Week #5‏ Sent: Tue 2/18/14 11:14 AM

Oi Minha Familia!

So its good to hear from all of you. Glad to know you got my email about SPOKANE! I was beginning to think I don't send it when I didn't receive 20 emails back instantly! haha But yeah I'm still so pumped about it! First off, Nano! I'm bumbed that Maggie still hasn't come yet! I couldn't read any DearElders in the past 3 days because of Sunday and Presidents Day so yeah I was pretty worried that Maggie already hopped out and was chillin with you guys! haha (sorry that sentence was really weird) Things here at the MTC are getting REAL, real quick! The district ahead of me is all gone as of this morning! None received any last minute VISAs. But yeah I am gonna miss this place! I love how spiritual and uplifting it is. I feel like sometimes I am more realistic than others because I know that as soon as I leave here I'm going to be terrified out of my mind! These are real people! Their eternal salvation is in my hand! haha But I also know that there is no other way I would rather be spending my time. Our recent lessons have been so awesome. I don't know what it us about Mondays but yesterday was incredible! We had two lessons and we committed both of them to Baptism! I know that it wasn't necessarily real and the fact that we are ending our stay here might have influenced our teachers to say yes but the spirit is SO strong when you receive that answer that you know will change that investigators life! I love feeling that joy and happiness for another person. You grow to love your investigators (real or fake)! Another sweet experience! I GOT TO SIT 20 FEET FROM ELDER HOLLAND!! haha its was probably the sickest thing ever! His son / President of UVU came to give a sweet talk about Joseph Smith, and Elder Holland introduced him. Knowing that his son was going to talk we put two and two together and made sure to get prime seating! But yeah It was so intense! Best devotional I have had at the MTC so far! Language is still coming! I feel like I know a lot but at the same time, If its not in a gospel context (aka words related to scriptures or restoration) than yeah I know nothing. Also if someone real speaks it at faster than a 3 yr old speed than yeah throw my knowledge out the window as well haha! 

Today I got a haircut in prep for the Field. Getting my suit cleaned and all that great stuff as well. MOM, I got hooked up with some sweet jacket and everything so no need to worry about buying me anything. I went in this morning to talk to some people about getting some warm stuff considering I'm headed to CANADA and they gave me a 300 dollar pee coat and scarf and gloves and hat for FREE! I will most likey have to leave everything once I head to Brazil but I think that's the entire Idea behind this whole arrangement. But yeah don't worry about anything. They treat the missionaries like gold here. What else.. I don't know what to say. This week has been pretty great I guess no real stories to share. We have to host more missionaries tomorrow and then on Thursday we have a full day of in-field orientation so the week will probably go by super fast. I'm SPOKED <stoked.. get it? > for Spokane, and to go with ELDER OWENS. He is seriously a great guy. I'm just glad I have someone to travel with really. 

Alright Family I think I've covered it all. Maybe even too much. I love you all! I love this work and gospel! And I know with all my heart that the Lord has me hear for a purpose. Keep your heads up, and press on. I will most likely write before I fly out and then it will be that Monday ritual! Love you guys.

Paz

Amo Voces!

ELDER CHRISTENSEN

MY RE-ASSIGNMENT IS....... Date: February 14, 2014, 8:34:20 PM MST

Alright I know I told you all that I was going to get my reassignment tomorrow but Christmas came early this year (on valentines day). 

MY RE-ASSIGNMENT IS.......

Spokane, Washington!!!!! 

hahaha I'm so stoked!! 

Probably gonna be freezing but I couldn't care less! Only one kid in our district received his visa.

Me and Elder Owens (aka Guy with sunglasses in Temple pictures) are going to Spokane and then Elder Talbot (my companion), Elder Trevino and Elder Mather are going to Portland, Oregon . Elder Worthington is going straight to Brazil. 

Now its your job to look up as many random facts you can about Spokane because I cant use Google... haha go to town my friends!

NANO keep working on that Baby! I know that your probably ready to kill someone but I know Maggie is probably getting a sweet pep-talk right now in the spirit world so she cant skip out early. Stay strong kiddo! Now that we know where I'm going the attention is all on you! .. probably was never on me... you know how much I love it though... 

