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

April 25, 2011

Family,                                                                                               

   First i would like to answer your questions Mom.  I’m really not focusing too hard on my Spanish because it’s only for one transfer, but i am learning some.  I actually don’t serve in a branch or a ward it’s a group, there are about 15 regular attendees. There used to be more but the work has suffered in the past, and in June they are going to integrate the Spanish group into the Auburn family ward.  We don’t serve on the campus though, we serve around it but there are missionaries who serve in the student ward. In fact i don’t think I told you but there are 3 companionships in Auburn, Elder Wood and I live with another companionship who cover the family ward and town called Opelika, one of them is Elder Midgley, my MTC companion.  How excited i am to tell you all of the wonderful things that have been happening in Spanish Auburn! 

   First of all, Elder Wood is so stinking awesome, I feel so blessed to serve with him.  He loves people, the people we teach are his motivation, he only thinks about them.  He teaching with "power and authority", he teaches "by the spirit", not "by some other way".  He also cares so much for me and my comfort and he takes so much effort in teaching a dumb-ol gringo like me Spanish. He is just humble and we really really work well together, we seriously work ourselves into the ground I’ve never been this tired, it’s absolutely awesome.  We see so many miracles, we have got probably 8 investigators who we are really confident in right now. Each one of them has a true desire to learn, they have all been prepared to hear the message of the restoration. Yesterday we knocked on an old investigators door that we have been trying to contact since i got here, Carlos, but we hadn’t talked with him yet.  We were just in the area so we knocked on the door, not really expecting or thinking much would come from it.  But he was finally there, I’m telling you I’ve knocked on his door like 15 times and nothing, so we went in and again my companion followed the spirit so well and started teaching in a way he had never done before, because he has never felt comfortable doing it.  He followed the spirit and the lesson went great, (at least that’s what he said, i would really know I didn’t understand any of it) and Carlos accepted baptism and he wants to be baptized on May 20, and he will because he is so humble. We had experiences like that all week. Sat: we were tracting in a trailer park and we decide to knock on a door of a trailer we have passed by dozens of times, and the kid inside invited us right in, we had a good lesson and he wanted to come to church. Then we went out on a team up with an awesome guy from our group we visited 4 investigators and committed 3 of them to come to church and all of them had rides and they were coming for sure. Fri: we were just standing outside in an apartment complex talking about where we should go and a lady came out of her house and started asking us all sorts of questions and we answered them and she really liked us and what we were talking about, we shared a scripture from the book of Mormon and she said she was going to come to church. Thur: We found an old investigator and had a great lesson with him and we will teach him again. Wed: We found a new investigator (Lorenzo) that we were most definitely lead to, and we used some techniques and we  learned in district meeting and had studied that morning and the spirit was so strong in our quick lesson, and now we have taught Lorenzo 2 times and he is a humble seeker and listener. Tue: we had two great lessons with investigators we hadn’t seen in a long time, they were important lessons for their progression. So going into Sunday we were on a spiritual high, we had 5 investigators we were expecting to be at church for sure. Everything was too solid for plans for fall through... but only one showed up. That is what our week has been like: huge high's, miracles new investigators and great lessons accompanied with much fatigue and then a huge let down on Sunday. But we again like last week resolved to not let our spirits down, we were going to exercise our faith and do the same good work the next week, we truly felt that we were being lifted up by the Love of our Lord, Elder Wood and i have felt his support.

