Rain, Temple and Miracles

Letter from Parker April 20, 2015

This week was freaking sweet here in the S.A. of E.L. It sounds like everything is super sweet in the Lou. When are you guys gonna send the Elder Holland CES devotional talk? Could you also send the Book of Mormon audio in Spanish? That would be sweet! School of the Prophets by Joseph smith it’s like 7 lessons for the missionaries in the 1800s something like that... I think there is a mission Facebook page... you guys should check it out I could be on there ... jaja send the blue small oil vile also that’s in the house. Thanks for everything talk to you next weekkk... jaja jk

This week was super awesome though. We don’t have a lot of investigators but the ones we have are progressing like crazy which is awesome. Monday we ended P-day at 3 because we were going to the temple on Wednesday which was super awesome. Monday started the rain and it stormed like crazy! We got soaked which was great after a nice hot day. But the other nights we were in houses when it rained or back in our house. One night when we were planning we heard a lightning bolt and then thunder super loud it was crazy! And I was super glad to be in the house. Wednesday we got up a 4:30 to go to the temple which was super awesome. The spirit was super strong and it felt like I was home. The temple was super beautiful also. We went to taco bell after which was sweet because there is no taco bell in Santa Ana. Sunday was awesome. Carlos and Kevin were confirmed and I gave a talk which I took like 20 minutes and not 10 jaja whoops! I talked about leccion 3 and like every point and used sweet scriptures. It was there first time I gave a talk by only an outline but went super well although Elder Lopez didn’t have time to talk... I talked about the missionary purpose and each point which is lesson 3. Elder Lopez and I were waiting outside for investigators when Claudia walked around the corner from out of a class we had not expected here to be there because she had to work but she came to the ward before us which was way sweet and a huge miracle. She received answers to questions and when we taught her that night we were  able to set a baptism date for the 30 of abril!!! She said she wants elder Lopez to baptize her and is way positive! Its super awesome! Last week we tried to set a date but she didn’t want anything before June. Its super cool to see the change the gospel has in people’s lives. This week was way sweet though and we hope to have another great week.

LesAmo,

Elder Hendricks

Temple Conference and More

How’s the brood? I’ll start with last week because I didn’t have time to write everything. The temple trip Friday was super awesome. I was a guide and Elder Lopez taught in a class although it wasn’t really much it was an important assignment.  I just took all the people in my group to different stations I felt like a church history missionary jaja. But it was super awesome. Anyway the temple trip went like this-- we all met at the church and took a bus to the temple all free for everyone. When we got there all the people went to the chapel where they watched some videos and president spoke to them. Then they went to different stations and different missionaries taught different things like auxiliary organizations like Elders Quorum Relief society and young mens and young womens. Also the missionaries gave “For the Strength of Youth” pamphlets which was sweet cause this explains super well the standards and the whys for them. Claudia our investigator really liked this. Her friend and nieces are young but she is like 40 but it’s still awesome that she brought people and learned a lot and its progressing. Anyway the other stations were the Plan of Salvation, Family History, Angel Moroni and the doors of the temple, Conferences, and After Baptism. It started in the church and goes outside circles around the temple and then after they leave the stations goes back into the temple. It was a way spiritual experience and I had hoped that the members would have brought more people but we didn’t have many from the members. Afterwards Elder Lopez was asked to help drive Hermana Spjut’s car back but there is a tradition with the office workers to do different things after the temple trip because they are super stressed all day trying to put all of this together and keep it running smoothly so our group left and there was one more group so we helped with whatever thing they needed and then after we helped the office workers clean up the church and we left to see an area of San Salvador. I would have taken pics but left my camera in the car but hopefully I can get some from other people. It was super cool they had like photos in the road of Christ and other things cause it was Good Friday. they made it with like salt or sand and then later in the night I guess they have like some sort of parade and walk through it down the street it’s kind of crazy but they are super crazy about their religion here. Afterwards we went to Chilis! jaja It’s like a tradition with all of the office workers they work super hard all day and since Elder Lopez was going to drive home we got to go which was awesome! Yes I know what you’re thinking... Presidente did take a group of missionaries to eat at a restaurant that has a bar. But it was super sweet. So I guess when Colton was eating at Pappy’s after the temple I was eating at Chili’s after the temple jaja. We are going to have a mission temple trip the 15 of april which is going to be super sweet! I’m stoked to be able to go and enter! I think that they have like 2 temple trips a year for the mission and if one of your converts gets their endowment you can go I’m pretty sure one of Elder Lopez’s conversos is taking a temple prep class right now and were hoping that she goes before changes so that we can go also! It would be super sweet! Anyway Saturday started conference we felt like we hadn’t talked to anyone after conference because it had been so long and we hadn’t had time to visit some people. Claudia came to the first conference session and really like it which was super awesome we visited her later that day and she is really positive and we are starting to be able to see how God is preparing her. We went into the house and there was a photo of the temple on the wall. Which means she totally felt the spirit of the temple there and the power of temples. It was way sweet! Hopefully we can get her to church and help her to accept the gospel more in her life. Anyway conference was way sick! We had three investigators there and Pablo came to Priesthood session and all of the ones on Sunday. Elder Lopez watched in Spanish and I watched in English in another room because Its way hard to understand the translator and its wayyy!! better in English jaja. I’m pretty sure Saturday Cameron was glad he was engaged... they really laid that one down jaja. It made some missionaries that are close to going home start thinking about where their biggest priorities should be. Anyways I really liked the talk by Pres Eyring.  It had never occurred to me that fasting is a commandment of God! Also it made me realize I need to not think of myself and pay more fast offerings because there are millions of people out there that I could help with that. Some other sweet talks were Elder Holland... Wow that was a super awesome story and application to the atonement of Jesus Christ. His atonement is amazing! The other sweet thing is that I get to see his atonement everyday as it works in people and helps them to overcome their problems in life. Another talk well there were so many sweet ones but, the 70 that talked about Leadership in missions and how it doesn’t matter. What matters is that we are the missionaries that God wants us to be, if we do that we are going to be successful and have no regrets. The other talk that about the guy on his mission and his comp got off the bike and he was wondering what he was doing and complaining and after heard a voice that said compared to me there’s not much difference between the two of you... WoW!! That was super crazy and humbling. Many times you think you know better than someone else but everyone needs to be humble. it’s like the talk about pride by Ezra Taft Benson about pride man that talk really makes you rethink yourself and your pride problems. The other talk by Brent H. Nielson was super awesome also. The way he compared the prodigal son and the story of his sister was way powerful! It’s a good application to use with part member families is that you need to keep loving them. Tons of families give up and don’t show love and this is completely wrong! Do as Jesus would do and things will all be alright and you will feel better about your relationship. Anyway... what’s up with Pres. Monson? He barely spoke in like all the conference and he looks super sick... Maybe he is working on delagating more?  jaja. After conference we had a baptism by Kevin and we had a friend in the ward baptize him it was super sweet but he is a lot taller than his friend and the water was low so after 4 tries they went to the knees and after like 2 tries they went sitting and after we got it! jaja. It was a little rough but all good. This week was good we are working on working with the member because we need more investigators. Also the family that went to the temple doesn’t live in our area so were probably going to pass on this reference. This is the problem with the church in Latin America nobody goes to their correct ward! It’s terrible because if someone goes inactive the missionaries can’t visit them! But last night there was a Meeting for the Endowed and we were curious of what this was for. It’s a stake meeting. Apparently the president of the stake had revelation for this during conference and this is what the area 70 said to do. but in the meeting he said (we didn’t go but heard it from members) if you are attending the wrong ward and don’t change they are going to start taking away calling and not giving temple recommends to those who don’t live in the area. We have a ton of illegals in our ward and some may go inactive from this but it’s like who’s going to stand faithful in the end. We are prepping for the second coming. anyways this week was super good. we had the baptism of Carlos he lives out of the area but lives with his grandma who lives on a mountain where nobody knows what area it is. Also his mom and Dad attend this ward. But eventually many people are going to have to return to their own wards. Which will make missionary work soooo much better! Anyway I continue to work hard with Elder Lopez and I am learning much from him. I really hope to be ready to work without him after this change. His is not baggy (trunky) and is trying hard not to end his mission that way. Anyways all is sweet here.

