9/13/11 Hermana Christensen "APAGON!"

all the ice cream was melting! we had to eat it!

Hello all!

Sister Ortez and i were both just leaning back in our chairs, not even knowing where to begin. Zero ideas.

LOOK AT WHAT TIME I GOT IN BED!!!!!!!!!!

so you heard about the power outage? ohhhhhhhh my. it was SO. FUN. SOOOOOOOOO FUN!!!!! haha okay so we were at the battalion that night. it was like four or so. and because school's out its been semi slow. (which is okay because there's so much to do--theres never a dull moment!) i was in the back looking at some papers when everything went black and quiet. it was scary for one second, so i ran up to the front and all of us came together from all over the battalion and we reported and quickly located each other. we didn't really know what to think. there was only one tour going, so we got them outta there. good thing sister evans is PREPARED! we knew where the flashlights were in every room because she went through and prepared us a few weeks ago. as soon as everything was good and safe we started having the time of our lives making dumb jokes and being silly... cartwheels down the hall in pioneer dresses (because the cameras weren't workin!!)... i grabbed the lantern in one of the rooms and we used that for many a photo and the bathroom... haha and then sis kearsley and i took pictures in some of the rooms--like the one where i'm holding those bags of wheat.. oh my. so funny. but the thing was that it has been SO HOT here lately. and we could feel the temperature rising! everything had to close, but we had no cars and no where to go, and the freeways were UNBELIEVABLY blocked.. so we were able to sit and study and just be with each other. then when the emergency lights went out and elder evans kicked us out of the battalion, we had no other option but to eat all of the food that was going to go rotten. so it was a strange combination of cereal and ice cream and.. yeah. good pictures. then we planned, i wrote in my journal using the light from my camera and we were able to go to bed. EARLY! you'll see the pics. i have about fifty more, too becuase i was so thrilled about it. haha. but it was so hot in our apartments i think i was just laying there awake, sweating, all night. but it was SO FUN! so memorable. we heard that it was all the way from LA to new mexico. freak! it was crazy. i talked to this hiarious lady at the battalion who said she and her son were driving here and they couldn't find a motel and didn't have any cash, so they just straight up went to a park. seriously. i hope i'm that cool next time the power goes out! it was legit though. we had nothing. seriously. it made me question my preparedness and also made me sooo grateful for simple commodities that i so often take for granted. but yeah. all is well!

isabel and axel's baptism! ...and juanito's!



so remember a few weeks ago when sister lewis and i went and taught a lessonwith hermana garcia on our preparation day? well my goodness. they got baptized on saturday! the dad has been less active his whole life and has been recently reactivating. the wife recently had a baby, so they blessed the baby and have been coming to church mas a seguido. and they noticed their lives start to change... so the dad, oscar, was recently ordained to the aaronic priesthood and he baptized his wife and her 10 year old son. it was the most BEAUTIFUL thing ever. soooo so so soooooo neat. wow. and then our other investigator, juanito, se bautizo in the same servicio. it was a POWERHOUSE! i was so grateful i was able to go. it was beautiful being there with those dear people for such a sacred service. love. love love love captial L. theres a pic of us all of us, and then another with just them, hermana garcia and me because, as i was heading out, oscar stopped me and thanked me. then isabel came over. they said that the first lesson we had with them (that preparation day RIGHT before transfers), they felt the spirit really strongly and said that i'd had a role in helping her want to get baptized. it was so.. so humbling. i was so grateful we'd sacrificed that day to go with them! and now i just have another reason to always be a part of the garcia family! :) funny how the lord works. he had me do something little and then bam. outta there. we've gotta be on our game doing what the Lord needs of us! definitely learned that that day.

exchanges are probably inspired... yeah. probably. awhile back i went to el cajon with sis smith. it was an english area. we went up and down this street contacting a ton of people and getting quite a lot of rejection. we were reeeeeal lot and kinda just done but we saw this lady in her car kinda a ways away, but decided to talk to her. she wasn't super promising but kinda listened. we told her she could find so much happiness in our message and that we'd love to bring her a bom. she said we could bring it by and just leave it in the mailbox sometime. haha. dang. okay. see ya. the next day--transfers. sis smith was taken out of that area and sis kearsley came in with sis kennington. they took this lady, diane, the bom, and the first time she wasn't interested. the second time she came to the screen door. the third time she opened the door a little bit. the fourth time she came outside and talked to them. and now? she has a baptismal date. this woman lives alone with 10 cats and two dogs. she almost committed suicide a few months ago but didn't want to leave her PETS. wow. so when we came and said she could be HAPPIER..... she caught hold onto that. and she is happier than EVER. she can't wait to get baptized! she found what she's been looking for. and she's GOLDEN the sisters say. wow. remember how we almost didn't talk to her? ohhhmy. gotta do what the lord wants us to!


full moon shot. between the palm trees. unreal.



ha. we got a referral from a lady in sis park's ward. actually she gave us like four. we went and contacted one and this lady, ramona, let us RIGHT in, sat us down, gave us water and just started chatting with us. she thought i was her nurse! hahah ummm no we are missionaries! we laughed way hard then she was like, okay. ensenen me. teach me. um? she is the most lively 81 year old i've ever met! she's so lively! she even knelt and prayed with us at the end! yeah. she believes her ancestors are mayans or something. aka shes going to LOVE testamentos! milagro!

dear cade, happy birthday on the 9th! sorry i didn't say that last week! hope it was great!

got to see hermana maltiz and ximena at the charla sun night!
love them!

a few funnies:

--at the baptism on saturday hno miller asked me to lead. cool beans. whatever. afte the ordinances and the testimonies of the peeps who were baptized, hno miller gave me a head nod. and I THOUGHT HE WANTED ME TO SHARE MY TESTIMONY! hahahah so i walked up there to the pulpit and was like uuuuh hermano miller gave me a signal.. and he said, "yeah to lead the music!" i felt SO DUMB! hahaha. but i had to freaking stay up there to lead the music! OHHHH MY! so funny. i was like, "well, the church is true!" wow.

--at church on sunday hermana alamillo leaned over to me and told me i looked like a doll. i was like, well hey thanks. and then she was all, "tu te ves como la virgen." aka.. she thinks i look like the virgen mary. awesome.

is everyone reading this month's ensign? por favor read it. wow. read e ballard's talk. SO GOOD! a few weeks ago our ward mission leader gave people an assignment to help reactivate a less active. i thought it was a little strange at first, but then BAM elder ballard says to do it. so give yourself that same assignment! i love how he talks about the atonement before that. just read it. and then do it.

love you all. (especially you, joan!)

hermana christensen

mormon 5:14

all of us when the power went out. conversing