Feliz Navidad!

Hola amigos! 

This week was by far the craziest/ best week of my mission. I have never been so stressed and happy at the same time! Haha! Hermana Jorgensen was transferred away from me on Tuesday. Transfer meeting was really sad. Hermana Rupp and Hermana Marlowe both went home this week. I got to say goodbye to them. I am going to miss those two so so much. They both changed my mission and taught me so much through their examples. I am really trying to be the kind of trainer for my new companion that they were for me. 

My new companions name is... HERMANA VANDYKE. She is so awesome! She is like 6ft tall and has such a strong testimony of the gospel. I love her so much. We have been having such a great time together. I am really grateful for the opportunity to train her. Not that she really needs any training, she is pretty much already trained! We are just working hard on the Spanish. :) I have already seen so many miracles this week. We made a goal that we are going to contact 15 people every day. We worked hard this week and found a lot of people who are prepared for our message. It is awesome! 

Miriam also got baptized this week! It was so beautiful! It was such a spiritual experience for her and her family. It was such a fight to get her to the font though... I have never worked so hard in my life to get someone ready to be baptized. It just goes to show how much good she is going to do! Satan works really hard to keep people away from the safety of covenants. Her husband had such a powerful experience. He had always been a little hesitant to listen in on our lessons. After the baptism, he couldn't stop crying. Miriam was joking around with him and told him that he was next to be baptized. He just looked at us and nodded his head. Eeeee! The church is true! We are going to work really hard with him! 

Well I hope you all have a really great Christmas! I love you all! 

-Hermana Christensen

Transfers

Hola!!!!!

Mamas having a baby! We got transfer calls yesterday.. I'M TRAINING! I
get a fresh little baby straight from Mexico! They are coming on
Thursday!  I am so so excited!!! We are going to tear it up down here!

In other news... I also got called to be a sister training leader!
Bring on the stress! I get to go on a bunch of exchanges with all my
hermanies in my zone and I get to talk to President every day and go
to meetings and teach zone meeting. Ahhhhh. I feel super unprepared
but it is going to fun.. And stressful.. Keep me in your prayers!
Haha!

We won the Zone activity this month. This Zone is always killing it!
We got to play sports with President Mortensen today. It was super
fun.. And also super muddy. It has been raining a ton here!

So Jose didn't get baptized this week... He disappeared off of the
face of the earth! We literally have lost all contact with him and
have no idea what happened! But we do have a baptism this Saturday
with our home girl Mirriam and possibly her daughter Melanie. I have
to get them all ready this week! It is going to be awesome!

Last P-day we bought a bunch of ugly sweaters and ran around downtown
taking pictures. It was super fun! I love Houston!

Sorry this is a little short! I have a ton to do! Eeeeee! I love you
all! Read your scriptures and say your prayers!

Love,
Hermana Christensen

Hola!
This week went by so fast. My poor companion was sick all week with a
sinus infection.  We got to take a field trip to the Doctor. Being in
the clinic just threw me back to my CNA days. Haha! But she is getting
better so all is well!

We had Zone conference this week! It was so awesome! We learned how to
better work with Ward councils. Lucky for me, the Ward council here is
incredible! So much gets done! I am so blessed to serve here in this
area.

Guess what!? We get to go to the temple this week! I am so so excited!
It's been so long since I have had a chance to go to the temple. For
all those back home who live super close to the temple... You need to
go as often as you can!!!! There is so much strength that comes from
serving in the temple!

We also get to go work in the peanut butter factory this week. All we
do is screw lids on for a few hours... Woo! Fun fact, all the peanut
butter of the church comes from this factory in Texas. Pretty cool
huh? So next time you are at the bishops storehouse or welfare square,
appreciate the peanut butter.

 We have been working with our investigators who have baptism dates a
lot this week! Jose is going to be baptized this Saturday! We are so
excited! He is so ready! Also Mirriam and Meleni are going to be
baptized next week! They are super ready as well! Keep them in your
prayers this week!

Well... The rest of this week is kinda a blur.. Sorry this is a little
short! Have a great week! Go to church! Read your scriptures!
#HaNacidoUnSalvador

Love,
Hermana C.

Hola

Happy Thanksgiving!
Thanksgiving just about killed me. We had five appointments! The food
was all fantastic! The members tried really hard to make us an
American Thanksgiving. It was really cute! They made American food and
added chile and salsa to everything. Haha! I loved it! I was so sick
the next day though.. But it's all worth it. The members all felt the
love!
I learned a valuable life lesson today. Never pay for a cheap haircut
in Texas. That's all I have to say about that.
Our area is doing so good! We set two more baptism dates this week! We
are teaching this cute little family! The mom and the daughter both
have dates and we are working on the dad. He used to be very against
us but we taught him a bomb restoration lesson and he came to church
yesterday which was HUGE! He is softening up a lot! They are going to
be a little eternal family!
We also found a ton of other investigators this week! We found another
little family that is so awesome! They have a really special light
about them!
Yesterday we had a cool little miracle! We were driving home on the
feeder and we saw this car parked on the side of the road with their
hazards on. It was really dark and it was raining so we didn't think
much of it. As we continued driving we both felt a distinct impression
that we should turn around and help the people in the car. First we
were like no way. It was dark and we were in a super sketchy area. But
we kept feeling like we should turn around so we did! We circled
around and pulled up by the car and walked up to the window. Inside
was a little African American family. They rolled down their windows
and the wife looked at us in surprise and was like "Sisters!?" Turns
out they were members and had been praying someone would stop to help
them! Ah! We were able to help them out and then we went on our merry
way. It was so cool to be the means of answering someone's prayers!!
Well have a great week! I love you all! Say your prayers and read your
scriptures!

Love,
Hermana Christensen

Happy Thanksgiving

Hola!!!
This week was awesome as always! My area is sooooooo sketch! It makes
for a lot of interesting stories that I can tell y'all after the
mission si quiere. Haha! This week we had a mission conference with
Elder Packer! It was so good! He talked a lot about using different
resources from the church to find new people to teach. There was a big
emphasis on family history and how we can use it to get new
investigators. During the conference, Elder Packer told us to role
play a family history lesson with our companion and to think of new
ways to present it. Little did he know that President has already gone
over this with us months ago and we were all well prepared. Then he
asked President Mortensen to pick some missionaries to come up front
and do it in front of the whole mission. President looked right at me
and Hermana Jorgensen when we were practicing and told us that we were
going up so get ready. He sure does love to pick on us.... I was super
nervous because we had to represent the whole mission and show that we
are powerful teachers! No pressure. President first picked Elder
Murdock and Elder Schloer (the elders that serve with us in our Ward).
Lucky for us the Elders did such a bomb job that we didn't have to go!
They just went through the outline President had given us and the
spirit was so strong as they were teaching! Elder Packer was so
impressed. So impressed that he is sending representatives from Salt
Lake to come and see what President is doing to our mission. They want
to start implementing some of his ideas into other missions and into
the church. One thing that I love about President Mortensen is that he
really cares about the work and works hard to help us be the best
teachers we can be! This mission is so awesome!



We have like 50 baptisms coming up. Not really. But we do have a ton!
The Lord keeps throwing prepared people at us and we barely have
enough time to see them all! We have a baptism in two weeks with this
man we have been teaching. He is on fire! He know so much about the
Book of Mormon and he always tells us how he knows it's true! We also
have another one coming up with this lady named Oralia. She has a
strong testimony as well! We have a goal to have 8 baptisms before the
end of the year. As of right now we have 3 people with dates but we
are planning to set 4 more this week! And hopefully 3 more in the next
few weeks! Pray for these people!!!

