Merry Christmas

Dear family and friends,

The week of Christmas always leans a little more toward the fun side of mission life than the work-like-a-dog side. We didn`t have as many lessons as I would have liked, but we did get to visit a LOT of members and help them feel the Spirit of Christmas. We had seven invitations from members to eat on Christmas Eve, and yes, we did go to all seven. What we couldn`t eat in the moment we packaged up and took home. By now, I only have a few leftovers left.

It was great to see my family on Skype on Christmas Day! I felt a little odd, though. My little brother has turned into a tall, deep-voiced teenager. My little sister is also tall, and is becoming a beautiful young woman. Time sort of freezes while you`re in the mission. Missionaries have a tendency to forget that life goes on as normal at home. We`re so completely wrapped up in a whole different world that we forget the old world. At least, I have forgotten a lot about what it was like to live in Utah, USA. It`s a bit of a culture shock to talk to your family and see the inside of your house, and everything.

I hope you all had GREAT Christmases! This week I only want to make on invitation: look around. Take your eyes away from this screen a moment to see who is by your side, or to think of all the people that surround you. They are your family, your friends, your neighbors... hasta the little old lady in the grocery store. I invite you to look for the needs of those people. Be Christ`s hands in blessing the sick, comforting the sad, and strengthening the weary. Even if you think you yourself are in need of a blessing, or comfort, or strength, focusing outward instead of inward will help you feel the Spirit of God, and will bring you happiness.

I`ll be doing it too, this week. We will see miracles.

Love,

Hna Henrie

1. Hna Ortega made baleadas for a family home evening last Monday. They were delicious! This foto is her making the dough for the tortillas.

2. part of a delicious pan con pollo. We ate about five of them this Christmas season. They`re basically just chicken sandwiches. This one had chicken, lettuce, tomato, remolache (I don`t know what that is in English, but we have them in the States too), cucumber and mayonnaise. It was super yummy!

Dios obra milagros (God works miracles)

 I let Hna Ortega doll me up this week, with one condition: that she teach me how to do it. Haha never thought I`d let anyone but Sara teach me to put on makeup.

Dear family and friends,

FELIZ NAVIDAD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I`m very pleased with how we worked this week. We had an AWESOME week. We found another investigator just as positive as Jovinh! His name is Kevin, and he`s the boyfriend of a member. We also improved in every key indicator and talked with almost EVERY single person in the street. I`m excited to move forward this week as well.

Things are great in San Miguel. I`m enjoying the 90 degree weather to the fullest, and I`m enjoying the work a lot.

I love you. Have a safe, and very happy holiday this week!

Hna Henrie

President and Hna Vasquez came to San Miguel this week, and we gathered together as 7 missionary zones to celebrate Christmas. There are only 4 sister missionaries working in the Oriente: Hna Hall, me, Hna Ortega, and Hna Sagapolu. We played games with the elders, performed skits in our zones, and bore our testimonies to each other about our Savior Jesus Christ.

changes :)

Dear family,
I got the packages from my family, from the Draper family, and from Dan Wilson. I also received what I assume will be my last pack of DearElder letters. THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!! I LOVE letters!

Continuing.

pues sì, we had changes of course. Hna Fuentes finished her mission on Wednesday while I picked up my new companion, a hondureña (not from Graig`s mission), Hna Ortega. She`s a lot of fun and I think I`m going to enjoy the next six weeks a lot. I`m also going to eat well, because she cooks yummy things, la mayorìa vegetables. QUE RICO after so much time of eating arroz and carne with pocos vegetales. (mmm she made a great pasta yesterday for lunch... whoo obviously I`m writing you hungry)

The funny thing is, Hna Ortega and I came to El Salvador juntas. Meaning we both go home in January. Meaning our area will be given away to missionaries that will have to re-open it after we leave. I`m not sure why the Lord did that, but if there`s one thing I`ve learned in the mission it`s that God has a reason for everything He does. So although I don`t yet understand why, Hna Ortega and I are companions for a reason. I`ll let you know when I figure it out. :)

Ironically, Hna Ortega and I will also be abriendo area in this our last change, because yesterday we met with the bishop, the ward mission leader, and the elderes to re-divide our two areas so that the divisions make more sense. Hna Ortega and I ended up with three new colonias (we lost more than we gained), plus a lot of houses that I don`t think have ever seen missionaries because they`re a bit far away from the city. It should be a lot of fun!