Alright  I will talk more on P-Day! Love you all!

Tchao!!

ELDER CHRISTENSEN

Happy P-Day! Sent: Tuesday, February 11, 2014 10:21 AM

Oi Minha Familia!

Another great week in the books now and believe it or not I have been in the MTC for 4 weeks already! To answer some questions right off the bat, YES time flies so quick here! I could have sworn I just wrote all of you yesterday! Thankfully I am actually learning a lot in between so its all good. Portuguese is still a grind but this week has actually been really great for me. Me and Elder Talbot made a goal for the week to try as hard as we can to produce some killer lessons. We promised to leave everything we had in every lesson and make sure we had no regrets by the time we got out. With two lessons a day and 5 teaching days a week I can honestly say that we put in some work! There is nothing more satisfying then being able to walk out of a lesson and have your teacher (mock "investigator") come up to you after and say that the lesson actually helped him (the real one) personally today! Yesterday was one of the best for that reason and I spoke Portuguese like a champion! But enough bragging about my incredible self.. haha Oh another thing this week that was super dope! The district ahead of us by a week got their re-assignments on Sat! It was so crazy! We all gathered in this tiny computer room and watched all of them open their new re-assignment emails and it was so much fun! None received VISAs and all of them are going Stateside. Most are going into freezing weather so yeah needless to say there were kinda bumbed out.  It started to make me think about what its going to be like for me! I don't care where I go or if I even get my VISA, the idea of being able to actually communicate with people for the first few weeks in the mission actually sounds pretty nice. So yeah they got theirs on Sat and given that our schedule follows theirs, I should know my fate buy the end of the week so stay posted for an email Sat night!!!

What else. District is still cool. We are all pretty much family and our Branch is pretty tight. Hosting was pretty fun considering I was never really hosted by anyone when I arrived. Kinda bitter sweet to watch other moms loose it and little siblings bawling their eyes out when they drop off their older brother/sister. It was kinda funny though because I had to make sure they didn't take up too much time so that the line can flow smoothly and so I would always say something like "No worries we'll be sure to take Extra care of them (as if I would ever actually see them again)" and usually nobody responded but this one time this Dad looked me in the eye and said "You better..."haha It was kinda uncomfortable but no worries. Tomorrow we have to Host again so now I have some experience under my belt it will be super efficient! To answer Nano's question; No I am pretty much the same weight still. I'm probably gaining more weight though because at college I never had so much access to food  like I do here at the cafeteria and considering we don't do much to work it off, I would say I have defiantly gained a pound or two.Tudo Bem though I will just loose it once I get into the third world country know as Brazil!

Alright well I'm getting pretty used to this letter writing business so it feels like I'm getting through them faster. Not as much new information to share perhaps. Alright well keep me in your prayers. You're all in mine! This is the Lords work I am falling in love with it! Keep on cheering for team USA. Yeah I don't even know anything about that life. Curling is pretty dope though I do remember that Jen! haha and oh yeah thanks for cheering on my Wildcats! I probably shed a tear when I heard they lost but oh well. Poor Brandon Ashley.. He will get it next year.

Alright, Tchao Tchao,

Eu amo voces muito!

ELDER CHRISTENSEN

Right before I came her to write you guys. Elder Trevino said I needed to show you "the Greaseball" that I am

Subject: Re: Week #3 Sent: Tuesday, February 04, 2014 11:02 AM

Oi Minha Familia! 

