My Life Will Never Be The Same

This week was the perfect ending to my mission. Not even the writers of Remember the Titans could have written a script as good as the way this last week played out. We had a new missionary come with us on Wednesday that Elder Lao is training. His name is Elder Ferguson and he is a stud. It was really neat to have a new missionary with me the last week. I saw so many things that I did as a new missionary, and I can't wait for all the experiences that he will have.

     On Saturday was the day of the baptism and everything turned out perfectly. President and Sister Forbes came out to watch and it actually started on time! Honestly the first time on my mission. Tsheej, Tais Paj Lis Lauj, and Tswb Vaj all gave the most amazing testimonies. The room was so full of the Spirit. After the baptism they asked me to speak in sacrament meeting so I ran home and wrote my talk for an hour. Then the coolest woman in Minnesota named Phanida, took all the missionaries, the newly baptized members, and a few other members as well out to Hmong village and we had a huge feast. On Sunday, we had the chance to confirm the three new members and the Holy Ghost was so powerful. I love being able to confirm others, because you know without a doubt that the Holy Ghost is there. Also, I gave my farewell talk as well as the branch President's son Ty gave his farewell talk for his mission. It was a really powerful sacrament meeting. After church our branch mission leader threw a big going away party at his house for me. A ton of members came and they made me give a speech. As I stood there with all of the members together, the only think I could think about was a quote that I had heard earlier in my mission, "Heaven isn't heavenly without the people that you love." I felt so much love for each of them and I told them that my mission would have been for nothing unless it was for the people. I really can't describe how much I love this branch. I spent 18 months of my mission here, working, teaching, and serving. Now that it is over, I can say that I would have not chosen anyplace else to serve but Minnesota. I was so overwhelmed by the love that I felt from all of the members. My life will never be the same because of the 2 years of work they did for me.

     Thanks for all the support all of you have given to me throughout these last two years. My mission has been so much more than I thought it would be when I started. But I know that the best times of my life are still in front of me, and they always will be. I know the church is true, that this is Christ's church. God lives. He will answer our prayers. Love y'all.     

That is What I Want to Become

     Pretty much the craziest week of my mission so far. The investigator T that randomly came to church last week progressed really well. We took him to the temple to sit on the grounds and go over the baptismal interview ?'s with him to see if he was ready or not and we got a lot more than we expected. As we got to the second ? he became to bring up all these concerns he had about Joseph Smith that after 11 months of being on a mission I could tell were strait bologna. After he stopped talking my companion and I looked at each other and we could both tell what it was so we looked at him and said, "how do you feel about the book of mormon?" Bingo. He told us that was the problem the whole time. We read him 2 Nep 33 verse 10, it talks about how if you don't believe the Book of Mormon, Believe in Christ, if you believe in Christ you will believe the Book of Mormon and then we sat there for a little bit. Watched him smile and then he just said you're right. As I began to invite him to baptism, this is how it went, "T, we are holding a baptismal service on" he cuts me off, "August 16th right? I guess you could say you'll see me there." When he said that my brain pretty much exploded I was so excited. The Spirit was so strong. I am so excited for him and can't wait to hear his testimony at his baptism.

     Dad in response to your request to have me share something from studies this week, I thought you would remember from my high school days, I don't really study... Just kidding. Well I didn't study in high school but out here on the mish I have come to love study in the morning. I think that the thing I have noticed in myself the past month during study, is that I have been really focused on the Hope that comes from the Atonement of Christ and that after we have that Hope, we can't help but share it with others. I feel like during the earlier part of my mission, I ran around as fast as I could working as hard as I possibly could all the time. I have begun to realize that isn't what the Savior wants from me, but rather to take the time to minister to others and help them find peace for their past mistakes, and bring them hope for a better life. Our Mission President asked us to write a talk on the Atonement and it reminded me of the experience that I had with Steve Brewster while we were canoeing (nobody knows how to spell that) for high adventure camp when I was 14. I remembered that I grabbed the sides of the canoe and mades us both tip into a whirlpool and he almost drowned, after he saw me back on the shore, he didn't rush to go tell his family about what happened or finish the trip, he took the time to tell me that he forgave me and let me know that he was ok. That is what I want to become. Someone who takes that time to help others find that peace, so there you go.

     Mom, you should tell all my friends moms this, to Carrie: Sorry I ate all your food. Elizabeth: Same thing. Gracie: Sorry Brandon and I were so crazy and loud at your house all the time. Ryan's Mom: Thanks for the trip to Powell. Bea: Sorry Mitchell and I were crazy hoodlums. That should cover it. Also tell them that their sons are the coolest cats in San-D!

   Updates on investigators: The H family are on vacation in Thailand but are going to church out there this sunday so that's cool. The one crazy homeless guy named V is now one of the coolest guys in the branch and is looking forward to baptism in october. we found another H family and they are SUPER SHAMAN which has been crazy to teach them. pray for em.

                                                              -Elder Henrie

     accidentaly put this picture in and I don't know how to delete it but it's all good. Enjoy

Global Warming... Don't Think So

So yeah this week I will be writing today and yall wont get an email on saturday. And the reason for that is because on Monday which is our P-Day it will be a high of -18. Thats right a high of -18. Our mission president told us that we are not allowed to go outside at all because apparently it is suppose to get under -40 with the wind chill at night. Global Warming... Dont think so. Im not sure if any of the tree huggers have ever been to Minnesota because it's literally so cold here that if you hug a tree, it just snaps.

