Pedid y Recibiréi s, llamad y se os abrirá (Ask and ye shall receive; knock and it shall be opened)

Well I got changed. I asked president a week ago and I told him I would love to get into the field to end my mission. So I got sent to the Coast for my last sector. He told me Sunday afternoon. I’m really excited to work and just give everything I can to the Lord!! I love you all

Elder Christensen

Sister that I served with in Melipilla

CRAVING THE FIELD

I’m having some serious cravings right now!!! I really want to get back into the field!! I love doing divisions with the other missionaries because we are working all day doing visits and finding people. In the office it’s good, but I feel like I was always meant to be out in the field!!!

I went out to Melipilla again this week and I saw E and C my converts!!  But...they are less active...sad. So I went in there and we taught a really good lesson about the Baptismal covenants and we gave some serious testimony. It was really spiritual and E told me that si they were going to church on Sunday...tomorrow. I will be verifying that with the Zone Leaders there. 

                                    

Then I went out with Elder Graham again after living with him for 6 months. IT was good--we taught a ton of lessons and the day flew by then I got to sleep on a couch which is way better than the floor. Good times. But I am having a hard time in the office. I keep finding myself wishing I was back in Melipilla again just working way hard and worrying about the zone and how many lessons we were having all week and the new investigators we need to find. 

I just want to work as much as I can all day everyday. I feel like in the office I can’t really do that because we have meetings and other things to do, which I get are important, but there is nothing better than to just be walking in the street and finding a new family to teach the gospel to. Or inviting someone to be baptized and they just say yes!! Those moments are really great.

I have been reading the General Conference lately. I read Richard G Scotts talk and he talks about the example he had that helped him want to live the Gospel more fully. I’m trying to be like that. We need to be a friend of the people we teach and love them enough to invite them to live the gospel or help them understand the necessity of following Christ.

Also in PMG there is a section in Chapter 10 called teaching people who don’t have a Christian background. I have never really met people who don’t believe in God or Christ here. Well not very many. But we face a similar problem. This section teaches that a lot of people join the church because they feel the spirit when we teach. But they never come to understand the Doctrine, so they don’t change. Because when the Doctrine is understood it changes people. That is why people go inactive... they don’t understand the doctrine. What can we do?

Bear our testimonies, Talk about how we made our decision to follow Christ, Pray with people, Talk about how we feel when we read the scriptures. People need to know. We need to share these feelings.

I KNOW God lives I know he loves us. I know Jesus Christ in my and our Savior. This is his work. No one can enter into Gods kingdom with out Baptism with the true authority. This is Gods restored church and was restored by him through Joseph Smith who is a Prophet of God. Thomas S Monson is a prophet today. The Book of Mormon is true and I know it I have felt it and I feel the spirit EVERY Time I read it. 

I love you mom and dad

Elder Christensen 

FUNNY

Should have taken the Metro!

                                                        

This week passed by really fast!! We had a bunch of meetings and we got lost...

So we have only been to our sector twice this week but were going back today.

First a good story: we had to leave the mission on Monday to go pick up a credit card for my companion. So went to take the metro (Subway). It is a little bit more than a dollar to go. But if we take the metro then you can take two buses for free. But you can’t take the metro again free. so...I being the son of my Father decided it would be way better to take a bus.

So we are up there in Pedro de Valdivia a few blocks from the Temple and we were asking for a bus that dropped us off in the Victoria. Everyone said ooo be carful it is really dangerous over there, but nothing happens so no worries. Anyway we found a bus and got on. After passing in traffic for a long time my comp asked the bus driver how far away we were from the Victoria. He said, “oh I usually go over there but today, no, sorry” and he left us in Vespucio Norte, the most north you can go in Santiago. It was definitely out of the mission. After that I just gave up and said yes lets take the metro. We got off in the South mission because it would be faster to get to our sector we just needed to take a bus. So we got off and asked the bus driver if we drove past the Victoria, He said yes so we hopped on. After a while we asked if we were close to the neighborhood, he said “oh,I thought you meant the Street Victoria which is in the center of Santiago. We ended up about 8 blocks from our apartment, which is about 20 minutes in bus away from our sector. And that is how we got lost, and went through the 4 missions of Santiago in one day.

