One Transfer Out

Monday, October 21, 2013

Dear Everyone,

So this week has been pretty fun. It started a little rough because we couldn't get any lessons. A lot of people kept punting us (saying they were busy or something like that). It was very frustrating. It's all good though. :) I love serving a mission. I've found that it really is a choice to be happy out here. You can either let all the hard work and things that don't really matter get to you or you can just decide to be happy.

Later on this week we had exchanges. That was so much fun. We swapped companions with some elders, and I had to lead my area for a while. It was crazy. It was a lot of fun leading another missionary around who didn't know where things were. Haha Elder Ramos was his name.

[Are there any white elders in your apartment?] Yes one of my batch mates [a missionary who flew to the Philippines at the same time] is with me, Elder Eager. He hasn't helped with the language because he needs help. :P But it is nice to talk to him sometimes when my companion doesn't understand what I'm trying to say... :P

We had a lot of time going out trying to find people to teach. We did pretty good. I mean we taught 2 lessons that we hadn't planned on and gave away all of our pamphlets. We also met this really old couple. The man was 93 years old and his wife was 88. They had 2 great great grand kids. That's crazy! :)

To top it all off, we had one of the best lessons I have ever been a part of here. The spirit was so strong, and I think it was the first time that I really "taught by the spirit." I was super excited.

Areas Impacted by Typhoon Santi

Also I know that a lot of you have heard that there was a typhoon here in the Philippines, but to be honest, it didn't affect me at all. I mean it rained a lot but that's normal for Baguio. I didn't even hear about it until I got on the computer today. I mean it rained here pretty hard but that's kinda normal for Baguio. So to be honest there was no damage. I heard about Brandon's mission. That would not be fun. :( [Did you feel the earthquake that was near Cebu?] No, we didn't feel anything... I mean it's just been normal around here. Haha

Deseret News Article about the Earthquake

[Did you get the package?] Not yet, but transfers are this week so I should get it soon. I did get like 5 dear elders though [letters sent through DearElder.com]. :)

Well I love you all and pray for you every day. Never give up on something that matters to you. If you try your best you will find that things that seemed impossible just when you started are in reality very easy and possible to accomplish.

Mahal Kita!

Elder Christensen

Getting There

* In order to make the communication easier to read, Michelle took some of Brian's comments from different emails and wove them into the main email he sent on the same day. And, some of them are listed at the bottom of the letter. Questions or clarifications from Michelle are contained in brackets.

* Brian sent several pictures from when he flew out of the US until this past week. Be sure to scroll to the bottom of the letter for the pictures.

Monday, October 14, 2013

Dear Everyone,

This week has been awesome. I mean to say that I'm no longer sick at all, and I can finally understand some of what is going on around me. I mean I know my area very well; I just can't talk to everyone. I love being able to work though. I feel like I can actually do something now rather than just let my companion do all the talking and teaching.

Anyway I have some stories for this week. :)

So while we were on our way back from town in the jeepney, there are two things that you say a lot. One means stop (pala), and one means pay (bayad) So, when people give you money, you say pay and give the money to the driver and he gives change as needed. But when I meant pay I actually said “pala.” He stopped the jeep, and no one got out... It was super embarrassing. :P But that's life. haha.

We also taught some really cool people this week. We taught Roddy, and we taught Sister Kristin and her little girl Jamie. They were really nice. We are also teaching Sister Iva, and she really seems to be progressing but slowly. I've noticed that nothing in the Philippines every really happens fast. But slowly and surely the work does move along.

Also, conference was awesome! I took so many notes. It's crazy. I hope that everyone had the chance to see it. I loved it so much. [Favorite talk?] Man that's hard. They were all way good. I really liked Elder Holland’s talk about caring for those with depression. It made me feel so much hope for anyone and everyone who suffers from discomfort.

Elder Holland's Talk: http://www.lds.org/general-conference/2013/10/like-a-broken-vessel?lang=eng

I hope all is doing well at home with all of you. I keep you in my prayers, and I pray that you stay safe. I love you all, and I love this gospel; it is such a blessing in my life. It makes me not fear the future or doubt what is going to happen to me. I know this is true and love it.

