Elder Christensen: Letter 5/5/14 "It's the final countdown"

Well family, it's been a crazy week! We've seen everyone that is on our branch roster and 85 percent are moved, burnt out of their home, in jail, or dead.... So we had a few of the Less Actives come this Sunday so we had a whole 15 people there. Heck yes!!! It was the funniest Fast Sunday of my whole life!!! The theme of the meeting seemed to be mistakes and the atonement and the Branch president was in and out of the meeting like every 10 minutes and was hobbling pretty fast every time. Then he finally gets up to share his testimony and says "Its funny the theme seems to be mistakes for today I've made one of the more painful mistakes of my life." He goes on to say,  "just this morning I mixed up my medications and took double of the wrong medication and it was osmotic laxatives!" haha Everyone was dying because everyone was like why is he leaving every 10 minutes? Then at the end of his testimony he left again and the next sister was like, "well president you go take care of your business, while I confess to everyone all my my mistakes." I will never forget this meeting. It was so much fun and there was some really powerful testimonies too, which was just what our Less Actives needed!! One was like, "is church this fun every week?" And I said, "it is if you're in this branch!!" It's like one family of 15 people. It's awesome! I also got to teach Chris a New Member of about 3 months how to Bless the Sacrament. He got it... 3rd times the charm. That was cool to see. I also got to pass the sacrament which was awesome! I haven't done that in 2 years!!!  Hope everyone is having fun and is prepared for Summer!

Love Elder Christensen 

Elder Christensen: Letter 4/28/14 "East Bound and Down"

Well East St Louis is everything I thought it would be and more! Ha! Ha! It's really fun. I'm loving serving with Elder Milne again. He has changed and matured greatly! I'm really happy that East St Louis will be my final area. One thing I've already gained in the short time I've been here is that I'm so thankful for the safety in which we live in. :) I'm also very grateful for police officers and all the work they do for our country. They truly are on the front lines everyday! I'm also thankful for my brothers Jakobe, Brian, and Jay Jay for walking us through the bridges in the hood! Ha! Ha! We would be dead without them! Then you would have to come out here and put a teddy bear on the pole for me cuz that's how they do it out here. If you're killed your family puts a teddy bear on the pole for you and I've seen some poles with like 40 bears! It's way sad! I feel the pain Mormon felt seeing this wickedness all around and knowing the gospel can change it all makes it even harder... No worries tho family. You won't have to to do that :) 

This area is really humbling and I can promise that from this day forth I will never take for granted the blessings the Lord has given me and helped me work for. I can't wait to see you all in a few weeks. I will feel your love more fully now that I've seen the best of my mission and the worst. Most of the people weve tried to see this week have been moved to safer areas out of our branch. Then their homes are burnt down or just abandoned and used by the many bums. Ha!Ha! It's hard to find good use of our time here cuz every other door is abandoned so tracting is a no go and contacting is way hard. I'll have to explain why when I get home lol. My studies have been the best yet in my mission cuz we have to be in by sundown, so I get like 3 hours in everyday, and I'm loving that its like having church everyday 2 times a day. So cool, and despite how crazy the world is all around us you can still find that peace and feel the Spirit ahhh I love it! I love you all!

Love Elder Christensen

Elder Christensen: Letter 4/21/14 "East St. Louis here I come!"

Well this week was crazy! We've been visiting Deve all week to make sure he was still planning on coming to church this Sunday to be confirmed. He did come and was confirmed, so that was awesome. I didn't think this was gonna be my last Sunday here in this area, but I'm off. Hopefully to my last area this time!!!! Maybe I'll get transferred again before my 3 weeks is up! Ha! Ha! I'm glad I didn't unpack hardly anything this transfer. :) 

So I'm off to East St Louis to die. Ha! Ha! Who knows, maybe there is some meaning behind that missionary term ...? ha ha jk mom I'll be safe. :) President Morgan called me on Sunday and informed me of the many struggles that are happening in this area, so I've got my work cut out for me for sure! I love you all hope everyone enjoyed their Easter :)

Love Elder Christensen   

Elder Christensen: Letter 4/14/14 "Double Dunk"

We had some miracles happen this week! On Monday night we received  permission from Salt Lake that Brad Jacobs could be baptized and we have been teaching his best friend Deve with him. Deve said he ready to be baptized, but that he would like to wait so he and Brad could be dunked on the same day. That day was Saturday! Ha! Ha! It was so cool to see my companion baptize someone for a change, and I also got to baptize Deve. He had the hardest black name I've ever heard on my mission... I swear its like 6 names in one! lol Here it is Deveoueff Deamonearl Scoffield! Try and say that one. :) The baptisms went perfectly. This was the 1st font in my mission where it has a heater in the font. It was 89 degrees! Ha! Ha! Warmest baptism I've ever had !!! Brad's mom is hardcore Less Active, but she came to support her son and she felt the Spirit. I know she did. She also came to the confirmation where I got to confirm Brad and give him the Holy Ghost. I remember nothing of what I said, but his mom grabbed me after and said that some of the things I said where promised to her when she was confirmed, and she had tears in her eyes when she told me. I hope Brad can keep her coming to church so she can have more peace in her life and can feel the love of the Savior more abundantly in her life. All week we've been setting up interviews and getting everything set up for this baptism. I forgot how much work it is to set these  up by yourself! Ha! Ha! I'm so glad Brother Ethington was able to help out and keep me sane. :) Only bad part of this is week is that we baptized our whole teaching pool. Ha! Ha! Now what to do for the rest of my mission ...? Find and reactivate people I guess. I hope the Lord puts someone in my path ! Hope everyone had a good week. Hope to hear from you all soon !!

