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 8.22.10

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 8.15.10

Hey eveyone, 

Last night we had changes, but nothing got changed for us so Elder Nielsen and I are here together for another 6 weeks. oh yeah man! haha. I am really pumped for this next change and the things I am going to learn  from it. The last change I learned a lot of things and one of the things I learned that has changed my life is LOVE! I have learned how important love is in our lives.  I have been trying to show my love for all the people I serve and get to know, and I do it by doing service for them, even if it is just a little act. But I know now if I dont have love for what I am doing or for who I am with (companions, wife, kids, family) it's not going to be very fun! I now understand what I need to do to make things work out, forget myself and focus on others and help them through their problems and when I do that they will be happy and I will be happy. Man, what has happened to me? I am growing up and I like it. I never thought i would like growing up and learning all these things but it's cool. It all started with my love for my Savior, if I didn't have that I wouldn't have come here and I wouldn't have grown and learned so much in my life! But it's great and I am loving life.

 
Well, a little about the family we are teaching, they are doing great! They went to church this last Sunday and are all down with the lessons and are going to be baptized this coming Sunday so we need your help. If you would put them in your prayers - Cristian, Carolina, and Janaby - that would be great. So I was in church and Carolina was sitting next to me and all the little girls in this ward for some reason love me and always wave and smile at me, well, Carolina was like, "man, you have a lot of girlfriends!" I told her it comes with the job! haha, not really, but I thought it. I love this ward and I love Cristian, Carolina, Janaby and Martina they are great!   

Here are some photos for you all to enjoy. Look how skinny I am getting, I have lost almost 15 pounds in the last month. noooooooooooooo! I am going to try and get that back, I came into this sector at 210 and I am down around 195 or so. oh man. =( Well, I am out. Until next week... have a good week!

Love you all!

Elder Christensen 

week ending 8.8.10

Hey everyone,

Well this week has been a good week, I have learned a lot about myself. I was talking to my companion this morning and I am sure of it now, I am sure that I am sensitive and that's just how I am. And I don't care what people say, I am going to be the nice guy. Even though the world puts in our minds "nice guys finish last" we will see who finish last after this life haha. Sorry that was bad. =)  But I was trying to understand how I can be a strong person without being mean or hurtful and I think I found it or maybe not. haha. I have been searching for this answer for a long time now and I keep finding little things here and there, but I will find it.

This Sunday the family we have been teaching went to church and they liked it.  So that was the highlight of my week even though we missed the sacrament because we went to their house to walk with them but they decided to be slow, so I was like, "oh no, let's go." But I was just being nice and telling them you have a little bit more time. Next week I will get them to church on time. Make sure you put them in your prayers please. (Cristian, Carolina, Janaby.)

I was reading in the Book of Mormon and I came along a scripture that made me think and troubled me. It was in, 2 Nephi 6:14

 "And behold, according to the words of the prophet, the Messiah (Christ) will set himself again the second time to recover them; wherefore, He will manifest himself unto them in power and great glory, unto the destruction of their enemies, when that day cometh when they shall believe in Him; and none will He destroy that believe in Him."

I was thinking what does it mean "to believe in him." Because everyone says that they believe in Christ so does that mean all will be saved? Now you can see the predicament I was in this morning. haha. So I went to something that's called the study guide (or see D&C 20:29) that's in the Spanish scriptures and I read about "believe" and it brought up 2 things that stuck out to me. "Faith and Repentance" so I was like how can I put those with believing, well lets see how I did. haha.

•Faith- a part that talks about the true faith and what happens when people have faith and when they don't. When people have faith they repent and do good for others and do the things that Christ and God ask them to do. When people don't have faith they fall in to iniquity (Moroni 10:22). But what is faith? Well, if we read Ether 12:6 it teaches us what is faith and how we gain it. That faith is things that we can't see, and we gain it after our tests. And if you can prove that wrong, your good. But good luck.

•Repentance- to repent is a change of heart and of how we think. But a "true repentance is born for the love of the Lord and the true desire to obey the Lords Comandments" (study guide in Spanish pg. 20)

in Alma 42: 16 teaches us that we will not repent of our sins until we get punished, it's true no one will repent until they feel bad or someone tells them that, that is bad.

