3-21-16 What do you call a pile of kittens?

A meowntain!

Crazy week. Lots happened! The week was going normal, the family we
were working with was planning on getting baptized on Saturday, we
were stoping by there frequently and making sure everything was good
and they understood what was going to happen. We had our DM on
Wednesday, nothing different there. Thursday we had weekly planning
and coordination with our Ward mission. Then Friday at about 10:30am
we get a call from the mission president saying that I was needed in
SA ... So I packed up my bags
and left at 2:30 and headed for SA. I have two new wonderful
companions named Elder Hurst and Elder Stanley.

My zone leaders over in RR stake drove me halfway and then my new
companions picked me up from there. I will be in the Castle Hills area
until tomorrow. So from Friday to Tuesday I've been here. I forgot how
much I loved SA. It feels so good to be back. I love the ghetto,
humble, rich, business of SA. I love, love, love it. There is never
ever a dull moment. Now the place I was at in Austin is a different
story. Everyone is rich and nothing exciting or different ever
happened. In short, glad to be back.

Tomorrow I will go to my new area, Live Oak and get my new companions,
Elder Biesinger and Elder Jorgensen. It's funny because I started in
east zone and live oak was in my district when I was in east zone. The
stake just got split though so now it's in Cibolo Valley stake. Going
back to my roots, but at the same time not really. I spent many p-days
at the building I will be at back in the day. It should be fun.

I assume the McNeils were baptized on Saturday and all went well. I'm
happy for them. Everyone needs the gospel, and it's always exciting to
see people take it. The Friday I got to SA the missionaries here were
having a baptism for a lady named Belinda. It was a fun, great
baptism. Belinda is so funny. She is a n older lady, probably in her
60's. We asked her if she wanted to share her testimony after she was
baptized and she said yes. As soon as everyone came back in the room
she just stood up in the front and told her story. She was walking
around looking for management for her apartment complex so she could
get something fixed and she thought the missionaries were management
so she went up and talked to them and they asked if they could share a
message and she said yes. She said we all looked like angels sitting
in the room. It was very sweet. She never misses church. We taught her
yesterday too and the first thing she asked was, "now that I'm
baptized, what's next?" One of the reasons I like SA so much is
because the people live in such humble circumstances but still look
for the gospel or something more in their lives. She barely had
anything in her apartment, but she was content and happy.

The Castle Hills Ward meets in the oldest LDS church building in SA.
It was the weirdest layout of all time. It was honestly like a maze.
It was different than any other church building I had ever been in.
The chapel had a very 70's, 80's feel to it. I liked it, different.

Saturday was also an adventure. Elder Hurst is going home tomorrow so
we celebrated on Saturday by going to red robin and cold stone
creamery. Red Robin is so good. Oh my goodness, I forgot. But someone
payed for our meal! How nice is that? Then we were driving to go visit
someone and Elder Stanley freaks out while driving and pulls over real
quick and starts running to some guy that was thrown off his motorized
wheelchair. He was crossing a busy street and his wheelchair was at
the highest speed and he hit a curb that wasn't flat enough for his
chair to jump over and was thrown off. His hips were not in the right
place and his face was bleeding so badly. We ran over, called 911 and
waited until they came. We then put his wheelchair in a nearby
restaurant and left them with a phone number to call to get him his
wheelchair.

And then we kept on driving, stopped at the person we wanted to visit,
and then went to a new place. As we were driving our car started to
sputter and it wouldn't speed up. By the grace of God we made it to a
gas station and popped the hood to see what was up. We waited for the
car to fix itself because we didn't know what was wrong with it and
then tried driving again. The same thing happened, and by the grace of
God we made it safely to a Walgreens parking lot where we called the
Chevy dealership to come and get it and fix it. Apparently this
happened like two days prior to this. We waited at Walgreens for them
to come get it and they did and then we got rides from members for the
rest of the night. We went and had a few lessons and stopped by a few
people. It was eventful.

Sunday was just a long day. A good day, but long. We get the car back
today so this good mane drove us around and took us to lessons for
like 4 hours. What a good guy. Then got the transfer info last night
at about 9.

I've learned a lot this past week. A lot about faith, belief, hope,
charity, all those good attributes. Someone in their talk yesterday
quoted someone who said that faith, hope, and charity are inseparably
connected; you can't have one without naturally having the others. I
was thinking about that and it's really true. If you really have hope
in Jesus Christ that you are going to be resurrected, that will lead
you to act differently, to faith. If you truly have faith that Jesus
is the Savior of the world and the Atonement works, your desire to
help others and to help them know the truths you know will increase,
you will love others! It's all one big cycle. Gaining one of these
attributes leads to gaining another. I didn't explain it really well,
but if you think about it it will click.

Thank you for your continued support and love. It has helped me
throughout my life and it will help me in the future as well.

Love,
Elder Christensen

PS: My address has changed! I have no idea what it's going to be
because it will change again tomorrow. Don't send me anything this
week. I will let you know my new address next Monday.

Left to right: Elder Stanley, Me, Elder Hurst

The state flower is a blue bonnet and they grow all over the place. Makes it very beautiful.

3-14-16 - I love you big!

Adventure of the week! We were going by prospective elders the other
day and we had stopped by this certain house but a lady always shooed
us away, so we had never talked to the guy we wanted to talk to. We
went by and he happened to be out in his garage so we got to talk to
him. He was intoxicated beyond all belief. He shook our hands about 20
times, but the first time he shook my hand he pointed out that I had
some bike grease on my hand. He looked at it for about 15 seconds and
then started rubbing the spot on my hand that had grease and said "you
need to get that off little man!" He was way friendly to us. He ended
up giving us some soda and part of his venison summer sausage. He
isn't too interested in the church at this moment, but he was nice to
us. For that he will be blessed. When we were about to leave he told
us he was grateful that we were spreading the word of God and that he
"loved you big." It was a weird exchange between us and another human
being.

We had a zone meeting this past week instead of district meeting. All
the zone leaders go to a meeting called mission leader conference and
get trained by the mission president. The zone leaders then go and
train the missionaries in their zone on what they were trained on. It
was nothing super new or exciting. We were trained on how we can teach
simply and what drills we can do during companionship study to help us
teach simply. But it was fun to see the zone. The whole zone hasn't
been in a meeting together in a while. We also learned about the new
video the church has put out for Easter called Hallelujah. Videos are
always fun to use as a missionary.

Transfers are next week. I'm guessing I will stay here another
transfer. 5 transfers in SA and 5 transfers in Austin. At this pace I
will go to four areas my whole mission. Time is going by so fast. I'm
almost at 13 months. I was thinking about this before bed last night
and it won't be long that I will be going home. That was a motivating
thought! Grateful for each day. Makes me want to do and be better each
day.

Chelsea, Kaitlyn, and Megan want to be baptized. Their baptism will be
this Saturday. As with everyone that joins the church, I hope the Ward
puts their arms around them and helps them with the transition into a
whole new world. They have family that's in the Ward so that will
help. They have a goal to be sealed in the temple, that will be the
best motivator.

