Tuesday, January 25, 2011

1/25/2011 Hermana Christensen

pioneras-- this week is the 164 anniversary that the battalion got here.
it's a big celebrash and ga's are coming! siiiiiiiiick
i am about to burst with the thought of little mag bag coming! jk i know that's not her name but i can't help it. pita is coming! i am ECSTATIC. i was a little teary in my prayers last night just thinking abuot it. I LOVE MY FAMILY!!!!!!!!!!!!!

i invite all men everywhere to purchase special k vanilla almond flavor, to try it in your mouth with skim milk, and then to ask yourself if it is not the best thing you've ever eaten. haha. but seriously! that's probably blasphemous...sorrry.. i love the intro to the bom. i use it a lot. but seriously. GO TRY! it's so good!!!

my committment to you is sweet and actually totally legit. i've been thinking a lot (well, at the start of the new year the spirit was kicking me repeatedly over this) about spiritual gifts. please read in ch 4 of pmg about spiritual gifts, then i want you to ask your spouse (or your comp bro :) ) what they think your gifts are and if they don't say anything--hahahahah just kidding,--but after you do that haah then i want you to pull out your patriarchal blessnig with a posty and a pluma and write down what you find. you all have such beautiful spiritual gifts and i LOVE you for them and for being who you are. as we recognize our gifts we will be able to be better in tune with the spirit to help others live the doctrine of christ. how beautiful. will you all do it? i don't take no for answer. so good.

yes we teach illegal immigrants.

okay so there is minimal time. a few stories. we randomly got the teaching record from another set of elders for a lady named diana. we've passed by her address a couple times with no luck. hermana mendoza and i passed by the other day and we heard someone insdie. EXITO! it was a guy.. he told us she'd moved....right down the hall! que bueno. he was really interested in (hna mendoza) what we do so we talked to him and i said something stupid like, "we're looking for people that speak spanish." idiot. but then he's all, "que bueno que hablo espanol no?" OKAY. so we invited him to church etc--he couldn't come--but he'll get baptized. i know it. there's NO casualidad ahhh como se dice um CHANCE there's no chance in that! heavenly father just led us to this guy and he HAPPENS to speak spanish wow. perfect.

another about talking to everyone: we were looking for another former investigator and there was a family outside moving. we asked them repeatedly if they needed help and they said no. on sunday morning there was a text and a message from them... they want to laern more!! they dont' speak spanish so they're a referral for other missionaires but i KNOW that as we find for others, they'll find for us and we'll be blessed with investigadores!
she's a sweetheart. she LOVES cars willy; we'll be driving and she'll be like "charyer" (charger ahah with her accent) "rojo." red. haah or "yaguar" (jaguar) "negro." haha she loves cars. she's a WONDERFUL teacher, so knowledgeable and everyone just automatically trusts her because she's mexican. and that's not offensive by the way, to say she's mexican. i asked. but yeah. i think i'm actually learning more from her than she is from me, and i am SO grateful for this opportunity. it's so humbling. i LOVE being able to focus on the bare essentials (the fundamentals like the cirriculum they gave us of pmg and the scripts) and FOLLOWING THE SPIRIT. i can be so much better, as always, but i'm so grateful and so happy for this chance.

so yes, to answer your question mom, transfers happened. i'm still in la mesa. after chula vista i came to la mesa with h ermana adams and now i'm with hermana mendoza. all is well. let me know if you have other qs.

things are going well. this is humbling but i am so grateful and happy. life is beautiful. i'll attach pics.

I LOVE YOU! let me know how your spiritual gifts assignment goes. i know it'll be wonderful!

i love you! thank you for all you do! you're in my prayers CONSTANTEMENTE!!@!!!!!!!!!!!!!
mucho amor

hermana christensen

ps FINALLY SAW ELDER RONEY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! what a sweet pic huh? all the oremites! GO BABY!! (plus his companion because thats the rule)

Hermanas Mendoza & Christensen

Monday, January 24, 2011

1/24/2011 Elder Christensen




Elder Garcia and I today before leaving our house! After Haircut!