In 2 Nephi 9:22 we learn that if we become like little kids and repent, Christ will let us in, so we need to be humble and become like little kids.

In Moroni 6:8 tells us that God will forgive us every time we repent so we can repent every second and we will be forgiven. It's cool! haha.

So that's what I learned and I know what I learned is the truth and I am going to study this more because I don't feel happy with my answer. haha. I know that the Church of Jesus Christ is the true church on the earth. It has been a battle for me to get that testimony, but I got it and I will never lose it.

And for my sickness last week, I had a cold or something like that. But it lasted for a day or 2 and now I am good and lovin' life. haha.

Love you all and thanks for your time and prayers.

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 7.25.10

Hey everyone,

 

This week was pretty sweet! On Monday we were knocking on some doors, oh man, such great fun - let me tell ya. But it was great when a lady and her daughter were like, "yeah come in." So we taught them and thier cousin and they all accepted to be baptized on the 15th of August so knocking on doors didn't suck too bad. This family is great - so if you could please add them in your prayers.  The family Ramirez. So we left that house and kept knocking some more on the same street just happy that we found that family. Like 10 minutes later another lady let us in and we taught her for about 15 minutes and she wanted to be baptized. Her name is Maria (like half of the women in Chile).  She is great and I am so happy that we could find her. Later this week we went back to the family Ramirez and the dad was there and we taught them the plan of Salvation and he wanted to be with his family forever so he wants to be baptized with his family the 15th. Oh man, it's so great to help families find the gospel.

 

I had a crazy experience, we had a feeling to go to see this guy during planning one night. Well, the next day we passed by the house and we didn't find that guy but we found a lady that is a less active member that has a son. To be short, they are poor her son is almost a vegetable and she lost her other son in the same accident. And on top of that they have had no food for almost 2 days. All she could do is cry to us and show us everything, man did my heart hurt but we did something right after we left. We went to the bishop and he acted right away, we went to the church and got a order form to get food from the bishop's store house (where they have stuff for people that need help). And we got some other people and went back to her house and we gave them blessings and oh man, it was a sad but amazing night. When we passed by 2 or 3 days later and she was so happy and just lovin' life and the amazing thing is that she made it to church with her son in a bad wheel chair. It's like a 20 minute walk. This lady is a champ. So we will just say that I had a good week.  haha.

 

I am starting to figure a lot of stuff out and I like it. I  will talk to you next week and I love you all.

 

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 7.11.10

Hey everyone,

Sorry for not sending a letter the last week, we had changes and I had some medical problems so I didn't have very much time to write so I just wrote to my mom and some other people. But here is the letter for this week. =)

I am going to start talking about my photos, there is one of me and my companion Elder Nielsen. He is from Payson, Utah and he is a great elder and we have been having a lot of fun and working hard. I am excited for these next 5 weeks. There are 2 photos of my house I think one of the kitchen and the other is were we sleep. My bed is the green one, all my blankets are green haha. I sleep with 2 blankets and 2 sweaters, PJ bottoms with sweat-pants. and I still get cold sometimes.  It's hard to find places with central heating, and plus our electricity has been out for the past week so we haven't had hot water all week. So the first 2 days we showered with cold water, well I am a girl so I didn't get all the way in and then the one picture with the pans and cup is how we have been showering. We heat up the water on the stove and then take it in to the bathroom and shower like that. It's really funny but it works really good. I am hopping the mission will pay the bill so we can have light and hot water. haha, but I am happy.

 Well, Elder Nielsen and I are opening a sector, there were sisters in our sector and they took them out and put us in there so we had no idea where anything was. It's was a blast getting around with a crappy old map, but we did it. And then I made a sweet map from the phone book. The part of Santiago that I am in is called Huelen. It's really close to the center of Santiago and it is a big sector. One time we got a address from a member to go visit a member that is less active and it was at the bottom of our sector and when we got to the street, it was like a main street. There were no houses at all and we got a little lost and we walked for at least 45 mins or more. It was a fun little thing that happened to us. But we got it down now so we will be good.

