March 9, 2015

Hi Family And Friends!

We have had a busy but great week! Tuesday we had a mission-wide
conference for Technology with Brother Randall from the missionary
department and Elder Malm from the 70. We received new iPads and
training, and won't be using Facebook for a while because the church
is resetting technology for missionaries. Luckily the snow stopped so
we were able to make it down to the conference in Phoenix!

We have been struggling to find new people to teach for the last few
weeks. So far we have found at least 1 each week, but we decided to
set a goal for two this week. We knew that there were two people we
could find and start teaching, so we made some more specific plans to
visit people on our records who hadn't been visited in a long time.
Well, none of them went through! A couple said we could come back
another time, but until Sunday night we hadn't started teaching anyone
new. Out of the blue Bishop Larson in our family ward texted us and
asked if we could come home teaching with him at 8:00pm. So we visited
a less active lady, and she had 2 roommates who sat in on the lesson
and said they wanted to learn more! Not only did we reach the goal we
had set, but I realized that the Lord doesn't always work how we think
he does, or how we think he will. He has a plan, and he supports us in
our righteous goals and efforts. It's a humbling experience when you
realize that you still accomplished something great, but not in any
way that you had planned for, and not necessarily directly through our
efforts. I love the fact that God is 100% our biggest fan. He is on
our team and will back us up. His plan for us is actually in our
favor, because we know that if we are on his team we will win no
matter what! But if we think we can do it ourselves we will be limited
to only what we can make of ourselves.

"Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own
understanding.
In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths"
(Proverbs 3:5-6; http://www.lds.org/scriptures/ot/prov/3?lang=eng).


I know this scripture is true! It can apply to each and every one of us!

I had the chance to do an exchange with an Elder that was struggling
last week. He is going home in a few week and is feeling less and less
motivation each day. It was easy to see he hasn't been enjoying his
mission. One of my favorite things is being able to just be someone's
friend, rather than just telling them to buck up and trying to give
them all the solutions to their problems. Throughout the day we taught
some awesome people and had some great conversations. By the end of
the day I realized I had learned a ton from this Elder and I told him
so! It was cool to see how he responded. He was more open, and honest
with himself and others. He was happier and more obedient. It just
shows me how valuable it is to be someone's friend and to be
completely open and honest. It goes such a long way!

I love being a missionary in Arizona. As the First Presidency has
said, we are "Disciples of the Lord in the Digital Age." What an
awesome time to be a part of the hastening if the work of salvation!
The work will hasten, either with or without us. So we should do our
part!
"And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for
a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come" (Matthew
24:14; http://www.lds.org/scriptures/nt/matt/24?lang=eng).
I love you all!

Elder Collin Christensen

A Few Pictures

This is our temple trip with Rachel and Crystal, two of our recent converts from January. They did baptisms for the dead for some of the family names Elder Madsen and I found. 

I Found Home!''

The Sherwood Forest place is just a random place on the side of the main road in flagstaff. Haha 

March 2, 2015

Hey Friends and Family!

We got hit by another snow storm this last weekend and today. The
whole zone has to stay in because the roads are so slick, and
yesterday church was cancelled. It's kind of fun yet it kind of stinks
because we have to cancel all our lessons.
We had interviews this week with President Griffin. He gave us some
tips on how we could help some struggling missionaries. Tomorrow we
are getting new iPads and a whole new training on how to use them. It
should be interesting, that is if we even get there because of the
snow.
Well Ashley has to push her baptism back to April unfortunately. She
is having a lot of doubts, family struggles and we spent most of this
week just trying to help her recognize the testimony she does have.
The same with Sophie, a newer Investigator. She is realizing she feels
the Spirit as she reads the Book of Mormon, but still doubts it.
 I love what Alma says in chapter 32. Now it means more than ever. We
have to plant the seed of the word of God. We have to exercise our
faith and believe that in planting it and nurturing it, it will grow
and bring us happiness! So we plant it and nurture it, and it grows!
It then Alma says that our "knowledge is perfect" that the seed is
good. Somehow, somewhere in the process, doubt often slips in though.
Sometimes it's because the seed is neglected, not nourished properly,
or planted in bad ground. But the most important thing is to keep
nourishing a growing testimony. A small testimony is still a
testimony! Don't let yourself doubt all the good experiences and
knowledge you have gained just because it may be small right now! What
I love most is that our spiritual testimony "seeds" will never stop
growing. Anyways, I know that what I have learned and come to know is
absolutely true. I know that conversion is a process of a lifetime,
but each step brings us closer to our Heavenly Father. The main
questions really is, are we willing to take those steps? We would
appreciate your prayers for Ashley and Sophie specifically this week.
I love you all! Have a great week!

Elder Collin Christensen

February 23, 2015 Snow...

Dear Family and Friends,

We got hit by another snow storm last night, it's a pretty wet one too! But it's definitely needed, it's been a super dry winter. 

