WEEK 49 - Tupac

Hello everyone! I hope you are all doing great and loving life right now. I definitely am, I am so grateful for my mission it has been such a wonderful thing. I have recently been reading all of my journal entries from my mission so far and my goodness, I was so lame. When I was reading some of the things that I wrote I was just so disappointed in myself. Some things I wrote were so prideful and just unkind. I remember having a hard time at the beginning of my mission but I just don't think I realized how much anger was controlling me. I was thinking to myself "oh how I wish I could go back and be nicer or less prideful." I feel like that happens a lot in my life, I wish so bad that I could go back and right a wrong. I am so imperfect it is insane. That is why people like me need a Savior so badly. Because of Him I am able to take these lame things that I have done and just move on and be forgiven. One of my favorite scriptures says: "For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more." Because of Jesus Christ I have the amazing opportunity to be forgiven and change. I don't like who I was when I was writing those journal entries, but because of Him I can be better. And He will remember my sins no more. Ah that is nice. That is the atonement and it's fantastic. But ya anyways this week slapped. We had a few hiccups like when my friend Joanna asked me for some good BOM chapters, so I gave her my 5 favorite. Come to find out she went rogue and read Alma 14 instead. That chapter is about all of the believers and sacred scriptures being burned, but she liked it so that's good. Ok I'm like so not hyped to write this email, let's see what I can pump out: - So I was on an exchange this week in an area I know and love and we got to have a lesson with one of my favorite people here in Plano. We pulled up on our bikes and it was super good to see him again, we started talking about how I spoke at his baptism and he was like "oh ya that was awesome, check out my rap from my show last night" and then he showed us a video of him getting this like underground rap club going, it was like watching 8 mile again. He started telling us some of his struggles that he is having, and then he assured us that tons of big music producers are gonna start tempting him with watches/money/women, but he will not accept. He told us more struggles, so I started to tell him an inspirational story about my parents and how they were able to get out of their struggles when they were a young married couple. I was like maybe 4 seconds from the climax of the story and he just shouted "BOOYAH" and ran from the table we were at and started jumping off of benches and doing parkour on a cornhole set next to us for like 2 minutes. Me and Elder Stroud just kinda sat there in awe for those two minutes, then he finally returned but instead of sitting back down he stood on top of the table and started speaking to us from above. He then started quoting the Tupac movie over and over and saying how his life is just like the Tupac movie. He then related the Tupac movie to his trials and how just like Tupac he has people who want him gone but he needs to do something, I forgot. He went on for like 10 minutes and he was telling us about a Kendrick Lamar song he was listening to, then he was like "ope I gotta go" and then he just walked away immediately. Some people need counsel from missionaries, and some just need the Tupac movie. Oh it was a great lesson, and for those of you who think you know who this is, you're correct haha. - I'll be frank with you and say that throughout the last year I have been diverging onto the path of obesity. Judas, it's not easy to maintain a petite figure when you're eating at Chinese buffets about 4 times a week and the members enjoy with all their heart just watching you pound an inhumane amount of food. Also I became a captive to the Braums shake and many other local Texas goods that were damaging my health. One day I looked in the mirror and I saw fat Henry again so I decided to alter my lifestyle choices. I decided if I want to come home and have any hopes of eternal marriage I needed to get a grip. I started working out morning and night but I realized I needed a significant diet change. The Chinese members won't let me eat a normal amount of food, so I couldn't change member meals, but I could change what I was making for myself. And then I found it: Eggs and Guacamole. I started pretty much exclusively eating eggs and guacamole and I have been so blessed. Because of these two beautiful foods (and running) I have been able to avoid what happens to most missionaries out here. I know a missionary who gained 70 pounds here my goodness. But ya if you're eating breakfast or lunch you can bet your bottom dollar Elder Horsley is eating an egg and guacamole based dish. I'm just so hyped about the eggs and guacamole so I had to put it out there. - Alright I apologize for the subpar email today, I want to make an email for every week of my mission, but good heavens, it is so grueling sometimes haha. But I love you all so much and would love to hear from you! Have a great week! - Pictures: 1. $270,000 watch 2. Neat glasses I found 3. Interesting text I got from RC Flora 4. Billy arrived at basketball 5. Elder Campbell Braum's memorial