Elders Christensen's excellent adventure for the Lord

Elders Christensen's excellent adventure for the Lord
And they're off!

Monday, September 27, 2010

Matt 6-27-10

Yes! One week down in Alameda. It was a good week. Nothing really interesting happened but it was great. My comps name is elder Gray he is from Wasilla Alaska! And yes he has seen Sarah Pailin haha. He has been out for about 13 months. And he is a great elder. His last comp was going home and super turnkey so there hasn't been too much work going on here. But that is going to change. :) So Alameda is a small island right by Oakland and it’s not very big. We can ride our bikes and get any where in about 20 min. which is nice and it’s really flat. It’s so hard being surrounded by water! I want to go swimming in the ocean so bad! It’s been in the high 80's to mid 90's so it’s been hot and people were out playing the past two days. Yes we are planning on watching conference with some members on Saturday at least... it should be really good. The members are really nice and it’s a lot of young couples in the ward. Not much youth though. We had the primary program this week and it was really good. I remember prepare for my part along time ago it was always so fun. This past week a member was having a garage sale and we helped clean up and she gave us some tennis rackets so we played today and it was tons of fun. We only had one ball but I’m going to buy more next week. So Paul you better watch out I might be able to beat you when I get home. Haha our apartment is not to small it has 2 bedrooms and 1bathroom and a little kitchen. It has been a missionary apartment for about 10 years so it has a couple of things wrong with it... but it still feels nice to call somewhere home. We don't have any roommates so we find ways to entertain our selves usually with the tennis rackets... :)

Well I’m glad to hear that you had a wonderful week and that Adam and Amy made it home safely. Wow I’m going to miss getting wood at the cabin for conference! That was always such fun to me I don't really know why it was hard but fun. It always felt so rewarding when we could see how much wood we can fit in the cabin haha. I hope that you all have a fun time with out me. Wow that is such a cool picture of the fire and the temple! Yes I saw a couple of fires in Antioch but they were just grass fires nothing like at home. And I haven't seen any rain or lightning yet either that's one thing I miss the most is lightning! It’s just so cool!! Yeah I heard about the gas line we were at a member’s home and saw it on TV... but that was crazy do you know how it happened?
That is so cool that you are having success in missionary work at home. I don't remember the Isoms but I do know where they live. And I know how important fellowshipping is to those who aren't comfortable at church so keep up the good work and make sure that she recognizes the spirit while at church. And things will keep moving forward. I just sent the Mays' a letter today so they should get it this week.
What was your dream about? People from home are always in my dreams its crazy!!

I love you all

Love
Elder Christensen

Ben 6-27-10

I’m glad to hear that you made it through your first full week of school and that the kids survived. That is cool that you did a fun run I don’t remember ever doing one of those at canyon view.
That is good that Adam and Amy made it home safe. Sounds like they had more adventures with Amy going to help with the baby. Sounds like you had a good time cutting wood as dumb as it sounds I always enjoyed cutting wood just not hauling it to the cabin haha. But I’m glad that things are good up there. But that is sad that all the leaves have already fallen they haven’t really changed here and I don’t thing that they are going to.
That was such a cool picture of the temple with the fire behind it! and yes their have been quite a few fires close to our apartment not very big just like twenty acres and no houses because there are a lot of open fields in between houses up here so luckily none got burned down.
I am so excited for conference next week it is going to be awesome. I think we are going to watch it at the church this time because their will be less distractions and I will be able to learn more. I’m happy to hear that you liked the relief society broadcast I’m sure it was great I love president Monson's talks they are the best.
That is awesome to hear about the progression of Sylvia I hope that she continues to grow in the gospel and I’m sure that she will as she continues to come to church. That is what we talked about in district meeting this week was how important going to church is for the people that we are teaching so that they can feel the spirit and learn along side the other members. It also strengthens the relationship between the person investigating the church and the members instead of the investigator and the missionary.
So something cool happened this week during district meeting. We were sitting discussing ways to get investigators to church and this older guy walks in and asks if the bishop was here. we told him no and he proceeded to tell us his name was Nephi Wright and that he had been ex-communicated some years ago and wanted to know what he needed to come back to church so he came looking for the bishop and got the missionaries. It was way cool we got his address and told him that he would have to take the missionary lessons and be baptized again which he kind of figured but we are going to start teaching him later this week.

