Lost and Nearly Bit.

This week’s been a very good week! I really enjoyed watching General Conference and hearing all the leaders of the church speak. I was fortunate enough to watch it in English with another “greenie” missionary, while all the other missionaries watched it in Spanish.  

On Monday, we had divisions(it is where you are paired with a different missionary, from a different area) with the zone leaders and I stayed in my sector(the area where I live and serve). Now my sector is no more than the size of my neighborhood back home, but there are probably 50,000+ people that live here. Just to kind of give you a perspective, my mission is 11x16 kilometers and 3 million people live in it…..Needless to say, there are so many intricate streets that Elder Martinez and I got lost a few times,but we had a great day. For Noche de Hogar (Family Home Evening) we had sushi with two families from our ward that are amazing(sushi is really popular here right now) and played a fun game.

In the afternoon of this same day, every appointment we had fell through, but as I looked back at the end of the day, it ended up being good.  While we were walking down the street, one of the less active kids we teach had a basketball in his hands as he was leaving his house.  We asked him if we could go and shoot with him for a couple of minutes.  He obliged and we ended up going to the “colegio” or school in our sector. Every Tuesday there is an after school program for kids(teens) to come and exercise/play basketball at the school.  We couldn’t stay very long, but we had a chance  to talk with the instructor and told him that we would love to help him with the kids if he needed it!  

Overall, it was a great week.  Hope y’all are enjoying your fall weather.  I envy you. It’s starting to get REALLY hot here.  

Talk with you next week!

Elder Hendrix

Just a couple of notes from my personal email with Elder Hendrix.  When asked if he's had anything “interesting” happen he shared this with me, “a three legged dog tried nipping at my heels but I scared him off. A drunk guy tried popping my fingers and almost broke Elder Carneys hand lol”  

Another completo consumed.  Now that is a hot dog!!

Found The Camera Cord!!!!

Elder Hendrix and Elder Carney

This week’s been a great week! Elder Carney and I were sore for about 3 days after our hike this past p-day, but we’ve been working really hard, nonetheless.

 Hiking into the Andes!

 What an amazing view!

 Santiago

Elder Gutierez( one of my roommates in my apartment)

 We have some investigators who are really progressing in the Gospel. It’s amazing to see their desire to change their lives for the better.  In one of our lessons this week, with one of our investigators, we taught a lesson and shared a video about Joseph Smith. Her niece, who lives in Puente Alto( a different city in Santiago) was there and was really intrigued with the video and The Book of Mormon.  She said she had always wanted to read the book but never had one! This was music to my ears because we have to pull teeth just to get an investigator to read a page of  The Book of Mormon! I am excited to see where this will go.

My day is very long, but it goes by so fast because we are always on the move. The food here is pretty good. Completos are to die for! The mayo here is amazing and empanadas are really good. Sushi is really big here too! Overall though, the food is so unhealthy. I’m praying I wont get a beer belly here…. :)

Elder Carney is a great dad. (here if you are a greenie (new to the mission field0 your trainer is called your dad) He is from Colorado and is really good at Track and is such a great trainer.  He’s made this transition period so much easier for me, especially with the language.

These past few days I have really been thinking about hindsight. We’ve had a few lessons with investigators and less actives who are struggling with their faith. There is a particular verse in The Book of Mormon I really like that talks about this topic, “And now, I Moroni, would speak somewhat concerning these things; I would show unto the world that faith is things which are hoped for and not seen; wherefore dispute not because ye see not, for ye receive no witness until after the trial of your faith” (Ether 12:6) This past week, I have received that witness! I thought back on how tough high school was and how challenging it was to stay the course. If I didn't have my beliefs and standards I have now, there is no telling what kind of person I would be right now, but because of the beliefs and principles I live my life by, I’m halfway around the world, inviting people to come unto Christ! How great is that?!

As I’ve studied, I’ve began to understand that answers do not come through answered prayers or miraculous miracles. Often times, faith comes by way of experiences. The beauty of hindsight is that I never had this perspective during high school.  I would endure and defend my beliefs with honor without these great experiences and feelings that I now have daily on my mission.  It was very tough, but as a result, I grew so much from it.  

