Ben 10-25-10

Happy birthday dad!!!!!! That is crazy he is fifty I had no idea haha guess I didn’t really keep track of that one.
That is awesome that the Utes crushed Colorado! I'm glad that the family had fun at the Christensen’s.
Not going to lie I think I am more jealous of them going to the ski movie then I am of the chili cook off. Bah I miss the mountains! But at least if I stay here one more transfer I will get to see some snow maybe I will go shoe skiing or something just to get a fix haha
I think that is awesome that the Poulsons came dressed as Ute fans. And antelope chili sounds really good I think I might be a judge for a chili cook off on Halloween in the other ward I’m pretty excited I love good chili.
Ya being a cashier is definitely not the most exciting job in the world but in like 2 weeks it will get insane when people start shopping for that one holiday in December. (I refuse to say it until after thanksgiving). Ya he can have my badge if he wants I don’t even know where the thing ended up but if he does tell him not to loose it.

That is cool that Abbie's sister had a baby and she has a cool name. Our ward mission leaders wife just had her baby last Tuesday she was 6 weeks early! But she is doing well. She has a pretty cool name too Rylin I really like it. No Amy you can’t use the name I found it haha

This week was pretty good we did a lot of work in the golden hills ward with less actives and such. Plus we spent a lot of time riding bikes and walking because we have to save miles so we can make a trip to Bakersfield for exchanges. We taught a less active family that no one has been able to get in contact with in along time and they have a son who is nine and so we are going to start going over their more and teach him the lessons because he knows nothing about the church.
Things with Loretta and Nephi are going really well we taught Loretta the plan of salvation and she seemed like she got it. We were kind of in a rush to get to dinner so we are going to teach it more fully this week. She also came to church for the first time, which was, good except all three talks in sacrament was on baptism! And in our gospel PRINCIPLES class which is supposed to be like basic stuff right well this weeks lesson was on eternal families and lets say he spent a lot of time on the eternal part like in D&C 132 ya, it was a little deep to say the least. But that’s ok I think most of it went right over her head.
Nephi is doing great and is well on the path to baptism after out lesson this week he asked brother Moffat to baptize him when the time is right it was really cool.
So now time for some fun stuff after our meeting with Nephi we had correlation with brother Moffat which doesn’t sound all that fun but after he took us into his back yard and taught us how to rope. It was really hard at first but I went home and practiced for like a half hour and I’m actually not to bad at it I am definitely addicted to it I am determined to get good. So that was kind of fun and he taught us a fun game it is pretty much team roping. But you have one person running away from you and another person ropes the top and once you have the top you have to start hopping around while someone ropes your feet it was fun but I am set on beating him at that game and he is really good so I got a lot of work to do.

Well that’s about all for this week but next week is transfers again! Bah it’s going by to fast!

Love you all

Elder Christensen

ps this is something that a member gave me and it is really cool

Being a Christian is like being a pumpkin. God lifts you up, takes you in, and washes all the dirt off of you. He opens you up, touches you deep inside and scoops out all the yucky stuff-- including seeds of doubt, hate, greed, ect. Then he carves you a smiling face and puts his light inside you to shine for all the world to see. This was passed on to me from another pumpkin, now it’s your turn to pass it on to another pumpkin.

I really liked this it made me really think about the good in everything because we normally relate Halloween to the devil and goblins and such but this proves that there is a light in all things if you just look for it.

HAPPY 50 TO DAD!!!! Man that’s old haha

Yeah I know what wind and rain feel like. That is how the weather has been all week. Good thing I have a great rain jacket. I also bought a new jacket cause I can't use my red one so I got a black one. :) Haha I sure hope you get some snow that would be so sweet!! Man I bet the Warren Miller movie was awesome!! Yesterday we were riding in the mist and it looked kind of like snow in the headlights of cars and it made me super trunkey haha

That is cool that you had a wonderful weekend celebrating birthdays!! Family parties are the best and the Utes sound like they are doing great! Go Utes!!

So this week has been a good one it feels like time flies by cause it is already the last week of the transfer. We were able to teach the Ormsby family and we talked about the first half of the plan of salvation. And talked a lot about the Holy Ghost and how we can feel it. It was a really good lesson. They weren't able to make it to church cause they were out of town and will be gone next weekend as well. But we are hoping that one of these weeks we will get them there. We also met with Lily and talked about baptism, the Holy Ghost and enduring to the end and it went really well. She is definitely going to be ready for the 13th of November. And Andy Tomatsu was out of town so we weren't able to teach him. But we are going to this Wednesday and we are super excited!

We also had a Halloween party this week and it was tons of fun! They had a murder mystery and we had to dress up and find out who got murdered. Elder Gray and I dressed up and traded nametags!! Great costume!! Haha we also got some tattoo sleeves and wore those so I was bad elder gray. Haha it was tons of fun I will send pictures soon. I use the library so I can't email them but I’m going to get some printed next week and I will send them to you. That’s funny that the Poulsens were Ute fans. I saw the lamest costume but it was pretty funny. Our ward mission leader bro Stewart had a white t-shirt that said "Go ceilings" cause he was a ceiling fan... haha LAME!

So the last 2 p-days we have gotten together with all the elders in the zone and played sports and it was super sweet! Last week we played football and I was so sore afterwards!! I couldn't move for like 3 days and I still had to ride my bike! This week we carved pumpkins and it was sweet! I have some pictures from that as well.

I didn't know that the Mission Pres. wrote you and asked for a 72hour kit. But I think I would like a headlamp. And whatever else you can think of. I have my knife still so I don't really need one of those. But whatever you want to send I’m sure I will love, if I ever need to use it.

Well everything is going great here! I sure appreciate all of your prayers they are sure being answered here they are wonderful. I love you all and keep praying for all of you.

I’m sure that the missionaries will love the pizza. Or you could fix one pan pork chops mmmmm!! That’s what I want! Haha

Love elder Christensen

Matt 10-18-10

Date: Mon, 18 Oct 2010 12:53:10 -0700
Subject: Re: Mmmm...St. George!

Wow that sounds like a sweet trip down to St. George. That place is always so fun! I’m glad that you enjoyed church there. That is too bad that the elder didn't know Andrew. Have you found his mission address yet?

So this week has been pretty good. It started off slow but in the end it ended up to be great! So Tuesday felt like Monday long and slow. Haha but after that we went on exchanges with the district leader and that totally changed the week around! I went to his area to be with his companion and the district leader came here to be with elder Gray. While I was there we went to the visitor’s center with an investigator and the spirit was so strong. We watched the testaments movie and I forgot how strong that story really is. It’s so different to read it in the scriptures and to see it acted out. I loved it. That was the first time that I have been up there with an investigator in my mission and now I want to take everyone up to the V.C. haha. So then we finished exchanges and that was good. And while I was gone elder Gray found 2 new investigators that are super ready for the gospel! They’re Frank and Marilynn Ormbsy they are around 65 and have a son, and he and his family are in the church. So we are super excited to teach them. Then we were also able to set a baptism date with Andy Tomatsu for the 6th of November. He is still trying to find an answer to know if this is the true church but I know that the Lord will bless him as he continues to make changes in his life. We also set a date with Lily she has been trying to find that Jesus is he Savior and this week she felt like he is and that she needs to be baptized. So she has a date for the 13 of November. So things are looking up here in Alameda :) Yesterday we had dinner with this couple in the ward and they had this butternut squash soup and it wasn't my favorite but I still ate it haha. Grandma Ami would love it. We got rain again for the first time in along time and it felt nice, at first I didn't like it, but that changed pretty quick and then every thing was good.

