Special Changes

Sorry for not writing last week! well I did write but I didn`t send it
till today.
This week was pretty unusual. After a trip to the coast to check on
the missionaries out there, a very saddened president returned to the
city and immediately made a bunch of special changes in the mission. I
don`t know exactly what problems they found out there but they seem to
have been pretty serious. This directly effected my companion and I
because due to the special changes one of the elders from my zone went
out to Juchitán and left his companion ...companion-less. As the LZs
it has been our unique privilege to be the designated escorts of this
fine young elder. See he`s involved in the bigger theater program
we`re going to be putting on in a week or so and is in charge of putting
together the AV for the whole thing and needs to go to the offices
(which are not very close by) almost every day. we`ve had to
drop him off, pick him up host him in our house, etc. Long story short
we haven`t gotten to work hardly at all in our area due to that and
choir rehearsals in the morning twice a week until the afternoon. It´s
been a bit difficult to lead the zone and set the standard with our
numbers because of all this. And the appointments we do have time for
have all been falling through.
Even though this sounds like a very lousy situation I´m happy :) I
know that I'm doing what I need to do and that the Lord is happy with
me and that's all that matters.

I had a pretty cool experience on Sunday in our gospel principles
class. One of my favorite things to teach is the atonement of Jesus
Christ and I had the opportunity to teach a little bit about that. The
ward mission leader who is a fairly recently activated member touched
the subject in reference to the topic of obedience because of love,
but it was clear that he didn't understand very well what it is that
Christ experienced in the garden of Gethsemane. I shared some things
that I had learned about the atonement while on the mission to help
him and the other recent convert in the class to understand a little
better. As I was explaining some doctrines associated with this
crucial event and that no matter what happens to us Christ can
empathize perfectly and that through his atonement all injustices and
hardships will be made right I saw a change come over the guy and
could tell that the spirit was teaching him at that moment. I don't
think he'd ever realized those things before. Or at least those
particular details. The guy has had a very hard life and for the last
year or so has been bitter due to two stillborn children. I don't know
to what extent or what it was exactly that I said, but the spirit
testified to me that my testimony had strengthened the faith of that
brother and given him some measure of new-found hope. It was really
cool to experience. I love being able to be an authorized witness of
our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Especially in this holiday time
because it seems like people listen and open their hearts a little
more than usual.

I hope we can all keep our perspective right this month and onward
striving always to keep the true spirit of Christmas in our hearts
because as President Thomas S. Monson taught from the pulpit last
night at the general Christmas devotional, the spirit of Christmas is
the spirit of love and the spirit of love is the spirit of God.

Have a great week!!!

Love,
E. Spencer Henze