Week 40

Things are looking brighter! We have a 9 year old who is part of a family we are helping re-activate who is getting baptized on the 10th! Guess what his name is too? Riley!! :) I haven't told him yet that I have a sister with his same name because I don't want to offend him.

Bernie in Pie Town will hopefully be baptized the end of May. And I hopefully will not get transferred. I am finally starting to see hope for this area and get a hang of things. We drive A LOT.

We have a lot of really good potential in the Luna ward I can't believe it.  Luna ward consists of Reserve, Aragon, Luna, Alpine and all those random towns in the left central part of New Mexico.

Hermana Arevalo and I are learning to work better together. I am learning to be less serious and talk more, about everything. We are getting rid of uncomfortable awkward silences. She is also going to speak more in Spanish for me. Which I am happy about. I hardly speak to anyone in Spanish anymore it feels like. I want to be so exactly obedient but things just aren't working like that yet. So I am loosening up a little. It kind of hurts, but it is how we work best together!

I am still running 3 miles a day. We love love love the gym. All the regulars are getting to be our friends. :)

We spoke in Eagar 2nd ward yesterday for 10 mins each on charity and service. We spoke with a returning elder from Hawaii. I shared the Matt. 25. and read "I am trying to be like Jesus" primary song and shared how much I actually LIKE serving now. And how I didn't like to pull weeds for mom, but NOW I LOVE WEEDING. Cause when I am weeding, I feel like I am doing something Jesus would do. I want to be like Jesus. He is so nice :)

We have interviews with President and car inspections this week! I LOVE PRESIDENT SWEENEY. He is my mission father. And sister Sweeney my mission mother. Then I go down to MLC this week too! I love busy weeks!

I hope Drew liked my squirrel letter, I got it at the thrift store. That's where everybody shops here in Round Valley!

I am semi-excited to talk to you all in 13 days?

I really really LOVED the letter from Ally, Kassidy. 

I bought a lot of eggs to eat this week. I love eggs and oatmeal with PB. 

I also love well water. Water from a well. Lots of people have that here. It is delicious!

I also love all of the members up here. They are all so nice!

Also there is a girl from here in Eagar named Sister Hamblin who is serving in Bountiful right now.  So look out for her :)

Also I really miss soccer sometimes. I feel like I am not even a soccer player anymore it is sad.

Also Sister Goodwin who we are living with, finally got her Visa to Brazil after 9 MONTHS.

Also it is starting to warm up here a little :) (just really windy)

Also My hair is getting healthier. 

Also I write in my journal every night and make my bed every morning.

Also, I like being a missionary because it is like I have a sleep over with my best friend every night!

Also I don't know if I told you- Hermana Arevalo reminds me SO MUCH of Brianna it is weird sometimes!

LOVE YOU! Have fun in California Mom and Dad :)

Hermana Christensen

Fun in the kitchen

Driving home from Luna to Alpine, it was snowy and SO pretty

 Our nightly pic (in the bathtub last night, we needed to change up the location so this was my revelation)

Week 39

We had a very interesting week because we did what hasn't been done before! Or at least in quite some time. We stayed over night in Reserve, Pie Town and Eagar this week! 

We have felt the need to GET OUT of EAGAR! And so we did. And we witnessed little miracles. We have so many referrals and contacted 7 this week. We are in the process of finding in these little New Mexico towns. 

On Tuesday we had a girl preparing for her mission drive us around in Reserve contacting referrals and talking to people. They live in the middle of nowhere and have acres of land with horses and cows and dogs- their life is so neat!

After, we slept at Bishop Payne's home and then headed back to Eagar.

Eagar we had a great lesson with Tonia. She is my favorite person. She wants to get baptized. I want her to just get a new job and not work on Sunday. We are working on that :)

Then Saturday we just picked up and left to Pie Town. We drove ourselves (we didn't have to drive down to the valley this month so we have extra miles-MIRACLE). We tried to contact some people in Quemado but that is impossible to do with out a member because there are no street signs or numbers on houses. And the men at the gas station didn't know haha.

So we visited a less active couple in Datil.

Then ate at a member's home even farther than Datil. VERY INTERESTING- They have EVERYTHING you can think of to survive if a disaster hits! Words cannot even do their home justice. 

