Going to the BYU-Georgia Tech game???;)

Family,

Wow I tell you what, I cant believe the caliber of men that are called as Mission Presidents! Each of them have been so awesome, they have all been filled with love toward God and his missionaries. They have all cared about doing this work the Lords way, and just been men of integrity. I have to be one of the most blessed missionaries of all time!! This stuff is just too good to be true. I would have to say that President Harding is the best yet... because.... He feels like we ought to be able to go the the BYU Georgia Tech game here in Atlanta! :) haha. Ok that was a Joke, about him being the best for that reason, but its a good reason ;)

So we picked him up from the Airport on Saturday afternoon. His first Idea of what to do was to go strait to the Temple. Essentially his quote was "As a symbolic start to this next chapter, before I go to the my house or your house or the office, lets go to the Lords House", so we did. We did some Initiatory Ordinances together and spent some time counseling together in the Temple. Since then until late last night, he has wanted to go and meet as many missionaries as possible so we have gone around and he has lifted our spirits with his faith. It is amazing how much faith he has. He is a deeply spiritual leader. He is so inspired! One very very cool thing about his vision and Ideas, is that what the spirit has been prompting him to do and focus on are all the same things that the Lord has been putting on Elder Forbush and I's minds. Things are going to get better. The only bad part about all of this is that I come home In 7 weeks. But I know that what I will do and learn, especially what I will learn because of what I will do.

One thing that I have learned from him so far is how powerful it is for us to know who we really are. Divine identity is so powerful. It effects what we even believe in. Joseph Smith taught that to have true faith, you first have to have a correct understanding of who God is. If we know him, then we know ourselves. Knowing who we are effects everything we do. It effects the way that we see the actions that we do everyday. It changes our outlook on how we treat other people, and how we serve in the church, how we look at education and family. "Remember who you are", is really a good ideal to live by. Especially for missionaries. If we really understood that we were literally representing the Creator of all things, in the Atlanta Georgia area, it would change the way that we talked with every single person. It would change the way that we looked at obedience and prayer, it would change the way that we looked at studies, and teaching and planning and companions. Few of us, if any, understand who we truly are as children of God, therefore it is imperative that we study the scriptures, pray every day and attend and serve in the Church. The gospel is so true. This next week we will be doing a lot of talking and planning, and then after that we will be runnin and gunnin. Thank you so much for your prayers and Support! I love you all so much!

Elder Hendrix

My Week Flew By

Family,
Mom, My week flew by as well! These last few weeks have just been a blur! We traveled around the mission again, but this time we were all sick and we had to get up super early and it was just non-stop all week, just like last week. But it was so good. It was great to be with all of the missionaries, it was great to be with President and Sister Snow, and it was great to feel the support of the spirit not only spiritually but physically as well. Driving to each meeting it was near impossible to stay awake, and I was coughing up a lung (we all felt the same). But when we went into our meetings, those feelings were suppressed and we had energy, we were able to teach with power and really help everyone (especially ourselves) make some connections with the Holy Ghost and how we can help the Lord more in his work. These next few weeks are going to be even more busy. This week we will be setting up transfers a couple weeks early and we will be getting prepared for President Hardings' arrival on Saturday. (we are going to the temple this week too, I'm so excited i haven't been since last summer) The Snows are leaving Saturday afternoon, and we will be picking up President Harding at the Airport and its go time from there. Then the next week we will be spending time with him, helping him to get to know the mission and finalizing transfers. Then Sister Harding, her 24 year old daughter and 8 year old son will be arriving, so we will be helping them move in and welcoming them. The next week will be transfers, which will be a wild week, followed by taking the Harding's around the mission so that they can meet everyone. On top of all of that we will be trying to be working in our own area, and working with other missionaries in their areas. So I'm pretty sure i wont even have time to think about home or anything like that, and my mission will be over before i even realize it. I am excited to come home, but to think that my mission will actually be over... wow. Out here you always are looking forward to the things that are in the future, new areas, new companions etc. Because they all represent great opportunities, and to think that they are almost over is sad in a lot of ways. Yesterday we had stake conference and a recently returned missionary talked and it made me ponder what i have learned on my mission. I think the central theme of what i have learned, and what it seems most of my experiences have taught me, is The Worth of Each Soul. I would define the worth of a should like this: That the creator of this universe and all of the complex systems that govern it. The maker of EVERYTHING, is totally concerned with our lives every moment of every day. He knows us, and His most important task is to guide us to happiness and eternal life, were we can have all that He has. That is true doctrine!!!!!!!! He is a real being, and we are really his children! It is our duty, and our delight, to serve, lift, help, encourage, bless and Love his children. We should act just as he does in our relations with our brothers and sisters. I love you all so much! Pleas pray for Elder Forbush and I this week, we will need it. Hopefully the bottom doesn't fall out on this mission with Pres. Snow leaves. I just don't want to screw it up!! ;)

Elder Hendrix

Julie,
Hey there Bud! How are you doing? Mom says you are playing volleyball and having fun with it, do you like it a lot? Do you like your team? How is school, what are you learning about? What did you learn in church? Are you helpful to Mom? Will you give her a big hug and a Kiss for me please. I just was wondering how you were doing, you are so awesome! Be good ya crazy little pill!

