January 28, 2013

Hey Mom

That is so tight!!! Send him my best!! (Ben Knight being in Panama on his mission). Well this week was pretty good we worked as much as we could which wasn't as much as I'd like. My companion has some health issues,and I'm fine to accomodate a little but we still have to work. So we did.  I pushed him. Hopefully he will get feeling a little better and we can start blessing more peoples lives. So sorry this is so early in the morning but we have some other things we have to do today. Although I do want to share a really cool experience that we had with the "Just Serve" element that we have in the mission now. So this week we went to a Methodist Church and offered to be of service to them. They were shocked, and well they put us to work. There was a man setting up chairs for a thing they were going to have which is like a fireside. I'll tell ya, I had no idea what goes into setting up chairs! I mean they have to be measured out from how far away from the other row and all sorts of things.  It was funny and the guy was really nice. Then he asked from what denomination are we, we told him the Church Of Jesus Christ Of Latter-Day Saints. He said oh ya, I think I know that church.  My companion said ya we're the Mormons! haha!!! The guy went quiet for a little while.  I think he was shocked that we weren't ravenous Bible bashing 20 wives kinda people. A couple minutes passed by and he began to talk to us some more after I think he had processesed who we really are.ha! Then a little later when we were almost done, another guy came in and introduced himself to us. He turns out to be a little higher up in that church and he had some great questions and we were able to identify them by the answers he would give back to us as we told him our little stories on how we got to the mission. I told him after I graduated I came out. He said so they wanted you out here before ya did anything else huh?  I said I chose to come out before I did anything else, its a voluntary act to serve a mission. He said since when did the Church do that?  It hasn't always been like that, and I said well ya it has been. He was taken aback. My companion and I explained a little bit more and then left on really good terms with this gentleman. The first gentlman actually gave us a tour of the church! It has the biggest stained glass chapel in the United States or the World something like that and George Bush goes to that church.  As well they have a baptismal font outside, it was pretty cool. Oh and the best part they even have a STARBUCKS in the church!!hahaha It was a really cool experience! I loved it and the people there loved us as well. We had some good conversations and learned how to set up chairs like a pro!! ha I love this work!  It is so much fun and I love getting to know people of other faiths, because I think we think of them sometimes in the same light that they see us; Horrible, blood sucking, 20 wives, Jose Smith lovers. When really we're not and they aren't as bad as we think sometimes so it was a great learning experience and so much fun! I had a smile on the whole time, even when the gentleman would fix my rows.ha!! Well mom I love ya tons and I hope you have a great week and all goes well keep strong and pushing along! And don't forget Keep Smilling;)!!! love ya!!

Love Elder Henze