Two Exchanges and a Big Storm

Monday, September 22, 2014

Dear Everyone,

To start this past week has been crazy. We have had so many things going on at once that I can barely keep up with it all. It’s so crazy. But I'll start from the top. So on Monday nothing really happened after I e-mailed you.

Tuesday, we had exchanges but we had to have district meeting in Candon first because all the elders in my district didn't budget their money so they had to borrow some from the zone leaders... but we're all good now. We started our exchanges but Elder Chan had to take an English fluency test before we left and that took a long time. We finally got to his area around 5:30 pm. We still managed to teach one lesson and do some finding but there was just not a lot of time. It was still pretty fun though.

Wednesday we just closed one exchange and opened another with Elder Dodd. This time we worked in my area and we had a great day... ish. We started our really good with the Allinyado family. They are so sweet and looking for the truth. It was just a really good lesson. We worked pretty good the rest of the day but only managed to teach 2 more lessons because everyone we went to had something else to do. But it was really nice to talk with Elder Dodd, in English. haha. It was a good day.

Thursday, was another hard day for no apparent reason. People just don't want to listen to us. so we ended up walking around a lot that day.

Friday was when the storm hit. We walked through some water that came all the way up to my knees. That’s the highest I've ever seen it in my area. They said in Candon it got to people chests. Super crazy. We had to go home early and the power went out too. The power just came back on today so you know. Saturday we weren’t able to get to our area because there were no rides to or from the area so we had to stay in Santa Cruz. It was kinda lame.

Sunday we went to church and there were very few people there. Our branch president was there and that's what counts. :) We had a small meeting but we still had some investigators there. It was a pretty good meeting. And that brings us to now. Everything here is ok now it was just a little crazy the past few days.

Mahal kita!!!!

Elder Christensen

Information from a Separate Email

* I think transfers are coming up this week. Do you know how that will impact you?
Well you are right that transfers are on Thursday but I still don't know for sure if I'm going anywhere. I think I am though. I think I'm done in Santa Cruz but that's not for sure.

* Did you get hit by the typhoons from the last week? What happened?
Oh yeah we got hit. The power just came back on today and we lost power last Friday. :P that's fun. We have had to use candles in the apartment for the past few days. That’s been pretty interesting.

* Did you get the package from us? From Grandma Christensen?
I did get your package. Thank you so much. I have not however gotten the one from Grandma Christensen. :( maybe soon..

* What was a good teaching experience from the week?
Well the only one that comes to mind is the one I had with Elder Dodd on exchanges this past week. We taught the Allinyado family again. They are super sweet. When we taught about our purpose in this life I shared with them how important my family is to them and told them that families can be together forever. I hope it went well for them. We haven't been able to see them since than because of the storm but they seemed to like it.

* What was a unique/funny experience this week?
Well we had a huge storm and a bunch of trees got knocked over. I think that's pretty unique. I was wet for most of the week to. haha It's all good though. There were some pretty high flood waters but nothing serious, just to my knees in our area nothing got inside our house. :) Over all it was a good week. Oh we did have church without power though, and one of our investigators came too. We were so stoked. haha She is super sweet, Sister Jovi. I think I've already told you about her. But yeah that was pretty good to.

Excerpt from Letter to President Balledos
For studies this past week I have spent a lot of time in Jesus the Christ and the Book of Mormon. But I really liked a part in the book of Mormon. In Mosiah Chapter 5. It's all about taking the name of Christ upon us. King Benjamin explains that when we have Christ's name written on our hearts we will be called by him, meaning we are of his fold. He gave the example of a donkey who is driven from a herd because it belongs to the masters neighbor not to the master. so we need to truly become the people of Christ if we ever want to enter into his kingdom.

Puppies and Tri-Zone Conference

Monday, September 15, 2014

Dear everyone,

This past week has been pretty good, hard in many ways but fun in others. I've learned a lot. To start last Monday was pretty easy going. We taught one lesson to our less active but nothing else really happened.

Tuesday we had a district meeting which I thought went pretty well. The rest of the day was... slow. We got punted a lot which means a lot of walking. But it all works out.

Wednesday was when things started happening. That morning our "not dog" gave birth. We found her while she was giving birth to the last puppy. It was really strange... anyway she had 6 and 2 of them died right away. We had to leave so we told our land lord about it and went to Candon for our Tri Zone conference. The conference was awesome. I learned so much. I love listening to President Balledos. He is such a good teacher. After the meeting we got a ride home from President Balledos which was nice. But it was so late that we couldn't go out to work so we just stayed home and planned.