Jason and Pang came to church last Sunday and we had a lesson with
them on Wednesday. They said they were nervous walking up to the
church but once they were on the chapel they said it felt like home.
That was good to hear! But since they are new to Christianity they
feel like they need to read the bible first. That's their priority at
the moment, even though they have been reading a couple chapters from
the BoM each day. They are church shopping and trying to find the one
that God wants them to join. We talked to them about praying to know
which ones true and they said they don't feel ready to ask. If they
did get the answer it was true, they feel like they don't have the
faith to accept it. They are so close! Jason wants to serve God and
give his all to Him, he just isn't sure which church is the right one.
God will certainly, eventually, help him be baptized. Exciting stuff.
When we first started teaching them they weren't so sure about Jesus
Christ and believing in him. The other day we asked the if they felt
like they had faith in Christ and they said yes we feel like there is
a Christ. Its cool to see that seed of faith grow.

I was talking to the Elders Quorum president and the point was made
that evolution definitely couldn't be true because of how incredible
the human body is. But then he said that believing in a supreme
creator doesn't sound any more ridiculous to me than evolution, it's
just faith. That's a valid point. It's important to put our belief and
faith in the right thing. For example, if you put your faith in boars,
nothing is going to happen. If you put your faith in Christ, you will
have eternal life.

I also went on my last exchange of the transfer. Last but not least,
Elder Orton. The poor elders that go on exchanges with me. They come
to my area and I'm the only area in our district that doesn't have a
car. They go from a nice car to riding a bike all over the place. We
had a odd day with appointments in Walsh ranch and vista ridge. We
started off the day by biking an hour to WR then to VR then to WR and
then finally home. It was about 4 hours of biking that day. It didn't
help that it rained all day the day before and in the morning, then
the sun came out to make it perfectly humid. It wasn't bad for me, but
Elder Orton hadn't been on a bike in a while.

We actually had tons of rain and thunder this past week. It was so
refreshing. I think it rained every day and we had a lightning and
thunder storm almost every night. Texas has some weird weather. Sunny
for 4 months straight then a random week of rain. Me and Elder Camire
moved our beds into our room because the snoring was so loud I
couldn't sleep. So now we sleep right next to a window. But we were
sleeping and we heard a loud boom and the room light up like the sun
was outside our window. I look outside and it looked like it was
afternoon. The lightening would strike and then not even a second
later you would hear the thunder. It would shake our apartment
complex! Every time the lightening struck, the lights outside would
flicker and our power went out a couple of times. It was exciting. It
was louder than normal so I assumed it must of been right above us. My
suspicions were confirmed when our appointment with some members who
lived down the street canceled because their house was struck by
lightening. Yikes! Thankfully their house didn't burn down or
anything.

Then of course since it rained brushy creek trail was a mess. Mud all
over the trails and our pants. But that's what washing machines are
for right? It was fun. Now we are back to too hot and sunny. The high
today is 91.

The whole daylight savings thing is weird too. I did not realize the
difference an hour of sleep made. It was almost 8 before the sun went
down. It was really nice for riding bikes, didn't have to use our
lights very much.

I really like the description of the Holy Ghost by the prophet Isaiah
in Isaiah 51:3. If we are striving to follow Christ then we will be
comforted, another word used for the Holy Ghost. The feelings that
come from following Christ and remaining worthy of the spirit is found
in the last part of this verse; joy, gladness, thanksgiving, and the
sound of melody. That sounds comforting to me. The Holy Ghost is
called the comforter because it brings comfort in a not so comfortable
world. If you have been baptized you have been given the gift of the
Holy Ghost and, if worthy, these blessings are yours!

Love you amigos y familias!
Have a good week!

Love,
Elder Christensen

We met this little guy during a rain storm. I saw one just hanging out
in the street and thought someone must of thrown it out of their car.
Then we kept biking and they were all over the place. Really, really
random. Not sure where they came from.

The mighty round rock zone! 
From left to right.
Front row: I'm not sure. 
Back row: Elder Goeckeritz, Elder Mecham, Elder Shipley, Elder Orton, Elder Ostler, Elder Rallison, Elder Babb, Elder Wesche, Elder Camire, and Me
Some pretty clouds during a storm.

3-7-16 / Wasn't it like 2 minutes ago that it was last Monday?‏

I would say that it feels like I haven't been out on my mission for very long, but that would be such a lie. Way too much has happened. The time has gone by fast, but a years worth of stuff has definitely been packed into a year. 

Windy and gray today. This past week was sunny and hot though. One of the days was about 85 and it was stinkin' hot. Supposed to have lots of rain and thunderstorms throughout this week. That rarely happens though so we will see. The rain makes biking around not so fun and if its really bad we have to stay in, so hopefully it doesn't get to that point.

Exciting news first! I will tell the whole story of Jason and Pang. Sis. P, a member, had her neighbor ask her for a bible because she wanted to learn about Christianity. Sis. P calls us and asks for a bible and a bom to give to her neighbor. It doesn't work out but the neighbor does eventually get the bible and the bom. We keep trying by to meet them with no luck. Eventually one evening we knock on their door and a lady answers and says the only reason she answered was because Sis. P's daughters were at her house and they said they knew who we were. We ask her if we could come by and teach her sometime and she says yes and we set up a time. This is rare so we go back thinking the appointment might fall through. It doesn't and not only is Pang there, but her husband is as well, Jason. They invite us in and we teach the restoration. They have so many questions and comments that it lasts about an hour and a half. We set up another appointment and then we go our way. The next appointment we go back and ask if they had read the bom. They say they read it the moment we left so they forgot what it was about but they did read it! We read a little more from the bom with them and then set up another appointment. For some reason we ended up stopping by before our appointment and their daughters came out and we asked if they wanted to join us for the next lesson and Pang says no pretty defensively. We end up going back for the next lesson and it goes great. We set up another appointment and go back and they ask the kids if they want to join and they say yes. She even says it would be ok if we brought someone with us. We keep inviting them to church each visit but they keep saying no they are interested in this other church they are going to, but they would come to ours soon. We meet a couple more times and then finally they say yes we will be there on Sunday! For all three hours of church; pretty rare. They came yesterday and there was some impressive heavenly help and power. Everything ended up being perfect for them. The hymns that were sung, the people that bore testimony, the comments during class that were made, the topics for the lessons, etc. I can not think of a better first church experience. Me and Elder Camire had been praying that their first experience would be good and Heavenly Father pulled through. No surprise there. It was one of the best fast and testimony meetings I have ever been in. We have an appointment this Wednesday with them and we will see what they want to do next. The only thing I can see getting in the way at this point is the natural man (like always right?). They see how much work and effort this will require, but pray that they will have the courage and faith to move forward!!!

