Go the Extra Mile

Hello.

First off, it sounds like Emma hasn’t been fully appreciated for her humor; so I want to do so now! Emma makes me laugh, and really laugh, in every letter she writes to me and I cannot tell you how much that means to me each week! THANK YOU EMMA! 

I had a good week. We worked really hard to find new investigators and found some really great new investigators to re-stock our teaching pool. Yesterday, it poured rain all day and the holes in my shoes weren’t putting up with it, so I switched to boots right after church. But we have been very blessed this winter and had a lot of sun. On Wednesday we had a dog follow us all the way home and sit on our front porch until one of the companionships left and then it followed them around for a good while. I think it is a miracle I haven’t been bitten yet. I now understand why they have animal control. 

I was so excited to hear about Sam’s scholarship to the Y and I know that I will be needing his tutoring services, but I am not sure I have the money to pay the whole fee. But what a stud! I am excited for him to leave on his mission he will be an incredible missionary! 

Something to lift your hearts. A week or two ago we gave Sister P, who is blind, the hymns on CD and she has been memorizing them. Yesterday she was able to sing along to all of the hymns. That is dedication and conversion! The world needs more good people like her! 

I am doing very well. Sorry, I really don’t have too much to write about. I have felt very blessed this week as we have found great people to teach. It is worth it to go the extra mile. I promise we will receive blessings! Love you tons!

Elder Christensen

The Churrasco

Hey Fam,

It sounds like you are all down in Newport. Enjoy the ocean, eat some burgers and tacos for me because I really miss them! 

That sandwich would be my favorite Chilean food, the Churrasco, we get it almost
every Monday. The restaurant is called Super Sandwich.

We had kind of a boring week. Lots of looking for new investigators. Lots of people are on vacation this week because it is winter vacation here for two weeks. It was Elder M and Elder U’s birthdays this week so a member invited us over for a barbeque family night so that was nice. Lots of meat. I am really sorry I am not sure what to write. It was kind of a slow week. 

On Saturday morning I was thinking about what we can do to have the Spirit to be with us more. As I was praying I really felt like it is important that we focus on our desires and our actions based on these desires. I have been working a lot on my desires and it has helped me a lot. After praying on Saturday I was walking in the street thinking about Christ and the blessings that I have received because of the Gospel. I received a very comforting feeling of love and peace as I thought about our family and the ward. 

Right now I am working hard to really develop my relationship with Christ and to come to know him better. 

Really Lame. Sorry, my comp and I both agree nothing big happened this week so I am sorry. Any Questions?

Love you tons! 

We Should Let Them In To Warm Up a Little Bit

I had a pretty great week. 

The P family was baptized this Saturday and it was a beautiful service, complete with two beautiful musical numbers. One with a violin and the other a very beautiful quartet made up of some Relief Society members. I am very happy for the P family. 

The first time I saw Sister P she was selling candy in front of the bank in the main plaza here in Los Angeles. I didn´t think much of it and much less thought I would be teaching her and her family a week or two later. She is an incredible person. She has been blind her entire life. When she was younger she studied in a school for the blind in Concepcion and is very well educated. She has shared a little bit more about their life the last couple of weeks. She is very determined as well. She has many extended family members who are members of the church and she listened to missionaries when she was younger. She also attended church a few times but it didn’t stick. The day we knocked on her door I had been struggling in the morning and wasn’t feeling too great. It had also begun to pour rain and didn’t stop all day long.  Their house was one of the last doors we knocked on that night. She told us last week that when we had knocked on the door the family had been going through some pretty rough times. Work had not been going great for her husband and he was still struggling with being blind. He had become blind a year or two before. She had been praying for some help, especially for her sons who needed a little more guidance. They were just growing up like normal kids, but she felt like she needed help.  Then we knocked on the door and she had felt like she should let us in. She told us her initial thought was that “These two boys aren’t much older than mine and they are out in the rain, we should let them in to warm up a little bit.” And that is how it all began. This week she told us that she later recognized it as an answer to her prayers. She is fantastic. I know the gospel will bless her and her sons and she will bless the ward. She is an incredible example and she will teach many about humility. She is always on time. The Relief Society president commented in the welcome that she is often the first one to class. She actively participates and listens. I could share a few stories but don’t have time. I have learned what President Eyring said is true that when we give priesthood service we are the ones who often learn the most. I believe I have learned a lot more from sister P than I have taught. Another thing I love is her desire to share the gospel. She wants to reactivate family and help her husband and mother be baptized. I am confident that her husband will soon follow. He continues to read and remarked to me during the baptism about the power he feels coming from the Book of Mormon and is amazed by the direct communication God has with the prophets. He also stopped smoking and drinking coffee when we began to teach them without us saying a word. MIRACLES HAPPEN! 