Thursday was a pretty good day but nothing super special happened. We just did a lot of walking and teaching. Friday and Saturday were pretty uneventful as well. We taught few lessons and nothing of interest happened. oh, except on Saturday we were walking past Edwin's house and it turned out to be his birthday. So they invited us in and fed us. It was strange because we just sat in the other room by ourselves and ate their food... in the dark because they didn't turn on the light... it was funny and strange.

Sunday was better than last week. I didn't dump the noodles in the sink this time when I made spaghetti. :) That was good. But while we were out working we got a call from the zone leaders telling us to go home right then and to tell my district to do the same because there was a bagyo coming. We [got in] and the bagyo (storm) came but it just rained really hard. Nothing major happened.

One sad note to add is that our "not dog" smothered one of her puppies last night during the storm. :( It was super sad to take it away from her because she was treating it like it was still alive..

Well on that sad note I guess I'll get off. Mahal ko kayong lahat! ingat lagi.

Elder Christensen

Excerpt from Letter to President Balledos
This past week for my studies I have been reading a lot from Jesus the Christ. I remember reading just recently about the 10 lepers who were all healed but only one of them turned back and gave thanks to Christ. When I read that I was reminded of the talk by President Uchtdorf about being grateful in any circumstance. Rather than being grateful for things, it is better to have a grateful attitude. That's what I'm trying to apply the most right now. To be grateful in spirit and not just for the nice things I have.

The Weeks Keep Rolling By

Monday, September 8, 2014

Dear everyone, this past week was pretty good as far as the work goes. We started Monday night with a great lesson with one of our less actives about reading the scriptures. It went well but nothing to exciting. 

Tuesday, was kind of a hard day. We ended up walking around most of the day because we got punted a lot by our investigators. Wednesday was a lot better though. We had exchanges with the Zone leaders. I was with one of my batch mate's Elder Bien. He's way good to work with. We taught some great lessons to our investigators. Every lesson we taught I felt the spirit just flow. We did get punted a lot still but we still had a great day. 

Thursday was another great day. We taught two new families. They were both very receptive to our message. We haven't been able to make it back to either of them but I'm excited to see what happens to them. 

Friday started really good with a great lesson. We invited them to be baptized and they declined because they want to read and pray about our church first which is a good thing. :) We plan to see them again on Wednesday. The rest of the day was long. We didn't teach anyone until the very end. But it's all good. 

Saturday was a good day too but only at the end. haha We taught a lot of lessons in quick succession right at the end and none at the beginning. But we taught the Doctulero’s that night and they came to church again. yay. I'm still super excited for them to come back to church. They are the sweetest family. 

Sunday was good because of church but it was full of hard things too. It started when I was making spaghetti for lunch and I dumped all the noodles in the sink... sad day. We moved on and went to work. We got punted all day. We taught our recent convert at the end of the day which was good. It ended on a good note it was just one of those long days. Also this morning Elder Karch and Elder Basan left the apartment because they got emergence transferred to Agoo so now it's just me and elder Mortel in the apartment. It's going to be an interesting few weeks the rest of this transfer without them. 

well that's all for now. Mahal kita

Elder Christensen

Questions from Separate Email

* How is your Ilocano coming? 

It's really not. It's kinda hard to stay focused on it because I know Tagalog and everyone here knows Tagalog. I'm still trying though. Maybe one of these days. 

* What was one of your memorable teaching experiences this week?

Well I really liked the lesson we had with one of our investigators. We taught them about prophets and then about the apostasy. They really understood it and the spirit was very strong. Later in another lesson with them we taught about Joseph Smith and invited them to be baptized. They said they needed to read and pray first but I'm still very excited for them. 

* What was a crazy, fun, or unique experience you had this week?

Well yesterday we were walking on the beach and I got mobbed by some kids. It was kinda funny but they wouldn't let go of my arms and I had to wait and answer all their question before I could go. It was kinda funny. That same day there was a dunk investigator who gave me a hug and told me he was gay... He also has a wife and children so I'm hoping that was just him being drunk... it was strange. Yesterday was a very strange day just to say the least.

House in the Bukid

Monday, September 1, 2014

Dear Everyone,

This past week has been awesome. I have had a great time. So to start last Monday we taught the Doctulero family again. It was a good lesson and the night was a pretty good night. But nothing crazy happened.