Our new apartment is not that bad we have pretty much eliminated the roaches. But it is a little plain and we don’t really have that much stuff so it is a little empty. Oh and the other night we heard a bunch of people yelling and almost getting into a fight at like 3 in the morning it was really funny. So it is a change to say the least. Oh and I have another new companion elder Jones. He is from Cleveland Ohio and is pretty cool. I just can’t believe that I have another companion. That makes 5 for the 6 transfers that I have been out. There must be something wrong with me haha

So I have another cool story to tell you and you are probably going to think I am crazy but I gave a horse a blessing last night. Ya that’s how I reacted when the lady asked me to give her horse a blessing. But it was actually kind of cool. So here is the whole story. On Saturday we were over at the Roghairs teaching a lesson because her daughters are getting baptized next week and there mom wanted them to take the lessons to make sure they understood everything before they got baptized. and while we were there she brought her pony out to walk it because it had colic which is a horse sickness(something to do with it not pooping) and so they had the vet three times and about 8 Sunday night I got a call asking me to come over because they had the vet three times and nothing had passed so I new what she was calling about so I went and when we got here she was like " you know why your here right" it was pretty obvious what she wanted me to do. And she looked it up on her I phone to make sure it was alright so I gave the horse a blessing it was pretty cool. And how many people can say that they blessed a horse? Well at least one.
As for the kindergarten teacher we haven’t met with her for a couple of weeks she has been really busy and not home when we go by but I will keep you updated on her.

Love you all and hope you have a great week

Love elder Christensen

P. S. I'm going fishing today and it is going to be super relaxing!!

9-12-10



Well I don’t have a ton of time this week because we only have one computer so if I leave some things out I'm sorry I will try to fit it all in.

That is crazy that you pretty much get five days off even though your not getting paid but I think its worth it now you can do fun things on those long weekends.
That is sweet that Paul was working out at the fair I’m glad that he is doing something and that is cool that Jeff was picking him up and taking him out. I agree that it is funny how the fair has not changed I think that is why people still go they know what to expect haha !

It sure is amazing how fast time flies I cant believe that Adam and Amy are coming home already the last few months have just flown by. I know that they will both be able to find jobs they are highly skilled but I think they should live at our house and Adam should be a ski instructor or something fun.

The temple was amazing it was so peaceful and quiet I loved it and I learn something new every time I go. The only bad part about the trip was how tired I was when I got home it takes a lot out of you to drive for pretty much 7 hours round trip.
Things are going well with our investigators we finally got two of them to church on Sunday which we have been trying to do for the last three weeks so we went up on Saturday night and called them a ride because their dad had to work or something and everything worked out. We haven’t had a chance to talk to them about it yet but I am pretty sure that they really liked it and hopefully we are going to get them to come next week too.
So I am moving! Not transferred just into another apartment which makes me really sad. So instead of being in a four man apartment we are going to be in a two man apartment that is actually in our area so it is better in that respect but will be a little bit more boring at night.
That is what I’m doing the rest of today starting at two because we can’t pick up the key until then.
So time for a funny story, on Saturday night we did exchanges so I went with elder Shaw and stayed in Tehachapi and we didn’t have dinner so we are riding our bikes down the street and neither of us were all that hungry so we decided that we would go hit some jumps on the bikes. Sounded like a good idea to me. So we got to these really little BMX jumps and started going off them getting about two inches of air. That’s right two inches. And then right after the jump was a berm that took you to another one that was kind of a step down and when I did that one I did what I do best on a bike and crashed. It was great to finally get the adrenaline pumping again. It was not a bad crash I just scraped my hands and got all covered in dirt I pretty much did a shoulder plant into the dirt but I didn’t rip any of my clothes which was sweet. It was totally worth it!
Well that is about all that happened with me this week.

