CHRISTMAS - SNOW IN NC!! & THE LAST EMAIL FROM ELDER BLAKE HENRICKSEN FROM NORTH CAROLINA

FAMILY & FRIENDS,

Well, this is officially the last Email that y’all will get from Elder Blake Henricksen from North Carolina. This week was a weird week haha. So many emotions are going through my head. I love this Missionary work and I love my family, but I know that I have given my all and it’s time to move on to the next phase in my life. I have learned a lot and I know that it will help me the rest of my life. Christmas was fun! We were instructed from President Cotterell to not be out proselytizing the 24th through Christmas day. On Christmas Eve we went out to Oak Island and walked on the pier and we saw a Dolphin! It was a Christmas Eve miracle! Then we hung out at the Spencer's for dinner and a Nativity play ha-ha and I was a Shepard. The Murdaughs and Harris' were there as well. We had a Prime Rib dinner. We opened presents with the Pardue's/McCracken's. Dan and Becky came over for dinner on Christmas day with us at the Pardue’s.. It was fun and they had a great time.CHRISTMAS EVE DAYCHRISTMAS EVE WITH THE SPENCER, MURDAUGH AND HARRIS FAMILIES & THE NATIVITYCHRISTMAS DAY WITH THE PARDUE/McCRACKEN FAMILY

This week church was only Sacrament meeting and then we got released to go home because it snowed Sunday morning and off and on during the day. So that was a great day after Christmas miracle! We met with Dan and Becky last night, for my last lesson and it was good. Right now they aren’t putting in the effort to find out if the Church is true by reading and praying, but I can understand with it being the holidays and everything, they said with the holidays over they can really focus on doing what they need to. They thanked us for being there and sharing this Gospel with them and said they aren’t backing down and will continue to come to church and read and pray. And that we were a big help for getting them to where they are now. It was emotional. But I will continue to communicate with them.
FAREWELL TO SOUTHPORT FAMILIES THE PARUE-MCCRAKEN FAMILYBRANCH PRESIDENT RUTH & FAMILYTHE WILEY FAMILYTHE SCOTT FAMILYTHE RIDDLE FAMILYTHE GOBLE FAMILYTHE HARRIS FAMILYDAN, BECKY AND TWINS the WYRE FAMILY (TO BE BAPTIZED 1-29-11)
THE FINAL DAYS,THE COUNTDOWN ON THE OLD FRAYED SHIRTS, THESE OL'SHOES HAVE CARRIED ME 2 YEARS, THE LAST DISTRICT MEETING...HA-HA MISSIONARIES IN MOURNING AS I LEAVE THE MISSION-FIELD TO GO HOME

Well everyone that receives my Mission Blog email updates…... I just want to say thank you. Thank you for your love, support, friendship, prayers and example. Your letters have given me an assurance of the love y’all have for me. And your prayers have strengthened me through the times of trial and made me stronger knowing that y’all care about me. Thank you! I know that this work is HIS work, and I’m so grateful to be a servant of our Lord, Jesus Christ. I know that He lives, and that this is His true church on the earth today. I know the Book of Mormon is the word of God. I know the power of prayer is real and the Holy Ghost is amazing and is our comforter, teacher and guide.

I love all of y’all so much and now it’s time to continue on with life.

Much Love,
Elder Blake Henricksen

SPOKE IN CHURCH-SANG CHRISTMAS CAROLS WITH THE ELDERLY

Well this week went by really fast ha-ha. Faster than I wanted it to. I got a call on Thursday night I think...and was asked to give a talk in church Sunday ha-ha. I thought I was totally going to be getting out of that only being here 4 weeks. But it was a great talk. I talked about Christmas and narrowed that down to 3 topics. Family, Service and Jesus Christ. I shared some traditions we do as a fam :) and for Christ I shared the donut story and a lot of people we crying. For this weeks service...On Thursday afternoon Sister Pardue took us to a Christmas party at the Community Center with the Elderly people ha-ha, it was fun and they had 2 guys playing the guitar and everyone was singing carols and just having a good ol’ time. And had a great lunch! The older folks down here know how to party ha-ha.