Tuesday, we went and taught the Viduya family again. They are super nice, and I really hope they progress. We also saw Shareen again. She is doing very well still, active and having a good experience with us. :)

Wednesday was a hard day for us. We went to all of our appointments and they just punted us all day long. It was a hard day because we had to walk around and we didn't get a lot from our work.

Thursday was a little better. Nothing too crazy but we taught Ira again. I gave her a notebook so she could take notes when we teach her because she wanted to take notes the first time. It was nice because she loved it and started doing some cray art in the front. It was fun to see.

Friday we taught a Born Again minister. He believes in the Book of Mormon but he won't read it... It's really strange. The rest of the day nothing really happened.

Saturday was why this week was awesome. We started in Casilagan. we went to Sister Jovi's house. She literally lives out in the bukid (field). She just has this random house with no power or running water out in the middle of the rice fields. haha It was crazy. It was really awesome though because we taught May and Joey there with her and gave them all IBD's for October 4th. I'm super excited for them even if I most likely won't be here for the baptism. It was way boss.

Sunday we only had Jovi come to church because May was sick and Joey didn't want to leave her alone with the 2 kids while she was sick. But it was still good to see her at church. That night we also taught one of less-actives who has 7 kids. The oldest is 8. It’s pretty fun but we taught her husband for the first ever. He’s supper cool. He's just so busy because he works all week to provide for his family. All in all it was a pretty good week.

Well that's all for now. mahal kita!!!

Elder Christensen

Come and See

August 25, 2014

Dear Everyone,

This past week has been a pretty good week for me. Lots of cool things happened. So to start, Monday we went to Candon for a Zone Training witch was good. That night we worked in our area and ended up teaching a few lesson but nothing special happened that day.

Tuesday we went to Candon again for district meeting because President Balledos came and gave a workshop on "how to begin teaching." It was way good and after that we went straight to work. We had a pretty good day but it was kinda hard because we have a less active who basically told us he won't follow all the commandments because he doesn't think he can. I was so sad that he had given up the ability to change. But we will keep working with him. Don’t worry. :) We can help him anyway.

Wednesday, was a hard day up until the end when we found this new family to teach, the Fetalvero family. They are just really receptive and I think good things are going to happen to them. :)

Thursday we taught the Viduya family again which went very well. All in all it was just a good day. Friday was another pretty good day but nothing special really happened then ether.

Saturday was way boss. We started by going to Casilagan in the Morning. We visited May and her family and then found some new investigators. They are super sweet and all want to come to church. The only problem is that right now is a hard time because everyone is waiting for the rice fields to harvest so they can support themselves on it. But anyway, after that we skipped lunch and just kept working. It was great, hard but worth it because we got a lot done. We taught Edwin again and he said he wants to be baptized. But, we have a lot of things to work out with him first. But I really hope he puts forth the effort he needs to be worthy. To be honest we just got a ton done that day and it paid off because 3 of our investigators came to church yesterday and I am so excited for them. :) Nothing else excited happened on Sunday though but I was stoked for the people coming to church. :)

Well that's all for now. I love you all. mahal kita

Elder Christensen

here's my letter to president. nothing confidential or anything like that this time so here's the whole thing. :)


Dear President Balledos,

This past week has been great. We have had a lot of success in our area. We are getting people to come to church and take steps to come closer to Christ. I have noticed that the Lord will bless us in our efforts when we are willing to make sacrifices for him. With that in mind I tried harder this past week to find ways to sacrifice my comfort or my selfish desires so that I can give more time to the Lord and his work. I feel like that has been the biggest difference in this past week.

Elder Mortel is great. I love working with him. He is willing to work hard with me and that really makes all the difference. I have no problem with this companionship.

As for my studies this past week I have been reading a lot from Jesus the Christ. I really liked the story of Peter when he asked his brother if anything good could come out of Nazareth in reference to the Savior. The response to his question was simply "Come and see." I have tried to extend this invitation from the Savior to all my investigators and less actives. To all their concerns, worries and complaints I tell them to "come and see" come and see if the Lord can't fix them. Come and see if our church really is the true church of Jesus Christ once again restored upon the earth. I have learned a lot and found this to be a much more effective invitation. Like you taught us last Tuesday, we need to establish our purpose and invitation on the first visit.

Thank you for all that you do. mahal kita.