As far as progressing investigators go... Jovinh is our one shining light. The goal for this week is to find 100 more just like him!

I hope you all had GREAT weeks, and that you have a BETTER one coming up for you! Remember who Christ needs you to be--a stalwart witness of Him, especially in this Christmas season.

Love,
Hna Henrie

San Miguel is so pretty: D

I have no words to describe this week

I love Hna Fuentes a lot. I`m going to miss her. 

On Sunday night she gave me a really tight hug and we cried a little. I like this picture of us.

Dear family and friends,

There are no words to describe this past week. `Amazing,` `incredible,` `miraculous,` `special,` just don`t do justice to how great this week was. It was all those things and more. We met an escogido this week. His name is Jovinh, and he`s the most pilas investigator I`ve ever had. We met him on Friday night and invited him to come with us to an activity at the temple in San Salvador the next day. He said yes and was there in our meeting place at 5:30 AM. He had a great experience at the temple and learned a ton about the Church. He felt the Spirit and already knows this is the true Church of Jesus Christ. He asked me on Saturday afternoon as we were getting on the bus for the 3-hour return trip to San Miguel what he had to do to prepare for baptism, and what he had to do to BECOME A MISSIONARY. (He`s 20 years old, so he could totally do it!) On Sunday morning, he was 45 minutes early for church. He participated in all the classes and understood a great deal of what was taught. Later that day, he was with us again at 6 pm in the chapel, where we talked about what he had learned at the temple and in the church meetings until the Christmas Devotional began. He doesn`t drink coffee and keeps himself sexually clean (two of the most common desafìos we have with new investigators), and he accepted a baptismal date in January.

Are there miracles in our day and age? There are DEFINITELY miracles in this day and age! God is not dead, nor is He simply an uncaring being looking down upon the atrocities of the world and passively shaking his head. He LIVES. He wants to be part of our lives! He led us to talk with Jovinh in the street, and He touched Jovinh`s heart while we were standing outside the temple--His Holy House.

The temple activity was really neat. President Vasquez (and I`m not sure who else, but I`m sure there were lots more people) put a lot of work into it. Everyone in our WHOLE MISSION invited investigators to come to the temple on Saturday, December 6. It was very well organized. The San Miguel group arrived about 10:30 at the temple. (Hna Fuentes and I got to see a couple people and missionaries from our past areas!!!)

The activity started with a bienvenida de Pte Vasquez and a virtual tour of the temple via photos. Then we divided into four smaller groups and took the investigadores through a series of classes. Hna Fuentes and I were in charge of teaching about the Church`s auxiliary organizations--Priesthood Quorum, Relief Society, etc. At the end, there were refreshments. And then we all got on the bus to go back home.

I hope you all had great weeks, and if not that the coming one is mejor. I know God loves me, and I know He loves each of you. In good times and bad, He is there, and He cares.

Time FLIES when you`re having a blast as a missionary in El Salvador!

Love you mucho

Jess

Carnaval

Buenas dìas!!!

I`ve got a cultural note for you this week. On Saturday in San Miguel everyone was celebrating in the Carnaval. One of the members explained to me that several years ago (if memory serves, more than a hundred) the volcano erupted. All the people in San Miguel prayed for protection, and the lava came out on the opposite side of the city (and into Usultan, but no one mentions that part. haha). In their gratitude, the people erected a statue of the Virgin Mary, who, if I understand correctly, is the patron saint of San Miguel, and began celebrating the last Saturday of November as the Carnaval.

Fast forward a hundred years, and the Carnaval is less a religious thing and more an opportunity for everyone to dance and drink. Hence why we were forbidden from leaving our house on Saturday. Most boring day of my life... but we got lots of things done en la casa.

This change is going by so fast. Next Wednesday is change meeting. My companion will be going home, and I`ll be bringing home a new companion. Tenemos que aprovechar el tiempo.

In other news, our investigator Victor passed his entrevista bautismal and everything is set for his baptism on Friday!!!

Take care. Keep the faith!

Love,

Hna Henrie

On Saturday we were forbidden from leaving our house. We spent the time deep cleaning... then writing what felt like a hundred thank you notes for members... then inventing a spaghetti with hard boiled eggs and mozzarella cheese on top.

The other picture is from last Monday. Presidente came and we had a super pday del oriente. The three zones del oriente came to play soccer.