Guacimo Distrito Sion Beach Trip!

I broke down and finally took a nametag picture today...

Hey mom! Toe, health, and me being skinny are fine. Everything seems fine haha. We went to the beach today so there's not really much time to talk, like a half hour. But it was awesome! :)
(we had a discussion about BYU stuff and about needing to send him souvenir $ Western Union.) Well mom I love you tons! Things to do and people to save. Have a great week!

-Elder Henry

 

Hey dad!

Thanks for writing :) Sounds like fun with the pool and wrapping up the school year! Crazy how everything's coming to and end everywhere at the same time haha. I love you tons! Thanks for always writing :) I was thinking these days about how wonderful it is that in our house we say I love you to say bye. I really appreciate all the things you guys have done now that I've been outside the house for 2 years haha

-Elder Henry

 

DISTRITO SION

Victor's baptism

We were able to go to the beach for pday! Playa Cauhita.

Companions!

Heavenly Playa Cauhita

Distrito Sion!

So... monkeys love pretzels.

Cavernas Fila de Cal: Lessons from a hike in the caves

Gringos go to the caves, but they take a super long trail on the hill instead of going through the river. I don't think you'll ever go there though, Mom. A little bit of a rough trail for ladies :P

Hey so the video (below) I just sent is a super awesome lizard here in Zona Sur that walks on water. So we managed to record it one time. Whenever I see them I feel like I'm in Jurassic Park haha

Hey mom! That's super cool about Sherry in the play.

Hello from the jungle!  We just went to some super awesome caves!

I really did go into the jungle today! We went hiking and went to explore some caves here in our area with one of my favorite investigators, Ruma. It was a really wonderful experience. After walking about 40 minutes into the middle of the jungle (it's not really even a trail, we just went up the bank of the river), we got to the entrance of the caves. When you enter the caves, you just enter a whole other world. From the bright greens and blues...to blacks and grays. There were these little 6-legged spider looking thinks which I'm almost sure were blind, and little grashopper looking things with giant antennas (the antennas looked like big daddy long leg legs). Then, after we got in a little farther, we saw some cool stalagmites & stalactites, a river that goes through the cave, some really cool rock structures that the water has formed through the years, and "ELDER CHILD" written on the cave wall (that one really made me laugh). But honestly, when we turned off our flashlights and saw just how dark it was in that cave, Elder Ferrin made an interesting comment:   "Just imagine the Nephites for 3 days like this".

It might have been just a side comment for him, but it really made me think a little bit.

My whole mission has been great and has helped me so much become a better person and learn more about the scriptures and the gospel, but I have been able to have a very unique experience here in Zona Sur.

Zona Sur has brought physical conditions that I've never been in before! Let me explain myself.

I had never lived in the heat before. Nor a realy humid place. Nor jungle! I had never visited people who's life is cutting palm oil plants on the farms. I had never "mowed" a lawn with a machete! It's honestly just a different world!

But the special part is that this world is helping me to understand the scriptures in a personal way. When I spent 30 seconds in the pitch-blackness of that cave, I really started to understand how the people felt in 3rd nephi when the land was covered with darkness for 3 days. That's insane! I never had really imagined it until I lived it, even though it was just for a second.

I had never though about Peter walking around, whining about the heat before, but Jerusalem and all that is a pretty hot and deserty place! And now I feel that, walking around in the heat all day. When I fast here and stop sweating because my body just doesn't have water to sweat anymore, it really helps me to ponder on Jesus's 40 day fast.

It's a great help for me to really understand the scriptures in a personal way.

Apart from that, I'm really happy with this week. Elder Nuñez and I really weren't achieving our potential as a companionship, but we put a new plan in practice to manage an area so big in a more orderly manner, and we really saw big results this week. It helped a ton and now I do feel like we're realizing our potential. I love this work. Tough days exist, obviously, but I feel like every day I fall in love a little bit more with the missionary work. There's nothing else I'd rather be doing.

I love you all. Keep safe and have a great week!

-Elder Henry

Check out these Christmas lights! It's a TON of little birds that were all grouped up on some telephone cables one day. It was super strange haha. All the white "lights" are their bellies.

Missionary activity! We watched Meet the Mormons (more people arrived after I took the photo)

An epic rooster picture.

Shiblon, tired after doing some serious pushups.

We went to the hospital! President Meza, the district president, was sick and asked us to go visit him.

A cool little gecko (people say that if one falls in your food, it poisons the food and you'll die. But they're cool and, well, never fall haha)

Playing with Shiblon :-)

I love Paso Ancho!

Tracting this week

Hey everyone! I don't have too much time this week (too busy seeing all the wedding fotos), but I wanted to share 2 things.

Number 1. I've been here in Paso Ancho for 4 months now. When I got here, the ward had 1 convert in the first 5 months of the year, and the attendance was about 85-100. This Sunday we had an attendance of 134, and instead of 1 convert, there's 9. It has been so wonderful to see the miracles happen in this ward. 50% raise in attendance, people joining the Church, and just a huge change in the attitude of the ward. After church, it's now normal to see the majority of the people associating with each other and making new friends. It has been so great, and wonderful to see that I've been permitted to be a part of God's plans in this ward.

Zona Los Yoses!

Service Project!

 211 Selfie with Marcos :) 

 215 Garuto! My favorite cat here. It's like a man version of Tina!

 221 We made some rockin homemade juice! No pitcher? no problem! Laffy Taffy's got the answer.

223 Chillin under a fruit tree!

224 Elder Gonzalez with Canelo!

268 Happy birthday, Hermana Turner!!

Number 2.

First off, an explanation of the week

This week has been great. Just absolutely wonderful. When the days have ended, I have been wishing that we had had 3 or 4 hours more to work. I've just felt absolutely wonderful. Area's going well, my kid is doing well, the District did well, everything is awesome! I am absolutely in love with being a missionary. In love!

That ties in with the second thing, a sweet experience from this week.

On Friday, one of the missionaries in my district was pretty down. She had had a rough few days. I talked with her and did what I could, but felt pretty helpless. I remember in my night prayer asking specifically that she could feel how I've felt these days about working, and about being a missionary. with that, I hit the hay and life kept on goin.

Then, Saturday night rolls around! While talking (I talk with my missionaries every night), she told me that she had something way awesome to tell me. Ok, what is it? She told me that she had had a great day that day. Awesome! But the next words that came out of her mouth floored me. She said something like this: "Elder Henry, it has been so great today. I just feel exactly like you did yesterday! I felt like the day went by too fast! I wanted more time to work!"

It was a real testimony of how God answers prayers. And when we pray for specific things, it's really easy to see his hand when He does answer. 

I love this work. I know that, truly, when we are in the service of our fellowman, we are in the service of our God. I have felt so uplifted as I forget about myself and just try to help others. Sometimes my companion makes fun of me, because our nightly prayers take so long as I pray for them, name by name.

I love you all and hope you have a great week!--Elder Henry

Welcome to the ZOO!

240 Hey, jaguar friend!

242 Somebody wanted to eat me!

 229 First station, exotic birds!

232 The big birds like this one in the zoo weren't in cages for the most part, just chillin there on wood structures.

236 Hey there Simba!

 253 Just a funky flower that you don't see back home

 230 Turtles have some crazy parties

 277 More cat friends :-)

278 He hopped from my bag to Elder Gonzalez's!