Elder Christensen


Questions from Separate Email

* Who is the senior companion? Are you still district leader?
I have no Idea who you would call the "senior companion" because whether he is or I am we just treat each other as equal partners doing the same thing. But I am still district leader. This will be my 5th transfer as a District leader.

* Where does your companion come from?
He's from Oriental Mindoro, Philippines. He's pretty cool.

* What do you like about your companion?
He's willing to work hard with me. For example last Saturday we skipped lunch and just kept working and teaching. It was actually a really good day too. But that's what I like most is that he is willing to work hard with me.

* What are his strengths as a missionary?
He works hard. haha He is also a very good teacher. I can feel the spirit when we teach and it's pretty awesome. :)

* How are the Doctulero family progressing?
They are doing all right. The mom and dad stopped going to church but I'm hoping that it's just because this is the hardest month of the year for the Filipino people because they don't have any money until the rice fields are ready to harvest, which happens next month. That's also when the big fish start to come in to harbor.

* Will you tell us more details about May and Joey? and Brother Viduya?
May and her sister-in-law went to church last Sunday which is pretty awesome. They are super cool. Joey is very interested in our message but he had work so he couldn't come last Sunday. However they have 2 little girls, Jesamay and Jeramay. They are super fun to play with. Jovy is Joey's sister and she is also listening to us. All in all they are just a sweet family.

Brother Viduya is hard working. The past week he has gone without sleep for about 3 days just so he can catch fish and support the family. Every time we teach he tries his hardest to pay attention but he's super tired. He's a supper sweet guy with super hard problems. We are just trying to help him the best we can.

* Did you ever get Grandma Christensen's package with your hump day shirt?
I have not. I've asked about it and no one knows so maybe it'll be here soon. :)

Transfers

Rainy Season
Picture Taken in July

August 18, 2014

Dear Everyone,

This past week has been pretty good. Tso start we had some pretty good lessons on Monday night but nothing special. Tuesday was pretty hard because Elder Alonzo was feeling pretty sick. So we only taught a few lessons. But it's all good.

Wednesday we taught Sister May again with her husband and her husband’s sister. haha They are super sweet. We taught them about Joseph Smith and committed them to read and pray about the Book of Mormon. The rest of the day was pretty routine. We taught some less-actives but that was about it.

Dragon Fruit and "It's Awesome"

Thursday was transfer day. So that morning Elder Alonzo left and I stayed with Elder Karch and Elder Basan. It was a pretty good day. We bought some dragon fruit and waited for my new companion. Elder Mortel. I like him. He's a Filipino. He's older than me and he's been in the mission longer too. He's pretty cool. I'll try and get a picture next week.

Friday was kinda a hard day. Everyone we went to was gone which was sad but we managed to find some new people to teach and they seem really interested. I'm excited to see how that all works out. :)

Saturday we taught May again but Joey was super sick. He has a problem with his back all the way down to his foot so it hurts to move. We were still able to teach them and we answered all their questions about Joseph smith and the Book of Mormon. They said they would come to church when Joey was feeling better. We are really excited for them. :D

Rainy Season--Notice How Deep the Water Is
Picture Taken in July, But the Rain Continues

Sunday was pretty good. It rained pretty hard again and we had to walk through the river... I mean street haha to get to our appointments. But we still had a good time. We also taught Brother Viduya for the first time and he was pretty interested. The only sad part is his wife and one of his daughters just went to Manila to work because they have no money. :( But we should be all right to teach the ones left at home. :)

Well that's all for this week. Mahal na mahal ko kayong lahat. :D

Elder Christensen


Additional Pictures

So one night we wanted to fry fish over a fire like our hot dog roast. So this is what we did. haha I feel like we do some really ghetto things here but it works. haha

Animal Planet and Living in a Zoo

The following pictures are some of the "animals" that Brian encounters at his home. Brian thinks they are cool, and his mom thinks some of them are gross.


So we have this dog that lives at our apartment that we can't get rid of. It's not actually ours but the owner who used to live where we live... It's interesting but she's really nice and going to have babies soon. But that's beside the point. Haha

Check out this bat that was flying around in our apartment. haha I caught it in a bucket while it was still flying. haha It was pretty awesome.

So we found this spider the other day in our apartment fighting the cockroach. Obviously you can tell who won. But I thought it was pretty cool because the spider is missing 3 of its legs but it still won. It was pretty boss. Hahaha