week ending 11.28.10

Hey everyone,

Well this week has been a good one and a rough one for me.  But I have learned a lot about myself and the meaning of "thank you". Even if you are having a hard time there is always something to be thankful for and show someone that you love them. Like in these 3 photos, these are the 3 people I live with and I love them all - even when they bug me. haha. It doesn't happen a lot. For Thanksgiving we ate noddles with salsa and meat. And at night we made pancakes with chocolate chips, brownies in the microwave, shakes in the blender and all that good stuff. So I am guessing it's not anything like the Thanksgiving you all had - but it was a fun one.

So this week we were on a mission to find some new people to teach and we found some!  One is a family of 3. They are so great and I love them already!  Juan, Verginia, and Constanza. They are looking for something to help them have more faith. We have been helping them and they have loved talking to us. So if you can put them in your prayers so that they can open up their hearts more and keep listening to us so they can progress. Thanks.

So on Sunday something really cool happened! We had lunch with a family that's from Utah. The husband is working down here and they live in a part of my sector that is really nice, really nice! haha. They made us a lunch that was so good - the salad from Cafe Rio. Oh man it was so good, they had the green sauce and sweet pork. Oh man it was the best thing that has touched my mouth! And we played with their kids that speak both Spanish and English. Elder Poole was so happy, he is new and he was like "I can have a conversation." haha - he is funny.

Well, thanks for everything that you do for me and the love you send my way.  Have a good week.

Love,
Elder Christensen

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

week ending 8.22.10

Hey everyone, 

Well, my mom asked me how the family that we have been teaching is... they are clean from all their sins if that gives you an idea how they are. haha. Oh man, their baptism was so amazing! I had the privilege to baptize Carolina and Janaby, They are so amazing! They are so happy now and Cristian gave his testimony after the baptism and he couldn't talk he was so emotional. I even started to cry a little. Just to let everyone know, Cristian made some of the biggest changes I have ever seen in my life, he stopped smoking, drinking and drinking tea in 2 days so he could be baptized and now they have the goal to go to the temple in a year! I know what true joy is now, this is why I am giving myself up to help others. I love this work!

the baptism for the family! so happy, a great day!

 

On Saturday Elder Scott for the 12 was in Chile and gave a talk but we didn't get to hear it. It's all good - we got to hear Elder Costa from the First Quorum of the 70. He is from Brazil and is amazing.  I learned a lot about the mission and making goals that are big! When we think big we will do big things and I want to do big things so I have a lot of goals that are big. I am going to do all I can to complete them. He also taught us about the Holy Ghost and what the role of the Holy Ghost is.  Now I know what I need to do to have the spirit and keep it and help other people have it and keep it. I am excited for this next year, oh man, I am going to be done with a year this Thursday. Oh man, the time has gone by way too fast! But I am loving it.

Well, I had a good week and I am ready to have another one.  Please help a family of 2 we are teaching, a mom Guillarmina and her daughter Leti, with some prayers. Thanks for your help.

Have a good week and I love you all!

love,
Elder Christensen

we made mac and cheese with hotdogs, it was great.

Cristian made this for me and Elder Nielsen, it was great.

week ending 6.27.10

Hey everyone,

Well this week was a cool one, all the crazy stuff with the World Cup going on and yeah. But I have lost interest in the World Cup, I could care less who wins and loses - but what can you do when you are in Chile and everyone is going crazy about all this stuff? Hey life is getting better.

So on Sunday one of the 70 came to our Stake Conference to talk and to change up the Stake Presidency so that was really cool. We lost our Bishop so we will be getting a new Bishop. The talk that Elder Amado gave was amazing. It helped me a lot and I learned a lot. He talked a little about how we need to focus on the Lord and if we do that - all the things that make us happy will come. And also about people that get offended by someone in the church and then leave, well he was straightforward and said that is the stupidest thing I have ever heard. If we really understood the Atonement of Christ that stuff wouldn't matter to us and we would keep going to church to bring ourselves close to our Heavenly Father. He was great - it was a great Sunday.

Monday we had a BBQ and it was great. Some of the pictures are from it. We had so much meat and it was great because it was free and the family is great. I' havent eaten so much meat in my mission and I think I gained a little weight but then I think I have lost it and am still going down. So I am getting skinny, who would have ever thought that I would become skinny. I didn't - haha.

Last night we helped out the other 2 missionaries in our district have a baptism in our church. We had it at 8 pm. Oh man it was bad planning but we did it and we helped bring Cloudio to our Heavenly Father. its so cool to see all the changes in people and watch someone enter into the water of baptism dirty (its true), but then come out of them clean, oh so clean. I love it!!!!!!!!!!!  That was my sweet week.  Thanks for all the help and prayers. Love you all and have a good week.

Elder Christensen!

week ending 5.30.10

Hey Everyone,

Well I guess this week is a cool but weird week. I can't turn 20, I want to be a teen forever. haha - joke not really. I think it's going to be different, but we will see on Friday. Today we are going to have a party with 2 other missionaries too because today one of them turns 20. So we are going to cook tacos and we bought a cake, (3 leche). Oh I am so pumped to eat that cake.