That’s crazy that you found the missionaries right by our house! I’m sure that they will love to eat with Lori it’s always nice to meet people that want to feed us. Haha :)

I’m glad that Paul is loving work. It is really great place. Is he a cashier or working in a department?

Well that was my week I hope you all have a wonderful week I love you all a ton!!

Love elder Christensen

Ben 10-18-10

From: Bennett
To: pickleballgal@hotmail.com

I cannot believe that another week has gone by it went by so fast I can’t even remember what we did!

Sounds like you had a wonderful time in St. George, I love that place! I wish we still went there for family reunions it was good to have a change for a while but I think its time to go back ha-ha. That is way funny that you saw Leslie she is so awesome!
That is so great that BYU lost and the Utes are still winning haha I had a talk with some guys in elders quorum about that yesterday. Pretty sure every one in California who is a member likes BYU except me. Its ok I like to be different.
That is way cool that you met someone from Andrew's mission. To bad he didn’t know Andrew. It sounds like you had some great talks. This week was the primary program for both wards it was fun the Bear Valley ward was not quite prepared but it was still good and the Golden Hills one was really good. The theme was I know My Savior Lives and they both did a really good job expressing their testimonies.

Mom you are awesome that is so funny that you got out of the car to get the missionaries phone number for the Plumbers I bet they were like, “What the heck just happened!”.

In the package if it is the one I am thinking of I haven’t sent on in a while but if you open it their is a BOSTON record for the cabin. :)
I haven’t gotten a letter from grandma Ami in a while but no the articles are not distracting I really like them.

Thanks for all you do

Love elder Christensen

P.S. I'm glad Paul I liking his job! What department does he work in?

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

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

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

Ben 8-16-10

Hello.
I love it here in Tehachapi it is amazing! The people here are awesome and it kind of reminds me of Dutch John with the rolling hills and all the juniper and pines. It does snow and I could be here for that which I would totally be ok with. It is between Bakersfield and Lancaster.
I'm glad that you enjoyed your last week before you go back to school. That’s sweet that you went up to the ward camp out was it up at the spruces? Sounds like it was a blast.
That is pretty cool that you have been able to spend so much time in the temple recently I love the temple and I think I am going to go here in the next couple of weeks :) but that is sweet that you got to clean it and you went a bunch of other times I am going to have to say that my favorite temple is still the Salt Lake temple probably because it was my first temple.
Sounds like you had a good time up at the cabin with the whole fam damily up there( is that the right “there”? haha) that is cool that you got a new hutch we needed one bad but I kinda liked the old dresser that only some of the drawers worked so you had to put the games you wanted to play in the top two... as for dad going fishing yes mom that is why it is called fishing and not catching haha!
That is way cool that you are teaching gospel principles I love going to that class. That is way cool that you have a bunch of people coming back to church and that you had a I’m sure your lesson on the priesthood was awesome.
As for the package I don’t think I need anything at the moment but what ever you send will be fine. I don’t need toothbrush heads grandpa Ed gave me some before I left so I have like 4

Well on to what is going on here. We cover two wards the Golden Hills and Bear Valley wards and I love it! I would totally live in a place like this. The work is going well, we have a couple of investigators and people that we are working with part member families and stuff. One of the people we are working with is Wayne, he has been investigating for about two years and the only thing holding him back is the word of wisdom so we are going to start chipping away at things to get him on the right track. We are also working with two boys name David and William and both their parents are less active so we are teaching the kids and trying to get them back to church.
Covering two wards is hard I have a lot to learn about the area so I am still a little lost on where things are and who is in what ward but its all good.
I will know more next week.

love you all,
elder Bennett Christensen

Matt 8-16-10

Well I’m glad that bro Hendricks was able to get a hold of you. He is the ward mission leader here and one of the best people that I have ever met. He has been such a blessing to me in helping me with the work.

Wow! you wrote a ton this week!! Mine won't be that long but I did have a great week so it will be longer than last weeks :) That is so cool that you were able to clean the temple that was a super cool experience for me. To be in the temple and just have it be totally quiet and some times be alone long enough to just feel super peaceful it was great.

Wow! a ward campout I remember how fun those were. We had some totally awesome times with those snakes and when someone got bit that was funny. Wow! that sounds like a totally awesome find for the cabin with the hutch. And I’m glad that the whole fam damily was able to make it up to the cabin. Were you able to sing Dane’s favorite song while you were up there? haha I thought of that the other day cause some elders had a ukulele and were playing songs on it and I remember the fun times when we would sing around the fire with everyone.

Now on to my week... it was awesome!! To start off, with the new transfer last Monday, we were able to set a baptism date with the Turners, it was super awesome!! We had an amazing lesson with them and they are going to get baptized on Sept. 11th so we are working with them on getting ready for that. They are the nicest people, and we were able to finally get them to church yesterday. They totally loved it! After church they called us and just thanked us for being in their lives and for helping them to come to the true church. It was so great to hear that!
Then that night we did some re-arranging in our apartment... we took all the beds out of the room and put them in the front room and put the desks in the rooms to study. we call it an orphanage its totally awesome I love it!! Later during the week we were working with a family of members named the Aragona's they have a 9 year old son named Joshua and we set a date with him for the 4th of Sept. and we are so excited for him. We are also having a baptism next week for a young girl named Angel Mendoza she is the daughter of a less active lady that we have been working with. So for the next few weeks we are going to be super busy!! We are trying to keep daily contact with all of these people and that is a lot of work, but it is good cause we can call them or make super short visits. I’m glad to hear that the missionary work is going good back home! I know that you all will be a great help just keep up the fantastic work.:)

As for the package I don't have anything special that I want. just some candy or cookies or something. I have enough tooth brush heads grandma Lee gave me 4 before I left so I should be fine if I change it every 6 months. but thanks for asking.

I love you tons,

Elder Christensen

8-9-10 Matt

howdy!
Wow that is going to be a fast count down, it’s the final count down! haha Well Paul should definitely go to slcc that would be a good thing for him.

Youth conference sounds like it was tons of fun! Boating is totally awesome for an activity! It doesn't surprise me that Paul and T.J. had to create some drama. haha

Well this week was good we had transfers and both elder Capener and I are staying which is awesome! Things are going good and we don't have any new news this week and I feel bad because I don't know what to write. I even looked at the card and nothing has changed. hahaha Well I hope you have a wonderful week

love elder Christensen

Ben 8-0-10

Well you are right this week was transfers and I am leaving. I have a bittersweet feeling about it because I really love the people here and things are finally starting to look up for the area. This last week went by way to fast! We found 3 new investigators and taught a bunch of lessons which was good, we had 3 people at church which is about normal. We have quite a few eternigators haha but we found all three of our new investigators through tracting so that is pretty cool. This one kid, Lance, seemed pretty interested which is awesome. He is about 29 and black which makes it cooler. Then this lady, Patty, she seems pretty solid as wel,l we gave her a plan of salvation booklet and a BOM. She is going through a really tough time right now her son just got arrested and is in jail and her husband died about a year or two ago so she has kind of been searching for a church which is awesome.

