CONFERENCES & GROWTH

Well we had some really big changes this week... seriously. So I have been here in the district of Melipilla for about 6 months and yesterday Elder Walter F Gonzalez, the area president came and with President Barreiros,  They combined the District Melipilla with another district called Talagante. So now we are just one district.  We had three branches that were ok but they changed it so now we have two really strong branches and one little one in the countryside called Bollenar.  All the leadership changed and now we have 10 missionaries in our super branch and there are 8 in the other super branch. But we are preparing so we can become a stake in 6 months. So if we work hard and with faith and prayer, in six months we will be the stake of Melipilla!  Too bad I wont be here to see it.

We had conferences with Elder Gonzales and it was so great. He talked a lot about love and the spirit and the Book of Mormon. But he said some pretty cool things about love. He taught us that Love is a gift from God we can’t love without help form our Heavenly Father. Love is a decision; we have to decide to love.  If we don’t show our love we don’t love. Last when we sin, we lose a little of our capacity to love. If we don’t love God, we will not obey his commandments.

What I liked most of what he said was that The Book of Mormon has words that we can feel. 

In our mission we are doing a pilot testing in the mission work. We are focusing a lot on baptisms, retention and reactivation. But we only record the less active members that are attending church and our baptisms. It is not a very big change but it will help us a lot. What we are changing is how we teach. We were instructed to go to the homes of less active members to listen to them and find out why they don’t go to church, then to share a really short lesson with them in Book of Mormon that will help them feel the sprit and help them with their doubts. Then we bless the house and leave. 

I love the Book of Mormon!! 

I hope that we will all love others and bring hope to others so we can be true disciples of Christ 

Moroni 7 48

1 John 2 6

I love you mom and dad and everyone. Congrats on the wedding Nathanael and Whitney

Love 

Elder Christensen

HOLY WEEK

This week went by so fast that I really don’t remember what happened. 

But I do remember that it was very good. We found more people to teach so that always makes me happy. But I did not take any pictures sorry. 

This week is really important in Chile.  It was Holy Week. The whole week people celebrate Christ because it supposedly was his last week of life. So Friday was cool because everyone was in their house and we found a ton of people to teach. It is sad that there are so many people who say they believe in Christ but when we start to talk to them they have never read the bible. But at least this week people wanted to learn.

Funny miracle of the week: We were knocking doors before lunch and we found a house without a fence so of course we knocked it! At the same time a pregnant women came over to talk to us and the person whose door we knocked opened. So I talked to the man in the door and my comp talked to the pregnant women. The man in the door didn’t want much but I kept trying to have a conversation when a grandma came over and just shut the door on my face. HAHAHA. Then she came out again and got mad at us for annoying people on Holy Friday. But on the other side of things, the pregnant lady wants to be baptized so we went by later that day to teach her!

Good Experience.

Well that was my week we have had a ton of success this month so we are preparing for May now se we can keep preparing people to make covenants with God.

It is a great day, The Church is true.

 Love you all,

Elder Christensen

TESTIMONIES

This week was so good. We found two new families to teach. The family is so important because these are the people who are constantly influencing us for good or bad. They help us in our progress or they can slow it down too. That is why it is so important to have a family that has been sealed in the temple so we can help one another return to God. I know you know that, but I learned it from a new member. 

We had two baptisms this week. E and her son C. It was cool they were so ready. I just feel like it was a miracle but of course they were references from a member. What a sign of love is to send the missionaries to a friend because you can change their life in this earth and in the eternities.

Baptism of E and son C

Sunday E gave her testimony and it was so strong and spiritual. She stood up in front of all the members of the branch and testified of the Book of Mormon and that it changes lives. And she said that we can’t keep this to ourselves because there are so many more people who need the blessing of the Gospel in their lives and we know it. We can help them!! I know there are people waiting for you to invite them I know God will Guide you.

Thanks for always supporting me. I like a quote Uncle Jeffrey sent me. It doesn’t matter if we are perfect but we should strive to always learn from our mistakes. I know I make a ton of mistakes but I try to get better. That is the purpose of all this right. It wouldn’t be fun if we were al perfect but we will get their some day through the miracle process of repentance. I always can find something in my day that I can improve and I am grateful for the Guidance I receive.

Hey did you hear the talk of Elder Ballard?

All members need Preach my Gospel and need to study it!! I know it will help you in your lives!

I love you mom and dad

Elder Christensen

Burning a pair of pants to mark 18 months of service!

I love cleaning hoarder homes...Dirtiest home EVER!

FAMILIES ARE FOREVER

We had a tough week this week, A brother and a good friend died this week in an accident while working in is back yard. Jonathan Donoso. He will be missed. He left his wife and 5 kids the oldest with 17 and the youngest 1 year old. 

I could not believe what had happened when I was called. 

I am forever grateful for the plan of salvation because I know that this family can and will be together forever. I am thankful that I was able to meet this great man.

The messages of the conference brought peace and encouragement to us in this hard time. I really liked all the talks but some of the Highlights were Elder Zwick, Elder Corbridge, Presidente Eyring in Priesthood, Presidente Monson the his both talks, and Presidente Uchtdorf Sunday. I felt like I have a lot of things that I need to change in my life. But I am thankful for the messages because now I know what I can focus on so that will be awesome. 

