Week 14

This was the funnest week yet. I want to ride a bike for the rest of my life. There are so many things that happen each day that make us laugh so hard! Last night we were leaving a lesson we had at Aurelio's with Hermana Medina (picture from my first week here) and Hermano Gomez (branch presidency) and Hermana Medina drove her car to our next appointment and we were meeting her there on bikes. It was already dark and we decided to take some back roads as a short cut. We were headed to our last lesson of the day and were so excited cause Santiago is super special. So I started to express my feelings of excitement about Santiago while Hermana Pew was harmonizing. Haha we were basking in happiness when all of a sudden I slammed on my brakes and fishtail skidded cause I about ran into an island curb in a church parking lot. It ruined my confidenece for a second and we died of laughter.

And today I hit a garbage can that was on the curb hahah it about took my hand off.

Oh and then last week hahahah we run to zone sports every morning at the stake center. The back gate we usually go through had been closed! And we could have walked ALL the way around the apartment complex and gone out the front but we were already cutting it close on time. I had the bright idea to hop the pokey iron fence. It was a half wall of concrete with the iron pokey rods at the top. So we stood on the concrete and then carefully tried to manuever ourselves over the pokey parts. She made it safely to the other side and my pants got caught (it is 5:45 in the morning and everything is funnier at this hour) but I just stood there caught on the fence saying "I got caught, I got caught, I got caught" while she just stood and laughed for a second. Then she helped me and we were on our way. But wow we just have so much fun!

Our work is alright, it's hard not to get overwhelmed with how many things I need to improve on. One of the miracles from this week was Santiago. This happened the night before the above story mentioning him..... He was our last lesson of the night and we couldn't find his home for a while, we finally found it while he directed us on the phone and we just had a mini "get to know him" lesson outside on the side walk (we can't go in his house unless there is another female). He told us he was in the army for 21 years. He just got realeased in 2011 and just moved here. He has no family or anything. He works all day every day. He is just such a loyal nice man. He told us- whatever your church/temple is, how do I join. What do I need to do? He told us the two times we have met with him we came at the EXACT moment of a problem he was having. Both times were the EXACT same issue. He knows without a doubt he needs to join our church. WOW. We had a really nice conversation with him then I said a prayer with him before we left. He just cried and cried through the prayer and at the end wiped his eyes. The spirit was so strong. This was our second time meeting him. He told us to visit him everynight. He gets back from work about 7:45. Somehow he will attend church. The next night- he wasn't home :( (in the above story) BUT he is just moving into a new house to get away from drinking friends. He is busy. We get our hopes so high for these people we meet. It's hard cause sometimes we experience disappointments. I know missions aren't easy because salvation is not cheap.

With dilligence- Satan's workings will diminish.

I love waking up in the morning! We have the way. The only way to return to live with our Heavenly Father again. How blessed are we? Share the gospel with our brothers and sisters. Pray everyday to have a missionary opportunity. Your eyes will be opened to an opportunity eachday. Then ACT on it. I know you can do it :)

Have a missionary experience filled week! I love you all so so much!

SIEMPRE,

Hermana Christensen

Also THANKS SO MUCH FOR THE REFLECTIVE VESTS!!! We wear them to run in the mornings and at night when we be ridin.

Also THANKS for all the letters and gifts! I feel your love.

Also Hermana Pew and I play this game with the word "wow" cause I say it so much. One says "wooooow" and the other one mouths it exactly how we say it. HAHA oh the things that entertain us.

Group picture with Elder Teh.   

Elder Teh lives in Bountiful now! Right by the temple- in Stoneridge I think he said.  

Halloween party

Modeling the reflective vests

We love each other

I was trying to talk to Santiago in  spanish....

My companion is beautiful

She really liked this cactus

Week 13

The scariest thing happened last night! We were riding from dinner and it was dark. I was in front and the streets get kind of confusing especially at night cause they all look a lot alike. Well, I made it to Oscar's and turned around to find I was COMPLETELY ALONE. I was just waiting for a second expecting to see mi companera ride around the corner at any second. But she didn't and I slowly started peddling back to the main road. As every second passed I felt more and more afraid and I was expecting the worst. I thought someone had kidnapped her and had her down one of the back alleys. Then after a LONG maybe 3 minutes she came around the corner and we held hands as we rode to Oscar's while discussing how scared and alone and sad we felt without each other. I love my companion so much!