Hey everyone! How are things over there in Utah? I hope all is well and that you are all happy doing what you enjoy during this time of the year. Our numbers may not show it but this week has been great. SO hot though! I´ve never felt so hot in my life! Did you guys know that there is a beasty hole in the ozone layer here in Chile? That´d be why the sun literally hurts your skin!

Well... It may be sad to say but I´m nearly 100% sure that this is my last week here in El Conquistador. Its been a long Journey and I´ve LOVED my time here. I´m not really thinking about it too much but I know that I´ve gotten attached to the members here in this great ward. They´ve treated me so well during this 6 months and its like they´re my second family.. Thats one reason why I love the church... Before the mission I was so closed minded. Thinking about ME and ME and ME and nothing else... MY ward. MY friends... I never even had a thought about the wonderful people that are scattered all around the world. My two wards here in the mission have both been amazing! Now that I´ve been able to see all the great people and what they do, it makes me think about it on a world scale.. All the great members in Germany or Italy or wherever! It´s just another little evidence that I have and another support in my testimony of this amazing gospel. THE MEMBERS!!

I forgot to tell you guys about a little priesthood miracle we had about a week and a half back.. There is a lady here named Hermana Contreras who has back problems... Yet she still comes to church! What a demonstration of faith! Anyways, she called us to her house where she had been bedridden (In bed?) for a couple days entirely. She mentioned that she had this terrible pain in her back and that she had some huge knot in her muscles that the doctors had seen... So I had the privilege to bless this humble old lady in her bed.. and we left... The next Sunday we had she showed up, and told us that she went to the doctor and she was diagnosed as NORMAL. She told us that it has been years since she has been diagnosed as normal and she knows that our blessing combined with her faith healed her entirely! She is now back to working even! The priesthood is SOOOOOOOOO real. Yes there are requirements to receive the blessings and benefits but when we fulfill them? WE receieve the blessings!

I plan to work my tail off here in my last week. The next time I email you I will know for sure that I am going! Right now I´m only sure in my own mind! We also had a couple sweet family home evenings this week. One lady made us shrimp and fish empanadas.... tooooooo dang good. Mom we also made those brownies that you sent us! I forgot that kind of flavor even existed and the members loved them too.

Well I don´t have a ton more to say today! I plan to keep working hard and I hope that you can all do the same wherever it is that you may be in your lives today. Do what you can where you can. What you have in your control. In Alma 32 it talks all about seeds of faith and how we need to nurture them so that we can have our trees! Read verses 37 and 38 of chapter 32... it will make it all clear about what we have to do to fulfill our goals and bring our desires to pass! Also read Alma 29:4! WE are granted according to OUR desires if they be just! Family and friends. I love you all. I pray for you daily. I hope that all is going well for you today. If you have fallen down, it is in your power to get back up and stand for what is right. Let us keep working hard and progressing daily. Don´t waste a minute of your time! Its so valuable you have no idea. Have a great week! Much love from Chile, Elder Christensen

Me in my favorite family´s house making brownies!!
 Mom!! You like that little Apron thing?? SICK!!
Also... Check that SICK mom tie out. Way too good.
Have a great week you guys! I love you all! Ciao! Elder Christensen





Tuesday, January 18, 2011

1/18/2011 Hermana Christensen




A PITA CHAIN!!!!! YOU BET
I'M FREAKING COUNTING DOWN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
  say HELLO FAMILIA!

I'll just get right to it.

