April 16, 2012

Hola!! Wow time is just flying out here! This last week was good for the most part. We are really trying to work with the members, and that is going great! Our members are so nice. We had an appointment set up and everything so we invited a member and his wife to the appointment, and they came. They are converts and they are so great. Well the apointment fell through, so our back up plan was to go have a lesson with Eduardo.  We went there and it turns out something came up and he wasn't able to be there, so we had 2 appointments fall through.  Our great Members that were with us were just happy to be with us and they wanted to know what they could do to help more.  It just made me think a little about how grateful I am to have the members I do, also the friends that I have and a companion that is Peruvian. Seriously I am so grateful for the members of the branch and for their willingness to help.

  This week has been a lot of follow ups on possibles and knocking doors. I think it's so funny when you hear a ton of rucous inside a house then you knock and everything goes quiet.ha! But I think the one I love the most that really makes me laugh is when you hear a dog barking inside and in mid bark the dog gets quiet.haha!! Oh the good times of knocking doors,ha!  Well my Spanish is coming, but slow. I will say having a companion that speaks the language is a help.  I just need to be patient and diligent in doing what I can. Well that's all I have for this week. Hope all is well at home. I love you all and pray for you always!

Love Elder Henze

April 3, 2012

MY DEAR MOM!

Hey mom I can't tell you how sorry I am about last weeks short letter. So I will make it up some how,ha!  Last week was really really busy with getting everything switched around with my new companion and what not. My new companion is Elder Virrueta and he is from Peru. He speaks to me in Spanish a lot so it helps me out a ton, so hopefully by the end of this transfer I will be speaking Spanish more fluently:) I'm sorry to hear about the buisness and the tough decision you had to make. I hope conference helped give you the comfort you needed and answered all your questions cuz I know it did for me. This last week has been crazy! I have been pretty much in charge because my companion is new to the area and I have to teach him where everything is and what we do over here.  So even though I am not labled senior companion I am and will be for a little while. So it's been stressful but I feel I have grown a lot. Things here are going good. We're trying to find new people and help the ones we have to progress to baptism. I have been so excited all week for General Conference I can't believe it's all ready over it makes me sad! Cuz it was soooooooooo good and I loved every minute of it!  It's like the SUPER BOWL for missionaries! It's awesome! 

 I want Carl to know that he had a big responsibility as a Preisthood holder and that it is the power of Heaven.  It is literally the Power of God!!  He has intrusted us with that great power, but like Uncle Sam says off of spider man "With great power comes great Responsibility", and I would add to that WORTHINESS! I can't tell you how much I regret the times I was not worthy to pass, bless, and partake of the Sacrament. And also how I shurked a lot of my preisthood duties.  I will be judged for this and if I could send a warning to my brothers, I would that you not make the same mistakes!  You are better than that! I know it, you know it, our parents know it and most of all our loving Heavenly Father knows it. If he didn't he would not have given you that sacred power. Also be both converted to the Gospel and Church because if one falters you can not stand on even ground and the great Destroyer called Satan will push you around and you will not withstand his mighty winds.

 I can't express enough how much I  love you all and how much I want to see ya'll succeed and magnify your calllings as Holders of the Priesthood.  Not is it only Gods glory, but mine and our parents, to see us succeed. Do not get caught up in the things of the world.  There is always time for the Lord and for his work.  Never forget that the greatest missionaries are the members! They are the ones who never give up. I have found that this is an even more difficult battle with satan than I thought.  Please always be on guard and ready to make the correct decision.

 Mom this can apply to you as well.  I loved that talk given by the Relief Society president and how great your resposability is as a mother and as a member of this church. Remember that you are called to lead out as a young womans leader, and as a mother to us. Thank you mom for all you have done for me and for setting me on the right path so that I can have the blessing that I so desperately needed and still need in my life. Remember that the strength of the church comes from the family.

 Well mom I best get going. I will probably be back on in a little while.  I have to go get a new car:)  I love you and I hope all is well.

Your son Elder Henze!

Hey mom!! I'm on again for a moment today.  I'm glad things are going well. Thank you for all of your prayers they have helped out so much!  Thank you for all you do I hope you enjoyed my letter  If you could tell Carl for me that losing your temper and letting your emotions get the best of him is the best way that satan can make him lose the spirit. Let him listen to that talk again on the internet that was given in conference about that. It was great, and it will bring him comfort I think, and you as well mom:) Well I best get going... umm I was told by Lisa to let you know that you need to update the Blog. hahahahaha how is that going? I don't even know I can't get on it. I never have time:(ha well mom I best get going I love you sooo much take care.

P.S. I found out I can SKYPE for Christmas and for Mothers day!!!! So make sure you're all set up for that when the time comes.:)

Love Elder Henze

March 12, 2012

Wow it sounds like it's been pretty crazy over there! haha I can only imagine! Ya, the daylight saving thing was news to me, we woke up at our regualar time and so we had to hurry up and get to church. ooops haha but this week was good for the most part. We have been teaching this one lil' family and they seem to be acccepting all that we teach very well.  At least that's what my companion says. Along with my testimony I don't say much because they ask some questions that I can't even understand and don't know how to answer in Spanish so it makes things a little interesting.

I'm way glad to hear about Luke and how well he's doing and also Carl. Holy cow, does Doezal think Carl is going to do as good as me? He put him in every event I did!! haha that's funny.

I'm really sorry to hear about Marci's dad passing away Idon't even know how to handle that so I'm sure she really doesn't know how.. that would be sooooooooo hard!

Send her my love and her family.

So mom hows the gym going?  How's Carl and Luke doing on the assignment I gave them to read the Book of Mormon and other helpful literature from the church? How's family home evening? I really hope dad gets switched to days that would be such a blessing!