Love,

Elder Hendrix

Elder Hendrix's desk( what a difference a mission is making on his cleanliness and organization) :)

No Comprende

 Aguas De San Ramon

This week has been so busy and very long when I look back on it, but very rewarding. I am understanding a little more each day, but it is still so hard. For example, we taught Peruvians a couple days ago and I followed the conversation very well and could communicate very well with them. The next lesson, we taught a Chilean with no teeth,.......Didn't get a word out of him..

We do A LOT of walking in my area. We are in La Granje which is in the southern part of Santiago.I love the people here. So great! They are so humble and amazing. We have really been getting to work. We have many menos activos and investigators who are really starting to progress and its awesome to watch them change their lives for the better.

Elder Carney is my trainer (Dad as they call it here) and is the man!! I love working with him.

Today, I am exhausted. We went on a waterfall hike in the Andes. It was so amazing!! It was 5 miles in and 5 miles out in tough terrain and sadly, Coach Tidwell, it wasn’t a chocolate waterfall (inside joke) 

A really cool thing about our District is that we have permission to leave our mission. We went with our district to the east mission and completed this daunting hike. We are so close as a district and zone because we are all so close together. I love these guys. I have photos but lost my plug. I’m in the process of finding a new one but the Andes are HUGE. They trump the mountains in the US!! 

This week has been so hard, but so rewarding. I know that I will struggle with Spanish for awhile, but I can use it to my advantage. What my President told me( President Gwilliam is so amazing. I had an interview and got to know him really well) that people will listen more closely to what I have to say because they are trying to figure out what it is I’m saying.  That will help them feel the spirit more and be more inclined to hear our message.

I love it hear. God calls you where you are supposed to go. It wouldn’t matter if it took me 2 years or if I never learned Spanish. I love the Mission. I love the people. And I am happy. Talk to you next week

Love,

Elder Hendrix

The day their district left the CCM.  

VIVA CHILE!!!

I’m going to apologize up front for my short email. This week has been so hectic and I haven't found any time to write! Our flight to Chile was great. I had two of the best meals I have had in 6 weeks!! The mountains are HUGE here, but the smog covers almost all but the tops of them. My companions name is Elder Carney. He is an amazing Elder. He is from Colorado, and is such a great guy! Im really looking forward to our time together these next 6 weeks. I am living in La Granja! We have the 2nd smallest mission in the world, but 3 million people live in this area. 

I had a funny experience on the bus today. A lady literally walked up to me and took a picture of me. It was so weird... She then proceeded to type to her friend or something as she kept glancing at me then at her phone and then back at me…..My companion was looking over her shoulder to see what she was writing. He said that she was texting someone that I was cute….

The Chileans are amazing people! They are so great and humble. However, I can't understand an ounce of what they are saying. Their Spanish is so bad lol but I can testify to them! Not going to lie. It is hard here but I know that abrupt change in our lives gives us the opportunity to grow more than we possibly can imagine! 

Chow! 

Elder Hendrix

P.S. in true Elder Hendrix fashion....he misplaced his camera cord.  Hopefully he finds it soon. :)

Completo(Chilean Hot Dog)

An email from Elder Hendrix's companion

Hendrix family!!

This is Elder Carney from Denver Colorado, and I am training your son Elder Hendrix!!! Just wanted you guys to know that he is an INCREDIBLE missionary, and will do amazing things here in Chile Santiago Sur! We have only had one day but he is ready to get down to work! I hope you guys know that  I am here for whatever and that I am super excited to be training your son. He is the man! Please let me know if their is anything that I can do for you guys or for him! Have a great week! And here is a picture of his first completo (hot dogs but so much better!)

Elder Carney

An email from the mission home

LA IGLESIA DE JESUCRISTO DE LOS SANTOS DE LOS ÚLTIMOS DÍAS

Misión Chile Santiago Sur, Francisco Aranda 530, San Bernardo, Santiago Chile, 807086

September 13, 2016

Aimee Hendrix 

USA

Dear Sister Hendrix:

We are happy to send the exciting news that after weeks of preparation in the Mexico MTC, Elder Hendrix has arrived safely with his group of fellow missionaries to the Chile Santiago South Mission.  He was transported from the MTC to the Mission Office where he met his trainer, participated in a New Missionary Orientation and was transported to his first assigned area. 

