10/18/2011 Hermana Christensen "agrio"

last preparation day we went to coronado island. soo pretty!
mis hijas!! all of my daughters... this picture is PRECIOUS!

It's been another amaaaaaaazing week in linda vista!

this morning we went on the most gorgeous hike to a place called cowles mountain. we left really early and were able to be up at the top of the mountain for the sunrise. you'll love the pictures! it's not quite hawaii, but it's its own kinda beautiful!

okay so. this week has been wonderful. really truly. i have a couple experiences i want to share:

--we had a lesson with hermana alamillo and one of her fellowshippers at the church. we watched the testamentos in the foyer and after the movie we huddled around the book of mormon reading 3 nephi 11 on the floor while the sun went down and the sky was pink around the palm trees... the spirit was so strong as we read the Savior inviting all of us to venid a El and to touch the wounds in his hands and in his feet.. she cried and said she was so happy she followed his example and was baptized and that she knows the church is true and always wants to sit and read the book of mormon... oh, it was gorgeous. and time just flew!

hermana ortezs FIRST experience with frozen yogurt.
WHAT?!! good thing she has me.

--there is a less active family, well couple, in our branch that we've been meaning to visit. they've been on my mind a lot lately, so we dropped by and the senora let us right in. we sat and started talking to her and her husband came down. what's fun about being new is that you can act like you don't know the background about anyone (even though you totally do), so we were like, "alrighty, well, we'll see you at church on sunday?" haha even though they've been inactive for four years... and (something i love about hispanos is how francos they are) they were like, 'well hermanas, honestamante we are kinda alejados um far distanced from the church right now..." and we acted all shocked then simply asked why. haha. then they told us. and honestly... i don't remember a time when the spirit was as strong as i looked them in the eye and testified that going from life inactive to partly active or whatever it may be to ACTIVE ACTIVE is the ONLY. THING. THAT. MEANS. ANYTHING. my cheeks got all hot and i just felt the spirit surging through me and the room. we all sat there, crying, and i told them that one of my favorite parts of being a missionary is being able to feel the Savior's love SO POWERFULLY and so clearly--even for people we don't know. we told them that more happiness and joy than they can even IMAGINE is waiting for them. we'd talked about eter 12:6--the anchor--and about hope in our Savior. The hermana is really sick right now and the hermano works and so it's been really difficult for them to come to church, but they want to. i have heard that a million times before, but these two meant it. they flat out told us that they have no reason to be distanced from the church--only that he'd been called as a second counselor in the branch presidency and he wasn't paying his tithing, so he didn't feel worthy.. but they told him he was...? so he stopped coming. but he said that other than that they have NO REASON and that they want to come back. it was a celestial cita. seriously.

a hike we went on this morning at 450 called cowles mountain
 and look, we were in the clouds! it was gorgeous.

--last night we had an fhe planned with an active family and a less active one. the less active hermana called the active one and said she was feeling sick and... you know... but the active hermana (who is AWESOME) said, "oh dang! you're sick? well that's okay. we'll just come over to your house and you can sit in your chair!" haha. no refusal. so we went over there and built up the lords church out of cups that symbolize authority, baptism, faith, profetas, etc. well, turns out TONS of her roommates were there, including one who has eighty billion preguntas, so we had this insaaaanely wonderful lesson in a huge circle of like 12 people just talking about the precious truths of the restoration. ah. and? it was FUN. like we laughed and we cheered when another person came in the room and we had cookies and milk and aaah. it was just SO FUN. especially when our less active hermana testified and answered her non member friends questions.
hahahhaha okay so the other day we were headed to an investigator's house, but we were right by a really discouraged members' house, so we decided to knock her door. turns out her son (the reason she's discouraged) was home with his friend. they said they'd just baaarely left. we were like aw dang, but started to talk to them... we went to the lawn in front of their house and had a sweet little charla about alma 36 and change and repentance and forgiveness. the boy's friend has been in and out of jail and he's only 19 and he feels like he's bound to be like his dad--who's in jail--so we had a really powerful lesson with them. the world is in SUCH DARKNESS! ah. it was amazing. but that's not the funny part. the reason i said hahahah is that because, as we sat there, the members son started getting really jittery. then he said that they had... enemies,... and that we had to not sit there, that they couldn't be there and they didn't want to be responsible for us. huh? so we went back to the house and talked to them in the doorway (there wasn't a woman there so we couldn't go in) and we noticed this three-dotted tattoo on their hand... THEY ARE STRAIGHT UP IN A GANG!! we laughed about how ridiculous the whole thing was--19 year old and a 17 year old in a gang wow. our lives. well, the world is horrible, first of all, but our lives! don't worry. i never feel in danger. just chillin in the hood. (but it's not really even at all!)

so there are these cristianitos who pray and they draw out all their s's. so they'll be like.. "oh diosssssssssss... venimosssssss ante ti para darte graciasssssssssssssss" as we were making plans for an investigator that does that i said we should invite him to talk to salazar slytherin for us.... but hermana freaking didn't know what i was talking about and i had this little spasm (this girl hasn't even had FROZEN YOGURT FOR HEAVENS SAKE!) so i was like YOU DON'T KNOW WHO HARRY POTTER IS?! hahhaa nd then she was all, "oh you still have to see the movies.." and i was like " DON'T WORRY i've got that taken care of already.. my sister and i are going to dress up and watch them..." and she was all, "are you going to dress up like that girl?" "hermione granger?! no! are you serious? she's boring! i've already been her." hahahahha it was in that moment i realized what a geek i sounded like... already having dressed up like her like freshman year... ohhh so funny. anyways, kaylynn we've still got that date! and mal--i totally thought of you and ken-- haha "HE WAS THEIR FWEND! THEIR FWEND!" bottom line: don't pray with drawn out s's because you don't speak parseltongue ya crazy cristianitos.

i'd like to give a HUGE SHOUT OUT to you SAINTS out there heeding the prophets call! dearest willy has a profile!!!!: http://mormon.org/me/4GWG/ does bro! and gma/pa and kristen are working on theirs. you can do it! check em out and then get to yours!!!

last thing. yesterday i took a tour with a couple from utah. in the beginning the woman said her ancestor, abraham hunsaker, was in the battalion. COUSIN!!! hahahah okay so it was distant but still. we had a reeeeeally sweet bond there and alllllllll throughout the tour she just LOVED it. she cried. when i showed her his pic at the end, she just cried and said she can't wait to meet him and that we have so much to thank him for. i don't know that much about his life. i know that you may have told me but i just don't remember. she told me some stuff i didn't know and i just feel even more proud to be his descendant. what an incredible man. anyway, the point was that it was so neat to be able to take them on the tour. they were a very special couple that were touched by the battalion's story. i looooove my call.

well, all's well in sion. mucho amor to you dear ones out there. keep goin in the battle!

hermana christensen