Elder Hendricks

Temple and Conference

This week was super sweet and I hope I have time to write about all of it. Conference was super awesome. I’m pretty sure Cameron is glad to be engaged --wow they really put that down hard. Jaja! (Saturday’s sessions). It is way important to have questions at conference. I had like 6 but only two were answered clearly. I bet if I look through and study the talks and my notes the answers are there. It’s so awesome to hear from the apostles and prophets, I feel bad for the people who believe they only need the bible. Think of all the revelation they are missing out on. The bible only contains part of the fullness of the gospel. It’s like the story of the person in conference that started to read the bible, but found herself back reading the Book of Mormon. We have one investigator that I want her to know this is true and open her heart to the word of God. She is a great women and I hate that she is living in ignorance to the word of God. The true word is in front of her and all she needs to do is read!

The temple trip was super awesome. We had 7 Inv there. 1 family who has a son on a mission in Panama that I’m pretty sure I met in the CMM. We have been teaching this family that I feel sure we are going to baptize the 25th. The only prob is that they live outside of our area, but they have friends here. This was a prob yesterday. We had a baptism of Kevin after conf. Well he lives in Pyramidal right on the limit of Independencia. The bishop of Pyramidal found out and kind of got mad at us and told us not to. We told the bishop to send members to visit him, but he didn’t. So during the baptism he saw we were baptizing him and called president. Who called the ZLs, the other problem is that he has been attending church in another area. We have been working on getting him friends here and one of his friends in the ward baptized him yesterday it was super sweet! He is way taller, so I felt bad because he baptized him like ten times before it was right. The water wasn’t high enough so he went to his knees and it didn’t work. So then they went to sitting and we finally got it! jaja. It was quite interesting.

At the temple we had an investigator there that’s called Claudia. She brought a friend and 2 nieces to the temple trip and one wants to get baptized! She lives out of the area so we are going to pass the reference on and hopefully she can! It’s super sweet! The temple was way awesome. Claudia is a hard investigator but she learned a ton and came to conference the first session which I wasn’t expecting. We have noticed a change in her since. The investigators learned a ton at the temple and the spirit was awesome. Ill explain a little bit more next week about the temple trip, but it was way sweet! Anyways I’ll talk to you guys next week. Sounds like everything is sweet back home

Peace and Love,

Elder Hendricks