Wow, family and friends! So many things have happened this week. I
feel so happy because we are “trabajando duro” (working hard) and
seeing results.
Thanks to Kimi Pieper, Kari Stolzenburg, Sis. Baysa, Crystal Baysa,
and Bishop Jamison for sending letters via DearElder.com (it’s fast,
it’s easy, it’s cheap, and I don’t receive a single cent for
shamelessly endorsing the website). It makes me happy to keep in
touch with all of you and to know what is going on in your lives. I
love you and pray for you.
Sunday was Fast and Testimony meeting and our convert of one
week, Elen, fasted, paid her fast offering and tithing, and
bore her testimony in sacrament meeting. Wow! She explained
how this was her first time fasting and how she was tempted
by the food at a baby shower on Saturday night, but she didn’t
eat anything (but stored it away for later). She just radiates
in her countenance and shows quite the contrast from when we
first met her. She is an example to all in the ward.
We sat with Rosa and her children at church and I just laughed at
their antics. Cesar, 8, saved the plastic sacrament cups and stuck
them on his eyes, as if they were goggles or something. We were
teaching them the parts of the fast (fast, give offering, and
testify), ayunar, orar, dar, y testificar. We asked them to repeat the
parts of the fast and Ruth (6) said, “Ayunar, orar, dar, y TRAFFICAR!)
(as in drug trafficking). We burst out laughing at her malapropism.
No, trafficking is NOT part of the typical fast!
For a time (we don’t know how long) we have the blessing of having
a new companion with us, Hermana Ticona, also from Arequipa. She
is waiting to have her visa to go to Guadalajara, Mexico. Meanwhile,
other sister missionaries are sick and so we have to lend Hna. Avalos
to the sickies for a week. I’m sad because she is so good at following
the Spirit (and knows the houses) and understanding people, we are
super united and have a ton of fun together working hard and helping
people. Also, this month is her birthday month, so I am following the
tradition of her family, where they give a small gift every day.
Sometimes I’ll just make her bed and leave a note. I bought her a
package of 25 envelopes and told her that should last her most of the
month (one for every day), but as a joke. We are going to cry when
we part. She is such a good friend.
This week we are pumped after capacitations (trainings), and we
are having a meeting for the Ward Council this Thursday to explain
how we want to help each organization and how each organization
can help with missionary work. Also, a brief training on how Preach
My Gospel can be of utility for ward leaders. I’m not going to
lie... I like to give trainings and teach. After the trainings on
Friday, we performed our comedy sketch on missionary work in one
of the ward talent shows in our district and the people loved it.
It should be on YouTube by now, under “JardinesSUD”. Check it out!
Xiomara, the sister of our ward missionary leader, Anthony, will be
baptized this Saturday. Also, we are working with their parents so
they can be married and baptized soon. We talked with the bishop
and "si o si” (yes or yes) they have to be married and baptized
during this window of 5 days that he has off from work (he works in
provincia, far away for 24 days and stays home for 5). So, it will
be interesting and a much waited for occasion. Rosa, his future
wife, is anxious to be baptized with her children and her husband.
The gospel is so true and has changed Rosa and all of her family.
The kids were in charge of the games for the Family Home Evening
we did with them and the neighborhood this Sunday. We are also
teaching their neighbors,Diana and Roman, who attended church and
are very receptive. The church is so true.
I am just super happy and couldn’t ask for a better companionship.
We are creative with our teaching (or else people don’t pay
attention... you can’t learn if you are bored). We are helping less
active families by doing creative FHEs, by focusing on helping the
members attend the temple, and recently, a stake initiative to help
everyone read the Book of Mormon. We are trying to help them
become better organized and to visit the families so they have the
goal of reading the Book of Mormon together. The promise is that
all who read diligently and with an open heart, with prayer, will
feel more of the Spirit in their lives, will have a stronger
knowledge and conviction that Jesus is the Christ and Saviour of
the world, and I forgot the other promise, (but the promises are
real!).
Honestly, I just feel so grateful to participate in this work, because
I feel the Spirit daily and see many miracles every day in my own life
and in the life of those we teach. I think we all need to look for the
tiny miracles that happen in our lives every day. I know that my
Heavenly Father is real and that He loves me, that He listens and
answers my prayers. His Spirit guides us in this work with the small
and big details. I am learning to pray and then work for blessings.
The Gospel is real and changes lives.
Have a great week!
Love,
Hna. Christensen
