{i'M TryinG to fiGuRe tHinGs out hEre}

Ok Familia!

What`s up?! This week has been rad. Thanks for all the emails...oh guess what we killed some more mice this week. Me and Elder Poli were both going at it with brooms and i finally nailed it! It kinda exploded haha

I have a sweet experience to tell you all...we were contacting near the church at night and this lady named Carmen came to the door. We didn`t present ourselves right off...but we just asked her if she new a family around there...people seem more receptive after they have helped you find someone haha. Anyway we started talking about the church and she said she already was in a church and really didn`t seem receptive...but instead of moving on we started asking her questions and found out that her brother had committed suicide about a month earlier. So we sang her a hymn on her front porch and started talking about the plan of salvation. It`s amazing how she changed from being so unreceptive at the beginning to so interested at the end. We left a good spirit there.

Oh and yesterday on the bus we were with the two elders from Caimitillo and i told the bus driver to turn off the music so we could share a message. We shared some of what we believe and sang a hymn for them...really awesome day

Also...we`ve been working super hard to find families. And we managed to bring one to church on sunday. la familia estrada! Sweet familiy. We`re going to try to set a baptismal date for november. They are such an awesome family. Yesterday we were talking to the husband...Juan Carlos...and he said he really likes the church and he has prayed about it and felt like he received his answer that it is true. His family has changed a lot and he has really been prepared by God for this moment. And his wife, Vielci, works the night shift. She got home sunday morning and then went to church with us. ANd their daughter, Genesis, is way awesome and she understands really well. Genesis is 10 and they also have a 1 year old boy named john marco. AWESOME family!

Alcalde Diaz has been struggling a lot these last couple months. There were no baptisms in september and one in october...but we are doing our best. I still feel like i`m trying to figure things out here. It`s an awesome area though. We have a lot of new missionaries in our zone...so we have three trainers. They are really good missionaries. I love it here. It`s really different from my other areas...

hey so i`m really excited to wear the new shirts this week now that i`m at a year...super glad that i saved them! This year has gone by really fast. I need to improve a lot of things this year. I feel like the mission has changed me a lot but there are still a lot of things i need to do. I read a talk about the difference between sacrifice and consecration...about how a lot of missionaries think of it as a sacrifice to come here when really the blessings that are received out weigh the sacrifice a million to one. It has definitely been a good year and i`ve got twelve more awesome months ahead!

The church is true...i`m about to finish the book of mormon this week...really a good book.

Love you all!

Elder Henrie

Mom!

Hello there! My teeth are good i think...my gums around the one that i had surgery are receeding a bit but....what can ya do? I`m eating as healthy as possible in panama. And i did lose some weight in Santiago...and there are SOOOOOO many gnarley hills in Alcalde Diaz....i don`t really have a solid six pack anymore but i`m not really that fat. Elder Poli tells me i`m fat all the time but he doesn`t even know.

That`s sweet that you`re going on a field trip! Can you believe it`s halloween already?! Too bad it`s not really celebrated here in Panama haha i guess while we`re contacting people we`ll ask them for candy haha

The gospel is changing lives here and it`s sweet! Love you mom take care!

Elder Henrie

[PrAy for PaNaMa!]

Oh family,

Hello! So Devan`s going to Taiwan?! That`s nuts! Tell him congratulations for me! Yeah it is sweet to be with Elder Poli again. This week went pretty well. We had a rough day saturday haha only all of our appointments fell haha. Dad...i`m jealous you got some good biking in...but i`ve got a lot of good walking in in our area...there are so many hills. My legs are super solid now! Fernando is doing good. His parents live in Colon. And they`re kind of opposed to his baptism. But he`s doing good...reading the book of mormon and praying and getting ready. The temple excursion sounded sweet! What an awesome surprise for your birthday j dub!

this week we had an interesting experience with some dogs. we were walking back to the house one night and there were about six or seven dogs hanging out in the street by our house...no biggie...they weren`t doing anything. So we passed through them without problems. And then, all of a sudden they started barking hard core at us. Luckily Elder Poli was in front of me and i was the one who was going to get eaten. So they all started coming in on me and I kicked one of them in the face! haha seriously i wasn`t about to get bit by a dog again. Did i tell you I got bit in Santiago? haha well i did! They really didn`t like it that i kicked there buddy...but i didn`t again because they wouldn`t leave me alone. Man i nailed that dog! Haha i felt kinda bad but i didn`t want to die. And then the owner came out and called them and we managed to get out of there...haha really intense experience! And then we got home and heard something moving around in the garbage bag...just a couple mice. So i got out the broom and started chasing them and smacking them. I managed to get one with the broom and i stepped on the other one! Hahaha it was kinda gross.

this week Elder Falabela from the seventy came to machete us and tell us to look for families! It was soooo awesome! He gave such a powerful message in zone conference and i think the mission is going to be able to reach the goal of 1000 baptisms in one year for the first time ever! Sweet! Our zone is struggling a bit. There were no baptisms last month and not a lot of baptismal dates this month. But we`re working hard and trying to get things moving! Pray for us so we can find a family to baptize! Pray for Panama!

well fam i love you! Keep on keepin` on!

