One Week to El Salvador

Dearest family and friends,
Les amo mucho. That is my first and most important message today.

It´s been kind of a love-y day today. First I went to the temple with my district, where I thought and prayed about a lot of you (actually, now that I think about it, all of you), in particular my mother and my two grandmothers, whom I love and admire deeply. I thought about them and how much I love them and why I love them (many reasons, too many to list when you only have so much writing time) and their testimonies of the Church, and I realized, again, how blessed I am to have such a family.

Well. This week, District 5C has invented something new - it´s called an Internet-free Twitter feed! ... Really, we've just turned the inside of one of the cupboards in our classroom into a quote board. Every time somebody says something funny or especially sweet, we write it onto a small sticky note and post it on the board. Elder Wareham calls it our Twitter feed. Most of the rest of us just call it the quote wall. There are probably 30 of them at least, and we add more every day! I´ll take a picture on Sunday just before people start leaving so you can see. :( I am going to miss the people in this district.

Hermana Broadhead and I had another cool CRE (TRC) experience! Three brothers, all members, came to volunteer. There was a twelve-year-old, a fourteen-year-old and a sixteen-year-old. Hna. Broadhead and I got to teach the youngest brother, Ivan. It was a little hard to get him to talk to us, but we did our best. We opened up to Doctrine and Covenants section six, which is all about how God knows each of His children personally, and explained the story behind it. Briefly, the story is this: the prophet Joseph Smith had been praying for someone to help him translate the gold plates (which translation is now known as the Book of Mormon) at the same time a schoolteacher named Oliver Cowdery began lodging with Joseph´s parents. Mr. and Mrs. Smith told Oliver about their son, his vision and his work and Oliver´s heart was touched. He prayed to God and asked if what the Smiths told him was true, and felt prompted to travel to where Joseph was. Joseph didn´t know Oliver was coming, but when Oliver arrived at Joseph´s home, Joseph knew he was the one who would help him translate the ancient record. From this story, we learn that God knows His children. He knows their needs and desires, and often times what we see as fortunate ´coincidences´ in our lives are actually tender mercies from Him. (Remember 1 Nefi 1:20? The Lord´s tender mercies are over us.)

I hope Ivan got something out of our mini-lesson. We did get him to share an experience once, where he knew God answered one of his prayers, but it kind of flopped because I didn´t understand what he was saying. I felt bad that when we finally got him to talk, I didn´t even understand. But he was patient with us. I hope the people in El Salvador will have half the patience he did. haha

¡Hna B and I have two new investigators, Roberto and Bénjamin! We´ve only taught them once so far and will only have one more opportunity to teach them again before we leave (really, they´re Elders Cutler and Sumsion), but I have high hopes for them. Hna. Broadhead and I are also acting as investigators, Amanda and Jessica, for them. Essentially, every member of our district is imagining what our lives would be like if we weren´t members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and then teaching one another for the practice. I love playing the role of investigator because I get to ask all the questions, and because I learn a lot every time about how TO or how NOT to teach. Believe it or not, teaching is not one of my personal talents, it´s a skill I´m working hard to develop. For example, I have learned I have a tendency to ramble and go off on tangents that aren´t important to the investigator or the lesson. I have set goals to improve and am now working on curbing that tendency. I´m also having a hard time telling apart spiritual promptings from my own thoughts. Following the promptings of the Holy Ghost play a central role in missionary teaching, and we (or at least I) have to spend a lot of time practicing so we can recognize that still small voice when we hear it.