So I am going to the mountains!!!!! I will be serving in Tehachapi which is in the mountains above Bakersfield I'm super excited my new comp is going to be elder Sharpe he is from Wyoming and is a super cool kid. He was in Moorpark my first transfer but in the other ward so I already know him pretty well. Oh, and I get to drive a truck and if I stay long enough I will be able to see snow! That would be amazing! Haha

I’m glad that things are going well for you that is crazy that you are going back to school so soon. I can’t believe that it is august. I’m glad that you had a good time up at youth conference and that the weather cooperated while you were at the lake. Sounds like you did some pretty good service. So did anyone do anything besides surf and tube? I love the Paulsen’s boat it is amazing I only got to use it once but it was a blast. that is super funny that Paul and T.J. snuck out. T.J. would convince Paul to do that not that it would be hard but you get what I mean. I’m glad that they came back though. That is sweet that he is going to St. George for a week I hope that he has fun.
Tell Danny that I am sorry he hurt his ankle that is no fun I did it about 3 weeks ago playing basketball. But I hope that it is all better now. That is pretty sweet that they won the frisbee football championship I am impressed.
That is sad that John’s brothers wife Jane died. I’m so glad that I know the plan of salvation and the things that it does for us.

So, on Sunday we had a special kind of sacrament meeting and it was amazing it started off by me and elder Golden bearing our testimonies and how we helped people come into the church and then we had some of the converts from the congregation come up and share their testimony and how they came into the church and how it has blessed their lives. it was amazing we only made it through about 3 people on the list but it was fantastic. So, at the end of the meeting they had a musical number and this girl from the ward sang I stand all amazed and it totally fit the meeting I felt the spirit so strong it was amazing.

Well I’m sorry to leave this place but I am looking forward to the places ahead.

love you all and appreciate all that you do for me.

love elder Christensen

Matt 7-26-2010

From: Matthew Eric Christensen

Well it was great to hear from you this week..... So I will just tell you about my week. On Monday we were able to play rugby with the other missionaries it was just touch but that game is so cool I now know why Chris was so excited to play at Utah State. Then we also just had a field day with all the other missionaries which was tons of fun! On Tuesday we had like eight appointments set up but like half of them fell through that was disappointing but the day was still good with the lessons that we did teach. We stopped by a less active’s house on Wednesday. Her name is Sis Spears, and she asked for a blessing and we gave her one, then like everyone in her house wanted one so we gave like 7 blessings it was awesome the spirit was so strong. Then Thursday we went on splits with the second ward as we always do. I swear when we are on splits its always the times when I have the most spiritual experiences this time we stopped a member’s, his name is Joe miller and the bishop has been trying to have him get the Melchizedek priesthood for a long time. So I went and just shared a scripture with him about the atonement and from there the conversation just snowballed and we talked about everything and the spirit was super strong and me and the other member helped Joe with some of his questions and things. And after we got back to the ward mission leaders house he said I was glowing cause I felt so good about the lesson that I just had it was unexplainable and so cool. Then Friday nothing cool happened except I have started writing in my journal now and I have realized how much I have already missed cause I haven't written in it for the last 3 months haha. Now I try and write something every night. On Saturday we got two new investigators their names are Tony and Lecia turner. they are a referral from the walnut creek stake and they are awesome! They already know that Joseph smith is a prophet and that the BOM is true and want to start taking the lessons out here in Antioch!! its so exciting!! the only problem is they work a lot so its hard to set up appointments with them but we are going to keep working with them. Sadly no one came to church this week but hopefully someone will next week.

well I love you tons hope to hear from you next week.

Love Elder Christensen

Ben 7-29-10

Hey all,

So this week has been pretty good we did a lot this week. Last Monday we went to the Ronald Reagan library which was pretty awesome. They had a lot of sweet vintage motorcycles and some from Hollywood and such it was way cool to learn a little more about president Reagan’s life. So my favorite part about the museum was the "miniature" white house even though it is not so mini. it is like 15 feet long and weighs 2 tons it is massive and really cool you can see in every room in the white house and it is all decorated and has all of the updated changes from president to president so you could look in and see a mini picture of Obama and his wife I it was pretty cool. Then we saw an awesome fighter jet that is outside in the court yard and you can get like fifteen feet away from it they are freaking huge and it has replica missiles and bombs and stuff they are crazy big it is impressive! So that is where I spent most of my p-day last week.

The work here has been really tough this week because everyone is out of town! I guess you are too because their was no e-mail from you this morning... but this last week we spent most of our time tracting like probably two hours every day. But the good thing is that we set a bunch of appointments to come back this week. On Saturday I was tracting with elder Hunt because we were on exchanges and when we were tracting someone was cooking with charcoal and it was Pioneer day so we were both dying for some pioneer activity so we went and asked a member if we could borrow their dutch oven because we were both craving it and ended up making Chris’s famous cobbler in the dutch oven, but we did it in the oven. It turned out alright not the best but I think it is because we used canned peaches in stead of pie filling peaches and didn’t use enough sprite so it was kind of dry on top. I didn’t care I pretty much ate the whole thing by myself it was so good!!! Things with me and elder Golden are going alright but I swear the kid never stops talking, which is ok because I am kind of prone to things like that by now and know how to deal with them haha It actually is going well we are working hard and the area is coming along it has been kind of hard to get people to church the last couple of weeks because of vacation and families and such.

So today for our zone activity we are going to a multi million dollar house in Westlake the guy who owns he house is named Dirk Gates and invented wireless internet. He is a member and loves the missionaries so we are all going over there to hang out for a couple hours I'm pretty excited I'm not going to lie!

Oh and mom guess what they have tennis courts in our complex and we have been playing every morning it is pretty fun elder hunt is really good he played in high school in Monroe.

Well love you all and hope to hear from you next week

Love elder Christensen

Ben 7-19-10

Hey all,
I'm glad to hear that things are going great for all of you! Mom it sounds like things are going great and I'm glad that you have found time to do your hobbies and play tennis and such. Sounds like you have had fun at the cabin and boating this week. As for dad going fishing I hope he catches a few for me. haha that is probably the thing I Miss the most is spending time in the outdoors by myself.
Man it is crazy that everyone is leaving on their missions first Chase last week now Hayden I'm so excited for them and I would love his address so I could write him in the MTC that would be way cool.
I'm so excited for you to be a ward missionary I know that you will do awesome and it is great that you are already starting with Tasha and Amber( that's Cameron iversons sister right?) Keep up the great fellowshiping work with them and working with the missionaries. Our ward has so much potential to grow and have good converts so put those missionaries to work!!!! Who is the ward mission leader now?

That is way wicked sweet that Danny got into the information systems program I don't really understand what that means but still that is so coool so what will he be studying exactly?
ADan I'm glad that things are going great for you and that school is going well. as for your questions I eat cereal everyday for breakfast but they don't have malto meal so I have to buy the expensive stuff it is kind of a bummer. but we do most of our finding through tracting it is rough sometimes because it is a pretty rich area. The people are usually pretty nice or we get referrals from the ward or from the mtc and visit them and sometimes that works out. What did you eat on your mission? I need ideas for cheap easy good food that requires no effort haha. and I have actually been to Moab a bunch of times with the scouts we did high adventure there one year but I am totally down for doing a trip down there when I get home.