I also got to go back to Conroe for a baptism! Sherly got baptized! It
was so great! I had to give the talk on baptism. There was such a
special spirit as she entered into the water. She is going to be a
little relief society president someday. Haha! She's awesome! :)
Blessings for dayyys!

I need some of you to get on Pinterest and look up how to get rid of
tortilla wings aka flabby arms. Send some stuff my way por fa.

Thanksgiving is going to be awesome! Literally everyone in the Ward
wants to feed us... They all love us a lot which is great.. But at the
same time, if I have to eat 7 thanksgiving dinners I am going to throw
up. I'm excited for a Hispanic thanksgiving! Turkey tacos and pupusas
con salsa! Woo!

 Hermanie Jorgensen turned 20 yesterday! We ate a lot of cake. Today we
are going to the mall with President Mortensens daughter. We love her!
She just got back from her mission and she likes to hang with us. We
are going to start taking her out to teach with us. She is also going
to give us all her mission clothes so there's that. We are pumped!

Well I hope y'all have a wonderful week! Read your scriptures and say
your prayers!

Love,
Hermana Christensen

Hola! Hola!

Hey friends!

So this week was awesome. I LOVE THE GHETTO! We are finding new people
like crazy! This Ward is the best Ward I have ever served in. Like 80%
of the Ward are converts so they LOVE the missionaries! They are
always giving us gifts and buying us really nice skirts... The skirts
are a little special.. On Saturday we had..... FIVE dinners back to
back. I was crying by the end of the day. Our investigators always
want to feed us and all the less actives want to feed us and the
members! It's a blessing and a curse. We can't say no either because
Hispanics get really offended when you don't eat. It's how they show
their love..

We set a baptism date with one of our investigators named Jose! He is
so awesome! He already pays his tithing every week and yesterday he
fasted with us. He is going to be baptized in December! Yay! We also
had a baptism on Wednesday with a little muchacho named Jesus! It was
so beautiful! I love watching people be baptized! There is such a
special spirit!

So I was called to be the district language leader. Pretty much all I
do is just teach Spanish for an hour before district meeting every
Friday. At first I hated it but now it's super fun! This last week we
got a phone call that President wanted to come to our language study
and district meeting. His daughter just got home from her mission and
she wanted to see how we do things here. So President decided to take
her to the best district in the mission! Haha! Anyway.. I was super
scared that president was coming and I stressed and stressed for days.
The day of our language study came and President didn't show up!!! I
was so relieved! He came to our district meeting but skipped out on
the language study. The power of prayer is real!

 Elder Packer is here in our mission! He is President Packers son. We
have a mission conference with him tomorrow! I am so excited!!!!

Anyway.. Have a great week! Read your scriptures every day! Invite all
your friends to church! I love you all!

Hermana Christensen

Back in Houston!

So I'm back in the Houston! Woooooo! I LOVE my area! LOVE
IT! It's 10x sketchier then my first area! It gets pretty
intense at times. Haha! I have only been here a week and I have
already seen so many miracles. The people here are so prepared! We are
really close to downtown. When we go to district meeting, I can see
the skyline from the chapel. It is so so cool! Ahhhhh! I am just so
happy to be back in Houston! There are so many little Hispanic friends
who need the gospel!
 
So my companion is kinda cool... Her name is...... HERMANA
JORGENSEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! She was my companion in the MTC! It has
been so fun to be with her again! We have little dance parties every
day and are just working so so hard! I was so shocked that we got to
be together again! It's so fun because now we can actually teach
together! Haha! In the CCM neither one of us knew very much Spanish..
Hehehe. But now we are just converting everyone! This transfer is
going to be so bombin!
 
We had temple tours yesterday. We had SEVEN investigators come with
us! It was so beautiful. They loved it and they all felt the spirit so
strong!
 
We also have a baptism this week! His name is Jesus! I have only
taught him like twice so i don't know him super well but I am still so
excited for him none the less! He is 17 and he is going to go on a
mission next year! Eeeee!
 
Well I hope you have a great week is week! Say your prayers and read
your scriptures! I love you all!!!
 
Hermana Christensen
 

Transfers!

This week went by so so fast! I feel like all the weeks just go by faster and faster! Ahhhhhh! We have transfers tomorrow! I know I am getting transferred.. but I am not sure where I am going yet! Transfers are always bitter sweet. It is super fun to go to a new area and a new ward but it is also super hard to leave all the friends you made! I am going to miss all my little Hispanics in Conroe! Reina and Sherly will be getting baptized in a few weeks though, so I will be back for that!

I got to go on an exchange this week with Hermana George. We were together in the CCM. She is one of my most favorite Hermanas! We saw so many miracles together. We didn't have too many set appointments so we went out and started knocking doors! Just about everyone opened up! By the end of the day we had taught about 8 lessons and found 6 new investigators! It is amazing how many blessings you see when you just get out there and work! I love missionary work! I get so excited in the mornings to just go out and teach the people!!! Missions are so fun!! 

Hermana Lowry and I did a lot of contacting this week in Conroe as well! I love love love knocking doors! It is kinda like opening presents on Christmas. You just never know what you are going to find behind the door. We usually get a lot of people who want us to come back to teach them but some times you get some crazies. One guy opened the door and we started talking to him in Spanish. He just kept shaking his head and saying "No hablo Ingles" We were like. "Que Bueno, porque nosotras hablamos espanol!" We literally talked to him in Spanish the whole time and he just kept saying he didn't speak English. Haha! Hermana Lowry also got attacked by a cat this week. It was a pretty eventful week. 

We had a ward party!! It was so fun! I love Hispanic parties! Everyone just dances and sings and has a grand ole time! We had more investigators and less actives at the party than ward members. It was so awesome! I am really going to miss this little ward. They are really precious! 

Well all is well in Texas. Have a great week! Read your scriptures and say your prayers! And invite all your friends to ward parties!! 

Con Mucho Amor!

Hermana Christensen

Hello Friends!

This week was really good! First of all we had another "hurricane" hit us. One thing about being a missionary that is kinda fun is that you never know what is going on in the real world. So sometimes you just get a text from your leaders saying a hurricane is coming and your just like, alrighty then. Haha! But really.. We didn't get hit as hard as other places from what I have been told. It just rained for about 48 hours straight and the wind got a little crazy. But this storm was nothing compared to the other one we had a few months ago! Texas weather is crazy. 

We had our missionary fireside last night! The spirit was so strong! And Francelia was asked to bear her testimony. She did such a great job! It is so wonderful to see faith grow in others and watch their testimonies develop! We took a big van down with our district and some of our investigators and our ward mission leader. It was so fun! All of our investigators loved it so so much! 

We had interviews with President this week. I love that man so much! He is so full of wisdom! I could just sit with him for hours and study the scriptures. He blows my mind. Haha! 

Transfers are this Sunday.. I will most likely be transferred to a new area. I don't really enjoy being transferred. I miss everyone too much! But its good to grow and get new experiences. I just really love Conroe!!! 

We are finding new people like crazy! We set a new baptismal date with one of our new investigators named Leticia. She is so prepared! She told us straight up that she had been waiting for someone to help her be baptized. I am so pumped for her! Reina and Sherly were supposed to be baptized this week but we have to move it back a week. They just need a little more time! Keep them in your prayers this week! 

I love you all! Have a good week!!!! Serve your friends! 

Con mucho amor,

Hermana Christensen

This week was so so great! To start, Francelia and Esmerelda were
baptized!!!!! It was such a special baptism! Baptisms are always so
stressful to get everything ready, but they always turn out to be a
really special experience! The spirit was so so strong! And we had
great Ward support! Once again me and my companion had to sing... It
was really special... Haha! We sang A Child's Prayer in Spanish.
Neither one of us can sing but the spirit was there none the less! All
the members think that if you are a missionary you automatically have
musical talent. They think it is some kind of package deal. Haha! I
love missionary work! It is the best!!!!!
 