Then we drove back to Pie town where we slept in THE MISSIONARY TRAILER right next to the church that hasn't been slept in in YEARS hahaha. The heat, water and electricity didn't work. Luckily I had a flashlight in the car. Luckily the door locked, luckily we had lots of blankets and sweats and luckily we had a key to the little church right next door to use the facilities :). Also we were lucky that no mice had gotten in.

Then at church in Pie Town we had a record 50 people in sacrament meeting!! The chairs in the little room were all full almost! Bernie was there and also a member's non-member husband! And a few other non-members. It was really good to be there and meet with all of them. I am in love with Pie Town.

Afterwards we followed the Campbell's (baptized in December) to their home. We visited with them and then the spirit guided us to talk about their goals to go to the temple. We made the plan on them being sealed in 1 year! Then we talked about family history and baptisms for the dead. It was SO NEAT to see Sam Campbell's face light up as he learned how he is able to be baptized for his ancestors. He didn't know we ACTUALLY are baptized for them. He comes from a VERY Baptist family and grew up in Florida and none of his family are members. He has lots of work to do and the Spirit was very strong during this conversation. I know that he has ancestors just WAITING for him to do their work! I love the Campbell's! People who live in the middle of nowhere have to have hobbies.
Sister Campbell has a room with millions of beads. SO NEAT! She makes all the missionaries a bracelet :)

Bother Campbell has a gun room. He makes guns and bullets and such- I don't really understand but whatever makes him happy!

We are chuggin along- finding the little blessings each day. This area requires a really different type of way to work than in Scottsdale. But it is ALL the Lord's work. I have faith that He will continue to direct us here just as down in Scottsdale. We are excited to teach Bernie!

Happy Easter. I know Christ lives. We heard a few stories this week that have augmented my understanding of this. I love the Holy Ghost- he is real and he guides me in millions of decisions everyday. 

Have a fabulous week!
I loved your Easter picture with the 3 eggs ha:)

Hermana Christensen

Millions of Elk in Reserve.

With big man Izzy during service.

random

Missionary TRAILER! I am pretty positive we are the only missionaries in the whole mission who have a little trailer :) We are so blessed right!?!

Our trailer :)

Brother and Sister Campbell

Sister Campbell

Week 38

Hermana Arevalo and I get along so so well, in such a good way! It is so easy to feel the spirit with her. We help eachother so much and contructrively critique eachother constantly because we love eachother. In our language and in our missionary skills.

We also go to bed at 10 so we can wake up at 6 and exercise for an hour! It feels SO GOOD!

Also Yessica went to church again this week! (Without us!) And she came to a FHE last night at a member's home with her kids. She is doing GREAT.

Also we started a 7 day 15 step quit smoking program this week with a less active- he is doing great!

We dropped 5 investigators this week and we feel SO good about it. We have maybe 2 real investigators TOTAL- which is kind of depressing BUT we know we are about to find those prepared families and our hope is not diminishining! Hermana Arevalo is such a kind and helpful companion to me and we are working really well together!

After ZTM this week, I had all the sisters in our zone who wanted, eat at a little Mexican restaurant in St. Johns. All the sisters came and it was good bonding time.

Friday we visited some less actives in Alpine, then stayed the night at a member's cabin. Hermana Arevalo kept saying "yo quiero ver un oso!" She wanted to see a bear sooo so badly but we never did. We stayed in the cute little cabin and got locked out the next morning after our excercise and MIRACULOUSLY found a spare key and got back in after a mere 4 minutes -funny miracle. That Saturday we visited with our Ward Mission Leader and established our goals with certain people and such. We then visited people that I have never met and set some return appointments! Which was a miracle!!! We are really excited to spend more time in Alpine, Luna, Reserve,  Aragon, Pie Town and Dadil. We are being drawn away from Eagar into these remote areas for a reason I know it!

We went to Pie Town branch yesterday to speak and a miracle happened.. A member's boyfriend (Bernie) who has been attending for several months, expressed interest to our Branch Mission Leader in taking the missionary discussions! He has been attending church every week there and practically is part of the little Pie Town branch family! We will start teaching him in the second weekend in May because he will be out of town and such.