The M family also wants to be baptized! That's another member referral. They are planning on getting baptized March 19th. They have the goal of getting sealed in the temple so that will help them continue on the path after baptism. 

I cannot stress how important the BoM is in our journey through this life. It gives us faith in Jesus Christ and hope for the next life. It helps us move forward on the path to eternal life. If we choose to read it and apply its teachings, there is no way we can fail. It really is the keystone of our religion. So helping others read the bom is the best way to help strengthen their faith. 

Last week we were walking around at night and Elder Camire had the prompting to knock on a certain door so we did. The lady answers, way nice, and says she has some service for us if we want to come by sometime and help. We say of course and go on our merry way. We went back this week and helped her load some junk in her backyard into a trailer to be hauled off. But she has family that are members that live really close. Probably not a coincidence that we knocked on her door. That was a cool thing. She invited us back this week to help her with something else. Hopefully as we continue to help her her heart will be softened and we will be able to teach her about the restored gospel. 

Also had exchanges with one of my old companions this week, Elder Shipley. What are the odds of that happening? We were in this area together as companions about 4 months ago and then he went to SA. Then he came back into my district and he comes and has exchanges in the area he started in. Funny. It was a fun day. We played the "Who-will-recognize-me-game." Some people did, some people didn't. We had this grand plan in WR ward to have a game night so people in the ward had an activity to invite their friends to. We went and handed out fliers with Bro. R, our ward mission leader that night. It was fun to have the gang back together. Never saw that coming. We tried to hand each person 2 fliers so they would have one to give to a friend. Everyone called us out on it, "oh you gave me two, I only need one." Another fun game to play. 

We had the WR game night on Saturday. It would of been really good, but only like 30 people came. It was fun for the 30 people that came, but we had a lot more stuff put together for a much bigger crowd. We did end up getting some less active members there and a few non-members so it was successful for that alone. We had a game show with 3 families who had their dad go out and then the families were asked questions and they would have to answer the questions the way their dad would. They then had the dads come back and see how close the families were. It was pretty funny. We also got to play games for about an hour so hey, can't complain there. 

We also helped a lady named Maria get all the leaves out of her yard. She is a funny woman. We went by the B family to share a quick message, Maria is Bro. B's sister and he told us that if we needed groceries she needed leaves raked. As soon as we leave she texted us. We went over and raked all her leaves and she is buying us groceries. We do all sorts of random stuff for her, but only because the mom is interested in meeting with us. We have a plan, hopefully this service thing really works. The whole family has taken the discussions in the past but had concerns with some of the commandments and Joseph Smith. 

I wonder if it just pains Heavenly Father to know that some of His children won't choose to return to Him. We actually learn that it does in Moses 7. Enoch sees God weeping and Enoch asks how and why? God explains that He has given us knowledge but we still refuse to choose Him. It reminds me of Jacob 5 when the Lord of the vineyard says what more could I have done for my vineyard? It must just pain Jesus Christ, Heavenly Father, and the HG to know the people they serve 24/7 don't choose them. It also makes me think about how much they are doing for us all the time. Whenever they can bless us, they do it; whenever they can help us, they do. But no matter how much They do for us, they will never choose for us; that's our job. Makes me think of Laman and Lemual. They were given everything they needed to be successful. They saw angels, had a prophet as a dad and brothers, were totally led by the Lord every step of their journey, but they used their agency to not choose the Lord. We have all these things that God has given us that testify of Him and His plan of Redemption, but He will not force us to comply to His plan. That decision must be made by us. And knowing that some of us won't choose His way back to Him must bring at least some uncomfortable feelings even to a God.

This leads right back to faith! Faith is the force that moves us to action. No faith, no action; no faith, we will not choose God. I'm sure some apostle has expressed this a lot better than I have. If you find something on this topic or know of something, let me know. 

I'm not God, but it pains me when people choose not to choose the path of life. I love the teachings of the BoM prophets. They all teach us of the resurrection and the consequences for our choices. Abinidi teaches us that if we do good works we will be resurrected to endless life and happiness. If they are bad, to endless damnation. Good works are done through following Jesus Christ. As we follow Christ, we are choosing the path of life. It all takes faith, and Heavenly Father helps us every step of the way. I know these teachings are true because I know the BoM is true. 

So much to think about. We can think for a lifetime and learn very little compared to God. I can think all I want but I don't think I will ever figure out how to speak and have the elements obey my voice and put themselves into a world where life can happen. I don't think I will ever learn how to speak and create a human (Jacob 4:8-9). Not going to happen. Patience right? Lots to learn. 

Anyways, good week. Good life. Love you!

Sincerely, 

Elder Christensen

2-29-16 / Does anyone remember the horse movie Spirit?‏

ONLY THE COOLEST SISTER IN THE WORLD COULD BUY SUCH A COOL TIE!!! Thank you Lauren!!!

I email in our apartment complex's office that has some computers. They were just playing the soundtrack from Spirit. Thought I would share, it surprised me. 

This week has been a swell week. I was thinking last night and it has finally sunk in that I have been out for a year, getting close to 13 months. I really don't have much time left. It has been crazy how fast this has gone by. I always like Sundays because it helps me focus on whats important, people and Christ. Its a good reminder and it helps me rededicate myself to the cause of truth. I am grateful for a loving God who gives us knowledge and truth when we choose to seek it. It would be rather odd if we always prayed for truth and knowledge but never got it. Grateful for the guidance God gives when we seek His counsel. Especially the truth that Jesus Christ is the Savior of the world and that the gospel has been restored again today. We are so blessed to have this knowledge in our lives. 

Lets start off with something funny shall we? We had dinner with the lovely Rey family again, the amazing Filipino cook. She invited some other people from the ward to join us for dinner and we were talking about all the different things she cooks and whats in what. I had been so curious about what that gross, slimy meat thing that I ate was I thought I would ask. Turns out, it was pig ear! She lied to us to get us to eat it! She told us she had it so she made it. She cuts the pig ear into strips and its served cold with the cartilage and everything. Better than pig intestine though. 

We also had dinner with the Peel family. She has 6 kids and they call her the warden. How funny is that? I thought it was a joke at first but the kids were being dead serious. I asked her about it and she said she likes it, make her feel like she is doing something right. 

We had some rain this past week. It was really nice, but it is already starting to get dry again. Today is cloudy so maybe we will be blessed with some rain. But the rain did wonders. The grass in some places is beautifully green. The trees are starting to bud which is really pretty. Spring is coming! Or should I say, the season Really Hot is coming! 

Even though we had rain, we also had some nice days in the 70's-80's. We ride this trail called Brushy Creek Trail and when its nice outside it is filled with runners, joggers, bikers, families, you name it, its busy. It has become the new athletic fashion runway. Want to know what the cool people are wearing to work out? Go on Brushy Creek Trail for 5 minutes and you will see it all! One of the newest trends is tying your dog to your waist. You put your dog on a leash and then tie the leash around your waist! Hands free! Its fun. Since it rained it was a little muddy and the creek was flowing fast. It was nice. 

