Monday, September 27, 2010

week ending 9.26.10

Hey everyone!
Well last night we had changes, the whole day we were just worrying because we wanted to stay together another change. Oh man it was so scary, but at 11:20 we got the call and they told us that we are going to be together again. Elder Nielsen and I were pretty excited, he jumped on me after they told us and was going crazy! haha! What a crazy little kid haha. So we have been together for 3 months almost and we will be serving together until November 7, it's going to be a good change.
For our investigators, we have been teaching Karl still and we got a Book of Mormon in German for him and he was really happy. Now he can understand the stuff we read with him a lot better. He speaks a little Spanish and the reason why he came here was for work. He worked in a mine in Austria and then he came here to do it. He is liking it here but misses home but he also feels at home when he goes to church! He is so cool! Karl has a goal to be baptized the 10 of Oct.
The photo is of Carolina and Monesrrat, they are 2 of the people we are teaching right now and they are doing really well they have a goal of getting baptized on the 24 of Oct. Please keep them in your prayers so they can keep completing all the stuff to became ready for their baptism. A little about them, the mom is a single mom with 3 kids and they are really humble and have a lot of love for one another and the mom works really hard to help out her family. I know the gospel will help out this family so much I am so excited to keep working with them! 
We have one more little girl we are teaching, Camila, she is the girl that is really smart. She went to church with her mom and liked it a lot. This little girl is amazing! She just takes everything in and loves to keep learning about Christ. So we taught her the 10 Commandments and she learned them all in one day and the next day she could tell us all 10, it was really cool! She also has a goal of getting baptized on the 10 of Oct. so we are going to be working a lot with her and her family so they can come unto the gospel. Keep them in your prayers.
So I was studying this morning and I got a feeling that I needed to study about sacrifice, so I did. I learned a lot and now I want to start sacrificing a little bit more. Some of the things I learned:
•to receive a remission of all our sins Christ only asks for a broken heart and a contrite spirit. If we don't do this we wont receive all the blessing that we could receive for the Atonement of Christ.
•"if you are willing to sacrifice as the Lord has commanded, you will be accepted by Him. He taught, "All ... who know their hearts are honest, and are broken, and their spirits contrite and are willing to observe their covenants by sacrifice- yea, every sacrifice which I, the Lord, shall command- they are accepted of me" (D&C 97:8). With an eternal perspective, you can see giving up the things of the world is really no sacrifice at all. The blessing you receive are greater than anything you ever give up." - True to the Faith, pg. 150
  
Man, only if we could understand that what we give up here isn't even that big of a deal because what we will receive in the life to come with be so BIG!!!! Sacrificing a little for a lot isn't that hard. I know that sacrifice is a big part of the gospel and that when we learn to sacrifice unselfishly we will be so much happier. I know that I am in the true gospel of Christ and that I am doing his work! and I am loving it!
Thanks for all that you guys do for me and all your prayers. I love you all! Have a good week!
love,
Elder Christensen.

Tuesday, September 21, 2010

week ending 9.20.10

Hey everyone,
Well this week was a good week for us!  We had a great time because Chile was in party mode!  haha. They celebrated 200 years of independence so they gave everyone 4 days off of work and all that fun stuff. Our ward had a sweet activity that we went to and the pictures are from the activity - and yes, I had a good time. The one where I have flour all over my face is from a race where we had to spin 20 times then run to a chair and thread a needle and then run to another chair and drink/eat this drink they have here - it's call "mote con huecillos" it's really good.  The next chair had a bowl with water and a spoon that we had to pull out with our mouth then the last chair they had a coin hidden under a pillow of flour and we had to get it out with our mouth and my mouth was full of flour - but on the good side I won! haha. It was super fun.
After the games we went inside to watch a show that they had planned and they had all types of dances from Chile and they were really cool.  I took a lot of pics and videos so it was a good night for my camera.  I want to come back to Chile and learn the dance that they have here and dance them of course.  haha.

