Monday mornings are becoming my favorite day of the week. Who would have thought!?! The following is Elder Hendrixson's email in its entirety ...
Alright so this week was cool cause it was ward conference and our goal was to have 20 investigators attend and we had 19!! this was super impressive and I can really start to see our numbers and the types of people we are finding improve for the better and I know it is because of Hard work!
I broke my bed this week! I was getting our of bed five minutes late, sat up, and the bed broke! Moral of the story Brazilians are lighter than Americans! jk you really should just get up ontime!
This week I finally figured out a way to describe getting used to a mission. Growing pains - only because you do so much growing and changing if you are doing what you are suppossed to and ya I am shrinking physically but spititually you grow and and grow and keep growing at an astounding rate and it is not exactly what I would call comfortable. Literally all day long I feast on the words of Christ! Needless to say with all this stress you really want to sleep to recover nd even then you don´t get to turn you brain off, so you think about how to help your investigators, how to find new ones and how to get the members to see what you are seeing and all sorts of wonderful things.
My cool thought for the week was on the idea of how as missionaries we are only the messenger. Interesting after thinking about the significance of the word messenger I came upon the thought of - only armies use messengers. Thats right whether people want to know about it or not there is a war going on between good and evil right now. Only to be building up to the day of the second coming. Well we as the messengers are trying to share who is going to win and how they can be on the winning side because as we know the scales have already been set. Good will triumph over evil and we are trying to help everyone see that through little sacrifices they can ensure their place in the Kingdom of God. Not to mention that especially as missionaries we have legions of angels protecting us. It is interesting how as missionaries our main focus is to get people to use their spiritual eyes to see what is going on and how the ultimate sacrifice has already been made and all we have to do is follow some simple rules and we will know for a surety that we are saved.
Along with that thought a lot of the time as missionaries we help the less active or the inactive. As I was reading in the book of Alma 1-4 it talks about the Anlicites. Well our job as missionaries is to keep this same event from reocurring. To help people stay firm and not be swayed by the priestcraft and craftiness of the world. It is rather interesting reading the scriptures in portuguese and really having to focus and ponder and pay attention!
Love Elder Hendrixson
Sao Paulo North Mission
Sao Paulo, Brazil
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
Today we received a letter in the mail from Elder Hendrixson, with some pictures. As soon as I get the pictures scanned I will add them to his page of pictures. Here are some excerpts from his letter.
Thank you for sending me a package! It was amazing to get one and thank you so much. Whenever you get to sending another one I just want to make a request {these are just requests :] not necessities} for a few items - sorry for being so needy".
He then went on to list some things he would like, such as writing supplies and more pictures.
"I will be out in the field in just one week from now. We went proselytizing yesterday and it was totally awesome! I loved getting to talk to the people and the really cute girls :] . They were very receptive but it was interesting to watch these people who knew who we were turn around and walk back into their houses or just avoid us completely.
The Brazilian people are so nice :] ... but it is interesting to see a big city and the range of rich - poor and how it seems to be a lot different than the states.
Tile and smooth, hard and durable flooring is all that is used here. They don't use carpet at all. I am glad to be able to hear from all of you. I will send you a really good letter soon! :]
Love, Elder Hendrixson
I love all of the smiling faces he puts in his letter, as I know these are from his heart and that he is truly enjoying the Lord's work. If you have the time, drop him a quick note - it doesn't have to be long - he just enjoys hearing from everyone.
Thank you for sending me a package! It was amazing to get one and thank you so much. Whenever you get to sending another one I just want to make a request {these are just requests :] not necessities} for a few items - sorry for being so needy".
He then went on to list some things he would like, such as writing supplies and more pictures.
"I will be out in the field in just one week from now. We went proselytizing yesterday and it was totally awesome! I loved getting to talk to the people and the really cute girls :] . They were very receptive but it was interesting to watch these people who knew who we were turn around and walk back into their houses or just avoid us completely.