Saturday was definitely a highlight for the week! Isabel got baptized, and her parents flew in from California just to come to the service. They are from Mexico City and I had a blast speaking in Spanish with them. They accepted a Book of Mormon and some pamphlets afterwards and maybe even some missionary visits eventually! So that was exciting. Isabel has such a solid testimony of the Gospel. Remember when I shared that scripture in Mosiah 2:41 about how living the gospel will inevitably bring us happiness? Well Isabel's life is evidence of that. She knows who she is now, she lives her life based on that knowledge, and in her own words it's the "happiest [she's] ever been." She bore her testimony after the baptism and most everyone was in tears, it was pretty awesome. :) 

It seemed like everyone got sick this week and canceled our appointments. There's a nasty bug going around. I was lucky enough to catch it on my birthday, but other than that I had a great day! Thanks for the packages mom and dad! 

All the Elders in Flagstaff were asked to sing a musical number in our Stake Priesthood meeting yesterday and it was pretty bad. Haha We didn't have a director or anything to go off really, so we just picked Ye Elders of Israel in the hymn book and I played the piano. There are a few tone deaf elders that love to sing loud, I kinda slaughtered the intro, and everyone sang super quiet to begin with, so overall it was a bit of a train wreck. It's good to know they just wanted us there so people could see who the Elders were and not for our musical talent, or lack thereof. 

Besides loads of meetings, we had a relatively mellow week. We began teaching a couple who are probably 70+ and they are awesome people. We found them by asking some members who we could serve, and they sent us to a member who struggles with health, Brother Watkins. We went over and he told us he had given a Book of Mormon to his neighbors and that we could visit them. So we did! Silvia and Red is what they called themselves, and as soon as we sat down they just unloaded their questions. It was way cool to see how excited and interested they were since they had done a lot of searching and never felt like they belonged in any church, but we just had a hard time explaining to them that we couldn't teach them everything at once. Haha it's a good problem to have though. It neat to see how the Lord prepares his children and guides us to them in ways we wouldn't imagine. 

I know the original Church and Gospel of Jesus Christ is on the earth today. I can't deny the testimony I have received of that as I have studied, learned and taught it these last 18 months. I know that our Heavenly Father lives and loves each of us, every one! 

"For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,

Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord."

(Romans 8:38-39; http://www.lds.org/scriptures/nt/rom/8?lang=eng)

I would love to hear how each of you are doing, how you gained your testimonies, and/or hear any questions you may have about the church! 

I love you all and wish you a safe and happy week!

Elder Collin Christensen

February 16, 2015

Hello family and friends!

My new companion is Elder Searle! He is from Burley, Idaho and has
been out 18 months! He reminds me of my trainer because he is a huge
basketball/football player. He is a way cool guy and we have been
working well together. He is still adjusting to the YSA atmosphere but
it's fun.

Well Isabel passed her interview! She is super excited for her baptism
on Saturday and she has family coming from California and Mexico. It's
crazy how rock solid her testimony has become these last few months.
She said that she felt the spirit several times whenever she was
around her friends, but just never recognized what it was. She finally
asked her friends if she could come to church with them, and the rest
is history! Now she is an awesome missionary and she hasn't even been
baptized yet. We are way pumped for her.

So Valentine's Day was hilarious, but the funniest part was last night
when we were about to teach our Investigator Jake. He is dating a
member of the church, Ashley, and right before our lesson he decided
to propose. Unfortunately, he didn't quite get down on one knee before
she pushed him down on the ground and yelled at him because she
thought he was joking. He laid there for a while feeling rejected and
like a failure, and then whipped out a ring and she said yes. It was
probably one of the most awkward experiences of my life. Then we
taught them the Law of Chastity lesson (basically our beliefs on
avoiding sexual relations before marriage). Haha weird night.

We also saw our neighbors get busted for meth a few nights ago! That
was nuts. Don't worry mom, the area we live in isn't the sketchiest
I've seen here. It's pretty sad though how much we see drugs and booz
destroy families.

Last week we had some trials with some Investigators but we worked
through them. It is always comforting to me to now that setbacks
aren't signs that God doesn't care, but just that he has a different
kind of plan for these people than perhaps we had thought. Maybe it
takes them longer to accept the true and restored Gospel and be
baptized, but if it helps them down the road to be stronger
individuals then what's the worry? What I'm learning everyday is that
God's will is infinitely better than our will 100% of the time. While
we can't wait around and hope for his will to be accomplished, we have
to embrace the struggles that come as we do our very best to overcome
them with guidance and help from God.

I'm also learning how simple the Gospel is. The funny thing is that
most of the time it's ourselves who make it so complicated and "hard"
to live. In the Book of Mormon, a prophet and King named Benjamin
said:
"And behold, all that [God] requires of you is to keep his
commandments; and he has promised you that if ye would keep his
commandments ye should prosper in the land; and he never doth vary
from that which he hath said; therefore, if ye do keep his
commandments he doth bless you and prosper you."
(Mosiah 2:22 - http://www.lds.org/scriptures/bofm/mosiah/2?lang=eng)
I think God wants to bless us all the time. But I also think it's
often ourselves that keep those blessings from coming. I know that the
whole purpose of the church and gospel is to bring lasting happiness
to everyone on earth. And it does! I love it, and I love sharing it!

