Blessed are the Happiness Makers!

¡HOLA! Family,

Thank you guys so much for the awesome package! You guys sure made us (me, my companion and roommates) happy. Tell Kirk thank you so much. I am sure he went out of his way to bring that here. He is way too nice! 

New MTC Haircut - They like it short!!

I have had another typical week at the Mexico CCM, full of lots of studying from 7:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. You’ve got to love MTC life. Thank goodness for our hour lunch and dinner break and our hour-long gym period. Things are really great down here. Looking back, I am worried that I gave you guys the wrong impression about the food. It is totally fine. I usually just take whatever meat we get and throw it on a hoagie. We haven’t had the half-alive chicken again, it was just last week. The chicken and meat have been really good lately.

I really love my district. It has been so great with all of the different personalities. We have done well together. It is crazy the people you run into down here.  Apparently I just missed the QB that is going to replace Taysom Hill at BYU. Taylor Brand met him and told me he is about the same build as us just a couple inches taller. Hopefully he can throw. I see one of Utah’s future players every day at breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I think he is going to be one of their running backs. I also met the really tall kid that played basketball at Bountiful. He is awesome. He is a really cool guy and one of the other district leaders. He towers over everybody here. You can spy him from the other end of the street. He is going to San Antonio. Our district has become friends with another district in our branch. Four of them are going to the Pingree’s mission in a week or so. I told them to say “hi” to the Pingrees.   Also one of our teachers played football at East for Coach Whitehead. He is a year younger than Coach Baldwin and his name is Brother May. I don’t know his first name but he is a really cool guy. I liked him a lot.

Will's MTC District

So I think I told you guys earlier that everyone is really friendly here. The first week here I felt the guys in “Glory Road” walking around saying “hola” to everybody because I couldn’t speak Spanish very well. Now I am feeling more comfortable. I’ve also had some great “hot dogo” experiences in the cafeteria. So we got hot dogs for dinner last week and I hate to say this but they really weren’t that great. Then a couple days later the leftovers showed up as hot dog bits in the salad. Then they made another appearance a week later in a different salad. I’m not complaining, just thought that was kind of interesting.

It has been fun to read the cousins letters each week. Thank you for sending them to me mom. I was really glad Spencer was able to find some pants that could fit him (you’ve got to see the picture on his blog, so funny!). I know that is a struggle for him. I also enjoyed this weeks story about the snake. Way to go Indie. Make sure to live it up down there a little more. I know they live it up here in Mexico City because yesterday was the first day I didn’t hear a firework since I’ve been here. I now understand why Utah has firework restrictions.

I also want to ask you guys to tell the Marbergers that I get more compliments about the tie they gave me!

Will's Closet at the CCM

Everybody is really jealous. I could probably trade it for like five ties in a tie swap if I wanted to, but I could never part with it. Thank you! I also love my ties with messages, they make my day!

I had some great spiritual experiences this week as well. I have been focusing on having the Holy Ghost with me at all times. Parley P. Pratt said,

 "The gift of the holy ghost...quickens all the intellectual faculties, increases, enlarges, expands, and purifies all the natural passions and affections and adapts them, by the gift of wisdom, to their lawful use. It inspires, develops, cultivates and matures all the fine-toned sympathies, joys, tastes, kindred feelings, and affections of our nature. It inspires virtue, kindness goodness, tenderness, gentleness, and charity. It develops beauty of person, form and features. It tends to health, vigor, animation, and social feeling. It invigorates all the faculties of the physical and intellectual man. It strengthens, and gives tone to the nerves. In short, it is, as it were marrow to the bone, joy to the heart, light to the eyes, music to the ears, and life to the whole being."

I thought that was pretty profound. I need all the help I can get out here and that is a huge comfort to me. I also loved reading in 2 Nephi, I think it is 32. We are taught that when we teach with the Holy Ghost we can speak with the tongue of angels. I think that is such a great promise. Especially as I learn how I can bear pure testimony. I had another great experience with one of our investigators this week. When she was a child her parents fought a lot and her father drank. She has had a hard life. I testified of the Atonement and Christ’s love for her. Once again, it felt like the words were put in my mouth. It was so neat, it brought tears to my eyes and I once again felt Christ’s love for me. Even though these aren’t real investigators it is amazing how strong the spirit can be. We also practiced contacting yesterday with missionaries and workers around campus. Elder Baggs and I actually got to bear testimony to a real investigator who was dropping a friend off at the CCM. He was very nice and we just bore testimony of simple truths. It was a great experience and I hope that my  comments had an impact on him. We also taught the law of chastity for the first time to another investigator. That was a little bit of a ride but it went better than expected. 

We had a great devotional yesterday about unity and involving members in the work. This was the second devotional about including the ward in teaching. They told us to ask the Bishop how we can help him, how we can serve him. Not pester him about finding some one to teach. Dad, I though of you when he told us this because I know how busy your workload is. I hope the missionaries back home are serving, not pestering. I think it is really important to include members though. Reed and I talked a little bit about it before I left. It is so important to have a permanent friend in the ward. It is also important to find members that can relate to the investigator’s situation to show them how the gospel can help. I know you are working hard back home. The church is really making a push to involve members in the work. It is a big push, but it is worth making. We are all one in purpose, missionaries and members.

Will with one of his Zone Leaders

I love the updates each week. It is fun to hear about all the mission calls.  I love you guys tons! Thank you so much for taking care  of me, even when I’m miles and miles away. I think about all that you have done for me and I wish I could express my gratitude, but I can’t because it is too great and it just doesn’t work through email! I love you so much!!!. 

Oh esta todo bien!

Elder Will Christensen

P.S. Congratulations to Sam and Stephanie and Brent and Susie! What great news!!