Two Weeks

Hola Familia y Amigos!

 

Well I´ll be honest, my district and I sort of feel like the big kids on campus. Two weeks under our belts! Haha It has gone by slowly and yet so fast at the same time. I´m still trying to just take everything in. But I have been learning so much! The language is coming pretty well, I stopped myself the other day and realized how much I was actually understanding (our classes are now 100% in Spanish)! I still have so much to learn...anytime I get over confident and try to strike up a conversation with a native here in the CCM, they get so excited and then once they´re through talking at a million miles an hour, I start to wonder if I have really been learning Spanish here. It´s pretty fun, they just laugh cause I say ¨si, si! Hasta luego!¨ Anyways, the people here are so nice, and the campus is beautiful. This week I ate some crazy good jalepeño hot dogs, chicken wings, tilapia, beans...I still like the food if you were wondering. We play basketball just about everyday and a couple times we played some Mexicans...we then understood why they play soccer instead. But then the guys who played basketball for Benemerito High School before it became the CCM showed up, and we got destroyed. Haha fun times!

So turns out, the ¨investigator¨ we were teaching became our Teacher after we finished teaching him the lessons in Spanish. His name is Hermano Rogers, he is the bomb! He brought learning Spanish to a whole new level for me and the district. One of my buds told me it was an answer to his prayers, because he had been especially struggling with learning Spanish from a native teacher (our morning teacher is Hermana Rodriguez) who is awesome but speaks super fast. Since Hermano Rogers became our teacher, the learning has become more fun, easy, and enjoyable. We love Hermana Rodriguez too, she has an amazing spirit.

 

So I got to hear a few different missionary broadcasts this last week. Two were from Elder Holland, and as always, my perspective on missionary work and the gospel shifted greatly. I wish I could just transmit all my notes onto this email, but I know you will all get bored. Pretty much the main point of his talks is summed up in the quote ¨Grab you socks, pull them up to your armpits, and get to work! We have high expectations for missionaries, and we do not apologize for that!¨ Classic Elder Holland. I love it, and it really makes me want to change. He also said, like many others, that we must be our first converts, or else we WILL NOT teach with power and we WILL NOT have success. Pretty strong statement, yet so encouraging. Last night we had Elder Andersen speak from Provo, he spoke about love and sacrifice. I had been praying for an experience that would teach me to be more humble, and this talk pretty much hit the nail on the head. he said ¨we sacrifice for what we love, and we love what we sacrifice for¨. I´m still learning from that, and the challenge to ¨forget yourself and go to work¨.

 

Well I am running short on time, Sorry if all my emails are just full of church stuff. I guess there isn't really much else to report on though. :) I´m loving my time here, I´m loving being a missionary, and I am continually growing stronger and stronger in my love for the Savior. I know that his Gospel has been restored. I know that God has a plan for all of us, and that he will never leave us on our own. He only asks us to come unto Him.

 

I love you all, you are always in my prayers.

 

Sincerely,

Elder Christensen

First Preparation Day at the MTC=First Email

 

Hello Family and Friends!

Today marks a week and a day at el CCM! Well to try and answer most of your questions in one, it has been great! The food is pretty awesome...mostly because you can eat as much as you want. I think I´m starting to grow into these missionary pants though! To be honest, I don´t think I have known what half the stuff I have eaten is...I know a lot of it has been spam and eggs though. I think I´d rather not know what the other food is or where it came from.It has been crazy to see the transition still taking place in the CCM from the Benemerito Church High School it used to be. But when Jefferey R Holland Dedicated the CCM as the Mexico MTC, he said that this property served its purpose as a High School for the Church, but that from the beginning, it was meant to be an MTC. Pretty cool words coming from a prophet. And you can definitely feel the spirit that is in this place. My district included 10 elders, all 18 year olds, all serving in the states, all learning Spanish. We stay in a house in the very corner of the campus.

 

There is seriously no spare time here, and I love it. We are ALWAYS busy, and every hour of the day is full of studying, eating, studying, gym time, studying, eating, studying, studying, studying. Oh and a devotional once or twice a week! But I have truly learned so much already, both in Spanish and the Gospel. Anna, yes, I definitely feel like as a missionary it is easier for me to study; the learning curve has greatly steepened. To be honest, I never really ACTUALLY studied before my mission started. I read. And reading is good, its great! Do it everyday! But studying truly opens the windows of heaven, and when you begin your study with sincere prayer, you show Heavenly Father that you have a desire to know. He will always dump knowledge into your mind if you do this diligently, because this has been the case for me this past week. There are so many things I wish I could share!