The Walsh Ranch ward continues to be gung-ho about getting the ward more involved in missionary work and helping them know how to do it. We had an idea to get an activity together that people could invite their friends to. That will be happening this Sunday. I personally have not done the best job inviting people to it, so hopefully the members did a better job. We are going to have a game night and open house type thing so if people bring friends then they can look at the church building. It will be fun, but it would be a huge bummer if people didn't invite anyone. Then it would be kind of lame. The WR ward council continues to have discussions on how to move the work forward. Something brought up yesterday was being interested and loving people. If you do those two things, if you are trying to be a follow of Christ, then sharing the gospel will come naturally. Amen! Especially if you put yourself ion situations and groups where there aren't a lot of members of the church. If you always associate with members of your church, how can you share the church with them since they already have it? It's easy to tell people to do these things as a missionary but I wonder how good I will be at it when I get off my mission. Hopefully I don't become a hypocrite. 

We had a lesson with Kasey this week. First time in a while, but she is still interested in learning which was a surprise to me. She is an interesting character. She has been looking at religions and cultures her whole life to find out which one is for her and still hasn't found anything; she feels like nothing speaks to her. She had a lot of questions about Joseph Smith so we tried to answer them the best we could. All she needs to do is pray about it. That is the only way to receive answers about spiritual things. We need to help her do that. 

Megan, Chelsea, and Kaitlyn want to be baptized! The poor mom, Megan, is having a hard time helping her kids. She sees the need for the gospel for that reason alone, giving her kids direction and purpose. We taught them yesterday and the 16 year old, Chelsea, is facing some serious opposition with joining the church. But she keeps pushing through and doing whats right. She comes to mutual every week and has made some good friends with the YW. The groups that the church has do so much good. Invite your friends to them! They will probably love it and appreciate the safe place they have to go. I think the crazier the world gets, the more the righteous with good, safe homes will have to accept the responsibility to invite people to their homes. I can't imagine what it would be like not being raised in a home safe from the world or not feeling safe in my own house. I would be forever grateful for people that invited me to theirs if I didn't have one I could go to. Our decisions really do affect others! If we choose things that don't allow the spirit into our homes, others can't feel the safety of a spirit filled home. Your choices matter. Preaching to the choir. Anyways, they want to be baptized and we will meet with them this week to help work that out. Wards play such a huge part in helping converts stay active. Grateful for the good wards I get to serve in. They do a lot for us, inspires me to do a lot for them. 

The kids, Chelsea and Kaitlyn, are confused because they don't know the truth. The truth is powerful! if we want to know the truth, read and pray about the Book of Mormon, it well help us know the true path. The truth will set you free. 

This past week we also had our Zone Conference. That is when some zones get together and are taught by the Mission President and the Assistants. We have been challenged by a member of the 70 to double baptisms. The only way we are going to be able to do so is if we start working better with the members. We will try our best to help you know how to do the work! We were given some great direction and council. We will start applying it and start seeing the miracles!

President Slaughter taught us about faith. He used the 7 Lectures on Faith (which sound incredible, on my to read list when I get home). Something I really liked was Lecture Seventh. It talks about how we can obtain greater faith. We obtain greater faith by sacrifice; the more you give, the more you get. Food for thought. 

Also three things we need in order to have any faith in God:

1. A correct idea of His character, perfections, and attributes.

2. An actual knowledge that the course of life which one is pursuing is according to His will.

3. Have to know that we are right before God.

If we do not had those three things, we can't have any faith. Interesting huh? 

I was reading a conference talk from a while back about how Jesus Christ is the only way to happiness and fulfillment. He talked a lot about how being a disciple of Christ is what brings happiness and fulfillment. I was thinking about that. If I don't feel happiness or fulfillment, its probably because my focus on being a disciple of Christ has slipped or isn't as good as it could be. It's hard work! But it is worth it. Bishop Brooks has a sign in his office that say if you haven't chosen Christ, it doesn't matter what you have chosen (something like that). He is the way.

Life is such a journey. May we all put the effort into enjoying the journey!

Love youuuuu! But more importantly, God loves you.

Sincerely,

Elder Christensen

2-22-16 / I didn't write my family last week because.....‏

You can fill in the blank. I am sure there was some pretty creative ones. 

I HAVE OFFICIALLY BEEN ON MY MISSION FOR 1 YEAR AND 4 DAYS! 

It feels like a long time, but at the same time this was probably one of the fastest years of my life. What a weird paradox. Time is a weird thing. That means only one more Thanksgiving and Christmas on the mission. Man that's crazy. Before long I will be getting ready to go home and see your lovely faces. Weird to think about.

During Christmas and Easter the church releases a video for the missionaries to use. Since Easter is getting closer and closer, the video for us to use is getting closer and closer too. Its fun to use the video since we have iPads. We just pull our iPads out and show them a video and they get punched in the face by the spirit. Its fun. Hopefully we will have more success sharing it this time that during Christmas. People always used the lame excuse that they were busy, hopefully that won't be the case. 

What makes a mission so fun is interacting with a variety of people from all walks of life. It is so much fun. On Tuesday I went on exchanges with Elder Goeckeritz. This funny, older couple took us out to a Mexican restaurant to eat. We just met at their house and they drove us over. But two things they said were hilarious. I will give you the dialogue.

Ray (70 yr old man) *driving by this large sewage draining tunnel thing, looks over and sees that someone threw a Christmas tree from their backyard, over the fence, into the water canal thingy): "WOW! What a lazy bum. All they had to do was take their Christmas tree to the side of the road and the city would pick it up for free! Who would do such a thing? Who's house is that?" 

Clare (70 yr old woman, his wife) *quietest, calmest lady ever; proof that opposites attract. in the calmest, most couldn't care less voice*: "Wow that's awful... Lets fingerprint it."

*Later during the drive to Rosa's. We ended up talking about the Spanish Branch and how its grown so much*

Me: So do you speak Spanish?

Ray: No. I'm Italian!

Elder Goeckeritz: When did you move to America?

Ray: Oh when I was young, 8 I believe. If I still lived there I would be in what is now called Venezuela, close to the ankle. But if I did live there I would be under the rule of that dictator. What's his name again? Is it Chavez? No that's not right, or is it? Chavez? Did he just die or is he the older one. Clare, what's his name?

Clare: *Once again in a tone of "I couldn't care less"*: I don't know, I don't follow Venezuelan politics Ray.

Ray: *Silence*

So funny.

Love them. I have really come to love the members of the church and the people I work with. Grateful for their goodness and the opportunity I have to get to know them. People are great! Imagine how boring it would be if we were all the same? The food was pretty good too! 