Your son has been assigned as a junior companion to Elder Carney, from Littleton, Colorado. Elder Carney is an exceptional missionary selected by President Gwilliam to guide Elder Hendrix through this important training period of his mission.  They are assigned to labor in the Pensamientos 1 sector in the La Bandera zone. 

You can expect to hear from Elder Hendrix by email Wednesday which is preparation day.  We trust that you will also write to Elder Hendrix on a weekly basis. Your positive messages of support and love will be a great source of strength and encouragement to him. We will send you our weekly newsletter as well as other occasional messages. To send a letter or a package we strongly recommend you use USPS, and the following address:

Elder Hendrix

Chile Santiago South Mission

Apartado Postal No. 544

San Bernardo, Chile

We thank you for all that you have done to help prepare Elder Hendrix to faithfully serve a full time mission. We know that your family will be blessed for his sacrifice and commitment to serve the Lord.  Thank you for entrusting Elder Hendrix to the Lord and to us.  We look forward to getting to know him well as we labor together.  We want you to know that we will love and watch over him while he is in our care. Please feel free to communicate with us at any time, with any concerns that you may have.

Most sincerely,

                                    

   President Douglas G. Gwilliam                                   Sister Stephanie Gwilliam

Elder Hendrix meeting his Mission President, his wife and his companion, Elder Carney

Mexico City MTC-Week Five

This week’s been a good week.  Last P-day, on Wednesday, we played Ultimate Frisbee and soccer for four hours.  We were so worn out by the end of the day! I forgot to mention this last week, but I was stoked when I heard how well Nick is doing in Cross Country. 13th overall in 5A for the state of Texas.  It’s awesome seeing his hard work pay off!

The Elders in my District

As for my week, it’s been a week that I will remember for the rest of my life. It has been a very trying and testing week for me, but despite our trials/ difficulties we can see the Lord in our lives, IF we are willing to look for Him. On Saturday. I had the impression to study a particular Christlike attribute from Preach My Gospel (a missionaries teaching guide) and it was exactly what I needed help with on that particular day.  Whether that prompting was the spirit or my subconscious picking a topic to study, It didn't matter. Either way, I could see the Lords hands in my life.

For the rest of the week, it consisted of typical missionary training.  A lot of studying and learning the language.  Each day we taught a lesson to one of our investigators. The lessons are going really well.  Elder Hair and I are really progressing with our Spanish. We have come a long way from originally testifying of the “escritories” (desks) instead of the “escrituras” (scriptures) in our first lessons as missionaries. lol!! Lessons continue to get easier to understand and interpret but the grammar continues to be more difficult.  This week, we are studying the subjunctive tense which doesn't exist in English…..Needless to say, I’m feeling unprepared as I’m getting ready to leave for Chili next week. I can’t believe I have been here for nearly six weeks. It’s crazy!

This week I was thinking about a video I would watch a lot before I left on my mission. The video is called “Success is not an Accident”. I would recommend that you al watch it.  The video is a story about Steph Curry in high school.  He was invited to a camp with some of the top high school recruits that were going to attend big time basketball colleges such as Kentucky, Duke and Kansas,  Steph never received an offer from big school.  Davidson College, a smaller school, was the college he attended.  In this video, one of the coaches noticed that Steph would show up one hour before practice and stay one hour after, while the rest of the players would show up 5 minutes before the practice would start. 

Now, I can’t promise you that if you apply this principle in your life that you will reap the same rewards as Steph. Steph Curry is a two time MVP and World Champ, but I can promise you that success is not an accident.  How hard we are willing to work, practice, and do the little things in life has an immense impact on our success. I’m willing to wager that Steph Curry is as successful as he is because of those habits he had in high school. This story is directly applicable to each of us in our lives. If we are going to do something in life, why not give it everything we got? If we want success, we need to work because no matter how big or small, we will receive some sort of reward for our effort and diligence.  I know without a doubt that these things are true. I’m applying this principle in my life every day for missionary work. Why not apply this in your life? 

