{It waS TouGH to See}

Fam!

Well this week was sweet! We had a really interesting/intense experience on Saturday. We were trying to get to an appointment that we had at 2 in this area called las camelias. And we were on a street thinking that we could take a little ´shortcut´ seeing as how there was a little pathway that we figured would make it to las camelias. we didn`t want to walk the ten minutes around. Work effectively right? Hmmm wrong. Turns out we walked into this guandu farm. And the grass there isn`t grass...it`s like walking through bamboo...ridiculous. We saw a little riverbed that looked like an out. And it was headed up this super steep hill that was going in the direction that we were wanting to go. Well a little ways up and we ran into a problem. Like a twenty foot cliff in front of us. We were pretty bummed and at this point let`s just say that the ten minutes we could have spent walking around were already up. we ended up scaling this little part to the side and i got SUPER dirty haha. I think it literally took us like an hour to make it through. What a joke. We got to the appointment super dirty and sweaty and the family there was pretty surprised haha but they received us and it was a good lesson. They weren`t even mad that we were an hour late.

but everything is good! The work is good and i`m happy! I probably have changes this week we`ll see..i`ll be excited either way. I`m excited to get to know more of panama and work in new areas. I feel good about what we`ve done here in La Cabima and i feel like we`ve had good success. Yesterday was a really good sunday...the recent converts all showed up, the chapel was pretty full, two investigators came (daniel pinto and his mom, Graciela), I felt happy. I really have felt real joy here in this area!

I don`t know what else to say about this week. We`ve been working to finish up the change and everything looks good! I hope all is well and that you guys keep me in your prayers!

I love you!

Elder Henrie

Hey mom!

Well this week has been good. Unfortunately Luis didn`t get baptized this week because his grandma got sick and he had to go to San Miguelito for the weekend. It made me a little sad because the font was already filled up and everything! haha so i probably won`t see his baptism but as long as he makes the covenant we`re good!!

Tyson and Bryant are back!! Wow that`s crazy! And pat is dating mary webb haha that`s funny those guys are awesome. I haven`t heard a lot from them so it`s good to know they are good. tell bryant and tyson hello for me and that i hope they`re doing great!

Mom i have to thank you for your example. We had a tough experience this week with a members mom and i`m just really grateful to have parents that have guided me and taught me well. The kid`s name is Erick. He`s 18 and getting ready for a mission. Him and his brother got baptized three years ago. And in the lesson with his mom (who is not a member) Erick expressed a really sincere desire for her to be a member so that they could read the scriptures together as a family, go to church, etc. But she just started telling him that as a member of the chuch he needed to do better and give a better example and that she didn`t want to get ready for baptism. Erick was really heartbroken. We asked him to say the prayer at the end and during the prayer he just started crying. He definitely understands what it would mean to have a family in the gospel. It was tough to see and it`s going to be tough for him to be a missionary without any real support.

So thank you for giving me that support. I love the mission! It`s been so good here in Alcalde Diaz! I think i`m outta here this week and i`m going to miss the members and the converts here. Juan Carlos, one of the baptisms here, received the priesthood yesterday! Sweet experience!

love you mom! Don`t worry about my birthday too much...tell Libby to make a list for me!

Love,

Elder Henrie

{One Of thOSe GooD MomEnTs}

Fam!

Ok sweet story to tell...first off thanks for all the emails and photos. the best photo had to be the one with lib and gracie! Laura seems to be kinda stuck on some problems but we`re still working with her. Daniel couldn`t come to church but he went to a valentine`s day activity on saturday and said he loved it! We definitely see progress in him. But the best experience we had this week was at church yesterday with Luis. we went to talk with his mom in the morning about what we had been teaching him and how she feels about it. She`s catholic...but she really supports him and she`s a really good person. So we went to church with luis yesterday...and the four missionaries in our branch all talked on missionary work. I talked about fellowshipping. Elder Hine`s talk was the best though cause he`s such a paiaso.

Anyway so Luis came up to us after the meeting and said `Hey Elders come here i want to tell you something`. He looked really happy! And then he started telling us that he had felt something incredible during the meeting! He said he couldn`t describe how happy he had felt and he said `can i get baptized on Saturday?`...hahaha uhhhh no. It was so amazing! So Elder Astleford...another missionary in our branch did the interview right there and he is going to be baptized!!! It was soooo cool! He looked so happy and the members were really excited for him!