I FEEL SO HAPPY and am really excited to finally meet who the Lord is preparing for us! We have 10 referrals to contact in LUNA (from a missionary who is serving in North Carolina but his home ward is LUNA!)
We also feel this need to stay in Dadil New Mexico (I have never been there yet) but some members from Pie Town Branch live there and we hear it is about the size of Quemado NM. We are going to cause some miraculous changes here!

ALSO THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE BOX!! Hermana Arevalo and I almost cried when we heard a song on the CD was in Spanish! YAY thanks so so much! I have the BEST Family ever and I feel so extremely blessed! I am so excited for Easter! In honor of it I have been pondering my favorite Easter talk- "Sunday will come" READ IT!

Hermana Christensen

With Yessica, our beloved sister

At the cabin in Alpine

Me with my bottle of oatmeal water- in front of the church in St Johns where we ave ZTM and Sister Watkins and I gave our trainings!

Week 37

I love Eagar Arizona!

This week I have started being a lot more appreciative of all my blessings. I say 1 prayer a day of giving complete thanks- which usually ends in tears because I realize HOW EXTREMEMLY BLESSED I am. Heavenly Father is seriously SO good to me.

 

Hermana Areval and I had a really good week together. We get along SO well it is amazing. It is so easy to learn and grow with her. She lived in Utah for 7 months before she came here with her younger sister in Layton. So she is learing English and it is so fun. We speak complete Spanglish all the time and her accent is so so cute. She constantly is asking how to say things in English and I to her in Spanish. An attitude of humility makes ALL the difference!

 

We are in the process of dropping a lot of investigators who are not prepared. And as a result-- we are meeting new people!!!! It is INCREDIBLE! I can just feel that we are able to be blessed with people to teach who are TRULY prepared to receive the gospel.

 

We listened to 3 of the 4 sessions of conference in Spanish. I understood enough to take notes on every talk but I am excited for the Ensign to come out so I can read them all again in English haha. I really enjoyed Elder Anderson's in the Saturday Morning session. It might have been because I was so so excited for conference to begin that I payed the most attention-but I like the tree and wind analogy. That when we are faced with constant trials and change we become so much stronger and prepared for when the occasional disatrous tornados occur. Mom I also loved elder Uchtdorf's talk on gratitude. It made me think a lot more about how I can BE a grateful person rather than just giving thanks.

 

I also loved seeing swet Elder Teh- he will now always have a special place in my heart!

 

Yesterday after a lesson with 14 year old Eric, Hermana Arevalo and I had a good chat about some simple ways we are going to improve our teaching. Our old stake President speaks Spanish and he is who came with us. We felt kind of embarrassed after the lesson because Eric didn't understand a lot of what we were trying to tell him. The lesson ended well though and he learned who Heavely Father is, and who Jesus Christ is. He is learing how to pray now but is REALLY super duper shy. Anways after the lesson Presiden Heap helped us realize that a lot of people really have NO idea one thousandth of a part the things that we know. And now we are DETERMINED to teach more simply and ask better questions to understand what level our investigators are at.

 

We send a mass Spanish text out everyday and a mass English text out everyday of a scripture usually, to both investigators and members.

Last night we got a 7 page text back from President Heap which really lifted our spirits :)

He quoted all of this to us.......

 

"The Lord's chosen people, were a congregation set apart in the pre existence. In large measure, the spirit children on the Father, who acquired a talent for spirituality, who chose to heed the divine word then given eho sought above their fellows, to do good and work in righteousness-- all these were forordained to be born in the house of Israel. They were chosen before they were born. This is the doctrine of election"- Elder Mcconkie (the millenial messiah pg 182)

My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and the follow me; and I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish. Neither sahll any man pluck them out of my hand. John 10:27-28

 

One never know to whom one may be speaking. Only God knows the elect, but they will be the ones who are filled with light upom hearing and understanding the gospel. So, listen to the spirit, and judge not, but share the gospel with all who listen!

 

 

....All of this made me so happy. First of all because we knew President Heap didn't think we were stupid and hated us for being horrible misionaries. But that he loves us and wants to help us! I am grateful for the humbling experiences I am a part of everyday. I  was able to watch President Monson's talk about COURAGE from the Priesthood session this morning. I loved the end of his talk. That we should be as Paul and feel "not ashamed of the Gospel of Jesus Christ."

And like Job, "while my breath is in me, I will not remove mine integrity from me."