 

A major part of our study has been preparing for lessons. The second or third day here we taught our first lesson - in Spanish! It was a role play, but the people we teach are trained to act just as investigators would, and I was suprised at how real it felt! I was also suprised when our investigator, ¨´Manuel´¨, did not laugh hysterically at me when I began to slaughter the message of the Restoration in Spanish. :P However, I´ve learned that the gift of tongues kicks in  when one applies faith and diligent study. I have not been given a sudden ability to speak fluent Spanish while in a lesson, but rather, the Spirit helps you to remember what you DO know, and I can tell you that I have felt the Spirit testify of the truth in every single one of our lessons, despite the fact that we most likely sound like 5 year olds. Anyways, it has been a super eye opening thing for me to teach these lessons.

My companion is Elder Goehring from South Jordan Utah. He is a very sincere, spiritually minded, generous, and kind missionary. I have already learned a lot from him, although we have quite a few differences. I was pretty prideful and annoyed at first about this, I´ll be honest. But I´m learning that it just doesnt matter, because God loves all of his children, and I´m here to learn to love them all too.

 

Last night the Area President of our area, a member of the 1st Quorum of the 70, President Daniel Johnson have a devotional to the CCM. It was one of the most powerful talks I have ever heard, and it left me feeling like I had a lot to work on. But it was crazy inspiring! A few of the things he said were that we are not here just to get baptism, but we are literally here to save souls. It isn´t our mission, it is the Lord´s mission that we are on. He said that we cannot expect the people we teach to pray to know the truth, to know that God exists, hears our prayers, and loves each of us, if we do not already know this ourselves. We will not teach with the power of the Holy Ghost if we dont have a personal testimony. Our conversion includes ¨¨continually holding fast to the rod´¨ of the Word of God as we are using the Christ´s Atonement every day to improve ourselves. A testimony alone, in the long run, will not be enough. If we are not becoming Converted to the Lord, Changing our will into his as we servce him, we cannot be effective missionaries.

Sorry, That is a lot of things he said, meshed with a few major things I have learned this week. But I know that these things are true through the power of the Holy Ghost. Today I was able to go with my district to the Mexico City Temple, and the entire ceremony was in Spanish, but I could still feel the power of the sacred covenants we make in the House of the Lord. I felt so much peace there. Everytime I question why I am here, I remember that the Lord´s work is ¨to bring to pass the immortality and Eternal Life¨ of all of us. I know that I am on the Lord´s mission, and there is no place I would rather be!

I love all of you! Your support and prayers really do inspire me, and I am so blessed to have each of you in my life. I´m glad to hear all is going well at home! I didn´t realize our house would be turning into a wedding workshop so soon...but I´m so happy for you Cara and Jeff! ;) You are all in my prayers, and I look forward to hearing from you next Wednesday!

 

Sincerely,

Elder Christensen

 

P.S. I hope these pictures attached!

The elders in my room are, from the left, Elder Yankura, Elder Gerhart, and Elder Goehring.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And yes, that is a random dog contemplating jumping of a roof in Mexico City.

He Made it to Mexico!

Here is the first letter from Collin which he sent when he arrived at the Mexico MTC August 13, 2013.

Hello Mom and Dad! I have just arrived at the Mexico City MTC! I smell horrible and I think I need to eat some food. Other than that, I feel great. Everything went smoothly and everyone arrived safely.

So Mexico is crazy...I dont know if there are traffic laws here because people just seemed to ignore each other. Good thing the bus driver was a pro. The city from the plane was enormous and so cool looking! I got some pretty bad pictures, sorry. :P

The MTC is pretty sweet looking. I haven´t checked into my home yet, but there are tons of buildings and the sidewalks are lined with palm trees. Its about 70 degrees and breezy. :)

 