The rest of this week was a blur.. I honestly can't think of anything
else that happened.. Oh! Here's a neat story.. So Francelia told us
that before we ever knocked on her door she dreamed that we came and
taught her! She said she never forgot that dream and never knew what
it meant until we found her! How cool is that!?!? She is so special
and is going to bless the lives of so many people!!!!
 
Today we went "hiking" as a district. There are no hills in Texas so
it was super lame. We are getting ready to carve pumpkins right now!
 
I hope y'all have a great week this week! Be good and read your
scriptures!! I love you all!
 
Hermana Christensen
 

Hello Fam!

We had such an awesome week this week! So many miracles! We have been working really hard trying to get Francelia and Esmerelda ready for their baptism. They are getting baptized this Sunday! Eeeeee! They just had their interview yesterday so we are good to go! Keep them in your prayers this week as they continue to prepare! 

We took them to the temple tours yesterday. The temple tours are always so powerful! We took a big van down with all of our friends and our ward mission leader! It was so fun! Esmerelda and I sang primary songs in Spanish all the way to the temple! She is so cute!  Francelia told me she felt such a peace as we walked around the temple grounds. It was a great experience for her and it really elevated her vision. I asked Esmerelda how she felt as we were at the temple and she yelled out INCREDIBLE! So cuteeee!!! It was great to take them and show them that their baptism is really just preparing them for greater blessings in the temple. 

I had to eat chicken heart soup this week. Add that to my list of nasty foods I've experienced on my mission. Haha! Conroe had their annual "catfish festival" this week. There's Texas for ya. 

I hit my 9 month mark this next week... October 14th!  It has gone by way to fast!!!! Ahhhhh!! I can't believe I am half way done! It still feels like I just got here! 

I hope you all have a great week! I love you all! Read your scriptures and say your prayers! 

Herm. Christensen

Hola! Hola! 

We had such a great week! I love missionary work! We had five of our investigators come to conference on Sunday! They loved it! We had a picnic with Francellia and her daughters in between conferences and we taught them the commandments! We ate PB&J and fruit and it was so fun!  They are getting ready to be baptized this next weekend! Yay! Her little girls brought us flowers wrapped in little Frozen coloring book pages. It was so precious and I may have cried!  I love their little family so so much! 

We also had Reina and her family come to conference! She loved it! I think she took more notes than I did! It is such a blessing to have living prophets  and apostles to lead and guide us! If any of you didn't get the chance to watch conference, WATCH IT! It will change your life! 

I had the opportunity to go on an exchange to the Oakcrest ward this week! It was so fun!! I got to be with my home girl, Hermana George. She came out with me and was in the CCM with me. It was fun to see how much our Spanish had improved from the CCM! Haha! 

We only got chased by about 4 dogs this week, an all time low! Its a miracle I haven't been bit by one yet. Every day just feels like a scene from Forest Gump. 

I hope you all have a great week! I love you all! Read your scriptures everyday! Sorry this is a little short.. I have to go get my haircut so people stop mistaking me for a homeless person. Haha! 

Be good! 

Love,

Hermana Christensen

Hola! Hola!

We had such a great week! This week we fasted and prayed for our investigators to make it to church. We worked so hard to get them to church this Sunday and so many of them came! We actually had a church tour with Francellea on Friday! It was one of the most tender moments of my mission! We took her around and showed her the classrooms and the baptismal font and ended in the chapel. We just went and sat in the chapel and she just cried and cried. She told us that she hasn't felt peace in her life for so long. Hermana Lowry and I sang "Asombro me da" to her and it was really off pitch and bad but the spirit was there so its ok! Haha! She is one of the most precious people I have ever met on my mission! She is a single mom and has a little daughter who can't speak or hear. We are trying to learn some sign language so we can talk with her. Every time we go over for a cita, she runs up to us and gives us a big hug! I just love her so much! Please keep Francellea and her family in your prayers! 

Yesterday we went contacting at this trailer park and found so many prepared people. We were talking to this one lady named Nallely! We told her a little about who we were and the Restoration. She was so interested. She told us that she felt like everything we were saying was true. We left her with a prayer and she just cried and cried! We are going back to teach her on Tuesday!!! 

We found another little family yesterday. We are finding so many investigators! We barely have enough time to see them all! It is so wonderful!!!!! Anyway... This family is super super prepared! The wife just cried the whole time we were teaching them. She was so touched when we told her that our families can be together forever. It is so amazing to watch the spirit touch people for the first time! 

I saw a firefly for the first time in my life. It looked like a little green spark. So cool. I am so grateful I get to stay in Conroe for six more weeks! It is such a beautiful area! Even if it is filled with crazy country people and stray dogs that like to chase us every day. :)

Well have a wonderful week!!! I love you all! Read your scriptures and say your prayers! EVERY DAY! 

Con Amor,

Hermana Christensen

We had such a great week! Wooo!

I just can't believe it is almost time for transfers again. I feel like time is FLYING by! Ah. We were able to set two more baptismal dates this week with our investigators. Their names are Francellea and Esmerelda. They are so cute! We found them when I was on exchanges a few weeks ago. We were out trying one of our other investigators and I had the strongest feeling to knock on this door. We knocked and Francellea opened and let us in! We have been teaching her for a while and now she is going to get baptized in October! She seriously is so prepared and has such a light about her! The only thing that is holding her back is coming to church. She promised us she would come this week! Pray for her! 

We had our ward multicultural night this week! It was so fun! We had a few investigators go and they loved it! Everyone brought food from their country and we ate and the primary danced and it was so cute! Hispanic ward party's are the best!!! 

I also learned how to make this hispanic fried fish thing. We just gutted the fish and put it in a pan. It was nasty. I will send pictures.. I am learning how to make all kinds of special hispanic foods! Haha! 

I have been studying faith in relation to testimony and conversion in my studies this week! A great chapter to read about this is Ether 3! I would challenge each of you to read it and look for how testimony is turned into conversion. 

Well I don't have much time this week! I love you all!!! Be good and go to church! 

Hermana Christensen

El Espiritu Nos Guia!

Buenos Dias!!!

We had such an amazing week... again! I have seen more miracles in these last four weeks then I have in my entire mission! We found 14 new solid investigators! AH. Here is a crazy story about one of our investigators! So her name is Reina and she told us that she has a brother serving a mission in Guatemala! Then she told us that recently her parents just got baptized in Honduras and last week her sister just got baptized in Virginia! Missionaries have literally found her whole family and baptized them! She is the last one.. :) It is such a miracle that we found her and are able to teach her! She is so awesome! She has a baptismal date for the 10th of October! Pray for her! We also found another family that is so excited about the gospel! This area has taken such a huge turn! This used to be the "hardest" area in the mission and now we have some of the best numbers! And it's not even us! It is all the Lord! He is just handing us people to teach! It is just a testimony builder to me that there is no such thing as a "hard" area. Success is directly related to obedience! 

We accidentally drove into a compound this week. Not really. We have been cleaning out the ward list and trying to find part member familys. We put this one address in the GPS and it took us out to the yahoos of Texas. The street we took us on was so scary. The country of Texas is 10x scarier than the ghetto! There were confederate flags and trash and bonfires and purple paint on the trees and no trespassing signs and little huts made out of wood. So scary. Don't worry though, we got out of there really fast! 