This week things have been a little rough we didn't really have that great of a week but I definitely learned alot this week. One of the things that i learned was patience and how you cant force people to do what you want if they have no desire of changing and sometimes it is you that has to change. I also learned alot from zone conf. This week we had brother Heaton and brother Jarman come from the mtc and teach us a whole new way to go about doing missionary work. We focused more on teaching people not lessons and worked alot on how to begin teaching and setting up our expectations and finding out what the expectations of the investigators are. It was a really great zone conference and I am excited to test out the new method of preach my gospel they are giving us. It is a little more relaxed and follows more of the spirit, which I like because now i get to use more of my own knowledge instead of following the pattern set up by preach my gospel.
So over all it was a pretty good week. Starting on Saturday me and elder Golden are taking care of the Wood- Thomas's dog Afra she is a German Shepard and is amazing! So that has been fun it is nice to play with a dog again. I miss Zeek give him a belly rub and an ear scratch for me and if he wants he can still sleep on my bed... I mean i never let him do that... ya...

Love you all and I'm glad that things are going well. Thanks for all of your support and I love the e-mails and letters :)

peace
Elder Christensen

Matt 7-19-10

Well this week has just been awesome!! We were able to teach like 15 lessons and are working with a ton of people. So we met on Tuesday with our investigator named Orlando and gave him a baptismal date for August 7th but he didn't come to church yesterday so we are going to have to move it, but we are super excited!! We were also able to go out on splits twice this week and that was awesome because we met a new investigator as a referral from someone in the ward. His name is Justin and he is about 30 we are teaching him and his mom I don't know her name though haha. Then we also got a couple of referrals from the ward and from the church. On Friday we did some service for a widow in the first ward and we cut down some trees and tore out a stump. I’m glad that I have had experience using a bow saw. And many other tools. With the stump it was super rotten so we dug around it and just pushed it over. It was awesome!! I wish I had my camera but I left it at the apartment.

Well it sounds like you had a very fun week end and that going to the cabin was a hit. Do you remember when we had neighborhood day up there it was so fun!! The cabin is always a fun spot to be in in the summer and especially if you have a campfire and sing our favorite song haha :) Wow! boating and fishing for dad this week he is really suffering haha. Did everyone try to slalom again?

Hayden bill is in the mtc!! That’s crazy I will definitely write him in the mtc he is going to love it. It is so nice to be surrounded by the gospel all the time. And the spirit is so strong there nothing can compare to it.

Wow you are going to make a great ward missionary and I hope that you get to work a lot with the full time elders. I know it’s always great to work with the members of the wards here. Well this week has been just awesome!

oh I almost forgot to tell you we were tracing (knocking doors) and we met this guy who was super grumpy and he said that we were lucky that we weren’t Jehovah witness cause he would have shot us... then he showed us his gun... in my head I thought what caliber is that hahaha :) It wasn't scary just kind of crazy :) we also found out how to make cake in the microwave! You just put mix in a bowl then add milk just a little (you want it to look like pancake mix) then put it in the microwave for 30 sec to 1min and its awesome!! Dave would love this!!

Well hope you have a wonderful week love you tons!!

Love Elder Matt Christensen

Matt 7-12-10

Hello!

Wow! Sounds like there were a ton of changes in the ward lately. That is so funny I can totally see Bonnie as a wonderful RS president. haha yes I got the letter from the cabin as well. and I loved the pictures from up there. Wow! I can't believe how green it is up there still its crazy!!

Wow! It is so cool that Paul got up on the slalom ski its one of the best feelings ever! It sounds like you are taking full advantage of the summer time at the cabin and that Zeek is loving it as much as you. Give him tons of loves for me.

It is so cool that Chase is almost to the mtc! He is going to love it! I’m sure his talk was just amazing and I know that he is going to make a wonderful missionary!!


So this week it’s been really awesome! It feels like time has gone super fast but also super slow at the same time. We have done tons of service this week. To start, on Wednesday we helped an older couple clean their carpets and I realized how slow that really is. haha But it was good, they couldn't move the furniture so we helped with that and now the carpet looks really nice. Then on Friday we got to help a member set up for a fair thing called "cornfest" its in Brentwood but we got to drive golf carts and it was tons of fun!! We worked all day and I got super sunburned on my legs haha. yesterday we went to a fireside called "why I believe" It's usually for recent converts but we had one of our investigators talk.
her name is Deyala she is 16 and totally awesome and active in the church but isn't baptized yet cause her mom won't let her. but we are working with her. We also have a couple of other investigators their names are Liz & Raul and Steven. The work is going awesome!! Hopefully we can get them all to church next week!!

Well that sums up the week for me. Hope you have a wonderful week! Love you tons

elder Christensen

Ben 7-12-10

hey hey,

I did love the pictures of the cabin it is so freaking green for July! I couldn’t believe it! The new door looks great it is kinda weird to have a clean white door though haha you should have gotten like a brown one. Just kidding it looks great and sounds like you are doing a lot up there and having lots of fun parties I don’t remember going as much as you talk about it but that is probably because all the visits mesh into one after a while ya know?
That is way cool that Bonnie is relief Society Pres. she would do an amazing job at that. Tell her congrats from me and to keep up the good work.
I'm glad that Paul got up on the water ski it is about time he tried! But I’m glad that you had a great time up at Pine View and thanks for saying the pelican poem in memory of me, you know I totally would have. As for the snakes, Matt told me about the boa and I’m a little jealous I’m not not going to lie, but don’t worry gopher snakes are actually really nice once you catch them unless you are at the ranch then they are always mean.
I can’t believe that Chase is leaving on Wednesday that is freaking amazing I am so proud of him! I’m glad that you went to his farewell I know that he is going to be an awesome missionary! That is cool that Jeff and Laina sang I’m sure that they sounded amazing I wish they sang at mine but I guess that they love Chase more haha jk.
So sounds like you had a great week and that your talk in church went well. I think I am talking in church again this month. You know how much I love writing talks and how good I am at it... not! But it is goood because it makes me grow so much more.
So not a whole lot happened this week we have dropped a bunch of the people that we were teaching when I was with elder Simmons because they were just not progressing and it was more of a hang out than a place that invited the spirit so this last week was spent doing things like visiting potentials and tracting and all sorts of finding activities but we did manage to set up a couple of appointments where we could go back another time.
We have also been working with the elders quorum pres and the relief society pres to see if there is anyone we could visit that they can’t get a hold of. At our weekly correlation meeting with our ward mission leader we talked a lot about our dinner calendar and how there are about fifteen homes that he would like us in every month for dinner so things are coming along well. But we can always use more work!
Things are going great with me and elder Golden we get along really well.

Thank you so much for all of your support and all that you do for me
love Elder Christensen

Matt 7-6-10

Howdy,

Well this week has been awesome!! I got a new companion!!! His name is elder Capener he is from Boise Idaho and we get along super well. How was the cabin? I look forward to reading your letter. But this week elder Capener and I have just been trying to get everything going. We have been going through all of our former and potential investigators and are finding a ton of people to teach.

Last week our week started on Wednesday cause of transfers on Tuesday. So on Wednesday we trackted and just tried to meet with people and didn't have any luck but it was still a good day. On Thursday we decided that we needed to plan better and so we did and the day went much smoother. We contacted many people that I haven't seen all last transfer. Thursday is also our split night and that went really well I found a new investigator that we are starting to teach this week. Friday was another one of those tough days with no lessons but we contacted a referral, Leah and Desmond they are great people. We set a return appt. for next week cause they are out of town this week. Sunday the 4th was a great day we had a great testimony meeting in both of the wards. Then we had dinner with the ward mission leader in the first ward his name is bro Wieser. That was really good I don't know what we had but it was good!! haha we didn't get to see any fireworks but elder Capener had some poppers the ones you throw on the ground... we threw them at each other and had a war it was super fun :) haha

Well that was my week in a nut shell... it was really good and I look forward to this week and the people that we have to teach.