On the flight from Houston to Mexico City I was seated by an older hispanic man who was flying home. He actually couldnt speak any English at all, but somehow I told him I was a Missionary of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. He saw the Book of Mormon in my hand you gave me this morning, Mom, and I told him with my impeccable Spanish skills that the Book of Mormon shares a message about God and Jesus Christ. He told me he loved God, so I scribbled www.mormon.org on a piece of paper for him and he was excited, although he seemed kind of sad I only had a copy of the BOM in English. So he wrote his contact information down on a paper for me....yea!! Not at all what I was expecting from the first person I talked to, and I was completely slaughtering his language. He was super nice though. I asked him if he had family in Mexico, and he showed me pictures and pointed out all his children. I could tell he really loved them. I dont know if the spirit guided my or if I just spurted it out, but I told him ¨´la iglesia es todo sobre familia¨´ : the church is all about family, or something to that extent, I hope. :P Anyways, he was super kind and wished me luck in Mexico or something...Maybe he said the opposite. haha I hope I can get him hooked up with the missionaries in his area somehow. Way cool!

 

Ok I have to go to dinner and move all my junk in. I love you all, Thank you so much for your prayers. I have truly felt your love and support for me these past couple days, and it has gotten me through. Have a wonderfuly week, I don´t know when I can write again!

 

Love,

Elder Christensen

August 11, Sunday events

It was a happy Sunday for the Christensen family.  All of our 6 children spouses and finance, and grand kids, aunts, uncles and cousins were with us at church and throughout the day.  Our hearts were full of gratitude for our wonderful family bond, and the occasion for which we were gathered.

Collin was the last speaker in our sacrament meeting.  He had spent much time preparing and he commented how he had loved studying the scriptures and talks in preparations, but there was just too much to use.  He was a little nervous about narrowing it down, and knowing just what to share.  As it turned out, he did select his material well, and it was very apparent that the spirit was resting on him as he shared his testimony.  It was wonderful.

Here is an audio link to his talk.  Collin's farewell talk

We enjoyed having our family and friends join us in the evening.  Here are just a few pictures.

August 13--And He's Off

From the Mom:

It takes a lot of effort to get a missionary ready to go for 2 years-and to fit it into 3 suitcases!  We did it and managed to pack it and be ready at least 6 hours before we left for the airport!

The evening before he left Monday August 12, President Kyle Christensen came to our house to set him apart (give him a special priesthood blessing) as a missionary. He shared a scripture about Elijah calling Elisha to his special calling. He was plowing in his field when the call came. Elijah asked to kiss his mother and father goodbye, then he killed his oxen and burned the plow, cooking the oxen and feeding it to his family. He used the story to talk about how Elisha didn't look back, he set his affairs in order, and gave a hundred percent to the Lord.  His focus from there out was on his calling as a prophet.  We all found the scripture instructional, inspiring and applicable.  After that I asked Collin if he would play the John Schmidtt arrangement of "A Poor Wayfaring Man of Grief" on the piano.  I felt that it would set the tone before his blessing.  He did, and it was beautiful and very touching.  The blessing he received setting him apart as a full time missionary was wonderful.  We felt such peace and assurance that all was well, and that Collin will be a wonderful servant of the Lord.

The next morning began very early for Collin-at about 3:30 AM.  We got him to the airport around 5 for his 7:02 AM flight to Houston and then on to Mexico City.  Before we left we gathered in family prayer, and Quin expressed much gratitude for Collin and this wonderful opportunity he has to serve.  He asked for a blessing of protection, and for a keen mind to learn and study well at the MTC, and that he might be blessed with the gift of tongues.  The spirit we felt was very special, and though our hearts were aching, we felt peace that Heavenly Father was endorsing this decision, and he had truly called him to the work.

As we drove to the airport we asked him what scripture he had decided to have engraved on the plaque that will hang in the case at the church while he is gone.  That scripture I've included on this blog.  Quin gave him words of encouragement and I had a few thoughts that I will share here as if I was talking to him.

"I feel like a mission is the most significant 2 year period in a man's life.  As you leave, it's as if you are taking with you an empty suitcase.  Over the next 2 years you will stuff it full of experiences that will be significant your whole life.  These experiences you will share with your wife, your children and grandchildren, your priest quorum, teachers and deacons quorums that you lead, your ward, and your friends.  These experiences will define who you are, and will be a great strength to you in years to come.  This is so exciting."

I don't remember the other words we said exactly, but we also felt this sentiment:

The timing of this mission is significant too.  I'm sure that there are people in Arizona that are ready to hear the gospel from you.  You are significant in their lives, and you will be able to connect with them in a unique way suited to you. Forget your self, don't look back, obey all the mission rules, get lost in the work.  

