Something Pretty Awkward

 The good news is that Tanner and Misa aren't the only ones getting married. The parents of the family of 7 that we are teaching are currently just Hmong married but are planning to meet this next Sunday to talk to our branch president about getting legally married so it looks like everything is going well for all of them. The dad's grandma died this last week so they weren't able to make it to church but we doorbell ditched them and left them a note with some cookies. The Law of Chastity lesson that we taught them this last Thursday was probably the funniest thing ever. I almost started crying. Elder Morrow (bless his heart,) started off with ,"Today we're going to teach you about something pretty awkward." I started laughing because he was so nervous and after that he eased up and the lesson went great. 

      These past couple weeks, one of the coolest stories on my mission has been unfolding. Elder Morrow and I have been teaching a homeless guy named Vang. He has been coming to church for the past 5 weeks and really wants to change his life but feels like he is just stuck in a rut. The one thing keeping him back from baptism has been smoking since he has been smoking since he was 8 years old. Before we began teaching him, he was an atheist, thought God was a joke, and told us that he knew without a doubt that there was nothing after this life. After his prayers, reading the scriptures, coming to church, and several priesthood blessings, he has changed so much. You can see it on his face. We invited him this last week to pick his own baptism date and he picked Feb. 17th. It was so crazy when he chose that. It is super soon but just yesterday, Vang gave up smoking for good. Boom! So awesome. 

      Also, our investigator Mong and his wife Nag came to church yesterday. After sacrament our branch president invited them to meet with them in his office and they apparently had a great talk so it's looking good for him as well. 

       All is well here and best wishes to Tanner and Misa. Looks like it was a great wedding. Tsuas yog kuv tsis nrog nej sawv daws nyob xwb. :)

Sorry it's kind of hard to set aside time to think about school stuff. I will be doing block classes this fall. It means you start halfway through the semester and still get all the credits you just go to school twice as much. I thought about it and felt that if I come home early to start in September then I will feel I did not finish all that I set out to do. Call the mission office if you have questions.

That's All I Ask

It's been in the upper thirties and even got up to 40 this last week so Elder Morrow and I busted out the short sleeves again and did a ton of biking. Also we have seen the sun for more than 4 hours every day so it's pretty great up north. That is sweet about all the people receiving mission calls. Super pumped for them all. Also if you see President Clements tell him that I am grateful for what he did and I can still answer yes to Alma 5:26. 

     Dad, the baptism that we have planned for the 21st is actually in Feb not this month but yeah it is going well. Also super good news about that family of 7 that we met. They were supposed to go out to Chicago to take their son to America's got talent because he is a boss at singing but there car wasn't working and so this week they came to church. At the end of church they walked up and said, "Yeah we love it here and we'll be coming every Sunday from now on." Boom super cool. They have had such great fellowship from the members and so that has been really neat to see. This week we set a date for all of them on Feb 28th so pray hard for that one.

      On Saturday we had the annual Elders Quorum Activity of going ice fishing and it was so much fun. We had some investigators and less actives that we have working with come and the good part was that they showed up at church yesterday too. We played football on the ice and it was so intense. The ice was super thick but all the snow was cleared off so you could see through to the water. Crazy stuff.\

     Glad things are going well and that Tanner's interview went well. Have tons of fun at the wedding and J Dub, you totally need to pull the SuperDuperWallyWooperAlleyOoperBounce on the dance floor as tribute to me. That's all I ask. Thanks everyone for your letters. Peace

                                                                   -Elder Henrie

Me with a huge machine thingy!

The crew!

Letter To Tanner & Misa

Please do not edit or change this speech in any way.

 Tanner & Misa... and guests.

    I too am disappointed that Tanner and Misa planned their wedding so that I would not be there to challenge them to a dance battle, but nonetheless I am happy for these two kids.

     I don't know why but ever since I saw Tanner go through his "Super Obsessed With Crocheting Phase" I have always had so much respect for his grandmother like kindness. As I saw him go through the, "Firework Engineering Stage" I idled his ingenuity, and as I watched carefully as he waded through the "Wait for my girlfriend while she's out on a mission for 18 months stage" I saw firsthand true patience. I'm sure these are qualities that will serve you well as you start off on this journey.

     Misa, unfortunately our time was pretty short and the only 2 things I can really remembered is Tanner crying when he learned that you were going to serve a mission, and the time you fell mountain biking. But those are cherished memories for sure. 

     Although I have never been married, I'm certain that the amount of time I have spent in Minnesota talking with struggling husbands and wives as a missionary, has taught me a few things. Here are my five suggestions.

1. Don't leave the chicken feathers in the sink.

2. Stick together. No matter how much manure life throws at you, the best solution is to buy some taller boots and keep walking forward. Not to walk away. 

3. Listen to your wife, she knows what she is doing.

4. Laugh together everyday. Laughter truly is life's greatest medicine.

5. Look to the eternities. Daily questions, arguments, and struggles will  disappear as the 2 of you compare them with the happiness and joy that awaits you on the path that leads to Forever.

    I love you two crazy cats and am excited to see the great things you do for the world together. Always remember your roots and make the Gospel of Jesus Christ the center of your lives. Make memories smile big and laugh loud. Best wishes

                                                                      -Elder Henrie

#LongLiveTannisa  (That's your celebrity couple name right?)

I Saw A Ton Of Miracles

Fist of all, Happy Birthday to the classiest mom this world has to offer. In light of the last 19 years of you being my mother, I wrote you this poem

                                              Dear Mom

                                     You truly are the bomb

                      You wiped my boogers and picked up my socks

                      Even dragged me out of bed well past 12 o'clock.

                    Words can't describe your cooking it's tremendous

                             By golly mom I think your stupendous

                         Ya done taught me well and told me the way

                       To be a good little lad and my respects I must pay

                          Your the best in the world oh mother dear.

                   Best luck to your goals and dreams in this your 35th year

       

    This week was awesome and Elder Morrow and I saw a ton of miracles. He is doing awesome and picking up all the stuff he needs to do way fast which is nice. Me and him really get along and he actually went to the same school as Bray back in Heber which is cool.

     We have been teaching this guy named Mong for the past two weeks and his wife Nag (That's literally how you spell it in Hmong. Hilarious I know) and they finally made a huge breakthrough. Mong was raised going to church and has struggled to find out if Joseph Smith is a prophet or not. We took him on a church tour and took one of the priests from the branch teaching with us. Before we took him into the chapel the priest challenged Mong to read the first vision to himself and then to pray and ask God about it. We all sat in silence for about three minutes and then he turns to us and says, "So when I read the words, I felt really good. When I prayed about if Joseph Smith was a prophet and if this was the only church that is true on the earth I felt really good again. Then I started to think about all the reasons that I couldn't join the church and that feeling went away."

     We had him read Moroni 10:5 and then invited him to be baptized. He said yes and then added that he wanted to have his wife baptized as well. The best part though was when he said that he didn't know if he would be baptized that night, the next day, or in a month, or even next year. We were sitting there in silence and then I started nudging Elder Morrow's knee (guess I forgot to tell him about setting dates, whoops) and then Elder Morrow comitted him to the 21st of Feb. Super excited for him and his fam.

     But love ya all and happy marriage to Tanner and Misa and Happy B-Day mom!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!      

Pic: Selfie for mom