I love you tons hope to hear from you next week

Love elder Christensen

Ben 7-5-10

Hey,
Happy Fourth of July! How was your weekend? How was the cabin? Did you go boating or anything fun?
I am a little sad that I didn’t get an email this week but I got one from Adam and Amy so it’s all good. Sounds like they are having a great time over in Europe!
This has been a great but hard week. I am staying another transfer in Moorpark and have a new companion Elder Golden he is from Victor Idaho over by the Tetons and he is a pretty cool guy. I like him a lot and he wants to work hard this transfer so that is good. This week has been kinda tough because I have had to do all the planning and stuff because I know my way around and what is going on in the ward and such. I'm not complaining about the responsibility but I realized that planning takes a lot of time and effort that was not there last transfer. Mom you asked if I liked working with elder Simmons well the answer is yes for the most part. When we actually worked, I did. He was a very good teacher and knows his scriptures very well but he was the king apostate of the mission which means he kind of thinks he is above the law and doesn’t want to change so that is where we bumped heads but it all good he has moved on to Santa Maria and I have a new companion and a new transfer to look forward to.
So far things have gone really well this week was kind of a transition week with me getting a new comp and such so we have been going around making visits to members and trying to introduce elder Golden. We have also been going through a lot of the former investigators trying to see if any of them would be interested again. But it being the Fourth of July weekend no one was home. Oh well there is always this week.
It did not really feel like the fourth of July and I cant really figure out why but I think it is because it was not very hot and I didn’t get to watch fireworks or go swimming haha holidays as a missionary kind of stink because your not with your family. However I am in a good ward who loves the missionaries so I feel like I am at home here it is great I love serving in this area.
So on Sunday (yesterday) we had dinner at the Manwarings and we were talking inside before dinner and elder Golden was like "do you guys have a pet snake"? and of course they said no. But their was a 4 foot gopher snake in their back yard and sister Mainwaring doesn’t particularly like snakes so it was elder Christensen to the rescue. I caught it and took a couple of awesome pictures with it and then threw it over the fence and away it slithered it was pretty sweet!
We had dinner it was awesome and went to some visits and came back later that night for mallows it was awesome talk about flash back I think I ate 10 mallows it was so amazing.
Well it was kind of a boring week and sorry this letter is a little short but we have a lot of appointments set up for this week so it is looking like it is going to be a good week.

Love Elder Christensen

Ben 6-14-10
Hello again,
I'm glad that things have slowed down for you and that you have got the yard looking good! I miss doing all that yard work now that I think about it working in the yard can be kind of relaxing as long as you don’t have to worry about sprinklers right dad?
It is too bad that summer has not hit yet but that is good for the snow pack and water levels so we won’t be in a drought in august but I can see why it would put a damper on things.
Congrats to Paul on his eagle it is about time haha he has had the same three merit badges for like a year... we went to and eagle court on Saturday and it was really interesting a lot of people from the war were their but there was only 7 of us in the eagles nest and we got there late so the guy in charge invited all those who came in late to come up and it was just me and one other guy from the ward it was crazy, thanks for pushing me to get mine. I know that the scout motto and code apply so much with the gospel it is crazy, like a scout is honest loyal helpful friendly courteous kind obedient cheerful thrifty brave clean and reverent and these things to me are all things we should strive to be as missionaries and it is sad to see how many missionaries who did not receive their eagle don’t have these qualities. So Paul good job I'm proud of you man!
I’m glad that Abbie and Dan had a good time in San Fran and arrived home safely I got the emails from Adam and Amy sounds like they are having a blast!
Dad thanks for the awesome email I am glad that things are going good for you in the elder’s quorum and that you are helping allot of people move I know how much fun that is we have helped allot of people move lately too. How was the hike up Bells canyon? Did you make it to the waterfall or was there still snow? Did you take your rod with you and try to catch some cuts up there?
Well things are just a rolling along here we had a "safe sacrament" meeting so we planned the program in advance and knew who was speaking and what hymns were going to be played so we wouldn’t have any surprises and people could bring their friends and not be worried about what was going to be said. it was a real success we had 5 non members there besides the ones that usually come so it was good the talks were amazing our relief society president and her husband spoke an the Rasmussen’s and she spoke on the atonement and it was a really good talk then her husband spoke on the restoration and I felt the spirit so strong in that meeting it was awesome his talk was amazing by far my favorite talk I have heard on the mission like it was conference worthy no joke. it was also elder Simmons’ birthday yesterday so we had dinner at the bishops and then played catan well he played I hate the game so I taught a bunch of the youth how to play death of aces it was a blast I lost like five times but they didn’t play hard so my hand is fine... any sorry for the random fact there... but we also got a bunch of referrals that we have to follow up on this week an hopefully we can start teaching them soon. One lady is a single mother and lives out in hitch which is a really rural and we met her at the eagle court and her son is in scouts and helped with the color guard and her youngest son is 7 and she said that as soon as he is 8 she is going to put him I scouts and she talked to one of our members about us and our religion and wants to know more so I am excited to start teaching her.
We are having another lesson with Sean Segal tonight at eight and things are really going well with him and I can’t wait for the lesson.
I love and miss you all and thank you for the prayers they truly are working I can see it every day

Love Elder Christensen

Matt 6-14-10
Haha, Wow it really sounds like you could use some sunny weather! If it keeps raining dad won’t have to fix any sprinklers this summer haha. That’s surprising that you are still getting rain and crappy weather because it is beautiful and like 80-90 all week now. But last summer was cold at first as well remember the month of rain in June last year... at least that’s what it felt like to me.

Yay!! For Paul he is going to get his eagle that is so exciting!! And it’s his birthday this week HAPPY BIRTHDAY!! He is going to love high adventure it’s always a fun thing.
Haha I’m glad that you loved the pictures! I thought you would enjoy the snake ones :) yes I got the post card and I love the picture on it, it just looks exactly like the ranch and how everything is so beautiful down there.

So, my story for this week is that we got to go to the temple on Tuesday with a recent convert that elder Williams and Watson baptized. We did baptisms for the dead and it was awesome! I love the temple and all the wonderful things that we can do there. And the wonderful spirit, it’s just so strong!

Well this week will be interesting because I’m going to have a temporary companion. He is a kid from San Francisco... he is serving a mini mission so I get him today and he will be here for the next week. This way I can do the work in my own area and have a companion. It should be good but I will tell you about it next week.

Love you all have a safe week!

Love Elder Matt Christensen

Matt 6-7-10

Matt 6-7-10
Wow yes this week has been a blur for me as well!

To start out last week we had a bbq with the Hillcrest 2nd ward and it was super fun. There were hamburgers and hot dogs and just lots of fun with the ward. Then we found a member who is related to someone that owns a cherry orchard and got to go and pick 20 pounds of cherries!! It was awesome I think I ate like 5 pounds of them or more over the past week. Then we taught some families in the Marsh Creek ward.