We had stake conference this week. see ya later. vanessa diaz, our recent convert, bore her testimony and it was the most solid thing ever. there was a little confusion with the language--we'd helped her translate it, but ended up doing it in spanish at the last minute so we found a translator... anyway. it was just amazing to see vanessa following the spirit because even though EVERYONE there (well, besides our little branch and a handful of rms in the other wards) speaks english... except irma. family, for the first and only time this transfer we had an investigator at CHURCH! i don't know what it is about some hispanics... they seems to think church actually starts at 9 at night i swear! my goodness. we make rounds to everyone's house saturday AND sunday morning yet they still don't come. but irma DID this sunday and we were THRILLED. she got there late and so i don't think she was able to get a translation device to understand all the english... aka vanessa's testimony in spanish was all she could understand. and it was POWERFUL. she has such a strong testimony and she even says that it's just bursting out of her and that she wants to share it with everyone!! we're already preparing for her mormon.org in spanish. she's going to change the world. it's amazing to see the worth of souls in action. really. all the work that has gone in to this transfer and all the preceding transfers for vanessa... wow. so worth it! seeing her up there speaking in front of tons of people was amazing. if vanessa and diego were the only ones baptized on my mission, it would be okay because of how truly converted they are.

we were at irma and lesli's house on saturday and we had an amazing experience that literally made me stammer. we were talking to lesli and her friend myra (i love you jean!!!) about the book of mormon, and lesli (who's 17 mind you) just interrupted us and told us that the FIRST time she even SAW the book of mormon, she told her mom (irma) that she knew it was true. irma was like, "what? how?" and lesli just said she felt it inside of her. unbelievable. we'll be inviting her to be baptized again. i mean inviting her again, not to be baptized again. ha ha.

this morning--another miracle. we were sitting in the car studying while the laundry was rollin, and two elders knocked on the window to ask about a guy named joe. a few weeks ago at the grocery story i said hello to an older gent in a wheelchair. he asked how we knew each other. i told him we didn't. he told me that he knew me from somewhere, that i was his nurse and that i'd taken care of him. we laughed about it, i told him i'dlove to help him (to secure his salvation!!), and got allllll his informaion...right down to his zip code! he didn't hold anything back! so i called in the referral to the mission office and just--whatev, kept going, and the elders in that area received the referral info. they told me this morning he committed to be baptized. there are NO WORDS to describe this this this time! these feelings i feel! there are NO WORDS. i am just so inexplicably grateful. we are all and will all ALWAYS be missionaries. let us never forget that. even when we're in the grocery store on our preparation days!!!!!

well family, this is it. i really feel like i was just emailing you telling you'd i'd been transferred from chula and that my heart hurt. now it's transfers again and my heart is THROBBING. i cannot contain this much LOVE and this much gratitude and this much... ah. it's just so much it's bursting out of me. please keep praying for your little one in san diego.

this past week i was told i had a southern accent. question mark? (in ingles) english i mean

last week i was told i had an accent from spain (in spanish)

the week before i was told i had an accent from argentina (in spanish)

so i don't really know what's going on.

listen to me. the precious pareja stutz's left today. don't worry, part of my heart is with them. i loved what gma wrote to me about last week--about how part of her and gpa's hearts are in mauritius and kenya and virginia. on a much smaller scale, i feel the same way. anyway, they're going home. in a few days give them a call and find out when their homecoming will be. you won't want to miss it. they are my heroes. (it won't be for a couple weeks though.) karen and steven stutz:8018156868


Bro and Sister Stutz
 well, i must go. thank you for your boundless love and graciousness on my behalf. i have the best family in the cosmos and we all know it's true. game over.

la hermana christensen

PAPASITA FELIZ CUMPLEANOS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! TE AMO MUCHO!!

another milagro. we went and visited a family on saturday that's less active and ALWAYS says they'll do stuff and NEVER do... and the mom said that she had just been thinking about us and how we'd probably given up on her because they wouldn't change... and we knocked RIGHT THEN. we'd had other plans but we felt like we should go visit her. so simple but SO AMAZING!!!

the district (bro, look closely!!!!!!!!!!)