We also ran out of money on our little cards last week and had no food. Hermana Lowry wrote her step mom and told her we needed non perishable food because we were dying. Two days later we received 6 boxes on our doorstep.. filled with pasta. It was all pasta. We have so much pasta in our house we don't even know what to do! Haha! We couldn't stop laughing as we opened each box just to find more pasta and more pasta! We made it through the week and now we have money again to go grocery shopping! Yay! Haha!

Have a lovely week my loves! Look for ways to share the gospel with everyone!!! I love you all!!! 

Hermana Christensen 

911 and Stake Conference

Hellooo!

Things are on fire here. Literally. Everyone lights everything on fire.  Alsooo, the work is on fire!!! We had such a great week! We were able to set 3 baptism dates with our investigators. They are so excited! And we are excited tooo! It is amazing how when we place all our trust in the Lord, we see so many miracles! We are hoping this week to set 6 more baptismal dates with another family we found. I love Conroe! 

We had stake conference yesterday. We are very special because the Houston North Stake is one of five Spanish only stakes in the US. We are very blessed to be able to have stake conference in Spanish! It was such a good conference! Let me tell ya.. Spanish stake conference is a HUGE deal. They go all out to make it a special experience. They had fancy little programs and the choir all had their little flowers pinned to their shirts. So cute! Hispanic culture is seriously the best! The talks and testimonies that were given were so good! They talked a lot about building our foundation on Christ and strengthening the family! 

We had a bit of an interesting experience yesterday. We were out knocking doors and we get to this one door and hear someone screaming bloody murder inside. We listened for a second and it was a woman frantically screaming for help. We knocked on her door and asked her what was going on. She kept screaming and crying and told us she was trapped. We opened the door only to find a huge ferocious pitbull waiting to kill us. We closed the door before the dog got us and Hermana Lowry immediately called 911 and I just said a quick prayer. The lady continued to scream and plead with us to come in and help her. After I said the prayer, I felt a distinct impression to open the door again and go inside. So using all my courage I opened the door again and walked inside. The dog kept barking and growling at me but it stayed in a corner of the house. I literally believe angels were holding the dog back. I walked in and sure enough, there was a lady trapped under some weights. She had been bench pressing and her arms gave out and she was stuck. I was able to get the weights off her and help her up. She was fine after that and we went on our merry way. One thing that I have learned on my mission is the importance of following the spirit. We always need to act on promptings! You might just save a life! :)

Well have a wonderful week this week! Say your prayers and read your scriptures!! I love you all! 

Herm. C.

Milagros! Milagros! Milagros!

Hello!!!

We had such a wonderful week! First of all... Once upon a time Hermana Lowry and I decided to fast and pray to find prepared people and then we found 20 NEW INVESTIGATORS this week. AHHHH! They are all families! And each one is so prepared! I have never met more prepared people in my entire mission! Let me tell you a few stories that will pretty much blow your minds...

So on Tuesday our car broke. It was such a struggle because we had to walk all day long while it was getting fixed. And it was HOT. Like 120 degrees hot. Anyway, we were out knocking a few doors and weren't having very much success when all of a sudden this little 8 year old girl walks up to us. She came up to us and was like, "do you guys teach about the bible?" And we were like YES! We teach about the bible.. and so much more! And then she said, "Oh good! My mom wants you to come teach our family...." UM WHAT. So we go over there and teach the whole family (its a family of 6) the Restoration. They loved it and now are reading in the Book of Mormon every day and we are getting ready to set a date with them to be baptized. AHHHH! They are so prepared! 

We also found a list of referrals in our apartment. It was about two pages long and none of them had ever been contacted! Gah! After our car was fixed we decided to go out and try this one family on the list that lived out in the boonies. It took us about 35 minutes to get to their home. We pulled up and they were having a huge fiesta! Haha! There were just a bunch of jovenes practicing for a quincinera. They were all doing some sweet traditional dancing though. Anyway, me and Hermana Lowry just kinda awkwardly interrupted and asked to speak with Leticia. We go over to talk to her and she gives us a big hug. Then she grabbed our hands and said, "Are you the missionaries from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints?" We were like yesssss! She then got a little emotional and said, "I have been waiting for you for 5 months. I want you to come in and teach my family." I guess 5 months ago she was with a friend and the missionaries came over and shared a little message. She was so touched by it that she requested missionaries to come to her family! And the stinkin missionaries that served here never went to go see them until now!!! AHHHHH! She invited us in her home and made us eat her tortillas and introduced us to her husband and her children. They are so solid. When her husband met us, he looked right into our eyes and said, "You guys are representatives of Jesus Christ, aren't you?" WHAT. WHAT INVESTIGATOR SAYS THAT? They have such a light about them. We got to teach them the Restoration this week and they loved it! They both commented that they felt like we had answered all the questions they had ever had in their entire lives. Little do they know we have so much more to share with them. They loved it so much that they came to church yesterday! They drove 40 minutes to come to church! AHH! They are going to be baptized! 

We have had so many little miracles like that this week. I wish I had more time to share them all! Needless to say, we have successfully found an entire new teaching pool of people to teach. Actually, we didn't even really find them, the Lord just gave them to us! I have such a strong testimony now of the power of fasting and prayer! Hermana Lowry and I made a goal to fast once a week. We fast every Sunday and boy do we see the blessings! If any of you haven't figured it out yet, I want to invite you to fast and see for yourself the power of it! 

Well have a wonderful week! Read your scriptures! Say your prayers! Go to church! Serve with all your might! AND FAST!!! 

Hermana Christensen

 

New Transfer

Hola mi amigos!!

Como estais? Este semana fue marvillosa! Yo tengo una nueva companera, se llama la Hermana Lowry! She is the BEST. I love her so stinkin much! We are pretty much blowing Conroe up. We had so many miracles this week! 

So Conroe has been kind of a "dead" area for such a long time. People haven't really been progressing and the work hasn't been moving very fast. Hermana Lowry and I decided it is time for that to change. We have been praying and fasting (which by the way, there is POWER in fasting) to receive guidance on what to do with this area. We decided to take a huge leap of faith and drop almost all of our investigators and start fresh. And holy guacamole! We have seen so many miracles. We have spent hours in the 120 degree weather just finding people and boy have we found them. We have about 5 new families who are super prepared! We also have found a bunch of part member families who are also super prepared! It is amazing how when you work hard and put your trust in the Lord, you see His hand in all you do! We are going to have such a great transfer! Ahhh! I am so excited! 

We have zone conference on Wednesday. I am so excited! President Mortensen is such an amazing teacher! I always have my mind blown every time he teaches us! 

Today I was studying what it means to be a minister in relation to strengthening active members, less actives, and recent converts. I was reading in Ephesians 4:11-16! So good! I learned that our responsibility in the church is to teach by love. As we do this, the people we teach will come closer to the Savior. And as people become closer to the Savior, they become more unidos en la fe. I just LOVE the gospel! 

Have a great week this week! I love you all! Read the Book of Mormon every day!!!!!

Hola!

Hello Friends!

We had such a wonderful week this week! We found a bunch of new investigators to start teaching. We have a new family and they are SO SPECIAL. We actually didn't find them.. they found us! They just walked into church last Sunday and loved it! We were able to go teach them the restoration this week! The wife told us that she has been searching for truth her whole entire life and she feels like she has found it! AH! They are so prepared and so ready to receive the gospel! I am so excited to get them ready for baptism! 

I stepped in a pile of fire ants this week.. again. My feet and legs are covered in little bites. It was very traumatic! Haha! It has also been over 110 degrees every day this week. I am soooo ready for summer to be over! 

