week ending 4.24.11

Hey,

Happy Easter to all! This week is a great week and a sad week because this computer won't let me send a photo to you all of my new companion. Yes, I was changed and now I am in a new ward as well. I am in the ward Zañartu, I will give anyone a dollar that doesn't know how to speak Spanish that can say that name. haha. It's in a place called Quilicura. I am really excited to be here and my new companion is from Nephi, Utah and his name is Elder Evans. He seems like a good guy and I am really excited to be here and I am still a District Leader so that is pretty sweet! haha.

This morning something happened that we shouldn't do but it was out of my power, Danilo came to see me and I signed a baseball that I had and he loved it. Oh mom, I need more baseballs, it's a sweet new gift for the people here. haha. And Danilo started to cry and I was like don't cry, you're going to make me cry and I don't cry I am a man. I was joking with him to make him smile so he would stop crying. haha. Well, I am happy it was the first time that I was not sad to be changed. I am still sad that I left all those people that are so sweet but I am happy to be here!

I also learned something really cool this morning, that the way of the Lord is the best way and the way of Elder Christensen is not the best way. The Lord knows best and He does what He thinks best. So I will go and do what the Lord commands and not complain about anything. haha.

Thank you all for your letters and your love, I feel the power of your prayers every day and I am really grateful for them. Have a good week!!

love,
Elder Christensen

week ending 8.29.10

Hey everyone,

Well this week I hit the one year mark in the mission and it was lame and hard. But my companion made me a little surprise and put stuff on my bed like you can see in the photos.

He is a great companion helping me remember that I am half way done. I think my family is more excited than me, because I don't want it to end. haha.

I'll tell you about something that happened to me and something that I learned this morning:

I have been having a hard time lately and I have found out why. I am reading in 1 Nephi 8 where it talks about the iron rod. I have followed the rod to the fruit and now I am ashamed.  (1 Nephi 8:25).

like what it says in the Bible;

Romans 1:16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ; for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth.....

2 Timothy 1:8 Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord,....

We shouldn't be ashamed of our testimonies and the gospel of Christ. I think I am ashamed because I love the world more at this time. So I need to forget the world and not be ashamed.

There is some strong quest in Mormon 8:38 .....Why are ye ashamed to take upon you the name of Christ? Why do ye not think that greater is the value of an endless happiness than that misery which never dies--because of the praise of the world? The one that hit me the most was ...because of the praise of the world.  Man that's me.  I have been searching for the praise of the world. That will only take me to an endless misery - so something needs to change.

There is a lot more to my study about this topic and man, I learned so much that I need to learn to love the fruit and not be ashamed of what I believe and stand up strong against the world. I love the gospel - it's changing me so much.  I am becoming a new person every day.

So I have a testimony that we need to build our testimonies upon the rock, (Christ) and when we do that - when the devil comes to get us we will be ready for the attack. Thanks for supporting me for this year and all the prayers that you have sent my way. Now if you could keep Leti and Guillarmine in your prayers it would be great - thanks!

love you all.

Love,
Elder Christensen

week ending 8.1.10

Hey everyone,

 

I was having a good week and then I got sick and I was told to stay in the house. So that brought my spirits a little down, but I was talking to a member one night and she was asking some questions. I started to receive thoughts that weren't mine, I knew that they came from my Heavenly Father.  I told her that when we are going through hard times we need to be happy, because, when we are sad, satan is attacking us because he knows that we are doing something good. He is going to do everything he can to bring us down and not enjoy what we are doing. So next time you are having a hard time, go to our Heavenly Father and ask for strength to overcome satan and enjoy the good things in life. And then another thing came into my head - it was a scripture from the Bible, James 2:26.  It talks about that our faith is dead if we don't have works.  Works are those little things we do, for example, pray every day, read the scriptures, go to church, follow the commandments, try and become like Christ every day, set goals, forgive others, and most of all forgive ourselves. If we can do some of those little things everyday we will have stronger faith. I know this because I have been putting this in practice and it has been working for me. I know that this is true, I know the Church of Jesus Christ is the true church on the earth. I will tell anyone that, that I come in contact with. I love my Savior.

 

love,

Elder Christensen

week ending 7.18.10

Hey everyone,

 

This week was great, I have been growing so much. I have learned that I am in one of the biggest tests of my life, I have a lot of responsibility and I haven't been really used to having so much to worry about. But this is teaching me so much to get me ready for the life after the mission. And I have realized that I am getting converted to the gospel still, I have a strong testimony but I am missing something and I have been doing the small things that we need to do to find and fill those things that we are missing.

 

First, we need to read the scriptures everyday and apply them to our lives.

Second, we need to pray everyday and ask for help and follow what the spirit tells us to do.

Third, meditate what we have read and learned and pray again.

Fourth, go to church every Sunday, not only to go but with a question or a doubt that we might have and search for the answer.

