{ThE FaMiLies We'Ve BeeN TeaCHinG KiNd of CRaSHed}

Mom!

Hahaha hilarious story about the relief sociey basketball game!! I can only imagine! I would have been front and center cheering you on! Even if you scored in the wrong basket :) haha great story!

Congrats on the puppy...she seems like a winner. And that`s crazy that Marshall is getting glasses. I hope they look something like the ones you sent in the picture of him. That would be fantastic! haha

Well mom...i really love ya. The mission is good. Great, actually! And it keeps moving by faster and faster. There is definitely a sense of urgency and a need to share the message with everyone. I am lovin it here in Alcalde Diaz. I don`t know if i`ve told you but it`s one of my most beautiful areas...if not the most beautiful.

The people are incredible! So humble and loving. Sometimes they reject you just because they really don`t know what we have. And because not everyone let`s strangers into their house. If only everyone could understand...haha but i guess that`s kind of the idea of missionary work.

I`m glad God trust`s me enough with His Son`s name. I`m grateful for missionaries now. Before coming here...i didn`t have any idea what they did. But now i get it. It was tough this week...really tough. I think it was hard in our whole zone for some reason. But i feel good because we are all trying. We are working even when it`s hot haha. I love these people mom...i wish you could meet all of them and listen to their stories. But i can only tell you so much. You know in the Book of Mormon how they say they couldn`t even write the hundreth part of their experiences? I sometimes feel that way about these emails haha

Love you mom!

Your son,

Elder Henrie

Hello!

I`m glad that Book of Mormon finally made it...kinda had me worried. Yeah me and Elder Hine are still zone leaders in Alcalde Diaz...we are gonig to teach tomorrow in zone conference about how to receive revelation from the Book of Mormon...haha the assitants told us last night, giving us plenty of time to prepare!

Gracie`s a cute dog haha i`ll bet she`s the new center of attention for awhile now.

The families we`ve been teaching kind of crashed. The majority of them can`t move passed the beliefs that they already have to give the book of mormon a chance. It`s hard when you know that people went to ask other people instead of God about the Book of Mormon. It doesn`t really work that way...

So we`ve been focusing on finding a lot of new people. We only had one guy come to church yesterday and he showed up a little drunk. So we`re really focusing on that committment right now.

Things are going good in the mission. With Elder Hine...we have a lot of experience with respect to diligence. At 8 45, the night before preparation day...tired, etc, God blesses you with a family if you keep working. It was a pretty tough week with some bigtime rejection but we`re hanging in there with hope of finding someone. You have to talk to a lot of people in panama to baptize one person....and that makes it all worth it.

Good luck with Gracie this week! Hope you can get some sleep! Haha i love you all!

Elder Henrie

{A LaTE ChRistMas GiFT}

On Friday, we got a package from Panama! Tanner mailed us a Christmas gift in October, and it just arrived. A Book of Mormon, read by him, and lovingly marked. He had highlighted every single reference to Christ. It is a gift from the heart. We love it. Here is the letter, written on the inside cover:

28 Oct., 2010

Dear Family,

It's 8:23 AM, Oct. 28 2010, and the Book of Mormon is true. Every time I've read it, I have seen who it testifies of. I know Christ lives. I know he died for us & I know he [was]ressurected so we could have eternal life. Today marks one year in the mission. It's going by FAST but I'm trying to make it count. Studying the Book of Mormon gives me the desire to keep going. It gives me a sense of urgency to bring people into the gospel. It has been a big part of the foundation of my faith listening to so many objections.

I have read this book various times. I have prayed many hours to know if it's true, and Moroni's promise still holds true. He teaches that "God will show unto you, that which I have written is true." (Moroni 10:29) And that's exactly how it works. I have kneeled down with God's children in Panama and I have watched them receive an answer from God. It's an amazing experience.

I feel like Elder Holland, in that "I want to be absolutely clear when I am in front of the judgement bar of God that I declared to the world... that the Book of Mormon is true." I have no doubt that it is true and I know I have to share it with everyone I meet. I know many will reject it, but at least my conscience will be clear.

Without these words, written by God's prophets here in the Americas... everything falls apart. I have really learned on the mission that everything depends on the truthfulness of this book. If Joseph Smith was a prophet, the priesthood, the Plan of Salvation, everything. We know it's true if we know this book os true.

Here's what I learned as I read the Book of Mormon this time around: You have to apply it, Jesus Christ is the Son of God, God answers every sincere prayer, service brings happiness, and the gospel is extrememly simple.

I learned that we have to fight for our families. I learned that a testimony comes by obedient living. I learned to keep walking when I have no strength. I learned that we are all children of God. ALL of us. I have seen the atonement in the lives of others and I think that wouldn't be possible without these teachings.