Elder Hendrix

Grandpa Hendrix,

Hey Grandpa! I hear that you have been staying in Idaho. I'm surprised that you haven't gone crazy yet being away from the Ranch! I don't think that place could keep running without you there. I think about you a lot, and all of the great times we had out at the Ranch together. I loved be able to go feed the fish with you and be able to hear all of your awesome stories. In fact let me tell you an awesome story. The other day I was with another missionary (not my companion) for the day and He was having a very hard day. I knew that he was and I kinda new why. So before we got together I prayed really hard that the Lord would help me to know how I could help him. The scripture in D&C 121 came to my mind, but not the one a priesthood holder usually thinks of when it comes to helping people. I thought of the part that said "[use] sharpness, when moved upon by the spirit". So as him and I talked, I listened (i know that you know the importance of listening) and then felt the spirit prompt me to use sharpness. But i was afraid, because I didn't want to make him mad, before this week he and I had been frustrated with each other before, so I was nervous. But I followed the spirit and used sharpness and he was thrown back and sat there and thought for a long time. We talked for the next couple hours and by the end of the day he was thanking me for being strait-forward with him. Its funny because we are closer friends now. The scriptures are so inspirational, and the spirit is so awesome. I often wonder what it would have been like to see you as the stake president there in Fallon, and how you tried to help the people. I'm sure that I would learn a ton from watching your example! Grandpa you are the best, I pray for you that you wont feel lonely, if you ever do, you just think of you and me driving around the ranch, talking about the good ol' days! I love you Grandpa, you keep up the Good work. Cant wait to see you!

Preparation is Power

Family,         

Well it sure has been a good week, but also a very busy week. We Traveled around the mission with the Snow's and did some training, while President did Interviews with all of the missionaries. I learned so much!! The spirit was in every meeting, and I just have to tell you that God is in this work. We talk about how God prepares non-members' hearts, but he prepares missionaries hearts too. What application I have gained so far from these meetings is how vital it is for us to be prepared. Each training went exactly like it was suppose to, the spirit was there, and each missionary left with something the spirit had told them to do and they were filled with inspiration to do it. And as Elder Forbush and I talked about it yesterday we realized that it was so easy for some reason, usually its hard for us to be that effective (cuz we are weak). But we came to realize that it didn't have to do with what we knew or what we did in the meeting, it was all because of the preparation and plan that we had established for the training. As we planned the meeting we felt very inspired and the Lord told us why/how/what we needed to do in these trainings, so really it was his plan that we learned from him by revelation, and then we were obedient to that plan and he was able to do his work through us. President Monson said "Preparation is Power", and that is a true principle. Ya know God didn't just say "hey, we have spirits and we need a place to put them, so lets throw together an earth were they can hopefully figure out how to become like me". No he created it spiritually before he created it physically. In fact he called a council (or in other words, a revelatory process), and we all talked and learned and made some decisions. Preparations were made before any action was taken. We should all learn to set goals and make plans to fulfill what the Lord requires of us, "Preach My Gospel" teaches us that. Preach My Gospel was actually the focus of our training this last week, and man I tell you what: when grandpa and grandma workman invited us to study that as families, they didn't just do that cuz it was a "pretty good idea", that was a divine Idea. That book was written by Prophets, and it will draw each of us closer to Christ, in fact that is its purpose, to draw the missionary to Christ, so that they can know how to draw others to Him. If you have been having poor gospel study, use that as a guide and I promise it will have a powerful influence on the spirit of your studies. We will be doing the same training this next week, so it should be great! We found out that President Harding comes on the 22nd of this month, we are excited. But we are going to miss President and Sister Snow. We have grown to love them very deeply. They are great people, I have learned so much from them. They have cause miracles to happen in my life, and in this mission because they have faith in Jesus Christ! OOh read, NO STUDY, the talk by E. Christofferson in the Sept 2012 ensign, pg 53. That is not a suggestion that is a command! Its so good. I love you all so much and hope you have a wonderful week. Thank you for all of your letters, packages, and prayers. I feel your love all the way in Georgia!

Elder Hendrix

Preach My Gospel!!

Family,

Well how is everyone doing? We are doing just fine. All is well. Ya know I just don’t really know what to write. I know that we have been busy this week, but nothing too exciting. We are having wonderful times and Elder Forbush and I are leaning so much. This next week we are going to be traveling around the mission doing some training about Preach My Gospel that we are pretty excited for. We will be doing the same training like 20 times. We also found out that Pres Harding will be coming on the 22nd of Sept. We are excited, but most of all we are sad to Lose President and Sister Snow, they are so Awesome! I love you all the Gospel is True and the Church is True.

Elder Hendrix