1/18/2010 Elder Christensen

Boxes of BOMs!!!
Hello to all the friends and family over there in the states! How is everyone doing? I sure hope all is well and that you are all fulfilling with your new years resolutions and progressing wherever you may be. Remember the most important thing is that you LIFT where you stand and help out! It doesn´t matter your church calling or your occupation or anything! Just lend a helping hand. I read a story this week in a stack of papers sent to me by my crazy brother in law about a nerdy kid who was walking home from school and a bunch of bullies pushed him over... Another kid helped him out and invited him to play football.... They ended up being best friends... When they were going to graduate from high school the nerdy kid gave a speech and ended up explaining how he was going to kill himself that weekend and had finished up cleaning out his locker so that his mom wouldn´t have to do it... Then a strange kid helped him out and ended up saving his life... What if the boy had never helped? There you have it.... Read Alma 37:6... By small and simple things great things are brought to pass. Had he not helped the other boy likely would have committed suicide. That is my invitation this week to you all! Break out of your comfort zone and talk to someone or lend a service that you usually wouldn´t. One thing I´ve learned here on the mission is that when you get a spiritual feeling... satan tries to convince you otherwise.... The spirit says...HEY ELDER GO TO JOSE´S HOUSE RIGHT NOW.... Then satan says... Naaaaa but its hot... or... Naaa jose won´t be there right now.... I´ve had times where hes gotten the best of me... then I´ve had other times where we´ve gone and HAD MIRACLES!! Sometimes its not even that person that is prepared! Maybe we had to go to Jose´s to find a new investigator along the way... That is how the spirit works... Guides me in a way that I know and recognize then puts something or someone new in our path... FOLLOW THE SPIRIT THE FIRST TIME AND DON¨T CONVINCE YOURSELF OTHERWISE.. If that didn´t sink in re-read it please. Its SO important.

The work is GOING. Elder Garcia and I are great friends and we´re working hard... So I did manage to freak myself out this week. Late night conversations as Elders are just weird let me put that out there right now. Usually about some stupid doctrinal question or something that makes no sense at all. However, This week we got on to talking about the army I HAVE NO IDEA WHY. Turns out that my comp is A GREEN BARET in Bolivia... CRAZY CRAZY CRAZY. I got soooo weirded out as he proceeded to tell me that he has killed like hundreds of people in battle..... Is that an interesting thing or what?? Needless to say I did sleep with fear hahahaha. One post traumatic stress dream and I´m dead!! hahah!! Na its just a joke but cool huh? I would have never ever ever thought that about my companion. The mission is like a cake walk for him.

We´re preparing a lady named Patrecia Madriaga for baptism!! She´s accepted to do it before I leave this sector... It will be the 29th or 30th of this month!!! We have to teach slowly like we never have taught before becuase she´s a little slower to understand but shes great! It´s the mom of a recent convert in our sector and she already believes in everything.

La obra del Señor es lo mas importante aca en esta tierra. Hay mucha gente que todavia estan esperando por el evangelio maravilloso que nosotros como miembros y misioneros tenemos en nuestras vidas. Por eso es tan importante que compartamos con TODOS. The work is true... The Church is true.. We are GUIDED by a living prophet of God. The Book of Mormon is SO amazing and I have grown to love it. Its like reading the book of life. The blueprint of my existence and what I need to do to be happy! Its so amazing. Í wonder how I never read it before..... Its like it was written for me.... I also love the stories... Its just amazing overall and I want everyone to read it and apply it!

I also want to throw a special shout out to my dad Willie whos about to turn 50!!! He may look 35 ladies and gentleman but you heard the word from me. I can´t lie as an Elder. 50 years of goodness! If you get a chance give him a hug for me and wish him a happy birthday.

My Dad "Willie"
 Everyone have a great day. Keep working like it matters! The Church is true!!! Love you all. Elder Christensen

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

1/11/2011 Hermana Christensen

I have been excited to write you guys all week! So many incredible things have happened this week, my goodness!


