We have had a supppppper busy week. I´ve been trying my best to train Elder Spencer on all the important tasks that he has to fulfill during his time in the office. This week we filled out all the new visa application papers for new missionaries. Stressful part. Everythings gotta be right or the missionary will be illegal within a couple months. So we spent a lot of time making copies from their passports as well as filling in all of their personal information. Also we took a lot of time making new manuals for the greenies who will arrive this change. We got out into the sector for a little bit but a lot of our plans fell through. I´ve been thinking a lot about changes. I know that I always talk about changes when I write you guys but hey... I look at them in a different way. Not changes in the mission, changes in our lives. Why things happen the way they do at the time they do and the results that they end up bringing us. It is always for our spiritual well-being though. The Lord knows our limits and will push us all the way to the border of them, but that´s what helps us grow. It´s like it says in Ether.. We will have no testimony until AFTER the trial of our faith. That´s the way the Lord works. We´ll be okay for awhile then something else will put us back down. Lots of people throw in the towel right there. It´s tooooooooooo hard they say... The Lord is punishing me and I don´t know whyyy. But we´re not alone in those feelings. We don´t really know what certain people are going through right now in their lives. We usually just live in our little world and the world revolves around us. I think that´s most people´s perspective. Here in the office we´ve been changing a lot of things. The Elders who have been here for the last...well.. forever have been neglecting the sector and working more in the office. Even we have found ourselves doing the same sometimes. But hey... The office work is really important you know? So we´ve been trying to change some of the old bad lazy habits of the past. We went through the area book and ripped it apart. Now it´s all organized and ready to point us in the right direction. We´re also setting apart time for our studies and actually working together. It´s SUPER hard trying to balance the office on top of being a regular missionary with the same schedule. But that´s why we´re doing it. How are we supposed to have exito (Success) without being organized? That´s the simple principle I want to get across in this letter. Organization. How are we going to reach a goal if we have no plans to achieve it? We have to start somewhere or we will just end up sitting still. I can see the connection between the office and the sector used as a life principle of balancing work with the family. It might be hard but we HAVE to have our family prayers. We need to hold weekly family home evenings on Monday. Scripture study with the family on a daily basis. It doesn´t need to take TONS of time.. Just the fact of getting together and doing it even for just a few minutes. That´s where we come back to organization. Everyone needs to be on the same page with the schedule. Everyone needs to know what we are going to do, who is teaching, what part they will play. The prophet has said this sooooooooooooooo many times. Simple basic fundamentals applied every day together.... Easy.. It just requires some organization. When God created the world he didn´t just go and do it right?? The scriptures say he planned.... He took time... He gathered materials... He knew what he was going to do in advance. If a person in this world wants to be successful they need to understand that. Now... To organize ones self requires the desire to do so. In this last conference I heard the words... "This church is not a comfortable one." We are ALWAYS working. There is always something to be done right? Whether its just going to church, doing your weekly visits to members, paying tithing, or doing service." If we are comfortable, we are doing something wrong. Obviously that is not to be taken too far, but if we are just sitting inside coasting through life one day at a time thats TOO comfortable. If we were doing that, we wouldn´t be working and in turn, we wouldn´t be progressing. We are always going to have to break out of our comfort zone as members of the church. We make sacrifices ALL the time.. Joseph Smith said; "A religion that does not require complete sacrifice in all things will NEVER have the power sufficient to produce the faith necessary to take us to eternal life and salvation." STRONG words from a chosen prophet of God. The point is. There is SOMETHING in all of our lives that we can improve on. Another place where we can make a sacrifice. A new goal we can set together for our growth. A few acts of service we could do to help others. I don´t know what that would be in many of your lives. But lets do it. Lets focus on organizing ourselves and finding a balance in our lives of all things. Work and family. School and friends. Religion and every day life. Sit down with the fam, a paper and a pen, and set yourselves some reasonable, achievable goals. I promise you all that as you do so you will begin to see God´s hand more in your lives. You will begin to see him take control and mold you into something you never thought you would or for that matter could ever be. My testimony has been strengthened while applying these things here in the mission and in the office. I love the mission so much. It´s the greatest thing that I´ve ever chosen to do. Pretty soon I will leave the office and I will be able to apply these things in the mission field.. Pardon me but I think it will be easier out there... I will be able to focus 100% on the people. The members, the investigators, the random people in the street. Now I recognize the time that I HAD before and how I didn´t always take advantage of it. I couldn´t be more excited! I love you all and I hope you have another great week. You´re in my prayers. Espero que sigan adelante con fe en Cristo y que tengan el deseo de organizarse. Las metas son importantes por nuestro bienestar espiritual y cuando dejamos de fijarlas.... Allí queda nuestro progreso... Les quiero y por eso comparto mis pensamientos con ustedes.. Cyaaaa next week!
Ciaooo! Elder Christensen.
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