Elder Henrie

i don`t know who took the other picture...kinda blurry but its Elder Falabela and his wife with our zone! Ofi!

elder Chevez and Elder Poli! Elder Chevez had a rough time with his comp after i left and they ended up having emergency changes...but hes doing good now! Two awesome comps right here!

Can`t even tell you how much fun this dart board is!

Uhhhhh...

I dont know what to tell you all about this week. Me and Elder Poli are companions! hahaha yes! Again! The assistant went off to the islands in San Blas to open a new area...Elder Poli`s comp, elder Cook, went up to assistant, and I took his place with Elder Poli haha really nuts. I had emergency changes on wednesday night and i`m now in Alcalde Diaz...in the area of La Cabima! Really a crazy week. I feel really inadequate to be a zone leader but i`ll do my best haha. I still feel like i wasn`t even ready to be a district leader.

Not gonna lie i kinda just skimmed through the letters and i printed them off to read later because i have a lot to write. I`m elder Poli`s comp...hahaha!!! I feel like i`m back with my brother after six months of not being with him! Dang it`s sweet....we`ve already seen lots of miracles.

Here`s a few..

My first day we gave a blessing to a member who fed us lunch. She`s having liver problems and she`s pretty sick. I annointed her and when elder poli said `we seal this annointing` i honestly felt the power of the priesthood in that moment. I felt like God was working through us to seal what we had done. It was an incredible experience.

Later we went to a young girl`s house with her boyfriend. The boyfriend, Dario, and the young girl Angie, are both members and they`re living together. they`re both 18 and having problems. We talked about repentance and the atonement and talked a little strong with them. Angie felt really bad and was crying and said she wanted to fix things. Afterwards we went and talked to her mom about the whole situation. It has been hard on her. But we left her mom`s house and there was angie outside the house waiting to talk to her mom. we really felt the power of the atonement. We still have some work to do with them. Moral of the story...be good in high school. What was taught in conference about how sin is always followed by tears is true.

Ok...and we found this kid named Fernando...his parents are from china and he`s the best investigator i`ve ever met! He`s already reading the book of mormon and has been to church a few times. He`s 19 and we taught him for the first time on Saturday. We put a baptismal date right then for the 30 of October and he accepted it! He started crying and gave us both a hug! Hahaha he`s such a stud. when he talks about how he feels when he reads the book of mormon...it makes me feel incredible! The gospel is true eh?

It`s been a sweet week full of miracles and lots of changes in the mission. I feel really weird. Kinda bummed that i wont see the baptisms in La Chorrera but that`s all good. Oh and we found a family yesterday! I think Elder Poli and I make a good team haha God`s blessing us a ton already!

I love you all have an incredible week! I think about you and pray for you every day!!

Con mucho amor

elder Henrie

Mom!!

Hey! Thanks for writing me...Tell mikelle and her mom hello for me! Christmas huh? i don`t know how it`s Christmas already. If you could maybe send me some new pants that would be sweet i think i`m a size 33 or 34 waist...and length i don`t know but my pants look stupid because they`re really faded.

Maybe for my comp...i really dont know...some ties??? haha no sè.

I love you mom thanks for everything!

Elder son

{a TestiMony oF the poWer of Fasting}

Fam!

General conference was sweet huh! I loved it! I liked Elder Holland´s talk about his mission. It made me realize the sacrifice`s that parents make so that their kids can serve missions. I am sure i don`t know about a lot of the sacrifice`s that you make and are making for me while i`m here! So thank you...i also learned a lot about patience and gratitude...which has been good because this change with my companion has been one about patience...lots of it. He`s really a good guy...just needs to learn obedience. There`s only two weeks left in this change though...man.

I was seriously bummed when conference ended...and i don`t remember that ever happening in my life! haha priesthood session was always the hardest. I remember one time I weaved my headphones into my tie so i could listen to music during priesthood session. J Dub noticed and when he got up to go to the bathroom he pulled my headphones out! haha oh man but this weekend flew by! It was a super powerful conference. Our investigator, Carlos Alemàn has been having lots of doubts. We fasted for him and took him to conference and he felt way better! Really a testimony of the power of fasting. My `miracle of the week` for mom haha. It`s true that if you work for miracles and have faith...you can see them every day in your mission...but if you try to work by yourself and don`t have unity...no sirve.

