Feb 17 - THE END

Doctrine & Covenants 39:24

Feb 10

And nothing again this week.

He gets it from his mother....

Feb 3

Well. What a few weeks this has been. This transfer started off with everything changing (as is usually the case here in the Missionary world), and is now beginning to culminate in everything changing again! Over the course of the past two weeks we've found some solid new families, and seen some real growth in the families that we're teaching! The mission started a new program where we invite our Elders Quorums, relief societies, and high priests groups each to pray and choose five families who could use visits from the missionaries, and of the 15 families that our ward brought to us, we've seen nine of them steadily coming back to the chapel. The Power of Prayer! 

Our amazing members are working ever harder to be better members and better friends, and together we're all beginning to really feel the strength of following the council of our prophet as we work to bring sheep back to the fold.

There's just way too much to talk about! So, I'll pick a few stories for you

First of all, sergio and Mayi. They were just baptized this last saturday into the spanish ward, and they are doing wonderfully! We were at their home for an interview friday night, and watching their two little boys pray while Sergio testified to me of the change he's felt in his life and the potential he sees for his family, it was impossible not to feel the spirit whisper, 'THIS is what matters. This is why we try.' I think the biggest realization I've made over the course of my mission is how much of a blessing the gospel really is for a family. How much of a difference it makes when our comprehension of 'parenting' goes from simply feeding and clothing a child, to guiding and loving one of our Heavenly Father's children through their first crucial moments in life! And when our understanding of marriage goes beyond just dealing and living with someone else, and we start to see how that eternal partnership enables us to grow and to reach new heights.

I love being a missionary.

And I also love the temple! We had (due to a change in mission rules) the chance to go to the temple on Friday, and re-charge our spiritual batteries in that Holy House. If you're ever having a bad day, go to the temple. Even if it's just walking around the gardens, or sitting in the car in the parking lot. It'll help you out. The gospel's like that. 

But! An unfortunate bi-product of our friday temple trip, is not having quite as much time today as usual, so I'm going to have to calll this week good on that note. I'll have a bit more for you next week. Thanks everyone!

-Elder christensen

Jan 20-27

Sorry, no emails these 2 weeks!

Jan 13

Another week, another...meeting.

Well, this week we had a meeting with the zone. The day after Transfers! We actually went to transfers, despite the fact that we were not transferred, so I could say goodbye to elder Bangerter. Er, I guess now we can call him Quinton. So he's been home for a few days now.

Anyways, the meeting with the zone went well, we had the visit of a member of our ward who is on the road to re-activation! Frank DaRocha. He's one of my favorites up here in Longueuil, and he comes out to all of our zone meetings. He's a boss.

You could say the week flew by, and you'd be telling the truth. Everyday we had missionaries flying around all over the place, too many places to be, too many things to do, and in the meantime, some wonderful families to visit. This week I'd like to tell you a bit about one of our investigator families! It's a family of 4 from Cote d'ivoire Africa, Lillianne and her three kids Borris, Roxanne, and Yan. They're amazing. it's the only family I've taught so far where the kids participate as much as the parents! They're always asking questions, and finding the answers! We love them. And, that's really teh most exciting thing that we did this week. So, I guess I'll give you more next week. Sorry these are always lacking lately. I'll make up for it? 

Anyways, have a good week!

 

Elder Christensen

Jan 6

Transfers!

Well, the verdict is that I'm totally staying :) Longueuil for the last transfer, here we come!

This week my companion was a bit sick, so we had a bit of downtime. But! that didn't stop us from doing two splits and going to Montreal! Woo! 

I don't know. 'downtime' as a missionary means like, we spent an extra hour in the apartment before we went nuts trying to help everyone around us. it's really not much time, and it's not very down since we're usually studying anyways. But! It kills me! I'd rather be out DOING! Hah, I guess I'm a St. James fan. 

Anyways! This week we had some crazy miracles with investigators coming to church, one of our long-timers FINALLY going to the spanish ward where she belongs, and LOVING it, and having members and investigators bring surprise friends to their lessons. It's been weird, in a good way, seeing how the members have hopped on the 'Work of Salvation' with such vigor! (Word points? Anybody?) 

But, that's really about it.... I don't ever know what you folks want to hear about in these! Hmm.. Well, it's the first week of the year. Have a short letter.

Ciaosies!

Elder Christensen

Dec 30

And a happy new year!