Love you all

Elder Christensen

Saturday, September 11, 2010

Ben 9-6-10

Date: Mon, 6 Sep 2010 11:26:38 -0700
Subject: Re: Labor Day!
From: Bennett. Christensen
To: pickleballgal@hotmail.com
Hey! Sounds like you had a great labor day weekend that is way cool that you ran into the Walkers at Swiss days. I love them they are great. That is cool that the leaves have already started to change colors, that is my favorite part about the fall, all the great colors. That’s fun that grandpa Ed and Dan and Abbie are coming up for dinner I'm sure it will be great.
Your class sounds interesting buT I’m sure things will keep improving. So we were teaching this kid with autism before he got baptized and it was difficult but he passed his interview and was baptized on Saturday. It was good, but the first time he was baptized he stuck his foot up out of the water so they had to do it again and he started crying and didn’t want to so they had to close the curtains and get everybody out of the room before he would do it again it was way sad but good at the same time.
I got the package last week and was surprised as well how much candy you could stuff in a box like that, haha, but I have been sharing so no need to worry about cavities....
Things kinda fell through this week but that’s ok we still managed to have a good week we met with the two boys William and David and found out that they really want to come to church so we are trying to arrange them a ride so that they can come next week. We would go pick them up but they live out in bear valley and we have meetings every week before church so we are going to get their home teacher to pick them up. We didn’t have the opportunity to meet with Ruth she is the teacher but have an appointment for Friday.
We executed or plan with Wayne and Nita to start knocking out some of their word of wisdom problems and it went alright but not as good as I was hoping. I guess they just bought a new coffee maker and 5 bags of coffee so they wouldn’t give it up they get why they need to they are just stubborn but we are going to continue working with them on it.

So the other day we were walking over to the church and found these trees with nuts on them and found out that it was an almond tree so we have been having fresh almonds the last few nights and last night we tried to make honey roasted almonds it pretty much worked. haha they tasted good but not quite the same. What is the recipe for the candy coated ones like we made with grandma Ami? I think it was cinnamon and sugar right?

love and miss you all

Elder Christensen

Matt 9-1-10

Hello family!

Well this week has been awesome! We had a baptism of Joshua Aragona and found a new investigator who is super solid and we are super excited! So after the baptism we went to dinner with the Aragonas and they took us to Mimi’s cafe it was super good I’ve never been there but I liked it.
We are having the Turners baptism interview is tomorrow and we are super excited! They are so ready for this weekend and its going to be awesome! They are more excited than us, I think, which is really good to see. They have so much knowledge of the gospel already and have a huge desire to keep learning and make it to the temple as soon as they can after they are baptized. Which will be in 1 year.
So to tell you about this new investigator her name is Julie Whitman and it is truly a miracle how we found her. So, in district meeting last Tuesday we picked two streets to tract the first was Kodiak and the other was Elk horn. So on Wednesday we tracted Kodiak around 11 o'clock and only talked to two people but we left cards on all of the doors. (fast forward) to 7 o'clock we are getting ready to go on splits with the first ward and we get this text referral from the visitors center. saying that this lady is so ready and has read the B.O.M. and that she has a baptism date for the 25 of September. Well we were freaking out cause she lived on the street we just tracted earlier that morning... so apparently she has been looking into the church for a long time and knows a ton of members around here cause their kids all go to the same school. So we met her on Thursday and talked with her and she said "I already know the church is true and that Joseph smith is a prophet". So we went over the baptism interview questions with her and she has to come to church 3 times and that is all we are waiting for. She is going to ask for Sundays off so she can come to church. she has 3 kids and a husband and we are going to try and start teaching them as well. So thank you for all the prayers for the work they are truly paying off and I know that the lord is working miracles here in Antioch and all over the world. if we keep his commandments he will bless us with what we need and what we ask for. :)

So this week we get to go to the temple and we are super excited!! tomorrow at 8 am baby its going to be sweet!!

Well I’m glad all of you had an amazing week! It sounds like it was a good time at the cabin I hope you all enjoy the wonderful summer weather up there for me. The weather feels just like home sometimes... it gets hot in the day usually the 90's now and cools off in the night. but most of the summer was really cool which was nice. I got the package and when I saw all the candy and the types I said "my mom always knows what I want and need she is so great!" every night I snack on something different but I also have to pace my self haha. :)

Well I love you all and pray for you always

Love elder Christensen

Wednesday, September 1, 2010

Matt 8-30-10

Date: Mon, 30 Aug 2010 13:45:49 -0700
Subject: Re: Back to work :0(
From: Matt Christensen
Hey hey,
So it sounds like this week was really exciting... at least dad had some fun on the river :) Yes, that paragraph made me a little trunky but I needed a little fishing fix so it was good. I was thinking about fishing hoppers on the green and caddis on the Provo till o'dark thirty the other day it was great my comp didn't understand... haha

So this week has been good. We met with the Turners and went over to a member’s house for family home evening and it was awesome! We watched the restoration DVD and talked about the Joseph Smith story and bro Turner could totally relate to the story because he has had an experience similar to Joseph. So that was sweet and the spirit was super strong. Then later in the week we went over and taught them about the word of wisdom and they just soaked it in. They realized that our bodies are a temple and that we need to take care of them. So they are going to stop drinking coffee and tea. Which is a big step closer to baptism. So that is exciting! We are also getting closer with Joshua Aragona he should be baptized this coming weekend! Woot!