Well, the sisters had the love of every member so when we show up to the door they are like were are my sisters. Oh man I am sorry but they left and now we are here. But now everyone knows that we are there so I hope I don't have to hear that anymore haha. But the sisters had a baptism and we helped the girl get to church and get confirmed so that was amazing to see. All in all my week was great and I am doing really good. Thanks for all your prayers and stuff you do for me. Have a good week and I will talk to you all next week I hope!? hint hint hahaha.

love, 

Elder Christensen

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 6.20.10

Hey everyone,

 

Well this week was another battle but we are the ones making the progress!!! oh ya!!!! Every time I get the chance to throw a punch in the way of evil I do it with my testimony! I am doing good and I have changed my outlook on the mission and I am looking for ways everyday to get better. Oh, and by the way, Chile just won a game in the world cup and everyone is going crazy!!! People are running around and screaming and blowing horns!! The people down here love soccer!! haha.

 

I read a scripture today that I loved a lot so I am going to share it.

1 Nephi 17:13

I was just looking for the paper I wrote it on and I dont have it, man what did I do. haha jk - But I love it because it helps us understand what Jesus can do for us if just follow him. So if you get time I invite you to read it.

 

This next week we are going to have a sports day and I am really pumped.  I will take some pics for you all. I am really pumped to show off my new soccer skills that I have been working on! oh yeah man!

 

I love you all so much!  Have a good week and in all ways smile to show off the light that you have inside!

 

love,

Elder Christensen

week ending 6.13.10

Hey everyone,

Well this week my companion and I made a lot of progress in our sector and we are working hard to find those people that want to find the path of Christ. We have been teaching the members a little about Christ this week, and one of the scriptures we have been using is in 2 Nephi 31:21.  It talks about Christ and how he is the only way and he only has the true doctrine. It has been hard for me to understand how some people don't understand what I understand, I have been learning how to just share how I feel and what I have recived from Christ through my prayers. I know that the Church of Jesus Christ is the path of Christ, and I don't learn that because someone told me that, I learned for myself. Through my studies, my prayers, my testimony, etc.

This week we got to go to the temple, oh man what a wonderful place. I think that is the best place to be in the world. When I was in there I felt a peace that you can't feel anywhere else. I know that is the house of the Lord, and he walks through his house. But I didn't want to leave after all was done, I wanted to stay there for ever! But we need to go out into the world and face those challenges that await us. I heard a saying this week, "I believe in Christ, so come what may." I have been trying to have this vision in my mission, hopefully I can get it soon. haha.

Well I am excited for this week to come, I am going to put everything I have into it. Thanks for your prayers that push me along everyday. I love you all. Have a good week.

Elder Christensen

week ending 6.6.10

Hey everyone,

All I want to say is thanks to all the people that sent me a happy birthday message! MUCHAS GRACIAS!

Well I shared the cake my mom sent me, (mix), with a family, the Troll Family.  They loved the cake and so did I, man I am a good cook haha. My birthday day was pretty good, we worked hard and we made the cake in the night and sang Happy Birthday to each other. (Oh, me and my companion have the same birthday.)  I have a video but it's too big to send so I don't know how I will send it. But on June 2nd a family that loves us called us and told us to hurry to their house and they needed our help - yeah, that was a lie. They had a cake and all this stuff ready for us. They sang happy birthday to us and we ate some cake really fast, but it was really sweet and cool. And then June 5th we had lunch with the Troll family, we made Chilean pizza - it's a little bit different than a pizza in the states.  They sang to us and we ate the cake I made! It was cool.

 

We also did some service for a family that lives on the 15 floor of a building. Their apartment was a little damaged so we were helping them get it ready to get worked on.  The photos of Santiago are from their apartment. But we had a great time ripping off wall-paper and all that fun stuff. All in all - it was a good week.

Being 20 doesn't feel any different. haha

Peace out,

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 5.23.10

Hey everyone,

Well last night we had changes but we didn't change so Elder Ojeda and I are together again. Oh yeah man (a kid in our ward says that all the time.). And I am excited to work with him again, I feel good about this change.

This week was a tough one for us, Elder Ojeda got sick and we couldn't work. I tried calling every person in our ward and even another secter and I couldn't find anyone that wanted or could work with me. So I sat in my house reading, yes reading for all the people that know me - that is something I didn't do a lot before the mission, because I didn't like it.