I also think I learned to be grateful. I know I have a lot to improve, but I know I'm doing good... not perfect, but my best. I invite you all to read this book, meditate it's message, and to pray and ask God if it's true. No matter how many times you have done it... God will confirm your testimony.

Like Mormon, know that "I am mindful of you always in my prayers, continually praying unto God the father in the name of his holy child, Jesus, that he, through his infinite goodness and grace, will keep you through the endurance of faith on his name to the end." (Mormon 8:3) I love you. We are SO blessed to have a family that is sealed by God's power. It's a rare blessing even in the church. So we must make it count here so we go back together. But I'm not worried... I know God is happy with our family. We're not perfect... but we are awesome Ha Ha Ha

Thank you all. Thank you. I love you. I hope this gets there by Christmas so I can say Feliz Navidad!

Con Amour,

Elder Henrie

{DiliGenCE is SuPer impoRTaNT HerE!!}

Saweet!

This week was awesome! My new comp is Elder Hine...from New Mexico. He`s been out in the mission about 20 months...i`m still here in la cabima and i`m lovin it. Turns out the sweet family we had found, family villalas, is in the interior right now...until next saturday haha. But we have found some incredible families in the last few days. Elder Hine is really awesome. He really pushes the work and always has a good positive spirit. He`s really a great missionary and i can tell this change is going to go by fast. Last Friday president ward came with us to visit one of the families we are teaching...la familia Soto-Góngora. SUCH a good family. And it was cool to teach with president there. We were going to teach the word of wisdom...but when we got there we decided it would be better to read the book of mormon.

We also found this family named Herrera. They are sweet! They have four kids...but usually just their three daughters are there with them. One of their older daughters is super catholic but when we taught them about the book of mormon they seemed really interested. We found them at about 8 20 at night. The promise of finding families at night has seriously worked every night this past week. We will have an entire day of heat, rejection, and lameness, and then find a great family when time is almost up. Diligence is super important here!

Last night we had kind of a tough experience. We found a good married couple and they were asking a lot of questions. They assist to a church called Hosanna, but they were pretty open. So we put a return appointment and got up to leave. As we walked out their aunt was there and she got on us for coming to their house. She said mormons werent welcome there and that they already know the word of god...and that we couldnt come back. All we could do was testify and leave. It almost made me mad, but my comp walked out calmly...really showing an example of christlike love for the people here. But no worries...we went and taught the familia herrera after and that brought my spirits up!!

Did i mention that elder Poli went to San Blas?! haha he was wanting to go there...san blas is kind of a paradise supposedly here in panama :) goin to chill on the islands baptizing kuna indians! He was way excited!

In the changes...president ward laid down the law...unfortunately it was something that needed to be done.. He stood up and said that if he caught anyone with a phone, headphones, ipods, etc. he would send them straight home. Pretty sad, but i really think that culture of the mission is changing a lot. Things are becoming a lot more spiritual and i think a lot of the missionaries are starting to understand better our purpose.

Well i love you all! I`m kinda disappointed that you bought a ´golden doodle´ when there`s plenty of strong pitbulls and rotweilers here in la cabima haha don`t know how well Gracie will stand her ground against them!! Hahaha sorry bad joke mom.

Love you guys! The church is true!

Elder Henrie

{I wAS on FiRE!}

what up fam?!

Sounds like all is well in the henrie house. Well...this week we´ve got changes...what a fast change! We have had problems this week...and lots of sweet experiences as well. We found a great family last night at about 8. They kept asking the perfect questions! How can we know if a prophet really is called of god? Shouldn´t there be one ture church? Is there any more scripture inspired by God? haha wow! Nope sorry...couldn´t tell ya. We are hoping to see progression in them.

A family came yesterday to district conference! La familia soto góngora. Really cool family! Its a guy that crashed his car by the church about a month ago and we helped him out. They showed up late but i was sooooo excited to see them. I know it was because we fasted for them...i really feel the blessings of hard work now. And a couple other people showed up too...sweet sunday.

We also found this kid this week named Luis...he read the book of mormon, thought about it, and prayed, and he got his answer! He couldn`t come to church because he went on vacation with his mom but he is really animated! He´s a great kid and i think we´ll see progress there too.

Alberto is kinda progressing but not really....he didn´t come to church yesterday. We are having a family home evening with him tonight so we´ll see what happens.

Dad...good work losin weight! I´ll look forward to a gnarley six pack when i see you next time!

Mucho amor,

Elder henrie

¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡FELIZZZZZ CUMPLEAÑOS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Mom! Happy birthday! I love you mom! I hope you have a killer birthday this year. It´s been so good having you and the family encouraging me so much here in the mission. I will be having a busy day on your birthday...we´re going into the city to have changes. Will be fun to see who my new comp is.