Oh and Luis, another investigator who will be baptized soon...showed up in a shirt and tie! Oh man he looked good! I was so excited for him! Just a few weeks ago he was partying...and now he`s just a stud!

I`ll be honest though...baptisms don`t mean success. I feel like we could baptize 100 people but if we didn`t work for it and we didn`t have the spirit it doesn`t mean anything to me.

Mom..for Christmas...i`d like some...i dunno. Send me a package. Hahaha it doesn`t even matter if it has anything in it. Packages are just awesome. I honestly don`t need anything. My shoes work. I have clothes and food. And the book of mormon haha i`m set...

And i think i forgot your other question...oh yeah i did replace my camera but i forgot it today haha sorry. i`ll try and get some photos your way.

I think that`s about it for this week. It`s been a good week because conference was awesome! I`ll definitely be going over notes until it comes out in the Liahona haha

I love you all! The church is way true!

Elder Henrie

Mom

I hit I year this month. Call Panama and tell them I can`t leave haha. I`m scared for the second year because everyone tells me it goes faster...but i`ll just have to work more and try to be more obedient to the commandments so i can come home with no regrets.

Thanks for everything mom. Thank you for all of the sacrifices that i know you make for me. I love you. Your example keeps me going. I hope to be a parent like you someday. Looking back...i`m really grateful for the times that you did say no...or tried to and i was stubborn haha. I know you`re always looking out for me. And i`m really grateful for that!

Te amo mucho!

Elder Son

{A deaD moNkeY in tHe streeT iSn'T WeiRD tO Me}

ay ay ay

Mom, don`t even remind me that i almost have a year. It`s rough enough to leave behind your family, your country, and your culture for two years....but when i come back i`ll have to do it again...because i`m panamanian now. I love it here. I really do feel like it`s my home. Everything seems normal to me....haha a dead monkey in the street isn`t weird to me anymore...uhhh. That`s awesome that your going to be the Stake Young Women’s First Counselor (yes i copied and pasted that)... That will be an awesome calling!

Dad...we have zone conference every three months...never as a whole mission because its so spread out...i think there are four or five different conferences...we never have a mission conference all together. But we just had a conference with all the leaders in the mission this last week...it was a three day shindig...kinda really sweet.

Right now we`re finding pretty much everyone through references of members. We still contact a lot but references are way more effective. And no we don`t have bikes...lastimosamente...

i`ve got an experience about a blessing that we gave in Santiago. We went to lend service one day and the lady there said she had a sick neighbor who wanted a blessing. He also wanted us to pray for his home. So we got there and he wasn`t doing so good. I put my hands on his head and Elder Chevez put his hands on top of mine. After the blessing we were in the street and I took tell Elder Chevez had felt something. He told me he could feel hands on top of his during the blessing. It really strengthened my testimony of the priesthood and Elder Chevez had been struggling a bit so it was a good experience for him to have.

I also remember being in the relief society president`s home...she wanted us to pray for it because they had been robbed the night before. It was an incredible experience blessing that home. The priesthood really does work miracles when we have faith.

I`m soooo excited that Devan turned his papers in!!! He`s going to love his mission! Its super hard and worth every minute! And that`s awesome that Nate was made an Elder! It`s such a blessing to be able to serve in the different offices of the priesthood.

Ok...so this weekend we were talking with a recent convert family (some of them aren`t members) one of them is called Luis Rodriguez..he`s trying to give up alcohol and he came yesterday to church for the first time! He`s 21 and he`s such a stud! I told him if he stopped drinking for good i`d give up ice cream haha. We showed up early at his house and he was totally ready in his sweet shirt and good looking church shoes! Now he has a baptismal date for the 16 of oct. and his brother Ricaute as well...and Ricaute`s girlfriend Milagro! Awesome! There`s one thing about baptizing people in the mission. Elder Johnson told me that he could baptize a thousand people on his mission, but if he didn`t work and wasn`t obedient...it wouldn`t mean anything...i feel the same way. Baptisms aren`t success. Obedience and hard work is success.

And and one thing about Erick Sera...i told him i`d trade him backpacks when he goes on a mission (my backpack is kind of a big deal) so i hope you`re cool with that. Erick is a stud too haha

Love you all! I hope your week rocks!

Elder Henrie

ps general conference this weekend! Sweet!

{ThaT Doesn`t HaPPen in Panama}

Haha hey!

Right on...answers...

I`m in La Chorrera...Barrio equals ward, Cento equals center. There are six of us in the District...18 in the zone. One of the missionaries is from Australia...haha she`s awesome. Roughly 190 missionaries in Panama...don`t know how many zones...like 12ish.