This morning we did something fun, and I forgot my camera but we woke up at 5:40 to go play soccer. Oh man it was so much fun, and I'm not going to lie - I was doing great. I scored a lot of goals and had some assists. But how we play soccer here is on a really small court.  It's a little bigger then a tennis court and it's called Baby Futbol. Oh it's so much fun, I like it because its really fast moving and everything. Elder Ojeda and I kick butt when we are on at the same time. hahaha.

The photos are of me in the baptismal font, we went to the church and helped the ward clean it up and my job was the font. I was like, this is just like baseball, we clean and get the field ready for a game. Well I was getting the font ready for a baptism, well - once we find someone to baptize, haha.  It's really fun doing things with the members of the wards to get to know them better and to see how much they love the Lord and the sacrifice they are willing to do. I love my job!!

Here are some questions that I am going to use to contact people on the street. I am going to write them down in Spanish and in English:

¿Cree en Cristo y lo acepa como su salvador?

Do you believe in Christ and accept him has your savior?

¿confía tanto en el salvador que acepta su voluntad y quiere hacer cualquier cosa que Él le pida?

Do you trust the the Savior that you accept his will and want to do whatever thing he asks you to do?

¿Tiene tal fe en Cristo que obtiene respuestas a sus oraciones?

Do you have such faith in Christ that you can obtain answers to your prayers?

These questions made me think a lot myself, it's good sometimes to ask yourself questions like this to see where you are at. So read them and think about them is my invitation today.

Thanks for all your help and support. Have a good day and week. 

peace,

Elder Christensen

week ending 5.2.10

Hey Everyone,

Well this week was really good for us in Conchali 10.  We had a baptism.  His name is Carlos and he is 15 years old.  He is a little gangster but he is really funny and he likes the church and feels comfortable in it, that's always good to hear. We have been working with him for a long time but we got him to the water.  His baptism was really good.  His family was there and now his brother and sister want to get baptized, and his cousin too.  So we are going to work with them and hopefully help them be baptized too.  So I think May is going to be a good month for our Heavenly Father in Conchali 10.

Last week we did service.  We were putting in stepping stones for a family and the father of the family was helping us.  When we would put down one of the stones we would put sand under it and he kept telling us it was anti-earthquake.  Man, he is the funniest guy.  He was a wrestler here in Chile, a luchador.  Just like Nacho Libre, it's cool to hear his stories.

A little about my sector:
We have lunch with a family everyday but Monday, but sometimes the family can't do it so we cook our own food.  Elder Ojeda made some Mexican food, rice with milk.  Man, that stuff is so good.  We have made hamburgers and mashed potatoes (thanks for the packets mom! hahaha)  We only eat out on Monday's.  (Man, I waste so much money on Monday's.)  A sister washes our clothes, all we have to do is buy the soap.  Man, the members love the missionaries. 
My sector is really different than my last one.  I am in the city and there is a lot more stuff going on and it's faster.  But it's not a bad sector, we don't have any problems with the people and we are happy for that.
My ward is really cool.  It's a ward from super old people to newly married to babies.  It's a really nice ward and I love it.  But the building doesn't have heat so it's really cold.  During Sacrament Meeting there was an earthquake, like 5.4 or something.  It was rather big and I was like weeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!  Some of the older sisters got up and ran for the doors.  I just sat there like, "this is fun!" 

These are my sweet new soccer shoes.  They were 30 bucks at the mall and I love them.

Update on me:

-I am 6'2" - still  :-(
-I am 210 pounds - yes I have gained 10 pounds :-(
(I had a hard time getting my suit pants on so I will be working out this week so they fit me.  Man I am getting fat!  hahaha

Have a good week everyone.

Love you all,
Elder Christensen

week ending 3.7.10

Hey everyone,

I was asked to talk about my life in Chile and what it has been like after the earthquake.

Well, my house is like half of a normal house, it has one bathroom, 2 bedrooms, a living room, a kitchen, and an upstairs that we don't use. In our back yard we have a lemon tree and a grape vine, they are so yummy. All and all, it's a really good house. For breakfast, I eat cereal and milk everyday. For lunch, we eat with members Tuesday through Sunday, Monday we are on our own. And we don't have time for dinner but I eat snacks when there is time. The sister Jenny in my ward washes our clothes, they have really small washers, and they don't have dryers. (well some do but they cost a lot of money and to use them it's a lot of money) so all the clothes are air dried.
How I get around: well, the first way is by my good 2 feet, they haven't let me down yet. If we need to travel inside of San Felipe or a city close to here they have taxis, colectivo (that's Spanish, I don't know what it means in English), and buses. If we need to get to Santiago we use those buses that are huge, they hold 45 people.
There is the run down of my life right now.

Merry Christmas

Hey everyone,

It has been a long time since we have talked - hope you haven't missed me. Well I am doing great down here in Chile.

