January 30, 2012

What up family! 

 So I'm just chillin here freezing to death. it is so cold here right now. if i finish my mish in an area like this and come home to snow.. its not gonna be that different. haha it feels like Utah on a fall day here... just without snow. I can see my breath. Its crazy. But i love this area.. i thinks it probably my favorite area of them all. Me and my comp are working really hard and have some great families. We are teaching about 6 families right now that are awesome. we were expecting about 4 out of them to come to church yesterday, but only 3 of them could come.. but we still had a way good show up yesterday for church. We were way happy!! 
 The best family that we are teaching is just having some challenges right now.. with their relatives. They would have already been baptized by now but their families are really Catholic. And the parents of the people that we are teaching told them that if they change religions they will never come over to visit them again, and wont talk to them. The thing is that Roger and Elisabeth, the investigators, are sooo awesome... they have a strong testimony and know the church is true but they are just scared cuz they don't want to lose they family and stuff. So last Saturday we went to their house to do a "make it or break it" lesson with them. We explained to them that the only way to live as an eternal family is through the authority of God through the Church of Jesus Christ. They understood completely and shared their testimonies of the Church with us. but then explained what their relatives had told them. So we told them they had to choose between living with their daughters forever or not getting baptized and not being rejected by their family. They came to church on Sunday and we told them they have to kind of make a decision now cuz we cant just come over and visit them as often if they don't want to progress. So were going to see what they decide the next appointment on Wednesday. The other families we have are way cool too. One of them are Ronald and Alba, they are awesome and came to church yesterday. The first time we taught them was awesome. We contacted them in the street and talked about an eternal family and then i felt the impression that we needed to teach them right in that moment. So i asked them if we could go to their house and teach them right then. Walking to the house my comp told me he felt the same impression that we need to teach them right then, and was actually going to ask them himself but i asked them first. So we knew that was the spirit telling us they were a chosen family. We start teaching them the Restoration and about Joseph Smith and stuff. they understood everything and loved it cuz they were confused which church they needed to join also, we then pulled the BOM out and explained it to them. He then told us that he use to hate reading and usually doesn't really like the things that have to do with God and stuff, then he told us that the moment that we contacted him in the street that he felt the need to listen to us. And as soon as he saw the BOM he got an urge to read it. It was really cool. Then the next lesson we had with them he had read the whole chapter that we left with him, the wife  and the 11 year old daughter read all of it also. and we asked them what they felt and they said they knew it was true. So we are really excited we are teaching them right now. We actually have an appointment with them tonight so I'm way excited. They are also coming to church next Sunday and tonight were going to put a baptismal date for the 18th with them!
   Today for Pday were just gonna chill with some of the other missionaries and play Risk the game, it should be fun. Yes we have hot water in our house.. if we didn't i would die of coldness. So what about my contacts? I'm dying here cuz now i actually notice that i cant see good from far. Is there a specific prescription for contacts that i have to get? What else is new there? I'm glad the business is doing well, how many employees do you have now? when are you gonna quit your job mom? or do you like it? I think ill be able to put myself in for the bonus points, I'm gonna try it today and see. so don't touch it dad, but what are you and buck gonna put in for? tell Buck I love him and I miss him, I feel bad cuz I haven't written him in a while but I really have like no time to write after writing the letter to you guys. Tell everyone I love and miss them :)
 Well i'll talk to you next week, love you guys a ton!!!
Elder Christensen