The Conference really is revelation directly from God and I am glad that I still have one more that I will see in the mission. I feel excited to study the talks and to apply them in my life. 

We didn’t have the Baptisms this week because of the funeral of Hermano Donoso but next Saturday they are going to get baptized so we are all good here. 

I love you all so much. I love what Elder Anderson said, The family is the Treasure of Heaven. And it is true. There is nothing more important. I love you truly and I thank you for all you have done to help me.

Love Elder Christensen

Hair cut time...so trusting

COWS

What a week. This week I got used to sleeping on the floor because I was on the floor three days for divisions and I had to get my visa again. So when I got home on Saturday night, I laid down in my bed, I don’t remember anything else until Sunday at 7 30 in the morning. That was a good sleep.

We had some crazy divisions; first, we got there in the country at about 9 40 at night and we got off the bus in the highway and we couldn’t see anything so we started walking using the cell phone and the star light as a guide. We found the elders in a house eating sopaipillas and talking with about 6 men. We went in and started talking and they invited us to lunch the next day because they had just killed a cow and wanted to have a BBQ with us!! It was awesome. So we went and did service with them and ate Cow freshly killed.

Then I went and biked 25 miles. Taught some lessons and it was a good time.

On the way back to the city we were waiting for the bus for about 30 minutes and it never came and then we saw our new friends who killed the cow and they stopped and took us to Melipilla in their truck it was cool.

We had a good month of March and now we have three baptisms planned for this Sunday during the conference. We are super excited for the work that is happening here in Melipilla.

Today I studied about Covenants and I liked it a lot. I learned that the Covenants that we make are the guides in our life. They tell us what God expects of us. For example, baptism. We promised, we covenanted, with God that we would take the name of Christ upon us and keep his commandments. So that is what God expects of us. As result of that we will have the Spirit to be with us.

I have been thinking a lot because people always ask if the church pays us to be here or if we are obligated to be here.  Fiscally no and we say no it is a service we choose to do. But spiritually I am obligated. I know that I made a covenant with My Heavenly Father to be here. I have always felt like I can’t leave the mission. But I never understood why. But I know that this is a promise between me and God and I will complete my part. I promised and I will complete with that promise. I am grateful to be here and for the blessings God has given me. I love you all.

Elder Christensen

                                     

MELIPILLA STRONG

We had changes this week but luckily I stayed here in Melipilla!! I am very thankful for that because it is too cool here. We have a family that is preparing to be baptized on the 6 of April so that will be cool and also we have a baptism this week with my good friend J L. 

J L has been going to church for about three months but he didn’t want to commit to be baptized. So we took a leap of faith to stop teaching him. It is hard to leave an investigator, seriously. But two weeks later he called us up and said “good Christensen y Felipe I want to be baptized this week”. Well he didn’t get baptized that week, but now he is ready.

I got to go back to El Mirador in Cerrillos yesterday because I had to stay in Santiago so I could renew my Visa.   I saw some families and it was really cool. I think you don’t understand how much you miss someone until you see them again. But I was happy yesterday. And today rocked! We waited in lines for like three hours, but lines are good to make friends so I talked with someone named L. She spoke English really well and wanted to practice. I told her that I wanted to send missionaries to visit her and she accepted. I know it is very simple but a little conversation can change everything. 

God is simple we are simple because we are his children. Saying hola or talking with someone in the street might just change their life, who knows?

God just hopes that we trust in him and he does the rest. We have got to learn to trust.

Now my goal is to not just change the people in my sector but this change I want to help the missionaries here. They are so great. I don’t think I have understood yet how faithful they are. I respect them and love them. But it is easy to say that but showing it is another thing.  I’m going to show this change. Melipilla is so great!

I am so happy for sister Christensen 1 y 2. They are so great.

 I love you mom and dad

Elder Christensen

J

We had a good week. We had some good lessons. I went to Bollenar and rode a bike for about 4 and a half hours-- that was so cool!! I have seriously decided that I do not want a car after the mission I just want a bike, it is much better.  I am excited to keep working.

We had a zone conference this week in San Antonion.   We got to go to the beach for the second time in my mission!! It was all misty and cold but we still took some cool pictures.

                                       

 We got up at 6 and left at 8 30 am and we got back and 8 30 pm. We learned a ton. What I liked the most is we talked about how simple the Doctrine of Jesus Christ is. We need to study and learn it so we teach the words of Christ and not our own words. In Predicad mi Evangelio (Preach my Gospel) Chapter 3 we have the Doctrine plain and simple. So I have  to study it everyday. It is simple and I feel like all the missionaries including myself felt like we already new that stuff but I started studying it again this week and I learn something every time. Maybe not a new fact, but my understanding is always getting better. I am thankful for the conferences that help me be better.

This week I think the biggest event will be Wednesday!!! When Sarah leaves!! I am so excited for her and I know that she will be an awesome missionary in England. I am so proud to my hermanita in the mission with me and the other Sister Christensen. Now I will have to say Sister Christensen 1 and sister Christensen 2. That is great!  Thanks for the Example sis. 

I love you all.  Keep working and serving others 

I love you mom and dad

Elder Christensen