We had a lesson with Jason and Pang again this past week. I think Pang is Chinese. She has a picture in her living room of her grandmother in her traditional culture clothes and it looks Chinese to me. I have never asked. It might be rude, I don't know. Anyways, she has 4 kids who we had never met because we always met in the afternoon when her kids were at school and thats when her husband was home. But her husband got a new job so he is home in the evenings now, so now we meet when the whole family is home! Their two youngest daughters joined us this time for the lesson, Avani and Sariah. It was awesome! I don't think they got much out of it, but they were so excited. They made us cookies and sat there the whole time. Its neat to see their family growing closer together as they learn about the restored gospel. They made the decision to come to church this coming Sunday with their neighbors. We will see how that goes. They are nervous for three hours of church. Trying to figure out how to give them the best experience possible. Exciting stuff! 

After our lesson we went and helped with Activity Days for about 10 minutes. Sis. Savage is the leader and since it was on missionary work she wanted us to come and talk for a few minutes. We met a 9 year old girl named Valeria who hasn't been baptized, but when asked if she wanted to she said yes. Hopefully we will be able to get some appointments with them and help her family. I asked her what she liked to do for fun and she said draw. I asked her what she liked to draw and she said anything that pops into my mind. I asked her what popped into her mind and she said a deformed horse. Oh how lovely!

We also met with John this past week. John has been coming to church for 2 years and has read the BoM twice, but hasn't felt like he has received an answer from the Holy Ghost as to whether or not to be baptized. He is a good guy. We went and talked about the Restoration. He knows a lot, so hopefully one day he will say its time and then take the plunge.

I have never had allergies in my life. People always, always complain about how bad the allergies are here in Texas. They always say if you haven't gotten them yet just wait. Well I have been here for a year and I was feeling pretty good about myself that I hadn't gotten them yet. But on Friday morning I was feeling feverish so I called Sis. Slaughter, the mother for 200 18-27 year olds for 3 years, to find out what it is/what to do to get it to go away. She asks me for the symptoms, I name two and then she just lists symptoms that I have. Then after she is done she says, "CONGRATULATIONS! You have Cedar Fever!" Aka allergies. The Texans were right, everyone will get allergies if you live here long enough. It was awful though for two days. So we stayed in and almost died of boredom. It was eating us slowly. 

Sunday was good though! Always refreshing to remember our covenants. We sang lots of good hymns too. I love the hymns. We have started going to Walsh Ranch Ward Council, and they are awesome! They have a great desire to do missionary work and we have lots of good discussions, but we are in that stage of going from talking about it and having the desire, to becoming and applying it. It will be exciting once they get things rolling. 

We are teaching Andie and her family the lessons again so we can get some practice teaching. We taught the Restoration yesterday. Its fun. 

The first half of this week is predicted to be rainy and then back to the 80's to dry everything up. Hopefully it does rain, it is getting really dry around here. Seasons don't really exist here. Everything is always green. Actually, the two seasons are hot and not so hot. 

I was studying the Sabbath Day this morning and some cool stuff stuck out to me. In Preach My Gospel it says that when a nation and individuals grow careless in their observance of the Sabbath Day, all aspects of life are negatively affected. It then says that when we do try to keep our activities on the Sabbath in line with the Lord's desires our lives are filled with joy and peace. What a powerful blessing. Now we just have to figure out what the Lord's will is for us on the Sabbath Day. We can do that by listening to our leaders. They will always lead us to what is right. 

Thanks for the letters and love. You all spoil me so much! I can feel the love. 

I love you too! Have a great week!

Love,

Elder Christensen 

2-18-16 / ENRICH YOUR LIFE WITH ALPACAS!‏

DISCLAIMER: For some reason all the emails I wrote didn't send on Monday. So then I resent them all. It didn't work. So now I am sending them a third time. PLEASE LET ME KNOW IF YOU GET THIS EMAIL! Everything's fine, my email on my iPad is just being odd. 

If you feel like your life needs some enriching, may I recommend that
you fill your life with Alpacas?

First off, happy Valentine's Day! I hope your day was filled with
chocolate and love! And if not oh well, there is always next year. Or
today, everyday is a good day for chocolate and love. Not much
happened for me on Valentine's Day. We just celebrated with 6 hours of
church. Church was my Valentine. ️

It was kind of an odd week. We didn't have tons of time to work in our
areas due to transfers and meetings. But it was a wonderful week
nevertheless. We went to a meeting on Thursday in SA. The meeting was
great but the three hours in the car and waking up at 4:30 was not. I
know I include this in just about every email but I love President
Slaughter. He was at the meeting and talked about faith. If we want to
move mountains and have great miracles in our lives all we need is
faith the size of a mustard seed. But the problem we have is the
inconsistency of our faith. If we are always exercising our faith that
might be the size of a mustard seed, it's consistent faith, it's great
faith, and then the Lord can work miracles. Consistent faith is great
faith. He knows the doctrine better than anyone I know. How do you
even find the time to know the doctrine so well with a job and family
and so many things that compete for time? It's impressive. We then
went to the temple to take pictures. It was nice to see the temple, it
had been a while. But we had our meeting then drove back to Austin and
did some planning of the weekly.

On Tuesday I went on exchanges with Elder Rallison. I went over to his
area and his area has a car. It was so nice being in a car for the
day. I didn't realize how spoiled I was in SA until I got on a bike.
Their area is doing so well. Elder Rallison is a smart worker and good
planner so I can see why. It was fun to learn from him. He is so
consecrated and a good example.

We went and visited our friend John this past week. He seemed like he
was doing alright. We stop by him every couple weeks and read a
chapter from the BoM with him and talk about it. I think we might bump
it up to weekly, because he is so friendly to us and always lets us
in. We read Mosiah 2. We had a good discussion about the importance of
keeping the commandments and our nothingness before God. He always
seems a little bit brighter after we visit with him. The BoM is a good
tool to invite the spirit.

On Friday I got to go to a cool meeting for the DL's at the Rutherford
chapel which is about 30 minutes away over in Austin. It was so good.
President Slaughter spoke the whole time and helped us catch the
vision of the mission so we can pass it down to the missionaries in
our district. It was kind of like being instructed by a general
authority. What a privilege it would be to be taught by the 12 and 70
personally. Can you imagine? I took away a lot of things I can do
better and things I can do to help my district. 2 of my old companions
were there too! Elder Rowland and Elder West were there and it was fun
to talk to them. Its always fun to remember the good ole times with
your old companions. Elder McKay was there too. We were in the same
apartment for 4 months and became good friends. It was a great
meeting. And what made it even better was that they bought us pizza
afterwards!

The weather this week will be way too hot for February. It's predicted
to be low 80's all week. Yikes.

We saw lots of small miracles this past week. Lots of times the spirit
would prompt us to do a small thing or direct us to a certain place
and it always ended up being productive. It's so cool to see that
happen. Every time it happens it always reminds me that God is aware
of all of us. He always leads us to someone who needs a visit or
listening ear. It's a cool thing.