Mahal Kita!!!

Elder Christensen

[What is your companion like?] Well he is very small... I mean he literally is one of the smallest 22 year old men I have ever met. He is super spiritual, though. He was a convert about 7 years ago but became inactive later and started smoking. He then found his way back to the church after a lot of hard work and tribulation. We get along pretty well. I mean, I've found that I'm not going to get along always as a perfect unity with everyone. It just isn't going to happen. We mainly have fights over the fact that he thinks that I'm not carrying my weight. But then we do better when we both remember that I'm learning, and I still have a hard time even understanding all of the conversation let alone speaking it. This is because he is a native Tagalog speaker and has learned English. But for the most part we get along really well. We both strive to be as humble as possible and understand that we were raised in very different circumstances.

Elder Hernandez and Brian

[How are you getting along with the Filipinos?] I love the Filipinos. They are such a sweet and kind people. I mean they have their problems, but as a whole they don't yell at one another, and they really hate to fight. I love that. They don't really have any rules though, so they kinda all just do what they want all the time... But that's just their culture I guess.

[What is it like being so tall?] Haha I hear the word “tankod” every day. That means tall, and it's really funny because we go to investigators house, and when they open the door they say "ay" because they weren't expecting someone so tall. It's really funny.

[How is Tagalog coming?] It's coming. Slowly but surely, it's coming. I mean in lessons I understand about 80%. But the hard part is when I don't have any foreknowledge of what we are going to be talking about. Then I only get about 20-30%. I can teach most of a lesson, But it's slow and my companion hates that, so he takes over a lot. I'm ok with that because then I can just listen and try to understand all that is going on.

[Do you feel shy and quiet among the people or do you feel like you can talk to them?] I feel a little bit of both. I mean they are all way nice when you talk to them, but I'm also very shy. So some days I just try and talk to everyone, but on others I'm very withdrawn and it’s hard to talk. But I'm finding that as I rely on the spirit it gets easy to talk to them more and more.

[How long does it take you to get a pouch letter from home?] It depends on when we get pouch. It gets to the mission home awhile before it gets to us. It takes about a week or two to get to me usually.

Mission Life is Hard but Worth It

Monday, October 7, 2013

Dear Everyone,

So to start I have to say that this past week was not a fun one because I was sick the whole week long. I mean the whole week long. I had a fever, and I couldn't get out of bed and do anything otherwise I would start to feel way bad... :(  The fever topped out at 102.6 F. But it was only that high for a little bit. We went to the doctor, and they had no idea what was wrong with me, so they just gave me some antibiotics after they did a blood test and other test. They were worried that it was something from a mosquito bite. That's why they did the blood test, but they all came back negative. We still don't know what it was, but it's gone now. Like I don't have any symptoms, and I feel fine. Don't worry about me at all. I'm all better. Healthy.

No I have not seen General Conference yet that happens next Saturday and Sunday.

Other than that nothing happened this week. I felt awful and prayed a lot. I feel a lot better now and I'm excited to get back to work this week so we can actually get stuff done. I'm excited for that. :)

Yes, I got it [his Dad’s email]. :) It’s been way nice to hear from everyone having a hard time in their first area. I'm not alone. :)

Mahal ko lahat kayo!!!!!

Elder Christensen

Brian and Elder Tanner

Tahoy; Food that Brian Likes

Hard Week

Monday, September 30, 2013

Dear Family and Friends,

Brian's Zone; Brian's in the back middle

To be honest this week has been super hard. I've noticed a lot of changes over the past few weeks and to be honest a lot of them have been hard to make. First of all I'm learning that I don't know very much about being a missionary. I mean they teach you in the MTC, but there is nothing that can truly prepare you for what is going to happen to you in the mission field. I've been so stressed out. But I know that this is where I’m supposed to be and what I'm supposed to be doing.

