BIG CHANGES COMING TO TARBORO :( & STUDYING HELAMAN 5:12

It has been NICE weather the past couple days! It’s definitely a change of pace. Right now it does look like we may get some light rain, but we plan on golfing today! First time in a long time, I have to shake off the rust.

The first of the week I was in Rocky Mount with Elder Christensen, we had fun and got some work done. He is a great missionary and a legit guy ha-ha. We are definitely going to chill when we get home. Well here is the big news that is going on right now...Tarboro Branch is going to be closing down and combining with Rocky Mount Ward. :( I guess the merger was approved my President Monson and this Sunday the whole Stake Presidency is coming down to probably announce and release all the callings. Then two weeks from now we'll be in Rocky Mount for church. Wow this Sunday is going to be an emotional meeting with the releases and announcement of closing down the building.
BLAKE PRESIDENT & SISTER COTTERELL

This week we met up with some great investigators. Jamie being one of them. We had a great 1 lesson with her, and we testified a lot while teaching which helped the Spirit be stronger in her home. She asked a lot of great questions, mainly about the Book of Mormon, which is great and she had already been reading it. We will be meeting up with her this Wednesday! . Harry, we went over and talked about the Book of Mormon and read a chapter with him, and helped him understand it better. It was a great lesson and reading with him. We will be doing the same thing this Thursday with him. While we read with him, we just hit on some of the principles of the lessons and testify!! That went well. We weren’t able to meet up with Mike, because his a family member died, I think...so they were out of town with family for the funeral and such...but we saw him Friday night at Wal-Mart and said sometime this week we'll get up with him. We did get a cool media referral. A member from Wilmington sent it. This member had a heart attack and survived it, and he bore his testimony to his nurse (Lisa) and she wanted to know more and ordered a free Book of Mormon and a free Together Forever DVD. We called her set up an appointment for Thursday morning. We are stoked about that. The truck driver, we never met up with him, he had to get back on the road two days later, so he is gone, but we have gone back to his cousin Jan who let us in, so were continuing with her.

Yes Sister B, called me about Skye’s birth!! I yelled and sang Happy Birthday and wrote on that day in my daily planner! That was cool. CONGRATS GINA WOOO! Man I’m going to be the coolest Uncle ever ha-ha.

I hope all is well for ya’ll, you’re in my prayers daily and I miss ya’ll. I have been reading a lot about building our Faith, Testimonies and everything on a sure foundation. I love the scripture in Helaman 5:12. I have studied that scripture pretty hard and I love it! It’s so true and its really what we need to do in this life and if we do, "We will NOT fall." I love it, this Gospel is true and this Church is true, this is the Lord's work and I am honored to be wearing Christ’s name over my heart,

LOVE YA’LL

skraight outta Tarboro,
Elder Henricksen

MORE EXCHANGES & MORE SNOW

What’s going on ya'll? Well we did get some snow again ha-ha. Elder Nielsen measured the morning it did, we got 3-3/4 inches of snow. It’s pretty much melted away. This time no ice came with it which is great. I went on exchanges with Elder Stiborek Wednesday and Thursday, he is a Zone leader. You might remember that name; he was my DL while I was in Goldsboro area. The picture by the Powerhouse of Prayer is with him.. It was fun. We had some great lessons and talked to a lot of people.

So Mike, the Preacher came to Church on Sunday!!! Man I was so stoked for that! I was passing the Sacrament and I looked back and saw him! Man I got the biggest smile on my face. We had a great lesson with him on Wednesday night. I think it was...we feel that he is progressing, slowly, but he is progressing ha-ha. Brother B, the "eternal investigator"; we had a great lesson with him about sacrament and going to church to be spiritually fed and preparing to go to church with the mind set of learning something instead of it being a burden. We hit pretty hard on the Restoration. We challenged him to find his answer, because he has been doing this for 50 YEARS! I know the Lord answers in his own time, but man ha-ha. Hopefully he was able to do that.

I am going to be on exchanges with Elder Christensen today and tomorrow. I am excited to work with him over in Rocky Mount. We love that you and “Liz” are becoming friends.

well my family, I love ya'll so much and thank you so much for all that ya'll do for me. For your love and support. This is the lord's work and the power of prayer, miracles, and faith is REAL! I love it.

skraight outta Tarboro,
Elder Blake Henricksen

TEMPLE TRIP & AT LEAST SIX MORE WEEKS IN TARBORO

What’s up ya'll! This week was pretty legit. We had the Temple trip up to the Raleigh Temple. Always a fun and amazing experience. Thank you for the money, I bought a sweet poster of Samuel the Lamanite! The temple trip was different this time; I felt a great peace and love this time when I went through, it was amazing. I decided to bring my Patriarchal Blessing with me and read it while in the Celestial room, and I think that is where the great feeling of peace came from. It was LEGIT. No other words can describe.COMPANIONS ELDERS HENRICKSEN & NELSENELDER THOMPSON, HENRICKSEN, ALWAYS GREAT TO MEET UP W/ELDER ANDERSON!