   Now i was so excited to tell you this and so excited to tell you where all of these people go, and miracles lead too, but about an hour ago i got a call from Pres. Satterfield and he said that he needs to move me again! There is a missionary who has to be sent home for medical reasons and his companion is coming down here and i am taking an English elder from a 3-some and going to the whitewater ward in peach tree city.  I am so willing to do whatever the mission president asks me, and I’ll do it knowing it is according to the Lords will, and that i have much to learn from it, I’m truly excited for a new challenge. But I am so bumbed, almost heartbroken to be leaving this area and Elder Wood, we were talking last night while lying in bed about how grateful we are for serving together and the things we have learned from each other. We were talking about how the mission is full of "ups", followed by "downs", leading to tough times, which (if we have faith, humility and stay diligent) will eventually become an "Up", and that cycle continuously repeats itself.  It’s a refining process, it’s truly living life but on steroids because that cycle literally happens on a daily, weekly and transfer time scale, as you can see by our last week. I even joked last night to elder wood that it almost too easy serving with him, i guess i jinxed myself.  Ha Ha all you can do about this is just "smile and wave", no need to get down, i have a testimony of attitude, in fact in 1 Nephi read the last verse in Ch3 and the 1st verse in Ch4 and compare the attitude of Nephi, verse the attitude of Laman and Lemuel. Optimism leads to faith and faith leads to obedience. Pessimism leads to fear,  and fear leads to disobedience.

     It is my testimony to all of you!!! That the Lord challenges us each day and we can wake up and decide how we are going to face those challenges. If we do it with faith, we will become what our Father in Heaven knows we can become, even like He is! I love you all and definitely pray for me, pray that i may travel safe, haha. Love Y'all!!

Elder Hendrix

April 18, 2011

Quierido Familia,                                                                                            

    Well things are going great. "Les Quiero todos" means -i love you all and i really do.  Tell Elder Weeks that just before i left Carlos wasn’t really progressing, he felt like the answer to his prayer was that he didn’t want to join any "organized religion", but he still loves the missionaries and he’s awesome, tell elder weeks that I’ll try to relay the message.  One of the investigators i taught in Burnt Hickory got baptized yesterday, so that was cool!  Mom it’s so fun to hear your spiritual experiences, i really appreciate them.  That is so cool to hear about chance going to Maryland, if you get a chance give him my best wishes.  Well this last week we worked so hard and we were seeing blessings left and right.....then the weekend came and we just got kicked in the gut repeatedly!  But that happens to us in life, and I’m so grateful to have a companion who has such a huge capacity for Faith, we were talking last night about our week and he was so optimistic.  We decided that we were going to do the same thing this next week: work really hard and if we don’t meet our goals then we will just have to do it again and be thankful for our experience.  It sure makes life easier when you have a really hard working, faithful, and obedient companion, I am so grateful to be serving with Elder Wood.  And as for the Spanish, i mostly sit in silence during the lessons and smile.  But we are teaching a couple, and the Guy speaks a little English, and the girl speaks no Spanish so we mostly teach in English.  Elder Wood has taught me how to pray and bear my testimony in Spanish.  I actually said a prayer in Spanish during a lesson and at Church on Sunday, so I’m learning a little bit.  The work is going great, we have so much potential in our investigators, and we are very excited for the future here in Auburn!  I love you all, work hard at serving others and study the scriptures every day!

Elder Hendrix

PS: Julie way to go on cleaning Darren’s room, you are the best sister.

PSS: but you’re still crazy!