We rode our bikes 50 miles on Saturday. No joke. We rode to Tempe in the afternoon, to Phoenix for dinner then back to Tempe for Mirna's birthday party she invited us to. There is this hill we ride whenever we go to and from Phoenix usually. On McDowell. It is KILLER. The last two times riding up I have recited The Living Christ. It's dark and I'm struggling to ride up the hill and we are in this quiet desert- It is so fun cause the spirit is SO STORNG as I ride up that hill. As I talk about Christ I am strengthened. Not just when I ride up the hill, but every moment. He is always with us. And it shouldn't take a hill like McDowell and us needing his companionship for us to realize it.

It's starting to get really cold! The jackets we are wearing in the pictures are Hermana Medina's. I guess it gets cold here. Who knew! I wonder if I will get transferred into the mountains for the winter... THAT would be interesting.

We are meeting with Aurelio everyday now. He is getting closer and closer to being ready for baptism.

Last week Hermana Pew and I got the second most member present lessons in our whole zone! We got beat by two. And we are on bikes! Our new goal is 35 in one week. Hahah. No not really. We got 10 and are ecstatic.

Love you talk to you next week!

Hermana Christensen

Week 12

So Saturday President Sweeney calls all the companionships to tell them news about transfers. There were only 2 Spanish sisters coming in- I knew I wouldn't be training.  But Hermana Mortensen who was our companion all last week is now training! An Hermana straight from the Mexico MTC and she lived in CASA 11! How neat is that! So fun to reminisce. President called us and Hermana Pew answered and he started off with, "Let the celebrating being! You two are staying together!" Haha so we are super excited to be together for another transfer. We are hoping to make it to Christmas together :) We just keep getting better ever day at this whole missionary life!

 

This last week and a half with all three of us together was the most fun week of my life. Wow it truly isn't missionary work, it is missionary FUN! The most neat experience from this week was Ismael and Gabriel. We were getting into the car one time and a man walked past. Hermana Pew and Mortensen were talking to each other so they didn't really notice him but he passed and I just felt that urge inside me to say hello (the urge I get for every person I see). And he didn't look Latin so I tried to justify. BUT I called out to him and said hello. He was so excited that we said hello to him but he was in a hurry to get to the bus to look for a job, but that he REALLY wanted to talk to us. We quickly wrote down his address and number and I asked if he spoke Spanish and he said yes! And off we went our separate ways. I felt something SO SPECIAL about him. We taught him 2 days later with his roommate Gabriel and invited them to baptism that first lesson.... Watch the District episode with German...  German accepts baptism in the exact same way Ismael did! BEAMING with excitement and an absolute YES!  Ismael said that we radiate this energy of happiness that is just contagious. The spirit is so strong when we teach them and they are so receptive it is incredible! Gabriel wasn't quite so sure about baptism. But after the second lesson. They both have been reading the Book of Mormon and WOW! They are the best two investigators yet. SO excited for Hermana Mortensen and her new companion. Unfortunately these two are in their area. But we shall see them at church and soccer and scripture class every week :)

 

Hermana Pew and I are getting better at asking inspired questions and just all around teaching. This week we experienced that "one mind" because of the spirit in our lessons. I think something and she says it. She thinks something and I say it. Wow. When we let the spirit into our hearts and minds and really LISTEN to the investigator. IT TELLS US WHAT TO SAY! It is SO NEAT!

 

Also we had Stake Conference last week and our choir sang. They did so good! Our practice paid off! Not as good as the VV1 choir- but close. The sessions were all about... guess... Yes! Missionary work! I have this excitement for you back home! It is so important that the members and missionaries are 1. If we are not one we are not God's. Our Zone has this goal for each companionship to get 10 member present lessons in one week. If we all do- we will have a pumpkin carving party! So... seemed impossible. BUT yesterday Hermana Pew and I were back on bikes and only had half a day cause we were at the mission home for so long. BUT we followed through on our plans. We got 3 member present lessons in one day! Our record. And it is only Wednesday! We can do it! We talked about how we weren't even excited for P-day. We just want to keep teaching and finding and serving.