This week was sweet with our investigators. First off we found three new ones this week. We decided to tract this new neighborhood that we found and that is where we found two of them. This house had a huge red semi truck and it had Utah plates and the company was from SLC. We knocked on the door and gave our door approach to the guy who drives the truck (James). When as we were walking away, they yelled at us to come back and come inside to teach them on the spot. It was tight! We will be seeing them tomorrow!UTAH BIG RIG
The other new investigator was a media referral (Willa ) for a Joy to the World DVD. We delivered it and she started asking some great questions about repentance and prayer. We hit on those principles and the Book of Mormon. She has some serious interest, and we will be going back on Wednesday to talk to her again! So some sweet things happening! It was BLACK SATURDAY and Elder Nielsen and I are staying together! Six more weeks guaranteed. Elder Nielsen and I brained stormed some different ideas that we can do for finding people rather than just tracting, In the coming weeks were going to try to hold a Bible study at our church. Also set up a booth type thing somewhere in Tarboro and let people approach us and talk to us! I’m stoked to try those out for sure.

The snow has melted away. Now it’s just cold with the wind plus this humidity, but its warming up now. Man I miss snowboarding ha-ha. Yesterday during Fast and Testimony Sacrament meeting, I bore my testimony and compared gaining a Testimony to snowboarding. It was pretty legit.

Next Monday being Presidents Day and the library being closed, be expecting the email to come on Tuesday.

I hope all is well and I love and miss ya'll SO much, but I just love it out here in Tarboro . It’s growing on me for sure. This is the Lord's work and I am honored to represent his name everywhere I go and preach his Gospel that brings more happiness than anyone can imagine.

Take care and much love.

Skraight outta Tarboro,
Elder Henricksen

IT SNOWED!!! & ZONE CONFERENCE

IT SNOWED! Man I wish I could have Christmas again now that it feels like it ha-ha. I think it snowed about 3 inches. Of course the next day it was all ice. We still have snow, but its melting away slowly. From what I’ve heard it’s suppose to be 50's tomorrow, random I know. Elder Nielsen and I played in the snow on Friday night when it first snowed. With it being icy the library was closed yesterday.(VIDEO)
JUST LIKE UTAH SNOW!

SNOW-MUCH P-DAY FUN

Investigators...we had a lesson/dinner with Mike. It went alright. He is still getting used to the whole Spirit thing. He brought up the trinity again and it’s hard for him to not get over that, so we are working on that subject with him. We have both been studying a lot about it so we can share why we believe in it, and why it makes sense. This weekend was SLOW...when it snows here the WHOLE town closes...so all day Saturday we stayed at the apartment. President Cotterell sent a voice-mail to the mission suggesting to stay inside with the icy roads and below freezing weather. We studied a lot and called our investigators and to see how they were doing. Church was canceled Sunday as too. We had dinner with the Bass' that night, so that got us out some more ha-ha.

ZONE CONFERENCE ELDER CHRISTENSEN OUR MATCHING TIES
The first of the week I was in Rocky Mount with Elder Thompson on exchanges, it went well. He is a funny kid and we had some fun while on exchanges together. Elder Nielsen had no problem taking over the area. He is a great missionary and it just makes a daddy proud :) Tomorrow is the Temple trip! I am stoked about that. We will be heading down to Apex with Rocky Mount Elders Christennsen and Thompson. This Saturday is “BLACK Saturday”, we'll be finding out transfers! I think I am staying one more exchange, but you never know...Zone Conference was great this week! The main topic was working with members. Mainly using them to help out with exchanges to investigators houses, fellow-shipping them, and new converts as well. Sister Cotterell gave a great talk. She used roses as the object lessons, she did GREAT. I love those meetings, it's always a spiritual boost and great instruction is always given!
BLAKE, ELDER COX &CLARK FROM GOLDSBORO
Well my fam, I hope all is well.I love and miss ya'll so much! Thank you for everything and your love and support!

Skraight outta Tarboro,
Elder Henricksen