 So about the people we are teaching, we have been teaching the guy from Austria still and he is super cool, he prays in German and I have no idea what he is saying - haha. but it's cool, it's fun to teach him and he loves the church and keeps coming to church every Sunday, he will be getting baptized next month. Then we have a family of 4 - a mom and 3 kids (22,15,12).  They are really amazing, they are passing for some tests right now but they are ready to hear the gospel so I am really happy that we found them and have the chance to teach them. We are also teaching a little 9 year old girl - her mom is a member and they want to go to church and this little girl is like a sponge, she just takes everything in and understands everything. That's what you look for on the mission. haha.
Well if you could put Karl, from Austria. Carolina, Carolina, son, Monseratt, the family, and Camila the 9 year old in your prayers it would be great! Thanks.
Love you all - have a good week!
Love,
Elder Christensen

Monday, September 13, 2010

week ending 9.13.10

Hey everyone,
Well this week we have seen a lot of things happen... from changes in the mission to people telling us that they didn't feel like following any more and then calling us later in the week and saying that they want to keep learning and be baptized. Yes, I was talking about Guillermina, She told us that her heart is closed and doesn't want to follow her answers. It was like taking a 90 mph fastball to the back - it hurt really bad, but I know that she knows that everything is true. I even told her that I know that she knows and she said yes you're right. Thanks to the spirit I could know those things. We left feeling a little down but she gave us a call on Saturday telling us that she wants to keep learning and doing all the stuff. Man, it brought more joy then the pain we felt. It was great!
Let's see, what else happened?  Well, we are teaching a guy from Austria and speaks less Spanish then me and speaks German. He said a prayer in German the other day and it was cool! I could understand a little, I think, but it was cool.  I want to learn how to speak German now. haha. He has a baptism date for the 10 of Oct. So I am really excited for him!
I have been learning more about the importance of being 100% obedient.  Man it really kicks my butt but its so worth it. haha. There are things that I don't understand but I do them anyways because I know that I need to do them to show my love for Christ. There are lots of times that we don't understand why we can't do things or why we have some commandments but they are there to help us and we need to trust in the Lord that he knows best and that he has the way ready for us to complete. I have learned this through putting it to the test and seeing the blessings that comes from being obedient. So be obedient.  haha.
I love you all and I know that this is the true church and there is no other church that can bring the eternal life to men. only the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.
love,
Elder Christensen
PS. a guy just came into the internet place selling pens that say I Love Chile and have a flashlight on it for 50 cents or 250 pesos, and yes, I bought it.  haha.

Monday, September 6, 2010

week ending 9.5.10

Hey everyone!
Well this week was a crazy one, every day felt like it went by really fast.  I would wake up and then the next thing I knew I was in my bed again going to sleep. The time is starting to go really fast and I am not liking it to much. If it stays like this I will be home before I know it and i will be happy,sad. haha. But we had a good week, 2 days I wasn't with Elder Nielsen.  We have changes for a day and its cool to get to know other missionaries, but every time Elder Nielsen and I would get back together we would through a small party, it's great.

One of the things that happened this week is that Cristian turned 28 so we had a BBQ for lunch with him and his family. All the photos that I sent to you guys was at the BBQ.  The one with me is the Pot leaves that they have in their house.  They aren't going to use them but I was going to put a card saying break in case of emergencies, but I was lazy. 
haha. They got CONFIRMED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Wooooooooooooooooooooo. Now we are on the road to a eternal family - so happy for them!  They are doing good and making friends in the ward so we are really happy with what is going on and how everything is working out with them. So keep putting them in your prayers so they can make it to the temple in one year!

With Leti and Guillermina, they are doing great and going to church.  The only thing is that Guillermina doesn't believe that Joseph Smith was a prophet of God.  We found out why and its because she doesn't want to get baptized if she gets an answer. But we helped her see that it's really important that she gets baptized so she is going to pray again to see if Joseph Smith was a Prophet. So please put her in your prayers that she can get an answer from God. thanks.
So I had a question and I learned something this week...
•Why was it important that Christ had to bleed his own blood?
(to let you know I studied this in Spanish so I am translating from Spanish into English so lets hope it works. haha)
 Matt 26:28--- this is my blood, bleed for the remission of sins.
that led me to a different scripture in the bible in Exodus:
Exodus 24:3-8---Christ had to bleed for our sins has a symbol for sacrifice, because in the law of Moses the people had to do blood sacrifices to receive forgiveness. they had to do that because Jehovah made that convent with them.
then in Hebrews 9:15-22 it teaches us and says " with out bleeding of blood there is no remission of sins." I know that Christ lives and that he paid for my sins and all the sins of the world and I would do anything for him to show him how much I love him. That is my testimony!

Love you all!  Have a good week!
Love,
Elder Christensen
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