We had Christmas Zone Conference this week in Kinston, which was very good! The first half is just a normal zone conference then after lunch we do the Christmas program. What President Cotterell likes to do is for those missionaries that it's their last Zone Conference; he will randomly call you up and have you bear your Testimony. So I had to do that. I have never been nervous to speak or bear my testimony, but before this one, I had huge butterflies and nervous for some reason...but right when I got up to the pulpit to speak the spirit calmed me down, my heart stopped pounding out of my chest, and it came out smoothly. Just from being at a lot of Zone Conferences Elder Darius (the missionary I’m going home with) and I were talking and both said we never thought we would be in this situation about ready to give our last Zone Conference testimony...weird emotions. But it still hasn't really hit me that I’m going home, once Friday hits, I’m pretty sure I will though, but I’m sprinting to the end!CHRISTMAS ZONE CONFERENCE

Becky and Dan are still doing amazing! They came to church again. We stopped by on Friday night and talked to Dan, Becky was at the store and invited them out to church again, and Dan said "We were already planning on it." SO sweet! So yeah, they came and had a great time again. Later that night, (last night) we had a lesson with them over at the Spencer's home, and that was a wonderful lesson. I guess Becky left church a little upset today, they watched the new Joseph Smith movie in Relief Society and she was kind of confused with the whole baptism concept, it’s hard to explain, but it was just bugging her and so during the lesson Elder Thompson was talking and mentioned baptism, and Becky just starting crying and said "I know that this lesson is guided by the spirit because you brought that up (baptism), and now I feel a lot better." something like that, and it was powerful. And we asked Dan how he feels and said that he feels enlightened. It was amazing last night. They still haven't prayed about it yet, so we strongly invited them to do so. And hopefully next visit we should be able to set a baptismal date with them!

Elder Oslund called me and let me know how everything is doing in Wilmington, and Will is doing AMAZING! He has been to Seminary EVERY morning since his baptism. He received the Priesthood yesterday and Elder Oslund told me that he is going to the Temple on Thursday to do baptisms! He is on FIRE! and Felix of course is doing amazing as well :)ELDER OSLUND & WILL BAPTIZED 12-4-10

Well my family, I will be emailing next Monday for my last time. But we have one more week to tear it up and finish strong! I love you and thank you so much for all the love and support and I know that my Savior lives. And the gift of His Atonement is the best gift that we can receive this season. I love this work and I know that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the Lord's true church on the face of this earth. I love and miss all of y’all.

Much love,
Elder Henricksen

FAMILY CAN BE TOGETHER FOREVER & PLANTING THE SEEDS

Well, it’s starting to get sad...only like 2 more emails then I will be home. I think it’s starting to hit me pretty hard that I’m actually coming home and such. But it just makes me want to work harder so that helps out. My sickness (cold) is now completely gone. Elder Thompson's was still affecting him pretty bad. On Saturday it was raining and cold, so we laid low and only went to appointments and dinners so we're not in the cold and getting colder (more sick). But we should be good to go this week for sure.
ME,BROTHER LITKE & HIS CLASSIC CAR/THE SINGLETONS/THE MURDAUGHS & ME HOLDING THE LARGEST SHOTGUNS FROM BROTHER MURDAUGH'S GUN COLLECTION

Well, Becky and Dan, they came to church yesterday!!! Becky had a great time at the Branch Christmas party on Friday and told Dan that she and the twins had a good time. We stopped by on Saturday, Becky wasn’t there, but we talked to Dan and he told us that she enjoined it and we invited him and his family to church, and said that we will be there. And later that night we had a good lesson with them and had a Q and A session with them, they asked questions about church, and just ones they had from their reading. Then we told them we have 4 lessons to teach them that will answer all their questions and hopefully lead them to their own testimony of this wonderful Gospel. Dan reads like crazy, and eats up whatever we give him to read and some. Becky has a problem reading, she gets distracted easily so we told them to read together ha-ha. I’m stoked for them and I know that this will bless their family forever! They asked a questions about Temples and we told them that we have marriages for time and all eternity rather than till death do us part, and they both liked the for time and all eternity more ha-ha. We have been receiving some member referrals, and we contacted 2 of them and we have appointments for them coming up this week! They seem like really nice people and I’m stoked to give them the opportunity to plant the seed that will be harvested now or in the future. And one of those referrals is going to be feeding us dinner next Monday! so I’m excited for that ha-ha.
CASWELL BEACH & INTRACOASTAL WATERWAY

Time is flying by; this week is Christmas Zone Conference which will make this week fly by then before you know I will be in the mission home and heading home the next day. Man...I love this work and love being a Missionary, I’m nervous to come back to the real world, but I know from my testimony of the Gospel that I’m ready for whatever life will throw at me. It has definitely prepared me for the future and decisions that I’ll have to make. I miss and love every one of y’all and hope and pray that all is well. I love my Savior and I am so grateful for my testimony of His Gospel and the Book of Mormon and all the blessings that I receive, especially for a loving family back at home :) I love you!