Then we taught the new missionaries on Thursday. It was tough because none of them spoke very much Spanish so there was not a ton of interaction, then the relatively new on Friday (those who have months or less). That went better-- we did a class on how not to plan well. It was funny.

                                       

We taught a sweet lesson this week too. We have a part family that we are teaching and the mom and kids are not members. So we were talking to the mom and she said that she was reading the Book of Mormon and felt a weird sensation of happiness and peace. We testified right away that it was the spirit and we invited her to be baptized and she said...no. hahaha. We explained what the truthfulness of the BOM means and I shared Mark 5 36 with her “Don’t Fear only believe”. Sometimes we are scared for changes, we are scared to do Gods will but he always shows the way. She still didn’t accept. But she still doesn’t understand the Gospel, it takes a really smart guy to teach the Gospel so simple that a  child understands.  I’m still working on that. 

But I am sure she will get baptized soon. I’m glad Eliza is home safe, Enjoy the Homecoming

PS I thought Nathanael being a dad was a joke, guess not! Congrats!

Love you Mom and dad

Elder Christensen

Another Week Gone By…

                                            

This week was probably the most relaxed week of the change. So we worked a lot in out sector which was good. We found some Haitians that actually speak Spanish…that is cool. There are a ton of Haitians in our sector and they are all so nice and always let us in to teach but then...Don’t speak Spanish...Awkward. No English, no Spanish, we are stuck.

                                       

We talked to a guy yesterday who told us that he was sealed in the temple, Elders Quorum president and all that...but then he said he went inactive at 9 years old...I don’t understand. 

I love talking with people in the street--some are crazy, some hate us, some love us. Also I knocked a door yesterday and this older guy came out and started talking to us then he said who is it? The missionaires, slammed the door. Hahahahaha good times.

                                     

I hope all is well with the fam. Enjoy Eliza this week!! Thanks for everything. Just want you all to know that I know the Church is true. I love the Book of Mormon. I finally realized how the spirit works with me. I have felt it always but I learned by reading the Book of Mormon. For me it is a classic Fruit of the spirit Peace and Joy. That is how I feel when I teach the Gospel, read the scriptures. I have been thinking a lot about something President Barreiros always tells us, He asks us Do you know when the spirit is with you? and when it leaves? I have been trying to find the times when the spirit is with me so I can keep these good habits all my life. 

I love you mom and dad

Love Elder Christensen

Say hi to Eliza

 

Eliza in my email

CHANGES, New Comp, Baptisms

                             

Well, sadly we had changes and my good old companion Elder Foster went home. That is crazy for me!!! It’s a little tough but that is ok life goes on.

                            

I got a new companion named ELDER LOPEZ. He is from ARGENTINA. My fourth comp from there. That is pretty crazy.  

                           

We had a pretty busy week planning some meetings and doing some divisions. And planning....A Baptismal service. 

This week Alvaro and Gonzalo are getting baptized. I’ll send a picture next week because today at 6 they are getting baptized.

All the work has again paid off, as always! I really felt a love for Mission Work this week because I just love teaching people about the Gospel.

I love teaching missionaries and I love divisions. But there is nothing better than teaching someone about the Gospel and just feeling the spirit testifying of the Truth. I miss teaching because I still teach right now but not as much. Especially in baptisms, I want to just go out and find people and teach them like I used to do in Melipilla or in Cerrillos!!! Teaching Rocks!

Funny: We saw a drug chase this week. We were just walking down the street and a car swerved right in front of us and sped down a side street and 5 seconds latter a cop car came flying by. We kind of stood there watching then just kept working. Good times

I just want to testify that the Book of Mormon is true and I know it because every time I read it I feel the spirit, I feel peace and calmness. There is no greater feeling than to know that the spirit is with you. I know that the Priesthood has been restored to the Earth and the Thomas S Monson is a Prophet. What a privilege to have a prophet of God on Earth!!

Love you mom and DAD

Elder Christensen