Hi hi hi!
My dear, sweet family. How are you all doing today? First and foremost--thank you endlessly and unceasingly for your overwhelming love and support! it means more than any worldly description!
I've been feeling a little guilty all week long because my email last week was so... inconsequential. It was just favors and notices and nothing of great import. I'm so sorry! I hope to include something a little more this week.
Story number one. My teacher, Hermano Pope, told us a story of his mish in Montreal. He was a pretty new missionary in a brand new area. One day he and his companion were walking and they came to a red light. Hermano P checked both ways--no cars in sight--and went to cross. His senior comp stopped him, however, saying, in essence, "Elder, what are you doing? We'll wait for the light to turn red. Yeah, it's a small rule, but I need all the small blessings." That little story was uber profound to me. Whether it's waiting until 9:30 to read my mail, being in bed at 10:15, or only eating hard candy in the classroom, I intend to keep all the little rules I can because I so badly desire all the little blessings the Lord graciously gives those who obey Him.
Next story. On Sunday, my a leader from my branch spoke. He spoke on one of my favorite topics ever--evidences of God's love for us. He took it in quite a different spin though; normally I'm an Alma 30:44 type gal, who loves seeing the beauty of the earth, noting God's obvious love for us in everything around us. However; he said, "The most obvious and inspirng evidence of His love for us is the capacity to love." He went on to speak of the small glimpse of the love our Heavenly Father feels for us when we get to hold a small child. He told two stories of families who lost their children, and my mind went immediately to Chase. He said, "These families... they will never stop mourning. But they will never stop loving." It was beautiful. It was so incredibly profound. It rang so true to my heart. I know that there is a plan for each of us. I know that God loves us--ah!--He loves us so much! The capacity we have to love one another is a small fraction of the love He feels for us. But if we feel this beautiful, deep, desparate, longing, eternal love for one another, imagine what He feels for us!
I didn't relay that very well. I'm sorry. But it was honestly one of the highlights of my life. People ask me all the time why I'm here. I give other answers besides the real one because it's difficult to relay a reason when it's still so sore and so tender and so near to the surface: I am here because of what Chase Landon Jesperson taught me. How do people cope without the knowledge of the plan of salvation? How do people move on in their lives without the atonement of Jesus Christ to heal them and to give them hope for a better life? How? I will never know. I hope to bring my knowledge of this better life to others who desperately need it. Because we all desperately need it.
I'm so sorry for how rushed, grammatically incorrect, and scattered this message is. I will never know how time passes so quickly. I just told bro that time is not on the side of the missionary. no way jose.
Know that I'm well. I'm happy. I'm so happy. I'm so blessed. Things are gong well. Spanish is rough but I have hope. I loooove bieng able to study all day, and to feel the spirit like never before.
Thank you for your love and support! Know I that I love you all so much! I hope you have a beeeeeeeautiful day!
Hermana Christensen
ps. thanks for all the packages. be sure to put my full name (including tawny) because there's another t christensen here who's intercepted some of it. jk. i've gotten all of it!!! LOVE YOU! THANKS SO MUCH!
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