We have a lesson set up with Jason and Pang on Wednesday. We invited
them to be baptized the last time we met and it kind of freaked them
out. Hopefully they will still be as gung ho about meeting as they
used to be. The McNeil family wants to be baptized though! The
daughters, Chelsea and Kaitlyn, have been going to mutual and coming
to church and the mom says they have never been happier. It's cool to
see them find happiness in the church and gospel. Megan, the mom,
hasn't stayed for three hours yet, but the daughters stay by
themselves for all of church. That's pretty impressive if I do say so
myself.

Nephi teaches us very well about the get hearing of Israel. He teaches
of the restoration of the gospel and how Israel will be gathered. In 2
Nephi 30:3 we learn that the gathering is to be done with a book, the
BoM. Those that believe the BoM and know it to be true will gather
Israel by sharing their beliefs and the BoM with others. Tentative
ring of Israel is to be done by us! Whenever we share the gospel or
the BoM with others, we are choosing to be a part of something much
bigger than just helping someone feel good inside. We are the ensign
to the nations and it is our job to invite. That's all we have to do,
invite! Pray for opportunities to invite and they will come, I
promise.

Have a great week! Love you all.

Sincerely,
Elder Christensen

Photo: At the temple on Thursday.

2-8-16 / In 10 days I will have been on my mission for 1 year. How did that happen?‏

The time just keeps on going! The days, on occasion, feel slow, but the weeks go by so very fast. I am grateful I get to stay here another 6 weeks. Vista Ridge and Walsh Ranch are great wards and I am looking forward to serving the people.

My new companion is Elder Camire (Kuh-mare-ee). I still struggle with his name, its kind of embarrassing. So for now I just call him Elder, I think I am starting to get it though. He is from Paradise, UT in Cache Valley. Hopefully we will be able to work together to help strengthen peoples faith in Christ. I have a picture of us but a lady took it and she said she would email it to me and she hasn't yet. If it doesn't come today you might have to wait until next week. Sorry!

This week has been interesting. A lot has happened! I can't remember if I told you last week (here we go again), but they switched up transfers. Since the brethren have said no more transfer meetings, it was a little hectic with it being the first time doing it differently. 

Backstory, the New Hope ward and Leander ward were split in half. Two new wards were made so

the Elders that covered NH and Leander were then covering 4 wards. Yikes. They brought in two new Elders to cover NH and Liberty Hill ward. One of the Elders was one my former companions, Elder Shipley. We are in the same district. What are the odds? Kind of funny. They got transferred in thought without a phone, car, or a place to live. Kind of sketch. But we got everything worked out, so now two more Elders live with us in our apartment, which has been kind of fun. But my companion didn't get here until Wednesday, so I was companion-less for a couple days :'(

I just hung out with some Elders for one day and then another set of Elders for the other. It was fun. Then on Wednesday we drove into Austin to the stake center to pick up my compa. He was supposed to get there at 8:45 pm but didn't get there until 10. We just had a good game of basketball going on. Good times. But that was the beginning of my week, so not much work was done. 

Then on Friday we had some lessons. One of them was with Jason and Pang. They are doing well. They can't see it themselves but there is more light in their home and lives because of the gospel and their willingness to read the bom and experiment upon the word. They are starting to open up to us a little bit which is nice, starting to become friends. We brought up baptism this lesson and that kind of freaked them out. They recognize that its a huge commitment, but we told them it was a very joyful, hard path to walk. Hopefully they choose to do whats right. They are so smart and they understand, now they just need to act on the knowledge they have received.  We asked what it was like to read the bom for the first time and Pang's response was, "it has a lot of similarities to the bible. Adam and Eve and disobedient children and so does Lehi. That shows me that God is interacting with them the same way in the bom and bible." Who says that??? No one, just the incredibly prepared. So that was cool. We taught the Plan of Salvation and they had a lot of questions answered. We got to the fall and we turned to 2 Nephi 2:22-25 and said that this tells us what would of happened if Adam and Eve would not have partaken of the fruit. Pang said, "oh I have always wondered that!" Then Jason afterwards said, "That makes so much sense! I had always wondered where Jesus Christ had came from and why He was chosen as the Christ." All I have to say is, if they don't get baptized, that will be a silly mistake. They know and see the truthfulness of this way too much. 

We had some beautiful days this past week, it was in the mid 70s to low 80s. It was gorgeous. Biking around in that weather is lots of fun. Much better than 30s and 100% humid. But as soon as the sun goes down it gets way cold. Then you need like 2 jackets and gloves. 

Fast and testimony meeting always attracts an interesting crowd. Walsh Ranch has one f the best Fast and testimony meetings I have ever been to, but yesterday a lady got up and went baptist mode. It was very entertaining. Going to a baptist church where they preach and get loud would be so entertaining, but you wouldn't learn much. I can see the appeal. Every time someone did something she agreed with she would yell "Amen!" It was awesome. The bishop called up some kids who were baptized the day before and he said something like we are grateful for these children and the decision they have made to follow their Savior, and then the awesome yell from the back, AMEN! All throughout sacrament meeting. It sure spiced things up. We had never seen her in our life but she said she was a member directed to the church today by the holy spirit. She had a lot of people say hello and say thank you for the testimony. I bet she is a great lady, just out of the ordinary for a LDS service. Fun though! It must be hard to be a bishop when someone gets up there and starts saying off the wall things. Hard judgement to make. 

The South-East area is implementing this new plan to help members become more active and help people that have not received ordinances to get them. We met with the WR bishopric to discuss the plan and it sounds like it is going to be awesome. The ward council comes up with a list of people that need additional ministering and then the missionaries go with members identified by WC that would be best and teaches them and addresses needs. Then its reported to the ward council through the ward mission leader. Then if no progress is being made, we identify someone new to work with and help them receive ordinances and set goals. We will see how it goes, but I am excited. I think it will make the WC and missionaries more unified. Sometimes it feels like we are off doing our own thing and the WC is doing something else, which isn't very productive. But this will help. New wards, new plans, the Kingdom is growing. Exciting time to be apart of the work. 

We had another baptism this week for Andie! It was so sweet. She is the sweetest little girl and she was so very excited. There was a difference in her countenance after she received the gift of the Holy Ghost. It was cool to see. They are a great family and I was grateful to be apart of helping them. They then took us to lunch and has us over the next day for dinner. Lots of good people in the world.

Because of the Restoration we know that we existed before we came to this life. We know that we had a decision to make before we came to this life. That decision was who to follow, Satan or our Heavenly Father? We know that we chose to follow Heavenly Father because we exist! We have bodies. Those that followed Satan do not have bodies and they never will. But not only did we follow Christ, we were among the noble and great ones. We were taught before we came to this life how to labor among the vineyard to help others return to live with Heavenly Father. In Alma 13 we learn that all who hold the Priesthood were chosen and prepared before the foundation of the world to hold it. In Alma 13:6 we learn our duty, to teach the commandments to others, that they too might have everlasting life. What trust we have been given! Knowing that we existed before this life and made the correct decision to follow Christ makes me want to be and do better. I want to help ion this cause. I know that this is true. I know this is true because I know the BoM is true. The Restoration really did happen. 