 

As I continue to learn about the saving doctrine of Jesus Christ I realize more and more how central it is to our whole existence. I never want to sin, and I keep wanting to serve- my companion, the sisters I live with and everybody else we come in contact with. I am learning to love my weaknesses as I struggle to overcome them with the help of the atonement of Christ. I know that He is the only way. "He is the light, the life and the hope of the world. His way is that path that leads to happiness in this life and eternal life in the world to come. God be thanked for the matchless gift of His divine Son."

 

I love my companion. I love the gift of the Holy Ghost. I love the Book of Mormon and I love to taste of it's divine power daily. I know that through Joseph Smith the Lord restored all that was necessary to establish his kingdom once again on the earth. I love being a Latter-Day Saint missionary :)

 

Hermana Christensen

 

Also I still LOVE watching the district. It is our missionary game-film.

Also, we have so many Brasil visa waiters- Maybe Indigo willl wait for her visa in my mission!!!

Also- Keep up the good work Trev! Eat and Breathe Preach My Gospel!

Also I love you all!!

Week 36

I am feeling anxious!

Sister Carrillo had been here in Eagar for 5 transfers and now she is gone and I am left with this wonderful area! My new companion is Sister Arevalo from El Salvador. She is my great-grandma (sister Carrillo's trainer). She was my Sister Training leader my first to transfers. She is such a good missionary and so loving.

Last week we went on exchanges again and sister Zavala came up to Eagar for a few days with me. We stayed the night in Alpine at a member's home and were able to visit a few less- actives up there. I know we were supposed to be there that times that we were. It is so neat to see how God helps place us in people's lives at the correct time. One thing I LOVE is finding out that we as missionaries were an answer to a prayer offered. It has happened so many times.

Another thing I love is when I can teach a lesson out of PURE love for the people. When my pure motive is"I want this brother/sister to live in the KINGDOM OF GOD". And the love works in me to help me teach by the spirit. I also love when Investigators feel the spirit. Last week with Sister Zavala we set my first baptsmal date since I have been in Eagar. It was with Lili. We taught lesson one soooo so simply using the pamphlet pictures. By the end, Lili (an investigator for many many months) said the prayer and was overcome by the spirit that I think it scared her so she hurried and ended her prayer as tears ran down her face. She is so worried about her wayward children. We gave her a Chapter in the Book of Mormon to read and she was halfways done with it by the time we were out the door. I love when I can teach completely relying on the spirit and EVERYBODY in the room can feel it. We are helping her prepare to be baptized on April 23.

I am excited to still be in Eagar! Our dreams came true and I was in the valley during the winter and in the Mountains for the summer! I am one blessed daughter of God. SIster Watkins is my sister Training leader companion and she lives about an hour or so away in Taylor/ Snowflake. She was in the MTC with me and I am so excited to get to work more with her.

I love being obedient and I love feeling so FREE to be happy with myself due to the little correct choices I make. Sometimes it is hard to be optimistic all the time. But I know that my high hopes will bring miracles. We are praying to find families that are prepared RIGHT NOW to recieve the gospel. Please feel free to join us. I know there is ONE family out here just so ripely prepared by God!

Love you all so much and I deeply appreciate your emails and love!

You should time getting Trevor's call on Mother's Day so I can watch him open it too :)

I am so in love with you family!! You have no idea.

I am also so in love with the gospel. Heavenly Father won't ever leave us comfortless, there is nothing we cannot overcome with the atonement of Jesus Christ if we but excercise faith!

The women's conference was INCREDILE! I couldn't sing I was so overcome with the spirit!

Yessica, a less active we are working with came to church on Sunday for the first time in 5 years!! I sat in nursery and helped her screaming kids with the nursery teachers while sister Carrillo took Yessica to classes. That was a miracle. We also made Menudo with Yessica and SIster Peters this week. It may have been the nastiest thing I have ever touched, tasted and smelled. Look it up!

Love Hermana Christensen

Also I got a hair cut today and a BUNCH of hair product for FREE from a member. I am so blessed!! 

MLC trip-  we are the mountain sisters

With 91 year old less active Pearl. We showed up and the whole right side of her body was swollen... we got Preisthood holders there, she received a blessing and later that night was rushed to the hospital. We hope she is still alive!

Transfer MTG with Sister Faw :)

MLC at the mission home

SO many cactus!

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!