Inspired by a Better Cause

August 10, 2020

Inspired by a Better Cause

Hola hola!!

I hope everyone had a great week enjoying the last few weeks of summer!! It was another good week here in Kirkland. We had some more warm weather mixed with rain through out the week so I got a good taste of winter in Seattle! Colder morning runs in the rain followed by warm afternoons teaching outside are THE best!

This was the last week of the transfer! Seems like I got here yesterday but at the same time I feel like I've been gone for years and that I'll never be going home...gotta love the rollercoaster of emotions in mission life! Nonetheless, I'm so grateful for the past 6 weeks I've had. I've seen a ton of personal growth and have worked really hard to adjust and do my best here! Relying on my Heavenly Father has made me stronger in character and testimony and I know I have so much in store for me during the rest of my mission! We received news that our trio here in Kirkland is staying together for another transfer! This is such good news since I am finally feeling more comfortable and busy here with the work in our area and have totally gotten used to my companions too! We're a great team together. We were convinced that Hermana Mather would be getting transferred (she's been here for 8 months) but we are lucky to keep her! She even had started packing her suitcases up and I had been cooking all of her favorite dinners to send her off...well oops! This will also be Hermana Fredrickson's last transfer of the mission. She has completely torn her ACL and meniscus so she's finishing early. It will be sad to see her go but we have such a busy and fun transfer ahead of us!! With so many missionaries coming to the field this week, our Kirkland zone is growing with more english, Spanish, Portuguese and Chinese speaking elders and sisters!

Other than a hectic week of planning that my STL companions had to endure, we made such great progress with our friends this week! We had lots of lessons and met more potential investigators. One experience I want to share with all of you was with my best friend Johnny!! I have written about him in past emails but Johnny is a rancher that lives in the Duvall area. We found him through phone contacting and he was one of my very first lessons as a missionary. When we met Johnny he was in a really hard spot in his life and felt pretty lost. Now after about 4 lessons with him, we have seen his countenance, confidence and love for learning totally change. We met with him this past week and had a lesson about the importance of following the example of Jesus Christ in our lives. The spirit was crazy strong as we bore testimony and talked him through his questions and doubts he had. He told us that earlier that week he got a call about his abuelo passing away down in Mexico. He was heartbroken about this loss and he told us that as he was crying he had a feeling to go read the pamphlet we had put inside his Book of Mormon from our lesson on the Plan of Salvation. He described the peace and comfort that overcame him as he read. We explained to him that it is sometimes through our trials that Heavenly Father can let us know his loving presence in our lives. We were so grateful that Johnny had this knowledge of eternal families and that he understood that it was the Spirit helping him through his hard moments. At the end of the lesson he accepted our invitation to be baptized on August 22nd as he explained that he wants a better life through Jesus Christ. Literally nothing better than that. Best lesson ever!!!

As we drove home from Duvall after our lesson with Johnny, I couldn't help but reflect on the progress both him and I have made the past 6 weeks. The first time I met Johnny I was really struggling in the language and in having motivation to be a missionary. I tried my best to teach Johnny how to pray off of directions on a sticky note and didn't open my mouth the rest of the lesson. But now I can see how powerful the Lord's hand has been in both of our lives! Johnny is on his way to baptism and ended our last lesson with saying such a sweet and descriptive prayer, a night and day difference from before! As for me, my spanish is so far from perfect but I confidently try my best while teaching him and have truly felt the joy of being an instrument of God when we talk. Humbling ourselves to accept our Heavenly Father's will is never easy but so worth it when we see the progress that comes with this divine trust. Continue to pray for Johnny please!

In my mission we are only fed by members on Saturday's and Sunday's. It may not seem like a lot but I actually have been loving it! It allows us to enjoy some good different food but also let's us cook what we want the majority of the week. With covid restrictions still up in the air we really never eat in a ton of member houses. We usually just pick up the food and eat at our apartment. Although it's tough to share a lot of messages with them, eating at your own pace and how much or how little you want is sooooo nice. I've had some awesome authentic Mexican food and quite a bit of Colombian food too! Its all been so yummy but none of it has beat the food I've eaten at the Rodriguez home!

To end I want to share a quick spiritual thought from a combination of Come Follow Me insights, my own studies and words of prophets I've heard this week. I loved the Come Follow Me teachings this week about the war chapters. Especially in the reminder that "we are all enlisted" in a war against Satan! The faithful actions of the Nephites in these chapters are paralleled to our own actions we need to take to survive the battles we face today! In our world it seems like we are especially surrounded by evil forces that come at us in every direction. However, being "inspired by a better cause" and remembering the name of Christ that we represent as members of the church is how we fight for the "cause of the Christians!" One of my favorite lessons I pulled from these chapters was from Alma 47. The evil Amalickiah consistently pestered Lehonti to come down from his camp high on the mountain to talk with him. After several requests, Lehonti gave in and sacrificed his safety to have a conversation. This action led to the death of Lehonti and the loss of his army to the Lamanites under the control of Amalickiah. From this bold example I learned the importance of standing strong in the high ground of your testimony. At different times in our lives we all are atop of safe mountains that represent our testimonies in the gospel. We have all climbed through trials of temptations, sin and sadness to enjoy the reassuring views and peace found on the mountain tops. No matter how consistent or how powerful the tempter might become, always remember to stay on your mountain. Stay on the high ground and stay in the safety of your testimony! It is through our steadfast faith in Christ and faith in a better world that will give us safety in these times. Never give the adversary a few footsteps towards him, for the safe ground is always in Christ! President Nelson gave us the best reminder and word of advice as we continue to persevere through such insane times. "...the road ahead may be bumpy, but our destination is serene and secure."

Big shoutout to my best friend Sister Boyden starting her mission this week! I heard her farewell was awesome and I know that anyone Caroline teaches will be blessed with her smile, her genuine love for the gospel and her pure kindness she has for others. The Lord is gaining another amazing disciple of Christ into His army of missionaries this week. You are never alone in the work and this is exactly what you're supposed to be doing CK, you'll kill it!!!

I love you all and hope you have another amazing week! Continue to stay safe as life tries to normalize and school starts soon. I pray for all of you and appreciate all the support I've been given! You all really keep me going!

As always, sending love from sunny Seattle!

Deficil es bueno.

Xoxoxo Hermana Christensen