One of the main things I learned this week is that I really need to just sit back and let my companion lead the way. He is really shy, but he knows so much about the gospel. Since he is a convert to the church, he knows a lot about what our investigators are feeling. It's hard to let go of control. But often times that is the only way we can learn to do the things that we need to do.

So on Monday we taught Sister Jennifer and Brother Jericho. They are less-actives in our ward, and we are trying to reactivate them. They know so much about the gospel. The only hard part is that they just don't come to church. We are also starting to teach Sister Iva and her 6 year old daughter Anna. They are very nice to us, and I think that they will progress well. We are also teaching Sister Virginia she is really progressing well, but she is going out of town until November 20. I really hope she keeps reading the Book of Mormon.

Oh, one other thing that happened this week. So, the zone leaders came to our apartment to fix the water heater for us but they ended up flooding our apartment... :P It was pretty funny. Don't worry, none of our stuff got wet. It was just a minor flooding. It was very funny though. We are still giving them a hard time about it. But the good news is we have a hot shower now, and let me tell you that is a blessing and a half. :)

Ok so I know this is a long letter but I have to tell you why this week was so hard. So for most of the week we had a lot of lessons and things planned, but more than half of them fell through. Also the past day I've had a massive head ache. I don't want to complain, but this week has been really tough on both my companion and me. We both have been getting pretty down. I know that this is worth it, though, and that in the end our trials will be but a small moment and the Lord will make my burdens light. I love this gospel. I know it is true. I know that with faith in Jesus Christ my savior and my redeemer and through him all things are possible.

I love you all and I'm sorry for the long letter I hope everything at home is going well.

Mahal Kita!!

Elder Christensen

Separate Email Conversation:

Michelle: Aunt Angie made the comment about your cold showers that Brandon is NEVER cold! [Brandon Christensen is in a nearby mission, Philippines Angeles Mission.] You two are so close and yet so far away!

Brian: It’s sooo true. I mean in Baguio it gets really hot, but it can also get very cold... well cold for the Philippines. :P

Also, tell GnG Bevan I got their package, and I loved it. :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :D They gave me a lot of snacks and some little All a Dollar games. It was just a little taste of home from Grandma.

My First Real Week :)

* In order to make it easier to read, Michelle took Brian's comments from several different emails from 9/23/2013 and wove them into the main email he sent on the same day. Questions or clarifications from Michelle are contained in brackets.


Monday, September 23, 2013

Dear Mga tao, (people)

Brian in Baguio

This week has been crazy to say the least, but I think I could say that about every week here in the Philippines. This week we must have walked farther than I think I have ever walked in my entire life. I mean we walked A LOT. We have had to do a lot of finding because our zone just got cut in half, so a lot of the investigators we used to have are in another area. But that's ok; it helps to move the work along faster.

So for the most part we have been doing a lot of the same things over and over again. We get up at 6:30 and get ready for the day. We study until lunch and then after lunch we go finding for like 4 hours until we have an appointment. By finding I mean we try to find new investigators, but we also look for less-actives. We haven't found very many less actives, but I think that will come. We give out pamphlets and just talk to people. It's just tracting, but we try to use members as much as possible.

Pictures of a Commercial Jeepney; Notice Ppeople Sitting Sideways
http://asiatravelbugdotnet.files.wordpress.com/2012/05/jeepney.jpg

We try to work with him [the ward mission leader] as much as possible. We have 10 elders in my ward that I'm serving in--one ward. [There are] 2 in the zone, and there is plenty of work per area so don't worry about that. :P Our ward consists of most of Baguio City, and then a ton of the surrounding towns. It costs about 14 pesos on a jeepney to get to church. [As of today, $1.00 = 43.25 pesos.]

After we teach some appointments we go home at 9 and go to bed. Days are long, but I love it.