Being a missionary is hard work, but it´s fun work. The elders shared some thoughts about this from their priesthood meeting this week that I really liked. These are a few things they learned in their lesson:

• This is supposed to be a happy time in our lives. We should worry enough to work hard, but not enough to make ourselves miserable. (Always a good reminder, and I think it applies to all of you too, especially my college friends, Agnese, Katelyn, Sara and Jennifer, to name but a few.)
• You are here on a mission because God loves you. (I definitely know this is true. I´ve wanted to serve a mission my whole life, and I really feel it is a blessing to have the health, strength, and means to go through with it. I´m on a mission because I love God, but also because God loves me.)
• As we share the gospel, we appreciate more how meaningful it is for us, and we get excited to tell everyone! (This one makes me think of you, wonderful Drapers. I´m so proud of the missionary work you´ve been doing. Keep it up! Even if they don´t seem interested, just being a good friend says something about you and the loving God we worship.)
• Elder Elowitt said, ´We´ll be really busy for the next two years, but we´ll always have something to look forward to.´ (Amen! What better to look forward to than talking about the gospel and God´s plan for us?)
• Elder Wareham said we can learn to put our worries, fears and even anger aside as we give our burdens to the Lord and just focus on the moment - what´s happening now. (This reminds me of a piece of advice my friend Elder Landers gave me just before Graig and I left, that we should never let the feeling of getting rejected taint how you feel as you go to the next door, or the next street corner, looking for someone else to share our message with.)

My time is up, but know how much I love you! I could really use your prayers this week and next as I finish up my time at the CCM and then ship out for El Salvador. Thank you in advance. I´ve felt your prayers already and I know I´ll continue to feel them. Prayer has power.

Love, Hermana Henrie

Hermana Broadhead has been asking the gym office for tennis equipment ever since we found out the CCM has a court, and today we played tennis for the first time! She was SO happy. Possibly it was the happiest day of her mission so far, besides talking with Carla. haha.

Commencing week five... Wait. Five? Week FIVE?

Hola familia y amigos,
Hna. Broadhead´s and my roommates left this week for Honduras and El Salvador. We can hardly believe they´re gone. It feels like yesterday that we arrived at the CCM and asked which week they were in. They responded, "Week three," and we thought that was so "old." Now we´re the ones who will be (probably) getting new roommates, tonight, and we´re on week five! So weird.

Jessica and Hermana Broadhead with their roommates, Hermana Elms and Hermana Curtis.

 Jessica and Hermana B with Hermana Israelsen, who is now on her way to Chicago.

This week hasn´t been as eventful as some past ones, but I´m drudging up some stories from my journal. Let´s see... oh, yes... President Pratt is the president of the CCM, and when I first met him during the CCM orientation meetings, I was super intimidated by him. Actually, whenever he´s standing at a pulpit, he´s kind of intimidating, but this week I met him face-to-face, and I know there could be no better man for the job of whipping a bunch of gringo missionaries into shape than him. He´s super strong in the faith and only comes across as intimidating because he wants us misioneros to listen when he tries to teach us how to be good missionaries. He and his wife are amazing. He came into our aula (classroom) one night as we were singing our closing hymn, "Be Thou Humble" en español. He entered silently, opened his hymnbook to the appropriate page and sang the last verse of the song with us. The Spirit in the room really got a boost when he walked into the room, and I felt love and appreciation for him in his calling for perhaps the first time. (He really can be intimidating.) After the hymn, he knelt and prayed with us, and then shook our hands and bade us each a good night. The CCM is in good hands.

On Sunday "movie night," one of the videos we watched was "Finding Faith in Christ." We used to watch that movie all the time on Sundays as a family, so it was nice to see it again here in the CCM. It was like a little piece of home. I wonder if we´ll watch "Testaments" sometime. That one is a Sunday family favorite too. I love Sunday "movie night." It, along with the devotionals we watch on Sundays and Tuesdays, are a good way to get spiritually renewed and remind ourselves why we´re out here, why we decided to volunteer to leave home for 18-24 months and be missionaries for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Which reason is because we love God, we believe this is His work, and we want to share what we know about the purpose of life and how we can live with God and our families again after we die, forever. When we remember our purpose, two years doesn´t seem like a long time. If anything, it doesn´t feel long enough. I will already be forever changed because of my experiences here, and I know I have barely tasted what is to come. I´m so excited for these next two weeks in the CCM, and beyond.