I love each of you and hope you are well and safe and happy and had
plenty of sugar on Valentine's Day! Have a fantastic week!

Elder Collin Christensen

February 10, 2015

Dear Family and Friends,

We had an amazing week again and some priceless experiences.
Unfortunately Elder Madsen is getting transferred tomorrow. He has
been one of my favorite companions, and we are both pretty bummed
about it. But hey, the work goes on and there's someone somewhere else
who needs his help.

Elders Madsen and Christensen

The highlight of last week was going to the Phoenix Temple with our
recent converts Rachel and Crystal. It was a good experience for them
to feel the spirit inside the temple, but what was even cooler was
that I had found some family names, distant cousins on both sides,
that I brought to have work done for! It was the first time I had ever
actually gone through the whole process of finding the names and
taking them to the temple. It was powerful for sure!
This last week we started teaching another kid named DeShaun! His mom
is a member who hasn't been to church in a long time, but has been
coming the last few weeks. He is getting baptized in March! It will be
a great thing for the family ward to have a baptism happen, plus
another with Jake later in March. Also Ashley is super excited for her
baptism March 7 and is growing a lot. Everyone in the ward seems to
just reach out to her.

I'm learning a lot about prayer lately. For most of my life I have
taken for granted the ability I have to talk with my Heavenly Father.
To be honest, my prayers have often been like a wrote recitation of
selfish requests. But lately I have been learning to turn outwards and
only make requests for other people and give thanks. For some reason
my prayers are so much more fulfilling, and I recognize answers more
and more. I'm learning that as I focus not on my will, but rather on
God's, I am simply happier and more content as a result. As a
missionary in the "field" I love this scripture:
"Cry unto him over the crops of your fields, that ye may prosper in them.
Cry over the flocks of your fields, that they may increase."
(Alma 34:24-25) http://www.lds.org/scriptures/bofm/alma/34?lang=eng
I know that prayer works, that Heavenly Father hears and answers
prayers, especially when our wills are aligned with God's in
selflessness.
I love you all and have a great week!

Elder Collin Christensen

February 2, 2015

Dear Family and Friends!

This has been a growing week for me. I'm grateful it happened, and I'm also grateful it's over!

Being here the last 5 weeks has taught me a lot of things. In Ether 12:27 we learn it best: "And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them." (http://www.lds.org/scriptures/bofm/ether/12?lang=eng) It's funny how we can get so convinced that we are awesome and unbeatable! I love how God so lovingly gives us trials that help us see our weaknesses. Being here is helping me learn how to cope with stress in a new way, and how to help others manage their stress. I'm learning to be more of a person than a robot missionary. Along with having fun and being myself, I'm also learning how to be patient and compassionate. I'm learning to stop justifying my weaknesses. I realize that I can and will change! I know that He can do that for me if I'm willing to put forth the effort. Now I just have to be humble enough to let him change me. 

Along with the trials also have come the blessings. This week we taught 3 new awesome people, all introduced to us by their friends. They all had come to the Welcome Center Expo last week! We also taught our one investigator from our Family Ward named Jake. We have been inviting and inviting him to be baptized, and he kept saying yes but he doesn't know when. Out of nowhere this week he told us, "You should keep March 21 open." He had prayed and felt strongly that he should be baptized that day! The coolest thing is that he is learning to recognize how Heavenly Father communicates to him through the Holy Ghost.

I also had the best experiences tracting I've ever had on my mission. I was on an exchange with an Elder who is being trained in his area. He had only been Tracting once and wanted to go knock on doors in a certain area. We knocked maybe 15 doors and there were 5 who we prayed with and invited us back! If you're familiar with oncoming doors as a missionary you know that's a pretty incredible percentage. It really boosted my attitude and reminded me that God is behind this work. It's not us, and it's not the members, or the church leaders, or even the prophet. These are all supporting factors, but this is God's work, and in the words of Joseph Smith, "the truth of God will go forth boldly, nobly, and independent, till it has penetrated every continent, visited every clime, swept every country, and sounded in every ear, till the purposes of God shall be accomplished." (https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2008/10/the-truth-of-god-shall-go-forth?lang=eng). 

"Remember...that it is not the work of God that is frustrated, but the work of men"

(D&C 3:3; http://www.lds.org/scriptures/dc-testament/dc/3?lang=eng)

I know we are on his side. He fights the majority of our battles, and we just have to be here to do our best. Doing so has been the most fulfilling thing I have ever done in my life. 

I love you all and wish you the best! Happy Groundhog's day!

Elder Collin Christensen