Ok so a list of investigators: Sister Elizabeth - She is hard of hearing but is progressing. She has accepted the invitation to be baptized, but we are having a hard time getting her to church. Sister Jamie is not [progressing], sadly, because we can't get her to read the book of Mormon. Sister Jennifer is a less-active and is starting to come back to church. Sister Iva and her family - We haven't really started teaching them, but I hope it goes well. Sister Virginia - She is progressing. We have not taught her very much.

So here's a funny story for you. We were out finding, and this drunk guy stopped me. He kept telling me how much he loved me. I couldn't get away from him, so I gave him a restoration pamphlet and bore my testimony. Maybe he will become an investigator. :P He was very drunk.

Well that's all for this week.

Elder Christensen


[In a separate email, each one of our family asked Brian a question to answer. The questions and answers are below.]

Dennis: What is the temperature in Baguio?
Brian: It's about 70ish usually unless its night and raining which is about every night. :P Then it gets into the 60s or at least that's what it feels like.

Nikki: How much has it rained in the last week?
Brian: Every. Single. Day. :P

Adam:  What is the weirdest food you have eaten so far?
Brian: I think I would have to say some weird blend of veggies. They were slimy, so I didn't like them too much.

Anna: What culture shock have you experienced?
Brian: What have I not. It's sooo different here. Plus since I'm in Baguio the showers are sooooooooooooooooooooOOOOOoooooo cold!!!!! I don't think I have ever taken showers this cold.

Will: What about mission life has surprised you so far?
Brian: I never thought I could work this hard in my entire life. It's crazy.

Stephanie: What percentage of conversations can you understand?
Brian: Haha, only about 30% right now, but I'm working on it.

Mom: Does the traffic scare you?
Brian: Haha the first day, but now I just don't care because I haven't seen an accident or heard of one. They all seem to know what they’re doing. Plus they don't drive very fast in comparison to Americans.

Dad: Do you have enough to eat?
Brian: I have sooooo much food to eat I think I'm going to get fat out here. :P

I'm in the Philippines

Monday, September 16, 2013*

Wow, this week has been soooooooo crazy. I'm in the Philippines now. I'm in Baguio City!!! I'm doing awesome! And I am sooooooo excited to be here. There is sooo much to do. It's very different here, but at the same time a lot of it is the same. I love it here. I can't get enough of the food. It is all sooooo good. :P So don't worry about me losing weight here because I'll probably gain even more. :P

I'm not going to lie it's hard out here. You get placed with someone you don't know very well, but that’s ok because that's how you learn. [The language is] hard, but I'm doing my best to figure it out. I'm going to keep trying all day every do so it will come eventually. :P

I love my companion. His name is Elder Hernandez. He is from Quezon Province [which is southeast of Metro Manila]. He has been out in the mission for 10 months. He's really cool. He is such a good missionary. He always leads by example and makes me want to be a better missionary. He just keeps working always. We get along very well. There are 4 elders in the apartment.

So to recap the last week: When I left the MTC I left with a bunch of people I didn't know, but that was ok because we all got along pretty well. It took a long time to get to the Philippines. Tuesday was sucked out of my life because I crossed the International Date Line. :P Wednesday was more travel. Through all and all from the time I left the MTC and got to the mission office it took about 42 hours. Yes 42--that was not a typo. :P It was crazy.

Brian with Sister and President Balledos
All Three People are Standing!

After we got there, we spent the night at the AP’s apartment, and the next day we studied. Then we did an amazing race kind of thing. We went around and did things that we will do in the mission like ride jeepneys and wash clothes and cook food. It was cool. After that President Balledos let all the foreign missionaries walk on the beach in our bare feet. That was cool.

New Elders Walking on the Beach

Brian on the Beach

I love President Balledos. He is soooo awesome. You can tell that he cares so much for all of his missionaries and wants them all to do well.

[Did you get the package from home that was mailed four weeks earlier?] Yes, it was there. When I got there they gave it to me. :) Yes [he liked the homemade toffee], but it was kinda weird because it melted. But when it got hard again it wasn't hard; it was more crumbly like a cookie. But it tasted great. 