Much love,
Elder Henricksen

SOUTHPORT,CLEAN APARTMENT, A LOT OF WORK YET TO DO & SPRINTING TO THE END!!

So, as y’all already know I am now in Southport. President Cotterell was nice enough to let me just take the 40 min drive down here from Wilmington verses driving 2.5 hours to Raleigh then 2.5 hours back to Southport. My companion is Elder Shawn Thompson. He is from Kaysville Utah. He has been out for like 18 months. When I first got here we pretty much cleaned all day! I cannot function with a bunch of junk lying around. The last missionary who went home from here left a bunch of stuff, so we threw all of it out and the apartment looks great and the spirit can reside there. We live with members, the Pardue's, they have a huge garage and made an apartment upstairs for the missionaries and made a kitchen downstairs for us. Definitely not like Bro Rains home ha-ha, but it'll do for like 3 weeks ha-ha. We cleaned the crap out of that too, so everything just looks a lot nicer. Southport is a small town, an old historic town. Not much really happening here, it’s quiet and small. Reminds me of Tarboro in a way, but this town is right on the coast. We live in Boiling Springs Lake, I guess this town has like 50+ lakes just within the city limits. But it is small, definitely not a Raleigh or Wilmington, but I feel that there is a lot of great work that can be done here, it just needs some hard working missionaries.NEW COMPANION ELDER THOMPSON

The work here is struggling, the past couple missionaries didn’t work the hardest, so we're starting from the beginning and build the trust in members again. I think that is why President Cotterell sent me here, because I love working with members, it’s the only effective way to do the work. So we'll gain the trust back. On Sunday night we had an amazing spiritual lesson! It was with Becky and Daniel . They are from Florida and are living here temporarily. She has been talking with the missionaries a little bit in the past, but for some reason they never taught her....? So we sent an appointment with them and it was AMAZING! Her husband, Dan, did go to church in the past, but stopped going to church in general, because of the "politics" of church. But he had some great questions and our answers made him feel great. His dad died in august and he felt that he should see him again, so we promised him that he will and that hit him hard core! They say they are looking for something that satisfies them both, and they think our church might be that one :) we will be seeing them on Sunday for our lesson and hopefully Sunday for church as well. But man they are a great family and I’m sure that they will join the church, if they use their agency wise and do the invitations that we leave them to do.

The members here are great. For church they meet in a converted warehouse, but once you're inside you never would guess that you are. They do have some land picked out to build an actual building, but they're waiting on some paper work and approvals and all that jazz. The Branch Presidency is great, they came over on Wednesday night to talk to us and let us know what they expect of us and what we can do to get the work rolling. The Branch President already kind of knew me from the Stake Correlations, so he was excited that I’m serving here for the next 4 weeks, now 3...just from yesterday in church, the whole month is almost filled with members signing up to feed us, and I guess from talking to Elder Thompson, that hasn’t happened for awhile ha-ha. I think we're starting to develop trust already just by our testimonies on Sunday :)OUR TEMPORARY BRANCH BUILDING THE PORT OF SOUTHPORT

Well I know that the Lord wants me here, President Cotterell is inspired and I trust his decisions. I love serving the Lord and it's something that I have been thinking about lately and I think Elder Packer from the 70 said it, but were not out here serving OUR mission; we're out here serving the LORD'S mission. If I’m not working hard I’m not just wasting my time, I’m wasting the Lord's time. I love the gospel, and the Book of Mormon. And I love all of y'all. After this just 3 more emails...it’s crazy. Mixed emotions for real, but for now I’m running toward the finish, I’ll do what Forest Gump did in the movie when he scored the touchdown and just keep running ha-ha. I love each of you: mom, dad, Ryan, Jill, Spencer, soon to be…. ha-ha, Gina, Nate, Kade, and Skye. And everyone else! Take care and you're in my prayers.

Much love,
Elder Henricksen