We had zone meeting this week! I love zone meetings. We talked about teaching as the Master teaches. The key to teaching effectively is listening. Truth really does reside in the learner. As we listen to those we teach, we will be able to pull out truths and help them find what they already know. I have noticed this week that as I have done a better job at listening to my investigators, my teaching has become so much more powerful! 

We have transfers tomorrow! Ahhhh! Hermana Haslam is going to H10 with Hermana Rupp. Shes going to my old area with my old companion. I am so jealous! H10 will forever be my favorite place in the whole world. I really love the country but by heart will forever be in the ghetto! Haha! Someday I will go back and serve there! I am staying in Conroe for another transfer! Yay! I really love Conroe! 

I hope you all have a great week! Look for ways to share the gospel with everyone! The world needs the light of the gospel! 

Love ya bunches,

Hermana Christensen

Hello Friends!

This week was so great! We saw so many miracles! We were able to set three new baptismal dates! Wooooo!! We have an investigator named Melissa who is pretty much a member. We go over to teach her and she already knows everything. Her testimony is so strong! I literally learn so many things from her when she shares her little insights. She is going to be baptized at the end of this month!! I also convinced her that I am from Mexico. And to this day, she still thinks I am a native! Haha! 

Hermana Haslam talked me into going to the Heritage Museum last P-day. It was almost as cool as the Potato Museum in Blackfoot ID. Heh. We also got the cops called on us this week! It was a week of many adventures.. We were out visiting Melissa and the manager of the apartment complex thought we were out soliciting, so she called the cops. It's all good though! They understood! 

Welll.. Once again I don't have a ton of time.. Have a great week my loves!! Do your family home evenings!!!!!! 

Love,

Herm. C. 

Hello Everyone!!

We had a great week!! I got to go on exchanges to the Woodlands with Hermana Larson. She is pretty much my soul sister. The Woodlands is like this fairy-tale forest filled with really really rich people.. There are mansions for daysss. It is so gorgeous! We were able to find a ton of really special people to teach!! Exchanges are always a blast! 

Here in Conroe we found a child prodigy. We found their family in a dress shop the other day and started teaching them the restoration. Turns out their 9 year old son had been taught by missionaries before and reads in the Book of Mormon every single day. He pretty much taught us the Restoration. He knew everything. It was a miracle!! He was asking us who our favorite Book of Mormon prophets were and everything. He also taught us about all his favorite stories! So cute!  We are so excited to be teaching them and helping them come unto the waters of  baptism!

We have been focusing a lot this week on helping people do their family history and take names to the temple. Family History is such a great way to participate in the work! Everybody do your family history!! 

Well friends.. Sorry this is so short! Have a great week and read your scriptures!!! 

Love,

Hermana C.

Helloooo!

This week was a very interesting week. Let me start with the story of how I had to sing in front of President Mortensen.... Once upon a time there were some elders who were going to have a baptism on wednesday and they needed a musical number. But unfortunately, these elders struggled a little bit with planning... So they asked me and Hermana Haslam the morning of the baptism if we could sing a little something something in espanol. Hermana Haslam told them we would. I was not a happy camper when she told me. Just because I have never sang a duet with anyone before and my vocal abilities struggle hard and also, we were jam packed with appointments. We barely had any time to prepare, but we were able to pick a song and run through it a couple of times. Wellll... The baptism was supposed to start at 7:30 that night and we had an appointment at 6. We went to our appointment and the people we were teaching decided that it was story time. They talked non stop until 7:20 when we finally had to just tell them we had to go. We jumped in the car and tried to speed to the church. We didn't get there until about 8:00 because there was a huge train that decided to just chill for like 15 minutes. I thought we would be ok because usually when Hispanics say it starts at 7:30.. what that really means is 8:30.  Well we get to the church right after the baptism had been performed. As we walk in, guess who is there.. Yep. President and Sister Mortensen. I wanted to die. I felt so bad for being late but at the same time I was kinda relieved because I thought maybe we got out of our musical number. Hehe! But the elders were so kind to make sure we sang... They called us up there and we pulled out Hermana Haslams ipad to use to read the words. The lady at the piano started the intro before we even had it pulled up.. So we had to stand there for like 10 awkward seconds waiting for the words to pull up... Then we sang and it sounded horrible and I wanted to die the whole time. Haha! It was so funny. I couldn't stop laughing after wards because I couldn't believe what I had just experienced. After the baptism, I went and made a personal apology to President and Sister Mortensen. They just laughed and said it was great. My life. The end. 

We were able to extend four baptisms dates this week. We are working hard with all of them to get them ready to make and keep covenants! We have a cute little family that is getting ready to be baptized! We just need to get them to come to church... Pray for them!!! This area is so fun! We also got to go see wild alligators last pday. We went to this members house who owns a bunch of land and he took us on a little safari adventure in the back of his truck. It was a blast! The gators were just swimming around in the lake! There was about 20 of them! I shed a tear when we left because for the first time in my life I could say "see ya later alligator" to a bunch of alligators. Mark that off my bucket list. 

Well I hope y'all have a wonderful week this week! Keep doing the things that bring lasting happiness! I love you all! 

Hermana Christensen

Hace Calor....

Hello Friends!

It is really hot here in Texas. Really. Hot. And no one believes in air conditioning. I have never been so sweaty in my entire life. My mission has turned me into a better person spiritually but physically.. I am just always kinda nappy. Its whatever! We had another great week in good ole Conroe. I have learned that each area has different struggles and strengths. One of the biggest struggles in this area is getting people to read the Book of Mormon. For the first time in my life I have had people tell me they won't read the Book of Mormon because they don't want to or because it doesn't interest them. It makes me so sad. We are trying really hard to get them to understand that the Book of Mormon is so key to their conversion. If they do not read the Book of Mormon, they are not going to understand the fullness of the gospel. And if they don't understand the gospel, they are not going to be able to make covenants and qualify for eternal life!!! READ THE BOOK OF MORMON PEOPLE!!!!!!! Just a voice of warning to anyone who does not read from the Book of Mormon every single day.. I have seen that the biggest reason for people becoming less active is failure to read from the sacred pages of the Book of Mormon. Testimonies slip when they are not consistently being fed from the scriptures. We are promised that as we read from the Book of Mormon every single day, we will receive the strength to endure in our trials and afflictions. Everybody read the Book of Mormon!!!!!! 

We taught a bunch of lessons this week! We have done a good job at talking to everyone and teaching as we find. We were able to find 12 new investigators this week! I love this area and the people so much! We also had Zone Meeting this week. I love Zone Meetings! They are always so spiritually uplifting! We were told that the Texas Houston Mission is the top mission in the South West right now as far as baptisms and retaining members and finding. It is so fun to be involved with such a great work in such a great place! 

Fun fact, one of the members lives on an old Boy Scout camp and it is filled with Alligators. Honestly, I had no idea gators lived in Texas.. But I guess they do! There are also a bunch of wild hogs and armadillos everywhere. It is like I live in a little zoo! Haha! 

Well I hope you all have a wonderful week! I love ya! Keep smiling and serving everyone around you!

Love,

Hermana Christensen

Happy 4th!

Hello Friends!