Friday was transfer day, so we traveled a lot then, too. The next day we had transfer meeting where I was assigned to the Baguio Zone. That's where I am now, and I love it here. It's funny because it's really not hot here. I can almost pretend I'm in Utah. But, I know I'm not because everything else is very different. I love it though. [How was the ride to Baguio through the winding streets?] It was good. We all rode in a jeepney.

Saturday we taught three lessons and did a lot of running around because our areas just got rearranged.

We are teaching the Bahug family; they are really nice. And Sister Jamie is really receptive to the gospel. She is almost 19; she is about to start college as well. Sister Elizabeth is an older lady. She is almost deaf, but we can write what we need, too; so she can understand us. I don't know the rest right now. They are kinda a blur, but I'll write them down for next week. [The investigators are all non-members.]

Ok, so last thing, we went to church yesterday, and I was surprised to find that they have sacrament meeting in English. It was kinda strange. We went to church for most of the day because we have to go pretty far to get to church.

Anyway, that's all for this week. I love you all and this really is a great work. :)

Mahal Kita!!!

Brian

* In order to make it easier to read, Michelle took Brian's comments from several different emails from 9/16/2013 and wove them into the main email he sent on the same day. Questions or clarifications from Michelle are contained in brackets.

Five Hours in LAX

Brian left the MTC, yesterday, Monday, September 9. He had a five-hour layover in the Los Angeles Airport. He was able to call home. Following are some notes from his conversation that were taken by Michelle.

Brian and Missionaries He Flew Out With

Although Brian’s district and zone left early in the morning, Brian didn’t leave until about 2:00 PM. He did not travel alone, however. There were four other sisters and three other elders traveling with him. One of the sisters was heading to Australia. All of the other missionaries were going to Brian’s mission.

Brian’s flight from Los Angeles to Hong Kong was supposed to have 15 hours of airtime. He wanted to stay awake until it was time to go to sleep in the Philippines so that he could start adjusting to the time zone change. Brian filled all three suitcases. One big suitcase weighed 48 pounds and the other big one weighed 47 pounds. His carry-on bag weighed 15 pounds. Brian was able to pack most of the food from the package we sent him on Friday.

As a Zone Leader, Brian didn’t have many responsibilities. Mostly it was to lead by example. He did get the chance to show the new missionaries assigned to his district around the MTC when they arrived. Although he and his companion wanted to help with the meet and greet experience for incoming new missionaries on Wednesday, they never got the chance.

One Tuesday shortly before he left, they were privileged to have Elder Neil Anderson from the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles come and speak to the entire MTC. The meeting was held in the Marriott Center at BYU and broadcast to all the MTCs in the world. After the devotional, they couldn’t return to the MTC buildings because of a huge lightning storm. They waited and waited until it stopped and they could walk back to their buildings. However, when they left, the rain had not stopped, but was still pouring down. They all got soaked walking back to the MTC.

Brian’s favorite experience in the MTC was when Elder Richard G. Scott came and spoke at a devotional early in his mission. Elder Scott talked about his wife who had passed away. At that time, Brian had a special spiritual experience that gave him a lot of hope and peace and love.

While he was in the MTC, he saw his cousin, Sam Clark several times. The last week before he left, he and Sam were able to have lunch together. They both enjoyed this. Sam is now serving in the Arizona Scottsdale Mission while he waits for his VISA to come so he can go to Brazil. It’s a small world. Scottsdale is the same place where another cousin, Linda Hogensen, just barely went to.

Brian and Elder Giblette

He loved going to the temple. He went each Saturday after it re-opened. It was closed the first two weeks he was in the MTC.

Brian feels like he learned a lot in the MTC, and not just Tagalog. He learned about spiritual things, how to set goals, and how to be a missionary. As he leaves the MTC, his goal is not to convert anyone in the Philippines. His goal is to become an instrument in God’s hands so that the Holy Ghost can convert people. Brian loved the MTC but is ready to get to the Philippines and begin doing the work.

Brian: “Ahhhhhhh! I’m just so excited!”