Okay. So the Mitchells! Huh! They just showed up at the temple--that was great to see them! My companion told me that sweet Wendi was taking pictures of me while I was giving the speal, and I realized that I haven't really talked a whole lot about what we do on the temple grounds, which is a perfect segway into the miracle I want to share! The temple is 10 minutes north on the 5 freeway. aka it's reeeeal close and it's STUNNING as you may or may not be aware. (Did I mention that we got to go inside and do a sesh last week? Brilliant!) There isn't a visitor's center there, and TONS of people see the temple and just come to it, wanting to go inside and offer a prayer or something--it's amazing that these people just know that it's something heavenly and they're attracted to it. Anyway, we are assigned to serve there sometimes; we walk around the grounds, carrying these folders with tons of info about the temple, and tell people all about it, kindly explaining we invite everyone to go inside--it just takes some preparation... Last Wednesday we'd traded shifts with another set of sisters as a favor, and I'm sooo glad we did. That day, between 11-5, so many nonmembers came! We received referrals from China, Romania, Argentina, Canada, Brazil, and California--eight in total. It was the most beautiful experience. The moon glistened on the ocean a little as we drove away, listening to "There is a green hill fall away" and I teared up. This work is going ALL throughout the world, and I am so unbelievably filled with gratitude to be a part of it!

Next. Vanessa Diaz is the cute lady who was baptized a little before transfers; she has three kids and has humble circumstances. I've sent a bunch of pictures home of her. She's so solid and so strong! She's already spoken at a spanish fireside and is going to speak at stake conference this weekend! What?! Anyway, she's gotten some help from President Morgan from the branch. Last week we went over to help her translate her talk (she wants to try it in English. What?! who is just that amazing?) and she was all stressed out on the phone. When we got there we saw why: the relief soliety president--Hermana Garcia, amazing lady!--had brought over a ton of food from the storehouse. So we helped Vanessa clear out space in her cupboards and put stuff away... but it didn't all fit. We stood there, in her tiny kitchen, and I was so filled with the spirit. I asked her if she was familiar with the verse in Malachi about trying God and testing him and seeing him bless us with more blessings than we have room to receive. There literally wasn't room for all the food. How dramatically her life has changed since being baptized! Vanessa and I just hugged and cried. It was one of the more special moments on my mission.

Mom, you once asked me if I'd ever like to be transferred away from the mobat. When I first got here, I prayed that Heavenly Father would transfer me out to the desert (where Elder Roney is. I saw him at the temple the other day, too! So good to see him--what a stud!)--which would've meant no mobat. It wasn't that I didn't like it when I first got here, I was just really focused on spanish and on teaching. Anyway, that has long since past, and last week we didn't serve in mobat for a few days, and I literally missed it. I missed the mobat so much! When I'm not here for more than a day, I just... miss it! I absolutely LOVE it here. This is a one of a kind mission--everything about it is so unique and so perfect for me. Especially the people; there's something so heavenly about being around these same people all the time. What lasting friendships we all have! Anyway, to answer your question--NO i would not want to be transferred out of the mobat because i love it TOO DANG MUCH!

view from the mobat of the SUNSET so beautiful!!! sd is gorgeous!

Well this is sufficiently largo, and I must go. But! I did want to say go look up Carol B Thomas on lds.org. She was in the rs general presidency a few years ago.. yeah um she SERVES here now! SICK! Also, I heard a summarized quote from Elder Oaks about missionary service. He said that missionary service will bless the lives of their posterity TEN GENERATIONS both ways. Um! That's incredible. I don't doubt it!

Okay. So for the week's "to do" I need you all to go to lds.org and right side click on "mormon messages", page 2 it's called, "My New Life" and it's about Stephanie Nielsen. You may have seen this already, but I loooove this mormon message and the music and spirit of it all. This is what inspired me to keep blogging, Kristen! Will you all watch it? Yes. Done.

I love you all. I know this is God's work. His hand is in it through and through. He loves His children. He numbers them. He knows them perfectly and will never let them fall through the cracks. I'm definitnely learning that firsthand! I am so grateful to be a missionary to preach the restored gospel that brings us SUCH peace, guidance and direction. I love my family! thank you for everything! Keep on keepin on! all my heart!

us studying
Hermana Christensen

"Consecration is the only surrender which is also a victory." -Neal A Maxwell

ps. those colby/kay pictures are WONDERFUL!

ps. i need everyone to open up their january ensign and read the insert. immediately. mormon.org is real.

