May 6

Like Coming Home

That's what driving into Hawksbury felt like on wednesday. Coming home. :)

It's been a long time since I was in a tiny little town in the middle of nowhere, but there's nothing that really replaces the way that feels.... I've always had a soft spot for places like this. Snow college is in a similar place, in Ephraim. Jacob lake is sort of like that too... heck, even Grandma's house in Salem, they all have the same feeling.

Peace.

Tranquility.

Warmth.

It's the kind of place where people don't honk their horns, where everybody knows everybody else, where even the people that have already said no to missionaries a thousand times stop their cars to come say hey to us and ask where we're from and say "god bless you for the work you're doing". It's friendly. It's quiet. It's home, for the next six weeks at least. I'm going to be really happy here. :)

My companion is Elder Ryan Wright, from.... well... all over the states. His family is currently in Alaska, but his dad's in the airforce so he's moved everywhere from north dakota, to texas, to, well, alaska. He's a great Elder. :) 

My first week here was very typical of my entire mission... most of what we had set up fell through. We didn't have that much set up to begin with, given the area we're in, so we had a lot of time to knock and pass-by people. The only really solid appointment we had was with our two recent converts, a couple of kids named Roger and Abby, and their Mom. Sister Proulx. ( I think that's how you spell that.... fun side note. In French there are fifteen different ways to spell the sound "oh".... so I'm never quite sure how to spell peoples names... :P) Sister Proulx has been a member for a long time, but due to a tough situation around the house wasn't able to be very active in the church. Thanks to a little bit of luck, and a whole lot of blessings, that situation recently cleared up to the point where the missionaries were able to come visit them, and they've been happily integrated into the branch-family since then. :) Roger and Abby are the only kids we have in the branch, and they're adorable. I think Abby is nine and Roger is ten, but I could be wrong.... either way, they love missionaries, and we love them. We're at their house quite often. 

Other than that, most of the cool experiences we had this week involved other less-active members of the branch that Elder Wright didn't already know. He's been here for a few months, and has already knocked on literally EVERY door in Hawkesbury (minus maybe seven....give or take.), so instead of re-knocking where he's already been we've been trying to visit members and set up a game plan for the coming months. We've already met some really cool people, and we're excited to work with them, and I'll for sure keep you posted on how they come along. :)

With that, I've got to scamper. but! I love you. And I love being a missionary. and I love the gospel. Over the short time that I've been a missionary so far I've seen so many lives changed  by the gospel of Jesus Christ.... so many families blessed. I have no doubt that any family, whether they're struggling, in need, or doing well, will be affected for the better by contact with that gospel. That's why were out here Eh? To help people. I hope all of you reading this always remember that. We're here to help. All of us, all the time, anyone. We're here to help.

Have a good week everyone. :)

 

Elder Christensen