But now I love to read and I read like 5 to 6 hours each day, and because of all that reading I got to finish the Book of Mormon in English, yeah it's about time now I am studing all in Spanish. I have put my English books away and am only studing in Spanish . Oh man, now my head will hurt 2 times as much. haha. But I love it, I am trying to only speak Spanish and just forget English, so if I can do it, it will be interesting. =)

I was reading in the Liahona of Feb. 2010 and I read a talk about "what we should do if we don't know what to do" (something like that). And one part that really stuck out to me is when it talked about "not knowing something is not an excuse for not doing it." like some of the rules in the mission or commandments, we might not know why we do them but we do know that we need to do them. Just because we don't know why we do things doesnt make it okay not to do them. So that is going to be my saying now, I hope I can live it.
Read the February 2010 Liahona; click here.

I love you all and thanks for all the help you give me.

Have a good week.

love,

Elder Christensen

week ending 5.17.10

Hi everyone,

Well this week has been a cold one. On Friday it started to rain at like 6 in the morning and didn't stop until 6 in the morning Saturday. Friday was a fun day to work. Check out my photo of all my stuff that I put on to go out and work. Lets just say I was really warm the whole day even though it rained the whole day. We started off this gloomy day with some service for a lady in our ward. She has a palm tree in her yard and she wanted to trim it up a little, like take off all the dead parts. Well we got there and thankfully it stopped raining for 2 hours so we could do service. This palm tree isn't very short, so we climbed a ladder to cut the old leaves. We had a old shacky ladder and a pair of old cutter things, they worked really well. lol. I don't think I have or ever will trim up a palm tree again in the way we did it. But we couldn't get high enough to cut all the leaves off so she is going to ask for a better ladder that is taller. So we are going to finish up what we started, and the next time I will remember my camera. Well we did all that in 1 hour so we had another hour, we asked what else she needed and she needed help cleaning out her gutters. So Elder Ojeda got up there and started to pull out mud, and it was really gross mud. I was laughing and then I got up there and I wasn't laughing anymore. Her gutter is lop sided so I took a hammer and a screw driver and punched a hole in the lower side so the water could drain. Man, service is some good times. After that it started to rain and the day was a really good day for us.

I have learned something really important in my life this week. I learned why I am obedient. I don't do it because someone told me to do it, or because I am going to baptize more people. I do it because I love my Heavenly Father and I love my brother Jesus Christ, if I do it because I love them I will be blessed with the things they want done. well that is what I learned this week that helped me a lot.

I love you all and I hope your week goes good.

love,
Elder Christensen

week ending 5.9.10

Hey everyone,

First off I want to say, ¡Feliz dia de la Madre a todas! I am sure everyone understands that, if not that's too bad. lol. Well, I guess this was the best Mother's Day for my mom and family because they got to talk to me. I was like - you talked to me every other Mother's Day. Then I remembered that we hadn't talked for a long time. It was a good answer. haha. Well it was great to talk to my family and tell them hi. It's a lot easier and faster then this stupid emailing stuff but I am grateful that I get to email every week. 

Well this week was good. Carlos got confirmed and seems really happy so all we have to do is help him stay strong in the church and not lose his testimony. But he is a fun kid.

Last week we have been teaching a few people, and one of them that is progressing well is a family of 3, Carlos and Sofia and thier 3 month old baby girl Laura. Laura loves us so much and she always has a smile on, she is so cute I hope that we can help them get to church. They love talking with us and learning but they can't go to church because they have small store they own and they don't want to close it to come to church.  That's what we have been working on with them so if any one has an idea let me know. And please add them in your prayers. 

This week we had our mission conference and it was really good. We heard 4 talks, the son of President May came down with is wife and kids and we heard from them, the wife doesnt speak Spanish so a missionary translated for her and it was funny but she had a great message. And then we heard a lot about being obedient and it made me think about the things I could change to help me be more obedient, so we will see if I can change them. haha. Well I loved this week - I learned a lot and I loved talking to my mommy! lol

Thanks for all the prayers and support! Love you all!