So we had transfers on Tuesday! I was so nervous! It felt like I was leaving my home again and stepping into the unknown. Haha! But is was really fun none the less. I am now blessed to be serving in the beautiful town of Conroe Texas! It is so different from my last area... I am in the middle of the country and I love it! We actually cover four little towns; Conroe, Montgomery, New Caney, and....... Cut n' Shoot. There is literally a town called Cut n' Shoot. And one of the only churches they have there is the Church of the Cowboys. Yes it is a real thing. I think they call it Cut n' Shoot because people will literally shoot you if you are on their property. They paint purple lines on the trees and if you past the trees, they are allowed to shoot you. It is a little concerning.. These people are a little bit insane. But it's cool. We still love them!  Haha! Anyway, my area is GORGEOUS. We are in the middle of the forest. It is so green and there are lakes and trails and deer and flowers and ahhhhhhhhh! I feel like I was made for this place! The people are awesome! They all live in trailers or little houses that look liked they were built in the 1940s. And fun fact, the Texas flag was created here in Conroe. And so there is a lot of Texas pride here.. I have never seen people so obsessed with a state before. Its a little weird. There is also a ridiculous amount of stray dogs here. I have serious PTSD around dogs now. We went to a less actives home the other day. We opened her fence and walked up to her front door and as we were walking, this pack of pitbulls came running at us from around the corner. We both screamed and ran out and slammed the fence right before they got us. I hate dogs so much. On the bright side, I am getting in really good shape because I have to run away from them so much. Haha!  

My new companion is Hermana Haslam. She is so awesome! We work so hard! I am learning so much from her! The ward here is awesome too. It isn't very big but the people are so humble and so willing to help us. They love the missionaries! One of the families told me I had really good Spanish and I cried a little inside. There is another family here that is literally obsessed with missionaries. They have a photo album filled with all the missionaries. And for their family vacations, they go to visit all the families of the missionaries. Haha! They even make shirts for all the missionaries that has their family name on them. They are so sweet! 

The work here is awesome. It is a little more difficult just because there are not many people here. My last area had hispanics everywhere! It was weird to see white people in my last area. Now we have to work a little harder to find the hispanics because everyone is white! But we have some awesome investigators and we have made some goals to help them progress towards baptism. 

We actually had a really cool experience the other day. We were out contacting some people when this man started yelling at us to stop. He ran over and asked us if we were the Latter Day Saints. We told him we were and he just started to cry. He said that when he was in the army he had a friend who would take him to our church on Sundays. He said he hasn't been in three years but he knew that we had something different. He then started to tell us that he had just found out that his wife had been unfaithful to him. He said he didn't know why he should live anymore. He told us that he had been praying all day for the Lord to send him help and guidance. He told us that he saw us and felt the strongest feeling to go talk to us. We were able to share with him a message about the Savior and teach him the power of the atonement. The spirit was so strong and he just cried and cried. As we ended with a prayer, he looked so different, he looked like he had peace. We told us he wants to come to church and take lessons. We got his info and gave it to the English elders and he is now started to take the steps to baptism. It was such a powerful experience to be the means of answering someones prayer. The church is so true my friends! 

Well I hope you all have a wonderful week! I love you all! Read your scriptures and say your prayers! 

Hermana Christensen

Milagros cada dia

Hola amigos!
Ivonne and her family got baptized this week! It was such a spiritual
experience! They were so excited! We had a really neat experience with
their family earlier this week! So on Monday Ivonne called us and said
that she had thrown out her back and she couldn't get off the floor.
Luckily I am a CNA and Hermana Rupp is a medical assistant so she was
in good hands. We were able to get her off the floor and on the couch.
She was in so much pain. We were really worried because Ivonne could
barely move and we didn't know if she would be able to be baptized
this week. The adversary was working so hard on her! We spent the day
praying about what we should do. We still had a few things to teach
her and we didn't know if she would be ready by Friday. We were super
stressed and kept praying for a very direct answer. All throughout the
day we didn't feel like we were getting a clear answer. So we decided
to take action and see how the Lord directed us. After a lot of
pondering, we decided to postpone the baptism until Sunday. We called
the Ward Mission Leader and told him our plan. About 5 minutes after
we hung up the phone, we received a random text from President
Mortensen. Without knowing anything about what was going on, he asked
us how Ivonne was doing and if she was getting baptized on Friday. We
explained to him the situation and he told us and I quote, "Plan on
it. Remember who always waits by the water. She will be healed by
Friday. Assure her she will be ready." I was completely overcome when
I read that. We had prayed for a specific answer and we received one.
We immediately called the Ward Mission Leader and told him the baptism
was back on for Friday. We felt so much peace all week! Ivonne was
healed and she was ready and she was baptized on Friday. It was a
testimony to me that the Lord is in complete control of this work. The
adversary will do all he can to keep people from baptism but we are on
the winning team! As we listen to the promptings of the spirit, we
will receive guidance and answers!
 
We received transfer calls last night. I am out. I won't know where I
am going until tomorrow though.. I am kinda sad.. But I feel like my
time is done here I this area! There is more for me to do somewhere
else! I will have my new address next Monday for those who asked about
it!
 
Ivonnes kids bought "Missionary Barbies" the other day. They bought a
blond one and a brown haired one and they pretend they are me and
Hermana Rupp. Then instead of playing house, they play missionary
lessons. It is soooo cute! Haha!
 
Well my friends, the church is true! Have a wonderful week! Read your
scriptures and say your prayers!
 
Love,
Hermana Christensen

Baptisms for Days

Bueno!
How are y'all doing? Kevin was baptized this week!!!! It was so great!
He was so happy and the spirit was so strong! I love watching my
little investigators get baptized! It fills my heart with pure joy!!
This week Ivonne and her family are getting baptized! We are so
stinking excited!!!!! They are so ready! Please keep them in your
prayers! The adversary always works really hard on people the week of
their baptism!
 
We actually had a really cool experience with Ivonne yesterday! She
invited us over for a bbq so we could teach one of her friends! Her
friend was this big Mexican man who could probably kill you just by
looking at you. He was intense. We started talking to him and he just
started to break down and cry right in front of us. He told us how he
is addicted to alcohol and it is ruining his life. He said he wants to
change so badly but he thinks it is too late. We were able to testify
to him of the atonement and the power of the Book of Mormon. He just
cried and cried. The spirit was so strong! He agreed that he would
come to church on Sunday and he is going to start reading the Book of
Mormon. It was such a blessing to be there right at that time to help
him!
 
There are so many cool experiences we have had in this area! I love it
so much! Next week is transfers and I have gotten a couple of hints
that I am going to be leaving my area. It makes me kinda sad but I
guess we shall see what happens! The Lord will send me where ever I am
needed!
 
So update on the hurricane... Biggest disappointment of my life.
Hurricane Bill turned into Tropical Storm Bill who later turned into
just Rain Storm Bill who by the time it got to us, was just Great
Depression Bill. It just rained... Lightly.. Everyone felt pretty dumb
for freaking out and buying supplies like it was the end of the world.
There were some nasty tornados that hit some parts of Houston, but we
didn't get affected. But who knows.. Hurricane season just started!
 
 
We get to go to the temple tomorrow!! Ahhhhh!!!!! I haven't been in to
do a session my whole entire mission! President just decided that we
should all go so we could receive revelation for our areas! I am so so
excited!!!!!! We are doing the 10am session with our district
tomorrow!! Eeeeeee!
 
Well darlings, have a wonderful week! I shall talk to y'all another
time! Be good and read your scriptures!!!
 
Hermana Christensen
 

Horray for Hurricanes

Hello everyone!
So we are in the midst of a hurricane watch right now! Woo! We were
instructed to get lots of water and non perishable food and then hang
out in our apt because there is a crazy storm coming! Houston can't
catch a break! We were at the store this morning and it was PACKED.
People were stocking up on what ever they could get their hands on.
This is why we have food storage! So when natural disasters come we
don't have to be all panicky! I couldn't believe it. The store was
actually running out of food. It was crazy! Anyway, we are all
prepared! Now we are just watching and waiting! As of right now, it
doesn't even look bad out! Just a little cloudy! It is supposed to hit
at 7 tonight so I guess I will let you know what happens!
 