 District Volleyball Game:

 How I wash my clothes:

Just Kidding! There's a lavadora.

Something that brings me joy: Hna. Watkins and I found a piano. Here we are playing "Poor Wayfaring Man", her right hand, me left hand. Like Bethany and I did.

 Waiting to get haircuts in the peluquería. I didn´t understand the lady as well as I would have liked, but part of that may have been my typical ignorance of hair-related vocabulary, even in English.  (This picture was taken before the haircuts)

We had two élderes latinos hang out with our district (District 5C) yesterday. Everyone in their district had already left for the mission field, and they needed a class to attend on their last day in the CCM. I didn´t think much of it when Elders Evans and Lopez first entered our aula yesterday morning and explained they were going to hang out with us, but they turned out to have quite an influence on us norteamericanos. Their attitude of service impressed me first, when during companionship study they offered to pretend to be investigators so some of the companionships could roleplay and practice teaching. Then Hermana Arbon asked them to give us a kind of workshop on asking inspired questions during lessons. I already had learned how valuable questions can be during a lesson, to get people really thinking about what you´re saying, and to help you form the lesson around their needs and interests. But it´s not so easy to put into practice. You want to ask deep questions, but not any that are too personal, and sometimes it´s hard to think of a good question in the moment. Elder Evans and Elder Lopez reiterated a little about how useful questions are in lessons and then proceeded to work with us one-on-one.

Elder Evans worked with Hna. B and I. We shared a scripture about Christ´s Atonement from the book of Third Nephi with him and then just asked question after question. We asked maybe four questions before we ran out of ideas. Elder Evans smiled at us and asked in Spanish, "Why don´t you share your testimonies about Jesus Christ and give me a commitment?" We seized the lifeline and shared our feelings about Christ and His Atonement (Expiación) but couldn´t think of anything to commit him to do. Elder Evans just smiled at us again and told us good job (we were out of time). He and Elder Lopez really seemed comfortable teaching and asking questions. I told Hna. B I want to go to THEIR classes. I was only half-joking. This morning we walked into the aula to find Elder Evans and Elder Lopez left us a thank-you note on the whiteboard. I know they´ll be great missionaries; their hearts are definitely in the right place.

The next three pictures were taken by Hermana Taufoou, a sister in Jessica's district.

 The Latin Elders pictured here are Elder Evans (the taller one) and Elder Lopez (the shorter one).

Scripture of the week is my mission scripture, D&C 6:36, where the Lord is talking to Joseph Smith: "Look unto me in every thought; doubt not, fear not." When I think of it, I think to myself, I´m trying! I invite you all to do the same. Be grateful for your blessings and trust that the Lord has a plan for your life. Trials and challenges, as well as happy times, are part of it. They´re experiences that will help us grow. Until next week!

Hermana Henrie

I have the best calling in the world!

me, Hna. B, Hna. Watkins, Hna. Taufoou.

In this letter:

1. First Mexico City Temple trip
2. Jessica bears her testimony of how God directs our lives
3. Hermana Henrie and Hermana Broadhead got to teach the message of the restoration of the gospel and how to pray to a lady who came to the CCM to be taught for the first time

Les amo mucho, familia y amigos. It`s fun to experience each week twice - once for myself, and once for you.

Thank you so much for your letters and emails! I love hearing from you! I hope all is well in your lives - most of the news I get from you is a few weeks old. :)

We got to go to the temple today! It was SO amazing. I love that the Church is the same anywhere in the world you go. Well... the same except for which language everyone is speaking. But no matter what the language, you can still feel the same peace, and the Spirit that testifies you`re hearing truth, even if you don`t understand every spoken word. The Mexico City Temple is so beautiful. There`s a fountain out front, and a giant painting of Jesus Christ visiting ancient America just as you walk in. Best start to a day ever. My companion and I accidentally lost each other just before we had to leave, which is why I only got one photo of the temple.

 The view of Mexico City from the bus on the way to the temple.