Last night we had a fireside with all the leadership in the stake and president and sister Wade. It was super good! It was about working with the ward and how the elders are there to help all the time. I sang in a musical number with the elders in my district. We sang the prayer of the children by Kurt Bestor and it was awesome thanks to the spirit and a lot of prayers! Haha after we sang pres. Wade talked and did a really great job. Then at the end of the night a member of the stake presidency stood up and bore his testimony of missionary work and issued a challenge to all the leaders to invite someone to take the missionary lessons in their home by Dec 25. And that they should fast and pray about the names that they think could use the gospel. And now I would like to challenge you to do the same thing. I know its a little harder in Utah but give it a try and see what you come up with... I know that the Lord will put someone in your path if you just trust in the Lord and try.

Well I love you all, hope you have a wonderful week! I pray for you every night!

Love Elder Christensen

Ben 8-3-10

Ben 8-30-10
Well sounds like things are moving along there. That is funny that you weren’t as excited for the first day of school this year now you know how I felt most of the time haha, but sounds like you are going to have a good year with a new teacher. That is cool that she is positive I always say that it’s all about the attitude you bring to the table if you think it is going to be hard it will be and if you think you can’t do it you won’t be able to. Something I learned from swimming and running all those years, mindset has everything to do with it. So keep a positive attitude and things will work out the way they are supposed to. How many kids are in your class this year?
We are teaching a lady that is a kindergarten teacher in Mojave and she has 32 kids in her class this year.
That is pretty cool that you got those pictures framed. Is it the one when I'm standing on the dock fishing with my hat on looking back? I really like that one haha
I am excited for fall because I might actually have one! Last week was super hot it was in the high 90s and 100 most of the week and then cooled down to about 70 yesterday it felt so good and was actually chilly when we got up this morning.

Hey buddy,
Sounds like it was a killer weekend on the river! That is sweet that hoppers were on. Did you get a caddis hatch? I bet the weather was beautiful up there. Hey do you have any pictures of me fishing or with a fish or something I would like a couple if you could find some. That is crazy that you saw a rock slide did it go into the river? I’m glad that you got some use out of my rod did you use my reel too? So, in Bear Valley which is a gated community, they have like four lakes that are pretty big and have all sorts of fish in them from trout to catfish and next week I am going fishing. I’m pretty excited not going to lie. Hopefully we will be able to catch something. And the best part is I don’t have to buy an out of state fishing license because they are private ponds... score.

Well last week was crazy busy we had a bunch of good appointments. We took this lady, Terry on a church tour which went really well and we answered a lot her questions which went well and we had brother Beathke with us who is our ward mission leader. He used to be Catholic and pretty much told her that he never felt the spirit at the Catholic Church and it was not until he came to our church that he felt the spirit which I think really helped her because she could relate to him. And then we scheduled another meeting for Friday and watched the restoration DVD at the church again which was awesome that movie is such an amazing tool to help tell the story of the restoration. And we are teaching her the plan of salvation this week so things are moving right along with her.
We also taught Ruth the lady who is the kindergarten teacher with 32 kids in her class on Friday and taught the restoration which went really well. We are meeting with her again on Friday.
So this week I am going to the temple and I am super excited we are going on Wednesday and are going with a really cool couple in the Bear Valley ward. They are one of my favorite families up here.
So, yesterday we had an amazing sacrament meeting in the Bear Valley, it was quite unique. They had a testimony meeting but it was not your average testimony meeting they opened the podium up to the congregation to come up and share their favorite hymn and why. Then we sang their favorite verse of the hymn it was great. Probably one of my favorite ones was when two kids went up and said their favorite hymn was love at home because there mom sang it every time they started fighting it was awesome! Totally reminded me of home haha
Well that’s about all for me but I love and miss you all and hope you have a great week.

Love Elder Christensen