So this past week has been awesome! We have a baptism coming up! His
name is Kevin! And he is actually Litzi's cousin! He is going to be
baptized this Saturday and we are so excited!!!!!!
 
This week we had a couple of really cool experiences. We have started
teaching this really special family. They have a little son (hes 6)
with terminal cancer. He is down to his last few weeks and he just
stays on the couch while the family cares for him. We had an
opportunity to sit with all of them this week and teach them the plan
of salvation! It was such a special experience. The spirit was so
strong as we taught of how families can be together forever. It was
probably one of the most special experiences I have had on my mission!
We also have this other little family we are teaching. They have been
investigating for a long time and haven't really been keeping
commitments. For the longest time we haven't been able to decide if we
should continue seeing them or not. We decided to have a "do or die"
lesson with them. We went in and talked about waiting on the road to
Damascus and how we need to act now on our faith! (There is a really
good Mormon message if y'all have time to watch it. It's called..
Waiting on the road to Damascus) They took our lesson really well.
When we were done, both me and Hermana rupp both had the strongest
impression that we can't give up on them yet and we need to keep
teaching them. And then low and behold they came to church yesterday
for the first time in 4 months! Hopefully they will start to progress
towards baptism!!!!
 
In other news, I learned how to make tamales this week! This sweet
Hermana in our ward was put in charge of making tamales for the ward
party we had on Saturday. She asked if we could help her for a bit, so
we did! It was so fun!!!! The ward party was crazy. Hispanic wards go
hard when it comes to party's. They are filled with food and everyone
is dancing and they usually last until about 10 or 11. We have to go
home at 9 so we missed all the craziness this time. We had a few
investigators come and they loved it! Also.. This is a little off
topic.. But none of the Hispanics use utensils when they eat. It's all
hands! Or tortillas. They make fun of us because we are used to always
eating with a fork or a knife. Some of the members have a special set
of utensils that they only use when we are over! It is so funny! I am
so bad at eating with my hands! It is hard not to make a mess! Haha!
 
Well I hope y'all have a great week! Look for missionary experiences
every single day! I love ya!
 
Hermana C.
 

Hola Amigos!

Hello friends!!
 
We had such a special week this week!! Yesterday I had the most
special sacrament meeting of my mission!!! We are teaching a family of
7 that go to the English ward. So we go to the English ward with them!
(6 hours of church! it is awesome) Anyway, the mother and the oldest
daughter went up and bore their testimonies about how they know God is
real now and how He is helping their family!! I cried like a baby!
Everyone did! It is amazing to see how the gospel can change lives!
They are going to be baptized by the end of this month and we are so
excited!! They are so special and so prepared! There was also another
little lady who went up to bear her testimony. She was probs like 80
years old and she didn't speak any english! She had someone translate
her testimony for her. (She spoke Korean) She bore powerful witness of
how she can't understand anything at church but when she takes the
sacrament, she can feel the spirit. It was powerful! This lady comes
to church every week and will bring her iPad. During classes, she will
look up the lesson and read in it Korean. She told us that she doesn't
understand why people who speak English don't come to church! Her
faith is incredible. She understands the importance of church
attendance! And she is so blessed because of it! This English ward
here is so so special. I have never felt such a strong unity and a
spirit in a ward before! I love this area so much!!
 
We are going to have a family home evening with one of our
investigators tonight! We just found out that she invited about 5 of
her neighbors and their families to join us! She is already a
missionary and she isn't even a member yet! I just love how excited
the people here are about the gospel!
 
We just got back from going downtown! We went to the natural history
museum with our district! It was pretty cool! Except everyone talked
me into going in the butterfly exhibit.. Butterfly's freak me out so
much. But I made it alive and only panicked like twice. We also had
this really nice man buy us all lunch! Every time we go downtown, rich
people always buy us lunch! It is such a blessing!
 
Well darlings, I miss you all! Missionary work is the bomb! Have a
wonderful week!!!!!
 
Love,
Hermana C

Hello friends!

We had such a great week this week! We are still working hard with our investigators and they are progressing really well! I was so sad to hear that Elder Perry passed away. He has been such a great example and teacher to all of us! 

Honestly not too many exciting things have happened this week. We have been able to teach this angel of a woman named Ivonne. She is a single mother of 6 children and still makes time every day to read the Book of Mormon for 20 minutes. I love her so much! We teach her in English which is actually very difficult. When I teach in Spanish, the lessons are very simple because my vocabulary is very limited. But it is good because the people understand really well. In English, it is easy to make things a little more complicated then they really are.. haha! But she is learning and I am learning as well! It is a win win situation. She has a baptism date coming up and we are very excited! Keep her in your prayers! 

We had a mission president fireside on Sunday. It was so beautiful. They had a bunch of converts share their experiences and then we all sang songs. The missionaries sang the EFY medley in Spanish. It was so powerful! The spirit was so strong and there wasn't a dry eye in the room after we were done! I love this mission! And being a missionary! 

I am sorry this is kinda short this week! I love you all and hope you have a great week! 

Hermana Christensen

Hello friends!

I was unable to email yesterday because it was memorial day and everything was closed.. The struggle! Anyway.. We have had such a crazy week! First things first, THERE WAS A TORNADO IN HOUSTON! It hit three streets away from our apartment really early Sunday morning! It was so freaky! I had never seen such insane weather in my entire life! We woke up to an alert on our phone telling us to take immediate cover because there was a tornado. We didn't believe it at first so we went outside, saw the winds, and immediately went back inside and took cover! It was crazy! The lightning was crazy and the thunder was shaking our apartment! We just said a prayer and ate popcorn and watched. Normally if I wasn't a missionary, I probably would have been hysterical, but I really didn't feel scared at all! Sure I felt a little nervous, but I also felt peace that everything would be ok! And it was! Luckily it wasn't a huge tornado. It just destroyed a couple apartments. Then yesterday we had another freak storm! The weather here is crazy! It hit during our last appointment. Hermana Rupp and I had to drive back home and make a run for it! We were lucky we made it home! There was a huge flood! The elders in our area didn't make it home in time and had to camp out in their car until 3 am because the water was too high to drive in! Texas is pretty intense! 

We have two more baptism dates for this month, making the grand total 6 for june! We are so excited! Remember our little friends the Torres family? Well we go into their home on Saturday and Hermana Torres just looks at us and says, "What do I need to do to be baptized?" And we just looked at her with our mouths open. The temple tour really had a strong effect on her and her husband! We have started teaching them and they are scheduled to be baptized on the 27th of June! Please keep them in your prayers! 

Well I don't have much time today! We just got back from a training for our iPads! We should be getting them soon! I am so excited to use this new technology to help the work progress on! There are going to be so many miracles because of them! Have a great week! I love you all! 

Hermana Christensen

El Templo

Hola! 

This week was so amazing!! EEEE. We got to take Lizzie to the temple to do baptisms! Even though I just sat and watched, it was still so wonderful to be in the temple again! I have missed it so much! There is such a special spirit there! Some advice to anyone who lives close to the temple and doesn't go very often.. Repent and start going! There is always time to go! We are only allowed to go to the temple if we bring a less active or a recent convert. It is a struggle because we have to get them prepared and they aren't always ready to be prepared. So we hardly ever get to go! So all y'all that are able to go when ever you want, take advantage of it and GOOOOO!!! Anyway, Lizzie LOVED the temple! It really strengthened her testimony and her conversion! I love that girl so much! The interesting thing about being a missionary is that I am literally obsessed with all these people! Sometimes I can't understand them but I just love them so much! And they don't even realize how much I love them! I think in a way it is similar to how our Heavenly Father feels for us! (Although His love is probably 100000000000000x stronger) He just wants us to reach our potential and have full access to blessings! I know it makes makes me devastated when people don't keep their commitments! Imagine how He feels when we don't keep the commandments and willingly chose to disobey Him! 

