Week 35

Rough - ER week.

This week may have been to hardest of my life- which is good I guess cause it wasn't TOO bad!

We did have 2 people buy us Dairy Queen Ice cream and then another day someone anonymously paid for our Subway- There are great people in the world :).

Sister Carrillo have really grown a lot closer together through some trials we have been facing. We had to go down to Snowflake for 2 days with 2 sisters and help them out a bit. Sister Pass and Zavala. It was fun to be in Snowflake again! It's crazy to think that Camrie grew up in that little town :) that I am now serving a mission in!
Our area up here has been struggling- but we know that sometimes we learn from experiences that we didn't intend to learn from. We have a good potential investigator up in Reserve that we plan to see this week now. Her dad recently passed away and she is so depressed and cooped up inside her home. We got a prompting to call her the other day because Sister Carrillo had met her at a Christmas dinner a few months ago. This woman found so much comfort in talking to us about her family and we told her we could tell her a lot about where her dad is right now. She is very excited to talk to us,

We have MLC again this week. People from Salt Lake are coming down these next 3 days to tell us everything we are doing right and wrong as a mission. The third day they get to be with all of us during MLC and teach us. That will be a long fun day in Scottsdale!

Next week is already transfers again! So I will write again next Wednesday :)

I love Jesus Christ. I love OUR Heavenly Father. I love Thomas S. Monson. I love King Benjamin this week. I love Joseph Smith too. I love Hermana Carrillo. I love President and Sister Sweeney. I love all my leaders and look up to them so much.  I love you my dear family!  

Hermana Christensen

P.S. I am getting really good at pushups.

 And I run about 2 miles everyday- except Saturday and Sunday.

I haven't played soccer for so long- and am still alive!

President hamblin's wife bought us some requested home goods :) We were so thankful!

WE GOT THE GOLDEN PLATES! Our car was the best :)  (it's only right from the family I come from!)

Sister Zavala

In Snowflake AZ

I told Sister Carrillo to ask the horses for help finding a referral. Hahah. They were attentive and good listeners! 

Week 34

One thing I know for certain now is that I love my Father in Heaven. This week I developed this LOVE for him. I know he is my father and I know he lives, loves me, listens to me, cries with me and laughs with me. I can say directly from my heart without any doubt that I love Heavenly Father.

 

Our area is strugling a little bit, with lots of old investigators dropping us and becoming uninterested (for now). But we are still somehow managing to find new people to teach and potential always arises after disappoinments. We are still working with Viri's (the twin who was baptized last month) mom, Beti. I went on exchanges twice this last week with Sister Goodwin from California. She is a Brazil visa waiter and we served in Scottsdale together the same time and now came up here the same time and are living together. She and I get along really well. Anyways. The first exchange was one we were doing by mandate. Then Sister Carrillo and Lee got sick so they stayed home and Sister Goodwin and I went out and worked both areas. I was so impressed with Sister Goodwin and her desire to speak to these Spanish people in her Portugese. She is so faithful, bold and fun and I learned to much form our exchange. Then we had a lesson with Beti and the spirit was so strong. I haven't fel the spirit so strong in a lesson since I have been up here. It felt good just to follow the spirit and bear sincere testimony to Beti about prayer because that very morning I didn't know whay but studied all about prayer and had an increible experience to share. She has been taught everything and we don't really know what to do cause it seems like everytime we go she has a new doubt, that she has already learned and know the answer to. Satan is helping her forget. But I know the lesson about prayer helped. She wouldnt commit to come to church during the lesson. But she ended up going!!!!! Her second time like EVER. We were in Pie Town attending the branch there of 30 people (cutest more family-like branch ever.  I loved it so much).

 I am learning more everyday. I know the Atonement of Jesus Christ can make anything unfair about life okay again. I read a talk this morning that explained how even Jesus Christ, someone perfect and pure still keeps his wounds in his hands and feet and side. We are meant to struggle through life, but our trials does not mean God doesn't love us. Perfect Jesus Christ suffered so we don't need to. He had a miserable and sad journey to fulfill here on earth yet he tells us all to be of good cheer. He is so loving and perfect.

Also after I came out from praying outloud in the bathroom I said the prayer to start companionship study. I was really intune to the spirit from my prayer right before. After the companionship prayer ended Sister Carrillo just looked at me and said, "you didn't have one error in that whole prayer, I was repeating everthing you were saying in my head and you said everything perfectly, conjugations and all." I was so happy. I know it's because of how close I was to to Spirit, the gift of tongues is so real.

 

Also we did family history this week. I was impressed to go to one end of the family history tree. As I sought help from the consultant, she very shcokingly asked the other consultant to look up a certain name on my screen onher computer and told me that was her ancestor too. So she and I worker together and had success in finding parents to I think it was Anders Christensen, she transferred lots of her work over to my tree. It was a blessing and miracle brought forth by my yielding to the enticing of the spirit upon where to go.

 

Hermana Christensen

Also, it snowed.

Week 33

Family History I am doing it, my Family History. And the love I feel as I'm doing it is very good to me! This weekend while we were down in Scottsdale, Sister Sweeney trained Sister Carrillo and me on how to do family history. I found my new hobby. I can't wait to go home just so I can spend HOURS finding my ancestors. It's so fun! But in the meantime I am really excited to start helping others experience this joy!

