have that feel, just without the entertainment aspect, but we have a lot going on at those meetings. It was a very emotional meeting for Fisher and I, and really for everyone who was there. Elder Landsaw went home (I served with him in Atlanta), along with a bunch of other missionaries who were leaders in the mission for a long time. First of all Landsaw become a close friend to me and someone whom I could always seek advice from. We had a great experience together, we taught and baptized Montavious and he just taught me a lot and I love him like a brother. Elder Fisher was trained by Landsaw and when Fisher came out he was kind of a mess, not converted and just not prepared for his mission. But Elder Landsaw pretty much changed to course of his entire life by his example and teaching, so Fisher was crying like a little baby. HAHA I was conducting the meeting and right after all of the guys going home walked out of the chapel I was supposed to get up and announce some stuff, and there was some confusion between sister Satterfield (who was also balling) and I. I tried to announce some stuff but just couldn’t, so i Just mumbled some stuff and turned the time over to her and President (He didn't cry). Anywho, about 75% of all of the missionaries were crying it was very touching to see the unity that is built within a mission, so much love and brotherhood. One of the most special parts of the meeting was to hear Elder Stephens bear his testimony. I served with I’m at the very beginning of my mission, and he really had no testimony when i was with him. But he bore his testimony about how much he has grown on his mission and that he hopes so much that he will stay on the path that he got on during his mission, when he goes home. Which is cool because when i was his companion he said he was going to go home and be less active, so missions are great. I attribute the love within our mission to the Satterfields who will have their last transfer meeting at our next one. So that is going to be another tear jerker, I love them so much!

 We also taught Melanie again this week. She is going to be baptized this Saturday at 4. We are so excited; she is really a special person. Please pray for her. She doesn’t have any support from her family and this is a big step for her so she is very nervous and all the prayers would really help her. I also want to tell yall how much I love my companion! He is so awesome, just cares so much about others. He is a great missionary, a fantastic teacher and a better human. He is someone that definitely look up to, and i will learn a lot from him. He is super funny, and a little rough around the edges, I mean he's a mechanic and from Pocatello, but he just "gets it". Ill most likely be serving with him the rest of his mission 3 transfers. So were stoked on that. Love ya'll so much!

Elder Hendrix

Literally NO TIME!

Family,                                                                                                                       

  I literally have no time so I will give you some updates on the mission. First did you send those meal worms? So Elder Montiel got a new companion, so I’m not serving with him anymore. But the family that we have been teaching is doing great. Their mom got baptized on Saturday and it was a great service. Afterward her youngest son said he wanted to get baptized too. The two older boys are still being taught, it was cool to see them all dressed up for the baptism together. When I worked in Columbus with Elder Wiberg we taught the Hatch family, well the son got baptized and Sis Hatch is going to be baptized in a couple weeks. Although Elder Wiberg is being transferred this week I will probably be able to go and take him to the baptism when it happens. He says that that family has changed so much and is doing so so good! The Gospel is great.

    We had an awesome week. So this Wednesday is transfers so the last few days have been crazy. The week started out with us just sitting in President’s office with him and counseling about missionaries and transfers, and placing them in areas. It was a cool experience. President cares so much about the missionaries.  That was a fun experience. So the rest of the week is just preparing for a new transfer, figuring out rides and new areas, closing areas and bikes and all sorts of meetings so we have worked pretty hard. I will be staying with Elder Fisher, he’s from Pocatello, He is so awesome I’m going to probably serve with him till he goes home (4 1/2 Months). I will learn a lot from him and he has already become a great friend.

   So I don’t know if I told you about M***, she is an investigator who has been coming to our YSA ward, she is so awesome!!!  She prayed about baptism and she is going to get baptized on April 28th. WOW I’ll have to tell you more about her next week, but she has really embraced the gospel like I have never seen. It is so cool. She is so hungry, she was begging us for a Doctrine and Covenants. I’ll talk more next week!!

  Love you all so much. Do missionary work it’s the best. Share the Gospel cuz it’s so fun!