It was for sure one of those good moments on the mission that make all the hard work pay off!

I love you guys and i`m super excited for this saturday! Pray that it all goes well! I honestly don`t know if ill have changes or not from Alcalde Diaz. It could go either way. I`ve been here since October so we`ll see what happens. Either way i`ll be happy. I love the members and the people in our area. They are really incredible!

Unfortunately i couldn`t get the disney card from lib haha i`ll try and open it again to see what happens. I`m excited to know if i`m going to have a neice or a nephew...a georgia or a james...so let me know!

the church is true!

Elder Henrie

Mom!/libby!

Happy Valentine`s Day! Here we call it `El Día de Amor y Amistad´ haha The Day of Love and Friendship`...that name is way too long. I hope things are good. I am doing well and happy here in the mission. Things are picking up in our area and the members are great. The panamanians really turn into your family while you`re a missionary. It`s cool to meet so many good people.

This week we`ve got a lot to do to get ready for the baptism...hopefully all goes well! I love you!

Elder Henrie

ps lib that was a great picture!

{BueNo... AwEsoMe And diFFicuLt Week!}

Familia!!

Bueno...awesome and difficult week! We had a few really tough days and last week was pretty tough but it all payed off. A few days ago we were in a lesson with Luis Peralta and we put a baptismal date with him! He accepted it! He`s got some problems with some of the commandments and was unsure about keeping them or not. So yesterday we took him to meet Fernando You (the convert here that got baptized on Nov. 11) so that Fernando could share some experiences with him. Fernando talked about how difficult it was for him to make sacrifices and living all of the commandments before his mission. He bore an INCREDIBLE testimony about how the Book of Mormon, not the missionaries, provided him with answers to his questions. He talked about how every time he had doubts or received criticism from friends or family, he relied on the Book of Mormon. Definitely the best lesson of the week. I was thinking about how cool it would be to see FERNANDO baptize LUIS! Hahaha just pray that everything works out.

After we put a date with Luis we went to teach this girl we`ve been working with named Laura. Her cousins are members and she is really smart. She reads the Book of Mormon and retains everything she reads. She really does have a desire to change her life...that she said she had really never felt before. I love how God prepares people to hear the Gospel. So we put a baptismal date with her too, but we need to get her assisting to church first...that was a sweet day!

It`s been super hot these past few days. I think i`m totally used to it now. You walk outside at 10 am and you`re already soaked with sweat haha kinda nice. But it always pays off. We had a cool experience yesterday too. Sundays are pretty hard because we don`t ever eat dinner until we get home at 9 pm. So from 8 to 9 on sunday nights is a big test sometimes. Last night we were contacting and we met the mother of a recent convert that never has listened to the missionaries. In fact, the missionaries had to go at 6 in the morning to teach this convert because her mom was against the church. But we asked her if we could just sing a little hymn and we talked to her for a couple minutes outside on her porch. She seemed a little more interested and a lot more open after the conversation. We`ll see if we can start teaching her this week.

I love you all! The church is true and this work is super awesome! I`m really enjoying this area still. I think it`s coming to an end here in Alcalde Diaz but who knows, they could leave me here another change. Stay strong fam!

Con lots of amor,

Elder Henrie

Mom!

Hello! Things are cruisin here in our area. We had a pretty solid week. No one came to church which was a little tough but we had some sweet lessons and good experiences. Things are going great with Elder Hine. He`s a good missionary and a great comp. He`s pretty nuts haha definitely has the spirit and that`s one of the most important things in this work.

I hope you all love Cali! Have a good relax there and i`ll be praying for ya this week. This morning i read Mosiah 3...really a powerful chapter about the Atonement. I`m definitely greatful for the Atonement here as a missionary because it would be hard dealing with so many imperfections without a way to get better. I love King Benjamin`s discourse about it.

The atonement is real. I know it is. I love seeing people accept it here in Panama! Love you mom have a great trip!!!

Mucho amore (como dicen los italianos),

Elder Henrie

A Letter to Tanner (& Matt):

Dear Elders, How we love reading your letters! Your families are doing well and we are all much blessed.