     But besides the cold everything is going really well this week. One of the favorite people that I have met on my mission so far is a younger girl that we have been teaching for about three weeks now. She lives with her grandma and her aunt and her mom and dad have basically abandoned her. She told us that since she has been coming to church with us, she feels like she is happy for the first time in her life. I wanted to tell you all the story of her first prayer. As my companion and I sat in her basement with one of the young single adults we invited her to pray with us and at first she was pretty scared. The YSA with us told her if she wanted she could write out her prayer and say it out loud so that it would be a little less scary.(Way good idea) She said she would do it and this is basically what she said in her prayer, "Heavenly Father, thanks for my boots, thanks for my house, please tell me if I'm a child of God, in Jesus' name amen." When she closed her prayer that was one of the strongest times that I have felt the Spirit. This little girl had so much hard times and so much trials in her life but when she finished that prayer her face lit up like San-D! on the 4th of July. It was the coolest experience. She told us that she used to be scared every night because she thought her parents might come back and now she says she feels like God is her dad. SOCOOL! She also is quite the missionary. She has been teaching her grandma, her aunt, and all her younger cousins about the things we teach her and the things she learns at church. I think God has truly prepared this girl and he really put her in our path.

      So update for the less active and his investigator wife that came to church with us last week. We had a lesson with them a few days ago and we taught them the word of wisdom. We werent sure if they had problems with it or not but we felt like they might. At the end of the lesson we asked them if there was anything in their house that would keep them from living the word of wisdom and the mom said hold on a second. She walked out of the room, came back in, handed us all of her tea and said I promise I'll never touch it again. That was a really fun lesson. I love how as a missionary you can walk into someones house and tell them to stop doing something that they have been doing everyday since they were a little kid and they promise you that they will stop for life. The Spirit really is so amazing and it can change people's hearts so quickly.

     My companion and I have been doing really well and have seen many miracles this week. One of the things that I have realized is that God speaks to the Hmong people through their dreams. We had a lady tell us that she had a dream that she was sitting in a dark room and she felt really sad. She said that she couldn't see anything and she didn't know where to go. Then in her dream to young men dressed in white showed up at her door and the whole room lit up. We had another young girl who said that she had a dream where she was standing in between two roads and one of them one super dark and dirty and had really tall grass so she couldn't really see to far down the road. the other road was crystal clear and bright and she could see far ahead of her. She had that dream three days before we found her and she said she feels like this church is the clear road. God really does work in mysterious way to bring about the salvation of this people and I think it is so cool as a missionary to get to be a part of it. Love you all and I hope you have a super duper alliooper looptie luper jumpin week. (Only JW will get that reference)

                                    Love Elder Muaj Zoo

P.S. Mom please tell Grandma Carolyn that she is the bomb.com. Also tell Grammy that I hope her carmelitas will be in heaven because they really are the greatest thing ever.

I'm Coming to Minnesota With the Fire of the Gospel

UPDATE:  Marshall called from the airport today!  He spoke Hmong, and it was sooooo fun to hear!  He is so excited to get to Minnesota. His friends were at the airport flying out to  play in a UVU soccer game, and sent this photo:

Dear Everybody,

     HEYYYYYYYYYYY. So I have one hour left in the MTC and Im getting so excited to head out and preach the gospel.

Im finally going to meet the amazing people who I know absolutely nothing about. I hope their ready for me because Im coming to Minnesota with the fire of the gospel and the strength of all of your prayers. I don't know if I've learned a lot at the MTC or nothing at all I guess we'll find out in the next couple hours. But if there's one thing that I've learned here it's really not about how much you know, it's about how hard you try and how strong the Spirit is with you. When you have the Spirit amazing things start to happen and I see it every day. As all of you know Im definitely not the brightest guy in the world but somehow God has allowed me to pickup this language(I'm sure I really don't know it but right now I think I do) and Im so grateful for it. I took two years of high school spanish and Im pretty sure that I only know how to say hello and goodbye. Queso and Buenos noches right? haha jk but really the Gift of Tongues is real and I see it every day.

       I dont have any more time but I just want to tell all of you that I love you and thank you so much for everything you've done for me and all the awesome times that we have had which have prepared me to go and teach my people in Minnesota. I know God lives and that he loves us and that through Him all is possible. Through His power we can truly do miracles. I know without a shadow of a doubt that the Book of Mormon is true and that when we read it daily we cannot go astray. I know that Joseph Smith is a prophet and that he translated the Book of Mormon. I have serious respect for that man and no matter how many times someone tells me Joseph Smith is a liar or that he is an evil man, I will have no problem politely replying that Joseph Smith has done more for them than they could ever imagine and that when he was just 14 years old the God of the universe and His Son Jesus Christ really did appear to him. I know that to be true and no one will ever take that from me. I know this church is true and I love it with all my heart. I think the reason that I know it's true is that it makes me happy. Take away all the awesome stuff like through the priesthood you can split the Red Sea or that you can live in heaven with your family and friends FOREVER(which is pretty awesome) or that through God and this church we can perform daily miracles, and I would still be a member of this church because it truly does make me happy. Anyways its time to head out. Love yall and I'll sure to send some pics of me and the Hmong Clan Leader when I meet him. Peace Out.

 Me and my tus khub halloween costume. He's the baseball player and I'm the scuba diver

Ghost bustin at the MTC:  ME and my teacher brother Koob Meej

Cool clouds and whatnot

 Me and my district doin the Hmong pose with our tus nais khus tij laug Lor

 Elder Henrie & his HS pal, Elder  Johnson

SNOOWWWWWWWW