It does not feel like Christmas at all down here, seeing that is it 95 degrees plus everyday. And down here they don't do anything on the 25th they do everything on the 24th. Open gifts and that jazz. Tonight we get to stay out till 12am with a family. I am so pumped to party, well not really party but sit in someone's house and eat A LOT OF FOOD!!! YESSSSSSSSSS!!!!!! I will let you know how I feel after tonight.

Okay we had Christmas dinner and a program at the mission home, I haven't eaten so much food in my life. I was like, I haven't seen food like this for 2 months, "get in my belly!".

That was a bad night, and the crazy thing was we didn't get back to San Felipe til 12:30 at night and it was a little scary walking around that late at night. Nothing happened, although a HUGE dog came at us and that was scary, I mean this dog was BIG! but I growled back and he ran like a little kitty. I´m huge!! lol

Well, I love you all. I hope you have a good Christmas!!!

take care,
Elder Christensen

week end 11.1.09

so i have been in the field for a week now and it is so amazing! i am learning so much and working hard. i have no idea what is going on half the time but i have picked up on the language somewhat so i have an idea of what they are saying. speaking back to them is difficult, i don't know a lot of words still so its tough but my companion has been here for 21 months so he is helping so much, i love him. his name is elder davies from riverton. i am loving this so much, but my feet hurt so much. lol

TUESDAY
i got here on tuesday morning and spent the day at the mission house and went through some training and ate and took a nap which was needed so much. then i got to meet my companion, and it was elder davies, i was so pumped. he is like 6´5" about 210 pounds. he is so funny and he is working me so hard. well, we got my bags and headed off to our mission and house. my mission is 2 hours by subway/bus from santiago. its called san felipe. its a town right in the middle of the mountains. its a pretty little town. the houses are so little, most of them are just one level and have no carpet mostly tile floor. i have been in one house that had dirt floor. its so different here. and we taught a lesson and i was like on my first day i don't understand anything. well, i just bore my testimony and shared a scripture. the family we taught was the family parra, they are getting baptized on sunday, i am so excited.

WEDNESDAY
my first full day in the field. we started the day off with zone class and training. we met everyone in the mission and talked a little and then split into districts and went over the numbers from last week, i wasn't here so i didn't know what was going on. then we practiced the 1 lesson and then went back to the gym and went over everyone's numbers and the stake pres. came and talked to us. it was cool besides i didn't understand anything. lol. after that we went to a members house, her name is Jenny and she cooks us lunch on tue, wed, and thurs. and also does our laundry. she is so nice, i love her so much. then i we were off to work. we contacted some and taught some lessons and my feet were so sore at night. i have never walked so much in my life.

THURSDAY
our alarms didn't go off so we didn't wake up on time and it was nuts. i thought i was going to be in so much trouble but we just got up and got started on time still some how. lol. everyday we start off with 1 hour of personal study then 1 hour of comp study then 1 hour of language study. i have never studied so much in my life. but i am learning so much. and on this day we have comp planning for the next week for 2 hours, it seems like a long time but we didn't get to plan everything i was like what. after that we went to jenny's for lunch and she made some crazy stuff, it was rice with potatoes, meat, peas, carrots, and some other stuff. it was good. and she makes the fruit thing its a bowl of fruit that is amazing! i love the food down here. after that we taught some lessons and contacted, we contact around 20 people a day. that means we share a short message with 20 people. we don't really knock on doors because they all have fences around them with sharp metal things on it to keep out the robbers. so we yell "Hello". its pretty fun. oh there are so many dogs here. it is nuts. and most of them have ticks and the ticks can get up to the size of a baby grape. but you just act like you are picking up a rock and they take off running, its so funny. they are such chickens. and i got blisters on both feet after this day, my feet are getting worked. my i have never walked so much.

FRIDAY
once again we wake up and study and work out. then go contacting for 2 hours then have lunch. and then go teach people and contact. and i was so tired today, wow. this is a lot harder then i thought.

SATURDAY
some stuff again. but we got to teach this family a mom and 2 kids, the mom is an inactive member. and we got her daughter to get ready to get baptized on the 29th of nov. i hope she stays strong and gets baptized. oh she lives in the "blocks" apartments. they are a little run down but hey they are wonderful people.

SUNDAY
okay my first sunday, well we had a meeting with the bishop, counselors and all those fun people. i didn't understand that at all. man its get lol. and then we stood out side greeting everyone and that was fun everyone was so happy and just seemed so alive. then the meeting started and they had me get up and say who i was, where i am from, how long i have been here and i bore my testimony. it was funny, i made all the members laugh. and it was fast and testimony meeting, and it is weird to feel the spirit and not know what is going on at all. but all the members come up to me and just start talking and they all talk to fast and i have no idea what they are saying and its like they expect me to know. lol not. but i am having a great time and i miss everyone back home. take care and pray for the family parra that they will be ready on sunday to get baptized. have a good week and talk to you on monday (my p-day). oh one more thing, this stupid keyboard is set up way different, its so annoying.

love you all,
Elder Christensen