Christensen Missionaries: 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