Elder Hendrix 

Back at the Office

Family,                                                                                                                        April 10, 2012

  So I’m back with Fisher and Hansen. I enjoyed serving with Montiel, he will always be a good friend.  Quick funny story from this week, Dad will be proud. so the missionaries Montiel and I lived with like to go fishing on p-day. Well, I found a cup of "DMF" worms in the fridge, so I counseled these young men on buying quality worms and advised them to not support the "DMF" company. So I threw the worms out and made a deal with the elder who bought them, he wanted 2 cups of meal worms, so dad will you send me two cups of Meal worms, Thanks.  So not really much happened this week. We were able to teach the family I was telling you about, with the 3 young boys. We had some great lessons with them. I was worried that they would have a tough time being really interested in the lessons, so I prayed pretty hard that I would be able to have the spirit so that they would enjoy and find an interest in learning about the restoration of the gospel, because they really dont have much knowledge about the gospel. Well we went into the lesson and it just went so well. I felt inspired by the spirit, and though the spirit wasn’t like overwhelmingly powerful there was a noticeable spirit of peace and understanding with us. And they started asking great questions and even when I taught them about the fall of the Church of Christ and the eventual apostasy and building up of all of the different churches, they said "they don’t have the authority" and I was blown away because adults don’t usually pick up on that one.  Anyway, they really understood everything and it was so fun to teach them. Then we had another lesson the next day and it went just the same. The lord is merciful to those who seek him earnestly. This past Easter weekend I was touched as I thought about and was taught about the Atonement of Christ and his resurrection.  I was very touched by President Uchtorf's declaration in Priesthood session, that "The Father and The Son are real, they are really there". I felt the spirit testify to me that what he said was true, and that is the Easter season message. I had a great opportunity to study the Atonement for a couple hours yesterday, and discuss it with Elder Hansen, followed up by a great sacrament meeting. My thoughts turned to the suffering of the savior, and his perfect example of doing the will of the Father always! I feel strongly about, and grateful for the restored gospel's atonement teachings. One that Christ, though he was a God, had a life experience just like ours. He had to overcome physical, mental and spiritual challenges. He had to learn, "grace for grace" and he "increased in wisdom and stature and in favor with God and man". I was reading Isaiah 53 yesterday. It is a beautiful chapter about life long suffering that he went through. "he was despised and rejected of men, a man of sorrows acquainted with grief...the chastisement of our peace was upon him and with his stripes we are healed... by his knowledge he shall justify many.." We learn that because of his suffering the Father "shall be satisfied...because he hath poured out his soul unto death."  Christ did not ever fall into his temptations, but he was pushed to his limit just as we are. Because of his experience, he knows how to lift us up (Alma 7:11-13). He gave everything and so we are expected to also. Our obligation is to act in faith, repent of our sins, and transgressions, be baptized (or partake of the sacrament, serve others and always remember him), receive and follow the spirits promptings, and to endure to the end in following the example of the savior. Why would we not be expected to do all that we can possibly do, when we truly understand his atonement how could we not? The gospel is true and it changes lives. Thank you all for being examples to me of what it means to be Christ like. Mom and Dad thanks for being true followers of Jesus Christ, Yall are the best!!

april 2, 1012

Family,                                                                                                            April 2, 2012

  Wow this weekend was so great. I loved conference, seemed to be just for me. Prayers were answered, lessons were taught and doctrine was understood. Now the Challenging part is applying and living what I have learned. I was immediately touched and felt the spirit during Elder Packers talk on Saturday morning. I really enjoyed E. Koelliker's talk as well. Priesthood session was a session of conference I will never forget and the best session of priesthood for myself. We were taught so much doctrine, every talk focused on the doctrine of the priesthood. Elder Bednars talk hit me so hard, that if I truly have the priesthood I had better be different, not better than everyone, but different! Elder Uchtdorfs talk was so powerful. He was really passionate, and I knew that he knew that the Father and Jesus Christ are real beings and they love us, and I came to have a greater understanding of that principle. Then President Monson’s talk yesterday was full of such good doctrine. If a person lived what he taught, they would literally change their world. Conference was so great, I can’t wait to read those talks again, but  I am happy to say that conference was not the highlight of my weekend! I don’t know if you remember much about Montavius, that I taught an had the privilege of baptizing in Atlanta. He is 18, he grew up in a terrible situation. Stealing and selling drugs to live and pay his families bills and was caught up in gang life. He invited E. Landsaw and I to go with him to get his patriarchal blessing. It was a highlight of my mission, and probably will be a highlight of my life. I am amazed at that young man and the change that has been made in his life. His blessing was amazing!! He is most definitely one of the Noble and Great ones prepared from the foundation of this world.  The spirit was so strong and I know that that patriarch was inspired by

Father in Heaven. Truly D&C 18 has been fulfilled in my life. I have not baptized many people on my mission but the joy that I feel as I see Montavius grow and progress in the Gospel is so great. It is so humbling, God really does know us and love us each so much! If we just listen and obey the promptings of his holy spirit we will do what will make us most happy, that is his will! I can’t wait for you all to meet Montavius one day, though I think Idaho and Utah will be a shock to him, haha.  Is not the Gospel so true!! I love you all.

Elder Hendrix