Monday, March 14, 2011

2/8/2011 Hermana Christensen

Hermanas Mendoza and Christensen
Hola queridos!!!

There is zero percento tiempo. But I just printed off all your emails and I can't WAIT to read them all. Seriously--you guys are such incredible support to me. I can't even tell you. I hear sisters around here talking about how their families don't write them and I just feel... sad for them and SO grateful for you! And I know you'll never slow down. Your love means the world to me!

Sorry, totally lame and semi impersonal but it must be done:

• kay n colb--thank you UBER FOR WRITING!!!! i cannot waaaaaaaaaaait to read your email! seriously! thank you thank you thank you! i know you're way crazy now probably so it means a lot. I hope you're feeling healthy and that things are going well! I was thinking about you yesterday wondering if you were doing that nesting thing where you clean a lot? what do you do when pita is quiet? haha if she ever is. sleep maybe? read? stare at her? wii? i mean i honestly don't even know. colb, tell me what's going down with you guys? can you believe it's already been a week and a half? how's it been?!! ah i should probably just read your email. haha i'm dying to!

• broseph. i laughed out loud (literally) last night when i heard sisters talking about going to wally world. i LOVE YOU! i always think about that time when you said something about "weaving through the immigrants..." (DELETE THAT RACIST REMARK HAHA!!!) hahah but wow. so funny. i freaking love you. how is your new zona? DOG! i've been praying so hard my knees are bleeding for you. tell me what i can do. finding? every place is different, so maybe now you'll have lame members or something and we can brainstorm about how to get them more involved. but finding is ALWAYS something we need to focus on. we had zc this week and president told us to get our less actives/recent converts to have "block parties"; out where elder roney is there's this one street where a member family simply invited their members over for a bbq and the missionaries just SHOWED up (which then identified this fam as mormones) and then a lot of questions ensued... anyways, now like 5/8 of the familes on the street are members. SO. block party it up!!!!

• willy: i want some fots of you with pita. asap. i bet youre a freaking rad gpa. i have a quote for you: "All true work is sacred work; in all true work, were it but true handlabour, there is something of divineness. labour, wide as the earth, has its summit in heaven." -Thomas Carlyle. You are SUCH a good example of ALWAYS working--even on your day off!!!--to make our home beautiful or to go slave at the office.

• kristen: those pictures you sent were so unbelievably cute. you are SO good to go and help kay and colb, i can't even imagine what this must be like for them! one of the sisters here was just asking about the cards you made with my picture etc, and she said, "your mom is so thoughtful!" i just laughed. she doesn't know the 26th TRILLIONTH of your generosity! seriously. i want you to know that you are the most thoughtful person i know. and even though we're all imperfect, you are SUCH a good example to me and everyyyyyyyyone of pure, christlike charity. you always think of others first!!! no wonder you and willy are so happy... you're always thinking of the other! I LOVE IT!!! and i love you!

• ma and pa thanks so much for writing. yo're the bombs.

• joan! you sweet thing! look at your long hair! it is GLORIOUS!!! you look beautiful no matter what you do! how are things going? you look healthier than ever! i hope that can be attributed to the delicous breakfasts youre eating. :) i hope you have mint ice cream in your freezer and some sees chocolates in your fridge--at least one with each meal please!

• grampies: i've been thinking about you two a lot this week. i love you both. i really mean it. i'm so grateful for you! thanks for writing. :) have a beautiful week templing and being amazing as ever. :)

enough bullet points.

please read the ensign this month about the ward council and mormon.org from last month. kristen, please tell me what i can do to help you. the reasons you don't want to/feel uncomforatble creating a profile are legitimate and other people have them. please tell me so i can be thinking and praying about a way so we can help you and others feel comfortable to share how you live your faith. i think an error i've made is by saying we put our "testimony" on mormon.org. but that's so personal to us! i think it's better said that mormon.org and our profiles give us a way to simply show others how we LIVE OUR FAITH. how? in what way? haha ferris. but seriously. there is one that we watched last night about a lady who is my idol--she says she's a blossoming linguist living in france.. and it's so simple but ordinary and HER! and she's MORMON! so please. surf mormon.org. soak it up. and then the ensign this month with the ward council info. i thought that was so interesting. i love going to ward council to see that this really is thE RESCUE and it's alllllllllll about the ONE.

can someone please send me "I stand all amazed"? i knwo colby loves that talk. i need it!

friends. this is gods work. we've had a rough week--people are dropping us and just being stupid but i KNOW that's because we're close and we're in the verdad and satan is raging. he will NEVER stop fighting for our souls! but i know and have seen time and time again that after times of hardship come BLESSSSSSSSSSINGS. so i know they're coming. the field is white. those we know that are close to baptism will make it.

i feel such love--for my mission, for you, for those around me, for my heavenly father and for jesus christ. president donaldson has been such a blessing to me because we've focused SO MUCH on the atonement and really understanding it and really coming to feel its application in our lives...and it's been beautiful. i am so thankful for our savior who lifts, leads, and sustains me each moment! i never thought about it this way, but sister donaldson pointed out that in the moments when we feel tired or we want to just turn back or not open our mouth, but then we choose to just DO IT--that is the ennabling power of the atonement that literally enables us to step above our own abilities to do the will of the father. the atonement is everywhere. it is everything. i love my savior. i LOVE being a missionary. i hope you all know that!

i also hope you know that i love you. it's hard to be away at this time, but I LOVE my little t-ray tabby cat already---IMMENSELY!!! and i have such pleasure in seeing this adorable fots!!! i love you dearly. i am praying for you. i think of you. i love you! stay strong!
hermana christensen
ps happy vday! i hope you all eat DELICIOUS cookies and bask in the wonderful love we share! i LOVE YOU!!!!

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