Bob and I are reading a book about William Tyndale who translated the Bible from Latin to English. His story is remarkable. I was familiar with his name and the fact that he did the translation, but not with the amazing zeal and determination he had to use to accomplish the translation. The book is written by Michael Wilcox , who compares Tyndal’s story to that of Joseph Smith. William Tyndale was burned at the stake only because he wanted everyone (King to ploughboy) to have access to the Bible. I am amazed at the great sacrifices made for us. The book is titled, Fire in the Bones. When I read your letters I detect the same spirit in each of you. Thank you! Keep it up!

Last night I saw a documentary about Brazil. There are some BIG rodents in those forests.

We are still in winter---snow again today. Bob and I are well.

· Erin and John, with Marshall and Libby, are off today to California –Disneyland. It is a surprise to Libby.

· J.W. and Jessi came last week for supper and games.

· Lyssa has had an anaphylactic reaction to penicillin on Saturday. She was blessed to have a Dr. next door who ran to help her and she is fine now, but it was scary.

· BYU is doing great! Jimmer Freddette made 43 points in the win over San Diego and only 32 points in the loss to NM.

· U of U is doing a little better, but lost to Colorado State.

· The Jazz are spiraling downward.

· Leena is improving in her ability to speak. She will be 4 in June.

· I saw Dalton’s basketball game last week. He is becoming a very intense little player and has been in a growth spurt.

· Eliza’s basketball team is coached by Kent. They have won every game. I saw them play on Saturday and I can tell Eliza has been taught by her dad as when she jumps up to get the ball in a crowd she throws her elbows on the way down.

· Megan has been asked to Valentine Ball at Timpview. When I was at the house Ruthanne and Megan were choosing a dress for her to wear. David was astounded that she would “buy a dress just for ONE dance”.

I love you both more than I can say. You are such honorable young men. Thank you. Be safe. Be obedient. Brush your teeth. Love, Grammy

{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

{We'Ve FouND sOMe GooD FamiLiES}

Henries!

Soooo...christmas? This week has been kinda nuts...we had a missionary with some health problems that got sent back to Costa Rica. So his comp has been with us and we`ve been in and out of his area and ours. Yesterday two of the people in that were going to get baptized in our zone didn`t pass the interviews. Two young teenagers, boyfriend and girlfriend...they didn`t really show the desire to keep the law of chastity after their baptism. The young kid, jonathan, kept saying how hard it would be. and i kept thinking in my head...But it`s sooooo important!! Don`t you get it?! You cannot be happy without keeping this commandment! Sometimes it takes a lot of patience when you just want people to understand...

It`s been a good week though...we`ve found some good families...and i can`t wait for christmas! The Christmas party is going to be sweet! Oh and the mission gave us permission to use Skype for christmas to talk to you all haha gnarley! It will probably be in the morning when we use it...we just need to find out where we`re going to go to use it. That will be awesome though...

I feel bad for J Dub....that`s going to be really tough. If it makes you feel any better j dub...i think my leg is infected but it`s getting better. And i have a weird rash going on haha life in panama.

Well not much else to write...and i`ll be talking to you really soon haha

Love you all!!

Elder Henrie

Marsh!

Dude hymns are great during christmas! It makes it so much easier to get into homes. And we`ve had some cool experiences singing to people! Find people to serve this week!

Talk to you soon!

Love you bro!

Elder Henrie

Hey mom!

Well...thanks for all the bad news hahaha no just kidding. That`s tough about j dub...dealing with that problem.

I`m glad you told me about that though. Not gonna lie i`ve been thinking about [that] this month for some reason and i really feel like i need to refocus 100 percent on the Lord`s work. So it`s kind of a relief actually!

I know God put me here in Panama...and the time is going by fast.. I don`t have time to waste thinking about what`s going to happen after the mission. Christ has promised 100 times more than what we leave behind and i know that that is a true blessing.

I love you mom. really. The mission has changed how i look at my family!

Cuìdate!

Elder Henrie

{I'lL Do whaT I CaN tO Not LeT yoU DoWN!}

Ok family!

Hope all is well! This week was great. Kind of hard because it`s been raining a ton! Haha it`s supposed to be summer here but i think the weather is confused...Christmas is sweet! It`s a great time to have good experiences with the people here. Especially the families. We learned yesterday that Fernando has been living in his car to avoid living in the same house as his girlfriend haha wow he`s awesome. He`s moving back with his parents in Colón in a couple weeks. And he says he`s wanting to serve a mission!! He´s going to leave with us tonight to go teach! Sweet!