Well mom, so with that story I have been trying to tell you we ran into this lady that met with the missionaries before but she was going to move because she didn't have enough to pay rent so she told the missionaries and so they never came back.  Two months later she saw them at the store and said hi and they didn't recognize her.  She was so embarrassed so she acted like she thought they were somone else and walked away. Well about 2 weeks after that, the same missionaries knocked onto her door and then they were like oh hey how ya doing? She was like good, but i'm not interested and it was because those same missionaries forgot about her and it broke her heart. It has been 3 years since she has talked to the missionaries because of that one mess up. So I'm glad I have the opportunity to teach her! She is really great but that just made me so sad that that happened to her. So anyway there you go that's the story.

Well mom I best get going I love you sooooo much and hope all is well with you let me know what some of your goals are and see what your striving for, and the boys and dad as well because i want to help in every way I can.

Oh and did danny get my lettter I wrote him when I was in the MTC?? Could you ask him and have him write me back if he wants,

well until next time mom!

LOVE  Elder Henze

Plano Times

Hola haha! So, this week went by way fast!!! We have been working hard and the Spanish is coming slowly but surely. Things in Plano are moving slow but we are trying to pick this area up because it desperately needs it. I have to say I really like mexicans BUT I don't like it when they lie to us!ha I think the reason I like them so much is that their food is just so good I can't get enough of it! We were going to do a follow up in the sisters area that is seriously Mexico like, there are no white people, so we went to do a follow up for the sisters, and when we got there, these other guys were cooking Tacados next door. So we walked by and knocked on the door a few time and no answer so then we were walking past the guys cooking again and I told them the food smelled wayyy good, the man then asked if we wanted some so we were happy to oblige and I'm soooooooo glad we did!  This guy turns out to be a cook and he made this sauce that we had with it and man o man talk about the best sauce I've ever had!!! Well we ate some of their food and talked about the gospel for a little bit then we went to dinner with a member which wasn't as good, but hey its okay,ha!  So Mexicans are way nice! We've had something like that happen more than once, one lady actually ran out of her house to get us to come eat with them:)haha! We must have looked hungry!ha So things on the food side of life are going great here. Finding Mexicans that are really interested is the more difficult part but we'll find them!! 

 Since I've been here I've learned a few things besides Spanish.  A few of the things are that santan is a PUNK, man that guy... I have a few words of love for him! (I think that might affect him more than words of hate ever would), but ya, he likes to make things difficult. I've learned that Mexicans are very very nice.  Almost as nice as Asians but not quite. haha. I've learned that there is a lot that I can't control so instead of wasting my time with things I can't control I've begun to focus even more on the things I can control like my attitude and being obedient!  Most of all out of all the things I've learned and this isn't even the half of them, but I think the thing I've learned most of all so far is; GOD is in CONTROL. Everything happens on His time which is whenever he needs you. This one has been tough for me because of Spanish, I feel I pray for patience a lot and find myself expecting it right then, ha and being like the cookie monster "I WANT COOKIE NOW" haha so i've had to be still, have to remember that I am on the Lords' time and I am where the Lord wants me to be in every aspect of my life. So it's been great out here. I really love it and can't wait to help PLANO turn around! Well until next time A Dios MI FAMILIA

Elder Henze with President & Sister Durrant

Plano, Texas

Hey mom how ya doing?? I just wanted to let you know I made it to Dallas okay I have been working hard and I have a good companion.  My mission President is BOMB!!! He is so tight and he really likes me and so does his family He's told me a few times. It seems like hes got big plans for me so we'll see what happens. The Spanish is coming a Lot better so I'm happy about that! I really like it here the people are okay for the most part.  I'm serving in Plano and they have a ton of MEGA churches!! This place has a lot of Mexicans it's just hard to find them because our proselyting time is while they're at work so it's been tough finding them!  I've been staying way positive and we will start having success, I know it! Well there is so much I want to tell you about how everything went and all the cool things President Durrant has told me but I'll put it in a letter and it should get to you by Thursday.  He did tell my comp right in front of me that I will be going to Zone leader and District leader meetings soon enough!! hahaha it was way cool he really likes me and I'm really excited to get the work going here because I am in the lowest baptizing area of the mission. So time to turn it around and get it back on top!!! The members here are way nice and I have already had some great food I have defanintly eaten well at night!!!hahaha. well if you could give my address to everyone, I would appreciate it!! 

1515 Rio Grande Dr.

 Plano TX, 75023

Well I can't wait to hear back from you and let the family know I love them and I miss them!

 Until we meet again!

January 31, 2012

Tonight we might be hearing from the Prophet!! How cool is that!  I'm way stoked!!  It sounds like Carl and Luke are staying busy. I'm glad to hear the fitness center is going good.  I want to thank you and the family.  I'm so grateful for you and for raising me in this gospel I couldn't have chosen better parents to help me through this life! I want to share with you my testimony. I know this church is true and I know that Joseph Smith was called of God to restore His gospel on the earth and I know the work I am doing is not the work of man but the work of the Lord! I know that Jesus is the Christ and he suffered for ME and YOU and he knows what you are going through and he is with you every step of the way. Even if we sometimes sit on the side. I know the scriptures are the words of God, and that they are meant for us in this time in this dispensation and we are to bring the world to that understanding!   I would not know all this if you did not teach me and if you did not lead by your example! You are my heroes.  I will be forever grateful for that! This is my testimony and these are the a few of the things that I know and am totally grateful for! I will always thank my God for that knowledge and for my family!  I think you'll be happy to know I finished the Book of Mormon last week!!! Just thought I'd throw that in there.  I love you!! Give dad and the boys a hug for me!

Elder Henze

until we meet again