I am sorry I did not write last week, as the Internet was slow and it would not permit me to check my email. The good news, however, is that I checked my email after 2 weeks, and the feedback that I got is that people actually read my updates. Whoa! That’s motivation to have even cooler mission stories to share. Thank you to my loyal readership.
This Sunday we brought our investigators Esterdrith and Dolly to church. As we arrived, Percy, our ward mission leader approached us. “Did the Bishop let you know that you both are giving talks in church today?” We looked at each other and shook our heads, no. “Well, at least we know now and have time to prepare!” we said. Hna. Tepen gave a talk on love and I gave a talk on the power of our thoughts. We choose our thoughts, and our thoughts determine our experiences in this life. We can choose to fuel our frustration with angry complaints and criticism or we can choose to be content with expressions of gratitude and love. The irony is that I always tend to give talks or make comments in church of things that I need to work on. I felt like I was giving myself that talk more than anyone else.
We are teaching so many good people. Jarlin, 25, is a teacher and every missionary’s dream investigator. We gave him homework, and he studies and understands the gospel rapidly. The only thing that is a challenge for him is that he is going to leave next week for 10 months! He is a teacher in a tiny city on the border of Brazil and Peru. We told him, “We are going to give you homework assignments. You get to read the Book of Mormon, 8 times!” We are sending him with a study notebook, too. Hna. Tepen is going to write him via email after the mission to make sure he keeps on doing his homework assignments (there are no ulterior motives!!!). Long distance education is wonderful.
I am going to miss Hna. Tepen. She is finishing her mission in Lima, in the same zone where I began my mission. I start singing Lion King’s “Circle of Life” because the mission life cycle is completed, in a sense. She has taught me so much. Because she loves me, she tells me clearly how I need to repent, but she does it with so much love, that I only have appreciation that she has the guts to tell me. I am going to miss that kid. She is amazing. ;) I am going to stay here in Iquitos, but I have a new companion, Hna. Duarte. I bet she is amazing. I feel a little weird because I am senior companion. I wish I had paid more attention to where the houses are! Yikes! Pray for me!
Choose the right!
Love, Hna. Christensen