Cool experience last night. It was about 8 15...we were right by the house, hadn`t eaten breakfast, lunch, or dinner haha oops, it was raining, and to say the least we were tired. But we decided to go out and push for another 45 minutes. Went to a new neighborhood that we hadn`t contacted and it wasn`t looking to promising. We had a couple rejections until finally this guy named Victor opens the door. He looked a little surprised to see us at that hour but he let us in. His wife, Milena also listened to us. Turns out they have two kids and are soon planning on marriage! Sweet! They had lots of questions about the Book of Mormon and we left them with a chapter to read! The only problem will be finding time to go back and teach them because Victor works a lot...i`m thinking it would have been better to just go home and go to sleep haha NOT. Really a testimony builder for me. I always look forward to the last minutes of the day because we see miracles a lot in the last moments of the day...when you feel to tired to keep going haha

Well i love you all! I`ll keep praying for you! I can imagine how awesome the house smells right now but i`d say a christmas in panama is going to be AWESOME!

I`m not sure what time we`ll call...i might just call real quick in the morning to let you know what time to call us...we might be at a members house but i dont know yet. Christmas is going to be kinda busy!

Dad that was a good talk on faith...i think i read about that the other day....how faith is a choice. Really good stuff. I have a goal to finish Jesus the Christ this week! It`s such an amazing book and it really helps me understand the bible a lot. James E Talmage knows his stuff.

Mucho amor,

Elder Henrie

Mom!

This week was sweet! Got pretty wet haha but i`m alive. My umbrella broke a few months ago and i`m not paying five bucks for the ones they sell by our house! Not worth it! I prefer getting wet...

Lots of good experiences in the mission. The other day we were on divisions...i was with this elder named Elder Reber. We were on the bus going back to his area at night (the bus was pretty full) and we told the driver to turn off the music. We sang silent night to everyone in the bus and got some applause haha elder Reber sings really well. When we got off there was this kid that called us and came up to us. He asked us where the church was and gave us his address! It was cool...i like the little experiences of the mission more than anything.

Lib..

Love ya sis...thanks for the email. I hope Santa hooks you up on Christmas...i hope you will sing me a song when we talk on Christmas...i`m excited to hear your voice. I remember last time we talked you told me to ´be a good missionary´. I`ll do what i can to not let you down! Haha i love you lib! Merry Christmas! ps i`d send you a picture but the assistants have my camera haha sorry i`ll tell them to mail it to me

well i love you mom. Tell the family that i love them. Wish j dub good luck on his finals and tell Matt to take advantage of the MTC...because they have hot showers and comfy beds!

Merry Navidad!!!!

Love,

Elder Henrie

{ObeDiEnCe iS HaPPiNeSs}

Hey dad!

It was a great week. I wish i could have heard Bishop Brewster`s testimony. I hope him and Brother Gasik are doing alright. And hows ryan brewster in the field? Have you heard anything?

I wasn`t able to watch the devotional last night. I payed 1.50 for the taxi to go out to the chapel in Alcalde Diaz and there was no one there so we had to pay 1 50 to come back. 3 bucks! haha it was a bummer. So we got back to our area at about 8 30 and knew there was a reason why we couldn`t watch it. We went to work and found a reference...a really positive family! It was really cool and a testimony builder that every minute has to be used well.

Tell the family that i love them! I`m thinking about you all!

Much love,

Elder Henrie

Mom!

I love you mom! Your emails always get me stoked for the week. Sounds like things have been a little tough on grammy and grandpa this past week. Thats too bad...it`s good to hear that things are going well in your calling with the young women`s..i`m sure it`s a lot of work! I really have found, like you said, that obedience is happiness. I always look at the missionaries that are finishing their missions and heading home...and i ask myself `which of those would i like to be?` the sad part is it`s a slim minority that i really admire for what they`ve done in the mission. They are all great people and good guys, but sometimes there are so many that come and play for two years and they never can see the miracles i gods wrk like that.

I`ve also learned that obedience doesn`t keep us from having temptations. The temptations in the mission are definitely different from those at home...but they are real. And one small thing leads to another.