I don`t think there is a choir at the CCM, but if there was, I`d be interested in it. I did play prelude in sacrament meeting on Sunday, but other than that (and singing in the shower, which I actually rarely do), I haven`t had any other musical opportunities.

1 Nefi 1:20 came up a lot again in my life this week. I have seen the Lord`s hand in my life more and more. I know He is present in each of your lives too, even if you don`t recognize it at the time. Look for Him. It will help you realize how much He loves you, each of you, individually and perfectly, without judgment and always with a desire to bless you more if you only ask Him for it. Tambièn D&C 58:3 came up a lot in my personal study and even some lessons. That verse talks about how man can`t see God`s design, but we can trust that God knows what He is doing. Even when we have tragedies, difficulties and challenges in life, there`s something we can learn from all of them.

Hna. Broadhead and I had a challenge this week when we went to the Teaching Resource Center (TRC) for the first time as a district. I`ve volunteered at the TRC at the Provo MTC several times, so I had certain expectations going into the TRC at the México CCM. I expected every volunteer teachee to be a member of the Church already, but to pretend not to be members so we missionaries could practice teaching them. When we got there, I learned none of the volunteers are asked to pretend to be nonmembers, and the missionaries are charged to teach them just as they are, with their real histories, circumstances and needs. I also learned sometimes the CCM staff invite random people to come in and listen to the missionaries from the street outside the walls.

One by one, Hna. B and I watched our fellow missionary companionships get assigned to teach different members. I thumbed through my Libro de Mormon and Santa Biblia, thinking about what kind of spiritual thoughts Hna. B and I could leave with the member to whom we were assigned. Then the maestro in charge of the TRC beckoned to us and said, "Ustedes van a enseñar una investigadora. Ella nunca ha hablado con misioneros de nuestro Iglesia antes de hoy."

I thought he was joking and asked, "A real investigator? Are you sure she`s a real investigator?"

"She has never spoken with our missionaries before," the maestro repeated. "Nunca, jamás."

Hna. B and I looked at each other. The maestro saw our look and said comfortingly, "You`ll do fine. She`s right in here."

The last thing I saw before we followed that maestro into one of the classrooms was encouraging smile of Hermana Arbon, our district maestra in the afternoons. Then Hna. B and I were introducing ourselves to Carla, and Carla was introducing herself and her super cute little boy, Hiram. We spent a few minutes asking her about her family, what she already knew about the Iglesia de Jesucristo de los Santos de los últimos Días and the role religion plays in her life currently, said a prayer to invite the Holy Spirit to be with all of us and Hna. B went right into the first lesson about the restoration of Christ`s gospel. We told Carla about how Joseph Smith, Jr. lived in a time of great religious excitement and his confusion about which church to join. We explained how he took his question to the Bible and one day found himself reading in James, chapter one verse five. We turned to it in our Bibles and asked Carla if she would read the verse.

She started crying before she had even finished all of it. I wasn`t expecting it, and I guess she might not have either. I glanced at Hna. B and saw she was crying, too. I didn`t cry, but I knew, I knew, that there was power in that room. We were all feeling it. It was the Holy Spirit, testifying of the truth of what Carla had just read. "If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, who giveth to all men liberally, and upraideth not." Still crying, Carla asked us a question. I caught some of the words but didn`t understand until she repeated it. It was an eye-opening question, something to the effect of, "If I pray, will God answer my prayer?"

Hna. Broadhead looked her in the eye and said, "Yes. I know God will answer your prayer."

Right then, in unspoken agreement, Hna. B and I started teaching Carla about prayer, that God hears prayers, and how He answers them. We didn`t even finish telling her Joseph Smith`s story. We didn`t know how much time we had, so we taught until we both felt it was time to return to class. (We found out later that we`d gone overtime, but I`m so grateful nobody tried to cut us short.) It was hard to leave. After the closing prayer, Carla shook our hands and kissed our cheeks. She promised to find the missionaries outside of the CCM and learn more of our message. The four of us filed out of the classroom, but the TRC maestro caught Carla before she and Hiram left and asked if she would stay to hear another set of missionaries. Her response was heartfelt, but I had to wait for Hna. Arbon to translate it before I really understood. She said, "I would be in heaven (if I could stay and hear more)."