President Sweeney encourages us to bear testimony the first fast Sunday in out new areas. SO yesterday I bore my testimony in the Eagar ward. Then the family we had dinner with asked me where I am from and so on. They first asked if I was from Sweden. They said after sacrament meeting the sisters in Relief Society were talking saying I must be from somewhere far because of my accent. The last few weeks I have been asked many times where my accent is from. And THREE times people have assumed I am from Sweden because of my accent...? I really do not understand why. Then they say it is kind of a mexican accent. But in Eagar most people now know of me as the Swedish Sister who speaks Spanish.

Being down in the valley we got to go on exchanges on Friday night with Sister Freeman and Sister Wheelwright. Sister Wheelwright and I went to Minerva, Mario, Cinthia, Angel and Samantha. They were all so excited to see me and I was so excited to see them! Samantha ran and squeezed me for a minute straight. She was so cute and was counting down the hours til bedtime because then the next day was the day she was getting baptized!

The one thing that was really neat was the spirit that was felt in their home. Everybody seemed SO HAPPY. They were all different people from the first time we met them. At their baptism I had the opportunity to give the talk on Baptism because the person who was going to do it was late, LUCKY ME. Haha the whole experience was amazing and watching them all come in and out of the water was a feeling I have never felt before in my life. I was so full of joy for each one of them. Then after the baptism Samantha gave me an envelope and asked me to open it with wide eyes and grin. She got me a bracelet (it's a cross). I have it taped in my journal. I love the Rivera MOra family so much! And hope to go through the temple with them on March 8 2015!

Now Eagar.... One of the only Spanish families we are teaching called and dropped us yesterday. We know she was studying with the Jehova's Witnesses. It hurt. Maybe now isn't thier time. There is alwasy next week though!

One of the very different parts about this area compared to Scottsdale is the population. In Scottsdale is avereaged 1 baptism for every about 20 new investigators (so I got to meet and contact A LOT of people). Here in the outskirts especially in Luna and Pie Town and Reserve for every 1 new investigator there is a baptism...

SO the exciting news....

We had a member referal to contact in Luna. We were dropped off at her house by a member and told she was very nice and the visit would be pleasant. To our surprise the visit did not start out that way. She just peeked through the door at us and asked what. Then we explained who we were and she asked who sent us there. She said she already knew Jesus and thank you and tried to close the door. But the spirit took over and we continued to talk to her. Turns out she just had back surgery. She just finished reading a big book series and LOVES to read. By the end we invited her to read the Book of Mormon and she meaningfully agreed. We are going to visit her again this week. The coolest part- her name is Cynthia.

Our encounter with her was such a miracle and the Lord knew how much of a sacrifice it was to leave Cinthia in the Valley so He gave me comfort and hope through this Cynthia in Luna.

I love the work. Everyday is hard and trying but every week is satisfactory and worth it. :)

Also I read a really good talk on Forgiveness by James E. Faust from 2001 called "The Atonement:Our Greatest Hope"

Read it!

Hermana Christensen

Monday morning's breakfast at Java Blues :)

Week 32

The Gilbert temple dedication was not a let down! We got to listen in the Relief Society room in Spanish with 2 of our recent converts and 2 members. I can't wait to go back inside that temple someday!

We read a talk this morning called "The Tongue of Angels" by Elder Holland.

Dad- read it.

Mom- read it.

Kass & Drew- read it.

Riley- read it.

Tad- read it.

Trevor- read it.

Please.

It reminds us of how powerful words are and the effect they can have on a person. "The spirit of God is optimistic; it trusts in God and looks on the bright side of things. No misfortune is so bad that whining about it won't make it worse."

Inasmuch as we say edifying, encouraging things unto the least of these our brethen and sisters and little ones, we say it unto God. See Matthew 25:40

 We are working with a lot of less actives and have a few investigators in Spanish. The whole town knows eachother so its really fun to make connections with families. We had a really nice family night last night. A Spanish family followed us to an English member family's home (the Peter's). The Peters taught a nice little lesson for all the kids on the Plan of Salvation then the kids colored. Then the two husbands were sitting in the living room and Brother Peters worked up all the courage he could to talk to the other husband (Victor). Brother Peters told about the temple dedication and I translated every sentence for him so he could communicate to Victor. We got into a very long dicussion about temples and eternal families. I loved seeing how much Brother Peter's wanted Victor to know the truth. Member missionary work is the best. It's the way it should be!

I am learning to love my circumstances more and more every day. Everytime I pray I know Heavenly Father hears me. He really does pour His spirit so abundantly upon us when we seek it. I am greatful for repentance, I know it is such a necessary process for us to go through. I know we cannot enter into God's precense without it. We must CONTINALLY repent. I read about the 10 virgins this morning as well in Matthew 25. Just how only 5 of the 10 virigins were ready for the coming of the bridegroom, so it will be with us. I pray we are all in the half of the children who ARE ready for the coming of Christ.

Alma 34:34

"ye cannot say, when ye are brought to that awful crisis, that I will repent, that I will return to my God. Nay, ye cannot say this; for that same spirit which doth posses your bodies at the time ye go out of this life, that same spirit will have power to posses your body in that eternal world."

 

We must work now, and repent now to change our nature.

 

Hermana Christensen

 

We get to drive down to Scottsdale this week for Mission Leadership Council. President Sweeney gave us permission to stay on e extra day for Minerva, Mario, Cinthia, Angel and Samantha's BAPTISM!!!! They are getting baptized this Saturday I am so happy!

This is a family they taught right before I got here, then they changed our area so we had to stop teaching them, but we got to go to their baptism in St. Johns!