Ok i need to tell you about one of our investigators. Joshua Chavez...his dad, Tomàs, has had lots of problems and went inactive and we found him one night knocking doors...so he made a promise to go to church and he`s going super strong right now. His son is getting ready for baptism (Joshua) and he always reminds his dad that they need to read the book of mormon! haha he`s awesome and i`m really stoked for his baptism on CHRISTMAS day!

Well mom i love you! As we say down herein panama, ¡Dios te bendiga!

Te amo,

Elder Henrie

grammy!

that scares me that you had a kidney infection! I really don`t like thinking about you suffering with that. I hope and pray that you can be healed and get back into christmas mode soon! I love you a lot and think about you...in a lesson we were in yesterday i told them that the best memories that i have in my whole life are the memories that i have with my family. And i thought about all the great reunions that we would have together. i don`t know if one always realizes the importance of being with your family as much as possible...but those are the memories that you will always cherish. And i feel like that will just carry on in the next life...i remember reading that the celestial kingdom is a continuation of an ideal home. I know that`s true without a doubt.

Love you grammy! Take care of yourself!

Elder Henrie

{GoiNG tO HaVE to WorK ReaLLy HarD}

Hey henrie's!!

Wow...this week was a bit nuts. Sorry for not writing you guys until today...yesterday was p day but we didn't even have time to write. We had p day because changes were yesterday. We went to this place called bella vista in panama city and they did the changes a little differently this time around. It was really fun. And then we got back to Alcalde Diaz around five so the other missionaries had time to write their families and go to their areas...kinda hectic.

Sounds like thanksgiving was fun! We had rice and chicken here haha but it was EXTRA good that day. Just so you know dad i`ll be beating you in racquetball when you hit 58 haha especially if you're ripping off toenails every time you play. Things are good here in Alcalde Diaz. It just started snowing and we`re wearing our winter coats down here. Haha no! The weather is good...we're getting into summer in about two weeks...the rain should stop and we'll be back to hot days! I went running this morning with an elder from mexico...elder monroy...and it was a nice temperature. it`s really beautiful here in the mornings because there`s a lot of fog covering the hills until the sun starts coming up.

Big news of the week is that i`m staying with Elder Poli another change! that`ll make six months with him in panama...let`s just say we`re getting pretty close. Haha didn`t see that coming but we`re going to get right to work with the new members of the zone. It's been good to be with Elder Poli...he's taught me to correct people with a little more seriousness. I don`t really like telling the missionaries they need to change when they mess up...but Elder Poli told me i was too nice about it and it`s really important to take it seriously, and i`ve had plenty of opportunties to help teach the missionaries when we have problems with obedience.

The zone should be good this month. We`re going to do some cool things as a mission for Christmas...not really sure about the details...i just know that it`s going to be awesome.

We had a cool finding experience last night. We tried to get out as early as we could to start looking for people...we ended up getting out on the street at about 7 30 at night because of the changes. So we started looking for a family. We contacted this young kid from the Dominican Republic and he let us into his house. He`s 17...has been here for five months...and is living with his aunt and uncle. His uncle came in right as we started the lesson and then his aunt got home...really a great family! They have a baby that is only five months old and they had lots of questions. It really is a testimony builder that making small sacrifices to find people really helps us find families.

We don`t have any baptismal dates in our area for the moment...going to have to work really hard to baptize this month but we`ll see what happens. I love you all! I know the church is true and i know that people really need it! Time is passing to fast...i feel like november didnt even happen! Man. I love you guys so much. I always wonder how you are doing when i talk with members and investigators about my fam. But i`m not really worried about you. I know god will take care of everything. I love you all a ton!!!

Con mucho love,

Elder Henrie

Hey Mom!!

Just wanted to share an experience with you from this week. One of the areas in our zone had a baptismal date set with a young girl, 15 years old, and told us that her mom was active so it was ok to baptize her. Turns out her mom isn`t active haha oops. And the rule we have is that kids 8 to 14 cant get baptized without their parents because they just go inactive almost 100 percent of the time. The mission is also against baptizing teenage girls without their parents...for obvious reasons. So we told the area that they couldn`t baptize her and called the assistants and everything...but these elders insisted that she was ready and would remain active.