I love you all! Thanks for your kind words and thoughtfulness. Have a great week!

Love,

Elder Christensen 

2-1-16 / 81 degrees in January?

What is this magic? It was so stinkin' hot. But now its going back to 40's. You go from 6 coats and gloves to wanting to go swimming in the course of a week. That is something I have never experienced. 

The Brethren have said "No More Transfer Meetings!" Which is a big meeting where missionaries get their new companions and go to their new ares. It almost always took up half the day so now we will have more time to do missionary work. Which means the whole system has changed, again. Originally the Assistants to the President would call all the companionships in the mission and tell them stay or go. That would happen Sunday night and then we would have 4 days to pack up and then we would get transferred on Thursday. I assume that was way too much work for the poor AP's so they switched it up. They then sent an email with all transfer information at 5:00 pm on Tuesday the week of transfers. Then you knew everything that was happening and you had two days to pack for the transfer on Thursday. Now we get a call from the zone leaders Monday morning telling us where we are going and our new companion and where we need to be in order to exchange. Then you pack during p-day and are transferred Tuesday morning. I think the new way will be the best way and of course it will be, this is the Lord's way of doing it revealed through His servants. 

So I will be staying in Vista Ridge/Walsh Ranch pedaling as much as possible for the next 6 weeks. Elder McNeil is being transferred to my hometown, East Zone! That will be so much fun for him. I love San Antonio. I will be getting my new companion on Wednesday. Hopefully someone offers to take a picture of us and then sends it to my mommy so you will know who my new companion is! 

This week was awesome! So much good stuff has been happening and we are continuing to be blessed. Why? I don't know, but we are. Missionary work is so interesting. You work hard and try to talk to everyone and the Lord will always lead you to those that are ready to be taught. We rarely talk to someone and they say yes come on in. We are always led to them in some divine way. Such was the case this past week!

We started to teach a couple with 4 kids, Jason and Pang. They feel ready to learn more about God and strive to follow Him and live good lives. They really want their kids to have faith and belief in something as well. But since neither of them know anything about Christianity, they didn't know where to start, but they liked how their neighbor lived her life and the good things her family had. Their neighbor is a member of the VR ward! Pang asked if she could have a Bible and the member gave Pang a Bible and a BoM and then told us. We went and stopped by and we didn't even have to ask if we could come over and teach her, she asked us if we went around teaching people and if we could come by. It was too easy! So we set up an appointment. We didn't see a man of the house anywhere so we didn't know if there was one of if he would be interested. Normally the lady will be interested but the guy will hide in some room. We went back for our appointment and Jason was just as excited to see us as Pang was. We had an awesome lesson on the Restoration and they had so many questions. It was great! Then they wanted us to come back the day after the next and teach them again. Very cool. I often just want to tell people to keep the commandments and your life will be so much better; live the gospel and you will be happy, have direction and purpose. Just try it! I guess that's all we can do right? Invite people to act on the message of the Restoration. 

We were also led to another family by a member this past week. A RM invited his aunt and her family to church, and they came. The daughter, Chelsea, 16, is half way through the BoM. We had a lesson with Megan and the dad, Sheldon, and we are going to meet again this week. Coming to know that the gospel is true is the best journey you could make. Then acting on that knowledge will bring so much joy. 

The car lot continues to get more and more cool cars. They have a few more Ferraris and a Lambo. Haven't gotten pictures yet, but I will. 

Friday was madness. We biked all over Ceder Park and Round Rock, from appointment to appointment. It was a fun day. We are teaching a less-active girl named Mia. The first time we met with her she didn't have much light in her eyes, but it was better this time. Its neat to see that happen. The gospel brings light! They have this cute little beagle puppy that trips on its floppy ears and this massive black, skittish dog that barks at everything. Its a funny, good home. 

We also had a lesson with a guy named John that moved into our area. The lady that was with him could TALK. I haven't ran into that since SA. But her topic was why there shouldn't be any technology in sacrament meeting. She ranted about this for at least an hour.We just kind of thought she was nuts and poked fun but then at church on Sunday, the Bishop got up and encouraged us not to use technology during sacrament meeting. Ironic. John though, the investigator, has been coming to church for two years and has read the BoM twice, and hasn't felt like the spirit has prompted him or told him that he needs to be baptized. That is craziness. So we will try and find out what is going on there. He is coming to church and doing all that good stuff but he is missing out on blessings he could have if he was a baptized member. 

Then on Saturday, we had the H family baptism! It was an awesome baptism and the spirit was strong. There was at least 50+ people there to support them. Then we had a fiesta afterwards. The dad has a friend that makes cake from scratch. The lady made 3 big cakes for the baptism and they were amazingly delicious. Rivaled any cake I have ever tasted. We didn't get any pictures with them because it felt weird; we didn't do anything. All we did was knock on their door a few times and teach a lesson. It was all them! Hopefully they will stay active. Now they can work on being sealed in the temple. 

6 hours of church is getting harder and harder. It's too long just sitting there and learning about the gospel. You got to get out and live the gospel too or else it won't work. Oh well, our presence is appreciated. We go to the Priest Quorum for the 3rd hour and because of it we have gotten some youth to come with us to lessons and what not. Try inviting the missionaries to your priest quorum meeting on Sunday sometime, it might help! 

Oh can't remember if I told you, but, Andie, the girl with cerebral palsy is good to go! she will be baptized this Saturday. Apparently she has more agency than the normal kid with that problem, so she can make mistakes and sin. She is a sweet girl, if she could talk she would be teaching us. She is better than all of us. 

Our theme in one of our sacrament meetings yesterday was keep the commandments. A lot of scriptures were used from Mosiah chapter 2. I read that this morning and couple verses in particular stuck out to me, Mosiah 2:22-24. "And behold, all that he requires of you is to keep his commandments; and he has promised you that if ye would keep his commandments ye should prosper in the land; and he never doth vary from that which he hath said; therefore, if ye do keep his commandments he doth bless you and prosper you. And now, in the first place, he hath created you, and granted unto you your lives, for which ye are indebted unto him. And secondly, he doth require that ye should do as he hath commanded you; for which if ye do, he doth immediately bless you; and therefore he hath paid you. And ye are still indebted unto him, and are, and will be, forever and ever; therefore, of what have ye to boast?" The question, "of what have ye to boast?" is poignant. Really, what have we to boast? Nothing. What a great perspective given to us by King Benjamin; what great chastisement and comfort comes from this as well. We are all the same, God loves us all and wants us all to return. It's through His gift that that is possible anyways. So keep the commandments and give thanks to God. 

Not much happened fun wise this week that's worth telling, just lots of work. But here is a picture of a delicious peach!

Have a great week!