April 11, 2011

Family,

   Well hello, so let me tell you about the week i had, it was "loco".  So transfers are on Wednesday, on Saturday night we get a call if someone is leaving the area, then on Monday night we get a call from the assistants telling us who is leaving, they don't tell us where we are going.  On Wed we go to transfers (transfers is so much fun, all of the missionaries are sitting in the chapel and nobody knows where we they are going so were all excited and ooh and ah when president makes assignments...anyway) and get our assignments and companions.  So Monday night we got a call that i was getting transferred, and they said i would be biking.  So i went to transfers: Elder Hansen is my new companion and and I am going to Lanett Alabama. The two missionaries I was sitting next to got so excited! They had served in Lanett and loved it, they said my companion is awesome, which was most definitely true. So i was pretty excited. After the meeting was over i went to get our supplies because the Lanett area had been closed for 5 months so the apartment was empty, and they gave me keys to a car, i said "I'm on a bike", and he said "no your not". Turns out that Elder Hansen was suppose to be training but on Tuesday Pres Satterfield got a phone call from Salt Lake saying this missionary wasn't coming.  Which is a huge problem because now They had to find a companion for Elder Hansen (ask grandpa workman what problems that might cause).  So that's how i got put with Elder Hansen and avoided riding a bike. But wait the story get better.  So Elder Hansen and I went shopping on Thursday morning, just before we were getting ready to check out Pres Satterfield called and told me that The missionary from the MTC was coming now and that they really wanted Elder Hansen to train him. So he told me that their was a threesome down in Auburn Alabama, 2 English and 1 Spanish, sooo now I'm serving as a Spanish missionary with Elder Wood, crazy huh. President asked if i Knew any Spanish and i said "not lick".  But Elder Wood is absolutely the Man! He's great about helping me try to learn the language, and hes just a humble, hard working, obedient missionary.  He's from Kaysville Utah and said that he knows Ryan Workman.  He reminds me of Joe, that's how  awesome he is.  We had an investigator come to church yesterday, Jeronimo, and we taught him a lesson on Sunday night, he is so awesome too! I asked him what he thought of Church (in English) and he said "Muy Bien, Muy Bien", and i know what that means. Then in our lesson (which i didn't understand anything, haha) he read the whole chapter of 3 Nephi 11, and underlined about 10 words and asked questions about what they meant. He is such a humble guy.  We have another investigator, Alfredo who has a baptismal date and he wants to change his life.  We have quite a few solid investigators, and we are really excited about this transfer. I'm excited for this transfer, and for the opportunity to serve the Hispanic people, and I'm in Auburn, so that's cool (haven't seen Cam yet).  This last week was really weird, but Elder Wood and I are excited for this upcoming week we are going to kill it baby!! 

   Wow!! Trujillo Peru, that is great, tell Paul to E-mail or write me, that's exciting!!! The weather here is starting to get real warm and humid.  Augusta is on the other side of the state. But my Brothers need to be Aware that after my mission we are coming back to Georgia to do some golfing, all the courses here look so pretty and fun to play.  Anywho, you all are great, pray for me to be able to speak Spanish, pray for a miracle and expect it, pray for Elder Wood to have patience too, ha ha, and hopefully ill be able to speak some Spanish when i call you on mothers day.  Les Quiero a todos (Elder Wood had to tell me how to spell that)

Elder Hendrix

Julie,

   You just keep right on pickin on Brice ok, but not to much hes kind of a softy. I cant believe you made 40 dollars counting worms, tell dad i said that isn't fair. Good job on reading your scriptures, I'm proud of you. Promise yourself today that you are going to read them everyday for the end of your life, and do it. It will make you happy.  I love you Sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo much more!!!

Elder Hendrix

April 4, 2011

Family,

   Yes conference was amazing! We are lead by a Prophet of God!!  Mother it was interesting yesterday in the morning session I think, one of the talks made me think of you.  You recently wrote to me and said that you wanted to be a better member missionary, to go out and not be afraid to say what you believe (or something along those lines).  I don't remember the talk but it was one of the twelve, he was talking about being sharing the gospel and the thought came to me that you needed to hear that message.  Mom you have a solid testimony, and you love people. Don't be afraid or timid about your beliefs, our church is Gods kingdom, his teachings, his organization and everyone wants to be a part of it, they just don't know it yet.  Which leads me The message I got out of conference:  The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints' ultimate goal is to "help others help themselves", which WILL eventually lead US to have the desire to "help others help themselves".  It is the perfect organization, Our prophet, our leader, the man we look to for an example has been serving other since he was a bishop at 22, and he has been serving us full time for the past 50 years!!  He does not get paid, he does not live in luxury, he serves us every day of the year.  The church is for the members! It seeks our happiness, that is why it is Christ's "only true and living" church! I love you all I have to go, I will know tonight if I am getting transferred. I love you all To death.

 

Elder Hendrix

 

PS: Scott and Heather e-mail me so I have your e-mail address.