Monday, January 10, 2011

1/10/2010 Elder Christensen

Elders Christensen & Stoddard the AP!
Hey I have like ten more minutes but the sister missionaries showed up and they don´t have any more computers.. So we´re going to end a little early and let them take our computers... Okay..: So know that I love you all very much and I look forward to chatting up a storm this next week. HEY THANKS again for all the SWEET stuff in that package.. I should be GREAT on toothpaste floss and bleach for A LONG TIME!!! Also the slippers rock and all the food will make me very much fatter. The Lays and jerkey are great and the chex are already dead. Killed them. ALL GONE. Love you all. I appreciate you very much. You´re in my prayers. Enjoy this ONE picture of me and my mission dad. Elder Stoddard the ASSISTANT TO THE PRESIDENT HAHA! Have a great week ciao!

I am soooooo hot and I hate my Judy skin!
1.. Check that sick tie out!!! Right now doing internet

2.. Me and Elder Stoddard.

Mom, I DO want to tell you that I DREAM AND TALK IN MY SLEEP in pure spanish!

Have a great week. Love you all. Ciao.

I CAN¨T EXPRESS IN WORDS HOW MCUH I LOVE YOU AND HOW GRATEFUL I AM!!! IF I COULD CALL YOU AND EXPRESS MYSELF I WOULD!! I feel like my email is nothing that it should be but i gotta go. Ciao! 

Love you all a bunch. Talk to you next weekkkkk!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! THE CHURCH ROCKS AND ITS TRUE!! Ciao! Elder C

Tuesday, January 4, 2011

1/4/2011 Hermana Christensen

random party at the mobat and we found plastic babies in our bread... it's a mexican tradition.....
SO HAPPY!!!!!!!!!!!!

okay.. a few things first of all:

what in the world!! Christmas just keeps on GIVING!! thank you thank you THANK YOU for all the LOVE, treats, thoughfulness and candy! hahaha you guys must think i'm hungry or something! :) seriously, thank you so much! and wow that was fast on the paquete! gracias por mandarme mi libro de mormon. :) estoy bien emocionada leerlo. thanks so much for sending it! and i need you to know something: i had a GREAT christmas!!!! kristen, you did it!!!!!!!!!!!!!! the locket? i am.. wow. i love it. so much! it's perfect! everything was just perfect and i am so thankful! so so so so thankful!

i've been thinking about you all a lot this week. i'm not sure why. it hasn't been a distracted kind of thinking about you, i just.. am. everything seems to remind me of you all. and i am SO HAPPY. i can't even get over it! especially today, i just feel so happy--like i'm bursting with all this happiness! we got to go to the temple today--beautiful. we serve on the grounds often, but--as you all know-- there's just nothing better than going inside. we purposely did our companion study, laundry and cleaning beforehand so we wouldnt' be stressed for time inside. we did 10 names in initiatories before the 11 sesh. ma, i thought endlessly of you and felt the spirit and your love as those sweet ordinance workers did their thing; i love looking into their eyes as they speak, and i just imagined you doing it and how many people you must bless and make so happy as you do that work. i'm so glad that you've had that desire to serve at the temple for so long, and that you serve so early in the morning every week. just know that i was thinknig about you! and the session was just... ah. bliss! it was like i'd never seen it before--yet it was so familiar. there were so many things that stuck out and so many things that clicked together and made sense and just... ah ! i feel like i'm going to explode with happiness. that was the theme of the temple for me today--that we need to just have JOY in the journey! we are meant to have joy in our posterity and learn, grow, and be HAPPY. i feel it! i love you all!

the work is rollin on, you know it! we had a muuuuch better week this week--we found people in their houses! we almost got dropped a few times, but we salvaged it. we're trusting in the lord to help us find new investigadores and help us strengthen those few we have. :) i love our little branch though, they are all so strong and valiant! testimony meeting was the most solid meeting i have ever been a part of; every single person that stood up just threw down solid testimony mingled with doctrine (ahahah not really mingled, you know what's on my mind. testimony and doctrine together) and it was so powerful. EVERY member of that branch knows whats up. its incredible. i'ts a privilege to serve there and to serve them.