The Brazilian people are so nice :] ... but it is interesting to see a big city and the range of rich - poor and how it seems to be a lot different than the states.
Tile and smooth, hard and durable flooring is all that is used here. They don't use carpet at all. I am glad to be able to hear from all of you. I will send you a really good letter soon! :]
Love, Elder Hendrixson
I love all of the smiling faces he puts in his letter, as I know these are from his heart and that he is truly enjoying the Lord's work. If you have the time, drop him a quick note - it doesn't have to be long - he just enjoys hearing from everyone.
Monday, March 19, 2012 { Holy Batman! }
Wow - two emails in one morning!! I don't think Monday mornings can get much better than this!
"My analogy for this week. This week I felt like Batman, which was actually a pretty sick feeling! I was sitting up on top of our house writing in my journal and just enjoying the weather which is perfect right now and it came to my mind that missionaries are like Batman. I am in a huge city that is corrupt and there are literally thousands of people suffering and there is a ton of drugs. Then you have us missionaries out here being vigilantes for good. We wear a uniform of a white shirt, a snazzy tie, some slacks and some high tech shoes that take us anywhere we are willing to walk, then we have some seriously cool equipment: scriptures, pamphlets from the church, a name tag [so we don't forget our names ;) ], and the endowment. We go out only after 11 o'clock and return when our business is done. We strike fear in the hearts of the bad and those people that are up to no good and we save those people who are willing to listen and give them to drink of the water that they might never thirst again. It is totally legit. We ourselves are not rich but we all know that the church has enough ;) Oh and I almost forgot, we also all have time pieces to make sure we are prompt! Way better than James Bond who could cut through a 1 inch plate of steel with some lazer, be late, make a huge mess, assassinate one person only to have another come to power, and only end up with one girl who lasted for what 12 hrs and then she dies. I mean come on being a missionary is so much better!"
Hmmm....wonder if his next set of pictures will show him wearing a cape?! Probably not. It sounds like a cape would only be for show, which is not what the missionaries are about, nor would it add to the already amazing arsenal they have to enter into battle each day!
"My analogy for this week. This week I felt like Batman, which was actually a pretty sick feeling! I was sitting up on top of our house writing in my journal and just enjoying the weather which is perfect right now and it came to my mind that missionaries are like Batman. I am in a huge city that is corrupt and there are literally thousands of people suffering and there is a ton of drugs. Then you have us missionaries out here being vigilantes for good. We wear a uniform of a white shirt, a snazzy tie, some slacks and some high tech shoes that take us anywhere we are willing to walk, then we have some seriously cool equipment: scriptures, pamphlets from the church, a name tag [so we don't forget our names ;) ], and the endowment. We go out only after 11 o'clock and return when our business is done. We strike fear in the hearts of the bad and those people that are up to no good and we save those people who are willing to listen and give them to drink of the water that they might never thirst again. It is totally legit. We ourselves are not rich but we all know that the church has enough ;) Oh and I almost forgot, we also all have time pieces to make sure we are prompt! Way better than James Bond who could cut through a 1 inch plate of steel with some lazer, be late, make a huge mess, assassinate one person only to have another come to power, and only end up with one girl who lasted for what 12 hrs and then she dies. I mean come on being a missionary is so much better!"
Hmmm....wonder if his next set of pictures will show him wearing a cape?! Probably not. It sounds like a cape would only be for show, which is not what the missionaries are about, nor would it add to the already amazing arsenal they have to enter into battle each day!