So we went to visit her and her family. Before going in i asked for the spirit to be able to know if she was ready. We talked about the commandments, and enduring to the end...and asked her to bear her testimony. That was a really special experience for me. When we received an answer that fernando couldn`t be baptized without changing...it was very clear. and this answer came just as clear. I felt peaceful, really peaceful...i felt like she was ready. The assitants said if we felt like she was ok...she could get baptized. We both felt good and left their house being really greatful for the spirit and the way that god gives us guidance.

Well mom, my times up :) but i love you and i hope this experience can help you to remembr to seek the spirit in decisions this week. It really gives us a lot more clarity on things. I know the spirit guides us and i need to work harder on always having it with me...because missionary work is ugly without it.

Love you mom!

Elder Henrie

{I`m ReaLLy GraTEfuL foR aLL of YoU}

hEY!

So....sorry i didnt write monday...but i figured i would just be disobedient and write today!! Sweet huh?! haha no just kidding we changed pday to wednesday this week so we could go to the temple as a zone! It was so incredible. I loved it! so this week was awesome...the baptism of the familia estrada went really smooth and they are really excited about it. Our district president sang a song with his wife and fernando bore his testimony about his baptism! it was so awesome! The other day i looked at the calender to see what day it was and i thought thanksgiving had passed haha i forgot it was this week. time flies man. I feel like we`re still in october.

Funny story...the `mascot` of the mission is named `superstrong`. so he`s been going around visiting different zones in the mission and so the assistants came to our house and we woke up at 5 am to go do visits with superstrong. Elder Poli was superstrong. hahaha it was the funniest thing ever. He dressed up with a sweet costume and cape. We had a great time visiting the missionaries to see what they are doing in the mornings haha seriously the pictures and videos are hilarious and presidente ward is way into it!

I just wanted to share something a little different than an experience this week. We went on divisions with the assistants and Elder Rodriguez..one of the assitants...asked me how my mission has changed me. It is amazing when you step back for a minute and look. You realize that your whole perspective has changed...the way you see people and yourself. The importance you feel for being obedient so you can be happy, the neccessity to share the gospel with EVERYONE, and the blessings that you have received. I also realized the importance of being animated always on the mission. J Dub, you talked about the book mere christianity by cs lewis, this past week i thought of a quote from him about love. He said if you dont feel like you love someone, you have to treat them like you love them, and you will grow to love them. Those actions will turn into feelings. I feel like it`s the same with always being animated on the mission. When you act animated..you feel like you have more energy.

I`m really grateful for all of you. and for the mission. i`m grateful for the atonement. wow it`s so cool to see people receive the atonement. Today in the temple i felt such a comforting peace that is always in the temple. There were five people there from jamaica for the first time. And so they asked me to accompany one of them to help him out during the endowment. It was such an incredible experience. It was so great to see people making such a sacrifice to come here and make promises with god.

I loved it!

Mom...haven`t got the package. Lib, i loved the story about how you drew on your face in permanent marker! Classic! jessi...FELIZ CUMPLEAÑOS!!! J dub...haha go to sleep. marsh man i hope high school is as awesome for you as it was for me. Enjoy it...don`t do anything that you`ll regret or that could slow down your preparation for a mission...cuz it comes fast. I love you bro you`re awesome. Hey dad...after j dub wrote me this week i could picture you in your `gasoline marinated` orange jacket hahaha blowin slow. feliz thanksgivingano a todos! Con mucho love,

Elder Henrie

ps we sang to everyone on the bus on the way to the temple! awesome!

{OnE oF The HarDeST MoMentS}

Fam!

I had one of the hardest moments on my mission this week. As we were teaching Fernando in the house of his girlfriend´s family...we found out that he had moved in there. We were worried about that situation as people can`t get baptized if they are leaving together...but the mission president told us that in this case it was ok. Anyway...we kept teaching him...had the interview, the district leader felt weird about it but he said he was alright to be baptized. And then me and Elder Poli couldn`t stop thinking about it the week of his baptism. So, two nights before his baptism, we went home and prayed...and we got an answer. He couldn`t be baptized. We both felt the same thing. It was super hard and i almost didn`t want to believe it but we kept asking and everytime i got the same answer...that he couldn`t be baptized. So the next night...the night before his baptism, we went over to his house. We started to explain to him that he needed to wait and he needed to move out to be baptized. We asked him how he felt and he just started sobbing. He felt horrible. And that made us feel horrible because we should have prayed about it earlier! Anyway he kept crying and we asked him why he wanted to be baptized...he told us that he wanted to be clean and be with the Lord. He has so much faith!