 

We had a moment last week of realizing how truly scary this world is right now that we are living in. Something interesting was brought up in Stake Conference... Why is it so acceptable to talk about what's going on in Hollywood with a person on the street, but not about the Book of Mormon?

This really got me thinking. The Book of Mormon should be the most talked about Book in the World right now! How neat would it be if we walked into Walmart and all the media they sold was church videos, magazines and books? Our world would be so wholesome and the people would all be so good! Wow- I want to live in Zion. Build up our Stake to be a Zion like this. Be a missionary. Find. There is SOMEONE in every person's life who is not actively attending church, or is struggling in someway. Talk to them about the gospel. I am so excited for you to be missionaries at home!!

 

If you didn't figure out... Every transfer week we have P-day on Wednesday. Sorry I forgot to tell you!

 

Also... You know our reflective vests? Want to maybe send 2 for Hermana Pew and I to wear when we ride at night? We would be so much safer :)

THANKS familia.

Love always,

Hermana Christensen

A puppy.  Also a pregnant puppy peed on me yesterday. My shoe was filled :)

Week 11

So this week has gone by so fast I really don't even know...

We had dinner at Milton and Aurelio's last night. Aurelio has been being attacked by Satan. Every time we had a lesson planned for him the last two weeks something has happened. RIGHT before. Hermana Pew got a flat tire one day. Then another day she crashed into a parked car and her handle bars got super twisted. Then a third day I got a flat tire. We are still working with him though! It will all work out. We are super close to him and he calls us angels, and asks us about our wings all the time. Ha I just picture him as a bishop someday with his eternal little family :)

 

I invited our investigator Miguel to be baptized! He rejected at first, but after we figured out his concern I extended the 'soft' baptismal invitation and he accepted!! This Miguel is seriously so prepared! He has such honest and good intentions and we just love teaching him so much!

 

We found another previous investigator this week who is SO PREPARED. Mirna, and she just was so ecstatic about reading the Book of Mormon and attending church. Like unreal how sincere she was. And the questions she had about the Holy Ghost; she recognizes promptings better than I do! She asked if it was the Holy Ghost that spoke to her when she has little thoughts like "I should finish the dishes" and how she also has bad thoughts like "I should buy that ice cream (when I know I don't need it and shouldn't waste money on it)". Ah she is so sweet! And talked about how she went to a baptism of one of our recent converts in the summer and how much she loved the testimony of the girl who was baptized.

 

The Lord is preparing the people still who are rejecting the word now. We have to trust in His timing and be patient :)

 

The other day I was practicing reciting some sentences in Spanish about the prophet. As I practiced the sentences became real. The meaning deepened and I had a conviction and desire to know what I was saying was true. As I recited out loud that "we have a prophet today who leads and guides us and speaks to us" I just started bawling. I got on my knees and prayed to know what I was feeling was true. That Thomas S. Monson really is a prophet. Like Adam and Noah and Moses. I tell people this all the time, but it's important that I KNOW it so when I say it I can mean it every time and the spirit will testify even stronger to the people I talk to that it's true. I know Thomas S. Monson is the prophet of the world! I have felt the spirit testify this to me and I know it's true. As I watched conference and listened to the words of our living prophets I was in awe while thinking "These men really have been prepared since before the world was. To  testify of our Savior and His gospel. They are called of God and are our Nephi and Moses today!" Wow. I love feeling the Spirit. I love testifying of the Savior. His atonement is real. Share your testimony! Let our brothers and sisters know of the plan of happiness!

 

Be a missionary. You heard it all through conference. Seriously invite! Do you have those "would you be willing to..." cards? Love you. Learn of the Savior.

 

Hermana Christensen

 

Did you see the back of my head in between conference sessions? I forgot to tell you to look. That was my second day in the CCM. I had a lot on my mind that first week. :)

 

Also the sister in our apt. got her visa and left today! So we are joining her companion until transfers next week! We will combine all our lessons this week. It will be interesting! All 3 of us will have so much fun :)

Hermana Pew and I at the top

Our zone hiked camelback at 5:00am this morning

Hiked camelback again this morning!

Dropping off Hermana Astle!  She's headed to Argentina finally!

Our cute bikes