Monday, March 19, 2012
Always a great way to start off a Monday morning - with emails from Elder Hendrixson! And pictures too! Here is what he had to say:
"Alright so here are some pictures from my mission of Elders from the CTM and all the good stuff like the view from my new house. I forgot to take a picture with my companion so I will have to do that later. There is a lot of work going on out here but the Brasilian people are wonderful, but horrible at keeping appointments, which is frustrating. I love when we finally get out of the house after studying to go and teach and do all that good stuff. The days feel longer when you are walking but they are so much better and my companion thinks I am quiet but that is just because I have a ton of things to be thinking about and an entire new language to learn and not to mention you are pretty much tired every day. The weeks feel like years during the week, but after the week is over you are really surprised at how fast it actually went. It has only been two weeks in the field but it feels like a lifetime."
"Being a missionary really does separate you from the world and it is a feeling I will have to get used to. My area is still difficult but the ward members seem like they are waking up and have been more talkative and helpful this week. I hope that it is a constant progression because this ward is not very cooperative with the last couple of groups of missionaries, but luckily few of our lunches have been falling through. And more effort from the Bishop and his counselors has been showing and I hope that my companion will get out of his funk of being an in the rut missionary."
"To be honest staying out here in the mission field is really hard and every morning I want to come home, but when we get out of the house and after that first lesson or contact I have no doubt in my mind that I am here doing the right thing. I hope this will wear off cause my mind is already busy enough with our investigators and learning a new language and trying to memorize on of the biggest mission areas in the entire Sao Paulo North mission. By the way, here in my area we do a lot of walking."
"Love You All and Thanks for the Support!!!!"
Now, who would have thought that one day someone would have claimed Elder Hendrixson to be "quiet"!! That put a huge smile on my face!!
"Alright so here are some pictures from my mission of Elders from the CTM and all the good stuff like the view from my new house. I forgot to take a picture with my companion so I will have to do that later. There is a lot of work going on out here but the Brasilian people are wonderful, but horrible at keeping appointments, which is frustrating. I love when we finally get out of the house after studying to go and teach and do all that good stuff. The days feel longer when you are walking but they are so much better and my companion thinks I am quiet but that is just because I have a ton of things to be thinking about and an entire new language to learn and not to mention you are pretty much tired every day. The weeks feel like years during the week, but after the week is over you are really surprised at how fast it actually went. It has only been two weeks in the field but it feels like a lifetime."
"Being a missionary really does separate you from the world and it is a feeling I will have to get used to. My area is still difficult but the ward members seem like they are waking up and have been more talkative and helpful this week. I hope that it is a constant progression because this ward is not very cooperative with the last couple of groups of missionaries, but luckily few of our lunches have been falling through. And more effort from the Bishop and his counselors has been showing and I hope that my companion will get out of his funk of being an in the rut missionary."
"To be honest staying out here in the mission field is really hard and every morning I want to come home, but when we get out of the house and after that first lesson or contact I have no doubt in my mind that I am here doing the right thing. I hope this will wear off cause my mind is already busy enough with our investigators and learning a new language and trying to memorize on of the biggest mission areas in the entire Sao Paulo North mission. By the way, here in my area we do a lot of walking."
"Love You All and Thanks for the Support!!!!"
Now, who would have thought that one day someone would have claimed Elder Hendrixson to be "quiet"!! That put a huge smile on my face!!
Monday, March 12, 2012
Elder Hendrixson is out of the MTC and finally in the mission field!
"Well the mission field is totally legit! . . . The field is crazy and my trainer is Elder Rodrigues and his is pretty legit, but Brazilians are just a little bit lazier and mine always thinks that I" and that was the end of the email! Their email is not very reliable and often crashes and deletes things. So it leaves me to wonder what his trainer thinks of him.
Stay tuned. Hopefully we will find out more on his trainer's thoughts in the next email or letter.
"Well the mission field is totally legit! . . . The field is crazy and my trainer is Elder Rodrigues and his is pretty legit, but Brazilians are just a little bit lazier and mine always thinks that I" and that was the end of the email! Their email is not very reliable and often crashes and deletes things. So it leaves me to wonder what his trainer thinks of him.
Stay tuned. Hopefully we will find out more on his trainer's thoughts in the next email or letter.
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