Hey everyone! How was your Christmas? Ours was wonderful! We spent it with a few different families (including our own!), and a few people that don't have a family. I think that was the best part. Ringing a doorbell, seeing the surprised face pop out the window (even though you told them you were coming earlier that week), and then the huge smile, the warm hug, and the whispered "merci" that show how much they appreciate your visit. Christmas as a missionary seems to help us understand the true spirit of Christmas, for "to understand the real meaning of the spirit of Christmas, we need only drop the last syllable, and it becomes the spirit of Christ." (The spirit of Christmas, Ensign December 2000)

Well, Christmas is over, and 2013 is drawing to a close, and that makes it time for new years resolutions right? Some brand new goals for a brand new year.I think one of my favorite parts of being a missionary has been goals. Every week, every day, we're always setting new goals, new reasons to try hard, things to make us stretch and help us do more, be better. Having goals brings direction to our lives, motivates us, and keeps us on the straight and narrow path. I don't know what we'd do without them.

Granted, our daily goals are usually a bit smaller than a new years resolution. They're little un-complicated goals that help us accomplish bigger ones in the long run. (Alma 37:6)  

Have any of you ever set new years resolutions and managed to spend the next eleven and a half months not thinking about them? I sure have! So, with the new year in mind, I'd encourage all of you reading this to get your hands on a preach my gospel, go to chapter 8 and read something about goal setting. You may be surprised to find how much simple gospel doctrine is involved! After all, the Lord created all things spiritually before He created them physically (Moses 3:5).

So! With that in mind, lets all set some good goals, and use the blessing of this new year to become something more than what we are now eh?

I love you all!

 

Elder Christensen

Dec 23

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Well, I'm skyping my family this week, so I'll keep this short.

Mostly I just wanted to wish everyone who might read this a very MERRY CHRISTMAS! We've had an intense week of singing carols, making Cards, and trying to spread a bit of Christmas Joy, and! Christmas is wednesday!

There really isn't much more to say, except!

As said old Gentleman Grey,

one Christmas day,

if you want to be happy, give something away.

I don't know the rest of that little poem, but my dad has it in our Christmas storybook, so if you see him, ask him to tell it to you, it's a good one. ; )

I love you all! Merry Christmas!

Elder Christensen

Dec 16

Happy Monday!

Hey hey hey! How's it going? Doing just swimmingly here on this end of the world, thanks for asking. :)

This week we had yet another wonderful week of miracles, and! Of... Christmas card. :P

My companion is sort of a computer geek, lots of know-how on the technology, and so he was drafted to create the Mission Christmas card. Did they send you one of those last year? I don't even know who all gets those darn cards, but know I certainly know who makes them! My companion. So, we've spent several hours this week in a members home while he works on the project. But! This hasn't stopped us from doing the same wonderful work we always do (only slowed us down a leetle bit.... frustrating, but workable!), like:

1)find and teach a sweet family from Cote d'Ivoire

2)find and teach a nice young woman from Quebec

3)set up Christmas lights for a few member families

4) Go to dinner with a members non-member parents and (par la suite) teach them the gospel

and much much more.

This week, like most weeks, was just great. Packed with miracles! And fun little coincidences (which are just miracles in different packaging!) Example!

Sunday after church we had a surprise visit from a girl named Alexis Moon, a young woman from South Jordan Utah who just happens to be living in New York right now, and decided to pop up to Montreal to see the temple. When she saw that there were still people in the church, she realized that there'd probably be missionaries inside, and that some of them probably came from Utah, so she stopped in to say hello. That was pretty neat.

In other news, it snowed here the other day. Only a light snowfall, so the snow piled up on the side of the road comes halfway up the car doors, and the snow laying untouched on the yards is up to my knees. A bit disappointing, really, compared with last year, but we'll probably get more soon. :)

And! coming up here in only a few days is CHRISTMAS! Which means I get to skype home! Let me know what time you're planning on receiving a call, and we'll build our schedule around it.

But, the best part about Christmas isn't the call home, it's the spirit we feel all around us. There was a great talk given at church yesterday by our High council member about the spirit of Christmas. He talked about how funny it was that on someone's birthday, around the world, everyone makes a special effort to do something for that person (send a card, say happy birthday, give a gift, whatever it might be), but on Christmas, where we celebrate the Lord's birth, most of the world is trying to make a special effort to forget who's birthday it really is, and generalize it into just another Holiday. He invited each one of us to think of our savior this Christmas season, to think of our Christmas traditions, and ask ourselves what we're doing to remember the Lord on the day we celebrate His birth. With Christmas coming up, I'd echo that invitation to all of you. Let's all try to give the Savior a gift this year by keeping His commandments, being good neighbours, reaching out to those in need. We've only got a few days left, so hows about we do something that would make Him proud! Let's try to keep the 'Christ' in Christmas, shall we? Sweet. :)

Have a good week everyone! I love you!

-Elder Christensen

Dec 9

Just family email this week.