July 1

letter to the ward

(The ward did another spotlight on Justin. I thought it would be great for him to write them a letter.)

Hello everyone! I hope you're all doing well, I love and miss all of you (but not enough to come back anytime soon)

Thank you to all of you who have written to me! It's always wonderful to get news from back home. (hint, hint)

My mission here in Montreal is wonderful. I've learned and grown so much, It's hard to believe! And everyday there's more of the same. I'd like to share a couple of the most important things I've learned over the past year and a half;

1) It's not that big of a deal. No matter what happens, no matter what goes wrong, no matter how hard life gets, it's not as bad as it seems when you have the perspective of the gospel. In one of my areas we taught a man who was going through a seperation, fighting chronic depression, looking for a job, and facing bankruptcy and the loss of his house and car. Many people would have used that situation as an excuse to turn inward "I don't have time to think about others right now", "Why isn't God there for me?" "I can't afford to devote my time to the missionaries" Etc. But, this wonderful man chose to turn outward, not only accepting our visits, but coming to church each week, offering his help to members of the ward, and even coming with us to other teaching appointments. This investigator taught me that there really isn't anything that should get inbetween us and the Lord.

2) God answers prayers. There isn't a single prayer that is ever prayed that goes un-answered by anyone. Sometimes we don't look for the answer, and sometimes we choose to ignore it. We have worked with many people who have received answers to their prayers, but chosen to ignore them and continue in their old habits. We have also worked with people who have chosen to heed the answers the Lord gives them, and we've watched their lives change and improve. Always search for and heed the counsel of the Lord as you prayerfully search for his inspiration, and never ever think that He won't answer your prayer, no matter how small.

I wish I had time to tell you more, but I'm running out of time, so I'll just have to wait until I see you again in person.

Thanks again for your devotion to the Lord, and for the love and support I feel from you all!

The church is true, the book is blue, and don't let anyone tell you different!

Love

--
Elder Christensen