Love,

Elder Christensen

1-25-16 / President Polley

The new Texas San Antonio Mission President has been announced, Todd B. Polley. I think he is coming sometime this Summer. That will be a change for sure.

We had a worldwide missionary broadcast put on by the Quorum of the Twelve and Presidency of the Seventy, and the missionary board. Elder Andersen gave a great talk about our role as missionaries; bear witness of the name of Christ. He said the name of the Savior should always be on our lips. If we don't know what to say or talk about, talk about the Savior. The Savior gave us a promise that if we always taught others of the doctrine of Christ and taught of the Savior, the Savior would speak our name unto the Father. That's incredible. They focused a lot on the basics of missionary work and it was a great opportunity to focus on my purpose and remember why I came on a mission. 

The doctrine of Christ is so simple. Have faith in Jesus Christ and His Atonement, repent, be baptized, receive the gift of the Holy Ghost, and endure to the end. That is the only way to return to live with Heavenly Father and qualify for eternal life. Not always easy, but simple. Grateful for the Restoration which makes this truth known. 

Last Monday for P-Day we went mountain biking. It was pretty cool. We ride a trail called
Brushy Creek trail which takes us over to Walsh Ranch ward, but we always stay on the paved path. We always see other paths that lead off into the middle of no where. We took some of them to see where they went and they were rocky and hilly. I wasn't the best at it, I'm too light. Not enough weight to keep my bike on the ground. But some of the trails I could do better than others. It was good. If you got out of the cities of Texas, it would be a cool place to explore and roam around.

We are seeing tons of blessings in the Vista Ridge ward, but really struggling in the Walsh Ranch ward. From our new apartment to the top, main area of Walsh Ranch, it takes an hour and a half to bike. We don't have time to bike there and do some decent work and then bike back. We tried this past week and it was a no go. We are going to have to ask the good ole members for rides.  We have such good, supportive members, I am sure they would, all we have to do is ask. They love us and we love them. They are always bringing us food or leaving us treats. Way too nice, but I feel the love and I love them too. 

The H family will be baptized this Saturday! The ward and the H family are so excited. The mom came to church yesterday and stayed for all three hours. That was awesome to see. They are such a good family, they will be great kingdom builders. They will get to experience the awesome blessings of keeping the Sabbath day holy and coming to church, which blessing is peace and joy. Good to see. 

I can't remember if I have mentioned Maria in past emails, but if I haven't then here you go! Maria is the brother of a member in the WR ward. She isn't a member, but when she lived in Michigan she took the discussions and ever since then has LOVED missionaries. Here is a story of God's perfect golden thread. The first transfer I was in this area we got a phone call from her asking if we could help her load some stuff into a trailer that she was going to donate to people in Mexico. We go and help her, she buys us like 10 bags of groceries and we lose contact for a while until about 2 weeks ago. We were in the area so we stopped by to say hello and see if she needed anything. We chat for a while and then she asks us if we could rake her leaves. We say yes, schedule a time, and then go on our merry way. She loves to feed us so we go back and she made us lunch, we have lunch, and we talk to Maria and her mom. Her mom is probably in her 70-80's but has been meeting with different churches trying to find the truth. She has been meeting with the seventh day Adventist and Jehovah's witnesses. She brings up some odd concerns and things she has been told and I find them amusing at first until I realize how serious she is. She is seriously looking for truth. So we set up an appointment for next week. It is so neat to see how people are led and directed to the gospel and to missionaries. Maria is such a good hearted person, just has some concerns with what we believe. It all started with her brother who joined the church when he was in his 20's, because h joined the church they took the lessons, because they took the lessons they were introduced to missionaries and the church, Maria wants to serve the missionaries and loves them, we come in contact with her again when she moved to Texas, we have an appointment set up. God has such a perfect plan for everyone. I am so convinced of that, even when things are hard and I complain, I know He has a plan.

I had the privilege of going on exchanges with Elder Goeckritz this week. He is a new Elder in our district. We had an Emergency Transfer and he joined the 4 man district. It was a good day! We were able to do a lot. We met a lady named Marty who was almost baptized in the past, but is struggling to see the commandments as a blessing and not a burden. She is open to us coming over though so we will read the BoM with her and try to help her build her faith. We also met with a girl named Mia. She is the daughter of a family in WR but hasn't been to church in a while. She expressed the desire to take the lessons and learn more about what we believe. Hopefully she decides to act on the invitations we extend and experience the blessings of the gospel. It was a fun exchange. 

Yesterday was another day of 6 hours of church. I like it, but sometimes I get really tired. We sat next to our ward mission leader and his family. I sat next to his 9 year old daughter and son. They are so funny. The 9 year old boy has no filter.The girl was trying to color but the boy kept wanting her to find words in his crossword. She was being so patient with him, but at one point she leaned over to me and said "he is driving me crazy with his crossword book!" I love little kids. It was also a good Sunday because a lot of random people just showed up because their friends had invited them. We gave an older guy a BoM. He said he wasn't interested in meeting yet but he did want to read the BoM. A girl named Megan also came and we have an appointment with her. This is proof that if you invite your friends to come to church they will probably say yes and be honored that you invited them. If they can tell that you truly love them, it will build your friendship that much more. We had a good discussion in ward council about missionary work and I think one of the thoughts brought up is worth mentioning. We talked about how we often think of missionary work as inviting a certain friend to church and them being baptized. That might happen if we are lucky, but most of the time its not going to. The Lord has a perfect plan for them to be baptized but it is all in His timing. We can best help when we invite. Every church activity should be seen as an opportunity to invite others to experience what brings us the light that we have. In short, if we are truly friends with someone, missionary work isn't hard, all we have to do is invite. 

 I like being a part of ward council though. Lots of good people that want to move the work forward and help build the kingdom. I get to learn a lot from their examples and who they are. I appreciate the goodness of good people, it makes me feel good inside. I've noticed that the happiest families are the ones that center their lives on the gospel. Grateful for the gospel and the ability it has to bless families. 

We are still working with Andy. She is going to be baptized next Saturday. She has cerebral palsy so we weren't sure what to do with the baptismal interview. She is over 8 so she has to have one, but it all worked out and she is good to go. She is so sweet. It will be a great experience for her family.

I find great comfort in the words of the Lord as found in D&C 88:63, "Draw near unto me and I will draw near unto you; seek me diligently and ye shall find me; ask, and ye shall receive; knock, and it shall be opened unto you." The Lord will come unto us with the same intensity that we come unto Him. What a beautiful promise. Even if you feel like it isn't working, keep pushing forward and keeping the commandments. Continue to exercise faith and you will be grateful you did. I also love the invitation in this scripture to ask questions. We are also given the promise that we shall have our questions answered. It doesn't say immediately or when we want, but we are promised that they will be answered and the door will be opened.

May we all strive to seek the Lord with a burning desire, that He may come unto us in the same manner!

Love you all!

Sincerely,

Elder Christensen

Mosiah 16:9