If you would like to email me directly, my email is matthew.hendrix@myldsmail.net

I look forward to talking to y’all next week!

Elder Hendrix

I love to look up at the homes on the mountains that surround the MTC 

 A few of my favorite pictures in the MTC( he needs to work on his photography skills(:) 

Mexico City MTC-Week Four

This week has been another typical week at the MTC.  This week we have really started learning a lot of the difficult Spanish grammar. I feel that I am slowly but surely making good strides in learning the language.  However, every time I listen in on the Latinos talking to each other, I’m humbled every time. Lol.  

 Anyway, I had a couple great experiences this week.  The first happened this past Thursday.  After our service project, we went back to the house to change and get ready for our next class. While we were changing, my companion, Elder Hair started yelling Nacho Libre quotes at the missionaries walking by our house.  Elder Hairs perfect Jack Black impersonation and seeing the missionaries reactions to getting yelled at was priceless!  Our whole room were in tears crying, it was that funny! Later that day we had a Skype lesson with an investigator from Mexico City.  We had technical issues, so we were only able to communicate verbally; it was a great lesson nonetheless.  

Elder Hair loves my mom.  She sent him trail mix

Every Sunday we have a movie night and EVERYBODY gets super hyped for it. haha.  This week we watched a movie called Testaments, I think…. It is a movie about the Nephites in the Americas  who are waiting for Jesus Christ to show himself to them.  As the movie progresses, the people and main character begin to grow more wicked. At the very end of the movie, the main character comes unto Christ and has a change of heart.  When Jesus arrives in the Americas, the main character tries to take his blind father to Jesus, amongst the vast crowd of people, because his father has been a believer his entire life. As the father and son have an intimate moment, Jesus comes to them and heals the dad.  The scene is very powerful and spiritually moving.  I felt the spirit so strongly in that moment.  It made me realize that every trial, every burden, every difficulty we have in life will be worth even just one second to see our Savior.  That much I do know.  

The rest of our week was pretty much normal.  Lots of studying, teaching, and mote studying.  I am really enjoying my time here in Mexico.  I can’t believe that I will be in Chile in less than two weeks!  Time is speeding by! I can’t wait to go to Chile! It is such an exciting time in my life.

VIVA CHILE!!

Elder Hendrix

 Care Package from Mom and Dad

Mexico City Temple

My cousin Elder Wettstein welcomed  Elder Peterson to the Provo MTC today! Two of my best friends!

Mexico City MTC- Week Three

This week has been great! I feel that I am slowly starting to see results with my language skills and ability to speak! There have been a lot of thunder storms here, nothing out of the ordinary for a Texan, but everyone else is freaking out. lol kids from Utah. 

This week’s had a few high points! Elder Hair and I gave a lesson to Carolina, one of our investigators, that was very powerful. She expressed that she feared the adversary because she thought she wasn't strong enough to withstand his temptations. At that moment, I felt inspired to share with her my favorite scripture, from The Book of Mormon; Helaman Chapter 5 Verse 12, which talks about how if we build our rock on the foundation of the Savior, then we will be able to withstand his temptations against us! It was the perfect scripture for Carolina. She began to tear up and we could all feel the spirit so strongly! That experience was a testament to me that Elder Hendrix didn't make her feel that way. It was the power of the spirit through the scriptures. I can’t wow my investigators with articulated words like I can in English, I have to be entirely reliant on the spirit. 

Another high point to this week was a quote Hermana Balderas, one of my awesome teachers, said to our class. 

"Anybody can be a missionary, but not everybody is willing to work to be a representative of Jesus Christ" 

I love this quote. It’s so true. Anybody can come on a mission, but you have to work hard to be a representative of Jesus Christ. Every day we each have a choice of what kind of day we decide to have. You are completely in control of yourself and what you do in your day. Utilize every opportunity to capitalize on Life! This life is such a blessing, so make it count! 

In closing, I’m so thankful for my Savior. I can’t imagine where 

I would be mentally if I knew that this life on earth was it. Through Jesus Christ, we can return to live with our Father in Heaven, and we can be cleansed from sin! 

Catch y”all next week!! 

Elder Hendrix