We also had temple tours this week! Once a month our mission hosts tours around the outside of the temple! I have never been able to go until this week! It was so special! We brought la familia T. We had a little miracle with them. The morning of the tour it started to rain like crazy and hispanics are a little weird about the rain. They think their whole lives have to be put on hold. So that morning we received a phone call from them and they told us they couldn't come to the tour because it was raining and I guess they can't drive when its raining! We were so sad because we had felt so strongly that they needed to be at the temple! But we knew that if the Lord needed the this family at the temple that day then He would provide a way! So we prayed and prayed and prayed that they would have a change of heart and would want to come! Well about an hour before the tour was going to start, the rain stopped and all the clouds went away! We called the them and asked if they could come and they said YES! It was so special! They came and LOVED the temple! They said they felt such a peace in their hearts. Hermana T kept saying how she had goosebumps when ever she looked at the temple. We invited them to be baptized after the tour and they accepted! They will be baptized by the end of June! Miracles all around! Woo! 

We also had transfers this week! Lucky for me, Hermana Rupp and I are both staying here! Phew! I love this area so much and honestly would be perfectly content if I stayed here my whole mission! H10 is the bomb! We also found out we are getting iPads in our mission. We are having a training on it this week! I am interested to see how it is going to help move the work along! 

Well thank you all for all your love and prayers! I love ya! Until next week! 

Con Amor,

Hermana Christensen

Feliz dia de las Madres!

Hola Amigos!

This week was pretty bombin! Litzi got baptized! AHHHHH! It was such a spiritual experience! Her baptism was scheduled for 1:00 but she didn't show up until about 1:20. I was having a panic attack by that time because I thought maybe she wasn't going to come! Oh me of little faith.. She came and we were able to have a beautiful service for her! She cried her eyes out! And the great thing is, we brought another investigator to watch and at the end of the baptism the investigator said she wanted to be baptized too! So now we have three dates coming up and we are so pumped! Hermana Rupp and I are going to do baptisms in the temple with Litzi this week. I am so excited because I know Litzi is going to have such a great experience! And I haven't been in the temple for almost 4 months now and I have been missing it! Wooo!

We have some pretty solid investigators that we have been teaching. They are so open to the gospel and are keeping commitments! That is the key to getting people close to baptism. They HAVE to be keeping commitments! How could they possibly keep their baptismal covenants if they can't do something as simple as coming to church or reading their scriptures every single day? It has been such a blessing to witness how people change as they act! Being a missionary is such a blessing! We get to watch the atonement work in the lives of everyone! 

We had another neat experience this week with our English class. We teach english classes in the church and in many of the schools in the spring branch district. It is really interesting that they let missionaries in the schools! There are so many blessings because of it! Anyway, this week the coordinator for the school district had us help out at a service event. It was an opportunity for parents to come and look for more ways to serve in the community. The lady wanted us to be the "face" of the event and so she asked us to help sign people in and direct traffic! It was so fun and it was great exposure for the church! We had so many people ask us who we were and what we did! At the end of the event, the administrators of the district told us how much we have changed their community and how much they love us and are grateful for us! They even got a little emotional about it. They said that just by having missionaries in their schools, parents and others were getting more motivated to serve and help out in the community. It is amazing how much effect a good example can have on people! 

Well friends, I hope y'all have a great week! I love you all and miss ya! Always look for missionary opportunities! :) 

Love, Hermana C.

BAUTISMO!

Hola Amigos! Que Pasa? Guess what. We have a baptism this week!! MAHHH! Her name is Litzi. She is 14 years old and is a doll! We have been teaching her for a few weeks and she is getting baptized this Saturday! We have been struggling with getting her baptized because her mother didn't feel that she was ready! But the Lord works miracles every single day! We were able to go and talk with her mother and work out concerns! By the end, her mom was so willing to give permission! It is such a blessing! Litzi will be baptized this week and then we are going to do baptisms with her in the temple next week! I AM SO EXCITED! The work is on fire over here!

This week was amazing! Hermana Rupp and I have been working out tails off and because of that, we are literally being handed people on a silver platter. We found so many people last week that are just prepared to listen! Our mission is on fire! Just a fun fact, our mission is one of the top finding missions in the world! Houston represent! Anyway, I have an awesome story. So remember our little friend Tono? The golden investigator? Well he has been struggling to receive an answer over these last few weeks. Weeeeelll, last week we went and had a lesson with him all about the Holy Ghost and prayer. It was POWERFUL! We left the lesson and later that night he called us! He told us that after we left he started to feel this incredible feeling in his heart and it wouldn't go away all day! He said that he didn't know what it was. We quickly told him that he was receiving his answer! He was so excited and it was amazing! He is going to be baptized this month as well!! AHHH! 

We also had a ton of investigators come to church yesterday! Like I have said before, getting people to church is like pulling out teeth! But, this week it was super simple! We didn't even have to go and wake people up and drag them with us! People are starting to come and it is helping them so much! They are able to recognize the spirit while they are at church and it is helping them as they seek for answers! This is such an exciting time! 

We went to the zoo last week! It was so fun! I love going downtown! Houston is huge and so diverse! There was this awesome hobo man who was making origami out of palm leaves. I bought a grass hopper from him and we taught him the gospel! I love Houston so so much! 

Well my friends, have a wonderful week! Share the gospel with everyone! I love you all so much!!!! 

Hermana Christensen 

Hola Amigos!

This week was incredible! I have to tell you about one of our little investigators! His name is Tonio and he is literally made of gold. Literally. Gold. We were walking down the street and he actually came up to us and asked us who we were. We told him and he asked us to come and teach him! We were like Claro que si!!!!! We have taught him for about a week and he is already ready to be baptized! He just eats up what ever we teach him! He is so humble! Our only problem with him is that he is too humble to ask for things in his prayers! He had a hard time asking to know if El Libro de Mormon was true. He said that when he prays, all that comes out is gratitude. But he is learning and is starting to get answers! He came to church yesterday and LOVED it! He even shed a few tears. And our ward was so great at fellowshipping him! It was a beautiful. Hermana Rupp and I were so happy! Maaahhh! I love la obra misional! 

I had my 8 week follow up this week! It was so good! We had to do role plays and we talked to President about how we are doing and all that jazz. It was a little intimidating, but good! I got to see all my old CCM friends. It was super fun! It was fun to talk to them in Spanish. We were all so terrible in the CCM and now we can all hold a conversation with each other! Yay for progress! 

Here is a funny story for the week. So Hermana Rupp is terrified of dogs. And in my area, stray dogs run around like squirrels. There are so many! Anyway, one day we were walking up to this house. It had this tall wooden fence around it with a gate. We opened the gate and walked up to the door when all of a sudden this little dog comes out. It starts growling at us and barking in a very threatening way. I was determined to get to the front door so I kept walking towards it. All of a sudden it started to run at us.. and then another dog appeared and started chasing us too. I turned around to run just to see Hermana Rupp leaving the yard and closing the fence behind her… Leaving me in there with the dogs. I started running and she finally realized what she did and quickly opened the fence and let me out before they killed me. She felt so bad for leaving me in there! It was so funny! Well, at the time it wasn't funny, but now it is! 

We also discovered this thrift store. It is called the value village and everything is like 2 bucks and looks like it just stepped out of 1975! We go there every p day and get some pretty fabulous clothes. It is my new favorite store! 

Things are going great over here! I love being a missionary and I love being in Houston! The Church is true my friends! Keep it real! 

Hermana Christensen