We arrived at a busy airport, and per Collin's request we unloaded the bags from the car, and said our goodbyes on the curb.  He said he was ready to go, and honestly, none of us wanted to drag out the goodbyes anymore.  He had been saying good bye since Sunday, one or 2 siblings at a time, until it was just Anna and the parents. He had a big smile on his face, we said God speed, and he was off.

We saved most of our tears for the drive home, spent the day watching the clock and thinking about the different points of the journey.  At the end of the day we ate Mexican food and went to a movie to get our minds of things!  THEN when we got home we discovered an email from Collin.  We wept for joy.  All was well.  We were able to go to sleep knowing he had arrived, and not only had he arrived, but he had truly started his mission. 

Now it's time to post Collin's letters.

October 2012 Announcement

At the general conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in October 2012, a historic announcement was made that lowered the minimum age of missionaries from age 19 to 18 for men and from age 21 to 19 for women.  Here is the announcement given by President Thomas S. Monson:

For some time the First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles have allowed young men from certain countries to serve at the age of 18 when they are worthy, able, have graduated from high school, and have expressed a sincere desire to serve. This has been a country-specific policy and has allowed thousands of young men to serve honorable missions and also fulfill required military obligations and educational opportunities.

Our experience with these 18-year-old missionaries has been positive. Their mission presidents report that they are obedient, faithful, mature, and serve just as competently as do the older missionaries who serve in the same missions. Their faithfulness, obedience, and maturity have caused us to desire the same option of earlier missionary service for all young men, regardless of the country from which they come.

I am pleased to announce that effective immediately all worthy and able young men who have graduated from high school or its equivalent, regardless of where they live, will have the option of being recommended for missionary service beginning at the age of 18, instead of age 19. I am not suggesting that all young men will—or should—serve at this earlier age. Rather, based on individual circumstances as well as upon a determination by priesthood leaders, this option is now available.

As we have prayerfully pondered the age at which young men may begin their missionary service, we have also given consideration to the age at which a young woman might serve. Today I am pleased to announce that able, worthy young women who have the desire to serve may be recommended for missionary service beginning at age 19, instead of age 21.

We affirm that missionary work is a priesthood duty—and we encourage all young men who are worthy and who are physically able and mentally capable to respond to the call to serve. Many young women also serve, but they are not under the same mandate to serve as are the young men. We assure the young sisters of the Church, however, that they make a valuable contribution as missionaries, and we welcome their service.

When Collin heard about this change, he immediately began to contemplate how it affected him.  He had been planning most of his life to follow in the footsteps of his dad, and recently his brother Tayler in serving a 2 year mission.   This change effected his plan considerably, as he had thought he would attend BYU for a semester or year before his mission.  As the months wore on, and after he turned 18, his desire grew even stronger, and he decided he would serve as soon as possible.

He had many end of the school year and summer activities to accomplish such as graduation from high school, seminary graduation, his Eagle Court of Honor, his senior piano recital, a multi-stake dance festival, a high adventure replacement-Camp Helaman, and a family reunion.  He submitted his application papers in May, and 2 weeks later he received his call-just prior to his high school graduation.  We were all amazed at how fast the call came, and that his earliest availability date was chosen--August 14.

Collin's mission call letter.

His mission president and wife.

Since his determination to serve his mission early, Collin has been focused on preparing himself mentally and spiritually.  He attended months of missionary prep classes which were held at 7 AM Sunday mornings once a month.  He attended seminary daily before school and took every opportunity to help out our local ward missionaries, and he served as a youth ward missionary.  Of course he attended to his personal scripture study and study of the Preach My Gospel manual which is used in the mission field as well. After his call came, he began studying Spanish by reviewing lessons that he downloaded to his phone. 

As parents, it was hard to let him leave early because we will miss him so much.  However, we are so confident that is prepared and ready to serve.  He has a firm testimony of the gospel of Jesus Christ, he is a responsible person, and he's been doing his own laundry since he was about 10!  We know he can handle himself!  It will be a growing and defining 2 years for him, and it will be invaluable for his life.  That said, we are missing him already.  He has left an empty spot in our daily life, but not in our hearts. We know God will bless him and us as he serves his mission.  All will be well.

We are looking forward to those weekly emails, and we will be posting them here for you to read.