Tuesday was zone conference! It was good we are focusing on asking inspired questions and following the spirit in our lessons more. President Wade gave a really good talk, and I feel like I learned a ton!

The rest of the week we just went about our business and tried to work evenly through out the three wards. Yes we have dinner with members almost every night in at least one of the wards. Sometimes we have two dinners on the same night and usually have to cancel one. We also go on splits every week in all the wards and we get so much work done that way its great!! Yes I really like the two companions that I have now! We all get along really well. Elder Williams and I work out every morning and elder Watson is really good at studying the scriptures so if I ever have a question I just ask he and he can answer it.

Wow! I can't believe that Paul already graduated!! Congrats man! I hope you have a super fun summer! Your week was crazy! Two funerals! That’s crazy! I’m sorry to hear that they both passed away but it’s good to know about the plan of salvation and that they are both in a better place.

Well I think that my birthday scripture is awesome its James 1:25 and it totally applies to me
and the part about looking on the law and not forgetting but working hard is awesome. It kinda applies to my talk on obedience that I gave before I left.
Thanks for all the love and support. I just printed some pictures last week so I’m going to send them home this week. :) keep having fun I love you all.

p.s. Did you hear about Chase Maughn, he got his call to Atlanta Georgia. That’s so cool, he is going to love it. I’m so excited for him!! (I heard from Bonnie)

Ben 6-7-10

Well how should I start off? Sounds like you have been really busy and I have been about the same. This week started out a little rough but it got better as the week went on and went by super fast by the end of it.
I'm really glad that Paul and Taylor graduated that is awesome and that he had fun at grad night as I talk to people here I realize that I am truly blessed to have grown up in Utah. Most of the youth didn’t go to grad night or prom because they are not in a good environment and have lots of not so good things going on. That is funny that Mrs. Hilton gave the same crappy talk was it as long as last time?
I’m sorry to hear that Uncle John died but I think it was his time to go he sure has a long full life. And the other guy that died as well the only front end loader I remember riding in was up at the cabin but I’m sure that I thoroughly enjoyed it when it happened.
So, what day do Adam and Amy leave again? Friday? Well any way tell them to have fun for me and that I love them and to be careful as for Dan and Abbie that is exciting that they are in Cali I’m sure Palo Alto has some great weather right now.

Things here are moving forward we are still teaching the Almwicks and we are also teaching a part member family named the Segals and we are teaching brother Segal and had a very great lesson with him yesterday and found some of his hang ups with the church so hopefully we can help him understand some of the doctrine better and he will finally get a answer to his prayers on whether the church is true or not. we are having brother Lutz and brother Conant come over to the lessons with us and I think that this has really helped him open up and talk about the questions that he has so we can try and answer them. Last night we left him with Alma 32 to read and to write down the questions that he comes across as he reads so we can talk about them in our next visit. He just needs to realize that he has already gotten an answer that it is true I just don’t think that he has realized it because he has a bunch of things to overcome. I kind of like to think he has blinders on that are keeping him from seeing the whole picture if that makes sense.
Other than that we don’t have a whole lot of work but we are always trying to find new people to teach. The other day we got an mtc referral that we are trying to contact and some other referrals from the ward that we are working on contacting as well so things are not too bad. Elder Simmons and I are also doing a lot of work with less active people and one family in particular are the Razo's. They are two teenagers who’s mom is a junkie and trying to stay out of jail so they are living with their grandparents and Cody is 16 and is actually doing really well at coming to church and living the gospel so our main focus is on Brandon and he is 18 and has had a really tough time but I have faith in him it seams that I am the only one because he does a lot of stupid things that take him farther and farther away but I still think that their is good in him. Actually, I know it is just a matter of how to get him to change his ways and realize that what he is doing is stupid because he knows it is wrong which is probably what bothers me the most. Because if you know it is wrong why keep doing it? I think a lot is for attention but oh well I am going to keep trying.
Well that’s all that is going on in my neck of the woods... more like rolling hills with bushes but you get the point...


Love you all and hope that things are going great!

Elder Ben Christensen

Ben 6-1-10
I'm glad that the ranch went well and that you had a good time and no one was hurt.
No I did not get transferred so I am in Moorpark for another three weeks because this transfer is already almost half over.
Tell Paul I’m proud of him for lettering and graduating from high school both major steps for him
I got your letter the other day and was glad to hear that things are going good up at the cabin and that stake conference was great. President Hicken is awesome and I could see that being and awesome talk.
Thanks for sending me a piece of my mountain I really needed that reminder of how to be a hard worker and not just watch cuz if I remember correctly dad always hated when I watched him do something and their was still something else to be done and that lesson applies to every aspect of missionary work. There is always something that I could be doing while elder Simmons is doing another thing and not to just sit idle and watch.
Things are going good we had a good lesson with the Almick’s last week and are having a lesson on the plan of salvation on Thursday I believe which is going to be really good because we are doing it in the Ewing’s home and are going to have them their to testify of the things that we are teaching and to help teach as well.
Sorry this letter is kind of short and dumb but you will get a better one next week I promise.

Love you all and tell dad happy father’s day for me it is on the 6th right? Well any way I am sending him a card this week.

Love
Elder Christensen

Matt 5-31-10

Wow another super crazy week‏
From: Matthew Eric Christensen

Sent: Mon 5/31/10 1:47 PM
To: S. Christensen
Well hello from California!!

So I see I didn't get an email this week but thanks for the letter! And thanks for the package!!! I finally got it. When I opened it and saw the allergy pills I was like wow! My mom must be psychic cause I really needed some! And the gloves fit great I’m going to put them to work soon! :)

So last week I told you that I got a new companion named Elder Harper well that is no more. He went home... so after I emailed you last week we went back to the apartment and wrote letters and stuff and elder Harper had the phone and made some phone calls and I just didn't really notice anything. Well on Tuesday he said that we were going to Oakland for something and I just went along with it and it turns out it was for an interview with President Wade. And I was thinking wow this is weird it’s the beginning of the transfer, but I just went along with it. Later that night I asked elder Harper if I could do anything for him and he said no so we finished the day just like normal. Then on Wednesday we had district meeting and went to visit a couple of other people. But he said that he was waiting for a phone call from someone (President Wade) so around 4 O'clock the call finally came and he was like well we are going home cancel all of our appointments for the night I have to pack... I kinda knew this was coming but it still through me for a spin! So that’s what we did for the rest of the night. He packed and I just sat there doing nothing. I got really frustrated cause now I’m in an area that I know nothing about again!
Now I’m with the district leader elder Watson and his companion elder Williams. And they are great elders. We are covering the two wards that I have Hillcrest one and two and also their ward Marsh Creek so it has been a very interesting week trying to figure everything out and still do missionary work.

So now I have been on both sides of sending some one home early and having some one come home early... but I know that everything happens for a reason. And it will be better for him to work things out at home. I have come to realize that by praying and working with the Lord everything works out. One of my favorite scriptures is 2cor. 12:10 I got this one from Danny and it has been a way for me to realize that if we take all of our trials with a faith in Christ that we will be able to get through them a lot easier. Another good scripture is ether 12:27. I know that through the atonement Christ is able to help us all not just for our sins but for all the other feelings as well. Whether its stress or depression or anything Christ has felt it all and I’m so thankful for that.

I love you, thanks for all the support!