Seeing as how it´s your birthday...you need to know that i´ll be thinking about you and praying for you. The day we were born has to be the most important day of our lives (i think elder falabella said that so it´s doctrine haha). You have been such a good example to me. I have been able to use a ton of what you have taught me here in the mission! I don´t know what the missionaries do that don´t have that support. Thank you for everything...i LOVE you a ton!

con mucho amor,

Elder henrie

ps the camera is sweet i´ll take some sweet fotos soon. pps i scored four goals playing soccer last week on p day! I was on fire!!!

ha ha good manners

{I'M sweATIN HardCorE EverY DaY Here}

Hey fam!

That`s crazy that it`s so cold there. I`m sweatin hardcore every day here. It´s been an interesting week haha new years is kinda crazy here. Some sweet panama traditions...burning a ´muñeco´, its a big doll stuffed with newspaper...don`t know why but it´s really funny. And youre supposed to throw twelve cents over your shoulder at midnight to throw away whatever bad happened last year and start off good. And then of course...lots of fireworks and beer.

There was a really cool baptism in one of the areas in our zone yesterday morning and we got to go to it to sing. This kid, a returned missionary, baptized his father, José Aizpurua. It was honestly one of the greatest moments i`ve seen on my mission. After he was baptized he started crying and his son started crying in the water with him while they hugged each other. It had been such a long time that they were trying to get him baptized...he was the last in all his family to be baptized. Pretty much everyone there was crying. It was incredible!

This week we started teaching a 17 kid named alberto. He is a reference of our neighbors who are members and he`s really positive. Yesterday he came to church with a shirt and tie! It was cool...we´re going to put a baptismal date with him tonight at family home evening! Hope it all goes well.

ps my leg is fine...basically healed...i took some anti biotic pills and they took out that infection. good stuff.

sad story this week. One of the missionaries got sent home 3 weeks early because he just couldn´t control himself. After two years of serving...he went home three weeks early without honors. It was a pretty sad story. The mission is doing good though. Presidente Ward came to Alcalde Diaz yesterday to have a meeting with all of the leaders..and i think things are going to go well next change here. Elder Poli is probably out of here the 12 of january...haha happy birthday mom :)

this week has been a little tough but things are picking up here. We´re hoping that Alberto will progress and read the book of mormon.

J Dub i hope you´re feelin better bro. Sounds like it´s pretty rough. And i felt bad about mom´s food poisoning story...:( bummer.

i think i´m going to buy a new camera today because the old one is long gone by now.

i love you all the church is true. Had some sweet experiences this week...just need to work harder on recognizing god´s hand every day. Sometimes it´s tough when you´re tired haha. The book of mormon has helped me out a lot in the tough times in the mission. I always feel better when i read it. And i KNOW it´s true. I´m not sure if i was positive before the mission. But i´ve seen how much it changes the lives of people who really live what it teaches us.

I love you all A TON!

Con mucho amor,

Elder Henrie

{ChRisTMas WaS InCreDiBle!}

Familia!

Well...Christmas was incredible! Joshua got baptized! And his father, Tomàs, baptized him. We talked to Tomàs after and he was describing his feelings to us about it. He said that when he was in the water he felt like he was in heaven and bringing his son out of the water was the most incredible thing he`d ever felt! It was so special to see him. And his wife (that he is separated from) came to the baptism and then to church the next day for the confirmation. It was sweet! Oh...and yesterday at church, the people that we had planned to pick up all told us they couldn`t go...so we started inviting people on the street. We met a guy named Maximino on the street who said he had to go paint a house and then would go to church. We thought it was just a lie...but sure enough...after sacrament meeting he showed up!! It was a cool experience. And another guy that we hadn`t planned on picking up came with us. So it turned out to be a good sunday. Juan Carlos, a recent convert, showed up with a shirt and tie...looked super guapo. His wife couldn`t come because his baby had an `accident` on the way to church...haha oops.

I was thinking about the questions that you all asked on Christmas...and i think i realized that the hardest thing for me on the mission is worrying that i`m not doing everything right. But i talked to president about that and he talked to me about how there isn`t one missionary that will go home perfect. But i do want to go home with no regrets!

Well..sorry it`s short this week. I went to the doctor and they said it`s really serious. No just kidding i`m going later on today..hermana ward called this morning just to make sure i was going to go.

Love you all! Feliz año nuevo!!!

Con mucho amor,

Elder Henrie

ps it was AWESOME to see you all! [on SKYPE] And i STILL can`t BELIEVE that j dub and jess are gonna have a baby!!! That`s NUTS!!

Reply to Grammy:

Hola abuelita!

Hi grammy! I hope your christmas was great and that you are ready for a new year! I love christmas...but it always passes by to fast. Since february we`ve been saying...christmas is comin´. And now it passed! I love you and pray for your health.

Cuìdese!

Elder Henrie