So a little while into the discussion he told stopped and stood up and went inside. We weren`t sure what he was doing but Elder Poli looked and me and asked if he moved out...if he could be baptized...well yeah... All of a sudden he comes out with a box full of stuff and sets it on the floor! He said he would move out that very night! So we called the assistants to ask permission to stay out later and help him move and then we went to look for a room in a members house...it was really stressful but he ended up calling us to tell us that he had found a place to stay. Sweet! I felt like he REALLY showed a desire to follow Chirst that night. We felt sooooooo much better and ready for his baptism. The next day a ton of people showed up! Elder Poli, Elder Stoddard and I sang Nearer My God to Thee...with some sweet harmony. The spirit was sooooo strong! And then i went to baptize him. He was kinda nervous so we went into the bathroom and said a prayer. As we walked into the water i felt really peaceful. I baptized him and right went he came out of the water he was sooo happy! He gave me a huge hug and would not let go! It was really the best baptism i`ve participated in in my whole mission! It was amazing!

And yesterday the familia Estrada had the interview and they are totally ready for this saturday! At 7 00 pm they`ll be baptized! I`m doing really good this week. This change has gone by really fast. We`re hoping to meet a really high goal in december but it`s not going to be possible without the members. I`m really excited for this month that`s comin up. President Ward said he would leave us together another change unless he received revelation that told him otherwise! Sweet!

I love you all the church is awesome!

Cuìdense!

Elder Henrie

{ I lOvE The peoPLe HeRe}

Hola!

Utes lost?! man what a bummer. But it doesn`t matter because i`m in Panama! hahaha Ok one of the best experiences in my mission happened this week. We went to visit the familia Estrada to set a baptismal date with them. We had already tried the day before but they felt like they needed to prepare more. So the next day we took Elder Stoddard (from CA) and Elder Monroy (from Mexico) to sing a hymn in their house and bear our testimonies. It was super powerful! Elder Stoddard shared about how he gained a testimony about the Book of Mormon and the spirit was incredibly strong! Then we committed them to be baptized the 20th of november and they still had some doubts. Elder Stoddard asked them if they had received an answer about that day, they said yes, and so he promised them the lord would help them in their family if they would be baptized. They ACCEPTED! Ohhh baby! We left the house and started running up the hill singing at the top of our lungs..haha really an awesome moment that i`ll never forget! I love that family! They are so amazing!

And Fernando is doing well...his parents are still against his baptism but his testimony of the book of mormon is super strong. I hope his parents come in from Colòn to see his baptism. this thursday at 7 00 he`ll be baptized. Pray that it will be a success!

We also had a cool kid at church today. His name is William..and his wife is Gissel. They are a really young couple and they have a little baby...William Junior. Gissel also had another child, but she died really young. I think they are both 20 or 21. We need to talk with them about marriage...but they are really receptive. William has changed a lot from his old life...he was in jail and he`s had lots of problems. Really cool family!

Even with all the success...i felt like it was a little tough this week. But every time i have an experience like we did with the familia estrada...i realize that it`s all worth it.

Oh...funny experience...i was on the stand waiting to give my testimony yesterday and one of the members (kinda less active) bore his testimony. He talked about how greatful he was for the `apostles` on the stand behind him...ooops. I looked at Elder Poli and i almost started cracking up. He`s a really good member though. haha just kind of a funny moment in church

i love you all! Panama is sweet! My area is beautiful and we are teaching really great people. I love the people here. I don`t know what i`d do without them :)

Mucho amor,

Elder Henrie

Mom!

That`s so awesome about your talk! I guess you learned to always be prepared. haha i remember my first day in Chorrera the speakers didn`t show up so the bishop asked me to talk...haha kinda winged it. Thanks for sending a package! I hope all is going well up there in Utah.. and i hope your cold! Last night it was slightly chilly because it was raining and i thought the panamanians were going to die of hypothermia hahaha

I`ll be looking forward to your talk! Love you mom!

Elder Henrie