Love Elder Christensen 

Elder Christensen: Letter 4/7/14 "GC in JC"

General Conference was awesome as usual. I wish we could've got some of our investigators to come with us! I was also was very pleased with have no talks on marriage! Ha! Ha! I'm sure in the Fall that will be in every talk now... My favorite talk was in the priesthood session when Elder Uchtdorf shared the story of him and president Monson being on the air force one plane. Then he went to the pilot's seat and daydreamed some and his hand went up to the throttle and president Monson came in and said, "don't even think about it!" Ha! Ha! I could see that happening so clearly:) I loved all the talks though. They were really good and uplifting. Just what I want to finish my mission out. More good talks to listen to and learn from.

This week we didn't get to meet with many of the people we're teaching but I did my last ZL exchange and that was killer! It reminded me so much of why I wanted to get out of that! lol We planned for 6 hours for all the zones stuff and Elder Evans made calls for like 2 hours while I sat on the floor planning my R.M.P. (returned missionary plans) lol 

Anywho we also played basketball on Saturday for our early morning workout and brother Jacobs was there with his son so we did 3 on 3 and he dove for a loose ball and broke his wrist. So that wasnt cool but it made for a good story at priesthood session ... So now the ward thinks missionaries beat people up in basketball. Ha! Ha! 

Well I hope everyone enjoyed hearing the words of the prophet. It's such a blessing to have that guidance in this crazy world. It brings much peace to know that the Lord still speaks to his people through Prophets and Apostles. Love you all!

Love Elder Christensen  

Elder Christensen: Letter 3/31/14 "Final Exchanges"

Well  family, another week has gone by. We had a really good lesson this week. We met with Brad Jacobs and just focused on our relationship with our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. We also got to show him the Mormon message that has the rock climber who does the free climb and it talks about Jesus being our anchor and our support. Brad really loved that and shared his testimony of how prayer helped him through some of the toughest times of his life. There also is a young boy down the street that were teaching. HJis name is Deve. He saw our car and came to the lesson at Brads and he loved it. We also read Enos with him and got to share our testimonies of the power of prayer and how its a two way communication with God. They both said they would be at church this week but Brad had to work and Deve didn't want to come alone so that was a bummer... However some of the less actives we stopped by to visit came so that was awesome to see! This week was fast Sunday as well and a Less active sister gave a super powerful testimony and I know it touched the less actives that came that day. After church sister Nelson opened her mission call and she is going to Oregon. I guessed New York lol just a little off... Earlier in the week I got to go on exchanges with the Linn Elders and they are truly in the sticks! Ha! Ha! But they have some awesome members out there to help them. I also got to have my Exchange interviews while fishing on one of the members lake. It felt so good to have that break! I could also tell the Elder I was with really needed that break as well. He is really struggling with adjusting to missionary life... Hopefully our exchange helped. I didn't have the smoothest transition into the mission life either. Ha! Ha! So we had some common ground. I just hope he sticks it out. It will be worth it! My life wouldn't be the same if I didn't, and I know the people I've served with and taught wouldn't be the same either. Hope everyone is stoked for General Conference!!!! 

Love Elder Christensen    

Elder Christensen: Letter 3/24/14 "ta daaaa"

Well family, this week we had a lot of success, just not for our area! Ha! Ha! We had exchanges with the Jeff city 2 elders. I'm trying to crank all my exchanges out early so I can enjoy my last few weeks in peace lol. We did get to meet with our investigator later this week. His name is Brad Jacobs. He's a really awesome guy. We're just waiting for approval to baptize him... It's in the process now in SLC so hopefully that will happen in the next month or so. I want to see my companion baptize someone!!!!! Also had a super awesome sleepover party with Jeff city 2 and the office elders with my main man Elder Bullough. We got up way early and went to the YMCA and played 2 hours of basketball, and I'm so close to dunking it now its not even funny! Ha! Ha! Don't worry pops I'll get it before we play. :-)  Sunday we also visited tons of less actives since 60% of our ward is less active. We got lots of work there! It was cool tho. This Sunday we had tons of new members show up to hear their friends talk. I hope we can start teaching them soon!! I hope everyone is doing well. Hope to hear from you all soon.

Love Elder Christensen