merry new years everybody! i hope it was fun. dad, remember that time you freaking lit all those fireworks on the sidewalk and we were just standing there so close? ha, you had to tackle us to get out of the way so we didn't get exploded? i just remember you laughing so hard. way funny. happy new years everyone. i hope it was a party at jude's.

okay, so i've been thinking a lot about commitments. not really like that, but i just have all these things i want you to do!

first: go to lds.org and watch the "look not behind thee" movie. i watchd it thrice last night because i loved it. so much.

second: go to mormon.org and create a profile. haha. but seriously. but since you've ALL ALREADY DONE THAT, on the right hand side there are movies you can watch. i want you to watch jenny hess. if that's the only one you watch then fine. this one makes me cry everytime i watch it. it is so powerful and so moving and i just... love it.

if you want to continue to rock the world, watch byron elton.

then watch colton soelberg

i'm pretty sure his restaurant is called communal and it's on first and center in provo. if that's correct, try it out and tell me if it's delicioso o no!

i lov eyou all. i am so thankful to be a servant of the lord. this is his work. i love being his representative. what a sacred honor and privilegio! i'm thankful for this time i have in this wonderland; i cannot believe how quickly it's going! ah! but i'm happy. estoy bien contenta estar aqui. thank you for your support, your love, your packages haha EVERYTHING. love you so. stay strong and know that heavenly father is aware of us and knows us perfectly. he's involved in the smallest details! i testify of it! he knows our hearts and our desires and our dreams and our fears and our irritations and our frustrations. he KNOWs perfectly. it'll all work out. :) sigan fieles.

les amo MUUUUUUUUUCHISIMO!
hermana christensen

ps consider yourself OFFICIALLY prayed for from the stunning san diego temple!

LOVE YOU!

smile!

have such a good week!

Monday, January 3, 2011

1/3/2011 Elder Christensen

New Years Eve Cena (dinner)
Hello friends and family! It´s been such an INTERESTING Christmas and New Year here in Chile... Its RIDICULOUS and very difficult to get any person to take their focus off of their beer and on to the gospel.. We worked hard still though and had a HUGE cena with two families here... We were allowed out until 11 on New Years eve! It was sweet! It´s toooooo weird that it´s just randomly (theres that word!) 2011 now... Hmm.. Okay then!

Like a fourth of the people who live in our sector have all headed to the coast for a month or so... The members told us that every year this happens. Its SUPER hot here so everyone goes to the coast to get some cooler weather and beach time.. The streets are EMPTY like all day... We walk around and I think..... Hmm..: Who can we contact?? That guy 4 football fields that way! So we did like no contacts haha! Needless to say you KNOW we enjoyed the new year here!

We´re preparing a couple of families here for their baptismal dates but they´re SO hard to find in their house. One of the couples has to get married first and thats IT. They´re ready! We´re also trying really hard to find news... Its TOUGH but with the Lords help? We´ll FIND THEM!! Also Elder Garcia and I get along great. Its nice to have a comp who´s just sooooooo relaxed! Sometimes hes TOO relaxed but thats when we kick it into gear! Dad I borrowed a cheese grater to make hashbrowns on Christmas remember? The members who I borrowed it from asked me what I made so I explained it... Now they want to have a family home evening this friday and make them hahaah. So this friday we´re making..... steak, hashbrowns, and eggs... Also we´re gonna make pancakes this week! It´s gonna be tooooo dang good.

I know the church is true!! I could NEVER do this without the Lord... I could NEVER fulfill a two year mission without a powerful personal testimony that what I´m doing isn´t at all for me.. Neither is it my work.... Its for God´s children who would maybe never receive his gospel without me... It´s HIS work... We´re gathering the wheats!! Of course we´re gonna find a ton of tares along the way... But... Thats just the way it is! I´ve gotta go and buy groceries now! I love you all! Take care. Until next week, you´re in my prayers. Much love, Elder Christensen
Elders Crist, Christensen & Monsen!