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

felicidad = fotos

I absolutely LOVE photos of mi hijo in Chile!  Elder Christensen is able to only email a few each week and some weeks he doesn't send any.  Thanks to Amanda, Fabiola, Jenny, and Katia I have hundreds of photos that I wouldn't have otherwise.  These photos are from Fabiola.   ¡Muchas gracias a mis amigas en Chile!

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 4.18.10

Hey everyone,

Well, more about my companion, Elder Ojeda.  He lives in West Valley City, Utah, he went to Hunter High, he loves to play basketball and go snowboarding, and his birthday is June 4th!  Now, how crazy is that?  We have the same birthday and have some of the same loves and we live like 15 mins. from each other!  We have become really good friends and have had some good laughs together already. It's fun, we are working hard to find those people that are waiting for us. I am loving it so far.

This week we worked hard and saw some fruits of it: we found a family of 3 looking for something more. They are a young family the girl is like 5 months old or so and is super cute. And Carlos and Sofia are super awesome. They love when we come over and love to learn. They have so many questions for us and the lessons we are teaching them are answering all of them.  It's so crazy how these things work, I love seeing the hand of God "Do Work!" but they have a little shop that they both work in and its hard to find time to teach them and its even harder to have them close up for Sunday, but we are doing our best.  Please add them in your prayers.

Here is something from my mission president, it is super good and it helped me out a lot:

     

"As we seek to gain a greater understanding of the Atonement through our personal study of the Book of Mormon and Preach My Gospel, let us not forget the importance of our own personal learning by faith. This we not only study and read about the Atonement but we must apply in our lives. We must be doers of the word and not just “readers” of the word. The following is a powerful recipe that comes from Preach My Gospel for becoming more like our Savior Jesus Christ:

“Even after we have accepted Christ and repented of our sins, we may fall short and sin again. We should continually try to correct these transgressions. In addition, we should continually improve—to develop Christlike qualities, to grow in knowledge, and to serve more effectively. As we learn more about what the Savior expects of us, we will want to show our love by obeying Him. Thus, as we repent daily, we will find that our lives will change and improve. Our hearts and our behavior will become more Christlike. We will come to feel great joy in repenting daily."  Preach My Gospel pg 63

This is so true!  We need to be the doers when we know the gospel of Christ, not be the readers. we need to help those that don't know it or are having a hard time following it. If we really understood the doctrine of the atonement of Christ nothing would stop us from going to church or reading the scriptures or praying or following the commandments. It's so simple at times and people so close around us don't know it's that close. We need to share it with them. (2 Nephi 2:8). 

I know that this is the true church and the only church that has the power to save people and to bring them to live with God, Jesus Christ, and their families. I didn't really understand the meaning of why we do the things we do, and now I do.  It's because we love our Heavenly Father and our brother Jesus Christ and of course our families, when we have a true love for Christ we will do what ever it takes to follow him.  I know that Christ lives and is blessing all of us every day.  But we need to do our part. I love you all.

Have a good week.

Love,

Elder Christensen.

Well, I think that Chile just doesn't want me to send photos - because every computer I use sucks or is broken in some way.  So there won't be photos again, sorry.

muchas gracias

to Amanda (Mandy) for the photo in this week's blog.

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.

muchas gracias

to Katia for the photos this week's blog.

week ending 3.28.10

Hey everyone,

Yes! I found a computer that let me upload photos. It's a good thing too, because we went on a hike the other day. It was really fun, but there was one thing that wasn't fun that happened to me. We were going down the hill and there are a lot of cactus and I slipped a little and I got cactus spikes in my butt. Oh man, that was something I could have done without. But all in all, I had a great time.


Okay we got a new Elder this week. His name is Elder Jensen and he's from Sandy, Utah. He came out of the MTC speaking really good, he doesn't have any fear to do anything. But it's a lot harder to train than I thought, even though there are 2 of us doing it. But we are having a great time. I think I hear this from Elder Jensen every 10 mins. "they talk so fast! how do you understand that?" and then he told us that the first couple of days all the sentences sound like one word, but now he is picking out more and more words. He is getting better everyday. It's cool to watch someone grow in the mission and to have a hand in it. I hope I can help him more and more everyday.