 

I know if we can do these 4 small things we can have the help of the Holy Ghost in our lives so much stronger and we will know what we need to do. I have a scripture for you all, 1 Nephi 17:13:

"And I will also be your light in the wilderness; and I will prepare the way before you, if it so be that ye shall keep my commandments; wherefore, inasmuch as ye shall keep my commandments ye shall be led towards the promised land; and ye shall know that it is by me that ye are led."

 

I love this scripture, it has been a helping hand for me in the hard times. I know that the Savior is our light and he has made a path for us, we just need to follow what he wants us to do and we will be lead by him. I know this is the true church on the earth and that Christ lives and has his Prophet Thomas Monson to help us in the hard times. I love this Gospel, it has changed my life and it's still changing.

 

Thanks for all the help everyone and for your prayers. Have a good week.

 

Love,

Elder Christensen

week ending 4.25.10

Hey everyone,

Well, I really don't know what to say this week, nothing really happened that is really worth writing about.  So I am going to write my testimony....

I know that this church is true - that no other church in the world has the priesthood power to save and bless people.  That this power was restored through the prophet Joseph Smith, under the direction of Jesus Christ.  I know that Jesus Christ is the Savior of the world and there are 5 things we need to do to receive eternal life, salvation, blessings and help from out Heavenly Father:

1. have faith in Christ.

2. repent for our sins

3. be baptized, in the way Christ was baptized (the age of responsiblity, emersion, priesthood power).

4. receive the Holy Ghost.

5. endure to the end, (10 commandments, repent, go to church every Sunday and partake of the sacrament.)

I know if we do these things we will live with our families after this life and also with our Father in Heaven and Jesus Christ.  Life is simple, when we put our faith and our confidence in Christ we will get through everything. I know that the plan of salvation is true, I know that we are on the earth for a reason and when we have completed our task, our Father in Heaven calls us home.  It might not be the way we want to go but it's the way that was planned for us.  I know that my family members that have died are waiting for me and helping me out in my mission. 

I love my Heavenly Father and my brother Jesus Christ, my testimony is the strongest it's ever been.  I love doing the work of the Lord. I don't have doubts that this is the only true church of Christ. I want to share this testimony with every person.

I love you all and thank you for your support.  Have a good week and we will talk next week.

love,  Elder Christensen

week ending 4.11.10

Hey everyone,

Well, I got changed, I am now in Santiago in a place called Conchali. It's the same address to send me letters. It's a lot different from San Felipe, but I know I am going to like it.

It was really hard to leave San Felipe and all my friends and converts, but I know that there are people in this new sector (Conchali 10) waiting for me. But I hope that all goes well in San Felipe.

My new companion is from Utah. He is from West Valley just like me but he went to Hunter High. He has been here for a long time and I know that we are going to work really well together and become good friends. I will be sending a photo of him next week because I didn't remember to take one before we got here to write. I will tell you a little more about him next week.

The baptism of Marcela was amazing, her dad came and he was crying, her step mom was crying, and everyone was crying. She has been waiting 2 years to be baptized and the day came and passed with a lot of happiness. I am happy that I got to be a part of it and help her complete her dreams. I love this work, the work of the Lord.

All we have to do in this life is be willing to do what the Lord wants us to do and we will be happy and have fun and be safe and all the good things. It was hard to leave my old sector but I know it's the Lord's will so it's my will too. I love the Lord and all that he does.

I love you all. Take care.

Elder Christensen

week ending 4.4.10

Hey everyone,

Well, everyone has been asking about Easter and how it's celebrated down here. As far as I know they don't do a lot. They hide some eggs and that's about it. It's not that big here I don't think, but there were great feelings still.

Okay this weekend was amazing!! I love Conference! I learned so much this weekend, and I enjoyed so many of the talks. I forgot my notes that I wanted to share with you so I am going to try and remember some of them. One of the quotes I loved was, "If you give a man a fish it will feed him for a meal, but if you teach a man how to fish you feed him for a lifetime." I loved that. It made me think of the Lord and when he called his apostles that were fishermen, he told them follow me and I will make you fishers of men. He taught them what they needed to know so they could feed for a life time and so they could share it with everyone. That's how I feel, that I have been taught something amazing that will help me forever and now I am sharing it will others so they can be feed forever by the word of God. I never really looked at my mission like that until I heard that, it makes me feel honored to be sharing this message.

week ending 1.31.10

Hey everyone,

This is Luisa, ya she got baptized! ooh yeah! Man, this lady was so sad when I first met her about 2 months ago. She made some big changes and she has changed so much. Okay, when Elder Davies and I contacted her door she was crying and told us to come in. Everything in her life was going the wrong way, like it was bad. She has had some really hard trials in her life. I won't go into that but just trust me. She smoked a lot and when we asked her to stop smoking I was thinking this is going to be hard. But when we asked her to make a goal to stop, she said, yeah, let's do it. I was like, wait a second, what did you say? So I asked her again. man, the Lord works in ways we can't see and understand but i know that He is there working, because I have seen it. Even though I have only been here for 3 months and 2 weeks or so, I have seen some amazing stuff. I love this work.