Love Elder Christensen

From Ben...
Hello again another great week here in the good old Moorpark. So, over the last week we have been helping our investigator family clean their( is that the right one? haha) house and it is a freaking mess!! like no joke take the worst house ever and times it by like thirty! we started in the back yard but realized we couldn't do anything there until we put all the Christmas decorations up in the attic so we did and then we sorted a bunch of junk and threw away 8 garbage bags of crap and old clothes and dirty clothes and such, which was nasty, and then the next day went back and started on part of the upstairs and cleaned out the guest bedroom and Ashley's room and made another 4 trips back to the dumpsters at our apartment so now you can actually walk in the guest bed room and the hall to get to it, we also cleaned the side of the house where you usually put the garbage cans but couldn't because of all the crap and old garbage and stuff. It was probably one of the grossest things that I have ever done it smelled way bad. On Saturday we went and started cleaning the garage which is by far the worst thing I have ever seen there was wall of boxes and junk 6 feet tall and takes up the entire garage and to make the whole thing worse we had to clean up all their nasty clothes that were on the garage floor because they were supposed to be washed but it never happened. To top it all off they have rats and mice living in the garage so it was covered in rat poop! So, after we got it some what cleaned and organized I took some imitative and set the rat traps and I am hoping that we catch something. It was weird everyone was like "I hope you stay for the next transfer cuz I am not cleaning them up"... big babies. haha We also had a great lesson with them on Saturday night about authority and why we need it we did the cup lesson with them and showed them how Christ’s church was set up in bible times and explained how our church holds the same authority and is set up basically in the same manor as Christ’s church was. Oh and they came to church on Sunday! we were supposed to speak which is why they were coming and when we got there we found out that we got bumped because a senior couple returned to the ward and would be giving their home coming talks. so we thought ok this could still turn out to be a good meeting wrong it went badly but its ok because they were welcomed into the ward very well and agreed to come next week when we speak for sure! :)
So, now for the rest of Sunday I went and got my eyes checked and I guess I have ulcers on my eye no big deal it was from allergies and this crappy solution so I have to wear my glasses for the next two weeks and I got new one I’m not sure how much they are going to cost yet but I got a pretty good deal so it shouldn't’t be over 150 for frames and lenses the good ones not just the cheap ones the guy that did my exam is a member and totally hooked us up he gave a ton of drops for my eye like a year supply and a bunch of good contact solution so it does not happen again it was a good visit to say the least. So remember how I told you I needed good glasses, cuz the ones I have are -2.5 and my prescription is -3.75 so I'm running on half power right now but its all good :)
I’m so glad that Chris’s farewell went well that’s awesome he is going to be such a great missionary! tell him bye for me and get me his mtc and mission address so I can still write him letters and such. As for Tom and Allison I’m so glad that they finally had the opportunity to go to the temple and get sealed that is so amazing!
I’m glad that Jeff’s baptism went well also I hope he always remembers the covenants that he has made with the lord to always remember him and have his spirit to be with him as he does these things he will have the strength to make the right choices in his life and will be able to serve a honorable full time mission!
I’m glad that Laina stopped by isn’t she the bestest!!!! Thanks for the grammar lesson I needed it I never could figure out when to use the right "there" haha well I don’t know if I am going to get transferred or not yet I haven’t gotten my call so hopefully I get it while I am still at the library or you will just have to wait until next week...

love and miss you all thanks for all the wonderful support you give me

love elder Christensen

Date: Mon, 17 May 2010 11:35:49 -0700
Subject: Re: Busy Sunday
From Matt
To: pickleballgal@hotmail.com
Hello family!
Well this week has been awesome!!! So lets get to the important things first. I’m getting transferred! To Antioch serving in the Hillcrest first and second ward. My new comps name is elder Harper and I’m super excited! Elder Lambe will be staying here and training again and he is the new district leader.

Wow! That does sound like a super busy weekend. I’m surprised that you have let dad go fishing twice before he got the yard up and going. Ha-ha that sounds like a super good trip. How did the fiberglass on the boat work? I’m so excited that Tom and Alison were able to be sealed in the temple! They truly were meant for each other.
I bet Chris’s talk was super good, I know he is going to be the best missionary ever! He is totally right about how the Savior is always there for us we just have to reach out our hand for him to help us. One of my favorite pictures of the savior is the one where He is knocking on the door and there isn't a door knob on the out side... cause we have to be the one to let him into our lives.

That’s super awesome that Jeff was able to be baptized and that Grant and Kate both were able to give talks. We were able to go to a baptism for a lady that elder Lambe started teaching and it was super awesome! The spirit was so strong!!

That’s sweet that the kids in your class don't come for the whole week! That would be so nice!
Where are Adam and Amy moving to?
Well thanks for the spelling lesson I know that I’m terrible but I do try haha I love you a ton talk to you soon.

Love elder Christensen

Matt 4-3-10

Date: Mon, 3 May 2010 13:02:05 -0600
From Matt
Wow I can't believe that it is may already! it’s crazy. I have decided that no matter where you are April is always rainy or snowy for you at home, and May always has better weather!
That is super crazy that you are going to have a super short summer. It is going to be a super big bummer! I’m glad that I had a long summer rather than long Christmas. haha
Oh man I can't believe that it is already Chris’s and Grandpa’s birthday, tell them happy birthday for me.
Yeah I have heard of missionaries going home from other missions for various reasons... but I haven't heard of much of that here in Oakland. Yes I heard about Aaron that is super exciting I always knew that he would go back out. I’m not sure about which mission he is going to but he is going to be great where ever he goes.
I’m glad that Adam and Amy had fun on their trip. Cali is so amazing across the whole state! I’m super jealous that they got to go to Disney land! Yes, we sure did have some super fun times there. I remember the time with grandpa Ed and the whole fam and how fun that trip was and also the time with just you dad Paul Ben and I. it was always fun to be together as a family.
Yes, tell Dave Neiman thanks for thinking of me while he was here. It was nice to know that he was thinking of me.
Well sorry it is so short today but this week wasn't really eventful. Keep up all the good work and I pray for each of you every night.
Love, Elder Matt Christensen

On Mon, May 3, 2010 at 10:34 AM, Bennett William Christensen < wrote:
Oh hey,
So first things first about the calling thing I think 9 should work but that is kind of late seeing as we have to be in by 9 30 at the latest but we will see what I can pull... I will probably call your cell phone and may even call this week to let you know the details I will be calling from a member’s house and I don’t think I will be using our cell phone but I'm not really sure.