Hna. B and I couldn`t concentrate in class all the rest of that day. All we could think about was Carla. I`m certain every prayer we said, be it personal or shared between us, included Carla. We knew we likely wouldn`t hear about her again, and we both wished we could continue to teach her, although I have full confidence in the `real` missionaries outside the CCM. We also wished we had brought a copy of the Libro de Mormon with us to give her. We hadn`t brought one because we were expecting only members. (You can bet your bottom dollar we`ll be taking a copy with us every week from now on!) Then, unexpectedly, we received one of those tender mercies of the Lord that Nephi talks about in 1 Nephi 1:20. We wound up sitting next to a companionship of sisters at dinnertime who were just going into the TRC when we left. They told us Carla and Hiram were taught by a pair of elders, who had a Libro de Mormon to give her, and that afterward she was talking to that TRC maestro. It was amazing to hear a little about what happened after we left, and although we haven`t heard anything since, Carla is still in my prayers and Hna. B and I have high hopes for her.

It was an incredible taste of the sweetness of this, the Lord`s work. The restored gospel can bring so much light, hope and happiness into your life if you only sincerely learn of it and apply its principles in your life. Writing about it now, I still almost can`t believe it really happened. I know God loves His children, and He has provided a way for all of us to be happy forever. And when I say forever, I mean it, for this life and after.

I am so blessed and so humbled to have had this glimpse of how God can work miracles in people`s lives. I know that lesson in the TRC was not taught by me, it was carried into Carla`s heart by the Spirit, and I have a strengthened testimony that God really does guide His missionaries. I hope to have many more experiences like this, teaching alongside the Spirit.

Love,

Hermana Henrie

 Hna. Broadhead, Hna. Watkins, Hna. Taufoou, me, Elders Edson, Elowitt, Cutler, Sumsion, Wareham, Davis

Settling In at the CCM

In this letter:

1. Jessica and her companion are getting along well, working hard, and having fun too (read about their daily "hysteria hour")
2. Getting used to being called "Hermana Henrie"
3. Advice on what to watch out for when doing laundry at the CCM
4. How Jessica and her companion spend their daily gym time

I feel so much more settled in at the Centro de Capacitaciòn Misional (CCM) now. The schedule is still tight, and mi compañera y yo are always in a hurry, but I`m not nearly as stressed out about it.

I love my district, District 5C. There is another companionship of hermanas, who are super great, and all the èlderes are pretty nice too. They`re hard workers and good Spanish speakers, but also a lot of fun. We actually just finished playing volleyball and basketball as a district.

Hna. Broadhead and I get along well. She was really quiet when we first became companions, but we`ve opened up to each other more since and I think we`re really learning how to teach together too. We`re praying a lot, and working hard, but we always have at least one moment every day where we get the giggles over the littlest things and can`t stop laughing for an hour. I call it our "hysteria hour," and it usually comes on about 9:30 as we walk home to Casa 41 after a long day. She`s going to be a very good missionary because she`s so motivated and full of a desire to be obedient to all the rules. Just as a good stripling (that means "young") warrior should be, she strives to obey all the rules in the missionary handbook with exactness. In the Book of Mormon, see the book of Alma, chapter 57 verse 21.

 Home Sweet Home

 I came upon a scripture in my personal study early last week that really made a difference in my attitude overall at the CCM. This one is on one of the first few pages of the Book of Mormon, book of first Nephi, chapter 1 verse 20: "But behold, I Nephi, will show unto you that the tender mercies of the Lord are over all those whom he hath chosen, because of their faith, to make them mighty even unto the power of deliverance."