That`s tough that Steve came home. Tell him hi for me and that I love him. I hope he`s doing alright.

As DL i talk to the missionaries on the phone about three nights a week. The coolest part is that i`ll do the baptismal interviews for the investigators in our district. sweet!

Sounds like life is sweet in Utah and better in Panamà! Tell the Utes to keep winning and the Cougars to KEEP LOSING! Dont worry i`m not watching the games grammy told me haha.

The guy that was suicidal...Carlos Alemàn, is now preparing for baptism! Sweet! And there`s an elder that just got into our zone, he came from El Empalme, my first area. He told me Erick Sera is getting ready for a mission!!! He`s one of our converts there. And he told me that Ceferino went to the temple! Awesome! And the brother of Emiliano, another convert, is going to get baptized! WORD! Things are still going well in El Empalme looks like haha.

This week has been sweet! My comps doing alright...yes he gets mail mom haha. He doesn`t like studying but he`s a good guy. I`m learning patience and we enjoy working together. I finally feel like i`m learning patience. Tough comps are always blessings.

Sweet experience yesterday. First off, last week we were on our way home and i saw a guy sitting outside...i almost didn`t talk to him. We walked by him and then about five seconds later i told my comp we HAD to go back to talk to him. So we went back and introduced ourselves...he was pretty positive and told us to stop by one sunday. So we went yesterday and the whole fam was there! There were like five or six men there and they were ALL listening...that doesn`t happen in Panama. And then it started raining. I started to say the words of the first vision and i swear it started raining harder. Finally....at the very end...the rain calmed...and i said `Èste es mi hijo amado. ¡Escùchalo!`...this is my beloved son...hear him!. How sweet! We`re going back on thursday...really a powerful experience!

Also another guy named Josè Cambronero. Last sunday it was super hot and my comp kept saying `i want to go home, etc ` haha but he was kind of joking. Anyway i told him we were going to find someone...we got kicked out of someone`s house by a gnarley lady and finally, FINALLY, we found this guy. He was outside playing ball with his kid alan. It was the last house. And we taught him, left him a Bof M. And went back yesterday.

Yesterday he showed us that he had basically finished 1 Nephi! Wow! We took a member with us and he testified super powerfully. It was such a sweet lesson!

Fam. Alonzo...ya no. Satan stuck his foot in on that fam and now theyre going with Jehova`s Witnesses. The guy really just likes when we go over there but they don`t want to come to church or talk about baptism....man i was sad after that lesson.

Send my love to everyone and tell grammy thanks for the worldly news! haha and thanks for the letter to my companion!

Love you all!

Elder Henrie

Mom!

I love you!

tell Greg that i love him and it`s worth it! I was thinking this morning about all the miracles i`ve seen on my mission and i wouldn`t trade it for anything! We`re really helping people and it`s incredible. Say hi to Lib!

MISIÓN PANAMÁ CIUDAD DE PANAMÁ

September 8, 2010

Dear Elder Henrie:

Thank you for accepting the calling to serve as a District Leader in the Chorrera in the Panama Panama City Mission. This calling has been extended to you after careful consideration and prayer. It is a calling from the Lord, and it will require your very best efforts. You have been called to serve in this capacity because of your good example, your obedience, your diligence, and because of the potential that the Lord sees in you. As you seek guidance from the Lord and work diligently, you will be blessed to carry out the work that the Lord has prepared for you to accomplish.

You will need to thoroughly understand and teach the purpose of a missionary, which is to invite others to come unto Christ by helping them receive the restored gospel through faith in Jesus Christ and His Atonement, repentance, baptism, receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end.

A mission leadership position requires that you always set a good example, always keeping the commandments of the Church and following the rules of the mission. You will need to be familiar with the guidelines found in the Mission Manual and in Preach My Gospel. As a mission leader, you will have the responsibility to assist the mission president by teaching correct principles to missionaries and by helping to assure that missionaries under your stewardship strictly follow the missionary daily schedule and apply the proselyting guidelines taught in the mission.

As a District Leader, you will teach and train the missionaries in district meetings. You will be expected to help all missionaries carry out their work in an exemplary manner. You will be directly responsible to see that the missionaries in your district understand and follow the mission rules and work according to the daily mission schedule. In addition, you have the responsibility to help missionary companionships set proselyting goals centered on the key indicators and to exercise their faith to achieve their goals.

Thank you for your desire to serve the Lord with all of your heart, might, mind, and strength. Thank you for accepting this calling to serve in the mission. The Lord will strengthen you and direct your efforts as you prayerfully carry out this assignment (Joshua 1:1-9; Proverbs 3:5-6). I look forward to working with you and stand ready to help you in any way I can.

Sincerely,