So I hear that the weather has been crazy back home but it sounds like normal Utah weather to me haha I miss it one day sunny and hot the next day it snows 3 inches its always an adventure.
This was a great week! It started off a little rocky because we had to drop three investigators because of the same issue, blacks and the priesthood. It was weird my E. Simmons said that it has only happened to him like two times in his entire mission and I just happened to have two people in the same ward. But that’s ok because we also found three new investigators this week it was sweet! we started teaching this girl Ashley who has met with missionaries since she was 16 and it has been kind of off and on since then now she is 24 and home for a while cuz she got in trouble with the law and drugs and all that bad stuff and is on probation so we cant baptize her for at least a year but we can teach her family which is what we plan on doing. When we got to her house to teach her we had to go to the back yard to share the lesson because she was the only one home and I guess she had been weeding all morning because her neighbor complained about their back yard and so after the lesson we had with her, we told her we were going to come back after lunch and help her finish weeding her backyard. While we were helping her for like 2 hours her mom came home and said “are you angles or what?" So we started talking to her to and she got us some water and a snack so we took a break and started talking about the church which is kind of a normal subject seeing as we are missionaries and as we were talking about revelation or something the mom just stopped us and said " I just had the biggest feeling of warmth and peace" pretty sure my jaw hit the ground!!! good thing elder Simmons was there he told her that that’s what we do as missionaries is bring that feeling to people it was amazing we are meeting with Ashley on Tuesday and her mom said that she is going to feed us next week!!
Next miracle: So on Saturday we went and helped this part member family clean out their garage. If you think we have allot of crap your wrong. It took us six hours. We were there from 10 to four and when we were done there was nothing in the garage on the floor!!! It was pretty sweet. But that’s not the miracle so last week we asked brother Seagal if we could start teaching him again cuz he has had 20 sets of missionaries over the last 12 years or so and still has not joined the church comes every week and takes his son to priesthood and everything he even has a calling!!! And still wont join the church but he is going to let us teach him which the miracle is! So we are going to go about it a different way we are going to have his friends in the ward and his wife there, none of the kids cuz they are really distracting and annoying. haha

Last night we had dinner at Bishop Williams’s house he is an awesome guy probably one of my favorite families in the ward. At dinner we found out that they were playing some settlers game which my E. Simmons loves so we stayed and played for like 2 hours for family night it was freaking fun I didn’t know how to play the first game so I watched and jumped on the tramp :) it was an awesome night.

To answer your question no I don’t think I have had any anxiety about anything have I ever? no. As for people going home it happens a lot more then you think it would or should definitely, but I am very glad that Aaron is going back out I think that he is going to Boston or somewhere back east that is what Chris told me.
I’m glad to hear that Chris is doing great what day does he go into the mtc? I want his address when you find it out so I can stay in contact with him!

As for some street names, that I forgot last week, so you can stalk me on Google earth. I live off of Majestic in the apartments and we are usually on Tierajada I think that’s how you spell it some other main roads are Wallnut Creek and Mountain Meadows and Mountain trail and Country Wood and Peach Hill to name a few. We are on the west side of the Arroyo rive towards Thousand Oaks that is our area.

Sorry it is kind of short but I will talk to you all on Sunday I look forward to talking to you all!
Love, elder Christensen

Matt 4-26-10

I'm glad that it is finally looking like spring at home. It feels like summer here this week we have had weather in the 80's so nice! So this past week was zone conference and it was great! We learned about how to teach people and not lessons. So that is what we are focusing on now and things are really turning out! At zone conference President Wade read a letter from the second counselor in the bishopric here and we didn't know that he sent it. But it was awesome and I think President Wade said that he is going to send you a copy.
So the teaching has been so much better but also very different in a positive way. We taught tons of lessons this week. And one in particular from last night stuck out to me. This family the Noguera’s has been going through a rough patch lately and haven't really been coming to church. They are trying to buy a house and just haven't had any luck. But we went over there last night and when brother Noguera answered the door he was so glad to see us. (We have been trying to see them all week) but as it turns out he was in LA and for work. While he was there he got strep. and his 2 month old was in the hospital this week with strep. Anyways we offered to give his family blessings and he said yes so we are going to go over some time this week. But the coolest thing was that while we were sharing a message with them he said that he wanted to start coming back to church again! And I wanted to shout for joy it was so cool.
I know that the Lord puts us all through challenges so that we can become stronger and closer to him.
Wow! That is crazy that the frames are doing all that work, definitely keeps me posted on the progress.
It sounds like this week has been fun but also kind of relaxing. I’m glad that the graduation went well. And it sounds like you had a great meal at Danny & Abbie’s home. Are they going to stay there for the next semester to?
I’m glad to hear that Paul is doing well in tennis maybe when I get home I will have enough patience to play with him. But it sounds like tons of fun. And it’s too bad that I missed it.

I wouldn't say the Concord is too small of a town it’s actually a lot like cottonwood heights. It has a downtown area and then just houses and parks and things like that. Yes it is flat but there are mountains/ hills that I can see so that keeps me sane haha. No we don't ride bikes at all here we just drive. and elder Lambe is the only one who gets to drive and it makes me crazy. But I’m getting used to his driving so that is good.

Well that’s pretty much it for now I’m glad to hear that you are all doing well.
Elder Matt Christensen.

ps. what time do you want me to call on mother’s day? Let me know next week

Elder Ben 4-26-10

Where to start this week has been so crazy busy! But it has also been one of the best weeks of my mission!
So on Thursday we had zone conference which was good we did a lot of talking about our purpose as elders and then we talked about our companion study and how we can make it more effective. It was a really good meeting. Then on Friday we did service at sister Simmons as usual and didn’t do much this week just a lot of standing around while she talked about nothing it was kind of frustrating cuz I just wanted work!
Then came Saturday and we had mission conference/ spiritual out pouring and it was amazing! Elder Bednar is nothing like he is on TV at conference he was warm and funny and made quite a few jokes, it was awesome. It was more of a question and answer meeting then a lecture and the first thing that he told us was not to write down everything that he said as most do when listening to a talk he called that a silly tradition of our fathers but he told us to write down the impressions of the spirit and the things that we learned from the meeting. So a couple of weeks ago president Murri gave us talks about faith from Elder Bednar and told us to study them and so when we got there on Saturday that is what we talked about. Elder Bednar asked us what we learned from the talks that he gave us and a bunch of us stood up and shared what we learned and then he asked how we could apply the things that we learned and expounded upon the things that were brought up. It was so cool he is so intelligent and has such an amazing aura about him that I can't put into words. After we did that he turned the time over to us to ask him questions about the gospel and things of that nature and gave us a couple of examples of good questions and one of them was elder Bednar being one of 14 men who was their when a prophet of the lord was called what could you tell us about that process and what advise would you give us to following the prophet? So someone asked that same question and the answer was so amazing how he described being on the fourth floor of the temple and how president Monson was called and then explained how the first presidency was organized it was such a powerful testimony and really helped strengthen mine to know how a apostle of the Lord is called as a prophet and president of the church and that it is no accident.
The last thing that he did was he leave an apostolic blessing on us as missionaries and told us to be good boys and girls and as we are good boys we will be blessed. and that part hit me really hard as long as we are trying to do our best and humble ourselves before the Lord and always remember him in our daily lives he will bless us!

So last night we went over to the elders quorum president's house for dinner and his wife was out of town so he cooked for us or at least tried... he cooked tri-tip and the first one that he cooked he called a burnt offering so he tried again and this one was perfect but he said it was not done because their was still pink in the middle so he put it back on the grill for like another 5 minutes and tried it again and still had pink in the middle so he put it in the microwave!!! Ya the freaking microwave now if you know me you know that I believe only certain things should be cooked in the microwave. Popcorn and top ramen that’s all! it should be used for reheating not cooking but he cooked it in their for like 3 minutes and when it came out it still had pink in the middle so I grabbed a couple of pieces before he could put it back in and when it came out the second time it had lost all of the flavor and was brown and dry and gross. So that is the lesson for the week don’t use the microwave to cook your meat it does not work.

As for the work it is going well we have found a bunch of people to teach most of them are former investigators and I don’t know if it will go anywhere but we are going to go over this week and try to teach them I would put in their names but it might not work out so I don’t really want to...

Love your missionary
Elder Christensen