It was a hard adjustment to go from working on "my" time to working on the Lord`s time (there`s really no time to waste when you know you`ll be accountable to Him for how you spend it!), and I know there will be a lot more challenges up ahead, but just as Nephi says, I know the tender mercies of the Lord will be with me and my companion. I`m only just beginning to recognize them.

When I first got here, it was so weird never to be called by my first name, just my last, but in the days since, this little black nametag that says "Hermana Henrie" has come to mean everything to me.

Unfortunately, I haven`t so much as touched a piano since I entered here. I think I`m going to look around today for one I can play when it`s P-day. I`m not sure what the rules are on that, so. I may not even get to do that. But it`s okay.

Usually at daily gym time, Hna. Broadhead and I play a game with our district. We`ve played "Ping Pong Around the World," which is a lot like Jujumelikisheniquah except more orderly, volleyball, basketball, soccer and Frisbee. Sometimes Hna. B and I also go to the track. She likes to run, so she runs while I walk and sing whatever is in my head. It`s almost as good an outlet as playing the piano... almost.

Hna. B is from Safford, a little town in the Gila Valley. She`s the oldest kid, like me. Her next oldest sibling, a sister, is preparing to go on a mission and hopefully we`ll hear about her mission call while we`re still here at the CCM. She`s 20. We get along really well. She loves Snickers candy bars, so sometimes if we have a bad class or a bad lesson I give her a Snickers and take a Milky Way for myself. Works great! :)

One of the best things about having P-day on Tuesday is we get to finish off the day with a devotional! Sometimes it`s a devotional recording from Provo, but I learned last week we also sometimes get our own speakers. Last week, Elder Valencia (Elder Venezuela?) and his wife spoke. He`s newly called to the Quorum of the Seventy- I`m not sure which quorum. But Hna. Broadhead and I totally sat by them at dinner without knowing who they were. It was pretty cool to hear them give the devotional an hour later.

Love you! More stories to come next week! I`ll keep a list... that helped me out a lot last week.

Please pray for Hna. B and I to learn to be better teachers this week. We teach Lucas tomorrow and Holly on Thursday. I`ll have to let you know how it goes next week!

Les amo,

Hermana Henrie

And because I asked for more pictures:

 Classroom Building

 Inside her classroom

Mexico City

"We do not doubt our mothers knew it."

There's a picture of two stripling warriors hugging their mother out in the hallway by our classroom.  They did not doubt their mothers had testimonies.  I do not doubt my mother knows it, either.  I think about [my mom] every time I walk past that painting.  It's very appropriate that this particular mom is hugging two warriors, don't you think?  Right now, that scene seems like a goodbye, but in a couple of years, it could easily be a homecoming.

CCM District

From a letter dated August 6, 2013

We have the BEST district.  Everyone gets along pretty well, and I think we're all mostly at the same level of Spanish speaking.  There are two other hermanas, which I gather is a bit unusual (most people I talk to say they only have one companionship of hermanas in their district), but for whom I'm very grateful. We were all fast friends.  Besides them, Hna B and I, we have six elderes, so ten of us in total. It's the perfect number for an intensive language-learning and gospel-learning class, if you ask me.

These are their names and hopefully you'll be able to match faces with names on your own, because I don't remember who was standing where in the picture:

From Utah: Hna. Watkins, va a Arizona, blond hair, blue eyes
From Idaho: Hna Taufoou, va a Nicaragua, dark hair, dark eyes
From Utah: E. Davis, va a San Diego, short brown hair, big crooked smile
From Michigan: E. Wareham, va a Las Vegas, dark hair and eyes, tan skin
From Utah: E. Edson, va a Tejas, dirty blond hair, brown eyes
From California: E. Elowitt, va a Washington state, dark hair, blue? eyes, always in a suit coat
From Arizona: Hna. Broadhead, va a El Salvador San Salvador East! Red hair, blue eyes
From Utah: E. Sumsion, va a New Jersey, blond hair, brown eyes, shortish
From New Mexico: E. Cutler, va a South Carolina, glasses, brown hair
and me of course.