I am doing well.  Not much more to report. Some of the top excuses for why we couldn’t enter houses this week were: “Sorry, its cold outside.” “Sorry, It’s raining outside.” Believe me, they don’t need to tell us that. We know! All the more reason to let us in! I think they could put a little more effort into their excuses.  But that’s how it goes, no worries ;). Luckily it has been pretty sunny lately. 

I am doing well and love you tons! 

Elder Christensen

P.S. President Bluth is fantastic. We had another conference this week and it was great. We also saw President Martinez driving around yesterday, he stopped to talk to us and seems a little bit more relaxed. 

P.P.S. Sorry about no pictures! I forgot my camera today and I am a little nervous because a virus wiped out my pin drive last week. Luckily there was nothing important, but it is a little sketchy plugging stuff in. I will try to find a way. I think you can buy a virus protection type deal, maybe you could look into that for me. And THANK YOU for the package I love everything in it!

Finding Families

We got to know President Bluth this week. He is wonderful. He is really focused on the individual and is very humble. I feel really comfortable around him. He is just nice. I had a wonderful conversation with him and really love him. He is very personal and very concerned for the missionaries. He really took the time to get to know me. He asked me about football and everything. We have another conference with him this week and I am so excited. His wife is really great as well. I feel so blessed to have them as mission presidents.

The P family ended up not getting baptized last week, but they are good to go for this week. Their son who was unsure is feeling a lot better about baptism and wants to do it. It should be really great. They are a wonderful family. 

Another family that we are teaching came to church yesterday, so that was a huge step. They are finally beginning to pick up steam and are really beginning to keep more and more commitments. They are progressing; slowly but surely. 

We weren’t able to teach the other couple we have been working with last week, but talked to the wife last night at their gate. She said that she has been talking with her husband and they feel good about their beliefs right now, but would like it if we stopped by. So we are going to go by to clear up some doubts. 

We found some really great new people to teach; L, a young man who is studying, and two new families who showed considerable interest when we taught them the restoration. We have a lot of hope for them. I feel really blessed because the people Elder M and I are finding are good quality people with good values. The couples are all married as well, which is huge for Chile. It is hard to find families with married parents, so we feel very blessed.

News for the week: It has been very good weather, sunny but cold. Which is better than wet and cold. 

Two nights ago our next door neighbor, a member of the stake presidency, got robbed. Another member got robbed the next day, so we are making sure to keep everything locked up tight. The irony of the whole thing was our neighbor was being robbed next door while the neighborhood guard was knocking on our door asking for his pay. Our neighbor got home five minutes later and came out yelling to us to call the police. The robber had just taken off from his house. 

We got a new family in the ward yesterday. The Martinez Family. I must admit it is a little nerve racking to be in priesthood and Sacrament meeting with your old mission president. They are so great. They were happy to see us and asked how we are doing. They are awesome. Just really great people and I love them. They will be a really great support for the ward, but will be staying under the radar as missionary work goes for a while.

I love you guys tons. I loved Emma’s letter last week. It made me laugh! Thanks for your great humor Emma! 

I ate a giant sandwich for lunch today that was pretty good. It was like the Chilean version of Five Guys. 

Hope you all had a great week! 

Love you tons! 

Elder Christensen