Shout outs and thank yous to the following people for their letters and Christmas cards: Lisa and Matt Gee (I listened to the CD twice, thank you so much for making it), Kay Wilkins, Jan and Allison Wilkes, Mom, Rachel Christensen, Michelle Lizon, Liz Stitt, Kezia Carter, Amy Huffman, Sharon Bigelow (Freshman Academy) and anyone else I forgot. FYI, Some people use www.DearElder.com to send a letter via email and then the mission prints it off for me. It might be cheaper than regular post.
And happy birthday this week to my nephew Emerson, who will turn one-year old!
I was grateful to hear that Karen and Adam are safe. I had heard from a neighbor about the earthquake in Haiti, and my companion and I have been praying for them and the Haitians. Keep Haiti in your prayers, as well as the Peruvians.
I am in my new area and I am very content. What a contrast from big city Lima! So, they told me I am going to the jungle, but I am actually in a city, with the jungle surrounding me. I still slather myself with bugspray and sunscreen, though, and sleep under a mosquito net. They say the temperatures get up to 38 degrees Celsius, even more. It’s a good thing they use the metric system, because I don’t know what the temperature means. But, sorry to get your hopes up. It is still a city, with the accomodations of internet cafes, hospital clinics, paved roads, and markets. It feels like a tourist town. The church is just a few blocks from our house, which is extremely convenient. We have 4 branches in this district.
I love my new companion, Hna. Tepen. She is from Guatemala and was working before coming on her mission. She only has two transfers left. I tell her every day, as a joke, “No sea trunky!” (Don’t be trunky) It’s a lot easier to work together as a companionship when both of us have some experience under our belt. I learn a lot from her every day to not just teach, but to testify. Testifying is what invites the Spirit in the lesson. I believe that I need to be companions with her in order to learn how to develop the Christlike attributes of love, patience, and humility. She rocks.
I am so happy here! I’ve really been putting my focus on loving God and loving my neighbor, rather than getting caught up in all the details of the mission. What a difference it makes. We woke up super early on Sunday to accompany the Sanchez family to church for their confirmation (they were baptized Saturday, a complete family...dad, mom, sister and brother!). When we arrived at 8:30, they were not even close to being ready. They had to wash all their clothes before church. So, Hna. Tepen and I helped wash clothes. Fortunately, Hna. Flores had taught me a week or so ago how to wash clothes by hand, including how to rinse and dry effectively. You have to squeeze the water out and then shake it. I was grateful for this new skill. Does this count as part of a merit badge towards my Eagle?
Our zone is small (8 of us) and we do fun activities together. For example, today we are going to a lagoon. We did a service activity when we went to the Branch Presidents’ houses and cleaned their yards and their homes. I could tell some of the women were a little embarrassed or offended, so I kept on telling them, “It’s easy to clean a house that is already clean!” I also gave the women back massages and washed dishes. It was more than anything, a demonstration of our willingness to support and serve the 4 branches in our district, and it unified our district. Everyone in our zone is da bomb and so willing to serve and to love. Awesome! We will have miracles in this area. Stay tuned!
Con mucho amor,
Hermana Christensen