To start off this letter I would just like to briefly touch on a subject that is dear to all of our hearts. I thought I would just try to address the elephant on the keyboard before I can talk about anything else... I'm sorry the Broncos lost. No really though, I am. Call it death bed repentance or what ever you may but I was kinda hoping they could get the win on this one. When I found out the score I honestly didn't know what to say or feel. My teacher told me about the botched first play / safety... and that afterwords the game was pretty much over. Also, I pretty much only wanted the Broncos to win because another elder in my district says he "Really really hates the Broncos" and lets just say I don't have to most patience for his personality. Like I said I'm not competitive, I just want other people to loose. haha But anyways...Life here in the MTC is moving by pretty fast. It feels like yesterday that I was in the computer lab writing you guys last week. Classes are about the same and we still have to struggle teaching in a language we pretend to know. I feel like I learn so much everyday but its hard to see the immediate result. I feel like I can pretty much say anything I want to if you gave me 5 min per sentence. haha But tudo bem! (all is well) To answer some questions right off the bat, Me, My companion, Elder Mather   and Elder Owens  are all assigned to Joao Pessoa. Elder Worthington and Elder Trevino are going to Natal which is directly above Joao Pessoa and actually used to be part of the original Joao Pessoa mission until it was split. Like I said, nobody knows anything about their VISAs yet so we are all just chillin and waiting together. We have another district coming in tomorrow to our Branch and I guess their are 7 Elders coming in. All are going somewhere in Brazil I think. Tomorrow our district was asked to Host the new missionaries coming in which means that we get to walk them around to their classes and get books and show them where they sleep when they first get here. Its gonna be awesome to look like I actually know that's going on here and give my 3 week old words or advice haha but yeah I'm looking forward to it. I remember when I first got here my host was like the coolest guy but he forgot to take me to get my books so I actually had no idea what was going on when I had my first class day haha. I wonder what I could do to my missionary... haha 

Other than that, things here are pretty much same old same old. We have temple this afternoon and then a devotional in the night! So excited for it. I honestly love everyone that comes and talks to us! There messages are so inspiring and kinda makes you wish you were already out in the field. (And then some native Brazilian comes up and starts talking to you afterwards and then you start to cry because you brain just exploded trying to understand him. True story) Missionaries are only allowed to do endowment sessions but the new movie is way sick so it's not like I can get bored of it! Maybe its just a Provo thing but yeah I don't know if you New Mexico people have a new video like the rest of us. Guess it would give you a reason to head down and check it out! But yeah the temple is honestly the best place on earth! I love it! I saw Daniel the day he got in at dinner and then pretty often I see him in between devotionals and apparently he is living just a floor above me. I told him to come down and kick it with the Brazilian elders whenever he has to get food from the vending machines but he has yet to do so. Crazy enough I also saw Alan Dahl last Friday after some TRC training! I guess he journeys on up to the MTC to speak Portuguese to Elders for TRC (Elders teaching Members) and yeah I saw him and gave him a hug!  Yeah what else..

Somethings that I have been studying here at the MTC aside from language are the Characters of Christ! For me specifically it has been patience and I honestly had to struggle with the pride in my own heart towards elders of whom I still don't completely understand. I would seriously invite you guys to look of some scriptures about any of Christs characteristics and study it daily before you read the BofM. You will find some pretty legit scriptures, I guarantee it! One thing I realized after studying about Christ is that I have to many flaws! haha but I know that through Christ  I can also strive to improve myself everyday and grow from from them! I find that when I actively go out of my way to recognize the flaws I have in myself and then to express them to other people that might bother me,  I can have a greater impact on their lives and a greater capacity to love them than I would if I pointed out only their own flaws and their own problems. The craziest thing is that I doesn't make a difference right off the bat, and I'm not saying that its been any easier to live with some companions here in the span of only a week or two haha but a crazy thing happens when you focus more on loving someone than finding what you want them to improve, You actually forget what makes you crazy and the other person actually tries to change for you when they see how much you care first! I also advise you all to read to last two paragraphs in the introduction to the Book of Mormon before you read tonight. This is just a little glimpse into what I am going to be making all by investigators do but I love these last two paragraphs! Our purpose every time we read should be to grow out testimony in 1. the Lord and savior Jesus Christ (so hard no to write Cristo right there), 2. That Joseph Smith restored the gospel and the priesthood was given again to the earth, and 3. that The Church of Jesus Christ (almost did it again) of Later Day Saints is the true church on the earth today! I promise that if we read with purpose we can find so many answers and evidences of truth in that Book! My testimony is growing exponentially and I love it! 

OK sorry for explosion of Gospel in that paragraph but being here at the MTC does that to you! haha 

I know you guys are all great and I will look forward to the next few letters and Emails from you all. (Maggie, HERE YOU COME!) haha

Alright Tchao!

Amo vocês!

ELDER CHRISTENSEN